being past reached him vnto posteritie how not obscurely and darkely as Moyses that had a vaile before his face and without coÌ„ceite and vnderstanding as vnto the Iewes who had a vaile before their harts but after the vaile of the Temple was rente in sunder painefully with diligence for they preached in season and out of season as Paule to Timot. 2.4.2 plainely without eÌ„loquence as the spirit gaue them vtterance acts 2.4 and powerfully by heauenly influence for it was not they that spake but the holy ghost that spake in them Math. 10.20 As Christ himselfe preached with power and not as the scribes coÌ„manding as it were the hearts of men to yeeld reuerence and obedience to the Gospell and conuerting manie soules at once vnto Christ And finally to conclude to whoÌ„e was he preached by them euen vnto the Gentiles new preachers deliuering an vncouth doctrine to a strange people to whom they were sent as Ambassadours to a nation farre off by our sauiour their Master to carrie with blessed feete the glad tidinges of the Gospell and not to one nation for their charter commission was larger being commanded to teach all nations baptising them in the name of the father c. Being the Apostles and messengers of God promising profering grace and truth to all languages degrees sexes callinges and conditions vnder the sun being those seruants which were sent forth by the king as is signified in the parable Math 22. and Luke 14. which made a mariage dinner for his sonne to call those that were bidden who because the vnworthie Iewes which were first inuited neglected dissolutely and refused stubbornly to come were coÌ„manded to go out quicly into the high places and streetes of the cittie and to bringe in the poore maimed the halt and the blind and yet there being roome to go out into the high waies and hedges euen to al outlandish and forreigne regions countries and prouinces of the outcast despised GeÌ„tiles poore in mind for the want of the riches of Gods grace maimed and halte in their soules for lacke of the integritie of good life blind in their hartes for want of the light of the truth to compel them by the force of their commission by the power of their preaching by the efficacie of the word of the gospell to come vnto the wedding of Christ Iesus vnto his spouse the Church as the guestes of the bridegrom and frends of the bride as the Apostles themselues perfourming that in practise which our sauiour by the purport of the parable did prophesie should come to passe when as the Iewes being moued with indignation thereat did forsake them and betake themselues to the Gentiles did reÌ„der this reason of this their doing saying It was necessarie that first the word of God should haue beene spoken vnto you but seeing you putte it from you and iudge your selues vnworthy of euerlasting life loe we turne to the GeÌ„tiles Act. 13.4.6 As it was oftentimes before tould vnto the Iewes euen to their teeth As first by the Baptist That God would of the stonie harted Gentiles raise vp children vnto Abraham Math. 3.9 And that the haughtie hills that the loftie minded Iewes which bare themselues bould of their mount Synai where their law was giuen of their mounte Sion where their temple was builded and where the Lord promised his blessing for euer more should be brought to lowe vallies that is the huÌ„ble harted Gentiles that liued in the vallie of the shadowe of death should be exalted that the crooked affections should be streÌ„gthned by the line leuill of the gospell and their rough waies that is their â—ude and barbarous life should be smoâ—hed by the plainer of the word of God and finally that all fleash that is all men and all manner of men of what natioÌ„ language degree age calling and condition whatsoeuer should see the saluation of God And this the Propheticall EuaÌ„gelist but of the Euangelicall Prophet Iohn out of Esaie 40.3 And secondly by our Sauiour Math. 8.11.22 But I say vnto you that maâ—ie shall come from the East West and shall sit downe with Abraham Isaach and Iacob in the kingedome of heauen and the children of the kingdome shal be cast out into vtter darkenesse And againe Math. 24.43 I say vnto you that the kingdome of God shall be taken from you and shal be giuen to a nation that shall bringe forth the fruites thereof And finally by Paule who in the 11. to the Romans telleth the Romaine Iewes or Iewish Romans that the natural oliues meaning the Iewes were cut of and the vile oliues euen the Gentiles were grafted in their stead and that the election of the one was the reiection of the other the calling of the one the casting away of the other the conuersion of the one the subuersion of the other the ruine of the Iewes being the riches of the world and their diminishing the riches of the Gentiles the one proceeding froÌ„ the seueritie the other from the bountifulnesse of God as the Apostle amplifieth at large in the same chap. Whereby it is come to passe at this day to apply it in a word vnto ourselues because we haue beene ouer longe in this pointe that we which dwelt sometimes in darkenesse blundred in blindnesse and groped at noone daie were the furthest from the sunshine of the Gospel haue bin made partakers of the gratious and glorious light thereof So that of vs that of the Prophet Esaie 9.3 and the Euang Math. 4.16 The people which satte in darkenesse and in the shadow of death haue seene a greate light and to them that sitte in the region and shadowe of death a greate light is risen vp may seeme to be most truely verified Our dutie to coÌ„clude being this to labour by all meanes possible to keepe and continue still amongst vs this lampe and lanthorne of light which Christ the light and life of the world hath vouchsafed to bestowe vpon vs by his blessed appearance least that happelie or rather vnhappelie happen vnto vs which God threatneth to the Angell and the Church of Ephesus Apo. 2.5 Euen a remouing of the Candlesticke of his Church from vs and an extingushing of his word from amongst vs and in turning the congregation of Christ in to the sinagogue of Antichrist or the changing of the consolation of our saluation into the abomination of desolation but it followeth in the texte Beleeued in the world Marueile was it and noe doute a great meruaile that God manifested in the flesh with the other misteries appertaining thereunto should be preached by such silly ministers in so simple manner to such sinfull men yet far more maruelous is it that the same preaching should not only take such place as that it should be receaued with such regard and reuerence but also be so harboured in there hartes that it should be embraced with credence and coÌ„fidence for of all those marueiles which are found
curse and death as first condemnation for so the Apostle By the offence of one the fault came on all men vnto cōdemnation Rom. 5.18 Secondly curse for as saith the same Apostle out of Deut. 27.26 Cursed is euerie man that continueth not in all things which are written in the booke of the Lawe to doe them Gal. 3.10 Thirdly death for according to the commination of the law whosoeuer shall not performe euerie iote and tittle of the lawe shall die the death and the conclusion of our Apostle The wages of sinne is death Rom. 6. And the last with condemnation curse and death not temporall or for a time but perpetuall and for euer because man himselfe was neuer able to beare and abide as the Lord himselfe knew who seeth all his frailties and infirmities and yet it being necessarie that man hauing sinned man should suffer for that the sentence of condemnation should not be reuersed nor curse of the lawe reuoked nor the doome of death redeemed but that one must needes die for the people and one for all and not that man alone as being sufficient because all men had trāns gressed nor a beast being too base to satisfie for so great and so manie trespasses nor an Angell as being too weake for such a punishment and passion It pleased God the Father of his gratious goodnesse to send downe his onely begotten sonne out of his owne bosome and it liked also Christ himselfe the sonne of God yea God of God light of light verie God of verie God of his owne intire loue to vouchsafe to discend downe from the highest heauen vpon the earth and to be incarnate incorporate and compassed about with our claiey mould to take vpon him our vile and seruile nature and to be manifested vnto the world in our weake fraile and wretched flesh and to be borne of a silly simple and sinfull woman to performe for man all obedience and to reforme his disobedience to ransome sinne and redeeme his transgression by his body to saue our soules and by his owne death to purchase our liues by his owne crucifying to take away our curse by his owne condemnation to obtaine a common saluation and by his owne sacrifice to make a generall satisfaction for all other vnto God his father O magna gratia magna dignatio And this is that great wonderfull mystery which is so notably set out by the Euangelists in the Gospell which when we consider our spirite must needes be rauished our senses benummed our Witts captiuated and all our outward and inward parts and powers to be astonished that the word should be come fleash Iohn 1.14 and to be made of the seede of Dauid according to the fleash Rom. 1.3 and being in the fourme of God and thinking it noe robberie to be equall with God should make himselfe of no reputation and take vpon him the fourme of a seruant and be made like vnto men and be formed in shape of a man Phil. 2.6.7 which is such a misterie that I may vse Austin words in an other matter Yet fitly applied to this purpose Vt altitudine ipsa rerum superbos terreat profunditate attē tos teneat veritate magnos pascat vtilitate paruulos nutriat in his 5. lib Genesi ad Lite Chapit 3. that with the depth thereof it terrifieth the arrogant which thinke they can conceiue all thinges with the hardnesse thereof it will make men attentiue and studious which otherwise would be idle and negligent and with the truth thereof will exercise the most perfit and able which thinke all matters easie and plaine and lastly with the pressire and fruitfulnesse thereof will nourish the simplier sorte which like younge sucklinges can hardly brooke anie stronge meates and not onely such a misterie but such a greate misterie as what could be greater saith the same Father that a virgin should cōceaue a sonne without the seede of man What greater then that God should be borne of a woman and what finally greater then this that she that confesseth herselfe a lowly handmaid should become the mother of her owne maker Where vpon Austin saieth vpon the Magnificat Misterium incarnationis verbi super omnia constat esse ineffabile Wherein are not only manie but also greate miracles as that a virgin should become a mother God a man Greate miracles and the Creatour a Creature that truth should come out from the Earth that Righteousnesse should looke downe from Heauen that maiestie shuld take vpon it Humilitie that he that is the Auncient of daies and was for euer before all daies and created euery day should be borne in a daie to deliuer vs from the euill of euerie day that he by his birth should bestow vpon his mother the gifte of fruitfulnes yet not take away from her the vertue of virginitie that he that in the beginning of the world made the first Adā according to his own Image and similitude should make himselfe afterwards in the ending of the world according to our similitude and likenesse descending downe vnto vs by that which he tooke of ours deliuering vs by that which remained in himselfe conceiued by the holy Ghost not of the substance but by the power thereof not by generation but by benediction Finally not by propagation but by sanctification and his Mother conceauing him not by man but by God not by seede but by the spirit not by humaine meanes but by the ouer shadowing of the most highest So that as he was borne without Carnall copulation so was he brought forth with out mortall corruption And as he was first borne of his Father before al worldes without a mother and did create the world so secondly was he borne of his mother in the world without a father that he might consecrate by his deuine Maiestie inuisible by his humaine birth visible in them both wonderfull of the one as impossible to be expressed the Prophet saith And who shall declare his generation Esaie 53. Of the other as necessarie to be knowne and credible to be beleeued The Euangelist And the birth of Christ Iesus was after this māner Math 1. Before he was borne abiding in the bosome of his father and yet filling the wombe of his mother in the time of his birth the euerlasting Father in heauen and yet a Young infant vpon the Earth after birth a light shining in the world as Iohn and yet dwelling in the light that cannot be attained vnto as Paule of which his birth and of the manner and ende thereof Austin hath these sweete words Vt Sponsus processit de thalamo suo vt gigas exultauit ad currendam viam speciosus vt sponsus fortis vt gigas amabilis et terribilis serenus seuerus pulcher bonis asper malis that is he went forth as a bridegrome c. Which manner of his bringing forth was farre more strāg then any other birthes of mankind that were before then that first of
Ioh. 3.5 Except a man be borne of water and the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdome of heauen Where the latter word spirit is put 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and expoundeth what should be meant by water going before The spirit being like vnto water not onely in mollifying and resoluing our obstinate hearts and making them of hard soft and of stone fleshie but also in purging and purifying both our bodies and our soules from the contagion contamination of all worldly wickednesse As it is likewise represented by diuers other things in sundrie other places of the Scriptures but to nothing more commonly and fitly then to an ointment As Psal 45.7 God euen thy God hath annointed thee with the oyle of gladnesse aboue thy fellowes First in type of Salomon Secondly in truth of our Sauiour Psal 92.9 I am annointed with fresh oyle Dauid of himselfe Esay 61.1 The spirit of the Lord is vpon me because he hath annointed me repeated of Christ and applied to himselfe Luk. 4.18 Dan. 9.24 The annointing of the most holy or holy annointing meaning our Sauiour Messias or Christ annointed who therefore is called Messias in the Hebrew and Christ in the Greeke which signifieth nothing els but annointed Likewise Acts 10.38 where Peter saith That God annointed Iesus of Nazareth with the holy Ghost and 2. Cor. 1.21 where Paul certifieth the Corinthians that God had established them togither with him in Christ and had annointed them and least they should doubt with what he afterwards declareth in the verse following 22. euen the spirit with which they were sealed and whose earnest they had receiued in their hearts And so finally in this place and in the 27. verse of this Chapter where the holy Ghost is twise tearmed togither the Annointing by our Apostle when he saith But the annointing which ye receiued of him dwelleth in you and ye neede not that any man teach you but as the same annointing teacheth you of all things which as it is most commonly cōpared vnto and called by the name of an ointment so hath it the nature of an ointment and expresseth all the qualities properties and effects of an ointment That as materiall annointing hath these six vses Six vses of ointment 1 to prepare the body to fight 2 to refresh 3 to heale 4 to cause a cheerefull countenance 5 to make vs sweete smelling 6 to consecrate Kings Priests and Prophets So this our spirituall ointment to be as profitable to so manie ends and purposes Simile as first euen as wrastlers champions and martialists that giue themselues to valerous and venturous exercises of the body before they come into the Lists to trie the maisterie or to performe the combate or fight are woont before to annoint their bodies all ouer to supple their ioints and to soften their sinewes to make them apte and able to shew forth such feates of armes and actiuitie as are expected at their hands as was the custome in the olde grecian Olympian games and the late Romaine Circenses ludi and therefore as they were tearmed Athletae of their striuing so were they called Alyptae of their annointing So the souldiers of Christs campe his Church that weare and beare his badge his crosse and fight vnder his banner his gospell that are daily to wrastle by temptations with the common enemies of the elect and faithfull not flesh and bloud but powers principalities and worldly gouernours in heauenly places Sinne death hell Satan with all their complices and adherents in the field of this world being annointed with this ointment neede no other coate-armour nor compleate harnesse to defend themselues with for hauing this they are rightly garnished with all the gifts and graces of the holy ghost and are fully furnished with that perfect Panoply of proofe which Paul commendeth to all Christians Eph. 6.12 c. Euen the helmet of saluation the breast-plate of righteousnesse the girdle of veritie the showes of the preparation of the Gospell the shield of faith and the sword of the spirit The prophane Poets prate much of their hellish riuer Stix that whosoeuer is drēcht or dipt in the same his body as plated with steele is so surely fenced that neither the force of fire nor sword could any wise hurt or harme it As they report of their Achilles whom they affirme thereby to be made impregnable and inuincible which is indeed but a fabulous fiction and a shadowe of this vndoubted true and certaine effect of this diuine ointment that whose soule soeuer shal be annointed herewith shall be so safe and sure from all diuelish temptations suggestions and prouocations that Satan notwithstanding all his Machines and methodies that I may vse the verie wordes of the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and maugre all his power and policie with all his firie dartes shall not be able to fasten one wound or venue vpon him without the which our Sauiour himselfe euen the Prince and captaine of our saluation had not been sufficiently armed to haue withstood the fierce assaults of the temptour our graund enemy in that his Monomachie or single combate which hee had with him in the wildernesse For then and not before as saith the Euangelist Luk. 4.22 returned Iesus from Iordan when the holy ghost was come downe in a bodily shape vpon him like a Doue and 4.1 was led by the spirit into the wildernesse when as he was full of the holy Ghost Secondly The 2. vse Simile as common ointment doth relieue refresh and reuiue the bodies of men that are ouerwrought and ouerwearied with worke for-swat and for-swunck with labour finally toiled and turmoiled with ouermuch trauell So doth this extraordinarie ointment of the holy Ghost coole and comfort the elect and faithfull in this life aster we haue been tormented with the troubles and tribulations of this world scorched with the parching heate of persecution and singed or rather burnt in the fire and furnace of affliction with which the three children in the middest of Nabuchodonosors furnace were so preserued Dan. 27. that their garments were not scorched their skinnes not touched nor the haire of their heads so much as singed notwithstanding the infinit heate thereof And with which Iohn the Euangelist was so protected Iohn the Euangelist Ante portam latinā that when he was cast into an hot boiling cauldron of scalding oyle by the commandement of Domitian before the Latine gate of Rome he came foorth safe and sound without any hurt or harme at all of his body the same indeed being of greater force in this respect then the Nasturcium of the Persians The Persians Nasturcium wherewith they were wont to recreate themselues againe after that in their long hunting they were welny faint with labour and famisht with hunger which by the way I take to be a more precious and soueraigne plant then our common Cresses although it be vulgarly deemed the same Of more vertue then