BAPTISME is a seale hath two parts in it to wit GODS part and mans GODS part of the couenant containes promises made to vs of the remission of our sinnes and renouation of our nature comprised in this one word I will be your God Our part againe containes promises made to God by vs of faith and obedience comprised in this one word we shal be his people Now as Baptisme is a seale of God his part confirming the promise of the remission of our sinnes and renouation of our nature vnder which two all other good things are comprehended that way Christ our Sauiour did not receiue it for himselfe seeing as I haue said hee had neither sinne to be forgiuen nor nature to be renewed but as it is a sacrament of the resignation of our selues to God and a band whereby we become obliged to be his by acceptation of his badge and marke vpon vs that way Christ receiued it that by accepting the seale of the promise hee might become obliged in our name as our head to fulfill that which wee promised but first behoued to be performed for vs by himselfe and at last shall in vs all by his grace also be perfected And so we see that sicut nobis natus est ita etiam nobis baptisatus est as hee was not borne for himselfe but for vs so was hee not baptised for himselfe but for vs. Secondly he was baptised that he might sanctifie Baptisme to vs and giue it authority to become a seale of grace vnto vs vt nobis secundae natiuitatis consecraret lauacrum and a lauer of regeneration as the Apostle calles it He was washed saith Ambrose in the water of Iorden non mundari volens sed mundare not to be made cleane by water but to make the water wheresoeuer vsed to this purpose cleane for so holy and heauenly a worke that Baptisme being consecrated by him might be an holy meane to consecrat vs. It is true indeede that Constantine the great deferred his Baptisme till hee might be baptised in Iorden where our Lord was baptised though by reason of sicknesse hee was forced to receiue Baptisme else-where but euen as the Lord Iesus by consecrating bread and wine which grew in Canaan did thereby sanctifie all bread and wine in any part of the world to be a Sacrament of his bodie and blood it being vsed according to his institution so by washing in the water of Iorden he hath sanctified water in any part of the world to be a Sacrament of regeneration and remission of our sinnes if so be it be vsed according to his institution And thirdly he was baptised to seale his fellowship and communion with vs that cognisance and badge whereby he will haue his souldiers and seruants discerned from professed infidels hee first taketh it on himselfe vt in nullo dissimilis esseâ— fratribus niâ—i solo peccato That in no thing he should be vnlike his brethren except in sinne alonelie And indeede it should be no small encouragement to vs to fight vnder this badge in the spirituall warrefare if wee doe consider how vnder this same badge the Prince of our saluation did encounter with Sathan and ouercome him as after shall be shewed And prayed The Euangelist saith that when our Sauiour was baptised he praied but what hee prayed he expresses not Neuerthelesse we may gather it out of other places of holy Scripture wherein we shall finde that he praied for himself for his church and for his enemies Where if it be demanded what needed our Sauiour to pray for himselfe seeing hee is very God the answere is ready that he is also very Man and as man had his owne feares dolours and griefes proceeding from the sense of the heauy burden of sinne not his owne sinne I say for hee knew no sinne but of our sinne which was laid vpon him As also from the sense of that fearefull wrath due to sinne for strength and comfort against these he prayed to his Father as witnesseth the Apostle that in the daies of his flesh he offered vp prayers and supplications crying and teares to his Father and was heard also in that which hee feared Which as we see in the Gospel he did before his Passion so now before his entrie to the worke of our redemption a worke greater then the worke of our first Creation for now he hath to satisfie the iustice of his Father to worke the confusion of Sathan and to effectuate the saluation of his brethren And therefore in the entrie of this great worke he prayes no doubt for an happy successe thereof and as it is euident by the answere he receiues from heauen hee was heard in that which hee prayed for And in this also our Sauiour learnes vs by his example to sanctifie all our actions with prayer When he was baptised he praied when he was tempted he prayed when he brake bread he prayed when he wrought miracles he prayed when he was troubled in the garden he praied when he suffred on the Crosse he prayed As Isaacs mariage could not but prosper because it was begunne with the prayer of Abraham his Father prosecuted with the praier of Eliezar his Seruant and finished with his owne prayer so can it not faile but a blessing must be vpon those honest actions which are begunne continued and accomplished with prayer where otherwise euen those actions which in themselues are good to the doer can not be good where they are done without prayer Vere nouit recte viuere qui recte nouit or are Hee knoweth truely how to liue wel who knoweth how to pray wel But best actions without prayer which obtaines grace to them are like bodies without spirits yea as the body without breathing cannot liue to doe any worke competent to a Naturall life so the soule without prayer can doe no worke that truely is Spirituall Therefore said Macarius that continuance in prayer was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the head of euery good purpose the crown of euery right and honest action But here we are to be warned that wee content not our selues with the shadow of prayer in steed of the substance thereof where we are to take heede of these two things First that our prayer be not by starts without making of conscience whether it be or not but we must continue perseuere in prayer remembring he that sowes sparingly shal reape sparingly Secondly that our praier be not outward but inward made with feruencie of spirit and attention of the minde remembring hee is the God of the spirits of all flesh with whom thou hast to speake in praier It is a godly Meditation of Chrisostomes that as a man who seekes a thing which hee hath lost in his house seekes it with such affection that he forgets all other things yea hee seeth not those things that are afore him so faine is he to see that
they giue or keep vnto vs Or if they be things endued with life we see that they must first loose their life before they become helpes of our life to teach vs that howeuer by them we liue yet in them is not that vertue that conserues our life Last of all experience confirmes it if bread preserued the life then they who are best fed would be most liuely but we see the contrary more lusty was Daniel vpon his potage then the other children were on the kings delicates Dauid in his old daies wanted no couerings nor garments but none of them could get heate to his body We see by experience some consuming more then may content other three yet in the midst of wealth they dwyne away and poore labourers feeding on the refuse of bread and water more strong and liuely then they all these doe declare it is not the meanes which preserue the life but how it is preserued he declares in the affirmatiue part that followeth But by euery word that comes out c. THat is by euery decree and ordinance of God any meane which hee appoints is sufficient to nourish thee If hee decree that thou liue without bread it shall be so with thee as with Moses and Elias or if he say the word that a handfull of meale shall serue thee for a long time so it shall be And hereof first wee learne how that the life of man hangs on the word of God to continue or to cut it short at his pleasure Thou turnest man to destruction againe thou saiest returne ye sonnes of Adam But alas how few considers this to giue vnto the Lord the praise of the continuance of their life by liuing to him but by the contrary in the blindnes and stupiditie of their mindes rebels against him by whom alonely they liue A fearefull ingratitude man can giue seruice to man of whom he holds his land and can not giue seruice to God of whom hee holds his life The Sidoneans would not make warre with Herod because they were nourished by his lands yet man feares not offend the Lord from whose hand euery day hee receiues nourishment without which he could not liue And next wee learne here how to remedie our faithlesse cares when either ordinarie meanes failes vs or can not profit vs as when in sicknes medicine helpes not in pouerty ordinary meanes relieues not our want in trouble no appearance of deliuerance shal we therefore despaire No farre be it from vs but remember it is not by bread that is by the ordinarie meanes that man liues onely but by the word of God and therefore let vs rest in God and trust in him who raises the dead and many timesmakes the second meanes to faile vs that so we may be chased to runne vnto himselfe MATH 4. VER 5. Then the Diuell tooke FOllowes the second Temptation Wherein Sathan keepes a course plaine contrarie to the first in the former he tempted to Desperation thy poor indigent estate proues thou canst not be the Sonne of God in this hee tempts to presumption If thou be sure that thou art the Son of God then doe what thou wilt nothing can harme thee Thus Sathan assaults not the godly alwayes with one temptation but can craftily change them for his owne aduantage such as hee cannot draw to one extremitie he labours to draw to another and albeit by this craft hee preuailed nothing with the Sonne of GOD yet doth hee many time by it speede among men There are some whom he can not moue to be carelesse in religion and them he tempts to the other extremitie to be superstitious in religion some whom he cannot induce to shake off conscience yet hee makes scrupulous in conscience doubting where they neede not and so of other temptations for the which wee haue neede to be armed with the armour of God on the right hand and on the left This temptation Saint Luke makes the third S. Mathew the second but the difference is nothing for in the Euangelists describing this History of Christ doe not so much stand vpon the precise order of the times as vpon the substance matter of things which were done In the first assault we haue seene how our Lord did ouerthrow Sathans first Captaine Desperation with his followers Now we shall see how in the other wing of Sathans armie hee ouercomes his second Captaine Presumption with his followers Wherein the time first is noted Then that this temptation ensued vpon the end of the former learning vs after victorie gotten in any battell against Sathan not to fall into securitie but to stand still in our armour expecting another assault In bodily conflicts securitie after victorie hath many times brought destruction to mighty armies the Amalekites sitting downe to eate and drinke after the burning of Ziklag suddenly in their securitie ouerthrowne by the sword of Dauid may stand for a proofe of it but in the spirituall battell it is much more dangerous Secondly the place is described the holy Citie Ierusalem where first wee haue to consider how it is that Sathan carryes him vnto it whether was this transportation mentall or corporall The first I denie for it could not be that our Sauiours imagination could be so farre abused as that he should thinke he was carried when he was not caryed nothing in him could be deceiued All his tentations as I said were externall onely and proceeded not to the mouing or affecting any of his internall faculties and therefore I agree vnto the second that this transportation was corporall Where if it be offensiue to any of Gods Children to heare that our Sauiours blessed body should be handled and carried from place to place by that vncleane Spirit let them consider that this was done not against his will but with his owne will as afterward willingly hee was lead by Sathans members like a sheepe to the slaughter so now willingly is he carried by Sathans selfe to be tempted of him and that for the greater glory of his owne name greater confusion of Sathan and greater comfort of his children The Lord Iesus permits the aduersarie to handle his holy body to carry it for a time to such places as might yeeld him greatest vantage to tempt it hee permits him to speake what hee pleased and to shew what obiects he could for his allurement yea he is content to be deliuered into the hands of wicked men Sathans instruments and giues them libertie to abuse his blessed body to spit vpon it to buffet it to scourge it to crucifie it and yet for all that hee could doe either by himselfe or by his members he can neuer preuaile against the Lord Iesus Certainely the more liberty Sathan had granted to him in all this the greater was his owne shame and confusion and the more manifest the glory of our inuincible captaine who cannot be ouercome nay not
proper voyce of Sathan Cast thy selfe downe Neuer hath he any word for himselfe or others to bid them mount vp to the Lord but alwayes to draw them downe Hee cast himselfe downe from heauen to hell and if he might would cast downe all Gods Children from the state of grace into the state of condemnation Oh if we could remember that in effect this is the summe of all Sathans temptations Cast thy selfe downe seeking no other thing but our downe-fall disgrace and vtter destruction And yet alas how many are bewitched by him to cast downe themselues and wallow in euery puddle of iniquitie doing those works of vncleannesse which are base and most vnseemely for a Christian who in regard both of his first and second creation is an honourable creature For it is written VVEe haue heard what Sathan craued in this temptation now followeth the reason whereby he would allure our Lord to yeeld vnto him The end of all is to take out of Christs heart the feare of any inconuenience that might befall him by this precipitation of himselfe And this is Sathans customable policie also to steale out of the heart the feare of iudgement which hee knowes God worketh in his owne as a curbe to keepe them from sinne If you eate of the Tree whereof I haue forbidden you saith the Lord yee shall dye No saith Sathan though yee eate of it yee shall not dye Blessed is hee that teacheth his heart continually to feare Let vs therefore keepe this feare that it may keepe vs from sinne It was Iosephs argument to his Brethren I feare God and therefore dare doe you no wrong Feare is called by Gregorie Anchora cordis the Anchor of the heart which holds fast that it be not driuen away by the restlesse waues of temptations Now in this testimonie we haue first to see how Sathan abuseth it and next how were should vse it for our comfort His abusing of it I gather in three things first this is a great abuse to draw any part of Gods Word to serue him in tempting a man vnto sinne seeing it is true of it all which S. Iohn speakes of one part of it My Babes these things I write vnto you that yee sinne not And in this his miserable captiues are become his learned disciples when they vse any sentence of holy Scripture of strengthen themselues or others in a sinne so the Drunkard abuseth that saying of the Apostle to cheare vp his heart to intemperance Drinke no longer water but vse a little wine for thy stomackes sake and thine often infirmities whereas if the Apostle were now aliue hee would change that precept to our belly-gods and giue them the contrary Drinke no longer wine but vse more water not onely for conscience sake but euen for the stomackes sake for Intemperance destroyes euen the naturall life The idle man againe to confirme himselfe in his sinne abuseth that saying of our Sauiour Care not for the morrow and many thinke the lesse of adultery and murther because Dauid was guiltie of them and yet a man commended of God not remembring that the vertues of good men are registred for our imitation but their sinnes are recorded for our humiliation Vt casus maiorum sit tremor minorum that meaner men should tremble at great mens fals This is a piece of Sathans diuellish diuinitie to confirme thy selfe in a sinne by any thing that euer thou heardst or readst in the Word of God Secondly his abusing of holy Scripture is euident in this that rehearsing such a place of holy Scripture as describes the office of Elect Angels and the blessed estate of Elect men who are protected of God by the ministerie of Angels and so might very well haue remembred him of that first happy estate and of his present vnhappy condition whereinto he had fallen by pride yet he makes no profit by it at all hee is not touched with any remorse for his sin nor once moued so much as to lament according as hee had cause Alas that euer I fell from the fellowship of those holy Angels Alas that I should abide in this desperate estate as to impugne the glory of God which cannot be oppugned and to fight against his Saints ouer whom I shall neuer preuaile Nay no such thought or motion enters into his heart This proceedes from his great obstinacie in euill which lockes him vp in finall impenitencie in that sinne which is against the holy Ghost that neyther can he nor will he repent but contrary his light wilfully and of malice hee sets himselfe alwayes a contradicter of the Lord. These are Viae Daemonum praesumptio obstinatio the wayes of damned Diuels Presumption and Obstinacie Propter praesumptionem stare non potuit propter obstinationem resurgere non potest for presumption hee could not stand for obstinacie hee cannot rise the one casts him into the sinne of shamefull Apostasie the other holds him vnder the sinne of fearefull impenitencie and these are the sins into the which Sathan labors most to draw men finding by his owne experience they are most forcible to bring men to the fellowship of his condemnation Wee cannot deny we are guiltie of the first which is Apostasie the Lord preserue vs from the second which is impenitencie And herewithall let vs acknowledge the great loue of GOD towards vs that whereas Apostate Angels haue fallen and shall neuer rise againe and reprobate men haue sinned but cannot repent the Lord hath reserued mercy for vs renuing and raising vs vp daily by the grace of repentance O what a mercy is it we were once plunged with them into the same deepe but the Lord stretcheth out his hand vnto vs to pull vs out from among them and to bring vs to an happy fellowship with himselfe and his holy Angels Let vs reioyce in this kindnesse of our God let vs be thankfull for it let vs daily delight in this grace of Repentance lamenting our apostasies recounting our fore-passed sinnes in the bitternesse of our hearts that so the sense of peace and reconciliation with God in Christ Iesus may be encreased in vs. And againe here is a warning to all senselesse and stupid hearers of the Word of God who when they heare their sinnes condemned are eyther not moued at all or else if they be moued are not mended So Pharaoh had some motion and prayed Moses to pray for him but it was without continuance being choked by the hardnesse of his hart Achab rent his cloaths and put on Sackcloath at the threatning of Elias but his humiliation continued not Foelix trembled when Paul preached but hee proceeded no further Yet euen these may condemne the senselesse hearers of this age who after so long hearing haue beene so little moued And those come ouer-neare vnto the nature of Sathan who is so confirmed in his sinne that no conuiction made by the cleare light of