Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	adam_n	sin_n	transgression_n	6,929	5	10.8054	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12478	An exposition of the Creed: or, An explanation of the articles of our Christian faith. Delivered in many afternoone sermons, by that reverend and worthy divine, Master Iohn Smith, late preacher of the Word at Clavering in Essex, and sometime fellow of Saint Iohns Colledge in Oxford. Now published for the benefit and behoofe of all good Christians, together with an exact table of all the chiefest doctrines and vses throughout the whole booke	Smith, John, 1563-1616.; Palmer, Anthony, fl. 1632.	1632 (1632)	STC 22801; ESTC S117414	837,448	694

the little Boy which runnes to our friend Iesus Christ who then comes and paies our debt pacifies the conscience and we goe free Secondly because it maketh us one with Christ as we see in the Galathians and in the Epistle to the Ephesians wee are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone and therefore being one with him all the holy vertues that be in him are made ours the obedience of Christ his patience his love his meekenesse his goodnesse his holinesse and whatsoever is in him wee partake of it As we see in experience if a man be married to a woman whatsoever he hath hee communicates to his wife for if he be rich she cannot be poore if he be noble she cannot be base for looke what the man hath hee communicates to his wife even so being made one with Christ by faith looke what good things Christ hath that hee communicates to us his Righteousnesse his Holinesse c. Looke what he hath we cannot want If a man should commit treason against the king be condemned for it adjudged and sentence given that he shold have his hand cut off or his eyes pulled out if he had this cunning that he could make his hand or his eye to bee the eye of the kings sonne he should not have his hand cut off nor lose his eye because it then were the eye or hand of the kings sonne even so this is the skill and cunning of faith it makes us members and parts of Christ the sonne of God and therefore if wee be but the least bone in the body of Christ God will not cast us away we shall not perish for his sonnes sake So that faith doth not save us by reason it is a more holy quality than other graces or for the worthines of it above others but because it maketh us one with Christ as if a man had a stone in a ring that could heale many diseases we say it is the ring but indeed it is not the ring but the stone in the ring that cures them and even so it is said faith saveth us but not by the owne vertue but because it layeth hold on Christ and makes us one with him The second use of faith is to sanctifie us in this world for it doth not onely justifie us and take away the guilt of sinne but also sanctifies us in this world and taketh away the corruption of sinne So we see it is said Act. 15. Their hearts were purified by faith and Galatians 5. 6. that Faith worketh by Love There be two workes of faith First it worketh in heaven for when we have sinned and grieved God and are smitten in conscience for it accused and condemned then faith worketh in Heaven by tendring and offering up Iesus Christ to God for our Redemption and satisfaction of his justice Secondly faith worketh in earth by stirring up sanctified and holy motions Now two waies it may stirre up good motions First by the meditation of the death of Christ Secondly by combination or conjunction with Christ First by meditation for faith doth carry us to the crosse of Christ there to behold the great paines that Hee hath suffered for us how his body was racked and tormented for us and to this end Faith makes us consider these three things 1. The cause of his death 2. The end of his death 3. The manner of his death First to consider the cause of his death that it was nothing in himselfe but it was our sinnes and transgressions that caused his body to be whipped his face to be buffeted his hands to be peirced his feete to be nailed his Head to be crowned his sides to be launced with a speate So that our sinnes are the cause of the death of Christ and of all the grievous things that he suffered as it is in three and fiftieth chapter of Esay and the fifth verse But he was wounded for our transgressions he was broken for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes wee are healed And 1 Peter 2. 24. Who his owne selfe bare our sinnes in his body on the tree that wee being delivered from sinne should live in righteousnesse by whose stripes we are healed and therefore seeing our sinnes caused this cruell death and grievous paine to be upon Christ to doe the like to our sinnes to goe to the crosse of Christ to take them downe to crucifie them to hang them up to take the speare out of Christs side to thrust it into the side of sinne as in the Revelation we may see a voyce came to the Church concerning bloody Babylon Reward her as shee hath rewarded you so doth this voyce come to a Christian concerning sinne reward it as that hath rewarded Christ that would not let Christ to be at rest till it had killed him even so we should not let sinne be at rest till wee have killed it saith Augustine If one should kill thy father or thy mother wouldest thou entertaine him into thine house wouldest thou let him feede at thy table nay thou wouldest hate him and spit at him nay saith he sinne hath not killed thy father and mother but it hath killed Christ thy Saviour and Redeemer what saith hee wilt thou then entertaine sinne wilt thou let it sleepe in thy bosome wilt thou feede it Nay saith he hate it defie it and spit at it as at a Toade The second thing we are to consider is the end of Christs death now all the paines that Christ suffered it was to abolish sinne so wee see Heb. 9. 26. But now in the end of the world hath hee appeared once to put away sinne by the sacrifice of himselfe 1 Ioh. 3. 8. For this purpose appeared the Sonne of God that hee might loose the worke of the divell And therefore seeing the death of Christ was to abolish sinne if wee live in it we make all the paines of Christs sufferings and his death of none effect wherein judge you what an injury and wrong is offered to Christ the Prophet complaineth Esai 49. 4. That He laboured and spent his strength in vaine and for nothing such a complaint may Christ take up against us on the crosse For this cause was I sent of my Father into the world to abolish sinne and for this cause was I inclosed ninth moneths in the darke wombe of the Virgin and for this cause was I borne in a stable and layd in a manger for this cause was I thirty three yeeres labouring among you for this cause did I dye a cursed death on the corsse all this was to abolish sinne and therefore if men live in sinne still it may seeme to them Christ hath spent all his labour and strength in vaine nay he may say he hath spent his blood even all his blood even five streames of blood that came from him and all this in vaine to them It is said

suffer of good but of bad men divers bee well enough contented to suffer of good men as David Psalm 141. Let the righteous smite me Lord and that shall bee good for me but for drunkards and vile persons to doe it they cannot endure it Oh say some men if they had been good men that had done it it would never have grieved us but to suffer of such bad men as they this trouble us well but we must be contented to suffer of the basest sort wee see sometimes it fals out that a noble man suffers at the hand of a baser man than himselfe to have his head taken off but he knowes that his power is directed by a greater power than his which makes him submit himselfe to suffer so many times a Christian may suffer at the hands of one baser than himselfe but hee must know that the power that he doth it by is directed by a power farre greater than his owne Now that which Christ suffered of men may bee considered in three things 1. His apprehension 2. His arraignement 3. His condemnation In the apprehension of Christ we observe foure things 1. The place where 2. The time when 3. His preparation for it 4. The meanes and manner of it First the place where Christ was apprehended the text saith In the Garden not in the city for there is a specification of the place and that is in the garden Of which there be three Reasons why Christ was apprehended in the garden First because sinne began in the garden the first Adam did begin sinne there that as a learned man saith where the wound began there the medicine might begin also Secondly because the garden was the place where Christ had prayed and meditated in and therefore he would be apprehended there teaching us all herein this most excellent instruction that it is a good thing when death or danger comes that it findes us in the place where we have repented of our sinnes and most constantly walked with God by holy meditation and prayer where we have prayed to God and humbled our selves so Dan. 6. wee see that his accusers did not onely finde him in the place but in the act of prayer this also gave comfort to Saint Paul in his trouble Act. 24. 18. that He was found in the Temple as if hee should say O Lord I thanke thee that I was not found in the place of drunkennesse of dishonesty and prophanenesse but in the Temple the place of prayer When Ioseph and Mary sought for Christ Luke 2. among their kindred they could not finde him there but they sought him in the Temple and there they found him so if any seeke for us it were good that we were found in the Temple in the place of preaching prayer and holy duties but I feare me if some were to be sought for they should not finde them in the Temple nor in the place of prayer but idle at home or a swaggering at the alehouse in places of drunkennesse and prophanenesse when Elias 1 King 19. was come into the cave there came a voyce unto him What dost thou here Elias thou art a Prophet of God this is not a fit place for thee to be in so when men are in prophane places of disorders the Spirit of God comes to them by the motions of it and saith What dost thou here thou art a Christian this is not a fit place for thee to be here therefore as Christ was found in the place of meditation and prayer when hee was apprehended so we should labour to be found when death and danger comes in the place where we have repented of our sinnes and where we have prayed in Thirdly because it was a knowne place to Iudas for Iesus resorted thither with his Disciples to shew that Christ went willingly to his death for if hee had not been willing hee would have gone to some other place more secret at other times hee shunned death but now hee was willing to dye which should teach us that so long as God would have us to live we should be contented to live and when he would have us to dye we should also be contented to dye when wee perceive the houre and the time is I have shewed you heretofore that if a merchant hath sent his servant to trade and traffique beyond the sea so long as his master will have him trade hee trades but when his master will have him pack up all and come away he doth so thus must a Christian doe so long as God will have us to trade here in this world wee should bee contented but when he will have us pack up all and returne we should be contented to doe so too Secondly The time when Christ was apprehended when his houre was come so Ioh. 19. 28. When Iesus knew all things were fulfilled of him addressed himselfe to dye So hee saith Luk. 22. 53. When I was dayly in the Temple yee tooke mee not but this is your houre hee was in danger many times and yet there was none that touched him because his houre was not yet come This is an excellent comfort to a Christian that there is no man can doe him any harme or take away his life till the very time come that God hath appointed So saith David Psal 31. My times are in thy hands as if he should say if they were in the hands of mine enemies then it might come shortly or if they might take me unawares but my time is in thy hands therefore untill our time be come there is no man can doe us any harme though they rage and take on nay all the devils in hell are not able to doe us any hurt or take away our lives till the very houre be come that God hath appointed Thirdly Christs preparation for it he did prepare and strengthen himselfe by prayer and meditation Now as he strengthened and prepared himselfe for his apprehension so wee should prepare our selves for the time of our death for if Christ which was the Sonne of God prepared himselfe much more ought wee for he was strong and full of holy courage and magnanimity wee poore and weake and besides that hee knew the time when hee should die the place where and the manner how but we are ignorant of all First we know not the time when whether in the day or night when we are yong or old whether this yeere or the next Secondly wee know not the place where whether we shall dye amongst our friends or foes whether in the fields or in the house whether on the sea or on the land Thirdly we know not the manner how whether wee shall dye sodainely or of a lingring disease of the plague or of the feaver therefore seeing we know none of these we ought to prepare our selves to repent of our sinnes to get faith patience and obedience so to further our reckoning for if Christ prepared himselfe

long as he is in troubles and crosses of this life so long he is contemned and despised but when he is in the grave then hee is honoured as wee see the Iewes did persecute the prophets in their life time but when they were dead they did paint and garnish their tombes therefore our Saviour saith ye are witnesses unto your selves that yee are the sonnes of them that murthered the prophets when they were alive then they could not abide them but. when they were dead then they did honour them and so in Prov. 10. 7. The memoriall of the just shall be blessed but the name of the wicked shall rot The sight of a good man is grievous to a number they cannot abide to see his face but let God take him away and then they honour him it is not so with the wicked man for hee hath his honour whiles he liveth here every one doth applaud him and speake to him faire but let him dye and then his name rots as Iob 21. 17. it is said How oft is the candle of the wicked put out and how oft commeth their destruction upon them where we may see the life of a wicked man compared to a candle that when it is light every man takes delight to looke on it but let it be put out and it leaveth a stinking snuffe behinde it even so it is with a wicked man as long as he liveth every man seeketh to him and many doe applaud him but if he be dead then he leaveth nothing but a stinke behind and therefore this is a comfort to a Christian man that though he be despised here while he liveth yet he shall be honoured in the grave Thirdly it was a new grave wherein never man lay and here was a speciall providence of God in it Now there were two causes why he was buried in a new grave First lest the Iewes should surmise that it was not Christ that did rise againe but some other that was buried before him therefore he was buried in a grave wherein never man was laid before him Secondly lest the Iewes should thinke he did not rise by his owne power but by the power of some holy man that had beene buried there before even as the man spoken of 2 king 13. 22. when he was put into the grave of Eliseus and did touch his dead bones life came into him againe so lest they should thinke that some holy Man had beene buried there and by touching of his dead bones life came into him againe therefore wisedome of God appointed that he should bee buried in a Grave wherein never man was so that God would stop all occasions of surmising to the contrary In Hos. 2. 6. Behold saith the Lord I will hedge up the way with thornes and make a wall that he shall not finde her pathes some take this way to be the way of affliction but it is a Metaphor taken from men that doe inclose beasts in a pasture that do thrust bushes into every gap because they should not creepe out even so because wee are ready to creepe out at every gap therefore the Lord doth stop them that so wee may not wander here and there Fourthly it was in a garden that as the first Adam did commit sinne in a garden so the second Adam came to bury sinne and utterly to destroy it in a garden I but why did Ioseph make his grave in the midst of his garden seeing the garden is a speciall place of delight the reason is that he might remember death in the midst of his pleasures and to put him in minde that he must lye there and be dissolved to dust which doth teach us a speciall point of Instruction that wee ought to remember death in the midst of all our pleasures and delights our Saviour in his life often speaks of death as Matth. 20. 18. and Luk. 18. 31. When Christ was transfigured on the mount and Moses and Elias talked with him it is said They appeared in glory and spake of his decease Luk. 9. 31. so in the midst of our mirth and of our delights and pleasures we should thinke of death Saint Ierome saith it was the custome amongst the Romans that in the midst of their triumphs there was one at the backe of them who cryed out Remember thou art a mortall man and for all this applause that thou must dye so it was the manner of Egyptians that at their merry meetings to bring in a Sceleton the picture of a dead man whose flesh was puld off the bones and one said unto them Eate and drinke and bee merry for thou shalt bee such an one after death Now if the Romanes in their Triumphs had their remembrance of death and the Egyptians at their merriments then how much more should wee that be Christians thinke of death they had but the light of nature and we have the light of Gods grace We reade Genes 22. When Abraham saw the place afarre off where he should sacrifice his son he tooke the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his sonne Isaac and he tooke the fire in his hand and a knife and they went both together so when wee see afarre off the place of death or the time when we shall dye by contemplation or meditation that wee are old or that sicknesse is upon us wee should fit and prepare our selves for it that so wee may dye in faith and in the favour of God in assurance of the pardon of our sinnes that so when wee part with this world we may enter into joy and happinesse Fourthly we are to observe the manner of Christs buriall wherein divers things are to be considered As first that Ioseph before hee would take downe the dead body of Christ would aske leave of Pilate for the bodies of the condemned be in the hands of the Magistrates This was the reason why he would not take downe the body without leave Secondly when he had leave he goes and puls the nailes and spicks out of the hands and feete of Christ takes his body down and gets it on his backe and in this meditation it is likly said Lord thou hast borne the burthen of my sins and now I will beare the burthen of thy body Thirdly that Nicodemus did bring an hundred pound of sweet odors of Myrrh and Aloes to imbalme his body and lest the Iewes should thinke it were superfluity it is said It was the maner of the Iewes to doe so Fourthly when they had imbalmed his body Ioseph gets a kircher and tyed upon his jawes and wrapped up his wounds and sores with fine linnen and laid him in a faire sheet and wrapped him in it Fiftly when this was done they layd him into the earth the one at the head and the other at the feet and then they rowled a stone upon the grave that no body might doe any hurt unto the dead body

all would come to confusion if God should not restraine him 1 Sam. 25. 32. when David was in his heate hee thought to have killed Nabal and all his houshold but when hee met with Abigail and was come to himselfe Blessed be the Lord God of Israel saith hee which hath sent thee this day to meete mee And blessed bee thy advice and blessed bee thou which hast kept mee this day from comming to shed blood and from avenging my selfe with mine owne hand So when we be in our heate then we care not what we doe but if we once come to our selves then we can say O blessed be God for such a man and such a woman that kept me from sinning against him When Balaam went to curse the People of God for a bribe if the Asse had not spoken to him and made a stoppe the Angell of the Lord had killed him The Asse saw the danger but hee saw it not therefore the Lord gave Balaam cause to blesse God for his Asse even so if there bee any thing that stops us from committing sinne and though it be but an Asse we have cause to blesse God for it The fourth generall point that wee observed in Christs condemnation was What made Pilate to condemne Christ And that appeares to be 1. The importunitie of the Iewes 2. The feare of losing Caesars favour First the importunitie of the Iewes for the more hee pleaded for him the worse they were the more they cried out crucifie him crucifie him At last being wearied with their importunacie hee yeelds to them and condemneth him Here we may see what a wicked thing it is to yeeld to any bad thing for any importunitie whatsoever Adam yeeldeth to his wife and so brought death upon himselfe and his posteritie and was thrust out of Paradise So Sampson yeeldeth to Delilah and lost both his eyes If a man yeeld because hee would have rest he shall bee condemned for it If it bee good to stand out in the cause of Christ the first and the second time it is good to stand out to the end As if one be set to keepe away birds he cannot excuse himselfe to say the birds are busie and I cannot make them leave but the more busie the birds be the more busie he should be to suppresse them So the more wee be importuned to sinne aud the more busie the Divell is to tempt us the more busie we should be in Prayer and meditation to suppresse the temptations of the Divell It was Iosephs glory that notwithstanding his Mistris lay at him day by day yet he yeelded not to her So this shall be the glory of a Christian that notwithstanding ghee bee tempted to sinne from day to day hee yeelds not to it It is noted of Christ that when the Tempter ended the Angels came and ministred unto him So when wee have stood out in temptations and they be ended the Angels will come and minister to us a Cup of comfort or a Crowne of glory But Pilate because he stood not out in the cause of Christ as hee had begunne but yeelded lost all his glory therefore it is said in our Creede He suffered under Pontius Pilate which is a marke of disgrace unto him to the Worlds end The second thing that drew Pilate to condemne Christ was feare of losing Caesars favour for when the Iewes told him that if he let him goe hee was not Caesars friend this did so perplexe and amaze him that he sinnes against his conscience and inclines to the worser side Hee had good affections and stood out in the cause of Christ when all were against him but when it came to this that if he stood out still he should lose Caesars favor or else Gods favour He makes choyse of Caesars favour So it is with the world still so long as God and Caesar goe together so long as the world and religion goe together so long they hold but when it comes to this that they must lose Caesars favour or Gods favour they will leave God and choose Caesars favour But it is remarkable and worthy our observation that he that will make himselfe a friend to the world may have indeed Caesars favour for a time but he shall be sure to have God his enemie and then perhaps Caesar too as we may see in Pilate who laboured for Caesars favour and chose that before Gods favour yet through the just judgement of God he lost Caesars also for upon complaint made he was sent for and put from his Office banished the Land and so through griefe and vexation laying hands upon himselfe desperately killeth himselfe Let men take heed of this how they keepe mens favour and lose Gods for if it be so with them they may looke for Pilates judgement to have neither of them both because the doe not choose Gods favour above all SERMON XIX MATTH 27. 31. And after that they had mocked him they tooke the Robe off from him and put his owne raiment on him and led him away to crucifie him HAving spoken of the sufferings and condemnation of Christ in the next place we come to speake of his Crucifying wherein divers things are to bee considered 1. Why he must die the death of the Crosse 2. How he was led to be Crucified 3. The place where he was Crucified 4. The time and manner when 5. How Christ carried himselfe upon the Crosse First why of all other deaths He must die the cursed death of the Crosse for foure Reasons First because of all other deaths this was accursed by the Law of God none else was burning stoning dying by the sword or any other there is no curse annexed unto but to this one onely Cursed is every one that hangeth on tree Gal. 3. 13. Deut. 21. 23. So that he died not the least death but the worst that might be even the cursed death of the crosse and it was because he would take our curse upon him for by reason of our sins we deserved to be cursed both in life and death that we might be blessed in our deaths and freed of the curse hee was contented to take this same accursed death upon him Let us therefore never forget this great love of Christ to us yea remember what Saint Paul saith to Philemon concerning Onesimus If he oweth thee any thing set it on my skore I will satisfie thee for it So Christ doth ingage himselfe to God for us to take our curse on him that we may be blessed to die for us that we may live to be forsaken of God that wee may be received of God therefore let us never forget this love of Christ to us as Iohn 13. Saint Peter wonders at Christs humility Wilt thou wash my feet So we may much more wonder at the humility of Christ that he that was the Sonne of God higher than the Angels would die the cursed death

that did weaken their faith so men must take care of this that they doe not tye their faith to their eyes and fingers that they will beleeve God no longer than they see with their eyes and feele with their fingers for a Christian must beleeve God against sense and reason It is the manner of the world as long as they see with their eyes and feele with their hands as long as they have peace and ease and wealth so long they doe beleeve God but when this failes then their faith failes them I but Christ saith to Thomas Blessed are they which beleeve and see not Thomas did beleeve when he saw but it is a more blessed thing to beleeve and see not and therefore we must rest in the promises of God against sense and reason Now finding this weakenesse of faith in them hee doth labour to re-establish and strengthen them loe here we may see the goodnesse of God that by the weakenesse of their faith hee doth take occasion to strengthen the same It is the great mercy of God that all things shall worke together for the good of them that love him there be a number of things in the world that seeme to work against the people of God but God turnes all of them to the good of his people and of them that love him as we see in a Clocke that some wheeles turne one way and some another yet all serve to make the Clocke go so there be many crosses and contrary things in this world but all serve to one end even to worke for the good of them that love him This may bring comfort to Christians that the weakenesse of their faith the Lord can turne to their good wee see in experience if a man set yong Trees he will pull and shake the Tree as if he would pull it up and all that hee doth is but to settle the Tree the faster even so the Lord doth many times as if hee would overthrow a Christian and yet all is to settle his faith and to make him cleave the faster to God Now Christ doth strengthen the faith of his disciples two wayes 1. By reproving and rebuking of them 2. By informing them First hee reproves and rebukes them that they were slow of heart to beleeve the scriptures which may teach us that if there be a presence of God among us hee will bee reprooving of us whereas many thinke they may goe away with any sinne closely yet if there bee a presence of Christ among us hee will reprove us for our sinnes and for the weakenesse of our faith This is that which Christ speakes in the Gospell of Saint Iohn That when the Spirit of Christ is come into the world he shall reprove the world of sinne c. so if the spirit of Christ be come into our harts he will reprove us for misspending the time for our ignorance for every thing that is amisse but if it bee not so with thee but thou art at peace and securely sleepest in thy sinne then the spirit of Christ is not come into thee for if the spirit of Christ bee come into thee he will reprove thee of thy sinnes and make thee say as the L●pers said We doe not well to tarry here c. O we doe not well to breake the Sabbath to be drunken to speake filthily wee doe not well to lye or to sweare Now what was that he reproves them for That they were slow of heart to beleeve the Scriptures and here wee are to take notice of a corruption that is in us that we are slow to beleeve the Scriptures and the Gospel but quicke to beleeve a foolish tale or a lye or a false report of our neighbours from this the Lord hath much adoe to stay us although hee hath strictly charged us to enquire the truth of it Deut. 17. 4. where hee saith If it bee told thee and thou hast heard it then shalt thou enquire diligently if it bee true and the thing certain before we speake of it If there be a false report of a good Minister or of a good Christian that wee can beleeve presently but we are slow to beleeve the Scripture or any good thing we are tardy here is our fault and this corruption hath beene in our nature ever since the fall of Man for we see Genes 3. The Lord told Adam That in the day that he did eate of the fruit he should dye the death but the divell came and told him Ye shall not dye at all cleane contrary and yet we see that they were more ready to beleeve the divell than God Will yee see a comparison to explaine it the better If an earthly king should say to us If yee will bee contented to doe mee some service a few dayes and to attend mee I will afterwards advance you and bestow great honour upon you what man is there that would not rest himselfe upon the kings promise In like manner God hath said unto us Attend me in the duties of holinesse and doe mee service a few dayes whilest thou livest heere and afterward I will make you an Heire of the Kingdome of Heaven and thou shalt bee neere unto mee and yet wee will not beleeve God Now there bee two uses to bee made of this Doctrine which shall bee declared unto you God assisting the next time of our meeting SERMON XXXIIII LVKE 24. 26 27. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himselfe WEe heard the last day how Christ did labour to strengthen the weake faith of his Disciples when they were going to Emmaus and therefore let us travell with them and over-heare them that so that which did serve to strengthen them in their faith may serve to strengthen us in ours If a man have a legge or an arme out of joynt he cannot bee at rest untill it be set againe even so when we feele weakenesse of faith let us not bee at rest till wee have gotten the same strength of faith that wee had before therefore let us creepe into the company of Christ and goe as farre as Emmaus with him If a man hang on the top of an high Tower by the hand and there bee a number of sharpe stones under him that if hee fall it will burst him in pieces how carefull will he be to strengthen that hand lest he fall downe so faith is the hand we lay hold on God by and wee hang as it were at the top of an high Tower whence if wee fall wee are like to fall to hell how carefull therefore should we bee to strengthen that hand Now two wayes I told you Christ doth labour to strengthen their faith 1. By reproving of them 2. By informing of them Of the first wee spake the last day and therefore are