gloryously arose from death and ascended aboue al heauens as that he shall appeare most gloryouslye to haue gouerned all things when he shal call before him to iudgement all the Nations of the worlde and giue to them their portion in his right iustice due vnto them This Lorde Christ and Sauiour is also the high Byshop of our soules the one and onely priest that hath fully taken awaye oure sinnes in the sacrifice of himselfe vpon the aulter of the crosse once for all and all ages there and then offered Of whose priesthood Dauid long before prophecied in these wordes Psal 110. The Lorde hath sworne and wyll not repent thou art a priest for euer after the order of Melchisedech By which words the Apostle Paule purposing to proue Christ the sayde priest thus speaketh Thys Melchisedech was king of Salem Heb. 7.17 king of the most high God c. Hee is the king of righteousnesse after that he is called the king of Salem 1. king of peace without father without mother wythout kyndred and hath neyther beginning of his dayes nor ende of his lyfe but is lyke vnto the sonne of God and contynueth a priest for euer And that rightly for Christ the sonne of God is our righteousnesse and peace and the king of Salem euen of the peaceable church and tryumphante kingdome euerlasting He is without father in his humanitie onely being conceyued by the holye ghost of the womans séede wythout mother in his deuyne nature begotten of the fathers owne nature without beginning of dayes or ende of lyfe For he is God for euer And though in his humanitie he suffred for vs yet his Godhead coulde not dye but remayneth immortall for euer This Iesus is both king and priest not after Aaron but according to Melchisedeches order for all tymes to come And as the holye scriptures hath mention of no mo such So is he the onely priest of God for the saluation of his church and there can besides hym be none other who gaue hymselfe to dye for vs and by whose onely death we be all saued that beléeue in hym The meane whereby this eternall Priest saueth hys people is by tryple operation Howe our Christ saueth vs. all which haue their force from the action of his death First in gyuing hymselfe a raunsome for theyr sinnes to God his father and by hys bloudy sacryfice once for all offered he fully acquyteth all his people of all their damnable debt Secondly by the preaching of hys Ghospell vnto the sonnes of men as whereby he is depaynted thus crucifyed for them therby they brought by his spirite to beléeue the forgiuenesse of synnes in his bloud Thirdly by that he remayneth the onlye Mediator for his people to his father so reconciling the worlde to God and guydeth his people by his spirite in the pathes of righteousnesse for his holy names sake 1. Pet. 2.5 Mat. 20.28 Thus is thy soueraigne Lorde and Christ thy highe Priest and Byshop of thy soule thy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to saye the price of thy redemption by whose sacrifice alone vpon the crosse God the father is iustly payde the pryce due to hym for all our iniquities For the which cause also that he is the pryce of thy Redemption in hys death he is of God constitute for thy only Mediator as Paule sayth to the Hebrewes and saint Iohn If any man sinne Heb. 9.15 1. Ioh. 2.2 we haue an Aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the righteous and he is the reconciliation for our sinnes and not for our sinnes only but for the synnes of the whole worlde Where note that the Apostle sayth and for this cause is he the Mediator of the new Testament Hebr. 9.15 Namely for thys cause that through his death men might receyue the promise of inheritance He that dyeth for mans transgressions is onely the Mediator for their sinnes But Christ only dyeth for mans transgressions therfore Christ is the onely Mediator for mans iniquitie This is the Apostles reason And further this priesthood so dwelleth still in Christ that no inferiour creature maye be enstalled into that function For he lyueth for euer and therfore contynueth a priest for euer after the order of Melchesedech Whersoeuer then any man or Angell would take vppon hym this office to be a priest to offer sacrifice in the Church of God For thy synnes know thou that he is not thy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thy redemption and therefore cannot be thy sacrificer Besydes thys that sacrifice of Christ is thy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the absolute price of thy raunsome and therefore no neede of further payment to God by sacrifice Christ hath fully payde the ransome for our syns therefore can there be no more offring to God for synne Thirdly neyther néede nor can that sacrifice of Christes death and bodye to be iterate or offred of freshe for that were to kyll Christ agayne and to make lesse the valour of thy redemption by which thou art redéemed fully and for which cause Christ is called in the holye scripture thy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to saye an absolute price of thy redemption by whome and whose price thou hast by fayth in hym the whole forgiuenesse of thy sinnes Heb. 10.18 And where thys Remission is sayth the scripture there remayneth no more offerings for synne but we maye with boldnesse enter into heauen not by an other sacrifice but by a new and lyuing way namely sayth he by fayth in Christs fleshe bloud once thus offred who remayneth our high priest with God Lastly were there a sacrifice remayning to be offred for sinne we had no priestes or anye one man or Angell in heauen or earth that could be a fitte Sacrificer for the same For besyds that a true Sacrificer for synne by whose Sacrifice iniquitie shall be awaye taken There can be found as a meete man no Priest in earth to offer sacrifice must be the sacrifice hymselfe There are also certayne Noble qualities must inhabite that man which can be a sacrifycing priest for sinne and the house of GOD which are by the Apostle to the Hebrewes set downe on thys maner Such an high priest it became vs to haue sayth he which is holy harmlesse vndefiled seperate from sinners and made higher then the Heauens which needed not daylie to offer vp sacrifice first for his owne sinnes and then for the synnes of his people for that did he once when he offred vp himselfe for the lawe maketh men highe priests which haue infyrmitie but the worde of the othe which was synce the lawe maketh the sonne who is consecrated namely the onely priest of God for euermore Now deare Reader if it be of necessitie that we should haue such a Priest to offer sacrifice for our sinnes and that no other can take that office to pacifie the father whose iustice changeth not or is by affection altred how can it be that eyther the
flaunte 1. Cor. 10.31 and vaine gloryous shewes giue none offence neyther to the Iewe nor to the Grecians nor to the Church of God Marke this you cannot replye and say Who hath to do with vs who shall comptroll vs we are the maysters of our selues For euen in those things which be lawfull and indifferent the more Noble the greater care you ought by the rule of Gods holy word In indifferent things the help or hurte of our brethren is chiefely to be respected to haue to your actions for the cause of your brethren which be eyther Gods enimies as the Iewes who maye not receyue offence at you or Grecians popish worldlings or wanton Atheists which séeke to be of the fashion though it be against god or that the people of God by your insolency be gréeued the daunger whereof is not smale Whosoeuer sayth our mayster Christ shall offende one of these little ones which beleeueth in mee Mat. 18.6 it were better for him that a Mylstone were hanged about his necke and he were drowned in the depth of the Sea Yea greater care the noble the mightie the ritch the prowde one and other ought to haue of their godly brethren then of their owne members Woe to the worlde sayth our Christ in the place afore coted bicause of offences for it must needs be that offences shal come but woe be to the man by whom they doe come Wherefore if thine hande or thy foote cause thee to offende cut them of from thee it is better for thee to enter into lyfe halt or maymed then hauing two handes or two feete to be cast into euerlasting fyre And if thine eye cause thee to offende pluck it out c. Loe christian thy bodyes desyre muste to her great losse giue place to thy brothers good estate Dauid therefore prayeth the Lord to shut vp his eyes from beholding of vanitie For hence it is Psal 119. that the concupiscence of the heart being produced by the conducte of the eye doth lust after the pryde of thys worlde without regarde of God his people his or oure enimies or our owne deare brethren whom eyther we strayne with their sorrowe to sore after our Courtly guyse Two euils in outragious apparel or else we grieue their consciences to beholde our too to much vanities And thys is monstruous that that which is to vs a signification of our fyrst fathers synne in whom we all are damned to death should be to vs a delighting pleasure and the same which was giuen to couer our shame Gen. 3.21 1. Cor. 15.22 we shoulde abuse to our great confusion For most true it is that apparell whereof we now pride so much was and is the accuser of synne for our fyrst parents were naked before they sinned and were not ashamed bycause nothing gaue cause to blushe they frée from synne and being made to the ymage of God But hauing transgressed his commaundement they sawe their nakednesse and synfull bodies by eating of the apple The cause of apparell is synne and did blushe for shame blushing and confusion are the fruites of synne to whome nowe some couerture was necessary as well to keepe the lesse honorable partes secrete as to defende them from the parching sunne and Winters colde Gen. 3.21 Wherefore our good God gaue to eyther of them a coate of peltes or skyns This symple sufficient attyre cōdemneth two sortes of persons the Adamits which runne naked to counterfeyte Adam and Heuah which thing if God would to haue had in vse he had not giuen these naked creatures these néedy coates The other are our lusty Gallants of eyther sexe that to to much doe glory in their apparell which is and ought to be to them a preacher of their fathers shame In our attyre we ought to kéepe modestie and comlynesse eche man in his degrée as their is great difference the which to excéede is thus to walke in darknesse First they inuerte the vse of aparell that is eyther a bounde beyonde their calling or take pride therein which onely ought to defend their bodyes as is sayde and to put vs in minde of our frayle condition These blynde men are lyke to those fellowes chayned with heauy yrons for some horrible murther and yet doe bragge of them as of matter worthy much glory and therfore set them forth to shew in all brauery Secondly the delight of braue and costly araye doth marueylously encrease the pride of the lurking heart which once enflamed is neuer content but causeth vs to forget our state and condition it enuyeth others more gaye and despiseth all such as to vs be attyred in inferior sorte Euill branches of a naughtie tree Thirdly prowde aparell as it satisficeth fleshly appetite so is it verye offensiue to the moste beholders Adde to this it bewrayeth a lewde harte a light person a vayne mutable man delighting change in vanities and such a one is euer inconstante in all his wayes Neyther did godly Iudith decke her in prowde array Iudi. 10.1 tyll shée purposed to spoyle curssed Holophernes And cruel Iezabel sought to allure Iehu his hart by her sumptuous shewe in brauery Fourthly you breake contemptuouslye this commaundement of Christ Be not carefull what to put on c. If not for necessaries Math. 6. how much lesse for these superfluous vanities which shall bring woes and Gods euerlasting cursse to them which be faulty herein Lastly the iudgement of God aprooueth his hate herevnto which beateth downe iustly so manye to beggerie from former great patrimony by their synfull excesse in costly aparell and doth also often throwe vs into those Country plagues whose fashions we haue most fauoured in the strange guyse of monstruous attyre But perhaps these Courtly Ladyes and Gentils will doe as our Lord Christ sayeth the Pharyseis did They did hate the present teachers and yet they made much of the Monumentes of the Prophetes Mat. 23.29 whome their forefathers murthered And it maye be that these our riche and myghty Gallaunts will say what haue these pratling preachers to doe with vs why should they correct vs let them kéepe them to the Text of Scripture Well then we will in this point pleasure you Marke ye lusty Gallants and to ende withall onely giue you the Scripture Text which would GOD ye would take heede vnto Luc. 1.78 till the day starre Iesus Christ apeared fully in your hearts Thus sayth this scripture then against this darke corruption of pride in the rich practised for want will not permit the hawtie harts of the least able to atchyue hereto Now hearken to you Nobles of eyther sexe ye Gentils riche in lands and possessions for now the Lorde himselfe speaketh vnto you Esa 3.11 Woe be to the wicked sayth the Lorde it shall be euill with him for the rewarde of his hands shall be giuen hym Children are Extortioners of my people women haue rule ouer them as
whylst the euill dayes come not nor the yeres approche wherein thou shalt say I haue no pleasure in them A little after when the keepers of the house vz the hands of the body shal tremble and the strong men that is the legges shal bowe themselues and the grynders the téeth shal cease bicause they are fewe they waxe darke vz the eyes that looke out by the Wyndowes And the dores lyppes or mouth shal be shut without by the base sounde of the grynding that is when the the chawes shall scarce be able to open and he shal ryse vp at the voyee of the byrde namely he cannot sléepe halfe the night and al the daughters of synging that is the wynde pypes or deafnesse of eares shal be abased Also they shal be afrayde of the high thing euery thresholde shall be hard to stryde ouer and feare shal be in the way the Palsye shal cause the bones to tremble and the Almonde tree that is the gray heade shal floorishe and the Grashopper that is the least weyght shal be a burden and concupiscence shall be driuen away for man goeth to the house of his age euen to his graue and the Mourners goe aboute in the streete whyles the syluer corde is not lengthened meaning the Marow of the back bone of the synewes nor the golden Ewer broken the little skyn that couereth the brayne which is in coulour lyke Golde nor the Pitcher broken at the Well that is the veyns at the lyuer not dissolued nor the wheele broken at the Cesterne that is nor the head with the hart from whence he draweth his powers of life make an ende of their office and duste returne to the earth as it was the spirite note that the soule incontinentely goeth to ioye or tormente to him that gaue it Vanitie of vanities sayth the preacher all is vanitie This moste excellent counsell ye Noble Lords and louing Countrymen whose yong daies are now or already wel neare spent shall you haue in the house and worde of God contynually to your Christian consolation in Christ by repentance and fayth in him not onely to ioye with Symeon but with the whole Church of God to say most assuredly Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace c. Further consider gentle Reader that Symeon speaketh here of naturall death when he sayth he departeth in peace and yet he calleth his death not a destruction but a departure And a departure for thrée causes He departeth from this life and hath no more fellowship with those that lyue on the earth or they with him as men with men to be benifited And also his soule departeth from his bodye for a season and hath no more participation therewith tyll the day of Resurrection but this is also a departure for the soule dyeth not with the bodye but lyueth bicause she is immortall Thirdly he departeth from the vally of misery into the Mountayne of all ioy and felicitie into the Heauens there to raigne with God for euer In assurance whereof he concludeth his lyfe to depart in peace saying Now Lord thou lettest me depart in peace but al this warrant hath he from the spirite of God wherefore he addeth according to thy worde Eccle. 9.5.6 But as concerning the fyrst departure Ecclesiastes sayth The deade departed know nothing at all neyther haue they any more a reward For their remembrance is forgotten Also their loue and their hatred and their enuye is nowe perished they cannot by their loue profite those left behinde them No profite after death from the lyuing in earth or yet by their hatred had they any doe them hurte And they haue no porcion of all that is done vnder the sunne This doctrine considered the forged frame of popishe Purgatory must néeds fall out of our hartes For if of those prayers which daylie in popery be made for the deade the departed haue no portion howe vayne a thing is it to imagine a purgatory from whence our friends Soules are fetched by our sundry déedes for them As by Trentals Diriges Requiem and restles Masses Almes deedes Popes pardons and prayers for all christian soules with Aue Maria Amen Whose pelfe yong babes can scoffe and saye in these dayes Come tye the Mare Tomboy A cake a cake for all christian soules De profundis Salue Regina Godfather But if of these dead workes vnder the sunne done the departed haue not their portion as the spirite of God in this Canonicall Scripture sayth they haue not how wicked an opinion is popery Euen a damnable synke of most blasphemous false doctrine At the hower of death he had his iudgement Luc. 16.26.27.28.29.30.31 Diues is presently condemned to Hell and Lazarus from sentence sent to Abrahams bosome and thence cannot remoue though the cryes of the dead be many or the necessitie of teaching the lyuing neuer so great They haue Moyses and the Prophets Eccle. 11.3 sayth Father Abraham let them heare them And as the Tree falleth East or South and so lyeth Euen so as a man is founde by the spirite of God at the houre of his death so shall he be placed in the daye of his Resurrection when the soule shall be revnited to his body Thence forth in body and soule for till that daye onely the soule hath the iudgements censure to receyue the rewarde of their state in this mortall lyfe And this is most fyrmely proued by the words of our Sauyour in Iohn thus Ioh. 5.28.29 The hower shall come in the which al that are in their graues shal heare his voyce and they shal come forth that haue done good vnto the Resurrection of lyfe but they that haue done euil vnto the resurrection of condemnation Marke well he sayth not they whose friends haue done well for them they beyng dead but he sayth they which themselues haue done good shall go to lyfe Againe he affirmeth the state of the dead to remayne alwaies one and the selfe same that it was at the hower of death For he sayth not vnlesse their friends by their prayers their deuotions their déedes and their other Pelfe hath changed their condition synce death But thus the Lorde of truth which cannot lye Christ Iesus sayth They they which haue done euil and dye without his speciall gifte of repentance they shal go to Hel. And thus shall the matter stand in the day of Iudgement sayth Christ in the Gospell after saint Mathewe Mat. 25.41 Departe from me yee curssed into euerlasting fyre which is prepared for the Deuil and his Angels for I was an hungry you gaue me no meate c. But percase they might aunswere our friends gaue penny dole for vs during the dayes of the worlde But still this answere they shall haue Departe from me ye curssed into Hell you I say you gaue me no breade O poore Papists forget not Math. 25.1.2.3 c. how that the Virgins which had no Oyle
for enstructions they are sent to the law and propheticall bookes of Gods holy scriptures To determine this disputation the Prophets saints and seruants of God refuse to take deuine worship giuen vnto them Apoc. 19.10 Act. 10.16 14.4 But this Spectrum dyd take it and reprooueth not the same an absolute conclusion that it was the spirite of Satan and not the Prophete of the Lorde Samuell who rightly sayde that Saule in soule should be with him on the morrow which is the place of all abiect Murtherers which from true religion fall to his opposite Hebr. 6.4 Idolatry as sayth the Apostle It is impossible that they which were once lightened and haue tasted of the heauenly gifte and were made partakers of the holye ghost and haue tasted of the good worde of God and of the powers of the worlde to come if they fall awaye should bee renewed by repentance seeing they crucifie agayne to themselues the sonne of God and make a mock of him And an other place Hebr. 10.26 If we synne wyllingly after that we haue receyued the knowledge of the truth there remayneth no more sacrifice for syns but a fearefull looking for of iudgement and violent fyre which shall deuoure the aduersaryes Apo. 14.3 To returne to our holy Symeon he sayth he shall now depart in peace for why as saint Iohn sayth Blessed are the deade which dye in the Lorde or for the Lordes cause euen so sayth the spirite for they rest from their labors and their workes that is Gods mercifull reward follow them In this sentence all feare of death to Symeon and trembling at the Popish Purgatory Three perfite consolations agaynst the pretensed Purgatory is taken awaye from the children of God and that by thrée most assured affirmations First he sayth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which importeth by and by presently no delay or interception but euen from the very instant of death and the last gaspe as Christ also hath promised the godly though in themselues synners shall passe from death to lyfe Secondly to assure vs hereof he sayth the Spirite of God sayth so which cannot lye or be deceyued Thirdly he sayth we thenceforth rest from our labors Now the labors of the godly are afflictions of mynde and body sorrows paynes torments and terror of conscience and such lyke But from all these at the hower of death the sonnes of God in Christ ending their lyfe doe take their quiet rest Therefore Purgatory which is sayde to consist most of these labors cannot touch those or anye of them which are else purged in the onely Purgatory to a christian soule or body Heb. 9.14 1. Ioh. 1.7 1. Pet. 1.19 Reuel 1.5 Namely the bloud of Iesus Christ once shed vpon the crosse by the which he hath in his owne person purged our soules from all sinnes and not in a popish Purgatory of an imagined fyre which is no other but the Hels whose nature is euer to burne and to tormente but neuer to purge those that be thether condemned Thys Christ was Symeons purgation and consolation peace and glory in whom to whom all that beléeue in him aright shall to him with Symeon at the hower of death departe in most comfortable and quyet resting peace Some reade this place thus The godly feare not but rather desyre at Gods will to ende thys lyfe Lorde now let thy seruante departe in peace c. As if hereby he had made peticion to the Lorde to ende these dayes of sinne in his bodye and to take his lyfe from him which reading is not wythout profitable doctrine For it teacheth vs that after Christ the Lorde is once faythfully embraced of vs in harte that be godly Ephe. 1.18 there remayneth no ioy to that earnest meditation of the heauenly lyfe which enflameth loue to hunger the day of dissolution and with Paule to saye I couet to bee dissolued and to be with Christ And for our enstruction there be in this reading thrée things to vs not improfitable First that the elect of God feare not death as doe the wicked whose consciences accuse them giuen to condemnation but they at the Lords leasure desyre it bicause they know 2. Cor. 5.1 if that they were delyuered from this earthly tabernacle they should be possessed of the heauenly with Christ And here let no man obiect vnto me the feare which was in Christ against death from which he prayed thrée tymes in the Garden to be delyuered For we denye it not Mat. 26.37 Mar. 14.35 c. Luc. 22.42 c. Hebr. 2.18 but to mans nature death is yrkesome and our Christ herein doth verily teach vs that he is of our nature a naturall man with vs tasting our infyrmities that he might haue the more compassion of vs his members And the which most is the Lorde Iesus had not to fyght against naturall death onely but he was to sustayne and fully beare in his body the syns of the whole worlde and for them he was to féele in his soule and body the whole wrath of God the father for the chasticement of our peace Esa 53. was by his father fullye layde vpon him Wherefore if that thou being one of the causes of this terror hauing earnest consideration of thy horrible sinnes and doest lyft vp thine eyes to God lookeing vpon him without Christ as thine angry iudge which who can abyde cannot but be eaten vp of all sorrowe into despayre Psa 130.3 How greatly our sauiour Christ then was caused which had the burden of the whole worlde of synne layde vpon him to praye for delyuerance to his fathers wyll thou mayest by thy selfe gyue sentence Yet was he not afrayde to dye as the wicked are which haue no hope but assured of his resurrection he sayth in ioye of harte and peace of conscience Math. 26.39.42 Iohn 17.2 Father thy will be done And againe he desyreth death Venit hora glorifica filium Father the hower is come glorifye thy sonne that is to say by death that thy sonne may glorifie thée in his resurrection Take not this for an obiect to thy duety in desyre to be cut from the dayes of synne or desyre to be with Christ which is a signe of infidelitie Christ hauing by his suffering slayne synne hell and death to and for thée but remember and learne hereby how horrible a thing it is to fal into the hands of the lyuing God by synne which synne wrought in Christ such terror and that bicause he tooke the paynes due to all sinne vpon his person on the Crosse therby to become our raunsome and mediator as being a very naturall man as he is truely God sweat in the agony of hys soule Luke 22.44 before his body was apprehended bloudy drops O synne most horrible And be assured that if by infydelitie popery and carnall trace thou crucifye a freshe the Lorde of lyfe this horror shall not profite thée but thus treading
vnder foote his death most auayleable and glorious Thou shalt dye a death immortall and ignominious But the heartes of the regenerate sonnes of God feare not death bycause they are assured by his spirite to lyue with Christ This is the cause why so manye Martyrs wyllingly giue their bodyes to the fyre and other deaths terrible to the fleshe Phil. 1.29 bicause his spirite which maketh them on this wise to confesse his holye name goeth with them through the midst of the flames and corroborateth their hartes moste constantly to wade through the valley of this shadowe of death by fayth in him Secondly the children of God Hebr. 12. for the moste parte are so farre from fearing naturall death that they desyre and couet the same as the last remedy against the enimy Satan 1. Cor. 15.26 Rom. 7. Ephe. 1.14 Luk. 21.28 Rom. 8.23 as the day of delyuerie from the body of synne lastly as the dore of entrance into their eternall redemption by Christ The wicked we graunt to hunger for death many tymes but it is not to shut vp the shop of synne but by that meane to ende the daies of their deserued shame And hereof come so manye murtherers Iudas children which ashamed to liue being charged with a most guyltie conscience doe hang drowne or cut their owne throates which is the force of Satan in them as thereby beginning their endlesse sorrowes but in the godly there is this mature moderation for as they most hartilye with Paule desyre to be dissolued So they submit themselues moste humbly to his worde of decrée Phi. 1.21.22.23 c. in their appointed course regarding the place they haue and the office they beare wherein their lyfe God will vse longer then their desyre to the profite of those to whome he hath giuen them for his honorable instruments to the benefite of his beloued Church Wherfore they restrayne theyr peticions in Symeons lyne thus O Lorde when it pleaseth thée according to thy worde for my dayes are thereby numbred which I shall not passe Note here that no Papist in the perswation of Popery can say vnto his soule Now shall I depart in peace according to thy worde No Papist in Popery can dye in peace For neyther hath Popery or any part therof warrant thence or doth that profession worke peace in the conscience of his pacient at the hower of death but farre the contrary For if when Satan féedeth their ignorant humors and with pleasure draweth them to the profession they neuer therein can finde sure foote of stay to quyet their minds for sinne How shall they thereby feele that necessary bulwarke and Ancor of health at the instant of natures farewell when that subtill Serpent doth now no longer dally but draw them into despaire shewing them the multitude of their sinnes their securitie in euil their ignorance in God their doubt of his fauour which is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Popery his seuere iustice and their forlorne estate Then aske they by what meanes shall I passe his iudgemente By Masses sayth one by the Popes pardon sayth an other by the merits of the saints sayth the thirde But then doth Satan sharply fight against the wounded conscience and openeth the truth as thereby further to pierce his conscience to death and enforcing to his harte these things cannot helpe thée thy trust is vaine in them Against which temptation what helpe in Popery They are fayne to cry this is thy helpe euen Iesus Christ but then his comfort is cut short in that they pull his meditation from the Lorde crucifyed and lay on bed before him a brasen Crucifixe They tell him that his friends shall praye for him and the Church shal be plyed with Trentals to delyuer him from Purgatory which doctrine is most troublesome and so the poore Papist for all that Popery can doe dyeth thereby moste doubtfull of rest if not most fearefull of eternall payne Consyder this well there is not the best treasure in Popery that doth warrante thée peace in death If the death of Christ be not sufficient hereto so say they most blasphemously where then shall we haue it in the Masse No for then would that sacrifice sometime cease But so long as the worlde endureth euen so long will they if God ouerthrowe not their seate contynue that deade sacrifice for the dead soule in whose cause it is daylie song or saide Doth not this argue a doubt of valor in the Masse And also of the peace of the soule for whome it is called Requiem Is not this true Can this worke peace in the hart Popery yeeldeth no quyet to mans conscience when the best account made at the foote therof he fyndeth an arrearege which his soule is to aunswere in burning fyre and flaming brimstone in a Purgatorie of payne whence he cannot by all the cunning of Popish arte know when or how to be delyuered Smale quyet in conscience to a poore Papist which séeth no remedy but that he muste from lyfe to death from earthly troubles to hellish paines without intermission to be boyled in lead and imprisoned by Deuils in paynes incurable O poore harte be wise in God imbrace his word beléeue in his Christ walke in his statutes by the grace of his spirite so shalt thou be assured that the popish Purgatory is Hell from whence no man can be delyuered So shall all terror of death be drawne from thée Luc. 16.16 Ephe. 1.13.14 1. Ioh. 5.10 Rom. 8.1 for his holye spirite shall seale thée vp to redemption and the witnesse shal be within thée agaynst Synne Satan Pope and Hell that no condemnation can come to thée which by fayth art ingraffed into Christ whose lyfe is not to walke after the wicked fleshe but after Gods holye spirite guyding thy soule and body into true righteousnesse and sanctification during thy naturall lyfe By this rule onely shalt thou obtayne peace but to the wicked sayth the Prophete vz to the Papist lyuing and dying in Popery there shall be no peace Esa 48.22 Obiection And here I preuent this obiection What say you then of all our forefathers in the long time of Popery are they all without peace What is become of our forefathers in Popry Are they all condemned No God forbid When Achab and Iesabell had ouerrunne all Israell with Idolatry so that Helias supposed hymselfe onely to stande for the cause of God 3. Reg. 19. the Lord answered that he had reserued seauen thousand that is to saye a great multitude in euery part of Israell which did not bowe the knée to Baal Nero was a most cruell persecutor of Christes Church and yet saint Paule wytnesseth Iesus the Lorde Phil. 4.22 to haue his Churche euen in his persecuting Courte But ye will saye these were drawne by preaching of the worde but in Popery the worde is kept hydden from the people It is so Yet we doubt not but as at the
last hower the spirite of God lightened the harte of the théefe vpon the Crosse Luck 23.40 Ezech. 18. Eph. 1.4.5 Ioh. 1.9 1. Tim. 2.4 Eph. 1.18 Heb. 1.3 so that in yéelding to death he sawe Christ onely to be his lyfe So the same most louing father who wylleth not the death of a synner hath euen in the hower of death and in all the dayes of Popery tourned the hartes of as many as were predestinate before all tymes in Christ to lyue eternally And that our Christ which lighteneth all men that come into the worlde and would haue all men that is to say of euerye country nation people and families some to be saued and come to the knowledge of the truth Hath also illuminated the hartes of all those whome the father hath by his spirite drawne out of the Dungeon of Papistrie to thys brightnesse of his glory wherby they haue with the eyes of their fayth séene this Iesus Christ to be the onely saluation of Iewe Turke Pagan Papist and Gentyle and consequently haue in harte felt him for theirs to their greate and synguler consolation After which sight they haue in the integritie of their soules 1. Cor. 3.12 Phil. 3.8 accounted al the hey tymber stubble and Popishe stuffe as fylthie doung and paciently abode the paine of death for their former ignorance and rest in hope of eternall peace and in the assurance of hys spirite that their synnes in his bloude are washed awaye They are perswaded that death is to them lyfe in cause whereof they haue in Christ banished that feare which bringeth paynefulnesse 1. Io. 4.18 and with Symeon haue sayde Now Lorde let vs thy seruants depart in peace for the eyes of our minde nowe in the agony of our soule hath through the day spring which from an high hath visited vs perfitly seene the Lorde thy Christ to be our sauing health â—uc 1.78 in whome wee departe to thee who neuer before this hower in these dayes of ignoraunce could attayne to this grace But now Lord receiue vs in peace through Christ our lord our God of peace and the same to all his chosen children The prouydence of God in tyme of Popery féedeth this our sentence of the forefathers thus blessed in the dayes of ignorance In that he conserued and during those tymes continued among men the Symbole of our fayth which very manye at their death haue constantly repeated and by open declaration haue affirmed in that fayth to ende their lyfe But thys Symbole preacheth onely the gloryous fayth in God the Father God the sonne and God the holy Ghost In Popery no saluation wherfore I conclude that manye of our forefathers were in the daies of Popery saued by fayth alone in Christ and that by Popery no man may or can be saued For the whole course of the Romishe Religion is to disperce Mat. 12.30 and not to gather together the saintes of God to the vnitie of fayth and knowledge in the sonne of GOD but to hayle to the fayth of Rome which maketh as many Sauiours as the sunne shyning giueth shadowes which can in no case permit a man eyther to rest alone in the death of Christ or to assure himselfe of saluation in hym But to attayne lyfe Popishe Treasures the Papists must fetch the treasures of the Church of Rome parte whereof is the blood of Martyrs though some of them be notable Traytors It is to playne that they make such not Mediators onely but Sauiours also from synne Who can forget this solemne Anthemne to that Traytor Thomas Becket sometimes Byshop of Caunterbury which the Popes Portuse and all laten Primers haue farsed in them for men in prayer to vse In the Popishe Primers Tu per Thomae sanguinem quem pro te impendit fac nos Christe scandere quo Thomas ascendit That is graunt vs Christ by the vertue of saint Thomas his bloud which he shedde for thée to ascende whether Thomas is gone where note that Christ hath but that office which else they giue to Peter Namely to be the dore kéeper and to admit those soules into heauen which clayme it by the bloud of Barrabas I should say Thomas and they do refuse bicause they doe distrust the raunsome of Christ our onely way to lyfe Oh horrible and most abhominable blasphemy Ioh. 14.6 But deare Reader No man can come to the father sayth our sufficient Sauyour but by mee And therefore praying for the Papists conuersioÌ„ if it be Gods good will let vs as Paule doth exhort vs Heb. 12.19 seeing by the bloud of Iesus we may be bold to enter into the holy place into heauen by the newe and lyuing way which he hath prepared for vs thorow the vayle that is to say his fleshe and seeing we haue an high Priest ouer the house of God let vs drawe neare with a true hart in assurance of fayth sprinckled made pure in our hearts from an euil conscience and washed in our bodies with pure water Let vs keepe the profession of our hope without wauering for he is faythfull that promised And let vs consider one another to prouoke vnto loue and to good workes not forsaking the felowship that we haue among our selues as the maner of some is but let vs exhorte one another that so much the more bicause ye see the day draweth neere Let vs expect his comming and loue the Lorde so shall we not feare any perrill of death And God graunt our Englishe Papistes once to sée and be ashamed of their wylfulnesse to damnation sléeping in the bedde of the whore of Babilon Reuel 18. which is prepared to desolation and perpetuall fyre And to imbrace his Gospell which is the onely ioy of soule and solace in death â—â—t 3.17 the path to lyfe in that Sauiour in whome God the father is onely pacifyed The second note is that the godly are so farre from fearing naturall death that on the contrary part they humbly many tymes at the hande of God can earnestly pray for it and wyshe it yea and eaten vp of griefe for the dayes of synne they lament that they are not disburdened of the bodye thereof Finally in desyre of the full accomplishment of the bodye of Christ that the same his Church might be thorowly glorifyed in heauen as she is in parte and in earth perfitly sanctifyed The saints in this lyfe praye for the dissolution of the world and Christ to come with speede to iudgement For the fyrst Paule prayeth thus I desyre to be dissolued and to be with Christ and our Symeon here Lorde now let thy seruaunt depart in peace Secondly in the seuenth to the Romaynes Paule cryeth out of synne lamenting and saying O wretched man that I am who shall delyuer me from the body of this death that is from this lumpe of fleshly sinne and death Where note gentle Christian that the saintes of God are subiect to the
hym to preaching Paule And also of a most zealous Pharisey in blyndnesse made him most feruent in the Gospell of God to all our comfortes which be Gentyls For thys our Lord Christ Aelion most highe hath consecrated Paule aboue Peter to be our especiall Apostle both at Rome and else where in the rounde world Our Sauyour Christ our God Iere. 20. Esa 42. is also called of the Hebrewes El. to say of his great strength For whatsoeuer he wyll doe that can he doe For which cause he is called by the Prophets The God of strength and the mightye Lorde or Gygante Sometyme also Eloah and of the Trinitie in coniunction we may say Elohim which signifyeth God our Christ in his deuyne nature to be alwayes and euery where present in heauen and in earth and in peace and warre in persecution and preaching peace in workes and playes in actes and thoughtes in lyfe and death in all places at one and selfe instante Of whose presence the Psalmist sayth thus Whether shall I go from thy Spirite Psal 139. or where shall I flee from thy face If I ascend into heauen thou art there if I go down to hell thou art there also But if I shall take the wings of the morning and dwell in the farthest part of the Sea euen there shall thy hande gouerne me and thy right hande shall beholde me And Paule aptly pronounceth our Lordes presence to the Athenians Act. 17.28 testifying him not to be farre from them but they in him rather saying For in him we lyue moue haue our being And it séemeth probable for this cause the Grecians to haue called God Theos and the Latines to haue formed thence thys worde Deus As one learned affyrmeth Theos to come of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of redynesse and running to and fro so is God called by such a name as best can expresse his presence who is neuer absent from mortall men in earth but to euery man in all places gyueth all things that they possesse Of which his liberalitie some suppose him to be called Deus a dando for that he gyueth to all men that they haue God our Lorde and Christ is also called Schaddai .i. sufficient in himselfe and the sufficientcy to all creatures that whosoeuer hath him to their Lorde hath all sufficientcy to body and soule to this and the lyfe eternall And in oure tongue we call Christ in his deuyne nature God that is the most principall and best good Lastly he is called the God of Abraham the God of Isaack the God of Iacob insinuating vnto vs from whence the holynesse of these Fathers with their fayth came And also that as we are the posteritie of the Noble Abraham by fayth in Christ So is he to vs our best good and most excellent God so that with Paule we may conclude our selues in him most vertuous Rom. 8.31.32 sufficient and blessed saying If God be on our syde who can be against vs. It is God that iustifyeth who shall condemne Againe if he hath giuen vs Christ how shal he not giue vs all things with him And by him we shall bée more then Conquerors Loe this god is thy Iesus whose power is prest and ready to thy best good if thou faythfully put thy trust in him He is also called the Lordes Christ which word Christ Luc. 4.18 Esa 61.1 importeth his honorable Function by the excellent Oyntment aboue his fellowes euen the holy ghost by which he is annoynted of his father to be the king and Priest of his Church for euer according to this saying Heb. 7.17 Thou art a priest for euer after the order of Melchesidech So then he is called Iesus of the worde Iesehak and so called as the Angell testifyeth bicause he saueth his people from theyr synne Mat. 1.21 The worde Christ is a greeke word which aunswereth the Hebrewe vocable Messhiah annoynted In olde tyme with the people these persons Prophets Priests and Princes were annoynted with Oyle Wherefore our Iesus is called Anoynted signifying the plentifull graces of Gods spirite giuen to those called of god to these Functions and also into what perillous daungers and harde battles they were to enter which truely exercised that seuerall calling By which Oyling they were as with a Symbole put in mynd what couragious Champions they ought to be in their offices This was the cause why the noble Champions before the pryse playde were annoynted But in as much as the Lord Christ had a greater enimy then all other Champions and therewyth a most deadly fyght towards whose body and soule was to stande in the battle of death vppon the crosse against his fathers iustice for the synnes of the whole worlde Satans malice and mans corruption Hell and Death it was most necessary that he shoulde before thys cruel combate haue a more precious Oyntment then had his shadowing fellowes preaching Prophets sacrifycing priests and ruling Princes Wherefore he was annoynted with the holy ghost The spirit of God is vpon me sayth Christ because he hath annoynted me that I should preache the Gospell to the poore c. Esa 61. Luc. 4.18 This sentence expresseth Christs priesthood kingdome and preaching office He is sente sayth he to preache His kingdome he is annoynted to delyuer the oppressed His priesthood he is giuen to heale the broken and wounded hartes wyth synne and iniquitie by the sacrifice of his death vpon the crosse During hys lyfe he preached the gospel Rom. 1.16 which is Gods power in Christ to saluation to euery one that beleeueth In his sacrifice of hymselfe vpon the crosse he performed both the other By his death he healed our infirmities Esa 53. Col. 1.20 for the chastisment of our peace was layde vpon him In hys death he obtayned the victory hauing fully aunswered the Fathers iustice against synne death and hell and spoyled principalities and powers and hath made a shew of them openly Col. 2.15 and hath tryumphed ouer them in the same crosse He hath forgyuen vs our synnes put out the hande wryting that was agaynst vs he hath taken it out of the waye and fastened it to his crosse hath translated vs from the power of darknes into the kingdome whereof he is king of kings and Lorde of Lordes vz the body of hys Church of which he is the onely heade Whose kingdome is thréefold of power of grace and of glory Of power for all Nations shall bow the knee to this Lorde of Lordes and king of kings Christ the annoynted king and priest And who so wyl not kysse the sonne Christ Iesus shal perish whether Prince Psal 2. 1. Rom. 14 17. Potentate Preacher Magistrate people or pestilente Pope Of grace which he sayth by Luke is within vs and consisteth as Paule sayth in righteousnesse Christ the high Byshop of our soules in peace and ioy in the holy Ghost His kingdome of glory as well in that he