them no it is not so Ecce claves mortis inferni see heer Apoc. 1.18 the keyes both of the first and second death Which is a playn proof He hath mastered and gott the dominion over both death him that hath power of death that is the devill 1. Cor. 15.55 Both are swallowed up in victorie and neither death any more sting nor hell any more dominion Sed ad Dominum Deum nostrum spectant exitus mortis Psal. 68 20. but now unto GOD our LORD belong the issues of death the keyes are at His girdle He can let out as manie as he list This estate is it which he calleth Coronam vitae not life alone Apoc. 2.18 but the Crowne of life or a life crowned with immunitie of feare of any evill ever to befall us This is it which in the next verse he calleth living unto GOD Ver. 11. the estate of the children of the resurrection to be the sonnes of GOD aequall to the Angells subject to no part of death's dominion but living in securitie joy and blisse for ever And now is our particular full 1 Rising to life first â— and life freed from death and so immortall 3 and then exempt from the dominion of death and every part of it and so happy and blessed Rise againe so may Lazarus or any mortall man doe that is not it Rise againe to life immortall so shall all doe in the end as well the uniust as the just that is not it But rise againe to life immortall with freedome from all miserie to live to and with GOD in all joy and glorie evermore that is it that is CHRIST 's resurrection Et tu saith S. Augustine speratalâ—m resurrectionem propter hoc este Christianus Live in hope of such a resurrection and for this hope 's sake carie thy selfe as a Christian. Thus have we our particular of that we are to know touching CHRIST risen And now we know all these yet do we not accompt our selves to know them perâ—â—ctly untill we also know the reasons of them And the Romans were a people that loved to sâ—e the ground of that they received and not the bare Articles alone Indeed it might trouble them why CHRIST should need thus to rise againe because they saw no reason why He should need to dye The truth is we can not speake of rising well without mention of the terminus à quo from whence He rose By meaneâ— whereof there two 1 CHRIST 's dying and His rising are so linked togither and their Auditis so entangled one with another as it is very hard to sever them And this you shall observe the Apostle never goeth about to do it but still as it were of purpose suffers one to draw in the other continually It is not heer alone but all over his Epistles ever they runne togither as if he were loth to mention one without the other And it cannot be denied but that their joyning serveth to many great good purposes These two â— His death and 2 His rising they shew His two Natures Humane and Divine â— His Humane nature and weaknesse in dying 2 His Divine nature and power in rising againe 2. These shew His two Offices His Priesthood and His Kingdome â— His Priesthood in the sacrifice of His death 2 His Kingdome in the glorie of His resurrection 3. They set before us His two mayn Benefits 1 Interitum mortis 2 and principium vitae 1 His death the death of death 2 His rising the reviving of life againe the one what He had ransomed us from the other what He had purchased for us 4. They serve as two Moulds wherein our lives are to be cast that the daies of our vanitie may be fashioned to the likenesse of the SONNE of GOD which are our two duetyes that we are to render for those two benefits proceeding from the two offices of His two natures conioyned In a word they are not well to be sundred for when they are thus ioyned they are the very abbridgement of the whole Gospell 1. The cause of His dying 1 His dying once Of them both then briefly Of His dying first In that He died He died once to sinne Why dyed He once and why but once Once He died to sinne that is sinne was the cause He was to dye once As in saying He liveth to GOD we say GOD is the cause of His life so in saying He died to sinne we say sinne was the cause of His death GOD of His rising sinne of His fall And looke how the resurrection leadeth us to death even as naturally doth death unto sinne the sting of death To sinne then He died Not simply to sinne but with reference to us For as death leadeth us to sinne so doth sinne to sinners that is to our selves And so will the opposition be more cleer and full He liveth unto GOD He died unto man With reference I say to us For first He died unto us and if it be true that Puer natus est nobis it is as true Esay 9.6 that Vir mortuus est nobis If being a child He was borne to us becomming a man He died to us Both are true To us then first He died because He would save us To sinne Secondly because els He could not save us Yes He could have saved us and never died for us ex plenitudine potestatis by His absolute power if He would have taken that way That way He would not but proceed by way of Iustice do all by way of Iustice. And by Iustice Sinne must have death death our death for the sinne was ours It was we that were to dye to sinne But if we had dyed to sinne we had perished in sinne perished heer perished everlastingly That His love to us could not endure that we should so perish Therfore as in Iustice He iustly might He tooke upon Him our debt of sinne sayd as the Fathers apply that speech of His Sinite abire hos Io. 18.8 let these go their wayes And so that we might not dye to sinne He did We see why He died once Why but once because once was enough ad auferenda saith S. Iohn ad abolenda saith S. Peter â— And but once Ioh. 1.29 Act. 3.19 Hebr. 9.28 ad exâ—auriâ—da saith S. Paul To take away To abolish To draw dry and utterly to exhaust all the sinnes of all the sinners of all the world The excellency of His â—erson that performed it was such The excellencie of the obedience that He performed such the excellencie both of His humilitie and charitie wherewith He performed it such and of such valew every of them and all of them much more as made that His once dying was satis superque enough and enough againe which made the Prophet call it copiosam Redemptionem a plenteous Redemption But the Apostle he goeth beyond all in expressing this in one place terming it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
for the truth is we fast not at all But when we fast all this is kept That if this should be the meaning we have done before we beginne To destroy a Text is not so evill as to make a Text destroy it selfe which by this sense will come to passe But if this sense be senselesse this glosse as a viper eats out the bowells of the Text. We must then resolve this is no case putt it is a ground layd No Hypotheticall fast If you shall but Categoricall when you doe For except it be all that followes is to no purpose To what purpose is it to direct what not to doe what to doe in our fast if we never meane to fast for CHRIST to sett us downe instructions how to carrie our selves in that we never meane to goe about Plaine dealing were to tell Him we will vse his counsell in some other matter as for fasting we find our selves no waies disposed to it But by the grace of GOD we are not so farr gone yet We see His will is we should doe it and take a time to doe it we will and when is that When ye fast when fast ye A time we said there is if for all things vnder the Sunne then for that Let us speake but after the manner of men goe to it but naturâ tenus as saith Tertullian and nature it selfe will reach us when Marke but when nature will yield to it when and in what case the naturall man will fast without eye to GOD or CHRIST or Religion at all So shall we be within the Apostle's Doth not Nature it selfe teach you 1. Cor. 11.14 The time of feare is a time of fasting with the naturall man 1. Natures time 1 When in feare Nec est cibi tempus in 〈◊〉 〈…〉 in time of danger men have no mind of meat They in the ship with Saint 〈…〉 they looked every 〈◊〉 be call away the tempest was such there was saith Saint Luke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no spending of 〈◊〉 〈…〉 all that while Will we naturally 〈…〉 of the â—racâ— of our ship and â—or be afraid as much of the wrack of our soules by sinne 〈…〉 for that Doth not nature teach us this There is one when 2. When in griefe When the 〈◊〉 man is in any inward griefe of heart it will take away his stomach he will fast 〈◊〉 or sequela 〈◊〉 vt taetitiae accessio fagina saith Tertullian fasting followeth mourning as feasting doth mirth The a Eccle. 3.4 time of mourning is one of Salomon's 〈◊〉 Why that is our time of fasting b Ioel. 4.12 Fasting and mourning Ioel joynes them both The afflicted soule in his prayer Psal. 102.4 My heart was smitten with heavinesse how then So that I forgat to eate my bread Our SAVIOVR CHRIST shewes iâ— best He was asked Why fast not your Disciples He answers not How can they fast as he should for that was their question but how * c. 9.14 c. can they mourne while the Bridegroome is with them As much to say as if they could mourne they would nor faile but fast certainely So we see did Anna c 1. Sam. 1.10.15 Flebat non capiebat cibos So we see did d 2. Sam. 1 12.15 David for the death of Ionathan and againe when his child lay a dying mourned and fasted for both Vpon sorrow for the death of a friend or a child can we fast then dictante naturá and can we not doe as much for our sinnes the death of our soules Doth not Nature teach us that Nor for the death of CHRIST neither which our sinnes were the cause of There is another a second when 3. When 〈◊〉 Thirdly Anger him throughly the naturall will to his fast * 1. King 21.4 Ahab for curst heart that he could not have his will Naboth would not let him have his vineyard to bedd he goes and no meate would downe with him Could he out of his pure naturalls for curst heart leave his meat and fast and cannot we doe the like for iust indignation at our selves for provoking GOD 's anger with the cursed thoughts of our heart and words of our mouth and deeds of our whole body cannot we be got to it Will not nature teach us this A third when 4. When in a longing desire Fourthly The naturall man when he is in the fervor of his desire if it be an earnest desire he will pursue that he desires so hard as he will forget his meate quite Not a man so hardy as to eat any thing till Sun sett saith Saul when he had his enemies in chase Such was his desire of victorie 1. Sam. 14.24 What speake we of victorie we see Esau so eager in following his sport that he came home at night so faint as he paid deare for his Supper yet felt it not all day while he was hote on his game Did we hunger and thirst for the recoverie of GOD 's favour as did Saul for his victorie or Esau for his sport we would not thinke it much to fast as they did Will not Nature teach us this neither A fourth when Put the naturall man into any of these passions kindly you shall need proclaime no fast for him he will doe it of himselfe Now marke these foure well 1 feare 2 sorrow 3 anger and 4 desire and looke into 2. Cor. 7.11 if they be not there made as it were the foure elements of repentance the constitutive causes of it 1 Feare the middle point the center of it 2 Sorrow that workes it And if sory for sinne then of necessity 3 Angry with the sinner that is our selves for committing it It is there called indignation and no sleight one but proceeding ad vindictam to be wreaked on our selves for it 4 And Desire is there too and Zeale joyned with it to give it an edge These foure the proper passions all of repentance and these foure carry every one as we say his fast on his back Much more where they all meet as in true earnest repentance they all should It is sure GOD planted these passions in our nature to be bestowed chiefly upon their chiefe objects And their chiefe objects are 1 Of feare that which is most fearefull the wrath of GOD. 2 Of Anger that which most certainely procureth it that is our sinne 3 Of Desâ—â—e that then which nothing is more to be desired GOD 's favour 4 Of Sorrow that we have most cause to be sâ—rie for the losse of it There then to shew them there to bestow theâ— which if we did in kind we need never take thought for a Cum to our jejunatis For griefe of heart for worldly losse for bodily feare of drowning for bitter anger we can doe 〈…〉 for griefe of our grievous offenses for feare of being drowned in perdition aeternall why not for indignation of our many indignities offered GOD Alas it but shews out affections
and as much as in us lies Heb. 6.6 even crucifie afresh the SONNE OF GOD making a mocke of Him and His piercings These I say for these all and every of them in that instant were before his eyes must of force enter into and go thorow and thorow his Soule and Spirit that what with those former sorrowes and what with these after indignities the Prophet might truly say of Him and he of himselfe In Me Vpon Me not whose body or whose soule but whom entirely and wholly both in body and soule alive and dead they have pierced and passioned this day on the Crosse. 2. The Person à quibus Of the Persons which as it is necessarily implied in the word is very properly incident to the matter it selfe For it is usuall when one is found slaine as heere to make inquirie by whom he came by his death Which so much the rather is to be done by us because there is commonly an error in the world touching the Parties that were the causes of CHRIST 's death Our manner is either to lay it on the Souldiers that were the Instruments Or if not upon them upon Pilate and Iudge that gave sentence Or if not upon him upon the people that importuned the Iudge Or lastly if not upon them upon the Elders of the Iewes that animated the People And this is all to be found by our Quest of Inquirie But the Prophet heere inditeth others For by saying They shall looke c whom They have pierced he entendeth by very construction that the first and second They are not two but one and the same Parties And that they that are here willed to looke upon him are they and none other that were the authors of this fact even of the murther of IESVS CHRIST And to say truth the Prophet's entent is no other but to bring the malefactors themselves that pierced Him to view the body and the wounded heart of Him whom they have so pierced In the course of Iustice we say and say truly when a party is put to death that the Executioner cannot be said to be the cause of his death nor the Sherif by whose commandement he doth it neither yet the Iudge by whose sentence nor the Twelve men by whose verdict nor the Lawe it selfe by whose authoritie it is proceeded in For GOD forbid we should endite these or any of these of murther Solum peccatum homicida Sinne and Sinne onely is the murtherer Sinne I say either of the Party that suffereth or of some other by whose meanes or for whose cause he is put to death Now CHRIST 's owne sinne it was not that he died for That is most evident Not so much by His owne challenge Ioh. 8·46 Quis ex vobis a guit me de peccato as by the report of his Iudge who openly professed that he had examined Him and found no fault in Him No nor yet Herod for Luc. 23.14 15. being sent to him and examined by him also nothing worthy death was found in Him And therefore calling for water and washing his hands Matt. 27.24 he protesteth his owne innocencie of the bloud of this IVST MAN Thereby pronouncing him Iust and void of any cause in himselfe of his owne death It must then necessarily be the sinne of some others for whose sake CHRIST IESVS was thus pierced And if we aske who those others be or whose sinnes they were the Prophet Esai tells us Esa. 53.3 4. Posuit super Eum iniquitates omnium nostrûm He laid upon Him the transgressions of us all who should even for those our many great and grievous transgressions have eternally been pierced in bodie and soule with torment and sorrowes of a never dying death had not he stept between us and the blow and receiv'd it in his owne body even the dint of the wrath of GOD to come upon us So that it was the sinne of our polluted hands that pierced his hands the swiftnesse of our feet to do evill that nailed His feet the wicked devises of our Heads that gored his head and the wretched desires of our hearts that pierced his heart We that looke upon it is we that pierced Him and it is we that pierced Him that are willed to looke upon Him Which bringeth it home to us to me my selfe that speake and to you your selves that heare and applieth it most effectually to every one of us who evidently seeing that we were the cause of this his piercing if our hearts be not too too hard ought to have remorse to be pierced with it When for delivering to DAVID a few loaves Ahimelech and the Priests were by Saul put to the sword if David did then acknowledge with griefe of heart and say I 1. Sam. 22.22 even I am the cause of the death of thâ— Father anâ— all his house when he was but onely the occasion of it and not that direct neither may not we nay ought not we much more juâ—â—ly and deservedly say of this piercing of CHRIST our Saviour that we verily even we are the cause thereof as verily we are even the principalls in this murther and the Iewes and others on whom we seeke to derive it but onely accessaries and instrumentall causes thereof Which point we ought as continually so seriously to thiâ—k of and that no lesse then the former The former to stirre up compassion in our selves over him that thus was pierced the latter to worke deâ—pâ— remorse in our hearts for being authors of it That he was pierced will make our bowells melt with compassion over CHRIST That he was pierced by us â—hat looke on Him if our hearts be not flint as Iob saith or as the nether mil-stone Iob. 41.15 will breed remorse over our selves wretched sinners as we are II. The Act. To looke upon Him The Act followeth in these words Respicient in Eum. A request most reasonable to looke upon Him but to looke upon Him to bestow but a looke and nothing els which even of common humanitie we cannot denie Quia non aspicere despicere est It argueth great contempt not to vouchsafe it the cast of our eye as if it were an Obiect utterly unworthy the looking toward Truely if we marke it well nature it selfe of it selfe enclineth to this act When Amasa treacherously was slaine by Ioab and lay weltring in his blood by the waies side the storie saith that not one of the whole Armie then marching by but when he came at him 2. Sam. 22.12 stood still and looked on him In the Gospell the party that going from Ierusalem to Iericho vvas spoiled and wounded and lay drawing on though the Priest and Levite that passed neere the place relieved him not as the Samaritan after did yet it is said of them Luc. 31 32. they went neere and looked on and then passed on their way Which desire is even naturall in us so that even Nature it selfe enclineth us to
would be layd up well That which is sowen riseth up in the spring that which sleepeth in the morning So conceive of the change wrought in our nature that feast of first fruits by CHRIST our first fruits Neither perish neither that which is sowen though it rott nor they that sleepe though they lye as dead for the time Both that shall spring and these wake well againe Therefore as men sowe not grudgingly nor lye downe at night unwillingly no more must we seeing by vertue of this Feast we are now Dormientes not mortui now not as stones but as fruits of the earth whereof one hath an annuall the other a diurnall resurrection This for the first fruits and the change by them wrought There is a good analogie or correspondence betweene these III. The ground of our hope it cannot be denied To this question Can one man's resurrection worke upon all the rest it is a good answer Why not as well as one sheafe upon the whole harvest This Simile serves well to shew it To shew but not prove Symbolicall Divinitie is good but might we see it in the rationall too We may see it in the cause no lesse in the substance and let the ceremonie goe This I called the Ground of our hope Why saith the Apostle should this of the first fruits seeme strange to you that by one mans resurrection we should rise all seeing by one mans death we die all By one man saith he Rom. 5.12 sinne entred into the world and by sinne death to which sinne we were no parties and yet we all die because we are of the same nature whereof he the first person Death came so certainely and it is good reason life should doe so likewise To this question Can the resurrection of one a thousand sixe hundred yeares agoe be the cause of our rising it is a good answer Why not as well as the death of one five thousand sixe hundred yeares ago be the cause of our dying The ground and reason is that there is like ground and reason of both The wisest way it is if Wisedome can contrive it that a person be cured by Mithridate made of the very flesh of the viper bruised whence the poison came that so that which brought the mischiefe might minister also the remedie The most powerfull way it is if Power can effect it to make strength appeare in weakenesse and that He that overcame should by the nature which He overcame be swallowed up in victorie The best way it is if Goodnesse will admit of it that as next to Sathan man to man oweth his destruction so next to GOD man to man might be debtor of his recoverie So agreeable it is to the Power Wisedome and Goodnesse of GOD this the three Attributes of the Blessed and Glorious Trinitie And let Iustice weigh it in her ballance no iust exception can be taken to it no not by Iustice it selfe that as death came so should life too the same way at least More favour for life if it may be but in very rigour the same at the least According then to the very exact rule of Iustice both are to be alike If by man one by man the other We dwell too long in generalities Let us draw neerer to the persons themselves in whom we shall see this better In them all answer exactly word for word Adam is fallen and become the first fruits of them that die CHRIST is risen and became the first fruits of them that live for they that sleepe live Or you may if you please keepe the same terme in both thus Adam is risen as we vse to call rebellions risings He did rise against GOD by Eritis sicut Dij Gen 3.6 He had never fallen if he had not thus risen His rising was his fall We are now come to the two great Persons that are the two great Authors of the two great matters in this world life and death Not either to themselves and none els but as two Heads two Roots two first fruits either of them in reference to his companie whom they stand for And of these two hold the two great Corpâ—rations 1 Of them that die they are Adam's 2 Of them that sleepe and shall rise that is CHRIST ' s. To come then to the particular No reason in the world that Adam's transgression should draw us all downe to death onely for that we were of the same lump and that CHRIST 's righteousnesse should not be availeable to raise us up againe to life being of the same sheaves whereof He the first fruits no lesse then before of Adam Looke to the things Death and Life Weakenesse is the cause of death Raising to life commeth of Power 2. Cor. 13.4 Shall there be in Weakenesse more strength to hurt then in Power to do us good Looke to the Persons Adam and CHRIST shall Adam being but a living soule Ver. 45.47 infect us more strongly then Christ a quickning spirit can heale us againe Nay then Adam was but from the earth earthly CHRIST the LORD from heaven Shall earth doe that which heaven cannot vndoe Never it cannot be Sicut Sic As and So so runne the termes But the Apostle in Rom. 5. where he handleth this very point tells us plainly Non sicut delictum Rom. 5.15 ita donum Not as the fault so the Grace Nor as the fall so the Rising but the Grace and the Rising much more abundant It seemeth to be A pari it is not indeed It is under value Great odds between the Persons the Things the powers and the meanes of them Thus then meet it should be Let us see how it was Heer againe the very termes give us great light We are saith he restored Restoring doth alwaies presuppose an attainder going before and so the terme significant For the nature of attainder is One person maketh the fault but it taints his blood and all his posteritie The a Heb. 9.27 Apostle saith that a Statute there is All men should dye But when we go to search for it we can finde none but b Gen. 3.19 Pulvis es wherin onely Adam is mentioned and so none die but he But even by that Statute death goeth over all men even those saith Saint Paul that have not sinned after the like manner of transgression of Adam By what law By the law of Attainders The Restoring then likewise was to come and did come after the same manner as did the attainders That by the first this by the second Adam so He is called Ver. 45. Lev. 18.5 There was a Statute concerning GOD 's commaundements qui fecerit ea vivet in eis He that observed the commaundements should live by that his obedience Death should not seise on him CHRIST did observe them exactly therefore should not have beene seised on by death should not but was and that seisure of his was deathe's forfeiture The laying of the former Statute on
â—o become a prisoner as 1. Reg. 1.43 Shemei did Therfore sweare and be sworne in those causes and questions whereto Law doth bind to give answere though Fine and Commitment doe ensue upon them This question remaineth If a man have sworne without those what he is to doe when an oath binds when it doth not We hold No man is so streightened between two sinns but without committing a third he may get forth Herod thought he could not and therfore being in a streight betwixt murder and periurie thought he could have no issue but by putting Saint Iohn Baptist to death It was not so for having sworne and his oath proving unlawfull if he had repented him of his unadvisednesse in swearing and gon no further he had had his issue without any new offense 1. If then We have sworne to be simply evill the rule is Ne sit Sacramentum pietatis vinculum iniquitatis 2. If it hinder a greater or higher good the rule is Ne sit Sacramentum pietatis impedimentum pietatis 3. If it be in things indifferent as we terme them absque grano salis it is a rash oath to be repented not to be executed 4. If the oath be simply made yet as we say it doth subiacere Civili intellectui so as GOD'S oath doth Ieremia 18.8 and therefore those conditions may exclude the event and the Oath remaine good 5. If in regard of the Manner it be extorted from us the rule is Iniusta vincula rumpit Iustitia 6. If rashly Penitenda promissio non perficienda praesumptio 7. If to any man for his benefit or for favour to him if that partie release it it bindeth not A SERMON PREACHED AT VVHITE-HALL upon the Sunday after EASTER being March XXX AN. DOM. MDC IOHN CHAP. XX. VER XXIII Quorum remiseritis peccata remittuntur eis Et quorum retinueritis retenta sunt VVhose-soever sinnes ye remitt they are remitted unto them and whose-soever ye reteine they are reteined The Conclusion of the Gospell for the Sunday THEY be the words of our SAVIOVR CHRIST to his Apostles A part of the first words which he spake to them at his Epiphanie or first apparition after he arose from the dead And they contein a Commission by him graunted to the Apostles which is the summe or contents of this Verse Which Commission is his first largesse after his rising againe For at his first appearing to them it pleased him not to come empty but with a blessing and to bestow on them and on the world by them as the first fruicts of his resurrection this Commission a part of that Commission which the sinfull world most of all stood in need of for remission of sinnes To the graunting wâ—â—reof He proceedeth not without some solemniâ—ie or circumstance The Summariâ— proceeding in it well worthy to be remembred For first Verse 21. he saith As my father sent me so send I you which is their authorizing or giving them their Credence Secondly Verse 22 He doth breath upon them and withall inspireth them with the Holy Ghost which is their enhabling or furnishing thereto And having so authorized and enhabled them now in this Verse heer He giveth them their Câ—mmission and thereby doth perfectly inaugurate thâ—m into this part of their Office A Commission is nothing els but the imparting of a power which before they had not First therefore he imperteth to them a power a power over sinnes over sinnes either for the remitting or the reteining of them as the persons shall be qualified And after to this power he addeth a promise as the Lawyers terme it of Ratihabition that he will ratifie and make it good that His power shall accompanie this power and the lawfull use of it in his Church for ever The dependence in respect of the time Why not before Esai 53.10 Heb. 9.22 Mat. 16.19.18.18 And very agreeably is this power now bestowed by him upon his resurrection Not so conveniently before his death because till then he had not made his soule an offering for sinne nor till then he had not shed his bloud without which there is no remission of sinnes Therefore it was promised before but not given till now because it was convenient there should be solutio before there were absolutio Not before he was risen then Why now And againe no longer then till he was risen not till he was ascended First to shew that the remission of sinnes is the undivided and immediate effect of his death Secondly to shew how much the world needed it for which cause he would not with-hold it no not so much as one day for this was done in the very day of his resurrection Thirdly But specially to set forth his great love and tender care over us in this that as soone as he had accomplished his owne resurrection even presently upon it he setts in hand with ours and beginneth the first part of it the very first day of his rising The Scripture maketh mention of a first and second death and from them two of a first and second resurrection Both expresly sett downe in one verse Apoc. 20.6 Happy is he that hath his part in the first resurrection for over such the second death hath no power Vnderstanding by the first the death of the soule by sinne and the rising thence to the life of grace by the second the death of the body by corruption the rising thence to the life of glorie CHRIST truly is the Saviour of the whole man both soule and body from the first and second death But beginneth first with the first that is with sinne the death of the soule and the rising from it So is the method of Divinitie prescribed by himselfe Mat. 23.16 First to cleanse that which is within the soule then that which is without the body And so is the methode of Physique first to cure the cause and then the disease 1. Cor. 15 56. Now the cause or as the Apostle calleth it the sling of death is sinne Therefore first to remove sinne and then death aâ—â—erwards For the cure of sinne being performed the other will follow of his owne accord As Saint Iohn telleth us He that hath his part in the first resurrection shall not faile of it in the second The first resurrection then from sinne is it which our Saviour Christ heer goeth about wherto there is no lesse power required then a divine power For looke what power is necessarie to raise the dead bodie out of the dust the very same every way is requisite to raise the dead soule out of sinne For which cause the Remission of sinnes is an Article of faith no lesse then the Resurrection of the body For in very deed a resurrection it is and so it is termed no lesse then that To the service and ministerie of which divine worke a Commission is heere graunted to the Apostles And first they have heer their sending from GOD the Father their inspiring
hebrew sheweth there is a reason there is a cause why it commeth 1. Sam. 6.9 And the english word Plague comming from the Latine word Plaga which is properly a stroke necessarily inferreth a Cause For where there is a stroke there must be One that striketh And in â—hat both it and other evill things that come upon us are usually in scripture called Gods judgements If they be iudgements it followeth there is a Iudge they come from They come not by adventure by chance they come not Chance and Iudgement are utterly opposite Not Casually then but Iudicially Iudged we are For when we are chastened we are judged of the Lord. 1 Cor. 11.32 There is a Cause Now what that Cause is Concerning which 1. That Cause is 1. Naturall if you aske the Physitian he will say the cause is in the aire The Aire is infected the Humors corrupted the Contagion of the sicke comming to and conversing with the sound And they be all true causes The Aire For so we see by casting * The aire infected ashes of the furnace towards heaven in the aire the aire became infected and the plague of botches and blaines was so brought forth in Egypt * Exod. 9.8 The Humors For to that doth King David ascribe the Cause of his disease that is that his moisture in him was corrupt dried up 2 The Humors corrupted Psal. 32.4 turned into the drought of Summer Contagion Which is cleare by the Law where the leprous person 3 Contagion Levit. 13.45.46 52. for feare of contagion from him was ordered to crie that no body should come neere him To dwell apart from other men The clothing he had worn to be washed and in some case to be burnt The house-walls he had dwelt in to be scraped and in some case the house it self to be pulled downe In all which three respects Salomon saith Pro. 14.16 A wise man feareth the Plague and departeth from it and fooles runne on and be carelesse A wise man doth it and a good man too For King David himselfe durst not go to the Altar of GOD at Gibeon to enquire of GOD there because the Angel that smot the people with the plague stood betweene him and it 1. Chro. 21.30 that is because he was to passe through infected places thither But as we acknowledge these to be true that in all diseases 2 Supernaturall By which GOD. and even in this also there is a Naturall cause so we say there is somewhat more something Divine and above â—ature As somewhat which the Physitian is to looke unto in the plague so likewise something for Phinees to do and Phinees was a Priest And so some worke for the Priest as well as for the Physitian and more then it may be It was King Asa's fault He in his sicknesse looked all to Physitians and looked not after GOD at all That is noted as his fault It seems 〈…〉 It seemes his concâ—it was there was nothing in a disease but 〈◊〉 nothing but bodily which is not so For infirmitie is not only 〈◊〉 bodily there is a Spirit of infirmitie we finde Luc. 13.11 And some 〈◊〉 spirituall there is 〈◊〉 infirmities something in the soule to 〈◊〉 â—ealed In all â—ut specially in this Wherein that we might knoâ— it to be spirituâ—ll we finde it oft times to be executed by spirits We see an 〈◊〉 destroying Angel 〈…〉 12.13 in the Plague of Egypt another in the Plague in Swaâ—â—â—rib'â— Campe 〈…〉 â—7 36 〈…〉 21.16 〈…〉 16.2 a third in the Plague at Ierusalem under David 〈…〉 pouring his phiall upon earth and ther fell a noysome plague upo◠〈◊〉 and beast So that no man looketh deeply enough into the Cause of this sickenesse unlesse he acknowledge the Finger of God in it over 〈◊〉 â—bove any causes naturall 〈…〉 GOD then hath his part GOD But how affected GOD provoked to aâ—ger so it is in the Text his anger his wrath it is that bringeth the plague among us 〈…〉 The Verse is plaine They provoked him to anger and â—he plague brake in among them 〈…〉 Generally there is no evill saith Iob but it is a sparke of GOD 's wrath And of all evills the Plague by Name There is wrath gone out from the LORD 〈◊〉 21.7 and the plague is begunn saith Moses Num. 16.46 So it is said GOD was displeased with David he smot Israël with the plague So that if if there be a plague GOD is angry and if there be a great plague GOD is very angry Thus much for By what for the anger of GOD by which the plague is sent Now for what 〈…〉 â—hich 〈…〉 general There is a cause in GOD that he is angry And there is a Cause for which he is angry For he is not angry without a cause And what is that cause For what is GOD angry What is GOD angry with the waters when he sends a tempest it is Habacuk's question 〈…〉 Or is GOD angry with the earth when He sends barrennesse Or with the aire when he makes it coÌ„tagious 〈…〉 5. 6. No indeed His anger is not against the Elements they provoke him not Against them it is that provoke him to anger Against men it is and against their sinnes and for them commeth the wrath of GOD upon the children of disobedience And this is the very Cause indeed As there is Putredo humorum so there is also putredo morum And putredo morum is more a Cause then putriedo humorum 1 The Corruption of the soule the 〈◊〉 7. â— 2 corrupting of our waies more then the 〈◊〉 6.12 corrupting of the aire The 〈◊〉 8.38 Plague of the Heart more then the sore that is seene in the body 〈◊〉 5.32 The cause of Death that is sinne the same is the cause of this 〈◊〉 38.5 kinde of death of the plague of mortalitie And as the â—panâ— Balme of ilead and the 〈◊〉 48.46 Physitian there may yield us helpe when GOD'S wrath is removed so if it be not no balme no medicine will serve 〈◊〉 us with the Woman in the Gospell 〈◊〉 5.26 spend all upon Physitians we shall bee never the better till we come to CHRIST and he cure us of our sinnes whâ— is the onely Physitian of the diseases of the soule 〈◊〉 â— 2 And wiâ—â— CHRIST the cure beginns ever withiâ— First Sonne thy 〈◊〉 be for giventhee and then a fier â—ake up thy bed and walke His sinnes first and his limbes after As likewise when we are once well CHRIST'S councell is sinne no more lest a worse thing come unto thee As if sinne would certainely bring a relapse into a sicknesse But shall we say the wraâ—h of GOD for sinnes indefinitely Particular sinn That were somewhat too generall May we not specifie them or set them downe in particular Yes I will point you at three or foure First this
know So accompt But because our knowing is the ground of our accompt the Apostle beginneth with knowledge And so must we Knowledge in all Learning is of two sorts 1 Rerum or 2 Causarum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That or in that The former is in the first Verse Knowing that CHRIST c. The later in the Second For in that c. And because we cannot cast up a Summe except we have a particular the Apostle giveth us a Particular of either A particular of our Knowledge Quoad res which consisteth of these three 1. That Christ is risen from the dead 2. That now He dieth not 3. That from henceforth death hath no dominion over Him All in the first Verse Then a particular of our Knowledge Quoad causas The cause of His death Sinne He died to sinne 2 Of His life GOD He liveth to GOD. â— And both these but once for all All in the second Verse Then followeth our Accompt in the third Verse Wherein we consider first 1 The Charge â— and then the Discharge 1. The charge first Similiter vos That we be like to Christ. And then wherein 1 Like in dying to Sinne 2 Like in living to GOD. Which are the two moulds wherein we are to be cast that we may come forth like Him This is the Charge 2. And last of all The meanes we have to helpe us to discharge it in the last words in Christ Iesu our Lord. BEfore we take view of the two Particulars I. Our Knowing The Meanes of it it will not be amisse to make a little stay at Scientes the first word because it is the grownd of all the rest Knowing that Christ is risen This the Apostle saith the Romans did knowing Did know himselfe indeed that Christ was risen for He saw him But how knew the Romanes or how know we No other way then by relation eyther they or we but yet we much better then they I say by relation in the nature of a verdict of them that had seene him even Cephas and the twelve which is a full Iury hable to finde any matter of fact and to give up a verdict in it And that CHRIST is risen is matter of fact But if twelve will not serve in this matter of fact which in all other matters with us 1. Cor. 15.6 will if a greater Enquest farr if five hundred will serve you may have so many for of more then five hundred at once was He seene many of them then living ready to give up the same verdict and to say the same upon their othes But to settle a knowledge the number moveth not so much as the qualitie of the Parties If they were persons credulous light of beleefe they may well be challenged if they tooke not the way to ground their knowledge aright That is ever best knowen that is most doubted of And never was matter caried with more scruple and slownesse of beleefe with more doubts and difficulties then was this of Christ's rising Marie Magdalen saw it first and reported it They beleeved her not Mar. 16.11 Luk. 24.13.36.11.36 The two that went to Emmaus they also reported it They beleeved them not Diverse women together saw him and came and told them Their words seemed to them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an idle faigned fond tale They all saw him and even seeing him yet they doubted When they were put out of doubt and told it but to one that happened to be absent it was S. Thomas you know how peremptorie he was Not he Ioh. 20.25 vnlesse he might not onely see with his eyes but feele with his fingers and put in his hand into his side 27.28 And all this he did Saint Augustine saith well Profectò valde dubitatum est ab illis ne dubitaretur a nobis All this doubting was by them made that we might be out of doubt and know that Christ is risen Sure they tooke the right course to know it certainly and certainely they did know it as appeareth For never was thing knowen in this world so confidently constantly certainly testified as was this that Christ is risen By testifying it they got nothing in the earth Got nothing Nay they lost by it their living their life all they had to lose They might have saved all and but said nothing So certaine they were so certainely they did accompt of their knowing they could not be got from it but to their very last breath to the very last drop of their blood bare witnesse to the truth of this Article and chose rather to lay downe their lives and to take their death then to denie nay then not to affirme His rising from death And thus did they know knowing testifie and by their testimonie came the Romanes to their knowing and so doe we But as I said before we to a much surer knowing then they For when this was written the whole world stopt their eares at this report would not endure to heare them stood out mainly against them The Resurrection why it was with the Graecians at Athens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a very skorne The Resurrection why it was Act 17.32 with Festus the great Romane 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a sicknesse of the braine a plaine phrensie That world 26.24 that then was and long after in such opposition is since come in and upon better examination of the matter so strangely testified with so many thousand lives of men to say the least of them sadd and sober hath taken notice of it and both knowen and acknowledged the truth of it It was well foretold by Saint Iohn haec est victoria quae vincit mundum 1. Ioh. 5.4 fides vestrâ— It is proved true since That this faith of CHRIST 's rising hath made a conquest of the whole world So that after all the world hath taken knowledge of it we come to know it And so more full to us then to them is this scientes knowing Now to our particulars what we know The Particâ—lars Quâ—â—dâ—n a That Christ is risen from the dead Our first particular is That CHRIST is risen from the dead Properly we are sâ—id to rise from 〈◊〉 fallâ— and from death 〈…〉 revive Yeâ— the Apostle rather vseth the terme of rising then reviving â—s serving better to set forth his purpose That death is a fall we doubt not that it came with a fall the fall of Adam But what manner of fall for it hath beene holden a fall from whence is no rising But by Christ's rising it falls out to be a fall that we may fall and yet get up againe For if CHRIST be risen from it then is there a rising if a rising of one then may there be of another If He be risen in our nature then is our nature risen and if our nature be our persons may be Especially seeing as the Apostle in the fourth Verse before hath told
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mercy rich exceeding Eph. 2.7 Eph. 1.8 1. Tim. 1.14 grace overabounding nay grace superfluous for so is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and superfluous is enough and to spare superfluous is cleerely enough and more then enough Once dying then being more then enough no reason He should dye more then once That of his death Now of His life He liveth unto GOD. 2. The cause of His living The Rigor of the law being fully satisfied by His death then was He no longer justly but wrongfully deteyned by death As therefore by the power He had He layd down His life so He tooke it againe and rose againe from the dead And not onely rose Himselfe But in one concurrent action GOD who had by His death received full satisfaction reached Him as it were His hand and raised Him to life The Apostles word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the native force doth more properly signifie raysed by another then risen by Himselfe And is so used to shew it was done not only by the power of the Sonne but by the will consent and co-operation of the Father and He the cause of it who for the over-abundant merit of His death and His humbling Himselfe Phil. 2.8.9 and becomming obedient to death even the death of the Crosse not onely raysed Him but propter hoc even for that cause exalted Him also to live with Him in ioy and glorie for ever For as when He lived to man He lived to much miserie so now He liveth to GOD He liveth in all foelicitie This part being oppositely set down to the former living to exclude dying againe living to God to exclude death's dominion and all things perteining to it For as with GOD is life the fountaine of life against death Psal. 36.10 even the fountayne of life never failing but ever renewing to all aeternitie so with him also is torrens deliciarū a maine river of pleasures even pleasures for evermore never ebbing but ever flowing to all contentment against the miseries belonging to deathe's dominion And there He liveth thus not now as the SONNE of GOD as He lived before all worlds but as the Sonne of man in the right of our nature to estate us in this life in the hope of a reversion and in the life to come in perfect and full possession of His own and His Fathers blisse and happinesse when we shall also live to GOD and GOD be all in all which is the highest pitch of all our hope We see then His dying and rising and the grounds of both And thus have we the totall of our Scientes Now followeth our accompt An accompt is either of what is comming to us II. Our Accompt 1. Of our coming in the benefit and that we like well or what is going from us and that is not so pleasing Comming to us I call matter of benefit Going from us matter of duety where I doubt many an expectation will be deceived making accompt to heare from the resurrection matter of benefit onely to come in where the Apostle calleth us to accompt for matter of duety which is to goe from us An accompt there is growing to us by CHRIST 's rising of matter of benefit and comfort such a one there is and we have touched it before The hope of gayning a better life which groweth from CHRIST 's rising is our comfort against the feare of losing this Thus do we comfort our selves against our deathes Now blessed be GOD that hath regenerated us to a lively hope 1. Pet. 1.3 by the resurrection of IESVS CHRIST Thus do we comfort our selves against our friend's death Comfort your selves one another saith the Apostle with these words what words be they 1. Thes. 4.18 Even those of our SAVIOVR in the Gospell Resurget frater tuus Thy brother or thy Father or thy friend shall rise againe And not only against death Ioh. 11.23 but even against all the miseries of this life It was Iob's comfort on the doung-hill well yet videbo Deum in carne mea I shall see GOD in my flesh Iob. 19.25 And not in our miseries alone but when we do well and no man respecteth us for it It is the Apostle's conclusion of the Chapter of the resurrection Be of good cheer yet 1. Cor. 15.58 labor vester non erit inanis in Domino your labour is not in vaine in the LORD you shall have your reward at the resurrection of the just All these waies comfort commeth unto us by it ◠Of our 〈…〉 1. The duty 〈…〉 But this of ours is another manner of accompt of duety to goe from us and to be answered by us And such a one there is too and we must reckon of it I adde that this heer is our first accompt you see it heer called for in the Epistle to the Romans the other commeth after in the Epistle to the Corinthians In very deed this of ours is the key to the other and we shall never find sound comfort of that unlesse we doe first well passe this accompt here It is I say first because it is praesent and concerneth our soules even here in this life The other is future and toucheth but our bodies and that in the life to come It is an error certainly which runneth in mens heads when they heare of the resurrection to conceive of it as of a matter meerely future and not to take place till the latter day Not only CHRIST is risen Colos. 3.1 but if all be as it should be We are already risen with him saith the Apostle in the Epistle this day the very first words of it and even here now saith S. Iohn is there a first Resurrection Apoc. 20.6 and happie is he that hath his part in it A like error it is to conceit the resurrection as a thing meerely corporall and no waies to be incident into the Spirit or Soule at all The Apostle hath already given us an Item to the contrarie in the end of the fourth Chapter before Where he saith He rose againe for our Iustification Chap. 4.25 and Iustification is a matter spirituall Iustificatus est spiritu sayth the Apostle of CHRIST himselfe Verily here must the spirit rise to grace or els neither the bodie 1. Tim. 3.16 nor it shall there rise to glorie This then is our first accompt that accompt of ours which presently is to be passed and out of hand this is it which first we must take order for 1. To be like CHRIST The summe or charge of which accompt is sett downe in these words Similiter vos That we be like CHRIST carie his Image who is heavenly as we have caried the Image of the earthly Be conformed to his likenesse that what CHRIST hath wrought for us the like be wrought in us What wrought for us by his
and in good health but the houre is comming when we shall leave catching at all other hopes and must hold onely by this in horâ mortis when all hope save the hope of this verse shall forsake us Sure it is under these very words are we layd into our graves and these the last words that are sayd over us as the very last hold we have and we therefore to regard them with Iob and lay them up in our bosome There is in this text 1 a Text and an 2 Exposition 1. The Text we may well call the Angell's text for from them it came first 2. The Division The Exposition is Saint Paule's These words CHRIST is risen were first uttered by an Angell this day in the Sepulcher All the * Mat. 28.6 Mar. 16.6 Luc. 24.6 Evangelists so testifie This Text is a good text but reacheth not to us unlesse it be helped with the Apostle's Exposition and then it will The Exposition is it that giveth us our hope and the ground of our hope CHRIST is risen saith the Angell CHRIST the first fruicts saith the Apostle And marke well that word first fruicts For in that word is our hope For if He be as the first fruicts in His rising His rising must reach to all that are of the heape whereof He is the first fruicts This is our hope But our hope must have a reason saith Saint a 1. Pet. 3.15 Peter and we be ready with it b Heb. 11.1 The hope that hath a ground saith Saint Paul that is c Rom. 5.5 spes quae non confundit Having then shewed us this hope he sheweth us the ground of it This That in very aequitie we are to be allowed to be restored to life the same way we lost it But we lost it by man or to speake in particular By Adam we came by our attainder Meet therefore that by man and to speake in particular that by CHRIST we come to our restoring This is the ground or substance of our hope And thus he hath sett before us this day life and death in themselves and their causes two things that of all other doe most concerne us Our last point shall be to applie it to the meanes this day offered unto us toward the restoring us to life I. The text Christ is risen THe doctrine of the Resurrection is one of the Foundations so called by the Apostle Heb. 6.1 It behooveed him therefore as a skilfull worke-man to see it surely layd That is surely layd that is layd on the rocke and the rocke is Christ. Chap. 10.4 Therefore he layd it on Christ by saying first Christ is risen Of all that be Christians Christ is the hope but not Christ every way considered but as risen Even in Christ un-risen there is no hope Well doth the Apostle beginn heer and when he would open to us a gate of hope carry us to Christ's sepulcher emptie â—os 2.15 to shew us and to heare the Angell say He is risen Thence after to deduce If He were able to do thus much for Himselfe He hath promised us as much and will do as much for us We shal be restored to life Thus had he proceeded in the foure Verses before destructivè 1 Miserable is that man Ver 19.18.17 that either laboureth or suffereth in vaine 2 Christian men seem to do so and do so if there be no other life but this 3 There is no other life but this if there be no resurrection 4 There is no resurrection if CHRIST be not risen for ours dependeth on His. And now he turneth all about againe But now saith he 1 CHRIST is risen 2 If he be we shall 3 If we shall we have as Saint PAVL calleth it a blessed hope Tit. 2.13 and so a life yet behinde 4 If such hope we have we of all men labour not in vaine So there are foure things 1 CHRIST 's rising 2 our restoring 3 our hope and 4 our labour All the doubt is of the two first The two other will follow of themselves If a restoring we have good hope if good hope our labour is not lost The two first are in the first the other in the last words The first are Christ is risen the last we shal be restored to life Our endeavour is to bring these two togither But first to lay the corner-stone CHRIST is risen is the Angell's Text A part of the great mysterie of Godlinesse 1. Tim. 3 16. which as the Apostle saith was seen of Angells by them delivered and beleeved on by the world Quod credibile primum fecit illis videntium certitudo post merientium fortitudo jam credibile mihi facit credentium multitudo It became credible at first by the certainty of them that saw it then by the constancie of them that died for confession of it and to us now the huge multitude of them that have and do beleeve it maketh it credible For if it be not credible how is it credible that the world could beleeve it the world I say being neither enjoyned by authority nor forced by feare nor inveigled by allurements but brought about by persons by meanes lesse credible then the thing it selfe Gamaliel said If it be of GOD it will prevaile And though we cannot argue Act. 5 37. all that hath prevailed is of GOD yet thus we can That which hath beene mightily impugned and weakly pursued and yet prevailed that was of GOD certainly That which all the Powers of the earth sought but could not prevaile against was from heaven certainely Certainely Christ is risen for many have risen and lift up themselves against it but all are fallen But the Apostle saith it is a foundation that he will not lay it againe No more will we but goe forward and raise upon it And so let us doe CHRIST is risen Suppose He be what then Though Christ's rising did no way concerne us or we that yet 2 first in that a man one of our owne flesh and blood hath gotten such a victorie even for humanitie's sake 2 Then in that one that is innocent hath quit himselfe so well for innocencies sake 3 Thirdly in that He hath foiled a common enemie for amitie's sake 4 Lastly in that He hath wiped away the ignominie of His fall with the glorie of His rising againe for vertue and valour's sake for all these we have cause to rejoyce with Him All are matter of gratulation But the Apostle is about a further matter that Text the Angel's Text he saw II. The Apostle's exposition Christ â—s the first fâ—uits would not serve our turne further then I have said Well may we congratulate Him if that be all but otherwise it perteines not to us Christ is risen The Apostle therefore enters further telling us That Christ did thus rise not as Christ onely but as Christ the first fruits Christ is risen and in rising become the first fruits risen
And gracious in offering to us the meanes by His Mysteries and grace with them as will rayse us also and sett our minds where true rest and glorie are to be seene That so at this last and great Easter of all the Resurrection-day what we now seek we may then finde where we now sett our minds our bodyes may then be sett what we now but tast we may then have the full fruition of Even of His glorious God-head in rest and glorie ioy and blisse never to have an end A SERMON Preached before the KING'S MAIESTIE AT WHITE-HALL on the XXIV of April A.D. MDCXIV being EASTER DAY PHIL. CHAP. II. VER 8. He humbled Himselfe made obedient unto death even the death of the Crosse. 9. For this cause hath GOD also highly exalted Him and given Him a Name above every name 10. That at the Name of IESVS every knee should bow of those in Heaven and in earth and vnder the Earth 11. And that every Tongue should confesse that IESVS CHRIST is the Lord to the glory of GOD the Father FOR this cause The Summe GOD hath exalted Him saith the Text Him that is CHRIST And for this cause are we now heere to celebrate this exalting Of which His exalting this is the first day and the Act of this day the first step of it even His rising againe from the dead Haec est clarificatio Domini nostri IESV CHRISTI quae ab Eius resurrectione sumpsit exordium saith Saint Augustine upon this place This now is the glorifying of our LORD IESVS CHRIST which tooke his beginning at His glorious resurrection Thus is the summe and substance of this Text set downe by that learned Father By him also is it likewise divided to our hands Into Humilitas Claritatis meritum The Division 1. and Claritas humilitatis praemium Humilitie the merit of glory in the first verse of the foure And glory the reward of humilitie in the other three Which two heere and ever are so fast linked together as there is no parting them I cannot but touch and I will but touch the Merit in the first verse It properly pertaines to another day And so come to Opus dici The matter of this dayes exultation is called here His Exaltation And is of two sorts By GOD in the ninth verse And by us in the two last By GOD And that is double Of his Person Of his Name Two Super's either one Super exaltavit Ipsum His Person there is one in the forepart of the ninth verse And Nomen super omne nomen His name there is the other in the latter part of it And this is GOD'S Then commeth ours For GOD exalting it Himselfe He will have us to doe the like And not to doe it inwardly alone but even outwardly to acknowledge it for such And sets downe precisely this acknowledgement how He will have it made by us Namely two waies By the Knee by the Tongue The Knee to bow to it verse 10. The Tongue to confesse it verse 11. And both these to be generall Every Knee every Tongue And not in grosse but deduced into three severall rankes All in Heaven All in earth All vnder the earth which comprehends all indeed and leaves none out This acknowledgement thus but onely insinuated by the Knee is by the Tongue more plainely expressed And this it is That IESVS CHRIST is the LORD LORD of all those three This to be done and so done as it redound all to the glory of GOD the Father But then last take the Vse with us that since in Him His humiliavit se-ipsum ends in Super-exaltavit Deus His humbling Himselfe in GOD 's Exalting That the same minde be in us Verse 5. And the same end shall come to us As His end was so ours shall be in the glory of GOD the Father Propter quod For this cause I. Veâ—se 8. WE touch first upon this word It is the Axis and Cardo the very point whereupon the whole Text turneth 1. Propâ—er First Propter A cause there is So GOD exalts ever for a cause Heere on earth otherwhile there is an Exaltavit without a Propter quod Some as Sobna Plaman Esay 22.15 Est. 3.1 Nehem 4.1 Sanballat sometimes exalted no man knowes wherefore With GOD there goeth ever with men there should goe a Propter quod before Exaltavit 2. Propter quod For a cause for what for this cause And this now casts us backe to the former verse where it is set downe Humiliavit There it is for His Humilitie Humiliavit Now of all causes not for that if we goe by this world which as the Proverbe is was made for the presumptuous Not for the vertue of all others A vertue before CHRIST thus graced it so out of request as the Philosophers looke into their Ethiques you shall not so much as finde the name of humilitie in the list of all their vertues Well this cast vertue of no reckoning is here made the Propter quod of CHRIST 's exalting Luk. 1.48 As Respexit humilitatem the ground of His Mothers Magnificat And He that by Him brought light out of darknesse at the first wil by Him bring glory out of humilitie at last Or this booke deceiveth us With GOD it shall have the place of a Propter quod 2. Cor. 4.6 how poore account soever we make of it here â— Ipse But this Quod is a Collective there be in it more points then one I will but point at them Hâ—miliâ—vit ipse He humbled He which many times is idle but here a circumstance of great waight He so great a Person being in the forme of GOD and without any disparagement at all equall to GOD as he tels us a verse before He humbled Verse 6. Vbi Majestatem praemisit vt humilitatem illustraret That discourse of His High Majestie was but to set out to give a lustre to His humilitie For for one of meane estate to be humble is no great praise It were a fault if he were not But In alto nihil altum sapere For a King as David to say I will yet be more humble 2. Sam. 6.22 for the King of Kings for Him to shew this great humilitie that is a Propter quod indeed Humiliavit Ipse Then secondly that Humiliavit Ipse se. Ipse se and not alius ipsum 2 Se. that He was not brought to it by any other but of his owne accord He humbled himselfe There is a difference betweene humilis and humiliatus One may be humbled Exod 10.16 Matt. 27.32 and yet not humble Pharao was humbled brought downe by his ten plagues Simeon of Cyrene aâ—gariatus to humble his necke vnder the Crosse. This was alius ipsos But Ipse se is the true humilitie For then it is laudabili voluntate not miserabili necessitate of a willing minde and that is commendable not of force and constraint for
so no sinne so high as it To lay hands on him it is too ranck that away with it But that is not the case It is not miserunt heere none were laid The seeking to lay hands is a sinne No matter for that it is mittere quaesiverunt and that is enough To lay and to sâ—eke to lay though one be worse both be naught even misâ—io and quasâ—tio both Seeking is a plowing for sinne and that is sinne saith Iob Iob â— 8 â—sâ—y â—9 5 Is a hatching of a cockatrice-egg and that saith Esay is poison no lesse then that comes of it Sinne to lay Sinne to seeke to lay As to lay though you hurt not so to seeke to lay though you lay not Ever in what degree soever Assuerus's danger is Bigthan's sinne the King's danger their sinne that seâ—ke it But if that be all sinne we shall doe well enough What care men for sinne A Câ—pitalâ— sinne if there be no action at the Common Law for it None but Westminster-hall sinnes do men care for GOD saw it would come to this Men learne no more duty then paenall Statutes did teach them He tooke order therefore to bring it within them too We say further then by vertue of this Text besides that it is a grievous sinne praejudiciall to the state of the soule it is a heinous crime a capitall crime amounting to suspensi sunt as much as their neck is worth to seeke this It will beare not an action onely but an enditement of life and death But it must be in Regem then against Him Against others it is not so This If upon the King is a prerogative Royall And as many other waies so heereby appeareth what a King is That whereas in other mens caâ—es as touching the law of life and death to seeke to lay and to lay are much different in the King's case they be all one Quaesivâ—runt if it be no more but so the Law in that case to eny other is I take it favourable and for a bare purpose â—f no hurt ensue no man shall suffer death Not so with the King voluerunt against him is death if it may be discovered and quaesiverunt if he but seeke though he find it not This helps us to understand the Text Ego dixi Dij estis Dij for other causes Psal. 82.6 and this for one that they participate this divine priviledge that as against GOD so against them the heart is enough Quaesiverunt the seeking whither they find or not Voluerunt the will whither the deed follow or not Eccles. 10 2â— Thou shalt not speake evill of the King how not with thy lipps No not in thy secret thoughts saith the Preacher If not speake evill in heart doe evill in heart much lesse Two Commandements when time was we said there were in Nolite tangere 1 Touch not Psal. 105.15 the act 2 Have not the will to touch the intent Two cases there be upon these two 1 Baana and Rechab's that did lay hands upon King Ishbosheth 2. Sam. 4. 2 And Bigthan and Thare'z case heere that did but seeke it to King Asâ—ucrus Both guiltie both suffered Yea Baana and Rechab hang them and well worthy they murdered the King But Bigthan and Tharez Nay and them too hang them though they found it not onely for seeking This then I would have all beare away it is the substance of the Text distillatio favi as I may call it dropps of it selfe without eny streining We find heer in the Bible a ruled case Bigthan's case that held up his hand not for laying his hand but for seeking to lay it Planè suspensus est uterque put to death they were both Why Quaesiverunt for nothing but that they sought to do it they did it not they might plead Non est factum they did it not It would not serve they died for it for all that upon no other enditement then quia voluerunt Voluimus is enough to attaint eny If that can be proved no pleading not guiltie And this is the Law not of the Persians alone which yet was the Law of a hundred twentie seven Provinces nor ours alone and so may seeme to be the Law of Nations but that which strikes it home by vertue of this enrolement heer is the Law of GOD GOD by thus recording it hath made it His owne that if there were no Law for it they might be executed by this booke and this verse of it Sitt still then and seâ—kâ— it not for if you doe this is your doome expresly set downe heere by the pen of the Holy Ghost Take it as a sentence from GOD 's owne mouth Qui quaesiverunt suspensi qui quaerent suspendendi sunt They that sought went they that shall sâ—â—ke to go the same way 2. The Parties by whom Yet for all this sought it was then and since even the King's life Sed vae per quos And that per quos by whom is the next point The crime is bad 1 In Regem makes it worse But the seekers worst of all for they of all other should not have sought it Two they were in number For I know not how but for the most part they go by two's Two in number Gen 34.25 2. Sam. 4.5 2. King 12.21 Simeon and Levi to the murder of Sichem Baana and Rechab to that of King Ishbosheth Iozebed and Iosacar to that of King Ioas Bigthan and Tharez to this attempt heere against Assuerus and the very same number to that of this day Treason is in Hebrew called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a binding together Two there must be to be bound at least Two to conspire or put their breaths together to make a conspiracie Vpon the point there is in all never lesse then three For inter duos proditores Diabolus est tertius All that doe conjure conjure up a third to them The Divell makes them up three for he is one still he the faggot-band that binds them he the spirit that inspires all Conspirators For indeed these unnaturall treasons do not so much steeme or vapor up out of our nature bad though it be as they be immissiones pâ—r angelos malos sâ—nt into it by some messenger of Satan or rather by Satan himselfe Postquam misit Satanas in cor Iudae After Satan had putt it in his heart For he it is that putts in their hearts Luk. 22.3 to seeke to doe it and to doe it if GOD breake not the band choke not the breath of them as heere he did choke it in these with suspensi sunt Two in number what were they Nobly borne I doubt not to be in the place they were What place There be that thinke Bigthan and Tharez were not their proper names but the names of the roomes they held And they have reason for it Bigthan as the word goes in that tongue is Dapifer Tharez is Pincerna Those we know were rowmes
Nay then a worse matter now ye shall see them grow godly on a sodeine and wax very zealous as the fashion is Nay then now we shall have a Queene of a contrarie Religion we shall now be all Iewes One that cares neither for Mithra nor Oromasdes One by all likely-hood brought in to be the utter ruine of the Ancient Religion established in Persia yer she came there This was it they tell us and like enough so to be As ever ye shall observe marriage-matters are made occasions oft to serve to many purposes For Assuerus may not marrie but where Bigthan and Tharez appoint Els they will be wroth and fall on seeking If eny be in the Text this was it And was not this trow you a goodly occasion and a substantiall to make them quit their allegiance forget their oath cast behind them all his favours betray their trust truth and all lose all these For all these must they lose before they could seeke that they sought But why found they it not It was not so easy for them to find at first by reason that for eny to come there in the King's presence with a weapon nay but having his hands out to be seene not having them hidd held close under their garments it was death Cyrus put to death two of his kin for it That so they might well seeke and so I leave them seeking that I pray to GOD they may never finde But the true cause was GOD was angrie with this anger of theirs that their seeking succeeded not II. His deliverie And now are we come to the Catastrophe or turning about of all For by this time innotuit res Mardochaeo Mardochai came to the knowledge of it forth it came Nay if it come forth 1. The meanes of it By notice given 2 By Marâ—ochai the King shall do well enough To discover the treason is to deliver the King This was by Mardochai what was he No Persian to begin with but a stranger by birth and by Religion and a captive besides One that had better reason to have sought it then they He had as great causes as any are by them alledged that favour such seekings For this King held him and all GOD 's people with him to use Esther's owne termes in bitter captivitie as a Tyrant And this worse he was at least as evill as an haeretick for he was an Idolater One would thinke it had been a worke meeter for him this He to seeke and they to keepe him from finding that he sought they him not he them And how came he to it It skills not how but as he sate in the gate 3 As he sate in in the gate he came to it This is all he stirrd not but sat still And sate not in any lurking corner bâ—t even in the broad gate and there came he to it or it to him This was GOD'S bâ—ing sure Their anger boyled so signifies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and boyled over it should seeme â—nd brake out into some words Els how should Mardochai take notice of it They would never tâ—ust him with it ye may be sure being a stranger A Iew with their displeasure at the match with a Iew never but some bigg words came from Bigthâ—n that by Mardochai were overheard What in the gate in presence of a stranger The Targum the most auncient exposition we have saith GOD so tooke away their witts as they forbore not to take of it he sitting by but did it in a forrein strange language Knew him a Iew thought he could speake no language but his own or a little broken Persian perhapps not the tongue they had their conference in Which it fell out Mardochai understood as well as they And thus all came out GOD would so have it who so assorted them to make a way as to His mercie for the safeguard of the King so to His iustice to bring that upon their owne heads they sought to have brought upon the King 's And Mardochai when he had it once he kept it not Made it knowne not to him he next mett with but discreetly where he knew he well might to the Queen She was by bloud and bringing up faithfull to him and so did she shew her selfe for what he brake with her she told the King not in her owne but in Mardochaie's name The fashion is otherwise with some to tell it in their owne names and never speake a word of Mardochai from whom in truth it came Well the issue was what she told the King seemed to him no idle phansie of some vaine man but such as was meet to ground an enquiry upon So they were apprehended and committed and so to the Law we leave them Well by this meanes the danger is over and the King safe thankes be to GOD. And many wayes doth GOD give iust cause to mankind to admire His high providence in bringing to light such attempts as this against his Annointed such varietie so diverse strange meanes He hath to effect it by as heer in this I note foure unto you 2. The strangeness oâ— the meaâ—â—s 1. The partie first Mardochai that by him That this health should come to the King of Persia neither by Mede nor Persian not by any of his own people but by a stranger who was none of his lieges borne out of his allegiance a Iew a meer alien that this should come forth by him and by no other meanes But so is GOD wonderfull in His waies and will by an honest stranger sometimes save that a badd subject would destroy That in default of his owne GOD would have him saved by a stranger rather then not at all 2. Observe againe that to this stranger it came no otherwise but as he satt in the gate We may not passe that it stands in the front of the Text as the speciall means of all That it thus came and no other way as he satt still still and went not up and downe searching In the gate a publique place not eny privie corner or lobby he not diving into their bosomes but onely there sitting it should thus happen he should over-heare them talking togither in a strange tongue though to him not strange by a meer casualty one would thinke all this Indeed by a high and wonderfull disposition of GOD'S heavenly providence this that even as he there sate it should be brought to him thus And very oft doth GOD bewray bad enterprises by such one would thinke them meere casuall events But in maximè fortuitis there is minimum fortuiti quae fortuna fieri videntur fato fiunt It seemes chance that is indeed destinie And never let them looke for other all the Bigthans of them One shal be by a wall or at a window under the house eaves neer one cranny or other GOD will so dispose somebody shall be with in the hearing when they full little thinke For GOD will have it out certeinly Rather then
a pardon or m Gal. 4.4 being justified from those things which by the Lawe we could not All these wherein for the most part this is still expressed What speake they but that the sense of this Name cannot be rightly understood nor what manner of righteousnesse is in question except we still have before our eyes This same Coram Rege justo judicium faciente 2. And againe by way of opposition For usually where iustifying is named there condemning which is a term meerly judiciall is set against it In the Law n Deut. 25.1 When there shal be strife the matter shall come before â—hee and sentence to be given see the righteous be iustified and the sinner condemned o Psal. 17.15 To iustifie the wicked and condemne the innocent both are alike abhominable before GOD. p 1. Reg. 8.22 If man cannot iudge heare thou from heaven condemne the wicked and iustifie the righteous In the Gospell q Mat 12.37 By thy words shalt thou be iustified and by thy words condemned r Rom. 8.34 It is GOD that iustifieth who shall condemne s Rom. 5.16 Grace to iustification as sinne to condemnation All these shew manifestly we must imagine our selves standing at the Barre or wee shall never take the state of this question aright nor truely understand the mysterie of this Name For it is not in question whither wee have an inhaerent righteousnesse or no Or whither GOD will accept it or reward it but whither that must be our righteousnesse Coram REGE iusto iudicium faciente Which is a point very materiall and in no wise to be foâ—gotten For without this if we compare ourselves wiâ—h our sâ—lves what heertofore we have beene or if we compare our selvâ—s with others as did the Pharisee we may take a phansie perhapps and have some good conceipt of our inhaerent righteousnesse Yea if we be to deale in Schooles by argument or disputation we may peradventure argue for it and make some shew in the matter But let us once be brought and arraigned Coram Rege iusto sedente in Solio let us set our selves there we shall then see that all our former conceipt will vanish streight and Righteousnesse in that sense will not abide the triall Bring them hither then and aske them heere of this Name and never a Saint nor Father no nor the Schoolemen themselves none of them but will shew you how to understand it aright In their Commentaries it may be in their questions and debates they will hold hard for the other But remove it hither they forsake it presently and take the Name in the right sense t â—ob 1.18 Hast thou considered my servant IOB saith GOD to Satan how just perfect he is This just and perfect IOB standing heere u Iâ—b 9.15.10.15 Though I be iust saith he I wil not hold up my head or as they say Stare rectus in Curiâ will never plead it or stand upon it but putt up a Supplication to be releeved by IEHOVA iustitia nostra David hath the witnesse to have been w 1. Sam. 13.14 a man according to GOD 's owne heart For all that he dareth not stand heere But desireth GOD would not enter into judgement with him For that x Psal. 143.2 In conspectu tuo in His sight not he nor any other living which S. Bernard extendeth to the Angells shall be justified But if he must come as thither we must come all then y Psal. 70.16 Memorabor justitiae tuae solius he will never chaunt his owne righteousnesse but make mention only of this Name IEHOVAH justitia nostra DANIEL z Dan. 9.4 Vir desideriorum as the Angell termed him even he that man so greatly beloved after he saw the a Dan. 7.9 Ancient of dayes sett downe in his Throne and the bookes open before him then b Dan. 9.7 Tibi Domine justitia nobis autem confusio faciei c 9.18 Non in justificationibus nostris Not in our righteousnesse yet was that righteousnesse à Iehovâ but heer it would not serve he must waite for the MESSIAS and the d Dan. 9.24 everlasting righteousnesse which he bringeth with him And e Esai 6.1 Esay likewise at the vision of the LORD sedentis super thronum and the Angells covering their faces before him crieth out f Esai 6.5 Vae mihi Wo is me I am a man of polluted lippes Woe is me for I have held my peace and there he seeth the very sinnes of his lipps and the very sinnes of omission will be enough to condemne him though he had never in act committed any To end this point S. Paul a Vessell of Election So g Act. 9.15 GOD himself doth name him saith plainly if it were before the Corinthians or any Assize of man he would stand upon his righteousnesse But seeing h 1. Cor. 4.4 Qui me judicat est Dominus he will give it over and confesse that though Nihil mihi conscius sum and so had justitia à Domino yet for all that in hoc non sum justificatus it is another righteousnesse and not that must acquite him Thus do the Saints both of the Old and of the New Testament take this Name And do not the Fathers the like Saint Augustine's report it is of S. Ambrose that being now at the point of death he alleadged that the Cause why he feared not death was Quia bonum habemus Dominum and doth he not give this note upon it that he did not presume De suis purgatissimis moribus of his conversation though most holy and cleane but only stood on the goodnesse of the LORD the LORD our Righteousnesse And doth he not in his owne case flye to the same against Cresconius the Donatist That he shunned not to have his life sifted to the uttermost by any Donatist of them all Yet in the eyes of GOD Cum Rex iustus sederit in Solio these very words he alledgeth he saith plainly he dare not justifie himselfe but rather waited for the overflowing bounty of his grace then would abide the severe examination of his judgement And Bernard in his CCCX Epistle the very last he wrote a little before his death to the Abbot of Chartres concludeth he not Calcaneum vacuum meritis curate munire precibus Abandoneth he not then his justitia à Domino and confesseth his heele meaning the end of his life is bare of all merits and desireth to have it by prayers commended to Iehova iustitia nostra Thus doe the Fathers conceive of it Yea the very Schoolemen themselves take them from their Questions Quodlibetts and Comments on the Sentences let them be in their soliloquies meditations or devotions Anselm interrogat Bonaventura in Breviâ—oquio Gers. in Agone and specially in directing how to deale with men in their last agony quando Iudex prae foribus est then take Anselme take Bona venture take