but Caesar. This is necessary for vs to obserue that Christ our Lord is not the Naturall sonne of Salomon neither read we that at any time it was promised that so he should be but hee is the Naturall sonne of Dauid by Nathan and yet Salomons lawfull heire whereof it is euident that our Lord euen in respect of his manhood was a Noble man yea a borne King discended of the most honourable and ancient stocke that euer was in the world and therefore we haue no cause to be ashamed neither of him nor of his testimony but so much the more to loue him who being euery way so honourable a person yet for loue of vs was content to be dishonoured yea to suffer the shamefull death of the Crosse. And in this suddaine decay of Salomon his temporall kingdome posteritie the one whereof was weakned by the folly of his sonne Rehoboam whereby hee procured the abstraction of tenne parts of the kingdome from him the other ends in the eighteenth man after him all men may learne what dangerous sinnes the sinnes of spirituall and corporall whooredome are Salomon to stablish and encrease his posteritie hee multiplied Wiues contrary to the commaundement of God who did make one woman for one man though he had aboundance of spirit and might haue made many yet he would not because he sought a godly seede and by this euill hee was carried to a greater for the pleasure of outlandishwomen he tollerated their abhominable idols in a holy land and was himselfe at length polluted with their Idolatrie And therefore receiued hee this fearefull recompence of his errour that the Lord diuided his kingdome and cut off his posteritie so that of all his seede which hee had multiplied there was not one to sit vpon his throne In the last section the difference is that from Zorobabel the sonne of Pedaiah and nephew of Salathiel Saint Mathew reckons by Abiud otherwise named Hananiah 1 Chro. 3. the fore fathers of Ioseph nine in number Saint Luke againe reckons the forefathers of Mary eighteene in number from Rhesa this Rhesa was the second gouernour of Israell after the captiuitie called by Philo Rhesa Mesciola or as 1 Chro. 3. Meshullam Now in the end of these lines all the difficultie is that Ioseph by Saint Mathew is called the sonne of Iacob but by Saint Luke the sonne of Eli for resolution of it we must vnderstand that hee is called the sonne of Iacob because Iacob was his Naturall father but the sonne of Eli because Eli the Naturall father of Mary was Iosephs father in law And therefore is it to be obserued that in Christ his Naturall line diduced by Saint Luke Ioseph is the onely man who is not Christs Naturall father but supposed onely of man so to haue beene where all the rest are Christs Naturall fathers according to the flesh and Eli the Naturall father of Mary the mother of our Lord for it is euident that our Lord sprang out of Iuda Of all this then as was said before if we take a short view of the person of Christ Iesus vnspeakable is the comfort that shall arise vnto vs for wee shall see how meete and conuenient a person he is to doe the worke whereunto he is consecrated He is called by Zacharie Gnamith Iehouae the fellow or companion of the Lord which the Apostle to the Philippians ☜ expounds when hee saith that he was equall with God and this is in regard of his diuine nature for these stiles doe clearly point out in him a nature aboue the nature of any creature Angel or man hee is called againe by patient Iob Goel my kinsman for by the eyes of faith hee saw his incarnation long or euer it was accomplished and this is in respect of his humaine nature for which also Iacob calles him in his Prophesie Shiloh which signifieth that little skin or tunicle of flesh wherein infants are wrapped when they come into the world thereby pointing out also his humane nature hee is also by Esâ—y called Gnimmanuel God with vs and this is in respect of his vnited nature Heere wee must vnderstand the word Goel vsed by Iob properly signifieth a redeemer or reuenger from the word Gaal redemit vindicauit Now by the Law the power to redeeme the inheritance belonged to the neerest kinsman as likewise the power to reuenge blood for which it is vsed to signifie a kinsman so then our inheritance being lost by reason of our sinne and the posteritie of Adam cruelly slaine and murthered by Sathan here comes in our kinsman of our owne flesh and blood the sonne of Adam to redeeme againe our inheritance and to reuenge our blood Yea to doe that which neuer was done by any tipicall redeemer or reuenger for they might haue slaine him that flew their brethren if they had found them out of the Citie of refuge but could not giue life againe to their brethren but the Lord Iesus hath not onely slaine the murtherer Sathan finding him without a Citie of refuge but hath like a mightie conqueror restored life to his brethren In this Genealogie wee haue seene how hee is our kinsman and in the next Treatises wee shall see how among all the sonnes of Adam neuer any but hee was consecrated and endued with power and calling from aboue to be an Auenger a Redeemer and a Sauiour of his brethren REVEL 7. 12. Praise and Glory and Wisedome and Thankes and Honour and Power and Might be to our God for euermore 1 TIM 1. 17. Vnto the King euerlasting Immortall Inuisible vnto God onely wise be honour and glory for euer Amen A TABLE SHEVVING the Harmony of S. Mathew and S. Luke in the diduction of Christs GENEALOGIE Heere S. Luke reckoneth alone stepping vp by twenty degrees higher in the GENEALOGIE of our LORD then Saint Mathew doth GOD. Adam 3 Seth. 4 Enosh 5 Kenan 6 Mahalaleel 7 Iared 8 Henoch 9 MethusaleÌ„ 10 Lamech 11 Noah 12 Sem. 13 Arphaxad 14 Saâ—e 15 Heber 16 Peleg 17 Regu 18 Sarug 19 Nahor 20 Terah Heere the two Euangelists reckon on together the Naturall line of our Lord from Abraham vnto Dauid Abraham 21 Abraham 22 Issac 23 Iacob 24 Iuda 25 Pharez 26 Ezrom 27 Aram. 8 Aminadab 29 Naasson 30 Salmon 31 Booz 32 Obed. 33 Iesse From Dauid Saint Mathew reckons the legall line of Christ to let vs see that christ was lawfull King of the Iewes succeeded by the law as neerest of kinne to sit vpon the throne of his father Dauid 34 David Salomon Roboam Abia. Asa. Iosophat Ioram Ozia Ioatham Achaz Ezechia Manasse Amon. Iosias Ieconias Here ends the race of Salomon From Dauid Saint Luke reckons the naturall line of Christ to let vs see that Christ is the sonne of Dauid naturally discended of him by Nathan according to the flesh for the Messiah was promised to be
aduersarie in euery place wherein we come walking as the Apostle commands vs circumspectly and with feare and trembling euer looking vp for grace to keepe vs wee fall not into his snare at least we perish not in it The other thing to be obserued here is the person of our Lord who ouerthrowes Sathan in so victorious a manner that no exception can be made against it for in that Nature which Sathan once had ouercome doth he encounter with him and giues him also the vantage of place Sathan tempted the first Adam in Paradise which was the place in all the world wherein he should haue been strongest to resist the Diuell considering that in it he had very many tokens of Gods great goodnes toward him euer before his eyes yet in it Sathan ouercame him But the second Adam to recouer this losse encounters with Sathan in the wildernes a place of all other in the world meetest for Sathan to tempt a man in specially to desperation Thus we see quemadmodum suis nodis praeiudiâ—ia resoluantur suis diuina beneficia vestigiis reformentur for the first Adam tempted by Sathan was driuen from Paradise to the wildernes but the second Adam by suffering himselfe to be tempted of Sathan brings home the first againe from the wildernes into Paradise thus doth hee follow the Aduersarie as it were foote by foote confounding him in all those meanes by which before ouer man hee made his conquest The third circumstance is that our Lord was ledde into the wildernes by the motion of the spirit to wit that same spirit which before descended on him at Iorden and wherewith here hee is said to haue beene filled and replenished Of this we learne that temptations comes not by accident or chance but are ordered by diuine dispensation In our weakenes ofttimes wee conceit of our temptations as if they came to vs by the will of Sathan but in very truth it is not so he is indeede a roaring Lyon but the Lord haue bound him in chaines and without the bounds of his chaine hee cannot goe roare as hee will hee is not able to approach vnto vs nor moue any temptation against vs but as he is a licenced of the Lord est quidem leo rugiens sed gratias ago magno illi leoni de tribu Iuda rugire iste potest ferire non potest hee is indeede a roaring Lyon but I giue thankes vnto the great Lyon of the Tribe of Iudah hee may roare but he cannot strike me It is therefore good to remember in our temptations these three things First that it is the Lord who takes vs by the hand and enters vs within the listes to fight in his name hand to hand with Sathan as here our Lord is ledde by the spirit to be tempted Secondly that the Lord measures our temptations and will not suffer vs to be tempted aboue our power And thirdly that wheresoeuer he leade vs he goes with vs not as a spectator onely to behold vs which should also greatly encourage vs that wee fight vnder the eye of our King but as an actor also fighting in vs helping our infirmities and strengthening our weakenes by his grace and therefore how euer our Aduersarie be like a mighty terrible Goliah yet should wee not be afraide to goe forth against him in the name of the Lord our God In the fourth circumstance we haue to consider the Person who is tempted to wit Iesus full of the holy Ghost In regard of his nature he is very man and so he behoued to be that hee might ouercome the Aduersarie of man alioqui iuste victus non fuisset otherwise he had not been wholly conquered but in regard of the qualitie of his Nature perfectly holy and fully sanctified so full of the holy Ghost that not so much as a contrarie motion of euill could enter into him no more then liquor can be conuaied into a vessel which is full already and this is it which our Sauiour testifies in another place The prince of this world commeth and hath nothing in me It is true that Iohn the Baptist and Stephen the first Martir are also said to haue beene full of the holy Ghost but that is spoken either in comparison of themselues who at sometime were more filled with grace then at another for in all the godly the Spirit hath his own intention and remission or else in comparison of themselues with other men But as for Christ Iesus it is his singular priuiledge that hee receiued the spirit aboue and beyond all measure that of his fulnesse all his Saints and seruants might receiue grace for grace euery one a portion in their owne measure whereof it comes to passe that there being in most holy men a great vacuitie and emptinesse roome is made for Sathan to enter in and worke vpon the corruption hee findes there but in the Lord Iesus it is not so But here two things further are to be considered first how could Christ be tempted there being as I haue said no corruption in him whereupon any temptation could worke and secondly for what causes was he tempted For resolution of the first we are to consider the sundry sorts of temptations there is one wherby man tempts God this is expressely forbidden as we will shew hereafter one whereby GOD tempts man so the Lord tempted Abraham and he is said also to haue tempted the Israelites as for that which S. Iames saith that God tempts no man wee must know that there is tentatio quae probat tentatio quae decipit a temptation which proueth and a temptation which deceiueth By the first of these only the Lord tempts but neuer by the second There is also a temptation whereby one man tempts another to snare him or manifest some weakenes in him so the Herodians and Pharises tempted Christ and this is common to all the wicked men of the world that not content to doe euill themselues they delight also to tempt others to euill Let such remember that this is to sinne after the similitude of Sathan who not content to rebell against GOD himselfe tempted man also to the same rebellion with him and therefore may they looke to be punished after the similitude of his condemnation and last of all there is a temptation by which Sathan tempts man plaine contrarie to that which is ascribed to the Lord for it is not to make man better nor to manifest any goodnes that by grace is in him but euer to snare him for which cause the temptations of God are compared to fanning that driues away the chaffe and dust and so fines the corne but Sathans temptations are compared to sifting that letts away the good but keepes still the worst Now to returne to the question we must know that the temptations of Christ in this doe differ from the temptations of Adam and all other men
in the world that his were onely externall that is such as Sathan presented by externall voices and obiects to his eare and eye but could neuer carry any further for incontinent the Lord Iesus discerned the vanitie of them by the perfect light of his minde and instantly repelled them by the vnchangeable holines of his will so that he was not so much as affected or moued with them farre lesse infected by consenting vnto them and in this as I said hee farre excels the first Adam and all his posteritie For as for our first Parents Adam and Euah in that first onset Sathan made vpon them by presenting externall obiects to their eyes and voices to their eares he incontinent fastned his sting into them by reason that they howsoeuer made holy yet being mutable were easily affected with his allurements and so wounded by him but the second Adam being perfect and vnchangeable in holines was in such sort tempted that he was not nor could not be peruerted no more then the most stable rockes of the Sea are moued or remoued by the raging waues thereof Whereof great comfort redounds vnto vs who now by grace are the generation of the second Adam and beares his image as by Nature we were the sonnes of the first Adam and did carry also his image What the first Adam had by creation hee receiued it not for himselfe onely but for his posteritie also if he had kept it for himselfe hee had kept it to them also and when he lost it to himselfe he lost it to his posteritie And the second Adam the Lord Iesus in like maner that stock of life in whom by grace we are grafted and of whom onely wee as Christians haue our beginning and being what hee hath receiued as Mediator from his Father he receiued it not for himselfe but for his brethren that he might conquer communicate and conserue vnto vs a most sure saluation for so long as hee who haue obtained it cannot loose it so long wee are sure it cannot be lost vnto vs seeing of him and in him we possesse it And as for Adams posteritie now since the fall our estate is so much by Nature the more miserable that our greatest temptation comes from our inward corruption so that albeit there were no externall tempter to tempt vs with obiects of sinne presented to our eyes and eares yet wee are tempted of our owne concupiscence within vs. Tale quippe est vitium malignitatis vt a nullo impulsa plerunque sese ipsa praecipitet for such is the corruption of our wicked Nature saith Chrysostome that although it be not moued or enforced by any other yet it runneth headlong into sinne thus wee are like vnto a besieged citie that not onely hath strong enemies without pursuing it but in like manner false Traytors within to betray it Now haue wee seene how the temptations of Christ Iesus doe differ from Adams and ours The other thing in this circumstance that comes to be considered is the endes for which our Lord humbles himselfe to be tempted of Sathan and those we shall see doe most of all respect vs as for our cause he was in carnate so for our cause hee was tempted all that hee suffered in our Nature are medicines to cure the infirmities of our nature First then hee was content to be tempted by our enemie that hee might ouercome our enemie and that in so iust and lawfull a manner as against which the enemie could haue no exception for in mans nature hee encountred with him in a place conuenient for Sathanin a state and condition most subiect to temptation wanting all necessaries for refreshment of his body and hauing none to comfort him and no doubt it did wonderfully astonish and confound that euill one that hauing ouercome so many since the beginning of the world now hee encounters with a man ouer whom hee hath so many apparant vantages and against whom he assayed all his temptations yet can hee not any way fasten his sting in him Secondly to let vs see what a spitefull enemie of mans saluation Sathan is for the hatred he beares to the glory of God hee hates man made to the image of God and doth all that hee can to hinder his saluation Non enim vult vt ibi simus vnde ipse deiectus est for hee can not abide that man should be exalted to that place from which for his sinne hee was deiected If wee could apprehend this and take it to heart what a deadly enemie Sathan is vnto vs and for what cause it would encourage vs to make stronger resistance to him then we doe Thirdly hee vndergoeth this temptation to teach vs his Seruants and Souldiours how to encounter with him Pugnat Imperator vt discant Milites and therewithall to assure vs that if wee wil fight against him in the might of our Lord it is possible that we clothed with this same nature shall ouercome him Since the dayes of Adam Sathan by sinne hath wonderfully preuailed ouer men none haue escaped him without a wound and many hath he slaine vnto the death but now in the same nature the Lord Iesus wrastles with him and ouercomes him that so radicitus euelleret desperationem ex natura a nostra that hee might plucke vp desperation by the roote out of our nature And fourthly hee humbled himselfe to suffer temptation that by experience hee might learne wherein the strength of Sathan lyeth and so might be the more able to succour vs in all temptations For wee haue not an High Priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all things tempted in like sort yet without sinne and therefore is able sufficiently to haue compassion on vs. And last of all that we should not apprehend our tentations to come from an angry God as commonly of our weakenesse we doe wee see here that the Lord Iesus who a little before was proclaimed to be the Sonne of GOD in whom the Father was well pleased is now led by the Spirit of God to be tempted of Sathan The fift Circumstance is of him that tempteth called by S. Luke the Diuell and by S. Mathew the Tempter stiles both of them properly belonging to Sathan for before him there was no tempter vnto euill nor yet after him except such as are tempted by him wherefore Augustine doth thus prettily describe him Quid est diabolus Angelus per superbiam à Deo separatus à semetipso ceptus alios decipiens author mendacij radix malitiae caput scelerum princeps omnium vitiorum What is the Diuell Hee is an Angell through his pride separated from God deceiued by himselfe deceiuing others the Father of lyes the roote of malice the chiefe head of all wickednesses the Prince of all sinnes and vices In tempting hee is restlesse sparing no time no place no person It may truely
neuer to be forgotten TAke heede to thy selfe This is a precept most necessary to be practised The Lord is said to number our steps to ponder our pathes to weigh our selues and Sathan is said to winnow vs and to consider vs what great neede haue wee then to consider our selues The fruitlesse care of worldlings VVOrldlings take paines in their life to prouide for others who will not so much as remember them when they are gone for his place shall know him no more Where is the fruit of thy labours O wretched worldling in the heauen Thou hast laide vp no store for thy selfe there for thou neuer had a care to make thy selfe friends there of the riches of iniquitie what hope then canst thou haue to be receiued into those euerlasting mansions for comfort of the earth where is it all the fruit of thy labors thou must leaue to another who will be blythe to burie thee in the earth Oh that men could remember this Or it belong the earth will refuse to beare thee thy body will refuse to lodge thee thy friends will no longer retaine thee and who then shall receiue thee If the Lord also refuse thee and bid thee depart from him where away wilt thou goe for comfort O man make peace with thy God in time Couerings of sinne AS Adam after his transgression couered his nakednes with figge-tree leaues so is it Naturall to his sonnes to seeke couerings to their sinnes but of all it offends the Lord most when men seeke to couer their sinnes vnder the garment of God this was obiected to the Iewes Mal. 2. 16. who couered their adulteries with a shadow of diuorcements allowed as they thought by Moses and is yet practised by the Atheists of our time who bring defences for their sinne out of the word of God for such mockers heauy iudgements are prepared Knowledge and Deuotion AS a Bird that hath but one wing cannot flye the right way so a Christian wanting any one of these two cannot serue God in a right manner yet seldome goe these two together for some haue Knowledge without Deuotion and others haue Deuotion but without Knowledge None of these are good but the first is the worst of the two for the seruant that knowes his Maisters will and doth it not is worthy of double stripes A discouerie of the vanity of worldly honour MAn in his best estate is altogether vanitie his highest honour is like the vanishing shadow on the tops of mountaines when the sunne goes downe Put him in his chariot of triumph let it be drawne with horses of price yea if hee can with stately Lyons let him be decked in most gorgeous manner as Herode was on his birth-day these two interrogators shall soone discouer his vanity First what hath he vpon him or about him which is his owne hath he not borrowed from euery creature to make vp himselfe a begged glory garments from beasts of the earth feathers from foules of the ayre pearles from fishes of the sea silkes from creeping wormes and beasts and wormes and fishes at length shall deuoure his flesh in a recompence of that which they haue lent him And Secondly that which hee hath how long shall hee haue it the Samaritane Prince who this day leaned on the kings shoulder and the next day was trampled vnder the peoples feete stands vp among innumerable examples to witnesse how mutable and vaine the glory is of flesh Surely as Nabuchadnezzars image had a head of Gold but feete of Clay so is it with all worldly honour glorious in the beginning but it ends in dust and ashes Euery day should shadow our death THe end of euery day is a shadow of the end of our life our lying downe in the bed vnder couerings of clothes to rest vs till the morning should remember vs of our lying downe in the graue vnder the couering of moulds The sting of sinfull pleasure not perceiued in the day doth sting more liuely the conscience of men in the night when they examine themselues on their beds and all are at quiet no sight presented to the eye nor sound to the eare to distract the minde then conscience speakes the more loudly to warne a man of his sinnes and this may forewarne vs that if we doe not vnfainedly repent vs in time our sinnes will much more trouble vs in the end of our life let vs not keepe such a serpent in our bosome Contentment to dye I Desire not to out-liue the time whether it be long or short appointed to mee of the Lord. I know hee is permanent Iehoua death cannot take me from him but restore me to him Prophets dye and people to whom they speake die also but the word of the Lord endureth for euer and no word spoken in his name shall fall to the ground I know it shall not be well with the wicked though I see not their end and thy Saints shall haue cause to praise thee and say there is fruit for the righteous Glory be to God Si quid feceris honestum cum labore labor cito abit si quid turpe cum voluptate turpitudo manet voluptas abit Aul Gel. FINIS THE BAPTISME OF CHRIST VVherein the typicall Goel is compared with the true and is shewed how CHRIST our kinsman is made our right REDEEMER MARKE 1. 9. And it came to passe in those dayes that Iesus came from Nazaret a citie of Galile and was baptised of of Iohn in Iordan LONDON Printed for Iohn Budge 1612. A TABLE OF THE PRINCIpall points contained in this Booke A A Ccusations of Sathan and the Christian mans answere to them pag. 306 Adam the first son of God among men and the first father of Christ according to the flesh pag. 8 The euill that Adam brought on himselfe and his posteritie 59 How the second Adam hath the same similitude of generation with the first 13 What course the second Adam takes in our Redemption 58. the effect and comfort thereof 59 Our spiritual Adoption how confirmed 14 Our Election and Adoption impugned by Sathan 170 How wee should confirme our selues in the assurance of our Election and Adoption 175 Atheists conuinced 182 Professors of Atheisme 170 B BAptisme of Christ among sinners shewes his loue and humilitie 57 Christ baptizing with the spirit seeks the Baptisme of water from his owne seruant 60. to what end hee did so 61. the reasons thereof 62 Christ baptized to sanctifie Baptisme 66. and to seale vp his fellowship with vs. 68. he receiued it with prayer 64 The seale of Baptisme with the promises thereof 65 Why Constantine deferred his baptisme 67 The order of Sathans threefold Battell 162 How a Christian should order the Battell against him 163 Desperation fights in the left wing of Sathans battell 167. and Presumption in the right wing 192 A warning to Battell 277 Glory of Brittaines Ile 265 A warning to Brittaines Ile 267 C THe fatherly care and prouidence of God to his