id incertum an ipso die Cicero de Senectute Mat. 28. 5 6. Mark 16. 6. Acts 2. 24 25. Rev. 1. 18. Rom. 1. 1. or alive we cannot say And that we shall all die we all know But how many here amongst us all are now both dead and alive together God knowes Indeed S. Paul was so He was both dead and alive indeed and so may some here be But it may be all here are not so Saint Pauls Condition was never Common Our Lord and Saviour dyed once and lived againe But his Servant Paul was dead and alive at once The Lord of life our Saviour Christ was crucified for Paul and lost his life But Paul the Servant of Christ was crucified with Christ his Lord and lived neverthelesse Some men have lived here the lesse by being crucified for Gal. 2. 7. Linus Episcopus de passione Petri. Eusebius Pamphil Ecclesi Histor lib. 2. 25. Christ But others much the more for being crucified with Christ The great Apostle of the Jewes was crucified for Christ and dyed But the great Apostle of the Gentiles was crucified with Christ and lived The Crosse of Christ did bring that one to death but not this other It brought Death to Saint Peter but life unto Saint Paul It can bring life as well as death It giveth life sometimes and sometimes it taketh life away It taketh life away sometimes that it may give it It taketh one away to give another It taketh this away to give a better And sometimes it kills and saves alive together It can doe both at Severall times and it can doe both at once It can doe both to severall men and it can doe both to one It can doe both by severall wayes and it can doe both by one sometimes it bringeth Life with Death and sometimes after Death it bringeth Life With the Death of sinne it brings the Life of Grace And after the Death of Nature it brings the Life of Glory True it is that the End of Life is ever by Death And yet it is as true that Death is not ever at the end of Life The Apostle dyed before his life was ended In the midst of Death a Man may be in Life And in the midst Life a Man may be in Death 1 Cor. 15. 31. I dye dayly sayd this Apostle when as yet he lived He had both Life and Death together in him He was in Death and Life at once A living dead man vivus crucifixus Crucifi'd with Christ and yet alive I am crucified with Christ neverthelesse I live yet not I but Christ c. This Text you see is full of turnings The Apostles Conversion is the Subject of it and well may it be the Subject of many conversions to quicken my discourse upon it Would my discourse upon it might quicken as many Conversions by it Now the Chiefe Considerables in it are these two 1. A Contradiction in Seeme 2. A Reconciliation in Substance In the first we have a Riddle Propounded In the Second we have the Riddle Expounded And in both together we may both Read the Riddle and the Reading of the Riddle I am crucified with Christ neverthelesse I live there 's the Riddle Yet not I but Christ that liveth in me there 's the Reading of the Riddle In the Riddle there are two Remarkables 1. The Mannr of it 2. The Matter in it It is the Manner of it that makes it seem so intricate a Riddle as indeed it is for it is proposed in a seeming Contradiction First the Apostle sayes that he is crucified with Christ and thereby seemes to say as much as that he is not living but dead For Christ was crucified to Death And then he sayes that he is neverthelesse alive and thereby seemes to say and sayes it in more then seemes that he is not dead but living Now thus to say it and to unsay it is to make a contradiction of it at least in seeme It is to speak a Paradox in it And all Paradoxes are admirable Propositions saith the Romane Oratour And this Text for a Paradox is as admirable as any other Every Riddle hath something mysticall in it But this Paradoxicall Riddle is a very mystery Yea whole Armies of Mysteries do keep their Randezvous within the quarters of this grand Paradox I am crucified with Christ neverthelesse I live And for the Matter in it it could not be more clearely expressed then it is by this very Manner of expression The Subject matter of it is S. Pauls Regeneration And that 's a matter very Mysterious It is mirabile magnum as Musculus calls it a John 3. 1. great Wonder When our Saviour first propounded the Doctrine of Regeneration to Master Nicodemus that great Ruler of the 3. Jewes and Master in Israel 10. it seemed a very Riddle to him and such a Riddle as he neither apprehended nor beleeved And therefore his Reply was not by unriddling but rejecting of it with a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 How can these things be It did so 9. puzle his Reason and so perplex his Faith that it seemed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a thing impossible a thing incredible though it were proposed by Truth it selfe in the plainest Dialect of the Gospell John 14. 6. What would it have done if it had beene lapped up in Aenigmaticall Language like this of Saint Paul How would Rationis humanae in mysteriis regni dei caecitas in Nicodemo apparet cui omnia ista quae de regeneratione proponuntur absurda apparent Theodoricus in Analys Evangel Domin Trinit 1 Cor. 15. 45. it have posed his Mastership had it beene proposed in the Wonderment of a Riddle or seeming contradiction Yet in this Seeming Contradiction we may plainely see the parts of Saint Pauls Conversion and in that the parts of a perfect Regeneration The first part is Mortification The second is Vivification The first is a Death unto Sinne The Second is a New Birth â—nto Sanctimonie The first is the killing of the first Adam The Second is the Quickning of the Second in him I am crucified with Christ there 's his Mortification His Death unto sinne The killing of the first Adam in him Neverthelesse I live there 's his Vivification His New Birth unto Righteousnesse The quickning of the Second Adam I an crucified with Christ there 's his putting off of the Old Man which Ephes 4. 22. is corrupt concerning the former Conversation Neverthelesse I live there 's the putting on of the New-Man which after God â—â— Ephes 4. 24. created in righteousnesse and true holinesse I am crucified 〈◊〉 Christ there 's the Mortifying of the flesh The members upon the Coloss 3. 5. Rom. 8. 13. 4. Earth The deedes of the Body Neverthelesse I live there 's the Quickning of the Spirit The walking after the Spirit The life of righteousnesse by the Spirit for the spirit is life because of righteousnesse Rom. 8. 10. I am
with Christ and yet alive neverthelesse But why should wee thinke it strange to heare of a Man alive and dead at the same time Are not all Men living ever so Is not every Man alwayes dead and living so long as hee is a Man or living Alive naturally and dead spiritually or Qui luxuriatur vivens mortuuâ— est S. Hieron ad matr filiam dead mystically and alive spiritually Dead in sinne and alive in Nature or dead unto sin and alive in Grace When Paul was in the state of Nature hee was both dead and alive hee was alive Naturally but dead spiritually But when he changed the state of Nature for the state of Grace he changed the Natures of his life and death He was dead in sinne before but now dead unto sinne or sinne is dead in him Hee lived as a Naturall Man before but now as a Spirituall He lived in sin before but now Grace lives in him Hee is now dead to himselfe dead to his sinnes but alive to his Saviour living to the Lord of life Crucified with Christ and living to him alive in him Now this his mysticall death is very desirable It is rather to be wished then any kinde of Death that Augustus thought of It is a Death that may be lawfully sought for yea it is a Death that men must pull upon themselves as soon as they can with a holy kinde of violence and the more earnest any man is in doing of it the more he is to be praised for it and more worthy of praise is hee that thus killeth the old Man in himselfe then ever Cleombrotus was or Cato or Lucretia for Plato in Phaedone S. August de Civitate Dei l. 1. ca. 19. 23. killing as they did themselves yea hee deserves no praise that does not thus crucifie himselfe This is an Euthanasy indeed and there can be none without it They never can die well that doe not die thus whilst they live Nor can they ever live well that are not thus dead When Paul was crucified with Christ then hee reckoned himselfe to be alive indeed Christo confixus sum cruci vivo autem jam saith hee as the vulgar translation has it I am crucified with Christ and now I live Jam vivâ— now I live as if hee had not lived indeed till now that hee was thus crucified with Christ As hee liveth after his crucifixion so hee liveth by it Hee that layes downe a Duplex hic est miraculum quòd mortuum vitae restituit quòd per mortem Theophil in locum temporall life for Christs sake shall take up one eternall for it and hee that with Paul does part with an evill life does gaine a good one by it yea hee gaines two good ones by it one here and one hereafter for hee shall raigne with Christ that is crucified with him as well as hee that is crucified for him I am crucified with Christ saith our Apostle Christ was crucified and so was Paul but severall wayes Christ was crucified for Paul but so was not Paul for Christ Yet sanâ— sensu in some sense Paul was crucified for Christ but not so as Christ for Paul Paul was crucified for Christs sake and Christ for Pauls But Christ was crucified for Pauls sinnes so was not Paul for Christs Christ had no sinnes of his owne to demerit any crucifixion in himselfe or in any other for him but so had Paul And Pauls crucifixion was for himselfe rather then his Saviour yet it was of the sinnes in himselfe rather then of himselfe in his sinnes It was a crucifying of sinâ—â— in his mortall Body Not a crucifying of his mortall Body in sinne Christ was crucified for Paul in Body and Paul for Christ Per crucem Christi remotus est à me proprius affectus Aquin. Commenta in locum 1 Cor. 9. 27. in Minde Mente orucifixus sum As Theophilact expounds it In minde I am crucified with Christ In minde with him not in person for him It was not a corporall but a spirituall concrucifixion Yet it was in Body as well as Minde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I beate my body downe saith hee and keepe in subjection And this subjection of the Body it selfe was spirituall It was not a crucifixion of flesh but of fleshly-mindednesse It was the suppressing of the Rebellions of Nature not the destroying of Nature it selfe The Nature of his life was altered by it But the Life of his Nature was not utterly abolished for still hee lived for all this kinde of Death This concrucifixion was not to Death but Life There are two kinds of concrucifixions 1. Corporall 2. Spirituall Those two Malefactours that dyed when Christ did upon Luke 23. 33. the Crosse were both crucified with Christ But not as Paul was in the Text for one of the two was never the better for that corporall concrucifixion Hee lost his temporall life upon the Crosse with Christ himselfe yet hee got not Life eternall for it from the Crosse of Christ Alas for him His was a Crosse indeed but none of Christs Hee suffered not for Christs sake but for his owne sinnes and there is seldome Life in such a Death A Crosse may be the Tree of Life unto a Penitent theefe But such Malefactours are seldome truely penitent Indeed the Crosse is vita justorum life to the Righteous but mors infidelium Death to the Wicked saith Cassiodorus The true Believer layes hold of an other a better Life then this present 2 Cor. 5. 1 2. Heb. 11. 35. as hee parts with this But the Infidell loseth this and gets no other for it The wretched and impenitent unbeliever by the Crosse of sufferings or by his sufferings upon the Crosse does lose even all his stock of Life and gaineth nothing The believing penitent loseth little and gaineth much hee parteth with a bad life and receives a better for it But our Apostle loseth nothing and gaineth all He gets a new life without giving the old away But his concrucifixion was of an other kinde It was not corporal but spiritual and such concrucifixions are twofold Primarie and Secondarie Now the first of these is that which every true Believer suffered in the Person of Christ when as Christ suffered in the Person of every true Believer For as all that fell by the sinne of the first Adam did sinne with that Adam in his person and Rom. 5. 12. fell in his Person with him So all that are saved by the sufferings of the second Adam did suffer with him in his person and are so saved with him Christiani omnes unà cum Christo tanquam illius membra in cruce pependerunt All Christians as the Musculus in locum members of Christ did suffer with him upon the Crosse The catholick Head of the Church was fastened to the Crosse and suffered for the whole Mysticall Body and all the mysticall Members that are fastened to the Body by
is a signal Conquest for a Man of a fiery Spirit to suppresse his Anger It is with Hercules to conquer one of the furies of Hell It was but Inhumanely spoken by Vitellius upon the Death of Otho as he viewed the Carcasses on the place where they fought the Battail O how sweet a perfume is a dead Enemie But it may be Divinely spoken by one that hath Conquered himselfe or Mortified his sinfull affections O what a savor of life unto life is the Death of such a Mortal sinne Such a bosome Enemy The Sinnes of every Man are every Mans greatest Enemies And the Kingdomes greatest Enemies are the greatest sins of the Kingdome I have been ever more afraid of the Sins of this our Nation then of any Souldiers from forreigne Nations Great talking there hath been of Danish Fleets and other Out-landish Forces But we have more cause to fear our Sea-mens sinnes and the sinnes of our owne Land If God be for us who can be against us And he will be for us if our sins be not against him but our Rom. 8. 31. sinnes are all against him and for their sakes he is against us Were it not for them we need not feare any Danish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 St Chrysost Nemo leditur nisi à seipso Fleets or Spanish Armados or Turkish Navies nor all the Pyrates and Powers of Hell We have most cause then to be afraid of our selves to feare our owne sinnes Every Man may well pray as some of old were wont to do Ame Domine serva me Lord save me from my selfe In the Common Prayers when the Minister said Give peace in our time O Lord the People were wont to answer Because there is none other that fighteth for us but onely thou O. God A very strange Reply but not more strange then true for true it is that it is God alone that fighteth for us The Devill he fighteth against us The World that fighteth against us And the Flesh as much as either of both So that we our selves are enemies Quo sugiam poenitendo nisi ad ejus misericordiam cujus potestatem contempseram peccando Tertul. to our selves and fight against our selves And so may fitly pray Lord save us from our selves Now there is no way for us to save our selves from our selves but by turning of our selves to him that fighteth for us Wherefore turne your selves But it is not every turning that will serve the turne There is ease indeed to be had by this turning but this turning is not to be had with ease It is not turning with the Time nor turning to the Time that can turne the Time No but our turning of our selves in time from the sinnes of the Time God himselfe will turne unto our side and When a mans wayes please the Lord he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him Prov. 16. 7. make us all to turne unto one side or rather turne away all this siding would men on all sides but turne themselves to him Wherefore turne your selves And how ever the Times turne this way and that way backward and foreward Yet let not us turn meer Cameleons in Religion as if we had no colour for it but what we borrow of those which are nearest to us Neither let us be turned about like Weather-cocks with every Wind of New Doctrine Let us not turne and turne and turne with every Polypus and every Proteus and every fantastical Changeling which turne to every new Religion Proteo mutabilior Eras Adag untill they have no Religion left to turne unto Turne not with them that are ever turning their old Religions out of themselves untill they have turned all Religion out of themselves and themselves out of all Religion There need but these two moving in our turning of our selves 1. Downwards 2. Vpwards First Downwards by Mortification Secondly Upwards by Vivification Downwards by a Death unto sinne Upwards by a New Birth unto Righteousnesse Downwards by an Humiliation Upwards by a Reformation And if we thus draw nigh to God he will draw nigh to us He will return to us with much Compassion towards our soules if Jam. 4. 8. Zach. 1. 3. we will turne to him with true Compunction for our sinnes He will be displeased with us for our sinnes till we be displeased with our selves for them For he can never take pleasure in us so long as we take pleasure in that which is so displeasing as sinne is unto him But when we are displeased with sinne in our selves then he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Menand Hug. Cardin. l. 3 de Myster Ecclesiast pleased with us When we condemne our selves for sinning so against him we save him a labour we prevent him for condemning of us Paenitentia quasipâ—nientia saith Hugo Cardinalis True Penitency is a punishing of sinne in our selves to save our selves from Gods punishments For God will not for ever punish that which hath been once punished Poenitentia est quaedam doloris vindicta puniens in se quod se dolet commisisse St August Poenitentia quasi paenae tentio Guido de Monte Rocherii in Manipulo Curatorum God hath promised Remission of sinne to those that have Contrition for sinne At what time soever a sinner doth repent him of his sinne from the bottome of his heart I will put all his wickednesse out of my remembrance saith the Lord. But observe it well He that hath promised to pardon a sinner at what time soever he doth turne himselfe or truly repent him of his sinnes doth not promise that he shall repent or turne whensoever he will We cannot repent when we would therefore let us repent when we can We are not sure of time hereafter therefore let us take the present Repentance is a due debt and there is no longer day given in the Bond and therefore the payment must be presently And that 's the third Conclusion We must all turn our selves without delay Therefore also now saith the Lord Turne ye even to me with all your heart and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning Joel 2. 12. As it is never too late to amend so it is never Nâ—m sera nunquam est ad bonos more 's via Seneca Tragaed 8. too soon to be good Better late then never but the sooner the better They do well that do amend though it be at the very last But they better that amend sooner And they best of all that amend first of all The sooner men be good the easier it is unto them to grow better And the later they amend the harder it is unto them to grow better or continue good At this time there are many who might by this time have been better then they are had they been good but sooner then they were And would by this time have been worse then ever they were had they not grown better then they were untill this time The evill
saith our Apostle God forbid ye we establish the Rom 3. 31. law Indeed they that are in Christ and have Christ living in them are not under the law but under Grace But how Not Rom. 6. 14. under the law to seeke for justification by it but yet they are under it to encrease their sanctification by it They are not under the Curse of the law to Condemnation but under the Course of the law they are for Commendation Not under the Rigor of it but under the Rule of it And he can never be a true disciple of Christ that will not be ruled by it He that would live with Christ in Heaven must live with him on Earth first He that would be like him in the life of Glory must be like also in the life of Grace And he that would be so must labour to be like him in his Moralls He that is Crucified with Christ must live like one that is so Crucified like one that is dead to sinne like one that is dead unto himselfe like one that hath Christ living in him and that can never be untill the life of Christ be represented in his life in the manner or morality of it It is this that our Apostle S. August Serm. 13. de verb. Dom. cheifely points at in the Text when he sayes Christ liveth in him Vnumquodque secundùm hoc vivat unde vivit Saith Saint Austine every thing ought to live according to that by which it liveth The Body liveth of the Soule And the Soule liveth of Christ Let both then live according to those things that give them life let the Body live so after the Soule and the Soule so after Christ that both soule and body may live together with Christ for ever hereafter It is from this kinde of life that a man may have hope in death And it is by this kinde of life that a man may assure himselfe that he is dead Death unto sinne is best attested by the life of Grace It was by this that Saint Paul could ascertaine himselfe of his concrucifixion By this it was that he knew himselfe to be a Mortified member of the mysticall body of Christ He found Christ living in him and that made him say that he was crucified with Christ It is no easie matter for a man to be as this Apostle was a Mortified Man Crucified with Christ But easie it is for a Man to know he is so if he be so yet many are mistaken in this matter and take themselves to be so when they are not but the reason is they doe not observe the Manners of a Man concrucified They doe not observe how it was with Christ when he was crucified or with Saint Paul when he was crucified with Christ They doe not enquire whether it be so with themselves When Christ was crucified he was Patient and so was Paul Isal 53. 7. in all his sufferings for Christ when he was concrucified Are all we so Are we patient in tribulations Can we suffer our 1 Pet. 2. 23. losses and crosses with patience When our Saviour was reviled he revlied not againe When he suffered he threatned not but Committed himselfe to him that Judgeth righteously Doe we doe so So did S. Paul Being reviled we blesse saith he and being Persecuted we Suffer it and being defamed we intreate 1 Corinth 4. 12 13. Againe when Christ was crucified he was very pious Are we Luke 23. 34. so He prayed for the pardon of his Persecutors doe we so So did the Protomartyr Saint Steven and so did Paul and Acts 7. 60. so doe all that are conformed to our Crucified Saviour And if we do not so it is a signe we are not crucified with our Saviour Againe when Christ was crucified he left the world He neither reckoned of the Pompe nor of the Glory of it And so it was with Paul when he was crucified with Christ The world Gal. 6. 14. was crucified to him and he unto the world Now is it so with us If it be so the world may fawne upon us but we will not S. Aug. lib. de Salu. doc cap. 16. fancy it and it may frowne upon us but we will not feare it If we be crucified to that and that to us we will not Court it for any Pleasure nor Covet it for any Profit We will not Chrysost in Math. hom 55. flatter it nor yet be flattered by it We will not seeke to win nor suffer our selves to be wonne by the alurements of it With Paul concrucified we will esteeme all worldly things as Phil. 3. 8. dung and drosse in comparison of Christ Againe when Christ was crucified he was a dead Man and Crucifixum esse est mortuum esse Musculus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Photius Ephes 4. 19. so was Paul and a dead man does not sinne he that is crucified with Christ as Paul was is dead indeed unto sinne and alive unto God Though sin it self be not departed yet the life of sin is gone Sin is mortified in him Now how is it with us How is sin now committed by us Doe we still sinne with greedinesse Does sinne still live in us and we still love to live in sinne If so we are not yet concrucified True it is that the old sinnes of Man as well as the old man of sinnes must have a time to dy after they be crucified There will be sinne in any Regenerate Man as long as he liveth though he be never so long concrucified before his death For if we say we have no sinne we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us Yet if we be truly Crucified with Christ the love of sinne will abate in us yea our loving will turne into a loathing of it and though we carry sinne every whither about with us yet we will not be carried every whither about with sinne There will appeare the power of godlinesse in us Counter-manding the Commanding power of sinne though it cannot alwayes prevaile The flesh lusteth against the spirit Gal. 5. 17. and the spirit against the flesh and these two are so contrary that a man cannot doe the things that he would There is a continuall See Perkins in his combate of the Flesh and Spirit Combate between the Regenerate and the Unregenerate parts of any Regenerate Person Such a Person is like that mysticall purse that has both old and new coyne in it The first and second Regenetatus duplici constat homine interiore nimirum ut â—xteriore Zanch. Miscellan lib. 3. Adams are both in the old new Man a living dead man a renewed man crucified with Christ and yet alive Such a person was S. Paul a person that had both sin and sanctitie at once A person crucified with Christ and so dying daily unto sin but not quitedead unto it or dead it may be unto many sins but not to all or dead to all it may
are free from want so are they free from warres with all the mischieves that are concomitant and all the miseries that are consequent The Kingdome of glory can never be turned into an Aceldama The field of Blood Mat. 27. 8. John 6. 70 71. Mat. 26. 15. Mat. 26. 3 4. 27. 1. Numb 16. 1 2 3. No forraine enemy can invade it Nor home bred enemy infest the happinesse of it No bedevilled Judas can come there to betray his Lord and Master the King of Kings for halfe a Crowne Nor can any Jewish Elders assemble there to condemne him or conspire against him Moses and Aaron shall never be confronted there by any gain-saying Corahs or mutinous Abirams or complying Dathans or any of their confederates and good King David shall there be free from the 2 Sam. 15. 2 4 5 6 10 12. 16. 5 6 7 23. pride of all ambitious Absolons from the presumption of all seditious Shebas and from the wicked counsells of all contriving Achitophels No cursing Shimeis Nor railing Rabshakehs shall come there to belch infectious gorges forth to poyson the Hearts of any subjects in that Kingdome of glory to confound the glory of that Kingdome into an Anarchie No Polupragmaticall Machiavelians Nor crafty Boute-fewes shall interrupt that Kingdomes endlesse peace No bold Seianus can insinuate into that glorious Presence to corrupt it No malecontented Cataline can lurke there either to traduce the glorious Majesty of the King of Kings or to seduce inferiour Officers Nor is there any War-like Ammunition Magazined there No Civill Warrings can destroy that glorious Kingdome nor can any factious jarrings deface that glorious Church No New-fangled Athenians nor Schismaticall Corinthians can disturbe the unity or destroy the uniformity of that Church No over-mastering Pope nor under-mining Jesuite No New-Church-making Familist nor No-Church-making Atheist can gaine such favour or get such footing there as to eject the setled Saints and worke the ruine of all that Church No ravenous Wolves in Sheepes cloathing can creep by any Posternes gates into that fold to flea or fleece the flock and mistake feeding on them for feeding of them That ancient Hierarchie of Arch. Angels and Angels and other Ministring spirits can never be deemed so superstitious as to demerit an utter Extirpation The Militant Church may be infested with some of these destructive Pests at all times and with all of them at some times But the Church Triumphant is at all times freed from all these Nothing that worketh any abomination can come there and therefore every thing that tendeth towards the grand Abomination of Desolation must needs be for ever exiled thence The glory of all there must last for ever And all in that glory must live for ever Being free from sinne they shall be free from Death from Death spirituall in it from Death temporall by it and from Death eternall for it That presence of the Ever-living God doth set them free from all for ever Here we beginne to die so soone as we begin to live All here are borne to die and many are but borne and die Nascentes morimur finisque ab origine pendet Being born we die as saith Manilius the last of our days does pend upon the first Our Death does hang about us from our Birth We all are bound towards the Womb of ourgreat grandmother the Earth so soone as wee be loosed from our Mothers Wombe Hee that is borne to day is borne to die and is not sure to live an other day But in the glorious presence of God there is no dying they that are there are sure to live for ever free from the sting of Death and from the stroke free from all tendencies unto Death and from all feares of dying When the Naturall Body of a Saint comes there it does become a spirituall Body It is there spiritualized in the manner of subsistence though not in the Nature of the substance It is still a Body though it be spirituall and it is said to be spirituall saith S. Augustine because it there lives the life of a spirit For first like a spirit there it liveth without any hunger without any thirst without feeling pinching cold or parching heat It needs no meate it needs no drinke it needs no summers stuffe nor winters cloath Againe it liveth like a spirit there free from sicknesse free from Aches free from all sorts of Diseases It cannot bee distempered into a Fever nor dissolved into a Flux nor corrupted into Ulcers Againe like a spirit it liveth there without decaying by living long No time can dimme the Eyes or dull the Eares or lame the Legs or feeble the Hands or cripple the Feete or crooke the Back or furrow the Face or disfigure the feature Though it lives Mathusalems age a thousand times over yet it never growes crazie or decrepit or Shrinkes into a Skeleton And lastly like a spirit it is immortall Death can have no more Dominion over it This life it but the shaddow of that 〈◊〉 Suigâ—i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Psal This is but a dying Life a kinde of living Death but that is vera non interitura vita A Life indeed never to end in Death as Victorinus Strigelius very truely Now tell mee who would not gladly live in such a privileged place where that boldest Sargeant Death cannot come to arest such is the Sanctuary of Gods glorious Presence A Liberty indeed free from all kindes of Death and free from unkinde Devills too from Devills infernall and Devills incarnate â—ullus ibi Diaboli metus nullae inâ—idiâ— daemonum Terror gebennae procul Mors neque corporis neque animae sed immortalitatis munere uterque solutus S. Chrysost de reparatione lapsi too No evill Angels can ascend from the bottomelesse pit into that presence to tempt any there to sinne Nor hellish furyes to torment for sinning in times past No Devill of the lower Hell nor any of this wicked World above it can find any entrance thither There is indeed free quarter for Saints but none for Sinners The free Men of that City and all the Denizons of that Kingdome are allwayes freed from all unwellcome troublesome intruders The spirit of Debate and Strife can never thrust the Devills mysterious cloven foote into that presence to set Divisions to cause distractions to bring Seditionum popularium author est Diabolus Vedelius de pruden veter Ecc. lib. 1. c. 2. destruction No carnall pride can ever beget fond fashionists in the streetes of that most holy City Nor spirituall Pride breed up fantasticall factionists in the Houses No hiddeous Blasphemies nor filthy obscenities nor thumping Oaths nor hellish cursings nor peevish censurings are used by any in that presence All prophane and black-mouthed Monsters of Men are exiled for ever from that Society of Saints And so are all insinuating Sycophants and false hearted Pharisees The Devill is never more mischievous then when hee is most cunningly
punishment of Losse or in the punishment of Sense or rather in both The losse of all pleasures and the sense of all paines together doe meet in hell and make it to be hell And the least part of that punishment that is in hell is very great but the other grievous beyond comparison The last is thought the least The punishment of Sense is lesse then that of Losse Denominatio sumitur à principaliori The chiefest Godfather does use to name the child and the principall part of the punishment does name the whole It is not called Sensation from poena sensus but Damnation from poena damni to intimate unto us that the losse of all the happinesse in heaven is a greater unhappinesse then all the wretchednesse besides There may be many now in Hell enduring exquisite tortures that would gladly have them doubled for ten thousand yeeres upon condition then to enjoy the fulnesse of joy in the presence of God and the refreshing pleasures at his right hand for evermore But alas â— It must not be When once the righteous Judge hath said Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire that their accursed Psal 7. 12. Math. 25. 41. departure must be for ever as well as their extremest tortures in that fire Men must beware before then and that we may take heed in time let us take it into our saddest thoughts or rather let us think it far above all humane apprehension rightly to think what it is to lose the fulnesse of joy in the presence of God and the pleasures at his right hand for evermore And in the third place because there is the fulnesse of joy in the presence of God and pleasures at his right hand for evermore therefore let us use our best endeavours that we may get into that presence Summo labore summum bonum assequi necesse est saith Lactan Institut Divin lib. 3. Maximum ens est maximuâ— bonum Pau. Ferrius in Scholas Orthodoxi specimine c. 3. Cum forma Dei sit sua bonitas râ—linquitur ut cum Deus vâ—lt omnia propter se vel ut quando agit propter se ideo agat ut res bonitati suae assimulentur Idem Ibid. Nostros migrantes non amisimus sed praemisimus S. August Epist ad Italicam Lactantius The greatest pains must be employed to obtaine the greatest pleasure Let us place our SummuÌ„ bonuÌ„ where of right we should let us place our happinesse in that presence and let all our aimes all our desires all our endeavours be to enter into it Let the enjoyment of that presence be the ultimate end of all our wishes and let us all be willing to purchase it at any rate The price of it is what the good man is not what the great man has God asks not goods but goodnesse for it He that hath so much of godlinesse or goodnesse in him as to give himselfe to God for it shall not for ever goe without it Let us bestow our selves and service upon the God of Heaven that he may bestow the happinesse of Heaven upon us And in the fourth place because there is the fulnesse of joy in the presence of God and pleasure at his right hand for evermore therefore let us never be cast downe with Heavinesse when any of our dearest friends are lifted up with joy at that happinesse why should their fulnesse of joy fill us with griefe If ye loved me ye would rejoyce because I said I goe unto the Father said our Saviour Christ to his Disciples John 14. 28. as much as to say that the felicity of a friend should make us to be merry rather then to mourne And in the fift place because there is the fulnesse of joy c. Nam cum te aeque ac me diligam necesse est ut summum bonuâ— assequi te tanquam me alalterum cupian Bucherius in Epist Paraeneric ad Valerian cognatuÌ„ suum 1 Kings 19. 4. Let us never be unwilling to lay downe this life of Sorrowes our selves for the taking up of that of joyes It is no great Happinesse to live long here nor great unhappinesse to depart ere long from hence Onely they are happy in some measure here that have lived long enough to dy so well that they may live in happinesse for ever after death This present life is no such desirable thing but any man may find sufficient cause to make him willing with Elias to have it taken from him When the Patriarch Jacob had lived here as long and full as well as any here and it may be longer then most and better then any he cast up his account by the help of his best Arithmetick and found that the totall summe would amount to no more then the short Bill of a few evill Dayes Few and evill have the dayes of the yeeres of my life beene said he to Pharaoh Gen. 47. 9. And which of all us here might not give in the same Reckoning if we would but audit our lives The Summa Totalis of Jacobs life was very small so small indeed that he thought it meetest to multiply the same by dayes The Inches of Dayes are the fittest measures for the Hand-breadth of humane life The length of Psal 39. 5. humane life is but one span and every day does shorten that little length at least an Inch. Jacobs life was but of Dayes and the Dayes of Jacobs life were in all but few And all those few Dayes of Jacobs life were evill as he said himselfe few and evill have Gen. 47. 9. they beene And whose life may not be measured by dayes as well as Jacobs And whose dayes of life are not few as few as Jacobs Whose life of Dayes is not short as short as his And whos 's few Dayes of life are not all evill as evill as Jacobs Who can looke upon them and not say truly few and evill have thy been But are all our dayes evill Why then doe we all complaine that they are few Are not a few evill Dayes enough Will any wise man wish for many evill Dayes And againe are all our evill Dayes but few why doe we then complaine that they are evill Who may not beare with a few evill Dayes that expects an Eternity of good Dayes when these few evill Dayes are ended In the last place therefore if we doe beleeve the Truth in the words of the Text if we be perswaded that there is the fulnesse of joy in the presence of God and pleasure at his right hand for evermore then let us never reckon any sufferings to be too many or too great or too long to be endured for the obtaining of those joyes and pleasures that shall endure for ever But let us reckon with S. Paul that the sufferings of this Rom. 8. 18. present world are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us Indeed no affliction seemeth joyous for the Heb. 12.
11. time but grievous And no time in affliction seemeth short but tedious unlesse with Paul we be perswaded that our light 2 Cor. 4. 17. affliction lasting but a moment shall worke for us a farre more exceeding and eternall weight of glory The Lord does make the bitternes of this life of sorrowes to seeme the more imbittered to his servants that the sweetness of the life of joyes may seeme the sweeter to them when they come to the enjoyment of it Yet that the bitterest sorrowes of this life may be the better relished the sweetest joyes of life are promised to them that in their sorrowes wait for joyes with patience And to perswade to patience in the midst of sorrowes we must observe them to be common What Militant Saint did ever beare the Ensigne of a Mortall life without some Crosse or Crosselet in it Who could ever blazon the Escocheon of his Militancy or Mortality and not finde the Field of his life to be charged with Crosses Gules or Crosses Sable The first Adam could not nor could the second And who indeed can wish for the heaven of happinesse or the happinesse of heaven here where the King of heaven went through an hell of miseries There can be no greater unhappinesse Nihil infelicius co cui nihil unquam evenit adversi Seneca Fortuna quem nimium fovet stultum facit Prov. 1. 32. Vexatio dat intellectum in this life than never in this life to have unhappinesse Perpetuall prosperity does make a foole so sayes one that was no foole And Prosperity perpetuall does marre a foole so sayes another and he the wisest of wise men Prosperity may sometimes foole a wise man unto folly and Adversity may sometimes tutour a foole to wisdome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Many instructions are taught by afflictions God sendeth Crosses in stead of Blessings unto those he hateth but he often blesseth those with crosses which he loveth It is well for them Psal 119. 67. 71 that they are afflicted It is very true that Oppression makes the wise man mad for so sayes the wise man himselfe in his Booke of the Preacher Eccles 7. 7. And it is as true if we Preach it that oppression makes some madd men wise But who is willing to be Schooled by so curst a Pedagoge But volenter nolenter whether men will or no it must sometimes be so and better so then worse for ever Too much it is for one man to enjoy two Heavens And as great pitty it is that any one should endure two Hells And therefore I may truly say that God of his goodnesse and his wisdome hath appointed one of each for every man There is not onely an Heaven or an Hell for any one but an Heaven and an Hell for every one This present world is both but unto severall Men It is the Sinners Heaven but Hell it is unto the Saints on Earth The sinfull worldling takes his pleasure here he hath all his happinesse here that he is ever like to have here are all his joyes and all his hopes of joy He wishes for no other Heaven he lookes not after any other He thinketh not of that to be enjoyed hereafter Here would he live for ever if he might But alas It may not be This world must not last alwayes and though it might yet might not his life in it his life is but of few dayes It soone must have an end What wise man then would wish to live his best life first seeing that it must so soone be lost Who would wish to have his heaven here where he can stay but a few dayes Yea where he cannot assure himselfe to stay one day or houre Againe this present world is a kind of Hell to others or in stead of Hell unto them It is a Place of Trouble a Place of Suffering But their stay here is short Now who would not rather endure the Hell of a few dayes miseries here and enjoy the Heaven of Eternall happinesse hereafter then enjoy the Heaven of a few dayes pleasure here and endure the Eternall miseries of Hell hereafter Temporall Pleasures are dearly bought with the losse of Eternall And temporall sufferings are well requited with eternall Pleasures That is a miserable happinesse that must end in such miseries as must never end And those are happie miseries that shall soone end in endlesse happinesse This life is but a journey towards Death and but a short one And Death is yet a shorter passage to a longer and a better life Indeed no Mortall Pilgrim can be wearie of the longest journey of life if by the way he does but well remember the endlesse joys that he shall enjoy at his journeys end But yet the shorter that his journey be the sooner shall he be at home possessed of those joyes And who would wish a long and tedious journey to himselfe to keepe him long from the enjoyment of them That life of joyes is worth the wishing that shall never have an End And that End of life is full as worthy of our wishes that shall begin the Joyes of that endlesse life And that end Theophra must be ere long for Vita brevis life is short Man that is borne of a woman is but of a few dayes and full of trouble saith holy Job Job 14. 1. He is of few dayes that he may not live too long in trouble And his dayes are full of trouble that he may not long for more of them then a few Mans dayes are full of trouble that a few may serve his turne and make him weary of them And his dayes of trouble are but few that he may not be too much wearied with them It is mans great Misery that his few dayes are full of trouble And it is Gods great Mercy that mans dayes of trouble are but few for if the Dayes of Mans life be full of trouble it is well for Man that his life of trouble is not full of Dayes It is ill for Man that the troubles of his few dayes are so many And it is well for Man that his dayes of trouble are so few The few dayes of Mans life are full of trouble that Man may dayly be minded of his duty in seeking 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 S. Chrysost Hom. 6. Corcydas for another life better then this present And Mans Dayes of Trouble are but few that Man may not be wearied so as to leave seeking for that other life before that this doth leave him Then let the Miseries which accompany Mortality weane us from all fondnesse towards this life present And let the felicity of life eternall win us to long after that The thoughts of the Elysian happinesse did so encourage a poore Grecian a meere Pagan at the instant of his death that he rejoyced much to think of going to Pythagoras and other learned Philosophers to Olympus and other skilfull Musicians to Hecataeus and other Hecataeus Misesius Historicus
Let us suppose a man to gain the World and to use it as he ought Yet still the Question may be asked What is a man profited For why still he cannot keep it He must be taken from Heb. 9. 27. that by death if that be not taken from him before It is appointed for all men once to die And there is no man that knoweth either how he shall die or where he shall die or when he shall die But this every man may know that when he doth die he shall carry nothing with him of all that he gained when he lived Naked came I out of my mothers wombe said holy Job and naked shall I return thither That great Sultan that conquered the Christians in the Job 1. 21. Eastern Countries and gained the Holy Land from them by his Conquests was conquered himself soon after by Death and carried captive to another World and so was forced to leave even all his Worldly pomp and riches here behind him As it was expressed to the life at his Funeral-Solemnities For then his shirt or shroud was put upon the point of a Lance according to his fore-appointment and so carried Knoll Turk Hist Sabellic Eâ— 9. l. 5. before his Hearse whilest a plain Priest proclaimed with a loud voice That Saladine the great Lord and Governour of Asia is dead and of all his Worldly wealth he carried nothing with him but left his very shirt or shroud behind him It may be Saladine had gained more then he could well tell how to spend yea much more then he could tell how to spend well But what profit was it to him when he was so quickly parted from it His time to have it was but short and it may be his enjoyment of it was not all that time he had it But let us put the supposition higher yet Let us suppose a man to gain the World and to live longer in it then Saladine did Yea let us suppose his years to be as many as Mathusalems Genes 5. 25 26 27. dayes were by appointment Yea let us make him immortal by our supposes Yet still the Question may be asked What is a man profited Ps 102. 26 27. Matth. 5. 18. 2 Pet. 3. 11. 12 Zanch. Miscellaneor lib. 1. de fine seculi Nihil â—nim est magnum re quod parvum tempore nec longis dilaâ—ur gaudiis quicquid arcto fine conditur Eucher ad Valerianum For why though his life should never have an end yet there must be an end of the World And that end of the World may be e're a day to an end How quickly might he see the conflagration of all by that most fatal fire that must demolish all This presenâ— World is momentarie but that to come for ever Yet the great Gainers of this present World are wont to look so much after this World which they gâ—t that they forget the World to come which they should look after And by the greatnesse of their gaines in this World they gaine that Worldly greatnesse which makes them too great to enter in at the streight gate of that better World so when this world must be burnt with fire they must needs burn with it for want of entrance in at the streight gate But let us put the Supposition as high as it can be put Let us suppose a man to gain the World and never to lose it again either in whole or in part by being taken from that by Death or by having of that to be taken from him by fire Yet still the Question may be asked What is he profited For why for all this he may be still a poor man a discontented man an unhappy man Unhappy by being discontented and discontented for being poor Indeed he hath riches enough that is contented with the riches that he Nihil potest animae sufficere praetâ—r summum bonum St August Manuel c. 25. hath But alas it is not the whole World nor a World of Worlds that can content a Worldly minde or make it think it hath enough The desires of Mans heart are infinite and the World but finite and therefore it cannot satisfie them to contentment This present World was so small a thing in compare with Alexanders wishes and the vastnesse of his desires that he did even sweat to think how his Greatnesse was to be narrowed and crowded up in it Aestuat infaelix angusto limite mundi Juvenal Sat. As the the Poet fancies of him that he was even stifled with the conceit that he should not have elbow-room enough in this World And again as it is finite so all the treasures of it are extrinsâ—call and so never enter into the Heart of Man to fulfill the desires of it Though his Barns and Granaries be never so full and all his Bags and Coffers yet his Heart and Soule are never the fuller but it may be much the â—mptiâ—r by having their desires more and more enlarged Crescit amor nummi quantum ipsa pecunia crescit Juvenal Saith the Poet. The love of Money creaseth as the Money creaseth or increaseth that is beloved The more draughts of Non qui parum hâ—bet pauper est sed qui plus cupiâ— Seneca gain be swallowed down the more is the Hydropical Thirst of gain increased The more that the covetous Worldling gainâ—th the more he coveteth and the more he coveteth the more he wanteth and the more he wanteth the poorer hâ—e groweth so that by consequence it clearely appeareth that the more he gaineth the poorer he groweth Now what profit is it for a man to gain that which makes him poor He is not so poor that hath enough of a little as he that hath much and yet wanteth much more and that is the condition of the Covetous worldling He is ever in want And therefore saith S. Chrysostome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is one thing to be a Covetous man and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 S. Chrys Hom. 2. another to be a Rich man for the covetous man is never rich He ever wanteth what he coveteth and he ever wanteth what he covereth He covereth what he hath from himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Idem ibid. as well as others and he coveteth what he hath not whilst others have it He wanteth all that others have and he wanteth all that he hath himself All that he hath did I say Alas for him he hath nothing but the goods which he hath gotten have gotten him He doth not possesse them but they possesse him He doth not command them but they command him According to that of Chrysostome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Avaro deest tam quod habet quam quod non habet S. Hier. Valer. Max. lib. 9. cap. 4. The covetous man may be a keeper of mony but not a commander of it a servant to it not a master over it As Valerius Maximus writes of that Ptolomâ—us which
was King of Cyprus Titulo Rex insulae animo autem pecuniae miserabile mancipium He was in title the King of the Cyprian-Isle but in truth he was a miserable Bondslave to his Pelf Now what profit is it to gain and increase that mony which begetteth and increaseth misery And if it be so little profit simply to gain the World certainly there is lesse profit in the gaining of it if a man must pay his own Soule for it And this brings us to the second Querie that Hypothetical Question that includes the whole Text What is a man profited if he shall gain the whole World and lose his own Soule And this Question sets us to consider of the second sort of Wares the Ware Exported concerning which three Circumstances were proposed to be considered 1. The Nature or Quality 2. The Number or Quantity 3. The Relation or Propriety First for the Nature or Quality we may observe that it See Nemesius of the Nature of Man is a Soul Yet not a Vegitative Soule such as is in the Plants Nor yet a Sensitive Soule such as is in Birds and Beasts But a Reasonable Soule such as is in Man such a Soule as makes him to be a Man It is is his Soule his owne Soule I shall It is the soule of man that makes him to be a man See Philip of Mornay's Trunesse of Christian Religion translated by St Phil. Sidney chap. 14. not tell you what Aristotle sayes of the Soule of Man nor yet how other Philosophers use to define it But let me tell you thus much of it that it is an Heavenly Jewell in a Câ—binet of Earth and a Jewel of that worth it is that not all the Diamonds in the World though never so curiously cut and never so artificially set in the richest Rings of the most refined gold may be valued with it though it be cabined in the most deformed lump of Red Earth There be many Reasons in it to raise the estimate of it I 'le name some of them As first it is the Medal of the Almighty The lively Image of the living God Or the Tablet upon which that King of Kings and Lord of Lords hath drawn his owne likenesse Now shall the Image of a Mortall King stamped on the substance of the Earth or the Earthly substance of Gold or Silver make man so to esteem it as to become an Idolater towards it and shall not the Image of the Immortal King of Kings imprinted in his own Workmanship upon the Heavenly substance of Mans soule perswade him far more highly to value that And a second reason why this Merchant Man should inhaunce Dei insignita imagine decorata similitudine St Bern. Medita de digniâ— animae Mens nostra Dei similis c. Gregor Nyss disputat de anima Resurr the price of his Soul may be this because it is a spirit an Immateriall substance It is indeed within the substance of the body but yet without a bodily substance And the more that any substance be spiritualized the more puâ— and precious it is and the more ennobled And the further that any substance be distanced from the nature of a body the nearer it drawes to the Nature of God For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God is a Spirit And the spirituality of the Soule does far exalt it above the body as comming nearer to the purity of God who is a Spirit And therefore it is well asserted by St Bernard that the worst of soules in respect of substance is far more excellent then the best of bodies and ought to be valued far above them A third Reason to perswade this Merchant-man to value his Soul at a very dâ—ar rate may be the Immortality of it It is immortal as well as immaterial Indeed man dies at See the Immortality of the soul discoursed of largely and very learnedly by Philip of Mornay Lord of Plâ—ssie in the Truenesse of Christ Religion c. 14. 15. his appointed time but the soul of man does never die By death the whole man is dissolved but the whole of man is not destroyed by death The soul of man doth live when man is dead The soul is doomed at the instant of death either to enjoy everlasting felicity in Heaven or to endure everlasting misery in Hell And that endlesse misery is often called Mors secunda the second death Yet is it not so called that we should think that the Soul doth cease to live in hell but rather â—ecause it ceaseth to enjoy its life The damned Non enim quia solvitur compositum inde etiaÌ„ necessariò consequitur una cum composito dâ—ssolvi id quod compositum non est Greg. Nyssen disput de Anim. Resurr souls in Hell live not there to enjoy life but to endure grief And therefore their life there is said to be no life Simplex vita non est vivere sed valere meerly to live is no life but to live indeed is to enjoy life It is a kind of death for one to live in pain that hath lived at ease It is a kind of death for one to live in prison that hath lived at liberty A kind of death for one to live in penury that hath lived in plenty Those damned Souls that lie imprisoned in Hell do all live there in pain for living here in pleasure their joyes are turned into pains and their life now is worse then death Their Damnation in Hell is like to Death in four respects In damnatione novissima quaÌ„vis homo sentire non desinaâ— tamen quia sensus ipse nec voluptate suavis nec quiete salubris sed doâ—oâ—â— poenalis est non immeritò mors est potius appellaâ—a quam vita S. August and for its likenesse in each respect it is called Death First it is like it for Separation In temporal dâ—ath the Quamvis enim humana anima vâ—raciter immortalis perhibâ—tur habet tamen etiam ipsa mortem suam Soul which gave life to the Body is separated from it So in Damnation the Lord of life which gave life to the Soul is separated from that Mortâ—ae sunt animae hoc est à Deo desertâ— saith S. Austine The damned soules are dead that is forsaken of God For Sicut mors corporis est cum id deserit animâ— ita mors animae est cum eam deserit Deus As it is the death of S. Aug. de Civ Dei l. 13. c. 2. the body when it is forsaken of the soul so it is the death of the soul when it is forsaken of God Sicut enim anima discedente moritur corpus sic anima Deo dâ—sâ—rente mori credenda est Secondly Damnation is like to Death in respect of Place Hell is a place of Darknesse a place that is very disconsolate Primasius super Apocalyp cap. 18. so is the Grave And therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sheol with the Hebrews signifiâ—s both Hell
God himselfe Let no man therefore say that he must needs sin unto death and die in sinne because it is Gods will and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or good Or had I not rather that he should be converted from his evil wayes and live Diodat pleasure that it should be so for God himself doth say the contrary and that with a kind of indignation For saith he have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die and not that he should return from his wayes and live v. 23. His Interrogation does import a vehement Negation In saying Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should dy He sayes as much as I have no pleasure at all that the wicked should die And so he saies very positively in the words before the Text. For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dyeth So far he is from taking Nolo mortem morientis quantum ut convertatur vivat Pamelius in Tertull. de Paeniten pleasure in the death of Penitent sinners that the death of Impenitent sinners is no pleasure to him He hath no pleasure in the death of such as dye naturally in their sinnes or for their not repenting of their sinnes before they die I have no pleasure in the death of him that dyeth If ye dy then the fault 's your own It is your wilfulnesse in sinning or your unwillingnesse to repent you of your sinning Ye will not be perswaded to forsake your sinnes before ye dye and therefore ye must needs die and suffer for their sakes Perditio tua ex te O Israel thy destruction is of thy self saith God Hos 13. 9. The same may be said to any damned soule or dying sinner The Lord is very desirous to clear himself from all aspersions in this particular and therefore does not onely say it but swear it too that he would not the death of the wicked As I live is an Oath and a great one too Yet God himself doth take it to attest this Truth As I live saith the â—cut verum est quod sum vita per essentiam it a verum est quod nolo mortem impii c. Nicho. de Lyra ad locum Psal 89. 35. Gen. 17. 1. Luke 1. 73. Numb 20. 12. Exod. 14. 11. Psal 50. 21. Ezek. 18. 25 29. Psal 78. 19 20 Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked But that the wicked turn from his evill way and live Ezek. 33. 11. For the Lord of life to say As I live is an oath by the life of the Lord. And that is as high an oath as can be invented Had he sworn by his Truth as he doth sometimes or by his Holinesse as he did to David or by his Omnipotencie as he did to Abraham his engagement had been very great But this by his Life is deemed greater for his Truth hath been questioned by divers and so hath his Holinesse and his Almighty Power hath been doubted of by as many But who did ever question his Life Now it is his very Life that he doth engage for the clearing of this Truth As I live saith the Lord c. He is the Living God And he is the God of the Living not of the Dead And therefore would not have the wicked Die Matth. 22. 32. Tertull. l. de Paenit but Live And this he sweareth by his Life that we might believe him Jurat Deus cupit sibi credi saith Tertullian When God doth swear we must believe him for he swears to be believed Ideirco jurat saith St. Hierome ut si non credimus Deo S. Hieron To. 2. Epist 46. promitteâ—â—i credamus saltem pro salute juranti God therefore swears that we may believe him upon his oath when we Magnum est loquâ— domâ—num quanto magis jurare Deum St. August in Psal 49. will not believe him upon his word It is much for God to speak but more to swear By speaking a word he made the World for he did but speak the word and it was made But he that could create the World with a Word could not be credited in the World upon his Word and therefore was forced to binde it with an Oath Now though we doe not believe him upon his Word yet let us believe him upon his Oath We may believe his bare Word for it is the God of Truth Deutr. 32. 4. Isai 65. 16. that speaketh in his Word and it is nothing but the Truth of God which is spoken We will believe an honest man upon his word and shall we not believe the most holy God Durum est It is very hard if we shall not give as much credit to God as we do to an honest man as saith Vincentius very divinely Gen. 3. 4. Durum est cum non tantum tribuamus Deo quantum diabolo Vincent An non hac ratione Deum in animo tuo perstringis mendacii qui verbo quidem dicat te velle servare c. interim tamen licet tu velis in Christum credere ipse tamen nolit Zanch. de natur Dei l. 5. Numb 23. 19. Rom. 3. 4. 2 Cor. 1. 20. Hebr. 6. 18. 1 John 3. 3. Our first Parents believed the father of lyes when he did but say ye shall not surely die And shall not we believe the father of mercies the God of Truth when he does not onely say it but swear it too that he would not have us die He swears that he would not the death of the wicked And shall we still say that he would their death Or that he would have them wicked that so they might die Absit absit God forbid that we should harbour such a thought of our most holy God! The truth is Gods Word in it self is as sure as his Oath for he is not a man that he should lie Let God be true and every man a lyar All his promises are yea and in him amen Heaven and Earth shall passe away but not one tittle of his word shall faile So that for the certainty of what he speaketh there needs no such religious Contestations Yet for our sakes the Oath of God is added to his Word that we might thereby have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strong consolation That we might believe a possibility of repenting And a probability yea an infallibility of Pardon upon our repentance That we might have hopes of life and purge our selves upon our hopes Debile fundamentum fallit opus A weak foundation Nemo potest bene agere paenitentiam nisi qui speraverit indulgentiam St. Ambr. de Paenit dist 1. cap. Nem. fails the building But here is a sure foundation for us to build our hopes upon as high as heaven Dei juramentum eâ—â— fideâ— nostrae fundamentum Gods oath may surely ground us in our holy faith Doth he swear it O then let us believe it O beatos nos quorum causa jurat Deus O miserrimos si nec
mans condition is made worse and worse by his continuance in an evill condition The deferring of his amendment doth make the difficulty of amending double Qui non est hodie cras minus aptus erit He that is unfit to repent to day will be more unfit to morrow for he will have more sinnes to repent of and will be hardened more in his sinnes He will have a Day more to repent of and a Day lesse to repent in Every Day doth add a new Summe to the old Score yea every houre doth score up many smaller Debts to increase the Totall Summe So that he who is not able to dischage the debt of his Sins to Day will the lesse able to unscore a longer sum to Morrow The longer any sinner lets his scores run on the greater will his quantum be when it comes to be summed up And they must needs become non-solvent that score up sins too many dayes before they reckon Often reckoning doth make long friends And easie reckonings are made by often reckoning So it happens between man and man And so it happens also between God and man But many deale with God as some evill Debtors deale with their Creditors they study much how to get into debt but not at all how to get out They take great care to be trusted but little care to pay Whereas their first care should be to run as little as may be into Gods Debt by scoring up of Sins And their next care should be to get out of Debt as soon as may be It is the height of impiety to be hardened with impenitency To commit sin is to displease God but to continue in sin is to despise him when he is displeased or to sleight his displeasure And to go on in sin at such a time as this when God hath taken his Rod into his hand and such a Red as now he hath can be no lesse then a bidding of utter defiance to him It is a bidding of him to do his worst They go farre that never return farre be it from us to go on in sinne so farre or too farre to return Some Mariners have sailed so far to the Arctick-Pole-wards and staid so long in those Northern parts that their ships have been bewintered in the midst of congealed waters and they bennumed in their frozen ships Lots wife was turned into a Pillar of Salt for turning back so soon and they into Pillars of Ice for Gen. 19. 26. not returning sooner And many in the World are like such adventurous Mariners they go on and on and on in the wayes of sin which are the wayes of death so far that they can never return alive to the land of the living They are benummed by the winterly frosts of Icie Death before they be aware O beware that ye be not so surprized Repent speedily ye may die suddenly Take the counsel of Jesus the son of Sirach And make no tarrying to turn to the Lord. Put Ecclus 5. 7. not off from day to day for suddenly shall the wrath of the Lord come forth and in your security ye shall be destroyed and perish in the day of vengeance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So Demosthenes to the Athenians and so say Demosthen Olynthiac 3. I to you What Time or what opportunity doe ye look for better then the present 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When will ye do what ye ought to doe if ye will not doe it now when will y◠repent and turn your selves if ye will not now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Doe these things saith he whilest a propitious fortune leads the way And Haec sacite duce prospera fortuna Vit. Amerpach interpr whilest a faire opportunity does invite you do this thing which does so much concern you Repent in time They that deferre their repentance till it be too late to repent will repent when it is too late that they did so long deferre their repentance True repentance is seldome late and late repentance is seldome true Indeed the Authentick story as that famous Poet cals the Gospel doth tell us of one true Convert which returned Du-Bartas as far homewards in a few houres as he had wandred from home in many years The penitent Thiefe was far gone in that broad way which leadeth to destruction before he returned into Luke 23. 40 41 42. Matt. 7. 13 14. the narrow way which leadeth unto life He was gone to the very gate of Hell and yet returned But let no man presume to run on in his evill way in hope of his good return for he had an advantage which no man else is like to have for John 10. 7. the doore of Heaven was next unto him when he began to turn Christ is the way and the Gate and the Doore and the 14. 6. Guide and the Help to Heaven and the All in all in Heaven and he was as neer to the Penitent Thief as he could wish when he began to be a Penitent And it was a good turn for him that so it was or he might have come short of Heaven as farre as some other Theeves have done who never thought of turning themselves to Heaven-wards untill they were even ready to be turned off the Ladder O what an happy turn was this for that Penitent Theif This Turn did set him safe upon the Ladder of Life the true Hebr. 10. 20. Joh. 1. 51. Genes 28. 12. and living Ladder which reacheth up from Earth to Heaven The substance of Jacobs Ladder whose foot did stand upon the Earth and whose top did reach up unto Heaven That Symb. S. Athan. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mystical vision was an adumbration of Christ his Humane nature was as the foot and his Divine nature was the top of the Ladder The top and foot made but one Ladder and God and Man make but one Christ as the onely Mediator between God and man the new and living way between Heaven and Earth the Ladder by which the penitent Thief Luk. 23. 42 43 Non dicit in die judicii cum justis ad dextram te locabo Non ait post aliquot annos Purgatorii ad refrigerium te perducā Non post aliquot menses vel dies te consolabor Sed hodie c. Bellar. de sept verb. ◠Christ in cru prolat Si quis vel historias legat vel cursus quotidianos observat inveniet profecto rarissimos fuisse qui de hoc mundo exierint cum per totum vitae suae cursum perdite vixerint Bellar. de sept verb. ◠Christo in cruce prolat lib. 5. cap. 5. Psal 9. 17. climbed up to Heaven There is no way for a Thief to steal into Heaven It was not by stealth that the penitent Thief got thither It was by turning from his theft that he got into the way It was by repenting of his former wayes of stealing that he got into the favour of Christ and by his
crucified with Christ and so broken for sinne neverthelesse I live and so am broken from sinne In the first there is a true Humiliation in the second a reall Reformation In both together there is a present Change of the State of Nature into the State of Grace Yea he is so Changed that he is not himselfe any longer not the man he was but â— new man a new Creature and hence it is that he saith I livâ— 2 Cor. 5. 17. Galat. 6. 15. Yet not I non amplius ego not I any longer not I the same man I was but another Not Saul now but Paul Not a persecutour of the Gospel but a Preacher of it Not an Enemy to the Phil. 3. 18. 2 Cor. 11. 30. Crosse of Christ But a friend unto it A lover of it one that gloryeth in it God forbid that I should glory save in the Crosse of Christ by whom the world is crucified in me and I unto the World Gal. 6. 14. I am crucified with Christ that is baptized into the death of Rom. 6. 3 5 6 7. Christ or planted in the likenesse of his Death which was by crucifixion that the old Man might be crucified with him that the sinne of the body and the Body of sinne might be destroyed that henceforth I might not serve sinne for he that is dead is freed from sinne Neverthelesse I live not the lesse but the more Coloss 2. 12 13 by being quickened with Christ and risen with him through the faith of the operation of God Transplanted in the likenesse of his Rom. 6. 4. 5. Resurrection to walke with him in newnesse of life Now the Rom. 7. 24. Body of Death being thus killed in this holy Apostle and the spirit of his minde being thus renewed hee reckons himselfe to â—e dead indeed unto sinne but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Ephes 4. 23. Rom. 6. 12. Uno verbo dici potect concrucifixus Faber Stapulensis in Examin Lord which in other tearmes hee signifieth saying Christo concrucifixus suâ—â— vivo autem as Montanus has it I am crucified with Christ neverthelesse I live 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am Crucified with Christ there 's his Mortification or the first pat of his Regeneration and in these words we may observe two Remarkables 1 Exemplum A Patterne  and 2 Exemplatum A Parallel The Patterne is our Saviours Crucifixion The Parallel in S. Pauls concrucifixion Our Saviours Crucifixion was in example to S. Pauls And S. Pauls concrucifixion was in imitation of our Saviours Christ was crucified for Paul and Paul was crucified with Christ and wee should all be crucified with both The crucifixion of our Saviours Body for sinne was a patterne to every one of us as well as to S. Paul that all wee might learne to crucifie the Body of sinne in our selves His dying upon the Christus crucifixuâ— est idaea nostrae mortificationis Climac Crosse for our sinnes should teach us all the Apostles way of dying unto sinne Christs crucifixion is the true Idaea of out mortification and a Christian truly mortified is to the life the likenesse of Christ crucified Christ was crucified for all true Christians and all true Christians are as Paul in this was crucified with Christ Our Saviours crucifixion and S. Pauls concrucifixion were both mysterious both full of Paradoxes and our Saviours Person was as paradoxicall as his Passion They are both the subjects of many and many seeming contradictions In his Person hee was made a very contradiction for sinners and at his Passion hee endured the contradictions of sinners In his Person hee Heb. 12. 3. was the great Creatour himselfe that formed every creature yet was a Creature formed by that Creatour His Body was made of his Mothers substance yet hee it was that made the substance of his Mothers Body of which hee was made Hee was made after the World was what hee was not before the World was made yet was hee still after hee was made what he was before the World was made or hee so in it Hee was begotten before his Mother was borne yet was hee borne of his Mother before hee was begotten of her As old hee was as Daniel 7. 9. John 1. 14. 3. 16. the ancient of dayes his Father that begat him and older hee was then his Virgin Mother that gave birth unto him Begotten hee was of his Father and borne hee was of his Mother yet was hee not begotten by his Father as hee was borne of his Mother not yet borne of his Mother as hee was begotten of his Father He was the onely begotten Sonne of his Father and he was begotten of his Father onely His Father begate him without Virgo Mater utiqâ—e admirabilis singularis a seculo non est auditum quod virgo esset quae pâ—perit Mater esset quae virgo permanfit S. Bernard Ser. 10. Isaiah 9. 6. the office of his Mother And hee was the onely Sonne of his Virgin Mother and the Sonne onely of his Mother as hee was her Sonne and borne of her His Mother did bear him without the office of a Father On his Fathers side hee was God and not Man and on his Mothers side he was Man and not God yet betwixt both hee was both God and Man to mediate betwixt both at his first comming and to arbitrate betwixt both at his second No wonder then it was that his Name was called Wonderfull for every thing in him was full of Wonder and his Passion was as wonderfull as any thing His comming into the world had a world of wonder in it and so had his being in it and his leaving of it did leave as many behind it Hee was crucified yet was not crucified Hee suffered yet did not suffer Hee dyed yet did not die and hee rose againe saith S. Ambrose yet did not rise againe And are not all these S. Ambros de Spirit sancto seeming contradictions Is not every period a very Paradox yet all very orthodox and easie to be unriddled Two Natures were united in that one Person of Christ And Christ endured that in one of his Natures which the other could not endure As Man or in his Manhood he suffered was crucified and dyed and rose from Death But as God or in his Deity he could doe neither Thus the Life and Death of Christ were very mysterious full of mysteries and so are the Life and Death of every mysticall Member of Christ Every true Christian is such a Member and this Vessell of Election our holy Apostle was such a Christian Hee was one that had the characters of Christs sufferings in his mortified Body I beare in my Body the markes of the Lord Iesus saith hee Galat. 6. 17. conformed to the mysticall Head of the Church in sufferings Christo concrucifixus crucified with Christ and his estate now was very Mysterious he was both dead and alive at once Crucified
love and to the Head by faith must needs be sensible of the sufferings of the 1 Cor. 12. 26 27. Head Whereas one member suffers all the members suffer with it by way or sympathy and therefore surely when as the Head suffers which is the fountaine of sense there must needs be a Catholike Compassion in all the Members Those are not living Members of Christs Mysticall Body that do not sympathize with him in the biternesse of his passion The very Remembrance of his grievous sufferings upon the Crosse for their sakes does make make them grieve for his sake And that 's their first Concrucifixion Now the second followes this and is twofold 1. Mysticall 2. Morall And the first of these is in the Sacrament of Baptisme For that Christens a man and makes him a member of Christ So many as are baptized into Christ they put on Christ And they put Galat. 3. 27. on Christ crucified that put him on by baptizme It is into the Death of Christ that they are Baptised And the Death of Christ was upon the Crosse by crucifixion And this laver of Signum est exhibitivum Regeneration the Sacrament of Baptisme does both signe and seale the Benefits of Christs crucifixion to a Christian And from this sacramentall or mysticall concrucifixion must we all derive that concrucifixion which is Morall And the Morall Concrucifixion does Crowne the Mysticall The Sacrament of Baptisme does begin the life of Christianity but it is the Christianity of life that does compleate a Christian and fits him for the Crowne of life Non quaeritur in Christianis S. Gregor l. 28. Moral initium sed finis saith S. Gregory The initiation of Christianity in any man is nothing so remarkable as the consummation of it Alas what is it to begin to be a Christian unlesse a man goes on to the perfection of Christianity I meane what profit is it to be baptized into Christ unlesse a man does live like a Christian Quid enim tibi prodect vocari quod non es nomen usurpare alienum sed si Christianum te esse delectat quae Christianitatis sunt gere S. August de doctrinâ Christianâ What benefit can there be in putting on of Christ by Baptisme unlesse we keepe him on in our lives and weare him in our Conversations Christiani nomen ille frustra sortitur qui Christum minimè imitatur saith S. Austine It s a frivolous thing to be a Nominall and not a Reall Christian to have the Name of a Christian and not be a follower of Christ Christianus à Christo A man is called a Christian from Christ whose follower he professes himselfe to be as those Disciples did which were first called so at Antioch Act. 11. 26. But those men bely A Christo Christiani â—umus â—uncupamur Athan. Orat. 2. contr Arian Gregor Nyss de profes Christianor S. Cypr. de 12. abusionib Greg. Naz. in Orat. funebri de S. Basilio the Name of Christ saith Gregory Nyssen that doe nor make their practice of Christianity to answer their profession of it Nemo Christianus verè dicitur nisi qui Christo moribus pro ut valet coaequatur saith S. Cyprian No man is rightly called a Christian unlesse he followeth Christ in his moralls as neere as he can S. Basil the Great and Gregory the Divine that were like Twinnes of Devotion in the Service of the Church did both rejoyce that they both were and were called Christians The putting on of Christ by Baptisme does give the Name but it is the keeping of him on in our moralls that speakes us Christians indeed It is not enough therefore to be crucified with Christ in Baptisme onely Ecce baptizati sunt homines See saith Saint S. Aug. Ser. 16. de verb. Apost Austine men are baptized and thereby their sinnes be washed away yet still something remaines on their parts to be performed Restat lucta cum carne restat lucta cum diabolo restat lucta cum mundo still there remaineth many Combates to Revel 2. 10. Mysterium hoc geritur in Christianis sacramentaliter efficaciter Sacramentaliter in Baptismo efficaciter in ipsa veteris nostri hominis mortificatione vitae novitate Musculus Dicendo simul cum Christo crucifixus sum Baptismum tecte significat diâ—â—do Vivo autem jam non ego sequemeÌ„ vitae rationeÌ„ significat per quam mortificantur membra S. Chrys in loc be maintained against our Ghostly Enemies the world the flesh and the Devil And indeed every Christian is engaged by his Baptisme to bid defiance unto these and to fight against them under the Banner of Christs Crosse to the utmost of his life We must be faithfull unto Death or never expect the Crowne of life Thus is this Mysterie begun and carried on in all true Christians as Saint Chrysostome hath observed and after him Theophilact and Musculus after both It begins in Baptisme and must be carried on in our lives It is this Morall concrucifixion that God expecteth and rewardeth But this is not easily and quickly finished Hic labor hoc opus it requires our greatest care and diligence to crucifie our selves with Christ in our lives This part of Christianisme is the hardest task that our Master Christ hath imposed upon us as his Disciples It is a worke that must be done so long as we live for that so long as we live we must never thinke we have done it But what is it that makes it so hard to be done there are many things that doe encrease the difficulty of it The first is that innate power or naturall strength that the Body of sinne hath in our Mortall Bodies I delight in the law Semper in nobis dum vivimus peccati Adami noÌ„nullae reliquiae manent Si enim ista semina sic omnino clui possit ut nullae in nobis restarent sordes vitiorum nec Paulus de legâ— membrorum mortisque corpore conquestus fuisset nec nos assidua spiritus renovatione opus haberemus Whitak â—â— 1. li. 8. of God after the inward man saith this Apostle But I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into Captivity to the law of sinne which is in my members Rom. 7. 22 23. See here was law against law and members against minde in Paul himselfe The corrupted Principles of Nature opposing the reformed and refined Principles of Grace and somtimes prevailing to the conquering to the captivating of this great Apostle and compelling him to cry 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O wretched man that I am who shall deliver â—â— from the body of this death Rom. 7. 24. Though man be renewed in his mind by the law of Grace or the Grace of the New man yet the Old man is still in him and the old man in him hath the law of Nature or the law of the Members on his side and the
Nature of that law is not easily overcome so soone as wee begin to kill or crucifie the old man in our bodies he presently layes the law to us and pleads the law of Nature against us and so makes us very remisse and it may be lay aside our work of morall Concrucifixion There was peccatum habitans sinne dwelling in Rom. 7. 15 16 17 18 19 20. Concupiscentia in renatis est peccatum Daven Determ Quaest pr. Paul himselfe and that sinne made him doe the evill which he hated and made him leave und one the good he greatly desired Such sin there is in every man though he be regenerate and that sinne in him does make his Concrucifixion very difficult The Second thing that greatens the difficulty of it is the Old mans easie Recovering or his speedy Recruting of his forces within us when we thinke we have so farre worsted them as that they must needs yeeld It is storyed of the Giant Antaeus Antaeus gigas ex terrae filiis cum Hercule congrediâ—â—s ut deprehensus est ex telluris tactu vires excrescere Volatera Paralipom Nat. Comes Mytholog l. 7. c. 1. 1 Cor. 15. 47. the sonne of Neptune by the Earth that when ever his strength began to faile him tactu terrae recreabatur it was recruted or renewed by his touching of the Earth And this made it so hard for Hercules to overcome and kill him Natales Comes seekes to verifie this fable by other allusions but it is most true of the Body of sinne which is indeed Terrae filius The sonne of the Earthie part which is in Man The Old man is of the Earth Earthie And sinne is the Sonne of the Old Man and like the Giant Antaeus it reneweth strength by touching of Earth and Earthly things which maketh it so hard a matter for the Body of sinne to be Mortified by us so long as we have our Conversations upon the Earth I remember a story which I have read in Neubrigensis it is Q ippe ex Alienora quondam Francorum Regina susceptis 4 siliis Henricum natu majorem Regni Anglici Ducatus Normanici cum Andegavensi Comitatu successorem relinqâ—cre Richardum vero Aquitaniae Galfridum Britanniae praesicere cogitabat quartum natu minimum Joannem sine terra cognominans c. Gulielm Neubrigen lib. 2. c. 18. of King Henry the Second who having bequeathed no Land of inheritance to John his fourth and youngest Sonne by Queene Elinor surnamed him Johannem sine terra John without Earth or Land to live upon It was his Fathers Pleasure so to deale with him and so to miscall him He wanted such a portion of Earth without him as was given by his Father to his other Brothers but he wanted not his portion of Earth within him He had the inheritance of an earthie part in his Mortall Body derived from the Old man in his Father He was not Johannes sine terra in respect of the body of sinne he was of the Earth Earthy and so is every man living upon the Earth and the Earth within us doth strengthen sinagainst us and makes it very hard for us to crucifie it in us A Third thing that makes our Mortification difficult is the Time that the Old Man in us must have to dye in He must needs dye a lingring death for he must be dying all the dayes of our Naturall life Those two Malefactours that were crucified corporally when Christ was had lingring Deaths yea so long they were in dying that the Souldiers had Orders given them to breake their legs for the hastening of their Deaths And he that begins to crucifie the Old Man in himselfe shall finde him so loath to dye and so long in dying that new violences must be offered to him to make him yeeld The fastening of him to the Crosse does make him sick and the breaking of his legs does make him weak Yet will he not dye so long as the man does live nor wholly yeeld to the spirituall man untill that ye yeelds up his spirit The nature of this mysticall death does differ much from the death of Nature this is mors sine morte a death without death That may be a lingring death sometimes but this is ever a living death a death in life It is Martyrium vivum as Tertullian phraseth it a living Martyrdome a killing of the flesh and a leaving of the man alive Martyrium sine sanguine S. Bern. inter Sententias saith S. Bernard A Martyrdome without any Bloudshed a Mortifying of the Body without killing of it Other Martyrdoms Duo sunt Martyrii genera unum in habitu alterum in actu c. Pâ—imasius in c. 7. in c. 11. Apocalyp Josua 9. 21. Carranza in Sum. Concilior Apostolor Canon 23 24. Concil Nicaen Can. 1. Concil Arelaten Can. 7. are either in Minde or Body this is in both without the destruction of either A man may Mortifie his members with S. Paul without cutting of them off with Origen Gods people the Israelites did not kill those enemies of theirs the Gibeonites but brought them into subjection and made them serviceable And such as are godly people need not destroy their bodies or their affections naturall but subdue them and make them spirituall and serviceable Thus much the Apostle intimated to the Romanes in saying As ye have yeelded your members servants to uncleannesse and to iniquity unto iniquity even so now yeeld your members servants to righteousnesse unto holinesse Rom. 6. 19. Where observe that they still be members and still yours your members and still servants but not still in servitude to the same masters Their masters are newed and so is the manner of their service This Morall Concrucifixion may consist with Naturall Conservation This Mortification is not meant of the Common Death of Man saith Saint Chrysostome and S. Chrys Theophil in locum Quos Deus mortificat affligit postea vivificat Mendoza in lib. 1. Regum Tom. 1. after him Theophilact but of a Death unto sinne And with this Mortification of the Old man there must ever be the Vivification of the New man I am Crucified with Christ neverthelesse I live There is life with Death yea life by it When the Naturall Man beginnes to live then hee beginnes to die and when the Spirituall Man beginnes to die then hee begins to live Mans first Birth leads him unto Death His second lets him into Life Hee is borne at first to die But borne againe to live It is the beginning of Misery to be borne once But the beginning of Felicity to be borne againe The first Birth onely lets man into Naturall life and into that but onely for a time and that time but a short one too But the second Birth does let life into Man and that a Spirituall life and that 's the Pledge and Meanes of life eternall It is the Nature of mans first life to give him onely the