with Christ and yet alive neverthelesse But why should wee thinke it strange to heare of a Man alive and dead at the same time Are not all Men living ever so Is not every Man alwayes dead and living so long as hee is a Man or living Alive naturally and dead spiritually or Qui luxuriatur vivens mortuuâ— est S. Hieron ad matr filiam dead mystically and alive spiritually Dead in sinne and alive in Nature or dead unto sin and alive in Grace When Paul was in the state of Nature hee was both dead and alive hee was alive Naturally but dead spiritually But when he changed the state of Nature for the state of Grace he changed the Natures of his life and death He was dead in sinne before but now dead unto sinne or sinne is dead in him Hee lived as a Naturall Man before but now as a Spirituall He lived in sin before but now Grace lives in him Hee is now dead to himselfe dead to his sinnes but alive to his Saviour living to the Lord of life Crucified with Christ and living to him alive in him Now this his mysticall death is very desirable It is rather to be wished then any kinde of Death that Augustus thought of It is a Death that may be lawfully sought for yea it is a Death that men must pull upon themselves as soon as they can with a holy kinde of violence and the more earnest any man is in doing of it the more he is to be praised for it and more worthy of praise is hee that thus killeth the old Man in himselfe then ever Cleombrotus was or Cato or Lucretia for Plato in Phaedone S. August de Civitate Dei l. 1. ca. 19. 23. killing as they did themselves yea hee deserves no praise that does not thus crucifie himselfe This is an Euthanasy indeed and there can be none without it They never can die well that doe not die thus whilst they live Nor can they ever live well that are not thus dead When Paul was crucified with Christ then hee reckoned himselfe to be alive indeed Christo confixus sum cruci vivo autem jam saith hee as the vulgar translation has it I am crucified with Christ and now I live Jam vivâ— now I live as if hee had not lived indeed till now that hee was thus crucified with Christ As hee liveth after his crucifixion so hee liveth by it Hee that layes downe a Duplex hic est miraculum quòd mortuum vitae restituit quòd per mortem Theophil in locum temporall life for Christs sake shall take up one eternall for it and hee that with Paul does part with an evill life does gaine a good one by it yea hee gaines two good ones by it one here and one hereafter for hee shall raigne with Christ that is crucified with him as well as hee that is crucified for him I am crucified with Christ saith our Apostle Christ was crucified and so was Paul but severall wayes Christ was crucified for Paul but so was not Paul for Christ Yet sanâ— sensu in some sense Paul was crucified for Christ but not so as Christ for Paul Paul was crucified for Christs sake and Christ for Pauls But Christ was crucified for Pauls sinnes so was not Paul for Christs Christ had no sinnes of his owne to demerit any crucifixion in himselfe or in any other for him but so had Paul And Pauls crucifixion was for himselfe rather then his Saviour yet it was of the sinnes in himselfe rather then of himselfe in his sinnes It was a crucifying of sinâ—â— in his mortall Body Not a crucifying of his mortall Body in sinne Christ was crucified for Paul in Body and Paul for Christ Per crucem Christi remotus est à me proprius affectus Aquin. Commenta in locum 1 Cor. 9. 27. in Minde Mente orucifixus sum As Theophilact expounds it In minde I am crucified with Christ In minde with him not in person for him It was not a corporall but a spirituall concrucifixion Yet it was in Body as well as Minde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I beate my body downe saith hee and keepe in subjection And this subjection of the Body it selfe was spirituall It was not a crucifixion of flesh but of fleshly-mindednesse It was the suppressing of the Rebellions of Nature not the destroying of Nature it selfe The Nature of his life was altered by it But the Life of his Nature was not utterly abolished for still hee lived for all this kinde of Death This concrucifixion was not to Death but Life There are two kinds of concrucifixions 1. Corporall 2. Spirituall Those two Malefactours that dyed when Christ did upon Luke 23. 33. the Crosse were both crucified with Christ But not as Paul was in the Text for one of the two was never the better for that corporall concrucifixion Hee lost his temporall life upon the Crosse with Christ himselfe yet hee got not Life eternall for it from the Crosse of Christ Alas for him His was a Crosse indeed but none of Christs Hee suffered not for Christs sake but for his owne sinnes and there is seldome Life in such a Death A Crosse may be the Tree of Life unto a Penitent theefe But such Malefactours are seldome truely penitent Indeed the Crosse is vita justorum life to the Righteous but mors infidelium Death to the Wicked saith Cassiodorus The true Believer layes hold of an other a better Life then this present 2 Cor. 5. 1 2. Heb. 11. 35. as hee parts with this But the Infidell loseth this and gets no other for it The wretched and impenitent unbeliever by the Crosse of sufferings or by his sufferings upon the Crosse does lose even all his stock of Life and gaineth nothing The believing penitent loseth little and gaineth much hee parteth with a bad life and receives a better for it But our Apostle loseth nothing and gaineth all He gets a new life without giving the old away But his concrucifixion was of an other kinde It was not corporal but spiritual and such concrucifixions are twofold Primarie and Secondarie Now the first of these is that which every true Believer suffered in the Person of Christ when as Christ suffered in the Person of every true Believer For as all that fell by the sinne of the first Adam did sinne with that Adam in his person and Rom. 5. 12. fell in his Person with him So all that are saved by the sufferings of the second Adam did suffer with him in his person and are so saved with him Christiani omnes unà cum Christo tanquam illius membra in cruce pependerunt All Christians as the Musculus in locum members of Christ did suffer with him upon the Crosse The catholick Head of the Church was fastened to the Crosse and suffered for the whole Mysticall Body and all the mysticall Members that are fastened to the Body by
your calling in Christianity are both to Peace Your generall calling as Yee are Christians is to seeke peace for your selves And your speciall calling as yee are Jurors is to make peace for others Let that Peace of God Coloss 3. 15. then rule in your hearts to the which also yee are called in one Body It is the businesse of honest Juries to end differences and to make peace and so it is of holy Christians There is nothing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jam. 3. 18. more proper to a Christian saith S. Basil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then to pacifie Dissentients The fruit of Righteousnesse is sowne in peace of them which make peace saith S. James And blessed are the Peace-makers saith our Saviour for they shall be called the Sonnes of God Mat. 5. 9. If they be the Sonnes of God that make peace certainely saith S. Gregory they are the Sonnes of the Devill that marre peace or that hinder it from making That yee may be sure to make it yee must be sure to follow 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the things that make for peace follow Rom. 14. 19. after Charity that makes for peace and that if any thing will make it follow after it towards Plaintiffs and follow after it towards Defendants And yee Plaintiffs and yee Defendants leave following of one another in vexatious Sutes and follow after Charity It was a strange thing to Salvian in his dayes to see One place his greatest Happinesse in the great Unhappinesse of an other Why should it be a thing so common as it is in these dayes The Inhabitants of Japan would needs salute by pulling Hey'yns Geograp Orientall Islands off their Shoes because that they of China did use to salute by pulling of their Hats Thus many love to live in opposition And to be like meere Antipodes in all their wayes to their next Neighbours They are easie to be provoked and hard to be intreated which is quite contrary to Christian Charity for Charity is not easily provoked it suffereth long 1 Cor. 13. 4 5. Jam. 3. 17. 1 Cor. 13. 7. and is kinde saith S. Paul But it is easily intreated saith S. James It beareth all things it endureth all things saith S. Paul It envyeth not it seeketh not her owne not usque ad apicem juris To the utmost punctilio of right for summum jus summa discordia sayes Martin Luther The extremity of Right causeth the extremity of Wrangling Ye Plaintiffs then be perswaded to remit something of right for Charity sake and for Quiet sake which followes after Charity And yee Defendants follow after Charity and if it bee possible as much as lieth in you live peaceably with all Men. Rom 12. 18 19 21. Avenge not your selves but rather give place unto wrath Bee not overcome of evill but overcome evill with good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith S. Paul follow after peace when the Plaintiff Heb. 12. 14. hath taken it from you doe yee follow after it untill yee have overtaken it follow after it with the Plaintiffe and follow after it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 even with all Men and follow after it with an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if it be possible to overtake it and follow after it with a quantum in vobis est as much as lieth in you to recover it Be of one minde and live in peace and the God of love and peace shall be with you 2 Cor. 13. 11. And Yee that are Juris periti yee that follow the practice of the Lawes of this Kingdome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 follow the practice of this Law of Christs Kingdome follow after Charity follow after it towards your Clients and follow after it towards their Antagonists Plead this Law of Christs Kingdome to them as well as the Lawes of this Kingdome for them Perswade them to value the Authority of this Law of Christs Kingdome by the credit of the Author The greatest Lawyers and Law-givers amongst the Heathen did ever father their Lawes upon the Gods of greatest credit amongst them that men might give the greater reverence to them Those Lawes which Lycurgus made for the Lacedemonians Plutar. in vit â—yâ—ur Diodorus Sâ—culus were fathered upon Apollo Those Lawes which Minos made for the Cretians were fathered upon Jupiter And those which were made by Anacharsis for the Scythians were fathered Herodot in Melpoâ— Ludoviâ— Vives in S. Aug. de civ Dei Plutar. in vit Num. Poâ—p upon Zamolxis And those that had no Fathers for their Lawes did finde out Mothers for them Numa Pompilius that made Lawes for the Romanes ascribed them to the Goddesse Egeria And Zaleucus that made Lawes for the Locrians ascribed them unto Minerva These Gods and Goddesses had all beene Men and Women amongst the Heathens But the Authour of this Law of Love is none other but the great God of Heaven and Earth The God of Gods and Lord of all Lords And it is hee himselfe that urges the practice of it For his sake men ought to follow it and in speciall manner towards himselfe That Noble Arimathean that plaid the Mat. 27. 57 58 59 60. Sextons part to in-grave our Saviours Body in a Stone was one of your profession a worthy Counsellour Bee yee of his Mark 15. 43 46. profession towards Christ Hee shewed Charity towards the humane Body of Christ when it was crucified Doe yee shew Charity towards the mysticall body of Christ the Church which is almost crucified Hee did his best to take that Body of our Saviour from the Crosse and hee did it Do but yee Luke 23. 53. your best to take the Crosse from this Body of our Saviour it may be yee may doe it doe something towards it The Law of Charity was from our Saviour And the Charity of this Law should bee chiefely for him For his sake then follow after Charity And yee that undertake for others in their Law-cases undertake also in this Gospell-case for Christ be his Attorneyes He is the Prince of Peace be yee all for the Peace of this Prince Bee Isaia 9. 6. yee for Christ that Christ may be for you Labour to make peace on Earth for your Christian Clients that Christ as your Advocate may make peace for you with God in Heaven Let 1 John 2. 1. no one here of your Profession be a Lachesis to spin out the thread of controversie when the Judge would be an Atropos to cut it off And when the Judge would be an Oedipus to unty the knots of doubt betweene Party and Party Let no one be a Sphinx to entangle them more and more When the Judge hath put the old and tyred quarrells to their Squatts let no one start them againe to be hunted from Court to Court Let nothing Philip. 2. 3. be done through strife or vaine glory But let all your things be done with Charity And so let the things of all 1 Cor. 16. 14.
love and to the Head by faith must needs be sensible of the sufferings of the 1 Cor. 12. 26 27. Head Whereas one member suffers all the members suffer with it by way or sympathy and therefore surely when as the Head suffers which is the fountaine of sense there must needs be a Catholike Compassion in all the Members Those are not living Members of Christs Mysticall Body that do not sympathize with him in the biternesse of his passion The very Remembrance of his grievous sufferings upon the Crosse for their sakes does make make them grieve for his sake And that 's their first Concrucifixion Now the second followes this and is twofold 1. Mysticall 2. Morall And the first of these is in the Sacrament of Baptisme For that Christens a man and makes him a member of Christ So many as are baptized into Christ they put on Christ And they put Galat. 3. 27. on Christ crucified that put him on by baptizme It is into the Death of Christ that they are Baptised And the Death of Christ was upon the Crosse by crucifixion And this laver of Signum est exhibitivum Regeneration the Sacrament of Baptisme does both signe and seale the Benefits of Christs crucifixion to a Christian And from this sacramentall or mysticall concrucifixion must we all derive that concrucifixion which is Morall And the Morall Concrucifixion does Crowne the Mysticall The Sacrament of Baptisme does begin the life of Christianity but it is the Christianity of life that does compleate a Christian and fits him for the Crowne of life Non quaeritur in Christianis S. Gregor l. 28. Moral initium sed finis saith S. Gregory The initiation of Christianity in any man is nothing so remarkable as the consummation of it Alas what is it to begin to be a Christian unlesse a man goes on to the perfection of Christianity I meane what profit is it to be baptized into Christ unlesse a man does live like a Christian Quid enim tibi prodect vocari quod non es nomen usurpare alienum sed si Christianum te esse delectat quae Christianitatis sunt gere S. August de doctrinâ Christianâ What benefit can there be in putting on of Christ by Baptisme unlesse we keepe him on in our lives and weare him in our Conversations Christiani nomen ille frustra sortitur qui Christum minimè imitatur saith S. Austine It s a frivolous thing to be a Nominall and not a Reall Christian to have the Name of a Christian and not be a follower of Christ Christianus à Christo A man is called a Christian from Christ whose follower he professes himselfe to be as those Disciples did which were first called so at Antioch Act. 11. 26. But those men bely A Christo Christiani â—umus â—uncupamur Athan. Orat. 2. contr Arian Gregor Nyss de profes Christianor S. Cypr. de 12. abusionib Greg. Naz. in Orat. funebri de S. Basilio the Name of Christ saith Gregory Nyssen that doe nor make their practice of Christianity to answer their profession of it Nemo Christianus verè dicitur nisi qui Christo moribus pro ut valet coaequatur saith S. Cyprian No man is rightly called a Christian unlesse he followeth Christ in his moralls as neere as he can S. Basil the Great and Gregory the Divine that were like Twinnes of Devotion in the Service of the Church did both rejoyce that they both were and were called Christians The putting on of Christ by Baptisme does give the Name but it is the keeping of him on in our moralls that speakes us Christians indeed It is not enough therefore to be crucified with Christ in Baptisme onely Ecce baptizati sunt homines See saith Saint S. Aug. Ser. 16. de verb. Apost Austine men are baptized and thereby their sinnes be washed away yet still something remaines on their parts to be performed Restat lucta cum carne restat lucta cum diabolo restat lucta cum mundo still there remaineth many Combates to Revel 2. 10. Mysterium hoc geritur in Christianis sacramentaliter efficaciter Sacramentaliter in Baptismo efficaciter in ipsa veteris nostri hominis mortificatione vitae novitate Musculus Dicendo simul cum Christo crucifixus sum Baptismum tecte significat diâ—â—do Vivo autem jam non ego sequemeÌ„ vitae rationeÌ„ significat per quam mortificantur membra S. Chrys in loc be maintained against our Ghostly Enemies the world the flesh and the Devil And indeed every Christian is engaged by his Baptisme to bid defiance unto these and to fight against them under the Banner of Christs Crosse to the utmost of his life We must be faithfull unto Death or never expect the Crowne of life Thus is this Mysterie begun and carried on in all true Christians as Saint Chrysostome hath observed and after him Theophilact and Musculus after both It begins in Baptisme and must be carried on in our lives It is this Morall concrucifixion that God expecteth and rewardeth But this is not easily and quickly finished Hic labor hoc opus it requires our greatest care and diligence to crucifie our selves with Christ in our lives This part of Christianisme is the hardest task that our Master Christ hath imposed upon us as his Disciples It is a worke that must be done so long as we live for that so long as we live we must never thinke we have done it But what is it that makes it so hard to be done there are many things that doe encrease the difficulty of it The first is that innate power or naturall strength that the Body of sinne hath in our Mortall Bodies I delight in the law Semper in nobis dum vivimus peccati Adami noÌ„nullae reliquiae manent Si enim ista semina sic omnino clui possit ut nullae in nobis restarent sordes vitiorum nec Paulus de legâ— membrorum mortisque corpore conquestus fuisset nec nos assidua spiritus renovatione opus haberemus Whitak â—â— 1. li. 8. of God after the inward man saith this Apostle But I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into Captivity to the law of sinne which is in my members Rom. 7. 22 23. See here was law against law and members against minde in Paul himselfe The corrupted Principles of Nature opposing the reformed and refined Principles of Grace and somtimes prevailing to the conquering to the captivating of this great Apostle and compelling him to cry 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O wretched man that I am who shall deliver â—â— from the body of this death Rom. 7. 24. Though man be renewed in his mind by the law of Grace or the Grace of the New man yet the Old man is still in him and the old man in him hath the law of Nature or the law of the Members on his side and the