Creede is concerning God and the church For in these two points consisteth the whole summe therof Lastly I say that it is gathered forth of the scripture to make a difference betweene it other writings and to shew the authoritie of it There be two kind of writings in which the doctrine of the church is handled they are either divine or Ecclesiasticall Diuine are the bookes of the old new Testament penned either by Prophets or Apostles And these are not only the pure word of God but also the scripture of god because not only the matter of them but the whole disposition thereof with the stile the phrase was set down by the immediate inspiration of the Holy Ghost And the authoritie of these bookes is diuine that is absolute and soveraigne they are of sufficieÌ„t credit in and by theÌ„selves needing not the â—estimony of any creature not subiect to the ceÌ„sure either of meÌ„ or angels binding the coÌ„scieÌ„ces of all meÌ„ at all times being the only fouÌ„datioÌ„ of faith the rule canoÌ„ of all truth Ecclesiasticall writings are all other ordinary writings of the church consenting with scriptures These may be called the word or truth of God so far forth as their matter or substance is consenting with the written worde of God but they cannot be called the scripture of God because the stile and phrase of them was set downe according to the pleasure of man And therfore they are in such sort the word of god as that also they are the word of men And their authoritie in defining of trueth falshood in matters of religion is not soveraigne but subordinate to the former and it doth not stand in the authority pleasures of men councels but in the consent which they haue with the scriptures Ecclesiasticall writings are either generall particular or proper Generall are the Creedes and confessions of the Church dispersed over the whole world and among the rest the Creed of the Apostles made either by the Apostles themselues or by their hearers disciples apostolical men delivered to the Church conveyed from hand to hand to our times Particular writings are the confessions of particular Churches Proper writings are the books confessions of private men Now betweene these we must make difference For the Generall Creede of the Apostles other universall Creeds in this case not excepted though it be of lesse authoritie then Scripture yet hath it more authoritie then the particular and priuate writings of Churches and men For it hath bene received and approved by universall consent of the Catholike Church in all ages and so were neuer these in it the meaning and doctrine can not be changed by the authoritie of the whole Catholicke Church and if either the order of the doctrine or the wordes whereby it is expressed should upon some occasion be changed a particular Church of any cuntry can not doe it without Catholike consent of the whole Church yet particular writings coÌ„fessions made by some speciall Churches may be altered in the words in the points of doctrine by the same Churches without offence to the Catholicke Church Lastly it is receiued as a rule of faith amoÌ„g all churches to try doctrines interpretations of scriptures by not because it is a rule of it selfe for that the scripture is alone but because it boroweth his authority from scripture with which it agreeth And this honour no other writings of men can haue Here some may demaund the number of Creeds Answ. I say but one Creede as there is but one faith and if it be alledged that we have many Creedes as besides this of the Apostles the Nicene Creede and Athanasius Creede c. I answer the severall Creedes and confessions of Churches containe not seuerall faithes and religions but one and the same and this called the Apostles Creed is most ancient principall all the rest are not new Creedes in substance but in some points penned more largely for the exposition of it that men might better avoid the heresies of their times Futther it may be demaunded in what forme this Creed was penned Answ. In the forme of an answer to a question The reason is this In the Primitiue Church when any man was turned from Gentilisme to the faith of Christ and was to be baptised this question was asked him What beleeuest thou then he answered according to the forme of the Creede I beleeve in God c. And this manner of questioning was used euen from the time of the Apostles When the Eunuch was converted by Philip he said What doth let me to be baptised Philip said If thou doest beleeve with all thine heart thou maiest Then he answered I beleeve that Iesus Christ is the sonne of God By this it appeares that although all men for the most part amongst vs can say this Creede yet not one of a thousand can tell the ancient and first use of it for commonly at this day of the simpler sort it is said for a prayer being indeede no prayer and when it is used so men make it no better then a charme Before vve come to handle the particular pointes of the Creed it is very requisite that we should make an entrance thereto by describing the nature properties and kindes of faith the confession and ground whereof is set foorth in the Creede Faith therefore is a gift of God whereby we giue assent or credence to Gods word For there is a necessarie relatioÌ„ between faith gods word The coÌ„mon property of faith is noted by the authour of the Hebrews when he saith Faith is the ground of things hoped for and the demonstration of things that are not seene For all this may be understoode not onely of iustifying faith but also of temporarie faith and the faith of miracles Where faith is said to be a ground the meaning is that though there are many things promised by God which men do not presently enioy but only hope for because as yet they are not yet faith doeth after a sort giue subsisting or being vnto them Secondly it is an euidence or demonstration c. that is by beleeuing a maÌ„ doth make a thing as it were visible being otherwise invisible abseÌ„t Faith is of two sorts either common faith or the faith of the elect as Paul saith he is an Apostle according to the faith of Gods elect which also is called faith without hypocrisie The common faith is that which both elect and reprobate haue and it is threefold I. is historicall faith which is when a man doth beleeve the outward letter and historie of the word It hath two partes knowledge of Gods worde and an assent to the same knowledge it is to be found in the deuill and his angels So S. Iames saith the devils beleeve and tremble Some will say what a faith haue they Answ. Such as thereby they understand both the Law and
the Gospell besides they giue an assent to it to be true and they do more yet in that they tremble and feare And many a man hath not so much For amongst vs there is many a one which hath no knowledge of God at all more then he hath learned by the common talke of the world as namely that there is a God and that he is mercifull c. and yet this man will say that he beleeueth with all his heart but without knowledge it can not be that any should truly beleeue therfore he deceiveth himselfe Quest. But whence haue the devils historicall faith were they illuminated by the light of the spirit Answ. No but when the Gospell was preached they did acknowledge it and beleeued it to be true that by vertue of the reliques of Gods image which remained in them since their fall And therefore this their faith doeth not arise from any speciall illumination by his spirit but they attaine to it by the light of nature which was left in them from the beginning The second kind of faith is Temporary faith so called because it lasteth but for a time and season and commonly not to the end of a mans life This kind of faith is noted unto us in the parable of the seede that fell in the stony ground And there be two differences or kinds of this faith The first kinde of temporary faith hath in it three degrees The first is to know the word of God and particularly the Gospell The second to giue an assent unto it The third to professe it but to goe no further and all this may be done without any loue to the word This faith hath one degree more then historicall faith Examples of it we haue in Simon Magus Acts. 8.13 who is said to beleeue because he held the doctrine of the Apostle to be true and withall he professed it and in the devils also who in some sort professed that Christ was the sonne of the most highest yet looked for no saluation by him Mark 5.7 Act. 19.14 And this is the common faith that abounds in this land Men say they beleeue as the prince beleeueth and if religion chāge they will change For by reason of the authoritie of princes lawes they are made to learne some litle knowledge of the word they beleeue it to be good they professe it thus for the space of thirtie or fourtie yeres they will heare the word preached and receiue the sacraments and yet be as void of grace as euer they were at the first day the reason is because men doe barely professe it without either liking or loue of the same The second kinde of temporarie faith hath in it fiue degrees For by it first a man knows the word Secondly he assenteth unto it III. he professeth it IIII. he reioyceth inwardly in it V. he bringeth forth some kind of fruit and yet for all this hath no more in him but a faith that will faile in the end because he wanteth the effectuall applicatiō of the promise of the gospel is without all maner of sound conversiō This faith is like corne in the house top which groweth for a while but when heate of sommer cōmeth it withereth And this is also set forth vnto vs in the parable of the seede which fell in a stony ground which is hastie in springing up but because of the stones which will not suffer it to take deepe roote it withereth And this is a very common faith in the Church of God by which many reioyce in the preaching of the worde and for a time bring forth some fruits accordingly with shewe of great forwardnesse yet afterward shake of religion and all But some will say howe can this be a temporary faith seeing it hath such fruits Answ. Such a kind of faith is temporary because it is grounded on temporarie causes vvhich are three I. A desire to get knovvledge of some straunge pointes of religion For many a man doth labour for the fiue former degrees of temporarie faith onely because he desires to get more knovvledge in scripture then other men haue The second cause is a desire of praise among men which is of that force that it will make a man put on a shevve of all the graces vvhich God bestoweth on all his children though otherwise he want them and to go very farre in religion vvhich appeareth thus Some can very bitterly weepe for the sinnes of other men and yet haue neither sorrowe nor griefe for their owne and the cause hereof is nothing else but pride For he that sheddes teares for another mans sinnes should much more vveepe for his owne if he had grace Yet thus are many men disposed euen of pride and nothing else Againe a man for his owne sinnes vvill pray very slackly and dully when he prayeth priuately and yet when he is in the company of others will pray very fervently and earnestly From vvhence is this difference surely often it springeth from the pride of heart and from a desire of praise among men The third cause of temporarie faith is profit commodity the getting of wealth and riches These make man to receive religion and if other religion come they vvill receiue it asvvell as this But such studies not the gospell because it is the gospell but because it brings wealth peace and riches with it And these are the three causes of temporarie faith The third kind of faith is the faith of Miracles vvhen a man grounding himselfe on some speciall promise or revelation from God doeth beleeve that some straunge extraordinarie thing vvhich he hath desired or foretold shall come to passe by the vvork of God This must be distinguished from historicall temporarie faith For Simon Magus had both these kindes of faith but yet wanted this faith of miracles therfore would haue bought the same of the Apostles for mony Yet this faith of miracles may be in hypocrites as it vvas in Iudas at the last iudgement it shall be found to haue bin in the wicked reprobate which shal say to Christ Lorde in thy name we haue prophesied and cast out deuils and done many great miracles And thus much for the three sorts of common faith Now we must come to the true faith which is the faith of the elect It is thus defined Faith is a supernaturall gift of God in the mind apprehending the sauing promise with al the promises that depend on it First I say it is a gift of God Phil. 1.29 to confute the blind opiniō of our people that think that the faith wherby they are to be saued is bred borne with thē I adde that it is a gift supernaturall not onely because it is aboue that corrupt nature in which we are borne but also because it is aboue that pure nature in which our first parents were created For in the state of innocencie they wanted this faith neither
the Passeouer he made a supplie by Manna and by the pillar of a cloude Hence we haue direction to answeare the Papists who demaunde of vs where our Church was threescore yeares agoe before the daies of Luther we say that then for the space of many hundred yeares an vniuersall Apostasie ouerspread the face of the whole earth and that our Church then was not visible to the worlde but lay hidde vnder the chaffe of Poperie And the truth of this the Records of all ages manifest The second estate of the Church is when it flourisheth and is visible nor that the faith and secret Election of men can be seene for no man can discerne these thinges but by outward signes but because it is apparant in respect of the outwarde assemblies gathered to the preaching of the worde and the administration of the Sacraments for the praise and glorie of God and their mutuall edification And the visible Church may be thus described It is a mixt companie of men professing the faith assembled together by the preaching of the word First of all I call it a mixt companie because in it there be true beleeuers and hypocrites Elect and Reprobate good and badde The Church is the Lords field in which the enemie soweth his tares it is the corne flore in which lieth wheat and chaffe it is a bād of men in which beside those that be of valour courage there be white liuered souldiours And it is called a Church of the better part namely the Elect whereof it consisteth though they be in number fewe As for the vngodly though they be in the Church yet they are no more parts of it indeed thē the superfluous humours in the vains are parts of the body But to proceed how are the members of the visible Church qualified and discerned the answear followeth in the definition professing the faith whereby I meane the profession of that religion which hath beene taught from the beginning and is now recorded in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles And this profession is a signe and marke whereby a man is declared and made manifest to be a member of the Church Againe because the profession of the faith is otherwhiles true and syncere and otherwhiles onely in shew therefore there be also two sorts of members of the visible Church members before God and members before men A member of the Church before God is he that beside the outward profession of the faith hath inwardly a pure heart good conscience and faith vnfained whereby he is indeede a true member of the Church Members before men whome we may call reputed members are such as haue nothing els but the outward profession wanting the good conscience and the faith vnfained The reason why they are to be esteemed members of vs is because we are bound by the rule of charitie to thinke of men as they appeare vnto vs leauing secret iudgements vnto God I added in the last place that the Church is gathered by the word preached to shew that the cause whereby it is begunne and continued is the word which for that cause is called the immortall seede whereby we are borne anew and milke whereby we are fedde and cherished to life euerlasting And hence it followeth necessarily that the preaching of the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles ioyned with any measure of faith and obedience is an vnfallible marke of a true Church Indeede it is true there be three things required to the good estate of a Church the preaching of the Gospell the administration of the Sacraments and due exequution of Discipline according to the word yet if the two latter be wanting if there be preaching of the worde with obedience in the people there is for substance a true Church of God For it is the banner of Christ displaied vnder which all that warre against the flesh the deuill the worlde must range themselues As the Lord saith by the Prophet Isai I will lift vp my hand to the Gentiles and set vp my standard vnto the people and they shall bring their sonnes in their armes and their daughters shall be carried vpon their shoulders Hence it followeth that men which want the preaching of the Gospell must either procure the same vnto themselues or if that cannot be because they liue in the middest of idolatrous nations as in Spaine and Italie it is requisite that they should ioyne themselues to those places where with libertie of conscience they may inioy this happie blessing Men are not to haue their hearts glued to the honours and riches of this worlde but they should be of Dauids minde and rather desire to be dorekeepers in the house of God then to dwell in the tents of vngodlinesse In the Canticles the spouse of Christ saith Shew mercie O thou whome my soule loueth where thou feedest where thou liest at noone for why should I be as shee that turneth aside to the flockes of thy companions To whome he answeareth thus If thou knowe not O thou the fairest among women get thee forth by the steppes of the flocke and feede thy kiddes by the tents of the shepheards that is in those places where the doctrine of righteousnes and life euerlasting by the Messias is published When the Shunamites child was dead shee told her husband that she would goe to the man of God to whom he answeared thus Why wilt thou goe to him to day it is neither nevve moone nor sabbath day whereby is signified that when teaching was skarse in Israel the people did resort to the Prophets for instruction and consolation And Dauid saith that the people wheresoeuer their aboad was went from strength to strength till they appeared before God in Sion And oftentimes they beeing Proselytes there aboad must needs be out of the precincts of Iewrie Thus we see what the visible Church is nowe further concerning it three questions are to be skāned The first is how we may discerne whether particular men and particular Churches holding errours be sound members of the Catholicke Church or no. For the answearing of this wee must make a double distinction one of errours the other of persons that erre Of errours some are destroyers of the faith some only weakners of it A destroier is that which ouerturneth any fundamentall point of religion which is of that nature that if it be denied religion it selfe is ouerturned as the deniall of the death of Christ the immortalitie of the soule and such like and the summe of these fundamentall points is comprised in the Creede of the Apostles and the Decalogue A weakning errour is that the holding whereof doth not ouerturne any point in the foundation of saluation as the errour of free will and sundrie such like This distinction is made by the holy Ghost who saith expressely that the doctrines of repentance and faith and baptismes and laying on of hands and the resurrection and the
Life euerlasting 532 THE RESOLVTION OF THE CREEDE 〈◊〉 One of the Actions of faith which are To beleeve in God which hath three partes I. To beleeue God as hee hath reuealed himselfe in his worde II. To acknowledge him in particular to be my God III. To put my confidence in him To beleeve a thing and this action hath two partes I. To acknowledge the thing II. To apply the thing to my selfe as to beleeue the Church is to acknowledge the Church that I am a member of it The second the Object which is God distinguished into 3. person I. The first is described by his I. Name Father II. Attribute Almightie III. Worke Creatour of heaven and earth II. The second is described by his I. Titles which are foure I. Iesus II. Christ. III. His Sonne IIII. Our Lord. II. Incarnation it hath 2. parts The conception where coÌ„sider the partes The personn all vnion The sanctification of that masse or lumpe wherof the body of Christ was framed The cause efficient the Hâ—ghâ—st The byrth where is meÌ„tioned the mother of Christ described by her Name Mary Qualitie a virgine III. Estate afterward of Humiliation set downe Generally in these wordes Suffered vnder c. where is noted the time of his suffering when P. Pilat was president of Iurie By partes which are 4. I. His crucifying II. His death III. His buriall IIII. His descending into hell Exaltation hauing 3. parts I. His resurrection II. His ascension III. His sitting at his fathers right hand it is set forth by the Place Heaven The effect his coÌ„ming to iudgement III. The third person described by his name Holy Ghost infolding his office The Church described by his Qualities Holy Catholicke Prerogatiues which are 4. I. Communion of saintes II. Forgivenesse of sinnes III. Resurection of the body IV. Life everlasting AN EXPOSITION OF THE CREEDE I beleeue in God c. NO man iustly can be offended at this that I begin to treate of the doctrine of faith without a text though some be of minde that in Catechising the minister is to proceed as in the ordinarie course of preaching only by handling a set portion of scripture therfore that the handling of the Creed being no scripture is not convenient Indeed I graunt that other course to be commendable yet I doubt not but in Catechising the minister hath his libertie to follow or not to follow a certaine text of scripture as we doe in the usuall course of preaching My reason is taken from the practise of the Primitive Church whose Catechisme as the authour of the Epistle to the Hebrewes sheweth was contained in sixe principles or grounds of religion which were not taken out of any set text in the olde Testament but rather was a forme of teaching gathered out of the most cleare places thereof Hence I reason thus That which in this point was the use and maner of the Primitiue Church is lawfull to be used of vs now but in the Primitiue Church it was the maner to Catechize without handling any set text of scripture and therefore the ministers of the Gospell at this time may with like libertie doe the same so be it they doe confirme the doctrine which they teach with places of scripture afterwarde Now to come to the Creed let vs begin with the name or title thereof That which in English we call the Apostles Creed in other tongues is called Symbolum that is a shot or a badge It is called a shot because as in a feast or banket euery man payeth his part which being all gathered the whole which we call the shot amounteth and so out of the seuerall writings of the Apostles ariseth this Creed or briefe coÌ„fession of faith It is a badge because as a soldier in the field by his badge livery is knowen of what band he is to what captain he doth belong eueÌ„ so by this beleefe a ChristiaÌ„ maÌ„ may be distinguished known froÌ„ all Iewes Turkes Atheists all false professors for this cause it is called a badge Againe it is called the Creed of the Apostles not because they were the penners of it conferring to it besides the matter the very stile frame of words as we haue them now set downe Reason I. there are in this Creed certaine words and phrases which are not to be found in the writings of the Apostles and namely these He descended into hell the Catholike Church The latter wherof no doubt first began to be in use when after the Apostles daies the Church was dispersed into all quarters of the earth II. Secondly if both matter and wordes had bene from the Apostles why is not the Creed Canonicall scripture as well as any other of their writings III. The Apostles had a summarie collection of the points of Christian religion which they taught and also deliuered to others to teach by consisting of two heades faith and love as may appeare by Pauls exhortation to Timothie wishing him to keepe the patterne of holesome words which he had heard of him in faith and love which is in Christ Iesus Now the Creede consists not of two heads but of one namely of faith only and not of loue also VVherefore I rather thinke that it is called the Apostles Creede because it doth summarily conteine the chiefe and principall pointes of religion handled and propounded in the doctrine of the Apostles and because the pointes of the Creed are conformable and agreeable to their doctrine and writings And thus much of the Title Now let vs heare what the Creed is It is a summe of things to be beleeued concerning God and concerning the Church gathered foorth of the scriptures For the opening of this description First I say it is a summe of things to be beleeued or an abridgement It hath bene the practise of teachers both in the new and old Testament to abridge and contract summarily the religion of their time This the Prophets used For when they had made their Sermons to the people they did abridge them and penned them briefly setting them in some open place that all the people might reade the same So the Lorde bad Habakuk to write the vision which he saw and to make it plaine upon tables that he may runne that readeth it And in the new Testament the Apostles did abridge those doctrines which otherwise they did handle at large as may appeare in the place of Timothy afore named Now the reason why both in the old new Testament the doctrine of religion was abridged is that the understanding of the simple as also their memory might be hereby helped they better inabled to iudge of the truth to discerne the same froÌ„ falshood And for this end the Apostles Creed being a summary collectioÌ„ of things to be beleeued was gathered briefly out of the word of god for the helping of memory understanding of men I adde that this
vvoulde neuer rest nor be quiet but seeke unto him for his helpe and crie vvith Dauid O Lorde say unto my soule that thou art my salvation The woman that was diseased with an issue of bloode came behinde our Sauiour Christ and when shee had but touched him shee was healed In the same maner if wee shall seeke to come to Christ and do but touch his pretious body blood by the hand of faith the issues and the bleeding woundes of our soules shalbe dried up When a man that had bene sicke 38. yeres was come to the poole of Bethesda hee was faine to lie there vncured because when the angell troubled the water euermore some stept before him but if we will seeke to Christ for the saluation of our soules no man shall preuent us or step before us And if wee finde our selues to be so laden with the burden of our sinnes that we can not come to him let us then doe as the palsie man did he got 4. men to carry him on their shoulders to the place where Christ was and when they coulde not by reason of the prease of people enter into the house they opened the roofe and let him downe in his bedde by cordes to Christ that he might be healed And so let vs vse the helpe of such as be godly that by their instructions and consolations they may as it were put too their shoulders by their prayers as with cordes bring us to Christ that wee may receiue eternall saluation being otherwise deade in sinne and subiect to damnation Lastly whereas Ioseph and Mary gaue this name not at their owne pleasure but at the appointment of God himselfe this ministers a good instruction to all parents touching the naming of their children when they are baptised that they are with care and deliberation to giue convenient names vnto them which may put them in mind of duties either to God or men This is worthy of our obseruation for many care not how they name their children yea it is at this day euer hath bene that some giue such names to them as that at the verie rehearsing thereof laughter ensueth But this ought not to be so for the name is giuen unto children at the time of their baptisme in the presence of God of his Church and angels euen then vvhen they are to be entred into the Church of God and that in the name of the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost therefore though we do not place religion in titles or names yet neuerthelesse a vvise and godly choise in this matter is to be had that the names imposed may be in stead of instructions and admonitions to the parties named and for this cause in the old testament names were giuen either by propheticall instinct or according to the euent of things which came to passe about the time of the birth of children or they were borowed from the holy auncetours to put the posteritie in mind to follow their steppes And thus much of the duties Now follow the consolations that Gods Church and people reape from this that the sonne of God is our Saviour When as all mankind was included under sinne condemnation then the Lord had mercy upon us and gaue unto man the couenant of grace in vvhich he promised that his owne sonne should be our redeemer This is a great and unspeakable comfort as may appeare in that the angels so greatly reioyced herein when Christ was borne Behold say they I bring you tidings of great ioy that shall be to all the people that is that unto you is borne iâ— the citie of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord. Now if they reioyce thus exceedingly at Christs birth who vvas not their Sauiour because they stand not in neede to be redeemed then much more ought the Church of God to reioyce herein whome it doeth principally concerne and no marvell for if this sauiour had not beene it had bene better to haue beenâ— a bruite beast or any other creature then a man for the death of a beast is the end of his woe but the death of a man without a Sauiour is the beginning of endelesse miserie Satan and his angels are fallen and haue no Sauiour but when man was fallen God of his mercie dealt not so with him but gaue his ovvne sonne to restore him to better estate whereas he might as iustly haue damned all men for the fall of our first parents as hee did the wicked angels for theirs for God is not bound to any creature beholde then a matter of unspeakeable ioy let us therefore receiue and embrace Christ our Saviour flie to him for the pardon of all sinnes Nowe vvee come to the second title of the Sonne of God whereby hee is tearmed Christ vvhich title is as it were the surname of the seconde person as some doe thinke yet according to the opinion of some others it is no name at all but onely a meere appellation as vvhen in the like case a particular man is called a Duke or a King It is all one vvith Messiah in Hebrewe wherwith the redeemer was named in the olde Testament and both signifie annointed Among the Iewes before the comming of Christ three estates or orders of men were annointed with oile First of all kings as Saul Dauid and the rest of the kings of Iuda Secondly the priestes that serued in the tabernacle and temple before rhe Lorde when they were ordained and as it vvere installed into the priesthoode were annointed vvith oyle as first of all Aaron and his sonnes but aftervvard the high priests alone Thirdly prophets were thus annointed as Elisha Now this legall annointing was a tipe and figure of the annointing of Christ which was not with bodily oile but by the spirite and it was more excellent then all other annointings were For David saieth hee was annointed with the oile of gladnesse aboue all his fellowes signifying that neither king priest nor prophet was euer annointed in the same manner as he was Christes annointing is according to both his natures for in what nature hee is a Mediatour in the same hee is annointed but according to both his natures ioyntly hee is a mediatour the godheade is no mediatour without the manhoode nor the manhoode vvithout the godhead and therefore his annointing extendes it selfe both to his godhead and to his manhood Christes annointing hath two partes both of them figured by the annointing of the Iewes The first is his consecration whereby hee was set apart to doe the office of a Mediatour betweene God and man and therefore to be a king a priest a prophet a king to gather and withall to gouerne his Church and people a priest to make satisfaction and intercession for the sinnes of the elect a prophet to reveale and teach his people the will of God his father And though it be true that Christ is set a part to the worke
this is the reward of all those that walke on in their euill waies Hauing consulted in the next place they come to the garden vvhere Christ was to be apprehended And here wee are to consider who they were that came namely the Scribes and Pharises the high priests and their servants a band of soldiers and the servants of Pontius Pilate and the Elders of the Iewes all which came with one consent to the place where Christ was that they might attach him VVhere we may learne a good lesson that all sorts of wicked men disagreeing among themselues caÌ„ agree against Christ. The Scribes and Pharises were two contrary sectes and at discord one with another in matters of religion and Iudas was one of Christs disciples the Elders differed from them all the souldiers were Gentiles all these were at variance among themselues and could not one brooke another So also we read that Herode and Pontius Pilate vvere not friends but at the same time when Christ was apprehended Pilate sent him to Herode and they were made friends Now as these wicked men did all conspire against Christ so doe the wicked ones of this vvorld in all cuntries and kingdomes bande themselues against the Church of Christ at this day And howsoeuer such be at discorde among themselues yet they doe all ioyne hand in hande to persecute Christ in his members And the reason is plaine because Christ and his religion is as flat opposite to the corrupt disposition of all men as light is to darkenesse Againe vvhereas we see so many sortes of men so amiably consenting to take Christ we may note how all men naturally doe hate and abhorre him and his religion And looke as then it was with Christ so hath it bene with all his members and will be to the end of the world They are accounted as the offscouring of the world men not worthie to live on the face of the earth as Christ tolde his disciples saying Ye shall be hated of all nations for my names sake Let us also marke how all these came furnished to apprehend Christ the text saith they came with clubs staves as vnto a thiefe All the whole nation of the Iewes knevve right well that Christ was no man of violence but meeke and humble and yet they came armed to apprehend him as though he had ben some mightie potentate that would not haue beene apprehended but haue resisted them Where wee doe see the propertie of an euill conscience which is to feare where there is no cause at all This causeth some to be afraid of their owne shadovves if they see but a vvorme peepe out of the ground they are at their wits end and as Salomon saith The wicked flee when none pursueth them After that they are now come to Christ we are to consider two things in their meeting I. Christs communication with them II. The treason of Iudas Concerning their conference it is said Iesus knowing all things that should come vnto him went forth and said unto them Whome seeke yee they answered him Iesus of Nazareth Iesus answered I am he Now so soone as he had said I am he the stoutest of them fell to the ground as being astonished at the maiestie of his word Where note that the word of God is a vvord of power The same povver vvas in his vvord vvhen he raised up Lazarus for when he had â—yen in the graue had entred into some degrees of corruption he did no more but said Lazarus come forth he that vvas dead came forth And hence we may also marke vvhat a wonderfull might and povver is in the vvord preached for it is the very worde of Christ and therfore being preached by his ministers lawfully called by him therunto hath the same power force in it which Christ himselfe shewed vvhen he spake on earth It is the savour of life unto life to saue those that heare it or the savour of death unto death It is like to a vapour or perfume in the aire which in some mens nosthrilles is savourie and pleasant and doeth reviue them and others it striketh starke dead And therefore everie one that either now or heretofore hath heard this vvord preached shall find it to be vnto them either a word of povver to saue their soules or through their corruption the ministerie of death and condemnation Againe if a vvorde spoken by him being in a base and lovve estate be able to overthow his enemies then at the last day when he shall come in his glorie and power and maiestie to iudge both the quicke and the dead vvhat povver shall his vvordes haue Goe you cursed of my father into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devill his angels The consideration of this that the word of Christ shall euen be as povverfull at that day must be a motiue to euerie one of vs to cause us to come vnto Christ and vvhile vvee haue time in these dayes of grace and mercie to seeke to be reconciled vnto him for all our sinnes least at the last day wee heare that dreadfull voice of Christ sounding against vs Goe ye cursed into everlasting fire c. And thus much for the communication Now followeth Iudas his treason wherein vvee are to obserue these things I. the qualities and conditions of the man that did the treason He vvas by calling a disciple chosen to be an Apostle vvhich is the chiefest in Ecclesiasticall callings among the Disciples he was in some account because hee vvas as it were a stewarde in Christes family and bare the bagge but yet hee was a traitour and did more against Christ then all the Iewes did For he brought them to the place where they might apprehend him and when they were come did point him out unto them and delivered him into their hands nay he gaue them a signe and token saying VVhome I kisse he it is take him and lead him avvay warily Here we see the cause why Christ called Iudas a Divell for he said Have I not chosen you twelve and one of you is a divell Hee became to be a devill and a traitour by nourishing a wicked and a covetous heart And here we are taught that the ministers of Christ if they make no conscience of sinne by the iust iudgement of God do prooue deuils incarnate this exaÌ„ple of Iudas doth manifest the same and the reason is plaine for the more knowledge a man hath the more wicked he is if he vvant grace They are like in this case unto a man that hath meate drinke enough but no stomacke to digest it and so the more he eateth the more it turneth to his hurt This I speake not to deface the callings of ministers but that those vvhich preach Gods vvorde should not doe it with impenitent hearts living in their owne sinnes For it is a fearefull thing for a man to speake unto the people
if he speake not the truth Thus Paul adiured the Thessalonians charging them in the Lord that his epistle should be read vnto all the brethren the Saints And the like doth Caiphas to Christ. And here is a thing to be wondered at Caiphas the high Priest adjureth him in the name of God who is very God euen the Sonne of God which shewes what a small account he makes of the name of God for he did it onely to get aduantage on Christs words and so doe many nowe adaies who for a little profit or gaine make a matter of nothing to abuse the name of God a thousand waies Now Christ beeing thus adjured though silent before yet now in reuerence to Gods maiestie answeared said first Thou hast said it and in Saint Marke I am he In this answeare appeares the wonderfull prouidence of God For though Caiphas take hence the occasion of condemning Christ yet hath he withall drawne from him a most excellent confession that he is the Sonne of God and our alone Sauiour And by this meanes he proceeds to shut heauen against himselfe and to open the same for vs. Thus we haue ended the first inditement of Christ before Caiphas Nowe followeth the second which was before Pontius Pilate in the common hall at Ierusalem The historie of it is set downe at large in all the Evangelists In this second inditement of Christ that we may referre euery matter to his place we are to obserue foure things I. the accusation of Christ before Pilate II. his examination III. Pilats pollicie to saue Christ. IV. Pilats absolving of him and then the condemnation of Christ in both courts Ecclesiasticall and civill of these in order In Christs accusation wee must consider many points The first is who were his accusers namely the high Priest the Scribes and Pharisies and Elders of the people and the common people all these conspired together to accuse him The cause that mooued the Pharisies and Elders of the people hereunto is noted by Saint Matthew who saith of envy they deliuered him Envie is nothing but a sadnes in a mans heart at the prosperitie of his better And it raigned in the Scribes and Pharisies and the occasion was this Christ had taught most heauenly doctrine and confirmed the same by most wonderfull miracles and did greatly exceede them all and was in more account among the people and for this cause the Scribes and Pharisies and high Priests repined grudged at him Nowe their example serues to admonish vs to take heed of this sinne as beeing the mother of many mischiefes And we must rather follow the example of Moses who when Iosua desired him to forbid Eldad and Medad to prophecie answeared Enviest thou for my sake yea I would to God that all the Lords people were prophets And we must be of the same minde with Iohn Baptist who hearing by his disciples that the people left him and followed Christ said his ioy was fulfilled for Christ must increase and he must decrease And so we must be glad and content when we see the prosperitie of our neighbours any way Nowe the cause why the common people ioyne with them was because the chiefe priests and the Scribes elders had perswaded them to a bad conceit of Christ. Hence it appeares that it is most requisite for any people be they neuer so good to haue good magistrates godly rulers to gouerne them by wise and godly counsell The necessitie hereof was well knowne to Iethro Moses father in lawe though hee were a heathen man for he biddeth Moses to prouide among all the people men of courage fearing God men dealing truly hating couetousnes and appoint them to be rulers ouer the people Teaching vs that if couetous malitious and vngodly men not fearing God goe before the people they shall in all likelihood be caried into the like sinnes by their example The next point concernes the place where they accuse him which was at the doore of the common hall for hauing brought him before the councell at Ierusalem and there condemned him of blasphemie afterward they bring him vnto the common hall where Pilate sate iudge Yet did they not enter in but staied without at the doore least they should be defiled and be made vnfitte to eate the passeover In which practise of theirs we are to marke an exāple of most notable both superstition most grosse hypocrisie For they make no bones to accuse arraigne a mā most iust innocent and yet are very strickt and curious in an outward ceremonie And in like manner they made no conscience to giue thirtie pieces of siluer to betray Christ but to cast the same into the treasurie they make it a great and hainous offence And for this cause Christ pronounceth a woe vnto the Scribes and Pharisies calling them hypocrites for saith he you tithe mynt anyse and commin and leaue the weightie matters of the lawe as iudgement and mercie And the very same thing wee see practised of the Church of Rome at this day and of sundrie Papists that liue amongst vs they will not eate flesh in Lent or vpon any of the Popes fasting daies for any thing and yet the same men make no conscience of seeking the bloud of the Lords annointed and their dread soueraigne And in this wee see the most palpable and most grosse hypocrisie of those that be of that Church But shall we thinke that our own Church is free from such men no assuredly for take a viewe of the profession that is vsed among the people of England and it will appeare that they place their whole religion for the most part in the obseruation of certain ceremonies The manner of most men is to come to the place of assemblies where God is worshipped and there mumble vp the Lords prayer the commaundements and the beliefe in stead of prayers which beeing done God is well serued thinke they whereas in the meane season they neglect to learne and practise such things as are taught them for their saluation by the ministers of Gods word At the feast of Easter euery man will be full of deuotion and charitie and come to receiue the Sacraments as though hee were the holiest man in the world but when the time is past all generally turne to their old biace againe and all the yeare after liue as they list making no conscience of lying slaundering fraude and deceit in their affaires among men But we must knowe that there is no soundnes of religion but grosse hypocrisie in all such men they worshippe God with their lippes but there is no power of godlines in their hearts The 3. point is cōcerning the partie to whom they make this accusation against him namely not to a Iew but to a Gentile for hauing condemned him in their Ecclesiasticall court before Caiphas the high Priest they bring him to Pontius Pilate the deputie of Tiberius
Caesar in Iudea Where we must obserue the wonderful prouidence of God in that not onely the Iewes but the Gentiles also had a stroake in the arraignement of Christ that that might be true which the Apostle saith God shut vp all vnder sinne that he might haue mercie vpon all The fourth point is the matter of their accusation they accuse our Sauiour Christ of 3. things I. that he seduced the people II. that he forbad to pay tribute to Caesar. III. that he said he was a King Let vs well consider these accusations especially the two last because they are flat contrarie both to Christs preaching and to his practise For when the people would haue made him a King after hee had wrought the myracle of the fiue loaues and two fishes the text saith he departed from among them vnto a mountaine himselfe alone Secondly when tribute was demaunded of him for Caesar though he were the kings sonne and therefore was freed yet saith he to Peter least wee should offende theÌ„ go to the sea and cast in an angle and take the first fish that commeth vp and when thou hast opened his mouth thou shalt finde a piece of twentie pence that take and giue vnto them for thee and me And when he was called to be a iudge to deuide the inheritance betweene two brethren he refused to doe it saying Who made me a iudge betweene you Therefore in these two things they did most falsely accuse him Whereby wee learne that nothing is so false and vntrue but the slaunderer dare lay it to the charge of the innocent the tongues of the slaunderers are sharpe swords venemous arrows to wound their enemies their throats are open sepulchers the poyson of aspes is vnder their lipps If a man speake gracious words his tongue is touched with the fire of Gods spirit but as Saint Iames saith the tongue of the wicked is fire yea a worlde of wickednes and it is set on fire with the fire of hell therefore let this example be a caveat for vs all to teach vs to take heede of slandering for the deuill then speakes by vs and kindles our tongues with the fire of hell The fifth point is the manner of their accusation which is diligently to be marked for they doe not onely charge him with a wonderfull vntruth but they beseech Pilate to put him to death crying Crucifie him Crucifie him in so much that Pontius Pilate was afraid of them where wee may see how these shameles Iewes goe beyond their compasse and the bounds of all accusers whose dutie is to testifie onely what they know Now in the matter of this their accusation appeares their wonderfull inconstancie For a little before when Christ came to Ierusalem riding vpon an asse shewing some signes of his kingly authoritie they cut downe braunches from the trees and strawed them in the way crying Hosanna Blessed is hee that commeth in the name of the Lord but nowe they sing an other song and in stead of Hosanna they cry Crucifie him Crucifie him And the like inconstancie is to be found in the people of these our times They vse to receiue any religion that is offered vnto them for in the daies of King Edward the sixth the people of England receiued the Gospell of Christ but shortly after in Queene Maries time the same people receiued the wretched and abhominable doctrine of the Church of Rome And not many yeares after when it pleased God to bring againe the light of his glorious Gospell by our gracious Prince the same people turned from poperie and imbraced the true religion againe And thus with the Iewes one while they cry Hosanna to Christ receiue his Gospell and shortly after they cry Crucifie him Crucifie him by imbracing idolatrous poperie Let vs therefore learne in the feare of God by the ficklenes of the Iewes that sing two contrarie songs in so short a space to acknowledge our inconstancie and weakenesse in the matter of religion whereby if God leaue vs but a little to our selues wee shall straight way forsake Christ his Gospell and all Thus much of the accusation Now followeth Christs examination before Pontius Pilate for when the Iewes had thus falsely accused him then Pontius Pilate tooke him and brought him into the common hall and asked him this question Art thou a King Nowe Christ beeing thus examined made as Paul also testifieth a good confession The summe thereof stands in foure heads The first is that he confesseth himselfe to be a King not such an one as they accused him to be yet a true King Whence we may learne diuers instructions First that euery Christian man in the midst of his misery afflictioÌ„ hath one that is most sufficieÌ„t euery way to defend him against all his enemies the world the flesh the deuill For this king can doe whatsoeuer he will therfore when the legion of deuils would enter into a herd of swine they could not without his leaue And when the Centurions daughter was dead he but spake the word and she arose And when Lazarus was dead and had liâ—n in the graue foure daies he but said Lazarus come forth he came forth bound hand and foote Yea euen hell and death giue place to his word nothing can resist his power And therefore he that is a true member of Christ needes not to feare any enemies be they neuer so great or so many And againe as Christ is able so is he readie and willing to saue and defend all that beleeue in him For he it is that gaue his life for his subiects which no king will doe and shedde his bloud for their redemption which hee would neuer haue done if he had not desired their saluation Secondly when as Christ is a mightie king which can doe whatsoeuer he wil let al such amoÌ„g vs that haue hitherto liued in ignoraÌ„ce by reason of ignoraÌ„ce liue in their sinnes at length begin to come vnto him do him homage with peniteÌ„t hearts fal down before him otherwise if they continue in their old rebellions let them know whosoeuer they be high or low that he hath a rod of iron in his hand to bruise them in pieces their soules shall smart for it as both Pilate Caiphas the rest of the Iewes were with a full cup rewarded for crucifying the Lord of life And if Christ cannot draw thee in this life from thy crooked waies be sure at the houre of death he wil breake thee in pieces like a potters vessel This must wee learne in regarde of the first point that hee saide plainly He was a King Now follows the second part of his confession namely that his kingdome was not of this worlde Where hee sets downe what kinde of king he is he is no earthly king his kingdome standes not in the power of men nor in earthly and outwarde gouernement but his kingdome
Paul saith If we suffer with Christ we shall also raigne with him and that which was fully verified in Christ the head must in some part be verified in euery true member of Christ. Pilats third pollicie was this when he saw that neither of the two former would preuaile he comes forth vnto the Iewes and makes an oration to this effect that now vvas the feast of the Passeouer and that they had a custome that the Gouernour should then deliuer vnto the people a prisoner whome they would therefore he asked them whether he should let loose to them Barrabas or Iesus which is called Christ this Barrabas was a notable malefactour that with insurrection had committed murther And thus Pilate cunningly matcheth Christ vvith Barrabas thinking that the Iewes would rather chuse him then Barrabas beeing a notorious malefactour not worthie to liue on the face of the earth and by this meanes he thought to haue deliuered Christ froÌ„ death though otherwise he accounted him also as a malefactour The ground of this pollicie as we see is an old custome of the Iewes that a prisoner should be let loose at Easter And it may be the ende of this custome was to increase the solemnitie of the feast But whatsoeuer in truth the end was the fact it selfe was but a prophanation of the time and an abomination before the Lord for Salomon saith He that iustifieth the wicked and condemneth the iust euen they both are abhomination before the Lord. The like practise takes place with many in these daies who thinke the Loâ—ds day neuer well spent vnlesse they may adde solemnitie thereunto by reuel and riot by frequenting of taverns and alehouses And furthermore where Pilate matcheth Christ beeing innocent with Barrabas and the people preferre him before Christ hauing libertie to chuse eyther it shewes that God in his prouidence had appointed that Christ should not stand in his owne roome before Pilate but in our roome and stead as a Mediatour betweene God and us And in this fact of the people we see how sinne by degrees takes hold of men that speedily Who would haue thought that these Iewes which a little before cryed Hosanna and spread their garmentes before Christ in the way woulde euer haue preferred a murtherer before him But it was the doing of the high priests the Scribes Phases who did animate and stirre them up to this wickednes and hereupon when they had yeelded first to attach him and then to accuse him they are caried to an higher degree of impietie namely to seeke his blood and least he should escape their handes they plunge themselues deeper yet preferring a wretched murtherer euen seditious Barabbas before him This must teach euery one of vs to take heede of the beginnings euen of the least sinnes for the deuill is cunning he will not plunge a man into the greatest sinnes at the first but his manner is by little and little to creepe into the heart and hauing once possession thereof by steppes to bring men to the height of sinne and that with speed We must therefore in the feare of God preuent sinne betimes and at the first motion cut off all occasions hereof that which Paul saith of heresie comparing it to a canker or gangreene may be saide of all sinne The nature of the gangren is to runne from one ioynt to another from rhe toe to the foote from the foote to the legge from the legge to the thigh till it haue wasted and destroyed the life of rhe bodie So giue any sinne but an entrance and it will soone ouerspread the whole man and if the deuill may be suffered but to put one talent into thy heart he will presently wind himselfe into thee his head his bodie and all The Psalmist saith that he is blessed that taketh the children of the Babylonians and dasheth them against the stones and as truly may it be saide blessed is the man that dasheth the head of his sinnes against the ground while they are yong before they get strength to ouer master him Thus haue wee seene the pollicies of Pilate Now followeth the absolution of Christ for when Pilate had used many meanes to deliuer him none would prevaile then hee absolues him by giuing diuers testimonies of his innocencie for he came foorth three times and bare witnesse thereof and last of all hee testified the same by washing of his hands which rite signifieth properly the defiling of the handes before but as yet Pilate had not defiled his handes and therefore he used it as a token to shewe that Christ vvas innocent and that hee would not defile his owne hands with innocent blood There vvere three causes that mooued Pilate to absolue Christ. First hee sawe that hee vvas a iust man as Saint Matthew noteth and that the high priests and people had deliuered him vp of envie as S. Marke saith By this it is plaine that a very Pagan or infidell may in some things goe beyond such as be in Gods Church hauing better conscience and dealing more iustly then they Pontius Pilate was a heathen man and a Gentile the Iewes vvere the Church and people of the liuing God yet he sees plainely that Christ was a iust man and thereupon absolues him whereas the Iewes which should be men of conscience and religion seeke his death And thus a verie Pagan may otherwhiles see more into a matter theÌ„ those that be reputed of the church And this must admonish all such as professe the gospell to looke unto their proceedings that they doe all things with upright conscience for if wee deale uniustly in our proceedings wee may haue neighbours men of no religion that will looke through us and see the grosse hypocrisie of our profession that would be loth to doe those things which wee doe The second cause that mooued Pilate to absolue Christ was his wiues dreame for when he was set dovvne upon the iudgement seate shee sent unto him saying Have thou nothing to doe vvith that iust man for I have suffered many things in a dreame by reason of him Dreames are of three sortes naturall rising from the constitution of the bodie diabolicall such as come by the suggestion of the deuill divine which are from God Some haue thought that this dreame was of the deuill as though hee had laboured thereby to hinder the death of Christ and consequently our saluation but I rather thinke that it vvas occasioned by the thinges vvhich shee had heard before of Christ or that it was immediatly from God as the dreames of Pharao Nabuchodonoser and serued for a further manifestation of Christs innocencie Here it may be asked whether we may regard our dreams now as Pilates wife did or no Answer Wee haue the bookes of the olde and new Testament to be our direction as Esai saith to the law and to the testimonie they must be our rule and guide In these daies we
turne betime from our sinnes and become the friends of Christ that so we may escape these fearefull iudgements And whereas Christ in this manner gouernes all things in heauen and earth we are bound to performe vnto him three duties reuerence obedience thankfulnes For the first Paul saith God hath exalted him and giuen him a name aboue all names that at the name of Iesus which name is his exaltation in heauen in full power and glorie should euery knee bowe We dare not so much as speake of an earthly king vnreuerently what reuerence then doe we owe vnto Christ the king of heauen and earth Dauids heart was touched in that he had cut off but the lappe of Sauls garment when he might haue slaine him because he was the Lords annointed Oh then howe much more ought our hearts to be touched if we shall in the least measure dishonour Christ Iesus our Lord and king Secondly we are here taught to performe obedience to him and to do him all the homage we can The master of the familie in all his lawfull commaundements must be obeied now the Church of Christ is a familie therfore we must yeild obedience to him in al things for al his coÌ„mandemeÌ„ts are iust WheÌ„ Saul was chosen king ouer Israel certain men which feared God whose hearts God had touched followed him to Gibea brought him presents but the wicked despised him the same is much more to be verified in vs towarde Christ our Lord. We must haue our hearts touched with desire to performe obedience vnto him if not we are men of Belial that despise him and refuse to bring our presents vnto him If this obedience were put in practise the Gospell would haue better successe in the hearts of the people and the Lords sabbath would be better kept and men would beare greater loue both to God and to their neighbours then now they doe The third dutie which we owe vnto him is thankfulnes for the endlesse care which he sheweth in the gouerning and preseruing of vs. VVhen Dauid waxed old and had made Salomon his sonne king in his stead all the people shouted and cried God saue king Salomon God saue king Salomon so as the earth rang againe Shall the people of Israel thus reioyce at the crowning of Salomon shal not we much more reioyce when as Christ Iesus is placed in heauen at the right hand of his father and hath the euerlasting scepter of his kingdome put into his hand And we are to shew this thankfulnes vnto him by doing any thing in this world that may tend to his honour and glorie though it be with the aduenture of our liues VVhen Dauid desired to drinke of the water of the well of Bethlem three of his mightie men went and brake into the host of the Philistims and brought him water Thus they ventured their liues for Dauids sake and shall not we much more willingly venture our liues to doe Christ seruice in token of thankfulnes for his continuall preseruing of vs Thus much of the highest degree of Christs exaltation in his kingdome now followeth the last point to be beleeued concerning Christ in these words From thenâ—e he shall come to iudge the quicke and the deade And they containe a proofe or a particular declaration of the former article For as on earth those that are set at the right hand of kings doe execute iustice in courts or assises for the maintenance of the state and peace of the kingdome so Christ Iesus sitting at the right hande of his father that is being made soueraigne Lord of all things both in heauen earth is to hold a court or assise in which he shall come to iudge both the quicke and the dead Now in handling the last iudgement we are to consider these points I. whether there shall be a iudgement or not II. the time of it III. the signes therof IV. the manner of it V. the vse which is to be made thereof Of these in order For the first point whether there shall be a iudgement or not the question is needefull for as Saint Peter saith There shall come in the last daies mockers which shall walke after their lusts and say Where is the promise of his comming which daies are now The answeare is set downe in this article in which we professe that the coÌ„ming of Christ to the last iudgement is a point of religion specially to be held and auouched The reasons to prooue it are principally two first the testimonie of God himselfe in the books of the old and new testament which affoard vnto vs plentifull testimonies touching the last iudgement so as he which will but lightly reade the same shall not neede to doubt thereof The second reason is taken from the iustice and goodnes of God the propertie wherof is to punish wicked and vngodly men and to honour and reward the godly but in this world the godly maÌ„ is most of al in misery for iudgement beginneth at Gods house and the vngodly haue their hearts ease Wicked Diues hath the world at will but pore Lazarus is hunger bitten full of soares miserable euery way This being so it remaineth that after this life there must needes be a iudgement and a second comming of Christ when the godly must receiue fulnes of ioy glorie and the vngodly fulnes of woe and miserie This second reason may stoppe the mouthes of all gainesayers in the worlde whatsoeuer But it may be obiected that the whole world stands either of beleeuers or vnbeleeuers and that there is no last iudgement for either of these for the beleeuer as Christ saith hath euerlasting life shal not come into iudgement and the vnbeleeuer is condemned alreadie and therefore needeth no further iudgement Answ. Where it is said he that beleeueth shall not come into iudgement it must be vnderstood of the iudgement of condemnation not the iudgement of absolution he that beleeueth not is condemned alreadie in effect substance three waies I. in the counsel of God who did foresee appoint his condemnation as it is a punishment of sinne and an execution of his iustice II. in the word of God where he hath his condemnation set down III. he is condemned in his own conscience for euery vngodly mans conscience is a iudge vnto himselfe which doth euery houre condemne him and it is a forerunner of the last iudgement And notwithstaÌ„ding all this there may remain a second iudgement which is a manifestatioÌ„ finishing of that which was beguÌ„ in this world therefore the meaning of that place is this he that beleeueth not is alreadie iudged in part but so as the full manifestation thereof shall be at the second comming of Christ. The second circumstance is the time of his iudgement in handling whereof I. we will see what is the iudgement of men II. what is the truth For the first two opinions touching this
last iudgement are the foundation namely of religion and againe that Christ is the foundation and that other doctrines consonant to the word are as gold and siluer laid thereupon Secondly persons erring are of two sorts some erre of weakenes beeing carried away by others or of simple ignorance not yet beeing conuicted and informed concerning the truth Some againe erre of obstinacie or affected ignorance which hauing bin admonished and conuicted still perseuere in their forged opinions This beeing said wee nowe come to the point If any man or Church shall hold an errour of the lighter kinde he still remaines a member of the Church of God and so must be reputed of vs. As when a Lutherane shall hold that images are still to be retained in the Church that there is an Vniuersall Election of all men c. for these and such like opinions may be maintained the foundation of saluation vnraced This which I say is flatly auouched by Paul If any man saith he build on this foundation gold siluer precious stones timber hay or stubble his work shall be made manifest by the fire c. and if any mans worke burne he shall loose but yet he shall be safe himselfe And therefore the hay and stubble of mens errours beside the foundation on which they are laide doe not debarre them from beeing Christians or members of the Church A man breakes downe the windowes of his house the house standes he breakes downe the roofe or the walles the house yet stands though deformed he pulls vp the foundation the house it selfe falls and ceaseth to be an house Now religion which we professe is like an house or building and some points thereof are like windowes dores walls roofes and some are the foundation and the former may be battered the foundation standing Againe if the errour be directly or by necessarie consequent euen in common sense against the foundation consideration must be had whether the Church or partie erreth of weaknes or malice if of weaknes the partie is to be esteemed as a member of the Catholicke Church And thus Paul writes vnto the Church of Galatia as to a Church of God though by false teachers it had bin turned a way to another Gospel and imbraced the fundamentall errour of iustification by works But when any man or Church shal hold fundamentall errours in obstinacie or affected ignorance we are then not bound to repute them any loÌ„ger as Churches or Christians but as such to whom condemnation belongs as Paul sheweth by the example of Iannes and Iambres And as IaÌ„nes and Iambres saith he withstood Moses so doe these also resist the truth men of corrupt mindes reprobate concerning the faith Yet withall this caueat must euer be remembred that we rather condemne the errour then the person that erreth because Gods mercie is like a bottomlesse sea whereby he worketh what he will and when he will in the hearts of miserable sinners The second question is where at this day we may finde such visible Churches as are indeede sound members of the Catholick Church And for the resoluing of it we are to go through all countries and religions in the world And first to beginne with Turkes and Iewes wee are not in any wise to acknowledge their assemblies for Churches because they worship not God in Christ who is the heade of the Church As for the Assemblies of Papists which haue bin a great part of the world if thereby we vnderstand companies of men holding the Pope for their head and beleeuing the doctrine established in the councill of Trent in name they are called churches but indeed they are no true or sound members of the Catholick Church For both in their doctrine in the worship of God they race the very foundation of religion which will appeare by these three points First of all they hold iustification by works of grace auouching that they are not only iustified before god by the merit of Christ but also by their owne doings Which opinion flatly ouerâ—urneth iustification by Christ. For as Paul saith to the Galatians If ye be circumâ—ised Christ profiteth you nothing that is if yee looke to be iustified by the works of the ceremoniall law yee are fallen from Christ ioyne Circumcision Christ together in the matter of iustification and yee doe quite ouerthrow iustification by Christ. Now if this be true which is the word of God that can not lie then we say to the Papists If yee will needes be iustified by works of grace ye are fallen from grace The second point is that they maintaine a daily reall sacrifice of the bodie of Christ in the Masse for the sinnes of the quicke and dead And this is also a fundamentall heresie For Christs sacrifice on the crosse must either be a perfect sacrifice or no sacrifice and if it be often iterated and repeated by the Masse-priest it is not perfect but imperfect The third point is that they worship the Images of the Trinitie and of Saints departed and their Breaden-god which is as vile an abomination as euer was among the Gentiles all beeing directly against the true meaning of the second Commandement and defacing the worship of God in the very substance thereof Thus then it appeares that the old Church of Rome is changed and is now at this day of a spouse of Christ become an harlot and therefore no more a Church of Christ indeed then the carkasse of a deade man that weareth a liuing mans garment is a liuing man though he looke neuer so like him And whereas they pleade for themselues that they haue succession from the Apostles the answeare is that succession of person is nothing without succession of doctrine which they want and we see that Heretikes haue succeeded lawfull Ministers Secondly whereas it is alleadged that in the Popish assemblies the Sacrament of Baptisme is rightly for substance administred and that also it is a note of a Church three things may be answered First that Baptisme seuered from the preaching of the Gospel is no more a signe of a Church then the seale seuered from the Indenture is of force and that is nothing Circumcision was vsed in Colchis yet no Church among the Samaritans yet no people SecoÌ„dly Baptisme is in the assemblies of the Church of Rome as the purse of the true man in the hand of the thiefe indeed it doth no more argue them to be churches then the true mans purse argues the thiefe to be a true man For baptisme though it be in their assemblies yet doth it appertaine not vnto them but vnto an other hidden Church of God which he hath in all ages gathered forth of the midst of them Thirdly though they haue the outward Baptisme yet they by necessarie consequent of doctrine ouerturne the inward baptisme that stands in iustification and sanctification Moreouer whereas it is alledged that they maintaine the booke of the old and new Testament
penned by the Prophets and Apostles the answear is that they doe it with adding to the Canon and by corrupting the natiue sense of the Scriptures in the very foundation and therefore they are but as a lanthorne that shews light to others and none to it selfe Fourthly it is further said that they hold the Creede of the Apostles and make the same confession of faith that we doe I answeare that in shew of wordes they doe so indeede but by necessarie consequents in the rest of their doctrine they ouerturne one of the natures and all the offices of Christ and therewithall most of the articles of the Creede And herein they deale as a father that in outward shew tenders the bodie of his child and will not abide the least blemish vpon it and yet by secret conveiances inwardly annoies the heart the braine or the liuer and so in truth destroies the same Fifthly it is alledged that Antichrist must sit in the Temple of God that is the Church therefore say some that desire an vnion between vs and the Papists popish assemblies are true Churches but the argument is not good For it is one thing to be in the Church an other thing to be of it And Antichrist is said to sit in the Church not as a member thereof but as an vsurper or as the pyrate in the ship of the marchant heÌ„ce it cannot be prooued that assemblies of Papists are Churches but that in them and with them there is mingled an other hidden Church in the midst whereof Antichrist the Pope ruleth though himselfe hath no part therein Lastly whereas some being no Papists think their Churches to be like a bodie diseased and full of soares and wounds froÌ„ the head to the foot the throat also cut yet so as life is still remaining we may better thinke their foule errours considered their worship of God which is nothing els but a mixture of Iudaisme and Paganisme that it is a rotten and dead corps void of spirituall life And therefore we haue seuered our selues from the Church of Rome vpon iust cause neither are we schismaticks in so doing but they rather because the grouÌ„d the proper cause of the schisme is in theÌ„ As for the Assemblies of Anabaptists Libertines Antinomies Tritâ—eits Arrians Samosaâ—eniaÌ„s they are no churches of God but conspiracies of monstrous heretikes iudicially condemned in the primitiue Church and againe by the malice of Satan renewed and revived in this age The same we are to thinke and say of the Familie of loue As for the Churches of Germanie commonly called the Churches of the Lutheranes they are to be reputed of vs as the true Churches of God Though their Augustane Confession haue not satisfied the expectation of other Reformed Churches yet haue they all the same enemies in matter of religion and doe alike confesse the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost and of the office of the Mediatour of faith and good works of the Word the Church and the Magistrate are all of one iudgement They differ indeede from vs in the question of the Sacrament but it is no sufficient cause to induce vs to hold theÌ„ as no Church for that there is a true or reall receiuing of the bodie and blood of Christ in the Lordes supper wee all agree and wee ioyntly confesse that Christ is there present so farre forth that hee doth truly feede vs with his very bodie and blood to eternall life and all the controuersie lies in the manner of receiuing we contenting our selues with that spirituall receiuing which is by the hande of faith they adding therto the corporall whereby they imagine themselues to receiue Christ with the hand and mouth of the bodie And though to maintaine this their opinion they be constrained to turne the ascension of Christ into a dispaâ—ition whereby his bodie being visible becomes invisible yet in the maine points we agree that Christ ascended into heauen that he entred into his kingdome in our name and for vs that we are gouerned and preserued by his power and might and that whatsoeuer good thing we haue or doe proceeds wholly from the grace of his spirit Indeede the opinion of the Vbiquitie of the bodie of Christ reviveth the condemned heresies of Eutiches and Nestorius and it ouerturneth by necessarie consequent most of the articles of faith but that was priuate to some men as Brentius and others and was not receiued of whole Churches and whereas the men were godly and learned and we are vncerten with what affection and how long they held this errour we rest our selues in condemning it leauing the persons to God Againe Popish Transubstantiation and Lutherian Consubstantiation are both against the truth of the manhoode of Christ yet with great difference Transubstantiation is flat against an article of faith for if Christs bodie be made of bread and his blood of wine which must needes be if there be a conuersion of the one into the other then was not he conceiued and borne of the Virgin Marie for it can not both be made of bakers breade and of the substance of the Virgin Againe it abolisheth the outwarde signe in the Lordes supper and the analogie betweene the signe and the thing signified but Consubstantiation doth not so neither doeth it ouerturne the substance of any article of Religion but onely a maine point in Philosophie which is that A body doth occupy only one place at once Furthermore the Churches of Heluetia Savoie the free cities of France the low Countries Scotland are to be reuereÌ„ced as the true churches of God as their ConfessioÌ„s make manifest And no lesse must we thinke of our owne Churches in England and Ireland For we hold beleeue and maintaine and preach the true faith that is the auncient doctrine of saluation by Christ taught and published by the Prophets and Apostles as the Booke of the articles of faith agreed vpon in open Parliament doe fully shewe withal now we are and haue bin ready to testifie this our faith by venturing our liues euen in the cause of religion against forraigne power and especially the Spainard and hereupon all the Churches in Europe giue vnto vs the hand of fellowship And whereas sundrie among vs that separate and indeed excommunicate themselues giue out that there is no Church in England no Ministers no Sacraments their peremptorie asseuerations wanting sufficient grounde are but as paper-shot They alleadge that our assemblies are full of grieuous blottes and enormities Ansvv. The defects and corruptions of Churches must be distinguished and they be either in doctrine or manners Againe corruptions in doctrine must be further distinguished some of them are errours indeed but beside the foundation some errors directly against the foundation and these ouerturne all religion wheras the former do not Now it can not be shewed that in our Churches is taught any one errour that raceth the foundation and consequently annihillateth the
wearie but we are faultie herein For with what affection doe we beleeue the communion of Saints when we our selues are as drie fountaines that doe scarse convey a drop of refreshing to others The last meanes is praier whereby Gods Church procureth Gods blessings for the seuerall members thereof and they againe for the whole And herein lies a principall point of the communion of Saints which ministreth notable comfort to euery ChristiaÌ„ heart For hence we may reason thus I am indeede a member of the Catholike Church of God and therefore though my owne prayers be weake yet my comfort is this I knowe that I am partaker of all the good praiers of all the people of God dispersed ouer the face of the whole earth my fellowe members and of all the blessings which God bestowes on them This will make us in all our troubles to say with Elisha Feare not for they that be with vs are more then they that be with them When the people of Israel had sinned in worshipping the golden calfe the wrath of the Lord was kindled made a breach into them as canon shott against a wall but Moses the seruant of God stood in the breach before the Lord to turne away his wrath least hee shoulde destroy them And the prayer of Moses was so effectuall that the Lord said Let me alone as though Moses by praier had held the hand of God that he could not punish the people And some think that Stevens praier for his enemies when he was stoned was a meanes of Pauls conuersion And surely though theâ—e were no other reason yet this were sufficient to mooue a man to imbrace Christian religion considering that being a member of the Church hee hath parte in all the praiers of the saintes through the world and of the blessings of God that come thereby The third part of this communion is in temporall things as goods and riches whereby I meane no anabaptisticall communion but that which was used in the primitiue Church when they had all things common in respect of use and some solde their goods and possessions and parted them to all men as euery one had neede And by their example we are taught to be content to employ those goods which God hath bestowed on us for the good of our fellow members within the compasse of our callings and to our abilitie beyond our ability if need require Paul saith Do good to all but specially to theÌ„ which are of the houshold of faith The communion of the liuing with the deade standes in two things the one is that the saintes departed in the Church Triumphant doe in generall pray for the Church Militant vpon earth deâ—iring the finall deliuerance of all their fellow members from all their miseries And therefore in the Apocalyps they crie on this manner How long Lord holy and true doest not thou iudge and avenge our bloode on them that dwell on the earth I say in generall because they pray not for the particular conditions and persons of men upon earth considering they neither know nor se nor heare us neither can they tell what things are done upon earth The second is that the godly on earth doe in heart and affection converse with them in heauen desiring continually to be dissolued and to be with Christ. Now whereas the Papists do further inlarge this communion auouching that the Saintes in heauen make intercession to Christ for us and impart their merits vnto us that we againe for that cause are to invocate them to do unto them religious worship we dissent from being resolued that these things are but inventions of mans braine wanting warrant of the word Lastly to conclude a question may be demanded how any one of us may particularly know and be assured in our selues that we haue part in this communion of Saints Ans. S. Iohn opens this point to the full when he saieth If vvee say that we have fellowship vvith him and yet vvalke in darkenesse vve lye but if wee walke in the light as hee is light then we haue fellowship one with another and the bloode of Christ purgeth vs from all our sinnes In which wordes hee makes knowledge of Gods will ioyned with obedience to be an infallible marke of one that is in the communion as on the contrarie ignorance of Gods will or disobedience or both to be tokens of one that hath neither fellowship with Christ or with the true members of Christ. And therefore to end this point if we would haue fellowship with Christ let us learn to know what sin is to fliâ— froÌ„ the same as froÌ„ the bane of our soules to make conscience of euery euil way The duties to be learned by rhe communion of the saints are manifold And first of all if we do beleeue the fellowship which all the faithfull haue with Christ with themselues and be resolued that we haue part therein then must we separate and withdrawe our selues from all ungodly and unlawfull societies of men in the world whatsoeuer they be Vnlawfull societies are manifold but I will only touch one which euery where annoieth religion and hindreth greatly this communion of saints that is when men ioyne them selues in company to passe away the time in drinking gaming c. Behold a large fellowship which beareth sway in all places there is almost no towne but there is at the least one knot of such companions he that will not be combined vvith such loose mates he is thought to be a man of no good nature he is foisted forth of euery company he is no body if a man will yeeld to run riot with them in the mispending of his time goods he is thought to be the best fellow in the world But vvhat is done in this societie and hovv do these cupcompanions spend their time surely the greatest part of day night is usually spent in swearing gaming drinking surfetting revelling railing on the ministers of the vvord such as professe religion to omit the enormities vvhich they procure unto themselues hereby this behauiour spreads it selfe like a canker ouer euery place it defiles both tovvne and cuntry But vve that looke for comfort by the communion of saints must not cast in our lotte vvith such a vvicked generation but separate our selues from them For undoubtedly their societie is not of God but of the deuill and they that are of this societie can not be of the holie communion of saints and surely except the Magistrate by the sword or the Church by the power of the kaies doe pull downe such fellowship the holy societie of Gods Church and people must needes decay Excommunication is a censure ordained of God for this end to banish them from this heauenly communion of the members of Christ that liue inordinately and haue communion with men in the workes of darkenesse Secondly by this we are taught that
men professing the same religion must be linked in societie and converse togither in Christian loue meekenesse gentlenesse patience as S. Paul taught the Philippians If there be any fellowship of the spirit if there be any compassion and mercy fulfill my ioy that we may be like minded having the same love beeing of one accord and of like iudgement And againe Keepe saith he the vnitie of the spirit in the bond of peace Why Marke how his reason is feâ—ched from this communion Because there is one body one spirit even as you are called into the hope of your vocation one Lorde one faith one hope one baptisme one God and father of all which is above all and in all And no doubt the same reason made Dauid say All my delight is in the saints which be vpon earth Thirdly euery christian man that acknowledgeth this communion must carrie about with him a fellow·feeling that is an heart touched with compassion in regard of all the miseries that befall either the whole Church or any meÌ„ber thereof as Christ our head teacheth us by his owne exaÌ„ple when he called to Saul said Saul Saul why persecutest thou me giving him to understand that he is touched with the abuses done to his Church as if they had directly beene done to his owne person The Prophet Amos reproueth the people because they dranke wine in bowles and annointed themselues with the chiefe ointments but why was it not lawfull for them to doe so yes but the cause for which they are reprooved followeth No man saith he is sory for the affliction of Ioseph In the middest of their delightes and pleasures they had no regard or compassion of the miseries of the poore Church and seruants of God elsewhere in affliction which euery man ought to shew â—orth in the practise of all duties of loue and therefore Paul saith Pray alwaies with all maner of praiers and supplications in the spirit and watch thereunto with all perseverance and supplications for the saints And he highly commendeth the Philippians for communicating to his afflictions And further he biddeth Philemon to comfort Onesimus his bowels in the Lorde And S. Iohn saieth If a mans life woulde saue his neighbours soule hee must lay it downe for him if need require Wee haue all of us daily occasion to practise this duty towards the afflicted members of Gods Church in other cuntries For howsoeuer we enioy the gospell with peace yet they are under persecution for the same and so oft as wee heare report of this we should suffer our hearts to be grieued with them and pray to God for them Wee must heâ—e be admonished not to seeke our owne things but to referre the labours of our callings to the common good especially of the Church whereof we are members As for them that seeke for nothing but to maintaine their owne estate and wealth and therefore in their trades use false weights and measures the ingrossing corrupting mingling of wares glosing lying smoothing swearing forswearing dissembling griping oppressing of the poore c. they may plead for themselues what they will but in truth they neuer yet knew what the communion of Saints meant Lastly considering wee are all knitte into one mysticall body and haue mutuall fellowship in the same our dutie is both to redresse the faultes of our breethren and to couer them as the hande in the bodie laies the plaister upon the sore in the foote or in the legge and withall couers it Loue couers the multitude of sinnes And when men disgrace their brethren for their wants and blase them to the world they doe not the dutie of fellow members Thus much for the first benefit bestowed on the Church the second is Forgivenesse of sinnes which may be thus described Forgivenesse of sins is a blessing of God upon his Church procured by the death passion of Christ whereby God esteemes of sinne as no sinne or as not committed In this description I haue couched fiue points which we are seuerally to consider The first who is the authour of forgiuenesse of sinnes Ansvv. God whose blessing it is for sinne is onely committed against God and the violating of his lawes commandements are properly sinnes And the offence done to any man or creature is no more in it selfe but an offence or iniurie yea the breach of mans coÌ„mandement is no sinne unlesse it doe imply withall the breach of Gods commandement Therefore it is a prerogatiue belonging to God alone to pardon sinne and when wee are taught to say Forgiue us our trespasses as wee forgive them that trespasse against vs the meaning is not that we forgiue sinnes as they are sinnes but onely as trespasses that is losses hurtes and damages done unto us by men It may be further saide God hath giuen this power and commaundement to his ministers to forgiue sinnes saying Whose sinnes yee remitte they are remitted Ansvvere Gods ministers doe not properly forgiue sinnes but onely in the name of God according to his worde pronounce to a penitent sinner that his sinnes are pardoned and forgiuen of God and therefore it is a most certaen trueth that none can forgiue sinnes but God onely it was auouched by the Pharisies and not denied by Christ. Hence it followeth that remission of sinne being once granted remaines for euer because Gods loue unto the elect is unchangeable and his decree concerning their saluation can not be altered The second point is to whome remission of sinnes is giuen Answer To the Catholike Church that is to the whole company of men predestinate to saluation as Esai saieth The people that dvvell therein that is in the Church shall have their sinnes forgiuen And they shall call them the holy people the redeemed of the Lord and thou shalt be named a citie sought out and not forsaken And if there had bene an uniuersall remission of sinnes to all men as some doe dreame it should not here haue bin made a peculiar prerogatiue of the Church The thirde point is what is the means wherby pardoÌ„ of sin is procured at Gods hand Ans. The death passion of Christ so Paul saith Christ dyed for our sinnes that is Christ died to be a paiment satisfaction to Gods iustice for our sins And S. Iohn saith The blood of Iesus Christ his sonne clenseth vs froÌ„ all sinne And Peter saith Knowing that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver gold froÌ„ your vaine conversation c. but with the pretious blood of Christ as of a lamb undefiled without spot The fourth point is after what maner sinne is forgiuen Answ. By an action of God whereby for the merite of Christ hee esteemes and accountes sinne as no sinne or as if it had neuer beene committed Therefore Dauid saieth Blessed is the man to whome the Lorde imputeth no sinne And in Esai the Lorde saieth I have put avvay