15 qud quad 19 Aetneum Aetnaeum 41 num nun◠124 seeing being 196 prestare praestare 438 Hillarius Hilarius 690 Psal pag. 695 Blando Blanda And some other mis-quotations which for want of the copie I cannot directly amend The first golden Candlesticke HOLDING The first greatest light of Christian RELIGION Of the misery of MAN ROMANS 6.23 The reward of sinne is death EVery man saith holy Iob is borne to labour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yea necessitie enioyneth all mortall men to labour saith Euripides and euery labourer is induced saith Hugo Cardinalis to performe his worke with alacritie vpon the assured hope of iust reward and therefore the law required that no man should detaine the hyre of the Labourer vntill the morning but as soone as euer hee had done his worke Leuit. 19.13 to pay him his wages because as our Sauiour saith the Labourer is worthy of his hyre and we finde that according as the payment is Luc. 10.7 good or bad so are the Labourers willing or vnwilling to doe their worke for good and present payment makes a painefull and a cheerefull agent Now here the Apostle setteth downe a worke performed and the wages thereof not onely iustly deserued but also presently discharged the reward of sinne is death and in what day thou sinnest Gen. 2.17 in that day thou shalt die the death saith the Lord few words but full of matter Sinne and Death the two most common things vpon the face of the earth for all men sinned except Christ himselfe and all men died except Enoch and Elias and yet two of the most lamentable and most fearefull things in the world for what is more lamentable then sinne or what is more terrible then death Iudges 15.4.5 and yet as Sampsons Foxes were tyed together by the tayles and carried firebrands betwixt them to destroy all the Corne of the Philistimes so here sinne and death are indissolubly linked together with vnquenchable firebrands betwixt them to deuoure all the whole race of mankinde for the reward of sinne is death But I must seuer them for a time to examine these murtherers of men that all wee may hate them if we cannot shunne them and therefore according to the number of the words of this text The diuision of the Text. stipendium peccati mors I desire you to obserue the parts of this tragedie three words three parts 1 the worke performed Sinne. 2 the payment rendred Death 3 the equitie shewed the wages of sin is death All which well considered will shew vnto vs all the most wofull state and the manifold miseries of poore distressed miserable man CHAP. I. Of Originall sinne The first Part. and how the same is deriued from the Parents vnto the Children Of the worke that is done i. e. Sinne. HEre you see sinne is the roote of death and death is the fruit of sinne Sower must be the roote when the fruit doth proue so bitter and sinne must needes bee execrable when as death is a thing so lamentable and therfore sinne makes me quake to thinke of it and death should make you tremble to consider of it because death is the wages of sinne And sinne is either 1 originall Sinne is twofold 2 actuall the first is traduced vnto vs from Adam the second is daily committed by our selues For the first In what day thou eatest of the tree of knowledge of good and euill thou shalt die the death saith the Lord vnto Adam but you may eate Gen. 2.17 and you shall not die at all saith the Diuell vnto Euah she beleeued the Diuell and the man obayed his wife and so both would needes eate and therefore God cannot be true or else man must needes die and he must iustly die because he did vniustly eate i. Of Originall sinne Rom. 5.12 Here was the sinne committed by one and from him it was deriued vnto all for by one man sinne entred into the world and sinne went ouer all and spread it selfe like that far-spreading tree which Olympias dreamt shee bare or like a vile gangrene ouer all the face of the whole earth and corrupted all the race of mankinde for it is a schoole-point most infallible that Adam now stood not as a priuate person or as one particular man but as the roote of all the branches and as bearing in his person the nature of all mankinde And therefore if he had stood we had all stood Heb. 7.9 but as Abraham paying tythes Leui paid tythes in Abraham so Adam sinning we haue all sinned in Adam Et omnes peccauimus in isto vno homine quia omnes eramus iste vnus homo And wee haue all sinned in that one man because we all were that one man saith Saint Augustine And so both himselfe and wee all The dammage that we receiue by Adams fall is two-fold 1. A depriuation of all goodnesse doe by this fact of Adam receiue a double dammage 1. A depriuation of all our originall goodnesse the image of God in vs and the loue of God towards vs and therefore if at the losse of earthly treasures we shew our selues so much grieued O then how should our soules for the amission of such heauenly graces be continually perplexed vntill wee see the same once againe restored 2. An habituall naturall pronenesse to all kinde of wickednesse 1. A pronesse to all wickednesse and to commit sinne euen with greedinesse In respect of the first we are altogether vnable to doe any good for who can bring a cleane thing out of that which is vncleane how can wee being voide of grace bring forth any fruits of goodnesse and In respect of the second wee are naturally inclined to all kinde of euill like a stone tumbling downe a hill that can neuer stay it selfe vntill it come to the bottome So Medea saith Video meliora proboque deteriora sequor Though I see the good yet am I naturally driuen to doe that which is euill for our whole nature being defiled we are wholly inclined to fall from one wickednesse vnto another as the Psalmist speaketh And in respect of both these wee are said to bee conceiued in sinne borne in iniquiitie destitute of grace void of goodnesse nothing but flesh full of corruption children of darkenesse sonnes of wrath heyres of damnation slaues of death for the reward of sinne is death But here it may be questioned and it is not easily to be resolued how originall corruption is traduced from the Parents into the Children The question is not of the verity of the matter for it is plaine Ezech. 18. that our Fathers haue eaten sowre grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge and euery one may truely say with the Prophet Psal 51.5 in sinne my Mother hath conceiued me but it is of the Mystery of the manner Iohn 3.9 as Nicodemus said to Christ how can these things be for How originall sinne
as hee which beleeueth in Christ as sayth the Apostle and prouideth not for his familie hath denied the faith and is worse then an Infidell and as he which professeth Christian Religion and with his knowledge and Faith and Baptisme hath no good maners no holinesse of life and conuersation which may expresse the liuelihood of this doctrine but hath onely a certaine shew of Religion hauing denied the power thereof is farte worse then an Infidell so is he which sinneth wittingly through knowledge by so much worse then he is which sinneth through ignorance as an inexcusable sinne is worse then that which hath a iust excuse And so Saint Isidore sayth Jsidorus de summo bono l 2. that tanto maius peccatum esse cognoscitur quanto maior qui peccat habetur according to the quality of the offender so is the qualitie of the offence Criminostor culpa est vbi honestior status the greater the man is which sinneth the greater is the sinne which he committeth for as Plato sayth that ignorantia potentum robustorumque hominum hostilis atque teterrima res est the ignorance of great and mighty men is a most vile and hatefull thing Why the sins of great men of eminent place are the greatest sins because it may bee very hurtfull vnto many so may we say that the sinnes of great men and of those that are in place and authoritie are exceedingly sinnefull and doe deserue the greater condemnation not onely because their sinnes are exemplarie sinnes as the old verse sayth Regis ad exemplum totus componitur orbis and as the prouerbe is like Priest like People Matth. 6.23 but also because in them is required the more eminent vertue wee should bee the light of the world and the great men should be the defenders of the distressed and the helpers of the needy and therefore Si lumen quod in te est tenebrae sunt ipsae tenebrae quatae erunt If thou which shouldest be at patterne of all vertue committest sinne how great is thy sin and if they which should be Patrons of the poore Preachers become robbers of the Church and they which should be Releeuers of the needy become oppressors of their neighbours how intollerable is that cruelty Surely though these things should be but small sinnes in others yet in vs they are horrible transgressions Chrysost hom 24 in c. 7. Matth. Quia impossibile omnino nobis est ad ignorantiae praesidium aliquando confugere Because it is vnpossible for vs to finde any excuse for our selues And therefore though Gentlemen and Courtiers Citizens and worldlings doe leade their liues in lewdnesse and turne the graces of God into wantonnesse and thinke it no great sinnes but either the infirmities of their youth or but the custome of their times yet in vs that are the Preachers of Gods Word or in those that are the Gouernours of the people the least sinne or mis-cariage of our selues which perhaps alijs ignoscitur nobis imputatur is but a veniall sinne in others and shall be pardoned will be found a haynous sinne in vs for which we shall be surely punished Bern. l. 2. de consid ad Eugen. for so Saint Bernard saith Inter seculares nugae nugae sunt in ore sacerdotis sunt blasphemiae Triffles are but triffles among secular men but in the mouth of the Priests triffles proue to be blasphemies and therfore the wise man saith that the meane and the simple man shall obtaine mercy Wis 6.6 when the wise and the mighty shall be mightily punished CHAP. VI. How euery sinne and the least sinne of euery one bringeth death YOu haue heard the diuersity of sinners and the inequality of sinnes and therfore I might now proceed vnto the second part which is the reward of sinne but that I may not forget to obserue that the Apostle saith indefinitely the reward of sinne is death to teach vs these three speciall lessons 1. That euery One sinne brings death 2. That the sinne of euery one brings death 3. That the least sin of any one brings death for First He sayth the reward of sinne is death not of sinnes That any one sinne is sufficient to bring death vnto the Sinner 1 Sam. 17. 2 Sam. 20 9. Sueton. in vit Caesar One is inough if there were no more For as one leake in a shippe is sufficient to sinke it and one vaynes bleeding is inough to let out all the vitall spirits and one wound may kill Golias and Amasa as well as 23 did Caesar So one proud disdainefull thought may cast Lucifer out of Heauen one Apple may cast Adam out of Paradise and one sinne may bring death vpon any one of the sonnes of Adam And therefore seeing the puritie of God can abide no sinne and his iustice will so seuerely punish euery sinne Gen. 3.24 we should not giue way to any sinne for though we keepe the royall Law James 2.10 yet if we fail but in any one point we are guilty of all not that he which committeth any one sin committeh all sinnes but that he is as guilty of death by that one sinne as if hee had committed all sinnes and God can as easily spie out one sinne in man though he had no more as well as he could spie out one man amongst his guests which had not on his wedding garment Matth. 22.12 Secondly as One sinne so the sinne of any one brings death That the sin of any one man be he great or small brings death Gal. 3.10 Jerem 22 24. for cursed is euery one whosoeuer he be that continueth not in all things that are written in the Booke of the Law for to doe them saith the Lord and the soule which sinneth that soule shall die saith the Prophet and Coniah if he offend though he were as the Signet on Gods right hand yet will God cut him off saith the Lord. But what haue not Kings and Princes Lords and Ladies great men Knights and rich men haue not they any priuiledge to haue their pleasures nor any prerogatiue to commit any sinne must they haue no more liberty then the poorest peasant Yes that they haue for when the meane men cannot offend but presently they shall be reprooued and it may be punished whereby many times they are brought to repentance and are themselues cleansed and haue their sinnes pardoned the great men The dangerous estate of Great men because many of vs dare not reproue them for feare to offend them and so to be offended by them may goe on in their sinnes without controulement they may doe it without feare though with the more danger for though it be true of a poore fearefull Preacher dat veniam coruis vexat censura columbas that he dares not reprooue these mighty men yet with God there is no respect of persons but Veniam laeso numine nullus habet If Moses the Prince of Gods people
grosse ignorance and the memory with sottish forgetfulnesse so that now wee will indirectly wee iudge darkely and wee remember nothing that is heauenly Hence it comes to passe How our soules are fuller of diseases then our bodies that our bodies are not so subiect to diseases as our soules be to sinnes for pride is the soules tympany when it doth turgescerefastu waxe big and swell through the distaine of others enuie is the worme that gnaweth at the heart then which it is most certaine that Siculi non inuenere tyranui tormentum maius The Sicilian Tyrants did neuer feele a more fearefull torment and wrath is a plurisie that will not be appeased without blood for of the raging man it is most truely said Mad that his poyson cannot others kill He drinkes it off himselfe himselfe to spill And therefore of all the men in the world we are aduised to keepe no company with an angry furious man but as the Poet saith Dum furor in cursu currenti cede furori Ouidius lib. 1. de rem amor Difficiles aditus impetus omnis habet To turne aside from euery furious wight Cause fury will haue passage in despight And Lust is the soules feauer the flames thereof are the flames of fire and the waters thereof are aqua 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the waters of folly and madnesse And in this How the sickenesse of the soule is worse then the sickenesse of the body the sicknesse of the soule doth exceed all the sicknesse of the body for the body hath some respite from its sickenesse but the soule hath none from sinne and euery sicknesse of the body kils it not but euery sinne slayeth the soule for the reward of sinne that is of euery sinne is death saith the Apostle And hence likewise in my iudgement that branch of Pellagianisme taught also by Lactantius that the light of Nature if it were well vsed might make way for Diuine instruction may bee sufficiently confuted for though they teach that man by sinne hath not quite killed his soule but wounded the same like the man that fell among theeues and was left halfe aliue and therefore might Lactan diuin iustit c. 5. That Nature though neuer so well vsed cannot procure the gifts of grace Ephes 2.1.5 Coloss 2.13 saith Lactantius come to the same doctrine that we doe follow Si quae natura ducente sanserunt defendissent If they had constantly maintained those things which Nature taught them yet the Apostle saith here that sinne brings death vnto the Sinner and if death then sure there was no life i. e. no life of Grace in him And so in many other places the Apostle sheweth as much for he saith that we were dead in trespasses and sinnes and that God hath quickned vs by Iesus Christ And therefore it is apparently plaine that at the beginning of our conuersion we are altogether passiue and haue no power in the world to releeue our selues vntill grace hath quickened our soules Ob. But against this it may be obiected that the Apostle saith the Gentiles knew God Rom. 1.21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so much as might be knowne concerning God that is his eternall power and God-head when they considered him in his workes and therefore the light of Nature was not quite extinguished in them Sol. That sinne extinguished all knowledge of God but what God reuealeth to man I answere that this knowledge of God was not from the light of Nature in them but it was reuealed by God vnto these naturall men to make them without excuse as Zanchius well obserueth for so the Apostle sheweth in the 19 verse of the same Chapter where he saith Deus enim illis manifestauit for God reuealed the same vnto them and therefore I say that the sinne of Adam did quite kill the soule of euery man for the reward of sinne is death and therefore we may all of vs cry out with the Apostle Rom. 7.24 O wretched men that we are who shall deliuer vs from this body of death And here-hence we may also see the iudgement of God threatned in Paradise Gen. 1.17 In what day thou eatest of the tree of Knowledge of good and euill thou shalt die the death to be truely and presently inflicted vpon Adam for though his body seemed to liue yet was his soule separated from God and therefore must needs be presently dead Aug. de ser dom in monte habetur de poenitent distinct 2. But as sinne is three manner of wayes committed as I shewed before so is the death of the soule three wayes inflicted and they are prefigured by those three sorts of dead men which our Sauiour raised in the Gospell as S. Augustine sheweth The first was Iayrus his daughter she was a Virgin â—nd was as yet within the doores and therefore our Sauiour went into the house and put out all the people and vouchsafed to take her by the hand and to say Talitha cumi Damosell Mar. 5.41 Of a three-fold death of the soule I say vnto thee arise This signifieth that soule which sinned onely by consent but hath not yet brought forth the sinne into fact and therefore God will be mercifull vnto such and will not require to shame them before the world but hee will goe in himselfe and accept of their inward repentance for such inward sinnes The second was the Widdowes sonne of Naime and hee was caried out to be buried and therefore our Sauiour in the presence of them all Did touch the Beere and said Luk 7.14 Yong man I say vnto thee arise and he sate vp and began to speake And this signifieth the soule that sinneth in fact and therefore as she publikely sinned so she must be publikely restored and as by her sinne she offended many so by her sitting vp They that publikely sinne must publikely testifie their repentance i. e. by her standing and constancy in grace and by her talking i. e. by her confession of her sinnes she must giue satisfaction vnto many Nam qui publice peccat publice corrigendus publice restaurandus est For he that publikely offendeth is publikely to be reprooued publikely to be restored saith the Law The third was Lazaus John 11. and hee was dead and laid in his graue and therefore Iesus was faine to goe a great iourney to raise him and when he came to him he groned in his spirit and was troubled he wept and he groaned againe Ver. 35. he lifted vp his eyes he prayed and he cryed with a loude voyce saying Ver. 43. Lazarus come forth and then he came forth but how bound hand and foot saith the Euangelist with graue clothes and his face bound with a Napkin so that his friends and standers by were faine to loose him and to let him goe Ver 44. And this signifieth the soule that is accustomed to sinne that is dead and buried in sin and
thy sake CHAP. II. How euery sinne slayeth the soule AS sinne brings a curse vpon all creatures How sinne brought on man a treble death so it brings death vpon all men for the reward of sinne is death and we finde this death to bee three fold 1. A spirituall death of the Soule within the Body 2. A corporall death of the Body by continuall castigation of the same throughout all our life and a finall seperation from the soule at the end of our life 3. An eternall death both of Body and Soule in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone foreuermore The first is set downe in the 8. of Matth. 22. Chrysost hom 11. in c. 6. ad rom Where our Sauiour sayth Let the dead bury their dead i. e. Let those that are spiritually dead in trespasses sinnes as the Apostle sayth burie those that are naturally dead to shew that a sinners body is but the breathing Sepulchre of his sinnefull soule and therfore the Prophet Dauid sayth Psal 14.5 Rom. 3.13 that their throat is an open Sepulchre which yeelds a more loathsome sent vnto the nostrils of God from the corrupted putrified soule then any graue can yeeld vnto the nostrils of man from all its rotten carkases The second is set downe in the 11. of Iohn the 39. John 11.39 where Martha sayth her brother Lazarus was dead and stinked i. e. depriued of the fruition of the soule and therefore loathsome to bee seene and more loathsome to bee smell for experience sheweth vs that how sweete soeuer we be in our life and how soft and tender soeuer our flesh bee most amiably complexioned with that fresh and liuely blood which be deckes the same with the fairest colours and glides vp and downe in siluer veynes yet are the best of these sweetest Ladies but most loathsome stinking carrions within a short space after death all flesh being subiect to corruption Luke 16.24 The third is set downe in the 16. of Luke 24. where Diues being in torments prayeth vnto Abraham to shew that he had a soule and desireth a drop of water to coole his tongue to prooue that he had a body But to speake of these three more fully First Wee must vnderstand that the spirituall death of the soule is two-fold 1. Mori peccatis to die to sinne 2. Mori in Peccatis to die in sinne Macrob. c. 1. in som scip 13. For the first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the whole studie and life of the Philosopher was nothing else but a commentary Hieron ad Heliod ex Platone in Phaedone or preparation for death saith Macrobius Nam mori dicimur cum anima adhuc in corpore constituta corporeas illecebras contemnit for he may bee truely sayd to die whose soule still remayning within the body doth notwithstanding contemne and abstaine from all fleshly delights And this was aymed at by the Philosophers but it was onely attained vnto by the true Christians What it is to die to sinne for they that are Christs haue crucified the flesh and haue mortified the lusts of the same sayth the Apostle these haue eares and heare not the Sirenian notes of sinne nor the flattering suggestions of Satan they haue eyes and see not the alluring vanities of this world any wayes worthy to bee desired for I haue made a couenant with mine eyes Job 31. that they should not looke that is vnlawfully or with any lasciuious desire vpon a maide sayth holy Iob and I sayd I would take heed vnto my wayes sayth the Prophet Dauid that I offend not in my tongue Psal 39.1 and therefore as the Apostle sayth they vse the world as though they vsed it not To die to sinne is a punishment for sinne And although this death be good the onely way to bring vs vnto a better life for hee that will not die before he dieth shall neuer liue when hee dieth yet is this the reward of sinne for had it not beene for sinne we had not needed to take this care and payne Cyprian de duplici Martyrio to fight against our selues yea to Martyr and mortifie our own flesh by chastening our owne bodies to bring them to subiection least we should prooue to be cast-awayes as the Apostle speaketh and therefore the chastisements of the Saints are the punishments of their sinnes For the second to die in sinne What it is to die in sinne is when God forsaketh a sinnefull soule and suffereth the same to lye and die in her transgressions for as the soule is the life of the body so is God the life of the soule sayth Saint Augustine Aug. de ciuit dei l. 13. c. 21. Matth. 4.4 And therefore all those that liue by bread onely and not by euery word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God i. e. which liue the life of nature and not the life of grace they are like those wanton widdowes whereof the Apostle sayth 1 Tim. 5.6 that they are dead while they liue for though the soule be truely immortall yet it hath a kind of death sayth Saint Augustine and that is when God forsaketh the same for sinne and what a heauy case is this Plangis corpus quod deserit anima non plangis animam quam deserit Deus We bewaile the body when the soule is parted and shall wee not bewayle the soule which God hath forsaken sayth Saint Chrisostome Saint Augustine being as then a Manichee and reading the Hystorie of Aeneas and Queene Dido A most excellent consideration of Saint Augustine did weepe as himselfe confesseth when hee came to the death of Dido and therefore after that he was conuerted hee most diuinely sayth ô me miserum c. O wretched man that I was that would bewaile the death of Dido forsaken of Aeneas and did not bewaile the death of mine owne soule forsaken of God so we many times doe weepe for the death of our friends but doe neuer weepe for the death of our owne soules They may say vnto vs as Christ sayd to the daughters of Ierusalem weepe not for vs but weepe for your selues Luke 23.28 and for your owne soules that are dead in sinnes for euery one of vs may say with the poet Atque vtinam lugenda tibi non vita Repentance is the onely meanes to reuiue our dying soules sed esset mors mea Our life is a great deale more worthy to bee bewailed then our deâ—th in as much as the death of the soule is a great deale more lamentable then the death of the body But as wee haue no other remedie for the death of our friends but onely teares Est quadam flere voluptas Expletur lachrymis egeriturque dolor for this is a great ease vnto the afflicted heart and a kinde of comfort vnto the sorrowfull soule so we haue none other helpe for the death of our soules but onely teares Saepe per has
now I come to restore it to make him ashamed to confesse his sinnes And surely thus hee deales with vs all hee makes vs shamelesse to commit all sinnes euen with Absolon in the sight of all Israel 2 Sam. 16.22 and in the sight of the Sunne but he makes vs ashamed to confesse any sinne But if wee feare this punishment of sinne all miseries in this life death shortning life and eternall torments after death and would bee deliuered from it then let vs not make the Ministers afrayde to reproue our sinnes nor be our selues ashamed to confesse our sinnes for as the first degree of righteousnesse is not to sinne so the second is to acknowledge and forsake our sinnes If we had not sinned we had not died and if we doe acknowledge and forsake them we shall receiue no dammage by death but if we continue in sinne we shall die and we shall iustly die for the reward of sinne is death And so I come to the third part which is the equitie of this reward because death is the wages of sinne PART III. The equity of this payment Death is the stipend of Sinne. Part. 3. CHAP. I. How iust a thing it is to punish Sinne. The reward of Sinne is Death YOu haue heard of a world of miseries that are inflicted on man for sinne here in this life you haue heard of eternall death and intollerable torments for euer and euer that shall be inflicted on sinfull soules in the future life and now it resteth that I should shew the equity of this punishment how iust it is with God to render all this on man for sinne and therefore that I may the more fully cleere this point Three points to be considered to shew the equity of the punishment of sinne I must desire you to consider these three especiall things 1. That it is iust to punish sinne 2. That God is the iustest Iudge that can be found to punish it 3. That this punishment which God imposeth and inflicteth for sinne is most right and iust First there is nothing in the world Cicero de nat deorum l. 1. saith Cicero more agreeable to reason then that true and honest labour should bee commended and rewarded and the vices of men should be seuerely punished according to their iust desert for it is vnpossible saith he that either house or Common-wealth should stand Si in ea nec rectè factis proemia extant vlla Idem l. 3 de nat deor nec supplicia peccatis if there be not in the same both rewards for good deeds and punishments for sinnes and therefore Solon being demanded what was most profitable for the well-fare of a Common-wealth said Si boni proemijs innitantur mali paenis coercentur Stobaeus ser 41. to defend and reward the good and to restraine and punish the bad and M. Cato saith that there is nothing more pernicious vnto any state Plutarch in Apoth Quam si improborum mores paena non coerceantur then to suffer wicked men to goe away vnpunished and therefore he would haue those Magistrates that did not punish the impieties of the wicked and dissolute fellowes Non tantum non ferendos The Law of Nature teacheth that sinne should be punished sed lapidihus obruendos not onely not to be suffered but to be stoned with stones to death and so the Lawes of all Nations doe prouide that good and vertuous deeds should be rewarded and euill deeds should be punished for wee finde it very true by experience that impunitas delicti inuitat homines ad malignandum To forbeare the punishment of sinne doth increase the number of sinners Prou. 17 15. because punishment is deferred the hearts of the children of men are euen set to doe euill and therefore God himselfe doth say that whosoeuer iustifieth the wicked is a like culpable before him as if he had condemned the innocent and Saint Ambrose tels vs plainely that it is sometimes miserecordia punire crudelitas parcere a pious work to punish and a cruelty for to spare for this doth not onely incourage sinners to goe on from one wickednesse to another but it is an ill patterne and a great prouokement to draw others to doe the like and therefore wee may well conclude this first point that it is a most iust thing to punish sinnes and offences CHAP. II. How God is the iustest Iudge to punish Sinne. SEcondly that God is the iustest Iudge that can be found to punish sin it appereth by these 3. reasons God loueth righteousnesse Psal 45.7.8 Heb. ◠9 First because he loueth righteousnesse For it is the propertie of a iust Iudge not onely to iudge righteously to iustifie the innocent and to punish the offenders but also to loue righteousnesse and to hate iniquitie but of God the Prophet saith Psal 5.5 Thy throne O God is for euer and euer thou hast loued righteousnesse and hated iniquitie wherfore God euen thy God hath annoynted thee with the oyle of gladnesse aboue thy fellowes And againe thou hatest all those that worke vanitie Secondly because he iudgeth without any respect of persons God is no respecter of persons for this is one of the chiefest properties of a righteous Iudge to iudge according to the equitie of the cause and according to the quality of the person and therefore Iethro Iehosophat Exod. 18.21 and others doe make this not respecting of persons 2 Chron 19 7. to be one of the essentiall properties of a righteous Iudge Prou 24.23 1 Sam. 6.7 Act. 10 33. Gal. 1.6 Psal 50.10 Psal 149 8. Deut. 26.7 but with God there is no respect of persons for he will not be corrupted with the reward of the rich for all the beasts of the Forrest are his and so are all the cattell vpon a thousand hills he will not be terrified for feare of the mighty for he will binde Kings in fetters and Nobles in linkes of iron neither is he angred or molested with the incessant complaynings of the poore but he will heare their cry Psal 145.19 and will helpe them Psal 145.19 Indeed with men it is a common practise With men we finde Iustice often peruerted to haue our lawes like a spiders webbe wherein the little flies are catcht and the great buzzing bumble bees doe easily passe through and therefore it is truely said of mans Law That Dat veniam coruis vexat censura columbas It spares the rich but spoiles the poore But Gods law is rete Vulcanium like Vulcans iron net That God is most iust which apprehends and condemnes all alike for if the greatest men hurt the poorest and those poore men cry vnto me saith the Lord I will heare them that is to helpe the oppressed and to punish the wrong doer and therefore Moses saith of him Deut. 10.17 that he is a great God mighty and terrible which accepteth no person nor taketh reward but
be one peny to make vs richer for an oath of our mouth to shew our selues Gallants and for such like other things of nothing will not be afraid to offend our God to lose his fauour and to cast him off for euer I remember that when God sheweth how little hee respecteth wicked sinners Psal 44 13. the Prophet saith Thou sellest thy people for naught and takest no money for them as if they were worth nothing in the world euen so doe these men deale with God they sell him for naught and esteeme him worth nothing in the world for putting God on the one hand and the least pleasure or profit of sinne on the other hand they will imbrace that sinne and forsake their God and this they will not onely doe once or twice and then leaue but they will doe it daily and hourely and euery moment neuer leauing to sinne vntill we be compelled to leaue the world for euery one of vs may say with Manasses Vt februm recidiuarum maiora pericula vt vulnerum post cicatrices c. Bosquierus de passione Dom conc 3. p. 692. Peccaui super numerum arenae maris My sinnes are more in number then the sands of the Sea And therefore as often wounding the same scarres doth increase the danger saith Bosquierus So the continuall committing of the same sinnes doth euery way much increase and aggrauate the offences for if we did it but once it might be thought we did it precipitately of inconsideration but when we doe it continually it is apparant that we doe it wilfully with delight and deliberation and therefore must be left euery way without excuse Ansel in l. de casu diaboli Anselmus comparing the sinne of Satan with his owne sin saith Diabolus nulla praecedentis vindicta superbiens peccauit ego visa eius paena non continens ad peccatum properaui ille in innocentia constitutus ego vero restitutus ille perstitit in malitia deo reprobante ego vero deo reuocante ille obduratur ad punientem ego vera ad blandientem sic vterque contra deum ille contra non requirentem se ego vero contra morientem pro me ecce cuius imaginem horrebam in multis aspicio me horribiliorem The Diuell not seeing any vengeance vpon any former sinner by waxing proud did sinne but I though I saw his punishment for sinne did notwithstanding hasten vnto sinne He sinned in his innocency wherein he was first created I after I was againe restored hee persisted in his malice God forsaking him I persist in my sinne God still seeking to reclaime me from sinne he was hardned against God punishing him I against my God that gently and mildly intreated me and so both of vs did sinne against God he against him that after he sinned sought him not but I against him that after I had sinned sought me and dyed for mee and therefore behold I find my selfe in many things more vile and horrible then him whom for his obstinacy against God I doe so much hate and detest So infinitely great Man is not able to comprehend the infinite deformitie of sinne and so transcendently horrible is the sinne of man insomuch that Diuines conclude that as God is infinite Propter summam formositatem In regard of his excellent beauty so is sinne infinite in respect of vs Propter summam deformitatem By reason of its vnspeakeable deformitie and therefore that it can deserue no lesse then infinite punishment Well then beloued Brethren seeing the person offended All punishment ought to be answerable to the offence is so great and so excellent the offenders so base and so beggerly and the offence so haynous and so intollerable and that the punishment of a sinne Vt nec maior crimine ita nec minor esse debet As it ought not to be more so it should not be lesse then the offence deserueth what man can imagine a punishment great enough for such and so great offences as wee daily commit against our God Hence it is that Saint Paul willing to shew the equity of this inflicted punishment calleth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stipendia The stipend or the wages of sinne Now stipendium Dr a stipe A stipend is an hirelings reward and was wont to be called the wages that was appointed to be paide the Souldiers to make prouision for their daily meate and drinke to sustaine themselues vntill they receiued their full pay this was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their stipend and none can say but the poore Souldier which aduentureth his life and his limbes euery moment for the defence of his Prince Peeres and Countrey is iustly worthy of this small measure of meate Now Death saith the Apostle is the stipend of the Sinner and therefore Death is as due to him Aretius in Rom. c. 6. 25. Vti militi stipendium suum as is the stipend vnto the Souldier saith Aretius And so you see the Worke Sinne the Wages Death and the Equity of it as iustly due to him as the stipend is to the Souldier For the wages of Sinne is Death CHAP. VI. Of the especiall application of each one of these three parts of the whole Text. ANd now to presse each one of these to make impression in our hearts let vs euer learne and remember that First seeing sinne is so various so ambiguous so horrible and so odious in its meandrian windings we should be very carefull to looke into the secret corners and tortuous labyrinths of the same for it comes as I shewed you creeping by degrees and it comes vayled with shadowes As the Serpent crept into Paradice so the Diuel creepeth into our harts and draweth vs into the height of sinne by little and little Looke into all the Ecclesiasticall Stories and you shall see that neither Idolatry nor Superstition stept into its height at first but rather crept on by little and little Saint Peters Successor was long before he could come to weare a triple Crowne so Satan seekes to bring in sinne and therefore seeing that Serò medicina paratur Cum mala per longas conualuere moras It is hard to cure an old festered disease we should obstare principijs withstand the very first beginnings of sinne and hate the very garment Jude verse 23. that is any wayes spotted or stained with iniquity That is the very least thing that may occasionate euill How we may withstand and hinder the groweth of sinne But you will say how shall this be done you tell vs what we should doe but you shew vs not the way to doe it I answere that I finde two especiall meanes whereby Satan sought to inlarge the Kingdome of Sinne and by which he had almost ouerthrowne the Kingdome of Israel The one was the aduice of Baalam Numb 24 14. the sonne of Beor a great Prophet that taught Balak King of Moab 1 Cor. 10.8 to intangle
fault where it is vpon our selues and vpon our owne Sinnes for though the many multitude say it was a good world with them When they sacrificed vnto the Queene of Heaven yet the King of Heauen knowes what a wofull time it was for Man when the Crucifixe was kissed with the kisses of their Mouthes and Iesus Christ was crucified againe with the workes of their hands and when they changed The trueth of God into a lye and Worshipped and serued the creature made a god with their owne hands Rom. 1.15 More then the Creator who is blessed for euer Amen And if we would be free from plagues free from punishments let vs free our selues from sinne I know that feare of Poperies comming againe with superstitions hath spread it selfe ouer the face of this whole Iland but alas Wee feare where no feare is for I dare confidently affirme that it neuer was his Maiesties minde nor the purpose of the State to bring in Idolatry and superstition into this land againe Cantic 5.3 for We haue washed our feete and shall we foule them againe But the secrets of State is more then either I can perceiue or most of you well vnderstand Or if they did yet were it vayne Quia non est concilium contra Dominum because no deuice of man can subuert the truth of God vnlesse our sinnes doe prouoke our God Reuel 2.5 Nulla nocebit aduersitas si nulla dominetur iniquitas Gregor Cyprian to remoue our Candlesticke and to take away our light and therefore though all the Iesuites of the world and all the Cardinals of Rome nay though all the Deuils of Hell should doe their worst against vs yet if we feare our God and forsake all Sinne the diuels may haue all their seruants before they all shall be able to hurt any one seruant of the Lord quia non plus valet ad deijciendum terrena paena quam ad erigendum diuina tutela 1 John 4.4 because He that is in vs is greater then he that is in the World and is more able to preserue vs then the Prince of darkenesse is to destroy vs. That wee should turne to the Lord our God And therefore if you thinke Poperie to be euill and would be free from superstition neuer feare the State nor lay the blame on others but leaue your sinnes and Turne to the Lord your God with all your hearts and with all your soules and you shall see the Saluation of the Lord which hee will shew vnto vs this day Exod. 14.13 for the Egyptians whom you haue seene and feare you shall see them againe no more for euer the Lord shall fight for you and you may be sure no euill shall happen vnto you it shall not come nigh your dwelling for the onely way to escape all punishments is to forsake all sinnes Neither doe I say this as if we could be cleane from sinnes for I know it was Nouatus his error and we must all know it for an error Hieron adversus Pelag. that a Christian after Baptisme doth not sinne and it was but a Pellagian conceite before him inuented by Pythagoras that the exercise of Vertue rooteth out all the seede of Vices Matth. 7.18 for a Bad tree cannot bring foorth good fruit and in some things sayth the Apostle I feare I may say as it is in our last English translation in many things wee Sinne all Iames 3.2 1 Iohn 1.8 And if wee say wee haue no sinne wee deceiue our selues and there is no trueth in vs. But I say this that we should haue a feruent desire not to sinne and to say with the Prophet O that my wayes were made so direct that I might keepe thy Commandements and that wee would endeuor pro virili to the vttermost of our abilities not to sinne and labour alwayes with the Apostle Acts 24.16 to keep a cleere conscience in all things both before God and Man Thirdly Seeing all miseries death and damnation are as iustly inflicted vpon the sinner as the poore Souldier may iustly claime his little stipend we should not complaine against God Sueton. in vita Vesp C. 10. with Vespasian Immerenti sibi vitam aripi that he tooke away his life without any fault of his or without any fayling on his part but we should with the Leuites in Nehemiah with Daniel with Ieremie and with all the rest of the men of God commend the Lord and condemne our selues saying surely thou art iust in all that is come vpon vs thou hast dealt truely Nehem. 9.33 but wee haue done wickedly And thus I haue shewed thee O man quid sit malum what is euill and you haue heard a large discourse of Sinne and the most lamentable effect and wages of Sinne And now it is a thousand to one that the first thing many one of vs will doe is to goe home or perhaps afore wee goe home to sinne some to sweare some to their whores some to be drunke some to deceiue and most of vs to some sinne or other But if euer any of you doe for those sinnes receiue this pay remember I haue told you what you should haue Death for the wages of Sinne is Death and I can doe no more but pray to God that he would giue vs grace to forsake Sinne that we may escape Death through Iesus Christ our Lord To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost three distinct Persons of that one eternall in diuided Essence be giuen as is most due all prayse and glory for euer and euer Amen A Prayer O Blessed God which hast created Man we doe acknowledge that thou hast made him righteous but he sought out many inuentious and hath most grieuously sinned against thy diuine Maiestie and thereby hath most iustly pulled vpon himselfe and all his posteritie all miseries death and damnation But thou desirest not the death of a Sinner but rather that hee should turne from his wickednesse and liue And therefore we doe confesse our sinnes we doe detest our sinnes and we doe most humbly pray thee euen for thy mercies sake to bee mercifull vnto vs to deale with vs not according to our offences but according to thy Grace to giue vs Grace to serue thee that so we mâ—y be deliuered from our iust deserued punishment and be receiued into thine euerlasting fauour to prayse and magnifie thy blessed Name for euer and euer Amen A wearied loathed Life I leade content with onely Sadnesse To see my selfe opprest with Sinne and with this worlds Madnes I alwayes striue with wicked Sinne yet doth my Sinne preuaile I therefore hate my Selfe because my Sinnes I cannot quaile And I doe likewise wish for Grace that I might neuer offend But truely serue my Master Christ and please him to my end And yet I see this tyrant Sinne and wicked men doe wrong me To Hell the one to Miserie th' other still would throng me But reason bids
truth of God wee can in no wayes beleeue them not because we know no reason how they may be done for so we beleeue many things as all the mysteries of our Faith but because we haue many reasons euen out of the Word of God to assure vs that these things cannot be done And so much for the chiefest obiections that are vsually made against the truth of this Doctrine of Gods Power CHAP. IV. Of the vsefull application of this Doctrine of Gods Power YOu haue seene the truth of this Doctrine of the Power of God it may serue for many especiall ends As first for the confutation of a world of errors and the cutting downe of many infinite heresies especially those whereof I haue already spoken and therefore I neede not say any more of them in this place Secondly this Doctrine of Gods Power A great comfort to the godly that God is able to deliuer them Math. 10.16 Dan. 3.17 may serue for the consolation of the godly for they are inuironed with many enemies they are sent as Sheepe into the middest of Wolues and they are hated of all-men for Christ his sake but as the three Children said We know that God is able to deliuer vs from the burning fiery Furnace and from the hands of all that hate vs and to preserue vs blamelesse vntill the day of the comming of Christ And therefore though we be beset with enemies on euery side Bosquier de incruent victor Christi p. 567. especially the World Tanquam Syrena dulcis Like the alluring Mermaides The flesh Tanquam Dalila blandiens Like a false flattering Dalila and the Diuell Tanquam Leo rugiens Like a roaring Lyon that doe seeke by all meanes to destroy vs Presentemque viris intendunt omnia mortem Virgil. Aeneid l. 1. Reuel 2.10 Yet we neede not feare any of those things that we shall suffer Quia non plus valet ad deijciendum terrena paena quam ad erigendum diuina tutela Because all the power of darkenesse is not so able to suppresse vs as our gracious God is to support vs for otherwise Si Diabolus nocere posset quantum vellet aliquis iustorum non remaneret If either Satans malice or the hatred of wicked men or the furie of bloud-thirsty Tyrants might preuaile against the godly seruants of Christ so much as they would then not a righteous man could remaine vpon the face of the Earth but God can put a hooke in their nostrils and say vnto them as he sayes vnto the Seas Hitherto shalt thou goo and no further Rom. 8.31 And therefore If God be with vs we neede not feare who be against vs Quia maior est qui est in nobis quam qui est in mundo 1 Iohn 4.4 Because as Saint Iohn saith He is greater and stronger which is in vs then he that is in the W rld Euen so we haue the lusts of our owne flesh the messengers of Satan 1 Pet. 2.11 that doe buffet vs and fight against our soules and make vs many times when it compells vs to doe the euill that we would not doe â—nd to leaue vndone the good that we would doe to crie out with the Apostle Rom. 7.19 O wretched men that we are who shall deliuer vs from this body of death or who shall preserue vs vnto eternall life And to say with the Poet O terque quaterque beati queis ante ora patrum contigit oppetere O happy had wee beene had wee died before wee had sinned but if we cast our eyes to looke vpon Gods Power we may be presently comforted because the Saints of God though they be shaken and sifted and winnowed like wheate yet are they kept not by their owne strength for so they should soone faile 1 Pet. 1.5 but by the Power of God saith Saint Peter through faith vnto saluation And this indeed is the sole comfort of all Christians that we shall neuer perish Iohn 10.28.29 because our Father which gaue vs vnto Christ is greater then all and none is able to take vs out of his Fathers hands This is that Foundation which remaineth sure and therefore happy is that man which buildes vpon this Foundation Thirdly this Doctrine of Gods Power may serue for the reprehension of the wicked for he can destroy all the workers of iniquitie Math. 10.28 and cast both body and soule into Hell fire And therefore will ye not feare to offend so great a God Remember I beseech you what he hath done to the old World to Sodome That the wicked should feare to offend thiâ— powerfull God Deut 29.19 and Gomorrah to Cora Dathan and Abiram to Pharaoh Iudas and many more remember that he can doe whatsoeuer hee will doe and remember what he saith Hee will doe vnto them that heare the words of the curse of the Law and yet will blesse themselues in their hearts saying We shall haue peace And let these things moue you to be humbled before the mighty â—and of God and to cause you here to feare his power 1 Pet. 5.6 that hereaâ—ter you may not feele his anger For Heb. 10.31 it is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the liuing God and they that now goe on in sinne and make but a sport of iniquitie without either beleeuing his truth that he will punish sinne or fearing his power that he can punish them shall then finde and feele that it had beene better for them neuer to haue beene borne or to haue had a milstone hanged about their neckes and to haue beene cast into the middest of the Sea then to haue broken the least Commandement oâ— this powerfull and Almighty God And so much for the first attribute of God here expressed that is his Power and now followeth the second attribute which is Gods Goodnesse CHAP. V. Of the Mercy of GOD and wherein the same chiefly consisteth YOu haue heard of the Power of God 2. Attribute i. e Gods goodnesse we are now to see how God proclaimeth his Goodnesse according as he had promised before I will make all my goodnesse to passe before thy face Exod. 33.9 A Doctrine farre more comfortable then the former for not hee that can but he that will helpe vs is best vnto vs and hee that is willing to doe what he can though it be but little is farre more deere vnto vs then he that can do much but will do nothing but the power of God sheweth that he is able and this goodnesse of God proueth that he is willing to releeue vs and therefore the goodnesse of God is the anchor of our hope and the foundation of all our comfort and it is well coupled with the former attribute for in vaine were his willingnesse to helpe vs vnlesse he were able and in vaine were his ability to helpe vs vnlesse hee were willing the former being but a fruitlesse wish and the latter but a gracelesse
that he had lost the price of that Oyntment wherewith the Woman annointed Christ and which he had valued at three hundred pence went out as I shewed you before and sold Christ for thirty pence and then betrayed him into the hands of sinners Fourthly Christ being treacherously betrayed 4. The desire of the people violently apprehended and most falsly accused by the Sonnes of Belial the High Priests for very malice that they bore against Christ and for feare that the Romans if they let him escape would come and take away that rule and authoritie that was left them thought him worthy to die and deliuered him vnto Pilate and did teach the ignorant ingratefull and vnconstant multitude most earnestly to desire the death of Christ saying Crucifie him crucifie him and therefore Pilate for feare of the Priests and to please the people when he had scourged Christ condemned him and deliuered him to be crucified And yet all these were but instrumentall causes of these manifold sufferings of Christ there were other more efficient and farre greater causes then all these For Secondly The efficient cause of Christ his death The efficient cause of Christ his death Esay 53.10 was God himselfe for so the Prophet Esay saith It pleased the Lord to bruise him and to put him to griefe to bruise his body with tortures through the malice of the Iewes towards him and to strike his soule with griefe through the mercy of God towards vs. And so the Prophet Ieremie speaking of these sufferings in the person of Christ himselfe saith That they were sorrowes and sufferings Quae fecit mihi Deus Lament 1.12 That God himselfe laide all this punishment vpon Christ Whereby God hath afflicted me God who is termed A deuouring fire and an ouer-flowing torrent of wrath doth now make our Sauiour Christ as the onely Butte to shoote at him all the shafts of his furie he openeth him and powreth into him all the vials of his indignation and as Iob complaineth That the terrors of the Lord did set themselues in array against him So Christ when he saith Mar. 14.34 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 My soule is incompassed with sorrowes on euery side sheweth how God had set himselfe against him yea though God afflicteth sometimes in mercy euen as a Father when hee correcteth his dearest Childe yet is he here said to haue done this In the fiercenesse of his wrath And therefore how could Christ choose but suffer for when God will smite who is able either by strength or wit to escape out of his hands Why God afflicted Christ But here it may be well demanded what moued Gods wrath to be thus kindled against Christ for God hateth nothing but sinne and in Christ there was no sinne neither was any guile found in his mouth And therefore seeing God neuer doth as Annas did to cause Christ to be smitten without a cause why should God be so much displeased as thus grieuously to punish his onely Sonne in whom hee was alwayes well pleased and with whom he was neuer in any wayes offended Dan. 9.27 God afflicted Christ for vs and not for himselfe To this wee must answere with the Prophet Daniel that the Messias must be slaine but not for himselfe for hee tooke vpon him the person of vs all and if a man that oweth nothing becomes a surety for a debtor if the principall becomes bankerout the surety shall be compelled to make a plenary satisfaction and he must pay that which he neuer tooke And therefore Christ vndertaking the payment of our debts and to discharge vs from Gods wrath to come Esay 53.4 5 6. He tooke vpon him our infirmities hee was wounded for our iniquities and broken for our transgressions Luc. 22.64 And so if the tormentors should say as once they did Prophesie vnto vs who it is that smote thee We may quickely become Prophets and most truly answere for him that our sinnes smote him our iniquities whipt him our pride crowned him with a crowne of thornes our drunkennesse gaue him that vinegar to drinke and in a word our sinne our grieuous sinne what sinne soeuer it be did thus haynously murther Christ and fast nayled him vnto the Crosse Quia solum peccatum homicida est Our sinnes crucified Iesus Christ For alas it was not Pilate nor Caiphas nor any one of that complicie of confederate Agents that were the efficient cause of his death for they were but the instruments and executioners onely of that punishment which our sinnes the sinnes of each man had laide vpon him and the Executioner cannot be said properly to be the cause of that mans death which by the Law is adiudged to die but to say the truth our sinnes haue killed the Sonne of God And therefore as Nathan said vnto Dauid 2 Sam. 12.7 Thou art the man that did the deede So I may say to euery sinner Thou art the man for whose sinnes God in the fiercenesse of his wrath did thus punish and afflict his onely Sonne O that this would make euery one of vs to crie out with Ionas Propter me haec tempestas I am the cause of all this troubles Ionas 1.12 of all this stormy windes and tempest Take me and cast me into the Sea And as Dauid â—hen he saw the miserable death of the people for his sinne was vexed at the heart and cried vnto the Lord saying Behold I haue sinned and I haue done wickedly 2 Sam. 24.17 but these sheepe what haue they done So I wish that euery one of vs would see it and say it It is I Lord that haue sinned but for this innocent Lambe this harmelesse Doue alas what hath he done And I hope this would make vs to hate and detest our sinnes when we consider that they were the onely murtherers of the Sonne of God You see then that as in the Law it was ordained that a man should bring his Beast to the doore of the Tabernacle and should put his hand vpon the head of it when hee offered the same for a burnt offering vnto God to shew vnto vs that the man himselfe had indeede deserued to die Leuit. 1.4 and that the Beast was onely slaine for his offences So here our Sauiour Christ was put to death not for any cause of his owne but as Saint Peter saith 1 Pet. 3.18 The iust suffered for the vniust he was wounded for our sinnes and crucified for our transgressions But then againe it may be demanded Quest What moued Christ to vndertake our debts Resp why should he vndertake our debt and make satisfaction for our sinnes when as wee had no wayes deserued any kindnesse at his hands and could by no meanes requite so great a benefit I answere That it was requisite and necessary that he should suffer for our sinnes to fulfill the truth of God because hee had promised that the seede of the Woman should breake the
Satan cares not where he may haue hold of thee so he may haue hold of thee and he cares not by what doore he may enter into thy soule so he may enter in by any doore for as one leake may sinke a ship one wound may kill a man so one sinne especially practised may slay the soule and what auaileth it whether couetousnesse or prodigality precisenesse or prophanesse doe raigne in vs whether on the right hand or on the left hand by ouer-going or vnder-going wee be depriued of saluation for though the by-pathes of iniquity which doe misleade a Christian be very many yet they all meete in one place for the issues of them all Prou. 16.25 are the issues of death saith Saloman And therefore if this roaring Lion hath catcht hold of thine eye that by wanton lookes lookes full of adulteries as Saint Peter speaketh it maketh thee to offend pull it out and cast it off 2 Pet. 2.14 that thou mayest free the rest of thy selfe from eternall destruction and so of all other parts doe as our Sauiour bids thee free thy selfe from Satan Et redime te captum quam queas minimo and free thy selfe as soone as thou canst and as well as thou canst for thou wert better shake off that one sinne then that Satan by that one sinne should take thee into Hell fire and as they vse to doe in besieged Cities where the assault is sorest there they place the stoutest men so doe thou against sinne and Satan striue most to hinder him where he striueth most to enter for so Dauid saith that he refrained from his owne wickednesse i. e. euen from that sinne that he was most of all inclined vnto and so let vs wholly and perfectly rise from all sinnes Thirdly Christ rose constantly without apostacy That we shold so rise from sinne as neuer to fall to sinne againe Reuel 1.18 i. e. hee rose gloriously neuer to die againe for Christ being raised from the dead dyeth no more death hath no more power ouer him and so his epethite is he that was dead is aliue and liueth for euermore So should we rise from sinne neuer to sinne againe not like Lazarus that rose from his graue and dyed againe rise now from sinne and immediatly fall into the same or the like sinnes againe but as we must obey Christ his voyce saying Come vnto me Matth. 11.28 so wee must obey his voyce saying abide in me John 15.4 and as William the Conquerer is said to haue sunke all his ships when he arriued here in England because he would take away all hope of flying backe so must we sinke all sinnes that we may neuer swimme or ride on sinne againe drowne them in the seas dash them against the wals and so shake hands with all sinnes that we neuer returne to any sinne againe for Why Nouatus thought sinnes of recidiuation should not be pardoned though it was an errour in Nouatus to denie remission vnto sinnes of recidiuation that is when a man relapseth and falleth againe into the same sin because the Apostle saith It is vnpossible that they which were once inlightened so raised from sin if they fall away should be renued by repentance and Saint Peter saith Heb. 6. It had beene better for them neuer to haue knowne the wayes of righteousnesse 2. Pet. 2.21 then after they haue knowne it to turne away from the holy Commandemrnts and because we neuer read that either Christ raised the same men twice no not the widdowes sonne whom he pittied nor yet Lazarus whom hee loued nor that the Saints euer fell into the same sins againe after they had them once remitted as Dauid neuer committed adultery againe Peter neuer denied his Master againe Paul neuer persecuted the Church againe after they had these sinnes once remitted though I say this was an error in the Nouatians because the Apostles speake of falling away from Christ by a finall apostacie and not of falling againe into sinne through our carnall infirmity and because the comparison of Christ raising the dead with the raising of vs from sin doth not as no other comparison doth in all things hold aequipage and because the other mens not falling into the same sinnes againe doth but shew that they had a great measure of grace to preserue them from falling and not proue a deniall of renuing grace vnto vs if we should fall againe and they are set downe for our imitation that wee should striue to stand and neuer to fall and not for our desperation if we doe fall into the same sinnes againe yet I say That relapsing into sinne is very dangerous that this relapsing into sinne this returning with the dog vnto his vomit and with the swine to her wallowing in the mire is exceeding fearefull and dangerous for as vulnus iteratum c. nature is tired with the continuall assault of the same diseases and at last is forced to yeeld vnto them if it cannot by some meanes expell them and as the same sore often wounded is very hardly cured so the same sinnes still assaulting our soules will without doubt if they be not extinguished by grace make our last end worse then our beginning And therefore it were well for vs if when we haue risen from sinne we would euer pray to God for grace that wee might neuer fall into sinne againe for otherwise as the old Prouerbe is Conteritur annulus vsu Gutta cauat lapidem non vi sed sape cadendo Sic homo fit Daemon non vi sed saepe cadendo scilicet in peccatum often sinning makes the greatest sinners But if the relapsing into any particular sinne bee so dangerous O then what a fearefull thing is the falling back from our most holy profession surely What a fearefull sinne Apostacie is it is the most remarkable thing in the description of the sinne against the holy Ghost and the most apparant signe of eternall destruction behold the punishments of Apostates that are left for our examples Lots wife was turned into a pillar of salt and the children of Israell that in their hearts were turned back againe into Aegypt had their carkasses left in the wildernesse and no maruell for this is a transcendent sinne and I know no sinne so great as this Herods bloudy murders euen of infants and Neros sauage crueltie euen against the Saints and the most barbarous acts of the most inhumane heathen Tyrants did neuer sound so odious in mine eares as that horrid name of Iulian the Apostata for that must stand as a rule infallible 2. Pet. 2 21. that they are farre better which neuer knew the way of righteousnes then they which once knew it and then turned aside from the holy commandement Beloued It hath pleased God to bring vs out of Aegypt and to vs that walked in darknesse and in the shadow of death Esay 9.2 hath the glorious light of the
comfort Bernard de passione domini c. 46. p. 1236. k. then hee did sorrow and griefe at his passion saith Saint Bernard and therefore we should all of vs plus gaudere propter resurrectionem gloriosam quam dolere propter passionem ignominiosam now say with the Psalmist sing we merily vnto the Lord our God that hath turned our sorrow into ioy that we might sing one of the songs of Sion and woe to that man that doth it not Gregor hom 21. in Euangel quia indignum valde est si in eo die laudes debitas tacuerit lingua carnis quo videlicet caro resurrexit autoris because it is a great indignitie that our tongues should bee silent from giuing praise to God on that day whereon our Sauiour rose from his death saith Saint Gregory And as we should reioyce at the consideration of the resurrection of Christ from the dead so we should likewise reioyce for the resurrection of our owne soules from sinne for as Tobias said what ioy can I haue so long as I sit here in darknesse so may wee say of euery sinner what comfort can he haue whiles he liues in sinne or what fruit can he haue of those things Rom. 6. whereof hee must bee ashamed as the Apostle saith And so much for our resurrection from sinne That the resurrection of Christ is an assurance of our resurrection to eternall life Secondly if wee bee the members of Christ wee shall assuredly rise from our graues and from death vnto the resurrection of euerlasting life quia vt Redemptor noster suscepit mortem ne mori timeremus ita ostendit resurrectionem vt nos resurgere posse confideremus for as our redeemer died that we might not bee affraid of death so he rose againe that we might bee sure of our resurrection vnto life for if the head bee risen then surely the members in their due time must rise and follow after but Christ our head is risen from the dead as I haue abundantly shewed vnto you before and therefore it must be that wee which are his members shall also rise and follow after And lest any man should say sperare de se non debet homo quod in carne sua exhibuit Deus homo that man should not hope for that to himselfe which that God and man performed in himselfe S. Gregory answereth that solus in illo tempore mortuus est tamen solus minime resurrexit although hee died and was laid in his graue all alone yet he did not rise againe alone but hee was accompanied with many others to shew vnto vs that as he died not for himselfe so he rose not for himself but for vs that are his members And therefore though heere we suffer all the miseries of this world though our bodies be but semen terrae esca vermium the dust of the earth and the foode of wormes and though these bodies of ours should be cast into the seas and bee eaten of fishes and those fishes should be caught and should be eaten of men and those men should be burnt to ashes and those ashes cast into the seas yet we mâ—y assure our selues to our continuall comfort and to our refreshment in all miseries that God will collect vs and raise vs vp at the last day and giue vnto euery soule his owne body and then make vs like vnto the glorious body of Iesus Christ And so much for the first lesson 1. Cor. 15. the lesson of Theorie which these women and so likewise all men and women must learne and know That Christ is risen from the dead and therefore that we should rise from sinne and shall rise from our graues to eternall life CHAP. X. What the women are commanded to doe and why and what speciall lessons we may learne for our instruction FOR the second i. e. the lesson of practise How the Angell teacheth the women what they should doe this Angell sheweth vnto these women what they should doe saying ite goe your wayes why stand you heere and goe quickly without delay for it is the Lords businesse Why the women were to tell the Disciples that Christ was risen and cursed be they that doe the worke of the Lord negligently dicite discipulis and tell his Disciples that Christ is risen from the dead Tell his Disciples first quia vos ad praedicandum inferior sexus ad exigendum infirmior because your sex is lesse able to preach Ambros in loc lesse constant to perseuere saith Saint Ambrose secondly because women must not teach for to teach is a note of superiority and women are bound to obey and to learne at home of their husbands and therfore I permit not a woman to teach saith the Apostle thirdly that as man did rashly beleeue the woman for his destruction so he might now happily beleeue these womeÌ„ for his saluation et ecce behold he goeth before you into Galilee Galilee of the Gentiles because now the partition wall that was betwixt the Iewes and the Gentiles is broken downe and the calling of the Gentiles approacheth neere quia transmigrauerat à morte ad vitam and because now hee had passed from death to life and was to passe from this vaine and momentary life vnto that ioyfull and eternall happinesse he saith behold he goeth before you into Galilee because Galilee signifieth transmigration What we shold learne from the Angells instruction to the women or a passage ouer from one place vnto another And so you see the summe of the Angels iniunction vnto the women what they must doe and from hence we may learne these speciall lessons for our instruction First to practise what we know First that we must ioyne practise vnto our profession if wee would be happie for these two must neuer be separated these things if you know blessed are you if you doe them saith our Sauiour And yet it hath beene euer the practise of Satan to seuer those whom God hath ioyned together and therefore in former times he put out the light of the Word preached that men might not know what to do now when he seeth he can hide the light no longer he giues you leaue to know as much as you will as much as Berengarius who is said to know as much as was know-able but he laboureth that you shall doe nothing at all but shew your selues iust like the Grecians Plutar. in Lacoon which knew what was honest but did it not or like the Scribes and Pharisees which said and did not saith our Sauiour But we should consider first that this is one of the chiefest ends why God gaue his Lawes and his Commandements vnto vs that we should doe them for had hee giuen them onely to bee preserued hee might haue lockt them vp in iron coffers God gaue his Lawes not to be talked of but to be kept or had he giuen them to be talked of he might
both Body and Soule not that the Soule begetteth a Soule That man and all other creatures receaued power to produce creatures like vnto themselues Totum generat totum hoc est corpus generat corpus mediante anima anima generat animam mediante corpore Psal 51.5 or the Body begetteth a spirit but that as all other creatures receiued power from God to produce creatures like vnto themselues as the seede of the vegetatiue to bring forth vegetatiue creatures and the sensible sensible creatures so man consisting both of Body and Soule should beget a creature like vnto himselfe consisting of the same parts for otherwise sinne must needes bee in the body before the Soule be infused for if the schoole of the naturalists be to be belieued the Soule is not infused into the Body vntill the thirtieth as some or fortieth day as some affirme and yet the Psalmist saith that he was conceiued in sinne therefore both Body and Soule were both conceiued at once or else corruption was in the Body before the infusion of the Soule and this liuing Soule by this dead flesh must needes be defiled which is most absurd for as Saint Augustine sayth of Adam It was not his corruptible flesh which made his Soule to become sinnefull but his sinnefull Soule made his flesh subiect to corruption so it must needes be in the sonnes of Adam Gene. 5.3 that not our flesh corrupts our Soules but both body and soule are conceiued in sinne both produced of sinfull seede and so sinne principally resides in the Soule and not in the Body because the Soule giues life and motion vnto the flesh hence it is that Adam hauing defiled both his Body and Soule is sayd to haue begot a childe in his owne image i. e. sinfull and polluted like himselfe both in regard of his body and Soule Bosquierus de finibus bonorum lib. 1. con 6. p. 27. Nam Adam vt persona publica sibi ac suis aut sapiebat aut delirabat for now Adam standing in paradise a publique person as I told you before was to make or to marre himselfe and all his posteritie and therefore if this roote had continued holy the branches had beene likewise holy but the tree prouing to be euill Rom. 11. the fruit could not possibly be good Math. 7.18 for a bad tree cannot bring forth good fruit sayth our Sauiour and therefore Adam sinning all his seede are become sinnefull all his ofspring tanquam serie continuata as in a continued line doe like corrupted branches of a rotten tree bring forth still corrupted fruits and so make all their generation so soone as they are begotten liable to the curse of God for that first transgression for the reward of sinne is death and the Prophet Dauid sayeth Psal 51.2 hee was shapen in wickednesse and conceaued in sinne Iohn 3.6 and our Sauiour sayth that which is borne of flesh is flesh i. e. he that is borne of a sinnefull man can be nothing else but a sinnefull man That Gods graces are not traduced from the best parents not that a godly man begets a godly man for the graces of Gods spirit are not begotten in our carnall generation but they are giuen from aboue in our spirituall regeneration and a man begets his childe not as he is spirituall but as hee is a creature consisting of body and soule and therefore whosoeuer is borne of flesh and blood must needes be tainted and corrupted with sinne and wickednesse for flesh heere is not taken pro natura carnis sed pro vitiosa qualitate totius hominis for the single nature of flesh but for the corrupted qualitie of the whole man as Saint Paul excellently sheweth when hee sayth in my flesh dwelleth no goodnesse Rom. 7.8 i. e. in the corrupted nature of a naturall man there is no grace there is no goodnesse And therefore hoc virus paternum this hereditarie poyson as Paulinus calleth it What we learne from this doctrine this our originall sinne that is inbred in euery man since the fall of the first man may sufficiently serue to teach vs. First to iustifie God First to iustifie God for inflicting death vpon euery man though man should doe nothing else to procure his death quia damnati antequam nati because euery one is guilty of this sinne and therefore of death before hee commeth to this present life for the reward of sinne is death and therefore the death of children and infants that haue done no actuall sinne doth proue them tainted with this sinne because death cannot be iustly inflicted vpon those that are no wayes infected with sinne for the reward of sinne is death but you see they are subiect vnto death and therefore you may know they are tainted with sinne Secondly Secondly to be humbled this may serue to teach all those that stand so much vpon the honour and dignity of their naturall birth to consider whâ—t they are and what they haue thereby a sinnefull corrupted and contagious being children of wrath subiects to death slaues of damnation be they Kings Princes Nobles what you will this is all they haue or can haue by their naturall birth Iohn 3.6 for whatsoeuer is borne of flesh is flesh i. e. all things that parents can conuaye vnto their children is but a corrupted natural being yea though the parties should be sanctified themselues and thereby procure their children to bee receiued and reputed members of the visible Church before men yet can they not infuse Grace Perkins in Jud. 1. nor produce sanctified children in the sight of God For though we reade of some that were sanctified in their Mothers wombe as Ieremie Iohn Baptist and the like Ier. 1.5 yet this sanctifying grace was infused by God and not traduced from their parents Luke 1.44 and therefore this should make all men to be of an humble spirit and to reioyce more in their second birth in the Baptisme that they haue receiued it may bee by the hands of some meane Minister and their begetting vnto the faith of Christ by the preaching of the word of God then in all that glory and excellencie that they haue gotten from their naturall parents for they did but make vs Men these must make vs Christian men And thus you see that by the guilt of Adams sinne euery childe of Adam deserues eternall death before he comes to this present life But because we would be sure enough of death wee will hasten it and draw it on as it were with cart-ropes throughout all our life and we will not haue it sayd Ezech. 18.2 our fathers haue eaten sower Grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge or that Adam sinned we are punished nam errauimus cum patribus for we haue sinned wil sinne with our fathers more then our fathers we will drinke iniquity like water and adde vnto our originall corruption
but hee not contented to be a man aboue these but desiring to be a god aboue all was made a worme and no man inferior vnto all and then all like Acteons dogges seeing vs metamorphosed from men to worse then beasts began to rebell against vs and most furiously to pursue vs Gen 19.24 the fire to consume vs as it did Sodome and Gomorrah 2 Sam. 24. the ayre to infect vs as it did the Israelites in the time of Dauid the water to drowne vs as it did the whole world in the dayes of Noah Gen. 7.23 the earth to swallow vs as it did Corah Num. 16.32 Dathan and Abiram and all other creatures to deuour vs as the beares did those children that mocked Elizeus the Starres in their order Judg. 5.20 did fight against Sisera and since we haue sinned and rebelled against the Lord there is no creature but hath cast away the created yoke of obedience and haue rebelled against vs so that now hic labor hoc opus est It is a taske too great for Hercules to bring them againe to the obedience of man And thus you see that from our first entrance into this wretched life sinne laboureth still to kill vs and doth at all times and by all meanes vexe vs grieue vs weaken vs by passions sorrowes sicknesses and such like and will neuer leaue vs vntill it layeth vs downe in the dust and therefore that all these are the prodromi the fore-runners and beginnings of death or rather like so many little deaths that doe bring vs vnto our last and fatall death For all these are the reward of sinne and therefore branches of this death And so you see what is meant by Death For the second point hauing seene what is meant by death Of the large extent of death that is all the miseries that doe consume and waste our liues we are now to consider how farre this death extendeth And this the Apostle sheweth briefly when he saith Statutum est omnibus semel mori It is appointed for all men once to die Heb. 9.27 and the very Heathens say as much Seneca Lex vniuersa iubet nasci mori It is an vniuersall Law and a debt that we owe and must pay to Nature that euery one which is borne to life should passe away by death Laertius lib. 2. c. 3. And therefore when it was told Anaxagoras that all his sonnes were dead he answered Sciebam me genuisse mortales I knew that I had begotten mortall creatures for as nullis amorest medicabilis herbis so nihil est moderabile morte There is nothing in the world that can moderate the rage or preserue vs from the fatall stroke of death Non Torquate genus Horatius lib. 4. non te facundia non te restituet pietas saith Horace vnto his friend Torquatus And we see the faith of Abraham the strength of Sampson the wisedome of Salomon the riches of Craesus and the Kingdomes of Alexander could not preserue them from Death Polydor Virgil writeth that King Canutus seeing the Sea beginning to flow said I command thee not to touch my feete but his command was bootlesse for he had scarce ended his Edict but the surging waue dashed at his teeth So we may out-braue death in words but we may be sure that as the Sea so Death How vnresistable is death antiquum obtinebit will keepe his old wont Yea though wee could hinder the course of the Sea for meanes haue been found to tame the fiercest beasts to breake the hardest marble to mollifie the impenetrable Adamant and to deale with the Seas as Xerxes did with the waters of Hellespont or Caesar with all the Riuers of Germany yet is there no meanes in the world to escape the hands of death and therefore Saint Augustine saith August Psal 121. Resistitur ignibus vndis ferro resistitur regibus imperijs venit vna mors quis ei resistit Fire Waters Swords Kings Kingdomes were resisted but who hath euer withstood the stroake of death Quia nec miseretur inopum nec reueretur diuites Because as Saint Bernard saith it neither pittieth the poore Ber. de conu cler nor regardeth the rich but Nereus the faire Thirsites the soule Craesus the rich Irus the poore Solym the cruell Solyman the magnificent Diomedes the Prince and Damaetas the Peasâ—nt must all fall downe at Deaths feet Because that no teares no prayers no threatnings no intreâ—tings will serue the turne to turne away the face of death So stiffe so deaffe so inexorable is death How the Egyptians expressed death to be the sole enemie of all men And therefore the Egyptians in their Hierogliphickes painted Death like a Goddesse holding a sickle in her hand with this inscription Nemini parco I spare no man And because they found her so hard-hearted so implacable and so inexorable that nothing could appease her wrath when she did meane to cut vs downe but that she tooke the Husband from the bosome of his louing wife and the Parents from the poore helpelesse Infants and so fulfilling her owne will and carefull for none else therefore they built her no temples they offered no sacrifice they celebrated no rites vnto her but seeing she vsed all alike Constantinus imperator famulus meus making no difference betwixt Agamemnon and Thirsites therefore all vsed her alike and stood all vpon their guards to defend themselues so well and so long as they might against all her darts though they knew that in the end she would ouercome them all because they had all sinned and the reward of sinne is death Psal 50.22 O consider this all ye that forget God all ye that neglect God all whosoeuer Kings Lords and great men old and yong rich and poore one with another for though you liue like gods and none dare say why doe you so yet you shall die like men and if you fearelesly commit the sinne I dare boldly say that you shal be sure Aequo pode pulsat pauperum tabernas regumque turres Horatius most fearefully to indure the punishments for as you see Death spareth none but cutteth downe as well the Cedars of Lebanon and the Oakes of Bashan as the Shrubs of Cades So much lesse will God spare any man that sinneth CHAP. V. How Death worketh variably in diuers respects and the diuers causes thereof FOr the third point we must consider that although Death passeth ouer all yet that it worketh not vpon all alike but worketh variably and that as we find it in foure speciall respects 1. Of the manner 2. Of the time 3. Of the place 4. Of the effects or consequents of Death For the first we finde that there be more wayes of death then there be meanes to preserue our life for as the Poet saith Mille modâ—s laethi miseros mors vna fatigat Though there is but one way for all men to come into
Seneca epist 25. efficere mortem sibi familiarem to make death his companion and as his wife that should euer lye in his bosome that by the continuall sight of death he might be euer kept to abstaine from sinne for the couetous man might be the easier drawne to contemne the trash and trumperies of this vaine and transitorie world if hee did beleeue that hee should presently dye for so prophane Esau sayth Loe I die Facile contem nit omnia qui credit se cito moritâ—rum Hieron in ep ad Paulin Eccles 10. Incert autâ—r and what good will my Birth-right doe vnto me So the proud man would let fall his Peacocks feathers if he could thinke that hee is but dust and ashes and that when he dieth hee shall inherite wormes as the wise man sayth Omnia Caesar habet sed gloria Caesaris esse desinit tumulus vix erit octo pedum And that if he triumphed in his life like Caesar to bee the sole Monarch of the world yet would his glory soone fayle when death should locke him vp in his coffin and so of all other sinnes the frequent meditation of death is the onely preseruatiue against them For as one truely sayth of himselfe Quum recordor quod sum cinis Et quam citâ— venit finis Sine fine pertimesco Et vt cinis refrigesco When I thinke I am but dust And how soon to earth I must Bernard in carm Then incessantly I shake And as dust it doth me make So questionlesse if wee did continually thinke of death and fixe that fearefull day of Gods iust iudgement before our eyes it would bee a maruelous great meanes to deterre vs from all sinnes And as the meditation of death doth preuent sinne Bosq p. 12. de finibus honorum so it sweetneth death and makes it farre the lesse terrible vnto vs for if our eyes be dead and weaned from beholding vanities The frequent meditation of death is a great meanes to preserue vs from the feare of death our eares from hearing the Syrens songs of sinnefull pleasure and our hearts especially from the loue of vaine and worldly things then certainely they will not being thus mortified and accustomed with this death to sinne bee any whit afrayd of the death of the body which is the reward of sinne but as a horse that is to runne a race hauing often walked his way before is the more fearelesse to goe on when hee comes at the day of triall so the man that is acquainted with the wayes of death through the daily meditation of death is not afrayd to die when he seeth the day of his dissolution Palladius reports it that an Eremite being at the point to die his schollers and friends asked him if death did not seeme terrible vnto him hee smilingly answered that death was no stranger but a most familiar acquaintance to him it was his manuall and his vade mecum his table-booke which he alwayes carried about him and therefore dying he did but now repeate that his old lesson which hee had beene long in learning O that it were so with euery one of vs that throughout all our life wee would learne to die The application of Christs death is the onely cause that maketh vs happie after death Osee 13.14 that hauing made death present with vs before it comes it may neuer proue terrible vnto vs when it comes Of the third the Diuine veritie sayth that the chiefest cause the onely cause indeed of this different effect of death is the application of the death of Christ for it is he that saith O death I will be thy death O graue I will bee thy destruction and therefore as when Alexander ouerthrew the walles of Thebes Phryne a harlot promised to build them vp againe if shee might ingraue vpon them this inscription 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Alexander battered downe this Wall but Phryne built it vp againe so we may truely say that Eue threw downe these muddie walles of ours but Christ doth rayse them vp for though the wages of sinne are death Rom. 6.23 yet the grace of God brings eternall life through Iesus Christ our Lord. And the manner how he doth deliuer vs and metamorphose death to become life vnto vs he himselfe doth shew when hee sayth if I be lift vp I will draw vp all vnto my selfe i. e. if I die I will destroy the power of death for so the Apostle sayth That forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and blood John 8.28 and C. 12.32 Heb. 2.14 15. he himselfe likewise tooke part of the same that through death hee might destroy him that had the power of death that is the Deuill and deliuer them that through the feare of death were all their life time subiect vnto bondage 1 Machah 6.46 Iudges 16.30 and therefore as Eleazer by his owne death did put the great Elephat to death and Sampson by pulling downe the house vpon his owne head did put to death all the Philistines so Christ by his owne death did put the deuills Origen hom 8. in Iohan and all the powers of darkenesse vnto death and therefore Origen sayth that vpon the crosse of Christ two were crucified that is Christ and the deuill but after a diuers manner for Christ was crucified visibly and most willingly for hee layd downe his life himselfe but the deuill was crucified inuisibly and most vnwillingly Matth. 12.29 for this strong man armed was faine to bee bound before Christ could spoyle his house And the Lord speaking of his enemies and saying that hee would be vnto them as a Lion Ose 13.7 would obserue them as a Libbard in the way of Ashur doth foreshew vnto vs both the destruction and the manner of the destruction of these our spirituall enemies for in being like a Lion he sheweth their destruction and in being like a Libbard he sheweth the manner The manner how Christ by death ouercame death how hee would destroy them for it is obserued of the Libbard that he vseth this pollicie to kill those Apes that doe molest him first he lyeth downe as dead and suffereth the apes to mocke him and trample him and to insult ouer him as much as they will but when he perceiueth them to be wearied with leaping and skipping vpon him he reuines himselfe on a sudden and with his clawes and teeth he teareth them all to pieces euen so our Sauiour Christ suffered the deuill and death and all the wicked Iewes like apes to mocke him to tread him and trample him vnder feete to crucifie him to burie him to seale vp his graue and to haue armed Souldiers to watch him that hee should not rise any more and it may be to knocke him on the head againe if he sought to reuiue but when hee saw they had done their worst and that they could doe no more Psal 78.66.67 Hee waked as a giant out of
sleepe and smote all his enemies vpon the cheeke bone and brought them vnto perpetuall shame and as the Apostle sayth Collos 2.15 hee spoyled principalities and powers and led away captiuitie captiue Ephes 4.8 and receiued gifts for men And therefore as many as lay hold vpon this death of Christ they need not feare their owne death for they may say with the Phenix Moritur me moriente senectus Sinne and misery dieth in vs but wee doe still liue with Christ And therefore Saint Cyprian sayth that Cyprian de mortalitate eius est timere mortem qui ad Christum nolit ire it is enough for them to feare death which will not beleeue in Christ his death John 11.26 for hee that beleeueth in him shall neuer die but they that will not beleeue in him may well feare and tremble at the remembrance of this death because after death comes iudgement and then shall they feele another death which is eternall death for the reward of sinne is death that is indeed eternall death in hell Marke 9.44 where their worme dieth not and their fire is not quenched CHAP. VI. How sinne brings eternall death both of Body and Soule THirdly Touching eternall death wee must vnderstand What eternall death is that this is a separation of man from God which is paena damni the losse of eternall happinesse a losse farre exceeding the losse of all the world and an allegation of a damned soule in a tormented body non viuendâ— sed dolendi causa not to giue any comfort of life or ioy but to giue the true sence and feeling of eternall death and sorrow which is paena sensus the payne of feeling and suffering the greatest paynes that can be conceiued for when the wicked are called by God to be adiudged for sinne they shall bee condemned by Christ Of the intollerable paynes of hell and then caried by the deuils into euerlasting torments into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone for euermore and there their musicke shall be horrors and howlings their meate shall be balls of fire and their drinke shall be fountaines of teares alwayes distilling downe from their eyes and yet neuer procuring them any ease there their torments shall be intollerable their times endlesse and their companions deuils for so Saint Augustine sayth August ser 55. de tempore that in inferno nec tortores deficiant nec miseri torti moriantur sed per milia milia annorum cruciandi nec tamen in secula liberandi in hell neither the cruell tormenters shall be wanting nor the miserably tormented shall bee eased but for thousand thousands of yeares bee plagued and neuer thence to bee deliuered Isidorus de summo bono and as Isidorus sayth Ibi erit semper velle quod nunquam erit semper nolle quod nunquam non erit there shall bee a will neuer satisfied and a nille neuer gratified neuer inioying the ease they would and euer suffering the paynes they would not And if we diue into the depth of that dolefull tragedie of miserable Diues wee shall see this trueth fully confirmed for as the Scripture sheweth that here iudgement shall be without mercy and that euery one shall receiue his punishment in waite and measure according to the measure of their sinnes so wee find it true it him who as hee denied the crumbes of bread to poore Lazarus so is he now denied the least drop of water to coole his burning tongue How the least comfort shall be denied vnto the damned and the least dramme of mercy to refresh his poore distressed soule quis talia fando sustinet a lachrymis Who can indure to dwell in deuouring flames and yet behold this is the reward of sinne for the wages of sinne is death Oh then A most earnest perswasion to forsake sinne beloued brethren seeing euery sinne slayeth the soule within the body corrupteth the body in the graue and eternally tormenteth both the body and soule in hell let vs hate and detest all sinnes for though wee reade of many tyrants Nero Phalaris Caligula Heliagabalus and such like that were carniuorants and blood-thirsty men sauage beasts in the shapes of men delighting themselues onely in blood cruelties yet we neuer reade of such a tyrant as Sinne for the blood of death would quench these mens rage but no payne no death but eternall death a death that neuer dieth and a paine that neuer endeth will satisfie this tyrant Sinne. This is the deceit of sinne as the Poet sayd of Venus Laeta venire Venus tristis abire solet To present pleasure or profit vnto our eyes but assoone as ouer the sinne is done to deale with vs 2 Sam. 13.18 as Ammon did by Thamar thrust her out and hate her wound our conscience and destroy our soules And therefore once againe I beseech you let vs forsake our sinnes let vs leaue our drinking our swaggering and our swearing and instead of by God by God and more fearefull oathes which I am afraid to name at euery word which is the most odious yet most carelesse custome both of Court and Countrey let vs say in truth in truth the words are as easie and they will bring more ease vnto our soules for swearing graceth not your speech but disgraceth you and dishonoureth God and therefore one day you must greatly repent you of it or you shall fearefully die for it and I beseech you pardon mee for speaking it for it is my dutie that I owe you and it would bee my destruction if I did conceale it from you Clemens l. 1. recog as S. Clemens sayth in the like case and I desire not so much with Aristotle my God of Heauen is my witnesse that I lie not to bee deemed a great Scholler as with Gregorie Nazianzen to bee indeed an honest man to liue as I teach and to discharge my duety in reprouing sinne rather then to shew my knowledge in any Science and therefore I humbly intreate you all to giue me leaue to beseech you to leaue your sinnes and because wee cannot quite forsake them to confesse them and to bee ashamed of them John 1.19 for if we confesse our sinnes God is mercifull and iust to forgiue vs all our sinnes and to cleanse vs from all vnrighteousnesse But the deuill cannot indure that we should confesse them least God should thereby forgiue them and therefore as he perswadeth vs euer to commit them so he perswadeth vs euer to conceale them and neuer to confesse them For I read that on a time a sinner being at confession That the deuill cannot indure wee should confesse our sinnes the deuill intruded himselfe and came to him and being demaunded by the Priest wherefore he came in he answered to make restitution and being asked what he would restore hee sayd shame for this sayth hee I haue stollen from this sinner to make him shamelesse in sinning and
Iesus Christ First because the Apostle saith Verse 7. that he was greater then Abraham which is said to be the Father of the faithfull Secondly Heb. c. 5. v. 11. because the Apostle going to speake of this Melchisedecke saith that he had many things to say concerning him which were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hard to be explained which certainly he would neuer haue said had he not vnderstood this Melchisedeck to haue beene some excellent and ineffable person Thirdly because the Apostle saith not Verse 8. whose death is not mentioned by Moses for so he might be dead though his death is not spoken of but he saith that Dauid testifieth of him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he liueth to shew the difference betwixt this Priest and those Leuiticall Priests which dyed Heb. 7 3. Fourthly because the Apostle saith that this Melchisedeck was like vnto the Sonne of God euen as Nebuchadnezzer saith that the fourth man which walked with the three children in the fiery furnace was like vnto the Sonne of God So here the Apostle saying that he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dan. 3.25 like the Sonne of God meaneth no doubt that he assumed a body of the same likenesse and habite and countenance as afterward he meant to vnite personally vnto himselfe for that it is an vsuall thing in Scripture to say that he which is is like vnto himselfe as where the Apostle saith Phil. 2.7.8 that he was found in shape as a man and tooke vpon him the forme of a seruant and was made in the likenesse of men that is he was made indeed a true and a naturall man Fiftly because Abraham did giue vnto him Tythe of all as perceiuing vnder that visible forme and shape of man an inuisible Diety to subsist to whom Tythe is only due and euerlastingly due because he is an euerlasting Priest And therefore I say that this Melchisedeck was no mortall man but the immortall Sonne of God which assuming this visible shape did appeare vnto Abraham and offered as a type of our blessed Sacrament of the Lords Supper Bread and Wine vnto him after his victory ouer his enemies And it may be that our Sauiour had respect hereunto Iohn 8.56 when he said that Abraham saw his dayes and reioyced i. e. not onely with the eyes of faith as all the rest of the Patriarchs and Prophets did but also in a visible shape which he assumed like vnto that whereunto he was afterward to be vnited So that man which wrestled with Iacob was none other but the man Christ Iesus for himselfe said that Iacob should be called Israel Gen. 32.28.30 a wrestler and preuailer with God and Iacob called the name of the place Peniel because he had seene God face to face And so that man which appeared vnto Iosua and came as a Captaine of the heast of the Lord Josua 5.14 was none other then Iesus Christ as Peter Martyr doth most excellently by many arguments confirme Whereby you see Christ did heretofore assume vnto himselfe humane formes wherein he appeared vnto the Fathers to be as a praeludium of his Incarnation but in none of these apparitions and assumptions of such formes was he euer said to be made the thing that he assumed or to vnite himselfe hypostatically vnto any of the said formes for those bodies he formed of the ayre or of nothing and when he had finished the worke for which he had assumed them Tum redit in nihilum quod fuit ante nihil Then it returned into that out of which it was framed But now the Euangelist saith The conception of the Word that this word did not onely appeare or assume vnto himselfe our flesh for a time to discharge some speciall offices and then to depose and to lay aside the same againe but that he was made flesh that is really made man like one of vs sinne onely excepted and eternally to remaine man for euer and euer And therefore that we may truely vnderstand this point how this word was made flesh we must well consider these two especiall things 1. The manner of his conception Two things to be considered for the vnderstanding of Christs conception 2. The matter or substance from which he was formed First the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 made here vsed doth plainly shew vnto vs as both Saint Chrysostome and Tolet doe obserue Mirabilem eius conceptionem non virili virtute sed diuina potentia eum esse conceptum His wonderfull conception that he was made not by any vertue of mans seede but by the power of Gods Spirit who without any seede of man did frame and make the man Christ in the wombe of his Mother and therefore we are to obserue Of this wonderfull and diuine conception 1. The reason 2. The manner 3. The end First Neuer any one was made as Christ was made we reade that mankinde before Christ his comming was made three manner of wayes First without any man to be his father or any woman to be his mother as Adam Secondly of a man without a woman as Euah Thirdly of man and woman as all the off-spring of Adam but Christ after a fourth a more wonderfull manner was made of a woman without the helpe of a man and so we neuer reade of any other before him nor of any other after him for as the Flowers saith Protagoras Solummodo habent in coelo patrem in terra solummodo matrem Haue onely a Father in Heauen that is the Sunne by whose heate and vertue they grow and a mother onely in earth i. e. the ground from whence they spring so Christ the flower of the roote of Iesse hath onely a Father in Heauen without a mother and a mother onely in earth without a father and yet he is not another from his father and another from his mother Sed aliter est a patre aliter est ex matre But he is otherwise from his father and otherwise from his mother that is a true God of God his father and a true man of the Virgin his mother of two natures subsisting in one and the selfe-same person And the reason why he was borne of a woman Ambros in Luc. 24. Why Christ was borne of a Woman as Saint Ambrose saith was Ne perpetui reatus apud viros opprobrium sustinerent mulieres Lest women should still suffer the reproach of perpetuall guiltinesse and blame in the sight of men for their first transgression for her yeelding vnto the Serpent and the seducing of her Husband made her and all her Sexe to bee deseruedly subiect vnto much reproach and therefore though because the mankinde is more noble Christ would be made a Man yet because women should not be contemned he was contented to be borne of a woman Et sic formam viri assumendo Aug. cont faust de foemina nascendo vtrumque sexum hoc modo honorandum
That Christ was conceiued a perfect man in the first moment of his conception before the body of any Childe in the wombe be fully formed yet Christ in the very instant of his conception Quoad perfectionem partium non graduum In respect of the perfection of all parts was made a perfect man in body and soule voide of sinne and full of grace And so in a moment Totam naturam humanam vniendo formauit formando vniuit He was perfectly framed and instantly vnited vnto this eternall Word perfect God and perfect man because it is the property of the Holy Ghost Subito operari To worke instantly and perfectly And therefore Damascene saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Damascen l. 3. c. 2. de fide orth as soone as euer the Flesh of Christ was conceiued it was presently vnited and made the Flesh of this Word God Aug l. de fide ad Pet. c. 18. And Saint Augustine biddeth vs to beleeue assuredly Carnem in vtero non esse conceptam priusquam susciperetur à verbo That the Flesh of Christ was not conceiued in the wombe before it was assumed of the Word And so Saint Hierome vpon the words of the Prophet Ieremy Ierem. 3. Pet. Martyr in Symbol Amand. Polan Syntag. theol de persona Christi l. 6. c. 14. where he saith that a Woman shall compasse a Man is of the same minde And not onely the ancient but also the moderne Writers doe most of them agree in this same point And therefore when we consider how wonderfully and inexplicably this Word was made Flesh how a Starre gaue light vnto the Sunne a Branch did beare the Vine a Creature gaue being vnto the Creator how the Mother was yonger then what shee bare and a great deale lesser then what shee contained and how this Childe was suddenly made perfectly made holily made without the helpe of man wee may well say with the Apostle that great is the mystery of godlinesse 1 Tim. 3.16 And we should say with Saint Augustine Rem credo modum non quaero I doe most faithfully beleeue the matter but I will not curiously search into the manner of his conception Christ was conceiued of a Virgin that he might be free from all sinne Thirdly Touching the end and finall cause of this his extraordinary and miraculous conception It was as I haue partly shewed before two-fold First That he might be pure and free from all originall sinne because it was requisite that hee which should saue sinners should be himselfe free from all sinne Ob. But against this it may be obiected that all those which were descended from Adams loynes did sinne in Adam for if the roote be holy Rom. 11.16 the branches are likewise holâ— but if the roote be rotten the branches must needes be corrupted And Saint Paul saith That by one man sinne entred into the World Rom. 5.12 and by sinne death and so death went ouer all men because all men had sinned But Christ according to the Flesh descended from the Ioynes of Adam for so Saint Luke fetcheth his Pedegree Luc. 3. vâ—t euen from Adam and therefore Christ cannot be quite free from all the contagion of sinne Sol. I answere that the guilt of Adams sinne diffused it selfe onely vpon such as were in him both according to the substance of their flesh That Christ commeth not from Adam after the vsuall manner of generation Et secundum rationem seminalem and according to the carnall and vsuall way of propagation as Aquinas saith But Christ though he came from Adam according to the substance of his flesh yet was hee not produced from him according to the ordinary way of naturall generation for he was conceiued of the Holy Ghost and borne of a pure Virgin who neuer knew man carnally at any time And therefore it is most true which Saint Peter saith 1 Pet. 2.22 That he did no sinne neither was any guile found in his mouth Heb. 7.26 and that also which Saint Paul saith He was pure and vndefiled separate from sinners Secondly He was thus conceiued in all purity that hee might thereby hide and couer our impure conception from the sight of God for he was conceiued after a new manner that he might take away that sinne which humane generation attracteth and getteth by the accompanying and coupling of sinnefull flesh And so Saint Augustine saith God was in carnate in the wombe of his Mother a Virgin Aug. de fide ad Petrum c. 2. without any carnall copulation with any man and without any lust of the conceiuing Virgin that by the God man which being conceiued without any lust the inuiolate wombe of the Virgin hath brought forth that sinne might be washed away which all other men that are begotten with mans seede are infected withall because the condition of our birth is such that our Mothers cannot performe that worke of fruitfulnesse vnlesse they first leese the virginity of their flesh and so with the emission of seede That it was not the purity of the Virgin but the working of the holy Ghost that caused Christ to be conceiued without sinne send forth an infection of sinne which corrupteth both the begetters and the begotten And therefore hence it is apparant that seeing he was not onely sanctified by the Holy Ghost that he might be holy and without staine of sinne and so fitted to be vnited to the person of the Sonne of God but was also made by the Holy Ghost without any helpe of man we neede not runne with the Franciscan Friars to the purity of his Mothers conception and birth to make him pure and without sinne for indeed it is the manner of his conception by the Holy Ghost and the sanctifying of that substance which he assumed of his Mother and the purging of it from all disposition or inclination vnto euill and not the purity of his Mothers conception or her want of originall corruption that frees our Sauiour Christ from all imputation of originall infection And therefore though we acknowledge her the most blessed amongst Women and sanctified aboue the ordinary degrees of any other man or woman Rom. 5.12 yet to say that shee was no wayes tainted with originall sinne I dare not affirme because both the Scriptures Luc. 2.48 and those fruits that we read of which doe spring from this naturall roote John 2.4 doe sufficiently seeme vnto mee to contradict the same And so you see the manner how the substance of his man-hood was conceiued CHAP. II. Of the matter whereof the Flesh of Christ was formed and that he had a true naturall Body SEcondly We are to consider the matter from which the Flesh of Christ was composed for as there are diuers kindes of bodies coelestiall bodies aeriall bodies and terrestriall bodies So there are diuers kindes of Flesh for all flesh is not the same flesh 1 Cor. 15. but there is
or doe belong either to the soule or to the body of man as length breadth thicknesse vnderstanding will affection c. and all other infirmities that we haue sinne onely excepted for as in the creation of man God made man like vnto himselfe by stamping in him the Image of his owne nature so in the assumption of our flesh this word made himselfe like vnto vs by taking vpon him the infirmities of our nature So that as God said heretofore in a pittifull derision Behold the man is become as one of vs so now we may say in a ioyfull exultation Behold Gen. 3.22 our God is become as one of vs of the same nature and subiect to the same infirmities as wee are as the Apostle saith of Elias Jam 5 7. He was subiect to the like passions as we are But is it possible may some man say that hee which came to destroy the workes of the Diuell Ob. and to swallow vp death into victory should disarme himselfe of strength and power and be cloathed with our weakenesse and fraileties To this the Prophet answereth Sol. That Gods wayes are not as our wayes nor his thoughts as our thoughts Esa 55.8 for we find many times God working one contrary out of another as creating all things of nothing bringing light out of darkenesse Gen. 1.1 making his power knowne through weakenesse and by the foolishnesse of preaching destroying the wisedome of the wise That God many times worketh one contrarie out of another and sauing those that beleeue in him And therefore as Dauid laid aside the Sword and brigandine of Saul and tooke his staffe and slender sling when he went to encounter great Goliah So Christ the Sonne of Dauid did assume the infirmities of our flesh a slender staffe to relie vpon that so not by his strong arme but by his weake yet holy arme he might get vnto h mselfe the victory And it was requisite saith Saint Ambrose Vt infirmitates nostras susciperet That he should take vpon him our infirmities First To demonstrate the truth of his assumed humanity for else Ambros in Luc. l. 10. c. 22. Quomodo discipuli crederent fuisse hominem nisi humanas infirmitates comperissent How should his Disciples beleeue him to be a man if they had not found and seene him touched with the infirmities of man And Secondly To strengthen and vnderprop the weakenesse of our declining Faith for Vt patientem docere non potest qui subiectus passionibus non est As he can neuer teach a man how to be patient which was neuer troubled with any passions himselfe saith Lactantius Lactant. institut l 4. c. 16. so he can neuer so well succour those that are afflicted which neuer hath beene afflicted himselfe But now seeing we haue a High Priest which is touched with the feeling of our infirmities we may with boldnesse accede vnto the Throne of Grace Heb. 4.14 and assure our selues to finde mercy in the time of neede And yet here wee must distinguish and vnderstand that all the infirmities and the defects of our nature are either 1. Culpable and blame-worthy 2. Inculpable and blamelesse Or else 1. Sinnefull without paine 2. Painefull without sinne That infirmities are of two kindes The first are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 damnable and odious in the sight of God as Damascen calleth them The second are Miserabiles Miserable and to be pittied before God and Man as Saint Augustine saith 1. Sinnefull 2. Painefull Those of the first kinde hee was absolutely free from because he was conceiued without sinne borne without sinne liued without sinne Christ tooke none of our sinnefull infirmities and died without sinne And therefore let not the couetous man whose desire is as large as Hell thinke that Christ tooke vpon him the vnsatiable affection of couetousnesse nor the ambitious man imagine that he was tainted with an aspiring minde nor any man suppose that this immaculate Lambe was any wayes blemished with inordinate affection for he was a true Israelite in whom there was no guile Those of the second kinde we say with the Schooles that they are either 1. Detractabiles 2. Indetractibiles that is either 1 Personall 2 Naturall First personall or proper to some men That those infi mities which are not sinfull are either 1 Personall 2 Naturall as to be affected with malady infeebled with infirmitie or disfigured with deformity or else Secondly naturall or common to all men as to be borne weake and to liue incompassed with humane frailties Those that are personall we say not that he tooke for though many of vs be wholly corrupted from the sole of the feete Esay 1.6 vnto the Crowne of the head That Christ tooke no personall infiâ—mities vpon him yet the body of Christ being framed by the Holy Ghost of the purest Virgin bloud was proportioned in most equall Symmetry and correspondency of parts and therefore hee was Speciosus forma prae filijs hominum fairer then the sons of men wholly pure more pure then the body of Absolon 2 Sam. 14. in whom there was no blemish So Cassiodorus saith Cassiod in Psal 45. Forma eius lactei coloris decore illuxit insigni statura prae-eminuit His body of the best composed stature did excell all other men and so Saint Hierome saith that his countenance carryed hidden and vayled in it a starre-like shining brightnesse Matth. 19.27 which being but a little reueiled it so rauished his Disciples hearts that at the first sight thereof they left all and followed him and it so astonished his enemies that they stumbled and fell to the ground But Those that are naturall or common infirmities That Christ tooke all the infirmities which are common and naturall infirmities Iohn 18.6 Heb. 2.17.4.15 wee affirme that he had them in all things like vnto vs. First because he was to be in all things like vnto his brethren sinne onely excepted Secondly because the prayer of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane proceeded from the infirmity of his humane nature as most Interpreters doe affirme Thirdly because an Angell from Heauen appeared vnto him comforting him for his Diuine vertue had no need to be strengthened but his humane infirmity required to be assisted Fourthly because all ancient antiquity and the moderne vnanimity of all Diuines haue euer taught and maintained this truth for we confesse saith Damascen that Christ tooke all the naturall Passions of man which are without sinne Damas de fide orthodoxa l. 3. c. 20. Et scire mihi prodest saith Saint Ambrose Quod propter me suscepit Christus omnes infirmitates meas Ambrosius de fide ad Grat. l. 2. c. 4. And it auaileth me much to know that Christ tooke all mine infirmities vpon him and Fryar Discipulus saith that euery man was subiect vnto twelue naturall defects and infirmities whereof saith he our Sauiour Christ hath
nothing to helpe our selues no not so much as to imagine which way to doe our selues any good God of his meere loue was moued through his wisedome to finde out this meanes of vniting the Word with our Flesh that we might be vnited vnto God againe O that wee would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse Psal 107.8 and shew the wonders that he doth for the Children of men That wee would offer vnto him The sacrifice of praise and thankesgiuing and shew forth his prayses from one generation to another Seuenthly Because hereby is shewed the difference betwixt the Law and the Gospell for that the Fathers vnder the Law did see these things darkely and beheld Christ through the grates and lattices i. e. vnder the types and shaddowes of the Law as it were with Moses in foramine petrae through the holes and clefts of the rocke to behold a few glympses of the glory of God but we with open face may see him as in a glasse for now the vayle is taken away from Moses his face Cant. 2.14.15 all types are now accomplished all ceremonies are abolished and all the mysts of darknesse The difference betwixt the Law and the Gospell errours and Heresies are now especially dispersed for that not onely the day-starre hath appeared but also the Sun of Righteousnesse hath risen and shineth ouer the face of the whole world and this great mystery of godlinesse is and hath beene long preached vnfolded and most plainely shewed vnto the Gentiles as the Apostle sheweth Heb. 5.11 And therefore it is a shame for vs if we be dull in hearing and vnapt to vnderstand all necessary truthes for though the Iewes of old might be excused for their ignorance because they sate in darkenesse and in the shadow of Death yet are we without excuse because the cleere light of truth is continually preached vnto vs and therefore it will be our condemnation if we loue darknesse more then light Iohn 3.19 and desire rather to be still groping in the twy-light of morality i. e. the precepts of morall men then to walke in the true light of Diuinity which is the Doctrine of Iesus Christ And yet such is the misery of our dayes and the dulnesse of our people that as the Church of Rome teacheth implicite faith to suffice a man for his saluation i. e. to beleeue what the Church beleeueth though he know no more what that is then Baalams Asse vnderstood her owne voyce Numb 22. 31. So many amongst vs whom God hath indued with sufficient capacities to vnderstand many mysteries of faith if they would apply their desire diligence to learne them are contented with confused or at the best very generall notions that Christ died for them and that they hope by him to be saued That many men are very ignorant of the chiefest points of Christianity and if you enter into the particulars concerning his person they presently frame vnto themselues false and erronious conceits thinking perhaps Christ to be a man by an humane person and so are Nestorians or to be a meere man and so are Arrians or to haue his natures confounded and so are Eutychians or else the properties of these natures confused and so are Lutherans and so are wrapped in many monstruous Heresies not for want of meanes but for want of desire or diligence to vnderstand these truths But if any will be such that is not looke vpon the light for feare of blinding his eyes let him take heede of that fearefull saying Qui ignorat ignorabitur He that will not know Christ 1 Cor. 14.38 shall not be knowne of Christ and yet I meane not that euery one especially of the meaner vnderstandings should labour for perfect or exquisite knowledge herein or more then their capacities are able to comprehend for as we must not be too carelesse so we may not be too curious in these vnsearchable mysteries but my meaning is that men should not satisfie themselues onely with inuolued implicite faith or some generall notions concerning Christ but should labour euery man according to the measure of vnderstanding that God hath giuen him to learne and know in some competent measure the particular mysteries of our faith And so much for the first part of this Treatise the summe and substance of the words Incarnation Part. 2. PART II. The chiefest circumstances that are requisite to be knowne for the vnderstanding of this mystery of the words Incarnation CHAP. I. Of the Ancestors and family from whence Christ descended And what we may learne thereby SEcondly the chiefest circumstances concerning the words Incarnation are especially these three First His family from whence he was descended Secondly His natiuity whereby hee was declared And Thirdly His testimony by which hee was approued vnto the world to be the true Messias First for the family from whence Christ should descend It was prophesied long before Matth. 1. that the Messias should come of the seed and linage of Dauid and the Euangelists say that Christ was borne of a Virgin Luke 1.27 whose name was Mary First of a Virgin to fulfill the prophesie of Esay Chap. 7.14 And that he might be conceiued without sinne because hee was to redeeme vs from sinne Secondly of a Virgin called Mary that the verity of the Story might appeare most manifest and that the certaintie of his pedegree might be the more easily shewed Ob. But it may be obiected that Christ was to be like Melchisedecke without Father and without mother and therefore the Sonne of Mary is not likely to be the Christ because he hath a mother Sol. I answere that some affirmed Melchisedecke to haue both a Father and a Mother Hieron ad Euagr. and is thought by Saint Hierome and diuers others to be Sem the Sonne of Noah but he is said to be without Father and without Mother because by that name and in that place where be is said to haue come and to haue blessed Abraham there is no mention made of his Father or of his Mother or of his beginning or of his ending but for mine owne part I answere as I shewed before that this Melchisedecke was Christ himselfe and that he may be truly said to be without Father and without Mother if we vnderstand the same aright for that as God hee hath no Mother and as man hee hath no Father because Ioseph was but his legall and not his naturall Father But you will say then Ob. that hee could not come of the seede of Dauid because Mary was the Daughter of Ioachim Aug. contra faust Man l. 23. c. 3. 4. Luke 1.36 a Priest of the Tribe of Leui as the Manichees and others haue affirmed because the Scripture saith Behold thy Cosen Elizabeth which was the wife of Zacharias the Priest To this diuers men doe diuersly answere for Sol. Origen thinketh that they were Cosens not in respect of
is not offended in him Why then O thou incredulous Iew wilt thou not receiue thy Sauiour is it because he came poore without any shew of worldly pompe why that should make all men the rather to imbrace him and the more thankefully to acknowledge him because that he which might haue come in Maiestie Cum caelestibus Attended on by Angels would come in pouerty and haue his bed made cum iumentis among the beasts that perish that so by his comming poore we might be all made rich through him and therefore O Iew I doe aduice thee that as thy Fathers accomplished the decree of God in condemning him so doe thou according to the will of God in beleeuing on him and thou shalt be happy for he that beleeueth in him shall neuer perish To whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be ascribed all Honour Thankes and Praise both now and for euermore Amen A Prayer O Eternall God who as in all things else so more especially in giuing thy dearest Sonne co-eternall coequall and co-essentiall vnto thy selfe to be made flesh subiect to our humane frailties and in all things like vnto vs sinne onely excepted hast shewed thy goodnesse and thy loue to man to be like thy selfe infinite and incomprehensible we most humbly beseech thee to giue vs grace to know thee and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ to be the onely true God whom to know is eternall life through the said Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen IEHOVAE LIBERATORI FINIS The Fourth Golden Candlesticke HOLDING The Fourth greatest Light of Christian RELIGION Of the Passion of the MESSIAS LVKE 24.46 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And thus it behoued Christ to suffer YOu haue heard dearely beloued how miserably man is distressed by sinne The coherence of this Treatise with the former Treatises how he may be releeued onely by the Mercy of God and how this reliefe is applied vnto vs by the Incarnate Word for he is the true Samaritan that doth helpe the wounded man he is the blessed Angell that doth stirre the poole of Bethesda and giue vertue vnto the water to heale our sores to helpe our soules But alas this Angell as yet is but descended and the waters are not troubled and this Samaritan is but alighted and the poore semi-dead Traueller is not set vp vpon his horse to be carryed towards his Inne that is hee hath not yet entred into the waters of tribulations to saue our soules from drowning in Hell neither hath he put our sinnes vpon his backe that we being freed from the burthen might walke on towards Heauen this resteth yet behind and this Tragedie is yet vnheard and therefore though he much humbled himselfe by his Incarnation yet is that nothing it is but the beginning of sorrowes in respect of his sore and bitter Passion For to redeeme our soules from sinne the deepe waters must enter into his soule and all our sinnes must be laid vpon his backe and for our sinnes It behoueth Christ to suffer Hic labor hoc opus est And this is that which we are now to treat of Thus it behoued Christ to suffer CHAP. I. Of the manifold vse and commodities that we reape by the continuall meditation of the sufferings of Christ Three things that mooue attention THere be three speciall things that doe vse to moue attention 1. An eloquent Author 2. An important matter 3. A compendious breuity And all these three doe here ioyne and meete together in this Text of Scripture For First the Author of these words is Christ Luk. 11.49 First the Author of these words is Iesus Christ the wisedome of God Wisedome it selfe so incomprehensibly wise that all men wondred at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth Secondly the summe of these words is the Tragedy of Iesus Christ Secondly the matter is the Tragedie of himselfe the laborious life and the dolorous death of the Sonne of God the chiefest Tragedy of all Tragedies for the Catastrophe hereof hath the effusion of bloud and the mourning not onely of the Sufferer or Parents and Friends but of Heauen and Earth and all the whole world farre more dolefull then the mourning of Hadadrimmon in Valley of Mâ—gyddo The Actors of this Tragedy are Kings Vice-Royes Dukes Scribes Pharises High-Priests Elders of the people The Actors of this Tragedy the Apostles themselues and others all great Christ the King of Kings Herod the great King Pilate the Vice-Roy Annas and Cayphas high Priests Peter and Iudas great Apostles and those that were mute as the Sun the Earth the Stones the Vaile of the Temple and the very Graues did by apparant signes most dolefully bewayle the nefarious death of the Son of God yea more the Angels mourned and the Diuels trembled to behold the same The Theater on which it was acted was Ierusalem The Theater was Ierusalem the very midst and heart of the earth as some imagine according to that saying of the Psalmist Operatus est deus salutem in medio terrae GOD hath wrought saluation in the midst of the Earth Heere is the place where it was acted Hic hic mors vita duello Conflixere mirando Here life and death did striue for victory and here the beholders were men of all Nations Hebrewes Greekes and Romans and the time was their most solemne feast wherein all did â—eete to eate their Paschall Lambe And therefore if there be any Theame that may challenge our eares to lysten and our hearts to meditate vpon the same it is this for this is one of those things that was once done that it might be thought of for euer that it might be had in euerlasting remembrance And the continuall meditation thereof is 1. Acceptable vnto Christ 2. Profitable for vs. For First The continuall meditation of Christs passion what it doth if the rod of Moses which wrought so many miracles in Aegypt and the Manna which fed the children of Israel 40. yeares in the Wildernesse and the Booke of the Law which was deliuered vnto Moses vpon Mount Sinai were to be preserued in the Arke First It is most acceptable vnto Christ as testimonies of Gods loue throughout all generations how much more should we keepe the remembrance of the Crosse of Christ of the Body and Bloud of Christ and of the glad tidings of saluation which we haue by the death of Christ in the Church of God for euermore Our Sauiour gaue but two Sacraments vnto his Church and one of them is chiefely instituted to this end for a remembrance of his suffering for as often as you eate this Bread and drinke this Cup Luc. 22. you shew the Lords death vntill he come 1 Cor. 11.1 And the remembrance of Christs death saith Saint Chrysostome Est beneficij maximi recordatio Chrys hom 8. in Matth. caputque diuinae erga nos charitatis Is the commemoration of the greatest benefit that euer we receiued
comfortable beames of the God-head were now restrayned from the assistance of the Man-hood of Christ as hereafter I shall more fully shew vnto you yet I say that all the Diuine comforts were not detained from him for then the Humanity could not haue indured so great an agony had he not beene somewhat sustained by the Deity Nay be it so Winton in Pass Ser. sup Thren 1 p 3. as some would haue it that his soule was euen as scorched heath-ground without so much as any drop of dew of Diuine comfort yet I say he was not depriued of his reasonable soule he had all the powers and faculties of reason and vnderstanding in a farre more excellent measure then any other man whatsoeuer and these faculties were not disturbed nor any wayes darkened with the vehemencie of any Passions as I shewed vnto you before and therefore I cannot see how the feare of a naturâ—ll deâ—th onely could so exceedingly affright him as to make him so earnestly to pray against the same for we find that euen naturall men not knowing God and therefore not guided by the light of God doe and haue by the light of Humane reason made light account of death and yet you see Christ a man of perfect knowledge as man so much as man could haue is here grieuously troubled and vehemently affrighted at the consideration of that Cup which he was to drinke of and therefore that Cup did containe a great deale more then that little draught of naturall death And Heb. 5.7 That Christ was heard and therefore deliuered from what he feared Thirdly The Apostle vnto the Hebrewes saith That when Christ offered vp prayers and supplications with strong cryings and teares vnto him that was able to saue him from death he was heard in that which he feared or for his piety as the originall hath it Now this must be referred vnto his feruent prayer and those bloudy teares in the Garden for we doe not reade that in any place else he did offer the like prayers and teares vnto God and therefore seeing he was heard i. e. so heard that he obtained his request Prae reuerentia for his modestie or for the respect that God had vnto him and was deliuered from that which he feared it must needes be that it was not his owne naturall death that he so much feared and so earnestly prayed against it for from this he was not deliuered but he suffered dyed and was buried Psal 75.9 And therefore as the Prophet Dauid saith In the hand of the Lord there is a Cup the wine is red it is full mixt as for the dregs thereof That Christ was to vndergoe the punishment of all others all the vngodly of the earth shall drinke them and suck them out So I say of this Cup of Christ it is a Cup of many ingredients it is full red and it hath many dregs and although in this good seruant there was found no sinne yet seeing he was contented to vndergoe the punishments of all bad seruants and to suffer the iust desarts of all the vngodly therefore hee must drinke and sucke vp the very dregs of this Cup and yet if we duely obserue it we shall see that he was heard in that which hee feared for though he drinkes it vp sheere yet it shall cleerely passe from him and his prayer was no more for hee prayed not that he might not drinke of it but that it might passe from him euen as a man that drinketh a cup of poyson and yet thereby is not poysoned And so it did with Christ he dranke vp all and yet it did him no hurt at all for though it made him sweat the drops of bloud though it grieued him and pained him and made him cry out Matth. 27.46 My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee yea though it cast him into a sleepe and laid him dead in his graue and there sealed him for a time yet presently within the space of forty houres or thereabouts he reuiued and awaked as a Lion out of sleepe or as a Giant refreshed with wine and then he smote all his enemies vpon the cheâ—â—e-bone Psal 78.66.67 and put them to a perpetuall shame And through that short and momentary death of his he purchased vnto his Church euerlasting life And therefore seeing this Cup which Christ feared was not onely that little draught of naturall death that was but the least drop thereof but was a Cup of many ingredients Let vs so farre as we may gather it out of the word of God obserue and learne what those ingredients might be which were contained in that Cup that so we may the better know what he suffered and what he prayed against CHAP. III. Of diuers particular things that were in that Cup which our Sauiour dranke of ANd if we diligently search into the particulars we shall finde that therein might be The difference betwixt feare and sorrow or griefe First Something 's that he grieued at which troubled him And Secondly Something 's that he feared which he prayed against For there be great differences betwixt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 griefe and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 feare and betwixt the causes of sorrow and feare for the obiect of sorrow and griefe may be as well euill past as the paine present but the obiect of feare is onely euill to come or that which is present but as yet not wholly passed ouer feare alwayes going before the paine sorrow and griefe following after and yet I say that the same things now in Christ might and did worke both feare and griefe because he fore-saw those things that were to come as present or as already past and therefore he feared them as things to come and he grieued for them as if they had beene already past Of the first sort there were somethings 1. In respect of himselfe 2. In respect of others What Christ griâ—ued at 1. In respect of himselfe he fore-saw these two things 1. The greatnesse of his paine and shame 2. The deferring of his death and punishment 2. In respect of others he fore-saw likewise these 2. things 1. The small account that they would make of so great a worke 2. The greatnesse of that punishment which they must suffer for this smalenesse of their account And would not these things grieue a man What Christ feared Of the second sort there were especially three things 1. The waight of sinne 2. The malice of Satan 3. The wrath of God And would not these enemies so many in number so mighty in power and so terrible to behold make a man to feare to tremble and to sweat And yet from all these he was deliuered and so as the Apostle saith He was heard in that which he feared But to speake of these a little more particularly What Christ fore-saw in respect of himselfe First his punishment First He fore-saw that he should indure Supplicium quo nullum
maius opprobrium quo nullum vilius A punishment then which there could not be greater and a shame then which there could not be viler The first which was but the least thing that grieued him yet it caused a colluctation of the flesh with paine Aristot 3. aethic with death because the flesh naturally is desirous to escape them both Et omnium terribilium terribilissimum est mors And of all terrible things death is the most terrible thing saith the Philosopher and therefore the very remembrance of the same Secondly His Shame The Shamefull handling of Christ was more grieuous vnto him then all his corporall sufferings must needs bring a terror vnto flesh and bloud And the second which was the shamefull things that were to be done vnto him to be scorned and scoffed accounted as wicked taken by the wicked and condemned with the wicked and so shamefully handled shamefully deemed shamefully dying did a great deale more perplexe and grieue him then the former any man wishing rather to dye then to suffer shame shame being a greater punishment vnto the minde and soule then any torture can be vnto the flesh Nature alwayes releeueth the part most distressed for nature cleane contrary to the course of the world which alwayes taketh part with the stronger-side and layeth helpe vpon them that are mighty vseth alwayes to assist the weaker part as it appeareth plainely in the letting of bloud in the arme or in any other place for then nature as it doth still send the bloud Quasi agmine facto as it were on heapes from all the parts of the body thither vntill the said rupture be stopped vp againe and so likewise when the heart of man which is the seate of feare begins to be troubled with any vehement or horrible feare then will nature presently collect the bloud about the same for to assist it whereby the face is left pale and all the exterior parts as it were voide of life and when the face of man which is the seate of shamefastnesse and honesty is aspersed with shame and reproach then presently the bloud relinquisheth all the interior parts and gathers it selfe vnto the face as to that part which now hath most need to be sustayned wâ—ereby we truely say that Pallor timentium rubor erubescentium est signum To blush is the signe of shame and to be pale is an argument of feare And therefore though the feare of his punishment and of death did neerely touch him yet to shew that the consideration of this most shamefull handling of him did more perplexe him his bloud did not collect it selfe vnto the heart though the same was much affrighted but leauing the heart as it were destitute of all helpe it flew into his face as vnto that part which for shame of their dispitefull vsage of him had most neede to be assisted and from thence as the pretious oyntment that was powred vpon Aarons head ranne downe vnto his beard and from thence vnto the skirts of his cloathing So this pretious bloud of Christ gushing out chiefly at his face it plentifully trickled downe to the ground Secondly The deferring of his suffering much grieued our Sauiour As the consideration and fore-sight of these things did much grieue him so the dilation and deferring of them did not a little trouble him for as the expectation of death is many times more grieuous vnto the affrighted flesh then death it selfe so was the dilation of that good which was to proceede from his death a great deale more grieuous vnto him then many deaths for hee was most greedy of our saluation and as the Horse made ready vnto the battle and hearing the Trumpets sounding Virgil. l. 4. Aeneid Stare loco nescit micat auribus tremit artus fraena faerox spumantia mandit doth fame and fome and cannot stand but still striueth to goe forward so Christ hauing this baptisme to be baptized with he was exceedingly pained vntill that was ended Quia spes quae differtur affligit animam Because as Salomon saith hope deferred or expectation prolonged languisheth the soule and therefore as Ionas saâ—d Irascor vsque ad mortem I am exceedingly angry euen vnto death that is because death comes not to me for I doe seeke for death and it flies from me so Christ was grieued vnto death Ambr. 7. in Luc. Non ex metu mortis suae sed ex mora redemptionis nostrae Not for any feare of his owne death but by reason of the delaying of our deliuerance from euerlasting death as Saint Ambrose saith What Christ fore-saw in respâ—ct of vs. Secondly As he fore-saw these things in respect of himselfe so in respect of others he fore-saw First the neglecting of his bloud First The small account that many men would make of this his so great a suffering he saw how few would imbrace it and how many would contemne it and therefore when he considered with himselfe Quae vtilitas in sanguine suo What profit might accrew from his bloud knowing that the least drop of it was of sufficient value to saue the whole world and yet by reason of the iniquitie and incredulity of men that all of it being spilt and shed it should notwithstanding saue but a remnant and a small company of men it could not choose but grieue and vexe his righteous soule to see his bloud spilt in vaine for would it not grieue any man to pay an infinite price to saue a base slaue from death and to see that villaine presently cast himselfe to death and with all his strength and wit to seeke the death of his Redeemer this was the case of Christ for he was willing to redeeme vs with his owne most precious bloud and yet he saw the wicked would trample this benefit vnder foot account the bloud of the couenant as an vnholy thing Heb. 10.29 and make none other vse of it but most fearefully to sweare by it and abuse it and so bringing vpon themselues swift damnation and therefore seeing euery sin grieues God this must grieue him most of all O then beloued brethren seeing as it grieueth the Husbandman to see his ground well manured still continuing barren so it is a griefe to Christ to see his bloud grow fruitlesse and that it is a ioy to him by our conuersion to see the fruits of his labours O let vs neuer cause him to say Esay 49.4 In vacuum laboraui I haue laboured in vaine but let vs truely repent vs of our sinnes and faithfully lay hold of his death that so both the Angels and this Lord of Angels may reioyce Secondly He fore-saw the great punishment and aduersitie that should light vpon many men and vpon many sorts of men for The dispersion of the Apostles Zach. 13.7 and by meanes of this his sufferings and his cruell death As First Vpon his owne Disciples and decrest Apostles for I will
the ceremonies of the Law are now ended but especially all that is to bee suffered for the sinnes of men is now fully accomplished But the sufferings of the Saints doe profit the Church not by way of satisfaction for their sinnes but by way of example and consolation to strengthen them in their faith Aquinas par 3. sum q. 48. art penult and to confirme them saith the Glosse In gratia dei in doctrina Euangelij In the grace of God and in the doctrine of the Gospell and they are called the rest of the afflictions of Christ How the sufferings of the Saints doe profit the Church not because the sufferings of Christ were imperfect or not sufficient to satisfie for all sinnes but because of that simpathy and fellow-feeling that Christ hath of all the sufferings of his Saints in which respect he saith vnto Saint Paul vnconuerted Saul Saul why persecutest thou me Act 9.4 because he accounteth all euill or good done vnto them to be as done vnto himselfe and therefore though we should reioyce in our afflictions Rom. 5.3 because he doth account vs worthy to suffer for the name of Christ yet seeing the suffering of all the miseries that can befall a man cannot make vs worthy of this glory of Heauen as Origen saith Act. 5.41 we should wholly relie vpon the all-sufficient merits of Christ his sufferings for the saluation of our soules because all sacrifices ended in this selfe-sufficient sacrifice which was not onely the abolishment of all other oblations whatsoeuer but was also the most perfect and most absolute holocaust yea and the one onely hylasticall and propitiatory sacrifice that was to be offered for the sinnes of the whole world Suet. in vit Aug. Caesaris Suetonius tels vs that when Augustus Caesar either out of Humility or Policy desired that the Senate would adioyne two Consuls with him for the gouernment of the State the Senate answered that they held it a diminution of his dignity a disparagement of their owne iudgement to ioyne any one with so worthy a one as Augustus was and surely it would much more derogate from the worth of our Sauiours sufferings and shew vs to bee meerely fooles if with the inualuable sufferings â—nd sacrifice of Christ to satisfie the wrath of God we would ioyne the momentaric affliction of any man The sufferings of Christ comforteth and confiâ—meth all Christians And as this Doctrine of his suffering for the satisfaction of all sinnes doth confute all them that ioyne the afflictions of the Saints with the sufferings of Christ for the making vp of the price of our redemption so it doth sufficiently confirme and comfort all those that do most faithfully put their trust in Christ For though our sinnes be very great and though we haue sate in darkenesse and in the shadow of death yet seeing Christ hath suffered for vs both what God in Iustice could require and what our sinnes could iustly deserue we should not despaire wee should not feare because the bloud of Christ as the Apostle noteth speaketh better things then the bloud of Abel Heb. 12.24 that crying for vengeance this for pardon vnto his brethren And as it serueth to confirme vs against despaire so it may be applyed to assure vs of whatsoeuer we need Rom. 8.32 for so the Apostle reasoneth he that spared not his owne Sonne but gaue him for vs all to death how shall he not with him also freely giue vs all things hee that loued vs so deare as to giue vs his onely Sonne what will he thinke too deare for vs and therefore if we want any thing let vs aske of God James 1.5 and he giueth vnto all men liberally whatsoeuer he seeth fit and conuenient for them How the death of Christ maketh the wicked without excuse Secondly As our Sauiour dyed thus to satisfie the wrath of God for the sinnes of all men and to bring his Saints vnto euerlasting glory so he did it to make the wicked without excuse because they tread vnder feet the Sonne of God and account the bloud of the couenant as an vnholy thing and will not lay hold and beleeue in Iesus Christ But if any man should demaund whether Christ suffered and dyed for all men without exception or for those elected Saints onely which he had chosen vnto saluation or whether hee dyed sufficiently for all and effectually onely for his elect which in my minde is but a poore distinction because it is most certaine that his death and suffering if it had pleased God to giue them that grace to apprehend it and by a liuely faith to apply it vnto their soules is of sufficient value to ransome the sinnes of all men and diuels and many other such like questions about the generality and efficacy of Christs death See the Delights of the Saints par 1. pag. 30. I referre him to my Treatise of the Delights of the Saints where I haue handled this point more at large And so you see why Christ suffered in respect of men Secondly He suffered all this in respect of God for the praise and glory of his owne blessed Name for as God hath made and created all things so he hath redeemed all men for his owne sake that his wisedome his power and his goodnesse might bee knowne vnto men and so praised and magnified of men for euermore And therefore this should teach vs to doe what lyeth in vs to glorifie the Name of God for all these great things that Christ hath done and hath suffered for vs. CHAP. IIII. Of the vsefull application of this Doctrine of the sufferings of Christ what we ought principally to learne from the consideration thereof ANd as generally this suffering of Christ The consideration of Christs sufferings should worke in vs foure speciall effects out of his meere loue to man should moue vs all to praise the Lord and to serue him so more especially it should worke in vs these foure speciall things 1. To moue vs to compassion 2. To make vs thankefull 3. To cause vs to loue him 4. To worke in vs a readinesse to suffer any thing with him and for his sake that suffered all this for vs. First to moue vs to compassion Iob 10. For the first the Prophet Dauid musing of Gods great loue towards mankinde saith O Lord what is man that thou art so mindefull of him And to this holy Iob answereth saying Thou hast made me as the Clay vers 11. vers 9. and thou wilt bring me into the dust and I shall be consumed as a rotten thing and as a garment that is moth-eaten And yet to saue this poore contemptible thing Christ tooke vpon him our nature in the wombe and vndertooke our death vpon the Crosse yea and whatsoeuer he suffered as man he suffered for man Omnis creatura compatitur Christo morienti sol obscuratur c. Solus
shewed vnto you before Saint Luke saith He is not here but he is risen to teach vs that these words are so excellently couched by the Euangelist as they might serue both for a confirmation of his former speech he is not here and also for an assertion and declaration of the chiefest matter that the Angell intended to instruct these women in that is the resurrection of Christ for he is risen CHAP. IIII. That the Messias was to rise againe and why Certaine obiections answered and why he was to rise againe the third day THirdly the Angell doth not onely affirme but he doth also illustrate and confirme this assertion of Christ his resurrection by two infallible arguments First à priori from those typicall instructions and Propheticall predictions which foreshewed that the Messias must rise againe Secondly à posteriori from those cleere demonstrations that doe proue this Christ to haue risen againe For the first he saith that Christ was risen as he said i. e. formerly by his Prophets and lately by himselfe for the resurrection of Christ was not onely prefigured by Adams sleepe by Isaacs laying vpon the Altar by Iosephs imprisonment by Sampsons breaking of the gates of Gaza and such like but in a more plaine and speciall manner it was prophecied and foretold by Moses Dauid and others of the Prophets which spake of the resurrection of Christ and so likewise by our Sauiour Christ himselfe Three speciall reasons shewing why Christ was to rise againe First to manifest Satans conquest Secondly to assure vs of our deliuerance And the reason why the Messias was to rise againe is specially three-fold First in respect of Satan that his subiection might be manifested for he had said that the Prince of this world was to be cast forth this Prince was conquered at his passion but this conquest was manifested at his resurrection Secondly in respect of vs men that we might bee assured of our deliuerance from sinne and Satan and of our iustification before God by the 〈◊〉 vertue and power of his passion for if Christ be not risen from the dead our faith is vaine our hope is vaine our religion is vaine and wee of all men most miserable for in this onely point consisteth the greatest difference betwixt vs and the Iewes and all other vnbeleeuing Gentiles Nam Christum esse mortuum ratio humana concedit for they will yeeld that Christ was dead humane reason might proue that vnto vs Ambros l. 24. c. 26. in Joh. sed eum esse suscitatum ex mortuis omnem fidem rationis excedit but that hee should rise againe from the dead they cannot thinke they will not beleeue because this exceeds the reach of reason and therefore Saint Ambrose saith that although sibi cur resurgeret rationem non haberet he had no reason to rise in respect of himselfe yet there was great reason that hee should rise for the confirmation of our faith and so Saint Paul saith Rom. 4.25 that hee rose againe for our iustification not that any part of the price of our redemption was vnpaid at his passion but that the euidence of our deliuerance was not manifested vntill his resurrection for as hee died to deliuer vs so he rose againe to shew that he had deliuered vs. Thirdly in respect of himselfe Thirdly to shew himselfe a most victorious conqueror of all his enemies that he might shew himselfe a victorious conqueror of all his enemies and a trampler of hell sinne and Satan vnder his feet as of those that could detaine him no longer in their hands and that he might shew himselfe to be the Sonne of God coequall and coeternall vnto his Father for as he was to declare himselfe truly to be the sonne of man by yeelding vnto death so he was to declare himselfe mightily to be the Sonne of God by the resurrection from the dead Esay 53. and as he should be led by Esayas prophecie as a sheepe to the slaughter when he was to be crucified so he should come from the spoile by Iacobs prophecie as a Lions whelpe Gen. 49.9 when he was to rise from the dead and therefore Saint Bernard saith that he Qui agnus extiterat in passione factus est Leo in resurrectione which stood as a lambe at his passion to take away the sin of the world became a Lion at his resurrection to spoile all principalities and powers and to make an open shew of them Collos 2.15 But here it may bee some will say doth resurrection from the dead declare a man to haue conquered death hell and Satan and proue him to bee the eternall and omnipotent Sonne of God 1 King 17.22 Marke 5.41 Luke 7.14 Iohn 11. why then the widdowes sonne of Sarepta the sonne of the Shunamite the daughter of Iairus the widdowes sonne of Naime Lazarus and all that did rise with Christ and appeared to their friends in Ierusalem may be said to be the conquerors of death and the eternall sonnes of God but this is most absurd and therefore resurrection from the dead is no sufficient argument to proue the conquest of our enemies and the diuine omnipotency of our Sauiour Christ Sol. I answere Quod hi resurrexerunt mortui iterum morituri that these men rose when they were dead to die againe after they were raised but Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more saith the Apostle death hath no more dominion ouer him Rom. 6.8 Secondly I say that all those were raised virtute aliorum by the vertue and power of others as the widdowes sonne of Sarepta was raised by Elias That all which were raised from death but Christ were raised by others and died againe the Shunamites sonne by Elizaeus and they did it potestate precaria non propria by a power obtained by prayer not proper in themselues a power non innata sed data desuper not their owne naturally but supernaturally giuen them from aboue and therefore though in their life time they raised others yet being dead they could not raise themselues but our Sauiour Christ did not onely raise others in his life time but also being dead laid in his graue pressed with stones sealed by the Priests watched by the Souldiers That Christ raised himselfe from the dead and sought to be detained by all the power of darkenesse yet hee virtute propria vt victor prodijt de sepultura as a most inuincible conqueror by his owne proper power raised himselfe to life and by the strength of his owne arme hee caused all things Bernard de resur Christ to make way vnto himselfe And this the Prophet Esay in the person of Christ cleerely expresseth saying Esay 63.3.5 I haue troden the wine presse alone and of the people there was none with me and I looked and there was none to helpe and I wondered that there was none to vphold and therefore mine owne arme brought saluation vnto mee
Christ Thirdly He shall come though vnlookt-for by the wicked as a theefe in the night yet so apparantly that he shall be seene of all the world and with a great company of Angels 2 Pet. 3.10 Et cum milibus sanctorum and with thousands of his Saints as the Apostle saith for the chariots of God are twenty thousands Psal 68.17 euen thousands of Angels and the Lord shall be among them as in the holy place of Sinâ—y Fourthly he shall come with a blessing to reioyce the hearts of his Elect when he shall say vnto them Matth. 25. Come ye blessed of my Father receiue the Kingdome that was prepared for you before the beginning of the world And so much for the motion or his ascending vp CHAP. IIII. The place into which Christ ascended THirdly We are to consider terminus ad quem the place whether he ascended Quò inquit Augustinus nisi quô scimus Aug. in Psal 46. p. 174. b. 2. quô eum Iudaej non sunt secutâ— Where is hee gone but where wee know and where the Iewes shall not be able to follow after Quia in cruce exaltatum irriserunt ideo in coelum ascendentem non viderunt Because they mocked him being nailed on the Crosse therefore they saw him not when hee ascended vp to Heauen and where is he gone saith the Prophet Dauid but on high for thou art gone vp on high that is aboue all Heauens saith the Apostle And therefore by this one little sentence we find three damnable Heresies brought to death First Of them which said his body vanished in the aire Three heresies confuted before he ascended into Heauen for he ascended aboue all heauens Secondly Of them that said he ascended into the Orbe and Circle of the Sunne because it is said in solem posuit tabernaculum suum Psal 19.5 He hath set his Tabernacle in the Sunne which was the opinion of the Hermians and the Passionists as both Nazianzen and Saint Augustine doe affirme for here wee see hee is gone aboue all Heauens and therefore aboue the Orbe of the Sunne and they mistake that place of the Psalmist which is in them hath he set a Tabernacle for the Sunne and not he hath set his Tabernacle in the Sunne Thirdly Of them which teach an vbiquitary Heauen because he is ascended aboue such Heauens Ob. But then it may be obiected that if he be ascended aboue all Heauens then is he in no certaine place because as Aristotle saith Beyond Heauen Arist l. 1. de coelo there is no place Sol. I answere that the Scripture maketh mention of three Heauens That there be three Heauens First Of the Ayre as the Foules of Heauen Secondly Of the Coelestiall Orbes as the Starres of Heauen Thirdly Of the Receptacle of the blessed soules which is called the Kingdome of Heauen And this we must vnderstand to be either 1. Materiall 2. Spirituall 3. Supersubstantiall Christ ascended aboue the materiall Heauens First For the Materiall Heauen he is said to ascend aboue the same First In respect of Glory because the Body of Christ is more glorious then any Materiall Heauen Secondly In respect of the Continency because in nature it is infallible that contentuÌ„ superius est continente the thing contained must be higher then the place contayning Thirdly In respect of his blessed soule because the soule of Christ is more blessed then all things else whatsoeuer Christ ascended aboue the spirituall Heauens Secondly For the spirituall heauens i. e. all Angelicall or Heauenly perfections he is said to ascend aboue them all First In respect of perfection because the body of Christ is more noble and more excellent then any creature not in regard of his corporall substance but in regard of the hypostaticall vnion because it is vnited vnto the Godhead Secondly In respect of his humiliation because he hath vilified himselfe below all things therefore he is worthily exalted aboue all things Thirdly For the supersubstantiall Heauen i. e. God himselfe the place of God he is said in respect of his person to ascend into the same not that the humane nature is ascended to the equality of the Godhead for he is still inferiour to the Father and shall be still subiect to the Father as touching his Manhood but that the person of Christ God and Man sitteth on the right hand of God that is doth rest and raigne exalted aboue all things Vsque ad aequalitatem Maiestatis dei To be in all things equall vnto the Maiesty of God as Saint Augustine expoundeth it Descendit enim quo inferius non decuit ideo ascendit quo altius non potuit For he descended so low as it was not fit for him to goe lower and therefore he ascended so high as it was not possible for him to goe higher saith Saint Bernard And therefore Christ is ascended higher then all created things whatsoeuer Christ higher then all created things First In respect of the place because aboue all Heauens Secondly In respect of power Psal â— 6 because God the Father hath subiected all things vnder his feete i. e. as well things in Heauen as things in Earth Thirdly In respect of Dignity Heb. 1. because he is made more excellent then the Angels Fourthly In respect of this equality euen with God himselfe And so we see how Christ in respect of his person That Christ in respect of his manhood is in the highest part of the emperiall heauens is aboue all Heauens because he is an immeasurable and infinite person which the Heauen of Heauens cannot containe and therefore must needs be euery where but in respect of his humane nature assumed hee is in the highest part or place of the Emperiall Heauen which is the seate of the blessed soules for if he were in no place then much lesse should he be in the Earth in the Sunne or in euery place but Saint Augustine doth most excellently shew Aug. in ep ad Dardan that Vbi corpus ibi locum esse necesse est that wheresoeuer a body is there must needs be place because if we take away dimensions and places from bodies they shall be no where Et sinusquam erunt non erunt and if they be no where they shall not be at all and Saint Peter doth as plainely shew this truth when he saith that the Heauens shall and must containe him Act. 3.21 i. e. In respect of his Manhood for in respect of his Godhead it cannot vntill the restitution of all things and so we professe in our Creede that he sitteth on the right hand of God from whence he shall come i. e. in respect of his humanity for his Deity being euery where cannot be said to goe or to come any where to iudge both the quicke and the dead And therefore it is most certaine that the Body of Christ is in a place that is in the highest part of
innocent man yet his hope will neuer leaue him but as the Poet saith Iam mala finissem Letho sed credula vitam Spes fouet melius cras fore semper ait Hope still doth promise better fortunes vnto him and therefore this is a most excellent vertue though like other humane vertues it is defectiue in many points as first in respect of the things that they hope for wealth honours and such like So Alexander hauing giuen away almost all that hee had in Greece and being demanded what hee left for himselfe said hope i. e. of more honours and kingdomes and secondly in respect of the cause from whence they doe expect these things from themselues or such like but not from God whereas indeed that man is accursed which putteth his hope in man quia de Creatore desperare est Ierem. 17.5 spem in creatura ponere because that to hope in man is to forsake our God But Secondly diuine Hope The second i. e. the diuine hope which is wrought in vs by the Spirit of God is infallible for whosoeuer hopeth in him shall neuer be confounded Psal 22.4 5 6. Prou. 14.32 The wicked saith Salomon shall be cast away for his malice but the righteous hath hope in his death and what can be more then this for many things doe discourage vs in death for the dying man seeth his body is weake his friends weeping his Phisicians despayring and his conscience shewing him the Catalogue of his sinnes O wretched man that he is who shall comfort him yet hee whose hope is in the Lord his God doth euen then see the heauens open and the Angels ready to receiue him and though he knoweth his body is to be laide in the graue yet doth his flesh rest in hope and therefore what can be sweeter then hope O dearely beloued remember what the Psalmist saith blessed is the man whose hope is in the Lord his God But here you must know that all kindes of hope in God Euery hope maketh not happy makes not all men happy for there is a bold and a presumptuous hope a hope of wicked hypocrites that liue in sinne and yet doe hope for heauen And therefore wee must distinguish that there is a two-fold hope in God 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an opinionatiue hope 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a true infallible hope The first is the hope of wicked men Iob 8. Prou. 10. Wisd 5. and this shall melt away like a winter snow for the hope of the wicked shall perish they may looke for much but they shall haue nothing The second is the hope of the righteous and this shall neuer perish because it is grounded vpon a good foundation True hope springeth from the true feare of God that is the promise of God to them that feare him for so the Psalmist saith qui timetis Dominum sperate in illum you that feare the Lord hope in him And therefore if you would be sure to haue the true hope in God then feare the Lord because the testimony of a good conscience must be the ground of hope for so Saint Paul sheweth euen by his owne example saying I haue fought a good fight and I haue kept the faith there is the ground and therefore is laid vp for me the crowne of righteousnesse and there is the Anchor of his hope cast vpon that sure foundation and hee that thus hopeth in God is truely happy Thirdly Charity is rectissima animi affectio Thirdly of Charity the rightest affection of the minde whereby wee loue God for his owne sake and our neighbours for Gods sake Aug. de doct Christ and as Saint Augustine doth obserue it is proper onely vnto the Saints of God because as Saint Chrysostome saith Chris hom de char charity is optimum amoris genus the best kinde of loue and therefore Saint Augustine saith that habere omnia sacramenta malus esse potest habere autem charitatem malus esse non potest a man may be partaker of all Sacraments and be wicked but to haue charity and to be wicked is vnpossible and Saint Paul saith enough in the praise of this most excellent grace to write Iliads after Homer were to commend it after him and therefore I le say no more but what Saint Augustine saith charitas est quae vincit omnia sine qua non valent omnia charity is that which ouercommeth all things and without which all things will auaile vs nothing because as the Christian Poet saith Christicolas veros exprimit vnus amor It is loue and charity alone that proues vs to bee true Christians Well then wouldest thou know thy state whether thou beest in the state of grace or not thou needest not to ascend to heauen and search into the secret councell of God to see whether thy name be written in the booke of life but descend into thine owne heart and see whether thou hast perfect charity both towards God and man for if thou louest God with all thy heart The surest signe that wee shall be saued and thy neighbour as thy selfe I dare assure thee that in all the booke of God I could neuer finde yet a surer note or a more infallible signe of our eternall saluation then the same For hereby we know saith the Apostle that we are passed from death to life because we loue the brethren and hereby shall all men know that you are my Disciples 1 Iohn 3. saith our Sauiour if you loue one another but if thou louest not God or if thou louest not all men say what thou wilt doe what you will lift vp thine eyes hold vp thy hands and pray in euery corner yet I know no signe thou hast of sauing grace But here you must obserue that all kinde of loue towards God and men will not serue our turne for there is a generall kinde of loue to God which all wicked men in respect of their being and that manifold good which they receiue from him doe beare towards God and there is a speciall loue to God in a most vehement and a most excellent manner and there is an inordinate loue of men either too much or too little or not after the right manner and there is a true discreet and a fruitfull loue to be shewed towards them and this is properly called charity and therefore if we would be sure of Gods fauour we must vse no mediocrity in louing God we must vse no measure Quia modus diligendi Deum est sine modo because hee is to bee loued beyond measure with all our hearts with all our soules and with all our strength so as if we were rauished with the loue of God euen as the Church saith in the Canticles Stay me with flagons Cantic 2.5 and comfort me with apples for I am sicke of loue And so much for these three diuine graces which Christ giueth vs to sanctifie our
warfare are spirituall and not carnall Matth. 10.34 saith the Apostle I will pray yet against their wickednesse saith the Psalmist and when they curse I will blesse them as the Apostle teacheth me Rom. 12.20 and so I shall kindle the coales of fire vpon their head and if this will not ouercome them I will suffer vnto death and in my patience I will possesse my soule as my Sauiour aduiseth me for I see not how faith can bee wrought with the sword Luke 21.19 or heresies consumed with faggots Indeed when the Samaritanes would not receiue Christ into their village his Disciples would faine command fire to come downe from Heauen and to consume them but our Sauiour told them They knew not of what spirit they were of Luke 9.55 for they might haue knowne that he could suddenly turne all the world into hell and consume all his enemies in a moment but hee vseth his patience and long-sufferance to lead sinners to repentance and he suffereth heresies and wicked men to be amongst vs that they which be approued may be made manifest 1 Cor. 11.29 and therefore I say that all true Christians that desire grace will most faithfully pray for peace and not onely with God but also with all men because the onely signe of louing God is to be in loue and charity with all men Bonum necessarium extra terminos necessitatis non est bonum And yet I say not this with the Anabaptists to condemne lawfull warres for though health is euer to be prayed for as in it selfe simply good yet Phisicke oftentimes is good and necessary to recouer and to preserue our health and so to preuent many ill diseases that otherwise would soone inuade our bodies and so may warres be iust and lawfull yea many times most needfull when the causes thereof doe appeare iust and vrâ—ent but I say this to commend a blessed peace to disswade all men from loathing Manna from growing weary of their owne happinesse and to shew how happy are those nations si sua norint agricolae which haue a King of peace Qui facit eos in gentem vnam which laboureth for peace amongst all nations And vnder these two things grace and peace are comprehended all kindes of blessings both spirituall and temporall for though some men doe make a question whether wee ought to pray Caietan in Mat. 6.33 or seeke for temporall things because our Sauiour saith that if we seeke for Gods Kingdome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all these things shall be cast vnto you yet Saint Augustine saith Mat. 6.33 that cum dicit primum when he saith seeke first the Kingdome of God he meaneth that these things in the second place are to be sought and prayed for illud tanquam bonum nostrum Aug. l. 2. de ser Domini haec tanquam necessaria nostra the Kingdome of God as our onely good and these things as needfull and necessarie for vs and our Sauiour sheweth as much when he teacheth vs to pray Haud vllas portabis opes Acherontis ad vndas nudus ad infernas stulte veheris aquas Martial l. 4. giue vs this day our daily bread but we must take heede that wee be not too remisse in seeking after spirituall gits and too eager in the pursuite after these temporall goods for we came naked into the world and we shall returne naked out of the same againe and therefore if we haue foode and rayment we should be therewith contented It is obserued by Roffensis Roffen l. 1. c. 12. that in the Manna of the Israelites there were twelue seuerall wonders First the children of Israel were fed with it fortie yeeres Twelue seuerall wonders in the Manna Secondly to the godly it tasted according to euery mans desire Thirdly to the vngodly it was loathsome Fourthly a gomer of it sufficed all stomackes Fiftly whether men gathered more or lesse they had full measure i. e. a gomer full Sixtly they had two gomars full the day before the Sabbath and on other daies they had but one gomer full Seuenthly It fell euery day excepting the Sabbath day Eightly It melted in the sunne and was hardened in the fire Ninthly It was kept many yeeres in the Arke vnputrified Tenthly being preserued but till the morrow it putrified except on the Sabbath day Eleuenthly he that gathered least had his gomer full Twelfthly hee that gathered most had but his gomer full Out of all which obseruations though I might note many excellent things worth your meditation yet for this purpose I desire you to consider but these two points First he that gathered least had inough and he that gathered most had but inough Deut. 17.16.17 Secondly he that gathered no more then was sufficient pleased God and hee that was couetous in gathering more then would suffice him for that day the Manna putrified before the next morning and God was highly displeased with him To teach vs God careth to prouide sufficient for euerie man First that God which created all men will giue vnto euerie man so much as he seeth sufficient for him during his pilgrimage in the wildernesse of this world and the greatest men the richest men shall haue doe what they can but sufficient but foode and rayment during their life for they shall carrie nothing with them Secondly that if we be contented with what he seeth sufficient for vs wee shall doe that which is acceptable in his sight but if we grudge through discontent and labour by vnlawfull meanes to gather any forbidden fruit and to inrich our selues with the treasures of this world we shall finde that our riches will be soone cankered Iames 5.1 and our garments will be moth-eaten and the wrath of God will be kindled against vs to consume vs from off the earth That we shold take heede of couetousnesse And therefore though it be not onely lawfull but also necessarie that we should pray for temporall things yet let vs take heed and beware of couetousnesse and desire of God but as our Sauiour taught vs to giue vs this day our daily bread i. e. meerely so much as he seeth conuenient for vs food and rayment in that manner as he seeth good and not as we would desire during the whole terme of our frayle and miserable life And in very deed howsoeuer our nature is euer ambitious of great matters yet the meane estate is the safest state for euerie man not onely because Saepius ventis agitatur ingens Horat. carm l. 2. od 10. Pinus celsae grauiore casu Decidunt turres feriunque summos fulmina montes To stormie tempests subiects are the Pine and Cedar tall The turrets high as mountaines by are subiect to a fall But especially because as the Apostle saith they that will be rich 1 Tim. 6.9 doe fall into temptation and a snare and into many hurtfull and
flecti principis ira solet For though Gods anger did burne like fire yet the teares of repentance is able to quench his wrath and therefore Saint Peter when hee sinned Matth. 26.75 in denying the innocent blood hee went out and wept bitterly Ambros in Luc. vt lachryme lauaraent delictum that his bitter teares might wash away his grieuous sin and his true repentance giue life vnto his dying soule Vade fac tu similiter goe thou and doe the like reuiue thy languishing soule with weeping teares and I can say no more quia non inuenio quid dixerit sed quod fleuit for I finde no more but that he wept his teares perhaps drowned his wordâ— but they restored life vnto his dying soule they layd hold on God with Israel and would not suffer him to depart vntill hee had forgiuen him Hierom. in Esayam Nam oratio Deum lenit sed lachrymae cogunt for when words doe but desire him but incline him our teares will compell him to be mercifull vnto vs. How sinne polluteth the soule of man You see then hee that delighteth in sinne slayeth the soule yea it defileth and polluteth the whole soule and it makes it so odious and so detestable that God cannot endure it for hee dwelleth not in a body that is subiect vnto sinne and therefore Saint Chrysostome sayth Wised 1.4 that melius est luto pollui quam peccatis it is farre better to tumble our bodies in the filthiest mire then to touch our soules with the least sinne No dirt so foule as sinne for he which falleth into the mire may in a short time be washed and become as cleane as they that neuer were bemired but hee that once falleth into the puddle of sinne receiueth such pollution as that all the waters in the ocean Sea can neuer wash him cleane nor any thing else in the world saue onely the blood of Iesus Christ which cleanseth vs from all sinnes and this also must be layd hold vpon to effect it Chrysost hom 12. ad Heb. poenitentia diligenti lachrymis euen with the bitter teares of true repentance CHAP. III. How sinne slayeth euery facultie of the Soule ANd further wee must vnderstand that as sinne defileth the whole soule in generall so it polluteth euery facultie of the same in particular Plato saith That there are three speciall faculties in the soule of man and Aristotle from him that in the soule of man there are three especiall faculties The first hee calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. the vegetatiue facultie which of others is called virtus naturalis the naturall vertue of increasing and the seat of this in man he sayth to be the liuer the properties whereof are to nourish and to beget c. The second he calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The sensitiue facultie whose seate he saith is in the heart and to which hee ascribeth the vitall vertue and the motions of the sensitiue appetite The third hee calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The reasonable facultie whose seate sayth Galenus is the head and whose operations are to imagine to remember to vnderstand to iudge and to guide all voluntary motions And there is none of these but sinne defileth How sinne defileth euery facultie of the reasonable soule and especially aboue all the rest the reasonable soule for in it we find three especiall faculties 1. The will 2. The vnderstanding 3. The memorie And we find all these exceedingly corrupted and defiled by sinne For First The Philosopher sayth that there is no doubt of this Arist aeth l. 10 c. 8. The chiefest perfection of man consisteth in the will of man quin in affectu voluntate perfectio summa consistit But that all or the chiefest perfection of man consisteth in the will and affection of man for the will is not onely the immediate agent of all those actions quae vocantur elicitae which are called free actions as to will to nill to choose to refuse to loue to hate to desire and such like but it is also the effecter of the other actions quae vocantur imperatae which are called compelled actions because the will commandeth all as the mind to thinke and to consider the vnderstanding to discusse the iudgement to approue and all the other faculties of the soule to execute his command so that there is neither sinne nor vertue but the same is first in this commanding will before it comes to any part either of soule or body All actions are adiudged according to the disposition of the will Propertius lib. 2. 10. And therefore are all actions good or badde adiudged and deemed according to the disposition of the will First Good actions haue all their goodnesse from the will for not onely the Poet sayth Quod si dificiant vires audacia certe Laus erit in magnis voluisse sat est That the will is sufficient where the power is wanting but also Saint Augustine sayth Aug. sup Psal 57. that whatsoeuer good thou wouldest doe and canst not doe it God accepteth the same as done and Saint Paul himselfe saith that in such cases God accepteth the will for the deede Gregor moral lib. 10. for God looketh not so much quantum quilibet valet sed quantum velit into what a man is able to doe as into what a man is willing to doe and therefore our Sauiour commendeth the poore widdow and preferreth her before all the rest of the rich men Mar. 12.43 because though her gift was lesser yet was her will better then all the rest for that they of their abundance bestowed what they could well spare but she of her penurie had cast in all that she had and Dauid willing and saying that he would build God an house Ver. 44. 2 Sam. 7. was accepted as if he had built it for seeing God looketh not so much into the outward worke as into the inward intention of the heart Jdem ibid. l. 1â— whatsoeuer is intended by the will in the very heart of man the same is reputed and deemed as done in the eyes of God sayth Saint Gregorie Secondly Euill actions haue the same estimation for si sit voluntas desit potestas c. If thou hast a will to doe euill and hast no power to doe it thou art no lesse guiltie of the deed in the sight of God then if thou hadst done it and therefore he that looketh on a Woman that is with a will to lust after her hath committed adulterie with her in his heart alreadie saith our Sauiour and the very heathen Poet subscribeth vnto the same truth saying Iâ—â—n 13. Haâ— patitur poenas peccandi sola voluntas Nam scaelus intrase tacitum qui cogitat vllum Facti crimen habet Whosoeuer thinketh euill inwardly within his breast must needs bee guiltie of the outward fact The will or desire of sinne deserueth the punishments