is omnipotent therefore Christ as man can be present where he will in the Church in the Sacrament in the midst of his enemies or in any other place where hee pleaseth whereas Sadeel on the other side sayth that if God should intend and indeuour to extend all the nerues and synewes of his omnipotencie The error of the Vbiquitaries yet can he not make one numericall and naturall Body to be in many places at one and the selfe same time which in very deede is most true as hereafter I shall shew vnto you Fourthly For the Pontificialls The error of the Church of Rome about Gods power to prooue transubstantiation Bellarmine doth most stoutly withstand vs and to establish his opinion of Transubstantiation he sayth but most falsely that God can make the true and naturall body of Christ though finite numerically one to be substantially present in all those places whersoeuer their Masse is celebrated and to be orally receiued and eaten of all those Men that doe communicate whosoeuer those Men should be and so the rest of them taught herein by that Arch-heriticke the deuil doe striue with all their might to confirme the probabilitie for the veritie they shall neuer doe of that opinion from the omnipotent power of God Augustin in Iohan. And truely this is nothing else but most cunningly to hide their true faults and false errors vnder the pretext and vayle of the power of God Miserable men herein I assure my selfe qui dum volunt esse mali nolunt esse veritatem qua condemnantur mali who while they desire to bee in error doe wholly oppose the light of Trueth whereby their errors are reproued and doe bring their subtilties and fallacies into the Church of God intruding falsehoods into the roome of Trueth and bare names accidents without any subiects euen as Ixion imbraced a Cloud for Iuno to bee receiued of vs for true and reall things and because we will not yeeld to be thus seduced and to bee made fooles they call vs Fooles and Heretickes full of Heresies and I know not as I care not what But it is easier for them to call vs then to proue vs so and they are but parties and not iudges of this controuersie and parties must not be Iudges in the same case wherein they are parties And therefore wee will not iudge of them least wee should bee iudged neither will wee giue them any other names then the members of the Church of Rome the patrons and defenders of her doctrines and such as beseemeth Modestie and Christianitie for we know the spirit of Christ is a spirit of Loue not of hatred a spirit of Meekenesse not of harshnesse and a spirit of Peace not of strife and contention but according to true reason and the iudgement of all antiquitie and especially the diuine veritie of the most holy Scripture whose propertie is iudicium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 infallibile to giue an absolute and infallible iudgement of trueth wee will by Gods helpe discusse this poynt of the power of God because the knowledge of this poynt is so exceedingly necessary for the Church of God CHAP. II. How many wayes the power of God is to bee considered and how farre the absolute power of God extendeth FOr the second point that is how farre the power of God extendeth we must first note the difference betwixt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Power and Authoritie for Authoritie is that which is established by right and of this our Sauiour speaketh when hee sayth Mihi data est omnis potestas Matth. 28.18 All power is giuen vnto me in Heauen and in Earth i. e. all authority ouer all creatures both in Heauen and Earth and of this I am not to speake in this place it was formerly expressed in the word Lord But Power is that facultie of doing any thing which consisteth in strength and might Wolfg. Muscul de omnipot dei as Musculus sayth and this is that which I am to speake of And it is either 1. Passiue 2. Actiue First A passiue Power is nothing else Power is either Actiue or Passiue but ens in potentia a being in power or else a power to bee such and such a thing and it is opposed to the act And this wee vtterly deny to be in God because God is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vniforme hauing himselfe by himselfe alwayes alike and the selfe same manner and neuer receiuing any wayes any change or alteration being without any shadow of turning James 1.17 as the Apostle sayth Secondly An actiue power is that What Actiue power is whereby such and such acts are fully done and accomplished and this also if wee speake properly is farre from the nature of God because God is a meere and a pure act and nothing aduentitious can bee sayd to be in God But to retaine the vsuall manner of speaking for our better vnderstandings sake we say that an actiue power is in God But then we must further note that an Actiue Power is either 1. Accepta receiued Or 2. Innata inbred The first is of the Creature the second is of the Creator That subsisteth by anothers strength so long as it doth indure as our Sauiour sheweth Without me you can doe nothing because he giueth the power of working This neuer subsisteth by any other strength but by it owne proper might for euer That is particular and limited particular because no creature is so powerfull that it can vniuersally worke all things God giuing not such a perfect power vnto any man saue onely vnto his onely begotten sonne Iesus Christ and limited because to doe infinite things is impossible for any creature and because those things which are possible for them to doe are not so possible vnto them as that they can performe any iot of them John 15.5 That the power of the most powerfull creatures is limited beyond the measure of the limitation giuen of God and therefore the power of Kings Monarchs Potentates yea of the very Angels and Deuils as it is giuen them from aboue so it is limited how farre it shall goe They may slay the bodyes but they cannot touch the Soules and they can for a while and in some measure execute their rage and tyrannie against the Saints of God but if they could doe as much as they would doe not a Righteous man should be left vpon the face of the Earth and therefore often times either by death or by some singular iudgement of God their power is terminated and sometimes turned to their shame and confusion The Second that is the Inbred power of the Creator is to bee considered either 1. In respect of the inward acts Operations Of God 2. In respect of the outward acts Operations Of God First The power of God considered in respect of his inward operations is that whereby God doth inwardly vnderstand loue and
will aske touching my former illustration why is power ascribed to the Father Wisedome to the Son Quest and goodnesse to the Holy Ghost whereas all and each of the three persons haue the same power wisedome and goodnesse Saint Augustine answereth that amongst the creatures Resp it is wont to be obserued that in a Father is found a defect of power by reason of his antiquitie in a Sonne is seene ignorance by reason of his youth and inexperience of things and in the name of a Spirit there seemeth to be a kinde of fearefull vehemency Esay 52. as Quicscite ab homine cuius spiritus in naribus eius Whose Spirit is in his nostrils and therefore least the like might be thought to be in these Diuine persons we find power ascribed to the Father wisedome vnto the sonne and goodnesse vnto the Holy Ghost whereas indeed each one of them is of the same power wisedome and goodnesse as the others bee And although the Essence of God can neither be diuided nor distinguished yet the three subsistences or the three diuers manner of being in the Diuine Essence which we call the three persons The three persons are distinguished one from another two waies Father Sonne and Holy Spirit may be distinguished two wayes 1. By their personall actions 2. By their nominall relations First the actions of the persons are either 1. Outward or 2. Inward The outward workes of God are common to each person of the Trinity First all outward actions are called communicable because although after a sort they are appropriated to each person as the Father to send the Son and to create the world the Son to be sent to be Incarnate to redeeme mankind and the Holy Ghost to appeare in the form of a Doue like clouen tongues of fire to worke in our hearts for our consolation and sanctification yet Opera Trinitatis ad extra sunt indiuisa these outward workes of the Trinitie are so indiuisible that we cannot so properly ascribe them to any one but we finde that they may be likewise ascribed to any other for as Nazianzen truly affirmeth of the three persons themselues Non possuÌ„tria discernere quin subito ad vnum referar nec possum vnum cogitare quin trium fulgore confundar So may we say of their outward operations that although they be affirmed of one yet may they presently be referred to all three and so we finde them in many passages of the holy Scriptures as redemption and sanctification to the Father Act. 20.28 1 Pet. 1.2 Creation and Sanctification to the Sonne Iohn 1.3 1 Cor. 1.2 And creation and redemption to the Holy Ghost Psal 33.6 Ephes 4.30 And besides these outward operations are transient voluntary for that God in these things is Liberrimus Agens A free Agent so that he might haue chosen whâ—ther to doe them or not doe them and therefore in all these workes Election Creation Gubernation Redemption Sanctification Glorification there can be ascribed none other cause but quia voluit because he would for whatsoeuer pleased the Lord that did he in Heauen and in Earth in the Sea and in all deepe places And therefore these outward actions and so likewise those names which are giuen vnto these persons in regard of these actions as Creator vnto the Father Redeemer vnto the Sonne Comforter and sanctifier vnto the holy Ghost are not altogether sufficient to expresse the differences of these persons Secondly the inward actions of these persons are 1. Permanent 2. Necessarie 3. Incommunicable First they are so permanent The inward actions of God are euer in doing that as the Sunne doth alwayes beget his beames and both Sunne and beames doe send forth the heate so the Father from all eternity euer did and now doth and euer will beget his Sonne and both Father and Sonne doe spire and breath forth the Holy Ghost and therefore Origen saith excellent well Origen hom 6. in Ierem. Saluator noster splendor est gloriae splendor autem non semel nascitur deinceps desinit nasci c. Our blessed Sauiour is the brightnesse of Gods glory Sed quotiescunque ortum fuerit lumen ex quo splendor oritur toties oritur splendor gloriae Luke 12. but the brightnesse of glory is not once begotten and then afterwards leaues to be begotten but as often as the light riseth from whence the brightnesse springeth so often doth the brightnes of glory arise And our Sauiour saith he is the wisedome of God but the wisedome of God is the brightnesse of that eternall light Et ideo saluator semper nascitur The Father doth euer beget the Sonne And therefore as the Scripture saith Ante colles generat me Before the Mountaines were laid he begetteth me and not as some doe erroniously read it Generauit me He hath begotten me So the truth is that the Sonne of God is euer begotten and the holy Spirit euer proceeding Secondly these inward actions are no voluntary operations The inward actions are necessary I meane such as that the Father might either beget the Sonne or not beget him and the Father and the Sonne might either spire forth the Holy Ghost or not spire him forth but they be so absolutely necessary that they cannot otherwise be Cyrillus l. 1. c 3. thesauri because it is the property of the nature of God the Father to beget God the Sonne as it is for him to be a God so that he can no more relinquish or leaue to beget the Sonne then hee can leaue to be a God as Saint Cyril sheweth And Thirdly these inward actions are so incommunicable The inward actions are incommunicable that whatsoeuer is proper to the one can no wayes be ascribed to the other Quia hoc est proprium patris quod solus est pater quod ab alio non est nisidse For this is the property of the Father that he alone is the Father Et hoc est proprium filij quod à patre genitus est solus à solo hoc est proprium spiritus sancti quod nec genitus nec ingenitus est sed à patre filio aequaliter procedeus and that he is not from any other but onely of himselfe and this is the property of the Son that he alone is begotten of the Father alone coequall vnto him and coessentiall and this is the propertie of the Holy Ghost to be not made not begotten but from the Father and the Sonne equally proceeding And therefore we say that these incommunicable and proper operations of the persons doe so make the true and reall distinction of the persons that the Father cannot be the Sonne nor the Holy Ghost that the Sonne cannot be the Father nor the holy Ghost and that the Holy Ghost cannot be the Father nor the Son so that in a word all three is the same Essence and yet neither of the three can
humane Soule That Christ had a true reasonable humane soule AND further we must consider that as he had a true humane body so he had a perfect reasonable soule for First The testimonies of the Scriptures are most plaine and pregnant herein As My soule is heauy vnto death Math. 26.38 And againe Father into thy hands I commend my spirit Heb. 2.17 Secondly Reason it selfe confirmeth it for He was made in all things like vnto his brethren Sinne onely excepted and he is The Shepheard of our soules 1 Pet. 2. And therefore he must needes consist of body and soule Thirdly The whole Schoole of Diuinity did euer teach the same Truth for Nazianzene saith Quod non assumpsit non salvabit Either he had a soule or he will not saue a soule And Saint Augustine saith Aug de tempore Ser. 145. Totum suscepit vt totum liberaret verbum The Word tooke all vpon him i. e. both body and soule that he might saue both body and soule And so Fulgentius doth most largely and excellently proue this point in his first Booke De Mysterio Mediatoris Fulgentius de myst med ad Tras l. 1. vnto King Trasimund where I referre my Reader to a most elegant and learned discourse of this matter Ob. But against this many of the Arrians and Apollinaris doe obiect as Nazianzene Athanasius and Saint Cyrill doe affirme that Christ had no humane soule Iohn 1.14 but onely a liuing flesh because the Euangelist saith That the Word was made Flesh And Saint Paul saith Rom. 1. That he was made of the seede of Dauid according to the Flesh Sol. To this I answere that it is an vsuall thing in Scripture to speake synechdochically and sometimes totum denominare ex parte praestantiori to put the soule for the whole man as seuenty soules that is seuenty men went downe vnto Egypt and the soule that sinneth Exod. 1.5 that soule shall die and let euery soule be subiect to the higher Powers Ezech. 18.20 and sometimes totum denominare ex parte minus praestantiori Rom. 13.1 to put the body for the whole man as all Flesh i. e. all men had corrupted their wayes before God and Gen. 6.12 all flesh shall see the saluation of God and to thee shall all flesh come that is all men And therefore hee was made Flesh signifieth Athanas in Sym. that hee was made Man of a reasonable soule and humane flesh subsisting And the reason why the Euangelist saith He was made flesh Why the Euangelist saith he was made flesh rather then he was made man rather then He was made man is diuersly rendered by the Fathers For some say it was to shew what part of Christ was made of his Mother that is his Flesh for his Diety was increated and his soule say they was created of nothing and his body onely was made of his Mother And therefore hee saith The Word was made Flesh But this cannot satisfie them which beleeue the Soule to be ex traduce by traduction from the Parents And therefore Secondly others with Theophilact say the Euangelist saith The Word was made Flesh to expresse the greatnesse of Gods loue who for our sakes would be contented to be made the vilest thing for all flesh is grasse Esay 40.6 Thirdly others with Saint Augustine say It was to shew the greatnesse of Christ his humility Ex parte ignobiliori to be named by the meanest name and the basest part of man he was contented to be made flesh for so we finde that in this respect i. e. to shew the greatnesse of his humility though hee was the Sonne of God yet most commonly would hee terme himselfe The Sonne of man to shew vs how hee debased himselfe and was well contented with the meanest and most abiect titles for our sakes and to teach vs by his example not to stand so much vpon our dignities but to humble our selues that we may be exalted Fourthly others with Saint Cyrill say It was for our greater confidence that we should not doubt of Gods loue and fauour towards vs because our flesh which was the part most corrupted is now vnited vnto God and because Christ is now become our brother and our kindred according to that of the Euangelist Behold thy Brethren and thy Kinsmen stand looking for thee Mar. 3.32 for that Consanguinity is in regard of flesh and bloud Fiftly others say It was Vt infimum summo poneret that he might put the highest and the lowest together for he had called Christ the Word which sheweth the highest power of God for thy Word is Almighty Heb. 1. and hee beareth vp all things by his mighty Word And therefore as hee had set downe his Deity by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Word which declareth his greatest power so hee would shew his humanity by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Flesh which expresseth our greatest infirmity for as Summa dignitas in verbo the greatest dignity is exprest in the word So Summa infirmitas in carne the greatest infirmity is shewed in the flesh And therefore he saith The Word was made Flesh to declare vnto vs Quantus Deus quantillus factus est homo How great a God was made so meane a man All these reasons are very good and may well stand all of them to shew why he saith The Word was made Flesh rather then He was made man Yet Tertul. l. de carne Christi Jrenaeus l. 3. c. 11. Sixtly I like best of Tertullians reason alledged also by Irenaeus Saint Chrysostome and others that the Spirit of God foreseeing what Heresies would follow after and soone creepe to invade the Church of Christ did therefore purposely here and in many other places set downe most euident and vnanswerable arguments to conuince them whensoeuer they should arise that so the light of Truth might be cleered and the mouth of all wickednesse might be stopped God before heresies came prouided for vs that we might be preserued from them when they came And therefore I say that the Pen of the Euangelist was here directed by Gods Spirit to say The Word was made Flesh not because he had not a soule but to assure vs against Marcion Macidonius Valentinus Manichaeus and others that Christ had a true and a naturall flesh assumed from the very flesh and substance of his Mother and vnited vnto his God-head And so you see that Christ had not Ideam humanae naturae An imaginary patterne of humane nature but the whole nature of man In vno indiuiduo Consisting both of body and soule CHAP. IIII. Of Christ his being subiect to all the humane infirmities that are without sinne SEcondly As Christ had all the parts of a true man That Christ was made subiect to all our humane fraileties which are without sinne that is body and soule so he had all the properties that doe concerne mans nature
is traduced from the Parents into the Children 1. On the one side they say the childe receiueth from his Parents not his soule but onely his body for if the soule were ex traduce begotten by naturall generation then it must needs be traduced either from the body or from the soule of the Parents Whether the soule is begotten by the Parents If from the soule then is the soule subiect to deuision to corruption and then we might as well say an Angell may beget an Angell as to say one soule may beget another but to say that the body being an elementarie substance subiect to corruption should beget a spirituall soule that is incorruptible is more absurd as Aristotle doth most truely declare And therefore they say that the soule creando infunditur infundendo creatur is infused as it is created and created as it is infused and then as cleane water powred into a foule Cisterne must needes bee presently corrupted so the pure soule infused into a polluted flesh must needes be instantly defiled for he that toucheth pitch shall be defiled with pitch And to confirme this supposition they alledge that testimony of Scripture Heb. 12.9 where the Apostle calleth our naturall Fathers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Fathers of our flesh and God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Father of Spirits 2. On the other side they say if the soule should not proceed from the Parents then not onely God might seeme to deale vniustly 1. In not performing his law when he saith Ezech. 18.20 the soule which sinneth the same shall dye and not the soule which neuer sinned 2. In the composing and ioyning together of two substances so vnequall to be vnited a pure soule that neuer offended infused into a most vnpure substance wholly corrupted but also the flesh must needes be yeelded to be the primarie seat of sinne and though it be a corporall grosse composition wanting life yet must it needes proue to be not onely the taynter and defiler but also to predominate and to be the guider and ruler of that spirituall substance which giues vs life which is euery way most absurd And so you see that as Saint Augustine saith of this traducta culpa the traduction of this sinne nihil ad predicandum notiu◠Aug. de moribus Ecclesiae c. 22. nihil ad intelligendum secretius nothing is better knowne to bee published for experience wofull experience shewes it that in Adam and through Adam all the race of mankinde is corrupted but how this corruption is traduced in the propagation of the posteritie nothing is harder to be expressed For as the Prophet Dauid saith we are fearefully and wonderfully made Psal 139.13 and ver 5. and the knowledge thereof is so excellent that we may well wonder at it but no wayes well attayne vnto it And therefore as a fellow fallen into a dungeon and crying vnto his companion for helpe that his life might be preserued his friend wondring how hee came there began to question with him which way he had fallen and how long he had continued but he replied Tu cogita quomodo hinc me liberes Aug. de moribus Eclesiae c. 26. non quomodo huc ceciderim quaeras I pray thee rather thinke thou how I may be deliuered then stand questioning how I came indangered so should we rather earnestly seeke the meanes how this originall corruption may be remoued from vs then curiously to search how it is traduced vnto vs. But because as it seemed vnto Festus to bee vnreasonable to send a prisoner Acts 25.27 and not withall to signifie the crimes laide against him so this seemes to me very vnfit to propose the doubts and not to doe our best to expresse the truth therefore I will set downe mine opinion touching this question that is full of contradiction That God created all soules at once as he did the Angels in the beginning and then infuseth them into the bodyes as they are still begotten of their Parents though it was an opinion much patronized by the Origenists yet hath it beene long exploded and truely confuted by the learned and that God still ex nihilo of nothing createth the soules as hee infuseth them into the bodies I see as little shew of reason as nothing yet alledged In what sence God is called the Father of spirits whereby the said thesis may be confirmed For the Apostle in the place aboue cited doth not meane that God is more properly a Father vnto our spirits i. e. our soules as if they were more immediately proceeding from God then of our bodies or that our naturall Parents are more properly the Fathers of our flesh then of our spirits for though the soule in regard of its spirituall being is neerer and more agreeable to the nature of God then the body yet in regard of its being God is the author the framer and the principall Father as well of the body as of the soule Psal 139.12 for my raynes are thine and thou hast couered me in my Mothers wombe saith the Psalmist And our naturall Parents may be truely said to be the instrumentall authors and begetters of the soule as well as of the body for Gen. 5.3 when it is said that Adam begat a childe in his image wee must not referre this image onely to the similitude of the body but also to the like qualities and properties of the soule and so wholly like him both in body and soule and the Apostle by the Fathers of our flesh doth vnderstand Fathers of our corruptible being such as make vs naturall men and no more and by Father of spirits he vnderstandeth the Father of our spirituall birth which makes vs spirituall men and so the meaning of the Apostle is no more but this viz. That euery godly man hath a double being If we doe so reuerently and so contentedly suffer the correction of those Fathers which giue vs our naturall being quae nascimur ad laborem nascimur ad mortem whereby we are borne to miseries born to die how much more contentedly should we receiue the chastisements of that Father which giues vs our spirituall being qua nascimur ad salutem nascimur ad vitam whereby we are borne vnto Sanctification and brought vnto eternall saluation For all men may easily see from the context of the place it selfe that the Apostle speaketh thus not of the naturall and carnall men that are borne only of flesh and blood but of these spirituall and regenerate men which are also borne of water and of the Spirit And therefore seeing the Apostle here by Spirit vnderstandeth the fruits of the Spirit that is the spirituall graces of regeneration whereby we liue sayth the Apostle that is eternally as the coherence of the place and the maine scope of the Apostle makes it playne and not the Soules or Spirits of our naturall generation I say that the parents begetting a childe doe beget
praecipua laudatio est c. This is one of the chiefest commendations of God that he hath no meane nor measure in him for his power his vertue his Maiestie How the Fathers doe extoll the power of God cannot be contained in place determined by time expressed in words nor conceiued in our best vnderstandings our sence is too narrow our wit is too blunt and our tongue too mute to performe so great a taske because as the Psalmist speaketh Psal 145.3 There is no end of his greatnesse And therefore Saint Augustine saith excellently well Demus Deum multa posse nos intelligere non posse That we must grant that God can doe many things Aug. ep 3. ad Volusian which we must confesse wee can neither search out the cause nor vnderstand the things because the power of God is not to be straitned within the compasse of our shallow apprehensions How great a sinne it is to say any thing derogatory to the Power of God And therefore we ought to take great heed that we neither say nor conceiue any thing derogatory to the power of God for if it be ordained by humane Lawes that he which should offend the Maiestie of a King though but a man should leese his head for his offence Quis finis contemnentium diuinam omnipotentiam erit Bernard in cant What should become of those that contemne or speake against the Diuine Omnipotency of God saith Saint Bernard Fourthly the very Heathens Poets Phylosophers and all of the learneder sort haue confest as much as is sufficient to proue the Omnipotent power of God Homer Odyss 3. p. 65. for Homer brings in Minerua speaking vnto Telemachus and saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which is as much as if shee said That God can doe what hee will and none can hinder him because as one saith Ille potest solis currus inhibere volantes How the very Heathens haue extolled the Omnipotency of God Ille velut scopulos flumina stare facit He can hold still great Phoebus wayne as he did in the days of Ioshua at he did at thered Sea And stoutest streames he can restraine For though as another saith Astra regunt mundum These sublunary Creatures are generally guided by the influences of the higher Orbes yet to conclude the verse he saith Sed regit astra Deus The God of Heauen doth rule the Heauens and rideth vpon the same as vpon an Horse And therefore an Indian Gymnosophist being demanded by Alexander what God did answered What he will Et quod nulla creatura facere potest And what no mortall man nor any other creature can doe for they daily saw how by his strength vnlikely matters haue come to passe the greatest imaginations haue beene dissolued with a blaste and dying hopes haue beene reuiued from their graues and therefore they all concluded that Ludit in humanis diuina potentia rebus It was an easie matter for Gods power to deale with all Creatures as he listed and How the very Diuels haue confest the Power of God Fiftly the very Diuels doe acknowledge and confesse and obey the power of God For Apollo being demanded of one by what meanes he might with-draw his wise from Christianitie He answered That he might easier flie through the Ayre or write in the Sea then plucke her away from Christ because God was so powerfull to preserue her Heydelf de Deo c. 2. and the Diuell so weake to striue against him and being requested by Augustus to informe him who should succeede him in his Empire hee saide Peucerus de Oracul p. 251. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. The Hebrew Childe hath inioyned me to silence and I must hence-forth obey his voyce And so the Scripture saith That the vncleane Spirits were obedient vnto Christ and as the winde and the waues so did they yeeld and doe whatsoeuer Christ commanded them Much more might be said to confirme this point Quid satis est cui Roma parum but all is but to light a candle before the Sunne And therefore seeing I am no wayes able to speake what I ought to expresse this truth I will proceede to see what the sonnes of darkenesse can say against this truth And as I distributed the adversaries into foure Classies so I finde their obiections to be foure-fold Obiect The Obiections that are made against the truth of Gods Power answered Sol. That there be three sorts of Agents First the Naturalists say that Ex nihilo nihil fit Of nothing nothing can be made And therefore God is not so powerfull as to be able to produce things of nothing and to create this Vniuerse out of no subsistent matter To this I answere that there be three sorts of workers 1. The lowest 2. The middlemost 3. The highest or else 1. Artificers 2. Nature 3. God First Artificers can doe nothing but of some body composed of the first matter and a substantiall forme into which they doe induce an accidentall forme as the Baker out of his Dowe makes Bread or the Potter out of his tempered clay makes his Potts Secondly Nature or naturall Agents can likewise produce nothing into being vnlesse there be first some matter or subiect whereunto it induceth a naturall forme so from any naturall seede is composed the fruit of each seede in his kinde as from the seede of man is ingendered man and so of all other things whatsoeuer And in these two sorts of Agents the axiome is most true That God can produce any thing of nothing that of nothing nothing can be made but of the third agent that is God it is most false for as he did create all things of nothing so he can yet as easily of no being produce any being as he can change any compleat being into another And therefore to argue from the creature vnto the Creator or from the faculty of the inferior agent vnto the faculty of the superior as the Artificer cannot doe it therefore Nature cannot doe it or Nature cannot doe it therefore the God of Nature cannot doe it is most absurd and foolish Euery Childe can perceiue the weakenesse of this childish reasoning Secondly Obiect the desperate men doe obiect against their owne soules that Gods Iustice is so strict that it requires euery sinne and the least sinne to be punished with eternall death and their sinnes are not onely few and small but most infinite in number euen as Manasses saith My sinnes are more innumerable then the sands of the Sea and most haynous for quality euen as Caine saith My sinne is greater Quam vt venia merear Gen. 4.13 Then I can deserue pardon or they be greater then can be pardoned And therefore say they God cannot pardon our sinnes but we must die and die eternally for our sinnes To this I answere first Sol. that it had beene very good for them they had reasoned
Creator and the Sonne of God is so produced as that hee receiued the substance of the begetter And therefore in that respect he is said to be begotten but he receiueth it without any mutation or alteration of the begetter and therefore in that respect he may be saide to be created And so he is sometimes said to be begotten and sometimes said to bee created not that any man should thereby denie his eternity and thinke him to be a creature but that from both these words wee might receiue what is fitting and reiect what seemeth to be vnfit for the declaration of this ineffable and inexplicable mystery Ob. 4 Fourthly They doe obiect the words of Dauid Thou art my sonne this day haue I begotten thee And therefore before that day wherein hee was begotten his sonne hee was not his sonne Sol. The words of Dauid are spoken of Christ in respect of his manhood I answere That the words Inquire of me and I will giue thee the Heathen for thine Inheritance and the vttermost parts of the Earth for thy possessions doe sufficiently proue that these words are spoken of his incarnation and not of his eternall generation for how should he according to his Diuinity demand the ends of the Earth for his possessions when as hee giueth the Kingdome of Heauen which is a thousand times more then the Earth to them that loue him And therefore he which according to his God-head possesseth all things with his Father according to the forme of a seruant which hee assumed for our saluation he requireth of his Father that hee might haue The Gentiles for his inheritance and the vttermost parts of the Earth for his possessions Act. 13. And thus the Apostle doth expound this place in the 13. Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles Ob. 5 Fiftly They doe obiect the words of the Apostle that he is The first-borne of euery Creature Coloss â— 15 and therefore created in the number of the Creatures Sol. That the words of the Apostle are to be vnderstood of the humanity of Christ Rom. 8.29 I answere That this is also meant of his humanity for that the Apostle speaketh here of the Creatures restored and not created because he is said to be Primogenitus ex mortuis The first fruites of the dead for if he were called The first fruites of euery Creature according to his Deity by what testimonies can it be shewed that he is The first-borne of the dead before all Creatures when as they could not be said to be dead which were not yet created And therefore the Apostle saith That whom he did foreknow he also did predestinate to be conformed to the Image of his Sonne Iohn 1. that he might be the first-borne among many brethren To shew that he which according to his Deity is the onely begotten Sonne of God without brethren is according to his humanitie c. 3. the first-borne among many brethren for we must vnderstand this difference betwixt the first-begotten Sonne of God and the onely begotten Sonne of God that the first sheweth his humanity whereby he became man the first and chiefest among many brethren and the second his Diuinitie Iohn 1. whereby hee is the eternall Sonne of God without any brethren or otherwise it were in vaine to call him the onely begotten Sonne of God for that hee gaue power vnto others euen as many as beleeue in him to bee made the Sonnes of God and therefore if hee be not his Sonne by nature then without doubt he lost the name and the truth of being the onely begotten Sonne of God after he began to haue many brethren But because none of his sonnes by adoption Fulgen. in resp ad ob Arrian can be said to be the onely begotten sonne of God nor to be the Son of God â—ather then the rest be because the same name of sonnes is acommodated vnto them all although diuers rewards of retribution is promised vnto them according to the diuersitie of â—heir labours therefore is Christ still said to be the onely begotten Sonne of God because though there be many sonnes of God by grace yet there is none but he alone his Sonne by Nature And this difference doth our Sauiour Christ himselfe shew vnto vs when he saith I goe to my Father and to your Father Iohn 20.17 to my God and to your God because he is otherwise my Father and my God then he is your Father and your God for he is my Father eternally by nature and he is yours in time by grace and therefore hee that is first begotten in respect of his man-hood among many brethren is likewise still the onely begotten Sonne of God in respect of his God-head without any brethren And so you see that maugre all the spite of Hell it is most apparantly true that this Word is the true God for time coeternall vnto his Father CHAP. IIII. Of the coessentiality of the word with the Father and the obiections that are made against the same sufficiently answered SEcondly you haue heard of the eternall Godhead of this Word it followeth that I should shew vnto you how for nature he is coessentiall vnto his Father touching which point Athanasius saith Non res quaepiam extrinsecus adinuenta est filij substantia neque ex nihilo inducta est sed ex patris essentia nata est The substance of the Sonne is no outward thing either found or created but begotten of the very Essence of his Father euen as you see the brightnesse springing from the light or the vapour from the water Neque enim splendor neque vapor est ipsa aqua aut ipse sol neque res aliena For neither the light is the Sunne it selfe nor the vapour the water it selfe and yet they are none other things of another kind then be the substances from whence they spring euen so the Sonne issueth from the substance of his Father Et tamen patris sustantia non perpessa est partitionem And yet the substance of the father aâ—mits no partition for as the Sunne remaineth still the same Athanas in ep cont Eusebium and is no way lessened or diminished in respect of those beames that flow from him so the Father suffereth no mutation by hauing begetting Suam ipsius imaginem filium This his Son and eternall image but remaining still the same he begetteth his Son of the same Essence and we find not only all the Orthodox fathers but also the Scriptures plain enough to confirm the same truth for our Sauiour saith I and my Father are one And so S. Iohn hauing spoken of the Father Iohn 10 3â— the Word and the Spirit 1 Iohn 5.7 saith That these three are one And reason it selfe must needs confirme the same for seeing the Diuine Essence is most simple impartible and indiuisible and that the Father is God as none denyeth and that the Sonne is God as I haue already
that Christ was made man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the flesh and declared mightily to be the Sonne of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the Spirit of Sanctification for that according to his humane nature onely he was made of the seede of Dauid which according to his diuine nature was declared still to be the eternall Sonne of God So that here Saint Paul sheweth two natures to be in Christ that is his diuine and his humane nature still remaining entire after his incarnation because as hee was made onely of the seede of Dauid in respect of his manhood for that his God-head was not made of the seede of Dauid so was hee declared onely to be the Sonne of God in respect of his God-head for that his manhood was not the omnipotent and the eternall Son of God But against this place of the Apostle Ob. The most blasphemous subtilties of Heretickes to denie the truth of the two natures of Christ the Somosatenian Heretickes doe affirme that Saint Paul meaneth not hereby to shew a two-fold nature to be in Christ but a two-fold natiuity i. e. a carnall and a spirituall which we finde to be in euery faithfull Christian for to be made of the seede of Dauid say they according to the Flesh doth shew his carnall generation and to be declared to be the Sonne of God according to the Spirit of Sanctification is to shew his spirituall regeneration The first they seeke to confirme out of those places of Scriptures where the Apostle saith The Iewes were his Kinsmen according to the flesh and where hee calleth them Rom. 9.3 Israel according to the flesh for herein say they the Apostle meaneth by these words according to the flesh nothing else 1 Cor. 10.18 but according to the vulgar and common sort of generation And therefore to be made of the seede of Dauid according to the flesh is nothing else but to bee made of him according to his carnall generation And The second they seeke to confirme out of the words of Saint Iohn where he saith That the faithfull are not born of bloud Iohn 1.13 nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God And therefore as these phrases and limitations according to the flesh It is a horrible thing to say that all those phrases which are true of vs ' must be likewise true of Christ in the same sence considered Rom. 1.2 Sol. and according to the spirit doe signifie the double natiuitie of euery faithfull man and doe no wayes proue a double nature to be in any man Euen so in Christ they signifie the same things that is two natiuities but not two natures To this I answere first that this phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the flesh neither in the place vrged by me nor in any other place alledged by them doth signifie the common and carnall generation but doth imply a difference and distinction betwixt kindred according to the flesh and kindred according to the spirit for otherwise all Israel was in respect of their common generation kindred according to the flesh And therefore the meaning of the Apostle is to shew that although all of them were the children of Abraham according to the flesh yet that but few of them were the Children of promise Secondly I say that the miraculous and singular birth of Christ is not insinuated so much in the words according to the flesh as it is plainely shewed in the word made for the same being in the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it doth most apparantly shew the extraordinary making of his flesh not after the vsuall and common sort of carnall generation by any humane seede but by a supernaturall generation through the virtuall operation of the Holy Ghost Tertul. l. cont Prax. Iraeneus l. 3. c. 32. Vigilius l. 5. contra Eutychet Aug. l. 1. c. 5. de trinitate as Tertullian Irenaeus Vigilius Saint Augustine and others haue obserued Thirdly I say that there is a great deale of difference betwixt the two-fold generation of the faithfull Saints and the two-fold generation of Christ for when they are said to be borne of the flesh and of the Spitit we confesse that not two natures are thereby signified That Christ was so borne free from all sinne that he needed no further sanctification or regeneration but two beginnings of their diuers births But this cannot be said of Christ because he was so sanctified in the first moment of his conception that he needed not any second regeneration neither is he said to be borne of the spirit in respect of any regeneration as we are but declared to be the Sonne of God according to the Spirit that is manifested to be a true God according or in respect of his owne sanctifying Spirit that is his God-head And therefore though such a limitation might proue a double generation in the rest of Gods Children yet this cannot shew a double generation of him in whom there is no double generation in respect of his manhood but it must needes shew plainely two natures to be in Christ for all other faithfull men are the Sonnes of God by adoption and grace but Christ is the naturall and the essentiall Sonne of God his Father He being the brightnesse of his glory and the engrauen forme of his person Heb. 1.3 And all other men are so borne that except they be borne againe they cannot enter into the Kingdome of Heauen Iohn 3.5 But Christ was so conceiued and borne that there was neither neede nor any possible way of any further sanctification of his person because that in him dwelled the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily But this truth of the two natures of Christ may be confirmed by most apparant and vnanswerable arguments for the Iewes said that he did not onely breake the Sabboath but also said John 5.18 that God was his Father making himselfe equall vnto God And Christ himselfe said I and my Father are all one Iohn 10.30 And therefore the Pharises did rightly collect that Christ by these words had affirmed himselfe to be a God And yet he saith John 14.28 My Father is greater then I but it cannot possibly be that Christ according to the same nature should be equall nay one with the Father and yet inferior to the Father And therefore it must needes follow that he hath one nature according to which he is equall to his Father and another nature in respect whereof hee is inferior to his Father Besides our Sauiour saith Before Abraham was I am John 8.58 And yet Saint Luke saith He was borne in the dayes of Augustus Caesar Luc. 2.7 but it cannot be that Idem secundum idem The same one in the same respect should be before Abraham and after Abraham All Orthodoxe antiquitie confessed two natures to be in Christ And
especially of two sorts 1. Some in respect of Christ 2. Others in respect of Christians First Those in respect of Christ are likewise three-fold 1. The benefit of the vnion of the two natures in respect of Christ is three-fold Esay 53.12 1 Pet. 2.22 1. An exemption of all sinne and corruption from Christ 2. The collation of ineffable graces into the humanity of Christ 3. The communication of the properties of each Nature to the person of Christ First We finde that although Christ appeared like a sinfull man and was numbred among the wicked yet in very deede he did no sinne neither was any guile found in his mouth for though In carnis assumptione condescendit mihi in culpae tamen vitatione consului◠sibi 1. To free the manhood from all sinne He assumed the true nature of man yet by reason of his pure conception and of this hypostaticall vnion hee was conceiued and liued without sinne and so as Leo saith Qui non alienus ab hominum genere alienus fuit à crimine He tooke vpon him the seede of man but not the sinne of man he vnited himselfe to our nature but he shunned all the iniquity of our nature Secondly The graces callated vnto the humanity of Christ by reason of this vnion of the two natures are very many especially these sixe 2. To inrich the manhood with these and the like speciall graces First His subsistence and that in the second person of the Trinity whereof it selfe as of it selfe is destitute Secondly An extraordinary dignity in that it is a peculiar Temple for the Deity of Christ to dwell in and the place where the Godhead shewes it selfe more manifestly and more gloriously then in any other Creature whatsoeuer for though God sheweth himselfe by his prouidence to be in all his Creatures and by his grace to be after a more speciall manner in his Saints yet is he onely most gloriously eternally inhabiting according to the fulnesse of his Deity by an hypostaticall vnion in the humanity of Christ for In him dwelleth the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily Collos 2.9 And as now in this life No man commeth vnto God but by Christ so hereafter in the next life No man can see God but in the face of Iesus Christ Thirdly A more neere familiarity with the Godhead then any other Creature whether Men or Angels either had or haue or can haue for that to all other Creatures he is adioyned onely by the presence of his grace or glory but to the humanity of Christ he hath personally vnited himselfe for euer So that as he said My Father and I are one that is one essence he may as truly say the Manhood and I are one that is one onely person for euer Fourthly An extraordinary measure without measure of habituall graces wisedome vnderstanding holinesse and the like such as dwels not in that measure in any other Creature whatsoeuer no not in the very chiefest Angels of God for to all them were giuen grace by measure but to the humanity of Christ Ephes 4 7. was giuen grace without measure Iohn 3.34 saith the Baptist euen so much as a Creature is any wayes capable of Fiftly A partner agent with the Godhead according to its measure in the workes of redemption mediation and such like Sixtly To be adored and worshipped with diuine honour not as it is considered in it selfe without respect vnto the Deity but as it is vnited with the Godhead Neque tamen creaturam adoramus Athanas Orat. 5. contra Arrianos Wee worship not the flesh alone considered but wee adore the person of Christ which consisteth of the Word and our Flesh absit sed dominum rerum creatarum incarnatum verbum deum adoramus And yet we adore no Creature God forbid but we worship and adore the Lord of all Creatures the incarnate Word God Iesus Christ saith Athanasius Nam veluti si quis nostrum c. For as if any one of vs should finde a purple roabe or a Kingly Diademe lying vpon the ground would he worship the same trow you but when the King is clothed and decked with the same he is guilty of death that despiseth and refuseth to worship and honour them together with the King that weareth them euen so in our Sauiour Christ wee doe not adore the sole and bare humanity Aug. de verbis Domini sec Joh. Ser. 58. but being vnited vnto the Deity whosoeuer shall despise to adore with diuine worship that onely Sonne of God true God and true man hee shall vndoubtedly suffer the paines of eternall death saith Saint Augustine 3. To haue the properties of each nature to bee indifferently predicated of the whole person of Christ Thirdly For the communicating of the properties we are to consider it First In respect of those properties which are common to both natures ioyntly considered Secondly In respect of those properties which are peculiar to either nature seuerally considered First The Office of a Mediator is ascribed to Christ in respect of both natures Quia totus Christus secundum diuinitatem humanitatem est Mediator Intercessor because whole Christ according to his Deity and humanity is our Mediator and Intercessor saith Saint Augustine Secondly The peculiar properties of either nature are said to be communicated when they are predicated or spoken of the whole person of Christ in the concrete and largest extent and this communicating of properties is nothing else but a forme of speech whereby those things are spoken of the whole person of Christ which indeede are proper to either one nature and not to the other for oftentimes it comes to passe that by reason of the personall vnion of these two natures each one of them doth interchangeably take the concrete names each of other in predication Acts 20.28 as when it is said That God purchased the Church with his owne bloud not that the Godhead shed bloud but because that person which was a God did shed bloud to procure redemption not which it had as God but which it had in respect of the Manhood vnited vnto it So the Sonne of man talking with Nicodemus Iohn 3.13 is said To be in Heauen not that hee was in Heauen as he was man while he was on earth but because that person which was the Sonne of man was by something that was in his person that is his Deity in Heauen So Saint Paul in the first Chapter to the Romans Rom. 1.4 Verse 3.4 doth giue vs a perfect patterne how to interpret all such alternate predications for there hee saith That the Sonne of God was made of the seede of Dauid but how not according to his diuine Sonneship or Deity which hee had from all eternity but in respect of his humane nature which was personally vnited vnto the Sonne of God And therefore though it be most vsuall in the Scripture to heare things properly appertaining to the
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
office of this Angell here expressed to serue Christ to affright the souldiers and to delight these women to teach them to direct them Reuel 4.8 and to preserue them in all their wayes for as they neuer cease to serue the Lord so they neuer cease to preserue the Saints vntill they cease to serue their God and therefore to vse Saints Bernards exhortation Quantum debet hoc verbum inferre reuerentiam afferre deuotionem conferre fiduciam How ought this doctrine to moue vs and worke in vs reuerence for their presence confidence for their custody and obedience vnto God for so great an argument of his beneuolence vnto man as to giue his Angels charge ouer vs Et quam cauté ambulandum and how warily ought we to walke seeing the Angels of God are euer present with vs when all the men of the world are absent from vs It is reported of a godly Virgin that being often sollicited by a gallant vnto vnlawfull lust at last she yeelded that if hee met her at such a place he should haue leaue to worke his pleasure with her both came to the place appointed and the place was full of people then the mayden told him that now if he pleased he might vse her as he would he answered that now for shame he durst not doe it in the sight of so many men and women then she replyed and thinkest thou that I dare doe that in the presence of God and his holy Angels which thou darest not doe in the sight of mortall men and I wish euery one of vs did so that is to be ashamed to doe those things in the sight of God and his holy Angels Psal 139.2 Velleius paterculus which we are afraid to doe in the presence of men for they alwayes see vs though wee see not them they are about our beds and about our pathes and spie out all our wayes and therefore as Marcus Drusus when one told him he could build him an house of such a forme as that no man might see what he did therein answered that hee liked better of such an Architector as could build his house so as that euery one passing by might plainely see what was done therein so I wish to God that euery one of vs would striue and labour so to liue as it becommeth vs to doe in the sight of God and of his blessed Angels And so we see the Resurrection of Christ fully and plainely shewed vs to the eternall praise and glory of God and to the endlesse ioy and happinesse of all Christians through the said Iesus Christ To whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be ascribed all power and dominion both now and for euer Amen A Prayer O Blessed God which gauest thine onely Sonne Iesus Christ to suffer death for our sinnes to descend into Hell to destroy our enemies and to rise againe for our iustification and so to declare himselfe mightily to be the Sonne of God and the true Sauiour of all men We most humbly beseech thee to raise vs from the death of sinne from all our sinnes and to giue vs grace to beleeue in thee to be thankfull vnto thee and to serue thee in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life that when we shall be laid to rest in our graues we may rest in assured hope to be raised vp by Christ to liue with him for euermore through the same Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen IEHOVAE LIBERATORI FINIS The Sixt Golden Candlesticke HOLDING The Sixt greatest Light of Christian RELIGION Of the Ascention of our SAVIOVR and of the Donation of the HOLY GHOST EPHES. 4.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherefore he saith when hee ascended vp on high heeled captiuity captiue and gaue gifts vnto men AFter that the blessed Apostle Saint Paul had by many arguments proued vnto the Ephesians that they should earnestly studie The coherence of this verse with what goeth before and most carefully labour to preserue the vnity of the Church of Christ he seemeth in the seuenth verse to answer a certaine obiection that might bee made viz. seeing the graces the gifts and the offices which God hath bestowed vpon his Church are so many and so manifold so diuers and so vnequall some hauing many graces some but few some one gift and some another how can it be that this vnity can be so faithfully preserued therefore the Apostle sheweth that the diuersity and inequality of gifts is not onely no hinderance but is indeed a great furtherance to cherish and preserue the same First Because all these gifts do flow from the same fountaine Iesus Christ Secondly Because they are all giuen and imparted for the same end and purpose that is to gather together the Church of Christ into the vnity of faith The first reason he proueth out of this Prophesie of Dauid who speaking of the Messias triumphing ouer his enemies saith Thou art gone vp on high thou hast led captiuity captiue and receiued gifts for men And The second reason he confirmeth at large in the verses following where he sheweth that Christ gaue some Apostles and some Prophets and some Euangelists and some Pastors and Teachers and all to this end that is for the perfecting of the Saints for the worke of the Ministery for the edifying of the boâ—y of Christ till wee all come into the vnity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Sonne of God Two things contained in this verse And therefore we finde contained in this verse two speciall points First A confirmation of the Apostles alledged reason that all graces doe flow from Christ in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherefore he saith Secondly A Propheticall prediction of the Messias in these words When he ascended vp on high he led captiuitie captiue and gaue gifts vnto men That the Scripture is the best warrant for all Preachers For the first I meane not to stand long vpon it I will onely note this one thing that all we the Teachers of Gods people according to the example of this Apostle nay of Christ himselfe and of all Christs true Schollers should not teach any positiue point of doctrine vnlesse we can either directly or by necessary consequence proue and confirme the same out of the Sacred Scriptures for whatsoeuer hath not authority from the word of God Eadem facilitate refellitur qua probatur may as well be reiected as receiued Hieron in Matth. c. 23. saith Saint Hierom and whatsoeuer is therein contained it requires absolute faith without doubting because as Hugo Cardinalis saith Quicquid in sacris literis docetur veritas est sine fallacia quicquid praecipitur bonitas est sine malicia quicquid promittitur faelicitas est sine miseria Whatsoeuer is caught in the Scripture it is truth it selfe without fallacy whatsoeuer is commanded it is purely good without the commixtion of any euill and whatsoeuer is promised it is perfect felicitie without the least
others will haue this phrase to signifie his abode conuersation here among men thirdly others will haue it to signifie the state and condition of the dead as if the comparison were made betwixt those parts of the earth wherein the liuing doe inhabit and that place wherein the dead are buried and so they doe expound that place of Esayas that hee was cut off from the land of the liuing and so cast into the land of the dead Esay 53.8 which they say the Apostle vnderstandeth by the lower parts of the earth and fourthly others say that he descended into the place of the damned not to suffer Iohn 19.30 because that was finished on the Crosse nor to fetch any Fathers out of Lymbe but to signifie and to shew not onely by words but also by presence that seing by his death and Passion the wrath of God was appeased Satan was to haue no more power ouer the Elect which hee held captiue that he was now made Lord of all and that all power was giuen vnto him and a name aboue all other names Collos 2.15 and not onely to declare the same vnto them but also to subdue them and to spoyle principalities and powers and as my Text saith to leade captiuitie captiue And this is the exposition of most of the ancient Fathers for mine owne part I am of Zanchius minde Laâ—ch in Ephes c. 4. that in the word descendit all these foure expositions may bee comprehended because he descended into his mothers wombe to be conuersant here among men into his graue and into Hell and our very Creede expresseth all these foure he was conceaued by the holy Ghost i. e. in his mothers wombe there is the first hee was borne of the Virgin Marie and hee suffered vnder Pontius Pilate there is the second he was dead buried there is the third and he descended into Hell there is the fourth and these be the foure degrees of his humiliation That Christ descended into Hell and this the Apostle seemeth plainely to vnderstand by the antithesis by the coherence and by the scope of the words because hee saith that hee ascended to the highest part of Heauen and therefore this also that he descended into the lower parts of the earth is literally to bee vnderstood that he descended into Hell because no place of the earth is lower then Hell Secondly Touching the exaltation of Christ Saint Paul setteth downe two things 1. He describeth the Person ascending he which descended 2. He expresseth the action he ascended He which ascended is the very same person which descended First he saith that it is he which descended that hath ascended i. e. he which was made man which suffered was buried he ascended and who is he but God the Sonne the second Person of the Trinitie for so our Sauiour saith I went forth from the Father and I came into the world and againe I leaue the world and I goe to the Father and therfore it is the very self same Son of God and none other which both descended and ascended And so by these few words we finde two great heresies quite ouerthrowne first of them which say hee brought his body from Heauen because the Apostle doth not say he which ascended descended though this be true being truely vnderstood for he ascended God and Man which so did not descend but as God alone therefore he saith he which descended he ascended secondly hereby is ouerthrowne the heresie of Nestorius which said our Sauiour consisteth of two persons for if he which descended is the very same that ascended then it is apparant that by his descention That in Christ there cannot be two persons i. e. by the assumption of our nature hee is no other person then he was before but still remaineth one and the selfe same person and that the humane nature doth adde nothing vnto the Sonne of God for the constituting or perfecting of his person for otherwise he that ascended had bin another and not the same which descended for hee had descended a simple person and ascended compounded hee had descended an imperfect person and ascended perfect which is most hereticall either to say or think And this is the cause why we affirme that the person of Christ cannot be said to bee compounded of two natures tanquam ex partibus as of two parts Christ still remaineth a most simple person i. e not compounded but as hee was before the assuming of our nature so also now hee is still a most simple and a most perfect person bearing our nature as on â—â—areth on his garment but neuer to put it off againe because it is assumed into the vnitie of his person and so Saint Augustine saith that Christ descended like a naked man and when he ascended he ascended the same person but clothed with our flesh and therefore as he is not another man that taketh on a garment so the Sonne of God is not another person because he tooke vpon him the garment of our flesh and if the humane nature assumed did neither change nor perfect nor compound the person of the Sonne of God because he which descended is the very same that ascended and none other then by the same reason it cannot be said that Christ tooke man vpon him i. e. a humane person as Nestorius taught But therefore he vnderstood not the same How Nestorius was deceiued about the person of Christ because on the one side hee held that true philosophicall principle that the actions are of the persons and not of the natures and on the other side he held another principle which is also true if it be truely vnderstood that of contrary effects there must bee contrary efficient causes and hee saw that in Christ there were diuers and contrary actions and therefore he did thence conclude that in Christ there must needs be diuers persons whereof the one should be passible and the other impassible and so he made that hee which descended was not the same but another that ascended for he considered not quod idem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 potest diuersa pugnantia opâ—rari secundam diuersas in eo naturas that the same subsistent or person may worke diuers and contrarie acts in respect of the diuers natures that are in it as a man according to his soule doth vnderstand and according to his body hee doth not vnderstand in respect of his soule he is immortall and in respect of his body hee is mortall and so through his ignorance hee hath abused these true philosophicall principles being truely vnderstood to denie the truth of the Scriptures and to wrong the person of the Sonne of God but the Fathers truely explaining the sayd principles did confute his error and confirme this truth that he which descended is the very same that ascended and none other But from hence it is apparant that the word descendit is not to be taken in