Creede is concerning God and the church For in these two points consisteth the whole summe therof Lastly I say that it is gathered forth of the scripture to make a difference betweene it other writings and to shew the authoritie of it There be two kind of writings in which the doctrine of the church is handled they are either divine or Ecclesiasticall Diuine are the bookes of the old new Testament penned either by Prophets or Apostles And these are not only the pure word of God but also the scripture of god because not only the matter of them but the whole disposition thereof with the stile the phrase was set down by the immediate inspiration of the Holy Ghost And the authoritie of these bookes is diuine that is absolute and soveraigne they are of sufficieÌ„t credit in and by theÌ„selves needing not the â—estimony of any creature not subiect to the ceÌ„sure either of meÌ„ or angels binding the coÌ„scieÌ„ces of all meÌ„ at all times being the only fouÌ„datioÌ„ of faith the rule canoÌ„ of all truth Ecclesiasticall writings are all other ordinary writings of the church consenting with scriptures These may be called the word or truth of God so far forth as their matter or substance is consenting with the written worde of God but they cannot be called the scripture of God because the stile and phrase of them was set downe according to the pleasure of man And therfore they are in such sort the word of god as that also they are the word of men And their authoritie in defining of trueth falshood in matters of religion is not soveraigne but subordinate to the former and it doth not stand in the authority pleasures of men councels but in the consent which they haue with the scriptures Ecclesiasticall writings are either generall particular or proper Generall are the Creedes and confessions of the Church dispersed over the whole world and among the rest the Creed of the Apostles made either by the Apostles themselues or by their hearers disciples apostolical men delivered to the Church conveyed from hand to hand to our times Particular writings are the confessions of particular Churches Proper writings are the books confessions of private men Now betweene these we must make difference For the Generall Creede of the Apostles other universall Creeds in this case not excepted though it be of lesse authoritie then Scripture yet hath it more authoritie then the particular and priuate writings of Churches and men For it hath bene received and approved by universall consent of the Catholike Church in all ages and so were neuer these in it the meaning and doctrine can not be changed by the authoritie of the whole Catholicke Church and if either the order of the doctrine or the wordes whereby it is expressed should upon some occasion be changed a particular Church of any cuntry can not doe it without Catholike consent of the whole Church yet particular writings coÌ„fessions made by some speciall Churches may be altered in the words in the points of doctrine by the same Churches without offence to the Catholicke Church Lastly it is receiued as a rule of faith amoÌ„g all churches to try doctrines interpretations of scriptures by not because it is a rule of it selfe for that the scripture is alone but because it boroweth his authority from scripture with which it agreeth And this honour no other writings of men can haue Here some may demaund the number of Creeds Answ. I say but one Creede as there is but one faith and if it be alledged that we have many Creedes as besides this of the Apostles the Nicene Creede and Athanasius Creede c. I answer the severall Creedes and confessions of Churches containe not seuerall faithes and religions but one and the same and this called the Apostles Creed is most ancient principall all the rest are not new Creedes in substance but in some points penned more largely for the exposition of it that men might better avoid the heresies of their times Futther it may be demaunded in what forme this Creed was penned Answ. In the forme of an answer to a question The reason is this In the Primitiue Church when any man was turned from Gentilisme to the faith of Christ and was to be baptised this question was asked him What beleeuest thou then he answered according to the forme of the Creede I beleeve in God c. And this manner of questioning was used euen from the time of the Apostles When the Eunuch was converted by Philip he said What doth let me to be baptised Philip said If thou doest beleeve with all thine heart thou maiest Then he answered I beleeve that Iesus Christ is the sonne of God By this it appeares that although all men for the most part amongst vs can say this Creede yet not one of a thousand can tell the ancient and first use of it for commonly at this day of the simpler sort it is said for a prayer being indeede no prayer and when it is used so men make it no better then a charme Before vve come to handle the particular pointes of the Creed it is very requisite that we should make an entrance thereto by describing the nature properties and kindes of faith the confession and ground whereof is set foorth in the Creede Faith therefore is a gift of God whereby we giue assent or credence to Gods word For there is a necessarie relatioÌ„ between faith gods word The coÌ„mon property of faith is noted by the authour of the Hebrews when he saith Faith is the ground of things hoped for and the demonstration of things that are not seene For all this may be understoode not onely of iustifying faith but also of temporarie faith and the faith of miracles Where faith is said to be a ground the meaning is that though there are many things promised by God which men do not presently enioy but only hope for because as yet they are not yet faith doeth after a sort giue subsisting or being vnto them Secondly it is an euidence or demonstration c. that is by beleeuing a maÌ„ doth make a thing as it were visible being otherwise invisible abseÌ„t Faith is of two sorts either common faith or the faith of the elect as Paul saith he is an Apostle according to the faith of Gods elect which also is called faith without hypocrisie The common faith is that which both elect and reprobate haue and it is threefold I. is historicall faith which is when a man doth beleeve the outward letter and historie of the word It hath two partes knowledge of Gods worde and an assent to the same knowledge it is to be found in the deuill and his angels So S. Iames saith the devils beleeve and tremble Some will say what a faith haue they Answ. Such as thereby they understand both the Law and
whether Christ lie in the manger betweene the Oxe and the Asse or in the pallace of the king it matters not in regard of our saluation IIII. He came in this maner that there might be a difference betweene his first comming in the flesh and his last comming to iudgement In the first he came onely for this end not to make any outward alterations in the worlde but to change the conscience and to put in execution the worke of our spirituall redemption and therfore he hath reserued the ouerturning of all earthly estates with the manifestation of his owne glorie to the latter V. Lastly hee was borne in a poore estate that hee might procure true riches for vs in heauen and withall sanctifie vnto us our pouertie upon earth As Paul saith Ye know the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ that he being rich for your sakes became poore that ye through his povertie might be made rich Hee was content to lie in the manger that wee might rest in heauen This serues to teach us to be content to beare any mean condition that the Lorde shall sende upon vs for this is the verie estate of the sonne of God him-selfe And if for our cause he did not refuse the basest condition that euer was why should we murmure at the same for what is the best of vs but miserable sinners and therefore utterly unworthy either to goe or lie upon the bare earth and though wee fare and lie better then our Lorde himselfe yet such is our daintinesse we are not pleased therewith whereas hee for his part disdained not the manger of the Oxe And if the Lord of heauen and earth comming into the worlde finde so little entertainment or fauour we for our parts being his members should willingly prepare our selues to take as hard measure at the hands of men The last point is the manifestation of Christes birth that it might be knowen to the worlde Where consider two circumstances the first to whome namely to poore shepheards tending their flockes by night and not to great or mightie men louers of this worlde nor to the priests of Ierusalem contemners of Gods grace and that for two causes one because the shepheards were the fittest persons to publish the same at Bethleem the other it was Gods pleasure to manifest that in the birth of Christ which Paul saith Not many wise men after the flesh not many mightie not many noble are called but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise The second is by whome by the angell of the Lorde appearing in great glorie unto the shepheardes For the priests of Ierusalem and the rulers of the synagogues to whome this office did belong helde their peace beeing blinded in their manifolde errours and wicked waies The duties to be learned of the birth of Christ are these First wee are admonished hereby to magnifie and praise the name of God saying with Mary My soule doth magnifie the Lord and my spirite reioyceth in God my saviour And with Zacharie Blessed be the Lorde God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his people And with the angell of the Lord Glory to God in the highest heavens For in this birth is made manifest the wisedome the truth the iustice and mercie and goodnes of God towards us more then euer it was before yea as Christ God and man is more excellent then the first Adam created according to Gods own image and as the spirituall life is better then the naturall life and as the eternall and most holy mariage of Christ the husband and his spouse the Church rising as it were out of the bloode that trickled out of his side is more wonderfull then the creation of Eue of the rib of Adam Lastly as it is a far greater matter by death to overcome death and to turne it into eternall life then to command that to exist and be which was not before so is the worke of redemption begun in the birth of Christ more unspeakeable and admirable then the first creation of man Hereupon not 6. cherubims as in the vision of Isaiah not 24. elders as in the Apocalyps but a great multitude of Angels like armies were heard to praise God at the birth of Christ and no doubt the like sight was not seene since the beginning of the world And the angels by their example put vs in minde to consider aright of this benefite and to praise God for it But alas this practise is verie rare in this fruitlesse and barren age of the worlde where sinne and iniquitie abounds as may be seene by experience for by an old custom we reteine still in the Church the feast of the nativity of Christ so commonly called which neuerthelesse is not spent in praising the name of God that he hath sent his sonne from his owne bosome to be our redeemer but contrariwise in rifling dicing carding masking mumming in all licentious libertie for the most part as though it were some heathen feast of Ceres or Bacchus Secondly Christ was conceiued and borne in bodily maner that there might be a spirituall conception and birth of him in our hearts as Paul saith My litle children of whome I travell till Christ be formed in you and that is when we are made new creatures by Christ and performe obedience to our creatour When the people said to Christ that his mother and his brethren sought him he answered He that doth the will of God is my brother my sister and mother Therefore let us go with the shepheards to Bethleem and finding our blessed sauiour swadled and lying in the cratch let us bring him thence and make our owne heartes to be his cradle that we may he able to say that we liue not but Christ liues in vs and let vs present unto him ourselues our bodies and soules as the best gold myrrhe and frankincense that may be and thus conceiuing him by faith he remaining without change we shalbe changed into him and made bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh The world I know neuer so much as dreameth of this kind of conception and birth for as Dauid saith Men travell with wickednesse conceive mischiefe bring forth a lye And S. Iames saith Men are drawn away by their owne concupiscense which when it hath conceived bringeth forth sinne And these are the ougly and monstrous birthes of these daies But let us I pray you contrariwise waile and mourne for the barrennesse of our heartes that doe so little conceiue the grace of Christ in heart and bring it foorth in action The mother of Christ vndoubtedly was a blessed woman but if shee had not as well conceiued Christ in her heart as shee did in her womb shee had not beene saved and no more can wee unlesse we doe the same The birth of Christ to them that haue touched hearts is the comfort of comforts and the sweetest balme or confection
the Gospell besides they giue an assent to it to be true and they do more yet in that they tremble and feare And many a man hath not so much For amongst vs there is many a one which hath no knowledge of God at all more then he hath learned by the common talke of the world as namely that there is a God and that he is mercifull c. and yet this man will say that he beleeueth with all his heart but without knowledge it can not be that any should truly beleeue therfore he deceiveth himselfe Quest. But whence haue the devils historicall faith were they illuminated by the light of the spirit Answ. No but when the Gospell was preached they did acknowledge it and beleeued it to be true that by vertue of the reliques of Gods image which remained in them since their fall And therefore this their faith doeth not arise from any speciall illumination by his spirit but they attaine to it by the light of nature which was left in them from the beginning The second kind of faith is Temporary faith so called because it lasteth but for a time and season and commonly not to the end of a mans life This kind of faith is noted unto us in the parable of the seede that fell in the stony ground And there be two differences or kinds of this faith The first kinde of temporary faith hath in it three degrees The first is to know the word of God and particularly the Gospell The second to giue an assent unto it The third to professe it but to goe no further and all this may be done without any loue to the word This faith hath one degree more then historicall faith Examples of it we haue in Simon Magus Acts. 8.13 who is said to beleeue because he held the doctrine of the Apostle to be true and withall he professed it and in the devils also who in some sort professed that Christ was the sonne of the most highest yet looked for no saluation by him Mark 5.7 Act. 19.14 And this is the common faith that abounds in this land Men say they beleeue as the prince beleeueth and if religion chāge they will change For by reason of the authoritie of princes lawes they are made to learne some litle knowledge of the word they beleeue it to be good they professe it thus for the space of thirtie or fourtie yeres they will heare the word preached and receiue the sacraments and yet be as void of grace as euer they were at the first day the reason is because men doe barely professe it without either liking or loue of the same The second kinde of temporarie faith hath in it fiue degrees For by it first a man knows the word Secondly he assenteth unto it III. he professeth it IIII. he reioyceth inwardly in it V. he bringeth forth some kind of fruit and yet for all this hath no more in him but a faith that will faile in the end because he wanteth the effectuall applicatiō of the promise of the gospel is without all maner of sound conversiō This faith is like corne in the house top which groweth for a while but when heate of sommer cōmeth it withereth And this is also set forth vnto vs in the parable of the seede which fell in a stony ground which is hastie in springing up but because of the stones which will not suffer it to take deepe roote it withereth And this is a very common faith in the Church of God by which many reioyce in the preaching of the worde and for a time bring forth some fruits accordingly with shewe of great forwardnesse yet afterward shake of religion and all But some will say howe can this be a temporary faith seeing it hath such fruits Answ. Such a kind of faith is temporary because it is grounded on temporarie causes vvhich are three I. A desire to get knovvledge of some straunge pointes of religion For many a man doth labour for the fiue former degrees of temporarie faith onely because he desires to get more knovvledge in scripture then other men haue The second cause is a desire of praise among men which is of that force that it will make a man put on a shevve of all the graces vvhich God bestoweth on all his children though otherwise he want them and to go very farre in religion vvhich appeareth thus Some can very bitterly weepe for the sinnes of other men and yet haue neither sorrowe nor griefe for their owne and the cause hereof is nothing else but pride For he that sheddes teares for another mans sinnes should much more vveepe for his owne if he had grace Yet thus are many men disposed euen of pride and nothing else Againe a man for his owne sinnes vvill pray very slackly and dully when he prayeth priuately and yet when he is in the company of others will pray very fervently and earnestly From vvhence is this difference surely often it springeth from the pride of heart and from a desire of praise among men The third cause of temporarie faith is profit commodity the getting of wealth and riches These make man to receive religion and if other religion come they vvill receiue it asvvell as this But such studies not the gospell because it is the gospell but because it brings wealth peace and riches with it And these are the three causes of temporarie faith The third kind of faith is the faith of Miracles vvhen a man grounding himselfe on some speciall promise or revelation from God doeth beleeve that some straunge extraordinarie thing vvhich he hath desired or foretold shall come to passe by the vvork of God This must be distinguished from historicall temporarie faith For Simon Magus had both these kindes of faith but yet wanted this faith of miracles therfore would haue bought the same of the Apostles for mony Yet this faith of miracles may be in hypocrites as it vvas in Iudas at the last iudgement it shall be found to haue bin in the wicked reprobate which shal say to Christ Lorde in thy name we haue prophesied and cast out deuils and done many great miracles And thus much for the three sorts of common faith Now we must come to the true faith which is the faith of the elect It is thus defined Faith is a supernaturall gift of God in the mind apprehending the sauing promise with al the promises that depend on it First I say it is a gift of God Phil. 1.29 to confute the blind opiniō of our people that think that the faith wherby they are to be saued is bred borne with thē I adde that it is a gift supernaturall not onely because it is aboue that corrupt nature in which we are borne but also because it is aboue that pure nature in which our first parents were created For in the state of innocencie they wanted this faith neither
that God can make trees plants herbs to grow without the meanes of raine and vvithout the vertue and operation of the Sunne the Moone the Starres III. he made the worlde in sixe distinct dayes and framed all things in this order to teach us his wonderfull providence of his creatures for before man was created he prouided for him a dwelling place and all things necessarie for his perpetuall preseruation and perfect happinesse and felicitie So also he created beasts and cattell but not before he had made hearbs plants and grasse and all meanes whereby they are preserued And if God had this care ouer man when as yet hee was not much more will God haue care ouer him now when hee is and hath a being in nature And thus much concerning the pointes of doctrine touching the creation The duties follow And first by the worke of creation we may discerne the true Iehouah from all false gods idols in the world This Esaiah maketh plain bringing in the Lorde reasoning thus I am God and there is no other God besides me How is that prooued thus I forme the light and create darkenesse I make peace and create evill I the Lord doe all these things If a man aske thee how thou knowest the true God from all false gods thou must answere by the worke of â—â—eation for he alone is the maker of heauen and earth and all things in them This propertie can not agree to any creature to any man saint or Angell nay not to all men and all Angels they can not giue being to a creature which before was nothing Secondly wheras God the Father is the Creatour of all things and hath giuen unto man reason understanding and abilitie more then to other creatures we are taught to consider and meditate of the worke of Gods creation This the wise man teacheth vs saying Consider the worke of God And indeed it is a speciall dutie of euery man which professeth himselfe to be a member of Gods Church as he acknowledgeth God to be the Creatour so to looke upon his workemanshippe and view and consider all creatures A skilfull workeman can haue no greater a disgrace then when hee hath done some famous thing to haue his friende passe by his worke and not so much as looke upon it If it be demaunded for what ende must we looke upon the worke of Gods creation I ansvvere that in it vvee may see and discerne Gods power wisedome loue mercie and providence and all his attributes and in all things his glorie This is a most necessarie dutie to be learned of euery man we thinke nothing too much or to good to bestow on vaine shewes plaies idle sportes and pastimes which are the vanities of men and we doe most willingly beholde them in the meane season utterly neglecting and contemning the glorious worke of Gods creation Well the Lorde God hath appointed his Sabaoth to be sanctified not only by the publique ministerie of the worde and by private prayer but also by an especiall consideration and meditation of gods creatures and therefore the duetie of euery man is this distinctly and seriously to view and consider the creatures of God and thereby take occasion to glorifie his name by ascribing vnto him the vvisedome glorie povver and omnipotencie that is due unto him for the same Thirdly wee must giue God the glorie in all his creatures because hee is the creatour of them all So in the Revelation the foure and tvventie Elders fall downe before him and say Thou art vvorthy O Lorde to receive glorie and honour and povver giuing this reason for thou hast created all things and for thy vvills sake they are and haue beene created Reade the Psalmes 147. and 148. both vvhich tende to this that God may be praised because he is the Creatour of all things and therefore must haue all the glorie VVee knowe that when men beholde any curious vvorke of a cunning and skillfull craftesman straightway they vvill leaue the vvorke and inquire after him that made it that they may praise his skill The same is our dutie in this case when we come abroad and beholde every where in all the creatures the admirable and unspeakeable vvisedome goodnesse and povver of God then vvee must make hast from the creature and goe forvvarde to the Creatour to praise and glorifie him and herein must vvee shevve our selues to differ from bruite beasts in that in the vse and view of Gods creatures we doe returne due glory praise and honour unto the creatour Our fourth duty is set downe by the Prophet Amos who moouing the people to meete God by repentance addeth a reason taken froÌ„ the creation He that fourmeth the mountaines createth the winds which declareth unto man what is his thought which maketh the morning darkenesse c. the Lord God of hosts is his name The meaning of the Prophet is this God is a terrible iudge we are as traitors rebels against him therfore the best way that we can take is this he is coÌ„ming to iudgement let us therfore meete him fall downe before him humble our selues under his mighty haÌ„d And the holy ghost by the prophet would mooue the people to meete God by serious repeÌ„tance by a reason framed thus If God who is their iudge be able to create the winds and to forme the mouÌ„taines to make the morning darknes then he is also able to make an eternall iudgement for their confusion And therfore all such as be impenitent sinners let theÌ„ prepare themselues to turne unto him surely if men had grace to lay this to their hearts they would not liue so loÌ„g in their sinnes without repentance as they do nay rather they would prepare themselues to meet him in the way before he come to iudgement because he is a creator therefore able to bring infinite punishments upon them at his pleasure and to bring them to nothing as he made them of nothing And let them know it whosoeuer they be that go forwarde in their sinnes that God the creator whensoeuer hee will can opeÌ„ hell to deuoure them that he can shew him selfe as mightie in his iudgement to mens destruction as he vvas in the beginning in giuing us a being vvhen vve vvere nothing Wherefore notable is the practise of David vvho ineures himself to the feare of god by the consideration of his creation saying I am fearefully and wonderfully made c. Lastly those vvhich haue bin impenitent sinners all their life past must not only learne to repent for their sinnes but also endeauour to perfourme obedience unto gods vvord God is a creatour and the thing created shoulde in all respectes be conformable to his vvill for David saith Thine hands have fashioned me framed me give me vnderstanding therfore that I may learne thy coÌ„mandemeÌ„ts And good reasoÌ„ for there is no man of any trade but hee vvould faine haue
of his life this man I say is prepared and made fitte to enter into the heauenly Ierusalem come death vvhen it wil he is readie And howsoeuer hee must not looke for heauen here upon earth yet hee is as it were in the suburbes of this heauenly citie and at the ende of this life the king thereof the Lorde Iesus will open the gates and receiue him into his kingdome for hee is alreadie entred into the kingdome of grace beeing prepared also one day when God will to enter into the kingdome of glorie To conclude this point let euery man in the feare of God be mooued hereby to set his heart to prepare him selfe that vvhen God shall call him hence hee may be fitte to enter into that glorie Secondly seeing God hath prepared the thirde heauen for us it teacheth euery man in this worlde to be content with the estate vvherein God hath placed him whether it be high or low rich or poore why so because here he is but a pilgrime and liues in a cottage of clay and in a tent wherein he must abide but a while as a pilgrime doth oftentimes carrying his house about with him and wee shall in better sort accept the afflictions which God sends us in this life if we remember that there is prepared for us a place of ioy which must be our resting place and perfect felicitie for euermore This was the practise of the children of God especially of Abraham for when the Lorde called him out of his owne countrey hee obeyed and by faith abode in the promised lande as in a straunge countrey as one that dvvelt in tentes vvith Isaac and Iaakob heires vvith him in the same promise and the reason followeth for hee looked for a citie having a foundation vvhose builder and maker is God They beleeued that these things vvhich the Lorde promised were shadovves of better things and hereon stayed them selues beeing well content with that estate wherto god had called them So Paul was contented to beare the afflictions vvhich God had laide upon him and his reason was Because saieth hee vvee looke not on thinges vvhich are seene but on things vvhich are not seene for the things vvhich are seene are temporall but the thinges vvhich are not seene are eternall And in the next chapter VVee knovve saith hee that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle be destroyed vvee have a dvvelling given vs of God that is an house not made vvith handes but eternall in the heavens And for this cause his desire vvas rather to remoove out of this bodie and to be with the Lord. And thus much concerning Heauen Now followeth the seconde part of Gods creation in these vvordes And Earth Earth signifieth the huge masse or bodie standing of sea and lande on vvhich wee liue and all things that be in or upon the earth whatsoeuer as Paul saith For by him vvere created all things that are in heaven or in earth c. In other Creedes which were made since this of the Apostles being expositions of that there is added Maker of all things visible and invisible Here wee haue occasion to speake of all creatures but that were infinite therefore I will make choise of these two good Angels and Men. I. That Angels had a beginning it is no question for Paul saith that by God all things were created in heauen and earth things visible and invisible whether thrones principalities or powers And in respect of the creation angels are called the sonnes of God But the time day of their creation can not be set downe further then this that they were created in the compasse of the sixe daies For Moses saith Thus namely in the compasse of the first sixe daies the heauens and the earth were fashioned and all the hoast of them that is all varietie of creatures in heauen and earth serving for the beautie and glorie thereof whereof no doubt the Angels are the principall II. Touching the nature of angels some haue thought that they are nothing but qualities motions in the minds of men as the Sadduces and the Libertines of this time but the truth is that they are spirits that is spirituall and invisible substances created by God and really subsisting for the scripture ascribes unto them such kind of actions which can not be perfourmed by the creatures saue only such as be substances as to stand before the throne of God to behold the face of the Father to carry mens soules to heauen c. yet must we not imagine that they are bodily substāces consisting of flesh and bone And though they tooke upon them visible shapes formes did eate and drinke in the company of men thereupon are called Men in scripture yet they did this by diuine dispensation for a time that they might the better performe the actions businesses among men to which they were by God appointed And the bodies of men which they assumed were no partes of their natures united to them as our bodies are to us but rather they were as garmēts are to us which they might put off on at their pleasure If any shall aske whence they had these bodies the answer is that either they were created of nothing by the power of God or framed of some other matter subsisting before If againe it be asked what became of these bodies when they laide them downe because they used them but for a time the answere may be that if they were made of nothing they were againe resolued into nothing if made of other creatures that then they were resolued into the same bodies of which they were first made though indeed we can define nothing certenly in this point III. Angels are reasonable creatures of excellent knowledge and understanding farre surpassing all men saue Christ. Their knowledge is threefold naturall revealed experimentall Naturall which they receiued from god in the creation Revealed which God makes manifest to them in processe of time wheras before they knew it not Thus God revealed to Gabriel the mysterie of the seuentie weekes Dan. 8. 9. And in the Apocalyps many things are revealed to the Angels that they might reveale them to us Experimentall knowledge is that which they get by obseruing the dealings of god in the whole world but specially in the Church And thus Paul saith that to principalities and powers in heauenly places is the manifold wisdom of god by the Church IV. And as the knowledge so also the power of the good Angels is exceeding great They are able to doe more then all men can Therefore Paul calls them mightie Angels 2. Thess. 1.7 Yea their power is farre superiour to the power of the wicked angels who since the fall are vnder them and cannot preuaile against them V. The place of the aboad of Angels is the higest heauen vnlesse they be sent thence by the Lord to doe some thing appointed by him This our Sauiour
their respect of persons with him Inferiours againe must remember to submit themselues to the authoritie of their gouernours especially of magistrates For they are set ouer vs by our soueraigne Lord and king Christ Iesus as Paul saith Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers For there is no power but of God and the powers that be ordained are of God And againe Seruants be obedient to your masters according to the flesh with feare and trembling in singlenes of your hearts as vnto Christ. The comfort which Gods Church may reap hence is very great for if Christ be the Lord of lords our Lord especially we neede not to feare what the deuill or wicked men can do vnto vs. If Christ be on our side who can be against vs we neede not feare them that can destroy the bodie and doe no more but we must cast our feare on him that is Lord of bodie and soule and can cast both to hell Thus much of the fourth title Now followes Christs incarnation in these words Conceiued by the holy Ghost borne of the Virgin Marie And they containe in them one of the most principall points of the doctrine of godlines as Paul saith without coÌ„trouersie great is the mysterie of godlines which is God is made manifest in the flesh iustified in the spirit c. And that we may proceede in order in handling them I will first speake of the incarnation generally and then after come to the parts therof In general we are to propound fiue questions the answearing whereof will be very needefull to the better vnderstanding of the doctrine following The first question is who was incarnate or made man Answer The second person in Trinitie the sonne of God alone and it is set downe in this article according to the Scriptures Saint Iohn saith The Word was made flesh and the angel saith The holy one which shall be borne of thee shalbe called the sonne of the most highest And Paul saith that Christ Iesus our Lord was made of the seede of Abraham according to the flesh And there be sundrie reasons why the second person should rather be incarnate then any other 1. By whome the father created all things and man especially by him man beeing fallen is to be redeemed and as I may say recreated now man was at the first created of the father by the sonne and therefore to be redeemed by him 2. It was most conuenient that he which is the essentiall image of the father should take mans nature that he might restore the image of God lost and defaced in man but the second person is the essentiall image of the father and therefore he alone must take mans nature 3. It was requisite that that person which was by nature the sonne of God should be made the sonne of man that we which are the sonnes of men yea the sonnes of wrath should by grace be made the sonnes of God nowe the second person alone is the sonne of God by nature not the father nor the holy Ghost As for the father he could not be incarnate For to take flesh is to be sent of an other but the father cannot be sent of any person because hee is from none Againe if the father were incarnate hee should be father to him which is by nature God and the sonne of a creature namely the Virgin Marie which thinges can not well stand And the holy Ghost could not be incarnate for then there should be more sonnes then one in the Trinitie namely the second person the sonne of the father and the third person the holy Ghost the sonne of the Virgin Marie It may be obiected to the contrarie on this manner The whole diuine essence is incarnate euery person in Trinitie is the whole diuine essence therefore euery person is incarnate Answer The whole Godhead indeede is incarnate yet not as it is absolutely considered but so farfoorth as it is restrained and limited to the person of the sonne and to speake properly the Godheade it selfe is not incarnate but the very person of the sonne subsisting in the Godhead And though all the persons be one and the same essence yet doe they really differ each from other in regard of the peculiar manner of subsisting and therefore mans nature may be assumed of the second person and be not assumed either of the father or of the holy Ghost as in the like case the soule of man is wholly in the head and wholly in the feet yea wholly in euery part and yet the soule can not be said to vse reason in the feete or in any other part but onely in the head Againe it may be alledged that the incarnation beeing an outward action of God to the creature is not proper to the sonne For the rule is that all outward actions of God are common to al the persons in Trinitie equally Ans. The incarnation stands of two actions the first is the framing creating of that manhoode which was to be assumed by Christ this is coÌ„mon to all the three persons equally the second is the limiting or the receiuing of it into the vnitie of any person and in respect of this action the worke of incarnation is peculiar to the Sonne To this purpose Augustine speaketh that creature which the Virgin conceiued brâ—ught foorth though it appertaine to the person of the sonne alone yet was it made by the whole Trinitie as wheÌ„ three meÌ„ weaue one and the same garment and the second onely weares it The second question is what manner of man the sonne of God was made Ans. He was made a proper or particular man and a perfect or a very man I say that he was a particular man to shew that he tooke not vnto him the generall forme or idea of mans nature coÌ„ceiued onely in mind nor the coÌ„mon nature of man as it is existing in euery man but the whole nature of man that is both a bodie and a reasonable soule existing in one particular subiect I say further that he was and is a true and perfect man beeing in euery thing that concerns mans nature like to Adam Abraham Dauid and all other men sauing onely in sinne For first of all hee had the substance of a true bodie and of a reasonable soule secondly the properties of bodie soule in the body length breadth thicknes circumscription c. â—n the soule the faculties of vnderstanding both simply and compounde will affections as loue hatred desire ioy feare c. the powers also of hearing feeling seeing smelling tasting moouing growing eating digesting sleeping c. Thirdly he tooke vnto him the infirmities of mans nature which are certaine naturall defects or passions in bodie or minde as to be hungrie thirstie wearie sadde and sorowfull ignorant of some things angrie to increase in stature and wisdome and knowledge c. yet this which I say must be
is spirituall and his gouernement is in the very heartes and consciences of men His kingdome is not outward to be seene of men but inwarde in the heart and soule and therfore it is onely begunne in this life and is continued and accomplished in the worlde to come in the kingdome of glorie where Christ shall be all in all in the hearts and consciences of all the elect Nowe then if this be so howsoeuer Sathan haue heretofore raigned in vs and made our heartes as it were his pallaces yet nowe let vs prepare a roome for Christ that hee may come and dwell in vs let him rule our hearts wills and affections that they may become conformable to his will let vs resigne our selues wholly to be ruled by him that his spiritual kingdom may be in vs. This kingdom in the heart conscience is the pearle and hid treasure which when a man findeth he sels all that he hath buyeth it Let vs therfore in the feare of God esteem it as the most pretious thing that may be and so liue in this worlde as that Christ may rule inwardly in vs by his word spirit And againe seeing this regiment of Christ is heauenly the full manifestation of it is in the life to come we must therfore vse this world all things in it as honour wealth ease libertie as though we vsed them not As a trauailer vseth his staffe in his iourney as long as it doth further him so long he will carrie it with him but when it hindereth him then he casts it away so must vve vse the things of this life namely as long as they are helps to further and make vs fitte for the kingdome of heauen but if they be any hinderance to this spirituall regiment of Christ wee must renounce them and cast them away be they neuer so pretious to vs. The third point of Christs confession is concerning the meanes whereby he gouernes his kingdome I came saith he into this world to beare witnes of the truth that is to preach the gospell doctrine of saluatiō herby he teacheth that the outward administration of his kingdome stands specially in the preaching of the word which is a principall ordinance of his seruing to gather his Church from the beginning of the world to the end thereof And for this cause he hath in all age◠set apart chosen ministers for the publishing of the doctrine of the Gospell And by this it is manifest that the gift of prophecie is the greatest gift that God bestows on his Church for the building thereof And therfore it ought to be most highly esteemed of as a most pretious iewell And for this cause also the schooles of learning are to be reuerenced and maintained and all other meanes vsed for the furthering of them because they are vnder God the fountains and welsprings of this gift of prophecie The last point is concerning the subiects of Christs kingdome expressed in these words They which are of the truth heare my voice In which he sets downe the true marke of his seruants and subiects that they are hearers of that heauenly and sauing word which he reuealed from the bosome of his father It may be alleadged the most wicked men vpon earth yea the deuils themselues may be hearers of the truth of Christ. Answer There be two kind of hearers one which heares onely the outward sound of the word with his bodily eares and he hauing eares to heare doth not heare the second is he that doth not only receiue the doctrine that is taught with his eares but also hath his heart opened to feel the power of it to obey the same in the course of his life This distinction is notably set foorth by Dauid saying Sacrifice and burnt offerings thou wouldest not haue but my eares hast thou pierced whereby hee insinuates as it were two kinds of eares one that is deafe and cannot heare and thus are the eares of al men by nature in hearing the doctrine of saluation the other is a newe eare pearced and bored by the hand of God which causeth a mans heart to heare the sound and operation of the word and the life to expresse the truth of it Nowe the subiects of Christs kingdome are such as with the outward hearing of the word haue an inward hearing of the soule grace also to obey therfore al those that make no cōsciēce of obediēce to the word of god preached vnto them are no lesse then rebels to Christ. We may perswade our selues that we are good subiects because we heare the word and receiue the sacraments but if our liues abound with sinne and if our heartes be not pierced through by the sword of Gods spirit whether we be high or low rich or poore let vs be what wee will be wee are no right subiects indeede but rebels and traytours vnto the euerliuing God It may be hereafter God will giue further grace but as yet all impenitent persons though liuing in the midst of Gods Church are not obedient faithfull subiects and therfore while we haue time let vs labour to performe in deede that which we doe in word professe Thus much of the examination and confession of Christ. Nowe followeth the third point concerning the pollicies which Pilate vsed to saue Christ and they are three First when he heard that Christ vvas of Galilee he tooke occasion to sende him to Herod thinking thereby to shift his hand of him and not to shed his bloode In vvhich pollicie though he seeme vnvvilling to put Christ to death yet herein he is a most vniust iudge for hauing giuen testimonie of Christ that he is innocent he ought to haue acquitted him and not haue sent him to Herod for further iudgement In Herods dealing vvith Christ vve may obserue these points The first that hee is vvonderfully glad of his comming Why so the text saith because he was desirous to see him of a long season because he had heard many things of him and trusted to haue seene some signe done by him Here marke hovve he reioyced not in Christ because he vvas Christ that is his Messias and redeemer but because he vvrought myracles signes and vvonders And so it is among vs at this day it is a rare thing to finde a man that loueth Christ because he is Christ some loue Christ for honour some for vvealth and others for praise in that they get honour vvealth and praise by confessing his name Againe many professe Christ onely because it is the lavv and custome of their nation But vvee must learne to be of this minde to loue Christ because he is Christ euen for himselfe and not for any other sinister respect and vvee must reioyce in Christ for himselfe though wee neuer haue profite nor pleasure neither honour or wealth by him And if we loue him for wealth or pleasure or for any other ende but for himselfe
Paul saith If we suffer with Christ we shall also raigne with him and that which was fully verified in Christ the head must in some part be verified in euery true member of Christ. Pilats third pollicie was this when he saw that neither of the two former would preuaile he comes forth vnto the Iewes and makes an oration to this effect that now vvas the feast of the Passeouer and that they had a custome that the Gouernour should then deliuer vnto the people a prisoner whome they would therefore he asked them whether he should let loose to them Barrabas or Iesus which is called Christ this Barrabas was a notable malefactour that with insurrection had committed murther And thus Pilate cunningly matcheth Christ vvith Barrabas thinking that the Iewes would rather chuse him then Barrabas beeing a notorious malefactour not worthie to liue on the face of the earth and by this meanes he thought to haue deliuered Christ froÌ„ death though otherwise he accounted him also as a malefactour The ground of this pollicie as we see is an old custome of the Iewes that a prisoner should be let loose at Easter And it may be the ende of this custome was to increase the solemnitie of the feast But whatsoeuer in truth the end was the fact it selfe was but a prophanation of the time and an abomination before the Lord for Salomon saith He that iustifieth the wicked and condemneth the iust euen they both are abhomination before the Lord. The like practise takes place with many in these daies who thinke the Loâ—ds day neuer well spent vnlesse they may adde solemnitie thereunto by reuel and riot by frequenting of taverns and alehouses And furthermore where Pilate matcheth Christ beeing innocent with Barrabas and the people preferre him before Christ hauing libertie to chuse eyther it shewes that God in his prouidence had appointed that Christ should not stand in his owne roome before Pilate but in our roome and stead as a Mediatour betweene God and us And in this fact of the people we see how sinne by degrees takes hold of men that speedily Who would haue thought that these Iewes which a little before cryed Hosanna and spread their garmentes before Christ in the way woulde euer haue preferred a murtherer before him But it was the doing of the high priests the Scribes Phases who did animate and stirre them up to this wickednes and hereupon when they had yeelded first to attach him and then to accuse him they are caried to an higher degree of impietie namely to seeke his blood and least he should escape their handes they plunge themselues deeper yet preferring a wretched murtherer euen seditious Barabbas before him This must teach euery one of vs to take heede of the beginnings euen of the least sinnes for the deuill is cunning he will not plunge a man into the greatest sinnes at the first but his manner is by little and little to creepe into the heart and hauing once possession thereof by steppes to bring men to the height of sinne and that with speed We must therefore in the feare of God preuent sinne betimes and at the first motion cut off all occasions hereof that which Paul saith of heresie comparing it to a canker or gangreene may be saide of all sinne The nature of the gangren is to runne from one ioynt to another from rhe toe to the foote from the foote to the legge from the legge to the thigh till it haue wasted and destroyed the life of rhe bodie So giue any sinne but an entrance and it will soone ouerspread the whole man and if the deuill may be suffered but to put one talent into thy heart he will presently wind himselfe into thee his head his bodie and all The Psalmist saith that he is blessed that taketh the children of the Babylonians and dasheth them against the stones and as truly may it be saide blessed is the man that dasheth the head of his sinnes against the ground while they are yong before they get strength to ouer master him Thus haue wee seene the pollicies of Pilate Now followeth the absolution of Christ for when Pilate had used many meanes to deliuer him none would prevaile then hee absolues him by giuing diuers testimonies of his innocencie for he came foorth three times and bare witnesse thereof and last of all hee testified the same by washing of his hands which rite signifieth properly the defiling of the handes before but as yet Pilate had not defiled his handes and therefore he used it as a token to shewe that Christ vvas innocent and that hee would not defile his owne hands with innocent blood There vvere three causes that mooued Pilate to absolue Christ. First hee sawe that hee vvas a iust man as Saint Matthew noteth and that the high priests and people had deliuered him vp of envie as S. Marke saith By this it is plaine that a very Pagan or infidell may in some things goe beyond such as be in Gods Church hauing better conscience and dealing more iustly then they Pontius Pilate was a heathen man and a Gentile the Iewes vvere the Church and people of the liuing God yet he sees plainely that Christ was a iust man and thereupon absolues him whereas the Iewes which should be men of conscience and religion seeke his death And thus a verie Pagan may otherwhiles see more into a matter theÌ„ those that be reputed of the church And this must admonish all such as professe the gospell to looke unto their proceedings that they doe all things with upright conscience for if wee deale uniustly in our proceedings wee may haue neighbours men of no religion that will looke through us and see the grosse hypocrisie of our profession that would be loth to doe those things which wee doe The second cause that mooued Pilate to absolue Christ was his wiues dreame for when he was set dovvne upon the iudgement seate shee sent unto him saying Have thou nothing to doe vvith that iust man for I have suffered many things in a dreame by reason of him Dreames are of three sortes naturall rising from the constitution of the bodie diabolicall such as come by the suggestion of the deuill divine which are from God Some haue thought that this dreame was of the deuill as though hee had laboured thereby to hinder the death of Christ and consequently our saluation but I rather thinke that it vvas occasioned by the thinges vvhich shee had heard before of Christ or that it was immediatly from God as the dreames of Pharao Nabuchodonoser and serued for a further manifestation of Christs innocencie Here it may be asked whether we may regard our dreams now as Pilates wife did or no Answer Wee haue the bookes of the olde and new Testament to be our direction as Esai saith to the law and to the testimonie they must be our rule and guide In these daies we
be Gods will so long as we live and by this shall we most notably resemble our Saviour Christ. Thirdly when Christ had carried his crosse so long till he coulde carrie it no longer by reason of the faintnesse of his bodie which came by buffets whippings and manifold other iniuries then the souldiers meeting with one Simon of Cyrene a stranger made him to beare the crosse where we are put in mind that if we faint in the way and be wearied with the burthen of our afflictions God will give good issue and send as it were some Simon of Cyrene to help us and to be our comforter The fourth points is that when Christ was carrying his owne crosse and was now passing on tovvards Golgotha certaine women mette him and pitying his case wept for him but Christ answered them and said Daughters of Ierusalem weep not for me but for your selves your childrē c. By this wee are first of all taught to pitie the state of those that be in affliction and miserie especially those that be the children of God as the Apostle exhorteth vs saying Remember them that are in bonds as though you vvere bound with them and them that are in affliction as though you were afflicted with them In this land by Gods especiall blessing wee haue enioyed the gospell of Christ with peace a long time whereas other cuntries Churches are in great distresse some wallow in palpable ignorance superstition others haue libertie to enioy the gospell and want teachers and some haue both the word teachers and yet want peace and are in continuall persecution Now when we that haue the Gospell with peace do heare of these miseries in our neighbour Churches we ought to be mooued with compassion towardes them as though we our selues were in the same afflictions Secondly whereas Christ saith Weepe not for me but for your selves he doth teach vs to take occasion by other mens miseries to bewaile our owne estate to turne our worldly griefes into godly sorow for our sinnes whereby wee doe rather weepe for our offences then for our friends although euen that may also be done in a godly manner When a man by bleeding at the nose is brought into daunger of his life the Phisition lets him blood in an other place as in the arme and turnes the course of the blood an other way to saue his life and so must we turne our worldly sorows for losse of goods or friends to a godly sorrow for our offences against God for as S. Paul saith Godly sorrow causeth repentance unto salvatiō not to be repented of but worldly sorow causeth death The fift point is that when Christ was brought to the place of execution they gaue him vineger to drinke mingled with mirrhe and gall some say it was to intoxicate his braine and to take away his senses and memorie which if it were true we may here behold in these Iewes a most wicked part that at the point of death when they were to take away his life they had no care of his soule For this is a dutie to be observed of all magistrates that whē they are to execute malefactours they must haue an especiall care of the salvation of their soules But some thinke rather that it was to shorten and end his torments quickely Some of vs may peradventure thinke hardly of the Iewes for giving this bitter potiō to Christ at the time of his death but the same thing doth every sinner that repēteth not For whensoever we sin we do as much as tēper a cup of gal or the poisō of aspes as it vvere giue it to god to drink for so God him selfe cōpareth the sin of the vvicked Iewes to poison saying Their vine is of the vine of Sodom of the vines of Gomorra their grapes are grapes of gal their clusters be bitter their wine is the poison of dragons and the cruell gall of aspes And for this cause wee ought to thinke as hardly of our selues as of the Iewes because so oft as we cōmit any offence against God we do as much as mingle ranke poison bring it to Christ to drinke Now whē this cup was given him he tasted of it but drank not because hee was willing to suffer all things that his father had appointed him to suffer on the crosse without any shortening or lessening of his paine Thus vve see in vvhat maner Christ vvas brought forth to the place of execution Now followeth his crucifying Christ in the providence of god was to be crucified for two causes one that the figures of the olde testament might be accomplished and verified For the heave offering lifted up and shaked from the right hand to the left and the brasen serpent erected vpon a pole in the wildernes prefigured the exalting of Christ upon the crosse The seconde that wee might in conscience be resolved that Christ became under the lawe suffered the curse therof for us bare in his ovvne bodie and soule the extremitie of the vvrath of God for our offences And though other kinds of punishments were notes of the curse of God as stoning and such like yet vvas the death of the crosse in speciall maner aboue the rest accursed not by the nature of the punishment not by the opinions of men not by the civill lavves of cuntries and kingdoms but by the vertue of a particular commandement of God foreseeing what manner of death Christ our redeemer should die And hereupon among the Ievves in all ages this kind of punishment hath bene branded with speciall ignominie as Paul signifieth vvhen hee saieth Hee abased him selfe to the death even to the death of the crosse it hath beene allotted as a most grievous punishment to most notorious malefactours If it be said that the repentant theefe upon the crosse died the same death vvith Christ and yet vvas not accursed the answere is that in regard of his offences he deserued the curse and was actually accursed and the signe of this was the death which he suffered and that in his owne confession but because hee repented his sinnes were pardoned and the curse removed It may further be said that crucifying was not knowen in Moses daies and therefore not accursed by any speciall commandement of God in Deuteronomy Ans. Moses indeed speakes nothing in particular of crucifying yet neverthelesse he doth include the same under the generall For if euery one which hangs upon a tree be accursed then hee also which is crucified for crucifying is a particular kinde of hanging on the tree Lastly it may be alleadged that Christ in his death coulde not be accursed by the lawe of Moses because he was no malefactour Ans. Though in regard of himselfe he was no sinner yet as he was our suretie he became sinne for vs and consequently the curse of the law for vs in that the curse every way due unto us by
inabling them to doe so The like is to be seene in all ages since the passion of Christ in the Church of God in which men zealous for the gospell in peace haue beene timerous in persecution whereas weake ones haue stood out against their enimies euen unto death it self The reason is because God will hūble those his seruants which are often times indued with great measure of graces cōtrariwise exalt strengthē the weake feeble the same no doubt will be found true among us if it should please god to send any new triall into the Church of Englād This serues to teach us to think charitably of those which are as yet but weake amōg us with all in our profession to cary a low saile to think basely of our selues and in the whole course of our liues creep alow by the ground running on in feare trēbling because the Lord oftētimes humbles those that be strong giue courage strength to weake ones boldly to confesse his name Secondly vvhereas these tvvo disciples haue such care of the buriall of Christ we learne that it is our dutie to be carefull also for the honest solemne buriall of our brethren The Lorde him selfe hath cōmanded it Thou art dust to dust thou shalt returne Also the bodies of men are the good creatures of God yea the bodies of Gods children are the temples of the Holy ghost and therefore there is good cause why they should be honestly laide in the earth And it vvas a curse and iudgement of God upon Iehoiakim that he must not be buried but like a dead asse be dravvn cast out of the gates of Ierusalem And so the Lorde threatens a curse upon the Moabites because they did not burie the king of Edom but burnt his bones into lime And therefore it is a necessarie dutie one neighbour and friend to looke to the honest buriall of another Hence it followes that the practise of Spaine and Italy and all popish countries which is to keepe the parts of mens bodies such like relikes of saints unburied that they may be seene of mē worshipped hath no warrant dust they are and to dust they ought to be returned Furthermore the properties and vertues of both these men are seuerally to be considered And first to beginne with Ioseph hee was a senatour a man of great account authoritie and reputation among the Iewes It may seeme a strange thing that a man of such account would abase him selfe so much as to take downe the body of Christ from the crosse It might haue bene an hinderance to him and a disgrace to his estate and calling as we see in these daies it would be thought a base thing for a knight to come to the place of execution and take dovvne a thiefe from the hand of the hangman to burie him but this noble Senatour Ioseph for the loue he bare to Christ made no account of his state and calling neither did hee scorne to take upon him so base an office considering it was for the honor of Christ where we learne that if vve truly loue Christ and our hearts be set to beleeue in him we will neuer refuse to perform the basest seruice that may be for his honour nothing shall hinder vs. It is further saide that he was a good man and a iust and also a rich man And the first appeareth in this that hee would neither consent to the counsell nor fact of the Iewes in crucifying Christ. It is rare to finde the like man in these dayes From his example vve learne these lessons I. that a rich man remaining a rich man may be a seruant of God and also be saued for riches are the good blessings of God and in them selues doe no vvhit hinder a man in comming to Christ. But some will say Christ himselfe saith It is easier for a cable to go through the eye of a needle as a rich man to enter into the kingdome of heauen Ans. It is to be understood of a rich man so long as he swelleth vvith a confidence in his vvealth but we know that if a cable be untwisted and drawen into small threeds it may be drawen through the eye of a needle so he that is rich let him denie himselfe abase himselfe and lay aside all confidence in himselfe in his riches and honour and be as it were made small as a tvvine threede and vvith this good Senatour Ioseph become the disciple of Christ hee may enter into the kingdom of heauē But Christ saith in the parable that riches are thorns which choke the grace of God Ansvver It is true they are thornes in that subiect or in that man that putteth his trust in them not in their owne nature but by reason of the corruption of mans heart who maketh of them his God S. Iohn saith further that Ioseph was a disciple of Christ but yet a close disciple for feare of the Ievves And this sheweth that Christ is most readie to receiue them that come unto him though they come laden with manifold wants I say not this that any hereby should take boldnes to liue in their sinnes but my meaning is that though men be weake in the faith yet are they not to be dismayed but to come to Christ who refuseth none that come to him Draw nere to God saith S. Iames and hee will draw nere to you Christ doeth not forsake any till they forsake him first Lastly the H. ghost saith of him that hee waited for the kingdome of God that is hee did beleeue in the Messias to come therfore did waite daily till the time was come when the Messias by his death passion should abolish the kingdome of sinne satan establish his own kingdom throughout the whole world The same is said of Simeon that he was a good man feared God waited for the consolation of Israell This was the most principall vertue of all that Ioseph had and the very roote of all his goodnes righteousnes that he waited for the kingdome of God For it is the propertie of faith whereby wee haue confidence in the Messias to change our nature to purifie the heart to make it bring forth works of righteousnesse There be many among us that can talke of Christes kingdome of redemption by him yet make no cōscience of sinne haue litle care to liue according to the gospell which they professe and all is because they doe not soundly beleeue in the Messias and they waite not for the kingdome of heauen therefore there is no chaunge in them but we must labour to haue this affiance in the Messias with Ioseph and to wait for his second appearance that thereby wee may be made new creatures hauing the kingdome of Sathan battered and beaten downe in us and the kingdome of God erected in our heartes Touching Nichodemus S. Iohn saith that
to leaue our flesh behinde vs. For the purchase that is made is worth tenne thousand worlds And besides if we loose it by fainting in the way our purchase shalbe the blacknes of darknes for euer with the deuill and all his angels who therfore would not striue though he lost his life in the gate The vrging of this point is needefull in these daies There is striuing ynough for worldly preferment but a man almost may goe alone in the straight way that leadeth to heauen he shall haue none to beare him companie And where are they that striue to enter in where is the violence offered to the kingdome of heauen where be the violent which should take it to themselues as in the daies of Iohn Baptist. Fourthly if Christ haue prepared a place for vs in heauen then we are in this world as pilgrimes and straungers and therefore must learne the counsell of Saint Peter As straÌ„gers pilgrimes abstain froÌ„ fleshly lusts which fight against the soule He that doth esteem him self as a pilgrime is not to intangle himselfe with the affaires of this world nor put in practise the behauiour thereof but to behaue himselfe as a freeman of heauen as straungers vse to liue in forraine countries according to the fashion of their owne And therefore in thought word and deede in life conuersatioÌ„ he must so carrie himselfe as thereby he may appeare to all the world of what cuntry he is An ancient divine speaking of such as had curled and embrodered haire biddeth them consider whether they must goe to heauen with such haire or no and wheras they adorned themselues with winkles made of other womens haire he asks them whether it may not be the haire of a damned person or no. If it may be he further demaundeth how it may beseeme them to weare it which professe themselues to be the sonnes and daughters of God The like may be saide of all other sinnes they that be of gods house must behaue themselues as free men there And when god hath made us free it doth not beseeme us to make our selues bondmen of sin satan and of this world Fiftly seeing Christ went to heauen to prepare a place for all that beleeue in him here is a good duetie for parentes Many of them are verie carefull to preferre their children to great places and noble mens houses and they are not to be blamed therefore but if they would indeede be good parents to their children they should first endeauour them-selues to get roomes for them in heauen they that doe this are good parents indeede Some will say how shall wee get this preferrement for them Ansvver God hath two houses his Church and the kingdome of heauen The Church is his house of grace heauen is his house of glorie Now if thou wouldst haue thy child to haue a place in the house of glorie then thou art first of all to get him a place in the house of grace bringing him up so in the feare of God that both in life and conuersation he may shewe himselfe to be a member of the Church and then assure thy selfe that after this life he shall be remooued to the second house of God which is the house of glorie and there be free-man for euer in the kingdome of heauen Add if thou shalt thus prouide for thy childe thou shalt not leaue him as an orphan but he shall haue God for his father Christ for his brother and the holy ghost his comforter And therefore first of all and aboue all remember to make thy childe a member of Gods Church Let the example of Dauid excite all parents hereunto I had rather saieth hee be a dore keeper in the house of God then to dwell in the tabernacles of wickednesse For a day in thy courtes is better then a thousand else where Lastly hence we may finde remedie against the tediousnesse of sickenesse and the feare of death Thou which fearest death remember that Christ is gone to heauen to prepare a place for thy bodie where it must be glorified and liue for euer with the blessed trinitie and all the saintes and angels though for a while it lie dead and rotte in the graue Remember this also thou which continuest in any lingring sicknes Christ Iesus hath prepared a place for thee wherin thou shalt rest in ioy blisse without all paine or faintnes The fourth benefiâ—e is that Christ ascended vp to heaueÌ„ to send the comforter vnto his Church This was a speciall end of his ascension as appeares by Christs own words It is saith he expedient that I go away for if I goe not the comforter will not come but if I depart I will send him unto you And againe I will pray unto the father hee shall give you another comforter which shall abide with you for euer even the spirite of truth But some will say how can Christ send his spirit unto his Church for the person sending the person sent are unequall whereas all three persons in trinitie are equall none greater or lesser then another none inferiour or superiour to other Ans. It is true indeed but we must know that the action of sending in the trinitie makes not the persons unequall but only shewes distinction and order among equals The father sendes the sonne the father and the sonne both send the holy ghost yet the father is not aboue the sonne neither the father or the sonne aboue the holy ghost but all are equall in degree though in regarde of order one is before another and it standeth with reason For two men that are equall in degree may upon mutuall consent one send another But it may be further demanded how the holy ghost can be sent which is euery where Ans. The holy ghost indeed is euery where therfore he is sent not so much in regard of the presence of his essence or substance as of his operation whereby he renueth guideth the members of Christ. Now here first we haue occasion to consider the miserie of the world When a man is troubled in his minde as no ungodly man but sometime he feeleth the terrour of conscience for his sinnes then he labours to remoue it by mery company pleasant bookes whereas Christ at his ascension sent his holy spirite to be the comforter of his Church therefore when we are troubled in conscience for our sins we should not seek ease by such slender means but rather seeke for the helpe comfort of the holy ghost and labour to haue our sinnes washed away and our hartes purified and clensed by the blâ—od of Christ. As for wine and mirth such like meanes of comfort neither at the day of death nor at the day of iudgement shall they stande us in stead or be able to comfort us Again when crosses calamities fall the counsell of the minister is not sought for but the help of such as are called
people of the land became Iewes Well now behold there is a greater matter among us then this for there is the handwriting of condēnation the law therin the sentēce of a double death of body soule satan as wicked Haman accuseth us seekes by all meanes our condēnatiō but yet behold not any earthly Hester but Christ Iesus the sonne of God is come downe frō heauen hath taken away this handwriting of condemnation cācelled it upon the crosse is now ascended into heauen their sits at the right hand of his father makes request for us in him his father is well pleased yeeldes to his request in our behalfe Now then what must we doe in this case Surely looke as the Persians became Iewes whē they heard of their safety so we in life and conversation must become Christians turne to Christ embrace his doctrine and practise the same unfainedly And we must not content our selues with a formall profession of religion but search into our own harts flie unto Christ for the pardō of our sins that earnestly as for life death as the thief doth at the bar whē the iudge is giuing sentēce against him Whē we shall thus hūble our selues thē Christ Iesus that sits at the right hād of god wil plead our cause be our atturny unto his father his father againe wil accept of his request in our behalfe Thē shall we of Persians become Iewes of the childrē of this world become the sōnes of god Secōdly when we pray to God we must not doe as the blind world doth as it were rush upō God in praying to him without cōsideratiō had to the Mediatour betweene us and him but we alwaies must direct our praiers to God in the name of Christ for hee is aduanced to power and glory in heauen that he might be a fitte patrone for us who might preferre and present our praiers to God the father that thereby they might be accepted and we might obtaine our request So likewise wee must giue thankes to God in the name of Christ for in him and for his sake God doth bestowe on us his blessings Thus much of Christes intercession the other benefite which concernes Christs kingly office is that he sitts at the right hand of his father for the administration of that speciall kingdome which is committed to him I say speciall because he is our king not onely by the right of creation gouerning all things created togither with the father and the holy ghost but also more specially by the right of redemption in respect of another kingdome not of this world but eternall and spiritual respecting the very conscience of man In the administration wherof he hath absolute power to command forbid to condemne absolue and therefore hath the keies of heauen hell to open shutt which power no creature beside no not the angels in heauē can haue For the better understanding of this which I say wee are to consider first the dealing of Christ toward his own Church secondly his dealing in respect of his enimies And his dealing toward his own church stands in 4. things The first is the collecting or gathering of it this is a speciall end of his sitting at the right hand of his father Christ said to his disciples I haue chosen you out of this world the same may truly be saide of all the elect that Christ in his good time will gather them all to himselfe that they may be a peculiar people to God And this action of his in collecting the Church is nothing els but a translation of those whom he hath ordained to life euerlasting out of the kingdome of darknes in which they haue serued sinne satan into his owne kingdome of grace that they may be ruled and guided by him eternally And this hee doth two waies first by the preaching of the word for it is a powerfull outwarde meanes whereby hee singleth and sorteth his owne seruants from the blinde and wicked vvorlde as Paul saith He gaue some to be Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some pastors and teachers for the gathering together of Saints And hence we learne two things The first that euery minister of Gods word and euery one that intendeth to take vpon him that calling must propound vnto himselfe principally this end to single out man from man and gather out of this world such as belong to the Church of Christ and as Ieremie saith to separate the pretious from the vile The second that all those which will be good hearers of Gods worde must shew themselues so farre forth conformable vnto it that it may gather them out of the world and that it may worke a chaunge in them and make them the seruants of Christ and if the preaching of the worde doe not worke this good worke in our hearts then the end will be a separation from the presence of God Christ when he came neere Ierusalem and considered their rebellion whereby they refused to be gathered vnto him wept ouer it and said O Ierusalem Ierusalem thou which stonest the Prophets and killest them that are sent vnto thee how often would I haue gathered thy children together as the henne gathereth her chickins vnder her wings and thou wouldest not And by this he teacheth that if the preaching of the worde turne not vs to Christ it turnes to our destruction The other meanes of gathering the Church and that the more principall is the inward operation of the spirit whereby the minde is inlightened the heart is mollified and the whole man is conuerted to God And this ordinarily is ioyned with the ministerie or preaching of the word as appeares by the example of Lydia Saint Luke saith God opened her heart to be attentiue to the doctrine of the Apostle And by the example of Paul when Christ saith Saul Saul why persecutest thou me at this very speach he is conuerted and said Who art thou Lord what wilt thou that I doe And this is manifest also by experience There is nothing in the world more contrarie to the nature of man then the preaching of the word for it is the wisdome of God to which the flesh is enimitie Here then it may be demaunded how it can be in force to turne any man to God Answer The word preached is the scepter of Christs kingdome which against the nature of man by the operation of the H. Ghost ioyned therewith doth bend and bowe the heart will and affections of man to the will of Christ. The second worke of Christ is after the Church is gathered to guide it in the way to life euerlasting He is the shepheard of his Church which guideth his flocke in and out and therefore Paul saith They that are Christs are guided by his spirit And by Esay the Lord saith those his seruants which are turned from idolatrie he
will guide in the way and their eares shall heare a voice behinde them saying This is the way walke in it when thou turnest to the right hand and to the left Which voice is nothing els but the voice of the H. Ghost in the mouth of the ministers directing them in the waies of God The children of Israel were trauailing from Egypt to the lande of Canaan full fourtie yeares whereas they might haue gone the iourney in fourtie daies Their way was through the wildernesse of Arabia their guides were a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night the manner of their iourney was this when the pillars mooued they mooued when the pillars stood still they stood still and so long as the pillars either mooued or stood still they likewise mooued or stood still And by all this a further matter namly the regimēt of Christ ouer his church was signified Euery one of vs are as passengers and trauailers not to any earthly Canaan but to the heauenly Ierusalem and in this iourney we are to passe through the wide and desert wildernes of this world our guide is Christ himselfe figured by the pillar of fire and the cloud because by his word and spirit he shewes vs how farre we may goe in euery action and where we must stand and he goes before vs as our guide to life euerlasting The third worke of Christ is to exercise his Church vnto spirituall obedience by manifold troubles crosses temptations and afflictions in this world as earthly kings vse to traine and exercise their subiects When our Sauiour Christ was with his disciples in a shippe there arose a great tempest vpon the sea so as the shippe was almost couered with waues but he was asleepe and his disciples came and awoke him saying Saue vs master we perish Behold here a liuely picture of the dealing of Christ with his seruants in this life His manner is to place them vpon the sea of this worlde and to raise vp against them bleake stormes and flaes of contrarie windes by their enemies the flesh the deuill the world And further in the middest of all these daungers he for his owne part makes as though he lay asleepe for a time that he may the better make triall of their patience faith and obedience And the endes for which hee vseth this spirituall exercise are these The first to make all his subiects to humble themselues and as it were to goe crooked and buckle vnder their offences committed against his maiestie in time past Thus Iob after the Lorde had long afflicted him and laide his hande sore vpon him saith Behold I am vile and againe I abhorre my selfe and repent in dust and ashes In the same manner we beeing his subiects and people must looke to be exercised with temptations and afflictions which shall make vs bende and bow for our sinnes past as the old man goeth crooked and doubles to the earth by reason of age The second is to preuent sinnes in the time to come A father when he sees his child too bold and venterous about fire and water takes it and holds it ouer the fire or ouer the water as though he would burne or drowne it whereas his purpose indeede is nothing els but to preuent danger for the time to come In like maner Christs subiects are bold to sinne by nature and therefore to preuent a mischiefe he doth exercise them with affliction seemes for a season as though he would quite forsake his Church but his meaning is onely to preuent offences in times to come The third end is to cōtinue his subiects in obediēce vnto his cōmandemēts so the Lord saith when he would bring his Church frō idolatrie Behold I will stop thy way with thorns make an hedge that shee shal not find her paths The H. Ghost here borrows a cōparison frō beasts which going in the way see green pastures desire to enter in and therefore goe to the hedge but feeling the sharpnes of the thornes dare not aduenture to goe in So Gods people like vnto wild beasts in respect of sinne vewing the greene pastures of this world which are the pleasures thereof are greatly affected there with and if it were not for the sharpnes of crosses and temptations which are Gods spirituall hedge by which he keepeth them in they would range out of the way and rush into sinne as the horse into the battell The fourth and last worke of Christ in respect of his Church is that he sits at the right hand of his father to defend the same against the rage of all enemies whatsoeuer they are and this he doth two waies First by giuing to his seruants sufficient strength to beare all the assaults of their enemies the world the flesh and the deuill For Paul saith those to whome the Lord hath giuen the gift of faith to them he hath also giuen this gift to suffer afflictions And the same Apostle also praieth for the Colossians that they may be strengthened with all might through his glorious power vnto all patience and long suffering with ioyfulnes The euidence hereof we may most plainly see in the most constant deaths of the martyrs of Christ recorded both in the word of God and in the Church histories It is wonderfull to see their courage and constancie For at such times as they haue beene brought to exequution they refused to be bounde or chained willingly suffering most cruell torments without shrinking or feare such courage and strength the Lord gaue them to withstand the violent rage of all their aduersaries Secondly he defends his Church by limiting the power and rage of all enemies And hence it is that although the power of the Church of God on earth be weake slender in it selfe contrariwise the power of the deuil exceeding great yet can he not so much as touch the people of God And he more preuailes by inward suggestions and temptations then by outward violence And if it were not the power of Christ that doth bridle his rage there were no abode for the Church of Christ in this world Thus we haue seene what are the workes of Christ in gouerning his Church and we that professe our selues to be members thereof must shew our selues to be so indeed by an experience of these workes of his in our owne hearts And we must suffer him to gather vs vnder his owne wing and to guide vs by his word spirit we are to acquaint our selues with those spirituall exercises whereby his good pleasure is to nurture vs to all obedience Lastly we must depend on his ayde and protection in all estates And seeing we in this land haue had peace and rest with the Gospell of Christ among vs a long time by Gods especiall goodnes we must now after these daies of peace looke for daies of tribulation we must not imagine that our ease and libertie will continue
that all and euery man shal be saued Indeed if he had said Come ye blessed of my father inherite the kingdome prepared for all but received of you it had beene something but he saieth onely Prepared for you and therefore all were not chosen to saluation The reason of this calling is taken from workes as from signes in these wordes For I vvas hungry and yee gave mee meate c. When he saith for I was hungry hee meanes his poore members upon earth and thereby he signifies unto us that the miseries of his members are his owne miseries Thus the Lord saith in Zachary He which toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye And when Saul was going to persecute them that called on the name of Christ in Damascus hee cried from heauen Saul Saul why persecutest thou me And this is a notable comfort to Gods Church and people that they haue an high priest that is touched with the feeling of our infirmities and if hee accompt our miseries his owne miseries then no doubt hee will pity our estate and make us able to beare the worst And yee gave mee meate Here wee note that the principall workes of men are those which are done to the poore members of Christ wee are indeed to helpe all in as much as they are our verie flesh and the creatures of God the rule of S. Paul being remembred Doe good to all but especially to those that are of the houshold of faith Many are of mind that the best works are to build Churches Monasteries but Christ tells us here that the best work of all is to relieue those that be the liuing members of his mysticall body The third point is the reply of the saints to Christ againe in these wordes Lorde when saw we thee an hungred and fed thee c. They doe not denie that which Christ auouched but doe as I take it standing before the tribunall seat of God humble themselues hauing stil an after consideration of the infirmities and offences of their liues past Here note then that it is a Satanicall practise for a man to bragge of workes and to stand upon them in the matter of iustification before God And wee must rather doe as the saintes of God doe abase our selues in regard of our sinnes past The last point is the answere of Christ to them againe in these wordes Verily I say unto you in as much as yee did it to the least of these my breethren you did it to me A most notable sentence and it serueth to teach us how wee should and ought to behaue our selues in doing workes of mercie which are duties to bee perfourmed in this life We are not to doe them of any sinister respect as for praise of men or commodity but wee must propound unto our selues the party to whome wee doe any good and in him looke on Christ and so doe it as unto Christ and for Christes sake onely and this is a good worke indeede Christ saith Whosoever shall give a cup of cold water to a disciple in the name of a disciple shall not loose his reward It is but a small gift but yet the maner of doing it namely in the name of a disciple that is in respect that he is a member of Christ doth make it an excellent worke of mercie It is a speciall marke of a childe of God to shew mercy on a christian because he is a christian If any would know whether he be a christian or no let him search himselfe whether he loue a man and can doe good unto him because he is a childe of God and a member of Christ For this is a plaine argument that he also is the childe of God Many can loue because they are loued againe but to loâ—e for Christ his sake is a worke of Christ in us and a speciall gift of God The sentence of condemnation followes in the seconde place and it containes foure points I. the reiection of the ungooly II. the reason of their reiection III. the defence which the wicked make for themselues lastly the answere of Christ to them againe The reiection of the wicked is uttered by a terrible sentence Away from mee yee cursed into hell fire The use hereof in generall is twofold First it serves to awake and excite all men and women in the worlde whosoeuer they be that shall heare it to looke unto their owne estates It is wonderfull to see what great securitie reigneth euery where in these our daies Men goe on in sinne from day to day and from yere to yere without repentance nothing at all fearing the sentence of condemnation at the last day like unto many which for the obtaining of other mens goods are neither by the feare of arraignment or imprisonment kept in good order The occasions of securitie are twofolde I. the prosperitie of the wicked who of all men liue most at ease without trouble either in body or in minde II. Gods patience and long suffering as Salomon saith Because sentence against an evill worke is not executed speedily therefore the hearts of the children of men is fully set in them to doe evill But to avvake all those which liue in this securitie they must remember that howsoeuer the Lord God doth now deferre his iudgement yet there is a day wherin he wil no way shew mercy long suffering when they shall heare this fearfull senteÌ„ce of condeÌ„nation pronounced against them Away from me yeâ— cursed The second use is to the godly It serues to nurture them to keep theÌ„ in awe before god no doubt this was a principall cause why this sentence was here penned by the holy ghost A wise master of a family will checke his seruant and if the cause require correct him in his childes presence that the childe it selfe may learne thereby to feare and stand in awe of his father so Christ the most carefull and wise gouernour of his Church hath set downe this sentence of condemnation against the wicked that the children of God in this world whensoeuer they shall heare or reade the same might be mooued thereby to stande in great feare of God and more dutifully perfourme obedience to his commaundements Away from me Here wee may learne what a blessed thing it is for a man to haue true fellowship with Christ in this worlde For in the day of iudgement the punishment of the wicked is to be cut off from him and driuen away from his presence Now hee that would haue fellowship with God after this life and escape that punishment must seeke to haue it in this life and hee that will not seeke to haue fellowship with him in this life shal neuer haue it after in the day of iudgement Again let us mark that it is nothing to draw nere unto Christ with our lippes if the heart be not with him for such as come nere with the lippe and haue kept aloofe in the heart
with a preposition that ruleth an accuseth or ablatiue case but with a datiue case on this manner Beleeve Moses David the Prophets and it doeth not import any affiance in the creature but onely a giuing of credence by one man to another Secondly they alleadge that ancient fathers reade the article on this manner I beleeve in the holy Catholike Church Ansvver Indeed some haue done so but by this kinde of speech they signified no more but thus much that they beleeued that there was a Catholike Church Thus hauing found what words are to be supplyed let us come to the meaning of the article And that wee may proceede in order let us first of all see vvhat the Church is The Church is a peculiar company of men predestinate to life everlasting and made one in Christ. First I say it is a peculiar company of men for Saint Peter saieth Yee are a chosen generation a royall priesthood an holy nation and a peculiar people He speakes indeede of the Church of God on earth but his saying may be also extended to the whole Church of God as well in heauen as in earth Now because there can be no companie vnlesse it haue a beginning a cause whereby it is gathered therefore I adde further in the definition predestinate to life everlasting Noting thereby the ground and cause of the Catholike Church namely Gods eâ—ernall predestination to life euerlasting and to this purpose our Sauiour Christ saieth Feare not little flocke for it is your fathers will to give you the kingdome signifying thereby that the first and principall cause of the Church is the good pleasure of God whereby hee hath before all workes purposed to aduance his elect to eternal saluatioÌ„ Therfore one saith well only the elect are the Church of God And further because no companie can continue and abide for euer vnlesse the members thereof be ioyned and coupled togither by some bonde therefore I adde in the last place made one vvith Christ. This union maketh the Church to be the Church and by it the members thereof whether they be in heauen or in earth are distinguished from all other companies whatsoeuer Now this coniunction betwene Christ and the Church is auouched by Saint Paul when hee saieth Christ is the heade to his bodie vvhich is his Church and vvhen he ascribes the name of Christ not onely to the person of the sonne but to the Church it selfe as in the Epistle to the Galatians To Abraham and his seede vvere the promises made hee saieth not and to his seedes as speaking of many but and vnto his seed as speaking of one vvhich is Christ that is not the redeemer alone but also the Church redeemed For Christ as hee is man is not the onely seede of Abraham And this definition of the Church is almost in so many words set downe in the Scriptures in that it is called the Family of God partly in heauen and partly in earth named of Christ and it is also called the heavenly Ierusalem the mother of vs all and the celestiall Ierusalem and the congregation of the first borne Nowe for the better understanding of the nature estate and partes of the Church two pointes among the rest must be considered the efficient cause thereof Gods predestination and the forme the mysticall Vnion In handling the doctrine of Predestination my meaning is onely to stande on such pointes as are reuealed in the worde and necessarie tending to edification And first I will shewe what is the trueth and secondly the contrarie falshood In the trueth I consider foure things I. what Predestination is II. what is the order of it III. what be the partes of it IIII. what is the use Predestination may thus be defined It is a parte of the counsell of God whereby hee hath before all times purposed in him selfe to shevve mercie on some men and to passe by others shevving his iustice on them for the manifestation of the glorie of his ovvne name First I say it is a parte of his counsell because the counsell or decree of God universally extends it selfe to all things that are and Predestination is Gods decree so farre foorth as it concernes the reasonable creatures especially man Now in euery purpose or decree of God three things must be considered the beginning the matter the ende The beginning is the will of God whereby he willeth and appointeth the estate of his creatures and it is the most absolute supreme and soueraigne cause of all things that are so farre foorth as they are having nothing either aboue it selfe or out of it selfe to be an impulsiue cause to mooue or incline it and to say otherwise is to make the will of God to be no will Indeede mens willes are mooued disposed by externall causes out of themselues borrowed from the things whereof deliberation is made because they are to be ruled by equitie and reason and a mans bare will without reason is nothing Now Gods will is not ruled by any other rule of reason or iustice but it selfe is an absolute rule both of iustice and reason A thing is not first of al reasonable iust theÌ„ afterward willed by god buâ— it is first of all willed by God thereupon it becomâ—s reasonable and iust The maner of his purpose is a decreed manifestation of two of the most principall attributes of the godhead mercy and iustice that with a limitation or restraint of mercy to some of the creatures iustice to some others because it was his good will and pleasure And wee are not to imagine that this is a point of crueltie in God for his verie essence or nature is not iustice alone or mercie alone but iustice and mercie both togither and therfore to purpose the declaratioÌ„ of them both upoÌ„ his creatures ouer whome he is a soueraigne Lorde that without other respects upon his very will pleasure is no point of iniustice The supreme end of the counsel of God is the manifestatioÌ„ of his own glory partly in his mercy partly in his iustice For in coÌ„mon equity the end which he propouÌ„ds unto him self of al his doings must be answerable to his nature which is maiesty glory as I haue said iustice mercy it self And because Pauls disputation in the 9. to the Romans giues light sufficient confirmation to this which I now teach I will stand a litle in opening resoluing of the same FroÌ„ the 1. verse to the 6. he sets downe his griefe conceiued for his brethren the Iewes therwithall that it might not be thought that he spake of malice he doth onely in close and obscure manner insinuate the Reiection of that nation This done in the 6. verse he answeres a secrete obiection which might be made on this manner If the Iewes be reiected then the worde of God is of none effect that is then the couenant made with
to be damned therefore I will liue as I list for it is not possible for me to alter Gods decree Blasphemous mouthes of men make nothing of this and like speeches and yet they speake flatt contraries For whom God hath purposed in his eternall counsell to refuse them also he hath purposed for their sinnes to leaue to the blindnesse of their mindes and hardnesse of their heartes so as they neither will nor can liue a godly life Secondly this rule doeth as it were leade us by the hande to the consideration of the fearefull estate of many people among us Wee haue had for the space of thirtie yeeres and more the preaching of the Gospell of Christ and the more plentifully by reason of the schooles of learning But what hath beene the issue of it I doubt not but in many it hath beene the meanes of their conversion and saluation but to speake generally of the greater parte there is little or no fruite to be seene The most after this long preaching remaine as blinde as impenitent as harde hearted and as unreformed in their liues as euer they vvere though they haue hearde the Lorde calling them to repentance from day to day and from yeere to yeere Well if this rule be the trueth of God as no doubt it is then I say plainely that there is a most fearefull iudgement of God amongst vs. My meaning is not to determine or giue sentence of any mans person of any towne or people neuerthelesse this may be auouched that it is a terrible and daungerous signe of the wrath of God that after this long and daily preaching there is still remaining a generall hardenesse of heart impenitencie and want of reformation in the liues of men The smithes stithie the more it is beaten the harder it is made and commonly the heartes of men the more they are beaten with the hammer of Gods worde the more dull secure and senslesse they are This beeing so it standes euery man in hande to looke to his owne estate Wee are carefull to flie the infection of the bodily plague oh then how carefull shoulde wee bee to flie the common blindenesse of minde and hardnesse of heart which is the verie plague of all plauges a thousande folde worse then all the plagues of Egypt And it is so much the more fearefull because the more it takes place the lesse it is perceiued When a malefactour on the day of assise is brought foorth of the iayle with great boltes and fetters to come before the iudge as hee is going all men pitie him and speake comfortably unto him But why so because hee is now to be arraigned at the barre of an earthly Iudge Nowe the case of all impenitent sinners is farre more miserable then the case of this man for they lie fettred in bondage vnder sin satan and this short life is the way in which they are going euerie houre to the barre of Gods iustice who is the King of kings and Lord of lords there to be arraigned to haue sentence of condemnation giuen against them Now canst thou pitie a man that is before an earthly iudge and wilt thou not be touched with the miserie of thine owne estate who goest euery day forward to the barre of Gods iustice whether thou be sleeping or waking sitting or standing as a man on the sea in a ship goes continually toward the hauen though he himselfe stirre not his foote Begin now at length to lay this point to your hearts that so long as ye run on in your blind wayes without repentance as much as yee can yee make poste hast to hell-warde and so long as you continue in this miserable condition as Peter saieth Your iudgement is not farre off and your damnation sleepeth not Thirdly seeing those whome God hath purposed to refuse shall be left unto themselues and neuer come to repentance we are to loue and embrace the word of God preached taught unto us by the ministers of the gospell withall submitting our selues unto it and suffering the Lord to humble us thereby that we may come at length out of the broad way of blindnesse of minde and hardnesse of heart leading to destruction into the straight way of true repentance and reformation of life which leadeth to saluation For so long as a man lives in this world after the lusts of his own heart he goes on walking in the very same broad way to hell in which all that are ordained to condemnation walke and what a fearefull thing is it but for a litle while to be a companion in the way of destruction with them that perish and therefore I say once againe let us all in the feare of God lay his word unto our heartes and heare it with such reuerence as that it may be in us the sworde of the spirite to cut downe the sinnes and corruptions of our natures and worke in us a reformation of life and true repentance The third point concerning the decree of Reprobation is the Iudgement to be giuen of it This iudgement belongeth to God principally and properly because hee knoweth best what he hath determined cōcerning the estate of euery man none but he knowes who they be which are ordained to due deserued dānation And againe he only knoweth the hearts and willes of men and what grace he hath giuen them what they are and what all their sinnes be and so doth no angell nor creature in the world beside As for men it belongs not to them to giue iudgement of reprobation in themselues or in others unlesse God reveale his will unto them and giue them a gift of discerning This gift was bestowed on sundry of the Prophets in the old Testament and in the new Testament on the Apostles Dauid in many Psalmes makes request for the confusion of his enemies not praying only against their sinnes which we may do but euen against their persons which we may not do No doubt he was guided by gods spirit receiued thence an extraordinarie gift to iudge of the obstinate malice of his aduersaries And Paul praies against the persō of Demetrius saying The Lord reward him according to his doings And such kinde of praiers were lawfull in them because they were caried with pure upright zeale had no doubt a speciall gift whereby they were able to discerne of the finall estate of their enemies Againe God sometimes giues this gift of discerning of some mens finall impenitencie to the Church upon earth I say not to this or that priuate person but to the bodie of the Church or greater part thereof S. Iohn writing unto the Churches saith There is a sinne unto death that is against the H. ghost I say not that thou shouldest pray for it in which words he takes it for granted that the sinne might be discerned by the Church in those daies And Paul saieth If any man beleeue not the Lord Iesus let him be had in
is true in euerie member of the Church is also true in the whole but euery member of the militant Church is subiect to errour both in doctrine and manners because men in this life are but in parte enlightened and sanctified and therefore still remaine subiect to blindnesse of mind and ignorance and to the rebellion of their willes and affections whereby it comes to passe that they may easily faile either in iudgement or in practise Againe that which may befall one or two particular Churches may likewise befall all the particular Churches vpon earth all beeing in one and the same condition but this may befall one or two particular Churches to faile either in doctrine or manners The Church of Ephesus failed in leauing her first loue whereupon Christ threatneth to remooue from her the candlesticke And the Church of Galatia was remooued to an other Gospell from him that had called them in the grace of Christ now why may not the same things befall twentie yea an hundred Churches which befell these twaine Lastly experience sheweth this to be true in that generall councels haue erred The counceâ—l of Nicene beeing to reforme sundrie behauiours among the Bishops Eldeâ—s would with common coÌ„sent haue forbidden mariage unto them thinking it profitable to be so unlesse Paphnutius had better informed them out of the scriptures In the third councell at Carthage certaine bookes Apocrypha as the booke of Syrach Toby and the Macchabees are numbred in the Canon and yet were excluded by the councell of Laodicea And the saying of a divine is receiued that former councells are to be reformed and amended by the latter But Papistes maintaining that the Church can not erre alleadge the promise of Christ How be it when he is come which is the spirite of trueth hee vvill leade you into all truth Ansvver The promise is directed to the Apostles who with their Apostolicall authoririe had this priuiledge graunted them that in the teaching and penning of the Gospell they could not erre and therefore in the councell at Ierusalem they conclude thus It seemes good vnto vs and to the holy Ghost And if the promise be further extended to all the Church it must be understoode with a limitation that God will giue his spirit unto the members thereof to lead them into all truth so farre forth as shall be needfull for their saluation The second question is wherein standes the dignitie excellencie of the Church Ansvvere It standes in subiection and obedience vnto the will word of his spouse and heade Christ Iesus And hence it followeth that the Church is not to chalenge unto her selfe authority ouer the scriptures but onely a ministerie or ministeriall service whereby shee is appointed of God to preserue and keepe to publish preach them and to giue testimony of them And for this cause it is called the pillar and ground of trueth The Church of Rome not content with this saieth further that the authoritie of the Church in respect of us is aboue the authoritie of the scripture because say they we can not know scripture to be scripture but by the testimonie of the Church But indeed they speake an untruth For the testimony of men that are subiect to errour can not be greater and of more force with us then the testimonie of God who cannot erre Againe the Church hath her beginning from the worde for there can not be a Church without faith and there is no faith without the word and there is no word out of the Scriptures and therefore the Church in respect of vs depends on the Scripture and not the Scripture on the Church And as the lawier which hath no further power but to expound the law is vnder the law so the Church which hath authoritie onely to publish and expound the Scriptures can not authorize them vnto vs but must submit her selfe vnto them And whereas it is alleadged that faith comes by hearing and this hearing is in respect of the voice of the Church and that therefore faith comes by the voice of the Church the answeare is that the place must be vnderstood not of that generall faith whereby we are resolued that Scripture is Scripture but of iustifying faith whereby we attaine vnto saluation And faith comes by hearing the voice of the Church not as it is the churches voice but as it is a ministery or means to publish the word of God which is both the cause obiect of our beleeuing Now on the contrarie we must hold that as the carpenter knowes his rule to be straight not by any other rule applied vnto it but by it selfe for casting his eye vpon it he presently discernes whether it be straight or no so we know and are resolued that Scripture is Scripture euen by the Scripture it selfe though the Church say nothing so be it we haue the spirit of discerning when we read heare and consider of the Scripture And yet the testimonie of the Church is not to be despised for though it breed not a perswasion in vs of the certentie of the Scripture yet is it a very good inducement thereto The militant Church hath many parts For as the Ocean sea which is but one is deuided into parts according to the regions and countries against which it lieth as into the English Spanish Italian sea c. so the Church dispersed ouer the face of the whole earth is deuided into other particular Churches according as the countries are seuerall in which it is seated as into the Church of England and Ireland the Church of Fraunce the Church of Germanie c. Againe particular Churches are in a twofold estate sometime they lie hid in persecution wanting the publicke preaching of the word and the administration of the sacraments sometimes again they are visible carrying before the eyes of the world an open profession of the name of Christ as the moone is sometime eclipsed sometime shineth in the full In the first estate was the Church of Israel in the daies of Eliah when he wished to die because the people had forsaken the couenant of the Lord brokeÌ„ down his altars slaine his Prophets with the sword and he was left alone and they sought to take away his life also Behold a lamentable estate when so worthie a Prophet could not finde an other beside himselfe that feared God yet marke what the Lord saith vnto him I haue left seuen thousand in Israel euen all the knees that haue not bowed vnto Baal and euery mouth that hath not kissed him Againe it is said that Israel had bin a long season without the true God without priest to teach and without the lawe Neither must this trouble any that God should so farre forth forsake his Church for when ordinarie meanes of saluation faile he then gathereth his Elect by extraordinarie meanes as when the children of Israel wandered in the wildernesse wanting both circumcision and
the Passeouer he made a supplie by Manna and by the pillar of a cloude Hence we haue direction to answeare the Papists who demaunde of vs where our Church was threescore yeares agoe before the daies of Luther we say that then for the space of many hundred yeares an vniuersall Apostasie ouerspread the face of the whole earth and that our Church then was not visible to the worlde but lay hidde vnder the chaffe of Poperie And the truth of this the Records of all ages manifest The second estate of the Church is when it flourisheth and is visible nor that the faith and secret Election of men can be seene for no man can discerne these thinges but by outward signes but because it is apparant in respect of the outwarde assemblies gathered to the preaching of the worde and the administration of the Sacraments for the praise and glorie of God and their mutuall edification And the visible Church may be thus described It is a mixt companie of men professing the faith assembled together by the preaching of the word First of all I call it a mixt companie because in it there be true beleeuers and hypocrites Elect and Reprobate good and badde The Church is the Lords field in which the enemie soweth his tares it is the corne flore in which lieth wheat and chaffe it is a bād of men in which beside those that be of valour courage there be white liuered souldiours And it is called a Church of the better part namely the Elect whereof it consisteth though they be in number fewe As for the vngodly though they be in the Church yet they are no more parts of it indeed thē the superfluous humours in the vains are parts of the body But to proceed how are the members of the visible Church qualified and discerned the answear followeth in the definition professing the faith whereby I meane the profession of that religion which hath beene taught from the beginning and is now recorded in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles And this profession is a signe and marke whereby a man is declared and made manifest to be a member of the Church Againe because the profession of the faith is otherwhiles true and syncere and otherwhiles onely in shew therefore there be also two sorts of members of the visible Church members before God and members before men A member of the Church before God is he that beside the outward profession of the faith hath inwardly a pure heart good conscience and faith vnfained whereby he is indeede a true member of the Church Members before men whome we may call reputed members are such as haue nothing els but the outward profession wanting the good conscience and the faith vnfained The reason why they are to be esteemed members of vs is because we are bound by the rule of charitie to thinke of men as they appeare vnto vs leauing secret iudgements vnto God I added in the last place that the Church is gathered by the word preached to shew that the cause whereby it is begunne and continued is the word which for that cause is called the immortall seede whereby we are borne anew and milke whereby we are fedde and cherished to life euerlasting And hence it followeth necessarily that the preaching of the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles ioyned with any measure of faith and obedience is an vnfallible marke of a true Church Indeede it is true there be three things required to the good estate of a Church the preaching of the Gospell the administration of the Sacraments and due exequution of Discipline according to the word yet if the two latter be wanting if there be preaching of the worde with obedience in the people there is for substance a true Church of God For it is the banner of Christ displaied vnder which all that warre against the flesh the deuill the worlde must range themselues As the Lord saith by the Prophet Isai I will lift vp my hand to the Gentiles and set vp my standard vnto the people and they shall bring their sonnes in their armes and their daughters shall be carried vpon their shoulders Hence it followeth that men which want the preaching of the Gospell must either procure the same vnto themselues or if that cannot be because they liue in the middest of idolatrous nations as in Spaine and Italie it is requisite that they should ioyne themselues to those places where with libertie of conscience they may inioy this happie blessing Men are not to haue their hearts glued to the honours and riches of this worlde but they should be of Dauids minde and rather desire to be dorekeepers in the house of God then to dwell in the tents of vngodlinesse In the Canticles the spouse of Christ saith Shew mercie O thou whome my soule loueth where thou feedest where thou liest at noone for why should I be as shee that turneth aside to the flockes of thy companions To whome he answeareth thus If thou knowe not O thou the fairest among women get thee forth by the steppes of the flocke and feede thy kiddes by the tents of the shepheards that is in those places where the doctrine of righteousnes and life euerlasting by the Messias is published When the Shunamites child was dead shee told her husband that she would goe to the man of God to whom he answeared thus Why wilt thou goe to him to day it is neither nevve moone nor sabbath day whereby is signified that when teaching was skarse in Israel the people did resort to the Prophets for instruction and consolation And Dauid saith that the people wheresoeuer their aboad was went from strength to strength till they appeared before God in Sion And oftentimes they beeing Proselytes there aboad must needs be out of the precincts of Iewrie Thus we see what the visible Church is nowe further concerning it three questions are to be skāned The first is how we may discerne whether particular men and particular Churches holding errours be sound members of the Catholicke Church or no. For the answearing of this wee must make a double distinction one of errours the other of persons that erre Of errours some are destroyers of the faith some only weakners of it A destroier is that which ouerturneth any fundamentall point of religion which is of that nature that if it be denied religion it selfe is ouerturned as the deniall of the death of Christ the immortalitie of the soule and such like and the summe of these fundamentall points is comprised in the Creede of the Apostles and the Decalogue A weakning errour is that the holding whereof doth not ouerturne any point in the foundation of saluation as the errour of free will and sundrie such like This distinction is made by the holy Ghost who saith expressely that the doctrines of repentance and faith and baptismes and laying on of hands and the resurrection and the
last iudgement are the foundation namely of religion and againe that Christ is the foundation and that other doctrines consonant to the word are as gold and siluer laid thereupon Secondly persons erring are of two sorts some erre of weakenes beeing carried away by others or of simple ignorance not yet beeing conuicted and informed concerning the truth Some againe erre of obstinacie or affected ignorance which hauing bin admonished and conuicted still perseuere in their forged opinions This beeing said wee nowe come to the point If any man or Church shall hold an errour of the lighter kinde he still remaines a member of the Church of God and so must be reputed of vs. As when a Lutherane shall hold that images are still to be retained in the Church that there is an Vniuersall Election of all men c. for these and such like opinions may be maintained the foundation of saluation vnraced This which I say is flatly auouched by Paul If any man saith he build on this foundation gold siluer precious stones timber hay or stubble his work shall be made manifest by the fire c. and if any mans worke burne he shall loose but yet he shall be safe himselfe And therefore the hay and stubble of mens errours beside the foundation on which they are laide doe not debarre them from beeing Christians or members of the Church A man breakes downe the windowes of his house the house standes he breakes downe the roofe or the walles the house yet stands though deformed he pulls vp the foundation the house it selfe falls and ceaseth to be an house Now religion which we professe is like an house or building and some points thereof are like windowes dores walls roofes and some are the foundation and the former may be battered the foundation standing Againe if the errour be directly or by necessarie consequent euen in common sense against the foundation consideration must be had whether the Church or partie erreth of weaknes or malice if of weaknes the partie is to be esteemed as a member of the Catholicke Church And thus Paul writes vnto the Church of Galatia as to a Church of God though by false teachers it had bin turned a way to another Gospel and imbraced the fundamentall errour of iustification by works But when any man or Church shal hold fundamentall errours in obstinacie or affected ignorance we are then not bound to repute them any loÌ„ger as Churches or Christians but as such to whom condemnation belongs as Paul sheweth by the example of Iannes and Iambres And as IaÌ„nes and Iambres saith he withstood Moses so doe these also resist the truth men of corrupt mindes reprobate concerning the faith Yet withall this caueat must euer be remembred that we rather condemne the errour then the person that erreth because Gods mercie is like a bottomlesse sea whereby he worketh what he will and when he will in the hearts of miserable sinners The second question is where at this day we may finde such visible Churches as are indeede sound members of the Catholick Church And for the resoluing of it we are to go through all countries and religions in the world And first to beginne with Turkes and Iewes wee are not in any wise to acknowledge their assemblies for Churches because they worship not God in Christ who is the heade of the Church As for the Assemblies of Papists which haue bin a great part of the world if thereby we vnderstand companies of men holding the Pope for their head and beleeuing the doctrine established in the councill of Trent in name they are called churches but indeed they are no true or sound members of the Catholick Church For both in their doctrine in the worship of God they race the very foundation of religion which will appeare by these three points First of all they hold iustification by works of grace auouching that they are not only iustified before god by the merit of Christ but also by their owne doings Which opinion flatly ouerâ—urneth iustification by Christ. For as Paul saith to the Galatians If ye be circumâ—ised Christ profiteth you nothing that is if yee looke to be iustified by the works of the ceremoniall law yee are fallen from Christ ioyne Circumcision Christ together in the matter of iustification and yee doe quite ouerthrow iustification by Christ. Now if this be true which is the word of God that can not lie then we say to the Papists If yee will needes be iustified by works of grace ye are fallen from grace The second point is that they maintaine a daily reall sacrifice of the bodie of Christ in the Masse for the sinnes of the quicke and dead And this is also a fundamentall heresie For Christs sacrifice on the crosse must either be a perfect sacrifice or no sacrifice and if it be often iterated and repeated by the Masse-priest it is not perfect but imperfect The third point is that they worship the Images of the Trinitie and of Saints departed and their Breaden-god which is as vile an abomination as euer was among the Gentiles all beeing directly against the true meaning of the second Commandement and defacing the worship of God in the very substance thereof Thus then it appeares that the old Church of Rome is changed and is now at this day of a spouse of Christ become an harlot and therefore no more a Church of Christ indeed then the carkasse of a deade man that weareth a liuing mans garment is a liuing man though he looke neuer so like him And whereas they pleade for themselues that they haue succession from the Apostles the answeare is that succession of person is nothing without succession of doctrine which they want and we see that Heretikes haue succeeded lawfull Ministers Secondly whereas it is alleadged that in the Popish assemblies the Sacrament of Baptisme is rightly for substance administred and that also it is a note of a Church three things may be answered First that Baptisme seuered from the preaching of the Gospel is no more a signe of a Church then the seale seuered from the Indenture is of force and that is nothing Circumcision was vsed in Colchis yet no Church among the Samaritans yet no people SecoÌ„dly Baptisme is in the assemblies of the Church of Rome as the purse of the true man in the hand of the thiefe indeed it doth no more argue them to be churches then the true mans purse argues the thiefe to be a true man For baptisme though it be in their assemblies yet doth it appertaine not vnto them but vnto an other hidden Church of God which he hath in all ages gathered forth of the midst of them Thirdly though they haue the outward Baptisme yet they by necessarie consequent of doctrine ouerturne the inward baptisme that stands in iustification and sanctification Moreouer whereas it is alledged that they maintaine the booke of the old and new Testament
penned by the Prophets and Apostles the answear is that they doe it with adding to the Canon and by corrupting the natiue sense of the Scriptures in the very foundation and therefore they are but as a lanthorne that shews light to others and none to it selfe Fourthly it is further said that they hold the Creede of the Apostles and make the same confession of faith that we doe I answeare that in shew of wordes they doe so indeede but by necessarie consequents in the rest of their doctrine they ouerturne one of the natures and all the offices of Christ and therewithall most of the articles of the Creede And herein they deale as a father that in outward shew tenders the bodie of his child and will not abide the least blemish vpon it and yet by secret conveiances inwardly annoies the heart the braine or the liuer and so in truth destroies the same Fifthly it is alledged that Antichrist must sit in the Temple of God that is the Church therefore say some that desire an vnion between vs and the Papists popish assemblies are true Churches but the argument is not good For it is one thing to be in the Church an other thing to be of it And Antichrist is said to sit in the Church not as a member thereof but as an vsurper or as the pyrate in the ship of the marchant heÌ„ce it cannot be prooued that assemblies of Papists are Churches but that in them and with them there is mingled an other hidden Church in the midst whereof Antichrist the Pope ruleth though himselfe hath no part therein Lastly whereas some being no Papists think their Churches to be like a bodie diseased and full of soares and wounds froÌ„ the head to the foot the throat also cut yet so as life is still remaining we may better thinke their foule errours considered their worship of God which is nothing els but a mixture of Iudaisme and Paganisme that it is a rotten and dead corps void of spirituall life And therefore we haue seuered our selues from the Church of Rome vpon iust cause neither are we schismaticks in so doing but they rather because the grouÌ„d the proper cause of the schisme is in theÌ„ As for the Assemblies of Anabaptists Libertines Antinomies Tritâ—eits Arrians Samosaâ—eniaÌ„s they are no churches of God but conspiracies of monstrous heretikes iudicially condemned in the primitiue Church and againe by the malice of Satan renewed and revived in this age The same we are to thinke and say of the Familie of loue As for the Churches of Germanie commonly called the Churches of the Lutheranes they are to be reputed of vs as the true Churches of God Though their Augustane Confession haue not satisfied the expectation of other Reformed Churches yet haue they all the same enemies in matter of religion and doe alike confesse the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost and of the office of the Mediatour of faith and good works of the Word the Church and the Magistrate are all of one iudgement They differ indeede from vs in the question of the Sacrament but it is no sufficient cause to induce vs to hold theÌ„ as no Church for that there is a true or reall receiuing of the bodie and blood of Christ in the Lordes supper wee all agree and wee ioyntly confesse that Christ is there present so farre forth that hee doth truly feede vs with his very bodie and blood to eternall life and all the controuersie lies in the manner of receiuing we contenting our selues with that spirituall receiuing which is by the hande of faith they adding therto the corporall whereby they imagine themselues to receiue Christ with the hand and mouth of the bodie And though to maintaine this their opinion they be constrained to turne the ascension of Christ into a dispaâ—ition whereby his bodie being visible becomes invisible yet in the maine points we agree that Christ ascended into heauen that he entred into his kingdome in our name and for vs that we are gouerned and preserued by his power and might and that whatsoeuer good thing we haue or doe proceeds wholly from the grace of his spirit Indeede the opinion of the Vbiquitie of the bodie of Christ reviveth the condemned heresies of Eutiches and Nestorius and it ouerturneth by necessarie consequent most of the articles of faith but that was priuate to some men as Brentius and others and was not receiued of whole Churches and whereas the men were godly and learned and we are vncerten with what affection and how long they held this errour we rest our selues in condemning it leauing the persons to God Againe Popish Transubstantiation and Lutherian Consubstantiation are both against the truth of the manhoode of Christ yet with great difference Transubstantiation is flat against an article of faith for if Christs bodie be made of bread and his blood of wine which must needes be if there be a conuersion of the one into the other then was not he conceiued and borne of the Virgin Marie for it can not both be made of bakers breade and of the substance of the Virgin Againe it abolisheth the outwarde signe in the Lordes supper and the analogie betweene the signe and the thing signified but Consubstantiation doth not so neither doeth it ouerturne the substance of any article of Religion but onely a maine point in Philosophie which is that A body doth occupy only one place at once Furthermore the Churches of Heluetia Savoie the free cities of France the low Countries Scotland are to be reuereÌ„ced as the true churches of God as their ConfessioÌ„s make manifest And no lesse must we thinke of our owne Churches in England and Ireland For we hold beleeue and maintaine and preach the true faith that is the auncient doctrine of saluation by Christ taught and published by the Prophets and Apostles as the Booke of the articles of faith agreed vpon in open Parliament doe fully shewe withal now we are and haue bin ready to testifie this our faith by venturing our liues euen in the cause of religion against forraigne power and especially the Spainard and hereupon all the Churches in Europe giue vnto vs the hand of fellowship And whereas sundrie among vs that separate and indeed excommunicate themselues giue out that there is no Church in England no Ministers no Sacraments their peremptorie asseuerations wanting sufficient grounde are but as paper-shot They alleadge that our assemblies are full of grieuous blottes and enormities Ansvv. The defects and corruptions of Churches must be distinguished and they be either in doctrine or manners Againe corruptions in doctrine must be further distinguished some of them are errours indeed but beside the foundation some errors directly against the foundation and these ouerturne all religion wheras the former do not Now it can not be shewed that in our Churches is taught any one errour that raceth the foundation and consequently annihillateth the
thy transgressions like a cloud and thy sinnes as a myst Now wee know that cloudes and mystes which appeare for a time are afterwarde by the sunne utterly dispersed And king Hezekias when he would shewe that the Lord had forgiuen him his sinnes saith God hath cast them behind his backe alluding to the maner of men who when they will not remember or regard a thing doe turne their backes upon it And Micheas saieth that God doth cast all the sinnes of his people into the bottome of the sea alluding to Pharao whom the Lord drowned in the bottome of the redde sea And Christ hath taught us to pray thus Forgive vs our debtes as wee forgive our debters in which wordes is an allusion to creditours who then forgiue debts when they account that which is debt as no debt and crosse the booke Hence it appeares that damnable vile is the opinioÌ„ of the Church of Rome which holdeth that there is a remission of the fault without a remission of the punishment withall the doctrines of humane satisfactions indulgencies and purgatorie praier for the dead built upon this foundatioÌ„ are of the same kind Moreouer wee must remember to adde too this clause I beleeve and then the meaning is this I do not only beleeue that god doth giue pardon of sinne to his church people for that the verie deuils beleeue but withall I beleeue the forgiuenes of mine owne particular sins Hence it appeares that it was the iudgement of the Primitiue Church that men should beleeue the forgiuenesse of their owne sinnes By this prerogative we reape endlesse comfort for the pardon of sinne is a most wonderfull blessing and without it euery man is more miserable and wretched then the most vile creature that euer was We loathe the serpent or the toade but if a man haue not the pardon of his sinnes procured by the death and passion of Christ hee is a thousand folde worse then they For when they die there is the end of their woe and miserie but when man dieth without this benefite there is the beginning of his For first in soule till the day of iudgement and then both in body and soule for euermore he shall enter into the endlesse paines and tormentes of hell in which if one shoulde continue so many thousand yeres as there are drops in the Ocean sea and then be deliuered it were some â—ase but hauing continued so long which is an unspeakeable length of time he must remaine there as long againe and after that for euer and euer without release and therefore among all the benefits that euer were or can be thought of this is the greatest most pretious Among all the burdens that can befall a man what is the greatest Some wil say sickenesse some ignominie some pouertie some contempt but indeed among all the heauiest and the greatest is the burden of a mans owne sinnes lying upon the conscience and pressing it downe without any assurance of pardon Dauid being a King had no doubt all that heart could wish and yet hee laying aside all the roialties and pleasures of his kingdome saith this one thing aboue all that he is a blessed maÌ„ that is eased of the burdeÌ„ of his sinnes A lazar man full of sores is vgly to the sight and we can not abide to looke upon him but no lazar is so lothsome to us as all sinners are in the sight of God therfore Dauid counted him blessed whose sinnes were câ—vered It may be some will say there is no cause why a man should thus magnifie the pardon of sinne considering it is but a common benefite Thus indeede men may imagine which neuer knewe vvhat sinne meant but let a man onely as it vvere but vvith the tippe of his finger haue a little feeling of the smarte of his sinnes hee shall finde his estate so fearefull that if the vvhole vvorlde were set before him on the one side and the pardon of sins on the other hee would choose the pardon of his sinne before ten thousand worldes Though many drowsie protestants esteeme nothing of it yet to the touched conscience it is a treasure which when a man findes he hides it and goes home and selles all that hee hath and buyes it Therefore this benefit is most excellent and for it the members of Gods Church haue great cause to giue God thankes without ceasing The duties to be learned hence are these And first of all here comes a common fault of men to be rebuked Every one will say that he beleeueth the remission of sins yet no man almost laboureth for a true certen persvvasion hereof in his owne conscience for proofe hereof propound this question to the common Christian Doest thou persvvade thy selfe that God giues remission of sinnes unto his Church The answer will be I know and beleeue it But aske him further Doest thou beleeue the pardon of thine owne sinnes and then comes in a blinde answer I haue a good hope to God ward but I can not tell I thinke no man can say so much for God saieth to no man thy sinnes are pardoned But this is to speake flat contraries to say they beleeue and they can not tell and it bewraies exceeding negligence in matters of saluation But let them that feare God or loue their owne soules health giue all diligence to make sure the remission of their owne sinnes withall avoiding hardnesse of heart and drowsinesse of spirit the most fearefull iudgements of God which euery where take place The foolish virgines went forth to meete the bridegroome with lampes in their handes as well as the wise but they neuer so much as dreamed of the horne of oile till the comming of the bridegrome So many men live in the Church of God as members thereof holding up the lampe of glorious profession but in the meane season they seeke onely for the thinges of this life neuer casting how they may assure them selues in conscience touching their reconciliation with God till the day of death come Secondly if we be here bound to beleeue the pardon of all our sinnes then wee must euerie day humble our selues before God and seeke pardon for our daily offences for he giues grace to the humble or contrite he fâ—â—les the hungrie with good things when the rich are sent empty away When Benhadad the king of Syria was discomfited and ouercome by the king of Israel by the counsell of his seruants who tolde him that the kings of Israel were mercifull men hee sent them cloathed in sackcloath with ropes about their neckes to intreate for peace and fauour Now when the king saw their submission he made couenant of peace with him We by our sinnes must iustly deserue hell death and condemnation euerie day and therefore it standeth us in hand to come into the presence of God and to humble our selues before him in sackcloath and ashes craving and intreating for