other presuming too much vpon Gods mercie Euery man is naturally like Simon the Sorcerer Act. 8. conceiting himselfe to be some great man as Martin Luther said All of vs haue a Pope bred in vs an opinion of our owne workes albeit there be in vs no reall vertue no true substance yet Narcissus like we are inamoured with our owne shadowes and this is the Serpents head the beginning of all euill Omnium iniustitiarum est ferè sola causa iustitia Wherefore we must labour euerie day to dig downe this high mountaine we must descend that wee may ascend as wee fell by ascending so wee must be raised by descending Beda wrote of the Publican Appropinquare noluit ad Deum vt appropinquaret ad illum Hee that will not be a mountaine in Christs way must not be a mount-bank of his owne vertue but leuell himselfe euen with the ground working his saluation in feare and trembling The second kinde of mountaines are such as raise themselues vpon meere presumption of mercie boasting of a shorter cut to heauen then either the good works of Papists or good words of Puritanes abusing that sweete text of Paul Where sinne aboundeth there grace superaboundeth Indeed where sinne is felt and grieued for theâ—e Gods grace is greater then our sinne both in imputation and effect for our sinnes are finite whereas his goodnesse is infinite the salue is greater then the sore Non peccantis merito sed superuenientis auxilio But when we draw iniquitie with cords of vanitie and sinne as with cartropes when wee speake good of euill and euill of good when as without any remorse we sin presumptuously when as we fall not forward as Abraham and Ezechiel but backward as old Eli and the Iewes who tooke Christ then assuredly the more sin the lesse grace Shall wee continue still in sinne that grace may abound God forbid Yea God hath forbidden it enioyning vs to bee holie as hee is holie that being deliuered out of the hands of all our enemies wee might serue him in holinesse and righteousnesse all the daies of our life A man is deiected and made a valley two waies in regard of his Great faults Little faith The voice of the Crier must pronounce Gods proclamation and generall pardon for the one and applie it in particular for the strengthening of the other The fift and last question of the Pharisies is Why baptizest thou then if thou be not the Christ neither Elias nor the Prophet Vnto which Iohn answered I baptize with water c. This last interrogatorie was the first in their intention for the Pharisies had a tradition that none might baptize but Christ or some great Prophet and therefore they did first aske craftily whether hee were Christ or a Prophet and then hauing vndermined him thoroughly with what authoritie doest thou baptize being neither Christ nor Elias nor a Prophet S. Iohns answere is opposite but apposite I am a Minister but not a Messias I giue the outward signe but Christ is he who doth giue the inward grace I baptize you with water but hee that commeth after me shall baptize you with the holy Ghost and fire In which he compareth the ministerie of man with the power of God the outward baptisme with the spirituall baptisme where of the first is done by the hand of man the other is peculiar only to Christ. The comparison is not as the Papists imagine betweene the baptisme of Iohn and Christ but betweene the person of Iohn and Christ for the baptisme of Iohn and Christ are one both in effect and authoritie for Iohns baptisme was not of his owne deuising but of Gods institution as hee sheweth his commission in the first of Ioh. 33. He that sent me to baptize with water c. a text which hath made Bellarmine contradict himselfe twice in one page For whereas he first had set downe peremptorily that Iohn instituted his owne baptisme now hee confesseth honestly that God was author of it for the matter in generall but not for the manner in particular and yet after long search hee cannot finde in what rite Iohns baptisme differs from Christs It is an axiome deliuered in their owne schoole that there are but two things essentiall in Baptisme verbum elementuÌ„ the outward element of water and inuocation of the blessed Trinitie So S. August Accedit verbum ad elementuÌ„ fit sacramentuÌ„ Other things are required in a SacrameÌ„t circumstantially not substantially Now Bellarmine out of this text grants that Iohn vsed the right element for he saith I baptize you with water and out of Ambrose cites against himselfe that Iohn inuocated the sacred Trinitie Father Sonne and holie Ghost Ergo. the baptisme of Iohn and Christ are one for essence so likewise one in effect for Iohn preached the baptisme of repentance for the remission of sinnes Ergo forgiuenes of sinnes is by the baptisme of Iohn so well as by the baptisme of the blessed Apostles as Augustin Basil. Greg. Nyssen out of that text obserue neither doth the Cardinal disauow their glosse though the Councell of Trent hath denounced anathema to such as hold baptismum Ioannis habuisse eandem vim cum baptismo Christi â— let Matthaeus Tortus if he can vnloose this wedge for his Master I feare that ouerthwart Diuine so little that I say with Luther Hunc noduÌ„ neque soluunt neque soluent vnquam omnes papicolae in vnum Chaos confusi The Scripture makes no difference betweene Iohns and our baptisme but this only that we baptise in Christum passum râ—suscitatum whereas Iohn baptised in Christum passurum resurrecturum See Epist. Dom. 17. post Trin. The Epistle GALAT. 4.1 I say that the heire so long as he is a child differeth not from a seruant c. IGnorant people behold rather an Image well painted then a booke well written and are sooner perswaded with plaine similitudes and familiar examples then with subtill reasons and accurate discourses Our Apostle therefore after hee had vsed for his purpose namely to proue that iustification is not by the law but by faith in Christ the comparison of a mans will of the prison of the schoolemaster in the former Chapter addes also this of an heire wherein as in euery similitude two points are remarkable the proposition vers 12. reddition in the rest In which our twofold estate must bee considered of Thraldome vâ—der Moses Freedome by Christ when the lawes tyrannical gouernement ends and that is Two maner of waies as Interpreters out of the text 1. By the coÌ„ming of Christ in the flesh once at the fulnes of time vers 4.5 2. By the coÌ„ming of Christ in the spirit daily vers 6.7 In his firstcomming note the Fact vers 4. and in it the Giuer God whose good wil appeares in bestowing
and vpon such as excell in vertue So likewise wee may reioice with the wife of our youth and disport our selues in good companie we may make Christmas pies and Haruest dinners in a word reioice in euery thing which may further our spirituall reioycing in the Lord. But whether wee eate or drinke or whatsoeuer we doe else all must be done to the honor and glorie of God Reioyce in the Lord alwaies and againe I say reioyce Yea but Christ Mat. 5.4 Blessed are they that mourne Luk. 6.21 Blessed are they that weep This reioycing is not contrarie to that mourning for such as mourne are blessed in being comforted and comforted by reioycing in the Lord. Reioyce saith Christ in that day and bee glad when any shall hate you for my sake the which his Apostles accordingly fulfilled Act. 5.41 They departed from the Councell reioycing that they were counted worthie to suffer rebuke for his Name that Christ would vse them as his buckler and Rom. 5.3 Wee reioyce in tribulations The Father of mercies and God of all consolation comforteth vs in al our afflictions As the sufferings of Christ abound in vs so our consolation aboundeth through Christ. He doth appoint comfort to such as mourne in Sion hee doth giue beautie for ashes oyle of ioy for sorrow the garment of gladnesse for the spirit of heauinesse so that a martyr when he is most mournefull is mirthfull he speakes of his tormentor as Socrates of Anitus and Petus of Nero the Tyrant Occidere me potest laedere verò non potest He may well kill me but he shall neuer ill me Nihil crus sentit in neruo cùm manus est in coelo saith Tertullian Euery cut is a wide mouth to praise Christ as the Martyr Romanus sweetly Tot ecce laudant ora quot sunt vulnera Grates tibi ô praefecte magnas debeo Quòd multa pandens ora iam Christum loquor Blessed are they that die for the Lord because they reioyce in the Lord. No losse no crosse can interrupt our spirituall ioy for as it followeth in the text to be considered it must be continuall alway reioyce The Christian must keepe Christmas all his life though not in his hall yet in his heart alwaies in his minde albeit not alway with his mouth It is a true rule deliuered in the schoole that Gods affirmatiue lawes obligant semper sed non ad semper ad semper velle but not ad semper agere requiring disposition perpetuall and practise so often as occasion is offered Holy iust valiant men are they who can whensoeuer they will and will whensoeuer they ought execute what their seuerall perfections import There is a time for all things and therefore seuerall duties ought to be discharged in seuerall seasons He that saith heere reioyce alway saith in another place pray continually and in all things giue thankes and therefore we need not alwaiâ—s actually pray nor actually giue thankes not actually reioyce in word and outward gesture but as opportunitie shall require If then as time neuer a better time then this holy time neuer greater cause to shout out for ioy then now for that our King comes vnto vs it is our bounden dutie alwaies intentionally bâ—t at this time with Psalms and songs actually No sinne no sorrow must hinder our spirituall reioycing For in all our aduersitie God is euen at hand not onely nigh in his Maiestie though doubtlesse he be not farre from euery one of vs but also nigh in his mercie Psal. 145.18 The Lord is nigh vnto all them that call vpon him A very present helpe in trouble Yea the Lords second comming is at hand when as hee shall iudge and reuenge our cause rewarding vs with eternall happinesse and punishing our aduersaries with euerlasting fire and therefore reioyce alwaies in all things I say reioyce in the Lord for wee cannot alway reioyce in the things of this life The world passeth away and the lust thereof but Christ is euermore the same the beginning and end of all other things himselfe without either beginning or end If then our ioyes obiect be God it may be continuall but if fixed on earthly things exposed to manifold changes and chances it must necessarily be mutable Gaudium in materia conuertibili mutari necesse sit re mutaâ—â So that as the Poet truly Gaudia principium nostrisunt saepâ— doloris Euen in laughing the heart is sorrowfull and the end of mirth is heauines The world is a sea of glasse Apocal 4.6 brittle as glasse tumultuous as the sea but hee that reioyceth in the Lord is like mount Sion which standeth fast for euer If then any desire to reioyce alway let him reioyce in the Lord. And againe I say reioycâ— The troublâ—s of this life aâ—e so great and our patience so little that Paul doubleth his exhortation to presse the duty and expresse our dulnesse and indeed our reioicing cannot be continued except it be multiplied againe and againe reioice therefore for mercies already receiued and againe reioice for mercies hereafter promised For receiued grace first for thy creation Almighty God might haue made thee a dull asse a venemous serpent an vgly tâ—ade whereas he created thee according to his own image and similitude as it were diuinitatis epitome For the world is Gods book and man is Index of that booke or a commentary vpon that text reioice therefore in the Lord say with Dauid What is man that thou art so mindfull of him or the Son of man that thou shouldest visit him Thou hast crowned him with worship and glory thou makest him to haue dominion of the works of thy hands and thou hast put all things in subiection vnder his feete as a ladder whereby men might ascend to the consideration of thy greatnes and goodnes For thy preseruation he might haue denied thee sight as he did to Bartimeus or made thee deafe or dumbe or a cripple as we reade of many in the Gospell and daily see many crying and dying in our streets If the Lord of hosts had not bin thy guard all other creatures his souldiers would haue banded themselues against thee fire would haue deuoured thee water would haue drowned thee mother earth would open and swallow thee quick the stone out of the wall the beame out of the timber would fight against thee but he hath giuen his Angels charge ouer thee to keepe thee in all thy waies he doth defend thee vnder his wings blesse thy going forth and thy comming home blesse the fruit of thy body the fruit of thy ground the fruit of thy cattell euery way so blesse thee that thou maiest alway reioice in the Lord. For thy redemption at this festiuall especially consider with Bernard Quis est qui venit vnde quò ad quid quando quâ meditate on
are Saints I wonder who are Scythians if these be Catholikes who are Canibals In this question as in all other I submit my selfe to the iudgement of our Church and practise of our Country Which as Diuines and Statesmen auow neuer put any to death meerly for the cause of religion I conclude with the glosse of Luther Hoc verbum Sinite non est confirmationis aut approbationis haereticorum sed consolationis exhortationis nostri ad patientiam Apertè saeuit persecutor paganus vt leo haereticus insidiatur vt draco ille cogit negare Christum iste docet aduersus illum opus patientia adâ—ersus hunc opus vigilantia Consulas Augustinum epist. 48.50.61.127.158.159.160 Diligite homines interficite errores sine superbiâ de veritate praesumite sine saeuitiâ pro veritate certate Contra literas Petilian lib. 1. cap. 29. Thirdly this makes against Popish Purgatory prouing it to be superfluous and idle for whatsoeuer is in the Lords field is either corne or cockle a barne is prouided for the one and vnquenchable fire for the other A third place for a third sort of persons is that which neither God made nor Christ mentioned nor the Apostles belieued nor the Primitiue Church imbraced It is an heathenish fantasie founded by the Poets not by the Prophets by Plato and Virgil not by Peter and Paul and that vpon so tickle ground that the most learned Papists can neither tell vs where it is nor what it is Bellarmine reports eight sundry different opinions about the place confessing honestly that the Church as yet hath not defined vbi siâ— purgatorium it is in so many places as that it can be in no place quod vbique nâ—llibi Sir Thomas More said that in all purgatorie there is no water and that hee would proue by the words of Zach. 9.11 I haue loosed thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water On the contrarie Roffensis affirmed that there is great store of water and this he proued by Dauid Psalme 66.11 Wee went thorow fire and water Albertus and Roffeâ—sis are of opinion that purgatories executioners are good Angels Other as Dioâ—yâ—ius Carthusianus and Sir Thomas More make no doubt but that they be diuels Cardinall Bellâ—ermine is of both sides and no side concluding this point Maneat hoc inter seâ—reta quâ— suò tempore nobis aperientur Happily this vncertaintie is a great certaintie to the Pope being Lord of Purgatorie for hee can when he please make gaâ—le-deliâ—â—rie anâ— auoid all the soules in Purgatorie being â—is peculiar the Pope may command Gods Angels to fetch away from thence whom he list and therefore this imaginarie fiâ—e may make his kitchin smoke but it is altogether needlesse for the people because Christ saith Paul hath purged our sinnes all our sinnes saith S. Iohn as Augustine sweetly Gods pitié is mans purgatorie Lastly this makes against Atheists imagining that either eternall iudgement shall haue an end or else that the world shall haue no end our Sauiour confutes both in his exposition of this parable vers 39. The haruest is the end of the world and the reapers be the Angels who shall gather the tares c. but the wheate shall be gathered into Gods barne The glorious Angels at the great haruest shall first gather the tares separating them from the wheate which is poena damnâ— priuation of God and all that is good Angels Saints friends and then they shall binde them in sheaues to be burnt which is poena sensus a possession of hell and all that is euill they shall not be bound all in one but in many fagots an adulterer with an adulteresse shall make one fagot a drunkard with a drunkard another fagot a traitor with a traitor another fagot as there be seuerall sinnes so seuerall sheaues all shall not be punished in the same degree though in the same fire all shall be burnt yet none consumed In that vnquenchable flame poenae gehennales torquent non extorquent puniunt non finiunt corpora mors sine morte finis sine fine defectus sine defectu Dauid said of his enemies in the 55. Psalme Let them goe downe quicke into hell in another sense wee may wish so much vnto our best friends euen our own selues as one fitly let vs often goe to hell while we liue that we come not thither when we be dead let vs euery day descend into hell by meditation that in the last day wee may not descend by condemnation Gather the wheate into my barne In Gods field tares are among wheate but in Gods barne no tare no care shall molest vs in the kingdome of grace bad are mingled with the good but in the kiâ—gdome of glorie there shall bee none but good enioying nothing but good good Angels good Saints aboue all our good God in whose light we shall see such light as the eye of man hath not seene neither eare hath heard neither heart sufficiently can conceiue c. The Epistle 1. COR. 9.24 Perceiue ye not how that they which runne in a courseâ— runne all but one receiueth the reward THere are two waies of teaching one by precept and another by paterne S. Paul vseth here both a precept so runne that ye may obtaine a paterne I therefore so runne c. The precept is pressed by two similitudes 1. FroÌ„ runners in the 24 verse 2. From wrastlers in the 25. The summe of both is if such as runne for a wager and coÌ„tend for a corruptible crowne suffer great pains and abstaine from many pleasures to winne the gole what should wee doe what should wee not doe to gaine the crowne of glorie proposed and promised onely to such as runne trauell and endeuour for it So runne therefore that ye may obtaine In which exhortation 4. points are regardable the Men ye Matter runne Manner so runne Marke that ye may obtaine Runne ye That is all yee for that is taken as granted here Perceiue ye not All men are viatores in this valley of teares before they can be comprehensores ascended vp to heauen and resting on Gods holy hill the blessed Virgin not excepted the most blessed of all the sonnes of men Christ Iesus himselfe not exempted he first suffered and after entred into glorie first he did runne then obtaine God hath three houses Heauen for ioy Hell for paine Earth for labour Man is borne to trauell as the sparkes flie vpward Iob 5.7 The matter then in the next place to be considered is that we must runne Runne ye Wherein obserue 2. things especially 1. The labour of our life 2. The shortnesse of our life The labour in that wee must runne the shortnesse in that it is but a race Man that is borne of a woman is of short continuance and full of trouble Animal