body may be sayd to haue done it And whatsoeuer the body suffereth God may be sayd to haue suffred by reason of this coniunction The Angels surely were astonied heere at seeing him beneath themselues whom they did alwayes adore and worship aboue themselues The Cherubins which God commaunded to be placed at the two ends of the Arke of the couenant with their face being turned one towardes another and both looking on the mercyseate do signifie as much vnto vs as that they admyred and wondered to see a woorke of so great pietie viz. To see God made the propitiatory sacrifice of the worlde and to debase himselfe so low as to become a man But behold the prophecie as I may terme it of Adam fulfilled Man quoth he shall leaue father and mother and cleaue vnto his wife and they two shall be one fleshe Christ Iesus leaueth his Father and the Angelles in Heauen for to associate himselfe vnto his spouse in earth and as you haue heard she is bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh for they are no more two but one person And this beloued is tydings of great ioy for now according to the lawes of wedlocke we may assure our selues to haue all thinges in common with him so that he shall take vpon him our sins and transgressions as his owne and we again shall be partakers of his puritie and holinesse as our owne That our debts shall be required at his hands and we be saued harmles discharged of them which is all one with that which is sayd here that a Sauiour is born vnto vs. But this by the way wee must not now forget that it is our partes and duties to forget likewise our owne people and fathers house to abandon all strange loues and to admit none into the fellowship of that spirituall bedde but to cleaue onely vnto him to honor and obey him to reuerence and loue him to keepe our chastities vnspotted our soules and bodies pure and vndefiled for him And as our nature is one with his who so is heauenly and diuine so to liue an heauenly diuine life neither louing any thing that he lotheth or lothing any thing that he loueth but that his will be our will and his precepts our continuall practises As he hath ouercome Sinne in his owne person in being conceiued and liuing without Sinne so hath he deliuered vs also from the guilt therof by suffering the punishment for vs and imputing his Righteousnes vnto vs also in that he ouercame Sin it appeareth plainely that he hath vanquished death For death is but the stipend and wages of Sinne and as it were the effect and fruite of Sinne. For if man had auoyded the first he should surely haue escaped the latter for it was not the corruption of our bodies that made our soules sinfull but the Sinne of our Soules that made our bodies corruptible And therfore if the fountaine be drie the brookes must needs be drie If the cause be taken away the effects must of necessity follow as if the Sunne be darke the Moone and the Starres can giue no light death a great while amazed al mankind I speake of the eternall and neuer-dying death of which Gregory speaking faith Mors erit immortalis defectus indeficiens finis infinitus vnto which belongeth the worm that neuer dieth when a man shall be alwayes dying and neuer dead euerlastingly hauing an end and yet no end stil decaying and neuer decayed Because his end euer beginneth his death euer liueth and his decay neuer ceaseth From which by the Law there was no Redemption which would haue brought into eternall subiection all creatures whatsoeuer if this Sauiour and deliuerer had not bin born vnto vs so that euery soule like the mothers in Ramaâ— might haue iustly sighed forth those dolefull dirges of weeping mourning and lamentation and with Iob haue cursed the dayes of their Natiuity by reason of the torments and tortures of the dead But as the Asse called Cumanus asmus getting vp and downe in a Lions skin did for a while terrifie his maister but afterward being descried did do him no good seruice So death which sometimes made afraid the wisemen of the world by his skin or sting of Eternity Nowe since our Sauiour hath bereaued him thereof seemeth contemptible euen vnto Children so that they dare boldly goe vnto it for they know it shall benifite them very much for if they be oppressed with any miseries or calamities in this life when they shall come to death they shall be discharged and death as an Asse shall beare their burdens for them yea they know that death vnto them shall bee no death but an entrance into euerlasting life and therefore they feare not God is the life of the soule as the Soule is of the bodie by sinning voluntarily the Soule lost God hir life therefore she can not now at hir pleasure giue life She would not be gouerned of God therefore now she can not gouerne the body Hauing not obeyed hir superiour why should she command hir inferiour God found his creature rebellious against him The Soule was found a transgressor of Gods law now therefore she findeth a law in hir members repugning the law of hir mind Sinne separated betwixt God and hir therefore death doth seperate betwixt hir and the body The Soule could not be diuided from God but by sin neither can the body from the Soule but by death what iniury therfore suffred she if she suffered that of hir subiect which she committed hir self against hir prince Nothing surely was more agreeable vnto Iustice then that death should be rewarded with death spirituall with corporall and voluntary with necessary Whenas man therfore had deserued according to either nature to suffer this double death the one spirituall and voluntary the other corporall and necessary from either of them the man-god Christ Iesus most mightily hath deliuered vs by his owne corporall and voluntary death and in that one of his hath satisfied for both of ours If he had not died corporally he had not paid our debt and if he had not died voluntarily his death had not bin meritorious But now if as it is said the merit of death is sinne and the woges of sinne is death Christ remitting and forgiuing our sinne and dying for sinners the merit is abolished the debt is discharged But how shall we knowe that Christ can forgiue vs our sinnes euen by this in that he is God But how shall wee knowe that hee is God his miracles doe prooue it for he doth the works which no no man else can doe yea God himselfe from heauen hath confirmed the same Therefore if Christ be for vs who is against vs If Iesus iustifie vs who shall condemne vs It is he and no other to whom we confesse our sins saying Against thee onely haue I sinned c. Who could better nay who could at all forgiue vs that which was committed against
him Or how can he not do this which can do all things In a word if I can pardon that which is committed against me if I will shal not God our Christ be able to forgiue that which is committed against him if he wil If therefore hee can forgiue and pardon our sinnes both because hee is omnipotent and onely can because they are onely done against him Surely blessed is the man to whom this Lord Christ will not impute sinne Therefore we know that Christ by the power of his diuinity is able to forgiue sins now of his will who need to doubt For hee that debased him selfe so much as to take our flesh vpon him and to suffer death for vs shall we thinke that he will not imparte vnto vs his righteousnes surely yes so that as it is euident by the consideration of his deitie that he is able to forgiue our sinnes so it is manifest by the consideration of his Humanity that he is willing so to do But what other argument haue we that he hath vanquished death marry this because hee suffered it which did not deserue it And therefore with what reason can that bee required of vs which an other hath already paid for vs hee that tooke away the merrit of sinne by giuing his righteousnes vnto vs hee hath paid the debt of death and restored life vnto vs for so death being vanquished life is restored as sinne being taken away righteousnes is returned But how could he die which was God Euen in this respect that hee was man But how could the death of one man satisfie for an other because he was Iust and Innocent that died As he was a man he might die but being guiltlesse it was not necessary Indeed a sinner is not able to satisfie the debt of death for an other sinner for euery one dieth for his owne sinne but he that hath no cause to die for his owne shall we not thinke his death may be a ransome for an other Surely by how much the more vniustly hee dieth which hath not deserued death by so much the more iustly he liueth for whom he so dieth But what equity is it saist thou that an innocent person should die for the guilty I tell thee it is not Iustice but mercy if it should haue bin Iustice then he had not died voluntarily but of duty if of duty then he himselfe should die indeed yet he for whom he so died should not liue But neuerthelesse if it be not Iustice yet it is not against iustice otherwise God could not haue bin iust and mercifull at once But although one iust man may satisfie for one sinner yet howe is it that one may satisfie for many for it might seeme inough if one dying for one do restore Life vnto one To this the Apostle shall answere As by the offence of one the fault came on all men to the Condemnation of death So by the Righteousnes of one the benefit abounded towards all men to the iustification of Life For as by one mans disobedience many were made Sinners So by the Obedience of one many are become Righteous But perhaps one man might restore Righteousnes vnto many but Life not so By one man saith he death entered into the world and so by one is Life regayned For as by Adam all die so by Christ shall all be made aliue For what shal one man sinne and all become guilty and shall the Righteousnes of one redownd but to one only was gods Iustice such as to condemne al for one and cannot his mercy be as great as to saue all by one Or could Adam do more in euill then Christ in good Shall Adams Sin be imputed vnto me and shall not Christes righteousnes belong vnto me Shall his disobedience be the cause of my Death and shal not Christs obedience restore me to life but thou wilt say we are worthely guilty of Adams Sinne because we were contained in him when he sinned and were begotten of his flesh in the sinfull Lust of the Flesh But I say more truly are we begotten of god according to the spirit then of Adam according to the flesh I meane if we are of the number of those whom God hath predestinated before the creation of the world vnto Life And that we are begotten of god S. Iohn witnesseth where he saith Which were not begotten of blood nor after the will of the Flesh nor of Man but of God And in one of his Epistles he likewise maketh mention of this holy generation saying He that is borne of God sinneth not But thou wilt say our carnall concupiscence and sinne testifieth that we haue descended of sinners according to the flesh and not of God I answere this generation or birth is not seene in the flesh but in the spirit and minde and that of those onely that can say with the Apostle we haue the minde of the Lord and who haue the spirit bearing witnesse to their spirits that they are the sonnes of God for by the spirit of God chastitie is infused into our mindes as by the flesh which is of Adam concupiscence is diffused about in our members and as that which is descended vnto vs from the parents of our bodies doth neuer depart in this life from the flesh so the other proceeding from the father of our spirits is neuer excident from the intention of the mindes of his children that are perfected in him If then we are borne of God and elected in Christ what equity is it that our earthly and humane generation should hurt vs more then our spirituall and heauenly is able to helpe vs Can our carnall succession hinder the election of God and a momentary sinne be a let vnto his eternall and euerlasting purpose Nay if by one man death entered vpon all shall not life by one man especially such a man as Christ be giuen vnto all And if in Adam wee all died shall we not much more in Christ be made aliue for the fault was nothing so much as the gift for iudgement came for one sinne vnto condemnation but grace was of many sinnes vnto iustification Christ therefore both could remit our sinnes in that he was God die in that he was man and by dying deliuer vs from death in that he was iust and though but one yet be sufficient vnto iustification and life for all because both sinne and also death did enter into vs all by one Thus all of Christ was powerfull to helpe vs in euery thing he was profitable for vs neither was his infirmity lesse auaileable then his maiestie for although by the power of his deitie hee remoued the yoke of sinne from our neckes yet in the infirmity of his flesh he destroyed the power of death by his death And therefore true is that of the Apostle the weakenesse of God is strongest vnto men for his death hath freed vs from death as his life did from errour and his grace from sinne
But some man may say if Christ hath thus deliuered vs from the power of sinne and death what is the reason that we die dayly and are not presently clothed with immortalitie mary that the truth and verity of God may be fulfilled for seeing God loueth both mercy and truth it is necessary that man die because God hath spoken it and yet that he rise and liue againe because God is merciful So that death although it doth not perpetually raigne ouer vs yet it remaineth for a time in vs for the truth of Gods sake euen as sinne also though it raigne not in our mortall bodies yet it is not altogether abolished out of vs. Thirdly as death was put to death by this Lord of life so likewise was sathan the prince of death for as Origen testifieth there were besides the Theeues two crucified on the Crosse of Christ Christ himselfe visibly with his wil and for a time the diuell inuisibly against his wil and for euer so that now the band of death which was drawne together by the sinful life of one was loosed by the righteous death of an other and our malicious aduersary that neuer ment vs good is now ouertaken in the effect of his malice for by hastening the Sonne of Gods execution he brought on all the sonnes of mens redemption and his owne confusion Ruens dum irruens captus dum capit mortalem persequens in saluatorem incidens Falling whilst following caught whilst catching pursuing a creature and lighting on the Sauiour so that as before he had ouercome the first Adam and in him had held all mankinde captiue now he is ouercome himselfe of a second Adam by his puissance looseth the Christian kinde that were chosen out of mankinde and now set free from the sinne of man by this his aduersary that was without sinne though he were of mankinde And is not this blessed brethren Tidings of great ioy that such a Sauiour is borne vnto vs that hath subdued all those that were any whit against vs Therefore now O dead Adam lift vp thy head again take hart vnto thee and be of a good courage for hee is borne that hath vanquished thy enemies Sin Death and the Diuel that wil reconcile thee to thy creator and make thee a newe creature thou hast bin dead a great while like Lazarus and wee may thinke with Mary that thou stinkest but he that could make the dry bones come together and stand vp is able to raise thee from the dust of death and to set thee with the Princes of the liuing God Thou hast layne a long time in thy goare like the wounded man of Iericho and many haue passed by thee but none shewed compassion on thee but behold here is come a good Samaritane to binde vp thy wounds and to restore thee to thy health despaire not This beloued is the comfort of a Christian the solace of a sinner and the tidings of ioy that is come vnto all people euen that there is borne vnto vs a Sauiour O name aboue all names and most woorthy to be euer named It is euen as honny vnto my mouth and as marrowe vnto my bones O blessed be this name of the Lord for it turneth my water into wine my malady into melody my sorrowes into sollace my musing into musicke and my sighing into singing like oyle it maketh me to haue a cheerefull countenance and like bread it strengtheneth my fainting hart it is as sweet incense powred forth and therefore saith Solomon the virgins loue him I wil not nowe be afraide for any terrours by night nor for the arrowes that flie by day for my Sauiour will saue me vnder his wings and I shall be safe vnder his fethers his mercy and truth shall be my shield and buckler Many were the fauors that God shewed vnto the Israelites in bringing them from their grieuous bondage in Egypt to their stately gouernment in Canaan whereof Dauid seemeth very proud in that Psalme that he compiled of it But if you consider them they will appeare nothing in comparison of those benefits which this sweet name Sauior doth import vnto vs. First saith Dauid he deuided the red Sea and led them safely through it when their foes were drenched and ouerwhelmed in it and in the day time he led them with a Cloud This was their Baptisme vnder Moses as Paul saith but if we compare it with ours we shall finde that we haue drowned a greater enemie euen the infernall Pharao the diuill of hell as many as are baptised in the red Sea of this our Sauiours bloud Dauid goeth farther and saith As he led them in the day time with a cloud so did he in the night time with a light of fire This was I confesse a token of Gods great loue to giue them such a Light but it was nothing in comparison of that light which shineth in the darknesse of our heartes and minds by whch whosoeuer walketh shal neuer see darknesse but shal haue the Light of Life Furthermore he saith for the glory of the Iew he claue the rock in the wildernes and gaue them Drinke as out of the great depth But Paule saith for the comfort of vs Gentiles This rock is Christ which being clouen on the crosse by the souldiers speare there gushed out most plentifully that water of Life which serueth to satisfie the thirst of euery soule Dauid addeth God opened the Doores of Heauen and rained downe Manna vppon them to eate which was the food of Angels but that was but a figure of this bread of life which is come down from Heauen vnto vs of which whosoeuer eateth shall liue for euer Finally Dauid reioyseth that God by the hand of his seruant Ioshua conducted his people into Canaan and set them in possession of that good and pleasant land But that was but as dung in comparison of our inheritance our heauenly Canaan the kingdome of God of which Iosuah our Iesus will crowne vs Kings for euer if we follow him as he hath commanded Seeing then O happy Christians that Dauid so much reioyced for those temporal blessings that God had bestowed vpon his forefathers how much more ought wee to triumph in the remembrance of those spirituall benedictions and graces which we shall bee pertakers of for euer by the comming of our Sauiour wherein we seem as farre to exceede the Iewes in the fauour of GOD as the Iewes exceeded all other nations of the world whatsoeuer Euen Christ the Lord It is added moreouer for the increase of our comforte that our Sauiour is Christ This word Christ is a Greeke word and soundeth as much as Annointed in English Whereas then we heare that our Sauiour is Christ that is annointed we are assured that he is come into the world by the speciall decree and appointment of God himselfe The externall or visible Oyle that was vsed in the time of the Lawe God ordained for the creating or appointing of
three sorts of officers viz. Kings Priests and Prophets whereby he did signifie that by the hand of this King he would gouerne and defend his people in the person of this Priest bee called vpon and worshipped and by the mouth of this Prophet declare his wil and pleasure vnto the people Vnto all these Offices was our Sauiour annointed not with materiall or visible oyle but with the oyle of gladnes wherewith Dauid Prophesied hee should be annointed aboue his fellowes Neither beareth he these names and titles in vaine but also hee executeth the Offices belonging thereunto For first he hath deliuered vs like a King from the power of our enemies and hath made vs free-men with the Angels in heauen yea he hath giuen vs Lawes and Statutes to obserue which whoso keepeth shall liue in them blessing also them that serue him and damning such as rebell against him Therefore in that we heare our Sauiour is annointed our King to rule ouer vs wee haue no little cause to reioyce in that we may be assured that the kingdome of darknesse which our aduersarie the diuell had begun to erect and stablish in vs shall nowe bee ruinated and pluckt downe In stead whereof Christ wil establish his heauenly kingdome which is iustice peace and ioy of the holy ghost also that he shall bridle with his might and bruise with his rod of iron not onely wicked and diuelish men but also the diuel himselfe and al his Angels which go about to hinder the increase of his glory or our health and saluation Secondarily in that he is annointed our Priest we haue this comfort giuen vnto vs that we haue one that will sacrifice continually like good Iob for his children and make intercession for vs. The office of the Priest in the time of the Lawe was to pray for the people to blesse them to sacrifice for them to consecrate and sanctifie them according to the commandement This was a great comfort in those dayes vnto the afflicted consciences of distressed sinners groaning and groueling vnder the heauy burden of their manifold transgressions to haue a Priest to pray for them and to reconcile them vnto the fauour of God whom by their sinnes and iniquities they had prouoked vnto anger Sithens then that we heare that Christ is annointed our Priest we may assure our selues that hee is tied to the selfe same Offices but indeed to so much more excellent then these as he hath obtained a more excellent Priesthood The Priest after the order of Aron serued in the corruptible and figuratiue Tabernacle but our Priest is taken vp into the true Tabernacle heauen it selfe where he sacrificeth for all the saints and seruants of God there he maketh intercession for vs for hee ascended thither that he might follow all our suites faithfully and earnestly He blesseth vs also in that he was made a curse for vs he sacrificeth for vs in that he offered vp himselfe a sacrifice once for all for the sinnes of the whole world lastly he sanctifieth and consecrateth his Catholike church renewing hir minde and washing hir in the fountain of regeneration by the word that she may be holy euen as he is holy Seeing then he is anointed of God to sacrifice and make intercession for vs to blesse consecrate and sanctifie vs and to reconcile vs againe into the fauour of Almighty god that we may now without feare approach vnto him what a ioyfull thing is this that our Sauiour is a Priest Lastly in that he was annointed to bee a prophet vnto vs we may reioyce and bee glad therein because we shall truely vnderstand know the will and pleasure of our God seeing the Sonne of god himselfe who is one with his father to whom the eternall will and counsell of God is manifest and open is annointed and appointed to declare it vnto vs. And thus much of the Ioy which a sinner may receiue when he vnderstandeth that his Sauiour is Christ Thus beloued haue I acquainted you with the particularities of Ioy that occurre vnto vs in the message of the Angel what remaineth now but that you should sing psalmes of praise and thanksegiuing vnto god who hath sent these ioyfull Tidings vnto vs Seeing he hath so gratiously regarded the low estate of vs his poore Creatures as that he hath not spared his owne sonne to saue vs. Vnto which sonne if ye runne with penitent and contrite harts though ye be neuer so heauy loaden he will ease and refresh you You know that in Adam ye were al alients from the house of God but you heard how that in Christ ye are brought home vnto the bishop and shepheard of your soules you did walke in darkenesse but Christ is come to giue you light you haue mourned for your sinnes but a Sauiour is come to make you glad you haue bin poore but Christ is come with all the Treasures of the Trinity to make you rich You haue sorowed for beeing shut out of Paradise but now Reioyce in that more then in any thing else For as far as Adam being in Paradise did exceed vs in temporall blessings so far do we out of Paradise exceed Adam in spirituall benedictions for though we were condemned to death for the tree of knowledge yet Christ is come that by the tree of his Crosse wee might haue life and that wee might haue it more aboundantly more aboundantly what is that that aboundantly we might haue more life by the Crosse of Christ then euer we had or could haue had by the tree of life that aboundantly wee might gaine more by the obedience of Christ in his death then euer wee lost or could loose by the disobedience of Adam in his life and therefore though the sinne of Adam was so heinous and horrible that it cast the Image of God out of Paradise that it polluted all the race of mankinde that it condemned the whole world that it defaced the very frame of heauen it selfe yet nowe considering the sequele how not onely the guilt of sinne but also the very memory of it is abolished by the comming of Christ we may not be afraid to say with S. Gregory O faelix culpa quae talem ac tantum meruit habere redemptorem O happy man was Adam that euer he so sinned and transgressed against God seeing both he and all we haue found such plentiful redemption such inestimable mercy such superaboundant grace such felicity such eternity such life by one Sauiour Wherefore deere Christian whatsoeuer thou art feare not any more as a man without hope but let thy spirit reioyce in God thy Sauiour Doe thy sinnes greeue thee and the punishment due vnto them terrifie thy conscience Why behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sinnes of the whole world art thou stung with the old serpent Sathan Looke then on the brasen serpent Christ who healeth the sting of the other art thou hungry Christ is borne the bread of life of which whoso eateth shall