that obey him And is called of God from the time of his Resurrestion or exaltation an high Priest after the order of Melchisedech CHAP. 10. Wherein the Priesthood of Melchisedech did differ from the Priesthood of Aaron That Melchisedech did not offer any sacrifice of bread and wine unto God when he blessed Abraham THe office of Aaron and of his Sonnes wee have described Deuteron 10. 8. At that time the Lord separated the Tribe of Levi to beare the Arke of the Covenant of the Lord to stand before the Lord to minister unto him and to blesse in his name unto this day And againe Deut. 18. 3. This shall be the Priests duty c. For the Lord thy God hath chosen him out of all thy Tribes to stand and minister in the name of the Lord him and his Sonnes for ever ver 5. Could Melchisedech's office be greater or his patent ampler especially for duration For sacrifice prayer and blessing are the trinall dimensions of the Priesthood howsoever taken This difficultie perhaps did occasion a foule error in the Romish Church or encourage her followers to maintaine this error brought forth it may be upon other occasions to wit that the office of Melchisedech should properly consist herein especially differ from the Priesthood of AaroÌ„ For that when he met Abraham he offered up bread wine by way of proper sacrifice unto God as a type or pledge of the unbloody sacrifice of the masse unto which the Romanists for the most part restraine the exercise of Christ's Priesthood after the order of Melchisedech 2 To omit their chymicall conceits who labour in vaine to extract some act of sacrificing out of the originall word hotsi Maldonate the most zealous and laborious pleader in this argument because Calvin had held the monkish allegorizars to the literall and gramaticall sense of Scriptures holds it no sin to put a trick of Grammar so they would admit it upon Calvin's followers upon the very text it self For whereas the Romish Interpreters who went before him admit the vulgar edition Et erat Sacerdos Dei altissimi This Critick to despite Calvin will correct Magnificat and renders it thus Et erat sacrificans Deo altissimo His reason for this innovation is because the hebrew Cohen is for it's form a participle of the present tense but surely he was better read in his Gramar then in his Lexicon although better read in that then in the Hebrew Text for although the Hebbrew Cohen be usually taken for a Priest yet to sacrifice is no part of the proper formal signification of the radicall verb Cahan That directly imports no more then ministravit or Sacerdotem egit Whence though it be most true that every Sacrificer is a CoheÌ„ is a Priest or Minister of God yet is not this truth simply convertible that is Every Cohen Priest or Minister of God is a Sacrificer specially if we speak of times before the Law was given or since it expired much lesse will it follow that every act or function which the Minister of God performs should be a sacrifice So that albeit we should give the Criticall Iesuit leave to degrade the Hebrew Cohen and turne it out of a noun in which form and habit it was taken by all his Predecessors into the nature and value of a Participle the Grammaticall sense will amount to no more then this Et erat Ministrans or Sacerdotio fungens Deo altissimo and all this Melchisedech might doe and this he verily did in blessing Abraham not in bringing forth or offering bread and wine The letter of the Text runnes thus And Melchisedech King of Salem brought forth bread and wine and hee was a Priest of the most high God Suppose a man should here interrupt the Reader or relater of this History thus What if hee were a Priest of the most high God To what purpose is this clause inserted The holy Ghost in the next words clears the doubt or rather prevents the Question And he blessed Abraham In what forme or sort Blessed be Abraham of the most high God! So then Melchisedech is instiled a Priest of the most high God to shew his warrant to blesse in the name of the most high God And for this interpretation I have the warrant or confirmation from Cyril of Alexandria 3 As for his bread and wine hee offered these to Abraham and not to God as Philo Iudaeus a competent witnesse in this Controversie hath informed us For this good Author opposeth Melchisedech's hospitalitie towards Abraham unto Amalech's niggardly and uncharitable disposition towards Israel comming out of the house of affliction Amalech saith hee was excluded from the congregation of the Lord because hee met not Israel with bread and water whereas Melchisedech had met our father Abraham laden with the spoâ—â—es of his enemies with bread and wine He hath not in my opinion erred much in taking the symboles or elements of bread and wine for emblemes of that true pabulum animae which consists in contemplation of heavenly things And yet I am perswaded hee had no expresse knowledge of the true object of such contemplation to wit the body and blood of Christ or of the benefit conveyed to us from them since they were offered in sacrifice unto God by the elements of bread and wine not as mere signes but as undoubted pledges of his body and blood to be communicated to us 4 And although Suidas in his second Paragraph on the word Melchisedech will have our Saviours Priesthood after the order of Melchisedech to take beginning from the night before his passion wherein he tooke bread and wine and blessed them yet in his third Paragraph upon the same word he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Melchisedech brought forth bread and wine unto Abraham But let us suppose what the Text will not support that Melchisedech did offer up a sacrifice of bread and wine to the most high God thus much being granted wee may draw that net which the Romanist sets for others upon himselfe for our next interrogatory should be this Of what sacrifice may we by any analogie of faith imagine this supposed sacrifice of Melchisedech to be the type of the dayly reiterated sacrifice of the masse or of the one only sacrifice of the Sonne of God Surely if Melchisedech be a true type of the everlasting Priest his sacrifice must be a type of this Priest's everlasting sacrifice Now as we read not though Maldonate's reading of the former pâ—â—â—e were true that Melchisedech did offer any sacrifice besides this supposed sacrifice of bread and wine so wee must undoubtedly beleeve that the Sonne of God did offer no more sacrifices then one and that one never to be reiterated because the value of it being truly infinite the efficacy of it must needs be absolutely everlasting If otherwise wee should with the Romanists admit of a sacrifice by succession or multiplication as everlasting as this transitory
did in every respect for the people as they desired God should doe for them 2 This compassionate temper in every high Priest or chiefe spirituall Governour required by the Law of God is so agreeable to the common notions of the law of nature that the consonancy betwixt them did if not first occasion yet strengthen the worlds opinion of Peter's supremacy over Christs Catholique Church A memorable instance to this purpose we have recorded by a late ingenious writer of the life and facts of Matthias Corvinus King of Hungarie into whose presence an ambitious School-man had long desir'd to be admitted who because hee had learned to play fast and loose with Aquinas or Scotus distinctions presumed hee was able to dissolve any knot in Divinitie and desired nothing more then to play his prizes before that witty King Being after long importunate suite admitted into his presence the first probleme the generous King proposed unto him was this Seeing S. Peter had thrice denied his Lord and Master whereas S. Iohn who had never offended him was never tainted with any crime but continued still the Disciple whom hee loved What was the reason why our Saviour Christ should make S. Peter head of his Church rather then S. Iohn The Iugler perceiving that he had brought the wrong boxe with him requested the King not to meddle with Gods secrets but to propose some other controversed Question to him upon the issue the King resolved him that this was none of Gods secrets alleaging the Authoritie of S. Hierome as an introduction to his owne collections and this reason withall That if our Saviour had made S. Iohn head of the Church hee would have beene more severe and rigorous then those or other corrupt times would suffer as being not conscious to himself of any grosie enormitie The same reason had been avouched long before by Eulogius but censur'd by Photius as relishing more of plausible fancy then of sound judgment Yet in this fancy there was a spice of truth and reason * for S. Peter became more powerfull in preaching the Gospell to his Bretheren the Iewes then any of Christs other Apostles because he sympathized better with them and was no question more compassionate and kinde unto them then any of the other Apostles were or could have been 3 But in offering gifts and sacrifices out of true compassion towards his people in making Intercession and Attonement for them our high Priest did and doth farre exceed all legall Priests all other inferious spirituall Governours In all things saith our Apostle it became him to be made like unto his Brethren that hee might be a mercifull and a faithfull high Priest in things concerning God that hee might make reconciliation for the sinnes of his people For in that he suffered and was tempted hee is able to succour them that are tempted Heb. 2. 17. All his sufferings and temptations were requisite for his Qualification to his Priestly function which was to be mercifull and compassionate towards sinners more compassionate towards all sorts of sinners then any one sinner could be either towards himselfe or others Because he had more full and deeper experience of the wages due to sinne than any sinners in this life can have Hence saith our Apostle in the words immediately preceding to these now in handling Though he were the Sonne yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered As he was the Sonne of God he knew all things could learne nothing yet as the sonne of man or as man design'd for our high Priest he had a sensible experience of the paines and punishments due to sinne and of the unknowne terrours of the second death which as he was God hee could not have and which as man unlesse hee had beene the Sonne of God withall he could not have borne The obedience which he learned by suffering as was observed before was passive not active And his unspeakable patience even while hee suffered these grievous and unknowne paines and terrours is mentioned by our Apostle as a part of his Qualification v. 7. In the daies of his flesh he offered up praiers and supplications by strong cryes and teares unto him that was able to save him from death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 CHAP. 3. What were those strong cryes which the Sonnne of God did utter in the dayes of his flesh how farre his prayers were heard and from what death and danger he was delivered Heb. 5. v. 7. MAldonate with some other good Interpreters referre these strong cryes or loud exclamations unto that strong cry upon the crosse my God my God why hast thou for saken me But thus they teach with due respect unto their worth and learning I speake it very impertinently and inconsiderately For first that ejaculation of our Saviour upon the Crosse though uttered with a loud voice or cry beares rather the character of a complaint or expostulation then of a humble Prayer or supplication if we take it in the literall sense as if it had been extorted from the extremitie of paine which he then suffered The truth is it was neither a Praier nor complaint but meratessera a signall or watch-word to his Auditours or Spectatours to rally their tumultuous disordered thoughts And if they had taken their former indignities done unto him on the Crosse and his admirable patience in suffering them without murmure or complaint into serious consideration they might have diseerned that this was the man or promised Messias whose sufferings the Psalmist did describe and by his owne sufferings in part represent For our Saviour uttered not these words of the 22 Psalme untill all the other passages in the same Psalme were ocularly exemplified and fulfilled in him 2 Secondly we never read nor have we any occasion to suspect but reasons pregnant to deny that our Saviour did ever deprecate the death of the Crosse or could be daunted with any indignities which the Iews could doe unto him either by word or fact either by themselves or their Associates And for this reason as hath been observed before when Peter had advised him to be good to himselfe not to expose his person to the malice of the Iewes hee was dismissed with this severe check Get thee behind me Satan for thou art an offence unto me c. Now Peter had been the more provident of the two if his Master had uttered the former words either by way of Prayer or complaint Againe if our Saviour had beene at any time daunted with the death of the Crosse or had prayed for deliverance from this death or any paines that did accompany it his praiers or supplications had not beene heard by him who was able to save him from death seeing from this death he did not save him but suffered or rather required him to tast of it to the full for all men But it is evident that these strong cryes and exclamations uttered with teares mentioned by our Apostle Chap. 5.
full issue or product of all three dimensions we shall be everlastingly blessed in him For the first we may not so much as beg any blessing or good thing at God's hand but for his sake Hence it is that all our prayers are conceived in this forme either expressely or implicitely propter merita Iesu Christi Secondly of those blessings which it pleaseth God to grant for his sake wee may not entreat no not expect their conveyance should be made unto us by any other person or meanes then by him and the vertue of his sufferings And for this reason it is that we usually conclude our prayers Per Iesum Christum Dominum nostrum through Iesus Christ our Lord not propter Iesum Christum That is alway expressed or implyed in the body or beginning of the prayer It was the intention of the Ancients to instruct us by those two usuall clauses of our solemn prayers that whatsoever we aske for Christ's sake wee cannot otherwise obtaine then through him And though the Father be the first granter yet the Sonne immediately bestowes all blessings upon us as the places of Scripture late alleaged testify God's blessings descend to us only by him that they may draw us unto him in whom only we are blessed For that everlasting happinesse of the life to come formally consists in our union with him and cannot be manifested or imparted to us but by the participation of his blessed presence 6 Will yee have a more particular map in what manner the blessing of Abraham descends upon us by this our high Priest Then call to mind in what termes Melchisedech blessed Abraham They were these Blessed be Abraham of the most high God Possessor of heaven and earth Melchisedech if the same be Shem had by vertue of his Father Noah's blessings a manifest right unto the land of Canaan and had some part of it in possession and this right and title hee be queaths to Abraham The chiefe matter of his blessing is that Abrahams posteritie should be Kings and Priests in that land And albeit he were a Priest of the most high God yet his Kingdome was of this world and in this world though a type of the heavenly Kingdome But our Saviour's Kingdome was not of this world for since his Resurrection he hath taken possession of heaven as he is man but in the right and title of the eternall Sonne of God God the Father made all things by God the Sonne whom hee hath made Heire of all things as man which were made by him as God not as an heire in his nonage but as joynt Lord with his Father at whose right hand he is placed so that as man he hath more full and more immediate authoritie to dispose of heaven than Melchisedech had to dispose of Canaan for hee bestowed that upon Abraham by way of prayer as became a Priest of the most high God But this our high Priest who is also the most high God shall dispose of heaven to his servants by royall sentence and authoritie as King Then shall the King say unto them that sit on his right hand Venite benedicti patris mei possidete vobis paratum regnum à constitutione mundi Come ye blessed of my Father possesse yee the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundations of the world This is the accomplishment of that blessing which Melchisedech bestowed upon Abraham and the second part of his benediction must be the everlasting song of such as are blessed in Abraham's seed Blessed be the most high God who hath delivered our enemies into our hands who hath enabled us to overcome the world the Divell and the flesh And though Christ our high Priest were the Sonne of David and of Abraham as man according to the flesh yet as man hee is the first begotten from the dead and Father of the world to come Melchisedech himselfe in respect of the everlasting blessing is his Sonne and must have his portion in it at the last day For if all Nations if every one of any Nation that is truly blessed be blessed in Abraham's seed Melchisedech himselfe must be blessed in him not only by him And therefore hee is that most high God Possessor of heaven and earth in whose name Melchisedech blessed Abraham 7 But to return to our Apostles next passage He. 7. 11. c. If therefore perfection were by the Leviticall Priesthood for under it the people received the Law what further need was there that another Priest should arise after the order of Melchisedech and not be called after the order of Aaron For the Priesthood being changed there is made of necessitie a change also of the Law The full discussion of this twelfth verse because it containes matter of Controversie amongst us Christians and betweene severall profest members of reformed Churches as whether Christ were a Law giver or wherein the Law which hee gave did differ from or excell the Law of Moses whether Leviticall or Morall must be referred to another Treatise The Law saith our Apostle made no thing perfect but the bringing in of a better hope did So our later English reads the Text yet proffers to us another reading in the margine which in mine opinion is more consonant to our Apostle's meaning to wit That the Law was an introduction of a better hope by which we draw neare to God And this drawing neare to God is that perfection which the Law could not effect But the principall point whereon our Apostle pitcheth forevincing the priesthood of Christ to be farre more excellent then the Leviticall Priesthood was was reserved to the last place and pathetically though briefly avouched v. 20. And in asmuch as not without an oath for those Priests to wit after the order of Aaron were made without an oath but this to wit Christ with an oath by him that said unto him The Lord sware and will not repent thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech By so much was Iesus made the surety of a better Covenant And they truly were many Priests because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death But this man because hee continueth for ever hath an unchangeable Priesthood Wherefore hee is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing hee ever liveth to make intercession for them And againe v. 28. For the Law maketh men high Priests which have infirmities but the word of the oath which was since the Law maketh the Sonne who is consecrated for evermore These two last passages require a fuller discussion of a Point often touched upon in some printed Treatises and diverse Sermons A point much neglected by many good Divines and carped at by others through their ignorance in true antiquitie videlicet What the interposition of God's speciall oath doth import more then his largest promises without an oath SECT 3. Of the calling or destination of the Seede of Abraham and Sonne of
the Sonne of Iehozadeck's head was the modell of the Crowne of David which was to flourish upon Iesus the Sonne of David's head as it is Psalme 132. v. 18. But upon himselfe shall his Crowne flourish 6 Briefly the protestation which the Angell in the verses following makes to Iesus the Son of Iosedech is but a renewing or repetition of the promise which God had made unto Abraham and David concerning their seede The tenour of God's promise here renewed or repeated unto Iesus the high Priest is the same And the Angell of the Lord protested unto Ieshua saying thus saith the Lord of boasts if thou wilt walke in my wayes and if thou wilt keepe my charge then thou shalt also judge my house and shalt also keepe my Courts and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by These words containe as ample a patent for the temporall or legall Priesthood unto Iesus the Sonne of Iosedech and his posteritie as David had for continuation of the temporall Kingdome in his race or progeny both the promises and patents were conditionall But that there should arise an everlasting Priest as well as an everlasting King one in whom God's promises should not be conditionall but yea and amen that is absolute and irrefragable the Prophet Zachary addes Heare now O Ieshua the high Priest thou and thy fellowes that sit before thee for they are what are they monstrous persons saith our former English or men wondred at saith the later Viri portendentes saith the vulgar The Prophets meaning is that they are men set for types or signes of great matters to come The word in the originall is the same Ezech. 12. 11. Say I am your signe like as I have done so shall it be done unto them that is to the Princes of Ierusalem and house of Israel they shall remove and goe into captivity As Ezechiel his digging through the wall in the peoples sight and carrying forth his stuffe upon his shoulders in twilight with his face covered that hee should not see the ground was a signe or prognostication of Zedechiah's stealth or flight from the Chaldeans army which besieged him So Ieshua the high Priest and all his fellowes in all this action or solemnity specially in laying the foundation of the Altar and Temple were prognosticke signes or prefigurations of Iesus the everlasting high Priest and of the spirituall Temple the holy Catholique Church which he was to build by the ministry of the Apostles So it followeth for behold I will bring forth my servant the branch For behold the stone that I have laid before Ieshua upon one stone shall be seven eyes behold I will engrave the graving thereof saith the Lord of hoasts and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day CHAP. 22. Of the harmony betweene the Prophet Ieremy and the Prophet Zachary concerning the man whose name is the branch How his growth or springing up was prefigured by Zerubbabel the sonne of David His name and title as our high Priest fore-pictured by the name and title of Iesus the Sonne of Iosedech That he was as truly the Son of God before all time as the sonne of David in time THat this man whose name was the Branch was to build the Temple of the Lord that he was to take his investiture unto his priestly dignity by Iesus the Sonne of Iehosadech as by his proxie is apparent from the sixt Chapter of the Prophet Zachary 11. Take silver and gold and make Crownes and set them upon the head of Ieshua the Sonne of Iosedech the high Priest and speake unto him saying thus speaketh the Lord of hasts saying Behold the man whose name is the Branch and hee shall grow up out of his place hee shall build the Temple of the Lord even hee shall build the Temple of the Lord and he shall beare the glory and shall sit and rule upon his throne and he shall be a Priest upon his Throne and the counsell of peace shall be betweene them both 2 This place and the former are pregnant that the Servant of the Lord whose name was Zemah the Branch whose office was to build up the Temple of God should be a Priest and should sit upon his Throne as Priest But it cannot from either place be gathered it is not so much as intimated that hee should either be a Priest after the order of Aaron or of Melchisedech or of the seede of Aaron as Iesus or Ioshua the Sonne of Iehosedech was But as the Prophet affirmeth not that hee was to be Priest after the order of Aaron or Melchisedech so neither in plaine termes doth hee deny it true but as every Prophet of God speakes nothing but the truth so neither doth one of them speake all the truth or all that is requisite for us to believe concerning Iesus our Saviour That the man whose name was the Branch the same party of whom Zachary here speakes should not be of the seed of Aaron or a Priest after the order of Aaron is evident from the prophecy of Ieremiah Ier. 23. 5. uttered more then seventy yeares before Zachary began to prophecy Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch and a King shall raigne and prosper and shall execute judgment and justice upon the earth In his dayes Iudah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely and this is his name whereby he shall be called the Lord our righteousnesse It is plaine then out of the fore cited prophecy of Zachary that God's servant the righteous Branch was to be a Priest It is evident againe out of Ieremiah that he was to spring out of the seede of David and to raigne as King over Iudah and Israel as David had done And these two put together will directly conclude that this Branch of David was to be that sonne of David concerning whom the Lord had sworne and would not repent that hee should be a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech who was both King and Priest and by interpretation the King of righteousnesse and King of peace both which titles are expressely given to this Servant of God and Branch of David the one by the Prophet Zachary the other by the Prophet Ieremiah 3 But is it intimated or fore-told by either of them that he should be as truly David's Lord as David's Sonne Yes Ieremy implies this in fuller termes then David himselfe doth Psalm 110. for David saith the Lord said unto my Lord Adonai not Iehovah whereas the Prophet Ieremy tells us that the supreame style or title of this Branch of David should be not Adonai Tzadkenu but Iehova Tzadkenu Iehovah our righteousnesse So that hee whom David in spirit calleth his Lord was to be as essentially Lord and God as he that said unto him sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy foot stoole But was he according unto this name or title
in my praiers that the God of our Lord Iesus Christ the Father of Glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdome and revelation in the knowledge of him The eyes of your understanding being enlightened that yee may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the Glory of his inheritance in his Saints and what is the exceeding greatnesse of his Power to us ward who believe according to the working of his mighty Power which hee wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his owne right hand in the heavenly places farre above all principalities and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but also in the world which is to come Ephes 1. v. 15. 16. c. But the high price of the knowledge of these mysteries and the fervency of his prayers for attaining unto such knowledge are more pathetically exprest Phil. 3. v. 7. But what things were gaine to mee those I counted losse for Christ yea doubtlesse and I count all things but losse for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Iesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the losse of all things and doe count them but dung that I may winne Christ and be found in him not having mine owne righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by faith that I may know him and the power of his Resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death if by any meanes I might attaine unto the Resurrection of the dead 2 The considerations of these raptures of our Apostles joy and hope occasion or rather revive the reliques of my private sorrow and griefe even in this subject of publique joy and comfort For the bitterest and deepest sting which wordly crosses or multiplicitie of buisinesses or other vexations past have left in my thoughts is this That my portion for many yeares in all these respectively hath brought a necessity upon me either not at all or in my old and decaying daies to publish the fruits of my former labours in these great mysteries which to my apprehension had beene well set in my flourishing and vivid yeares or to borrow an expression from a more sacred and more authentique Author that the children of my desires should come now to the birth when there is least strength left to bring them forth yet was the Lord his comfort and strength who was the Author of this complaint and on the same Lords gracious goodnesse my weaknesse whether of memory judgment or expression shall repose it selfe As for the Articles of Christ's Resurrection and Ascention the ingenuous Reader cannot expect nor can I hope that I should say much which hath not been said before by many others especially in this ripe age of learning these being the theames or subjects of anniversary Sermons upon the solemne feasts unto which they properly belong as well in the Court as in the Vniversities and all other well ordered Churches throughout this Kingdome yet somewhat I must say concerning these two points as being ingaged to bring this long treatise concerning the knowledge of Christ and him crucified to some period 3 The true or Christian beliefe of any Article in the Creed includes somewhat more then an opinion more then a pious opinion or meere probability of its truth and the knowledge of the mysteries last mentioned in our Apostle's meaning or expression imports somewhat more then a meere beliefe of them more then such a beliefe or the sight or experiment of greatest miracles could produce or establish in most docile Auditors whether of our Saviour Christ himselfe or of his Apostles for even the best most docile of the Disciples or Apostles which had been ear-witnesses of his heavenly Doctrine and eie-witnesses of all his miracles from his baptisme or temptation in the wildernesse unto his reposall in the grave did not know halfe so much concerning the mysteries of his Crosse of his passion and bloody death before his Resurrection as they did after it nor did they so well understand so much of the power and vertue of his Resurrection it selfe for many dayes after their experience of the truth of it as they did after his Ascention into heaven and the descension of the holy Ghost upon them by whose efficacious inspiration or operation in their hearts and soules the knowledge of all the fore-mentioned Articles was much increased and their beliefe of the meanest matters which did concerne Christ much better rooted and strengthened then it had been before his glorification His placing at the right hand of God in his throne of majesty did crowne their former beliefe and glorious hopes with fresh joy and comfort 4 Wherein the knowledge of Christ and the knowledge of other subjects whether philosophicall or mathematicall or in other termes wherein the faculty of Theology and sciences properly so called agree or differ hath been discust at large in the seventh Booke of these commentaries and in the fourth We are then properly said to know any effect or conclusion in sciences properly so called or so reputed when we discerne the true cause why it is so and are assured that it cannot be otherwise And we are then said to know Christ and him crucified according to the scale of speculative knowledge when we can discerne the sweet harmony betweene the evangelicall relations or matters related by the Apostles concerning Christ the predictions of the Prophets or prefigurations by matters of fact in the Law or legall services or in sacred histories Againe as in sciences properly so called there is a regresse or knowledge of the cause by the effect of the effect by the cause So there is a two-fold knowledge of Christ the one speculative such as hath beene described before the other which is the better practicall or experimentall which later is better resembled by morall philosophy then by naturall experiments or mathematicall conclusions 5 This experimentall knowledge of Christ and of the mysteries whereof we treate consists in that solid impression which the fore-mentioned speculative knowledge being liniamented in our brains doth by the finger of God that is by his holy spirit ingrave in our hearts and instampe upon our affections I must beginne with the speculative knowledge of these two Articles concerning the Resurrection and Ascention of the Sonne of God and conclude with the practicall or experimentall 6 The conclusions or declarations of these mysteries are set downe by the foure Evangelists didistinctly and accurately both for substance and historicall circumstances and their severall references to former Scriptures avouched not only by them but by other of the Apostles in their canonicall writings especially by S. Paul in his Epistles to the Ephesians Colossians Corinthians and to the Hebrewes The Evangelicall declaration of this great mystery with the manner how the beliefe or