not one so bad as this for notwithstanding all this and that they see they cannot liue and Nature tels them they must needs die yea all these fore-runners of death Auri sacra fames amor sceleratus habendi assolet imprimis excruciare fenes doe daily tell them that they are euen drawing their last breath yet the neerer they be vnto their death the more couetous they are the more worldly minded the more desirous to liue and the more loath to leaue this wretched life Secondly as all the Ages of mans life The miseries of all estates so all the estates of life are full of the punishments of sinne For First if thou beest poore Nihil habet infaelix paupertas Thou shalt be sure of nothing but contempt which is pouerties necessary attendant for the poore man shall be despighted of his own brethren and it is strange to see what pains and drudgery those poore snakes as we call them doe take The miseries of the poore Gen. 3.19 and indure both at home and abroad to get a little maintenance in the sweat of their face it may be in the coldest Winter they doe eate their bread and perhaps scarce sufficient to satisfie meere necesity as if they onely were allotted to sustaine that heauy sentence that was first denounced against man for sinne and therefore Menander saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 No burthen is more burthensome then pouerty and Plautus saith Omnibus modis Plaut rud qui pauperes sunt misere viuunt The poore are miserable euery way and it was the common receaued opinion of the Gentiles miseros esse deis inuisos that they were hated of the gods which were thus plagued by the gods and the Iewes thought little lesse Deut. 28.22.23 because this is numbred among the curses of the Law and therefore Hecuba being brought to such extreame pouerty as that she had neither clothes to couer her nakednesse nor yet foode to satisfie nature cals her mis-fortunes and miseries 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Such as surpassed the sufferance of any creature and Plutarch reports that many men to auoid the same did preuent this misery of life by a sudden and vnnaturall death choosing to die rather then to liue in extreame pouerty and so with the vnpatient Fishes they did but leape out of the Frying-pan into the fire and run away from that misery which for a while they would not indure into that intollerable torments which now they must eternally suffer The misery of the rich Secondly If thou beest rich then art thou enuied of others and shalt be very like to be consened of thy goods for theeues will seeke to robbe thee thy friends to betray thee and thy neighbours to deceiue thee which makes the rich men to take more care to keepe their wealth then they tooke paines to get it and thereby they are vexed and crucified of themselues Inuenal Satyr 10. Nam plures nimia congesta pecunia cura strangulat For gold and siluer haue destroyed many a man saith the Sonne of Syrach Eccle. 8. for riches are like thornes saith our Sauiour Christ because they haue the same power to teare our hearts Mar. 4.18 as the others haue to rend our garments Neither is this all the euill that riches bring vnto vs but they puffe vs vp with pride they make vs to disdaine our Inferiors wrong our neighbours forget our God and to thinke our selues poore wormes to be no lesse then gods on earth and therefore the Lord saith that he is greatly angry against rich Nations Because Zephan 1. they that will be rich doe fall into temptation and a snare 1 Tim. 6.9 and into many foolish and hurtfull lusts which drowne men in perdition and destruction and our Sauiour saith Matth. 19.23 it is a very hard thing for a rich man to enter into the Kingdome of Heauen And therefore though pouerty be an extreame misery Whether to be poore or to be rich is the more miserable yet doe not I know well whether to be wealthy or to be in want is the worser for though to be poore is a miserable thing in this life yet to be rich is a great hinderance for vs to eternall life and therefore I finde that the sonne of Iakeh prayed to God that he would giue him neither pouerty nor riches Prou. 30.3 but feed him with foode conuenient Because the meane state is the best state And yet Thirdly If thou beest meane then art thou accounted base The miseries of the meane estate and deemed vnfit for the Society nay for the seruice of many men for now Gentlemen and not good men are the men that are most generally required for the seruice of great men Fourthly If thou beest Noble The miseries of Nobility then art thou euer in feare of disgrace and must perhaps in forraine warres with the imbruing of thy hands in others blood mainetaine the reputation of thine owne blood at home Fiftly If thou beest one of the vulgar people The miseries of the common people then art thou at others command and euer in feare of thy Iudges anger Sixtly If thou beest a Magistrate then must thou labour and toyle for the good of others and many times The miseries of Magistrates disturbe thine owne rest and peace yea disburse thine owne state and suffer many other hazards to vndergoe to procure rest and peace vnto thy neighbours and when in any difference betwixt men thou hast done thy best and dealt as iustly as Iustice it selfe could doe yet for his saying that is righted and perhaps but coldly too that thou hast done well thou art like to bee sure of him that would haue done the wrong to be more wronged thy selfe by his railing and proclayming thee to be a corrupt and vnrighteous Iudge The miseries of the Ministers Seauenthly If thou beest a Minister and a teacher of Gods people then shalt thou see that this highest calling in Gods Church is subiect to the greatest miseries in the world for they are sent as sheepe into the midst of Wolues Matth. 10.16 and they are incident to be punished by God many times for the sinnes of others when they make them their owne Ezek. 18. because they reprooue them not and to be scorned and contemned of men when they do their best and we see many of them euen of the best to be left vnregarded vnrewarded And what should I speake of more Fathers Children Husbands Wiues Masters Seruants and whatsoeuer else no estate is free from sinne how can they then be free from miseries How all creatures do heap vp miseries vpon man Thirdly we know that when God made man he made Lord of all his creatures the trembling trees bowing yeelded their fruites the siluer streames running offered their seruice the Lyons roaring after their prey and all other creatures standing in their order subiected themselues willingly vnto man
vnto vs especially 1. His life is our chiefest direction 2. Himselfe is our onely consolation For Aug de vera religione First Tota vita Christi in terris per hominem quem gessit disciplina morum fuit The whole life of Christ which he spent here on earth was and is a patterne for all Christians saith Saint Augustine Christ despised all worldly vanities Nam omnia bona mundi contempsit For he dâ—spised all the pompe and vanitie of this world he was borne poore his Inne was a Stable his Cradle was a Manger and his couering were poore swadling clouts he liued poore for hee had not an house to put his head in and he dyed poore Saint Augustine when he dyed made no Will because he had no wealth but his bookes which he gaue to the common Library Posidon in vita August saith Possidonius but Christ was poorer for he had no goods but his garment this was all the Souldiers got by him to teach vs in his mundanis faelicitatem non reponere That we should not greedily seeke nor childishly place our delight in these vaine and worldly toyes but if riches increase not to set our hearts vpon them Et omnia mala sustinuit Christ suffered all miseries and he suffered all the sorrowes of this world hunger thirst cold and nakednesse lyings slanders spittings mockings whippings death it selfe to teach vs Vt nec in illis quaereretur faelicitas ita nec in istis infaelicitas timeretur That as wee should place no felicity in the vanities of this life so we should not feare all the miseries of this life Iudg 6.12.14 but to say with Debora March valiantly O my soule and with the Angel vnto Gideon Goe on thou mighty man of Warre and passe through all the ranks of miseries for Dabit Deus his quoque finem God will make an end of these things and will bring his people vnto rest which shall continue without ending and therefore Saint Bernard saith Incassum laborat in acquisitione virtutum qui eas alibi quam in Christo quaerit That there is no way in the world for vs to attaine vnto any goodnesse Christ the most perfect patterne of all vertue but onely through Christ nor to learne any true vertue but onely from the example of Christ For If thou wouldest learne humilitie Let the same minde be in thee which was in Christ Iesus Phil. 2.5.6.7 who being in the forme of God and thought it no robbery to be equall with God yet did he make himselfe of no reputation and tooke vpon him the forme of a seruant If thou wouldest learne truth and vprightnesse set the example of Christ before thy face for in him there was no sinne 1 Pet. 2.22 Bernard ser 2. super Cantic Prudentia vera in eius doctrina iustitia in eius misericordia temperantia in vita fortitudo in eiusdem pâ—ssione reperiuntur and in his mouth was found no guile and to be briefe if thou dost seriously looke thou shalt easily finde that as Saint Bernard saith True Wisedome is found in his Doctrine Righteousnesse in his Mercy Mercy in his Iustice Temperance in his Life Truth in his words Fortitude in his sufferings and all vertues in all his actions All the Aethicks of Aristotle all the morality of Seneca and all the wisedome of Greece can no wayes describe vertue neere so perfectly as wee see it expresly portrayed in the liuely example of our Sauiours life And as there is no way for vs to finde true vertue The knowledge of Christ the onely meanes to suppresse all vices but onely in him which is vertue it selfe so there is nothing in the world that is so auaileable to suppresse all vice as is the true knowledge of Iesus Christ Nam haec irae impetum cohibet superbiae tumorem sedat For this will refraine the violence of anger when they consider how he suffered all violence and villanies Esay 53.7 and yet as a Sheepe before his shearer was dumbe so opened hee not his mouth This will allay the swellings of Pride when they consider how he was the noblest of all creatures Psal 45.3 and the fayrest among the sonnes of men and yet was he meeke and lowly in heart Matth. 11.29 â—his will heale the wounds of enuy it will stoppe the streames of luxury it will quench the flames of lust it will temper the thirst of couetousnesse and it will keepe thee from the itching desire of all filthinesse when we consider how much hee loathed these how free he was from these and how earnestly hee disswaded vs from these and from all other vices whatsoeuer And therefore saith he Ne mundi gloria seu carnis voluptatibus abducaris dulcescat tibi pro his sapientia Christus Ne spiritu mendacij erroris seducaris lucescat tibi veritas Christus ne aduersitatibus fatigeris comfortet te virtus Dei Christus Lest thou shouldest be with-drawne from God through the pompous vanities of this world or the lustfull and delightfull pleasures of thine owne flesh let Christ the true wisedome of God waxe sweet vnto thee Lest thou shouldest be seduced by the spirit of lies and of errors let Christ the true light shine vnto thee and lest thou shouldest be wearied and waxe faint vnder the burthen of aduersities let Christ the power of God refresh thee Secondly As all Christs actions are our instructions so is Christ himselfe all our consolation Nam cum defecerit virtus mea non conturbor For if I see mine owne strength and goodnesse faile me yet I neede not be disturbed I neede not be deiected Quia quod ex me mihi deest vsurpo ex visceribus Domini Because whatsoeuer wanteth in my selfe Whatsoeuer we want Christ alone is all-sufficient to supply our neede to helpe my selfe I may freely and boldly assume it to supply my wants from my Lord and Master Iesus Christ for as that seruant neede not want that hath free leaue to vse his Masters full purse at his owne command so neede not they want any grace that haue the grace of Christ because as I told you before Omnia habemus in Christo Christus omnia in nobis We haue all things in Christ and Christ is all things vnto vs. If thou art sicke with sinne and thy soule wounded or poysoned vnto death and wouldest be healed Christ is thy best and alone Physician onely he and not one but he can cure thee If thy soule doth hunger and thirst after righteousnesse and wouldest be satisfied Joh. 6.35 he is the Bread of Life and the Fountaine of liuing waters Whosoeuer eateth him shall neuer hunger and whosoeuer drinketh of him C. 7.38 shall neuer thirst for out of his belly shall flow riuers of waters of life If thou art as naked of all goodnesse as thou wert of all clothing when thou camest out of thy Mothers wombe
euery state 1. Of Grace Rom. 11.20 2. Of Laps Luke 23.40 First In the state of grace we must feare to leese the goodnesse of God for so the Apostle saith Thou that standest by faith be not high minded but feare Secondly In the state of laps wee must feare to feele the iustice of God for so the good thiefe said vpon the Crosse Fearest thou not seeing thou art in the state of condemnation Thirdly In the state of recouery God must be feared 3. Of Recouerie Psal 130.4 for his double fauour for so the Prophet saith With thee there is mercy that thou maist be feared That is Mercy to forgiue that we may be afraide to offend And thus Saint Bernard saith In statu gratiae time ne non digne opereris ex ea In the state of Gods fauour feare lest thou turne the graces of God into wantonnesse as the false Steward that wasted his Masters goods and the slothfull seruant that hid his Lords Talent Luke 16.1 In statu lapsus time quia reliquit te custodia tua spiritus Deus Math. 15.18 25. Angeli Dei In the state of sinne feare because God hath forsaken thee and the Angels of God haue no charge of thee In statu restitutionis time quia deterius est recidere quam incidere In the state of restauration feare to relapse because recidiuation is farre more dangerous then the first transgression And so you see the meaning of this Angels consolatorie words vnto the women Iames 2.19 Feare you not That is not me not men not deuils for they feare themselues and tremble and they cannot hurt you because you seeke Iesus that was crucified and you walke in the light therefore you cannot stumble for he that walketh in the light Iohn 11.9 stumbleth not saith our Sauiour but you may and should feare God with a filiall feare that is To stand in awe to offend his blessed Maiestie for this expelleth all sinne and wickednesse from vs and continueth the loue and fauour of God vnto vs. And so much for the Angels comforting of these weake and comfortlesse Women Euery benefit requires a dutie Secondly This Angell doth not onely comfort and shew benignity vnto these Women but he doth also instruct them and require a duty from them Quia beneficium exigit officium Because euery fauour shewed requires a willingnesse to haue our seruice performed and as Aristotle saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristot aethic l. 5. 5. It behoueth the party gratified to be proportionably seruiceable to him that did him kindnesse so that euery good turne in nature is obligatory and whatsoeuer benefiteth ipso facto bindeth And therefore this Angel setteth downe vnto these Women two especiall lessons The first of Theorie which they must know The second of practice which they must doe CHAP. III. How the Angell informeth the Women of the Resurrection of Christ many wayes and how the vbiquity of Christ his Body is here confuted by this Angell FOR the first In the lesson of Theorie The Angell sheweth the resurrection of Christ three manner of wayes this Angell sheweth vnto these Women the Resurrection of Christ and that as you may see three especiall wayes 1. By way of Negation He is not here 2. By way of Confirmation For he is risen 3. By way of Illustration For he is risen as hee said and as you may see Come see the place where the Lord lay First The Angell saith Christ is not here that is That this assertion of the Angell quite ouerthroweth that doctrine of the vbiquity of Christs Body in respect of his corporall presence for otherwise as he is God he was there and in all other places of the World but as he is a man consisting of a true naturall body defined and measured with quantity and bounded with the limits of his trinary Dimensions bredth length and thickenesse and all other properties of a true body he was gone and was not there And therefore this onely place of Scripture if there were none other is sufficient to disproue all the vbiquitaries in the World for if his body was in euery place how could the Angell say that he was not in that place It is true that Christ may be said to be euery where and that the Virgins Sonne may be said to haue created the World Bonauent l. 3. sent dist 22. q. 2. but how Non per proprietatem naturarum sed per communicationem proprietatum Not by the propriety of Natures but by the communication of properties and that not as transfused the properties of the one Nature into the other but as predicated of whole Christ in respect of the personall vnion of the one Nature with the other For though the Apostle saith Coloss 2.9 That in him dwelleth the fulnesse of the God-head bodily yet we must note a difference betweene Diuinitatem communicari humanitati To communicate the Deity and all the diuine properties vnto the humanitie Bellar. de incar Christi l. 3. c. 16. Et diuinitatem inhabitare in humanitate And to haue the Diuinity and all the diuine properties to dwell in the humanity How Christ may be truely said to be euery where and so to dwell not as he doth in vs by his grace but by a personall vnion vnto his Nature And therefore as a House by reason of a mans dwelling in it cannot be said to goe or to speake but the man dwelling in the House may be said to doe the same so the body of Christ by reason of the inhabitation of the Deity cannot be said to know all things or to be euerywhere but the God-head that dwelleth in that body may be and is euery where for though the humanity of Christ subsisteth in the person of the Sonne of God and in that respect may be said to be euery where In what sense the manhood of Christ may be said to be euery where because that hauing no subsistence of it owne it subsisteth in a person that is euery where yet in respect of its Essence being a finite creature it is no wayes capable of the diuine properties And therefore though Christ personally may be said to be in all places or the Body of Christ vertually respectu virtutis seruatricis that is in respect of his sauing vertue as the Sunne which is essentially in Heauen but vertually in all inferior bodies may be said to be euery where yet the Body of Christ locally or the manhood of Christ solely considered must needes be in one place Otherwise how could his manhood be contained within the straights of the Virgins wombe if his manhood was euery where How could his body be nayled to the Crosse wrapped in clothes laide in the Sepulcher if that his body was so spacious as that no limits could containe him Or how could the Angell say Bellar. de incar l. 3. c. 12. He is not here if he was euery where
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
then is he almost past all hope of well-doing For not onely the Apostle saith it is a shame to speake of those things which are done of them in darkenesse but the very Heathen Poet could say Quis furor est qua nocte latent in luce fateri Ouid. l. 3. amor Et quae clam facias facta referre palam What a madnesse is it to speake openly what abhominable sinnes thou hast committed secretly And if it be a shame and a frenzie to speake of thine abominations openly O then how lamentable is thy case to commit them publikely in the sight of the Sunne Isidor de summo bono l. 2. Quia maior est culpa manifeste quam oeculte peccare Because it is a farre greater sinne to commit any wicked fault openly then it is to commit the same fact priuately and secretly for he is doubly guilty that sinneth publikely What a haynous thing it is to sinne publiquely and so to teach others by our ill examples Matth. 5.19 Et quia agit quia docet First because he doth that euill himselfe and secondly because he teacheth others by his example to doe the like and you know what our Sauiour saith Hee that breaketh the least of these Commandements and teacheth others so to doe he shall be called the least in the Kingdome of heauen i. e. None at all He shall haue no place at all in Heauen And yet as the Prophet Ieremie said of the Iewes That they carryed their sinnes in their foreheads and had Whores faces Ier. 3.3 which would not be ashamed so may we now say of our selues we are as an impudent Strumpet that will play the Harlot in the sight of her Husband and are more abashed at our base apparrell then we are at our wicked liues Thirdly when we are come to that passe to commit sinne without feare and to doe it openly without shame to haue our conscience seared and our hearts hardned in sinne then as the old saying is Consuetudo peccandi tollit sensum peccati Custome of sinning doth take away all the sense and feeling of sinne in familiaritatem grauissima adducit and makes the heauiest sinnes like Miloe's Oxe seeme light and small vnto them for now the sinner is in his owne element and no element is heauy in his owne spheare Ideo peccata Seneca de tranq quamvis magna horrenda cum in consuetudinem venerint aut parna aut nulla esse credunt peccatores The custome of sinning makes the greatest sinnes seeme but very small And therefore the sinners which are accustomed to sinne doe esteeme their sinnes though they be neuer so horrid and horrible to be either no sinnes or but very little sinnes and therefore though euery sinne in it selfe is like a talent of Lead able to sinke downe the strongest soule to Hell or like the poysonous iuyce of Aconite Lurida terribiles miscent a conita nouercae which they say is the mortallest poyson in the world because as the Poets faine this hearbe grew from that froth that fell out of the Iawes of Cerberus when Hercules dragg'd him out of Hell yet doe these men carry all their sinnes away Iudg. 16.3 as nimbly as Sampson did the Gates of Azza and drinke vp the same as smoothly as the drunkards vse to sip vp their pleasant Wine And when we haue accustomed our selues to sinne then are we bound in sinne as with a chain more strong then those seauen greene Withes or those seauen new Ropes wherewith Dalila bound Sampson The longer we continue in sinne the harder it is for vs to forsake our sinnes for he brake the same as a thread but we shall hardly escape out of these miserable bonds of sinne Nam vsitata culpa ita mentem retinet vt nequaquam ad rectitudinem surgere possit For an vsuall custome of sinning doth so retaine the soule in sinne that it cannot rise to vertue yea though he should sometimes endeuour to rise yet should hee alwayes faile to stand Greg. in quad Homilia Quia vbi sponte diu persistit ibi cum noluerit cadit Because where he willingly long persisted there of necessity he shall often nillingly fall saith Saint Gregory And so Saint Chrysostome saith Chrysost aduersus gentiles ad Babylam Martyrem that the soule of man which once tasted of the sweetnesse of sinne and is not moued with sorrow or repentance for the same causeth by her owne negligence the strength of sinne alwayes to encrease For as a sparke of fire falling among the stubble How sinne will encrease if it be not at the first resisted doth instantly kindle it and is more and more augmented if it be not presently extinguished and then it neuer leaueth burning till all be consumed Euen so is the nature of sinne when it hath once seized vpon the thoughts of man if it be not presently subdued crusht in the shell or as Saint Augustine speaketh of the children of the Babylonians dasht to the walls while they are yet tender and yong it will grow further and further and euer prooue worse and worse and more and more wilde and vntamed and so the latter sinnes doe alwayes proue the greater sinnes and the end of such Sinners farre worse then their beginnings as our Sauiour speaketh for seeing they would not quench the first flames of sinne they are soone fallen into all kinde of sinnes Chrysost hom 59. in Matth. What a slauery it is to serue sinne And then Quemadmodum qui sub mille paedagogis vitam degunt Euen as those men which are kept vnder a thousand Schoolemasters dare not looke aside for feare of being espied of them nay more then the daughter of Inacus durst turne any where for feare of Argos eyes so they that are filled with sins cannot nay dare not speake of vertue no more then a seruant dares to speake against his Master Iohn 8.34 He that doth sinne is the seruant of sinne 2 Pet. 2.19 saith our Sauiour Et duram seruit seruitutem and surely such a one hath but a hard seruice of it as hereafter I shall shew vnto you Hypocrat l. 2. Aphor. 9. And therefore seeing that as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the infected parts of the body the more they are cherished the more they are indammaged So the soule daily accustomed to sinne is the more infinitely endammaged by sinne It were well for vs Christians if we would often remember the Heathen mans saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 No wise man will twise commit the same sinne and it would be better for vs that we would follow the other mans counsell which saith Obsta principijs sero medicina paratur Cum mala per longas conualnere moras Giue the water no passage Ecclus 25.25 no not a little saith the Sonne of Syrach and suffer not sinne to haue footing in thee How we ought to be very
his good will what punishment I pray thee wouldst thou thinke too great for such great ingratitude for as the Prophet Dauid at the consideration of Gods goodnesse vnto man saith Oh God Psal 8.4 what is man that thou art so mindfull of him or the Sonne of man that thou so regardest him So at the consideration of mans sinne against God we may all cry and cry againe Oh man what is God that thou art so vnmindfull of him or the Sonne of God that thou so little regardest him And as God was then good and gracious vnto man so now and euer since the fall of man we may say with the Prophet Oh how good a God is the God of Israel How many are raised from the dust like Saul that seeking his fathers Asses 1 Sam. 9. Psal 78.71 found a Kingdome or Dauid that from the Sheepfold was raised vnto the Scepter and how doth God continually bestow his blessings vnto men and make his Sunne to shine vpon the good Matth. 5.45 and vpon the bad and send his raine yea and that a gracious raine vpon the iust and vpon the vniust and cause our wiues to be like the Vine that is by the house-side and our children to be like the Oliue branches round about our Tables our Oxen strong to labour and our sheepe to bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets And therefore as he saith vnto the Israelites Esay 5.4 What could I doe more for my Vineyard So may he say to euery man what should I doe more for thee then I haue done If thou thinkest others in better state then thy selfe thou must know that thou doest not know thine owne estate nor vnderstandest what is best for thy selfe Sed quid profit vel obsit nouit medicus non aegrotus But God knoweth what is best for euery man and he euer worketh all things together for the best Rom. 8.28 for them that loue him And therefore for silly man to offend such a good God that doth so much good for man I know not how this sin should be sufficiently punished to eate his bread to enioy his Sunne to receiue his blessings and to spurne him with our heeles to teare him with our teeth and to abuse him in all our actions It is such a transcendent sinne as it passeth all vnderstanding to imagine punishment enough for the same The basenesse of the offender doth euer aggrauate the offence Secondly we must consider the quality of the Offender for if a King should iniure his subiect or a Master his seruant the offence is not so great as if a Subiect should rebell against his Soueraigne or a seruant lay violent hands vpon his master and therefore humane lawes decreed that the basenesse of the offender should be censured with the seuerer punishment as if a Master should kill his Seruant hee should but hang for his labour but if a Seruant should kill his Master he must be burnt all to ashes as for a sinne against Heauen and against Nature What a poore miserable thing is Man that doth offend so great and so good a God But what are we that doe offend so great and so good a God which the very Heathens tearmed Optimus Maximus best and greatest Wee are but men and no Angels but wormes and no men dust and ashes things of nothing and worth nothing base and beggerly not able in need to releeue our selues with one drop of cold water to coole our tongues Omnia sunt hominum tenui pendentia filo Et subito casu quae valuere ruent All our strength is but like a rush that may be soone knapt a sunder Psal 1.5 and all we haue is but like the dust which the winde can easily scatter away from off the face of the earth The very Heathens tell vs that omnis homo bulla est Euery man is but like a bubble of water soone blowne vp and sooner off Sic in non hominem vertitur omnis homo So meane and so base a thing is man Psal 144.4 He is like a thing of naught and his time passeth away like a shadow And yet these silly wormes like as the poore Psilii would warre against the winde vntill they were all ouerwhelmed with the sands so will they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the Gyants rebell and warre against their God Impar congressus Achilli vntill as the Pigmies were by Hercules they shall see themselues to be far ouer-matched with this God of Gods that holdeth the Winds in his fist and rideth vpon the Heauens as vpon a Horse And therefore what maruell that their punishment should be interminable whose rebellion is so intollerable Thirdly we must consider the quality of the Offence How we offend God and as it were sell God for trifles for nothing For if once for some great matter we did offend it might be thought the more tollerable Nam si violanda fides regnandi causa violanda est For small matters should neuer make vs to breake our word saith the Heathen man And therefore the Romanes were so vpright and so faithfull vnto their confederates that they would neuer offer to breake faith and promise but in case of dominion of very great aduantage for they deemed him a very foole that would vndoe himselfe for nothing and so our owne Citizens here haue learnt this rule of the Romans for when they breake they will neuer doe it for nothing but for hundreds and thousands Luke 16.6.7 8. that they may with the vniust Steward gaine something to themselues for the losse of their honestie But how doe we offend our God euen for nothing for as Saint Paul saith An idoll is nothing in the world 1 Cor. 8.4 so may I say of Sinne it is nothing in the world it is no substance it is no being in the world but it is the corruption of being and it brings vs nothing in the world but the least and vaynest momentary pleasure that euer can be imagined and so themselues in Hell confesse saying What hath pride profited vs Wisd 5.8 or what good hath our riches with our vaunting brought vs What are they the better for their daily swearing swaggering drinking and such like vile and horrible sinnes which I doe abhorre to name but that I must in such grosse tearmes because I loue not to guilde sinnes and to giue them better names then they deserue they are all pâ—st away like a shadow Transit quod extollitur Gregor in Moral permanet quod punitur The pleasure is past as soone as euer the fact is done but the punishment remaineth neuer to bee abolished And yet for such a trifle for such a momentary pleasure we will aduenture to offend our God Gen. 3. Adam for an Apple will forsake his Creator Iudas for thirty pence will sell his Redeemer and we for a cuppe of drinke to make vs drunken for a little trash it may
iudged a contempt of knowledge then an ignorance of the trueth And therfore if for our sinnes we pleade ignorance when we might easily haue knowne the will of God if we had had any desire or diligence to search out the same we shall but deceaue our selues and be found guilty of greater condemnation Secondly For the sinnes of knowledge Iohn 9.39 What a fearefull thing it is to commit those sinnes which we know to be sinnes Our Sauiour sayth of the Pharisees that if they were blind they should haue no sinne but because they said they did see therefore their sinne remained For as Adams great perfection both in power and knowledge made his sinne so vnexcusable and the like transcendent excellency of Lucifer made his fall so vnrecouerable so the more noble the more powerfull or the more excellent in knowledge we be the more haynous and intollerable are our sinnes And therefore Saint Chrysostome saith Chrysost hom 5. in Rom. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hee that hath enioyed more instruction deserues to vndergoe the more punishment if he transgresse and our Sauiour saith Luk. 12.47 that the seruant which knoweth his Masters will and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes For to him that knoweth to doe good James 4.17 and doth it not to him it is sinne i. e. Sinne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sinne in the highest degree saith the Apostle And yet as an old man said of the Athenians at the games of Olympus Plutarch in lacon Athenienes norunt quid sit honestum sed eo soli vtuntur Lacedaemonij They knew what was honest but they did it not they were excellent gnostrickes but bad practitioners like the Pharisees that sate in Moses Chaire and taught what was good but did none of those things themselues That we doe those sinnes which we know to be grieuous sinnes So might I say of many millions of men amongst vs they know that swearing and drunkenesse lewdnesse and prophannesse and such like horrible sins are most odious damnable in the sight of God They know the Sabbaoths should be sanctified our poore Brethren should be releeued Rom. 1. vlt. and our good God should be worshipped they know that they which commit such sinnes are worthy of death and that they which doe such workes of pietie shall be sure of life and yet you see how we doe continually commit the one and omit the other Alas beloued we cannot say with Saint Paul 1 Tim. 1.13 we doe it ignorantly We cannot say we know not these things to be sinnes for we know them we doe know them and yet we daily doe them And therefore art thou inexcusable O man Rom. 2.1 whosoeuer thou art that knowest these things Bern. in Cantic Ser. 36. or the like to be sinne and yet wilt fearelesly carelesly commit them then of all other men thou shalt finde thy selfe at last to be most wofull and lamentable for The excellency of our knowledge makes vs the more horrible sinners in the sight of God vt cibus sumptus non decoctus perniciofus est As meate receiued and not digested proues most dangerous or as physicke taken inwardly and not working outwardly proues poysonous so the knowledge of the truth which is the meate and physicke of our soules being receiued in our vnderstanding and not practised in our conuersation will proue to be a most dangerous deadly disease vnto euery Christian soule What the sins of infirmity are 3. We say those are the sinnes of infirmity when in our hearts wee haue an earnest desire to serue our God and to refraine from sinne but through the violence of Satans temptations and the vntamed lusts of our owne flesh which is euer prone to euill and vnapt to good wee either neglect that duty which wee heartily desire to doe or perpetrate those deedes which by no meanes wee would doe for so our Sauiour saith of his Disciples Math 26.41 that the spirit was willing but the flesh was weake So Saint Peter in heart was willing to die with his Master but for feare of death he was driuen to deny him and to sweare that he knew him not Cap 26.14 and so all other Saints of God doe finde that how desirous soeuer they be to doe their duties and to serue their God their flesh is often times weake and vnwilling to performe those good things and most violently strong to draw their vnwilling soules to sinne Aug. de eccles dogmat That no man is free from the sinnes of infirmity And therefore Saint Augustine saith that in respect of this infirmity of the flesh Nullus Sanctus iustus vacuus est peccato nec tamen definit esse iustus quia affectu semper tenet Sanctitatem There is not any Saint that is void of sinne neither yet may he be said for that to be no Saint because in heart and affection he alwayes desireth and to the vttermost of his ability followeth after Sanctity and so Saint Iohn sheweth quod non est homo qui non peccat Iames 3.2 That no man liueth but he sinneth for in some things we sin all i. e. through the infirmity of our flesh and yet he that is borne of God Iohn 3.9 sinneth not that is with his full consent but doth euen then sigh and grieue in spirit when his flesh drawes him on to sinne But that we may the better know those sinnes which though they be enormities in themselues yet may be truely sayd to bee infirmities in the Saints and may stand with grace Galat. 6.1 as they are committed by them it is obserued by Diuines that they are First Such sinnes as are committed of incogitancie Aug. de peccat merit remiss l 2. cap. 2. and besides the purpose generall or particular of the offender i. e. sinnes of precipitation and not of deliberation as Saint Gregorie tearmes them for so Saint Augustine speaking of these sinnes sayth Tentatio fallit praeoccupat nescientes How we may know sinnes of infirmity by foure speciall differences they doe suddenly assault vs and attache vs vnawares and we are as it were ouertaken with the sinne before we can see the sinne So the adultery of Dauid was not thought of before it was suggested and the deniall of Saint Peter was neuer purposed vntill it was acted Secondly Such sinnes as are euer resisted to the vttermost of our abilities before they be committed and yet at last are perpetrated quia tentatio praemit vrget infirmos Aug quo supra because the violence of the temptation subdueth the infirmitie of our flesh Thirdly Such sinnes as haue for their causes some preualent passions in nature as the feare of death in Saint Peter which is the most terrible of all euill sayth the Philosopher and the feare of shame in Dauid which many men doe more feare then death Fourthly Such sinnes as in the reluctation are
fault where it is vpon our selues and vpon our owne Sinnes for though the many multitude say it was a good world with them When they sacrificed vnto the Queene of Heaven yet the King of Heauen knowes what a wofull time it was for Man when the Crucifixe was kissed with the kisses of their Mouthes and Iesus Christ was crucified againe with the workes of their hands and when they changed The trueth of God into a lye and Worshipped and serued the creature made a god with their owne hands Rom. 1.15 More then the Creator who is blessed for euer Amen And if we would be free from plagues free from punishments let vs free our selues from sinne I know that feare of Poperies comming againe with superstitions hath spread it selfe ouer the face of this whole Iland but alas Wee feare where no feare is for I dare confidently affirme that it neuer was his Maiesties minde nor the purpose of the State to bring in Idolatry and superstition into this land againe Cantic 5.3 for We haue washed our feete and shall we foule them againe But the secrets of State is more then either I can perceiue or most of you well vnderstand Or if they did yet were it vayne Quia non est concilium contra Dominum because no deuice of man can subuert the truth of God vnlesse our sinnes doe prouoke our God Reuel 2.5 Nulla nocebit aduersitas si nulla dominetur iniquitas Gregor Cyprian to remoue our Candlesticke and to take away our light and therefore though all the Iesuites of the world and all the Cardinals of Rome nay though all the Deuils of Hell should doe their worst against vs yet if we feare our God and forsake all Sinne the diuels may haue all their seruants before they all shall be able to hurt any one seruant of the Lord quia non plus valet ad deijciendum terrena paena quam ad erigendum diuina tutela 1 John 4.4 because He that is in vs is greater then he that is in the World and is more able to preserue vs then the Prince of darkenesse is to destroy vs. That wee should turne to the Lord our God And therefore if you thinke Poperie to be euill and would be free from superstition neuer feare the State nor lay the blame on others but leaue your sinnes and Turne to the Lord your God with all your hearts and with all your soules and you shall see the Saluation of the Lord which hee will shew vnto vs this day Exod. 14.13 for the Egyptians whom you haue seene and feare you shall see them againe no more for euer the Lord shall fight for you and you may be sure no euill shall happen vnto you it shall not come nigh your dwelling for the onely way to escape all punishments is to forsake all sinnes Neither doe I say this as if we could be cleane from sinnes for I know it was Nouatus his error and we must all know it for an error Hieron adversus Pelag. that a Christian after Baptisme doth not sinne and it was but a Pellagian conceite before him inuented by Pythagoras that the exercise of Vertue rooteth out all the seede of Vices Matth. 7.18 for a Bad tree cannot bring foorth good fruit and in some things sayth the Apostle I feare I may say as it is in our last English translation in many things wee Sinne all Iames 3.2 1 Iohn 1.8 And if wee say wee haue no sinne wee deceiue our selues and there is no trueth in vs. But I say this that we should haue a feruent desire not to sinne and to say with the Prophet O that my wayes were made so direct that I might keepe thy Commandements and that wee would endeuor pro virili to the vttermost of our abilities not to sinne and labour alwayes with the Apostle Acts 24.16 to keep a cleere conscience in all things both before God and Man Thirdly Seeing all miseries death and damnation are as iustly inflicted vpon the sinner as the poore Souldier may iustly claime his little stipend we should not complaine against God Sueton. in vita Vesp C. 10. with Vespasian Immerenti sibi vitam aripi that he tooke away his life without any fault of his or without any fayling on his part but we should with the Leuites in Nehemiah with Daniel with Ieremie and with all the rest of the men of God commend the Lord and condemne our selues saying surely thou art iust in all that is come vpon vs thou hast dealt truely Nehem. 9.33 but wee haue done wickedly And thus I haue shewed thee O man quid sit malum what is euill and you haue heard a large discourse of Sinne and the most lamentable effect and wages of Sinne And now it is a thousand to one that the first thing many one of vs will doe is to goe home or perhaps afore wee goe home to sinne some to sweare some to their whores some to be drunke some to deceiue and most of vs to some sinne or other But if euer any of you doe for those sinnes receiue this pay remember I haue told you what you should haue Death for the wages of Sinne is Death and I can doe no more but pray to God that he would giue vs grace to forsake Sinne that we may escape Death through Iesus Christ our Lord To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost three distinct Persons of that one eternall in diuided Essence be giuen as is most due all prayse and glory for euer and euer Amen A Prayer O Blessed God which hast created Man we doe acknowledge that thou hast made him righteous but he sought out many inuentious and hath most grieuously sinned against thy diuine Maiestie and thereby hath most iustly pulled vpon himselfe and all his posteritie all miseries death and damnation But thou desirest not the death of a Sinner but rather that hee should turne from his wickednesse and liue And therefore we doe confesse our sinnes we doe detest our sinnes and we doe most humbly pray thee euen for thy mercies sake to bee mercifull vnto vs to deale with vs not according to our offences but according to thy Grace to giue vs Grace to serue thee that so we mâ—y be deliuered from our iust deserued punishment and be receiued into thine euerlasting fauour to prayse and magnifie thy blessed Name for euer and euer Amen A wearied loathed Life I leade content with onely Sadnesse To see my selfe opprest with Sinne and with this worlds Madnes I alwayes striue with wicked Sinne yet doth my Sinne preuaile I therefore hate my Selfe because my Sinnes I cannot quaile And I doe likewise wish for Grace that I might neuer offend But truely serue my Master Christ and please him to my end And yet I see this tyrant Sinne and wicked men doe wrong me To Hell the one to Miserie th' other still would throng me But reason bids
and then gaue them to vs Per manus eorum By the hands of them which brought them vnto vs for he is the giuer of euery good and perfect gift Iames 1.17 and all other things are but the instruments whereby hee conuayes and sends those gifts vnto vs 1 Cor. 9.7 And therefore why should we not wholly dedicate our selues and ours vnto the seruice of God For who planteth a Vineyard and eateth not of the fruits thereof And yet God may iustly say of vs Filios enutriui Esay 1.2 I haue nourished and brought vp Children but they haue despised me for though he made man and made all things for man yet cannot all these things make man to serue him as he ought to doe but that euery one of vs will follow after the lusts and concupiscence of his owne flesh which as the Poet saith Et nocitura placet placitura nocet Doth euen wound vs when it most delighteth vs. Thirdly seeing God giueth being vnto all his promises Psal 146.4 and keepeth his promise for euer as he hath done already in sending a Ioshua to giue the Land of Canaan vnto the Israelites and especially in sending Iesus Christ to giue eternall life vnto all beleeuers And that dicta Iehouae sunt dicta pura The words of the Lord are pure words That we should neuer doubt of Gods promises 2 Pet. 2.4 Wee should expectare impâ—â— aâ— â—em neuer doubt of the performance of Gods promises nor say with those incredulous Athiests in the second of Peter 2.4 Where is the promise of his comming But we should beleeue them to be as sure and as certaine as if they were already accomplished For he is Iehoua that will giue them their being in their appointed time Matth. 24 3â— Heauen and Earth shall passe away but his Word shall not passe That shall be surely accomplished CHAP. IV. Of the word LORD and how many wayes it is taken and of the reasons to perswade vs to serue him I Might now passe vnto the second part but that the translating of this word Iehoua by our last Translators into the word Lord for so we reade it The Lord the Lord God mercifull and gracious c. must here stay me a while For searching into the reason why Iehoua should be translated Lord Why Iehoua is translated Lord. I found that the seauenty Interpreters doe translate it so in euery place and that because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from whence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is deriued signifieth I am which is the same in effect as Iehoua and also because he is properly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Lord of any thing Qui plenum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in eadem rem habet Which hath full right and a most absolute authority ouer the same thing for Dominus primo dicebatur à domo He was at the first called Lord which was the Master of the House and had full right and authority ouer all the Houshold and wee finde that none but God alone can simply and absolutely say that he hath full right and authority ouer any thing in the World because he onely is the Maker and preseruer of all things and of euery thing Polanus Syntag. l. 2. c. 6. and therefore all other Lords are but Lords vnder him and from him and he onely is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lord of himselfe and so indeede Lord of Lords And in this respect we finde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lord and Iehoua to be equiualent and to fall into the same thing That God onely is an absolute Lord. Tertul. in Apol. c. 34. Lamprid. in Alex Seuer and therefore Augustus the first founder of the Roman Empire refused to be called Lord and so did Alexander Seuerus and diuers others because they thought the name of Lord to be too high a title for so meane Creatures as they knew themselues to be But we distinguish betwixt a Lord simply and a Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in some respect In the first sence none is Lord but God alone and therefore in this respect our Sauiour saith Be not you called Lords but In the second sence Dicam plane imperatoreâ—â— Dominum Tertul. quo sup saith Tertullian I may and will call the Emperor Lord and so saith Obadiah vnto the Prophet Elias Art not thou my Lord Elias 1 Reg 18.7 Because God which gaue them their rule and dominion in his stead hath also innobled them with his own names Et ego dixi dij estis And I my selfe saith God haue called you gods Psal 82.6 and haue giuen these names vnto you to be called Gods and so Lords And yet they should remember Saint Peters rule 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not to Lord it so as to ouer-rule Gods people or as Saint Augustine saith Non dominandi superbia sed officio consulendi Not for the loue of Soueraignty but in a desire to doe them good and to imitate God himselfe Parcere subiectis debellare superbos To defend and helpe the innocent and to punish the wrong doer And so you see how Iehoua is rightly translated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lord because truely and absolutely hee alone is Lord of all things as the sole giuer of their being That we should feare and serue our Lord. Malach. 1.6 Psal 24.2 and preseruer of them in that being And this should incite vs to feare and to serue this our Lord for Si Dominus vbi timor If I am a Lord where is my feare The Prophet Dauid saith that the Earth is the Lords and all that therein is because he hath founded it vpon the Seas and prepared and established it vpon the flouds And so this Iehoua is our Lord because he made vs and hath giuen vs our very being and yet wee finde that hee is our Lord in a more excellent respect for as those Aug. de ciuit Dei l. 19. c. 15. which by right of warre might iustly be put to death and yet were redeemed and preserued aliue were called seruants and those that redeemed them were called their Lords so are we called Gods Seruants and he our Lord not onely because he made vs but also because when we might haue beene iustly put to eternall death for our sinnes we were redeemed and saued by the death of Iesus Christ And in this respect we finde that although the Father and the Sonne and the holy Ghost be each one of them our Lord as our Creator and the giuer of our Being yet is Christ generally and most commonly throughout all the New Testament called our Lord as if this name were now wholly and solely to be appropriated vnto him Why Christ is most properly called Lord. because he is our sole Sauiour and Redeemer And therefore seeing the very name of a Seruant doth include seruitium a seruice to be performed vnto our Lord and Sauiour
and that indeede we were preserued to that end that we might serue him as Zacharias telles vs That wee were deliuered from our enemies that wee might serue the Lord in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life Wee ought to endeauour what lyeth in vs to serue this Lord and we should the more ioyfully doe it because as Philo saith Philo in l. de Regno 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To serue the Lord is not onely better then liberty but also more excellent then all Soueraignty And Hugo de prato setteth downe three especiall reasons to perswade all men to serue the Lord. Hugo de prato ser 6. de temp 1. Because we owe our seruice vnto God 2. That we may obtaine a good reward from God 3. That we may escape the punishment of them that neglect to serue God for Three speciall reasons to perswade vs to serue God First The Lord hath made vs redeemed vs preserued vs inriched vs with all that we haue and therefore What reward shal we render vnto the Lord for all the benefits that he hath done vnto vs vnlesse we will be contented to take the Cuppe of saluation and to call vpon the name of the Lord and so dedicate our selues wholly to the praysing and glorifying of his name Secondly if we will serue him we shall be sure to haue in this life his grace to guide vs his Angels to guard vs his holy Spirit to comfort vs and whatsoeuer he knoweth to be needfull for vs and in the life to come wee shall haue eternall happinesse wee shall haue the Crowne of euerlasting glory Thirdly if we will not serue him but say Nolumus hunc regnare super nos We will not haue him to be our Lord and Master but wee will serue our selues and the lusts of our owne flesh then you must know what he will say to such Those mine enemies that would not serue me bring them hither and slay them before me nay if you will despise my Statutes and abhorre my iudgements so that you will not doe all my Commandements I also will doe this vnto you I will euen appoint ouer you terror consumption and the burning ague that shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart and you shall sow your seede in vaine Leuit. 26.15.16.17 and I will set my face against you hee manes here in this life and at the last dreadfull day they shall be bound hand and foote and cast into that lake which burneth with fire and brimstone for euermore There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth And therefore to discharge our duty to attaine vnto eternall felicitie and to escape this endlesse miserie let vs serue the Lord with feare and reioyce vnto him with reuerence And blessed are all they that serue him Psal 2.11 And so much for the first Part What God is or of the Essence of God PART II. Of the Nature of God Part. 2. or what manner of God he is CHAP. I. Of the power of God and how many sorts of Aduersaries there be which doe oppose the Truth of this Doctrine of the power of God YOu haue heard what God is IEHOVA that is an Eternall being in himselfe and a giuer of being vnto all the things that doe subsist and now we are diligently to consider The nature of God or what manner of God he is for I find that God doth here expresse himselfe vnto Moses by three especiall attributes 1. His Power to make vs beleeue in him 2. His Goodnesse to make vs loue him 3. His Iustice to make vs feare him 3. excellent points to bee throughly knowne to be euer learnt neuer to be forgotten for The first attribute of God i. e. His Power First the Doctrine of Gods Power is the very Anchor of our Faith and the foundation of all Christian Religion for hence proceede all Heresies because the Heretickes know not the Scriptures nor the Power of God and hence proceeds all Faith because we beleeue with the blessed Virgin Stella in Luc. c. 1. p. 36. b Quia potens est that God is able to doe all these things which Reason is not able to comprehend and therefore here immediately after Iehoua he addeth E L Jeron tom 3. p. 95. in ep ad Marell which the Septuagint turned and translated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 GOD and Aquila searching into the Etymologie of the word interprets it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Strong saith Saint Hierome and so Zanchius euery where Tremelius and some other Latine versions and the old English Translation reads it strong How needfull is the Doctrine of the Power of God Psal 62.11 and so in Lege credendi in the Symbole of our Beliefe as soone as euer he sheweth himselfe to be he sheweth himselfe to be Almighty and so the Prophet Dauid saith God spake once and twice I haue also heard the same that Power belongeth vnto God And surely this Doctrine of GODS Power is so vsefull for all Christians and so necessary for the vnderstandâ—ng of the Scriptures that among all the Attributes of God this deserueth first to be discussed because there is almost no page of Scripture Zanch. de nat Dei l. 3. c. 1. wherein there is not some mention made of the Power of God and the ignorance or not rightly vnderstanding of this Truth is the cause of so many Infidels and Heretickes in the world and therefore I must craue leaue to insist a little vpon this point of Doctrine of the Power of God And for Method sake I will diuide my whole discourse of this point into these foure heads 1 I will set downe the number Foure points handled touching the Power of God and the qualitie of the Aduersaries of this Truth 2 I will explaine this point and shew wherein and how farre this Power of God extendeth 3 I will sufficiently confirme the truth hereof and answere to whatsoeuer is or can be said against it 4 I will briefly shew the vsefull application of the whole Doctrine For the first the Aduersaries of this Truth which doe either exceedingly erre or be mightily deceiued are almost infinite but I may reduce the chiefest of them into these foure sorts whereof two by impayring and denying his Power doe vnto him the greatest wrong that is Foure sorts of men doe erre about the Truth of this Doctrine of the Power of God 1. The Infidels that will not beleeue in him 2. The desperate men that will not hope in him Because they thinke he cannot do those things which in very deed are most facile and easie for him to doe And the other two by mis-vnderstanding the extent of his Power doe not shew much lesse indignitie vnto God then the former and they are 1. The Vbiquitaries of Germany 2. The Pontificials of Rome Which say hee can doe those things which indeed are agreeable neither to the Power nor to the Truth of
obstinacy in resisting the holy Ghost as S. Steuen said of the stiffe-necked Iewes this sinne shall neuer be forgiuen as our Sauiour saith yet in regard of Gods infinite Mercies which both for number and greatnesse doe exceed all sinnes and in respect of Gods power which is able to doe all things and to subdue all things vnto himselfe I say this sinne and all sinnes are pardonable and can bee forgiuen if we could repent and aske forgiuenesse of the same else should our sinnes be more infinite then Gods mercies which is impossible And therefore whatsoeuer thy sinnes haue beene neuer so great neuer so many sinnes of darkenesse sinnes of Death sinnes more in number then the sands of the Sea yet if thou hast but that grace to wish for grace if thou doest it from the bottome of thy heart despaire not of the Mercy of God but call and cry and say vnto him Lord be mercifull vnto me a sinner 1 Iohn â— 7 and the bloud of Iesus Christ shall cleanse thee from all sinne Esay 42.3 for a bruised reed he will not breake and a smoaking flaxe he will not quench O Lord who is a God like vnto thee What a haynous sinne it is to despaire of the Mercie and goodnesse of God It is sayd of Iudas that he sinned more in despayring of the mercy of God then in betraying of his Sauiour Christ for the betraying of his master was but the corruption of man but the despairing of Gods mercy was a denyall of this goodnesse of God and so to make God cruell at least not so good as he was euill then which a greater indignity cannot be imagined against the Diuine Maiestie and therefore whatsoeuer our liues haue been as bad as Salomon 2 Chron. 33.1.2 c. or worse then Manasses yet let vs vs not adde this vnto all the rest of our sinnes which alone will proue vnto vs worse then all the rest to despaire of the grace and goodnesse of GOD Heb. 4.16 but rather let vs in the name of Christ draw neare vnto the Throne of Grace and we may be sure to finde mercy against the time of neede Thirdly to imitate God in all these particulars of Gods goodnesse Thirdly This Doctrine teacheth vs to Imitate God herein in all these speciall points of goodnesse For though there be many inimitable workes of God wherein it is a sinne to attempt to doe the like as Mundos fabricare mortuos suscitare inter fluctus ambulare To create worlds to raise the dead to walke among the waues and the like yet we are commanded to be holy as he is holy and to imitate him in goodnesse that so wee may bee the Children of our Father which is in Heauen And therefore First to bee Mercifull Luke 6.36 Ouid. de ponto cleg 9. Staâ—â—us in Thebaide First we should be mercifull as he is mercifull Regia crede mihi res est succurrere lapsis And as another saith Pulchrum est vitam donare petenti It is a pleasant thing to be pittifull But the man of bloud or the sonne of cruelty can neuer be the Childe of the God of mercy for Iob 6.14 Matth. 26.11 he that hath no mercy hath cast away the feare of the Lord saith holy Iob. And yet alas mercy is now gone out of our Countrey The poore are euer with you saith our Sauiour and neuer so many poore as now That there is a great want of Mercy amongst vs. for in Court and Countrey in Church I am sure we are almost all beggars and yet we may labour not onely all night with the Apostles but all the dayes of our life and get nothing because we haue nothing to giue such is our time that if euer that saying was true it is now true Si nihil attuleris ibis homere foras Most is sold soules and all little is giuen either in Church or Common-wealth and all is spent vpon our selues and vpon our friends and not vpon the painful seruants or poore members of Iesus Christ 2 Sam. 24.23 It is said of Araunah that being but a Subiect as a King he gaue vnto the King but we goe like Princes in soft rayments and we fare like Kings Luke 16. daintily euery day and we giue like bankerouts not a bit to the poore not a penny to the painefull But O beloued Mutemus vitamsi volumus accipere vitam We must change this course of life if euer we looke for eternall life And we must remember the afflictions of Ioseph and put on the bowels of mercy and compassion if euer wee be the Children of this God of mercy Secondly we should be gracious that is amiable 2. To be gracious and affable and curteous one to another rather like Titus Vespasian that was Deliciae generis humani The delight of mankinde delighting onely in doing good and not like Cinicke Diogenes or carping Zoylus that were vnsociable and vnfit for any societie Thirdly we should be slow to anger for 3 To be slow to anger Eccâ—es 7.11 Prou. 14.29 Anger resteth in the bosome of fooles but he that is slow to wrath is of great wisedome because as the Poet saith Furor iraque mentem praecipitant Wrath and fury doe so blind the minde and iudgement of man Ne possit cernere verum That as Cato saith He cannot discerne betwixt good and euill And therefore Euripides saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whosoeuer precipitately fostereth anger must needes fall into an euill end because nothing can more preiudice man in the whole course of his life then the poysonous weede of wrath and the bitter fruits of hasty anger Fourthly we should abound in all goodnesse 4. To abound in all goodnesse for the more good we doe the more excellent and the more god-like we shall be for good cannot proceede but from God and cannot tend any where but to God And wee are all Trees in Gods Vineyard well planted well fenced and well watered for our Land is good our Law is good our Seruice and our Sermons good And therefore we should be good and bring forth good fruits Math. 3.10 meete for repentance or else we shall be hewen downe and cast into the fire for though it be very true that hee is a good man S. Chrysost in serm de virt vit which doth no euill yet is it as certainely true Malum esse non fecisse bonum That he is an euill man which doth not good because there are priuatiue sinnes not to doe good as well as positiue sinnes to doe euill And therefore the Iewish Rabbines that haue beene curious to account all the Commandements in Moses Law Munster in precept aff neg haue found 365. negatiue ones iust as many as there be dayes in the yeere and 248. affirmatiue ones iust as many as there be limbes or bones in a mans body not only to
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
or grieue the good by vpbraiding them with the faults of the bad Secondly to shew vnto vs Nazian orat 4. de theol that men may be called to eminent and holy places yet be cast-awayes because it is not the excellency or the Sanctity of the calling but our holy and vpright conuersation in our callings that makes vs acceptable in the sight of God Thirdly To testifie Christ his innocencie that had alwaies his enemie to behold his conuersation Fourthly For our example to be patient Aug. li. 18. c. 49 de Ciuitat to suffer wicked men amongst vs. But againe it may be demanded why he made him his Purse-bearer knowing him to be a thiefe To this Aquinas answereth Thom. in Iohn 12. that God vseth to commit his spirituall graces to his best seruants and his temporall gifts to those that are more worldly minded to see if by any meanes he may gaine them to serue him Why Christ made Iudas his Purse-bearer for the worldlings will serue God many times when God blesseth them with all manner of store therefore Christ knowing Iudas to be a couetous wretch he made him his steward and committed to his hands all their wealth to see if this might moue him to bee true and faithfull vnto him All this Christ did for him and yet as the Prouerbe is Improbus à nullo flectitur obsequio saue a thiefe from the Gallowes and he will be the first that will seeke to hang thee so Iudas had put all these blessings in a riuen dish and as the Leopard is saide to be most sauage vnto them that doe most good to him so doth Iudas here first betray his Master that was his best friend and had done most good vnto him but wee must consider Secondly why Iudas betrayed Christ Why Judas betrayed Christ The Euangelist sheweth briefly that because the oyntment which was poured on Christ was not solde for 300. pence and put into his bagge he went vnto the high Priests Lex talionis and sels Christ for 30. pence decorum pretium a goodly price to haue for the Lord of heauen and earth and therefore cleane contrarie we reade that 30. Iewes were sold for one pennie but for Iudas we see how the desire of money is the roote of all mischiefe What a horrible sinne is couetousnesse quid non mortalia pectora cogit auri sacra fames Or as Iuuenall saith Iuuen. Sat. 14. quae reuerentia legum quis metus aut pudor est vnquam properantis auari What will not couetousnesse cause a man to doe what feare of Law what loue of Vertue what shame or honestie can you finde in couetous wretches Boet. 2 5. Nam saeuior ignibus aetnae feruens amor ardet habendi For it made Achan hide the wedge of gold to the losse of his owne life it made Achab a murtherer of innocent Nabaoth it made Polymnestor kill his Nephew Polydorus and here it makes Iudas to betray his owne Lord and Master Iesus Christ yea and to bee the formost man of all the wicked companie to shew withall that as the old distich saith Non audet stygius daemon tentare quod audet Effraenus monachus plenaque fraudis ánus Jerem. 24.2 None is so bad as wicked Priests for they are like Ieremies figges either exceeding good or extreame euill either most faithfull for Christ or most feruent for Antichrist Thirdly the Euangelist tells vs how he did bring to passe his wicked fact for he gaue them a signe that whosoeuer hee should kisse That there are fiue kindes of kisses the same was he and wee finde that there are fiue kindes of kisses the first a whoorish kisse as Salomon saith of the Harlot that she caught a young man and kissed him the second a chaste kisse Prou. 7.13 Gen. 29.11 as Iacob kissed Rachel the third is a kisse of courtesie as our Sauiour said vnto Simon the Pharise Thou gauest me no kisse the fourth is a Symbolicall kisse for a signe of loue as the Apostle saith Luc. 7.45 Greet one another with an holy kisse the fift is a treacherous kisse 2 Cor. 13.12 as Ioab kissed Amasa and presently killed him whom he kissed and thus Iudas kissed Christ for he had said Whomsoeuer I shall kisse 2 Sam. 20. the same is he hold him fast Where obserue First That he gaue them a signe to know him Why Iudas gaue them a signe because it was night when they tooke him and because Iames that was called the brother of the Lord and was afterward Bishop of Ierusalem was so like him Ignat. in ep ad Joh. si vera ep Ignat. that it was very hard to know the one from the other and therefore lest they should mistake him and take â—ames or some other for him hee gaue them a signe to know him Secondly That this signe was a kisse Why the signe that Judas gaue was a kisse that he might the more cunningly worke his purpose Nam doli non sunt doli nisi astu colas for deceits are no deceits vnlesse they be cunningly carried and that if this way fayled he might as he thought haue still retained his place and credit because he had but dutifully saluted him And therefore he comes and kissed him saying Aue Rabbi Master God saue you but herein we see 1. His arrogancy 2. His iniquity First His arrogancy that he would presume with those lippes vnder which was the Poyson of Aspes to kisse those lippes in which was found no guile Iohn Baptist thought himselfe vnworthy to vntie the laâ—ched of his shooes and Iudas will presume to kisse his mouth and so all wicked men are euer more presumptuous then the godly and they are bold and impudent when the Saints doe feare and tremble Secondly His iniquitie is herein seene that in two words hee vttereth forth two lyes for hee saith Aue God saue you to him whom he desired to perish and he saith Rabbi Master to him whom he refused to follow and so you see sweet words from a poysoned heart a praying for his life and a betraying of him to death Ille mihi tam exosus est quam inferni portae Qui aliud animo occultat aliud ore profert An Act so horribly base that the very Heathen man could say he hates him as the gates of Hell that will say one thing and doe another thing And yet behold how our Sauiour deales with this wicked Traitor he kisseth him with the kisses of his mouth How our Sauiour sought to reclaime Iudas and to bring him to repentance and what greater signe of loue and whereas he might haue angerly and iustly reuiled him for his treachery he doth mildly and kindly salute him by the name of friend and what better name could hee vse for Father Wife or Children are but vaine names vnlesse they be friends O then Si honoras dulcis domine Inimicum
therefore he had none other remedy but to wander as a Pilgrime and a forlorne creature till hee ended his dayes in extreame miseries so Agrippa suffered intollerable calamities Cap. 17. so Herod the Tetrarch was spoiled of his goods depriued of his Kingdome and banished from his Countrey So Herod that killed Iames Cap. 18. was miserably eaten vp of loathsome wormes and to the Iewes was measured the same measure as they had measured vnto Christ before for as they had sold him for thirty pence so thirty of them were sold for one peny and fiue hundred of them were nayled to Crosses in one day in so much that nec locus sufficeret crucibus nec cruces corporibus there was not place sufficient for the Crosses nor Crosses enough to nayle them on It were too too lamentable to relate more of those dolefull Tragedies which Iosephus Eusebius Euagrius and others haue written of them and what they suffered at the finall ruine and destruction of Ierusalem and what heauy bondage farre worse then that Egyptian slauery they haue endured to this very day In aureo tractatu Rabbi Sam. de miserimo statu Iudaeorum Hence it is that Rabbi Samuel about sixe hundred yeares agone writ a tractate in forme of an Epistle vnto Rabbi Isaac Master of the Synagogue of the Iewes in Subiulmeta a Citie of Morocco wherein he doth excellently discusse the cause of their long captiuity their great blindnesse and extreame misery and after that hee had proued tâ—at this punishment was inflicted vpon them for some great and grieuous sinne he sheweth that sinne to be the same whereof the Prophet Amos speaketh For three transgressions of Israel and for foure Amos 2.6 non transferam eo I will not turne away the punishment thereof because they sold the righteous for siluer And though he saith that their Rabbies doe vnderstand this righteous to be Ioseph that was sold by his brethren vnto Egypt What Rabbi Samuel saith concerning Iesus Christ yet because the Prophet putteth this for the fourth sinne and the greatest sinne of Israel and because he cannot finde any three sinnes of the sonnes of Israel before the selling of Ioseph therefore he maketh the selling of Ioseph to be the first sinne of Israel the worshipping of the Calfe in Horeb to be the second the abusing the killing of Gods Prophets to be the third and the fourth to be the selling of Iesus Christ For the first they serued foure hundred yeares for the second they wandred forty yeares in the Wildernesse vntill they that came out of Egypt were all consumed and brought to nothing excepting onely Caleb and Iosuah for the third they were held Captiues seauenty yeares in Babylon and for the fourth the said Rabbi Samuel confesseth that they were held in most pittifull Captiuity to this very day because hee was most vniustly sold and most shamefully deliuered to death as he sheweth in the seauenth Chapter of the said Tractate Much and many more circumstantiall proofes and demonstrations of his Resurrection to shew him to be the true Messias Why the Author did so prosecute the proofes of Christs Resurrection might be produced but I hope these will serue I say not to make vs to beleeue this truth for to that end I hope we neede not bring any proofe at all because we doe fully and vndoubtedly beleeue the same already but to shew that our fore-fathers haue not or we doe not beleeue these things without more then abundant and vnanswerable proofes thereof and to conuince that malicious obstinacy and infidelity of all those whether professed Iewes or seeming Christians which notwithstanding such an Army of arguments and such a cloud of witnesses will still continue blinded and hardened in vnbeleefe It were strange there should be any Athiests amongst vs yet I thinke it was not without cause that Dr. Fotherby writ his large and learned discourse against Atheisme and questionlesse they that deny God will neuer beleeue in Christ and therefore as that booke shall be a witnesse against all Atheists in the latter day to condemne them so shall this which I haue written be an accuser of all those that will not beleeue in Iesus Christ CHAP. VIII Of the place from whence our Sauiour rose both in respect of his body and soule NOw hauing seene that the Messias when hee should come was to rise againe the third day and that our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ is that true Messias because he did rise againe vpon the third day I must yet intreate you to consider that so you may haue the full knowledge of this point these two especiall things Arsatius in postilla ser de resurrect fol. 122. 1. The place from whence he rose 2. The manner how he rose First We must vnderstand that as Christ in respect of his humane nature consisted both of body and soule so his Resurrection must needs be considered both in respect of his body and soule First The Resurrection of the Body was that whereby hee raised the same from the graue a dead carkasse to be a liuing and a most glorious body neuer to die againe The place from whence Christ raised his soule Secondly The Resurrection of his Soule must be from some infernall place or else it must be a descention and not a Resurrection of his soule and therefore as in our Creede we professe to beleeue that he descended into Hell so we must likewise confesse that he raised himselfe from Hell but here vnawares I am fallen into an Ocean of contention For First Some say this Article of our Creede crept in by negligence and therefore would haue raced it out againe but that would proue a want of Gods prouidence that would suffer his whole Church to erre so grossely in the chiefe summe of her Christian faith and if such things might creepe into our Creede which is but the abstract of our faith then much more might easily creepe into our Scriptures which is so large an expresser both of faith and manners but the Spirit of Christ is alwayes with his Church to guide it into all truth and the Church of Christ is the Pillar of truth and a most faithfull preseruer of all truth and therefore this opinion is most absurde Secondly Others still retayning the words Foure expositions of that article of Christs discention into Hell cannot agree vpon the meaning of the sentence and of these I finde foure seuerall expositions The first is that the soule of Christ suffered the paines of Hell vpon the Crosse But this cannot stand first because we must bring in such a sense as will agree with the words after his buriall for that being dead and buried he descended into Hell and secondly That Christ suffered not the torments of the damned Iohn 9. because as that worthy Bishop of Winchester hath most excellently shewed there bee eight speciall things in Hell paines which the soule of Christ could not
Satan cares not where he may haue hold of thee so he may haue hold of thee and he cares not by what doore he may enter into thy soule so he may enter in by any doore for as one leake may sinke a ship one wound may kill a man so one sinne especially practised may slay the soule and what auaileth it whether couetousnesse or prodigality precisenesse or prophanesse doe raigne in vs whether on the right hand or on the left hand by ouer-going or vnder-going wee be depriued of saluation for though the by-pathes of iniquity which doe misleade a Christian be very many yet they all meete in one place for the issues of them all Prou. 16.25 are the issues of death saith Saloman And therefore if this roaring Lion hath catcht hold of thine eye that by wanton lookes lookes full of adulteries as Saint Peter speaketh it maketh thee to offend pull it out and cast it off 2 Pet. 2.14 that thou mayest free the rest of thy selfe from eternall destruction and so of all other parts doe as our Sauiour bids thee free thy selfe from Satan Et redime te captum quam queas minimo and free thy selfe as soone as thou canst and as well as thou canst for thou wert better shake off that one sinne then that Satan by that one sinne should take thee into Hell fire and as they vse to doe in besieged Cities where the assault is sorest there they place the stoutest men so doe thou against sinne and Satan striue most to hinder him where he striueth most to enter for so Dauid saith that he refrained from his owne wickednesse i. e. euen from that sinne that he was most of all inclined vnto and so let vs wholly and perfectly rise from all sinnes Thirdly Christ rose constantly without apostacy That we shold so rise from sinne as neuer to fall to sinne againe Reuel 1.18 i. e. hee rose gloriously neuer to die againe for Christ being raised from the dead dyeth no more death hath no more power ouer him and so his epethite is he that was dead is aliue and liueth for euermore So should we rise from sinne neuer to sinne againe not like Lazarus that rose from his graue and dyed againe rise now from sinne and immediatly fall into the same or the like sinnes againe but as we must obey Christ his voyce saying Come vnto me Matth. 11.28 so wee must obey his voyce saying abide in me John 15.4 and as William the Conquerer is said to haue sunke all his ships when he arriued here in England because he would take away all hope of flying backe so must we sinke all sinnes that we may neuer swimme or ride on sinne againe drowne them in the seas dash them against the wals and so shake hands with all sinnes that we neuer returne to any sinne againe for Why Nouatus thought sinnes of recidiuation should not be pardoned though it was an errour in Nouatus to denie remission vnto sinnes of recidiuation that is when a man relapseth and falleth againe into the same sin because the Apostle saith It is vnpossible that they which were once inlightened so raised from sin if they fall away should be renued by repentance and Saint Peter saith Heb. 6. It had beene better for them neuer to haue knowne the wayes of righteousnesse 2. Pet. 2.21 then after they haue knowne it to turne away from the holy Commandemrnts and because we neuer read that either Christ raised the same men twice no not the widdowes sonne whom he pittied nor yet Lazarus whom hee loued nor that the Saints euer fell into the same sins againe after they had them once remitted as Dauid neuer committed adultery againe Peter neuer denied his Master againe Paul neuer persecuted the Church againe after they had these sinnes once remitted though I say this was an error in the Nouatians because the Apostles speake of falling away from Christ by a finall apostacie and not of falling againe into sinne through our carnall infirmity and because the comparison of Christ raising the dead with the raising of vs from sin doth not as no other comparison doth in all things hold aequipage and because the other mens not falling into the same sinnes againe doth but shew that they had a great measure of grace to preserue them from falling and not proue a deniall of renuing grace vnto vs if we should fall againe and they are set downe for our imitation that wee should striue to stand and neuer to fall and not for our desperation if we doe fall into the same sinnes againe yet I say That relapsing into sinne is very dangerous that this relapsing into sinne this returning with the dog vnto his vomit and with the swine to her wallowing in the mire is exceeding fearefull and dangerous for as vulnus iteratum c. nature is tired with the continuall assault of the same diseases and at last is forced to yeeld vnto them if it cannot by some meanes expell them and as the same sore often wounded is very hardly cured so the same sinnes still assaulting our soules will without doubt if they be not extinguished by grace make our last end worse then our beginning And therefore it were well for vs if when we haue risen from sinne we would euer pray to God for grace that wee might neuer fall into sinne againe for otherwise as the old Prouerbe is Conteritur annulus vsu Gutta cauat lapidem non vi sed sape cadendo Sic homo fit Daemon non vi sed saepe cadendo scilicet in peccatum often sinning makes the greatest sinners But if the relapsing into any particular sinne bee so dangerous O then what a fearefull thing is the falling back from our most holy profession surely What a fearefull sinne Apostacie is it is the most remarkable thing in the description of the sinne against the holy Ghost and the most apparant signe of eternall destruction behold the punishments of Apostates that are left for our examples Lots wife was turned into a pillar of salt and the children of Israell that in their hearts were turned back againe into Aegypt had their carkasses left in the wildernesse and no maruell for this is a transcendent sinne and I know no sinne so great as this Herods bloudy murders euen of infants and Neros sauage crueltie euen against the Saints and the most barbarous acts of the most inhumane heathen Tyrants did neuer sound so odious in mine eares as that horrid name of Iulian the Apostata for that must stand as a rule infallible 2. Pet. 2 21. that they are farre better which neuer knew the way of righteousnes then they which once knew it and then turned aside from the holy commandement Beloued It hath pleased God to bring vs out of Aegypt and to vs that walked in darknesse and in the shadow of death Esay 9.2 hath the glorious light of the
Satan and the lust of the flesh haue such power ouer vs as that the sinne is no sooner suggested How the wicked are still in their enemies hands but wee are presently delighted with it and are led by the same as an oxe vnto the slaughter carried as it were by a silken thred very easily to commit the same without resistance then certainely our enemies are not captiuated but doe still rule and raigne ouer vs. It is a fearefull and a dolefull case to liue vnder the gouernment and subiection of a Tyrant who Dionysius-like will giue men to be meate vnto his horses That it is a most lamentable thing to liue vnder the tyranny of sinne or Nero-like will cause his seruants to commit immane cruelties and yet sinne is worse then these because it causeth vs to doe fearefull and most odious Acts and then it giues vs as meate like fagots to be eaten and deuoured of Hell-fire And yet behold the wofull state of a sinnefull man for he is the slaue of sinne bound for Hell and subiect to the Diuell and yet for all this he reioyceth as a foole that goeth to the execution place and hee cannot indure the man that speaketh against his Master the Diuell but his desire is to liue still in his captiuity And this sheweth that his enemies are not captiuated for if the world were subdued vnto vs then could it not so easily command vs if sinne were captiuated then could it not so often ouercome vs and if Satan were bound then could he not so easily preuaile against vs and therfore though these enemies are so captiuated that they can no wayes hurt the godly because they haue no power ouer them to make them either to delight in sinne or to desire the vanities of this world yet they are still loose and they doe still rule ouer the children of disobedience And the beholding of the liues both of the Saints and sinners will sufficiently shew this truth vnto vs that they are captiuated as that they are not able to touch the one and yet so free and so powerfull The Saints are freed from all their enemies as that they doe raigne and rule as Tyrants ouer the other Behold an Vsurer and a Drunkard a Whoremonger and such like how Satan leads them as his slaues and transformeth them from men to be very beasts but if you look into the liues of the Saints you shal see that neither the pleasures of sinne nor the vanities of the world nor yet all the power of darknes can once moue them or at least remoue thē from their most holy purposes because Christ hath ouercome all their enemies and hath led captiuity captiue Secondly This phrase may be taken actiuely for them that were held captiue by Satan and were deliuered out of his hands by Iesus Christ and so freed from the bondage and the slauish seruice of sinne and reduced into the glorious liberty of the Sonnes of God Rom. 8. and thus Saint Augustine expounds it saying Ipsos homines qui captiui tenebantur appellauit captiuitatem Christ deliuereth vs from Satan and placeth vs in his owne seruice That by captiuity he vnderstandeth those men that were Captiues to the Diuell and so their captiuity is happy because they are taken for their good euen as Christ said vnto Saint Peter from henceforth thou shalt catch men Captiuati ergo quia capti they are therefore captiuated because they are catched and put vnder the sweet and easie yoke of Christ and so they are deliuered and made free from the seruice of sinne whose slaues and captiues they were before and they are made the seruants of Righteousnesse and therefore in this captiuity in this seruice and vnder this yoke Non sunt milia plorantium sed milia laetantium There is none that weepeth there is none that mourneth but we doe all reioyce and sing the songs of Sion Psal 68.17 Because the Lord is amongst vs as in the holy place of Sinai But they that are still so held by sinne and such slaues vnto their lusts as that they doe no workes of Righteousnesse they are not as yet freed by Christ nor taken away from Satan for they that are catcht by Christ and deliuered from the bondage of the Diuell haue taken vpon them the yoke of Christ and they doe finde that easie and light that as a man is able to runne which is vnloosed from his bands wherewith he was tyed and vnburthened from that waight wherewith he was pressed downe so they are able to runne the way of Gods commandements Psal 119. when God hath set their hearts at liberty And therefore they that finde themselues vnwilling or vnable to doe the seruice of Christ surely they are not yet rescued from Satan nor put vnder the yoke of Christ We are not so freed from Satan that wee may doe what we list for here you must note that they are not so deliuered from the captiuity of Satan as that being freed from him they may freely goe and doe what they list but as the very phrase sheweth Thou hast led captiuity captiue they are taken away from the captiuity of Satan and from the seruice of sinne and put vnder the yoke of Christ to doe seruice vnto God i. e. they are captiuated and taken for the seruice of Christ because this is the rule of warre Preserue thou me and I will serue thee saue mee from the tyrant and I will be thy seruant And therefore if they bee not captiues vnto Christ i. e. if they doe no seruice vnto God they are still captiues vnto Satan and Christ as yet hath not led this captiuity captiue And so all men may know hereby whether they be captiuated vnto Christ or not for if their vnderstanding be captiuated to yeeld vnto the diuine truth many times contrary vnto the rules of humane reason He that serueth not Christ is not freed from Satan and if their desires and affections bee onely placed on heauenly things to doe what pleaseth God and not what is pleasant vnto flesh and bloud then are they taken into the seruice of Christ but as that man can be hardly saide to be taken into the seruice of any one if he doth no seruice vnto his Master nor any thing that is pleasing or acceptable vnto him euen so they cannot be said to be taken into the seruice of Christ that apply no time to doe the will of Christ And thus you see how Christ hath vanquished and triumphed ouer all our enemies he ouercame the world he bound the Deuill he spoyled Hell he weakened Sinne hee destroyed Death hee walked vpon the Seas he rose out of his graue he contemned all honours he ascended into Paradise he opened the gates of Heauen and he sitteth on the right hand of God ruling and raigning vntill he hath put all his enemies vnder his feet 1 Cor. 15.25 And so much for the Victory or