goodnesse teaching vs 1. To be afraid to sinne 2. Neuer to desp of Gods goodn 3. To imitate God in each one of the seauen forenamed points 3. By his iustice and that 1. Negatiuely not making the wicked innocent 2. Positiuely by visiting of the sins of the wicked 1. Vpon themselues 2. Vpon their children where is distinguished of 1. Parents 2. Sinnes 3. Children 4. Punishments This Treatise containeth 1. An Introduction of the excellency of the knowledge of Iesus C. wher is shewed that 1. his life is our chiefest direct 2. himselfe our onely consolatiō 2. An explication of that great mystery of the Incarnation of the Word where is handled 1. Who was made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where is shewed 1. That there can be but one God and yet that there are three persons in the vnity of that one essence how these three persons are distinguished 1. By their personal actions 1. outward which are 1. Communic 2. Transcient 3. Voluntary 2. Inward which are 1. Permanent 2. Necessary 3. Incommunicable 2. By their nominall relation Father Son and Holy Ghost And that the person made is the second person of the blessed Trinitie To his father 1. Co-eternall 2. Co-essentiall 3. Co-equall And this is fully proued all obict plainely answered and from thence shewed 1. The greatnesse of Gods loue 2. The craftinesse of Satan 3. The peruersnes of hereticks 4. The vnthankfulnes of men 2. Three especiall things touching the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viz. 1. What 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth i. e. the Word 2. Why Christ is tearmed the Word 3. Why the Euangelist vseth this word 1. Because this name of Christ was best knowne to the Iewes and to the Gentiles 2. Because it was the fit st word that he could vse to make way for his subsequent discourse 3. The impulsiue and the finall causes of the Words incarnation and the reasons why the Word rather then the Father or the holy Ghost was to be incarnate 2. What he was made flesh where is shewed 1. The manner of his conception the reasons and the end thereof 2. The matter that hee assumed 1. All our humane nature i. e. body and soule 2. All our humane frailties both of body and soule sinne onely excepted And here is shewed many excellent lessons that we ought to learne in respect 1. Of God 2. Of Christ 3. Of our selues 3. How the Word was made flesh or how the two natures diuine and humane doe make but one person in Christ where is shewed 1. The distinction of the two natures diuine and humane that they doe still remaine intire and inconfused is fully proued and the chiefest obiections made to the contrary are plainly answered 2. The vnion of the two natures in one personis explained and 1. The confirmatiō of the truth of this point is shewed and the greatest obie made against it are sufficiently answered 2. The manner of this vnion wherein it consisteth is expressed viz. 1. Not as the Arrians say onely in respect of 1. Cohabitation 2. Will and affection 3. Co-operation 4. Participation of his names and dignities vnto the manhood 2. But in the communicating of the subsistence of the Word with the subsistence of the manhood where is shewed that this vnion is 1. Inconuertible 2. Indiuisible 3. Inconfused 4. Inseperable 5. Substantiall 6. Ineffable 3. The chiefest benefits effects of the said vnion is shewed and that 1. In respect of Christ which are 1. An exēpt from all sin 2. A collation of ineffable graces into the manhood of Christ 3. A communication of the properties of each nature to the person of Ch. Where the obiection of the vbiquit indeuouring to proue the manhood inuested with Diuine properties are fully answered 2. In resp of vs viz our vnion and reconciliation with God all the happinesse we haue in this life or doe looke for in the life to come This Treatise containeth 1 An introduction of the meditation of Christ his death which is 1. Acceptable vnto God 2. Profitable for vs. 1. To hinder sinne 2. To kindle our charity 3. To erect our hope 2. A declaration of the passion of Christ wherein is handled 4. 1. The person suffering which was 1. A Man 2. A iust Man 3. A good Man 4. A King 5. A Priest 6. A Prophet 7. A God whereis shewed who are subiect to most affliction 2. The sufferings of Christ 1. In the garden of Gethsemane 1. Alone where is shewed 1. How the affections of Christ differ from ours in respect of the 1. Obiect 2. Maner 3. Effects 2. The cause of his agony in respect of 1. obiect 2. subiect where is †Explained 1. What might grieue Christ 1. In respect of himselfe 1. The greatnesse of his paine and shame 2. The deferring of his death and punishment 2. In respect of others 1. Small account he saw they would make of his death 2. The greatnesse of their punishment which hee knew they must suffer for that their neglect 2. What Christ might feare 1. The waight of sinne 2 The malice of Satan 3 The wrath of God 2 By others where is shewed 1. The treason of Iudas where is shewed 1. what Christ had done for Iudas 2. why Iudas betrayed Christ 3. how Iudas betrayed him 2. The flight of all the followers of Christ 3. The taking and binding of Iesus Christ 2. Before his Iudges viz. 1. Before Annas where 1. He is examined 1. Of his Disciples 2. Of his Doctrine 2. he is strucken by the hie P. ser 3. he is denied by his stoutest Ap. 2. Before Pilate the first time where hee is accused 1. Of impiety against God 2. Of treaso against Caesar 3. Before Herod where the mystery of cloathing Christ in white is explained 4. Before Pilate the 2. time where his scourging crowning with thorns c. is expressed 3. In Golgotha where is expressed 1. Those things that he suffered on the Cros 1. An accursed 2. A shamefull 3. A painefull 4. a lingring D where also is shewed the generality of his suffering 2. The 7. gracious words that he vttered many other speciall obseruat full of comfort 3. The necessity of Christ his sufferings in respect of the causes viz. 1. Instrumentall 1. The enuy of Satan 2. The malice of the Iewes 3. The couetousnesse of Iudas 4. The desire of the multitude 2. Efficient God himselfe for our sinnes out of the loue he bare to man 3. Finall 1. In resp of men 1 To saue the Elect by the vertue of his death 2. To make the wicked without excuse for neglecting his death 2. In resp of God for the glory of his blessed N. where is shewed that this should teach vs 1. To compassionate his death 2. To make vs thankefull for so great a benefit 3. To cause vs to loue him aboue all things in the world 4. To make vs ready to suffer any thing with him and for his sake 4. The
15 qud quad 19 Aetneum Aetnaeum 41 num nun◠124 seeing being 196 prestare praestare 438 Hillarius Hilarius 690 Psal pag. 695 Blando Blanda And some other mis-quotations which for want of the copie I cannot directly amend The first golden Candlesticke HOLDING The first greatest light of Christian RELIGION Of the misery of MAN ROMANS 6.23 The reward of sinne is death EVery man saith holy Iob is borne to labour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yea necessitie enioyneth all mortall men to labour saith Euripides and euery labourer is induced saith Hugo Cardinalis to performe his worke with alacritie vpon the assured hope of iust reward and therefore the law required that no man should detaine the hyre of the Labourer vntill the morning but as soone as euer hee had done his worke Leuit. 19.13 to pay him his wages because as our Sauiour saith the Labourer is worthy of his hyre and we finde that according as the payment is Luc. 10.7 good or bad so are the Labourers willing or vnwilling to doe their worke for good and present payment makes a painefull and a cheerefull agent Now here the Apostle setteth downe a worke performed and the wages thereof not onely iustly deserued but also presently discharged the reward of sinne is death and in what day thou sinnest Gen. 2.17 in that day thou shalt die the death saith the Lord few words but full of matter Sinne and Death the two most common things vpon the face of the earth for all men sinned except Christ himselfe and all men died except Enoch and Elias and yet two of the most lamentable and most fearefull things in the world for what is more lamentable then sinne or what is more terrible then death Iudges 15.4.5 and yet as Sampsons Foxes were tyed together by the tayles and carried firebrands betwixt them to destroy all the Corne of the Philistimes so here sinne and death are indissolubly linked together with vnquenchable firebrands betwixt them to deuoure all the whole race of mankinde for the reward of sinne is death But I must seuer them for a time to examine these murtherers of men that all wee may hate them if we cannot shunne them and therefore according to the number of the words of this text The diuision of the Text. stipendium peccati mors I desire you to obserue the parts of this tragedie three words three parts 1 the worke performed Sinne. 2 the payment rendred Death 3 the equitie shewed the wages of sin is death All which well considered will shew vnto vs all the most wofull state and the manifold miseries of poore distressed miserable man CHAP. I. Of Originall sinne The first Part. and how the same is deriued from the Parents vnto the Children Of the worke that is done i. e. Sinne. HEre you see sinne is the roote of death and death is the fruit of sinne Sower must be the roote when the fruit doth proue so bitter and sinne must needes bee execrable when as death is a thing so lamentable and therfore sinne makes me quake to thinke of it and death should make you tremble to consider of it because death is the wages of sinne And sinne is either 1 originall Sinne is twofold 2 actuall the first is traduced vnto vs from Adam the second is daily committed by our selues For the first In what day thou eatest of the tree of knowledge of good and euill thou shalt die the death saith the Lord vnto Adam but you may eate Gen. 2.17 and you shall not die at all saith the Diuell vnto Euah she beleeued the Diuell and the man obayed his wife and so both would needes eate and therefore God cannot be true or else man must needes die and he must iustly die because he did vniustly eate i. Of Originall sinne Rom. 5.12 Here was the sinne committed by one and from him it was deriued vnto all for by one man sinne entred into the world and sinne went ouer all and spread it selfe like that far-spreading tree which Olympias dreamt shee bare or like a vile gangrene ouer all the face of the whole earth and corrupted all the race of mankinde for it is a schoole-point most infallible that Adam now stood not as a priuate person or as one particular man but as the roote of all the branches and as bearing in his person the nature of all mankinde And therefore if he had stood we had all stood Heb. 7.9 but as Abraham paying tythes Leui paid tythes in Abraham so Adam sinning we haue all sinned in Adam Et omnes peccauimus in isto vno homine quia omnes eramus iste vnus homo And wee haue all sinned in that one man because we all were that one man saith Saint Augustine And so both himselfe and wee all The dammage that we receiue by Adams fall is two-fold 1. A depriuation of all goodnesse doe by this fact of Adam receiue a double dammage 1. A depriuation of all our originall goodnesse the image of God in vs and the loue of God towards vs and therefore if at the losse of earthly treasures we shew our selues so much grieued O then how should our soules for the amission of such heauenly graces be continually perplexed vntill wee see the same once againe restored 2. An habituall naturall pronenesse to all kinde of wickednesse 1. A pronesse to all wickednesse and to commit sinne euen with greedinesse In respect of the first we are altogether vnable to doe any good for who can bring a cleane thing out of that which is vncleane how can wee being voide of grace bring forth any fruits of goodnesse and In respect of the second wee are naturally inclined to all kinde of euill like a stone tumbling downe a hill that can neuer stay it selfe vntill it come to the bottome So Medea saith Video meliora proboque deteriora sequor Though I see the good yet am I naturally driuen to doe that which is euill for our whole nature being defiled we are wholly inclined to fall from one wickednesse vnto another as the Psalmist speaketh And in respect of both these wee are said to bee conceiued in sinne borne in iniquiitie destitute of grace void of goodnesse nothing but flesh full of corruption children of darkenesse sonnes of wrath heyres of damnation slaues of death for the reward of sinne is death But here it may be questioned and it is not easily to be resolued how originall corruption is traduced from the Parents into the Children The question is not of the verity of the matter for it is plaine Ezech. 18. that our Fathers haue eaten sowre grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge and euery one may truely say with the Prophet Psal 51.5 in sinne my Mother hath conceiued me but it is of the Mystery of the manner Iohn 3.9 as Nicodemus said to Christ how can these things be for How originall sinne
737 TI. No time mispent that is spent to know the person of Christ 305 Christ how made in time 400 Of the time when Christ was borne ibid. How time hath his fulnesse 401 The particular time of the words incarnation 402. Titillation and thoughts of sinne is sinne 14 TO Torments of Hell how intollerable 86 Not equall to all the damned 93 Not suffered by Christ 581 TR. That we doe not traduce sinnes from our parents 246 Transubstantiation hath a double contradiction 173 How full of absurdities ibid. Defenders of Transubstantiation how agreeable to the false prophets whereof our Sauiour biddeth vs to beware 548 What the Author thinketh of Transubstantiation 549 Treason of Iudas what it should teach vs. 463 Mysterie of the Trinity why not fully reuealed at the first 272 How darkly shewed in the creatures 273 Trismegistus what he said of the word 312 Morall truth what it is 312 Truth in vs not as it is in God ibid. Physicall truth what it is ibid. God is truth two wayes 213 All truths how they doe proceed 213 Truth of things of vnderstanding of words 213 214 Diuine truth measureth all things 214 Expressed truth is two-fold 215 Truth how excellent it is ibid. How like the light 215 How it expelleth errors ibid. Sheweth what euery thing is ibid. How it begets vs to God 216 God true in himselfe in his workes and in his words 216 The primarie expressed truth contained in the holy Scriptures 215 Truth to be sought whatsoeuer it cost 217 To be defended with the losse of all that we haue 217 How alwayes handled on earth ibid. How at last it will preuaile 218 How euery truth proceedes from God 222 How God loueth it ibid. How it should be alwayes spoken 222 231 How hardly found in these dayes 222 231 Truth makes vs like to God 231 Truth and iustice how they pleaded against man 319 TV. To turne from sinne turnes away all the wrath of God 195 TW Twelue apparitions of Christ after his resurrection 565 Twelue wonders in the Manna of the Israelites 703 Two things further the sinnes of the parents to continue in the children 246 Two-fold will in Christ 296 Two sorts of Mediators 296 Two reasons shewing why Christ was made flesh 320 Two things to be done for man before he could be saued 321 Two things to be considered touching the conception of Christ 333 Two signes of a true Teacher 466 Two reasons moued Pilate to condemne Christ 478 That there is a two fold hope 649 Two kindes of prayer 700 TY. Giuing of Canaan to the Israelites a type of giuing heauen to vs. 127 The three women seeking Christ a type of the Church 519 520 Typicall testimonies that Christ should rise the third day 554 To liue vnder the tyrannie of sinne how lamentable it is 635 VA. VAnities of the world how soone they passe away 129 Christ despised all vanities 260 Vaine-glory how it tainteth many of the Clergy 525 Valentinus his heresie 343 VB Vbiquity cannot be communicated to any creature 156 Vbiquitie of Christ his body ouerthrowne by the assertion of the Angell 543 Obiections of the Vbiquitaries answered 168 388 VE Veniall sinnes or the least sinnes bring death 41 Vertue is of an admirable beauty 47 Christ a patterne of all vertue 260 VJ. Victory of Christ ouer Hell Death Sinne and Satan 634 Villanies of Satan to be shewed and why 392 Villanies done to Christ not paralelled since the world began 474 Vineger how giuen to Christ to drinke 482 Christ why borne of a Virgin 334 The blessed Virgin still continued a Virgin to her death 336 Visitation of God two-fold 243 To visite what it signifieth 243 God visiteth the afflicted ibid. God visiteth the wicked 244 VN Vnderstanding of Adam in Paradise how excellent 57 58. Our Vnderstanding now how darkened through sinne 58 How quicke and sharpe in naturall things 59 How blockish in all Diuine mysteries ibid. Our vnderstanding of God very small 121 Vnion of Christ his natures expressed by a simily of Iustin Martyr 371 Wherin the Nestorian heretickes auouched the same to consist 375 Wherein the Lutherans affirmed it to consist 377 Wherein it doth truely consist 378 Vnion of the two natures inconuertible indiuisible c. 379 Vnion of things three wayes made 380 Vnion of Christ his natures substantiall 381 Ineffable ibid. What benefits it bringeth 282 283 c. We must be vnited to Christ if we will ascend to Heauen 627 Vnity of brethren 689 Want of vnity amongst vs. 691 Vnrepentant sinners shall neuer be absolued 242 VO Voice of the creature three-fold 705 WA WAight of sinne feared by Christ 545 Christ how he walked vpon the waters 388 Warre how lawfull 702 All wants supplied by Christ 262 Way to Heauen how said to be hard 98 And how easie 99 Three wayes of knowing God 120 Three wayes of expressing what God is Wayes of wickednes how hard and difficult 99 121 Best way to teach is to lay a good foundation 392 Way to saue man could neuer haue beene found but onely by the wisdome of God 393 WE Wealth what discommoditie it bringerh 524 WH White clothing of Christ what it signified 473 White an argument of innocency 478 WI. Wicked men delight in committing sinne 36 They are greedy to doe it ibid. And they haue their full content when they haue done it ibid. How they should be afraid to offend Gods power 179 They haue no part in the speciall mercy of God 188 Wicked men not loued of God 189 They are with held from many sinnes by the goodnesse of God 200 To giue vnto the wicked power to serue God God is no waies to doe it 210 The wickednesse of professors of the truth ought no waies to disparage the truth of God 219 220 The wicked how they abuse Gods goodnesse 22â— How punished in their children 245 That they shall be punished 244 Not euery sinne of the wicked is visited vpon their children 247 The wicked how they doe deceiue themselues 517 How it hapneth that they seeke not God 5â—1 How they are terrified and punished by the Angels 536 How they are said to ascend 6â—0 How still captiues vnto Satan 635 Wife of Pilate how she iustified Christ 475 Will of God reuealed in our consciences and in the scriptures 11 Wilfull sinners 33 How fearefull is their state ibid. They can pleade no excuse ibid. The will commandeth all the faculties of the soule 53 Will to sinne deserueth the punishment of sinne 55 Our will cannot be compelled by Sathan nor by any other outward enemie 55 57 Our owne will is the cause of all our woe 55 How our will to doe good is quite killed by sinne 56 It is drawne to sinne by our owne corruption 57 How it is guided by the iudgement 57 How we may be said to haue free-will 57 To will to sinne euer is a temporarie act 97 God cannot will things contrarie to his nature 153 To will a thing we
grosse ignorance and the memory with sottish forgetfulnesse so that now wee will indirectly wee iudge darkely and wee remember nothing that is heauenly Hence it comes to passe How our soules are fuller of diseases then our bodies that our bodies are not so subiect to diseases as our soules be to sinnes for pride is the soules tympany when it doth turgescerefastu waxe big and swell through the distaine of others enuie is the worme that gnaweth at the heart then which it is most certaine that Siculi non inuenere tyranui tormentum maius The Sicilian Tyrants did neuer feele a more fearefull torment and wrath is a plurisie that will not be appeased without blood for of the raging man it is most truely said Mad that his poyson cannot others kill He drinkes it off himselfe himselfe to spill And therefore of all the men in the world we are aduised to keepe no company with an angry furious man but as the Poet saith Dum furor in cursu currenti cede furori Ouidius lib. 1. de rem amor Difficiles aditus impetus omnis habet To turne aside from euery furious wight Cause fury will haue passage in despight And Lust is the soules feauer the flames thereof are the flames of fire and the waters thereof are aqua 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the waters of folly and madnesse And in this How the sickenesse of the soule is worse then the sickenesse of the body the sicknesse of the soule doth exceed all the sicknesse of the body for the body hath some respite from its sickenesse but the soule hath none from sinne and euery sicknesse of the body kils it not but euery sinne slayeth the soule for the reward of sinne that is of euery sinne is death saith the Apostle And hence likewise in my iudgement that branch of Pellagianisme taught also by Lactantius that the light of Nature if it were well vsed might make way for Diuine instruction may bee sufficiently confuted for though they teach that man by sinne hath not quite killed his soule but wounded the same like the man that fell among theeues and was left halfe aliue and therefore might Lactan diuin iustit c. 5. That Nature though neuer so well vsed cannot procure the gifts of grace Ephes 2.1.5 Coloss 2.13 saith Lactantius come to the same doctrine that we doe follow Si quae natura ducente sanserunt defendissent If they had constantly maintained those things which Nature taught them yet the Apostle saith here that sinne brings death vnto the Sinner and if death then sure there was no life i. e. no life of Grace in him And so in many other places the Apostle sheweth as much for he saith that we were dead in trespasses and sinnes and that God hath quickned vs by Iesus Christ And therefore it is apparently plaine that at the beginning of our conuersion we are altogether passiue and haue no power in the world to releeue our selues vntill grace hath quickened our soules Ob. But against this it may be obiected that the Apostle saith the Gentiles knew God Rom. 1.21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so much as might be knowne concerning God that is his eternall power and God-head when they considered him in his workes and therefore the light of Nature was not quite extinguished in them Sol. That sinne extinguished all knowledge of God but what God reuealeth to man I answere that this knowledge of God was not from the light of Nature in them but it was reuealed by God vnto these naturall men to make them without excuse as Zanchius well obserueth for so the Apostle sheweth in the 19 verse of the same Chapter where he saith Deus enim illis manifestauit for God reuealed the same vnto them and therefore I say that the sinne of Adam did quite kill the soule of euery man for the reward of sinne is death and therefore we may all of vs cry out with the Apostle Rom. 7.24 O wretched men that we are who shall deliuer vs from this body of death And here-hence we may also see the iudgement of God threatned in Paradise Gen. 1.17 In what day thou eatest of the tree of Knowledge of good and euill thou shalt die the death to be truely and presently inflicted vpon Adam for though his body seemed to liue yet was his soule separated from God and therefore must needs be presently dead Aug. de ser dom in monte habetur de poenitent distinct 2. But as sinne is three manner of wayes committed as I shewed before so is the death of the soule three wayes inflicted and they are prefigured by those three sorts of dead men which our Sauiour raised in the Gospell as S. Augustine sheweth The first was Iayrus his daughter she was a Virgin â—nd was as yet within the doores and therefore our Sauiour went into the house and put out all the people and vouchsafed to take her by the hand and to say Talitha cumi Damosell Mar. 5.41 Of a three-fold death of the soule I say vnto thee arise This signifieth that soule which sinned onely by consent but hath not yet brought forth the sinne into fact and therefore God will be mercifull vnto such and will not require to shame them before the world but hee will goe in himselfe and accept of their inward repentance for such inward sinnes The second was the Widdowes sonne of Naime and hee was caried out to be buried and therefore our Sauiour in the presence of them all Did touch the Beere and said Luk 7.14 Yong man I say vnto thee arise and he sate vp and began to speake And this signifieth the soule that sinneth in fact and therefore as she publikely sinned so she must be publikely restored and as by her sinne she offended many so by her sitting vp They that publikely sinne must publikely testifie their repentance i. e. by her standing and constancy in grace and by her talking i. e. by her confession of her sinnes she must giue satisfaction vnto many Nam qui publice peccat publice corrigendus publice restaurandus est For he that publikely offendeth is publikely to be reprooued publikely to be restored saith the Law The third was Lazaus John 11. and hee was dead and laid in his graue and therefore Iesus was faine to goe a great iourney to raise him and when he came to him he groned in his spirit and was troubled he wept and he groaned againe Ver. 35. he lifted vp his eyes he prayed and he cryed with a loude voyce saying Ver. 43. Lazarus come forth and then he came forth but how bound hand and foot saith the Euangelist with graue clothes and his face bound with a Napkin so that his friends and standers by were faine to loose him and to let him goe Ver 44. And this signifieth the soule that is accustomed to sinne that is dead and buried in sin and
Seneca epist 25. efficere mortem sibi familiarem to make death his companion and as his wife that should euer lye in his bosome that by the continuall sight of death he might be euer kept to abstaine from sinne for the couetous man might be the easier drawne to contemne the trash and trumperies of this vaine and transitorie world if hee did beleeue that hee should presently dye for so prophane Esau sayth Loe I die Facile contem nit omnia qui credit se cito moritâ—rum Hieron in ep ad Paulin Eccles 10. Incert autâ—r and what good will my Birth-right doe vnto me So the proud man would let fall his Peacocks feathers if he could thinke that hee is but dust and ashes and that when he dieth hee shall inherite wormes as the wise man sayth Omnia Caesar habet sed gloria Caesaris esse desinit tumulus vix erit octo pedum And that if he triumphed in his life like Caesar to bee the sole Monarch of the world yet would his glory soone fayle when death should locke him vp in his coffin and so of all other sinnes the frequent meditation of death is the onely preseruatiue against them For as one truely sayth of himselfe Quum recordor quod sum cinis Et quam citâ— venit finis Sine fine pertimesco Et vt cinis refrigesco When I thinke I am but dust And how soon to earth I must Bernard in carm Then incessantly I shake And as dust it doth me make So questionlesse if wee did continually thinke of death and fixe that fearefull day of Gods iust iudgement before our eyes it would bee a maruelous great meanes to deterre vs from all sinnes And as the meditation of death doth preuent sinne Bosq p. 12. de finibus honorum so it sweetneth death and makes it farre the lesse terrible vnto vs for if our eyes be dead and weaned from beholding vanities The frequent meditation of death is a great meanes to preserue vs from the feare of death our eares from hearing the Syrens songs of sinnefull pleasure and our hearts especially from the loue of vaine and worldly things then certainely they will not being thus mortified and accustomed with this death to sinne bee any whit afrayd of the death of the body which is the reward of sinne but as a horse that is to runne a race hauing often walked his way before is the more fearelesse to goe on when hee comes at the day of triall so the man that is acquainted with the wayes of death through the daily meditation of death is not afrayd to die when he seeth the day of his dissolution Palladius reports it that an Eremite being at the point to die his schollers and friends asked him if death did not seeme terrible vnto him hee smilingly answered that death was no stranger but a most familiar acquaintance to him it was his manuall and his vade mecum his table-booke which he alwayes carried about him and therefore dying he did but now repeate that his old lesson which hee had beene long in learning O that it were so with euery one of vs that throughout all our life wee would learne to die The application of Christs death is the onely cause that maketh vs happie after death Osee 13.14 that hauing made death present with vs before it comes it may neuer proue terrible vnto vs when it comes Of the third the Diuine veritie sayth that the chiefest cause the onely cause indeed of this different effect of death is the application of the death of Christ for it is he that saith O death I will be thy death O graue I will bee thy destruction and therefore as when Alexander ouerthrew the walles of Thebes Phryne a harlot promised to build them vp againe if shee might ingraue vpon them this inscription 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Alexander battered downe this Wall but Phryne built it vp againe so we may truely say that Eue threw downe these muddie walles of ours but Christ doth rayse them vp for though the wages of sinne are death Rom. 6.23 yet the grace of God brings eternall life through Iesus Christ our Lord. And the manner how he doth deliuer vs and metamorphose death to become life vnto vs he himselfe doth shew when hee sayth if I be lift vp I will draw vp all vnto my selfe i. e. if I die I will destroy the power of death for so the Apostle sayth That forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and blood John 8.28 and C. 12.32 Heb. 2.14 15. he himselfe likewise tooke part of the same that through death hee might destroy him that had the power of death that is the Deuill and deliuer them that through the feare of death were all their life time subiect vnto bondage 1 Machah 6.46 Iudges 16.30 and therefore as Eleazer by his owne death did put the great Elephat to death and Sampson by pulling downe the house vpon his owne head did put to death all the Philistines so Christ by his owne death did put the deuills Origen hom 8. in Iohan and all the powers of darkenesse vnto death and therefore Origen sayth that vpon the crosse of Christ two were crucified that is Christ and the deuill but after a diuers manner for Christ was crucified visibly and most willingly for hee layd downe his life himselfe but the deuill was crucified inuisibly and most vnwillingly Matth. 12.29 for this strong man armed was faine to bee bound before Christ could spoyle his house And the Lord speaking of his enemies and saying that hee would be vnto them as a Lion Ose 13.7 would obserue them as a Libbard in the way of Ashur doth foreshew vnto vs both the destruction and the manner of the destruction of these our spirituall enemies for in being like a Lion he sheweth their destruction and in being like a Libbard he sheweth the manner The manner how Christ by death ouercame death how hee would destroy them for it is obserued of the Libbard that he vseth this pollicie to kill those Apes that doe molest him first he lyeth downe as dead and suffereth the apes to mocke him and trample him and to insult ouer him as much as they will but when he perceiueth them to be wearied with leaping and skipping vpon him he reuines himselfe on a sudden and with his clawes and teeth he teareth them all to pieces euen so our Sauiour Christ suffered the deuill and death and all the wicked Iewes like apes to mocke him to tread him and trample him vnder feete to crucifie him to burie him to seale vp his graue and to haue armed Souldiers to watch him that hee should not rise any more and it may be to knocke him on the head againe if he sought to reuiue but when hee saw they had done their worst and that they could doe no more Psal 78.66.67 Hee waked as a giant out of
now I come to restore it to make him ashamed to confesse his sinnes And surely thus hee deales with vs all hee makes vs shamelesse to commit all sinnes euen with Absolon in the sight of all Israel 2 Sam. 16.22 and in the sight of the Sunne but he makes vs ashamed to confesse any sinne But if wee feare this punishment of sinne all miseries in this life death shortning life and eternall torments after death and would bee deliuered from it then let vs not make the Ministers afrayde to reproue our sinnes nor be our selues ashamed to confesse our sinnes for as the first degree of righteousnesse is not to sinne so the second is to acknowledge and forsake our sinnes If we had not sinned we had not died and if we doe acknowledge and forsake them we shall receiue no dammage by death but if we continue in sinne we shall die and we shall iustly die for the reward of sinne is death And so I come to the third part which is the equitie of this reward because death is the wages of sinne PART III. The equity of this payment Death is the stipend of Sinne. Part. 3. CHAP. I. How iust a thing it is to punish Sinne. The reward of Sinne is Death YOu haue heard of a world of miseries that are inflicted on man for sinne here in this life you haue heard of eternall death and intollerable torments for euer and euer that shall be inflicted on sinfull soules in the future life and now it resteth that I should shew the equity of this punishment how iust it is with God to render all this on man for sinne and therefore that I may the more fully cleere this point Three points to be considered to shew the equity of the punishment of sinne I must desire you to consider these three especiall things 1. That it is iust to punish sinne 2. That God is the iustest Iudge that can be found to punish it 3. That this punishment which God imposeth and inflicteth for sinne is most right and iust First there is nothing in the world Cicero de nat deorum l. 1. saith Cicero more agreeable to reason then that true and honest labour should bee commended and rewarded and the vices of men should be seuerely punished according to their iust desert for it is vnpossible saith he that either house or Common-wealth should stand Si in ea nec rectè factis proemia extant vlla Idem l. 3 de nat deor nec supplicia peccatis if there be not in the same both rewards for good deeds and punishments for sinnes and therefore Solon being demanded what was most profitable for the well-fare of a Common-wealth said Si boni proemijs innitantur mali paenis coercentur Stobaeus ser 41. to defend and reward the good and to restraine and punish the bad and M. Cato saith that there is nothing more pernicious vnto any state Plutarch in Apoth Quam si improborum mores paena non coerceantur then to suffer wicked men to goe away vnpunished and therefore he would haue those Magistrates that did not punish the impieties of the wicked and dissolute fellowes Non tantum non ferendos The Law of Nature teacheth that sinne should be punished sed lapidihus obruendos not onely not to be suffered but to be stoned with stones to death and so the Lawes of all Nations doe prouide that good and vertuous deeds should be rewarded and euill deeds should be punished for wee finde it very true by experience that impunitas delicti inuitat homines ad malignandum To forbeare the punishment of sinne doth increase the number of sinners Prou. 17 15. because punishment is deferred the hearts of the children of men are euen set to doe euill and therefore God himselfe doth say that whosoeuer iustifieth the wicked is a like culpable before him as if he had condemned the innocent and Saint Ambrose tels vs plainely that it is sometimes miserecordia punire crudelitas parcere a pious work to punish and a cruelty for to spare for this doth not onely incourage sinners to goe on from one wickednesse to another but it is an ill patterne and a great prouokement to draw others to doe the like and therefore wee may well conclude this first point that it is a most iust thing to punish sinnes and offences CHAP. II. How God is the iustest Iudge to punish Sinne. SEcondly that God is the iustest Iudge that can be found to punish sin it appereth by these 3. reasons God loueth righteousnesse Psal 45.7.8 Heb. ◠9 First because he loueth righteousnesse For it is the propertie of a iust Iudge not onely to iudge righteously to iustifie the innocent and to punish the offenders but also to loue righteousnesse and to hate iniquitie but of God the Prophet saith Psal 5.5 Thy throne O God is for euer and euer thou hast loued righteousnesse and hated iniquitie wherfore God euen thy God hath annoynted thee with the oyle of gladnesse aboue thy fellowes And againe thou hatest all those that worke vanitie Secondly because he iudgeth without any respect of persons God is no respecter of persons for this is one of the chiefest properties of a righteous Iudge to iudge according to the equitie of the cause and according to the quality of the person and therefore Iethro Iehosophat Exod. 18.21 and others doe make this not respecting of persons 2 Chron 19 7. to be one of the essentiall properties of a righteous Iudge Prou 24.23 1 Sam. 6.7 Act. 10 33. Gal. 1.6 Psal 50.10 Psal 149 8. Deut. 26.7 but with God there is no respect of persons for he will not be corrupted with the reward of the rich for all the beasts of the Forrest are his and so are all the cattell vpon a thousand hills he will not be terrified for feare of the mighty for he will binde Kings in fetters and Nobles in linkes of iron neither is he angred or molested with the incessant complaynings of the poore but he will heare their cry Psal 145.19 and will helpe them Psal 145.19 Indeed with men it is a common practise With men we finde Iustice often peruerted to haue our lawes like a spiders webbe wherein the little flies are catcht and the great buzzing bumble bees doe easily passe through and therefore it is truely said of mans Law That Dat veniam coruis vexat censura columbas It spares the rich but spoiles the poore But Gods law is rete Vulcanium like Vulcans iron net That God is most iust which apprehends and condemnes all alike for if the greatest men hurt the poorest and those poore men cry vnto me saith the Lord I will heare them that is to helpe the oppressed and to punish the wrong doer and therefore Moses saith of him Deut. 10.17 that he is a great God mighty and terrible which accepteth no person nor taketh reward but
haue giuen them vnto Iayes and Parrats Secondly we should know that the practise of Christianity is the onely argument to prooue vs true Christians by this Christ proued himselfe to be the Messias Practise onely proueth vs Christians for it is most true which Iouinian said of the Arrians and Orthodoxall Bishops I cannot iudge of your knowledge disputations but I can easily discerne your lines and conuersations Thirdly wee should remember that our actions are the best arguments Sozom. l. 7. A good life conuerteth others Basil l. de 40. Mart. and the most vnanswerable Syllogismes to conuert infidels Sozomenus tells vs that the godly life of a poore captiue woman moued a King and many others to become Christians and Iulian writing to Arsatius saith that Christiana religio propter Christianorum erga omnes cuiusuis religionis beneficentiam propagata est the piety and the charity of Christians did wonderfully cause the Christan Religion to increase Euseb l. 9. c. ◠and Maximinus said hee could not choose but wonder to see how sedulous the Christians were in doing good The bitter fruites of a bad life Whereas on the other side the lewd life of those that professe Christ doth bring forth many sower and bitter fruits First It dishonoureth God more then any other thing First it dishonoureth God his name is blasphemed through them among the Gentiles which beleeue not God and therefore God saith why takest thou my Lawes in thy mouth whereas thou hatest to be reformed Secondly It proueth them to be no Christians Secondly it proueth such liuers no christians because the profession of Christianity is a profession of works not of words Thirdly It hindereth the vnsetled mindes to imbrace Christianity for when they see men like Tusser that wrote well of husbandrie but was himselfe the worst husband that liued Thirdly It hindereth others to become Christians or like Erasmus Ruffian that carried by the one side a good bottle of sack and by the other side a faire guilded Testament such as will heare much and talke more of Religion and doe none of the works of God how shall not this diswade the vnstable hearts from euer imbracing of Christianitie It is reported that Lynacrus reading the Sermon of Christ in the Mount and considering the conuersation of men in the world said either this is not Gods Gospell or wee are not Gods people and I pray God that the faire-seeming-shewes of hypocritical professors and their most vile and abhominable actions bee not the cause to kindle Gods fearefull indignation against vs all And therefore beloued brethren let vs consider the Author of our profession Iesus Christ who went about doing goood let vs consider his holy Apostles Act. 10.38 and all our blessed Ancestors how sedulous they were in the practise of Religion wherby they haue gained a good report became glorious in the sight of God and men and let vs imitate them herein to doe good as they haue done and in all things to ioyne practise vnto our knowledge All men not sit for all purposes Secondly We may obserue from hence that as these women were fit messengers to tell the Disciples that Christ was risen but not to preach the same vnto the world so many men are sufficient for inferiour places and to preach the shallower points of Diuinity points of morality and popular exhortations but are not fit Ducere in altum to lanch foorth into the deepe and to treat of the higher mysticall points of Diuinity for as it is said of Dauids Worthies 2 Sam. 23.19 that they reached not vnto the first three so it may be said of vs all that many men may receiue a measure of Gods graces and yet not attaine vnto the measure of many others God giueth not the like measure of graces vnto all men because God doth not giue the same measure of graces vnto all but as in humane gifts wee finde that some had their memory so good that to their last times they could repeat whole orations some that in their yonger yeares had their iudgement so profound that they could determine the hardest questions Matth. 25.15 so in the deliuery of the Diuine talents whereby Theophilact vnderstandeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spirituall graces some haue fiue 2. King 2.9 some haue two some but one to note vnto vs that God granteth not only a superiority vnto some aboue their brethren in an higher kinde of a different grace but also in a greater measure of the same grace as the Spirit was doubled on Elisha if not in respect of his Master Eliah as some think not yet surely in respect of the other succeeding Prophets Dan. 1.20 in the Schoole of Nebuchadnezzars in chanters though they were all no doubt exceeding great Clerkes 1 Cor. 14.18 yet Daniel Shadrach Meshach and Abednego were found to be ten times better then the rest and among these Daniel sleeping was found wiser then his fellowes waking so in the New Testament Iohn Baptist was a Prophet and more then a Prophet and Saint Paul spake languages more then all the rest of the Apostles God expecteth not the like fruits from all men and therefore God doth not require all his seruants nay he will not haue them all to aduenture or seeke to bring forth the like measure of fruit for hee was not angry with the slothfull seruant because that one talent had not gained ten talents but because he hid his masters money and had gained nothing at all Thirdly We may obserue from hence That we ought to follow Christ and not to goe before him that as Christ went before these Women and his Disciples into Galilee and they all followed after him So we should suffer Christ to goe before vs in all our wayes and not to runne our selues before him where perhaps he neuer went nor will goe for it is the property of a Disciple to follow after and not precede or goe before his master and therefore we must not goe into those places where Christ went not nor dispute of those points which Christ taught not for this is to goe before him and not to follow him Fourthly We may obserue from hence That we must passe from all worldly vanities before we can inioy spirituall blessings that as Christ passed from death to life and from this world into Heauen so must we before we come to Christ passe from our deadnesse in sin vnto the life of grace and from the vanities of this worldly life vnto a spirituall and a heauenly conuersation for as there was no possession of the Land of Canaan vntill there was a transmigration of the red Sea out of the land of Egypt so we can haue no fruition of Gods presence vntill we haue relinquished and passed ouer all the Egyptian vanities of this life in our desires and affections at the least And thus you haue heard the
should carry vs vp vnto God because God is loue and loue brought downe God vnto men Huc me syderio descendere fecit olympo Hic me crudeli vulnere fixit amor And therefore no maruell that loue should carry vs vp into Heauen Aug. in Psal 83. p. 376. d. 1. wherefore Saint Augustine sayth that by loue we doe either ascend to Heauen or descend to Hell quia amando Deum ascendis in Coelum amando seculum descendis vsque ad abyssum because by louing God wee ascend to Heauen and by louing the world we descend downe to Hell Saint Gregory saith these wings are 1. The contempt of worldly things 2. The desire of heauenly things And this may well stand with Saint Augustines saying because as the same Saint Gregorie saith tanto ab inferioribus disiungimur quanto superioribus delectamur by how much the more earnestly we loue heauenly things by so much we are ascended and sequestred from earthly things And therefore if you would ascend 1. Iohn 2.15 Colos 3.2 then loue not the world nor the things of this world but set your affections on those things that are aboue and because our life is iust like a clocke that vnlesse his waight be alwayes wynded vp will soone stand therefore wee must be euer winding vp our affections and weaning them from these worldly things and with Noahs doue neuer suffer the soales of our feete to rest vntill our hearts and soules returne to him that gaue them vs. Thirdly for the signes whereby wee may know whether we haue ascended or doe ascend towards Heauen or not I might shew you many How we may know whether our hearts ascendeth to Heauen or not but now take this for all if things aboue our heads shew greater vnto vs then they did before and things beneath vs lesser that is an apparant argument that we ascend and grow higher and higher for so Saint Gregorie saith if a man were aloft in the cloudes it would appeare vnto him quam abiecta sunt quae iam alta videntur how base are the things of this earth which to a man on earth doe seeme so great for then hee should see mountaines no bigger then Mole-hills and the Sunne which before while hee was on earth did seeme but instar pilae pedalis like a footeball hee should now finde it to be a great and immens glorious body all bodies aboue him would seeme greater and all below him would seeme lesser euen so if our hearts and affections be ascended vp to Heauen then surely the things of this world doe seeme vnto vs but as they are indeede damnum stercora Dung and drosse Phil. 3.8 or as nothing and worth nothing as Nazianzen saith and the things of Heauen are the onely desires of our hearts and the delights of our soules but if folia venti lilia agri the vanities and the pleasures of this world the Titles of Honour and the confluence of wealth be the desires and delights of our hearts then certainely wee are fast bound in misery and iron wee are fastened and fettered here on earth and it may bee with Golden chaynes but fast inough from ascending vp to Heauen I will not iudge of any by this rule you may all iudge your selues if you doe highly esteeme of the preaching and Preachers of Gods Word If you make much of them that feare the Lord and loue good men and a good conscience and make none account of this world nor of the things of this world then is your heart ascended vp to Heauen but if not Nudus humi iaces Thou lyest poore and miserable fettered here in earth a flaue and captiue of the Deuill and hast neede to cry and call for Christ to lead captiuitie captiue which is the second part of my Text. And so much for the Ascention of our Sauiour Christ Part. 2 PART II. CHAP. Of the victory and triumph of Christ ouer our enemies of our deliuerance from them and of our restoring into the seruice of God againe SEcondly Touching the victory and triumph of Christ set downe in these words Thou hast led captiuity captiue we must vnderstand that this is taken two wayes 1. Passiuely 2. Actiuely And I say first Passiuely because our enemies must be vanquished before we can be deliuered and therefore How Christ ouercame death Hell sinne and Satan First This phrase may be taken Passiuely for the World Death and Hell and all other enemies of Mankinde which Christ hath conquered and led captiue that they should not raigne and rule ouer his seruants any more And thus Saint Augustine doth expound it saying Quid est captiuauit captiuitatem vicit mortem mortem procurauit diabolus ipse diabolus de morte Christi est captiuatus What is he led captiuity captiue but he ouercame death for the Diuell had procured death for sinne and now the Diuell himselfe is captiuated by the death of Christ For as Victors were wont to doe to leade in triumph those Tyrants that opprest their subiects or those enemies that they had vanquished being fast bound with chaines with their heads and feet bare for their greater shame and reproach so the Psalmist alludeth vnto the same when he saith Coloss 2.15 Thou hast led captiuity captiue and the Apostle doth more cleerely expresse it when hee saith that Christ hauing spoyled Principalities and Powers hath made a shew of them openly tryumphing ouer them in it Quest But here it may be demaunded how are they captiuated when as the Diuell compasseth the earth like a roaring Lion seeking whom he may deuoure And so doth the world still oppresse vs 1 Pet. 5.8 our flesh lusteth against the spirit and Death still raigneth ouer vs all I answere that Christ hath destroyed their Power Resp hee hath taken away their strength and hee hath quite subuerted the Kingdome of sinne and Satan and taken away the sting of death and yet they compasse about not as hauing any power ouer vs but as a Lyon tyed will teare vs in pieces if he can catch vs within his clawes so will sinne and Satan if wee yeeld vnto them for though Christ ouercame all our enemies yet hee hath not quite taken them out of our wayes but left them as it were aliue though bound that we might still beware to come within their reach if we would escape their teeth and therefore wee say that sinne is so taken away that it doth not raigne ouer the Saints though perhaps through their negligence it doth often wound them so Satan is bound though like a bridled horse he often fumes against vs and sometimes bites vs too 1 Cor. 15.54 if we beware not of him and so death is swallowed vp into victory and the sting thereof is taken away so that it can neuer hurt the Saints of God though it layes them stil into a sleepe because they shall all awake at the last day But if sinne and
but I will by Gods helpe be euer ready with all my heart to suffer any thing for the Name of Iesus Christ and for the least iot of his truth But I doe much reioyce in that assured confidence which I haue that your Lordship will herein as well as in all other points of true piety be an heauenly shining light and president vnto all other circumstant and succeeding Bishops and other Patrons whatsoeuer and to that end my prayers shall euer continue for your Lordship And for you my most worthy friend and neuer to be forgotten Benefactor Sir Iohn Wynne I must because I may truely say of you with the Poet Ego te intus in cute noui I am so intimately and inwardly acquainted with your very heart affections most earnestly pray to God for your long continuance amongst vs not onely because of your continuall loue and fauours vnto me and mine but especially to be as you haue beene hitherto the chiefest pillar of ciuill gouernment the best relieuer of our poore and needy and the most apparant patterne of all good workes of piety and charity in all these parts wherein you liue and you haue not lost your reward for God hath blessed you and your Lady with many blessed children all fearing God I said enough though I could truely say much more hereof such a comfort that not many men haue the like and God renueth your yeares as the Eagles and I hope yet will adde vnto your dayes as he did vnto the dayes of Ezechias and yet this is nothing Quia merces tua apud Deum in respect of that great reward which you shall haue of God because that by continuance in well doing you shall be sure to haue glory and honour and immortality and therefore most worthy Knight as I beare witnesse of this truth which I haue seene and know of your Religious heart fearing God full of good so I say vnto you as Christ saith vnto the Church of Smyrna Goe on in your course of godlinesse and be faithfull vnto the death and you shall haue the Crowne of life when the Lord shall say vnto you Euge serue bone Well done thou good and faithfull seruant enter thou into thy Masters ioy Amen Your Lordships and your Worships in all Christian seruice to be commanded GR. WILLIAMS To the Christian READER Deere and Christian Reader THe more grace any man receiueth from God the more thankefulnesse and seruice he oweth to God And I confesse God hath shewed me farre more then vsuall fauours which I assure my selfe he denyed to many farre more worthy of loue then I poore worme could any wayes thinke my selfe to be for he hath three times at least bestowed my life vpon me first in making me as he did all other men secondly in redeeming me as he doth all righteous men and thirdly in preseruing me from the hands of wicked men who though they gaue not any life vnto me yet induced by the malice of Hell and assisted by the subtilty of Satan did combine with a craftier cruelty then euer that I could finde the Arrian Bishops did against that innocent constant Athanasius to take away my feeble life for when the proud were risen vp against me Psal 86.14 and the congregation of naughty men had sought after my soule and compassed me on euery side Ecclus 51. so that there was no man to helpe me yet when I prayed vnto my God Vers 2. that he would not leaue me in the dayes of my trouble and in the time of the proud when I had none other help then did he awake as a Giant out of sleep and preserued my body from destruction Vers 3. he saued me from the mouth of the King of Lyons and according to the multitude of his mercies hee deliuered mee from the teeth of them that were ready to deuoure me and out of the hands of them that sought after my life Vers 7. yea he was so gracious vnto me that he left me not vntil mine eyes did see their desire vpon mine enemies not their destructiō which my soule desired they might neuer taste of and I pray God they desired the same themselues but their suppression so as they might neuer triumph in the miseries of Gods seruants nor trample the bloud of innocents vnder feet And therefore seeing God hath been so gracious vnto me I haue most constantly resolued by the assistance of his Spirit not onely to praise his Name for his goodnesse and to tell what he hath done for my soule but also to dedicate my whole life wholly to his seruice to despise the vanities of this life to abandon all the pleasures of this world to be carelesse of all earthly things * Quae possessa onerant amata inquinant amissa cruciant but what may make in ordine ad deum to helpe me the better to serue my God and with Iohn Baptist to consume my life in the preaching and penning of Gods Word and maugre all the malice of the proudest Prelates in the world to speake the truth as my conscience tels me though my wife and children should all begge and my body be burned for the same I will neuer count my life deare vnto me to spend it in his seruice that so often gaue it me And because I desired to doe that which I thought best for the edifying of Gods Church I haue applied my selfe to treate of these ensuing theames which doe containe the chiefest points and the most necessary grounds of all Christian Religion for besides my naturall inclination euer tending rather to pacification then contention I thinke we haue more neede of fundamentall instructions which are necessary for all men then of any controuersiall positions which may satisfie some men that perhaps desire rather to informe their iudgement then to reforme their manners And in the handling of them I haue intermingled the positiue declaration of the truth in a scholasticke forme with a forcible application of the same vnto our soules for the framing of our liues to make vse of what wee learne for I approue not so well the handling of Gods word with too slender inforcement of the same vnto our consciences as the schoolemen did their too much addicted followers vse to doe nor yet meerely to stand vpon exhortations with too slight expounding the most principle grounds of Religion which I feare to be the fault of too many amongst vs And therefore the one being but as a foundation without roofe and the other as a building on the sand or in the ayre vpon reeden pillars I haue euer adiudged it the best course to knit both together to make both a perfect buiding If I haue done well it is that which I desired but if I haue done slenderly it is that I could attaine vnto Aug. proaem l. 3. de Trinit And therefore I will be euer of that Fathers minde which in all his workes and
but hee not contented to be a man aboue these but desiring to be a god aboue all was made a worme and no man inferior vnto all and then all like Acteons dogges seeing vs metamorphosed from men to worse then beasts began to rebell against vs and most furiously to pursue vs Gen 19.24 the fire to consume vs as it did Sodome and Gomorrah 2 Sam. 24. the ayre to infect vs as it did the Israelites in the time of Dauid the water to drowne vs as it did the whole world in the dayes of Noah Gen. 7.23 the earth to swallow vs as it did Corah Num. 16.32 Dathan and Abiram and all other creatures to deuour vs as the beares did those children that mocked Elizeus the Starres in their order Judg. 5.20 did fight against Sisera and since we haue sinned and rebelled against the Lord there is no creature but hath cast away the created yoke of obedience and haue rebelled against vs so that now hic labor hoc opus est It is a taske too great for Hercules to bring them againe to the obedience of man And thus you see that from our first entrance into this wretched life sinne laboureth still to kill vs and doth at all times and by all meanes vexe vs grieue vs weaken vs by passions sorrowes sicknesses and such like and will neuer leaue vs vntill it layeth vs downe in the dust and therefore that all these are the prodromi the fore-runners and beginnings of death or rather like so many little deaths that doe bring vs vnto our last and fatall death For all these are the reward of sinne and therefore branches of this death And so you see what is meant by Death For the second point hauing seene what is meant by death Of the large extent of death that is all the miseries that doe consume and waste our liues we are now to consider how farre this death extendeth And this the Apostle sheweth briefly when he saith Statutum est omnibus semel mori It is appointed for all men once to die Heb. 9.27 and the very Heathens say as much Seneca Lex vniuersa iubet nasci mori It is an vniuersall Law and a debt that we owe and must pay to Nature that euery one which is borne to life should passe away by death Laertius lib. 2. c. 3. And therefore when it was told Anaxagoras that all his sonnes were dead he answered Sciebam me genuisse mortales I knew that I had begotten mortall creatures for as nullis amorest medicabilis herbis so nihil est moderabile morte There is nothing in the world that can moderate the rage or preserue vs from the fatall stroke of death Non Torquate genus Horatius lib. 4. non te facundia non te restituet pietas saith Horace vnto his friend Torquatus And we see the faith of Abraham the strength of Sampson the wisedome of Salomon the riches of Craesus and the Kingdomes of Alexander could not preserue them from Death Polydor Virgil writeth that King Canutus seeing the Sea beginning to flow said I command thee not to touch my feete but his command was bootlesse for he had scarce ended his Edict but the surging waue dashed at his teeth So we may out-braue death in words but we may be sure that as the Sea so Death How vnresistable is death antiquum obtinebit will keepe his old wont Yea though wee could hinder the course of the Sea for meanes haue been found to tame the fiercest beasts to breake the hardest marble to mollifie the impenetrable Adamant and to deale with the Seas as Xerxes did with the waters of Hellespont or Caesar with all the Riuers of Germany yet is there no meanes in the world to escape the hands of death and therefore Saint Augustine saith August Psal 121. Resistitur ignibus vndis ferro resistitur regibus imperijs venit vna mors quis ei resistit Fire Waters Swords Kings Kingdomes were resisted but who hath euer withstood the stroake of death Quia nec miseretur inopum nec reueretur diuites Because as Saint Bernard saith it neither pittieth the poore Ber. de conu cler nor regardeth the rich but Nereus the faire Thirsites the soule Craesus the rich Irus the poore Solym the cruell Solyman the magnificent Diomedes the Prince and Damaetas the Peasâ—nt must all fall downe at Deaths feet Because that no teares no prayers no threatnings no intreâ—tings will serue the turne to turne away the face of death So stiffe so deaffe so inexorable is death How the Egyptians expressed death to be the sole enemie of all men And therefore the Egyptians in their Hierogliphickes painted Death like a Goddesse holding a sickle in her hand with this inscription Nemini parco I spare no man And because they found her so hard-hearted so implacable and so inexorable that nothing could appease her wrath when she did meane to cut vs downe but that she tooke the Husband from the bosome of his louing wife and the Parents from the poore helpelesse Infants and so fulfilling her owne will and carefull for none else therefore they built her no temples they offered no sacrifice they celebrated no rites vnto her but seeing she vsed all alike Constantinus imperator famulus meus making no difference betwixt Agamemnon and Thirsites therefore all vsed her alike and stood all vpon their guards to defend themselues so well and so long as they might against all her darts though they knew that in the end she would ouercome them all because they had all sinned and the reward of sinne is death Psal 50.22 O consider this all ye that forget God all ye that neglect God all whosoeuer Kings Lords and great men old and yong rich and poore one with another for though you liue like gods and none dare say why doe you so yet you shall die like men and if you fearelesly commit the sinne I dare boldly say that you shal be sure Aequo pode pulsat pauperum tabernas regumque turres Horatius most fearefully to indure the punishments for as you see Death spareth none but cutteth downe as well the Cedars of Lebanon and the Oakes of Bashan as the Shrubs of Cades So much lesse will God spare any man that sinneth CHAP. V. How Death worketh variably in diuers respects and the diuers causes thereof FOr the third point we must consider that although Death passeth ouer all yet that it worketh not vpon all alike but worketh variably and that as we find it in foure speciall respects 1. Of the manner 2. Of the time 3. Of the place 4. Of the effects or consequents of Death For the first we finde that there be more wayes of death then there be meanes to preserue our life for as the Poet saith Mille modâ—s laethi miseros mors vna fatigat Though there is but one way for all men to come into
the world yet there is 1000. wayes How death hath diuers wayes to shorten life Prou 17.22 Act. 5.10 for euery man to goe out of the world And so we finde some haue perished with sudden death as Ananias and Saphira some with Gluttony as Domitius Afer others with drunkennesse as Attila King of Hunnes some by fire from Heauen as the Sodomites Gen. â—9 the two fifties that were sent to fetch Elias and Anastatius the Emperour an Eutychian Hereticke others by waters as Marcus Marcellus Exod. 24.28 King Pharaoh and all his hoast and all the old wicked world excepting those eight persons that were saued in Noahs Arke Gen. 7 21. 1 Pet 2.5 Numb 16.32 Some with hunger as Cleanthes others with thirst as Thales Milesius some were swallowed vp quicke to Hell as Corah Dathan and Abiram and others by earthquakes were stricken dead as Ephrasius Bishop of Antioch Some were stifled with smoake as Catulus others dyed with a fall as Nestorius some were taken in their lasciuious dalliances as Cornelius Gallus others with ouerwatchingâ— as M. Attillius some with poyson as Phocion others choked with flies as Pope Adrian some at the disburdening of Nature as that wicked Arrius others torne in pieces by wilde beasts as Heraclius Lucian 2 King 2 24. and Acteon by dogges Hypolitus by wilde Horses Licus the Emperour and the disobedient Prophet by Lions Ancaeus King of Samos by Bores and Hatto Bishop of Mentz by Rats and so some die with ioy as Chylo the Lacedemonian and Diagoras the Rhodian who seeing his three sonnes crowned Champions in one day he reioyced so much that he dyed for ioy in the very place More die with griefe Quia spirâ—tus tristis exiccat ossa Because a broken spirit dryeth the bones and a heauy heart doth hasten to death and therefore the Prophet Dauid when he found hâ—mselfe so melancholicke and discontented did rouze vp his heart and spirits saying Why art thou so heauy O my soule and why art thou so disquieted within me yet put thy trust in the Lord for he is thy helper and defender and so should wee doe Bosquier de finibus bonorum mal pag. 31. 32. when either cares or crosses doe dismay vs. But most men die with sicknesses and diseases Feauers Fluxes Gouts Plagues and 1000. more they being so many that neither Galenus nor Hypocrates nor all the best Physitians can number them saith Bosquierus the generations of men here on earth being as Homer saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tale quale est foliorum Like vnto the leaues of a tree whereof some doe perish and others spring in their places They spring they flourish they waxe old and soone wither away Et tum quoque cum crescimus Senecal 3. ep 24. vita decrescit and our life then decreaseth as our yeares increaseth Vt rosa mane viget sero mox vespere languet Sic modo qui fuimus cras leuis vmbra sumus We bring our yeares to an end as it were a tale that is told For the second that is the Time when death doth attach vs We see some are taken yong and some are left vntil they be very old Death taketh men of all ages some taste of death before they doe see the light when their mothers wombes are as the tombes for their buriall some die in their Cradles as the babes of Bethelem and some liue so long that they are weary of life And sometimes the good are soonest taken as Enoch sometimes the bad as Onan Et vocantur ante tempus boni Gen. 5.24 Gen. 33. ne diutius vexarentur à noxijs And the good are often taken away that they should be neither vexed nor corrupted by the wicked and the wicked are sometimes taken away that they should not persecute the godly any longer and that they might be an example of Gods vengeance vpon all such as feare not God And sometimes death fore-warneth vs as it did Ezechias by sending his messengers to bid vs to set our houses in order that we may be prepared for death as age sickenesses and such like and sometimes it preuenteth vs and takes vs afore we are aware of it as it did yong Onan and old Ely who were both suddenly met by death when death was looked for by neither of them For the third that is the Place where death will meete vs Death smiteth in euery place we know death is not very scrupulous be it faire or soule wide or narrrow priuate or publike in the field or in the Church or wheresoeuer where hee meetes vs there hee will arrest vs Poet Euâ—ulus and his wife both a bed Vrias in the field and Ioab at the hornes of the altar And all this taking of vs in any Manner at any Time That we shâ—ld be alwayes ready for death and in any Place is to teach vs to be alwayes ready and to looke for death at all times and in all places Omnem crede diem tibi diluxisse supremum For seeing thou knowest neither the time nor the place where death meanes to arrest thee it is thy chiefest wisedome to be ready for death at all times and to waite for the same in euery place For the fourth that is the effects of death we must note Death is a comfortable thing to the godly that they are very different both about the time of the dissolution and after the time of the separation of the body and soule for first at the time of their dissolution bona mors iusti right deare in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints And this is the thing they longed for to be losed from the bonds of sinne and to be with their Sauiour Christ in happinesse to be with him which was dead and is aliue and liueth for euermore Reuel 2.8 And therefore to these men Mors vltima poenae est Lucan l. 8. nec metuenda viris Death is the ending of their paine and the beginning of their pleasure nay more as Prudentius saith Tormenta carcer vngulae stridensque flammis lamina atque ipsa poenarum vltima mors Christianis ludus est All the bitternesse of the bitterest death Prudent in hymno de Vincent is ioy and sweetnesse vnto them for that in death they see their life they behold the Angels pitching their tents round about them and ready to receiue their soules to glory before their bodies can be laid in their graues and therefore well might Salomon say that the godly man hath hope in his death Prou. 14.32 for he knoweth not what to feare because he knoweth in whom he beleeued The death of the wicked is most terrible vnto them But mors peccatorum pessima the death of the wicked is most fearefull and therefore the very remembrance of it is most bitter vnto them for now before it shuts the eyes of their bodies it will open the eyes of
sleepe and smote all his enemies vpon the cheeke bone and brought them vnto perpetuall shame and as the Apostle sayth Collos 2.15 hee spoyled principalities and powers and led away captiuitie captiue Ephes 4.8 and receiued gifts for men And therefore as many as lay hold vpon this death of Christ they need not feare their owne death for they may say with the Phenix Moritur me moriente senectus Sinne and misery dieth in vs but wee doe still liue with Christ And therefore Saint Cyprian sayth that Cyprian de mortalitate eius est timere mortem qui ad Christum nolit ire it is enough for them to feare death which will not beleeue in Christ his death John 11.26 for hee that beleeueth in him shall neuer die but they that will not beleeue in him may well feare and tremble at the remembrance of this death because after death comes iudgement and then shall they feele another death which is eternall death for the reward of sinne is death that is indeed eternall death in hell Marke 9.44 where their worme dieth not and their fire is not quenched CHAP. VI. How sinne brings eternall death both of Body and Soule THirdly Touching eternall death wee must vnderstand What eternall death is that this is a separation of man from God which is paena damni the losse of eternall happinesse a losse farre exceeding the losse of all the world and an allegation of a damned soule in a tormented body non viuendâ— sed dolendi causa not to giue any comfort of life or ioy but to giue the true sence and feeling of eternall death and sorrow which is paena sensus the payne of feeling and suffering the greatest paynes that can be conceiued for when the wicked are called by God to be adiudged for sinne they shall bee condemned by Christ Of the intollerable paynes of hell and then caried by the deuils into euerlasting torments into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone for euermore and there their musicke shall be horrors and howlings their meate shall be balls of fire and their drinke shall be fountaines of teares alwayes distilling downe from their eyes and yet neuer procuring them any ease there their torments shall be intollerable their times endlesse and their companions deuils for so Saint Augustine sayth August ser 55. de tempore that in inferno nec tortores deficiant nec miseri torti moriantur sed per milia milia annorum cruciandi nec tamen in secula liberandi in hell neither the cruell tormenters shall be wanting nor the miserably tormented shall bee eased but for thousand thousands of yeares bee plagued and neuer thence to bee deliuered Isidorus de summo bono and as Isidorus sayth Ibi erit semper velle quod nunquam erit semper nolle quod nunquam non erit there shall bee a will neuer satisfied and a nille neuer gratified neuer inioying the ease they would and euer suffering the paynes they would not And if we diue into the depth of that dolefull tragedie of miserable Diues wee shall see this trueth fully confirmed for as the Scripture sheweth that here iudgement shall be without mercy and that euery one shall receiue his punishment in waite and measure according to the measure of their sinnes so wee find it true it him who as hee denied the crumbes of bread to poore Lazarus so is he now denied the least drop of water to coole his burning tongue How the least comfort shall be denied vnto the damned and the least dramme of mercy to refresh his poore distressed soule quis talia fando sustinet a lachrymis Who can indure to dwell in deuouring flames and yet behold this is the reward of sinne for the wages of sinne is death Oh then A most earnest perswasion to forsake sinne beloued brethren seeing euery sinne slayeth the soule within the body corrupteth the body in the graue and eternally tormenteth both the body and soule in hell let vs hate and detest all sinnes for though wee reade of many tyrants Nero Phalaris Caligula Heliagabalus and such like that were carniuorants and blood-thirsty men sauage beasts in the shapes of men delighting themselues onely in blood cruelties yet we neuer reade of such a tyrant as Sinne for the blood of death would quench these mens rage but no payne no death but eternall death a death that neuer dieth and a paine that neuer endeth will satisfie this tyrant Sinne. This is the deceit of sinne as the Poet sayd of Venus Laeta venire Venus tristis abire solet To present pleasure or profit vnto our eyes but assoone as ouer the sinne is done to deale with vs 2 Sam. 13.18 as Ammon did by Thamar thrust her out and hate her wound our conscience and destroy our soules And therefore once againe I beseech you let vs forsake our sinnes let vs leaue our drinking our swaggering and our swearing and instead of by God by God and more fearefull oathes which I am afraid to name at euery word which is the most odious yet most carelesse custome both of Court and Countrey let vs say in truth in truth the words are as easie and they will bring more ease vnto our soules for swearing graceth not your speech but disgraceth you and dishonoureth God and therefore one day you must greatly repent you of it or you shall fearefully die for it and I beseech you pardon mee for speaking it for it is my dutie that I owe you and it would bee my destruction if I did conceale it from you Clemens l. 1. recog as S. Clemens sayth in the like case and I desire not so much with Aristotle my God of Heauen is my witnesse that I lie not to bee deemed a great Scholler as with Gregorie Nazianzen to bee indeed an honest man to liue as I teach and to discharge my duety in reprouing sinne rather then to shew my knowledge in any Science and therefore I humbly intreate you all to giue me leaue to beseech you to leaue your sinnes and because wee cannot quite forsake them to confesse them and to bee ashamed of them John 1.19 for if we confesse our sinnes God is mercifull and iust to forgiue vs all our sinnes and to cleanse vs from all vnrighteousnesse But the deuill cannot indure that we should confesse them least God should thereby forgiue them and therefore as he perswadeth vs euer to commit them so he perswadeth vs euer to conceale them and neuer to confesse them For I read that on a time a sinner being at confession That the deuill cannot indure wee should confesse our sinnes the deuill intruded himselfe and came to him and being demaunded by the Priest wherefore he came in he answered to make restitution and being asked what he would restore hee sayd shame for this sayth hee I haue stollen from this sinner to make him shamelesse in sinning and
be abundantly true because as Hugo saith In sacra Scriptura non solum bonitas est quod praecipitur faelicitas quod promittitur sed etiam veritas est quod dicitur Whatsoeuer is said in the holy Scripture 2 Cor. 1.20 it is absolutely true without any errour and the promises of God are as sure as if they were already performed for he is yea and Amen i. e. True in himselfe true in his workes and true in all his words And this Truth of the Lord indureth for euer for He will not alter the thing that is gone out of his mouth neither will he suffer his Truth to faile But when we forget both him and our selues Luke 1.72 he will still be mindfull of his promise and remember his holy couenant And therefore seeing that as the Light is so excellent a thing the first-borne of all visible Creatures and the very comfort of euery afflicted heart that dispelleth all darkenesse discouereth all things and the procreatiue cause of all Creatures so is this Truth of God What we ought to doe of that transcendent excellency as that it is the best guide of our liues and the sole meanes to saue our soules It should teach vs First Comparare veritatem To purchase this Truth and to get the same vnto our selues by any meanes First to spare no cost to get that Truth Matth. It is that Treasure â—id in the field to gaine which the wise Merchant sold all that euer he had no labour is too great no cost is too deare to gaine this Truth Multa tulit fecitque puer sudauit alsit Horat. And as another saith Ardua quamuis sit via non metuit virtus inuicta laborem If the Gentiles did toyle and moyle and sweat and spare no paines to get a little measure of humane learning which did almost nothing else but puffe them vp with pride what paines ought we to take to search and seeke for this Diuine Truth which is onely able to saue our soules Secondly Retinere veritateÌ„ to let passe this truth Secondly to hazard all we haue in defence of this Truth when once we haue attained vnto the same by no meanes but to keepe it and to retaine it vnto death for so Salomon saith Buy the truth but sell it not i. e. when you haue gotten it part not from it and this is no small taske Non minor est virtus quam quaerere parta tueri But it is as difficult a thing to retaine it as it is to finde it for seeing the truth is like the light and the light is many times obscured with cloudes and darkenesse so the truth is opposed by errour and ignorance it is enuied and hated by the sonnes of men and as Tertullian saith it hath beene euer seene Juellus in Apol. ex Tertul. Apolloget Veritatem in terris peregrinam agere inter ignotos facile calumniatores inuenire That the truth was entertained on earth but as a Pilgrime and a Stranger that easily findeth enemies in euery place and scarce friends in any place and so the Booke of God and the story of times doth make it plaine how the Professors of this Truth were alwayes persecuted and the Truth it selfe sought to be suppressed by the sonnes of darkenesse Moses and Aaron were withstood by Pharaoh and resisted by Iannes and Iambres and the rest of the Sorcerers of Egypt The Prophets were so vehemently and so generally persecuted by the Iewes that Saint Stephen asketh them Acts 7.52 Which of the Prophets haue not your Fathers persecuted and Christ himselfe which was borne to this end Vt testimonium perhiberet veritati That he might beare witnesse vnto the Truth John 18.37 was resisted vnto death and so all the Martyres and faithfull witnesses of this eternall Truth can beare witnesse what they suffered in the defence of Truth What is needfull for vs if we would retain the Truth And therefore if we would retaine the truth wee haue need of Patience we haue need of Courage and of a constant Resolution neuer to suffer this Heauenly Truth to bee taken from vs vntill our selues be taken out of this wretched life Let vs lay before vs the examples of the Patriarkes and Prophets of Christ himselfe of his holy Apostles and of all his blessed Martyres which thought not their liues too deare to defend this Truth let vs not be degenerate children of such worthy Progenitors as transmitted this Truth vnto vs with the losse of their liues That Truth at last will euer preuaile And though wee haue neede of Patience to suffer much in the defence of Truth yet wee may be confident that Truth will preuaile and get the victory for as no darkenesse can so swallow vp the light but that in its appointed time it will gloriously returne againe so no power of darknesse can so suppresse the Truth but at last it will appeare as the cleare day Because as the nature of errour is such Cokus de iure regis Eoclesiastico that although none be to withstand it yet as the smoake at last it will vanish of it selfe so the nature of Truth is such that although neuer so many doe oppugne it yet at last it will preuaile as Zorobabel saith and as the Comicke saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Time will bring out the Truth into Light at last And therefore seeing the Truth is of that inuincible power that although it may be obscured yea for a time with Christ himselfe be buried yet it cannot be extinguished nor remain perpetually intombed but that the time will come wherein nothing is hid which shall not be reuealed nothing is couered which shall not be manifested We should arme our selues with confidence and sure trust in God which according to his Truth will at last bring all Truth to light and saue all them that put their trust in him But here me thinkes I heare some saying they would willingly spend their liues in defence of Truth if they could tell what were Truth for now there are so many Religions so many Professions and so many diuersities of Opinions in the world that it is farre easier for them to spend their life then to find out what is Truth I answere that as Claudian saith Saepe mihi dubiam traxit sententia mentem curarent superi terras an nullus inesset rector He was much distracted and knew not what to resolue whether there was a Diuine prouidence or not because when he saw the most admirable course of things he said Claud. l. 1. in Ruff. Tunc omnia rebar consilio firmata Dei He thought it was vnpossible that that could proceed but from a superiour cause but on the other side when as the Prophet Dauid saith He saw the wicked in such prosperity and the Righteous hang downe their heads like a Bull-rush yea and hâ—nged many times like the wicked sonnes of euill doers
is not offended in him Why then O thou incredulous Iew wilt thou not receiue thy Sauiour is it because he came poore without any shew of worldly pompe why that should make all men the rather to imbrace him and the more thankefully to acknowledge him because that he which might haue come in Maiestie Cum caelestibus Attended on by Angels would come in pouerty and haue his bed made cum iumentis among the beasts that perish that so by his comming poore we might be all made rich through him and therefore O Iew I doe aduice thee that as thy Fathers accomplished the decree of God in condemning him so doe thou according to the will of God in beleeuing on him and thou shalt be happy for he that beleeueth in him shall neuer perish To whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be ascribed all Honour Thankes and Praise both now and for euermore Amen A Prayer O Eternall God who as in all things else so more especially in giuing thy dearest Sonne co-eternall coequall and co-essentiall vnto thy selfe to be made flesh subiect to our humane frailties and in all things like vnto vs sinne onely excepted hast shewed thy goodnesse and thy loue to man to be like thy selfe infinite and incomprehensible we most humbly beseech thee to giue vs grace to know thee and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ to be the onely true God whom to know is eternall life through the said Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen IEHOVAE LIBERATORI FINIS The Fourth Golden Candlesticke HOLDING The Fourth greatest Light of Christian RELIGION Of the Passion of the MESSIAS LVKE 24.46 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And thus it behoued Christ to suffer YOu haue heard dearely beloued how miserably man is distressed by sinne The coherence of this Treatise with the former Treatises how he may be releeued onely by the Mercy of God and how this reliefe is applied vnto vs by the Incarnate Word for he is the true Samaritan that doth helpe the wounded man he is the blessed Angell that doth stirre the poole of Bethesda and giue vertue vnto the water to heale our sores to helpe our soules But alas this Angell as yet is but descended and the waters are not troubled and this Samaritan is but alighted and the poore semi-dead Traueller is not set vp vpon his horse to be carryed towards his Inne that is hee hath not yet entred into the waters of tribulations to saue our soules from drowning in Hell neither hath he put our sinnes vpon his backe that we being freed from the burthen might walke on towards Heauen this resteth yet behind and this Tragedie is yet vnheard and therefore though he much humbled himselfe by his Incarnation yet is that nothing it is but the beginning of sorrowes in respect of his sore and bitter Passion For to redeeme our soules from sinne the deepe waters must enter into his soule and all our sinnes must be laid vpon his backe and for our sinnes It behoueth Christ to suffer Hic labor hoc opus est And this is that which we are now to treat of Thus it behoued Christ to suffer CHAP. I. Of the manifold vse and commodities that we reape by the continuall meditation of the sufferings of Christ Three things that mooue attention THere be three speciall things that doe vse to moue attention 1. An eloquent Author 2. An important matter 3. A compendious breuity And all these three doe here ioyne and meete together in this Text of Scripture For First the Author of these words is Christ Luk. 11.49 First the Author of these words is Iesus Christ the wisedome of God Wisedome it selfe so incomprehensibly wise that all men wondred at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth Secondly the summe of these words is the Tragedy of Iesus Christ Secondly the matter is the Tragedie of himselfe the laborious life and the dolorous death of the Sonne of God the chiefest Tragedy of all Tragedies for the Catastrophe hereof hath the effusion of bloud and the mourning not onely of the Sufferer or Parents and Friends but of Heauen and Earth and all the whole world farre more dolefull then the mourning of Hadadrimmon in Valley of Mâ—gyddo The Actors of this Tragedy are Kings Vice-Royes Dukes Scribes Pharises High-Priests Elders of the people The Actors of this Tragedy the Apostles themselues and others all great Christ the King of Kings Herod the great King Pilate the Vice-Roy Annas and Cayphas high Priests Peter and Iudas great Apostles and those that were mute as the Sun the Earth the Stones the Vaile of the Temple and the very Graues did by apparant signes most dolefully bewayle the nefarious death of the Son of God yea more the Angels mourned and the Diuels trembled to behold the same The Theater on which it was acted was Ierusalem The Theater was Ierusalem the very midst and heart of the earth as some imagine according to that saying of the Psalmist Operatus est deus salutem in medio terrae GOD hath wrought saluation in the midst of the Earth Heere is the place where it was acted Hic hic mors vita duello Conflixere mirando Here life and death did striue for victory and here the beholders were men of all Nations Hebrewes Greekes and Romans and the time was their most solemne feast wherein all did â—eete to eate their Paschall Lambe And therefore if there be any Theame that may challenge our eares to lysten and our hearts to meditate vpon the same it is this for this is one of those things that was once done that it might be thought of for euer that it might be had in euerlasting remembrance And the continuall meditation thereof is 1. Acceptable vnto Christ 2. Profitable for vs. For First The continuall meditation of Christs passion what it doth if the rod of Moses which wrought so many miracles in Aegypt and the Manna which fed the children of Israel 40. yeares in the Wildernesse and the Booke of the Law which was deliuered vnto Moses vpon Mount Sinai were to be preserued in the Arke First It is most acceptable vnto Christ as testimonies of Gods loue throughout all generations how much more should we keepe the remembrance of the Crosse of Christ of the Body and Bloud of Christ and of the glad tidings of saluation which we haue by the death of Christ in the Church of God for euermore Our Sauiour gaue but two Sacraments vnto his Church and one of them is chiefely instituted to this end for a remembrance of his suffering for as often as you eate this Bread and drinke this Cup Luc. 22. you shew the Lords death vntill he come 1 Cor. 11.1 And the remembrance of Christs death saith Saint Chrysostome Est beneficij maximi recordatio Chrys hom 8. in Matth. caputque diuinae erga nos charitatis Is the commemoration of the greatest benefit that euer we receiued
life Why Christ would not answere Pilate whence he was Or as others thinke he would not answere least by his eloquence he should haue escaped death insomuch that Pilate who vniustly condemned him iustly admired this that he which was wont to open his mouth in Parables and to teach others the way vnto eternall life would not at this time open his mouth to speake one word for himselfe to saue his life Secondly Pilate being much affraide to be thought an enemie vnto Caesar Marke 15.15 and being most willing to please the people as the Euangelist noteth he determined to deliuer him to be crucified And these were the motiues that caused Pilate to condemne our Sauiour Christ and these cause many a man to sinne when we feare man more then God What moued Pilate to deliuer Christ to be crucified and are desirous rather to please the people then to discharge our consciences from which two fearefull things good Lord deliuer euery faithfull soule Thirdly Because Pilate knew that for enuie the Iewes deliuered him to be crucified and his owne conscience by many arguments testified vnto him how vniustly hee condemned that iust man Math 27.24 The poor shift of Pilate to excuse himselfe therefore that it might happen vnto the Iewes according as they had concluded themselues His bloud be vpon vs and vpon our Children He taketh water and washeth his hands saying I am innocent from the bloud of this iust person See ye to it And then he gaue sentence that it should be as they required that IESVS CHRIST should be presently CRVCIFIED The sentence of Christs condemnation Ah sencelesse sinnefull man a man voide of wisedome to commit such an horrible sinne against thy God and to condemne life to death Alas what auaileth it thee to wash thy hands in water and to defile thy heart with bloud for how shalt thou answere this not onely to condemne an innocent Sed ijsdem labijs illum condemnare quibus pronuntiaueras innocentem But also with the same lippes to condemne him as guilty which euen now had pronounced him guiltlesse Surely God may say to thee as to all those Iudges that follow thy steppes to make a long speech to iustifie themselues Luke 19.22 and in few words to condemne the innocent Out of thine owne mouth will I condemne thee O thou euill seruant and I will iustly condemne thee to eternall death because thou hast vniustly condemned an innocent man to death O consider this ye that forget God and ye that be called Gods on Earth cleanse your hearts from all euill and let not your hands deale with wickednesse so shall you be innocent from the great offence And so you see what the Iudge of all the World suffered before these petty Iudges of this World CHAP. VI. What Christ suffered in Golgotha the place where he was crucified PIlate hauing passed sentence vpon Christ to be crucified the Souldiers take him and laying his Crosse a heauy Crosse vpon his shoulders as Isaac carried the wood wherewith himselfe should be sacrificed Gen. 22.6 2 Sam. 11.14 or as Vrias carried the Letters of his owne death they compelled him to carrie it so long as he was able to stand vnder it then meeting Simon of Cyrene comming from his perambulation in the fields they make him carrie that Crosse of Christ vnto the place of execution and placing the same in Golgotha which was the place where Adam was buried Ambros l. 5. Ep. 1â— as Saint Ambrose thinketh they nayled and fastened Christ vnto it vpon that very day of the weeke that Adam was created Two things considered vpon the Crosse and as is thought he was hanged vpon this Tree vpon the very same houre of the day as Adam did eate of the forbidden Tree And here wee must consider two especiall things 1. The grieuous things that he suffered Tantum distentus sum vt corpore nudo in modum tympanica pellis distento facile possint omnia ossa mea dinumerari Bern. de pass c. 7. 2. The gracious words that he vttered For the first they stretched his body as Saint Bernard saith and then they nayled him to the Crosse which was a grieuous torment vnto any but especially vnto him because his body of all other men was the most tender as being onely shaped of a Virgins substance without any commixture of the male nature and yet the most sensible parts of this tender body must be bored and mangled by his cruell enemies for his feete that afore were washed with Maries teares must now be teared with iron nayles and those blessed hands Bosquier de passione Domini p. 847. in fol. that had wrought so many wonderous workes must now be fastened Vnto this wooden Crosse and there he must hang vntill he die Horrendum dictu A most odious and a most grieuous death and that in foure respects First Because it was an accursed death so esteemed by man 1. An accursed death and so denounced by God himselfe where he saith Cursed is euery one that hangeth vpon a Tree Deut. 21. Gal. 3.13 Tripartit hist l. 1. c. 9. 2. A shamefull death And therefore Constantine the Great and good made a Law that no Christian should be crucified vpon a Crosse Secondly Because it was an ignominious and a shamefull death inflictâ—d chiefly vpon those slaues and seruants that either falsly accused or treacherously conspired their Masters death and it was neuer imposed vpon free men vnlesse it were for some haynous and notorious crimes as robberie murther sedition rebellion or such like 3. A painefull death Thirdly Because it was a most painefull death for that they were fastened to the Crosse not with any little nayles but with bigge purposely made nayles that might hold them sure and fast enough vnto the Crosse so bigge were the nayles that pierced Christ his hands and feete that being found they were found sufficient to make a bridle and a Helmet Socrates Hist l. 1. c. 17. as Socrates saith and then the whole waight of their bodies hanging by these parts made their paine intollerable and killed them at length without any deadly wound And therefore Cicero that most eloquent man which wanted no words to expresse any thing else when hee came to consider of this accursed death was brought to that passe Cicero Orat. 7. in ver to that non-plus as to say Quid dicam in crucem tollere What shall I say of that cruell and most painefull shamefull death of the Crosse 4. A slow and a lingring death Fourthly Because it was a slow and a lingering death for that as the Poet truly saith Morsque minus penae quam mora mortis habet To be long in paine is worse then death a soone dispatched riddance out of paine being a great fauour vnto a languishing life and although in other deaths they should be quickly dispatched and soone rid out of all their paine
that he had lost the price of that Oyntment wherewith the Woman annointed Christ and which he had valued at three hundred pence went out as I shewed you before and sold Christ for thirty pence and then betrayed him into the hands of sinners Fourthly Christ being treacherously betrayed 4. The desire of the people violently apprehended and most falsly accused by the Sonnes of Belial the High Priests for very malice that they bore against Christ and for feare that the Romans if they let him escape would come and take away that rule and authoritie that was left them thought him worthy to die and deliuered him vnto Pilate and did teach the ignorant ingratefull and vnconstant multitude most earnestly to desire the death of Christ saying Crucifie him crucifie him and therefore Pilate for feare of the Priests and to please the people when he had scourged Christ condemned him and deliuered him to be crucified And yet all these were but instrumentall causes of these manifold sufferings of Christ there were other more efficient and farre greater causes then all these For Secondly The efficient cause of Christ his death The efficient cause of Christ his death Esay 53.10 was God himselfe for so the Prophet Esay saith It pleased the Lord to bruise him and to put him to griefe to bruise his body with tortures through the malice of the Iewes towards him and to strike his soule with griefe through the mercy of God towards vs. And so the Prophet Ieremie speaking of these sufferings in the person of Christ himselfe saith That they were sorrowes and sufferings Quae fecit mihi Deus Lament 1.12 That God himselfe laide all this punishment vpon Christ Whereby God hath afflicted me God who is termed A deuouring fire and an ouer-flowing torrent of wrath doth now make our Sauiour Christ as the onely Butte to shoote at him all the shafts of his furie he openeth him and powreth into him all the vials of his indignation and as Iob complaineth That the terrors of the Lord did set themselues in array against him So Christ when he saith Mar. 14.34 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 My soule is incompassed with sorrowes on euery side sheweth how God had set himselfe against him yea though God afflicteth sometimes in mercy euen as a Father when hee correcteth his dearest Childe yet is he here said to haue done this In the fiercenesse of his wrath And therefore how could Christ choose but suffer for when God will smite who is able either by strength or wit to escape out of his hands Why God afflicted Christ But here it may be well demanded what moued Gods wrath to be thus kindled against Christ for God hateth nothing but sinne and in Christ there was no sinne neither was any guile found in his mouth And therefore seeing God neuer doth as Annas did to cause Christ to be smitten without a cause why should God be so much displeased as thus grieuously to punish his onely Sonne in whom hee was alwayes well pleased and with whom he was neuer in any wayes offended Dan. 9.27 God afflicted Christ for vs and not for himselfe To this wee must answere with the Prophet Daniel that the Messias must be slaine but not for himselfe for hee tooke vpon him the person of vs all and if a man that oweth nothing becomes a surety for a debtor if the principall becomes bankerout the surety shall be compelled to make a plenary satisfaction and he must pay that which he neuer tooke And therefore Christ vndertaking the payment of our debts and to discharge vs from Gods wrath to come Esay 53.4 5 6. He tooke vpon him our infirmities hee was wounded for our iniquities and broken for our transgressions Luc. 22.64 And so if the tormentors should say as once they did Prophesie vnto vs who it is that smote thee We may quickely become Prophets and most truly answere for him that our sinnes smote him our iniquities whipt him our pride crowned him with a crowne of thornes our drunkennesse gaue him that vinegar to drinke and in a word our sinne our grieuous sinne what sinne soeuer it be did thus haynously murther Christ and fast nayled him vnto the Crosse Quia solum peccatum homicida est Our sinnes crucified Iesus Christ For alas it was not Pilate nor Caiphas nor any one of that complicie of confederate Agents that were the efficient cause of his death for they were but the instruments and executioners onely of that punishment which our sinnes the sinnes of each man had laide vpon him and the Executioner cannot be said properly to be the cause of that mans death which by the Law is adiudged to die but to say the truth our sinnes haue killed the Sonne of God And therefore as Nathan said vnto Dauid 2 Sam. 12.7 Thou art the man that did the deede So I may say to euery sinner Thou art the man for whose sinnes God in the fiercenesse of his wrath did thus punish and afflict his onely Sonne O that this would make euery one of vs to crie out with Ionas Propter me haec tempestas I am the cause of all this troubles Ionas 1.12 of all this stormy windes and tempest Take me and cast me into the Sea And as Dauid â—hen he saw the miserable death of the people for his sinne was vexed at the heart and cried vnto the Lord saying Behold I haue sinned and I haue done wickedly 2 Sam. 24.17 but these sheepe what haue they done So I wish that euery one of vs would see it and say it It is I Lord that haue sinned but for this innocent Lambe this harmelesse Doue alas what hath he done And I hope this would make vs to hate and detest our sinnes when we consider that they were the onely murtherers of the Sonne of God You see then that as in the Law it was ordained that a man should bring his Beast to the doore of the Tabernacle and should put his hand vpon the head of it when hee offered the same for a burnt offering vnto God to shew vnto vs that the man himselfe had indeede deserued to die Leuit. 1.4 and that the Beast was onely slaine for his offences So here our Sauiour Christ was put to death not for any cause of his owne but as Saint Peter saith 1 Pet. 3.18 The iust suffered for the vniust he was wounded for our sinnes and crucified for our transgressions But then againe it may be demanded Quest What moued Christ to vndertake our debts Resp why should he vndertake our debt and make satisfaction for our sinnes when as wee had no wayes deserued any kindnesse at his hands and could by no meanes requite so great a benefit I answere That it was requisite and necessary that he should suffer for our sinnes to fulfill the truth of God because hee had promised that the seede of the Woman should breake the
force as when by their friends they were rescued out of the hands of their enemies Fourthly By a ransome as when a price thought counteruaileable to the prisoners was paide for the deliuerance of the Captiues And thus Christ redeemed vs for we had solde our selues or rather giuen away our selues because we doe it for such trifles for nothing that it deserues not the name of a sale vnder sinne and we had past away our selues vnto Sathan and he would neuer suffer vs freely to be freed out of his hands neither was there any force nor friends that could any wayes restore vs vnto our former dignitie and therefore Christ came to repurchase vs that is to buy vs backe againe vnto God And though we fell our selues for nothing yet Sathan like a cunning Merchant that knowes well the worth of Soules would not part with vs at any reasonable rate and therefore Christ was faine to pay for vs not gold or siluer or any such like corruptible thing 1 Pet. 1.18 but his owne deare and precious bloud So dearely was he faine to pay for vs so dearely it cost him to redeeme our soules And so Christ came and offered himselfe How deerely it cost Christ to redeeme vs. vpon the Altar of the Crosse as a sufficient sacrifice to pacifie his Fathers wrath and to satisfie his iustice to saue our soules yea the soules of all them that beleeued in him from the beginning of the World to this present day That the bloud of Christ was the price to saue all men as well before his comming as now after his comming Gal. 4. and so forward to the finall period of all flesh For It was not the bloud of Goates or Calues that was the true propitiatory Sacrifice for the sinnes of the Fathers that liued vnder the Law but it was the bloud of Iesus Christ that was onely figured and signified by these Leuiticall shadowes by the Paschall Lambe by the Brazen Serpent and by whatsoeuer else that was giuen them as a Schoolemaster to bring them vnto Christ which purged their consciences from dead workes to serue the liuing God For he is said to be the Lambe slaine that is slaine in the figure Reuel 13.8 slaine in the purpose of God and slaine in the vertue of his passion to euery one that beleeueth him to be slaine for him from the beginning of the World And therefore all those that went before and all those that came after cried Hosanna to the Sonne of Dauid Math. 21.9 For as the looking to the Brazen Serpent was the onely meanes to saue all those people from death which were bitten by the fierie Serpents whether they were before it or behind it Numbers 21.9 or on either side of it neere it or farre from it so the beleeuing in the death of the Sonne of God was and is the onely meanes to preserue all men from the sting of sinne aswell those that went before him Et vnde mundi Philosophus erubuit ibi Apostolus thesaurum reperit quod illi visum est slultitia Apostolo factum est sapientia Quest That the merit of Christs suffering depends vpon the worthinesse of â—he person Resp as those that doe come after him And therefore Quod est grande ludibrium impijs est grande mysterium pijs The death and passion of Iesus Christ which is foolishnesse vnto the World is the sole comfort and consolation of all Christians as Saint Augustine doth most sweetly comment vpon those words of the Apostle God forbid that I should reioyce in any thing saue in the Crosse of Iesus Christ Gal 6. But here it may be demanded how the sufferings of Christ being but of short continuance should be of that worth and dignitie as to be a sufficient price for our eternall deliuerance and to make a plenary satisfaction for the sinnes of the whole World To this I answere that the merit of his suffering depends not vpon the quantity of paine or the continuance of time but vpon the worthinesse of the sufferer and that in two respects Heb. 7.26 1 Pet. 1.19.2.22 First Of his Innocency for he was holy harmelesse and vndefiled a Lambe without spot in whose mouth was found no guile And therefore Iustum est saith Saint Augustine It is a most iust and a righteous thing Aug. l. 13. c 14. de trinitate that the debtors should be set free because he which owed nothing did pay all our debt Maxim quadragess Ser. 1. Secondly Of his Excellency for he was not onely a most innocent man Quem nullum maculauit delictum But he was also a most omnipotent God as the Apostle sheweth when he biddeth vs Acts 20.28 To take heede vnto the Flocke which God hath purchased with his owne bloud And therefore as the Father is infinite which was prouoked so the Sonne is infinite which made the satisfaction that for an infinite offence there might be an infinite attonement and so the person dying being both God and Man his death must be of a greater value then the deaths of all the men of tenne thousand Worlds And therefore Saint Cyprian truly affirmeth Modicam guttam sanguinis Christi propter vnionem hypostaticam pro redemptione totius mundi sufficisse That the least droppe of the bloud of Christ by reason of the vnion of the Deitie vnto the Manhood That the sole sufferings of Christ is fully sufficient to satisfie for all sinnes to make but one person of Christ is of full sufficient vaine to make satisfaction for the sinnes of the whole World And this doth sufficiently confute all those that ioyne the afflictions of the Saints with the sufferings of Christ as a part or the accomplishment of the price of their redemption as if with Christ alone there were not as the Prophet saith Psal 130.7 plenteous redemption for though the Apostle saith I reioyce in my sufferings for you and fill vp that which is behinde of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his bodies sake which is the Church Coloss 1.24 yet this is not to be vnderstood of the propitiatory sacrifice for sinne for so Christ onely suffered all that was to be suffered for our sinnes as both the Prophet Esay Chap. 53.4.5.6 and the holy Apostles of our Sauiour Christ Saint Paul and Saint Iohn Esay 53.4.5.6 Heb. 9.26 1 Iohn 2.2 doe most fully and sufficiently declare He that is He 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by himselfe hath purged our sinnes and as Dauid onely entred the lists against Golias Heb. 1.3 when all the Israelites were but meere spectators So did Christ alone vndertake the combate against Satan and hath troden the Wine-presse alone Esay 63.3 as the Prophet speaketh and therefore Christ said All is finished that is not onely all that is written of me is now fulfilled Ille solus sordes omnium potest abluere Aug. hom 108. de tempore or all
the Spirit had first taught him so when the Spirit said vnto Ezekiel Ezech. 2.1.2 Sonne of man stand vpon thy feet the Spirit himselfe did set him vpon his feete before he could stand and so the Prophet Ieremy saith Lam. 5.1 Turne vs O Lord and we shall be turned and so the Apostle after he had said Worke out your owne saluation with feare and trembling lest that any man should mistake him and thinke that he hath any manner of power of himselfe to doe the same hee sheweth immediately that all such power is from God Phil. 2.13 That we can doe no good but what God worketh in vs. because it is God that worketh in vs both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to will and to effect and so Saint Augustine saith Da domine quod iubes iube quod vis Giue vs O Lord power to performe what thou commandest and then command what thou wilt and so I might heape a cloud of witnesses to proue that neither this woman could nor any other man can turne to God or performe the will of God vntill God himselfe doth enlighten them assist them inable them and draw them to doe it That God compelleth not his seruants to doe any good And yet we must not so vnderstand it as that he doth it violently by way of coaction but sweetly and gently by way of insinuation for he draweth vs Leui spiritu non dura manu by an inward sweet influence and not by any outward extreame violence for the will is no will if it be compelled and therefore as Satan cannot force vs to sinne but onely by way of suggestion so God will not compell vs to grace but onely by way of inclination and a sweet secret operation of his Spirit vpon our wils and affections How God worketh our willingnesse to doe good without which notwithstanding as I shewed you before wee shall neuer be able to seeke for Christ to come to God and therefore to expresse both the necessity of such helpe and the manner of Gods working it in vs our Church excellently saith Lord haue mercy vpon vs and incline our hearts not to compell them but incline them to keepe this Law Why the wicked seeke not God And therefore hence it is apparant that the reason why all men doe not seeke for Christ and serue their God is because God in Iustice leaues them and doth not thus incline their hearts to seeke for him for if he did it how could they withstand it Rom. 9.19 for who hath euer resisted his will If then you will say the fault is in God Ob. that all men doe not seeke for God because hee doth not moue and incline their hearts to seeke after him I answere that this is a false conclusion Sol. laide vpon no good foundation for in the actions of the wicked he doth not driue them to sinne nor hath the least finger in their iniquity but he onely leaueth them to their owne inuentions and so the Prophet saith Thy destruction is from thy selfe Hosea 13.9 and he is a debtor to no man that he should be bound to sustaine him and therefore if to the one he sheweth fauour and doth incline his heart to leaue his sinnes and to seeke for Christ Illi facit indebitam misericordiam He doth it freely out of his mercy if to the rest hee doth not this he cannot be reprooued of any fault Quia illis facit debitam iustitiam because he doth but iustly leaue them And therefore I cannot sufficiently wonder at those men eminent in place and excellent for words that lessening this helpe and fauour of God which is the α and ω the beginning continuing and finishing of all the good things that are in the Saints of God would I know not for what cause ascribe more power and ability vnto man then is in any of themselues And yet I may cease my wondring because as the Sodomites groped for the doores in the cleere day Gen. 19.12 and the Iewes notwithstanding all the inuincible and vnanswerable apparant arguments to proue the comming of the Messiah would neuer beleeue it to this very day So that subtile Serpent still striueth to darken our eyes many times that we cannot see the cleerest light And so you see the action of these women and how they came to be so full of zeale and deuotion Two speciall obseruations from the former doctrine Out of which we may obserue these two speciall points for our instruction That many Women haue beene found most zealous and religious in the seruice of God First that many women were made Instruments of great goodnesse for though Sathan hath much blemished the beauty of this Sexe by making them his often Instruments to worke mischiefe as Eua to seduce Adam Dalila to intrap Sampson Iezabel to infatuate Achab and many others to further many Heresies so hath God much honoured them in making them partakers of great mercies and often instruments of his glory as Mary to conceiue him Elizabeth to prophesie of him Hanna to reioyce to see him Mary Magdalen to annoint him Martha to entertaine him and these three gracious Women to be the first seekers and the first seers of him after death and the first witnesses of his Resurrection vnto life I might reckon many other women that trusted in God and were famous in their generations and as Lampes shining in the world whereof some were faithfull Martyrs of Iesus Christ some bountifull entertainers of the seruants of Christ some able to conuert their vnbeleeuing Husbands and some to instruct their Housholds in the feare of God as that elect Lady vnto whom Saint Iohn writeth And I might speake of Sara 2 Ep. Iohn v. 1. Rebecca Debora Iudith Abigaile Bathsheba Hester Dorcas Loyse Phaebe Claudia Maxima Monica Pulcheria Gorgonia Trasilla and many more But seeing when it was granted to no man to be the father God vouchsafed to accept a woman to be the mother of Christ this onely thing is sufficient to shew how abundantly he loued and how worthily hee deserueth the loue of women Wherefore elect and blessed Ladies deare and Christian women let vs blesse that God which hath so honoured and blessed you let vs remember that honour is deceitfull and beauty is vanity Prou. 31.30 but the woman that feareth the Lord shall be praised and therefore imitate not that gracelesse Iezabel that painted her face with diuers colours Esay 3. and defiled her minde with haynous sinnes nor those daughters of Ierusalem which the Prophet Esay describeth and who tooke such delight in their tinckling ornaments and trumperies of vanities and did loue to sit at ease in Sion but imitate that good daughter of Sion whose beauty and glory is within Psal 45.14 and those Elect Ladies and blessed women whose praise is in the Gospell And if at any time heretofore you haue followed Iezabell and those dainty Dames in
a gift that we haue receiued from God All that wee haue is from God because as Saint Iames saith Euery good thing and euery perfect gift is from aboue and commeth downe from the Father of lights Secondly the Spirituall gifts of God are of two sorts 1. To edifie the Church 2. To sanctifie our soules First Those gifts which he gaue to edifie the Church Ephes 4.11 the Apostle setteth downe in the eleuenth verse saying Hee gaue some Apostles and some Prophets and some Euangelists The gifts that Christ bestoweth to edifie his Church and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the same for the worke of the Ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ wherein we see that by the gifts whereof the Apostle speaketh in these words are vnderstood either 1. The Ministers of the Church or 2. The gifts wherewith the Ministers are indued or rather as I take it 3. Ministers indued and qualified with such gifts as are necessary for the gathering together of his Church which are specially The gifts 1. Of Tongues Gifts requisite for Preachers 2. Of Knowledge 3. Of Charitie 4. Of Constancy and Perseuerance 5. Of Contempt of all worldly vanities 6. Of perfect power First The gift of tongues First languages and readinesse of speech i. e. that as by the confusion of tongues the world was diuided at the building of Babell so by the helpe of the Preachers tongues the world might bee revnited and made one sheepe-fold in the building of Gods Church Secondly that these men might not offend in their tongues Thirdly that they might be the better able to teach profound and heauenly doctrine which they that want the tongues or languages cannot so easily attaine vnto And fourthly that none might bee able to resist the words of their mouthes Luke 12.11 as our Sauiour saith I will giue vnto you a mouth or tongue which your aduersaries shall not be able to withstand Secondly Knowledge Iohn 16.13 Perfecta virtus non est sine cognitione veritatis Bernard Secondly the gift of Knowledge whereby they might know all truth not of politicke and state matters but of all truth necessary for this office to edifie the Church which is the chiefest knowledge that wee should aime at or else all truth euery way because they should know him which is all truth i. e. Iesus Christ and I desire to know nothing else I will bee contented to be accounted a foole in all things else so he will giue me this gift only to know him alone Thirdly Charity 1 Cor. 8.1 Hugo de S. Vict. misc l. 1. tit 73. Thirdly the gift of Charity Quia quaerentes verum non bonum non inuenient summum bonum because knowledge without charity puffeth vp and the seeking to know the truth and not labouring to be good will neuer bring vs to the chiefest good and because of all men wee are most hated and standered and haue all occasions offered vs to make vs hate all wicked men therefore God diffuseth this gift of loue and charity into our hearts that notwithstanding all our indignity we doe still loue them better then they doe loue themselues and doe spend our whole time to doe them good and are ready to lay downe our liues for the brethren Fourthly Constancy Fourthly the gift of constancy and perseuerance because as knowledge and euery other gift without charity is nothing worth so charity and all other workes without perseuerance will auaile vs nothing Reuel 2.10 because wee must bee faithfull vnto death if wee would haue the crowne of life and therefore God doth giue vs this gift of Constancy to continue so in our vocation that neither want Rom. 8.39 nor contempt nor life nor death nor any other thing shall separate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus Fiftly contempt of vanities Fiftly the gift of contemning worldly vanities for seeing it is the property of the world to esteeme of vs no better then of the scumme and off-scouring of the world euery one of vs except hee be great in wealth and honours is contemned of his owne kinred of his owne people in his owne house where hee dwelleth and of those very men whom he teacheth and for whom as a burning light he consumeth himselfe that they should not bee consumed with sinne therefore the Lord giueth vs this gift and spirit contemnere contemni to despise all contempts and to regard none of the vaine and variable things of this wicked world Sixtly the gift of perfect power Sixtly Perfect power that to the penitent and deiected to the humble and contrite hearts they might open the gates of heauen and let them in in despight of all the deuils of hell and that against the obstinate and rebellious sinners Matth. 16.19 they might close and shut the same that notwithstanding all their wealth and wit their strength and power they may be excluded out of the ioyes of heauen And so these are the gifts Ministers indued with these gifts which God giueth vnto his Church for the gathering together of his Saints And indeed What a great gift it is to bestow able ministers vpon this Church howsoeuer the world vilipendeth them and as the Prophet saith doth make but a iesting song of them yet if we truly obserue it wee shall easily finde it that among all the gifts of God which he now giueth vnto men from heauen the sending of faithfull and able Ministers indued with these gifts to discharge their duties is the chiefest gift and doth obtaine the chiefest place for alas without them what were we vnbaptized still wallowing in our sins and filthinesse vntaught still inuolued in ignorance vnvnited to Christ still chained in the hands of Satan without profession without religion without God And therefore it was not without cause Matth. 9.38 that our Sauiour exhorteth vs to pray vnto God that he would send forth labourers into his vineyard for otherwise hee knew that in a very short time it would grow wilde and in stead of grapes to bring forth wilde grapes in stead of mercy and iudgement to bring forth cruelty and oppession and in stead of piety and religion to bring forth nothing else but idolatry and superstition It is reported of Phillip King of Macedon that he sent vnto the Athenians to send him all their Orators of Athens and he would euer liue in league and peace with them and the wise Senators being ready to deliuer those learned men into the hands of their mortall enemy Demosthenes said vnto them that on a time the Wolues said vnto the Sheepe that they conceiued no ill thought against them but only for retaining those dogs which were their deadly enemies and oftentimes barked against themselues which were their feeders and therefore if they would deliuer vp their dogs into their hands they should free themselues from their barking and they would
like King Therons Coursers that were neuer weary of running that so they may escape all the fiery darts of Satan and finish their course with ioy when they shall receiue that Crowne of righteousnesse which the Lord hath prepared for them that loue him And thus dearely beloued you see that although man for his sinne was eiected out of Paradise and subiected to all miseries yet through the mercy of God in sending his Sonne to be made man to suffer for man to ouercome the diuell sinne and death to raise himselfe from death to ascend to Heauen to send his holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his heauenly graces wee shall if we beleeue in him and serue him praise his Name for all his blessings loue one another and pray one for another attaine vnto euerlasting happinesse Vnto the which happinesse the Lord of his goodnesse bring vs all through Iesus Christ our Lord to whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be ascribed as is most due all Glory and Honour and Praise and Thankes and Power and Maiesty and Dominion both now and for euermore Amen A Prayer O Eternall God and our most gratious Father wee most humbly beseech thee for Iesus Christ his sake to forgiue vs all our sinnes which we acknowledge and confesse to be more in number then the sands of the Sea which cannot bee numbred cleanse vs O Lord with the bloud of Christ and plant in vs those heauenly gifts and graces whereby wee may be inabled to serue thee as we ought to doe in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life increase our faith stirre vp our hope and kindle our loue and our charity both towards thy selfe and all men for thy sake giue vs patience to vndergo without offending thee whatsoeuer miseries this wicked world shall any wayes heape vpon vs blesse our gracious King the Prince and all the royall issue blesse all the Ministers of thy Church and all the Magistrates of this Common-wealth Grant O Lord thy grace vnto thy Ministers that they may faithfully preach the Word of truth and sincerely liue a most vpright and a godly life grant to the Magistrates thy grace O God to defend right without remissenesse and to punish vice without maliciousnesse and because we are all thy creatures the workes of thy hands made by thee preserued by thee and inioying all we haue life and liuelihood from thee O Lord be mercifull vnto vs all and remember that we are but dust consider O consider that we are but as grasse not able to doe what we would not able to doe any thing that is good vnlesse thou dost it in vs O then let our soules liue and wee will praise thy Name we will magnifie thee for euer and euer for all the blessings that we haue receiued from thee our Creation Redemption Sanctification Preseruation and our assured hope of Glorification and all other graces whatsoeuer through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Soliloquie of the Author O Eternall God thou hast created me and I haue offended thee thou hast redeemed me and I still continued vnthankefull vnto thee and yet thou hast heaped many blessings vpon me and giuen me grace to be desirous to serue thee and according to my poore and weake ability to shew forth these lights vnto thy Church I confesse O Lord whatsoeuer is ill herein is onely mine and whatsoeuer is good is truely thine and therefore I desire thee to pardon mine euill and to make me thankefull for thy good and so to accept that worke done by thy grace that it may be crowned with thy glory I doe not long for any worldly thing the whole world lyeth in wickednesse but I desire my soule may be married vnto thee to liue with thee for euermore and therefore O blessed God seeing that as I haue none in heauen so I haue none in earth but onely thou to be my helper I beseech thee to be my redeeming kinsman to preserue my wearied body from the malice of this world and to preferre my disconsolate soule vnto euerlasting ioyes through Iesus Christ mine onely Sauiour Amen IEHOVAE LIBERATORI FINIS THE TABLE AB ABstaine from sinne is from God 205 God neuer absolueth vnrepentant sinners 242 Absurdities God shunneth in all things 324 Absurdities of the Lutheran doctrine touching the communication of properties 377. c. Absurdities following the high-Priest saying that the Disciples stole Christ away 564 Nature not able to shew the reason how the world should be made 138 God able to doe what he will 147 To hinder what he will not haue done ibid. To doe more then he did or doth or will doe 148. 149. c. Phrases of being able or not able how to be vnderstood 158 God able to produce any thing of nothing 163 God able to forgiue all sinnes 164 God not able to doe contrary to what hee decreed 165 Not able to doe things contrary to his Nature 165 Gods ability to helpe vs a great comfort to the godly 177 Absurdities of the doctrine of transubstantiation 174 God able to saue men without the Incarnation of his Sonne 320 None able to know God as hee is in himselfe 120 Abstract names of all excellencies most proper vnto God 122 Goodnesse of God abused by the wicked 225 Abuse of Christ not paralelled in any age 474 AC To be an Accepter of persons what it is 210 We should acknowledge whence wee haue all our goodnesse 211 Inward actions of God euer in doing necessary incommunicable 275 Christ how falsly accused by his enemies 471 Whereof accused before Pilate and how false those accusations were 472 Acts meerely voluntary no sinnes 15. 32 Actuall sinne what it is 10 All actions adiudged according to the disposition of the will 55 Act of punishment least agreeable to Gods nature 195 No act can exceed the power of the agent 209 Actors in the Tragedy of Christ his Passion who they were 421 Gods free actions not curiously to be searched into 555 Chiefest Acts of Dauid types of Christ 617 AD Adam sinning we all sinned 3 Adams fall brought on vs a two-fold euill 3 What God commanded Adam how small a thing it was 98 Adamant how mollified 5â—6 Aduersity makes the Saints more resplendent then prosperity 207 Aduersity and affliction not simply good ibid. AE Aescilus how he came by his death 613 AF. Affirmatiue precepts how many viz. 248. 230 Christ why afflicted by God 496 Affections of Christ how they differ from ours in three respects 444 AG. Agony of Christ what was the cause thereof 443 The seuerall ages of the world 402. 403 Agents that there be three sorts 162 Christ borne in the sixâ— age of the world and why 403 Age of man diuided into foure parts 68 AL. How all we haue is from God 129 All men taste of Gods goodnesse 201 How all men may be said to hate the Preachers 435 Alcestes how deerely she loued her Husband 425 AN. Anabaptists heresie what
was it not in the suffering though it was in the Body of Christs Passion yet was it not in the Passion of Christs Body but the humanity onely suffered and the omnipotency of the Deity sustained the impotency of the Humanity and while the flesh groaned vnder the anguish of his Passion Matth. 26.39 and cryed Father if it be possible let this Cup passe from me and so breathed out that mournfull complaint My God my God Matth. 27.46 why hast thou forsaken me Yet then the Deity triumphed ouer all the bitternesse of death and the enemies of our flesh Damasc l. 3. c. 26. de fide Orthodoxa And this is excellently expressed by Damascen saying Quomadmodum si quis ignito ferro superinsundat aquam Euen as if a man should poure water vpon a red-hot-iron that which is passible or capable to suffer by the water that is the heat fire is extinguished but the iron remaineth still sound and impassible because the water hath no power to corrupt it euen so the Humanity of Christ may suffer paine and death but the Deity inseperably vnited vnto the same can notwithstanding suffer no manner of Passion And Secondly As it is a thing incomprehensible and therefore may well haue a quis credidit who hath beleeued our report that God should be made passible so it is a thing more incredible Heb. 11.37 that he being iust being King being Priest being God should notwithstanding really suffer yea so suffer as to be destitute afflicted and tormented and so tormented that the Prophet Esay may fitly call him Virum dolorum A man of sorrowes as if he had beene wholly composed of miseries Lament 1.12 and the Prophet Ieremy truely demaund Si fuerit dolor sicut dolor suus if euer there was any sorrow like vnto his sorrow Jbidem yet behold he was oppressed and afflicted saith the Prophet and the Lord did afflict him in the day of the fiercenesse of his wrath And therefore let others wonder at the rising of this Sunne I admire his going downe let them maruell to see him layed in the cratch I much more to see him nayled vpon the Crosse The consideration of Christs suffering admirable and let them admire to see him sleeping betwixt two beasts and I will much more admire to see him suffering betwixt two theeues But he was wounded for our trangressions and he was bruised for our iniquities saith the Prophet and therefore let vs the rather giue the more heed vnto those things that he suffered for vs least the neglect and not regarding the same shall adde wrath vnto our soules in the day of wrath Well then seeing the Sonne of God was made passible apt to suffer and that he knew his time was drawing neere that hee must suffer he went out of the house out of the Citie Why Christ went out of the house before he was taken into the garden of Gethsemane saith the Euangelist First He went out of the house where they had eaten the Passeouer First Least his Hoste that had so kindly receiued him into his house should any wayes for his sake be vnkindly vsed of his enemies so sacred a thing was the law of guests among the ancients that neither the Lodger nor the lodged would hurt each other if they met in the open fields Valerius Maximus l. 5. 1. vnder the Colours of two deadly enemies and therefore Lot offered his owne Daughters vnto the Sodomites Gen. 19. rather then they should abuse those Strangers that were come vnder his roofe and the Poet notes it as an argument of the great perfidiousnesse of the most corrupted latter age Ouid. Met. l. 1. Non hospes ab hospite tutus That there was no truth betwixt the Hoste and his Ghest Plutar. in Sert. Secondly Least as Sertorius was found of Perpenna amongst his banquets he might be accused to be a Wine-bibber and bee said to be a boone-companion and be a president of ill example vnto others if he had beene found in the Inne amongst his Guests for it is a great deale fitter to finde a Scholler in his study then in the Tauerne Why Christ went out of the Citie Secondly He went out of the Citie out of that famous Citie Ierusalem Theophil in Mar. 14. First Least any commotion or tumult should be raised so dearely did this Prince of Peace affect and seeke to preserue the Peace of Ierusalem for they would haue taken him many times but they feared the people therefore he goeth out of the Citie that they may doe it without feare i. e. without feare of sedition Secondly To shew that as they had shut him out of their hearts so now he begins to depart out of their walls Egressus est à filia Sion omnis decor eius Lament 1.13 and so all the glory of Sion is departed from them and as the Poet saith of Troy Ruit Ilium ingens gloria Teucrorum We may say the same of Ierusalem Luke 19.44 the time of her desolation draweth neere and it must bee made an heape of stones Because Excessere omnes adâ—tis arisque relictis dij quibus imperium hoc steterat now God which had been the vpholder of them was gone out of their wals and departed from them and therefore wee should euer take heed that we shut not Christ out of our hearts least he will hereupon shut vs out of his fauour Thirdly He went into the Garden of Gethsemane First That as our fall was in a garden so the worke of our Redemption should first begin in a garden Secondly That his enemies might the more easily find him for it was a place that he had often frequented Why Christ went into the Garden of Gethsemane saith the Euangelist and therefore he went not there as seeking to hide himselfe but rather to expose himselfe and like a noble Champion to appeare first in the field and to expect his enemies for although they sought him like a Partridge vpon the mountaines yet noluit dolo teneri ne derogaretur praescientiae plenitudo Hee would not be craftily taken in a net by a guile least that might be derogatorie to his omnisciency and therefore knowing they were desirous to take him he goes to meete them into the garden of Gethsemane And as soone as euer he came into the Garden What befell vnto Christ in the Garden John 12.27 Mar. 14.35 Luke 22.42 Matth. 26.38 Prou. 18.14 Ecce hostem inuenit behold his enemy was there as soone as he for he began presently Cantristare pauere moestus esse To be troubled in soule saith Saint Iohn to be in anguish of mind saith Saint Marke and to be in an agony saith Saint Luke and to haue his soule exceeding sorrowfull vnto death saith Saint Matthew Alas what shall we say to this for the spirit of man will sustaine his infirmities but a wounded spirit who can beare
yet behold his Spirit his Soule is sorrowfull vnto death no doubt but his Apostles saw it yet like a barrell full and wanting vent hee must needes burst forth and confesse it Spem vultu simulat premit altum corde dolorem he doth not here Aeneas-like dissemble his griefe with a fained countenance his sorrow is greater then can be contained for it is vnto death that is not onely extensiuely such as must continue for the space of seauenteene or eighteene houres euen vntill death it selfe shall finish it but also intensiuely such and so great as that which is vsed to be at the very point of death and such as were able to bring death vnto me were I not reserued to a greater and a heauier punishment And therefore he kneeled downe and fell grouelling vpon his face and said Father if it be possible let this Cup passe from me Matth. 26.39 and there praying he fell into a dreadfull agonie his thoughts were troubled his spirits affrighted his heart trembled his pores opened Et totus sudore defluit and he sweat great drops of bloud that streamed downe to the ground and so panting hee prayed and sweating still he prayed and the more hee was afflicted the more he prayed and fainted as it were in the bathe of his owne bloud weeping not onely with his eyes but euen with all his members Bern Ser. 3. as Saint Bernard saith And therefore the end of his Passion must needes be mournefull when the beginning of it is so fearefull and the cause of this agony must needs be supernaturall when it proceeds so contrary to the course of nature for it was in a cold season in the open ayre and they were faine to make a fire within doores without any exercise without any man neere him to offer him violence and therefore naturally he should be inclined to a cold chilly operation rather then to a bloudy sweating agony yea not onely to sweat some cold thinne faint sweat which is called sudor diaphoreticus but in such abundance of great drops saith the Euangelist that they were able to die his garments with crimson red according as the Prophet Esay saith though properly in another sense yet in some respect may be applyed to this Wherefore art thou red in thine apparell Esay 63.2 and thy garments like him that treadeth in the Wine-fat And as the Christian Poet Houedemius saith Sudor fluit vndique riuis sanguineae manant tanquam de vulnere guttae Cum cor sentit amoris gladium Cruor carnis rubricat pallium When through loue his hearts-vaine bled It dyed his garments crimson red And that these drops did not onely distillare drop out but decurrere runne and streame downe so fast to the ground from all the pores of his body as if they had issued out of most deadly wounds Wynton in Ser. sup Thren It is well obserued by our learned Bishop of Winchester out of Saint Hierome and the Chaldee paraphrast that the greatnesse of his sorrow melted him so as if he had stood by some burning furnace which was able to cast him into that sweat and to turne that sweat into drops of bloud and it appeares the rather because the Prophet Ieremie saith in the same place that a fire was sent into his bones and that might well melt all his marrow and cause the bloud to distill from his flesh and to trickle downe to the ground O happy garden watered with such teares thou must needes surpasse the garden of Eden that was watered with foure goodly riuers for this bloud of Christ doth speake better things Heb. 12.24 and bring forth better fruits then the bloud of Abell for that cryed out of the earth for vengeance against his brother but this cryeth for mercy vnto all the earth euen to his enemies Father forgiue them Luk. 23.34 for they know not what they doe and whereas our fruitfull Land the Land of our hearts was made barren for the sinne and iniquity of our fore-Father to bring forth thornes and thistles sinnes and wickednesse yet now being watered with these heauenly showers of his bloud he maketh it very plenteous to abound in all grace and godlinesse But alas Quest what was the cause that should make him so supernaturally to sweat so strangely to kneele so deuoutly and to pray so earnestly that if it were possible that houre might passe from him Thomas Aquinas answereth Resp that the cause of all passions is to be considered either 1. Ex parte obiecti In regard of the obiect Or 2. Ex parte subiecti In respect of the subiect That as in the conception of gold in the bowels of the earth there is Aestus solaris ignis subterranius A concurrency of the heate of the Sunne from aboue with a sulphurious fire from below So in the Passion of our Sauiour Christ we must know that in respect of the obiect he saw the Diuine wrath from aboue ready to be powred forth for the sinnes of men and in respect of the subiect hee saw the Church which was his body so iustly punished by this wrath of God and all that punishment to alight on him which had vndertaken to satisfie Gods Iustice and to free his members from euerlasting torments And therefore no doubt but the cleere sight The cause of Christ his agony in the Garden and the deepe consideration of that Cup which he was so sheerely to drinke vp was the cause that made him both so vehemently to pray against it and â—lso in the vehemency of the feare of it to be in such perplexed agony as thereby to sweat the drops of bloud CHAP. II. Of that fearefull Cup what it was which our Sauiour was to drinke of and that he so much feared and prayed against it What was the Cup which our Sauiour was to drinke BVt what was this Cup which hee was to drinke of we cannot easily determine For Some thinke this prayer this feare this agony proceeded onely from the weakenesse of his humanity that was now though not dis-vnited yet vnassisted of the Deity and that they were chiefly effected through the feare of that death which so neerely approached and therefore though they were vttered as proceeding from Passion or at least humane affection yet were they presently seasoned and as it were corrected with more deliberate consideration when he said Not my will but thine be fulfilled But To these men I answere that although Christ tooke our infirmities vpon him as well the spirituall Passions of the soule as the corporall infirmities of the body i. e. all such as are onely miserable but not damnable penall but not culpable or those that are painfull without sinne but not those which are sinfull without paine as both Damascen Saint Augustine and Aquinas haue most excellently obserued yet we say that these affections in Christ doe much differ from ours in three respects That the Humane affections