by creation the worke of His hands 2 His againe now by redemption the price of His bloud He had no reason to lose that was His quite It stood not with his honour to see them carried away without all recoverie Gen. 3.6 Rom. 7.23 1. Pet. 2 11. 1. Pet. 2 19. But how came we captives Looke to Gen. III. There ye find Lex membâ—orum as S. Paul calleth it fleshly lusts as S. Peter a garrison that lieth in us even in our loines and sight against our soules They surprised Adam and of whom one is overcome his captive he is So was he led away captive and in him all mankind The effect whereof ye see at CHRIST 's comming The spirit of error had in a manner seised on all the world And if Errour had taken his thousand Sinne had his ten thousand we may be sure And this was the first captivitie under the power of Satan For Sinne and Errour are but leaders under him take to his use and so all mankind held captive of him at his pleasure And O the thraldome and miserie the poore soule is in that is thus held and hurried under the servitude of sinne and Satan The Heathen's pistrinum the Turkie-Galleyes are nothing to it If any have felt it he can understand me and from the deep of his heart will crie Turne our captivitie O Lord. Psal. 126.4 Will ye then see this Captivitie turned away and those that tooke us taken themselves Looke to His resurrection Agnus occisus est is true like a lamb He died Revel 5.11 but that was respect had to His Father To Him He was a Lamb in all meekenesse to 〈◊〉 His justice and to pay Him the ransome for us and for our enlargement whose prisoners justly we were That paid and justice satisfied the hand-writing of the Law that was against us was delivered Him and He cancelled it Col. 2.14 Then had He good right to us But death and he that had the power of death the divell for all that Heb. 2.14 would not let Him goe but deteined Him still wrongfully With them the lamb would do no good So he tooke the lyon Died a lamb but rose a Lyon and tooke on like a Lyon indeed broke up the gates of death and made the gates of brasse flie in sunder trod on the Serpent's head and all to bruised it came upon him Luk. 11 2â— tooke from his armour wherein he trusted and divided his spoiles So it is in the Gospell So in this Psalme Till He had right He had no might was a lamb But he had no sooner right but He made his might appeare was a Lyon Et vicit Leo de tribu Iuda Revel 5.5 His right was seene in his death His might in his Resurrection Ye see them taken Now will ye see them ledd Of this victorie this heere is the triumph And if ye will see it more at large ye may Hosee 13.14 1. Cor. 15 55.56 in the Prophet Hosee 13. and out of him in the Apostle I. Cor. XV. death ledd captive without his sting Hell ledd as one that had lost the victorie The strength of sinne the Law rent and fastened to His Crosse ensigne-wise The Serpent's head bruised borne before Him in triumph as was Golia's head by David returning from the victorie And this was His triumph So then upon the matter heere is a double captivitie a first and a second 1. A first and in it captivans they and captivata we 2. A second and in it captivans He and captivata they They tooke us and He tooke them And this is the Iubilee that He that was overcome did overcome and they that had overcome were overcome themselves That captivans is become captivata and captivata is brought out of Captivitie and set at libertie For the leading of this Captivitie was the turning away of ours The five Kings Gen. XIV tooke Sodome and caried Lot away prisoner Comes me Abraham upon them takes the five Kings and Lot in their hands So Lot and they both became Abraham's captives The Amalekites 1. Sam. XXX tooke Ziklag David's towne his wives children and all his people David makes after them takes Amalek and with them his owne flocke too and so became master of both So did the Sonne of Abraham and the Sonne of David in this captivitie heere For all the world as an English ship takes a Turkish Galley wherein are held many Christian Captives at the oare Both are taken Turkes and Christians both become prisoners to the English ship The poore soules in the galley when they see the English ship hath the upper hand are glad I dare say so to be taken they know it will turne to their good and in the end to their letting goe So was it with us we were the children of this captivitie They to whom we were captives were taken captive themselves and we with them So both came into CHRIST 's hands They and we His prisoners both But with a great difference For they are caried heere in triumph to their confusion as we see and after condemned to perpetuall prison and torments And we by this new captivitie ridd of our old Rom. 8.21 and restored to the libertie of the Sonnes of GOD. So that in very deed this captivitie fell out to prove our felicitie we had beene quite undone utterly perished if we had not had the good hap thus to become CHRIST 's prisoners It is not good simply to be taken captive but thus it is For faelix captivitas capi in bonum He is taken in a good houre that is taken for so great a good A happy captivitie then may we say indeed so happy as no man can be happy if he be not thus 〈◊〉 prisoner by CHRIST It is the only way to enjoy true liberty And this for this great Captivitie heere ledd Other inferior Captivities there be in this life and those not lightly to be regarded neither But this of Mankinde is the maine the rest all derived from this and but pledges of it We have lived to see that Ascensor Coeli was Auxiliator noster and Ductor captivitatis nostrae even this way In LXXXVIII the inviâ—cible Navie had swallowed us up quick and made full accompt to have led us all into captivitie We saw them ledd like a sort of poore Captives round about this Isle sunke and cast away the most part of them and the rest sent home againe with shame Eight yeares since they that had vowed the ruine of us all and if that had been the thraldome of this whole land they were led captives in the literall sense we saw them and brought to a wretched end before our eyes So He that heer did still can and still doth lead captivitie captive for the good of His. Take these as remembrances heer below but looke up beyond these to our great captivam dâ—xisti heer And make this use of both that we both these
them no it is not so Ecce claves mortis inferni see heer Apoc. 1.18 the keyes both of the first and second death Which is a playn proof He hath mastered and gott the dominion over both death him that hath power of death that is the devill 1. Cor. 15.55 Both are swallowed up in victorie and neither death any more sting nor hell any more dominion Sed ad Dominum Deum nostrum spectant exitus mortis Psal. 68 20. but now unto GOD our LORD belong the issues of death the keyes are at His girdle He can let out as manie as he list This estate is it which he calleth Coronam vitae not life alone Apoc. 2.18 but the Crowne of life or a life crowned with immunitie of feare of any evill ever to befall us This is it which in the next verse he calleth living unto GOD Ver. 11. the estate of the children of the resurrection to be the sonnes of GOD aequall to the Angells subject to no part of death's dominion but living in securitie joy and blisse for ever And now is our particular full 1 Rising to life first â— and life freed from death and so immortall 3 and then exempt from the dominion of death and every part of it and so happy and blessed Rise againe so may Lazarus or any mortall man doe that is not it Rise againe to life immortall so shall all doe in the end as well the uniust as the just that is not it But rise againe to life immortall with freedome from all miserie to live to and with GOD in all joy and glorie evermore that is it that is CHRIST 's resurrection Et tu saith S. Augustine speratalâ—m resurrectionem propter hoc este Christianus Live in hope of such a resurrection and for this hope 's sake carie thy selfe as a Christian. Thus have we our particular of that we are to know touching CHRIST risen And now we know all these yet do we not accompt our selves to know them perâ—â—ctly untill we also know the reasons of them And the Romans were a people that loved to sâ—e the ground of that they received and not the bare Articles alone Indeed it might trouble them why CHRIST should need thus to rise againe because they saw no reason why He should need to dye The truth is we can not speake of rising well without mention of the terminus à quo from whence He rose By meaneâ— whereof there two 1 CHRIST 's dying and His rising are so linked togither and their Auditis so entangled one with another as it is very hard to sever them And this you shall observe the Apostle never goeth about to do it but still as it were of purpose suffers one to draw in the other continually It is not heer alone but all over his Epistles ever they runne togither as if he were loth to mention one without the other And it cannot be denied but that their joyning serveth to many great good purposes These two â— His death and 2 His rising they shew His two Natures Humane and Divine â— His Humane nature and weaknesse in dying 2 His Divine nature and power in rising againe 2. These shew His two Offices His Priesthood and His Kingdome â— His Priesthood in the sacrifice of His death 2 His Kingdome in the glorie of His resurrection 3. They set before us His two mayn Benefits 1 Interitum mortis 2 and principium vitae 1 His death the death of death 2 His rising the reviving of life againe the one what He had ransomed us from the other what He had purchased for us 4. They serve as two Moulds wherein our lives are to be cast that the daies of our vanitie may be fashioned to the likenesse of the SONNE of GOD which are our two duetyes that we are to render for those two benefits proceeding from the two offices of His two natures conioyned In a word they are not well to be sundred for when they are thus ioyned they are the very abbridgement of the whole Gospell 1. The cause of His dying 1 His dying once Of them both then briefly Of His dying first In that He died He died once to sinne Why dyed He once and why but once Once He died to sinne that is sinne was the cause He was to dye once As in saying He liveth to GOD we say GOD is the cause of His life so in saying He died to sinne we say sinne was the cause of His death GOD of His rising sinne of His fall And looke how the resurrection leadeth us to death even as naturally doth death unto sinne the sting of death To sinne then He died Not simply to sinne but with reference to us For as death leadeth us to sinne so doth sinne to sinners that is to our selves And so will the opposition be more cleer and full He liveth unto GOD He died unto man With reference I say to us For first He died unto us and if it be true that Puer natus est nobis it is as true Esay 9.6 that Vir mortuus est nobis If being a child He was borne to us becomming a man He died to us Both are true To us then first He died because He would save us To sinne Secondly because els He could not save us Yes He could have saved us and never died for us ex plenitudine potestatis by His absolute power if He would have taken that way That way He would not but proceed by way of Iustice do all by way of Iustice. And by Iustice Sinne must have death death our death for the sinne was ours It was we that were to dye to sinne But if we had dyed to sinne we had perished in sinne perished heer perished everlastingly That His love to us could not endure that we should so perish Therfore as in Iustice He iustly might He tooke upon Him our debt of sinne sayd as the Fathers apply that speech of His Sinite abire hos Io. 18.8 let these go their wayes And so that we might not dye to sinne He did We see why He died once Why but once because once was enough ad auferenda saith S. Iohn ad abolenda saith S. Peter â— And but once Ioh. 1.29 Act. 3.19 Hebr. 9.28 ad exâ—auriâ—da saith S. Paul To take away To abolish To draw dry and utterly to exhaust all the sinnes of all the sinners of all the world The excellency of His â—erson that performed it was such The excellencie of the obedience that He performed such the excellencie both of His humilitie and charitie wherewith He performed it such and of such valew every of them and all of them much more as made that His once dying was satis superque enough and enough againe which made the Prophet call it copiosam Redemptionem a plenteous Redemption But the Apostle he goeth beyond all in expressing this in one place terming it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
flesh the like wrought in us by his Spirit It is a Maxime or maine ground in all the Fathers that such an accompt must be The former what CHRIST hath wrought for us Deus reputat nobis GOD accompteth to us For the latter what CHRIST hath wrought in us Reputate vos we must accompt to GOD. And that is Similiter vos that we fashion our selves like him Like him in as many points as we may but namely and expresly in these two here sett downe 1 In dying to sinne 2 In living unto GOD in these two first and then secondly in doing both these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but once for all 1. In dying to sinne Eph. 5.1 1. Pet. 2.21 Like him in these two 1 In His dying For He died not onely to offer a Sacrifice for us saith Saint Paul but also to leave an example to us saith Saint Peter That example are we to be like 2 In His rising For He arose not onely that we might be regenerated to a lively hope 1. Pet. 1.3 saith Saint Peter but also that we might be grafted into the similitude of His Resurrection saith Saint Paul a little before in the fifth verse of this very Chapter That Similitude are we to resemble So have we the exemplarie part of both these wherevnto we are to frame our Similiter vos He died to sinne there is our paterne Our first accompt must be Compt your selves dead to sinne And that we do when there is neither action nor affection nor any signe of life in us toward sinne no more then in a dead bodie when as men crucified which is not onely his death but the kind of his death too we neither moove hand nor stirr foot toward it both are nayled downe fast In a word to die to sinne with Saint Paul heer is to ceasse from sinne with S. Peter 1. Pet. 4.1 To ceasse from sinne I say understanding by sin not from sin altogither that is a higher perfection then this life will beare but as the Apostle expoundeth himselfe in the very next words Verse 12. Ne regnet peccatum that is from the dominion of sinne to ceasse For till we be free from death it selfe which in this life we are not we shall not be free from sinne altogither onely we may come thus farr ne regnet that sinne reigne not weare not a crown fit not in a throne hold no Parliaments within us give us no lawes in a word as in the fourth verse before that we serve it not To dye to the dominion of sinne that by the grace of GOD we may and that we must accompt for He liveth to GOD. There is our similitude of His resurrection â— In living to GOD. our second accompt must be Compt your selves living unto GOD. Now how that is he hath already told us in the fourth verse even to walke in newnesse of life To walke is to move moving is a vitall action and argueth life But it must not be any life our oâ—d will not serve it must be a new life we must not returne backe to our former course but passe over to another new conversation And in a word as before to live to GOD with Saint Paule heer is to live secundùm Deum according to GOD in the spirit with Saint Peter 1. Peter 4.6 And then live we according to Him when His will is our law His word our rule His Sonnes life our example His Spirit rather then our owne soule the guide of our actions Thus shall we be grafted into the similitude of his Resurrection Now this similitude of the resurrection calleth to my minde another similitude of the resurrection in this life too which I finde in Scripture mentioned it fitteth us well it will not be amisse to remember you of it by the way it wil make us the better willing to enter into this accompt At the time that Isaac should have been offered by his Father Isaac was not slaine Gen. 22.7 very neere it he was there was fire and there was a knife and he was appointed readie to be a Sacrifice Of which case of his the Apostle in the mention of his Father Abraham's faith Heb. 11. Abraham saith he by faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 11.19 made full accompt if Isaac had beene slaine GOD was able to raise him from the dead And even from the dead GOD raised him and his Father received him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a certaine similitude or after a sort Marke that well Raising Isaac from imminent danger of present death is with the Apostle a kind of resurrection And if it be so and if the Holy Ghost warrant us to call that a kind of resurrection how can we but on this day the Day of the Resurrection call to minde and withall render vnto GOD our vnfeigned thankes and praise for our late resurrection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for our kind of resurrection He not long since vouchsafed us Our case was Isaac's case without doubt there was fire and in stead of a knife there was powder enough and we were designed all of us and even ready to be sacrificed even Abraham Isaac and all Certainely if Isaac's were ours was a kind of resurrection and we so to acknowledge it We were as neere as he we were not onely within the Dominion but within the Verge nay even within the very gates of death From thence hath GOD raised us and given us this yeare this similitude of the resurrection that we might this day of the Resurrection of His SONNE present him with this in the Text of rising to a new course of life And now to returne to our fashioning our selves like to Him in these As there is a death naturall and a death civill so is there a death morall both in Philosophie and in Divinitie and if a death then consequently a resurrection too Every great and notable change of our course of life whereby we are not now any longer the same men that before we were be it from worse to better or from better to worse is a morall death A morall death to that we change from and a morall resurrection to that we change to If we change to the better that is sinn's death if we alter to the worse that is sinn's resurrection when we commit sinne we die we are dead in sinne when we repent we revive againe when we repent our selves of our repenting and relapse back then sinne riseth againe from the dead and so toties quoties And even upon these two as two hinges turneth our whole life All our life is spent in one of them Now then that we be not all our life long thus off and on fast or loose â— And that once for all in docke out nettle and in nettle out docke it will behoove us once more yet to looke backe upon our similiter vos even upon the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 semel
once That is that we not only dye to sinne and live to GOD but dye and live as He did that is once for all which is an utter abandoning once of sinn's dominion and a continuall constant persisting in a good course once begoon Sinn 's dominion it languisheth sometimes in us and falleth haply into a 〈◊〉 but it dyeth not quite once for all Grace lifteth up the eye and looketh up a little and giveth some signe of life but never perfectly reviveth O that â—nce we might come to this No more deaths no more resurrections but one that we might â—nce make an end of our daily continuall recidivations to which we are so subiect and once get past these pangs and qualmes of godlinesse this righteousnesse like the morning cloud which is all we performe that we might grow habituate in grace radicati fundati rooted and founded in it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 steddie Ephes. 3.17 1. Cor. 15. vlt. and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 never to be remooved that so we might enter into and passe a good accompt of this our Similiter vos â— The Discharge and meanes of it Iâ— Iesus Christ our Lord. And thus are we come to the foot of our accompt which is our Onus or Charge Now we must thinke of our discharge to goe about it which maketh the last words no lesse necessarie for us to consider then all the rest For what is it in us or can we by our owne power and vertue make up this accompt We cannot saith the Apostle 2. Cor. 3.5 nay we cannot saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 make accompt of any thing no not so much as of a good thought toward it as of our selves If any thinke otherwise let him but prove his owne strength a little what he can do he shall be so confounded in it as he shall change his minde saith Saint Augustine and see plainely the Apostle had reason to shut up all with In Christo Iesu Domino nostro otherwise our accompt will sticke in our hands Verily to raise a soule from the death of sinne is harder farr harder then to raise a dead bodie out of the dust of death Saint Augustine hath long since defined it that Marie Magdalen's resurrection in soule from her long lying dead in sinne was a greater miracle then her brother Lazaru's resurrection that had lyen foure daies in his grave If Lazarus lay dead before us we would never assay to raise him our selves we know we cannot doe it If we cannot raise Lazarus that is the easier of the twaine we shall never Marie Magdalen which is the harder by farre out of Him or without Him that raised them both But as out of Christ or without Christ we can doe nothing toward this accompt Not accomplish or bring to perfection but not do not any great or notable summe of it Ioh. 15.5 but nothing at all as saith Saint Augustine upon Sine me nihil potestit facere So in Him and with Him enhabling us to it we can thinke good thoughts speake good words and doe good workes and dye to sinne and live to GOD and all Omnia possum saith the Apostle Phil. 4.13 And enable us He will and can as not onely having passed the resurrection but being the resurrection it selfe not onely had the effect of it in himselfe but being the cause of it to us So He saith himselfe I am the resurrection Ioh. 11.25 and the life the resurrection to them that are dead in sinne to raise them from it and the life to them that live vnto GOD to preserve them in it Where beside the two former 1 the Article of the resurrection which we are to know 2 and the Example of the resurrection which we are to be like we come to the notice of a third thing even a vertue or power flowing from Christ's resurrection whereby we are made able to expresse our Similiter vos and to passe this our accompt of dying to sinne and living to GOD. It is in plaine words called by the Apostle himselfe virtus resurrectionis Phil. 3.10 the vertue of CHRIST 's resurrection issuing from it to us and he praieth that as he had a faith of the former so he may have a feeling of this and as of them he had a contemplative so he may of this have an experimentall knowledge This enhabling vertue proceedeth from Christ's resurrection For never let us thinke that if in the daies of His flesh there went vertue out from even the verie edge of his garment Luk. 8.46 to doe great cures as in the case of the woman with the bloudie issue we reade but that from His owne selfe and from those two most principall and powerfull actions of His owne selfe his 1 death and 2 resurrection there issueth a divine power from His death a power working on the old man or flesh to mortifie it from His resurrection a power working on the new man the Spirit to quicken it A power hable to râ—ll backe any stone of an evill custome lye it never so heavy on us a power hable to drie up any issue though it have runne upon us twelve yeare long And this power is nothing els but that divine qualitie of grace which we receive from Him 2. Cor. 6.1 Receive it from Him we doe certainely onely let us pray and 〈◊〉 ouâ— selâ—es that we receive it not in vaine the Holy Ghost by waies to flesh 〈…〉 vnknowne inspiring it as a breath distilling it as a dew deriving it as a secret inflâ—ence into the soule For if Philosophie grant an invisible operation in us to the câ—lestiall bodies much better may we yeeld it to His aeternall Spirit whereby 〈◊〉 a vertue or breath may proceed from it and be received of us Which breath or Spirit is drawen in by Prayer and such other exercises of devotion on our parts and on GOD 's part breathed in by and with the Word well therefore termed by the Apostle the Word of grace And I may safely say it Act. 20.32 with good warrant from those words especially and chiefly which as He himselfe saith of them are Spirit and Life even those words which ioyned to the element Ioh. 6.63 make the blessed Sacrament There was good proofe made of it this day All the way did He preach to them even till they came to Emmaus and their hearts were whot within them which was a good signe but their eyes were not opened but at the breaking of bread Luk. 24.31 and then they were That is the best and surest sense we know and therefore most to be accompted of There we tast and there we see Tast and see how gratious the Lord is Psal. 34.8 1. Cor. 12.18 Heb 13.9 Heb 9.14 There we are made to drinke of the Spirit There our hearts are strengthened and stablished with grace There is the bloud which shall purge our consciences from dead
would be layd up well That which is sowen riseth up in the spring that which sleepeth in the morning So conceive of the change wrought in our nature that feast of first fruits by CHRIST our first fruits Neither perish neither that which is sowen though it rott nor they that sleepe though they lye as dead for the time Both that shall spring and these wake well againe Therefore as men sowe not grudgingly nor lye downe at night unwillingly no more must we seeing by vertue of this Feast we are now Dormientes not mortui now not as stones but as fruits of the earth whereof one hath an annuall the other a diurnall resurrection This for the first fruits and the change by them wrought There is a good analogie or correspondence betweene these III. The ground of our hope it cannot be denied To this question Can one man's resurrection worke upon all the rest it is a good answer Why not as well as one sheafe upon the whole harvest This Simile serves well to shew it To shew but not prove Symbolicall Divinitie is good but might we see it in the rationall too We may see it in the cause no lesse in the substance and let the ceremonie goe This I called the Ground of our hope Why saith the Apostle should this of the first fruits seeme strange to you that by one mans resurrection we should rise all seeing by one mans death we die all By one man saith he Rom. 5.12 sinne entred into the world and by sinne death to which sinne we were no parties and yet we all die because we are of the same nature whereof he the first person Death came so certainely and it is good reason life should doe so likewise To this question Can the resurrection of one a thousand sixe hundred yeares agoe be the cause of our rising it is a good answer Why not as well as the death of one five thousand sixe hundred yeares ago be the cause of our dying The ground and reason is that there is like ground and reason of both The wisest way it is if Wisedome can contrive it that a person be cured by Mithridate made of the very flesh of the viper bruised whence the poison came that so that which brought the mischiefe might minister also the remedie The most powerfull way it is if Power can effect it to make strength appeare in weakenesse and that He that overcame should by the nature which He overcame be swallowed up in victorie The best way it is if Goodnesse will admit of it that as next to Sathan man to man oweth his destruction so next to GOD man to man might be debtor of his recoverie So agreeable it is to the Power Wisedome and Goodnesse of GOD this the three Attributes of the Blessed and Glorious Trinitie And let Iustice weigh it in her ballance no iust exception can be taken to it no not by Iustice it selfe that as death came so should life too the same way at least More favour for life if it may be but in very rigour the same at the least According then to the very exact rule of Iustice both are to be alike If by man one by man the other We dwell too long in generalities Let us draw neerer to the persons themselves in whom we shall see this better In them all answer exactly word for word Adam is fallen and become the first fruits of them that die CHRIST is risen and became the first fruits of them that live for they that sleepe live Or you may if you please keepe the same terme in both thus Adam is risen as we vse to call rebellions risings He did rise against GOD by Eritis sicut Dij Gen 3.6 He had never fallen if he had not thus risen His rising was his fall We are now come to the two great Persons that are the two great Authors of the two great matters in this world life and death Not either to themselves and none els but as two Heads two Roots two first fruits either of them in reference to his companie whom they stand for And of these two hold the two great Corpâ—rations 1 Of them that die they are Adam's 2 Of them that sleepe and shall rise that is CHRIST ' s. To come then to the particular No reason in the world that Adam's transgression should draw us all downe to death onely for that we were of the same lump and that CHRIST 's righteousnesse should not be availeable to raise us up againe to life being of the same sheaves whereof He the first fruits no lesse then before of Adam Looke to the things Death and Life Weakenesse is the cause of death Raising to life commeth of Power 2. Cor. 13.4 Shall there be in Weakenesse more strength to hurt then in Power to do us good Looke to the Persons Adam and CHRIST shall Adam being but a living soule Ver. 45.47 infect us more strongly then Christ a quickning spirit can heale us againe Nay then Adam was but from the earth earthly CHRIST the LORD from heaven Shall earth doe that which heaven cannot vndoe Never it cannot be Sicut Sic As and So so runne the termes But the Apostle in Rom. 5. where he handleth this very point tells us plainly Non sicut delictum Rom. 5.15 ita donum Not as the fault so the Grace Nor as the fall so the Rising but the Grace and the Rising much more abundant It seemeth to be A pari it is not indeed It is under value Great odds between the Persons the Things the powers and the meanes of them Thus then meet it should be Let us see how it was Heer againe the very termes give us great light We are saith he restored Restoring doth alwaies presuppose an attainder going before and so the terme significant For the nature of attainder is One person maketh the fault but it taints his blood and all his posteritie The a Heb. 9.27 Apostle saith that a Statute there is All men should dye But when we go to search for it we can finde none but b Gen. 3.19 Pulvis es wherin onely Adam is mentioned and so none die but he But even by that Statute death goeth over all men even those saith Saint Paul that have not sinned after the like manner of transgression of Adam By what law By the law of Attainders The Restoring then likewise was to come and did come after the same manner as did the attainders That by the first this by the second Adam so He is called Ver. 45. Lev. 18.5 There was a Statute concerning GOD 's commaundements qui fecerit ea vivet in eis He that observed the commaundements should live by that his obedience Death should not seise on him CHRIST did observe them exactly therefore should not have beene seised on by death should not but was and that seisure of his was deathe's forfeiture The laying of the former Statute on
three First Iona's whale death it was not it was but danger but danger as neer death as could be never man in more danger to scape it then he if not in death in Zalmaveth in the vale of the shadow of death it was Psal 23.4 Of any that hath beene in extreme perill we use to say he hath beene where Ionas was By Iona's going downe the whale's throat by Him againe comming forth of the whale's mouth we expresse we even point out the greatest extremitie and the greatest deliverance that can be From any such danger a deliverance is a kinde of resurrection as the Apostle plainly speakes of Isaac when the knife was at his throte he was received from the dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though yet he did not Heb. 11.19 This for the feast of the Resurrection And thus was Ionas a signe to them of Ninive As he scaped so they he his whale they theirs destruction which even gaped for them as wide as Iona's whale And as to them a Signe this so to us And this use we have of it When at any time we are hard bestead this signe then to be set up for a token And there is no danger so deadly but we may hold fast our hope if we set this signe before us and say What we are not yet in the whale's belly why if we were there from thence can GOD bring us though as Ionas He did Iona's whale was but the shadow of death CHRIST'S was death And even there in death to be set up And we no not in death it selfe to despaire Iob 13.15 but with Iob to say yea though He kill me yet will I trust in Him My breath I may my hope I will not forgoe expirare possum desperare non possum Heer now is our second hope to come forth to be delivered from CHRIST'S whale from death it selfe But if the whale be or betoken the death of the bodie it doth much more the death of the soule So shall we finde another whale yet a third And that whale is the red dragon that great spirituall Liviathan Satan And sin Apoc. 1◠3 the very iawes of this whale that swoupeth downe the soule first and then the bodie and in the end both Ionas has been deepe downe this whale's throte before ever he came in the others The land-whale had devoured him before ever the Sea whale medled with him In his flight he fell into this land-whale's iawes before ever the Sea-whale swallowed him up And when he had got out of the gorge of this ghostly Liviathan the other bodily whale could not long hold him And from this third whale was Ionas sent to deliver the Ninivites which when he had the other of their temporall destruction could do them no hurt Their repentance ridd them of both whales bodily and ghostly at once Heer then is a third Cape of good hope that though one had been downe as deep in the entrailes of the spirituall great Liviathan as ever was Ionas in the Sea-whale's yet even there also not to despaire He that brought Ionas from the deepe of the Sea and David from the deepe of the Earth his bodie so He also delivered his soule from the nethermost hell where Ionas and He both were Psal. 71.20 Psal. 86.13 while they were in the transgression And now by this are we come to the very Signature of this signe even to Repentance which followeth in the very next words for they repented at the preaching of Ionas Ionas preached it Ver. 41. and indeed none so fit to preach on that theme on repentance as he as one that hath been in the whale's bellie in both the whale's the spirituall whale's too for Ionas had been in both One that hath studied his sermon there been in Satan's sive well winnowed cribratus Theologus he will handle the point best as being not onely a preacher but a Signe of repentance as Ionas was both to the Ninivites And as Ionas so Christ how soon He was risen He gave order streight that repentance as the very vertue the stamp of His resurrection and by it remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations Luc. 24.47 But indeed if you marke well there is a neer alliance between the Resurrection and Repentance reciprocall as between the Signe and the Signature Repentance is nothing but the soule 's resurrection Men are dead in sinne saith the Apostle their soules are Ephe. 2.1 From that death there is a rising Els were it wrong with us That rising is repenting And when one hath lien dead in sinne long and doth eluctari wrastle out of a sinne that hath long swallowed him up he hath done as great a masterie as if with Ionas he had got out of the whale's belly Nay as if with Lazarus be had come out of the heart of the earth Ever holding this that Marie Magdalen raised from sinne was no lesse a miracle then her brother raised from the dead And sure Repentance is the very vertue of Christ's Resurrection There it is first seen it first sheweth it selfe hath his first operation in the soule to raise it This first being once wrought on the soule from the ghostly Liviathan the like will not faile but be accomplished on the bodie from the other of death of which Ionas is heer Mysterium magnum dico autem in Christo. For in Christ this Signe is a Signe Ephe. 5.32 not betokening onely but exhibiting also what it betokeneth as the Sacraments doe For of Signes some shew onely and worke nothing such was that of Ionas in it selfe Sed Ecce plus quà m Ionas hîc For some other there be that shew and worke-both Ver. 42. worke what they shew present us with what they represent what they sett before us set or graft in us Such is that of Christ. For besides that it setts before us of His it is further a seale or pledge to us of our owne that what we see in Him this day shall be accomplished in our owne selves at His good time And even so passe we to another Mysterie For one Mysterie leads us to another this in the Text to the holy Mysteries we are providing to partake which doe worke like and doe worke to this Even to the raising of the soule with the first resurrection Apoc 20.5 And as they are a meanes for the raising of our soule out of the soile of sin for they are given us and we take them expressly for the remission of sinnes so are they no lesse a meanes also for the raising our bodies out of the dust of death The signe of that Bodie which was thus in the heart of the earth to bring us from thence at the last Our Saviour saith it totidem verbis Who so eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Bloud Ioh. 6.54 I will raise him up at the last day raise him whither He hath raised himselfe Not
â—o become a prisoner as 1. Reg. 1.43 Shemei did Therfore sweare and be sworne in those causes and questions whereto Law doth bind to give answere though Fine and Commitment doe ensue upon them This question remaineth If a man have sworne without those what he is to doe when an oath binds when it doth not We hold No man is so streightened between two sinns but without committing a third he may get forth Herod thought he could not and therfore being in a streight betwixt murder and periurie thought he could have no issue but by putting Saint Iohn Baptist to death It was not so for having sworne and his oath proving unlawfull if he had repented him of his unadvisednesse in swearing and gon no further he had had his issue without any new offense 1. If then We have sworne to be simply evill the rule is Ne sit Sacramentum pietatis vinculum iniquitatis 2. If it hinder a greater or higher good the rule is Ne sit Sacramentum pietatis impedimentum pietatis 3. If it be in things indifferent as we terme them absque grano salis it is a rash oath to be repented not to be executed 4. If the oath be simply made yet as we say it doth subiacere Civili intellectui so as GOD'S oath doth Ieremia 18.8 and therefore those conditions may exclude the event and the Oath remaine good 5. If in regard of the Manner it be extorted from us the rule is Iniusta vincula rumpit Iustitia 6. If rashly Penitenda promissio non perficienda praesumptio 7. If to any man for his benefit or for favour to him if that partie release it it bindeth not A SERMON PREACHED AT VVHITE-HALL upon the Sunday after EASTER being March XXX AN. DOM. MDC IOHN CHAP. XX. VER XXIII Quorum remiseritis peccata remittuntur eis Et quorum retinueritis retenta sunt VVhose-soever sinnes ye remitt they are remitted unto them and whose-soever ye reteine they are reteined The Conclusion of the Gospell for the Sunday THEY be the words of our SAVIOVR CHRIST to his Apostles A part of the first words which he spake to them at his Epiphanie or first apparition after he arose from the dead And they contein a Commission by him graunted to the Apostles which is the summe or contents of this Verse Which Commission is his first largesse after his rising againe For at his first appearing to them it pleased him not to come empty but with a blessing and to bestow on them and on the world by them as the first fruicts of his resurrection this Commission a part of that Commission which the sinfull world most of all stood in need of for remission of sinnes To the graunting wâ—â—reof He proceedeth not without some solemniâ—ie or circumstance The Summariâ— proceeding in it well worthy to be remembred For first Verse 21. he saith As my father sent me so send I you which is their authorizing or giving them their Credence Secondly Verse 22 He doth breath upon them and withall inspireth them with the Holy Ghost which is their enhabling or furnishing thereto And having so authorized and enhabled them now in this Verse heer He giveth them their Câ—mmission and thereby doth perfectly inaugurate thâ—m into this part of their Office A Commission is nothing els but the imparting of a power which before they had not First therefore he imperteth to them a power a power over sinnes over sinnes either for the remitting or the reteining of them as the persons shall be qualified And after to this power he addeth a promise as the Lawyers terme it of Ratihabition that he will ratifie and make it good that His power shall accompanie this power and the lawfull use of it in his Church for ever The dependence in respect of the time Why not before Esai 53.10 Heb. 9.22 Mat. 16.19.18.18 And very agreeably is this power now bestowed by him upon his resurrection Not so conveniently before his death because till then he had not made his soule an offering for sinne nor till then he had not shed his bloud without which there is no remission of sinnes Therefore it was promised before but not given till now because it was convenient there should be solutio before there were absolutio Not before he was risen then Why now And againe no longer then till he was risen not till he was ascended First to shew that the remission of sinnes is the undivided and immediate effect of his death Secondly to shew how much the world needed it for which cause he would not with-hold it no not so much as one day for this was done in the very day of his resurrection Thirdly But specially to set forth his great love and tender care over us in this that as soone as he had accomplished his owne resurrection even presently upon it he setts in hand with ours and beginneth the first part of it the very first day of his rising The Scripture maketh mention of a first and second death and from them two of a first and second resurrection Both expresly sett downe in one verse Apoc. 20.6 Happy is he that hath his part in the first resurrection for over such the second death hath no power Vnderstanding by the first the death of the soule by sinne and the rising thence to the life of grace by the second the death of the body by corruption the rising thence to the life of glorie CHRIST truly is the Saviour of the whole man both soule and body from the first and second death But beginneth first with the first that is with sinne the death of the soule and the rising from it So is the method of Divinitie prescribed by himselfe Mat. 23.16 First to cleanse that which is within the soule then that which is without the body And so is the methode of Physique first to cure the cause and then the disease 1. Cor. 15 56. Now the cause or as the Apostle calleth it the sling of death is sinne Therefore first to remove sinne and then death aâ—â—erwards For the cure of sinne being performed the other will follow of his owne accord As Saint Iohn telleth us He that hath his part in the first resurrection shall not faile of it in the second The first resurrection then from sinne is it which our Saviour Christ heer goeth about wherto there is no lesse power required then a divine power For looke what power is necessarie to raise the dead bodie out of the dust the very same every way is requisite to raise the dead soule out of sinne For which cause the Remission of sinnes is an Article of faith no lesse then the Resurrection of the body For in very deed a resurrection it is and so it is termed no lesse then that To the service and ministerie of which divine worke a Commission is heere graunted to the Apostles And first they have heer their sending from GOD the Father their inspiring
Matters of more weight then the seeking of GOD. As if His seeking were some petie businesse Slightly to be sought and lightly to be found Any time good enough for it Nay not that but so evill are we affected to seeke Him then that quaerebant is occîderet we endite Him of our death it is death to do it as leefe dye as seeke It maketh us old it killeth us before our time We digest not them that call on us for it but seeke our selves as the Apostle speaketh Magistros secundùm desideria 2. Tim. 4.3 that may enterteine us with Speculations of what may be done by miracle at the houre of death that may give us dayes and elbow roome enough to seeke other things and to shrinke up His seeking into a narrow time at our end and tell us time enough then For thus then we reckon all the time we spend in it we lose the fruict of our life and the joy of our hearts shall be taken from us As if the fruict of life were not to find GOD Or as if any true hearts joy GOD being not found Call we this our fruict and joy not to seeke GOD Call it not so Psal. 105.3 Laetetur cor quaerentium Deum saight the HOLY GHOST Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Yea in lachrymis peccatorum in the very teares of a paenitent there is saith S. Augustine more found joy then in risu theatrorum in all the games the theater can affoord Da Christianum et scit quid dico But our tast is turned and we relish not this Seeking By our flesh-potts we have lived and by them we will dye and so we do Lust hath been our life and we wil be buried in the graves of lust And so we shall and never know what that ioy meaneth Laetetur cor quaerentium Deum Cum Servaret then will not serve Nay cum occîderet will scarse serve 2. Cum occîderet alios it hath much adoe Let Him draw His sword and come amongst us For if as of His goodnesse He doth not He rush not on us at first but begin with others If it be cum occideret alios we seeke not See ye the XXXI Verse He took away others before their faces and those not weake or sickly persons but the goodliest and strongest of all Israël and least likely to die Heere is occîderet Now did this move No See the XXXII verse for at this they sinned yet more and went about their seeking never the sooner It must be cum occîderet eos 4. 3 Cum caederet eos themselves their owne selves or it will not doe it Come then to themselves and smite them with the edge not with the poynt with the edge to wound not with the point to dispatch out-right will that serve Cum caederet eos when He wounded them with some mortall sicknesse the messenger of death would they seeke Him then No not then not for all that would they frame to it For 2. Chr. 16.12 Quaerebant medicum then I say as Asa sought medicos non Deum Not GOD and them but them first and let GOD stay till they be gone And till they give us over and tell us plainely occîderet is now come indeed no smiting or wounding will send us to seeke So that it is not either 1 Cum Servaret eos or 2 Cum Serviret eis His saving or serving us Nay it is not 3 Cum occîderet alios or 4 Cum caederet His killing others or wounding us with any but our deaths-wound will doe it It is Cumoccidere◠which is a Ne fiat Tandem then when we are come to the very last cast our strength is gone our spirit cleane spent our senses appalled and the powers of our soule as numme as our senses when a generall prostration of all our powers and the shadow of death upon our eyes Then something we would say or doe which should stand for our seeking but I doubt it will not serve This is the time we allow GOD to seeke Him in Is this it would we then seeke Him when we are not in case to seeke any thing els Would we turne to Him then when we are not hable to turne our selves in our bed Or rise early to seeke Him when we are not hable to rise at all Or enquire after Him when our breath faileth us and we are not hable to speake three words togither Neither before nor with but even at the end of occîderet No houre but the houre of death No time but when He taketh time from us and us from it tempus non erit amplius Apoc. 10 7· What shall I say Shall I commend this seeking turning rising enquiring No I cannot commend it either in it selfe or to any I commend it not That that may be said is this and it is nothing True some one or two of a thousand and ten thousand that have How then Shall we not therefore follow our instruction and seeke Him before Esay 65.1 Nay then Some have found and never sought Let us not seeke Him at all if that will hold Thus it is Some going a journey have found a purse by the way It were madd counsell to advise us to leave our money behind upon hope of like hap in ours No this is safe and good Though some one or two have found and not sought yet let us seeke for all that Though some one or two have then sought and found yet let us seeke before Though some have found a purse in their way let us not trust to like hap but carry money with us This is a privy deore on speciall favour open to some few Esay 30.21 There lieth no way by them This is the way you have heard Walke in it and you shall find rest to your soules 1 As not CHRIST◠time of seeking To speake then of safe seeking and sure finding I say as Asaph saith it is a Ne fiant This time is not the time CHRIST giveth us he assigneth us another Yea we condemne our selves in that we would seeme to allow it our selves If we were put to it to say plainely Not till He kill me it would choke us We neither have heart nor face we would not dare to answer so we dare not avow it And if it be a ne dicant it is a Ne fiant The time of GODS quaerite is Primum quaerite This Cum is the last of all our Cum's Matt. 6 33. all other before it First and last are flatt ad oppositum This is not it The time of seeking GOD must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as is meet to be received This is not ◠Not the acceptable time Therefore I hope we will not offer it GOD. If we doe take heed He scorne not this time as He doth their price in Zacharie A goodly time that I have assigned me Zach. 11.13 Take
with all to change their laughter into mourning and their ioy into heavinesse Where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are as full for the New as Flanctus and Fletus are for the Old These two both these and neither to spare and we have not learned we hold not we teach not any other repentance I speake it for this There is a false imputation cast on us that we should teach there goeth nothing to repentance but amendment of life that these of fasting and the rest we let runn by as the wast of repentance Nay that for fasting we do indicere jejunium jejuniis we proclaime a fast from it and teach a poenitence with no penall thing in it That therefore this text by name and such other we shunn and shift and dare not come neer them Not come neer them As neer as we can by the grace of GOD that the world may know and all heer beare wittnesse we teach and we presse both Indeed as Augustine well saith Aliud est quod docemus aliud qued sustinemus What we are faine to beare with is one thing What we preach and faigne would perswade is another Et vaetibi flumen moris humani saith he and we both Wo to the strong current of a corrupt Custome that hath taken such a head as doe what we can it caries all headlong before it But whatsoever we beare this we teach though I forgett my selfe I entend to proceed as the words lye 1 To turne first The Division 2 and to GOD 3 To GOD with the heart 4 and with the whole heart Then the Manner with these foure 1 Fasting 2 Weeping 3 Mourning 4 and a Rent heart Of which the two former are the bodies taske Fasting and weeping the two later the soule 's mourning and renting the heart The former mourning the affection of sorrow the later renting from anger or indignation Of both which affections Repentance is compound and not of either alone This for the manner how Then last for the time when Now to doe it Now therefore DIversly and in sundry termes doth the Scripture set forth unto us the nature of repentance Of renewing as from a decay Heb. 6.6 Of refining I. Repentance a Turning 1. Turne as from drosse Ierem. 6.29 Of recovering as from a maladie Dan. 4.24 Of cleansing as from soile Of rising as from a fall Ierem. 8.4 In no one either for sense more full or for use more often then in this of turning To turne is a counseile properly to them that are out of their right way For going on still and turning are motions opposite Both of them with reference to a way For if the way be good we are to hold on if otherwise to turne and take another Whither a way be good or no we principally pronounce by the end If saith Chrysostome it be to a Feast good though it be through a blind lane if to execution not good though through the fairest street in the City Saint Chrysostome was bidden to a marriage dinner was to go to it through diverse lanes and alleys crossing the high street he mett with one ledd through it to be executed he told it his Auditorie that Non quà sed quò was it If then our life be a way as a way it is termed in all Writers both holy and humane via morum no lesse then via pedum the end of this way is to bring us to our end to our sovereigne good which we call Happinesse Which happinesse not finding heer but full of flawes and of no lasting neither we are sett to seeke it and put in hope to find it with GOD Psal. 16.11 in whose presence is the fullnesse of Ioy and at whose right hand pleasures for evermore From GOD then as from the journeys end of our life our way we are never to turne our stepps Gâ—n 5.22 or our eyes but with Enoch as of him it is sayd still to walke with GOD all our life long Then should we never need to heare this convertite We are not so happy There is one that maligneth we should goe this way or come to this end and therefore to divert us holdeth out to us some Pleasure Profit or Preferment which to pursue we must stepp out of the way and so do full many times even turne from GOD to serve our owne turnes And this is the way of sinne which is a turning from GOD. When having in chase some trifling transitorie I wote not what to follow it we even turne our backs upon GOD and forsake the way of His commaundenents And heer now we first need His counseile of Convertite For being entred into this way yer we goe too farr in it wisâ—ome would we stayed and were advised whither this way will carry us and where we shall find our selves at our iourneys end And reason we have to doubt For after we once left our first way which was right 1. Sam. 25.31 there takes us sometimes that same Singultus Cordis as Abigail well calls it a throbbing of the heart or as the Apostle certeine accusing thoughts present themselves unto us Rom. 1.15 which will not suffer us to goe on quietly our mindes still mis-giving us that we are wrong Besides when any daunger of death is neer Nay if we doe but sadly thinke on it a certeine chilnesse takes us and we cannot with any comfort thinke on our iournyes end Esa. 30.21 And heare as it were a voice of one crying behind us Haec est via that is not the way you have taken this that you have lost is your way walke in it Which voice if we heare not it is long of the noise about us If we would sometimes goe aside into some retired place or in the still of the night hearken after it we might peradventure heare it A great blessing of GOD it is for without it thousands would perish in the error of their life and never returne to their right way againe Redite praevaricatores ad cor that sinners would turne to their owne hearts Esa. 46.8 And this is the first degree to helpe us a little forward to this turning Being thus turned to our hearts we turne againe and behold the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Saint Iames termeth it the wheele of our nature Iames 3 6. that it turneth apace and turnes of dayly some and them younger then we and that within a while our turne will come that our breath also must goe forth and we turne againe to our dust Psal. 94.15 And when that is past another of the Prophet That Righteousnesse shall turne againe to iudgement Mercie that now sitts in the throne shall rise up and give place Iustice also shall have her turne Psal. 9.18 And then comes the last turn Convertentur peccatores in infernum the sinners shal be turned into hell and all the people that forget in time to turne unto GOD.
asketh S. Philip I pray thee Of whom speaketh the Prophet this Act 8 3â— of himselfe or some other A question verie materiall and to great good purpose and to be asked by us in all Propheciâ—s For knowing who the Partie is we shall not wander in the Propheâ—'s meaning Now if the Eunuch had been reading this of Zâ—â—hâ—rie as then he was that of Esai and had asked the same question of S. Philip he would have made the same answere And as he out of those words tooke occasion so may we out of these take the like to preach IESVS unto them For neither of himselfe nor of any other but of IESVS speaketh the Prophet this and the testimonie of IESVS is the Spirit of this Prophecie Apoâ— 1â— â—â— That so it is the Holy Ghost is our warrant who in S. Iohn's Gospell reporting the Passion and the last act of the Passion this opening of the side and piercing the heart of our Saviour CHRIST saith plainly that in the piercing the very words of the Prophecie were fulfilled Respicient in me quem transfixerunt Ioh. 19.37 Which terme of piercing we shall the more clearely conceive if with the ancient Writers we sort it with the beginning of Psalme 22 the Psalme of the Passion For in the verie front or inscription of this Psalme our Saviour CHRIST is compared Cervo matutino to the morning Hart that is a Hart rowsed early in the morning as from his very birth he was by Herod hunted and chased all his life long and this day brought to his end and as the poore Deere stricken and pierced thorough side heart and all which is it we are here willed to behold There is no part of the whole course of our Saviour CHRIST 's life or death but it is well worthy our looking on and from each part in it there goeth vertue to do us good But of all other parts and above them all this last part of his piercing is here commended unto our view Indeed how could the Prophet commend it more then in avowing it to be an act of grace as in the fore-part of this Verse he doth Effundam super eos spiritum Gratiae respicient c as if he should say If there be any grace in us we will thinke it worth the looking on Neither doth the Prophet onely but the Apostle also call us unto it Heb. 12.2 and willeth us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to looke unto and regard IESVS the Author and Finisher of our faith Then specially and in that act when for the Ioy of our Salvation set before Him He endured the Crosse and despised the shame that is in this spectacle when He was pierced Which surely is continually all our life long to be done by us and at all times some time to be spared unto it But if at other times most requisite at this time this very day which we hold holy to the memorie of his Passion and the piercing of His precious side That though on other dayes we employ our eyes otherwise this day at least we fixe them on this object Respiciâ—ntes in Eum. This day I say which is dedicated to none other end â— Ioh. 3.14 but even to lift up the Sonne of man as Moses did the serpent in the wildernesse that we may looke upon Him and live When every Scripture that is read soundeth nothing but this unto us when by the office of preaching IESVS CHRIST is lively described in our sight and as the Apostle speaketh is visibly crucified among us Gal. 3.1 when in the memoriall of the holy Sacrament His death is shewed forth untill He come 1. Coâ—â—1 26. and the mysterie of this His piercing so many waies so effectually represented before us This Prophecie therfore if at any time at this time to take place Respicient in Me c. The Division The principall words are but two and set downe unto us in two points 1 The sight it selfe that is the thing to be seene 2 and the sight of it that is the act of seeing or looking Quem transfixerunt is the Object or spectacle propounded Respicient in Eum is the Act or duety enjoined Of which the Obiect though in place latter in nature is the former and first to be handled for that there must be a thing first set up before we can set our eyes to looke upon it OF the Object generally first Certaine it is I. The sight or obiect generally 1. CHRIST that CHRIST is here meant Saint Iohn hath put us out of doubt for that point And Zacharie here could have set downe His name and said Respice in Christum for Daniel before had named his name Dan. 9 26. Occidetur MESSIAS and Zacharie being after him in time might have easily repeated it But it seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to Him rather to use a circumlocution and suppressing His name of CHRIST to expresse Him by the stile or terme Quem transfixerunt Which being done by choise must needes have a reason of the doing and so it hath First the better to specifie and particularize the Person of CHRIST by the kind and most peculiar circumstance of his death Esay had said Morietur Dye He shall and lay downe His soule an offering for sinne Esa. 53.10 2. Die but what Death a naturall or a violent Daniel tells us Dan 9.26 Occîdetur He shall die not a naturall but a violent death 3 But many are slaine after many sorts and divers kinds there be of violent deaths The Psalmist the more particularly to set it downe describeth it thus Psal. 22.10 They pierced my hands and my feet which is onely proper to the death of the Crosse. 4 Die and be slaine and be crucified But sundry els were crucified and therefore the Prophet heere to make up all addeth that he should not onely be crucifixus but transfixus not onely have his hands and his feet but even his heart pierced too Which very note severs Him from all the rest with as great a particularitie as may be for that though many besides at other times and some at the same time with Him were crucified yet the side and the heart of none was opened but His and His onely 2. Secondly as to specifie CHRIST himselfe in person and to sever him from the rest so in CHRIST himselfe and in his Person 2. CHRIST pierced to sever from the rest of his doings and sufferings what that is that chiefly concerneth us and we specially are to looke to and that is this daies worke CHRIST PIERCED S. Paul doth best expresse this I esteemed saith he to know nothing among you save IESVS CHRIST and Him crucified That is the perfection of our knowledge is CHRIST 1. Cor. 2. â— The perfection of our knowledge in or touching CHRIST is the knowledge of Christ's piercing This is the chiefe Sight Nay as it shall after appeare in this sight
None pertaine to it but they that take benefit by it and none take benefit by it no more then by the brazen Serpent but they that fixe their eye on it Behold Consider and Regard it the profit the benefit is lost without Regard If we do not as this was a day of GOD 's fierce wrath against him The perill if not onely for regarding us so there is another day comming and it will quickly be heer a day of like fierce wrath against us for not regarding him Psal. 90.11 And who regardeth the power of his wrath He that doth will surely Regard this In that day there is not the most carelesse of us all but shall cry as they did in the Gospell Domine non ad Te pertinet si perimus Mar. 4 38. Pertaines it not to Thee Carest thou not that we perish Then would we be glad to pertaine to him and his Passion Pertaines it to us then and pertaines it not now Sure now it must if then it shall Then to give end to this Complaint let us grant him his request The Request Have some Râ—gard and Regard his Passion Let the Rarenesse of it The Neerenesse to us Let Pitie or Dutie Feare or Remorse Love or Bounty Any of them or all of them Let the justnesse of his Complaint Let his affectionate manner of Complaining of this and only this Let the shame of the Creature 's regard Let our Profit or our Perill Let something prevaile with us to have it in some regard Some regard Verily as his sufferings his Love 1. Our best Regaâ—d our good by them are so should our regard be a Non sicut too That is a regard of these and of nothing in comparison of these It should be so For with the benefit ever the regard should arise But GOD helpe us poore sinners and be mercifull unto us Our regard is a Non sicut indeed but it is backward and in a contrary sense That is no where to shallow so short or so soone done It should be otherwise it should have our deepest consideration this and our highest regard 2. At least sâ—me Reâ—â—rd But if that cannot be had our nature is so heavy and flesh bloud so dull of apprehension in Spirituall things yet at least wise some regard Some I say The more the better But in any wise some And not as here No regard none at all Some waies to shew we make accompt of it to with-draw our selves to void our minds of other matters to set this before us to thinke upon it to thanke him for it to regard him and stay and see whether he will regard us or no. Sure he will and we shall feele our hearts pricked with sorrow by consideration of the cause in us our Sinne And againe warme within us by consideration of the cause in him Act. 2.37 Luc. 24.32 his Love till by some motion of Grace he answere us and shew that our regard is accepted of Him And this as at all other times for no day is amisse 3. This Day specially but at all times some time to be taken for this dutie so specially on this Day this Day which we hold holy to the memorie of his Passion this day to do it to make this Day the Day of GOD 's wrath and CHRIST 's suffering a Day to us of serious consideration and regard of them both It is kindly to consider Opus diei in die suo The worke of the Day in the Day it was wrought and this Day it was wrought This Day therfore whatsoever businesse be to lay them aside a little whatsoever our haste yet to stay a little and to spend a few thoughts in calling to minde and taking to regard what this Day the SONNE of GOD did and suffered for us and all for this end that what he was then we might not be and what he is now we might be for ever Which Almightie GOD grant we may doe more or lesse even every one of us according to the severall measures of His Grace in us A SERMON PREACHED before the KING'S MAIESTIE AT Greenwich on the XXIX of March A.D. MDCV. being GOOD-FRIDAY HEBR. CHAP. XII VER II. Aspicientes in Authorem fidei Consummatorem IESVM qui proposito Sibi gaudio sustinuit Crucem confusione contempta atque in dextera Sedis DEI sedet Looking unto IESVS the Author and finisher of our Faith who for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross and despised the shame and is set at the right hand of the Throne of GOD. SAint Luke though he recount at large our SAVIOVR CHRIST 's whole storie yet in plaine and expresse termes he calleth the Passion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Theorie or Sight Luc. 23.48 which Sight is it the Apostle heer calleth us to looke unto Of our blessed SAVIOVR 's whole life or death there is no part but is a Theorie of it selfe well worthy our looking on for from each part thereof there goeth vertue to do us good From each part but of all from the last part or act of His Passion Therefore hath the HOLY GHOST honored this last part only with this name and none but this This is the theorie ever most commended to our view To be looked on he is at all times and in all acts but then and in that act specially When for the ioy set before Him He endured the Crosse and despised the shame Then saith the Apostle looke unto him Saint Paul being elsewhere carefull to shew the Corinthians and with them us CHRIST and as to shew them CHRIST So to shew them in CHRIST what that is that specially concerneth them to know or look unto thus he saith That though he knew many very many things besides yet he esteemed not to know anything 1. Cor. 2.2 but IESVS CHRIST Hunc crucifixum Him and Him crucified Meaning respective as they terme it that the perfection of our knowledge is CHRIST and the perfection of our knowledge in or touching CHRIST is the knowledge of His Crosse and Passion That the chiefe Theorie Nay in this all so that see this and see all The view whereof though it be not restreined to any one time but all the yeare long yea all our life long ought to be frequent with us and blessed are the houres that are so spent yet if at any time more then other certainly this time this day may most justly challenge it For this day was this Scripture fulfilled and this day are our eares filled full with Scriptures about it So that though on other daies we employ our eyes otherwise yet that this day at least we would as exceeding fitly the Apostle wishâ—th us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cast our eyes from other sights and fixe them on this object Ioh. 12 32. it being the day dedicate to the lifting up of the SONNE of MAN on high that He may draw every eye unto
And that if he endured and no more but that it might suffice it is worth all we have for all we have we will give for our life But not death only Phil. 3.8 but the kind of death is it Mortem mortem autem Crucis saith the Apostle doubling the point Death he endured even the death of the Crosse. The Crosse is but a little word but of great contents but few letters but in those few letters are conteined multa dictu gravia perpessu aspera heavy to be named more heavie to be endured I take but the foure things ascribed by the HOLY GHOST to the Crosse answerable to the foure ends or quarters of it 1 Sanguis Crucis Colos. 1.20 2 Dolores crucis Acts 1.2 3 Scandalum Crucis Gal. 5.11 4 Maledictum Crucis Gal. 3.13 that is The death of the Crosse is all these foure a 1 bloody 2 dolefull 3 scandalous 4 accursed death 1. Though it be but a cold comfort yet a kind of comfort it is if dye we must that our death is mors sicca a drie not sanguis Crucis not a bloodie death 2. We would dye when we dye an easie not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not a tormenting death 3. We desire to dye with credit if it might be if not without scandall scandalum crucis 4. At least-wise to go to our graves and to dye by an honest ordinary and by no meanes by an accursed death maledictum Crucis In the Crosse are all these all foure The two first are in the Crosse The two latter in the shame For the Crosse and the shame are in very deed two Crosses the shame a second Crosse of it selfe To see then as in a short time shortly That of the Poët nec siccâ morte Tyranni sheweth plainly it is no poore priviledge to dye without effusion of blood And so it is 1. For a blessing it is and our wish it is we may live out our time and not dye an untimely death Where there is effusion of blood there is ever an untimely death 2. Yet every untimely death is not violent but a bloody death is violent and against nature and we desire to pay Nature her debt by the way of Nature 3. A violent death one may come to as in warre sanguis belli best sheweth it yet by valor not by way of punishment This death is poenall not as all death stipendium peccati but as evill men's death vindicta sceleris an execution for some Capitall offense 4. And not every crime neither Fundetur sanguis is the punishment of Treason and other more heynous crimes to dye embrued in their owne blood And even they that dye so dye not yet so evill a death as do they that dye on the Crosse. It is another case where it is sanguis mortis the blood and life go away togither at once another when it is sanguis crucis when the blood is shedd and the party still in full life and sense as on the crosse it was the blood first and the life a good while after This is sanguis Crucis an 1 vntimely 2 violent 3 poenall 4 poenall in the highest degree there bleeding out his blood before he dye and then dye When blood is shed it would be no more then needs shed it would be not poured out Or if so at one part the necke or throat not at all parts at once But heer was fundetur havock made at all parts His Passion as he termeth it a second Baptisme a River of blood Mar. 10 3â— and he even hable to have been baptized in it as he was in Iordan And where it would be Summa parsimonia etiam vilissimi sanguinis no waste no not of the basest blood that is waste was made heer And of what blood Sanguis IESV the blood of IESVS and who was He Sure by vertue of the union Personall GOD and so this blood blood of GOD 's owne bleeding every dropp whereof was precious more precious then that whereof it was the price the world it selfe Nay more worth then many worlds yea if they were ten thousand Yet was this blood wastfully spilt as water upon the ground The fundetur and the qui heere will come into consideration both This is sanguis Crucis and yet this is not all neither there is more yet For the blood of the Crosse was not onely the blood of Golgotha but the blood of Gabbatha too For of all deaths this was peculiar to this death the death of the Crosse that they that were to be crucified were not to be crucified alone which is the blood of Golgoâ—ha but they must be whipped too before they were crucified which is the blood of Gabbatha a second death yea worse then death it selfe And in both these places He bledd and in either place twise They rent His body with the 1 whipps they goard His head with the 2 thornes both these in Gabbatha And againe twise in Golgotha when they 1 nailed his hands and his feet when he was 2 thrust to the heart with the speare This is sanguis Crucis It was to be stood on a little we might not passe it It is that whereon our faith depends Rom. 3.25 Coloss. 1.20 Per fidem in sanguinem Ipsius By it he is Author of our faith Faith in GOD and Peace with GOD both Pacificans in sanguine Crucis Pacifying all with the blood of the Crosse. Now this bloody whipping and neyling of His is it which bringeth in the second point of paine that it was not blood alone without paine as in the opening of a veine but it was blood and paine both The tearing and mangling of his flesh with the whipps thornes and nailes could not choose but be exceeding painfull to Him Paines we know are increased much by cruell and made more easie by gentle handling and even the worst that suffer we wish their execution as gentle and with as little rigour as may be All rigour all crueltie was shewed to Him to make His paines the more painfull In Gabbatha they did not whip Him saith the Psalmist they ploughed his back and made not stripes but long furrowes upon it They did not put on His wreath of thornes Psal. 129.3 and presse it downe with their hands but beat it on hard with batts to make it enter through skinne flesh skull and all They did not in Golgotha pierce his hands and feet but made wide holes like that of a spade as if they had been digging in some ditch Psal. 22.16 These were paines and cruell paines But yet these are not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Holy Ghost's word in the Text Those are properly streining paines paines of torture The Rack is devised as a most exquisite paine even for terror And the Crosse is a rack Psal. 22.14 whereon he was stretched till saith the Psalme all his bones were out of joint But even to stand as He hung three long hours
their behaviour it might seeme a may-game Their shouâ—ing and out-cries their harrying of him about from Annas to Caiaphas from him to Pilate from Pilate to Herod and from him to Pilate again One while in purple Pilate's suit another-while in white Herod's livery Nipping him by the cheekes and pulling off his haire blindfolding Him and buffeting Him bowing to Him in derision and then spitting in his face was as if they had had not the LORD of glorie but some idiot or dizard in hand Died Abner as a foole dyeth 2. Sam. 3.33 saith David of Abner in great regrett ô no. Sure our blessed SAVIOVR so died and that he so died doth aequall nay surpasse even the worst of his torments Yet this shame also He despised of being in formâ Iudibrij Is there any â—orse yet There is For though contempt be bad yet despight is beyond it as farre as earnest is beyond sport that was sport this was malice Despight I call it when in the middst of his miserie in the very depth of all his distresse they vouchsafed him not the least compassion but as if he had been the most odious wretched Caitive and abject oâ— men the very out-cast of Heaven and Earth stood staring and gaping upon him wagging their heads writhing their mouâ—hes yea blearing out their tongues rayling on him and reviling him scoffing at him and scorning him yea in the very time of his Prayers deriding him even in his most mournefull complaint and crie for the verie anguish of his Spirite These vile indignities these shamefull villanies so void of all humanitie so full of all despight I make no question entred into his soule deeper then either naile or speare did into his bodie Yet all this he despised to be in foâ—mâ reprobi Men hid their faces at this nay to see this sight the Sunne was darkened drew back his light the earth trembled ran one part from the other the powers of Heaven were moved Is this all No all this is but Scandalum there is a greater yet remaining then scandalum and that is maledictum Crucis That the death he died was not only servile scandalous opprobrious odious but even execrable and accursed Of men held so For as if he had been a verie reprobate in his extreame drought they denied him a drop of water never denied to any but to the damned in hell and instead of it offered him vinegar in a spoonge and that in the very pangs of death as one for whom nothing was evill â—nough All this is but man and man is but man his glorie is shame oftentimes and his shame glorie But what GOD curseth that is cursed indeed And this death was cursed by GOD Himselfe His oâ—ne mouth as the Apostle deduceth Galath 3. â—3 When all is sayd we can say this this is the hardest point of his shame and the highest point of his love in bearing it CHRISTVS factus est maledictum The shame of a cursed death cursed by GOD is a shame beyond all shames and he that can despise it may well say consummatum est there is no greater left for him to despise O what contempt was powred vpon him O how was he in all these despised Yet he despised them all and despised to be despised in them all The highest humilitie Spernere Se sperni these so many waies spernere Sesperni So have we now the Crosse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the two maine barres of it 1 Paine and 2 Shame And either of these againe a Crosse of it selfe and that double 1 outward and 2 inward Paine bloody cruell dolorous and enduring Paine He endured Shame servile scandalous opprobrious odious Shame He despised And beside these an internall Crosse the passion of Gethsemane and an internall shame the Curse it selfe of the Crosse Maledictum Crucis Of these he endured the one the other he despised 3. Quo animo These all these and yet there remaineth a greater then all these even Quo animo with what mind what having in his mind or setting before his eyes he did and suffered all this That he did it not utcunque but proposito sibi with an eye to somewhat he aimed at We handle this point last it standeth first in the Verse And sure if this as a figure stand not first the other two are but Ciphers with it of value nothing without it To endure all this is very much howsoever it were So to endure it as to make no reckoning of it to despise it is more strange then all the rest Sure the shame was great how could he make so small accompt of it and the Crosse heavie how could he sett it so light They could not choose but pinch him and that extreamly and how then could he indure and so indure that he despised them It is the third point and in it is adeps arietis the fatt of Rammes the marrow of the Sacrifice even the good heart the free forward minde the cheerfull affection wherewith he did all this There be but two senses to take this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Neither amisse both very good take whither you will Love is in both and Love in a high measure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 even either Pro or Prae Pro instead or Prae in comparison 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro instead of the joy sett before him What joy was that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Saint Chrysostome for he was in the joyes of Heaven there he was and there he might have held him Nothing did or could force him to come thence and to come hither thus to be entreated Nothing but Sic dilexit 〈…〉 or Propter nimiam charitatem quà dilexit nos but for it Yet was he content being in the forme of GOD 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 instead of it thus to transforme Phi. 2 6. yea to deforme himselfe into the shape of a servant a felon a foole nay of a Caitive accursed Content to lay downe his crowne of glorie and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 instead of it to weare a crowne of thornes Content what we shun by all meanes that to endure losse of life what we make so great a matter of that to despise losse of honour All this with the losse of that joy and that honour he enjoyed in heaven another manner joy and Honour then any we have heere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for this or instead of this But the other sense is more praised 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prae in comparison For indeed the joy he left in heaven was rather 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 joy wherin he did already sit then joy sett before him Vpon which ground 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they turne Prae and that better as they suppose For that is in comparison of a certaine joy which He comparing with the Crosse and shame and all chose rather to go through them all then to goe without it And can there
know So accompt But because our knowing is the ground of our accompt the Apostle beginneth with knowledge And so must we Knowledge in all Learning is of two sorts 1 Rerum or 2 Causarum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That or in that The former is in the first Verse Knowing that CHRIST c. The later in the Second For in that c. And because we cannot cast up a Summe except we have a particular the Apostle giveth us a Particular of either A particular of our Knowledge Quoad res which consisteth of these three 1. That Christ is risen from the dead 2. That now He dieth not 3. That from henceforth death hath no dominion over Him All in the first Verse Then a particular of our Knowledge Quoad causas The cause of His death Sinne He died to sinne 2 Of His life GOD He liveth to GOD. â— And both these but once for all All in the second Verse Then followeth our Accompt in the third Verse Wherein we consider first 1 The Charge â— and then the Discharge 1. The charge first Similiter vos That we be like to Christ. And then wherein 1 Like in dying to Sinne 2 Like in living to GOD. Which are the two moulds wherein we are to be cast that we may come forth like Him This is the Charge 2. And last of all The meanes we have to helpe us to discharge it in the last words in Christ Iesu our Lord. BEfore we take view of the two Particulars I. Our Knowing The Meanes of it it will not be amisse to make a little stay at Scientes the first word because it is the grownd of all the rest Knowing that Christ is risen This the Apostle saith the Romans did knowing Did know himselfe indeed that Christ was risen for He saw him But how knew the Romanes or how know we No other way then by relation eyther they or we but yet we much better then they I say by relation in the nature of a verdict of them that had seene him even Cephas and the twelve which is a full Iury hable to finde any matter of fact and to give up a verdict in it And that CHRIST is risen is matter of fact But if twelve will not serve in this matter of fact which in all other matters with us 1. Cor. 15.6 will if a greater Enquest farr if five hundred will serve you may have so many for of more then five hundred at once was He seene many of them then living ready to give up the same verdict and to say the same upon their othes But to settle a knowledge the number moveth not so much as the qualitie of the Parties If they were persons credulous light of beleefe they may well be challenged if they tooke not the way to ground their knowledge aright That is ever best knowen that is most doubted of And never was matter caried with more scruple and slownesse of beleefe with more doubts and difficulties then was this of Christ's rising Marie Magdalen saw it first and reported it They beleeved her not Mar. 16.11 Luk. 24.13.36.11.36 The two that went to Emmaus they also reported it They beleeved them not Diverse women together saw him and came and told them Their words seemed to them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an idle faigned fond tale They all saw him and even seeing him yet they doubted When they were put out of doubt and told it but to one that happened to be absent it was S. Thomas you know how peremptorie he was Not he Ioh. 20.25 vnlesse he might not onely see with his eyes but feele with his fingers and put in his hand into his side 27.28 And all this he did Saint Augustine saith well Profectò valde dubitatum est ab illis ne dubitaretur a nobis All this doubting was by them made that we might be out of doubt and know that Christ is risen Sure they tooke the right course to know it certainly and certainely they did know it as appeareth For never was thing knowen in this world so confidently constantly certainly testified as was this that Christ is risen By testifying it they got nothing in the earth Got nothing Nay they lost by it their living their life all they had to lose They might have saved all and but said nothing So certaine they were so certainely they did accompt of their knowing they could not be got from it but to their very last breath to the very last drop of their blood bare witnesse to the truth of this Article and chose rather to lay downe their lives and to take their death then to denie nay then not to affirme His rising from death And thus did they know knowing testifie and by their testimonie came the Romanes to their knowing and so doe we But as I said before we to a much surer knowing then they For when this was written the whole world stopt their eares at this report would not endure to heare them stood out mainly against them The Resurrection why it was with the Graecians at Athens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a very skorne The Resurrection why it was Act 17.32 with Festus the great Romane 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a sicknesse of the braine a plaine phrensie That world 26.24 that then was and long after in such opposition is since come in and upon better examination of the matter so strangely testified with so many thousand lives of men to say the least of them sadd and sober hath taken notice of it and both knowen and acknowledged the truth of it It was well foretold by Saint Iohn haec est victoria quae vincit mundum 1. Ioh. 5.4 fides vestrâ— It is proved true since That this faith of CHRIST 's rising hath made a conquest of the whole world So that after all the world hath taken knowledge of it we come to know it And so more full to us then to them is this scientes knowing Now to our particulars what we know The Particâ—lars Quâ—â—dâ—n a That Christ is risen from the dead Our first particular is That CHRIST is risen from the dead Properly we are sâ—id to rise from 〈◊〉 fallâ— and from death 〈…〉 revive Yeâ— the Apostle rather vseth the terme of rising then reviving â—s serving better to set forth his purpose That death is a fall we doubt not that it came with a fall the fall of Adam But what manner of fall for it hath beene holden a fall from whence is no rising But by Christ's rising it falls out to be a fall that we may fall and yet get up againe For if CHRIST be risen from it then is there a rising if a rising of one then may there be of another If He be risen in our nature then is our nature risen and if our nature be our persons may be Especially seeing as the Apostle in the fourth Verse before hath told
us He and we are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is so grafted one into the other that he is part of us and we of Him So that as Saint Bernard well observeth Christus etsi solus resurrexit tamen non totus That Christ though He be risen onely yet He is not risen wholly or all till we be risen too He is but risen in part and that He may rise all we must rise from death also This then we know first That death is not a fall like that of Pharao into the sea that sunk downe like a lump of leade into the bottome Exod. 15.10 and never came up more but a fall like that of Iona's Ion. 1.17.2.10 Matt. 12.40.25 41. Esay 26.19 into the Sea who was received by a fish and after cast up againe It is our Saviour Christ's owne Simile A fall not like that of the Angells into the bottomelesse pitt there to stay for ever but like to that of men into their bedds when they make accompt to stand up againe A fall not as of a log or stone to the ground which where it falleth there it lyeth still but as of a wheate corne into the ground which is quickned and springeth up againe 1. Cor. 15.36 The very word which the Apostle vseth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 implieth the two later 1 either of a fall into a bed in our chamber where though we lye to see to little better then dead for a time yet in the morning we awake and stand up notwithstanding 2 Or of a fall into a bed in our garden where though the seede patrifie and come to nothing yet we looke to see it shoote forth anew in the spring Which spring is as Tertullian well calleth it the very resurrection of the yeare and Christ's resurrection falleth well with it And it is saith he no way consonant to reason that man for whom all things spring and rise againe should not have his Spring and rising too But he shall have them we doubt not by this daies worke He that this day did rise and rising was seene of Marie Magdalen in the likenesse of a gardiner Ioh 20.15 this gardiner will looke to it that man shall have his spring He will saith the Prophet drop upon us a dew like the dew of herbs and the earth shall yeeld foorth her dead And so as CHRIST is risen from the dead Esay 26.19 even so shall we â— That Christ now dieth not Luk. 7.11.14 8.54 Ioh. 11.43 Our second Particular is That as He is risen so now he dieth not Which is no idle addition but hath his force and Emphasis For one thing it is to rise from the dead and another not to die any more The Widowe's Sonne of Naïm the Ruler's daughter of the Synagogue Lazarus all these rose againe from death yet they died afterward But Christ rising from the dead dyeth no more These two are sensibly different Lazaru's resurrection and Christ's and this second is sure a higher degree then the former If we rise as they did that we returne to this same mortall life of ours againe this very mortalitie of ours will be to us as the prisoners chaine he escapes away withall by it we shall be pulled back again though we should rise a thousand times We must therfore so rise as Christ that our resurrection be not reditus but transitus not a returning back to the same life Ioh. 5.24 but a passing over to a new Transivit de morte ad vitam saith he The very feast it selfe puts us in minde of as much It is Pascha that is the Passeover not a comming back to the same land of Aegypt Deut. 17.16 but a passing over to a better the land of Promise whither Christ our Passeover is passed before us and shall in his good time give us passage after Him 1. Cor. 5.7 The Apostle expresseth it best where he saith that Christ by His rising hath abolished death 2. Tim 1.10 and brought to light life and immortalitie not life alone but lifâ— and immortalitie which is this our second particular Risen and Risen to die no more because risen to life to life immmortall 〈◊〉 the third is yet beyond both these more worth the knowing 3. That from hence forth death hath no more dominion over Him more worthy 〈◊〉 accâ—mpâ— death hath no dominion over him Where as we before sayd one thing it was to rise againe another to dye no more so say we now it is one thing not to dyes another not to be under the dominion of death For death and deaths doâ—â—nion are two different things Death it selfe is nothing els but the very separation of the life from the body death's dominion a thing of farre larger extent By which word of dominion the Apostle would have us to conceive of death as of some great Lord having some large Signiorie Ver. 14.17.21 Even as three severall times in the Chapter before he saith Regnavit mors death reigned as if death were some mighty Monarch having some great dominions under him And so it is For looke how many dangers how many diseases sorrowes calamities miseries there be of this mortall life how many paynes perills snares of death so many severall provinces are there of this dominion In all which or some of them while we live we still are under the jurisdiction and arrest of death all the dayes of our life And say that we scape them all and none of them happen to us yet live we still under feare of them and that is deathe's dominion too Iob. 1â— 14. For He is as Iob calleth Him Rex pavoris King of feare And when we are out of this life too unlesse we pertayne to CHRIST and His resurrection we are not out of his dominion neyther For Hell it selfe is secunda mors so termed by Saint Iohn the second death Apoc 20.14.21.8 or second part of death's dominion Now who is there that would desire to rise againe to this life yea though it were immortall to be still under this dominion of death heer still subject still liable to the aches and paynes to the greefs and gripings to all the manifold miseries of this vale of the shaddow of death But then the other the second region of death the second part of his dominion who can endure once to be there There they seeke and wish for death and death flyeth from them Verily Rising is not enough rising not to dye againe is not enough except we may be quit of this dominion and rid of that which we either feele or feare all our life long Therefore doth the Apostle add and so it was needfull he should death hath no dominion over Him No dominion over Him No for He dominion over it For lest any might surmise He might breake through some wall or gett out at some window and so steale a resurrection or casually come to it He tells
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mercy rich exceeding Eph. 2.7 Eph. 1.8 1. Tim. 1.14 grace overabounding nay grace superfluous for so is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and superfluous is enough and to spare superfluous is cleerely enough and more then enough Once dying then being more then enough no reason He should dye more then once That of his death Now of His life He liveth unto GOD. 2. The cause of His living The Rigor of the law being fully satisfied by His death then was He no longer justly but wrongfully deteyned by death As therefore by the power He had He layd down His life so He tooke it againe and rose againe from the dead And not onely rose Himselfe But in one concurrent action GOD who had by His death received full satisfaction reached Him as it were His hand and raised Him to life The Apostles word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the native force doth more properly signifie raysed by another then risen by Himselfe And is so used to shew it was done not only by the power of the Sonne but by the will consent and co-operation of the Father and He the cause of it who for the over-abundant merit of His death and His humbling Himselfe Phil. 2.8.9 and becomming obedient to death even the death of the Crosse not onely raysed Him but propter hoc even for that cause exalted Him also to live with Him in ioy and glorie for ever For as when He lived to man He lived to much miserie so now He liveth to GOD He liveth in all foelicitie This part being oppositely set down to the former living to exclude dying againe living to God to exclude death's dominion and all things perteining to it For as with GOD is life the fountaine of life against death Psal. 36.10 even the fountayne of life never failing but ever renewing to all aeternitie so with him also is torrens deliciarū a maine river of pleasures even pleasures for evermore never ebbing but ever flowing to all contentment against the miseries belonging to deathe's dominion And there He liveth thus not now as the SONNE of GOD as He lived before all worlds but as the Sonne of man in the right of our nature to estate us in this life in the hope of a reversion and in the life to come in perfect and full possession of His own and His Fathers blisse and happinesse when we shall also live to GOD and GOD be all in all which is the highest pitch of all our hope We see then His dying and rising and the grounds of both And thus have we the totall of our Scientes Now followeth our accompt An accompt is either of what is comming to us II. Our Accompt 1. Of our coming in the benefit and that we like well or what is going from us and that is not so pleasing Comming to us I call matter of benefit Going from us matter of duety where I doubt many an expectation will be deceived making accompt to heare from the resurrection matter of benefit onely to come in where the Apostle calleth us to accompt for matter of duety which is to goe from us An accompt there is growing to us by CHRIST 's rising of matter of benefit and comfort such a one there is and we have touched it before The hope of gayning a better life which groweth from CHRIST 's rising is our comfort against the feare of losing this Thus do we comfort our selves against our deathes Now blessed be GOD that hath regenerated us to a lively hope 1. Pet. 1.3 by the resurrection of IESVS CHRIST Thus do we comfort our selves against our friend's death Comfort your selves one another saith the Apostle with these words what words be they 1. Thes. 4.18 Even those of our SAVIOVR in the Gospell Resurget frater tuus Thy brother or thy Father or thy friend shall rise againe And not only against death Ioh. 11.23 but even against all the miseries of this life It was Iob's comfort on the doung-hill well yet videbo Deum in carne mea I shall see GOD in my flesh Iob. 19.25 And not in our miseries alone but when we do well and no man respecteth us for it It is the Apostle's conclusion of the Chapter of the resurrection Be of good cheer yet 1. Cor. 15.58 labor vester non erit inanis in Domino your labour is not in vaine in the LORD you shall have your reward at the resurrection of the just All these waies comfort commeth unto us by it ◠Of our 〈…〉 1. The duty 〈…〉 But this of ours is another manner of accompt of duety to goe from us and to be answered by us And such a one there is too and we must reckon of it I adde that this heer is our first accompt you see it heer called for in the Epistle to the Romans the other commeth after in the Epistle to the Corinthians In very deed this of ours is the key to the other and we shall never find sound comfort of that unlesse we doe first well passe this accompt here It is I say first because it is praesent and concerneth our soules even here in this life The other is future and toucheth but our bodies and that in the life to come It is an error certainly which runneth in mens heads when they heare of the resurrection to conceive of it as of a matter meerely future and not to take place till the latter day Not only CHRIST is risen Colos. 3.1 but if all be as it should be We are already risen with him saith the Apostle in the Epistle this day the very first words of it and even here now saith S. Iohn is there a first Resurrection Apoc. 20.6 and happie is he that hath his part in it A like error it is to conceit the resurrection as a thing meerely corporall and no waies to be incident into the Spirit or Soule at all The Apostle hath already given us an Item to the contrarie in the end of the fourth Chapter before Where he saith He rose againe for our Iustification Chap. 4.25 and Iustification is a matter spirituall Iustificatus est spiritu sayth the Apostle of CHRIST himselfe Verily here must the spirit rise to grace or els neither the bodie 1. Tim. 3.16 nor it shall there rise to glorie This then is our first accompt that accompt of ours which presently is to be passed and out of hand this is it which first we must take order for 1. To be like CHRIST The summe or charge of which accompt is sett downe in these words Similiter vos That we be like CHRIST carie his Image who is heavenly as we have caried the Image of the earthly Be conformed to his likenesse that what CHRIST hath wrought for us the like be wrought in us What wrought for us by his
of and that which most affecteth us ever soonest speake of This is the first error That which was first with CHRIST is last with Christians and I would it were so last for then it were some Now scarce any at all as it seemeth 2. The Mâ—nner thâ—â—se wished In the Manner for first is but first that is but once This is first and second Heere He saith it and with in a verse He is at it againe Nay first sâ—cond and third 1 in this 2 the XXI and 3 XXVI verses As if like Actio in Rhetorique all in all All CHRIST 's vowes are to be esteemed specially His solemne vowes And His speeches chiefly those He goeth over and over againe That which by Him is double and treble said would not by us be singly regarded He would have it better marked therefore He speaketh it the second time He would have it yet sinke deeper therefore the third also We fault in the manner Once we doe it it may be but upon any repulse we give over if it come not at first we go not to it Secundo tâ—rtiò repetitis vicibus We must not leave at once that CHRIST did so oft 1 His â—ite in wishing it Sâ—eâ—â—t The second error is we aske it sitting I feare and CHRIST stood His standing imports something Standing is the site of them that are ready to goe about a matter as they to take their journey in the XII of Exodus That Site is the Site of them Exâ—d 12.11 that wish for peace Oportet slantem optare A Sedentarie desire it may be we have but loth to leave our cushion We would it were well but not willing to disease our selves Vtinam hoc esset laborare said he that lay along and stretched himselfe So say we Peace we would but standing is painfull Our wish hath lipps but no leggs Esay 5â— 7 Rom. 10.15 But it could not be said Beautifull are the feete of them that bring Peace if the feet had nothing to do in this businesse With sitting and wishing it will not be had * Psal. 34.14 Peace will hide it selfe it must be sought out It will fly away it must be pursued This then is a point wherein we are to conforme our selves to CHRIST as well to use our leggs as to open our lipps for it To stand is Situs voventis To hold up the hands Habitus orantis The meaning of which ceremonie of lifting up the hands with prayer is Vt pro quo quis oret pro eo laboret what we pray for we should labour for what we wish for stand for We see CHRIST sheweth His hands and His feet to shew what must be done with both for it If we should be put to doe the like I doubt our wish hath never a good legg to stand on To stand then But to stand in a certain place Every where to stand 3. His Place In medio Luc. 1.79 will not serve the turne Stetit in medio that standing place is assigned for it thus guiding our feet into the way of Peace And the Place is materiall for peace All bodies naturall never leave moving are never quiet till they recover their proper places and there they find peace The midst is CHRIST 's place by Nature He is the second person in divinis and so the middle-most of the other two And By nature on earth follow Him if you will you shall not lightly find Him out of it Not according to the letter speaking of the materiall place At His birth Luc. 2.7.46 In medio animalium in the Stable After a child In medio Doctorum in the Temple After a man Medius vestrûm stetit saith Iohn Baptist in the midst of the people Ioh. 1.26 saith He of Himselfe Ecce Ego in medio vestri in the midst of His Apostles At His death Luc. 22.27.23 35. it fell to His turne likewise that place even then He was in the midst And now rising there He is we see They in the midst of the Iewes and He in the midst of them After this in Paâ—mos Saint Iohn saw Him in heaven Apoc. 7.17 in the middst of the throne in earth walking in the middst of the Candlesticks 1.13 And at the last day He shal be in the midst too of the sheepe on His right hand and the goates on His left All which shew the place and He sort very well Matth. 25.33 But were it not naturall for Him as the case standeth there He is to stand By office as a Mediator being to give peace No place so fitt for that purpose None so kindly as it His Office being to be a Mediator Medius between GOD and man where should a Mediator stand but in Medio 1. Tim. 2.5 Besides the two qualities of good being to be Diffusivum and Vnitivum that is the fittest place for both To distribute best done from the center To unite The reason of it likewise soonest meet there The place it selfe hath a vertue specially to unite which is never done but by some middle thing If we will conclude we must have a Mediâ—s terminus Els we shall never gett Majus and Minus extremum to come togither Nor in things naturall either combine two elements disagreeing in both qualities without a middle symbolizing with both Nor flesh and bone without a cartilage between both As for things morall there the middle is all in all No vertue without it In Iustice encline the ballance one way or other the even peize is lost Et opus Iustitiae pax Peace is the very worke of Iustice. And the way to peace is the mid way neither to the right hand too much nor to the left hand too little In a word all analogie symmetrie harmonie in the world goeth by it It commeth all to this The manner of the Place doth teach us what manner of Affection is to be in them that wish for or stand for peace The place is indifferent aequally distant alike neer to all There pitch the Arke that is the place for it Indifferencie in carriage preserveth peace By forgoing that and leaning to extremities it is lost Thither we must get againe and there stand if ever we shall recover it Discessit a medio lost it Setit in medio must restore it Therefore when you heare men talke of peace marke whither they stand where they should If with the Pharisee to the corners either by partialitie one way or prejudice another no good will be done When GOD will have it brought to passe such minds He will give unto men and make them meet to wish it seeke it and find it A little now of the time This was Christ's wish at this time And Christ never speakes out of season 4. The Time in illo die Therefore a speciall interest hath this Feast in it It is Votum Paschale and this is Festum pacis And sure Habemus talem
why not a spirituall Edom too Apoc. 11.8 whence our LORD rose again Put all three together Aegypt Babel Edom all their enmities all are nothing to the hatred that Hell beares us But yet if you aske of the three which was the worst That was EDOM To shew the Prophet heer made good choise of his place EDOM upon earth comes neerest to the kingdome of darkenesse in Hell of all the rest And that in these respects First they were the wickedest people under the Sunne If there were any devils upon earth it was they if the devill of any countrey he would choose to be an Edomite No place on earth that resembled hell neerer next to hell on earth was EDOM for all that nought was MALACHIE calls EDOM the border of all wickednesse Mal. 1.4 a people with whom GOD was angrie for â—ver In which very points no enemies so fitly expresse the enemies of our soules against whom the anger of GOD is eternall Apoc. 14.11 and the smoke of whose toâ—ments shall ascend for â—ver Hell for all that nought is That if the power of darkenesse and hell it selfe if they be to be expressed by any place on earth they cannot be better expressed thâ—n in these EDOM and BOZRA I will give you another The Edomites were the posteritie of ESAV the samâ— is EDOM So they were neerest of kin to the Iewes of all nations so should have been their best friends Gen. 36 2. The Iewes and they came of two brethren EDOM was the elder and that was the griefe that the people of ISRAEL comming of IACOB the yonger brother had enlarged their border got them a better seate and country by farr then they the Edomites had Hence grew envie and an enimie out of envie is ever the worst So were they the most cankred enimies that Israël had The case is so betweene us and the evill spirits Angels they were we know and so in a sort elder brethren to us Of the two intellectuall Natures they the first created Our case now Christ be thanked is much better then theirs which is that enrageth them against us as much and more then ever any Edomite against Israël Hell for rancour and envie Yet one more they were ready to doe God's people all the mischief they were hable and when they were not hable of themselves they shewed their good wills though set on others And when they had woon Ierusalem cried downe with it Psal. 137.7 downe with it even to the ground no lesse would serve And when it was on the ground insulted and rejoiced above measure Remember the children of Edom. This is right the devill 's propertie quarto modo He that hath but the heart of a man will even rue to see his enimie lying in extreme miserie None but very devills or devills incarnate will doe so corrupt their compassion cast of all pitie reioice insult take delight at ones destruction Hell for their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 insulting over men in miserie But will ye go even to the letter None did ever so much mischiefe to David as did Doëg he was an Edomite Nor none so much to the Sonne of David CHRIST none bore more malice to Him first and last then did Herod and he was an Edomite So 1. Sam. 22.9 which way soever we take it next the kingdome of darknesse was Edom upon earth And CHRIST comming from thence may well be said to come from Edom. But what say you to Bozra This that if the countrey of Edom 2 By Bozra do well set before us the whole kingdome of darknesse or region of death Bozra may well stand for Hell it selfe Bozra was the strongest hold of that kingdome Hell is so of this The whole countrey of Idumea was called and knowne by the name of Vz that is of strength And what of such strength as death all the sonnes of men stoope to him Bozra was called the strong citie Hell is as strong as it every way They write Psal 60.9 it was invironed with huge high rockes on all sides one onely cleft to come to it by And when you were in there must you perish no getting out againe For all the world like to hell as Abraham describes it to him that was in it They that would go from this place to you cannot possibly neither can they come from thence to us Luk. 16 26. the gulfe is so great no getting out No habeas corpus from death No habeas animam out of hell you must let that alone for ever Psal. 49.8 Now then have we the Prophet's true Edom his very Bozra indeed By this we understand what they meane Edom the kingdome of darkenesse and death Bozra the seat of the Prince of darkenesse that is Hell it selfe From both which CHRIST this day returned His soule was not left in hell His flesh saw not but rose from corruption Psal. 16.10 For over Edom strong as it was yet David cast his shoo over it that is Psâ—â— 108 9. after the Hebrew phrase set his foot upon it and trod it downe And Bozra as impregnable a Hold as it was holden yet David woon it was ledd into the strong citie ledd into it and came thence againe So did the Sonne of David this day from His Edom death how strong soever yet swallowed up in victorie this day And from Hell 1 Cor 15.54 his Bozra how hard soever it held as he that was in it found there was no getting thence CHRIST is got forth we see How many soules soever were there left His was not left there And when did He this when solutis doloribus inferni He loosed the paines of hell Act 2 24. 1. Cor. 15.55 trod upon the Serpent's head and all to bruised it tooke from death his sting from hell his victorie that is his standard Col. 2.14 alluding to the Romane standard that had in it the image of the Goddesse Victorie Seised upon the Chirographum contra nos the Ragman Roll that made so strong against us tooke it rent it and so rent nailed it to His Crosse made His banner of it of the Law cancelled hanging at it banner-wise Col. 2.15 And having thus spoiled Principalities and Powers He made an open shew of them triumphed over them in semet ipso in his owne person All three are in Col. 2. and triumphantly came thence with the keyes of Edom and Bozra both of hell and of death both at His girdle as He shewes himselfe Apoc. 1. And when was this if ever on this very day On which having made a full and perfect conquest of death and of him that hath the power of death Heb. 2.14 that is the Divell Heb. 2. He rose and returned thence this morning as a mighty Conqueror saying as Debora did in her song O my soule thou hast troden downe strength Iud. 5.21 thou hast marched valiantly And comming backe thus from the
likewise to that end on high within the sancta sanctorum as a faithfull High-Priest for ever to appeare Heb. 2.17 and to make an atonement with GOD for our transgressions Thus there all is well But how shall we do heer if He be gone up on high from us Not a whit worse Ascensor caeli auxiliator saith MOSES Deut. XXXIII XXVI By being there He is the better hable to helpe us to helpe us against our enemies For in that He is on high he hath the vantage of the high ground and so hable to annoy them to strike them downe and lay them flat S. Paul found it yea Act. 9.4 Psal. 11.6 to raine downe fire and brimstone storme and tempest upon them To help us against our wants Wants both temporall for from on high He can send downe a gracious raine vpon His inheritance to refresh it and spirituall for from on high He did send downe the gifts and graces of the Spirit Ver. 9. the dona dedit of this Feast and of this text both Looke to the Text. He is so gone up that our enemies are his captives we shall not need to feare they can go no further then their chaine And though He be gone dona dedit He is ready to supplie us upon our need with all gifts requisite We shall not need to want for no good thing will He withhold from them that have ascensiones in corde Psal. 84.5 that have their hearts upon Him and upon His ascension that lift up their hearts to Him there There is yet one and I keep that for it shall be the last In that He is ascended into heaven Heaven is to be ascended to By the new and living way that is prepared through the veile of His flesh a passage there lieth thither They talke of discoveries Heb. 10.20 and much adoe is made of a new passage found out to this or that place what say you to this discoverie in altum this passage into the land of the living Sure it passes all Psal. 27 1â— And this discoverie is heer and upon this discoverie there is begun a commerce or trade of entercourse between heaven and us The commodities whereof are these gifts we shall after deale with them And a kind of agencie CHRIST being there for us and the Spirit heer for GOD either Agent for other It is the happiest nâ—wes this that ever came to mankind For hominibus for mankind it is He is gone up for that is to be repeated to all three and every of them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 He is gone up on high for men 2 Led captivitie captive for men 3 as well as received gifts for men His going up then is not all for Himselfe some part and that no small part for us For thither He is gone Heb. â— 20 ut Praecursor noster Heb. VI. as our fore-runner or Herbenger Pandens iter ante eos saith the Prophet Mica to make way before us Mica 2 13. To prepare a place and and to hold possession of it in our names saith He Himselfe Till say the Angels as He was seen to go up so shall He likewise be to come downe againe Acts 1.11 Once more to descend it is His last and upon it His last ascending into His high Tribunall-seate there as our favourable Iudge to give us the Ite benedicti Mat 25.34 the immediate warrant for our ascensions And so he shall take our persons thither where He now is in our persons that where He is we may be there also And thus much for His going up on high Now the Manner how He went Ascendit DOMINVS in jubilo II. The 〈◊〉 of His ascending In Iubilee Psal. 47. â— saith the XI VII Psalme a proper and peculiar Psalme for this day For this is the fiftieth day â—nd fifty iâ— the number of the Iâ—bilee We must looke for a Iubilee ever at Pentecost Hâ— went up in Iubilo Now to a Iubilee there got two acts 1 The releasing of Prisoner's one And the new giving or granting estates graâ—is donâ— dedit the other And both are heer In triumph He went up in triumph as a â—oman Victor up to the Capitol as David after his conquest â—p to 〈◊〉 so He to the Capitol in heaven to the Sion that is above the high and holy placâ—s made without hands Now two actus triumphales theâ—e were One Captives led bound before the Chariot 2 The other casting abroad of new coine or as they called them missilia among the multitude And these two are in this This the manâ—er of His going up like the Iewe's Iubilee like the Heathen's â—riumph 1 First then of His valour in His victorie leading His captivitie 2 Then of His bounty in His Triumph dispersing His gifts 1. Leading captivitie captive Of the first Heer is a Captivitie led in triumph A Triumph is not but after a victorie not a victorie but upon a battell and ever a battell presupposeth bâ—stilitie and that some quarrell whereupon it grew His ascension is His triumph His Resurrection His victorie His death His battell His quarrell is hominibus about us men for another captivitie of ours that had happened before this I aske then what was this Captivitie heer Of whom when taken when ledd For taken it must be before it can be ledd in triumph Some interpret it by Satan lay it was by Him and the power of darkenesse Some other that it was Adam and all his progenio and so we are in it too And both say well they and we were taken together For when they were taken captives we that then were in their hand and power as captives to them were taken together with them So both were taken and by CHRIST both but not both alike Both were taken but not both led They were taken and led we are taken and let goe And not let go barely but rewarded with gifts as it is in the Verse Both these are within the compasse of this Psalme To begin with this of the Verse we find it more particularly set downe Colos. II. There Col. 2.15 of the Principalities and powers of hell it is said CHRIST spoiled them made a shew of them triumphed over them in His owne person With these He had battell at His death and then He seemed to lose the fiâ—ld But up againe He got at His Resurrection and then got the day carried the victorie cleare 1 Cor. 15.54 For lo as with a trumpet the Apostle soundeth the victorie Absâ—rpta est mors in victoriâ death is swallowed up in victorie But what was the quarrell That began about us hominibus In every branch we must take in that word For no other quarrell had He but that these whom He leads away captive heer had led us captive away before Psal. 138.8 Esa. 64.8 1. Cor. 6.20 1. Pet. 1.15.19 And the quarrell was just for we wâ—re His twise His 1 His once
former maladies Iâ— the topique medicine as it were the later is the panacea makes them all perfectly 〈◊〉 and sound The first proclamation To the Captive first That there is one at hand with a ransome 〈◊〉 redeeme him This will make him a whole man 1 The first Proclamation â— To them in the dungeon of one to draw them forth thence and make them â—workâ— see the light agine â— To them in chaines of one to strike of their bolts and loose them to open the 〈◊〉 doore and let them goe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to make Apostles of them and send them â—â—road into the wide world It is the fruit of Christ's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christ's Aâ—osâ—â—eship was and is to make such Apostles Now this is nothing but the very summe of the Gospell 1 Of one comming with a ransome in one hand Revel 1.18 to lay downe for us the price of our redemption from Sathâ—nâ— captivitie 2 And with the keyes of hell and death in the other Keyes of two 〈◊〉 One to undoe their fetters and loose them 3 the other to open the dungeon and prison-doore both the dungeon of despaire and the prison of the Law and let 〈◊〉 out of both There can be no better newes nor kindlier physique in the world â— Thâ—â—r â—ord of redemption to captives â— Then to see the light againe to them in the â—imber â— Then of enlargement to them in bands but specially then of a dismission 〈◊〉 prison dungeon irons and all And this is proclaimed heere and publiâ—hed by 〈◊〉 in His Sermon at Nazareth and was after performed and accomplished 〈…〉 at His Passion in Ierusalem 〈◊〉 good newes indeed but heer comes better 2 The second Proclamation It is seconded with another 〈◊〉 that makes up all For in very deed They that by the first proclamatiâ—◠〈…〉 leased for all 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 all that what were they but a sort of poore spâ—kes turned out of the 〈◊〉 but have nothing to take to Comming thither they were tâ—â—ned out of all that 〈◊〉 thâ—y had That their case though it be lesse miserable yâ—t iâ— miserable still the 〈…〉 still hangs upon them We lack sorâ—e 〈…〉 for that He are comes now physique to cure that and make them perfâ—ctly well A second 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that they shall be restored to all that ever they had How so For harke heere is the acceptable yeare that is a Iubilee proclaimed And then even of course they are by force of the Iubilee so to be The 〈◊〉 of the Iubilee was so you know Then not onely all bond sett free all 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 set open but beside all were restored then to their former mortgaged fâ—rfeâ—â—â—d or any waies â—liâ—ned estates in as ample manner as ever they had or held them at any time before A restitution in integrum a re-investing them in what they were borne to or were any waies possessed of that if they had sold themselves out of all and lay in execution for huge summes as it might be ten thousand talents then all was quitt they came to all againe in as good case as ever they were in all their lives There can be no more joyfull newes no more cordiall Physique then this The yeare of Iubilee why that time so acceptable so joyfull as it hath even given a denomination to joy it selfe The height of joy is Iubilee the highest terme to expresse it is jubilate that goes beyond all the words of Ioy whatsoever And this comes well now for the Iubilee of the Law drawing to an end and this very yeare being now the last CHRIST 's Iubilee the Iubilee of the Gospell came fitly to succeed Wherein the primitive estate we had in Paradise we are re-seised of anew Not the same in specie but as good nay better For if for the terrestriall Paradise by the flood destroyed we have a coelestiall we have our owne againe I trow with advantage A yeare it is called to keepe the terme still on foote that formerly it went by Only this difference the yeare there was a definite time but heere a definite is put for an indefinite This yeare is more then twelve moneths In this acceptable yeare the Zodiaque goes never about On this day of Salvation the Sunne never goes downe For in this the Iubilee of the Gospell passeth that of the Law that held but for a year and no longer But this is continuall lasts still Which is plaine in that diverse yeares after this of CHRIST 's the Apostle speakes of it as still in esse Even then makes this proclamation still 2. Cor. 6.2 Behold this is the day Behold now is the acceptable time Whereby we are given to understand that CHRIST 's Iubilee though it began when CHRIST first preached this Sermon yet it ended not with the end of that yeare as did Aaron's but was Evangelium aeternum As also perpetui Iubilai Everlasting good newes of a perpetuall Iubilee Revel 4.6 that doth last and shall last as long as the Gospell shall be preached by himselfe or others sent by him to the end of the world the time of restoring all things Act. 3.21 It is called acceptable by the terme of the benefit that happened on it which was our acceptation For then we and all mankind were made not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is acceptable but aâ— the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is actually accepted or received by GOD. Out of whose presence we were before cast And being by Him so received we did ourselves receive againe the earnest of our inheritance from which by meanes of the transgression Ephes. 1.4 we were before fallen There is much in this terme accepting For when is one said to be accepted Not when His ransoâ—e is paid or the prison sett open not when he is pardoned his fault or reconciled to become friends but when he is received with armes spread as was the lost child in the Gospell ad stolam primam as the terme is out of that place Three dâ—grees there are in it Luc. 15.20.22 1 Accepted to pardon that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Accepted to reconciliattion that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and further 1 Accepted to repropitiation that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to as good grâ—ce and favour as ever even in the very fulnesse of it They shew it by three 〈◊〉 â—â—grees in Absalon's receiving â— Sam. 13.39.14 â—â— â— Pardoned he was while he was yet in Geshur â— Recâ—â—ciled when he had leave to come home to his owne house 3 Repropitiate when 〈…〉 to the King's presence and kissed him That made up all â—hen he 〈…〉 And that is our very case 〈…〉 that is not all It is more than so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 heer is in the Text of Esai 〈…〉 that imports more For that word is ever turned by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that is 〈…〉 owne