consideration of this doctrine of Gods Truth should first teach vs diuers duties for 1. We should striue to acknowledge and praise God for the glory of his Truth especially when we obserue the experience of it and can say this is the Word or Truth of the Lord and thus he hath fulfilled it Psal 89. 6. 92. 2. Isay 38. 19. 2. It should make vs with all confidence to beleeue what God saith to vs though it be in things vnlikely or aboue carnall Reason This is to seale to it that God is true Iohn 3. 33. thus did Abraham and Sarah Heb. 11. 23. 3. If any man want the Light of the Truth let him come hither euen to the God of Truth and hee will bee the true Light to enlighten him hee is the Father of Lights and therefore let him pray with Dauid that God would direct him in his Truth Iames 1. 17. Psal 25. 5. 43. 3. 4. It should make vs loue the Truth and sticke to it without fainting or discouragement though all the world doe oppose vs for the Lord wil be iustified in his Truth and it shall preuaile Wee should choose out that way of life which God hath directed vs and not doubt of the issue for there is no error or deceit in his waies they will be found all true Ierusalem should be called a Cittie of Truth Gods people should trade more heartily for the Truth then any other people would doe for any Merchandize They should loue the Truth but neuer sell it for any respect Zach. 8. 3. 19. Pro. 23. 23. Psal 119. 30. Phil. 4. 8. 5. It should fashion vs to the imitation of Gods Truth wee should be a people that hate lying and falshood and all deceitfull waies wee should speake truth euery man to his neighbour Ephes 4. 24. 25. Zeph. 3. 13. 6. It should teach vs in all straites to flie vnto God and beleeuing his promises to pleade his Truth for our succour trusting vpon him and committing our waies to him Psal 31. 5. as knowing that Gods Word hath bin tryed and purified in the fire seuen times and neuer failed and therefore we should rest our selues vnder the shadow of his winges whatsoeuer danger or aduersaries we haue Psal 12. 7. 36 7 8. 86. 14 15. Reuel 6. 10. 11. Yea if God doe himselfe afflict vs yet we should be sure and fully perswaded that his Mercy and Truth will neuer be taken from vs Psal 89. 34. 35. 7. It should teach vs to serue God in all sincerity without dissembling and hypocrisie and come neere to him with a true heart for God is Truth and cannot abide lying and hypocrisie He cannot be deceiued nor will he accept deceitfull workers as hee is our God in Truth so must we be his people in Truth and Righteousnesse Hebrewes 10. 22. Zach. 8. 8. 2. This Doctrine of Gods Truth may also serue for singular consolation to all the godly of whom such glorious things are spoken How many sweet comforts and promises are made in the whole Booke of God And how should it fill vs with refreshing to know that all these are true and that heauen and earth may sooner passe away then any iot of these good words shall faile of their Truth Psalme 146. 5 6. 3. It may also informe vs in diuers things as 1. That the Testimonie of God is Authenticall His Word is onely fit to iudge in all controuersies God is true and all men are lyars It is a most blasphemous impiety to deny vnto the God of Truth the fulnesse of sufficiencie to testifie or conclude in the things of his owne glory what men say may bee false but what God saith must bee true 2. Concerning the wofull estate of all men that liue in their sinnes without Repentance Oh how fearefull is their estate when all the curses written in Gods Booke must vnauoidablie bee executed vpon them God will not repent him of the least word in his Threatnings Hee is God and not man that he should repent 1. Sam 15. 29. 3. That true Religion will preuaile It may bee resisted and ouerwhelmed for a time but they shal not prosper that hate the Truth The Truth will get vp againe and ouercome because God is Truth and the power of his Truth is as great as the force of any other his Attributes Hitherto of the Truth of God His Righteousnesse followes His Righteousnesse is to bee considered more generally or more specially in generall the Righteousnesse of God is magnified in Scripture six waies 1. Because in himselfe hee is most pure and holy without any vice sinne defect or blemish aboue all that Holinesse can be found in all or any of the creatures Esay 6. 2. 1. Samuel 2. 2. 2. Because in all his dealings he is most iust he doth no wrong there is no iniquity in him his waies are neuer vnequall Psal 84. 11. Deut. 32. 4. 3. Because he is Author of all the Holinesse is in the creatures they haue nothing but what they haue receiued they haue all their Holinesse by participation 4. Because his Righteousnes for eminency is like great mountaines and for vnsearchablenesse is like a great deepe Psal 36. 7. Iob 37. 23. 5. Because hee executes Iustice in all places and at all times there are yeerely springs of iustice from God Esay 45. 8. 6. Because his Righteousnesse cannot be abolished In particular his Iustice is to bee considered either towards godly men or towards wicked men first then of his iustice towards godly men The iustice of God towards godly men is described in Scripture either as it is his iustice of Anger or his iustice of Grace The iustice of his anger towards the godly he hath shewed two waies 1. Towards their suretie Christ Iesus and how fearefully he was displeased with sinne euen in them may appeare in that he spared not his owne Sonne but abased him to the very condition of a seruant exposed him to the temptations of the diuels and the disgraces and oppositions of vnreasonable men and laid vpon him all the curses of the Law humbled him to death euen the death of the Crosse powred out vpon him his fierce wrath when he made his soule a very sacrifice for sinne so as for very paine hee sweat bloud c. 2. Towards themselues by scourging and chastening them with all sorts of afflictions when they sinne against him Psal 89. 34. and that in so grieuous a manner sometimes that the whole world is searched for similitudes to expresse their sorrowes and miseries as we may fee in the booke of Lamentations The iustice of his Grace is that wonderfull qualification of his wrath by an agreement as it were betweene his grace and his iustice which hee shewes vnto them by many admirable consolations And so it is his Iustice and hee confesseth himselfe to bee bound to them in Iustice 1. To moderate all his Chastizements and that in foure respects 1. That they be not
was his Father and the rather because in the Originall the proposition imports that this Conception was not onely by him but of him Answ The holy Ghost did worke this Conception not materially but effectually by causing it to be not by giuing matter out of himself to the Nature of Christ As Damascen said the holy Ghost begetteth not spermatically but operatiuely And Bernard saith that Christ was conceiued not of the substance but of the power not by any generation but by the appointment and benediction of the holy Ghost Rom. 11. vlt. all things are said to be of God Now it were senselesse therefore to conclude that God is the Father of all things for though he made all things yet hee did not make them out of his own substance for he is Father that makes a thing to be out of his owne substance so the holy Ghost did not make the humane Nature of Christ For the fourth there were two things done by the holy Ghost in this conception the first was the production of the humane Nature the other was the vniting of it to the second Person in the Trinity The first of these is most properly the worke of the holy Ghost the secoÌ„d but in som respects for the secoÌ„d Person in Trinity did assume the matter so prepared wrought by the holy Ghost The humane nature produced was both the body and soule of our Sauiour now in the production of the body of Christ there are two things to be considered first the preparation of the matter of his bodie secondly the sanctification of it The matter of the body of Christ prepared in the conception was the very substance of the flesh of the Virgin that is the seed or purest bloud of the Virgin separated by the holy Ghost and carried to the place of conception and therefore is Christ called the fruit of her wombe Luk. 1. 42 The sanctification of this matter containes in it two things first the washing of that substance from the staine of sin with which it was infected by nature so as now it should neuer more haue any spot or staine of sin in it and the stopping of the imputation of Adams sinne secondly the infusion of all purenesse and holinesse which belongs vnto the soule aswell as the body in that very moment it was ioyned to the body Now that Christ was conceiued without sinne of that there was no sin in that flesh when it became the flesh of Christ is manifest by these Scriptures he was made like vnto vs in all things sinne onely excepted Heb. 4. 15. and Rom. 8. 3. he was said to be made onely in the similitude of sinfull flesh Against this diuers things are obiected as Ob. 1. That the Scripture saith that Christ was made sinne for vs. Answ He was made sinne for vs as he was made a Sacrifice for sinne so the sinne offerings in the Old Testament were called sinne Againe he was made sinne for vs by imputation because our sinnes were charged vpon him but he had no sinne in his Nature 1. Pet. 2. 21. Ob. 2. Whosoeuer were in Adam sinned in Adam Rom 5. 12. But Christ was in Adam as appeareth by the Genealogie which is drawne vp euen to Adam Luke 3. Answ It is not true that all that were in Adam sinned in him for they onely sinned that were in him not onely in respect of the substance of the flesh but in respect of the carnal manner by which ordinarily man is begotten by man but Christ was in Adam in respect of the substance of his flesh but not in respect of the manner of propagation by him because he was conceiued without the seed of man and therefore sinned not in Adam or thus Originall sin is deriued vnto Adams Posterity by propagation only now Christ to preuent that came into the world by this wonderfull conception by the holy Ghost Paul saith not of one man but by one man sin entered into the world Christ is onely from Adam other men are from him in respect of substance and by him in respect of propagation Ob. 3. But the flesh of the Virgin Mary was sinfull and therefore his flesh must needs be so Answ That flesh of hers was first sanctified made cleane by the holy Ghost before it was the flesh of Christ Ob. 4. If it be granted corruption of nature was not in Christ yet there is another part of Originall sinne and that is guiltinesse of Adams sinne in Paradise for all his posterity being in him sinned in him as Leui paid Tythes in Abraham and therefore that flesh of Christ sinned in Adam and was guilty of Adams particular offence though it neuer was propagated for propagation caries downe onely corruption of nature or an euill disposition to sinne after conception Answ If Adams offence bee imputed to none but to such as come of him by propagation as the Apostle imports Rom. 5. 12. then this scruple is so auoided secondly doth not the sanctification of that flesh in the wombe of the Virgin clense it from Adams actuall offence aswell as from euill disposition thirdly what inconuenience will follow if we grant that Adams sin was imputed to Christ so as we vnderstand it in respect of the Malediction for Christ was a surety for all sinnes Adams sin and all the sin of his posterity Ob. 5. Vpon whomsoeuer death came he sinned but death came vpon Christ therefore it seemes he sinned Answ It is true that whomsoeuer death by his owne power doth preuaile against that party surely sinned because death is the wages of sinne But death did not exercise any power ouer Christ for hee was not compelled to die but laid downe his owne life voluntarily Iohn 10. 17. 18. besides death befell him not as a sinner but as a surety for sinne and so though death came vpon him for sinne yet it was not for his sinne but for other mens The Papists to auoid sinne in the flesh of Christ say that the Virgin Mary was conceiued without sinne and so it came to passe that Christ was without sinne But this is a senselesse doâ—age for first where doe they proue it by Scripture that shee was without sinne Secondly if shee were conceiued without sinne then her parents were so too and if her parents then theirs and so into an infinite thirdly then what needed Christ this conception by the holy Ghost Thus of the producing of the body of Christ His soule was produced as the soules of other men are that is It was immediately created by the holy Ghost and infused into his body onely there is difference amongst diuines about the time of the infusing of the soule of Christ for in the ordinarie course Nature proceeds in this manner first there is the masse of bloud or seed receiued in the wombe but there is no parts of a body framed at the first after a certaine number of weekes
wrought therefore he would signifie that the new world had a Paradise prepared as well as the old world had at first In this answer of Christ diuers errours are confuted as 1. Theirs that said that the soules of men after death did either sleepe or perish 2. Theirs that dreame that mens soules must goe into Purgatory for this Theese had been a great offender and had not performed the satisfactions they talke of and yet went to heauen presently 3. Theirs also that say the soules of the faithfull before Christs Ascension were not in heauen but in Limbo 4. Theirs that say the soule of Christ went downe into hell locally after his death Paradise is not Hell and into Paradise he went 5. Theirs that say that outward Baptisme with water is precisely necessary to saluation whereas this Theefe was not baptised and yet saued 6. Theirs that thinke heauen is had for mens merits euen for the deserts of their good workes that is false for as Adam was placed in Paradise by Gods free gift and Creation so are all the godly placed in heauen and therefore doth Christ liken it to Paradise Eternall life is the gift of God Rom. 6. 23. Thus of the Conuersion of the Theefe The fourth testimony giuen to Christ on the Crosse before he died was the miraculous rending of the Veile of the Temple from the top to the bottome and that this fell out before the death of Christ appeares by Saint Luke Chap. 23. 45. The Temple had three roomes in it the one more inward as it were our Chancell and into that roome came only the High Priest once a yeare and was called Sanctum Sanctorum The Holy of Holies and in that roome was the Arke and the Mercy Seat The next to that was the Holy place as it were the body of our Church and into this place came the Priests only to offer sacrifice for there was the Altar for burnt offring and the Altar of Incense and the Table of the Shew-bread Now without this was a third roome whither the People came to worship and was called the Court and Solomons Porch It is resembled by our Church porch but it was a very great roome able to receiue a multitude of people Now the Veile was that parted the Holy of Holies from the Holy place and was made of Blew and Purple and Skarlet and fine twined linnen of cunning worke hanged vpon foure pillars of Shittim wood ouer-layed with gold The most holy place was a type of Heauen and the holy place a type of the Church Militant on Earth as it consists only of Gods elect as a Nation of Priests offering holy sacrifices to God The outward Court was a type of the visible Church as it confists both of good and bad professing the true worship of God The rending of the Veile signified diuers things 1. That God did abhorre and despise the Temple of the Iewes and was departed from them with indignation and had reiected that Nation for their reiecting of Christ his Son and that he did dissolue all their priuiledges and staine their glory If the Iewes will forsake God he will forsake them and so will hee deale with all Nations where he hath dwelt if they despise his word and Gospell and will not walke worthy of his mercies shewed to them 2. That there was now an end of ceremoniall worship the rending of the Veile was the seale of the words of Christ saying It is finished Now that Christ had fulfilled all was shadowed by these ceremonies by the tearing of the Veile he signified that there was now no further vse of those rites 3. That now we haue accesse freely to goe to the Mercy-seat euen to the Throne of Grace with our suits and requests in the name of Christ Iohn 1. 51. Eph. 2. 18. Heb. 4 16. 4. That whereas heauen was shut for our sinnes now it is opened by Christ and we may enter in as the Apostle expresly shewes Heb. 10. 19 20. The passage into heauen is now set open Only we should looke to our assurance and sound sanctification as followes vers 22. Dead 1 THESS 5. 9 10. 9. For God hath not appointed vs vnto wrath but to obtaine saluation by the means of our Lord Iesus Christ 10. Which died for vs that whether we wake or sleepe we should liue together with him HItherto of the crucifying of Christ His death followes And concerning his death I shall first consider of the Proposition Reasons and Vse in generall and then consider of diuers particular things that concerne the explication of the doctrine and storie of his death That Christ died is abundantly testified by the Scriptures 1 Cor. 15. 3. Now the reasons why it was necessarie that Christ should die are these 1. To satisfie the iustice of God for our sinnes The wages of sinne is death Rom. 6. 23. Christ therefore taking vpon him the similitude of sinfull flesh as our surety God condemned sinne in his flesh by inflicting death vpon him and so satisfied his iustice Obiect But can the death of one man satisfie so as to be accepted for the death of many men Sol. The death of one bare or meere man cannot bot the death of him that is the Sonne of God both God and man is of infinite price and so an infinite satisfaction Act. 20. 28. 2. In respect of the truth of God God had said The day thou eatest thereof dying thou shale die Gen. 2. 17. which presently fell vpon Adam in respect of spirituall death and in time inuaded his body and seazed vpon the bodies of his posteritie Now Christ comming in the first Adams stead must suffer what God had threatned and beare that punishment he had appointed 3. For the fulfilling of the types and prophecies of Scripture the Sacrifices were slaine and Esay had said He must be as a sheepe led to the slaughter Esay 53. 7. and Christ himselfe had foretold his owne death and buriall diuers times 4. For the ratifying of the New Testament and the confirming of his last Will wherein he grants by vertue of the new couenant with God all those Legacies that comprehend the spirituall and eternall felicitie of the Church This will is not of force without the death of the Testator Heb. 9. 15 16 17. 5. That he might abolish the power and kingdome of death and so deliuer vs from eternall death and from the authoritie of the Deuill who had power to inflict death vpon vs Rō 6. 10. 2 Tim. 1. 10. Heb. 2. 14. Ob. But seeing eternal death was due to vs for our sins how could Christ deliuer vs from it seeing he suffered not eternall death Or how did he suffer al was due to our sins seeing he suffered not eternall death Answ Death in it self is the wages of sin growes eternal only because men or deuils that suffer it cānot ouercome it performe sufficient satisfaction in a shorter time Now Christ in a short time
makes sufficient payment to Gods iustice and ouercomes death for vs and that by reason of the worthinesse of his person It is more for Christ to die one houre than for all the world to be dead for euer For it is in this as it is in a prison into which many debtors are cast It is an euerlasting prison to such as cannot pay their debts but it is but a temporarie prison to such as either by themselues or any other make full payment of what is owing 6. That by his death he might make a medicine to kill sinne in vs which might so eat downe the power of sinne that it should no more reigne in vs and so by degrees abolish sinne He died that we might die to sinne by the vertue of his death Rom. 6. 7. That thereby he might buy life for the world He gaue his flesh for the life of the world euen to purchase eternall life for the elect world Ioh. 6. 51. 8. That many sonnes might be borne to God Christ was like seed falling from heauen to the earth and there dying it quickned and brought forth many sonnes to God Esay 53. 10. Ioh. 12. 24. yea the doctrine of Christ dead for our sins is still like to diuine seed falling into our hearts which conuerts men and turnes them to God Thus of the Reasons Now what vse may we make of the consideration of the death of Christ Many things we may learne from hence 1. It should teach vs to be stedfast in the faith and to beleeue and trust vpon Gods mercies for Christ died for our sinnes and therefore wee are certainly reconciled vnto God 1 Cor. 15. 3. Rom. 5. 10. And God doth assure vs of so much in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Matth. 26. 2. We should neuer be afraid of Death and Hell 1 Thess 5. 9 10. Christ by dying for vs hath deuoured and euen swallowed vp Death and Hell so as they shall neuer hurt vs. As the fire consumes the stubble so by wonderfull Art Christ by dying hath consumed all the forces and power of Death and the sting of it 1 Cor. 15. 54. Heb. 2. 15. 14. Death as a curse was laid vpon Christ that our death might be blessed to vs. 3. It should maruellously inflame our hearts with the admiration of the loue of Christ to vs 1 Ioh. 3. 16. 4. Henceforth we that liue should not liue to our selues but to him that died for vs and carry our selues as men that are dead to the world and the sinfull pleasures and lusts thereof and shew the proofe of the vertue of Christs death in vs by the mortification of our sinnes 2 Cor. 5. 15. Rom. 6. 2. 6. 5. It should breed in vs a holy resolution to suffer any thing for his sake euen to forsake Father Mother Wife Children Husband yea and Life it selfe for his sake and the Gospels Iohn 12. 24 25 26. yea it should make vs willing to lay downe our liues one for another if our life may doe seruice to the Church of God and our brethren 1 Ioh. 3. 16. 6 Seeing Christ in death falls to the ground like a dead carkas we should be like spirituall Eagles to flie to it wheresoeuer we finde it whether in the Word or Sacraments and our soules should feed heartily but spiritually vpon it Matth. 24. And seeing God in his ordinances presents vs still with the dead body of his Sonne it should be a meanes to draw all men to it and to gather into one all the children of God that were scattered abroad Iohn 11. 52. and 12. 32 33. 7. The meditation of the death of Christ should make vs in all estates to liue at rest and in a holy security as knowing that Christ died for vs that whether we wake or sleepe we might liue together with him 1 Thess 5. 10. If we liue we liue to the Lord and if we die we die to the Lord Whether we liue or die we are the Lords Rom. 14. 7 8. Thus of the generall proposition concerning the death of Christ and the Reasons and Vses of it In the Explication these things are to be confidered 1. Who died 2. Who were the speciall witnesses of his death 3. How he died 4. For whom he died 5. When he died 6. The consequents of his death For the first if we aske who died the Apostle Paul Rom. 8. 34. answers It is Christ which is dead Which is to be obserued the better to stirre vp our hearts to consider both the wonder of it and the reason of it That any other man should die is no wonder because all other men were sinfull and mortall but here Iesus Christ the Righteous who onely hath immortality dies and withall it leads vs to thinke of the reason of it for he did not die nay he could not die if he had beene considered as a priuate person because he deserued not death in his owne person but he died as our suretie and as a publike vndertaker for vs all hee died in our roome But yet we are further to inquire into this question and to consider whether this death belong to the person of Christ or only to his Natures or to each of them he being God and man in one person And in this we must take heed what our hearts answer for though it be true that Christ died in respect of the flesh so as it was only the flesh that suffered death in respect of the Nature that died yet his death belonged to the Word in respect of the Person for the Word the Lord of life and glory suffered and died not in respect of his Diuinitie which is immutable and altogether impassible but in respect of his Humanitie or in his flesh God did not die with the flesh but in the flesh and he died in his flesh that is in that flesh which was vnited to the diuine Nature If the flesh of Christ were the flesh of the Sonne of God then his dying in the flesh doth belong to him as the Sonne of God Thus his bloud is said to be the Bloud of God Act. 20. 28. and this we must needs beleeue for else his death as a bare man could not haue beene of sufficient merit for all our sinnes There is yet one thing more to be thought on about this Question and that is that the Humanitie that is the soule and flesh of Christ did in death and after death remaine in the Person of the Sonne of God firmely vnited Though the Soule was disvnited from the Body yet neither Body nor Soule were dis-vnited from the Person of the Sonne of God The parts of the Humane Nature were diuided in death one from another so as one was on earth and the other in heauen but yet both of them remained and subsisted in the Diuine Nature else if in death there had beene a new manner of subsisting Christ had had two Persons as well as two Natures which is Heresie to
be an excellent estate he brings vs to we are redeemed out of the earth we are first fruits to God and the Lambe Revel 14. 4. hee accounts of vs as a peculiar people and as his onely treasure in the world Tit. 2. 14. The fifth question is when Christ died And that is answered either by the season of his death or by the Chronologie of it For the season S. Paul saith he died in the due time Rom. 5. 6. Christ himselfe saith it was when he had finished the performance of what was shadowed in the types and ceremonies of the Old Testament when all things were accomplished hee gaue vp the ghost Ioh. 19. 28 30. The Author to the Hebrewes saith it was once in the end of the world Heb. 9. 26 27 28. The Angell told Daniel that the Messiah should be cut off after 62. weekes in propheticall account from the time of his prayer Dan. 9. 26. Saint Peter said it was at the time that God had appointed in his eternall counsell and foreknowledge Act. 2. 23. yea he died precisely at the very houre God had set so as he could not be killed either before or after Ioh. 7. 30. and 13. 1. and that houre was the ninth houre of the day euen at the time when the Euening Sacrifice was offered vp Matth. 27. 46. 50. For the Chronologie Scaliger saith he died in the yeare of the world 3982. and the common opinion is that hee died in the 34. yeare of his owne age and on the Friday as we terme the fifth day of our weeke which that yeare was the 15. day of their Moneth Nisan or as others thinke the 14. day which that yeare answered to the seuenth day of our Aprill Quest If Christ were slaine towards the end of the world how can it be said that he was the Lambe slaine from the beginning of the world Revel 13. â—8 Answ Both are true in diuers respects For in respect of the Storie of his death he died at the time before specified but for many other respects it may be truly said hee was slaine from the beginning of the world as 1. In respect of Gods counsell and foreknowledge He was dead in Gods counsell from euerlasting 2. In respect of the promise of his death giuen in Paradise Gen. 3. 15. 3. In respect of the efficacie of his death for the iustice of God was satisfied with that promise of his death knowing it should as certainly be as if it had beene then fulfilled Neither was the effect here before the cause for if a Suretie compound with the Creditor the Debtor is deliuered out of prison though the payment be made long after at the time the Suretie and the Creditor agree vpon so it was here 4. In respect of the Sacrifices which shadowed out his death which were slaine from the beginning of the world Christ was slaine typically in those Sacrifices Adam or Abel offered to God 5. In respect of his seruants that were martyred So Christ was slaine when Abel was slaine 6. In respect of the faith of the godly for it is the propertie of faith to make things to come to be present as giuing a substance or person to things hoped for and a present demonstrarion of things which yet are not seene Heb. 11. 1. 7. In respect of sinne which was the cause of his death which was committed by the Elect and was the cause of his death Their sinne was his death when they began to sinne death was in the pot for Christ and so their sinne was remitted them only for the respect of that satisfaction was to be made in the sacrifice of Christ Rom. 3. 21. to 27. The Vse wee may make of the time of Christs death may be 1. To leaue the times and seasons to God and not to exact an account of him why he doth not doe the things concerne the Church in the time we desire or looke after Though the death of Christ was deferred almost 4000. yeares yet we see God saith it was the due time though perhaps a full demonstration of the reason of it doe not appeare to vs. God is so wise and good as we must beleeue that is the best time for euery worke which he chuseth and therefore we should giue God the glory of the time of euery worke of his whether concerning the Church in generall or our selues in particular as beleeuing that God hath done in the very day that which was fittest for the day and so also in the things we desire either of deliuerance or blessings we should wait till the time appointed come and beleeue that all shall be done when it is most seasonable 2. We should hence be much established about the time of our owne death God hath set the houre and till that houre come no disease nor enemies shall euer be able to take away our life and therefore wee should follow our worke with diligence and a holy securitie and leaue it to God to take vs from our worke when he sees it to be the fittest time Thus of the time when he died The consequences of his death follow and they must be considered negatiuely or affirmatiuely Negatiuely It is obserued by the Euangelists That not a bone of Christ was broken which is worthy to be noted First because the Iewes had made a request to Pilate that the leggs of those which were crucified might be broken to hasten their death that they might not hang on their Crosses on the day of the great Sabbath Iohn 19. 31 32. But notwithstanding they were preuented for Christ was dead before they came backe to shew that he died when himselfe would not when they would to let them haue cause to guesse thereby that he was more than a bare man Secondly because of the excellent signification of this thing for it is said the Scripture had said that not a bone of him should be broken Iohn 19. 36. Now the Scripture had only said so of the Paschall Lambe that not a bone thereof should be broken Exod. 12. 46. which manifestly shewes that Christ was the true Passeouer the true Paschall Lambe which was sacrificed for vs 1 Cor. 5. 6. and withall it signifies that the mysticall bodie of Christ shall be preserued The Church may haue many enemies but yet a bone thereof shall not be broken The flesh of the Church may be wounded but not a bone of the Church shall be broken Affirmatiuely the consequents of his death bot the piercing of his side with a Speare and the testimonie giuen of his glory in his death The side of Christ after he was dead was pierced with a Speare by one of the Souldiers and forthwith came out water and bloud Iohn 19. 34. and this was a businesse of so high a nature that the Euangelist saith thus vpon it He that saw it bare record and his record is true and he knoweth that he saith true that he might beleeue Now the side of
Christ was pierced First that the Scripture might be fulfilled which said They shall looke vpon him whom they haue pierced Ioh. 19. 37. Zach. 12. 10. Secondly that great mysterie of the originall of the Church is here imported As Eue was formed out of the side of Adam when hee was asleepe so the Church was to bee formed out of that which flowed from the side of Christ when he was dead God opened the side of Adam when he would make the woman and so God opened the side of Christ the second Adam when he was to make the Christian Church Now that place of the Prophet shewes what vse wee should make of this part of the Passion of Christ namely to take occasion from thence to bewaile our sinnes that were the cause of his death and to acknowledge that we were the men that are spiritually guilty of that cruelty shewed vnto Christ And because our hearts by nature are barren and vnapt to this godly sorrow we must pray God to powre out vpon vs of his Spirit as it is a Spirit of compassion to melt our hearts and a Spirit of deprecation to make vs able by prayer to sue for pardon of our sins and to beseech God to accept of the propitiation made in Christs bloud that so his wrath may not fall vpon vs for our sinnes Now the water and bloud that came out of the side of Christ was both miraculous as is thought and wonderfully mysticall That it was miraculous is gathered from that extraordinary notice S. Iohn takes of it Iohn 19. 34. and 1 Iohn 5. 6. wherin the miracle should lye is not easie to tell There is a skin that incloseth the heart called Pericardium which holdeth water in it that cooleth the heart of man which is so essentiall to life that if it be consumed it is impossible the creature should liue Now I take it that the wonder lyes in this that whereas in death especially such a painefull death as Christs was that water is consumed and dried vp with the extreame heat of the heart striuing for life yet in Christ who died not only willingly but also before the time he needed to die with the paine the water was still in that bag or skin and therefore when the speare pierced the heart both water and bloud came forth Now for the Reasons why this fell out diuers are assigned For first hereby the truth of Christs death is infallibly proued For no creature can liue if the heart and that Pericardium be pierced And it concernes our saluation that Christ should die indeed and not in appearance Secondly the chiefe thing intended by this suffering was the discouery of a dreadfull mysterie concerning the vertue of the death of Christ for this is he that came by water and bloud euen Iesus Christ that brings with him for our saluauation both the water of Sanctification to wash vs from the staine of our sinnes and the bloud of expiation to make full atonement before God for the guilt of our sinnes Not by water only but by bloud also Moses when he deliuered the people of Israel in that bodily deliuerance came by water when he went thorow the Red-sea but he brought no bloud for atonement Iohn Baptist when he brought tidings of Spirituall deliuerance he came by water washing men to signifie repentance but there was no bloud that he could exhibite and his water was but Symbolicall and significatiue But Christ came by water and bloud which hee not onely powred out on the Crosse but hath left in the hearts of all beleeuers as witnesses not only to him but to them also 1 Ioh. 5. 7 8. For as there be Three in heauen that beare witnesse of Christ and the happinesse of Christians in him viz. the Father who testified by voice from heauen Mat. 3. and the Word who testified both by doctrine and miracles and the Holy Ghost who testified as at other times so on the day of Pentecost Act. 2. So there be Three on earth that testifie viz. the Spirit of Adoption that witnesseth to our spirits and the water of Mortification which washeth away and destroyeth the staine and power of sinne and the bloud of Iustification for a beleeuer relying vpon the bloud of Christ as the pacification for his sinnes is effectually deliuered from the guilt of them Now there would be no water to wash him from his sinnes nor bloud to make atonement if Christ had not shed both water and bloud vpon the Crosse Now all this is testified by the Spirit also in the Gospell and by water in Baptisme and by bloud in the Lords Supper and these also receiue all their life and force from the water and bloud that came out of the side of Christ on the Crosse Now the vse that we should make of this dreadfull Mystery should be to flie vnto this part of the Passion of Christ for our comfort against the power and guilt of our sinnes as beleeuing that out of the side of Christ at this time did runne that Fountain that was opened vnto the house of Dauid and to the inhabitants of Ierusalem for sinne and for vncleannesse Zach. 12. 1. Though our sinnes were neuer so many and loathsome yet in this Fountaine they may be cleane washed away but then withall wee must striue to get this Fountaine within vs this miraculous Fountaine I say that runnes water and bloud and to shew that we haue indeed a part in the death of Christ by the sound fruits of mortification and by the solide tran quilitie of our conscience beleeuing the expiation made in the bloud of Christ for vs as verily as if that bloud had beene really sprinkled vpon our hearts Some Diuines doe obserue another mystery in this water and bloud running out of the side of Christ for they obserue that as out of the side of the first Adam came the woman that deceiued all the world so out of the side of Christ came redemption and oblation from that deceiuing Thus of the piercing of Christs side after his death The testimonie giuen of his glory in his death was partly diuine and partly humane The diuine testimonies were three the Earthquake the rending of the Rockes and the opening of the Graues Matth. 27. 51 52. The trembling of the earth may signifie diuers things as First the immediate presence of the Diuine Nature for as the earth trembled when Christ came to giue the Law on Sinai Psal 67. 8 9. and as both heauen and earth shall melt and be in a manner consumed when Christ comes to Iudgement 2 Pet. 3. 10. So now that Christ is making atonement for the sinnes of the Elect and going out of the world hee makes the earth doe him homage and acknowledge his Diuinitie at that time when he seemed so despised amongst men Secondly the horrible indignitie of the fact of the Iewes in killing Christ the senselesse creatures tremble when the Lord of life dies and the Creator
mercifull bountifull c. but GOD is loue it selfe mercie it selfe c. 3. Because their goodnesse began but yesterday a little while agoe whereas Gods goodnesse was from euerlasting 4. Because their goodnesse is mutable they may hate and loath whom they formerly loued and piâ—tied vehemently and they may loue and pittie such persons as when they die may perish in hell for euer where they shall neuer enioy comfort by them more whereas Gods loue is immutable and euerlasting 5. Because they can shew no such fruits of their loue and mercie as God doth they cannot ransome the world nor quicken and raise the dead soules and bodies of men nor medicine the afflictions of them they loue to turne them to good nor subdue those mighty enemies diuells sin death and hell nor nourish soules nor giue an immortall inheritance Secondly the consideration of his glorious goodnes should compell vs 1. To magnifie him for his goodnesse and striue to set out his praises to mention the louing kindnesses of the Lord according to his great goodnesse shewed to vs Esay 63. 7. The Prophet Dauid in many places vrgeth this vse vehemently vsing this forme of exhortation in many places Oh praise the Lord for he is good for his mercy indureth for euer Psalme 106. 1. 107. 1. 118. 1 1â—6 1. and though worlds of carnall people cannot bee inflamed to the admiration of this matchlesse goodnesse of his yet Israel the redeemed of the Lord all that feare him and haue experience of his mercy should bee vehemently affected with desire to magnifie his praises as these places shew Neither will it suffice after a dull or sullen manner to doe it but wee are bound to praise this goodnesse of God after a speciall manner for 1. We must studie his praises herein and striue to seeke out with delight the conceptions of his glorious praises Psal 111. â— â— 2. We must bee sure that Gods praises heere bee set out with affirmations and language aboue the praises of all other things in the world we must do it abundantly Psal 145. 7. and with our whole hearts Psalme 111. 1. our soules must blesse him not our tongues onely Psal 103. 1. 3. Wee must not rest satisfied to praise him for a fit but must striue to doe it for euer all our life should bee full of his praises Psal 104. 33. and good Reason seeing wee can neuer want matter and cause of praise because the earth is full of his goodnesse Psal 3â— 5. and who can at once declare all his praise Psal 106. 2. 4. Nor will it suffice that wee praise him when wee worship him in the word Prayer or Sâ—craments but we must talke of his praises one to another and labour mutually to heate our hearts by daily mentioning the glory of his Nature and Kingdome Psal 145. 11. 2. Gods goodnesse should force vs to repentance and so it should diuers waies It hath in it strong incitations to humiliation to cast downe to the care of a new life It should exceedingly humble vs and breake our hearts to think that wee haue so long and so grieuously transgressed against God that is so full of goodnesse towards vs. It should make vs teare our very hearts with weeping mourning and fasting Ioel. 2. 12. secondly It leades vs to repentance also as it giues vs incouragement to come to him to beg mercy and forgiuenesse because mercy pleaseth him Mich. 7. 18. and his Throne of grace is alwaies easie to come to and he freely shewes mercy and will multiply pardon There can be no such aggrauations of our sinnes but if wee repent all will be swallowed vp in the seas of his goodnesse Esay 55. 7. Ioel 2. 13. Heb. 4. 6. thirdly it should continually fire vs to the hatred of our sinnes and care to liue righteously and soberly and godly in this present world denying vngodlinesse and worldly lusts Titus 2. 12. who would not serue so good a Nature 3. It should set our affections all in a flame and make vs wonderfully in loue with God seeing beyond all comparison there is all that in Gods nature which should kindle affections Oh we should loue him with all our hearts and all our soules and all our might both because hee is so infinitely amiable in himselfe and shewes it to vs daily as also because he seekes to be ours and to vnite vs to himselfe The Doctrine is wholly lost if it will not make vs more in loue with God If such Loue Mercie Bounty Grace and Patience cannot allure vs then nothing that is good can The whole booke of the Canticles sets out the Loue should be in the Church to God Yea it shewes that the vehement passions of Loue should be in vs because all that can be Amiable is in him The desire of our soules should bee euer after him and the remembrance of him We should be much abashed that any louer should shew more affection to an earthly creature then we shew to God Our mindes should still runne vpon him And because we may finde a horrible vnto wardnesse in our nature and extreame dulnesse in our affections therefore wee should make conscience of it to circumcise our hearts that we might more be in loue with God both by afflicting our soules and iudging our selues for our defects and by cutting off and casting away all those delights that might steale away our affections from the Lord beseeching the Lord himselfe to direct our hearts into his loue 2. Thes 3. 5. Esay 26. 9. Psal 31. 19. 21. 23. Deut. 30. 6. 4. It should teach vs to make more account of his loue to vs and all the signes of it we should wonderfully ioy in all the pledges of his fauour esteeming his louing kindnesse better then life Our very soules should be satisfied as with marrow Psalme 63. shall the Lord reioyce ouer vs with ioy and take such delight in vs Zeph. 3. 17. and shall wee so lightly esteeme of his fauour presence and all his loue tokens Oh the Tidings that GOD loues vs should fill our hearts with indelible delights and admiration 5. It should fully perswade vs to rest vpon God and trust in him with all confidence in all estates euen wholly to commit our selues and our waies to his protection who would not trust so good so louing so pitifull so bountifull a Nature Blessed are they that are fauoured by him and can trust in his mercies and shew it both by their abundant contentation and by their continuall recourse to him to seeke all needfull good things from him that is the Fountaine of all goodnesse Psal 34. 9. 13. 6. 6. How should it make vs long for the comming of Iesus Christ and hast to that day how should wee desire to bee dissolued that we might be prefent with the Lord and see his beauty face to face and enioy that vnspeakeable sweetnesse of his Nature immediately Oh what hearts haue we that doe not euen
39. The iudgements God will bring vpon them cannot be auoided Esay 14. 25. 27. Lastly the consideration of Gods Almightinesse is wonderfull comfortable first to the godly and that many waies for first they neede not feare any wants for they haue a father that is almighty and besides they neede not feare any aduersaries for the gates of Hell shall not preuaile against them Mat. 16. 18. and they shall ouercome all aduersarie power because he is great that is on their side 1 Iohn 5. 4. though they should walke through the valley of the shaddow of death they neede feare no euill Psal 23. 4. and for spirituall enemies they neede not feare because God is able to keepe their soules which they haue committed to him 2 Tim. 1. 12. and we shall be kept by his power to saluation 1 Pet 1. 5. Againe it may be a great comfort to them in prayer because God is able to doe aboue all that they can aske or thinke Ephes 3. 20. 21. and further Gods power may settle them and establish their Faith and Ioy in those great workes of God propounded and promised in his word such as are the forgiuenesse of all sinnes the resurrection of their bodies and eternall life 1 Cor. 6. 14. Moreouer that God their father is Almighty may comfort them in this respect because then by his power they also may doe all things What is it a Christian cannot doe that hath the vse of Gods power Paul can want and he can abound c. by the power of Christ in him Phil. 4. 13. But that these comforts may bee effectuall wee must often pray that GOD would open our eyes to see the exceeding greatnesse of his power to them that belieue Ephes 1. 19. Secondly euen grieuous sinners may conceiue comfortable hope from this doctrine also I meane such as haue liued a long time vnder the power of strong corruptions such as are swearing whoredome drunkennesse and the like and therefore now feare that they can neuer be fit for the Kingdome of God These must remember Pauls argument for the Iewes that had liued so long vnder the power of vnbeliefe viz. God is able to ingraft them in againe Rom. 11. 23. so should they hope that they also may be conuerted and saued because God is able to restore euen them also if they be weary of their sinnes and would be rid of them And therefore they should goe to God as the Leaper did to Christ and say Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me cleane Mat. 8. 4. Maker of Heauen and Earth Gen. 1. 1. HItherto of the nature and power of God and the Trinity of persons the workes of God follow The works of God are of two sorts some Internall some externall The Internall workes are either personall or essentiall The personall workes of God internall are such as flow from each person in the Trinity according to the Characteristicall propriety of the person such workes were generation of the Sonne and proceeding of the Holy Ghost The Internall essentiall workes were the decrees of God which hee made in himselfe from all eternity concerning all things in the world especially concerning men and Angels these workes are common to all three persons as flowing from the essence of God Now of these workes the Creed makes no expresse mention because they are strong meat and aboue the capacity of weake Christians The externall workes of God are of foure sorts for they are either the workes of Creation by which hee maketh all things to be or workes of conseruation by which he maintaines the things hee hath made in their being or workes of Reparation by which in Christ he restores what was ruinated by sinne or workes of perfection by which hee brings all things to their appointed end and especially makes the Church fully blessed in a better world The workes of Creation are onely mentioned in this Article The workes of Reparation by Christ and of perfection are handled in the Articles following The workes of Creation are expressed in these words Maker of Heauen and Earth By Heauen and Earth vnderstanding the whole world and all the hosts of creatures that are in it Now concerning the making of the world foure things are to be considered 1 Who made the world 2 How it was made 3 Why it was made 4 When it was made For the first the Creation was a worke of the whole Trinity It is attributed here in the Creed to the Father because the Action of the Father was more manifest and euident as Redemption is attributed to the Sonne and Sanctification to the Holy Ghost But yet it is euident by diuers Scriptures that each Person did worke about the Creation for of the Father there is no question and of the Sonne it is expresly affirmed Colos 1. 16. Iohn 1. 3. Heb. 1. 3. and of the Holy Ghost sitting and mouing vpon the first water we reade Gen. 1. 2. For the second God created all things 1 According to the Counsell of his owne will Ephes 1. 11. which hath diuers things in it for thereby is affirmed that he made all things 1 Most freely without compulsion or instigation from any other 2 According to the Idaea of all things in his owne minde for as the Carpenter first conceiues the frame in his head and then builds according to that Idaea in his minde so did God build the world according to the eternall patterne which was in Gods minde 3 According to his owne Decree there was nothing created which was not decreed and nothing decreed to bee which was not created according to the Decree 4 Most aduisedly hauing from all eternity consulted determined and foreseene all was to be made Secondly with a word only he had none to helpe him nor needed tooles or instruments as men doe to effect their workes Gen. 1. Psal 33. 9. Thirdly without labour or wearinesse Esay 40. 28. Fourthly of Nothing men cannot build without Materialls but God made the world of Nothing in respect of the first matter of all things Heb. 11. 3. for he made not the world of his owne essence nor of any other preexisting matter for though it be a saying that of nothing nothing can be made yet that is true in respect of vs not in respect of God and in respect of the order of Nature now not in respect of the beginning of Nature in the Creation And though it be true that some creatures were made of preexisting matter as mans body was made of the dust of the earth yet that preexisting matter was created of nothing Fifthly all good all things at first were made good not in appearance but in deed not in mans iudgement who might bee deceiued but in Gods he saw that all was good and so all creatures were good in respect of excellence distinction numbeâ— fashion and freedome from defects of faculties or power belonging to each creature in his kinde Sixtly not all on a sudden and at once but
2. What are the offices of Angels or what vses did God make them for Answ Angels serue for many vses They are Apparitors or seruants about God ready to receiue Commandements from him and they worship God by lauding and praising him in Heauen Psal 104. 4. 148. 2. Esay 6. 3. Luke 2. 14. Reuel 4. 8 9. 5. 13. and they are appointed as speciall attendants about CHRIST as the MESSIAH Mat. 4. 11. and they serue also as ministring spirits to keepe and attend vpon the Elect men Heb. 1. 14. and manifold are the seruices which Angels doe for men both in life and death In life they defend and keepe them as a strong guard about them Psal 34. 91. and plague their enemies 2 King 19. 35. besides the vnknowne seruice they doe about the soules of the godly by counselling or comforting them And in death they are about them and carry their soules to Heauen as they did Lazarus his soule and in the end of the world they will gather all the Elect from the foure winds of Heauen and bring them to Christ Quest 3. But why doe you not intreat of Deuills here also Answ There were no Deuills by creation GOD made them not as Deuills and therefore it belongs not to the Doctrine of Creation to speake of the euill angels because that belongs to the Doctrine of the fall of the reasonable Creatures Quest 4. But hath euery particular man a good Angell and a bad Answ It is probable that euery Elect man hath a good Angell as may be gathered Mat. 18. 10. Acts 12. 15. but yet God is not so tyed but that he sends them extraordinarily more Angels many times to helpe or attend vpon it may be one man Psal 34. 8. As for euill angels we reade that sometimes one Angell hath vexed one man Iob. 1. 12. sometimes one Angell hath haunted diuers men 2 Chron. 18. 21. sometimes many Angels haue haunted one man Luke 8. 30. But that euery man should haue a bad angell assigned him of God is no where to be found in Scripture The consideration of this Doctrine of the making of the Angels in such a nature and for such ends as before should serue for diuers vses 1 It should informe vs concerning the wonderfull loue of God to vs that hath made such excellent creatures to do vs such admirable seruice as to attend vpon vs and keepe vs Heb. 1. 14. 2 It should breed in vs a great longing after the world to come where wee shall not onely enioy the knowledge of and fellowship with such glorious Creatures but shall be made our selues in glory as the Angels in Heauen 3 It should teach vs diuers things as first not to worship Angels for they were all created by God God made the Angels and therefore worship is due to him and not to them that are but our fellow seruants Colos 1. 16. Reuel 19. Secondly we should therfore carry our selues orderly in all places especially in the Church because of the Angels who are about vs and marke what we doe 1 Cor. 11. 10. Thirdly we should therefore be patient and of good hope and full of faith in all afflictions arising from the oppositions of men or temptations of Satan as being satisfied with this comfort that they are more that are with vs then can be against vs and if our eyes were opened wee might see so much as was shewed to the seruant of Elisha 2 Kings 6. 16. Hitherto of the Heauen of the blessed and the Hoste thereof the Angels and so of the world that is now inuisible to vs we next come downe to consider of this visible world this world I say which is in our view or may bee seene and before I come to speake of the other two Heauens I would briefly consider of Gods glory in the generall in the making of this visible world not so much for the matter of the creatures or their naturall formes or properties or their next causes which belongs properly to the Philosophers but for such things as concerne their first cause which is God or their end which is Gods glory or their vse which is rather spirituall then corporall in demonstrating vnto the soule of man the praises of God The maker of this visible world was GOD as well as of that inuisible world as is manifestly proued Genesis 1. at large The end of making a world of bodies as well as of spirits was not the punishment of spirituall substances for their sinning against God as Origen dreamed but the setting out of Gods glory in shewing his wisdome goodnesse and power Psal 19. Rom. 1. and the furnishing of man for his happy being That our hearts may be affected with wondering at this great world which God hath made we may profitably consider of it either by thinking what it is like or by serious pondering what it is indeed This great world is like a great Garden throughly furnished euery creature being as a pleasant flower exquisitely ranked in most comely order the onely weedes that grow in this Garden are wicked men as it may be likened to a great Booke in which God hath written glorious things that concerne the praise of his goodnesse wisdome and power Euery creature is as it were a distinct lease of that Booke and the properties and vses of these creatures are as it were the seuerall lines and letters of that leafe and the more admirable because it is a Booke the writing whereof is indelible and the vses whereof are vniuersall the Booke so opened that all men in all parts of the world may see and read Againe this visible world may be likened to a great and faire house most exquisitely buil and contriued into seuerall roomes and euery roome richly furnished the Heauens are the Roofe the Earth the floore and the Elements the seuerall roomes and the hosts of creatures in each of them the rich furniture and this house is the more admirable for vs because it is a house that euery man dwels in out of this house no man can be put it is kept at the charge of the Land-lord and the Tenants pay no rent But to leaue similitudes there are in the generall consideration of this visible world diuers things may bee briefly touched which we ought to wonder at and to glorifie God for his making of things so as 1 The apt disposition of euery creature in his owne place which place is so fit as a fitter cannot bee inuented if the Starres were fixed in the Earth or the Trees in Heauen how disproportionable and vncomely would it be 2 The exactnesse of the Cteatures in their working in keeping their times and seasons how punctually doth the Sunne dispatch his race in 24. houres and so the Moone in her seasons the Plants keepe their seasons of the yeere for bearing fruit and the Starres for shining as they haue receiued commandement and order from their great Commander
Spider Of the Ant we should learne diligence and prouidence in times of plenty to prouide for dearth especially in spirituall things Of the Mountaine Rats we should learne vpon the experience of our owne weaknesse to prouide by Faith so as we may rest in the Rock of Gods Almighty protection Of the Locusts we should learne to doe our duties though we be not compelled and to be carefull to keepe our fellowship with the Saints Of the Spider that workes euen in Kings Palaces we should learne to hold forth the light of the Truth by either Doctrine or good example in all places and not to be daunted for the presence of any or the example of the multitude that are otherwise imployed Hitherto hath beene intreated of the Creatures of all sorts some of them being onely spirituall Creatures as the Angels some of them onely bodily creatures as all the rest in Heauen and earth Now followeth that we consider of man who is a creature both spirituall in respect of his soule and corporall in respect of the outward matter of which he consists A creature into whom enters the composition of all the world Nature as it is spirituall and bodily meeting in man for man is the Epitomie of all Gods works and a patterne of the great Vniuerse He is the world abridged or the little world into whose being enters the nature of euery thing without him being a creature partly terrestriall partly celestiall partly mortall partly immortall so as what God made a part in other creatures he makes perfect and ioyntly together in man He had made spirits by themselues and bodies by themselues and then he makes a Creature that should consist of spirit and body ioyned together and therefore as wee haue read in the great Booke of nature which is the world so now we must learne to read in the little Booke of Nature which is man else it will be a shame for vs to know other things and not know our selues He were a sencelesse man that did know curiously all the roomes in other mens Palaces and yet knowes not so much as a corner of his owne dwelling The excellency of Gods workmanship in creating man appeares if we consider his body apart or his soule apart or his body and soule iointly About the body of man God hath done many things more then he did to any other bodily creatures for 1 Whereas all other bodies were created only by saying let them be they were so God did take more special regard of mans body and therefore doth forme it as it were with his owne hands out of the dust of the earth Gen. 2. 7. 2 The body of man now since the Creation is not propagated by the Parents without the wonderfull workmanship of God and therefore all our bodies are said to bee made and fashioned by God as well as Adams Iob 10. 8. Yea it was the Spirit of the strong God that made vs and the breath of the Almighty that put life into vs Iob 33. 4. We are creatures now as well as Adam Marke 16. 15. and Dauid saith He was fearefully and wonderfully made it was a maruellous worke and he was curiously wrought in the wombe Psal 139. 14 15 16. Yea he saith there that God did it by the Booke hauing written it downe from eternity how all his members should be fashioned Euery part of our bodies if wee knew the forming of them would shew a speciall glory of working in God our bones would say Lord who is like to theâ— Psal 35. 10. And as we know not what is the way of the Spirit so we know not how the bones doe grow in the wombe of her that is with childe and so we may say of the rest we know not the workes of God who maketh all Eccles 11. 5. the hearing eare and the seeing eye the Lord hath made euen both of them Prou. 20. 12. It was God onely that clothed vs with skinne and fenced vs with bones and sinewes Iob 10. 11. and so it was God onely that formed the inward parts of mans body hee formed the heart Psalme 33. 15. and the workemanship within mans body was so great that he reserues it as a glory onely to himselfe to know and search the heart and reines of a man and this is the more admirable if we consider that no part of the body is superfluous or idle but euery part hath his function and some excellent worke to doe which function it exerciseth by it selfe for the good of the whole body without medling with the office of the other members which is the more wonderfull if we consider the innumerable parts and parcels of the body of a man Not the least threed or veine in a mans body but it doth some excellent office 1 Cor. 12. 3 God made the body of man in beauty and fairenesse excelling all other visible creatures for both his countenance is lifted vp to Heauen and the parts of his body are with more comlinesse proportioned and his colour is full of sweetnesse and louelinesse Thus it was with man in his Creation and thus and much better it shall bee with his body when hee shall shine as the Starres in the Firmament 4 The body of man had at the first no disposition to wearinesse or sicknesse or death which the bodies of all other liuing Creatures were subiect to This priuiledge mans body had not by nature but by the gift of GOD GOD hauing infused into the body a soule that did her worke in the body perfectly and allowing him such foode as was most effectuall for vegetation and giuing man skill and care to looke to himselfe and if the body in time would haue declined God would haue preuented that by tranflating man to Heauen without sicknesse and death 5. Language is an admirable indowment of the body of man onely who is able to expresse himselfe with infinite variety and distinctions of sound whence flowes all conuersation and delightfull or profitable society But the excellencie of Gods power and glory in the Creation of mans soule who can perfectly recount God hath done wonderfully for man in respect of his soule aboue all other visible creatures for 1. The soule was breathed into the body of man by God himself by speciall inspiration and singular Creation Gen. 2. and neuer was a soule in the body of man but was made of God by his speciall power our bodies may haue earthly fathers but our spirits haue no Father but God Heb. 12. It is God onely that creates and frames the spirit of man within him Zacharie 12. 1. and so man is the generation of God Acts 17. 2. The soule is indued with the light of reason and can discerne things by reasoning and inward discourse seeing things by a light that is Immateriall and with great variety contemplating of things that the senses cannot reach to and finding out strange things euen in those things are presented by the senses
as the sailes are in the ship nor by affectioÌ„ as two friends are one nor in respect of ioynt worship as if onely the humane nature had the honour to be worshipped with the diuine nor in respect of Harmonie or consent as if onely the diuine and humane will of Christ did agree nor in respect of Title only as if the flesh of Christ had no more but the honour to be called by the same Title his Diuinity is as the Sonne of God or Christ or the like nor by mingling the humane nature with the diuine to make a certaine third thing but the humane nature is fastened to the diuine nature in the vnity of person after an vnconceiueable manner so as the diuine nature is not changed nor either nature altered nor separated by distance one from another The eight point is the effects of this personall vnion of the diuine and humane nature in this worke of Incarnation The effects I meane in Christ not in vs. Now many things flow from this vnion as 1. The communication of proprieties and that is the attributing of such things as are proper to either nature vnto the person of Christ because that these natures doe subsist in that person so as that is truely said of Christ which yet is to be vnderstood with a respect to that nature vnto which that property doth belong Thus the Sonne of Man is said to haue power to forgiue sinnes on earth which is the propriety of the diuine nature Mat. 9. 6. and to bee called the Sonne of the most High Luke 1. 32. Thus the Sonne of Man is said to ascend where hee was before Now he was not in heauen in his humane nature before Ioh. 6. 62. and so he saith hee was before Abraham was Ioh. 8. 58. and his bloud is called the bloud of God Acts 20. 28. The like speeches are found in other Scriptures as Colos 1. 17. Heb. 1. 2 c. 2. The pouring out of gifts vpon the humane nature which were as great as could be receiued by a created nature and these were giuen both to the body and soule of Christ His body obtained the highest degree of perfection could be fall a body which glory for our saluation was with-held from his body during his abode on earth in respect of his office and so his body was subiect to infirmities passions of diuers sorts and death and buriall but that worke being finished which he vndertooke for vs in his body it now shineth in Heauen in greater glory then any bodily creatures doe or shall attaine vnto Vpon the soule of Christ by vertue of this vnion with the diuine Nature were powred out gifts aboue the glory of the gifts which are in men or Angels and to make this a little better to appeare I will instance in his knowledge and in his Charity There were diuers kinds of knowledge in Christ Hee had an eternall and vncreated knowledge and wisdome which did belong onely vnto his diuine Nature but it is the created knowledge belongs to this place and that vnderstanding and knowledge is either from experience or from reuelation or from vision 1 There was in our Sauiour an experimentall knowledge by which our Sauiour knew all things could be knowne by the light of Nature and though hee had not expeperience of all things yet by reasoning from the like or the contrary or from the causes or effects he perceiued things hee had not experience of As by the infirmities he felt and by the things he suffered he knowes all the things we suffer in the full nature of them Heb. 2. 18. 4. 15. and in this kinde of wisdome it is that hee was said to grow vp in or profit and increase in and in this kinde of wisdome he was able to discerne more then any man in the world 2 There was in our Sauiour a knowledge infused which they call the knowledge of Reuelation by which heauenly things are vnderstood by a light they call the light of grace And by this knowledge our Sauiour did discerne in his soule spirituall things more exactly then euer man or Angell did of this is spoken Esay 11. 12. 3 The third kinde of knowledge in Christ is the knowledge by vision which is called the knowledge of the blessed in Heauen by which God is seene face to face and in this Christ excells all men and Angels for it is hee that brings all iust men to this happinesse of seeing God in Heauen Heb. 2. 10. And besides this personall vision his soule is neerer vnto God then men or Angels can bee and therefore sees GOD more cleerely then they can doe As a man that hath a good sight doth see a thing that is hard by him more exactly then another man that is farther off from it Yea this knowledge in the soule of Christ doth not fully comprehend God for that which is infinite cannot be comprehended by that which is finite he seeth God whole that is all tâ—at iâ— in God but not wholly that is not by an absolute comprehension of it And in as much as all iudgement is committed vnto Christ as the Sonne of man it is most probable that as man hee doth see the thoughts of all men that are to be iudged by him as man though not by any naturall efficacy in his vnderstanding as man yet by a supernaturall infusion of light from his diuine nature Ioh. 5. 27. Thus of the gift of knowledge Charity and loue was powred out vpon the soule of CHRIST aboue all the measures of Charity in men or Angels Iohn 13. 1. Romans 5. 6 7. Thus of the gifts were powred out vpon the humane nature of Christ Yet by the way it is not amisse to note that certaine gifts were not powred out vpon CHRIST or not till his glorification as faith and hope were not in CHRIST at all for in as much as the obiect of faith is things not seene faith it selfe could not be in CHRIST who did inioy the vision of GOD by vertue of the personall vnion with the diuine nature euen from the beginning of his Incarnation by that kind of knowledge which I called before his knowledge of vision or the knowledge of the blessed yet to want faith did not argue imperfection in CHRIST but rather remoued imperfection as hee that wants Spectacles when he needeth them not is no whit inferiour to him that vseth Spectacles because of the weaknesse of his sight The like is to bee said of hope for as Faith beholds things that are not seene so hope lookes to things which are not yet had or possessed Rom. 8. 24. and the cheife obiect of both is the chiefe good which is GOD now CHRIST enioyed GOD yea euen in the very instant of his death but if we looke to secondary obiects and by hope vnderstand an expectation of some kinde of helpe promised by GOD then such a kinde of hope may be granted to haue beene in
it is a thousand times more easie to suffer the death of a Martyr than for Christ to suffer bare death of any kinde because Martyrs in death are freed from the guilt of all their sinnes whereas Christ in death as our surety stands charged with sinne but it was not the feare of death thus troubled our Sauiour he had many other more dreadfull things to thinke of As first the tyrannie of Sinne Death and Sathan that had preuailed ouer mankinde Secondly the great ingratitude of the greatest part of mankinde who would not regard redemption though made in his bloud Thirdly the dispersion of his Disciples and the scandall that euen they would take at his death Fourthly the ruine would come vpon the Iewish Nation by making themselues guilty of his bloud Fifthly and especially the sense of the most horrible wrath of God against the sinnes of the world which he must endure and did begin to feele for our sakes as being our surety It was not death then simply that he feared but death ioyned with that powring out of the dreadfull wrath of God vpon his soule this bred that incredible and deadly sadnesse and paine and inward feare in our Sauiour Now this mournfull consideration of his grieuous feare and agonie may serue vnto vs for great consolation and that in diuers respects For first herein we may see his loue to vs that can be content to take vpon him our infirmities euen those that are most troublesome such as this dreadfull feare and perplexitie was he was here truly transfigured for as on the Mount by transfiguration hee shewed what glory he should haue in heauen so in the Garden by this transfiguration he shewes what weaknes cleaues to his members on earth only we must still remember that he tooke vpon him only vnblameable infirmities for in this he sinned not If any aske how could such vnspeakable feare and sadnesse be without sinne seeing the affections were so violently moued and troubled I answer that the perturbation that was in our Sauiours heart was like to cleane water in a cleane glasse if it be shaked neuer so violently yet it is cleane still because there is no mud in the bottome But on the other side if cleane water be put into a cleane glasse and mud withall be setled in the bottome then the least stirring that is makes it foule and so it is with vs there is sinne in almost all perturbations that arise in our hearts because euery shaking of our hearts stirs vp some corruption that is in our nature but it was not so with Christ Againe fearefull Christians may take some comfort from hence to see that their Sauiour was afraid as well as they His Agonie may comfort them against their pusillanimitie and further such as finde strange accidents in prayer and are suddenly oppressed with feares and doubts or terrors may profitably remember what befell their Sauiour when he went to pray Lastly such as are afflicted in conscience vnder the sense of Gods wrath may wonderfully from hence be releeued First by considering that Christ himselfe did feele the same or much greater sorrowes than they doe and therefore doth pitie them and will suocour them Secondly by considering that Christ hath borne in his owne soule the brunt of Gods displeasure for sinne and therefore they should not be so dismayed but behold his soule as made a sacrifice for their sinnes And thus of his Agonie There was yet another great discouragement befell him in his prayer and that was the maruellous senslesnesse and drowsinesse and want of compassion in his Disciples who were so farre from comforting him or mourning with him that they could not watch with him one houre That Peter that a little before said If all men were offended in him yet he would neuer be offended yea he was ready to die for him yet now he doth not resist his very sleepe but neglects his Sauiour in his greatest distresse And from this obseruation we may gather diuers Vses For hereby it is manifest that the whole burden of satisfaction lies vpon Christ only Here is no bodie to helpe him to pay one farthing nor so much as pitie him or incourage him when our ransome is in paying the great Apostles are a sleeping Besides men in misery must learne to trust vpon God only for there are none so neare or deare to vs but in times of distresse may come farre short of that compassion or succour which we may expect from them and if any such thing befall vs in our paines or other miseries we must labour to comfort our selues with this example of the like case of our Sauiour Moreouer men that are giuen to bodily sleepinesse in time of Gods seruice should be warned from hence Euen such a bodily infirmitie if it be nourished may bring vs into fearefull temptations and makes vs guilty of grieuous offence against God and Christ as is imported by our Sauiours milde reproofe of the sleepie Disciples Matth. 26. 4. The forme of prayer hee vsed and that was Abba father let this cup passe from me if it be possible yet not my will but thy will bee done Mark 14. 36. In which forme we may note three things First the Titles he giues to God Secondly the substance of his suit to God And thirdly the clauses limiting his petition 1. The Titles are recorded by Saint Marke and wee shall finde them giuen to God in three places of the new Testament viz. in this prayer of Christs and Rom. 8. 15. and Galat. 4. 7. The tearme Abba is an Hebrew or Syriacke word and the other word Pater is both a Greeke and Latine word Now in that Christ calling vpon his Father giues him his title in diuers languages it is thought that thereby Christ would intimate that he was the God of both Iewes Gentiles and in as much as the time drew on in which the partition wall was to be broken downe and God was to bee beleeued on and called vpon by both sorts of people Christ himselfe first beginnes to treat with God in both languages And it may well be that being now in infinite torment he would intimate by these tearmes that he suffered them both for Iewes and Gentiles 2. As for the substance of the petition a great doubt may arise in a mans mind how this could be in Christ without sinne or contradiction to himselfe He that had foretold his death and professed so often to bee willing to die and was sent into the world for this purpose and if he died not all the Elect were vndone how can it bee that now hee prayes that if it be possible he may not die I answer this obiection two wayes first that he doth not expresly pray against his death but his words may be vnderstood as well as I conceiue of the Agonie he was in in his soule and so what inconuenience can follow if we grant that hee desired of God that it might passe from
the Moone was then at the full whereas the Sunne is neuer eclipsed in the course of Nature but in the new Moone and besides Saint Luke seemes to import that there was a darknesse brought vpon the whole earth besides the darkning of the Sunne Luke 23. 44 45. And whereas Saint Luke saith it was ouer all the earth Interpreters are diuided in opinion about the meaning of all the earth Some thinke it was but ouer all the land viz. of Iudea other thinke it was ouer all the world About this latter opinion something seemes to make for it and something makes against it for it seemes to be the testimonie of Dionisius the Areopagite who is said to see it in Egypt and of the Philosopher at Athens that seeing it should say Now either the world is perishing or the God of Nature suffers and of Orosius that said it was at Rome and ioyned with great trembling of the Earth and of Eusebius who saith it was in Bithinia Against it seemes to be manifest reason for with the Antipodes it was at that houre midnight and it could not be at the sixth houre in all places It is very likely it was chiefly in Iudea but yet so as in the neighbouring Countries it might be obserued and a part of the darknesse might extend thither Now for the second point many things may be hereby signified as 1. It might signifie that the Sunne of Righteousnesse did now set That the true light and life of the world was now a dying 2. It might signifie the horrible blindnesse of the Iewes and foretell the spirituall darknesse should be confirmed vpon them that as heretofore the Egyptians had darknesse and in the Land of Goshen was light and by that darknesse was signified the imminent destruction of the Egyptians and by that light the liberty and saluation of the Israelites so now the Iewes should be left in horrible darknes and desolation and the light of the Gospell should shine in other Nations to bring saluation to them 3. It might import the detestation of that fact The great light of the world withdrawes his beames as abhorring to see so dreadfull a spectacle as the Sonne of God crucified or to vouchsafe light to so mischieuous creatures as the Iewes about such a worke and at that very time railing and blaspheming 4. It might signifie the vnspeakable vilenesse of our sinnes seeing that at the time they were opened and by imputation laid vpon our surety the very frame of Nature is turned vpside downe and it was vsuall in Scripture by the threatning of the darkning of the Sunne to set out the wrath of God against the sinne of man Ier. 15. 9. Ezech. 32. 7 8. Ioel 2. 10. 30. 31. Aâ—â—s 8. 9. 5. It did most euidently signifie the Diuinitie of Christ this and all other miracles which fell out at that time were therefore wrought that it might appeare hee was more than man that suffered If he had died without miracles he might haue beene thought to be but a meere man and that our faith might be strengthned by the greatnesse of the wonders that otherwise might be weakned by the ignominie of his suffering so vile a death as to be hanged on a Tree 6. Was it not to teach vs compassion Is Nature troubled at this sight and doth the Sunne mourne and couer it selfe with blacknesse as with a garment and cannot our hard hearts be melted to mourne for him who was pained for our sinnes Thus of the second Testimonie The third Testimonie was the conuersion of one of the Theeues vpon the Crosse and his conuersion did notably serue to demonstrate the glory of Christ both in respect of his Diuinitie that could conuert a soule without meanes he must needs be more than man that can immediatly make the heart of man new as also in respect of the vertue of his Passion and Death which so liuely shewes it selfe vpon the soule of the Theefe in killing his corrupt humours and kindling in him the life of true grace and both the more wonderfull in respect of the circumstance of the time that it was when Christ was on the Crosse derided of men and plagued of God and forsaken of his owne c. Now in particular concerning this conuersion I would make vse of three things By considering first who was conuerted 2. When he was conuerted 3. How he shewed the truth of his conuersion For the first The person conuerted was one of the two Theeues whence we may gather That notorious malefactors may repent and be saued for God is abundant in mercie and the bloud of Christ is of vnspeakable value which as it should teach vs to admire Gods goodnesse so it should keepe vs from despairing of any though their course be neuer so vile so long as God continues the day of his grace and prolongs his patience towards them For the second He was conuerted at his last end euen when he was ready to die vpon the Crosse I suppose diuers that heare but this point named will hence gather that men may repent them at their latter end euen at the last gaspe It is true that a man may be saued that repents not before his end This Theefe was saued and they that went into the Vineyard at the eleuenth houre and God hath promised to receiue the sinner in what day soeuer he shall returne and repent Mat. 20. Ezek. 18. But yet lest men should abuse this example to confirme themselues in that most dangerous procrastination consider with me foure things 1. That we here reade of one that repented at his latter end that no man might despaire and yet but one that no man might presume 2. That the conuersion of this Theefe was an immediate worke of the diuine power of Christ and so a dreadfull miracle and though this one man was saued so extraordinarily without meanes yet that doth not proue that God will doe so to other men if Christ doe conuert thee at thy latter end he doth as great a worke as to raise the dead or darken the Sunne and cleaue the rocks or the like And what warrant hast thou that thou shalt be saued by miracle 3. That men haue as much reason to be afraid they shall not repent because the other Theefe did not repent at his latter end as to thinke they shall because this Theefe did repent 4. That it is said by them that went into the Vineyard at the eleuenth houre that therefore they went not in sooner because no man hired them Matth. 20. which was like to be the case of this Theefe He neuer was called before he had not had the meanes of conuersion but this can be no ground for such as haue had the meanes from the third or sixth or ninth houre and will not be hired nor perswaded to enter into the Vineyard but put all off till the eleuenth houre Indeed if men had neuer had the meanes till their old age or sicknesse they
beleeue Thus of the first Question For the second we shall finde in the Story of the Euangelists that the chiefe Witnesses of Christs death were women that followed Christ from Galile and ministered to him by name Mary Magdalen and Mary the mother of Iames and Ioses and Salome and the mother of Zâ—bedees children These a farre off beheld what was done Of all the Apostles and seuentie Disciples here is not one but onely Iohn the Euangelist who was by the Crosse with the Virgin Mary Thus will God exercise the faith of his seruants the Church must receiue the report of the things that concerne the death of Christ from women as the chiefe Witnesses and hereby did Christ honour the pietie of these women that followed him to the death when the Disciples fled and left him which is an euerlasting honour to their sex and shewes that God can make women glorious confessors of the Truth euen at such times as men hide their heads for feare What a shame is this for the Apostles to be absent from a spectacle vpon which the saluation of the whole world doth depend Besides hence we may gather that Christ can preserue vnto himselfe some number that professe his Truth and can arme them against the feare of danger euen in the most desperate persecutions Yea some such as will neither flie nor hide themselues Now for the third Question there are many things to be noted in the manner how Christ died for 1. Hee died truly It was not a putatiue death but a true death He died in deed and not in shew or appearance onely 2. He died a grieuous death for hee died a painfull death and he died a violent death and he died a cursed death There were certain in ancient times that held that Christ receiued many wounds was smitten whipped nailed and shed his bloud and died his Soule going out of his Body but yet neuer indeed felt any paine He had they said a body that could suffer but not a Nature that could grieue or feele paine But that he did feele paine is not only manifest by his owne words but is expresly affirmed by the Prophet Esay Chap. 53. He suffered also a violent death he did not die a naturall death and it must needs be so because Christ had nothing in him to cause him to die and besides he thereby answers to the Types in the Sacrifices of the old Testament which were not onely beasts dead but beasts slaine Thirdly he suffered a cursed death for such was the death of the Crosse and God had before pronounced it a cursed way of dying Galat. 3. 13. All which as it shewes the grieuousnesse of our sinnes by nature so doth it import the greatnesse of our blessednesse by grace for therefore did Christ die a cursed death that wee might liue a blessed life as the Apostle shewes Gal. 3. 13 14. Yea and besides hereby the Curse is remoued from our death so as it is a blessed thing for a Christian man to die and go out of the world when God calls for him 3. He died willingly not by compulsion he laid downe his life for no man could take it from him Ioh. 10. 18. and that may appeare by the Story for Christ cried with a loud voice and gaue vp the ghost Now men that lye a dying languish and their voice failes them or at least growes weake Againe it is said Christ laid his head aside and then gaue vp the ghost whereas other men first giue vp the ghost and then their heads fall aside and further to shew that he died when he listed he was found dead sooner than other men that died on the Crosse which Pilate himselfe wondered at Now this is for our great comfort that he died so willingly for it both addes to the sufficiencie of the propitiation in his death and shewes vs the greatnesse of his tender loue to vs and withall it should fire vs to a holy resolution with all willingnesse to doe any thing he would haue vs or suffer any thing for his sake 4. He died most religiously and his piety in his death is commended for his obedience to his Father and for his care for his Mother and for his loue to his enemies and for his deuotion in respect of himselfe His obedience to God his Father in his death is commended Phil. 2. 9. because hee did not onely obey all the Morall Law that all men were bound to but obeyed the singular commandement giuen by his Father euen that of dying for the people which as Man he was not bound to but as a Mediator Which should teach vs abnegation of our selues whatsoeuer it is God commands vs we should be willing to do how hard soeuer Gods work seemes to be This care for his Mother is recorded by Saint Iohn Chap. 19. 25 26. when he saw his Mother standing by with the beloued Disciple he said Woman behold thy Sonne and vnto him Behold thy Mother Thus is Christ a most perfect Patterne of righteousnesse in both Tables for as hee had before shewed his godlinesse in the first Table so doth he here shew his naturall affection and tender care of his Mother in the second Table Now was the time come when Simeons prophecie was accomplished vpon his poore Mother now did the sword of bitter sorrowes pierce thorow her righteous soule while shee beholds that dolefull spectacle of her matchlesse Childe suffering death vpon the Tree Luke 2. 35. And therefore now to comfort her doth he commit her to Iohn his beloued Disciple with charge that he should looke to her after his death taking this care for his Mother of whom he was made man and commending her to his Disciple with such humane affection he shewes himselfe to be that high Teacher sent of God The Tree to which the members of Christ dying were fastened was a chaire of a spirituall master teaching for hereby he teacheth children how they should honour their parents and continue a reuerent loue to them euen to their last gaspe and hereby he teacheth hearers how to performe gratefulnesse to their Teachers not only by releeuing their Teachers while they liue but by helping their parents or children when they are dead He calls her Woman not out of contempt but to tell her and all men that he that then was a dying was more than the Sonne of Mary Yea and thereby the comforts her for he intimated that being more than Man hee was able to ouercome death and could not be van quished by his enemies His loue to his enemies he shewes by praying for them when they most outragiously and blasphemously persecuted him to the death He said Father forgiue them they know not what they doe The crie of their blasphemies and his innocent bloud went vp to heauen against them but Iesus makes haste to send vp the crie of his prayers for them that they perish not for euer and therefore the first words he
speakes on the Crosse is the words of his intercession Luke 23. 34. which should be an admirable paterne to teach vs to goe and doe likewise Neuer was there a greater man on earth nor did euer man suffer such wrongs and yet you see how he is affected He that bids vs pray for our enemies doth it himselfe in a harder case than euer can be ours If we will be true disciples we must shew it by forgiuing men their trespasses and by praying for them especially when we are about to die if we would euer haue God forgiue vs we must forgiue men their trespasses against vs. This prayer of Christ was heard as appeares by the conuersion of many of those enemies of his after his death Yet obserue he prayes not for such as sinned of malitious wickednesse but for such as sinned out of ignorant zeale or generall prophanenesse of Nature many of the people were carried with blinde zeale and many of the Gentiles were ignorant of the true story of the life and cause of Christ for which he suffered those were curable and for those he prayes And this may be a comfort to vs he that can obserue this difference in his persecuting aduersaries will much more shew it in considering the frailties and ignorances of his owne seruants that desire to please him though they faile of that they desire to doe through strength of temptation or other weaknesse and ignorance Againe note it is not enough for the partie offending that the partie offended doe forgiue but God also must be sought vnto for forgiuenesse Lastly our Sauiour shewes his religiousnesse in his maner of dying by his deuout care for his owne soule shewed in his prayer when he said Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit Luke 23. 46. when he had be queathed all other things as Peace to his Disciples his body to the Iewes his garments to his Tormentors Paradise to the Theefe pardon to the penitent and his Mother to his Friend now only remained his Soule and that he commends to God Euen Iesus can carry nothing with him out of the world but his Soule and therefore he prouides for that Which should teach vs what we should doe our greatest care should be that our soules may be safe when we die and that they may be so we see here two things must be done while we liue First we must get assurance that God is our Father we are his children and then when we come to dye we must commit our soules by faithfull and heartie prayers into his hands and for feare of the worse wee should begin betimes to prepare for death and by daily prayer to put our soules into Gods hands Obserue that these words were first vsed by the Prophet Dauid Psal 31. 5. who committed his soule to God being horribly persecuted by Saul and in great danger and hauing no friend to trust to Now our Sauiour being in like but greater distresse doth make choice of Dauids words to expresse his prayer in which should teach vs to acquaint our selues with the Scriptures especially of this kinde for as it will be accepted if our prayers be made according to Gods will so is it a speciall aduantage and helpe to our faith and prayers to fashion them to the very paternes in Gods Booke and to say as the godly haue said to God in the like case Finally this practise of our Sauiour may be a great comfort to vs and that two waies for first we may gather from his example that if once we haue committed our soules to God he will keep them safe as Paul said 2 Tim. 12. And secondly it will be comfortable for vs in death or danger to flie to Iesus Christ to beseech him to helpe our soules with his Father who cannot forget that once himselfe on earth made the same moane to his Father that we doe now to him Thus Stephen doth Act. 7. The fourth question is for whom Christ died and the Answer is giuen distinctly in many places of Scripture First he died for men not for other creatures Heb. 2. 14. 18. Though the effect of his death reach to other creatures as to the Angels Phil. 2. 10 11. and to the creatures that suffered vanitie for mans sinne Rom. 8. 19 20 22. Secondly he died not for his friends but such as in the state of nature were his enemies and sinners not iust men Rom. 5. 8 10. Thirdly he died not for Iewes only but for the Gentiles also 1 Ioh. 2. 2. Fourthly hee died not for goats but for his sheepe Ioh. 10. 11 15. not for the world but for the Church Ioh. 17. 9. Eph. 5. 25. euen for such as should beleeue in his name Ioh. 3. 16. Fifthly he died not for some beleeuers but for all beleeuers Rom. 8. 32. and so not for learned men or great men but for all men of all sorts that beleeue 1 Tim. 2. 6. Sixthly he died not for those that did beleeue his words but for all that should beleeue the words of his seruants afterwards to the end of the world Ioh. 17. 21. And so he died for vs many hundred yeares before wee were borne Seuenthly not for all beleeuers in generall only but for euery particular by name Ioh. 10. 3. 14 15. And the knowledge hereof should serue for diuers Vses For first it should be very comfortable for all sorts of Christians to thinke that Christ died for them and did thinke of them in particular and by name Secondly it should much affect vs with admiration of the greatnesse of his loue that would die for such vile wretches as we were by nature wicked and enemies to him as the Apostle vrgeth it Rom. 5. 6. to 10. And thirdly in speciall it should much incourage such as are burthened with the greatnesse of their sinnes to know that he well vnderstood it that he was to die for the vngodly Fourthly it should teach Christians to restraine censure and iudging of them that are without The vertue of Christs death may reach to many more than we know and to such as for the present are vile enemies to the Christian name Fifthly wee should all labour to be such as Christ hath described to haue actually a part in his death And so Saint Paul tels vs we must be such as see and acknowledge how vile and wicked we are by nature whatsoeuer gifts or priuiledges we haue and how ciuill soeuer we haue liued in comparison of others Rom. 5. 6 c. and our Sauiour tels vs we must be beleeuers and sheepe such as will heare and be ruled by his voice and 2 Cor. 5. 15. the Apostle saith We must be such as will liue to him that died for vs and Saint Iohn saith Reuel 14. 3 4. we must not be defiled with women that is with Idolatry or spirituall whoredome that is with any beloued sinne and must follow the Lambe whithersoeuer he goeth Finally if Christ died for vs it must needs
earth but to assume Earth when he tooke our nature and that too considered as the earth was vnder malediction for the first Adams sinne and exprest in that sentence Thou art earth and to earth thou shalt returne and that other The earth is cursed for thy sake thorns and briers shall it bring forth And that he descended both in respect of his body and soule and of both of them together In respect of his body as Adam made of the earth so was Christ borne of a Virgin who had her originall from the earth and the earth is vsually said to be the common mother of vs all and his soule descended into this earth when it was vnited to his most sacred body In both soule and body in his Incarnation he descended into the earth euen the earth as it was accursed both in respect of infirmitie and in respect of mortality The infirmities of our Nature which he tooke both in soule and in body what were they but so many thornes and briers to afflict and seratch and paine his most blessed Nature I meane by his infirmities such as were without sinne such as came from sinne but did not tend to sin such were in his soule sorrow and feare and in his body thirst hunger pouertie And besides our Infirmities he tooke our Nature as it was Mortall and so descended into that Infernum the Fathers call Infernum mortalitatis for though he died not so soone as hee was borne yet he liued alwaies vnder the sentence of death A prisoner in the Goale when he is condemned all the time he liues is reckoned but as a dead man So was Christ Now the Scripture seemes clearely to acknowledge the descension of Christ into the earth of mortalitie and infirmitie as when he descended to take vpon him the forme of a seruant Phil. 2. 7. So it is by some Interpreters conceiued to be meant Rom. 10. 7. and Ephes 4. 9. though it is not doubted but these places haue a further meaning Thus of the first sense as Hades signifies the earth and the rather because some Diuines make it a rule that Christ is neuer said to descend any whither but into Hell or Hades 2. Christ may be said to descend into Hades when by death he went among the dead both in his body and soule He descended when he went downe among the dead And thus he descended not only into the Infernum mortalitatis but into the Infernum mortis also Thus according to the Psalme he was free among the dead and this was the greater abasement because hee was detained so long among the dead kept downe as a Prisoner in the graue in respect of his body He descended then when he suffered the state of the dead both in body and soule I say his abasement was very great in this condition because both his friends thought all was lost in him Luke 24. 21. Marke 16. 10. and his enemies insulted ouer him as conquered and called him Deceiuer Matth. 27. 62 c. Luke 23. 43. See what God saith Dan. 9. 26. And death held him downe as his prisoner Rom. 6. 9. So as it was with him as Iob 17. 12 13. But yet it is true he was glorious in this estate both in that his soule was in Paradise and his body inioyed incorruption But yet all this was secret and not knowne to men therefore some Diuines call this a kinde of middle state betweene humiliation and exaltation because it was partly glorious and partly ignomious And his detention in the graue answerâ— fitly to the order of the Articles For as Resurrection answers to his death and crucifying so A scension answers to his going into the graue and Session at the right hand of God answers to his continuance in the graue 3. Christ may be said to descend into Hell in respect of efficacie because though neither soule nor body went into the Hell of the damned locally yet the vertue of what he suffered in soule and body penetrated into Hell it selfe This was an operatiue descension The merit and vertue of his Passion descended euen amongst the damned Angels to spoile them of their power and confirme them in the horror of their estates and to signifie the deliuerance of the Elect out of their hands 4. These words He descended into Hell may be taken as an effectuall Epitome and repetition of all his Passion described before with a generall intimation of the vnexpressablenesse of the things he suffered for our sinnes as if they that inserted the words into the Creed would say he suffered all things that might concerne our Redemption which were so many and so grieuous as the heart of man is not able to reckon them or to finde the bottome of them for when he came to suffer for vs he desended into a very Abissus or bottomlesse pit of misery not to bee sounded by any mortall heart This sense is taken too by some Diuines as the most proper sense of the words in this place And for mine owne part with submission to information of better iudgements if one particular sense must be taken to I best like this Thus of his descension in respect of the whole Man In respect of his body our Sauiour descended into Hades or Sheol when he descended into the graue and so it is the same in sense with his buriall and this interpretation is not to be slighted for first I haue quoted many places of Scripture before where the Translators themselues render the words by the terme of the graue So Iacob descended into Hell when he went downe into the graue Gen. 42. 38. And besides Athanasius in his Creed which is one of the most ancient that haue this Article in leaues out Buried and puts in He descended into Hell as if he signified thereby that he tooke that to be the meaning of the Article And Ruffinus saith in his Exposition of the Creed that the sense of these words seemes to be the same with the other word Buried Thirdly in respect of his soule our Sauiour may be said to descend into Hell in two senses First in that hee abased himselfe so farre as to let his soule to be in that condition which our soules are in betweene the time of our death and our resurrection which was a great abasement though the soule suffered no paine for his very soule herein endures the common condition of all mens soules in death though the soule die not in respect of the substance yet in a generall sense euery change from that being wee haue for the present is a kinde of death because it makes a not being of that which was before or makes something not to be which had a being before What is mutabilitie but a kinde of death which while it changeth any thing into another fashion that ceaseth to be what it was and beginneth to be what it was not Thus in the soule of Christ there was not only a change but a
priuation of what he had before for first the Body was taken from the soule and a diuorce made between that couple that had liued so louingly together See 2 Cor. 5. 2. Secondly the 〈…〉 part of the soule was abolished seeing hearing breaâ—â—â—ng speaking and the like all ceast in Christ all the vessels or instruments of the senses being taken away from the soule Thirdly all outward operations did cease in which the soule was wont to worke and now could worke no longer This is to be vnderstood of doing worke in the visible and corporeall world Fourthly there is in the soules euen of the godly and so in Christ a most earnest longing yet without paine or sorrow for the consummation of felicitie to be enioyed with the body resumed The soule departed is ioyned to the body still though not in life and sense yet in naturall affection so as it enioyes no happinesse which it doth not wish to the body The soules of the righteous crie vnder the Altar for though they rest saith one à labore yet they doe not rest à clamore and though they haue nothing that molest them yet they haue not yet what would more delight them viz. their bodies Thus of the first sense Secondly Christ in soule descended into Hell when as our furetie he submitted himselfe to beare those hellish soâ—rowes which we were bound by our sinnes to luffer for euer His descension is his proiection of himselfe into the sea of Gods wrath conceiued for our sinnes and his ingression into most vnspeakable straits and torments in his soule which we should else haue suffered for euer in Hell This way of Christ descending into Hell is expresly vttered in the person of Dauid as the type of Christ Psal 86. 13. and 116. 3. and 69. 3. Thus the Prophet Esay saith His soule was made an offering Esay 53. 10. And this I take it Dauid meanes when hee said of Christ Thou wilt not leaue my soule in Hell Psalm 16. Acts 2. And thus Christ descended into hell when hee was aliue not when he was dead Thus his soule was in Hell when in the Garden hee did sweat bloud and on the Crosse when hee cried out so lamentably My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee Matth. 26 38. And according to this sense is the Article fitly placed in the Creed for hauing reckoned before what hee suffered in bodie in this Article is expressed what hee suffered in soule and in the sixteenth Psalme it seemes hee first reckons what hee suffered in soule and his deliuery from it when hee said Thou wilt not leaue my soule in Hell and then speakes of the priuiledge of his body in the graue as a thing which followed the suffering and deliuerance of his soule out of Hell The vse of this Article may be 1. To informe vs againe of the hatefulnesse of sinne that hath thus abased the Sonne of God and withall to shew vs how great that surpassing loue of Christ to vs was that could bee content for our sakes to be thus abased 2. To instruct vs especially in two things Humility and Patience This is a matchlesse patterne for vs to learne by how should our hearts fall low and descend in vs when we heare how many wayes Christ hath descended and abased himselfe for vs this should destroy our pride and those high thoughts in vs that hinder true lowlinesse of heart Phil. 2. Matth. 11. 29. And for Patience what can wee suffer that is comparable to the descension of Christ into Hell in all those senses Such vnworthy creatures are we as whatsoeuer God doe with vs wee cannot descend lower than wee are or deserue to be and if God haue deliuered our Sauiour from this bottomlesse sea of misery into which he descended for our sakes why should wee doubt through vnbeleefe or despaire This should teach vs to trust vpon God and wait for deliuerance from whatsoeuer distresse we doe or can fall into 3. To comfort vs for his Descension is our Ascension He descended into Hell that we might ascend into heauen He hath endured vnspeakable sorrowes on earth that we might enioy riuers of pleasure in heauen The fifth Article 2 TIM 2. 8. The third day he rose againe from the Dead HItherto of the Articles of the Creed that describe the abasement and humiliation of of Christ the Mediator on earth Now it followes to consider of the Articles that concerne the exaltation of Christ as hee is the Mediator made glorious and so three things are entertained into the Christian faith as the three parts or degrees of the glorification of Christ viz. his Resurrection Ascension and Session at the right hand of God But before I handle these in particular I must consider of his exaltation in generall Concerning the exaltation of Christ in generall two things are to be considered both what in Christ was exalted and what good it is to vs that hee was so exalted For the first of these The person of Christ was exalted and that in respect of both Natures The Diuine Nature was exalted but in some respect the Humane Nature was exalted simply The Diuine Nature being immutable could receiue no increase of glory or essence in it selfe but yet was exalted in respect of the manifestation of the glory and Maiestie which in the estate of humiliation was hidden as it were vnder a vaile Rom. 1. 4. so that Christ was exalted in respect of Manifestation onely as he was God The Humane nature was exalted absolutely and simply and that two waies namely by the deposition or laying downe of Infirmities and by glorification or susception of most excelling gifts In the estate of exaltation Christ put off the infirmities of our nature which he assumed in his Incarnation such as were hunger thirst wearinesse in the body and negatiue ignorance and feare and sorrow in his soule The gifts he receiued were both in body and soule his body being rescued from corruption and death and all misery becomes incorruptible immortall impatible and was made to shine with all purity strength agility and brightnesse as became the body of God 1 Cor. 15. 42 43 44. His soule receiued all knowledge could befall a nature euen the knowledge perfect of all things that are and all vertues and gifts in their highest degree that can be in a glorified creature aboue all blessed Angels and men Yet by the way wee must know that Christ did receiue such glory as did not destroy the humane nature Christ laid downe all infirmities of the flesh but not the flesh it selfe for now hee is glorified hee hath the same flesh he had when he was borne and crucified He was not emptied of the substance of his humanity but in it glorified not deified for How can a finite thing equall that which is infinite And how can wee say wee beleeue in Christ God and Man if he be no more a man Wherefore we must constantly hold the difference between
with eternal punishments why page 500 Sins remitted and retained how page 463 Sitting what it signifieth page 489 Christs Sessio at the right hand of God is comfortable in seuen respects page 492 Christs Soule how produced page 263 Excellency of mans Soule aboue other creatures appeares in seauen things page 197 Soule of man made in the Image of God page 197 Soule immortall page 198 What the Soule workes in the body Ibid. Soule resembles God in the Creation Ibid. Condition of our Soules in death page 449 Soule of Christ in his death indured a priuation of what it had before Ibid Soules of the righteous cry vnder the Alter Ibid. Our greatest care must be for our soules page 422 Christ the Sonne of God page 335 God hath many Sonnes page 336 Where the Spirit is there is liberty page 541 Spirit quenched by two sorts of men page 546 Happinesse of Christs subiects page 233 Christs subiects must doe seuen things page 234 Sufferings of Christ Suffering attributed to the diuine nature in respect of personall vnion page 305 Christs Sufferings full of wonder and amazement Ibid. They teach vs six things Ibid. He suffered not for all proued against the Arminians page 307 He Suffered from all sorts of enemies Ibid. To teach vs three things Ibid. Who haue part in Christs Sufferings page 308 Christs Sufferings a matchlesse patterne of his loue page 309 Iust Suffers for the vniust Ibid. Seuen reasons why he suffered page 310 Scriptures fulfilled in his Sufferings Ibid. His sufferings teach vs patience page 311 Two obiections against his Sufferings answered page 312 Difference betweene Christs Sufferings and Martyrs page 313 End of Christs Sufferings teach vs diuers things Ibid. Benefit of his Sufferings appeares in seuen things page 314 Hee suffered by waie of Imputation page 316 Hee Suffered from his conception to his resurrection page 317 What he Suffered from his Baptisme to his last Supper page 320 Where he Suffered page 325 When he Suffered Ibid. Hee Suffered Voluntarily page 326 348 421 Hee Suffered meane vsage why page 356 Christ suffers two things from Herod page 370 Christs Sufferings should make vs afraid of sinne page 397 We should Suffer any thing for Christs sake page 417 Superscription ouer Christs Head page 399 Pilates meaning in it Ibid. God by this giues testimonie to his Son Ibid. Superscription written in three Languages page 402 Deriuation of Symbolum with signification thereof T. ALL men need be Taught page 471 Teares haue power ouer Christ page 385 Christ Teacheth diuers waies page 221 Excellency of Christs manner of Teaching page 222 Christ Tempted for diuers reasons page 320 Christs Temptation teacheth vs fiue things page 321 Christ dwels not in Temples made with hands page 243 Thiefe conuerted page 404 Abuse not his example to procrastination page 405 Three fruits of his conuersion page 406 Thiefes confession page 408 Thiefes prayer hath in it three things obseruable page 409 Christs answer to the Thiefe page 411 How the Thiefe vnderstood what was meant by Paradise Ibid. Profitable to teach the people the whole body of Theology page 2 Thomas his vnbeleefe page 464 Thomas his confession page 465 Christ crowned with Thornes page 381 Thankefulnesse to God for the blessings of Heauen page 176 Thunder and lightning page 170 Times and seasons left to God page 427 Worldfull of Treachery page 334 Christs apparition to his Disciples the doores being shut no proofe for Transubstantiation page 462 Truth of God See God Christ beares witnesse to the Truth page 365 Truth will preuaile Ibid. Constancy for the Truth page 366 Christs subiects are of the Truth Ibid. Christ fastened to a Tree for three reasons page 390 Doctrine of the Trinity page 115 Proofes of the Trinity page 116 In handling the Trinity wee must bee wise to sobriety page 117 Trinity Essence Persons all brought in in the Primitiue Church page 123 Eleuen obiections against the Trinity answered page 124 Doctrine of the Trinity vsefull page 126 We must speake of the Trinity in vnity page 127 Vnsound speeches of the Trinity Ibid. What Heretikes haue assaulted it Ib. V. ORiginall of vegetable creatures page 185 Their variety and vse page 186 Vaile of the Temple rent page 413 What it was Ibid. What it signified page 414 Vbiquitaries confuted page 502 They gaue Christ Vinegar to drinke for three reasons page 398 Virgin Mary not conceiued without sinne page 265 Virgin ouer-shadowed page 265 Christ tooke his Body of a Virgin page 267 Wofull estate of vnbeleeuers page 35 240. Christ vpbraided his Disciples for vnbeliefe why page 470 Vnity of God See God W. GOds dearest seruants exposed to outward Wants page 466 Great Wants fore-runne extraordinary supplies Ibid. Christ speakes to Women page 285 Comfort for Women in Child-bearing page 269 Women chiefe witnesses of Christs death page 419 What wholsome words are page 3 Wicked men incorrigible page 348 Wicked desire Christs miracles not his Word page 369 Wicked men of more account then godly page 371 Wicked men within the Church may be as vile as they are without page 376 Wicked men are impatient vnder Gods hand page 386 Wicked men are like a dry Tree Ibid. Wicked men in a wofull case page 397 Wicked men how condemned already page 509 Wicked men are Goats page 418 Wicked men are cursed creatures page 527 Wicked men forget their sins page 528 Wicked men taste the Word of God without digestion page 540 Difference betweene godly and wicked men in their desire after Christ page 369 Great World a little Garden page 161 It is like a Booke Ibid. Like a faire House Ibid. Fiue things wonderfull in the making of the world page 162 Workes of God of two sorts page 144 Externall Workes of foure sorts page 145 When the world was made page 148 Giue God the Glory of his Workes page 149 Meditate on Gods Workes not delight in idle shewes Ibid. World fiered at the last day how page 531 Word doth not euer presently worke page 354 God Workes sometimes by vnlikely meanes Ibid. How the Word was made flesh page 251 Vnion of the Word and flesh differ from other vnions Ibid. Gods Wisdome moderates betweene his Iustice and mercy â—8 Three beare Witnesse of Christ in Heauen three on earth page 430 LONDON Printed by G. M. for R. R. P. Stephens and C. Meredith and are to be sold at their shop at the golden Lyon in Pauls Church-yard 1626. Pro. 335. * So much as now is published comes vnto thy hands as it was left fully perfected by the Author in his life time 2. Waies of Preaching 1. By Text. 2. Without Text. And both expedient The Apostles Patterne The method intended What the Creed is What wholesome words are Vnwholesome doctrines of two sorts 1. Corrupt doctrine Diuers sorts of corrupt doctrine How many waies true doctrine may be vnwholsome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 How the Creed is a Patterne Note What great respect we should haue of the doctrines