Linguistic DNA - Concept Modelling Demonstrator

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	faith_n	heart_n	sprinkle_v	2,758	5	11.3113	5	true

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09411	An exposition of the Symbole or Creed of the Apostles according to the tenour of the Scriptures, and the consent of orthodoxe Fathers of the Church. By William Perkins.	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.	1595 (1595)	STC 19703; ESTC S120654	454,343	561

it self to be a meritorious sacrifice therfore the dignity excellencie which it hath is deriued thence As for the chalkie stony altars of the Church of Rome they are nothing els but the toyes of mans brain Christ himselfe is the only reall altar of the new testament And instead of altars which were under the lawe wee haue now the Lords table vvheron vve celebrate the sacraments of his body and blood to shew forth his death till he come The 4. point is concerning the time of Christs oblation which he himselfe calleth the acceptable yere of the Lord alluding unto another yere under the lavve called the yeere Iubile vvhich was every 50. yere amoÌ„g the Iewes in which at the sound of a trumpet all that had set or sold their possessions receiued them againe all that were bondmen were then set at libertie This Iubile was but a figure of that perfect deliveraÌ„ce which vvas to be attained by Christs passioÌ„ which was no temporarie deliverance for euery 50. yere but an eternal freedome from the bondage of sinne hell death condemnation And the preaching of the worde is the trumpet sounded which proclaimeth unto us freedome froÌ„ the kingdome of darkenesse invites us to come dvvell in perfect peace vvith Christ himselfe Well if the yeere of perpetuall Iubile be novv come in what a vvreâ—ched estate are all our loose blind people that esteem nothing of that libertie vvhich is offered to them but choose rather to liue in their sinnes and so in bondage under Satan condemnation then to be at freedome in Christ. Novv follovv the uses vvhich are to be made of the sacrifice of Christ. The prophet Aggai saith that the second temple built by Zorubbabell vvas nothing in beautie unto the first vvhich was built by Salomon and the reason is plaine for it vvanted five things vvhich the first temple had I. the appearing of the presence of God at the mercie seat betweene the two Cherubims II. The Vrim and Thummim on the breast-plate of the high Priest III. The inspiration of the holy Ghost vpon extraordinarie Prophets IV. The Arke of the Covenant for that was lost in the captiuitie V. Fire from heauen to burne the sacrifices Yet for all this the Prophet afterward saith The glorie of the last House shall be greater then the first Now it may be demaunded how both these sayings can stand together Answer We are to know that the second Temple was standing in the time when Christ was crucified for our sinnes and it was the sacrifice of Christ which gaue glorie and dignitie to the second temple though otherwise for building and outward ornaments it was farre inferiour to the first And by this we are taught that if we would bring glorie vnto our owne selues vnto our houses and kindred either before God or before men we must labour to be partakers of the sacrifice of Christ and the sprinkling of his blood to purge our hearts This is the thing that brings renowne both to place and person how base soeuer we be in the eyes of the world Secondly all oblations and meate offerings were sprinkled with salt and euery sacrifice of propitiation which was to be burned to ashes was first salted and hereby two things were signified The first that euery one of vs in our selues are loathsome or vile in the sight of God like vnto stinking carrion or raw-flesh kept long vnpoudered A dead and rotten carkeise is loathsome vnto vs but we in our selues are a thousand times more loathsome vnto God The second that we are as it were salted and made sauorie and acceptable to God by the vertue of the sacrifice of Christ vpon the crosse Our dutie theÌ„ is to labour that we may feele in our selues the biting and sharpnes of the oblation of Christ to wast coÌ„sume the superfluities of sinne and the corruptions of our natures And we must withall indeauour that the whole course of our liues and our speach it selfe be gratious and poudred with this salt least God at length spue vs out of his mouth To this end hath God appointed his ministers to be the salt of the earth that by their ministerie they might applie the death of Christ and season the people And it hath pleased God to besprinkle this land with more plentie of this salt then hath beene heretofore But alas small is the number of them that giue any rellish of their good seasoning The more lamentable is their case For as flesh that can not be seasoned with salt putrifies so men that cannot be sweetned and changed by the sacrifice of Christ doe rotte and perish in their sinnes The waters that issued from vnder the threshold of the Sanctuarie when they came into the dead sea the waters thereof were holsome but myrie places and marishes which could not be seasoned were made salt-pits Now these waters are the preaching of the Gospell of Christ which flowing through all the parts of this Ile if it doe not season and chaunge our nation it shall make it as places of nettles and salt-pits and at length be an occasion of the eternall curse of God Thirdly Christs priesthoode serues to make euery one of vs also to be priests And being priests we must likewise haue our sacrifice and our altar Our sacrifice is the cleane offering which is the lifting vp of pure hands to God without wrath or doubting in our praiers also our bodies and soules our hearts and affections the workes of our liues and the works of our callings all which must be dedicated to the seruice of God for his glorie and the good of his Church The altar whereon wee must offer our sacrifice is Christ our redeemer both God and man because by the vertue of his death as with sweet odours he perfumes all our obedience and makes it acceptable to God The ministers of the Gospell are also in this manner priests as Paul insinuateth when he calleth the Gentiles his offering vnto God And the preaching of the word is as it were a sacrificing knife whereby the old Adam must be killed in vs and we made an holy and acceptable sweete smelling oblation vnto God sanctified by the holy Ghost Therefore euery one that heareth Gods worde preached and taught must endeauour that by the profitable hearing thereof his sinnes and whole nature may be subdued and killed as the beast was slaine and sacrificed vpon the altar by the hand of the Leuite Lastly the exhortation of the holy Ghost must here be considered Seeing saith he we haue an high Priest which is ouer the house of God let vs draw neere with a true heart in assurance of faith sprinkled in our hearts from an euill conscience and washed in our bodies with pure water the meaning of the words is this that if Christ haue offered such a sacrifice of such value and price which procureth pardon of sinne

had they then any neede of faith in the same God as he is Messias but this faith is a new grace of God added to regeneration after the fal first required in the couenant of grace And by this faith differeth from the rest of the gifts of God as the feare of God the loue of God the loue of our brethren c. for these were in mans nature before the fall and after it they are but renewed but iustifying faith admits no renewing For the first in grafting of it into the heart is in the conuersion of a sinner after his fall The place and seat of faith as I thinke is the minde of man not the will for it stands in a kinde of particular knowledge or perswasion and there is no perswasion but in the minde Paul saith indeede that we beleeue with the heart Rom. 10. but by the heart he vnderstands the whole soule without any limitation Some doe place faith partly in the minde and partly in the will because it hath two parts knowledge and affiance but it doth not stand greatly with reason that one particular and single grace should be seated into diuerse parts of the soule The forme of faith is to apprehend the promises Gal. 3.14 that we might receiue the promise of the spirite through faith and Iohn 1.12 to receiue Christ and to beleeue are put one for another and to beleeue is to eate and drinke the bodie and bloud of Christ. To apprehend properly is an action of the hand which laies hold of a thing and puls it to it and by resemblance it agrees to faith which is the hand of the soule receiuing and applying the sauing promise This apprehension of faith is not performed by any affection of the will but by a sound and particular perswasion whereby a man is resolued that the promise of saluation belongs vnto him Which perswasion is wrought in the mind by the holy Ghost 1. Corint 2.12 And by this the promise which is generall is applied particularly to one subiect By this sauing faith differeth from all other kinds of faith From historicall for it wanteth all apprehension standeth onely in a generall assent From temporarie faith which though it make a man to professe the Gospel and to reioyce in it yet doth it not throughly applie Christ with his benefits For it neuer brings with it any thorough touch of conscience or liuely sense of Gods grace in the heart And the same may be said of the rest The principal and maine obiect of this faith is the sauing promise God so loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten sonne that whosoeuer beleeues in him shall not perish but haue euerlasting life But some will say Christ is commonly said to be the obiect of faith Answ. In effect it is all one to say the sauing promise and Christ promised who is the substance of the couenant Christ then as he is set forth vnto vs in the word and sacraments is the obiect of faith And here certaine questions offer themselues to be skanned The first What is that particular thing which faith apprehendeth Answ. Faith apprehendeth whole Christ God and man For his Godhead without his manhoode and his manhood without his Godhead doth not reconcile vs to God Yet this which I say must be conceiued with some distinction according to the difference of his two natures His Godhead is apprehended not in respect of his essence or nature but in respect of his efficacie manifested in the maÌ„hoode his manhood both in respect of the substance it selfe and also in respect of the efficacie and benefits thereof The second In what order faith appreheÌ„ds Christ Ans. First of all it apprehends the very body blood of Christ secondly the vertue benefits of his bodie and blood as a man that would feele in his bodie the vertue of meate and drinke must first of all receiue the substance thereof To go forward Besides the mayn promise which coÌ„cernes righteousnes life in Christ there be other particular promises touching streÌ„gth in temptatioÌ„s coÌ„fort in afflictioÌ„s such like which depeÌ„d on the former they also are the obiect of iustifying faith with the very same faith we beleue theÌ„ wherwith we beleeue our saluatioÌ„ Thus AbrahaÌ„ by the same faith wherwith he was iustified beleued that he shold haue a son in his old age RoÌ„ 4.19.22 And Noe by that faith wherby he was made heire of righteousnes beleeued that he his family should be preserued in the flood And hereupoÌ„ it comes to passe that in our praiers besides the desire of things promised we must bring faith whereby we must be perswaded that God will graunt vs such things as he hath promised and this faith is not a new kinde or distinct faith from iustifying faith Thus we see what sauing faith is Whereas some are of opinioÌ„ that faith is an affiaÌ„ce or coÌ„fidence that seems to be otherwise for it is a fruit of faith indeede no man can put any confidence in God till he be first of all perswaded of Gods mercy in Christ towards him Some again are of mind that loue is the very nature and forme of faith but it is otherwise For as coÌ„fidence in God so also loue is an effect which proceeds froÌ„ faith 1. Tim. 1.5 The end of the law is loue froÌ„ a pure heart and good conscience faith vnfained And in nature they differ greatly Christ is the fountain of the waters of life Faith in the heart is as the pipes ledds that receiue in hold the water loue in some part is as the cocke of the coÌ„duit that lets out the water to euery coÌ„mer The property of the haÌ„d is to hold of it self it caÌ„not cut yet by a knife or other instrumeÌ„t put into the haÌ„d it cuts the haÌ„d of the soule is faith his property is to apprehend Christ with al his benefits by it self it caÌ„ do nothing els yet ioyn loue to it by loue it wilbe effectual in al good duties Now to proceed further first we are to coÌ„sider how faith is wrought 2. what be the differeÌ„ces of it For the first faith is wrought in by the outward ministery of the gospel accoÌ„panied by the inward operatioÌ„ of the spirit that not suddeÌ„ly but by certeÌ„ steps degrees as nature frameth the body of the infant in the mothers wombe 1. by making the brain and heart 2. by making veines sinewes arteries bones 3. by adding flesh to them al. And the whole operation of the spirit stands in two principall actions First the enlightening of the minde the second the moouing of the will For the first the holy Ghost enlightens mens mindes with a further knowledge of the lawe then nature can afoard and thereby makes them to see the sinnes of their hearts and liues with the ouglines thereof and withall to tremble at the curse of the lawe Afterward

the same spirit opens the eye to vnderstand and consider seriously of righteousnes life eternal promised in Christ. This done then comes the second worke of the holy Ghost which is the inflaming of the will that a man hauing considered his fearefull estate by reason of sinne and the benefits of Christes death might hunger after Christ and haue a desire not so much to haue the punishmeÌ„ts of sinne taken away as Gods displeasure also might enioy the benefits of Christ. And wheÌ„ he hath stirred vp a man to desire reconciliation with God in Christ then withall he giues him grace to pray not onely for life eternall but especially for the free remission and pardon of all his sinnes and then the Lordes promise is Knocke and it shall be opened seeke and ye shall finde After which he further sends his spirit into the same heart that desireth reconciliation with God and remission of sinnes in Christ and doth seale vp in his heart the liuely and plentifull assurance thereof The differences and degrees of faith are two I. a weake faith II. a strong faith Concerning the first this weake faith shewes it selfe by this grace of God namely an vnfained desire not onely of saluation for that the wicked and gracelesse man may haue but of reconciliation with God in Christ. This is a sure signe of faith in euery touched and humbled heart and it is peculiar to the elect and they which haue this haue in them also the substance of true sauing faith which afterwards will grow vp to a strong faith Reasons I. Promise of life euerlasting is made to the desire of reconciliation Psal. 10.17 Lord thou hast heard the desire of the poore Psal. 143.6 My soule desireth after thee as the thirstie land Psal. 145.19 He will fulfill the desire of them that feare him Matth. 5.6 Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnes for they shalbe satisfied Revel 22.6 J will giue vnto him which is a thirst of the well of the water of life freely II. The hungring desire after grace is a sanctified affection vvhere one affection is sanctified all are sanctified where all are sanctified the whole man is sanctified and he that is sanctified is iustified and beleeues III. God accepts the will and desire to repent and beleeue for repenting and beleeuing indeede wherefore this desire of reconciliation if it be soundly wrought in the heart is accepted euen as faith before God But carnall men will say If faith yea true faith shew it selfe by a desire of reconciliation with God in Christ for all our sinnes then we are well ynough though we liue in our sinnes for we haue very good desires J answer That there be in many men sundrie fleeting motions and desires to do good things which grow to no issue or head but in time vanish as they come Now such passions haue no soundnes in them must be distinguished from the desire of reconciliatioÌ„ with God which comes from a bruised heart which brings alwaies with it reformation of life therefore such as liue after the couse of this world and thinke notwithstanding that they haue desires that are good deceiue themselues Nowe faith is saide to be weake when a man either failes in the knowledge of the Gospell or else hauing knowledge is weake in grace to applie vnto himselfe the sweete promises thereof As for example we know that the Apostles had all true sauing faith except Iudas and when our Sauiour Christ asked them whome they thought that he was Peter in the person of the rest answered for them all and said Thou art Christ the Sonne of the liuing God for which our Sauiour commended him and in him them all saying Thou art Peter vpon this rocke that is vpon Christ which Peter did professe in the name of them all will I builde my Church And yet after we shall finde in the Gospell that they are called men of litle faith Now they failed in knowledge of the death of Christ and of his passion and resurrection and were caried away with a vaine hope of an earthly kingdome And therefore when our Sauiour shewed them of his going downe to Ierusalem and of his sufferings there Peter a little after his notable confession began to rebuke Christ said Master haue pitie on thy selfe this shall not be vnto thee And vntil he had appeared to them after his death they did not beleeue his resurrection Again weake faith though it be ioyned with knowledge yet it may faile in the applying or in the apprehension and appropriating of Christs benefits to a mans owne selfe This is to be seene in ordinary experience For many a man there is of humble and contrite heart that serueth God in spirite and truth yet is not able to say without great doubtings and wauerings I know and am fully assured that my sinnes are pardoned Now shall we say that all such are without faith God forbid Nay we may resolue our selues that the true child of God may haue a hungring desire in his heart after reconciliation with God in Christ for all his sinnes with care to keepe a good conscience and yet be weake some time in the apprehension of Gods mercie and the assurance of the remission of his owne sinnes But if faith faile either in the true knowledge or in the apprehension of Gods mercies how can a man be saued by it Answ. We must knowe that this weake faith will as truly apprehend Gods mercifull promises for the pardon of sinne as strong faith though not so soundly Euen as a man with a palsie hand can stretch it out as well to receiue a gift at the hand of a king as he that is more sound though it be not so firmely and steadfastly The Church of Rome beares men in hand that they are good Catholicks if they beleeue as the Church beleeues though in the meane season they can not tell what the Church beleeues And some Papists commend this faith by the example of an old devout father who beeing tempted of the deuill was asked how he beleeued he answered that he beleeued as the Church beleeued beeing againe asked how the Church beleeued he answered as I beleeue whereupon the deuill as they say was faint to depart VVell this fond and ridiculous kind of faith we renounce as being a means to nozle men in blindnes superstition perpetuall ignorance yet withall we doe not denie but that there is an implicite or foulded faith which is when a man as yet hauing but some little portion of knowledge in the doctrine of the Gospell doth truely performe obedience according to the measure thereof and withall hath care to get more knowledge and shewes good affection to all good meanes whereby it may be increased In this respect a certain ruler who by a miracle wrought vpon his childe was mooued to acknowledge Christ for the Messias and further to submit him selfe to his doctrine is

commended for a beleeuer and in the like case the Samaritanes And thus much of weake faith which must be vnderstood to be in a man not all the daies of his life but while he is a yong babe in Christ. For as it is in the state of the body first we are babes grow to greater strength as we growe in yeres so it is with a Christian man First he is a babe in Christ hauing weake faith but after growes from grace to grace till he come to haue a strong faith example whereof we haue in Abraham who was strong and perfect both in knowledge and apprehension This strong faith is when a man is endued with the knowledge of the Gospel grace to apprehend and applie the righteousnes of Christ vnto himselfe for the remission of his own sinnes so as he can say distinctly of himselfe and truly that he is fully resolued in his own conscience that he is recoÌ„ciled vnto God in Christ for all his sinnes accepted in him to life euerlasting This degree of faith is proper to him that begins to be a tall man and of ripe yeares in Christ. And it commeth not at the first calling of a man vnto grace And if any shall thinke that he can haue it at the first he deceiueth him selfe For as it is no nature first wee are babes and then as we encrease in yeares so wee growe in strength so it is in the life of a Christian first ordinarily hee hath a weake faith and after growes from grace to grace till he come to stronger faith and at the last he be able to say he is fully assured in his heart conscience of the pardon of his sinnes of reconciliation to God in Christ. And this assurance ariseth from many experiences of Gods fauour and loue in his life and preseruation which brings a man to this that he is fully perswaded that God is his God and God the father his father and Iesus Christ his redeemer and the holy Ghost his sanctifier Now howsoeuer this faith be strong yet is it alwaies imperfect as also our knowledge is and shall so long as we liue in this world be mingled with contrarie vnbeliefe and sundrie doubtings more or lesse A great part of men amoÌ„gst vs blinded with grosse ignorance say they haue faith yet indeed haue not For aske them what faith they haue they will answer they beleeue that God is their father the Son their redeemer c. aske them how long they haue had this faith they will answer euer since they could remember aske them whether they euer doubt of Gods fauour they will say they would not once doubt for all the worlde But the case of these men is to be pitied for howsoeuer they may perswade themselues yet true it is that they haue no sound faith at all for euen strong faith is assaulted with temptations and doubtings and God will not haue men perfect in this life that they may alwaies goe out of themselues and depend wholly on the merit of Christ. And thus much of these two degrees of faith Nowe in whom so euer it is whether it be a weake faith or a stroÌ„g it bringeth forth some fruit as a tree doth in the time of sommer And a speciall fruit of faith is this confession of faith I beleeue in God c. so Paul saith With the heart a man may beleeue vnto righteousnes and with the mouth man confesseth to saluation Confession of faith is when a man in speach and outwarde profession doth make manifest his faith for these two causes I. That with his mouth outwardly he may glorifie God both in bodie and soule II. That by the confession of his faith he may seuer himselfe from all false Christians from Atheists hypocrites and all false seducers whatsoeuer And as this is the dutie of a Christian man to make profession of his faith so here in this Creede of the Apostles we haue the right order and forme of making it set downe as we shal see in haÌ„dling the parts therof The Creede therefore sets downe two things concerning faith namely the action of faith and his obiect which also are the parts of the Creede The action in these words I beleeue the obiect in all the words following in God the Father almightie maker c. And first let vs begin with the action I beleeue in God We are taught to say I beleeue not we beleeue for two causes First because as we touched before in the Primitiue Church this Creede was made to be an answer made vnto a question which was demanded of euery particular man that was baptized for they asked him thus What dost thou beleeue then he answered I beleeue in God the Father c. and thus did euery one of yeares make profession of his faith and it is likely that Peter alluded hereunto saying the stipulation or answer of a good conscience maketh request to God The secoÌ„d cause is howsoeuer we are to pray one for another by saying O our father c. yet when wee come to yeres we must haue a particular faith of our own no maÌ„ can be saued by anothers mans faith but by his own so it is said The iust shall liue by his faith But some will say this is not true For children must be saued by their parents faith the answer is this the faith of the parents doth bring the child to haue a title or interest to the couenant of grace and to all the benefits of Christ but yet it doth not applie the benefits of Christs death his obedience his merits and righteousnes vnto the infant for this the beleeuer doth only vnto himselfe to no other Againe some may say if they doe not apprehend Christs benefits by their parents faith how then is Christs righteousnes made theirs Answ. By the inward working of the holy Ghost who is the principall applier of all graces whereas faith is but the instrumeÌ„t And this is true men of yeares are iustified by their own faith the infaÌ„t by some other special working of Gods holy spirit Furthermore to beleeue signifieth two things to conceiue or vnderstand any thing and withall to giue assent vnto it to be true and therefore in this place to beleeue signifieth to know and acknowledge that all the points of religion which followe are the truth of God Here therefore we must remember that this clause I beleeue placed in the beginning of the Creede must be particularly applied to euery article following For so the case stands that if faith faile in one maine point it faileth a man in all and therefore faith is said to be wholly copulatiue It is not sufficient to hold one article but he that will hold any of them for his good must hold them all and he which holdes them all in shewe of words if he ouerturne but one of them in deede he ouerturnes them all Againe to beleeue

this First of all we must set it before our eyes as a looking glasse in which we may cleerely behold the horriblenes of our sinnes that could not be pardoned without the passion of the sonne of God and the vnspeakeable loue of Christ that dyed for vs and therefore loued his owne enemies more then his owne selfe and lastly our endles peace with God and happines in that considering the person of our redeemer who suffered the pangs of hell we may after a sort finde our paradise euen in the middest of hell Secondly the meditation of Christs passion serues as a most worthie meanes to beginne and to confirme grace specially when it is mingled with faith and that tâ—o waies For first it serues to breede in our hearts a godly sorrowe for our sinnes past when we doe seriously with our selues consider that our owne sinnes were the cause of all the paines and sorrowes and calamities which he suffered in life and death When any man had sinned vnder the Law he brought vnto the temple or tabernacle some kinde of beast for an offering according as he was prescribed laying his hande vpon the heade of it and afterward slaying it before the Lord. Now by the ceremonie of laying on the hand he testified that he for his part had deserued death and not the beast and that it beeing slaine and sacrificed was a signe vnto him of the sacrifice of Christ offered vpon the crosse for his sinnes And hereby we are taught that so oft as we remember the passion of Christ we should lay our hands as it were vpon our owne heads vtterly accusing and condemning ourselues euermore keeping this in heart that Christ suffered not for himselfe but for our offences which were the proper cause of all his woe and miserie And as Christs passion was grieuous and bitter vnto him so should our sinnes likewise be grieuous and bitter vnto vs let vs alwaies remember this otherwise we shall neuer reape any sound benefit by the passion of Christ. Againe the passion of Christ is a notable meanes to stirre vp in our hearts a purpose and a care to reforme our selues and liue in holines and newnes of life on this manner Hath the Sonne of God so mercifully dealt with me as to suffer the curse of the whole law for my manifold iniquities and to deliuer me from iust and deserued damnation yea no doubt he hath I am resolued of it if I should goe on in mine old course I should be the most vngratefull of all creatures to this my louing Sauiour I will therefore by his grace returne and reforme my life And in this very point of reformation the passion of Christ is set before vs as a most liuely patterne and example to follow For as much saith Saint Peter as Christ hath suffered for vs in the flesh arme your selues likewise with the same minde which is that hee which hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sinne Where hee teacheth that there must be in vs a spirituall passion answearable to the passion of Christ. For as his enemies did lade him with miseries euen to the death of the crosse so should we lade our owne flesh that is the corruption of our natures with all such meanes as may subdue and weaken crucifie and kill it To the doing of this three things especially are required First we must consider that the corruption of our rebellious natures is like the great and mightie Goliath and the grace of God which we haue receiued like young and little Dauid and therefore if wee desire that grace should preuaile against corruption we must disarme the strong man and strippe him of all his weapons which is done by giuing all the members of our bodies to be instruments of the seruice of God in righteousnes and holines Secondly we must indeauour to keepe in the corruption of nature as it were choking and smothering at the heart that by it neither the worlde nor the deuill preuaile against vs. And this must be done by hauing a narrow regard vnto all the powers and faculties of bodie and soule setting a watch before our eyes eares lippes and all other parts of the bodie that are in any action the instruments of the soule and aboue all as Salomon saith by countergarding the heart with all diligence By the outward senses of the bodie as through open windows the deuill creepes into the heart and therefore our duetie is to stoppe all such waies of entrance Thirdly when originall corruption begins to rebell either in the minde will or any of the affections then must we draw out the sword of the spirit which is the word of God and incounter with that hidious gyant laying load vpoÌ„ him by the iudgements and threatnings of the law as it were beating him down with clubbes as Paul speaketh And if it fall out that concupiscence beginne to conceiue and bring foorth any sinne we must cruise it in the head dash it against the ground as a bird in the shell least it growe vp to our vtter confusion These are the dueties which wee should learne by the passion of Christ. But lamentable are our daies in which all for the most part goes contrarie for commonly men are so farre from killing and subduing the rebellion of the naturall concupiscence that all their studie and care is howe they may feeede and cherish it and make it stronger then the mightie Goliah But let vs for our parts be conformable to Christ in his passion suffering in our flesh as he suffered in bodie and soule for vs. And let vs daily more and more by the hand of faith apprehend and applie to our hearts and consciences the passion of Christ that it may as a fretting corasive eate out the poyson of our sinnefull natures and to consume it Now followeth the second point concerning the passion of Christ which is vnder whome he suffered namely vnder Pontius Pilate And Christ may be said to suffer vnder him in two respects First because he was then the President of Iurie For a little before the birth of Christ the kingdome of the Iewes was taken away by the Romane Emperour and reduced into a Province Pontius Pilate was placed ouer the Iewes not as king but as the Romane Emperours deputie And this circuÌ„stance is noted in the historie of the Gospell here specified in the Creede to shew that the Messias was exhibited in the time foretold by the Prophets Iacob foretold that Shilo must be borne after the scepter is removed from Iuda Isaiah saith that the familie of Ishai shall be worne as it were to the root before Christ as a branch shall spring out of it Againe Christ suffered vnder Pontius Pilate as he was a iudge whereby we are giuen to vnderstand of a woonder namely that Christ the sonne of God King of heauen and earth was arraigned at the barre of an earthly iudge there condeÌ„ned

imputation and application was made his Furthermore Christ was crucified not after the maner of the Iewes who used to hang malefactors upon a tree binding them thereto with cords that wheÌ„ they were dead but after the usuall maner of the Romans his bodie being partly nailed to the crosse partly in the nailing extremely racked otherwise I see not but that a man might remaine many daies togither alive upoÌ„ the crosse And here we haue occasion to remeÌ„ber that the Papists who are so deuout zelous towards crucifixes are far deceived in the making of theÌ„ For first of all the crosse was made of 3. pieces of wood one fastned upright in the ground to which the bodie and back leaned the second fastened towardes the toppe of the first overthwart to which the hands were nailed the thirde fastned towards the bottome of the first on which the feete vvere set and nailed vvhereas contrarivvise popish caruers painters fasten both the feet of Christ to the first secoÌ„dly the feete of Christ vvere nailed asunder vvith tvvo distinct nailes not nailed one upon another with one naile alone as Papists imagine and that to the verie body of the crosse for then the soldiers could not haue broken both the leggs of the thieves but only the outmost Let vs now come to the vse which may be made of the crucifying of Christ. First of all here we learne with bitternes to bewaile our sinnes for Christ was thus cruelly nayled on the crosse and there suffered the whole wrath of God not for any offence that euer he committed but beeing our pledge and suretie vnto God he suffered all for vs and therefore iust cause haue we to mourne for all our offences which brought our Sauiour Christ to this low estate If a man should be so farre in debt that he could not be freed vnlesse the suretie should be cast into prison for his sake nay which is more be cruelly put to death for his debt it would make him at his wits ende and his very heart to bleede And so is the case with vs by reason of our sins we are Gods debters ye bankrupts before him yet haue we gotten a good suretie euen the sonne of God himselfe who to recouer vs to our former libertie was crucifyed for the discharge of our debt And therefore good cause haue we to bewaile our estate euery day as by the Prophet it is said They shall looke on him whome they haue pierced they shall lament for him as one mourneth for his owne sonne they shall be sorrie for him as one is sorrie for his first borne Looke as the blood followed the nailes that were striken through the blessed hands and feete of Christ so should the meditation of the crosse and passion of our Redeemer be as it were nayles and speares to pierce vs that our hearts might bleed for our sinnes and we are not to thinke more hardly of the Iewes for crucifying him then of our selues because our sinnes they also crucifyed him These are the very nayles which pierce his hands and feete and these are the speares which pierce through his side For the losse of a litle worldly pelfe oh how are we grieued but seeing our transgressions are the weapons whereby the sonne of God was crucifyed let vs I say it againe and againe learne to be grieued for them aboue al things with bleeding and melting hearts bowe and buckle vnder them as vnder the crosse Secondly Christ saith of himselfe as Moses lift vp the serpent in the wildernes so must the sonne of man be lifted vp the comparison is excellent and worthie the marking In the wildernes of Arabia the people of Israel rebelled against God and thereupon he sent fierie serpents among them which stong many of them to death now when they repented Moses was commanded to make a brasen serpent and to set it vpon a pole that as many as were stong might looke vnto it and recouer and if they could but cast a glaunce of the eye on the brasen serpent when they were stong eueÌ„ to death they were restored to health life Now euery man that liueth is in the same case with the Israelits Satan hath stong vs at the heart giuen vs many a deadly wound if we could feele it and Christ who was figured by the brasen serpent was likewise exalted on the crosse to coÌ„ferre righteousnes life eternal to euery one of vs therfore if we will escape eternal death we must renouÌ„ce our selues lift vp the eyes of our faith to Christ crucified pray for the pardon of our sinnes then shall our hearts consciences be healed of the wounds gripes of the deuil vntill such time as we haue grace to do this we shall neuer be cured but stil lie wounded with the stings of satan bleeding to death euen at the very heart although we feele no paine or griefe at all But some may aske how any man can see him crucifyed now after his death Answer Wheresoeuer the word of God is preached there Christ is crucifyed as Paul saith Oh foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you that ye should not obey the truth to whome before Iesus Christ was described in your sight and among you crucifyed meaning that he was liuely preached among them We neede not to goe to wooden crosses or to golden crucifixes to seek for him but where the Gospell is preached thither must wee go there lift vp our eyes of faith to Christ as he is reuealed vnto vs in the word resting on him and his merits with all our hearts and with a godly sorow confesse and bewaile our sinnes crauing at his hands mercie and pardon for the same For till such time as we doe this we are grieuously stong by Satan and are euery moment euen at deaths dore And if we can thus behold Christ by faith the benefites which comes hereby shall be great for as Paul saith the old man that is the corruption of our nature and the bodie of sinne that raigneth in vs shall be crucified with him for when Christ was nayled on the crosse all our sinnes were laide vpon him therefore if thou doest vnfainedly beleeue all thy sinnes are crucified with him and the corruption of thy nature languisheth and dieth as he languished and died vpon the crosse Thirdly we must learne to imitate Christ as he suffered himselfe to be nailed to the crosse for our sinnes so answearably must euery one of vs learne to crucifie our flesh and the corruption of our nature and the wickednesse of our owne heart as Paul saith They that are Christs haue crucified the flesh with the lusts and affections thereof And this we shall doe if for our sinnes past we doe waile and mourne with bitternes and preuent the sinnes to come into whiâ—h we may fall by reason of the corruption of our natures by vsing all good meanes as

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 huÌ„ble those his seruants which are often times indued with great measure of graces coÌ„trariwise exalt strengtheÌ„ 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 EnglaÌ„d This serues to teach us to think charitably of those which are as yet but weake amoÌ„g 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 treÌ„bling because the Lord ofteÌ„times 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 coÌ„manded 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 meÌ„ 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 heaueÌ„ 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 coÌ„science 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

point should moue us all to repent us of our sins past to reforme our selues throughout to be plentifull in all good works And undoubtedly if wee seriously thinke upon it it will holde us more straitly to all good duties then if with the Papistes we held iustification by workes Furthermore in this triall tvvo things must be skanned I. how all mens workes shall be made manifest II. by what meanes they shall be examined Of the manifestation of euery mans vvork S. Iohn speaketh And I saw saith he the deade both great and small stande before God and the bookes were opened and another booke was opened which is the booke of life and the dead were iudged of these things which vvere written in the bookes according to their workes God is saide to haue books not properly but because al things are as certen and manifest to him as if he had his Registers in heauen to keepe rolles and recordes of them His bookes are three the book of Prouidence the book of Iudgement the book of Life The book of his providence is the knowledge of all particular things past present to come Of this the Psalmist speaketh Thine eyes did see me when I vvas vvithout forme for in thy booke vvere all things vvritten vvhich in continuance vvere fashioned vvhen there was none of them before The booke of iudgement is that whereby he giues iudgement and it is two-folde The first is Gods knowledge or prescience in which all the affaires of men their thoughts wordes and deedes are as certenly knowen and set downe as if they were put in bookes of record Wee may forget our sinnes but God keepes them in a register he knovves them euery one The seconde booke is euery mans particular conscience which also brings to remembrence and testifies what men haue done and what they haue not done The booke of life is nothing els but the decree of Gods election in which God hath set downe who be ordained to life eternall Now the opening of these bookes is a thing wherin the endlesse power of God shall most notably shewe it selfe For when we shall stand before the iudgement seate of Christ he then knowing all things in his eternall counsell shall reueale unto euery man his owne particular sinnes whether they were in thought worde or deede and then also by his mightie power hee shall so touch mens consciences that they shall a fresh remember what they haue done Now indeede the wicked mans conscience is shut up as a closed booke but then it shall be so touched and as it were opened that he shall plainly see and remember all the particular offences which at any time he hath committed his very coÌ„science shall be as good as a thousand witnesses whereupon hee shall accuse and utterly condemne himselfe The consideration of this ought to terrifie all those that liue in their sinnes For howsoeuer they may hide them from the worlde yet at the last day God will be sure to reveale them all Now after that mens workes are made manifest they must further be tried whether they be good or euill And that shall be done on this maner They that neuer heard of Christ must be tried by the law of nature which serues to make them inexcusable before God As for those that liue in the Church they shall be tried by the Law and the Gospell as Paul saith As many as have lived in the law shall be iudged by the law And againe At the day of iudgement God shall iudge the secrets of our hearts according to his gospell And By faith Noah builded an arke whereby he condemned the olde world If this be true then we must in the feare of God heare his word preached taught with all reuerence make coÌ„science to profit by it For otherwise in the day of iudgement when all our workes shalbe tried by it the same word of God shall be a bill of indiâ—ement and the fearefull sentence of condemnation against us Therefore let us be humbled by the doctrine of the lawe and willingly embrace the sweete promises of the gospell considering it is the onely touchstone whereby all our wordes thoughts workes must be examined The sixt pointe in the proceeding of the last iudgement is the giuing of sentence which is twofolde the sentence of absolution and the sentence of condemnation both which are to be obserued diligently that we may receiue profit therby And first of al Christ shal begin his iudgemeÌ„t with the seÌ„teÌ„ce of absolutioÌ„ which shews that he is ready to shew mercy slow to wrath In this sentence wee are to consider foure pointes I. a calling of the elect to the kingdome of heauen II. the reason thereof III. a reply of the elect IV. the answere of Christ to them againe The calling of the elect is set downe in these wordes Come yee blessed of my father inherit the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the world And the wordes are to be obserued one by one Come ye blessed Though Christ now sit in glorie and maiestie in iudgement yet hee ceaseth not to shew his tender affection of loue unto his chosen And this ouerthroweth the opinion of the Church of Rome which would haue us rather to come vnto Christ by the intercession of saints then by our selues immediatly because he is now exalted in glorie and maiestie But mark when he was heare on earth hee saide Come vnto me all yee that are heavy laden and I vvill ease you And when hee shall be most glorious in maiestie and power at the day of iudgement hee will then also say Come ye blessed of my father and therfore we may resolue our selues that it is his will now that we should come unto him without any intercessioÌ„ of saints Yee blessed of my father The elect are here called the blessed of God because their righteousnes saluation and all that they haue springs of the meere blessing of God Nothing therefore must be ascribed to the workes of man Inherit that is receiue as your inheritance therefore the kingdome of heauen is Gods meere gifte A father giueth no inheritance unto his sonne of merite but of his free gifte whereupon it followes that no man can merit the kingdome of heauen by his workes The kingdome that is the eternall estate of glorie and happinesse in heauen therfore in this life we must so use this worlde as though we used it not all that we haue here is but vaine and transitorie and all our studie and endeauour must be to come to the kingdome of heauen Prepared Here note the unspeakeable care of God for the faithfull Had he such care to prouide a kingdome for his children before they were then wee may assure our selues he will haue greater care ouer them now when they haue a being For you that is for the elect and faithfull Hence it appeares that there is no uniuersall election whereby God decrees

which can appertaine to none but to the elect Ioh. 7.37 If any man thirst let him come to me and drinke hee that beleeveth in me as saieth the scripture out of his bellie shall flow rivers of water of life Rev. 21.6 I will give unto him which is a thirst of the vvell of the water of life freely Now if hee that thirsteth drinke of these waters marke what followeth Ioh. 4.14 Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never be more a thirst but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life The second is a straunge affection wrought in the heart by the spirit of God whereby a man doth so esteeme value and as it were set so high a price on Christ his righteousnesse that hee accounts euen the most pretious things that are to be but as dung in regard thereof This affection was in Paul and it is expressed in the parable in which after a man hath found a treasure he first hides it and the selles all hee hath and makes a purchase of the fielde where it is Now euery man will say of himselfe that he is thus affected to Christ and that hee more highly esteemes the least drop of his blood then all things in the world beside wheras indeed most men are of Esaus minde rather desiring the red broth then Isaaks blessing and of the same affection with the Israelites which liked better the onyons and flesh pots of Egypt then the blessings of God in the land of promise Therefore that no man may deceiue him selfe this affection may bee discerned by two signes The first is to loue and like a christian man because hee is a Christian. For hee that doth aright esteeme of Christ doth in like manner esteeme of the members of Christ. And of this very thing our Sauiour Christ saith He that receiveth a Prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophets revvarde and he that receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive the revvarde of a righteous man And Saint Iohn saieth Hereby vvee knovve that vvee are translated from death to life because vvee love the breethren that is such as are members because they are so The second signe of this affection is a loue and desire to the comming of Christ whether it be by death unto any man particularly or by the last iudgement universally and that for this ende that there may be a full participation of fellowship with Christ. And that this verie loue is a note of adoption it appeares by that which S. Paul saieth that the crowne of righteousnes is laid vp for all them that love the appearing of Christ. The outwarde token of adoption is New-obedience whereby a man endeauours to obey Gods coÌ„mandements in his life and conuersation as S. Iohn saith Hereby wee are sure that we know him if wee keepe his commandements Now this obedience must not be iudged by the rigour of the morall lavv for then it should be no token of grace but rather a meanes of damnation but it must be esteemed and considered as it is in the acceptation of God who spares them that feare him as a father spares an obedient sonne esteeming things done not by the effect and absolute doing of them but by the affection of the doer And yet least any man should heare be deceiued wee must knowe that the obedience which is an infallible marke of the child of god must be thus qualified First of all it must not be done unto some fewe of Gods commaundements but unto them all without exception Herod heard Iohn Baptist willingly did many things and Iudas had excellent things in him as appeares by this that he was content to leaue all and to followe Christ and hee preached the Gospell of the kingdome in Iurie as well as the rest yet alas all this was nothing for the one could not abide to become obedient to the 7. commandement in leauing his brother Philips wife and the other would not leaue his couetousnes to die for it Vpright sincere obedience doth inlarge it selfe to all the commandements as Dauid saith I shall not be confounded when I haue respect to all thy commandements And S. Iames saith hee which faileth in one law is guiltie of all that is the obedience to many commandements is indeed before god no obedience but a flat sinne if a man wittingly and willingly faile in any one thing He that repents of one sinne truly doth repent of all he that liues but in one known sinne without repentaÌ„ce though he pretend neuer so much reformation of life indeed repents of no sinne SecoÌ„dly this obedience must extend it selfe to the whole course of a mans life after his conversion and repentance We must not iudge of a man by an action or two but by the tenour of his life Such as the course of a mans life is such is the man though he through the corruption of his nature faile in this or that particular action yet doth it not preiudice his estate before God so be it he renew his repentance for his seuerall slippes and falles not lying in any sinne and withall from yere to yere walke unblameable before God men S. Paul saith The foundation of God remaineth sure the Lorde knowes who are his Now some might hereupon say it is true indeed god knowes who are his but how may I be assured in my selfe that I am his to this demaund as I take it Paul answers in the next words Let euery one that calleth on the name of the Lord depart from iniquity that is let men invocate the name of God praying seriously for things whereof they stand in need withall giuing thanks departing froÌ„ all their former sinnes and this shall be unto them an infallible token that they are in the election of God Thirdly in outward obedience it is required that it proceede from the whole man as regeneration which is the cause of it is thorough the whole man in bodie soule and spirit Againe obedience is the fruite of loue and loue is from the pure heart the good conscience and faith unfained Thus we haue heard the testimonies and tokens wherby a man may be certified in his conscience that be was chosen to saluation before all worldes If any desire further resolution in this point let them meditate upon the 15. Psal. and the first Epistle of Saint Iohn being parcels of scripture penned by the holy ghost for this ende Here some will demaund how a man may be assured of his adoption if he want the testimony of the spirit to certifie him thereof Ansvvere Fire is knowen to be no painted but a true fire by two notes by heate and by the flame now if the case fall out that the fire want a flame it is still knowen to be fire by the heate In

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 baÌ„d 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 theÌ„ 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 skaÌ„ned 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

AN EXPOSITION OF THE SYMBOLE OR CREED OF THE APOSTLES ACCORDING TO THE TENOVR OF the Scriptures and the consent of Orthodoxe Fathers of the Church By William Perkins They are good Catholickes which are of sound faith and good life August lib. quaest in Matth. cap. 11. Printed by Iohn Legatt Printer to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge 1595. And are to be solde at the signe of the Sunne in Pauls Church-yard in London TO THE RIGHT honourable Edward Lord Russell Earle of Bedford Grace and peace c. RIght Honourable excellent is the saying of Paul to Titus To the pure all things are pure but to the impure and vnbeleeuing is nothing pure but euen their mindes and consciences are defiled In which wordes he determines three questions The first whether things ordained and made by God may become vncleane or no his answeare is that they may his meaning must be conceiued with a distinction By nature things ordained of God are not vncleane for Moses in Genesis saith that God sawe all things which he had made they were very good yet they may become vnclean either by law or by the fault of men By law as when God forbids vs the things which in themselues are good without whose commaundement they are as pure as things not forbidden Thus for the time of the old Testament God forbad the Iewes the vse of certain creatures not because they were indeed worse then the rest but because it was his pleasure vpon speciall cause to restraine them that hee might put a difference betweene his owne people and the rest of the world that he might exercise their obedience and aduertise them of the inward impuritie of minde Now this legal impuritie was abolished at the ascension of Christ. By the fault of men things are vncleane when they are abused and not applied to the ends for which they were ordained The second question is to whome things ordained of God are pure he answeres to the pure that is to them whose persons stand iustified sanctified before God in Christ in whome they beleeue who also doe vse Gods blessings in holy manner to his glorie and the good of men The third question is who they are to whome all things are vncleane his answeare is to the vncleane by whom he vnderstands all such I. whose persons displease God because they doe not indeede beleeue in Christ II. who vse not the gifts of God in holy manner sanctifying them by the word and praier III. who abuse them to badde endes as to riot pride and oppression of men c. Nowe that to such the vse of all the creatures of God is vncleane it is manifest because all their actions are sinnes in that they are not done of faith and a mans person must first please God in Christ before his action or worke done can please him Againe they vse the blessings creatures of God with euill conscience because so long as they are forth of Christ they are but vsurpers therof before God For in the fall of the first Adam we lost the title and interest to all good things and though God permit the vse of many of them to wicked men yet is not the former title recouered but in Christ the second Adam in whom we are aduanced to a better estate then we had by creation Hence it followes necessarily that to omit all other things Nobilitie though it be a blessing and ordinance of God in it selfe is but an vncleane thing if the inioyers thereof be not truly ingrafted into Christ and made bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh The blood vnstained before men is stained blood before God by the fall of AdaÌ„ if it be not restored by the blood of Christ the lambe of God And hence it followes againe that Nobilitie must not dwell solitarie but combine her selfe in perpetuall fellowship with heartie loue syncere obedieÌ„ce of pure sound religion without the which all pleasant pastimes all sumptuousnes of building all brauerie in apparell all glistering in gold all delicate fare all delightfull musicke all reuerence done with cap and knee all earthly pleasures and delights that heart can wish are but as a vanishing shadow or like the mirth that begins in laughing ends in woe A happy thing were it if this consideration might take place in the hearts of all noble men it would make them honour God that they might be honoured of God with euerlasting honour and it would make them kisse the sonne least he be angrie and they perish in the way I speake not this as though I doubted of your Lordships care in this very point but mine onely meaning is to put you in minde that as you haue begun to cleane vnto Christ with full purpose of heart so you would continue to doe it still and doe it more and withall to manifest the same to the whole world by honouring Christ with your owne honour and by resembling him specially in one thing in that as he grew in stature and yeares he also grew in grace and fauour with God and men And for this very cause without any consideration of earthly respects I further present vnto you an Exposition of an other part of the Catechisme namely the Symbole or Creede of the Apostles which is indeede the very pith and substance of Christian religion taught by the Apostles imbraced by the ancient fathers sealed by the blood of Martyrs vsed by Theodosius the Emperour as a meanes to end the controuersies of his time and hereupon it hath bin called the rule of faith the kaie of faith And furthermore I hope that your Lordship will accept the same in good part the rather because you vouchsafed when you were in Cambridge to be an hearer thereof when it was taught and deliuered Thus crauing pardon for my boldnesse I take my leaue commending your L. and yours to the protection of the Almightie Ann. 1595. April 2. Your Lordships to command William Perkins The Contents of the booke The Creede pag. 1. Faith 3. God 19 The three persons 25 The Father 31 Gods omnipotencie 43 The Creation 52. 58 Gods counsell 54 The creation of heauen 68 The creation of Angels 73 The creation of man 81 Gods prouidence 91 Adams fall 106 The couenant of grace 118 The title Iesus 122 The title Christ. 129 The title Sonne 136 The title Lord. 145 The Incarnation of Christ. 148 Christs humiliation 174 Christes passion 176 Christes arraignment 182 Christes execution 226 Christes Sacrifice 260 Christes triumph 270 Christes buriall 287 The descension of Christ. 297 Christs exaltation 305 Christes Resurrection 307 Christes ascension 333 Christs sitting at the right hand c. 351 363 Christes intercession 355 Christes kingdome 367 The last judgement 372 Of the holy Ghost 397 The Church 420 Predestination 423 The mysticall vnion 477 The communion of Saints 506 The forgiuenesse of sinnes 516 The resurrection of the bodie 521

alone when these things are taken away then we shall vtterly forsake Christ in like manner The second point is that Herod desires Christ to worke a miracle He can be content to see the works of Christ but he can not abide to heare his word to beare his yoke Like to him are many in these daies which gladly desire to heare the Gospell of Christ preached onely because they would heare speach of some strange things laying aside all care and conscience to obey that which they heare Yea many in England delite to read the strange histories of the bible and therefore can rehearse the most part of it and it were to be wished that all could doe it yet come to the practise of it the same persons are commonly found as bad in life and conuersation yea rather worse then others Let vs therefore labour that with our knowledge we may ioyne obedience practise with our learning and as well to be affected with the word of Christ as with his works The third point is that Herod derides Christ and sends him away cloathed in a white garment This is that Herod whome Christ called a foxe who also when hee heard Iohn Baptist preach did many things heard him gladly How then comes Herod to this outrage of wickednes thus to abuse Christ Answer We must knowe that although Herod at the first heard Iohn preach yet withall hee followed his owne affections and sought how to fulfill the lustes of his flesh For when Iohn told him that it was not lawfull for him to haue his brother Philips wife he cast him in prison and after cut off his head for it after which offence he is grown to this height of impietie that he now despiseth Christ caÌ„not abide to heare him Where we learne that as we are willing to heare Gods word preached so withall we must take heede that we practise no maner of sinne but make conscience of euery thing that may displease God Thou maist I graunt be one that feares and fauours Iohn Baptist for a time wallowing in thy old sinnes but after a while yeilding to the swinge of thy corrupt heart thou wilt neuer heare Iohn nor Christ himselfe but hate and despise them both This is the cause why some which haue beene professours of religion heretofore and haue had great measure of knowledge are now become very loose persons and can not abide to heare the worde preached vnto them the reason is because they could not abide to leaue their sinnes Therefore that wee may begin in the spirit and not end in the flesh let euery one that calls on the name of the Lord depart from iniquitie Now follows the second pollicie of Pilate For when he saw the first would not preuaile then hee tooke a newe course for he tooke Iesus into the common hall and scourged him and the souldiers platted a crowne of thornes and pur it on his head and they put on him a purple garment and saide Haile King of the Iewes and smote him with their roddes And thus he brought him foorth before the Iewes perswading himselfe that when they sawe him so abased and so ignominiously abused they vvould be content therevvith and exact no greater punishment at his handes thinking thus to haue pacified the rage of the Ievves and so to haue deliuered Christ from death by inflicting vpon him some lesser punishment This pollicie is as it vvere a looking glasse in vvhich vve may behold of vvhat nature coÌ„dition all plotts pollicies of meÌ„ are which are deuised practised vvithout the directioÌ„ of Gods vvord In it we may obserue 2. things the first is the ground thereof vvhich is a most silly simple or rather sensles argument For he reasoneth thus I finde no fault in this man therefore I will chastise him and let him goe A man vvould hardly haue thought that one hauing but his common sense vvould not haue made such a reason much lesse a great iudge sitting in the roome of God But in him vve may behold see the ground of all humane pollicie vvhich is beside the vvord of God namely the foolish and blind reason of men The 2. thing to be considered is the proceeding and issue of this pollicie Pilat must either vvhip Christ beeing innocent or put him to death vvhich are both sinnes and great offences Novve hee maketh choice of the lesser vvhich is to whippe him and is perswaded that he ought to doe so whereas of two sinnes or euils a man ought to doe neither And in doing this Pilate begins to make a breach in his conscience and that is the fruit that all politicks reape of their deuises which proceede by the light of their owne reason without the word of God By this example we are admonished of two things first that before we enterprize any businesse wee must rectifie our iudgements by Gods worde Dauid was a most wise King and no doubt had withall a graue and wise councell but yet he preferred the word of God before all saying Thy testimonies are my counsellers Secondly in our proceedings we must keepe an vpright pure and vnblameable conscience as Paul exhorteth Timothie to haue the mysterie of faith in a pure conscience giuing vs thereby to vnderstand that a good conscience is as it were a chest or cupboard in which we are to keepe and locke vp our religion and all other graces of God as the most pretious iewels that can be and that if we suffer this chest to be broken vp all our riches and iewels are gone But let vs yet view the dealing of Pilate more particularly he whippes Christ puts on him a purple garment puts a reede in his hand sets a crowne of thornes vpon his head and causes the souldiers to mocke him and spit in his face Now in this that Christ standing in our roome was thus shamefully abused we must consider what was due vnto euery one of vs for our sinnes namely shame and reproch in this life and in the life to come endles confusion And we see the confession of Christ to be true which he made to Pilate that his kingdome was not of this world for if it had beene so they would haue put a crowne of gold vpon his head and not a crowne of thornes nothing at all beseeming an earthly king and in stead of a reede they would haue put a scepter into his hand and in stead of buffetting and spitting on him they would haue adored him falne downe before him Againe whereas Christ our heade in this world ware no other crowne but one made of thornes it serueth to teach all those that are the members of Christ that they must not look for a crown of glory in this life because that is reserued for the life to come And if we would then weare the crown of glorie with Christ we must here in this life weare a crown of thorns as he did for as

masters of families haue ouer their houshold when God shall call them out of this worlde They must haue care not onely that their families be well gouerned while they liue but also that after their death peace loue and good order may be continued in their posteritie And therefore the Prophet Esay is sent to Ezechias king of Iudah to bid him seâ— his house in order for he must die signifying that it is the dutie of a good master of a familie not onely to haue care for the gouernment of his house whilst he is aliue but also that it may be well gouerned when he is deade The same also must be practised of Gods ministers their fidelitie must be seene in this that they haue not onely a care to feede their particular flockes while they are aliue but also they must further prouide for the people after their departure as much as they can Example whereof we haue in Peter who saith I will endeauour alwaies that ye may be able also to haue remembrance of these things after my departure The place of Christs ascension was the mount of Oliues neere Bethanie and it was the same place from wheÌ„ce Christ went to Ierusalem to be crucified One place serue to be a passage both to paine and torments and also to glorie This shewes that the way to the kingdome of heauen is through afflictions In all ages there are many which haue Gods hand heauie vpon them in lingring sicknesses as the dead palsie and such like wherein they are faine to lie many yeares without hope of cure whereupon their beddes which should be vnto them places of rest and ease are but places of woe and miserie Yet may these men hence haue great comfort if they can make good vse of their sicknesses for the beddes whereon they suffer so much torment shal be places from whence they shall passe to ioy and happines Againe there be many that for the testimonie of the truth and for religions sake suffer imprisonment with many afflictions nowe if they can vse their afflictions well their prisons shalbe Bethanies vnto them although they be places of bondage yet God wil at length make it a place of entrance to libertie Many a man for the maintaining of faith and good conscience is banished out of his countrie and is faine to liue in a straunge place amoÌ„g a people to whome he is vnknowne but let him vse it well for though it be a place of griefe for a time as Bethanie was to Christ when he went to suffer yet God will make it one day to be his passage into heauen Thus much of the place of his ascending The third thing to be considered is the manner of Christs ascension and it containeth three points The first that Christ beeing now to ascend lifts vp his hands and blessed his disciples In the Scripture are mentioned diuers kinds of blessings The first when one man praieth to God for a blessing vpon an other and this blessing doe kings and princes bestow vpon their subiects and parents on their children and for this cause children are taught to aske their fathers and mothers blessing that they may pray to God to blesse them There is another kind of blessing when a maÌ„ doth not only pray for a blessing but also pronounceth it This did the priests in the old Testament and thus Melchisedeck when he met Abraham blessed him saying Blessed art thou Abraham of God the most high possessour of heauen and earth And this was the ordinarie dutie of the Priests prescribed by God himselfe and therefore the very forme of wordes which they vsed is set downe after this manner The Lord blesse thee and keepe thee the Lord make his face to shine vpon thee c. The third kinde of blessing is when a man doth not onely pray to God and pronounce blessing but by the spirit of prophecie doth foretell a particular blessing vpon any Thus Isaac blessed Iaacob and Esau particularly foretelling both their estates And Iaacob blessed the twelue Patriarks by the same spirit foretelling them what should befall them many hundred yeares after Nowe our Sauiour Christ did not blesse his disciples any of these three waies and therefore there remaineth a fourth kinde of blessing which he vsed and that was after this manner Christ in blessing his disciples did not onely pronounce or foretell a blessing that should come to his disciples but did conferre and giue the same vnto them For he is the fountaine and author of all blessings And therfore Paul saith that God the father hath blessed vs in all spiritual blessings in Christ. Hence we learne first that al those which denie themselues and flie to Christ and put their affiance in him shalbe freeed from the curse of the lawe and from the wrath of God due vnto them for their sinnes whatsoeuer they are SecoÌ„dly that the curses of men must not discourage vs from doing well For though men curse yet Christ blesseth and for this cause he saith Woe be vnto you when all men speake well of you as if he should say then you want the blessing of God And we must remember that when men shall curse vs for doing our dutie euen then the blessing of God shall be vpon vs and the curse causelesse shall not hurt And God saith to Abraham he wil curse them that curse him Thirdly we learne that no witchcraft nor sorcerie which often are done with cursing shall be able to hurt vs. For looke where Christ will blesse there all the deuils in hell can neuer fasten a curse This is found true by experience For when Balaam the wizzard should haue cursed the people of Israel and had assaied to doe it many waies but could not at length he said there is no sorcerie against Iacob nor soothsaying against Israel This is a notable comfort to the people of God that witches and sorcerers doe what they can shal neuer be able to hurt them It may be that their badde practises may annoy mens bodies and goods yet the Lord wil turne all to a blessing vpon his seruants either in this life or the life to come The second point is that Christ went apart from his disciples and ascended vpward towarde heauen in their sight For the right vnderstanding of this sundrie speciall points must be obserued The first that the lifting vp of his bodie was principally by the mightie power of his Godhead and partly by the supernaturall propertie of a glorified body which is to mooue as well vpward as downward without constraint or violence The second that Christ did goe from earth to heauen really and actually and not in appearance onely The third that he went visibly in the sight of his disciples The fourth that he went locally by chaunging his place and going from earth to heauen so as he is no more on earth bodily as we are nowe on earth It may be

long suffering as God is with us The second propertie of long suffering is to keepe the affection of anger in moderation and compasse It is not alwaies a sinne to be angry and therefore it is said of Christ in whome was no blemish of sinne that he was angry yet wee must looke that our anger be moderate and not over-long as Paul saith Let not the sonne goe dovvne vpon your wrath The fift fruite of the spirite is gentlenesse whereby a man behaueth and sheweth himselfe friendly and courteous to euerie man as Paul saith to Titus Put them in remembraÌ„ce that they speake evill of no man that they be no fighters but soft shevving all meekenesse unto all men vvhether they be good or badde This gentlenesse standeth in these pointes First to speake to euerie man friendly and louingly II. to salute friendly and courteously III. to be readie upon euery occasion to giue reuerence and honour to euery man in his place It is made a question of some whether a man is to salute speak unto them that are knowen to be lewd wicked men but here we see what our dutie is in that we are taught to be curteous to all men both good and badde yet so as wee approoue not of their sinnes as for that which S. Iohn saith of false Prophets Receive them not neither bid them God speed it is to be understood of giuing an outward approbation to false teachers The sixt fruit is goodnesse which is when a man is ready to doe good and become seruiceable in his calling to all men at all times upon all occasions This was to be seene in that holy man Iob he saith that hee was eyes to the blind and feete to the lame a father unto the poore and when he knâ—w not the cause he sought it out And S. Paul shewed this fruite most notably after his conuersion for he saith that hee vvas made all things to all men that he might save some Hee was content to undergoe any thing for the good of any man And as we haue heard the godly are trees of righteousnes bearing fruit not for themselues but for others and therfore Paul in the Epistle to the Galatians giueth this rule Do service one to another in love In these daies it is harde to finde these duties perfourmed in any place For both practise and proverbe is commonly this Every man for himselfe and God for us all but it is a gracelesse saying and the contrary must be practised of all that desire to be guided by the spirit The seuenth fruite is faith Faith or fidelitie standeth in these two duties One to make conscience of a lie and to speake everie thing whereof we speake as we thinke it is and not to speake one thing and thinke another A rare thing it is to find this vertue in the world now a daies who is he that maketh conscience of a lie and is not truth banished out of our coastes considering that for gaines and outward commodities men make no bones of glosing and dissembling but alas the practise is damnable the contrarie is the fruite of the Holy Ghost namely to speake the truth from the heart and he that can doe this by the â—estimonie of God himselfe shall rest in the mountaine of his holinesse euen in the kingdome of heauen The second point wherin fidelitie consisteth is when a man hath made a promise that is lawfull and good to keepe and performe the same Some thinke it is a small matter to breake promise but indeed it is a fruite of the flesh and contraâ—â—wise a fruite of the spirite to perfourme a lawfull promise and a mans word should be as sure as an obligation and in conscience a man is bounde to keepe promise so farre foorth as hee vvill to whom the promise is made Indeed if a man be released of his promise he is then free othervvise if wee promise and doe not perfourme we doe not onely cracke our credit before men but also sinne before God The eighth fruite of the spirit is meekenesse which is a notable grace of God when a man prouoked by iniuries doth neither intend nor enterprise the requitall of the same And it standes in three duties The first is to interprete the sayings and doings of other men in better part as much as possibly may be The second when men mistake and misconstrue our sayings and doings if the matter be of smaller moment to be silent and patient as Christ was when hee was accused before the high priestes and Pharisies this being withall remembred that if the matter be of weight and moment vve may defend our selues by soft and milde answeres The thirde is not to contend in word or deede vvith any man but vvhen vvee are to deale vvith others to speake our mind and so an end The last fruite of the spirit is temperance whereby a man bridleth his appetite or lust in meate drinke and apparell In bridling the lust these rules must be observed I. Eating and drinking must be ioyned vvith continuall fasting after this manner Wee must not glutt our selues but rather abstaine from that vvhich nature desireth and as some use to speake leaue our stomackes craving II. A man must so eate and drinke as aftervvarde he may the better be inabled for Gods worship Creatures are abused vvhen they make us unfitte to serue God The commoÌ„ fault is on the sabbath day men so pamper themselues as that they are made unfitte both to heare and learne Gods vvorde and fitte for nothing but to slumber and sleepe but following this rule of temperance these faultes shall be amended III. This must be a caueat in our apparell that we be attired according to our callings in holy comelinesse The Lorde hath threatned to visite all those that are cloathed in straunge apparell And holy comelinesse is this when the apparell is both for fashion and matter so made and worne that it may expresse and shew forth the graces of God in the heart as sobrietie temperaunce grauitie c. and the beholder may take occasion by the apparell to acknowledge and commend these vertues But lamentable is the time looke on men and women in these daies and you may see and reade their sinnes written in great letters on their apparell as intemperance pride and wantonnesse Euerie day new fashions please the world but indeede that holy comelinesse which the Holy Ghost doeth commend to us is the right fashion when all is done And these are the nine fruites of the spirit which wee must put in practise in our liues and conuersations Fourthly if we beleeue in the holy ghost and thereupon doe persuade our selues that hee will dwell in us wee must daily labour as wee are commaunded to keepe our vessâ—ls in holinesse and honour unto the Lorde and the reason is good If a man be to entertaine but an earthly prince or some man of state he would be

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