of his enemies Moreover Pilates wife In Chr. 10. An. Chr. 34. whom Lucius Dexter calls Claudia Procula was earnest with her husband that he would give no rigid sentence against Christ but the threats of the Jews did more sharply prick him then his wifes advice Perhaps Pilates wife dream'd that he should smart for it which afterwards fell out accordingly when he was sent an Exile into Vienna in France as Josephus Ado and others report and we read that afterwards out of desperation he laid violent hands upon himself Furthermore Christ suffered under Pilate an ordinary Judge that he might absolve us from the severe judgement of God and to conclude that his innocency might be demonstrated for Pilate gave him this testimony that he found no cause of death in him Joh. 18.38 Therefore God would have him examined and so by consequence it was very clear that Christ was delivered to death not for his own but for our sins Against this passion of Christ under Pilate it may be objected Object that he was slain from the beginning of the world Rev. 13.8 how therefore could this be under Pilate To this we answer Answ that Christ was slain from the beginning of the world by appointment election power efficacy acceptation but not by execution He was slain from the beginning in the minde and purpose of God in an ideal passion but under Pilate in a real But Pilate seems to be absolved from the guilt Object because he did nothing but what God decreed beforehand to be done Act. 4.28 Answ To this likewise it may be said that God did not preordain the hatred of the Jews towards Christ but foreknowing it did purpose to make good use of it and by his precognition or foreknowledge of the evil determined the redemption of mankinde by the death of Christ The action displeased him the passion was acceptable The shameful act of the Jews and Pilate displeased God extremely but the passion of Christ and the redemption of mankinde from thence arising was exceeding acceptable Prosp ad objecta Gallorum resp 13. decreed from eternity and preordained Which is Prospers and other Doctors judgement in the point From what hath been spoken it is manifest how that the wicked do execute the counsel of God although they purpose no such thing and yet notwithstanding are not exempted from blame But some one may say Object Christ ought to suffer and therefore neither Pilate nor the Jews may seem to have sinned He ought indeed upon supposition Answ a necessity being derived from a voluntary decree of his dying for Jesus suffered because he would otherwise he could have escaped his enemies hands Ye have heard that Christ suffered and under whom It follows in the Creed that he was crucified Mat. 27.23 And they are urgent to have this punishment of the cross inflicted on him before any other as being the most cruel lingring and shameful death of all The offender was exposed alive to the view and mockery of all people hanging on a tree he was accursed Deut. 21.23 All kinde of hanging not onely among the Jews but among the Romans also was of most extreme infamy and disgrace as both Seneca and Livy testifie Seneca epist 101. Liv lib. 14. And this seems to be the reason that he who is hang'd on high is judged in a manner unworthy to tread on the earth with his feet and therefore he is lifted up from it Wherefore Christ that he might make himself of no account did undergo this most vile and accursed kinde of death and took that curse upon himself that was due to us Gal. 3.13 But wherefore would God have his Son rather to be crucified then otherwise punished the reason was saith Tertullian That he who overcame by the tree to wit the Devil by his envious working might be overcome also by the tree Secondly that by his suffering of the most cruel punishment he might procure for us a most copious redemption by satisfying to the full the Divine justice so others and from hence cometh our chiefest consolation Thirdly to satisfie the figures and oracles of the Prophets Ità S. August lib 6. de Civ Dei c. 32. in the which it was fore-signified For the brasen serpent being lifted up in the wilderness Num. 21. Joh. 3. the sacrifices which were lifted up on high Levit. 7. were the types of Christ crucified And as Isaac bare the wood whereon he was afterwards laid Gen. 22. so likewise did Christ the wood of the Cross One part of the mount Moriah was without Jerusalem wherein S. Jerom informs us out of a tradition of the Jews that Isaac and Christ likewise were offered up This place was afterwards called the mount of Calvary by reason of the sculls of the condemned that were there put to death Here Adams scull as some think was found whom Tertullian and other of the Ancients deemed to have been buried under the Cross some also affirming that the bloud of Christ hanging upon the Cross ran down upon Adams scull which manifests to us that he and his posterity beleeving in Christ should be saved by his bloud and this was beleeved by the godly as S. Cyprian averrs in a Discourse of the Resurrection Which opinion is pious enough but I know not how true In general it is evident that from the bloud of Christ there is a vertue derived most efficacious unto salvation Let us in the mean time bewail our sins for the which Christ was pierced through with nails and as the Israelites looked on the brazen serpent let us in like manner by the eyes of faith look upon Jesus and we shall be healed and as much as in us lies let us be crucified unto the world for this cause let him be wholly fixed in our heart who was wholly fastned upon the Cross for us And so pass we from his crucifixion to his death The Lamb of God expired on the Cross at the same time that the evening lamb or the daily sacrifice was offered up in the Temple to wit at the ninth hour with the Jews which answers to our third hour in the afternoon The death of Christ was voluntary no man took his life from him but he laid it down of himself Joh. 10.18 which is certainly apparent from his strong cry on the Cross when others being about to die lose their speech and do onely wheez in the throat Not without cause said the Centurion greatly admiring This is the Son of God Mat. 27.54 The bowing of his head sheweth the same whereas other men die before they bow their head And because the death of Christ was voluntary therefore meritorious otherwise he would not have been punished for our disobedience Secondly his death was innocent which the whole History proveth and the confession of his enemies Thirdly his death was precious the dignity whereof was from the dignity of the Person and so equivalent to eternal death Christ ought to die by
future events the end and profit of all things the impossibility of the progress of causes without end It may be proved likewise out of Scripture well-nigh by infinite testimonies by divers apparitions by stupendious miracles by the writings of the Prophets and by the admirable event of things He therefore that denies that there is a God is not void onely of reason but sense also as AviceÌ„na is reported to have said It is manifest therefore that there is a God now let us see what he is God cannot be defined because he is immense he may be described Philosophically and Theologically Philosophically God is a Spirit sufficient of himself and the cause of all good Theologically God is the most perfect being one in essence three in Persons The Theological description differs from the Philosophical first in perfection for it adds something unknown to nature concerning the Trinity and unfolds or explains that which is known to nature Secondly in effect natural knowledge renders men onely inexcusable Rom. 1.20 but supernatural knowledge is saving hence then the true God differs from the gods of the Gentiles in Attributes Persons Works In Attributes because they are not rightly and entirely understood by them that are without the pale of the Church In Persons because the Gentiles are ignorant of the Trinity In Works because the wonderful works of God and especially that of the Redemption are not perceived by them who are out of the Church But now omitting other proprieties which amongst Schoolmen are handled at large I will first shew that God is one the Lord he is God there is none else besides him Deut. 4.35 Furthermore chief Majesty is competent to no more but one None can be the most perfect unless he be but one but God contains in him all possible perfection by reason of the latitude of his essence Yea there can be but one onely Omnipotent And if there should be more Gods they are all imperfect or the rest are superfluous both which to say is absurd Besides that which is Infinite can be but one onely neither can there be but one first cause of all things and to conclude it is most necessary that the onely chief good be but one God therefore is one and the onely one as Saint Bernard saith Object Yet there are many that are called Gods Answ But this is done improperly either by reason of a certain similitude or likeness or according to the opinion of vain man First by a certain similitude as either for eminency of nature and wisdom as Angels or for excellency of office as Magistrates or for exceeding great power as the Devil or for the â—oo too much indulging of it as the belly Secondly out of a false opinion of men Idols are called Gods It appears therefore that God is one now we are to shew that he is three in Persons Tho. Par. 1. q. 32. art 1. â— Sent. dist 3. The Trinity cannot be proved by the light of nature as Thomas teacheth against Scotus Yet Lumbard fetcheth some footsteps of the Trinity from the creatures especially from the three faculties of the soul the understanding memory and will But these do onely produce a confused knowledge not a distinct God is three but not threefold for he is a most simple being of himself and we use the name of Trinity not because the Scripture saith so but because it doth not contradict it and for the thing it self it is in the Scriptures though not the very word that being implied this not expressed and you may interpret Scripture in convenient words especially by reason of the deceit of Hereticks concealing their heresies for the most part under Scripture expressions In many places of Holy Writ it doth evidently appear that there are three Persons Matth. 3.16 The Father proclaims it This is my beloved Son The Son is baptized and the Holy Ghost descendeth in the likeness of a dove 1 Joh. 5.7 There are three that bear witness in heaven The Father is of himself the Son from the Father begotten from eternity The Holy Ghost proceedeth from both The Father is distinguished from the Son but not another essence and so of the rest But in this matter better is a faithful ignorance then a rash knowledge I conclude therefore with Robert Holcot Quaest 10. a most famous Professor in our University of Oxford who as Gabriel Biel relates it Quaest 10. Determ 1. sent dist 13. qu. 11. saith thus modestly Dignè loqui de Personis Vim transcendit rationis Excedit ingenia Quid sit nasci quid processus Me nescire sum professus Thus Englished To speak condignly of the Persons three Transcendeth reason in a high degree It doth exceed all wits What it is to be born what the a Alià s proceeding process I understand it not I do profess Some one perhaps may say Obser that the three Persons are not essence Answ But this is true of a finite essence onely Object Moreover that where there are three and one there are four but in God there are three Persons and one essence Answ yet they are not really distinct Object But it may be objected that their essences are distinct whose operations are distinct Answ We answer that this is to be affirmed onely of persons that have a finite being The first Person then of the Trinity is called the Father The name of the Father is taken sometimes personally by way of distinction from the Son and sometimes essentially in reference to the creatures for the whole Divine essence The first Person is called Father either in respect of Christ or in respect of us Or like as Durandus sheweth he is the Father of all generally the Father of Christ singularly and the Father of the elect especially Credo in Deum I beleeve in God It refers not onely to the Father but also to the Son and Holy Ghost and the Father is called omnipotent not excluding the other Persons God is omnipotent because he can do all things what he pleaseth all things that do not imply a contradiction and which are not repugnant to his nature and because he doth all things without difficulty or by his beck onely because he alone hath power of doing all things and for that he is the Author of all created power If it be said that God cannot die sin Object lye We answer Answ God can do those things which imply power but nothing that argues impotency or weakness for this would not stand with his perfection And if it be said that he cannot do those things which are contradictory We answer that this would be inconsistent with his immutability I pass by niceties This is the most principal thing seeing that God is omnipotent he that feareth God hath not any thing beyond that he need to fear and if God be with us who can be against us It follows in the Creed that God is the Creator of heaven and earth that is of the whole
sinner as the selling of Joseph or the crucifying of Christ We answer that this is done in a diverse respect it is attributed to the sinner as it is an evil work but to God as it is a good one This is the reason of that common simile of a hors-man riding on a lame horse its halting or lameness proceeds not from the hors-man but from the horse it self Joseph's brethren sold him out of malice God permitted this out of mercy lest he should have been slain for his own glory and for the great advantage and profit of his servant The Jews crucified Christ out of ill-will God the Father permitted this out of his greatest good will towards men Judas betrayed Christ out of covetousness our heavenly Father out of love They err who affirm that God doth incline and force the will of the wicked to commit great and grievous sins to have formed man in his mothers womb with a perversness of nature and a necessity of sinning or to this end to have created Esau to lead a wicked life or to move a thief to kill the innocent and him that is not prepared to die This is most certain that God doth not approve of wickedness neither is he the cause of it yet all things subject themselves to his providence all his creatures rational or irrational all events good or evil But his principal care is of his elect His providence in respect of them is most special We should do well therefore to be patient in adversity thankful in prosperity and hope for the future For our God is omnipotent good and true Hitherto of the first part of the Creed the second follows which is concerning faith in Christ in these words And in Jesus Christ his onely Son our Lord c. The second Person is true God not mere man otherwise he were not the object of our faith He is called Jesus in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a Saviour because he saveth his people Jeschuah Jehoscuah Matth. 1.21 This name JESUS is honey in the mouth melody in the ear a jubile or rejoycing in the heart Others have had this name Joshua a Captain or Leader and Joshua the High Priest But they by the imposition of men Jesus by the denunciation of an Angel Those were saviours by a figure and typically but Jesus truly and in his own nature They brought corporal good things and Jesus spiritual They were ministers or servants He the Master Jesus is a Saviour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or superlatively He alone saveth excluding the creatures There is no other name given under heaven whereby they may be saved Acts 4.12 He saveth from the evil of sin and from the evil of punishment the cause being taken away the effect ceaseth let therefore every faithful soul rejoyce and say O Jesu be thou to me a Jesus or Saviour Secondly our Mediator is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unctus anointed à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ungo to anoint but in Hebrew he is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And as he hath his Hebrew name Jeschuah Maschiach because he was to be the Saviour of the Jews so he hath his Greek name Christ because he was to be the Saviour of the Greeks that is of the Gentiles and other nations for all the Gentiles were called Grecians as S. Epist 200. Austin saith because from the time of Alexander the Great the Greeks having the rule almost over all nations did propagate their tongue together with their Empire As the Prophets Priests and Kings were wont to be anointed so likewise Christ was anointed although not in regard of the signe outwardly and ceremonially yet in respect of the thing signified inwardly and really He was anointed because he was ordained to the office of a Mediator and endued with gifts for the accomplishing of the same work of this duty The bestowing of gifts was in reference to his humane nature the ordination to his office was according to either nature Christ was anointed to be a Prophet and a Teacher who should make known the will of his Father to be a High Priest and a Priest that by the sacrifice of his body he might redeem us and that he might always intercede for us to be a King that he might guide us by his word and Spirit This is our duty then that by the odour of his ointments we should run after him Draw thou us O Lord Jesus and we shall run after thee From Christ we are called Christians and this name was first given them at Antioch Act. 11.26 Of his fulness we have all received and he hath made us kings and priests to God our Father We are kings that we should fight against Satan the world yea and against our selves Fortior est qui se quà m qui fortissima vincit He 's stronger that subdues himself by far Then he that conquers greatest walls by war We are Priests that we may sacrifice to God the sacrifice of praise prayer contrition alms righteousness and in fine serve him in all things appertaining to a Christian life We are Prophets that we may know God and knowing him we may truly profess him that we may be Christians not onely in outward profession but also by inward communion that we may be members of the Church not onely in appearance but also in reality and truth As for the remaining titles of our Mediator He is next of all called the Son of God He was his Son according to the Divine nature being light of light and God of God And according to the humane nature after the common manner in respect of creation and after a special manner in respect of conception The Son is the onely begotten for he hath no brethren according to eternal generation nor according to his extraordinary conception yet the elect are called Christs brethren by reason of the Fathers adoption and likeness of humane nature for their liberality charity and for some kinde of conformity they have with Christ Besides our Mediator is called Lord. Lord was a title of the Emperours so high that Cesar Augustus would not be so called as Dio and Tertullian testifie deeming himself to be unworthy of so great a name It seems he did this by Divine instinct that that glorious Title being untouch'd might remain to the onely Son of God The King of kings and Lord of lords who straight after came into the world But at this time the Turks call their Emperour the great Lord and the Tartarians Persians and others of the East countrey Sultan that is Lord. Jesus is our Lord by right of creation because all things were made by him Col. 1.16 by right of redemption which we have through his bloud Col. 1.14 By right of principality for he is the head of all principality and power Col. 2.10 By right of preserving his unto salvation for he giveth life eternal to his sheep Joh. 10.28
conception will cover our impurity if that hereafter we endeavour to be pure So was his conception his nativity succeeds Christ was born that he might signifie to us the truth of his humane nature Born of Mary to shew that he was of the fathers to wit David and Abraham of whom Mary came Born of the Virgin Mary lest he should be defiled with original sin and that the Scripture should be fulfilled this the Prophet foretold Isai 7.14 Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bring forth a Son Neither were the Sybils silent in this matter if those things be true which are written of them And truly Boetius in his Tractate of Scholastical discipline reports a wonderful thing to wit that there was found in Plato's tomb a plate of gold in which was written I beleeve in the Son of God that is to be born of the Virgin And such a like story Nicephorus tells of a certain man that in the time of Constantine and of his mother Irene there was a stone chest found under the earth with this inscription The Messias shall be born of a Virgin and I beleeve in him Out of all these ariseth the confirmation of our faith and firm consolation that a Saviour is born and born to us Isai 9.6 When he was rich he became poor for us For our sakes he was disgraced of men and contemned of the vulgar he was humble because he would not have us to be proud he was born of a poor Virgin that he might shew to us that we ought not to boast in riches and honour and that he might teach us to be contented with the meanest condition The Virgin brought forth her Son she wrapped him in swadling clothes having taken him first in her Virgin arms into the which he being new born the Angels had laid him as Suarez conjectures The Pastor of Israel manifested himself to be a good Shepherd to the shepherds The Angels brought news of great joy that should be to all people for that a Saviour was born Christ the Lord in the city of David and suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God Jesus the bread of life was born in Bethlehem the house of bread He was born in a stable that we should not so much care for sumptuous Palaces in which place afterwards there was built by S. Beda de locis sanctis alii Helen a most sumptuous Church to the honour of the Virgin the Mother of God Concerning the manner of his birth it was wonderfully singular and singularly wonderful Of this thing Saint Austin doth very admirably discourse saying thus Let the incredulous Jew tell me how or in what manner the dry rod to wit Aarons budded and blossomed and brought forth almonds then I will tell him how the Virgin conceived and brought forth But truly neither can the Jew explain the one nor I the other Divine mysteries are not to be discussed or searched out by the understanding but to be adored by faith saith S. Gregory I beleeve therefore that it is enough for us simply to beleeve that Christ was born of the Virgin Mary And certainly we ought piously to hold and maintain it that the blessed Mother of our Redeemer always remained a Virgin She was a Virgin before in and after her bearing or bringing forth The which S. Jerom at large proves against Helvidius And that place Mat. 1.25 He knew her not till she brought forth her first-born Son notes that he knew her not at all The like you have 2 Sam. 6. and the last verse where it is said Michal the daughter of Saul had no childe until the day of her death that is she never had any But how is Christ said to be the first-born if he had no brethren We answer that Christ is so called not because there was not any son after him but because there was none before him And where in the Scripture there is mention made of the brethren of Christ there cousin-germans and kinsmen are understood so Abraham said unto Lot We are brethren Gen. 13.8 Hitherto of the nativity of Christ his passion followeth He suffered under Pontius Pilate The whole life of Jesus was a passion he suffered in his circumcision in his flight into Egypt in fasting fourty days and in his temptation by the Devil he suffered in the want of the chiefest felicity he suffered all kinde of evils all humane infirmities sin excepted he endured poverty injury and the sense of the wrath of God but without despair and to conclude he suffered death it self according to his humane nature To teach that Christ felt no pain in his flesh nor true sorrow in his soul at the time of his passion is contrary to truth and heretical as if it should be said he took not upon him to be true and real man but onely his similitude So truly saith the Master of the Sentences The Divine nature did rest 3 Sent. dist 14. that the humane might suffer but it upheld the humane in its agonies that it might overcome The cause moving God to subject his Son to sufferings was either inward or outward The inward was the love of his good pleasure The outward threefold the misery of sin from whence was mercy sin it self from whence justice and the tyranny of the Devil from whence revenge the end and fruit of Christs passion are the same in a diverse respect the end in respect of Christ the fruit or benefit in respect of us and they are two the glory of God and our salvation The Judge under whom he suffered was Pontius Pilate the Governour of all Judea for Tiberius the Emperour that it might be evident that Jesus was the true Messias who was not to come till the sceptre was wholly taken away from Judah Gen. 49.10 which came now to pass Judea being overcome of the Romans Then it is also said that he suffered under Pilate that the truth of that which Christ spake concerning his being delivered up to the Gentiles might be manifest Matth. 20.19 Besides because his sufferings under Pilate were most heavy and grievous For Pilate scourged Christ and with thongs not by his own but by the hands of the executioners saith S. Jerom. Soon after when his body throughout was torn with scourges being crowned with thorns adorned with a purple robe and a sceptre of reed by a new kinde of mockery as it were to act in a theatre Pilate brings him in a King of misery to be beheld of the people and saith Behold the man By which words he would have moved the Jews to pity But they O hard-hearted men as they were used Christ very unmercifully made choice of Barabbas one notorious for lewd pranks to be released from punishment and were very instant requiring that the most innocent Jesus might be crucified Pilate could have denied them but he would not and against his conscience he delivered Jesus into the hands