vnto our Saviour Christ that he is called by the name of truth and his spirit is said to be the spirit of truth and that it is testified of him that one of the principal causes why he came downe from the father was that hee might beare vvitnes to the truth and why he ascended againe vp to the Ioh. 18. 13. father even that he might send downe his spirit vpon his A postles to lead them into all truth and by the voice of truth to gather Ioh. 16. 13. to himselfe a church and congregation which should be a lover embracer maintainer and pillar of truth For all such as Christ 1. Tim. 3 15 would haue to be saued hee would haue them come thereto by the knowledge of the truth And therfore he sendeth vnto them the 1. Tim. 2. 4. light of his word causeth them with all constancy to embrace the same whereby they are enabled to know the truth and the truth Ioh. 8. 32. doth make them free Free from the slavery of sinne and Satan from all the powers of the kingdome of darknes and the same truth doth sanctifie them being before polluted with blind infidelity Ioh. 17. 17. and ignorance of God and so maketh them fellowe cittizens of the Saintes and enrolleth them into the Lords family So then the faithful embracing professing of the truth being the bādes of our communion fellowship with God and an assured note of the Lords people no marvaile though all nations of the earth of what profession soever they be be they Pagans Turks Iewes or Heretikes make so bold a claime to the possession of truth and be at open defiance with al other which wil not yeeld vnto their pretended title And yet there is but one truth one faith which The greatest chalengers are not the rightest owners of truth The testimony of God is the best evidence for truth is the sure anchor of our hope in God the direct way vnto his heavenly kingdome Neither are they seased of the possession therof who make the stoutest claime and chalenge thereto and seeme to be most earnest in the defence of the same but rather such as can shew for it the best evidence Now the best evidēce for truth is the testimony of God who is onely true and cannot lie who cannot erre be deceiued himselfe or in any wise deceiue others And this is acknowledged by all as it may appeare by the pretence made by the autors and inventors of every devotion who haue fained either conference with some God or goddesse or some revelation from some divine power to get the greater credit to their profession So dealt Numa among the Romans Licurgus amōg the Lacedemonians and Solon among the Athenians The truth is that God who dwelleth in a light that no man can approach vnto whom no man hath 1. Tim 6. 16. seene nor can see whose voice is so terrible and glorious that no man can heare it and liue who is onely knowen vnto himselfe and who onely knoweth what is truth what belongeth to his owne worshippe and service hath revealed his wil vnto his faithfull servants and hath made them his penmen and scribes and as it were the publike notaries of his heavenly wisdome And these publike notaries we that be Christians beleeue not to be Solon Lygurgus Numa Mahomet or the like but the Prophets Apostles and Evangelistes even the penmen and scribes of the word The pen-men of the bookes of the olde new testament are the onelie sure and infallible witnesses of truth of God contained in the bookes of the olde and newe testamēt For as for those lawgiuers among the heathē it is acknowledged that they were great learned and politicke men as being trained vp in those artes and sciences which did florish in those ages wherein they liued wherby they were enabled to set down many witty and skilfull rules for the better managing of humane affaires But as for the most of our Prophets Apostles they were simple and ignorant men brought vp not in famous places and schooles of learning but in meane poore and base occupations and therefore the divine knowledge of all heavenly wisedome wherewithal they were endued most plentifully must needes be extraordinarily derived vpon them from God himselfe the foūtaine and wel-spring of all wisedome seeing they obtained not the same by any ordinarie meanes and the miraculous gifte of tongues bestowed vpon them whereby they were enabled in all languages to open to all nations the wonderfull workes of God could not proceede but frō him who is the author of all languages and tongues as likewise the quicke and speedy prevailing of this heavenly doctrine the strong effectual working therof in the harts of the faithful which made them yong old most desirous to testifie their exceeding great loue to the same with the sheading of their decrest blood doth manifestly convince it to be the most mighty powerfull word of the most mighty powerful God Now as the persons from whom the bookes of the olde new testament proceeded by whom the doctrine thereof was so louingly embraced declare them to be divine so doth the matter also in them contained For where are the deformities of all iniquities and sinnes so liuely drawen forth sette out in their coloures to moue to a through dislike and hatred of them and to vnfained repentance and amendement of life as they are described in these divine bookes And where else may we find such a gratious mediator to reconcile vs to God so great a price given for the purchase of the kingdome of heaven so ample and full a satisfaction for the discharge of al our sinnes such a soveraigne salve for the curing of al our maladies such an effectual meanes to relieve our distresled consciences and to secure vs of the loue and favour of God as are offered vnto vs in the holie scriptures And wheras the penmen of these holy bookes lived in diverse ages countries doth not the perfect cōsent agreement of their precepts and instructions manifestly declare by whom they were directed even by him who is alwaies one and the same never differing or disagreeing from himselfe So doth the perfect accomplishment of so many strange predictions foretolde so many ages before they came to passe evidently cōvince that these books proceeded frō him vnto whō only were known al his own decrees works before the foūdatiō of the world was Veritas docendo suadet Tertul. cōt Valēt laide Lastly the perfect purity holines of all points of faith set down in these bookes that absolute equity righteousnes of all the precepts of piety and godlines therein contained doeth plainely declare also that they proceeded from the holy of holies euen from him whose wil is the rule of all equity and righteousnes So that Moses the first penman of this holy write mighte
set vp in the place thereof a translation made without any speciall or extraordinary revelatioÌ„ vnder the pretence of more greater corruptions crept into the one theÌ„ into the other As if the Lord had not had â—he same care to preserue the truth in the bookes penned by his owne publike registers and notaries as in the translation of such an one whose greatest praise caÌ„not be but this to be their faithful disciple and scholler And as if the Lord had not had the same regard to keepe vnpollâ—…ted his owne divine and heauenly doctrine in the most pure fountaines and springs as in the impure streames and rivers And yet how doth shee also esteeme of the wil of God set downe by the pen of her translator Do not some of her deare children compare it to a nose of waxe and to a shipmans hose which may be turned and wrested every way and sit falshood as wel as truth And doth shee not charge it to bee shadowed with such obscuâ—ities ambiguities that the truth thereby cannot be cleared without the light of an Interpreter and the right faith cannot be found out wiâ—hout the helpe of the Pope his councels Now is this to honour the Lordes will and to reverence it as holy pure and perfect Were that to be esteemed an holy pure and perfect will and testament of an earthly father which is involved with such obscurities and ambiguities that the children cannot vnderstaÌ„d the legacy that is therin bequeathed vnto them nor yet the duety that is required at their handes but that they must still fall at variance and ods among themselues be ready still to go to law one with another or at the least be driven continually to seeke to the lawyers for the opening and explaning of their manifold doubts May not such a will be said to be at the least very vnadvisedly penned and if it were done of set purpose very wickedly also Now the will and testament of our heauenly father was of set purpose peÌ„ned by the spirit of god after that very manner as it is set downe in the bookes of the old and new testament and therefore in that the Church of Rome doth charge these bookes with such obscurities and ambiguities that the children of God cannot vnderstand that heavenly legacie that is bequeathed vnto them therein nor yet that duty that is required at their handes but that they must needes be at variance and fall out about â—he â—…ne continually vnlesse they resorte continually vnto the decision of the Pope and to the determination of his approved counâ—els for the dissolving of all their doubts and for the clearing of all their controversies what else doth shee herein but most impiously charge the most holy pure and perfect wil and testament of our heavenly father not only to haue bin very vnadvisedly but also to haue bin most wickedly penned But let God be true and al men liars as it is written that thou mightest be iustified in thy words overcome wheÌ„ thou art iudged And Rom. 3. 4. let all the most glorious works of the children of pride be vtterly condemned for that they doe them not in most humble obedience to the most holy pure and perfect will of God or that which is farre more heinous and impious for that they are not ashamed in their bookes published in the eies of all men thus to defame and slander that most holy pure and perfect will of the most holy pure and perfect God 2 The will of God is to bee respected in doing our workes for that it is acceptable wellpleasing to god Coll. 3. 20. 1. Tim. 2. 3. Eph. 5. 10. Heb. 13. 16. The second reason why we should haue such a respectiue regard to the wil of God in doing our works is for that what is conformable to his will cannot be but well-pleasing and acceptable to himselfe Children saith the Apostle obey your parents in all thinges for that is well-pleasing vnto the Lord. So to Timothy I exhort therfore that first of all praiers supplications intercessions and giving of thaÌ„ks be made for all men for kings and for such as be in authority that vvee may lead a quiet life in all godlinesse and honesty for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior So likewise to the Ephesians Yee were once darknes but nowe yee are light in the Lord walke as children of the light approving that which is wellpleasing vnto the Lord. So also the Apostle to the Hebrewes To do good to distribute forget not for with such sacrifices God is wellpleased Now that which God willeth that no doubt he liketh and that which he himselfe commaundeth is assuredly wellpleasing and acceptable in his owne eies For if it bee a pleasure to a wise man when his counsell is obeyed and a griefe and corrasive when it is despised esteemed vaine and nothing worth so it cannot be but wellpleasing vnto him in whom are hid al the treasures of wisdome knowledge when his counsels are obeied and he cannot be but highly offeÌ„ded when they are trodden vnder foote and lightly regarded When blind blockish and sottish men shall so lightly esteeme of the wisdome of God which hee hath made manifest in his owne ordinaÌ„ces that they shal imagine that they themselues caÌ„ invent a better or at the least as good a manner of serving of God as hee himselfe hath ordained in his own word what can be more odious and abominable before God As on the contrary side when men ascribe that perfection of wisdome to the will and commandeâ—ents of God as that they fully perswade themselues that in them are contained his whole and entire worship and service therefore do busie themselues most carefully about the fulfilling of the same this their respect and obedience to the law of God cannot be but a most acceptable sacrifice vnto God For as wee can no better please the prince theÌ„ by being careful to obey the Placita principum princes pleasure so we cannot better please God nor testifie our loue better vnto him then by our carefull keeping of his commandements If yee loue me saith our Saviour Christ keepe my coÌ„mandements Ioh 14 15. and 21. Our loue to God is best shewed in our obedience to his wiâ—l expressed in his owne commandementes And againe he that hath my commandements keepeth them â—he same is he that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be loved of my father and I will loue him and shew my selfe vnto him And againe if any man loue me he will keepe my word and my father will loue him and we will come vnto him and dwell with him he that loveth me not keepeth not my worde By the which so often repetition of one the selfe-same thing so easily to be conceaved and to be born away at the first our Sauior Christ would haue it throughly setled in our harts that we cannot
ministery of pastours and Doctors is not stil needfull for the people of God but the meaning is that the doctrine first taught by the mouth of the Apostles afterward set downe in their Canonical writings is so plaine evident and ful to the servants of Christ which are endued with his spirit that they need not now at vnder the law any vnerring teacher ordinary or extraordinary for the further opening of any necessary point of faith which otherwise might be secret and lye hid And so also the Apostle to the Hebrews teacheth out of the booke of the Prophet Ieremy This is the testament that I will make with the Heb. 8. 10. house of Israell after these daies saith the Lord I will put my laws in their mindes and in their heartes will I write them and I will be their God and they shall bee my people and they shall no more teach one another saying know the Lord for they shall all know me from the greatest vnto the least Not as I said before that the ministery of teaching by ordinarie pastours should cease amongst vs which is still most behouefull both to renew the memory of those things which we know seeing we are stil ready to forget and to teach better those thinges which we know but in part and also those things which as yet we know not at al for the most skilful may proceede from knowledge to knowledge but that there shal be now no neede of any vnerring interpreter to open any necessary point of faith which otherwise would be altogether vnknown For al necessary things are set downe so plainly in the bookes of the Apostles and Evangelists by him that was best able to write even to the capacity of the most simple who caused also those bookes to be penned not to obscure but to lighten the truth that the lambe may wade in them without danger of drowning and drinke most plentifully of those vvaters of life yea the vvary of Gods service is now so plaine that the very fooles cannot erre therein The pointes of faith contained in these bookes neede neither to begge credite All thinges necessary to salvatioÌ„ are sette downe so plainely in the bookes of the new testament that all the faithfull may vnderstand the same without the helpe of an vnerring Interpreter yea without the helpe of any Interpreter at all nor to take light from the writings expositioÌ„s of men but haue their credite in themselues take their light from themselues giue light credit both to the persoÌ„s also to the bokes of al other whoÌ„soever that haue any credite or light in them And the maine grounds of faith contained in them stand vpon their owne ground haue in themselues most manifest perspicuity that the mind passing through many forms of opinions being once lightned therwith may resolue settle his ful assent consent vpon theÌ„ without the helpe of any vnerring Interpreter yea without the helpe of any Interpreter at all For what containe the bookes of the new testament but the vncovering of that which was covered in the old Now if those things be vncovered already what neede haue they of a further vncovering Vnlesse we thinke that the Apostles themselues which had the greatest measure of the spirite and the largest portion of knowledge in the misteries of God had either not so good skill or will to sett downe plainly in their Canonicall writings all points of faith as their schollers and successors had in their writings which are not Canonicall The truth is that all thinges necessarie vnto salvation are novve most plainly delivered in the bookes of the new testament the best Interpreters doe not by their expositions bring any new light at all vnto them but pointe as it were with the finger to that light which is in them that we may turne our eies vpon it togither with them behould the same they bring no grounds and principles of their owne that thereby they may lighten the doctrine of the scripture but they hould out the grounds principles of the scripture it selfe that therby they may lighten all that is obscure For albeit in the divine scriptures there are many places darke obscure hard to be vnderstoode such wherein the best Interpreters themselues may erre be deceaved yet as S. Austine Aug. de doct Christ l. 2. cap. 9. saith all things that belong to faith good manners that is to say to hope and loue are openly delivered sette downe in the same and out of these plaine and open places all necessary doctrines are to be taken and not out of the doubtfull and obscure And therefore when the heretike Petilian did alleage mystical obscure places for the confirmatioÌ„ of his errours the same father taketh exception against him after this manner saying these places Aug. cont Petil. cap. 16. are mysticall obscure and figurative but vvee require a manifest place that needeth no Interpreter at all And such places were alleaged by the Catholike Bishoppes for the opening and confirming of all controversies and doubtes Attende saith Iustine Iust Martyr in dialogo cuÌ„â—rypho Chrys in ep ad RoÌ„ hom 19. 2. Pet 3. 16. Martyr to these thinges vvhich I shall rehearse out of the scriptures vvhich neede not at all to bee expounded but onely to bee hearde So Chrysostome Doe these saith he neede any exposition are they not cleare and manifest even to those that are very dull And albeit in Saint Paule there are some thinges hard to bee vnderstoode vvhich the vnlearned and vnstable pervert as they doe also the other scriptures to their destruction yet Saint Ambrose is bold Ambr in ep 7. in principio epistolae to avouch of him that in most thinges hee doth so expound himselfe that he vvhich doth deliver and teach his doctrine can finde nothing that hee may adde or if hee vvill needes say something he must rather performe the dutie of a grammarian then of a discourser or disputer And verely albeit the vnbeleevers and such as are ignorant of the divine and heavenly doctrine of the Canonicall Scriptures Stap doct princ lib. 8. cap. 22. veritas docendo suadet Tertul. coÌ„t ValeÌ„t Aug cont ep Funda cap 14. The saith of the fiue members of the church of Christ is not setled vpon the auctority of the church or the iudgment of the Interpreter but vpon the light of the divine doctrine it selfe are at the first mooued sometimes to embrace the faith of CHRIST by the auctority of the Church and by the dignity and vvorthines of the Bishoppes and teachers yet when they are once perswaded and setled therein beeing lightned by the spirit of illumination and by the light of the doctrine it selfe then as Stapleton himselfe also hath taught they doe not any longer beleeue for the voice of the church but for the divine light it selfe they doe not any longer builde their faith vpon the voice of
in thy mouth and in thy heart that thou mayest doe it By which words we are to learne that God in his divine and heavenly wisedome hath not appointed either an Angel from heaven or a messenger from beyond the seas to bee the instruments wherby his wil may be related vnto vs but only his holy word sacred coÌ„mandemeÌ„ts In truth such is the pride curiosity superstition and rebellion of sottish sinfull man that he setteth light by the meanes appointed by God for his best instruction would needes haue one raised from the deade or an Angel from heaven to bring him tydings of the Lordes wil and to make relation thereof or else hee woulde receive it by tradition from his auncestors or by descent from his forefathers The rich glutton beeing in hell is saide to haue made his petition to Abraham being in heaven that he should cause one to come froÌ„ the deade to admonish his brethren whom he had lefte aliue behinde him least they also should come into the same place of tor ments Not that the damned spirits in hel are so charitably affected that they could wish others to be delivered from those miseries which they themselues endure wheras on the contrary side they are so envious and malitious that they envy at the happy estate of the blessed and would haue all entangled with them in the same curse But the purpose of the parable is to shew the vanity of such as are aliue who coÌ„tent not themselues with the instructioÌ„ of the word but needs would be taught by a messenger from the dead Now what is Abrahams answere to this petition They haue saith he Moses and the Prophets that is the word of Luk 16. 29. God sett down in their writings let them beare them For howsoever many perswade themselues that they should verily beleeue and amend their liues if one should arise from the deade and admonish warne them of the great danger they are subiect vnto in respect of their sins yet it is a contrary resolution from the spirit of God by the mouth of Abraham If they wil not heare Moses the Prophets neither will they beleeve though one rose againe from the deade For if they will not be taught and reformed by such meanes as God in his dâ—vine wisedome hath thought to be best for their instruction reformation then surely al such meanes must needs be of lesse force and efficacy which blinde foolish man hath of himselfe imagined conceaved And therfore when the vaine people in the time of the Prophet Esay would needes be certified Esa 8. 19. of the Lords will by sorcerers coniurers by informatioÌ„s from the deade What saith the Lord from the living to the deade Doe yee appeale from the censure of the eternall and everliving Lord vnto the sentence of such as are deade To the lawe to the testimony for if they vvhich pretend to certifie you of the vvill of the Lord speake not out of this vvorde it is because they haue no light in them And verely if we meane to consult with God and to haue an answere from him concerning his will wee must seeke for the same froÌ„ the divine Oracles of his sacred word if we be desirous Rom. 3. 2. Psal 119. to be partakers of the Lords counselles our counsellours must bee the Lords owne bookes For they are the Lords testimonies and after a sort his sworne witnesses to testify vnto vs all the truth nothing but the truth in all matters that concerne the glory of God the salvation of our owne soules They containe the full and whole wil and testament of our heavenly father the disposition of all such blessings as he bestoweth vpon his deare louing children the prescription of all such duties as he requireth at their hands And yet there haue bin still are many who had rather seeke for the manifestation of the will of God in the traditions of their auncestors in the examples of their forefathers then in the very will testament of God himselfe Our Fathers Ioh. 4. 10. saith the woman of Samariâ— worshipped in this mount but ye say thaâ— Ierusalem is the place where men ought to worshippe The Samaritaneâ— had forsaked the most certaine infallible rule of the vvritten word pretended the example of their progenitors an olde tradition from their forefathers Our Fathers worshippeâ— in this mount But what replieth our blessed Saviour vnto this so plausible glorious an allegation yee worshippeyee wote not what vve Vers 22. know what we worshippe therfore salvatioÌ„ is from vs. So the Idolatrous Iewes The word say they that thou hast spoken to vs â—n Ier. 44. 16. the name of the Lord we will not heare it of thee but will doe whatsoever goeth out of our owne mouth as to burne incense to the Queene of heaveÌ„ and to powre out our drinke-offrings to her as we haue done both we our fathers our kinges our princes in the cities of Iudah in the streetes of Ierusalem for then bad we plenty of victuals and vvere well and felte none evill So mightely doth crooked custome the example of carnal progenitors other carnal respects prevaile with carnal sensuall men but the spirituall man is taught by the spirit of truth to follow no such deceaveable guids We followed not saith S. Peter deceaueable fables wheÌ„ we opened vnto you the power coÌ„ming of our 2. Pet. 1. 16. Lord Iesus Christ but with our eies we sawe his glory for be received of God the father honour glory when there came such a voice vnto him from the excellent glory This is my well beloued sonne in whom I am well pleased And this voice we heard when it came from heaven being vvith him in the holy mount We haue also a most sure word of the Prophets vnto the which yee doe well that yee take heede as vnto a light that shineth in a darke place Wherby we learne that the word of God delivered either by revelation from himselfe or else sett downe by the pennes of the Apostles and Prophets is a most sure vndeceavable testimony of the Lords wil wheras that which is delivered by tradition from hand to hande hath oftentimes a mixture of decea veable fables in steede of pure and sincere truth as the Iewish Thalmud and the popish Legende can testifie sufficiently And therefore for the safer custodie and preservation of the truth it Luk. 1. 4. pleased the spirite of GOD that the Gospell first preached by the mouth of the Apostles and Evangelistes should afterward be registred by their ovvne pennes and sette dovvne vnder their ovvne handes VVee haue not saith Irene by any other knowen those thinges that belong to our salvation but by those by whom Iren l. 3. c. 1 the Gospell came vnto vs the vvhich they at the first published by mouth and
holy pure perfect gratefull and acceptable to himselfe also for that it is his will vnto whoÌ„ I am ten thousand times bouÌ„d to yeeld al dutiful submissioÌ„ obedience both in respect of his soveraigne auctority that he only hath to rule over my conscience soule also in regard of his infinite blessings which he of his owne vnspeakeable goodnes in Christ hath most freely fully bestowed vpon me And verely our obedience performed to the vvill of God in these respectes is a sweete incense and a most acceptable sacrifice to God wherwith we after a sort gratifie God and grieve the Devill are as an heaven to all holy Angels and a very hell vnto al vncleane spirits So like wise when we are tempted to any wicked worke wee must thus reason with ourselues and say this worke ought in no wise to be done by me no not the least desire to accomplish the same ought once to haue any entrance into my hart because it is contrary to the holy pure perfect will of God agreeable vnto the impure will of the Devill because it is most offensiue grievous to God most gratefull acceptable vnto the Devill because it is a great dishonour to him to whoÌ„ all honour is double due both in respect of his soveraigne auctority over me and also in regard of his manifolde mercies collated vpon me and it is a great honour vnto that most cruell and infamous tyrant the Devill who presseth vpon me thereby to take me captive to the vtter destruction both of my body and soule We are debters as saith the Apostle yea very great debters as great as great may be but not to the flesh nor to our selues nor Rom. 8. 12. to the devil vnles it be that we owe to these al maÌ„ner of evils miseries whatsoever but we are debtters to God that for the loue of a thousand talents for the gift of ten thousand more yet if we haue but a sincere desire to discharge this our debt our most gracious creditour will not onely straitwaies forgiue it all but also wil giue vnto vs ten thousand times more Yea the sincere desire of being obedient to the will of God vpon the former respects and the true care according as God hath enabled vs in some measure to discharge this our debt is a very great mercy a very gracious favour wherby we are more and more endebtted vnto him And verely this is al the discharge of our debt that hee requireth at our hands that we willingly gladly acknowledge him of whoÌ„ we haue received all that we so highly esteeme of his giftes and presume of his good will that we are stil desirous to been debtted vnto him more more by al relligious hearing reading and meditating vpon his holy and sacred word by all servent and devout praier bee continually begging and craving for more and after a sort extorting it out of his handes For his desire is not to be benifited by vs but that we should still more and more bee benefited by him and hee vvould haue vs to acknowledge his loue and to grovve into a stedfast assurance therof that therby we might be more effectually stirred vp to reioyce in his goodnes to be thankful vnto him for his manifold mercies especially he would haue vs most midfully to record that vnmatchable blessing of our redemption wrought by Christ his inestimable loue made manifest therin that therby our hearts might be renewed our affections saÌ„ctified dying to our selues living to God employing our selues to every good worke And hereof it is that the spirit of God especially in the bookes of the new testament doth so often make mention of Christ and of our redemption wrought by him and of his great loue manifested therein as being the matter and subiect of those bookes a â—aÌ„st vvhereof I vvill giue vnto thee in some sentences of one of those bookes penned by Saint Iohn as they be pointed vnto by that learned preacher of the vvord Mr. Robert Rolloc in his commentaries vpon the same booke No man hath soone God at any time the onely begotten sonne of God vvho is in the bosome of the father hee hath revealed him Ioh 1. 18. The Philosophers in all ages haue most painfully searched after truth in their Physikes Ethikes Mathematikes and the rest But the knowledge of the Father in the Sonne doth only deserue the name of truth For to what purpose is it to comprehend in minde heaven and earth and all other thinges if a sinner doth not knowe God in Christ the redeemer That is vnlesse he feele God favourable vnto him and forgiving him all his sinnes in Christ which only doeth pacifie the troubled conscience hee can haue little true comfort in all his knovveledge of all other things be it never so great and smal courage to come vnto God and to rest in him and so to take hold of everlasting blessednes Therefore our Saviour himselfe after that he had said no man knoweth the father but the sonne and hee to whom the sonne hath revealed him Math. 11. 28. immediately addeth Come vnto mee all yee that are wearie and heavy laden and I will refresh you VVhereby hee signifieth that God being revealed in Christ there doeth follovve peace of conscience and vnspeakeable ioy in all those that doe cast their sinnes vpon him The nexte daie Iohn stoode and tvvo of his disciples and beholding Iesus vvalking hee saide beholde that lambe of GOD. Iohn 1. Chap. verse 36. As Iohn oftentimes gaue witnesse to Christ so it is no lesse necessarie at this time that the sacrifice and death of Christ be repeated and reiterated againe and againe For as the Iewes were ignoraunt that Christ the lambe of God shoulde bee offered vppe in sacrifice so vvee after a sort haue forgotten that hee hath beene sacrificed and hath already suffered for our sinnes For vvhat meane these sinnes which so every where abound adulteries murders rapines sacriledges even so many sinnes of all sortes vvhat say I doe they meane but that wee haue forgotten that our Saviour Christ hath suffered for vsâ— For ifit did come into our mindes that vvee vvere once boughte with so greate a price vvoulde vvee so sell our selues and become captiues to so manye sinnes If vvee did remember that vvee vvere washed with the most precious bloodof CHRIST vvoulde vvee againe so defile our selues vvith the filthy mire of this vncleane vvorlde After that Saint Peter had commended vnto the faithfull certaine necessary vertues 2. Peter 1. 9. Hee that hath not these saieth hee is bloude and seeth nothing a farre of but hath forgotten that hee vvas purged from his olde sinnes For let all bee sure of this that who edomes murders and the like to them that make profession of the faith of Christ are not therefore sinnes onely for that they are contrary to the lawe of God