our sinne naturally And as there is in the seed of our parents wherof we are born a naturall inclination by the blessing of God to growe so there is in the same also a naturall inclination by the sin of Adam vnto sinne And as the crabbed stock sendeth forth his sower iuice into his braunches which therfore naturally bâ—ing forth crabs for fruits so Adam being that sinfull stocke whereof we are the naturall braunches sendeth forth his sinne into vs who therefore naturally bring forth fruit vnto sin in great plentie So that looke how naturall it is for man to grow to eate to laugh to reason or to speak so naturall also is it for him to sin Therefore is it that sinne raigneth ouer all in such sort as that there was neuer heard of any such man besides Christ who was not begotteâ— after the manner of men as was void of sinne For if we say we haue no sin we deceiue our selues and there is no truth in vs. Paul confesseth concerning himselfe that the euill which hee would not do he doth Daniel confessed in his prayer vnto the Lord his owne sins and the sinnes of the people Noah his drunkennes Iobs cursing Dauids adulterie Salomons idolatrie Peters apostacie and Moses infidelitie are by the word manifested vnto the whole world And briefly what man is he that may not learne to pray as Christ hath taught him saying Forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them that trespasse against vs. True it is that many there be who haue praied with Paul to haue the Messenger of Sathan cleane remoued yea and haue striued to attaine vnto the power of the death and resurrection of Iesus Christ and vnto the resurrection of the dead that euen in this life they might be freed fully from sinne But neuer could either Paul as him selfe confesseth or any other therefore attaine therevnto And no maruell for nature may well be corrected but neuer by any labour cleane rooted out And therefore as the Cat of the mountain cannot change her spots nor the Ethyopian his skin sith nature hath made them such so neither can man cleane put away his sinne sith nature hath made him a sinner Which thing howsoeuer it cannot excuse the obstinat yet it may comfort the weake knowing that the Lord wil be more easily moued to pardon those our sinnes which nature will we nill we inforceth vs to do For when we sinne we do but our nature And therefore in reason we the rather are to be pardoned For euen with reason this is a good and therfore a common reason why me should spare our brute beasts behauing themselues more brutishly alas say we let them alone they do but their nature And why should it not seem vnto reason as good reason why the Lord in regard of whome man is not so much as a brute beast is vnto a man should spare not for merit but for pitie pardon man who when he sinneth doth nothing else but his nature for his owne nature driueth him vnto sin This reason therefore seemed so good vnto the holy Ghost and so comfortable vnto Dauid that he especially vseth the same in his 103. psalm to shew that as a father pitieth his owne children so the Lord as mercie respecteth miserie so pitie respecteth frailtie pitieth them that feare him For saith hee the Lord knoweth our making he remembreth that wee are but dust and that the daies of mortall man are but as the grasse and that hee flourisheth but euen as the flower of the field when the winde bloweth vpon it it is no longer neither is the place thereof knowne any more This therefore is the first reason taken from the consideration of our selues to whom being begotten in sin it is naturall to sinne The 12. Chapter VVherein is contained the second reason taken from man to prooue the forgiuenesse of sins by the consideration of our infancie we neuer being but new borne babes so long as we liue THe second reason is taken from the consideration of our infancie which so loÌ„g coÌ„tinueth as we liue in this preseÌ„t world For in regard both of God also of that perfect aged man in Iesus Christ we are no more nor better than new borne babes And therfore doth the Apostle Peter in his first Epistle second chapter call vs babes saying as new-borne babes desire the spirituall and guiltles milke of the word So likewise doth Iohn in his first Epistle last chapter call vs saying Babes keepe your selues from Idols And for this cause doth the Lord appoint vnto his Church in this present life Kings and Queenes to be nursing fathers nursing mothers and feedeth it as it were with pap euen with the sincere milke of the word And in all other actions dealeth so with vs as parents with their yong infants And no maruell for in euerie action of this present life wee shew our selues to bee more than babes Our weak knees our babish reason our childish imagination our dallying with God our Father our vnseasonable cries our vnseasonable requests our fathers rod the blaspheming of his name the defiling of our selues our beds and our garments and the often fals which we catch as children that are vnweaned and cannot go alone doe more than conuince the same Ad herevnto how late it is since that wee were new borne and as babes begotten by the immortall seede of the word and this doctrine will shine as cleare as the sun at the noone day For what though wee haue beene regenerate an hundred yeres since is it in regard either of God with whom a thousand yeares are but as one day or in regard of immortalitie and that long aged life that we that are borne of the immortall seede of God shall bee partakers of is it I say in regard thereof any more than yesterday So that it appeareth hereby that the strongest Christian and the perfectest man in God is scarse a child of one daies age And therefore are they sitly called by Peter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 euen now not onely new borne babes as it were in their blood The full perswasion whereof may breed in vs a liuely hope of the mercie and fauour of God to vs ward Knowing that our parents after the flesh could euen then when we plaied the wantons defiled our beds and our garments miscalled our parents yea disquieted them with our cries in the night season be contented not onely to pardon vs but also to laugh at vs considering that as yet we were but in our infancie How much more then think we will the Lord our heauenly father euen when we liue wantonly walke weakely speake foolishly thinke childishly euen when wee defile our selues with blood our beds with sin or our souls with blasphemie and euill speaking or with any other such like sin be ready bee it not spoken to the maintenance of any of these sinnes to forgiue vs considering our child-hood our young and tender and therefore
to perswade the forgiuenesse of our sins saying The mercie of the Lord endureth from age to age towards them that fear him and his iustice or as some translate it his righteousnes towards Childrens childreÌ„ And againe in his 116. Psalme the Prophet gathereth the saâ—ing health of the Lord not onely from his mercy but also from his iustice and therefore he ioyneth them both together to approoue the same saying The Lord is gracious iust our God I say is mercifull the Lord that saueth the simple when I am brought low sheweth his saluation vnto me Many other are those places that vrge the same reason to confirme vnto vs the forgiuenes of our sins and therfore in this first respect we may boldly and truely proue vnto our selues the remission of our sinnes from the iustice of God for it is a iust thing with the Lord according to his promises to forgiue vs our offences The second Section Secondly the Lord hath already punished Iesus Christ for our offences therefore cannot in iustice punish them in vs also For as Esay testifieth in his 73 chapter hee was punished for our sins he was broken for our iniquitie we all erred as a sheepe euerie one of vs turned to his own way and the Lord made the punishment of vs all to fall vppon him What could be spoken more plainly for the proofe hereof than this which the Prophet heâ—e by the spirite of God deliuereth vnto vs For we offended Christ was punished the seruaÌ„t displeased his Lord the father beat his son for it dealing herein with vs as hee did with Dauid Dauid coÌ„mitted adulterie and the child that was borne in adulterie died for it Dauid caused his subiects to be numbred and the people in great multitudes were slaine therefore Or rather as Tutors vnto Princes childreÌ„ deale with their pupils if they commit a fault their seruants are beaten but herein is the difference there the seruant is beaten for the son but here the son for the seruant the naturall sonne for the vnnaturall child the onely begotten for the adopted son the gracious son for the sonne by grace the beloued for his enemies So Christ was punished and we are pardoned Christ was charged with and wee discharged from our sins For the Lord tooke him for the offendor and punished him as the offendor It standeth not therefore with Gods iustice to punish those our sins in our selues that he alreadie charged vpon his son and our Sauiour Iesus Christ But the equity of this shal the better appeare if we shall consider that our sins are called and are indeed those debts which wee ought vnto the Lord. For the payment whereof Christ entred into bonds with this condition therein â—ndorsed that if we in any part failed he of his owne substance would satisfie the whole Now such was our beggery that we were not able to satisfie the same such was the wisedome of God that he would not seek by rigor of law to recouer the debt of vs poore men the best richest of vs being but beggarly mates and therefore in no likely-hood able to make payment therof to his Maiesty albeit he troubled suâ—d vs neuer so loÌ„g The lord therfore seeing that it was but lost lâ—bor that was spent vpon vs commenced his action in great wisedome against Christ being fully as rich in glory in graces righteousnes as hiâ—self therfore euery way able to satisfie the whole who accordingly of his owne substance euen of the substance of his bodie and blood paid vnto God the Father whatsoeuer in iustice either hee could demand or we ought We ought to die he satisfied the same we ought to haue born the heauie wrath and displeasure of the father he satisfied the same we ought to haue ben cast into hell and he satisfied also the same as we beleeue in our Creed and generally whatsoeuer we ought he fully contented and payd vnto the Lord insomuch that the father himselfe acknowledged and confessed in thunder from heauen that in him hee was well pleased euen fully satisfied and contented So that eueÌ„ by the confession of the Father himselfe solemnely made from the heauens by his owne mouth in the hearing of many witnesses who haue left the same for a matter of record for our selues our heirs and all posteritie it plainely appeareth that by Christ he himselfe is fully satisfied contented paid and pleased and wee therfore and therby are fully and freely acquitted and discharged from the beginning of the world vnto the end therof froÌ„ all whatsoeuer debt of sin we ought vnto the Lord. And that euen in the iustice of the Lord who cannot demaund that as debt of vs which Christ hath so fully satisfied for vs especially hauing for euer this general quittance writteÌ„ by the Lords own finger to shew for our full discharge So that euen by law we haue a discharge from law and from all our offences and sinnes which were those debts for the paiment wherof we were bouÌ„d vnto the Lord. So that the Lord cannot enter into iudgement with vs nor by the rigour of the lawe claime any debt at our hands For with what iustice can the Lord demaund any debt at our hands when Christ our suretie who stood bound for vs hath by the Lords owne confession satisfied whatsoeuer he could demaund and hath cancelled the hand writing that was against vs So that how or by what means would the Lord recouer any debt from vs can bee sue his band against vs why he hath none for it is cancelled Or be it that he hath why yet we haue both the Lords own confession recorded and also sufficient witnesses yea a generall quittance in these words mentioned and fully set downe written by the Lords owne hand for our full discharge The Lord hath quite claimed all interest in our debts and therefore can claime no interest in them against vs The law of nations the law of nature the law of our land and the law of God cleere vs of all euen of all our debts of all our sinnes of all our transgressions and offences whatsoeuer Thus then it appeareth euen by the iustice of god that our sinnes are cleane blotted out and forgiuen And this is the second reason therfrom that argueth the same The third Section Lastly the Lord hath alâ—eady punished not onely our sinnes but for and with them our owne persons in Christ For Christ did not beare onely the punishment for our sinnes but our sins themselues also According as Esay beareth witnesse in his 53 Chapter where hee speaking of Christ saith that hee bare our infirmities and caried our griefes And againe in the same place My iust seruant saith hee shall iustifie many whose sins he hath taken vpon himselfe And again he carying the sins of many made intercession for sinners For he is that true Goat mentioned in the 16 of Leuiticus vpon whome the sinnes of all the people of God were
into hell and had the portion of the reprobate and damned soule thou hast feet whatsoeuer punishment God in iustice could lay vpon thee And therefore the Lord cannot in iudgement and iustice exact againe the same rigor of the law vpon thee for thy sins So that euen by the iustice of God which dooth not punish I say not with two kinds of punishments but not twise for one sin thou art for euer fully freed and discharged from all sinnes whatsoeuer whether in word in worke or in thought whether of knowledge or of ignoraÌ„ce of weaknes or of wilfulnesse thou hast alreadie beene punished for them in thine owne person and therefore canst not in God iustice againe be condemned for theÌ„ in the day of iudgement in that day I say when the wrath of God shall bee reuealed from heauen vpon all vnrighteousnes disobedience of man Thy punishment therefore and thy paine is alreadie past and therefore feare it not there remaineth for thee no more recompence of sinne nor fearfull looking for of vengeance to come but altogether mercie and glory and grace and life and righteousnes in and by through with Iesus Christ our Lord to whome therefore be all glory and praise and power maiesty might and dominion for euer and euer Amen These reasons are taken from God the Father being considered in his promises and in the natures of his mercie and iustice Herevnto I might adde diuers other reasons taken in part from the glory of his grace mentioned in the Epistle to the Ephesians and the first chapter and from his patience his long suffering and other the natures of God and in part from those titles that are by the spirit giuen vnto God the Father as that he is our father our husbaÌ„d our prince our friend and such like all which notwithstanding I wiâ—l let passe come to other more apparant reasons because it is my purpose to make not a booke but a sermon The 5 Chapter VVherin the forgiuenes of sins is proued by a reason takeÌ„ fâ—om the se oÌ„d person in the Trin tie to wit the woâ—d Incarnate euen Iesus Christ being considered as he is the vine we the bâ—aÌ„ches THE next kinde of reasoniâ—g for the confirmation hereof iâ— taken from the second person in the Trinitie I meane the worde Incarnate euen Iesus Christ who is aboue all things God blessed for euermore who being in like manner as the father was diâ—ersly considered affordeth vnto vs diuers reasons for the proofe hereof Fiâ—st therefore we will consider him as the vine whereof we are branches as the stocke whereof we are gtaftes as the root whereof wee are boughes as the bodie whereof wee are members as the second Adam wherof we are new born For we are baptised into â—hrist and thereby by are borne of the fiâ—st Adam and of the second Adam the sonnes of men and the sonnes of God of the seed of maÌ„ which is mortall and of the immortall seed of God which abideth in vs and maketh vs to crie Abba father So that at one time we haue regeneration and generation we are borne and new born we are born of the children of man who fadeth and withereth aâ— the flower and we are borne againe the sonnes of the eternall and euerliuing God we are begotten of the first Adam who is from the earth earthly and of the second Adam who is the Lord from heauen heauenly And as this is true that as we haue borne the Image of the earthly so we shall beare the image of the heauenly So this also is true that as wee are partakers of the earthly sap and sinne so are wee also partakers of the heauenly seed and righteousnes And as that which is borne of vnclean seed no man can make cleane so that which is borne of cleane seed must needs be cleansed from all corruption And as man that is conceiued in sinne and borne in iniquitie must needs be full of iniquitie and a sinner so man that is new borne of water and the holy Ghost must needs be washed and purged from all his sinnes For euen as the wild Oliue braunch being grafted into the naturall Oliue tree being made partaker of the fatnes and nourishment the eof is purged and purified from his wild and bitter tast and sap so wee being grafted into Christ the true vine are made partakers of the heauenly nature so purged from the guiltines of all our sinnes and offences And this reason is notably vrged by Paule in the fift to the Romanes in these words saying But not as is the offence so likewise is the gift For if by the offence of one many died much more the grace of God the gift which is by the grace of one man euen Iesus Christ hath abounded vnto many Neither is that which entred by one sinning like vnto the gift for the iudgement came by one vnto condemnation but the gift of many offences vnto iustification For if by the sinne of one man death raigned by one much more they which receiue the abundance of the grace and gift of righteousnes shal raigne in life by one euen by Iesus Christ As therfore by one sin sinne came ouer all men vnto condemnation so by one righteousnesse righteousnes came vpon all to the righteousnes of life Therefore as by the disobedience of one man many are made sinners so by the obedience of one man many are made righteous So that hereby the Apostles notably sheweth vnto vs how that Christ was as able to wash vs as Adam to defile vs Christ as able to purge vs as Adam to corrupt vs Christ as able to take away death and sinne as Adam was to b ing both euen death sinne If therfore this be granted which before hath been proued namely that we were borne of Châ—ist as we were of Adam it must also needs bee infeâ—red that by Christ we are purged and pardoned of all those sins which wee drew with and from the sin of Adam So that thus we see how we may proue vnto our selues the forgiuenesse of our sinnes by considering of Christ as the second Adam into whom we are grafted and baptised as the Apostle speaketh The 6. Chapter VVherin the forgiuenesse of sins is prooued by consideâ—ing Iesus Christ as he is our aduocate and intercessor and the mediator of the new Testament 1. SEcondly this is proued vnto vs by setting Christ before vs as that mediator of the new Testament aâ— the Apostle calleth him as that high Priest which was signified by Aaron in the lawe of Moses who entring once into the holy place by his owne blood maketh intercession for the sins of the whole people and as our Aduocate as Iohn in his first Epistle calleth him who liueth for euer to make intercession pray vnto the Father for all that come vnto the Father by him So that we are to consider of Christ as our mediator who when the Father is
readie to whip vs steppeth in between the Lord and the sinner and keepeth vs as the mother doth her child from the fathers rod. Yea as our aduocat our daies man who is ready to make our defence for our offence against God by pleading our weakneâ— â—our infirmities our childhood and young yeares to reconcile vs to God and mooue his father to pardoÌ„ vs. Yea as the bishop of our souls and that faithful high priest which ceaseth not day nor night to poure out his praiers with all watchfulnes and feruencie euen as he did vpon the earth as the holy Ghost beareth witnesse for vs vnto God the Father And this he doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 coÌ„tinually because we continually sinning might continually be pardoned For if he ceased to make intercession for vs there would bee an intermission of remission of sinnes But when he neuer ceaseth to importune intreat the father for vs we are fully assured that al our sins are for euer washed away For the Father cannot by reason of his merite and will not by reason of his mercie denie any thing vnto his requests Father saith Christ I know thou hearest me in all things and thereby we know that he heareth him in the continual intercession that he maketh for the sonnes of men And this so much the rather may we assure our selues of for that the sonne is more deare vnto the father than the seruant the mediatour of the new Testament which is Christ than the mediator of the old which was Moses And Moses as we know stood in the gap and stopped the wrath of the Lord fell before the Lord on his face and fasted fortie daies and fortie nights for the sinnes of the people of Israel obtained pardon for the same much more then Iesus Christ who for euer and not fortie daies onely ceaseth not to make request shal obtain pardon at the hands of the Father himselfe being the Son for all the true Israelites euen Israell which is of God as Paul speaketh What shall I speak of Ezekiah who when the people sinned in eating the Passeouer being not before sanctified and hallowed praied vnto the Lord and the Lord healed the people What shall I speake of Iosuah of Elias of Dauid and other the men of God at whose intercession the Lord wrought wonders in heaueÌ„ aboue and in the eaâ—th beneath Do not euery one of these prooue vnto vs that the sonne of God making intercession for vs vnto the forgiuenes of our sins shall assuredly obtaine the same at the hands of his father And this is yet further assured vnto vs by considering on the one side the fathers gentlenesse and kindnesse who is not a chuâ—lish cuâ—rish God rough and full of displeasure but one in whome there is no anger as the Father himselfe protesteth in Esay who is therfore the slowest to conceiue a wrath and readiest to forgiue as Dauid singeth in his 103. Psalme and on the other side the sonne who by reason it is his office to pray for vs will not be negligent therein who because he hath been tempted in all thinges like vnto vs sinne onely excepted will be a faithfull and a mercifull high Priest in those things that are to bee done with God concerning his people who by reason of the loue hee beareth to vs ward in that he gaue his life for vs will be carefull and mindfull of vs who by reason of the oportunitie of the place in that he is in the heauens at the fathers hand euen at his right hand of the time in that hee liueth for euer of his grace and fauour in that he is the sonne of his loue of his merite in that hee hath deserued it shall bee heard in all whatsoeuer he shall craue at the Fathers hands in our behalfe For here meet together the sonnes readinesse the fathers willingnesse the sonnes carefulnesse the fathers cheerefulnesse the sons importunitie the fathers facilitie the sonnes merite the fathers mercie the sons mindfulnesse the fathers gentlenesse the sonnes disposition the fathers inclination the sonnes practise the Fathers purpose the sonnes grace the fathers graciousnesse the fauour of the sonne the fauour of the father they fauouring the one the other and they both sauouring vs the one readie to craue the other as readie to giue the one pâ—esent in representi g our prayers the other presently presenting him with his requests the one watchfull in asking the other striuing to bestow the sonne being glorious for asking the father being glâ—rified for bestowing the father willing to gratifie the sonne in all thinges and the sonne readie to craue all thinges from the father the one being not vnwilling to graunt the other not vnreadie to aske whatsoeuer we a ke no though it be euen his holy spirit much lesse if it be the forgiue-of our sinnes 2 I adde herevnto that the bloud 〈◊〉 Christ crieth vnto God the Father and speaketh vnto the Lord for mercie for them that are sanctified therewith For the sprinckling of the bloud of Christ speaketh farre better things than the bloud of Abel as the Apostle testifieth to the Hebrues For the bloud of Abel spake vnto the Lord for iustice but the bloud of Christ speaketh vnto the father for mercie The one cried for wrath the other for peace the one for vengeance vpon his brother for shedding of innocent bloud the other for pardon either for shedding innocent bloud or murder or theft or whoredome or vsurie or blasphemy or for any other whatsoeuer sinne If therfore the bloud of Abel cried so loud in the eares of the Lord that it moued him to execute vengeance vpon Cain much more the bloud of Iesus which stil crieth in the ears of the Lord will mooue him to mercie euen to pardon our sins and our offences For the crie of the bloud of the sonne of God which crieth vnto god for better things shall not haue worser entertainment thaÌ„ the bloud of Abel had 3 I adde further that euen the spirit as the Apostle speaketh in the eight to the Romanes helpeth also our infirmitie and maketh intercession for vs with grones vnspeakable So the spirit also of God intreateth for vs God intreateth God the spirit of God intreateth God the father for vs and how then can God denie any thing to God God the Father to his spirit which euen with vnspeakeble grones crieth within vs vnto his maiesty for pardon for our offences 4 I adde yet further that the Saints of God I say not which are in the heauens for as the Prophet saith Abraham knoweth vs not and Iacob remembreth vs not but the Saints of God which are on earth pray also for the forgiuenes of thy sins For Christ hath taught them to say Forgiue vs our trespasses as wee forgiue them that trespasse against vs willing them thereby to make mention of thee also as well as all other the elect of God in their praiers And therfore he teacheth them to say