that albeit eternall happinesse be due only by promise as a portion of grace yet it is duely performed by proportion of iustice God useth an equall inequalitie for every one shall receive his owne reward according to his owne labour 1. Cor. 3.8 So that God everie way is both iust and unpartiall Thus have I shewed that in what respect soever wee consider God he is without all respect of persons one and alike to all There is one God The third thing we have to speake of is that God is made one with us by a Mediator for there is a Mediator betweene God and man A mediator is a middle person that commeth betweene two parties that be at variance to be a meane of attonement and peace who dealeth with each partie untill he bring them under some contract and covenant Now it is plaine that God and man were at enmitie man the partie offending God the partie offended a middle person commeth in between and labours a reconciliation binding up a covenant between them That man shal satisfie for the wrong he hath done and performe obedience in times comming as also on the other part That God shall remit his wrath receive man into his favour and give unto him eternall life But because man was unable to performe his part of the covenant this same Mediator becommeth his suertie and undertaketh for him both to satisfie the law and iustice of God for mans sinne and also to make him performe obedience in time following by renewing him againe unto the image which he had lost in Adam That hee might performe the first hee behoved to be a Priest to offer up himselfe in an expiatorie sacrifice and that hee might performe the second it was needful that he should be a Prophet and a King for the corruption of man which he was to take away that man might performe obedience to God had two parts ignorance in the mind and enormitie or rebellion in the will and affections To cure our ignorance hee behoved to be a Prophet to instruct us to take away our enormitie and rebellion hee must be a King powerfully to convert our hearts and to rule the same by his spirit that so hee might make us to obey God all the rest of our life wee being once made partakers of his satisfaction So our Mediator being our suertie was both a Priest a Prophet and a King a Priest after the order of Melchizedeck Psal 110.4 a Prophet to be heard when Moses should hold his peace Deut. 18.18 a King to save his people whose name should be the Lord our righteousnesse Ier. 23.6 Davids Priest Moses his Prophet Ieremies King and these formerly had met double two of them in some other Melchizedeck King and Priest Samuel Priest and Prophet David Prophet and King never all three but in him alone As he who is Mediator betweene God and man is suertie for man performing his part so also doth he performe Gods part to man He who as Mediator or rather Suertie satisfied for sinne doth as he is God remit that sinne which he satisfied for receive man into his favour give him grace in this life and glory in the life to come and in a word performes all Gods part of the covenant For this cause the Apostle to the Hebrewes calleth the covenant in respect of Gods part Christs Testament because Christ hath bequeathed those things unto us in his legacie namely remission of sinnes iustification and eternall life So that we have a double benefite by the death of our Mediator one that thereby he hath satisfied for our sinnes as he is our Suertie another that thereby he hath confirmed his Testament contayning a disposition of these things which God hath bound himselfe by covenant to give us For a Testament is of no strength while the Testator liveth Heb. 9.16 Thus after a wonderfull maner one is both Mediator to draw on an agreement betweene these two parties and suertie for mans part of the bargaine and also he performeth Gods part of the covenant bequeathing unto us in legacie these things which God hath promised to give us and as a faithfull testator confirming the same by his death Then God is reconciled to man by a mediator but have the Angels no benefite by his mediation seeing the Apostle only saith that there is a mediator between God and man I answer that they have though not so great as man 1. They have this benefite that they are gathered and united under one head together with the rest of the Church for all things both which are in heaven and which are in earth are gathered together in one in Christ Ephes 1.10 2. They have this benefite also that their friendship with man is renued he being reconciled to God 3. By this mediator their ruins are repaired and their number filled because men that are reconciled succeed in the place of Angels that fell saith S. Austin 4. He furnisheth unto them matter of ioy for they reioyce at the conversion of a sinner 5. By him they get greater knowledge of the mysteries of God revealed unto them 6. By him they are confirmed so in grace that they cannot fall they being changeable of themselves therefore we say in the Schooles That though they have not a mediator of redemption yet they have a mediator of confirmation according to that of Bernard Qui erexit hominem lapsum dedit stanti Angelo ne laberetur sic illum de captivitate eruens sicut hunc à captivitate defendens Finally some say they have this benefite also that their obedience being not perfect enough of it selfe nor able to stand before God for he findeth iniquity in the Angels is accepted as most perfect for this mediators sake and therefore they are said even to be reconciled to God by this mediatour Col. 1.20 Others goe further saying that the Angels as also all other creatures besides man had declined somewhat from their first beginning but were restored againe to their integritie by this mediator and so they understand the word recapitulat Eph. 1.10 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth to call a thing backe to the first beginning as well as to gather in one head as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth both the head and beginning of a thing The fourth point set downe here is that this mediator is one There is one Mediator Whereby as I said before of the one God three things are signified that he is indivisible immutable and alike to all 1. He is one that is indivisible one onely not manie and that both in respect of his person and in respect of his office His person is indivisible and onely one for albeit he be God and man yet he is not two but one Non alter ex patre alter ex matre sed aliter ex patre aliter ex matre as was concluded against the wicked heresie of Nestorius Bishop of Constantinople who divided the two natures of our
a blasphemie worthie the tearing of garments Thus they sometimes make Saints mediators of redemption sometimes they denie it and so contradict both themselves the Apostle here affirming that our mediator is one As hereby hesignifieth that the mediator is one only not manie so likewise that hee is immutable and unchangeable one and the same yesterday to day and for ever So saith the author of the booke of Wisedome speaking of this Mediator that uncreated Wisedome Being one she can doe all things And the Apostle Heb. 1.12 applyeth that place of the Psalme to him Thou art the same and thy yeares shall not fayle He is one and the same objectivé subjectivé effectivé Objectivé the same in his word for he who yesterday was shadowed in the Law is to day shewed in the Gospell Idem subjectivé the same in his person and in his attributes and office in his person the same before and after his Incarnation for taking upon him our nature he was no more changed thereby than a man is by putting on a vesture Homo quippe Deo accessit non Deus á se recessit home factus naturam suscipiende nostram non amittende suam as the divine Poet verie sweetly Ille manet quod semper erat quod non erat esse incipiens He did not leave off to be what he was but he begun to be what he was not Againe he is the same in his attributes in his power in his office being alwayes the Lord of his people the shepheard of his flocke the head of his Church the mediator betweene God and man Finally he is idem effectivé the same in his workes in his goodnesse in his grace he who yesterday was a mediator for Abraham Izaac and Iacob is to day a mediator for us he is as well now the light of the Gentiles as he was before the glory of his people Israell Last of all by this that he is one is signified that he is without all respect of persons one and alike to all not the mediator of the Iewes onely but of the Gentiles also There is neyther Iew nor Greeke there is neyther bond nor free there is neither male nor female for all are one in Christ. Gal. 3.28 He is peace to him that is neere and peace to him that is farre off Esa 57.19 that is as the Fathers expound it peace to the Iewes that are neere and peace to the Gentiles that are farre off This one blessed peace-maker hath made attonement for both and appeareth daily in the sight of God to pleade our pardon as a faithfull Advocate and high Priest S. Augustine saith that his armes were stretched out upon the crosse to signifie this That hee was now to embrace not an handfull of people as he did before the nation of the Iewes but as manie as his armes were able to containe that now hee was to breake downe that partition wall which for a long time had bene between Iewes and Gentiles and become one to all There is one Mediator But as yet we know not who is this one Mediator therefore lest the Iewes should say that it were their long looked for Messias or the Turkes their Mahomet or the Friers that it were S. Francis or S. Dominick or finally all Papists who construe it of the Virgin Mary for there is more mention of her in their prayers than of Christ and the propheticall Psalmes of Christ are transferred unto Mary and what else is magnifically spoken of him in Scripture even the first promise that was made of this Mediator Gen. 3.15 translated as spoken of her in their most approved Bible ipsa conteret caput tuum although as their owne Iesuite Ribera confesseth the Hebrew text the Chaldee paraphrase the Septuagints translation and all good Latine copies reade ipse conteret For this cause the Apostle in the fift place leades us as it were by the hand to the verie person describing him by his proper name and surname Iesus Christ he is this one Mediator who therefore is called the Angell of the Covenant Mal. 3.1 and the covenant of the people Esa 49.8 the Mediator of the new covenant vvhose blood speaketh better things then the blood of Abel Heb. 12.24 Our peace Eph. ◠14 The way and the doore by which we have accesse unto the Father Ioh. 14.6 The way into the holiest of all Heb. 9.8 finally an high Priest who came by a more perfect Tabernacle not made with hands and who not by the blood of Goats and Calves but by his owne blood entred in once into the holy place having obtayned eternall redemption for us Heb. 9.11 I come to the last head that Christ Iesus is a man The man Christ Iesus Homo verus but not homo merus he is a true man as having 1. the substance of a true body and soule 2. the essentiall and naturall properties of soule and bodie 3. the infirmities also and such defects as be naturall I say such as be naturall to exclude two sorts of infirmities 1. these which doe not universally follow the nature of man but are onely personall appertayning to some particular men and arising from private causes particular iudgements as to be borne a foole to be sicke of an ague consumption leprosie and such like diseases 2. Sinnes which be infirmities indeed but not naturall but rather contrarie to nature because they belong not to nature as it is whole but as it is corrupt Neither of these Christ tooke upon him because it behoved him to be like man in generall not like to this or that man in particular againe like unto man in generall in all things except sinne Heb. 4.15 It behoved Christ to be like unto us a man as we are whether we consider him as he was our Suertie or as our high Priest or as our Ransome or as our Redeemer or as our Mediator or finally as he is our Physitian In all these respects it behoved him to be a man 1. Because he was our Suertie to make satisfaction to God for our debt and the iustice of God requires that satisfaction be made in the same nature that finned 2. Because our high Priest For every high Priest is ordeyned to offer gifts and sacrifices wherefore it is of necessity that this man also have somewhat to offer Heb. 8.3 now if he had remained God only he should not have had anie thing to offer 3. Because our Ransome for as hee was the high Priest so he was the sacrifice he must offer up himselfe for us He was our suertie to satisfie for us and his satisfaction behoved to be passive and penall yea it must extend it selfe unto death for without shedding of blood there is no remission Heb. 9.22 but remayning God onely hee could not have dyed 4. Because our Redeemer for by the Law he that redeemeth another must be his brother or kinsman one that hath the right of propinquitie unto him Levit. 25.48 and therefore the
Inquisition in Spaine and Italy and their bloody wars in France and Germanie for the cause of religion But the time of retribution will come and God will move Kings and Magistrates to harken to that exhortation Rev. 18.6 which is directed unto them and directly respecteth these times of ours Reward her even as she hath rewarded you give her double according to her workes and in the cup that she hath filled to you fill her the double Psal 137.8 O daughter of Babel worthy to be destroyed blessed shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us Blessed shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy children against the stones 2. Whereas feare of men restrayneth manie from ioyning with us The remedie to be used against this is to presse and urge first and chiefly the great ones for they cannot pleade this That they dare not for their friends for the eyes of the people are upon them and all are readie to follow them not to leade them 3 Whereas Priests and Iesuites are a great let unto reformation for remedie against this let a severe course be taken with them for they are the seducers of the people instruments of Idolatry authors of rebellion bellowes and brands of sedition Ye shall scarce ever reade in the old Testament of anie reformation of religion and abolishing of Idolatry but the Priests were cut off Elijah slew all the Priests of Baal 1. King 18.40 so did Iehu 2. King 10.25 Ioash the King and Iehoiada the Priest with all the people slew Mattan the Priest of Baall before the Altars 2. Chron. 23.17 and Iosiah burnt the bones of the Priests upon their Altars 2. Chron. 34.5 And though our Priests deserve no lesse yet I desire not their blood but onely that they might be removed and restrained from seducing of the people for in this question of putting hereticks to death as in all other I submit my selfe to the iudgement of our Church and practise of our countrey which never put anie to death religionis causa merae sed mixtae Tortur tor◠p 133. mixtae cum mala mente side in principem The fourth cause of their blindness and errour is want of a sufficient Ministrie caused through the want of maintenance for remedie against this great care would be taken for to plant able and painefull Ministers and to provide a sufficient maintenance for them Thus Hezekiah appointed Priests and Levites and provided for their living For he commanded the people to give the portion of the Priests and Levites that they might be encouraged in the Law of the Lord 2. Chron. 31.4 there is a good precedent for you We have such an Hezekiah to command but we lack such subiects to obey for our Church-robbers albeit commanded by the King yet will not give the Priests their owne portion nor anie part of their portion not the meanest offering all is too little to buy and maintaine their sacrilegious honour But surely if they be not compelled to allow some competent maintenance for a Minister but their impropriations be allowed it is but in vaine to looke for anie reformation I will say that the old saying is like to prove a true prophesie Hibernia ante diem judicij non reformabitur The last thing I named that hindreth a reformation is the miseducation of their youth for remedie against this a course would be taken that none be suffered to go beyond Seas for to studie that no Popish Schoole-masters be permitted at home and that all who are of abilitie bee compelled to send their children to be brought up in our Schooles There hath beene directions given to this purpose but there is no such thing performed that evill is not cured but increased Now if these things were done Severe punishments inflicted The great ones chiefely urged The Priests removed Able Ministers planted Popish Schooles and Schoole masters restrained there were some hope that they would ioyne with us and all of us become one Church and one sheepefold as there is one God and one Mediator But what should I speake of an unitie with Papists while we are not all one amongst our selves but still contesting about trifles 5 King 2.5 and as it is said of Ioah shedding the blood of warre in peace which gives occasion to the Papists to insult over us crying out That we are not the true Church because divided in sundry sects and opinions which was the rotten argument of prophane Celsus Christianos non habere veram religionem quod in varias sectas divisi essent Here I could answer first That unitie is no propertie of the Church being not alwayes inseparably and incommunicably found therein Secondly that manie false Churches have an agreement amongst themselves Thirdly that the true Church was never without divisions Fourthly that our differences are not so great nor so manie as our adversaries would make men beleeve but a great part of them are invented by our adversaries another part concerne not us nor any of our Church but are the doctrines of certaine sects and hereticks which have sprung up with the revived light of the Gospell and are gone out of the reformed Churches some of them are onely quatrels betweene some particular men not anie differences between Churches and the greatest part of them all are not reall but verbal not in matters of faith but about ceremonies and matters of no importance finally that there is greater discord in the Church of Rome for there is not one point in all divinitie except those wherein wee accord with them wherein they all speake the same But albert these things being all true as were easie to prove be sufficient to stop the mouthes of the adversaries yet I could rather wish that we did not need to use this Apologie for certainly this earth hath nothing more lamentable than the civill iarres of one faith Constantine the Emperour said unto the Bishops of the Councell of Nice Zozom l. 1. c. 17. That he thought this worse than all the evils to be utrered that he saw the Church of God dissenting by contentions and contrarie opinions For first division in faith hath ever beene a mother of Atheisme Sozomen saith 〈◊〉 1. cap. 16. The contrarieties of opinions among the learned at that time was so scandalous that it turned manie away from embracing the Christian Religion and so at this time there be manie who will be of no religion till they see the differences amongst the learned reconciled Yea contention doth extinguish the verie life of Religion which is brotherly love and therefore they who make so much adoe about ceremonies had need to take heed that in the meane time they lose not that which is more pretious even Christian charitie it selfe They are like unto a man who came to a Physitian to desire a cure for the Whitlay in his finger and while the Physitian looketh upon him he perceiveth death in his face Secondly by our contentions our adversaries