sinnes from the world for this is one of the strongest and commonest encouragements that men take to liue in a sinne If they thinke it likely to be concealed But here they see how false a ground that is For if they can conceale it from men yet can they not from God and if God know it then can he reueale it to the world when it pleaseth him Againe whereas Abels bloud cried when he was dead It teacheth vs that God had a care of Abell both liuing and dead for it were nothing to say his bloud cried if God heard not that cry But it s apparant he heard it for he reuenged it and punished Cain when Abell was dead and could not reuenge it himselfe And this care God hath not ouer Abell alone but ouer all his children and as the Psalmist saith Pretious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints that which is vile and of no regard in the world is pretious with God Tyrants make hauocke of the Church and kill them vp by heapes but God records vp euery one and will not faile to reuenge it when they are dead For if God haue bottles for the teares of his seruants surely much more hath he bottles for their bloud The vse whereof is to teach vs in all extremities of danger or distresse to learne patience yea though we be sure to die yet as Christ saith To possesse our soules with patience For we haue one wil heare the cause and reuenge our quarrell when we are gone So that if wee be patient wee loose nothing but if wee be impatient wee get nothing Let vs therefore hold our tongues for the wrong done to vs crieth loude enough to God for reuenge who will heare it as assuredly as he did Abels And thus wee see how Abell spake then euen after he was dead The second point is Hee speakes also yet and that three wayes First his faith yet speaketh because it admonisheth all men euery where who either heare or reade this story to become such as Abell was namely true worshippers of the true God for in Abels example it prouokes all men to be like him because it assureth them of the same regard and reward with God that Abell had and so Abels faith is a neuer dying Preacher to all Ages of the Church Here wee learne that the holy Examples of Gods children are reall teaching and loude preaching to other men For there is a double teaching namely in word or deede It belongs to the Minister to teach in word and to all men to teach by their deedes and good examples And if the Minister teach not thus also it is the worse both for him and his hearers It sufficeth not for him to teach by vocall Sermons that is by good doctrine but withall by reall Sermons that is by good life His faith his zeale his patience his mercy and all other his vertues must speake and cry call to other men to be like vnto him which if he practice carefully in his life as Abell did then shall his vertues speake for him to all posterities when he is dead Againe Abell though dead may be said to speake because howsoeuer his body be dead yet in soule and spirit hee liueth with God in heauen And thus the word speaketh may be vnderstoode because it is here opposed to death by which he being dead yet speaketh that is being dead in body yet liueth in soule which life with God was obtained vnto by his true and sauing faith Thirdly hee may be said to speake yet as all other Gods Martyrs are said to crie in the Reuelation from vnder the altar How long Lord holy and true doest thou not auenge our bloud on them that dwell on the earth As this is true of all Martyrs so specially of Abell the first Martyr of all which words are not spoken neither by him nor them vocally with vttrance of voice but it is so said to signifie what feruent desire the seruants of God haue in heauen of the full manifestation of Gods glory in their bodies and of an vtter abolishment of sinne in the whole world Which their desire they doubtlesse vtter to God in a more excellent manner then in this world wee can vtter any thing with our voice and thus Abell speakes yet and shall speake till the worlds end Hitherto of the first Example the Example of Abell The second is of Henoch in these words By faith Henoch was translated that he should not see death neither was he found for God tooke him away for before he was translated he was reported of that hee had pleased God c. THe second example of faith is taken also out of the old world before the floud and it is of Henoch the seauenth from Adam to whom strange and miraculous things befell by reason of his faith Let the meaning of the words be first examined By Faith That is by his confidence in the Messias or his sauing faith he was taken away Taken away That is from earth to heauen not by an ordinary worke but miraculously as is euident by the next words That he should not see death That is that he should not feele death nor any dissolution of soule and body and therefore his taking away was miraculous For to be taken away by death is an ordinarie worke but to be taken away and yet not die that is miraculous and extraordinary and such was Henochs So then the substance of these words is thus much Henoch hauing this grace from God to beleeue stedfastly in the Messias to come was likewise honoured with this high prerogatiue To be taken into heauen without tasting of death further was taken away to the end that he might not die Thus we haue the meaning Now concerning this translation of Henochs there are two opinions Some thinke hee was translated in soule onely and not in body and they say he died in the translation so as his soule onely was taken vp into heauen and his body slept in the earth Though this appeares false at the first sight yet let vs see their reasons and what they can say for themselues Their first reason is this No mortall body vnglorified can enter into heauen but there is no mention of his glorification therefore his body could not come in heauen Answer It is certaine it was glorified ere it came in heauen If they reply it is not mentioned I answere it followeth not that therefore it was not for euery circumstance of euery action is not mentioned For many circumstances of actions must necessarily be supposed such a one was this Againe the glorification of his body is here plainly enough implied where it is said he was translated that he should not see death Now if his body sawe not death it was made immortall which is a speciall part of glorification Their second reason Christ was the first that euer entred into heauen both in
it was a meanes to saue them another way euen to saue their soules for it taught them many things First it was an assurance of Gods loue vnto their soules for if hee was so carefull to saue their bodies from the floud they thereby assured themselues hee would be as good vnto their soules which they knew to be farre more pretious and excellent Secondly it shewed them how to be saued For as they saw no safety nothing but present death out of the Arke So it taught them that out of Gods Church and out of Gods fauour no saluation could be expected and so it taught them to labour to be in Gods fauour and members of his true Church Thirdly they saw they were saued from the floud by faith and obedience For first Noah beleeued Gods word that the floud should come then he obayed Gods commaundement and made the Arke as hee was commaunded And thus he and his by beleeuing obaying were saued through the Arke and without these the Arke could not haue saued them This taught them more particularly how to be saued namely by beleeuing God and obaying God and else no saluation For when they saw their bodies could not be saued without them It assured them much lesse could their soules be saued without faith and obedience Lastly this deliuerance by the Arke was a pawn vnto them from God assuring them of saluation if they beleeued in the Messias For seeing God so fully performed his promise vnto them for their bodily deliuerance vpon their beleeuing they therby might assure themselues he would performe his promise of saluation vnto them vpon their faith and true obedience Moreouer it strengthned their faith For when euer after any promise of God was made vnto them or any word of God came vnto them they then remembred Gods mercy and faithfulnesse vnto them in their deliuerance by the Arke and therefore beleeued Vnto these and many other spirituall vses did the Arke serue vnto Noah and to his houshold as many of them as were beleeuers But what is this to vs Indeede the Arke serued them for a temporall deliuerance it saued their liues therefore they also had reason to make spirituall vse of it But it saued not vs it serued vs to no vse corporall therefore how can wee make any spirituall vse of it I answere though wee had no corporall vse of the Arke yet there ariseth an excellent spirituall vse out of the consideration of it The Arke of Noah and our baptisme are figures correspondent one to the other that that Noahs Arke was to them Baptisme is to vs. Thus teacheth S. Peter 1.3.20.21 To the Arke of Noah the figure which now saueth vs euen Baptisme agreeth The same that S. Paul here ascribeth to the Arke S. Peter ascribeth to Baptisme The Arke saued them Baptisme saueth vs. Now the resemblaâ—ce betwixt these two figures hath two branches First as it was necessary for them that should be saued in the floud to be in the Arke and out of the Arke no possibility to escape So is it for them that will haue their soules saued to be in Christ and of his Church they must be mysticall members of Christ and visible members of his Church and out of Christ and his Church no possibility of saluation That this is true for Christ S. Peter proueth apparantly Acts 4.12 Among men there is no name giuen vnder heauen whereby to be saued but the name of Iesus Christ neither is there saluation in any other And that this is true for the Church he prooueth Acts 2.47 The Lord added to the Church daily such as should be saued See how such as are to be saued must ioyne themselues to the Church when they see where it is and all this is signified taught in Baptisme For the outward vse of Baptisme makes vs members of the visible Church the inward powerfull vse of Baptisme makes vs members of Christ himselfe The vse and consideration hereof should make vs all more carefull to be true members of Christ of his Church by making not onely a bare profession of religion but by seeking to be incorporate into Christ by faith and true repentance for this must saue vs when nothing els can As they that were out of the Arke no gold nor siluer could buy out their safetie no lands nor liuings no houses nor buildings no hilles nor mountaines nothing in the world nor the whole world it selfe could saue them but being out of the Arke they perished So if a man be out of Christ out of his Church no gold nor siluer no honour nor glory no wit nor policy no estimation nor authoritie no friendâ— nor fauour no wisdome nor learning no hilles of happines nor mountaines of gold can saue his soule but hee must perish in the flood of Gods eternall wrath For as it prooued folly in them that trusted to their high houses or catcht hold on the hils if they were out of the Arke so will it prooue much greater folly to them that shall trust to any meanes of saluation if they be out of Christ. And contrariwise as they that were in the Arke were sure to bee saued doe the waters windes and weathers stormes and tempests all they could so that still the more the waters rose the Arke rose also and was euer higher than they and the higher it was carried by the violence of the waters the safer it was from the danger of hils and rockes and so in the midst of danger they were out of danger and were saued in the midst of the water So he that is once truely in Christ is sure of saluation nothing can hinder it flouds of calamities may assault him and humble him but they hurt not his saluation hee is in the Arke he is in Christ nay the gates of hell shall not ouerthrowe him but through all the waues of the diuels malice through all tempests of temptations the blessed Arke of Christes loue and merits shall carrie him vp and at last conuay him to saluation this is the blessed assurance of all them that are truely baptized into Christ. But as for such as out of their prophanenesse either care not to be in Christ or contemne Baptisme let theÌ„ assure theÌ„selues they be out of the Arke they perish certainly This is the 1. part of the resemblance The second is this Noahs body going into the Arke hee seemed therein a dead man going into a graue or a tombe to be buried for he was buried in the Arke the Arke in the waters he depriued of the fresh airâ— gladsome light yet by Gods appointment it was the means to saue Noah which in all reason seemed to be his graue if Noah will be saued he must goe into this graue So they that will escape hell and damnation by Christ the true Arke of holinesse must be buried and mortified in their flesh and fleshly lusts and there is no way to come
body and soule and for proofe thereof they bring S. Paul where he saith Christ is the first fruits of them that sleepe Answer True indeede of them that sleepe that is of all that die for Christ entred into heauen both in body soule first of all them but Henoch neuer died as the Text here auoucheth therefore that place hinders not but Henoch might be in heauen in his body before Christs humane flesh ascended thither Thirdly they argue out of Saint Iohn No man hath ascended into heauen but he that descended the sonne of man which is in heauen But say they this sonne of man is not Henoch but Christ therefore none but Christ ascended bodily into heauen Answer That place is not meant of corporall ascending but of vnderstanding mysticall and heauenly things no man ascendeth to the full knowledge of heauenly Misteries but Christ alone who descended from heauen from the bosome of his Father And thus we see this opinion hath no strength of Argument to rest vpon but wee may safely hold notwithstanding any thing that can be said against it that Henoch was translated both in body and soule And if any man yet doubt how he could be takē vp in body before he was glorified Wee are to know though he died not yet his body was changed as those men shall be which shall be found aliue at the last day The second opinion is that Henoch was taken vp in soule and body into Paradise some say the heauenly but the most the earthly Paradise and there liues in his mortall and corruptible body and must afore the last day come againe in his body with Elias and fight against Antichrist and when by their doctrine they haue ouercome him hee shall by violence kill them and so they shall die Martyrs And this is the generall receiued opinion of the most Papists But it is a meere conceit and a dreame and there is no ground for it but good argument against it For first as for the Earthly Paradise it was defaced by the flood nor doe we read that euer man was in it but Adam And some of their owne fables tell vs that Seth went to the gates of Paradise when his father Adam was sicke to get some Physicke out of Paradise for his father but hee could not get in Nor doe we finde any mention of it afterwards So that it is likely in all reason that it was defaced by the vniuersall flood And if they meane he was translated into the Heauenly Paradise I answer thither can no vncleane thing come but a mortall body is vncleane and themselues say hee was taken away in his mortall body and in it shal come againe and die Therefore Henoch hauing a mortall and vnglorified bodie cannot be in the highest heauens into which nothing can enter which is not glorified and made immortall If they alleadge Ecclesiasticus 44.16 Enoch pleased God and was translated into Paradise c. I answer we neede not call in question the authoritie of the booke nor answer that it is not in the Canon of faith For the text is corrupted wilfully by some that shewed thēselues in the Latine too bold with the text both there and elsewhere for in the Greeke originall there is no such matter as Paradise but the words are these Enoch pleased God and was translated for an example of repentance to the generations And thus we see this opinion is euery way erroneous and hath no shadow of reason in it nor for it Seeing therefore both these opinions are to bee refused let vs in few words set downe the true and Orthodoxall iudgement of the Church out of the Scriptures in the olde and new testament And it is this That this holy man by Gods special fauour to him was assumed into heauen both body and soule his soule beeing perfectly sanctified and his body glorified in the instant of his translation and there he remaineth in glory expecting the generall resurrection and the full glorification of all Gods elect Out of this translation of Henoch we may learne First that there is a life euerlasting prepared of God for his children wherein they shall liue for euer both in soule body for hereof hath God giuen vs most euident testimonies both here in Enoch and afterward in Elias Elias a Iew Enoch none Enoch in the first world Elias in the second Enoch before the flood Elias after Enoch vncircumcised Elias circumcised Enoch married Elias vnmarried and both were assumed into heauen in soule and body and are there to this day and tarry for vs till the ende of the world assuring vs that our soules liue for euer that our bodies thogh they die shall rise againe to life Here therefore wee haue a notable ground for that last but not the least article of our faith where we professe to belieue life euerlasting Secondly in this example we learne that God is not tied to the order of Nature The order which God established set downe concerning all men after Adams fall is this Dust thou art and to dust shalt thou returne By vertue of this decree all men are to die as sure as they once liue and when that time appointed by God is come all the world cannot saue one man but accordingly die he must But here notwithstanding we see God that tied man to this order is not tied himselfe Enoch and Elias are exempted they die not their bodies neuer turned to dust such is the power of God ouer the order of Nature in all naturall actions Thirdly whereas the Papists holde that all the Fathers who died before Christ were in Limbus a place out of heauen and came not in heauen till Christ fetcht them thence and carried them with him at his ascension Here wee learne it is most false forged For here we see Henoch and afterwards Elias were in heauen both in body and soule many hundred yeares before Christs Incarnation whereby as also by many other euidences that might be brought it is apparant that Limbus Patrum is nothing but a deuise of that hereticall Church of Rome Hitherto hath the holy Ghost auouched the translation of Henoch Now hee proueth substantially that he was taken away Neither was hee found for God had taken him away And for his proofe he first laieth downe his ground then he thereupon frameth his argument consisting of diuers degrees of demonstration The ground is the plaine and euident testimonie of the old Testament in Genesis where the words are these Henoch was not found or not seene for God tooke him away Against this ground being the very wordes of the olde Testament no man can take exception And heere in a word let vs all marke the high and soueraigne authoritie of Gods word which euen the holy Ghost himselfe vouchsafeth to alledge for the confirmation of his owne words It had beene sufficient that the holy Ghost here affirmed Enoch to be taken away but we see
he proues it out of the old Testament so also did the Apostles and Christ himselfe all their doctrine Let this teach all men to giue due reuerence to the holy Scriptures let teachers alledge them let hearers receiue them farre aboue all humane testimonies seeing the holy Ghost himself vouchsafeth to confirme his owne words by the authority thereof Secondly hauing laide this ground the holy Ghost frames his argument to proue that Henoch was taken away by faith and it consisteth of many degrees of euidence For before he was taken away he was reported of that he had pleased God But without faith it is impossible to please God The degrees of the argument are these 1. God himselfe tooke Henoch away 2. Before he was taken away he pleased God 3. But without faith no man can please God Therefore Henoch by faith was taken away The first degree That Henoch was taken away and was not found any more in this world hath beene sufficiently spoken of already The second degree is that afore hee was taken away hee pleased God which is not barely affirmed but it is further added that hee was reported of or he receiued testimonie that he pleased God Now this report or testimonie is taken out of the storie of Genesis where it is affirmed of Enoch that hee walked with God which walking with God is an assured testimonie that hee pleased God for as the Prophet Amos saith Can two walke together vnlesse they be agreed therefore in as much as Henoch walked with God it is proofe sufficient that hee pleased God and because hee pleased God therefore God tooke him away So that here are two distinct points in this second degree First that Henoch pleased God Secondly that there is a report or a testimonie giuen of him that hee did please God In the first let vs obserue three speciall points of instruction First in that Henoch before hee was taken away pleased God let vs learne that whosoeuer lookes to haue his soule translated into heauen at his death and both body soule at the resurrection must before hand in this life learne to please God they must seeke to please God not when the time of the translation is come but before as here it is saide Henoch did If any man demaund How shall I please God My answere is this Adam pleased GOD by keeping the Lawe but now that is past that power is lost wee must nowe please God by direction from the Gospell namely by faith in Christ and true repentance together with a holy life which must necessarilie accompanie true faith and repentance thus God is pleased And this must we not deferre till our death but doe it in our liues nor can we looke to be inheritours of the kingdome of glory as now Henoch is vnlesse before hand wee be in the kingdome of grace by pleasing God as Henoch did It is lamentable to see men not care for saluation til death and then they begin to please God but alas God will not be so pleased They begin to learne how to please God when they haue so long displeased him as there is then feare they can neuer please him but that man liueth and dieth with comfort of whom it may be said as here of Henoch before hee was taken away hee pleased God Againe whereas hee came not in heauen till hee pleased God this discouers the madnesse of sinfull men who will looke for heauen and yet will leaue no sinne but flatter themselues therein But let all impenitent men here take knowledge that they come not in heauen till they please God let them therefore cease pleasing themselues and their corruptions by liuing in sinne and learne to please God by a holy life And further In this point marke how nothing brought Henoch to heauen but his pleasing of God Hee was rich for hee was one of the greatest on the earth hee was royallie descended for hee was the seauenth from Adam in the blessed line hee was learned for hee had the sixe first Patriarkes to teach him sixe such Tutors as neuer man had and it is likely hee had a comely strong and actiue body But see all these brought him not to heauen no he pleased God and was therefore taken away Let this teach vs not to rest in wealth beauty strength honour humane learning nor all these put together without the feare of God for some of them may please thy selfe and some may please other men but God must bee pleased afore thou come in heauen if thou wert as good as Henoch Therefore vnto all thy outward blessings adde this To please God by faith and repentance Then as thy pleasing of men may make thee happy in this world so thy pleasing of God shall translate thee from earth to heauen Thus wee see Henoch before hee was translated pleased God Secondly as hee pleased God and else could not haue beene translated so it is added hee was so reported of or there was such a testimonie of him That proofe or testimonie is here concealed but it is recorded in the storie of Genesis where it is said Henoch walked with God which as we heard before was an assured testimonie that God was well pleased with him But what is this hee walked with God how can a man â—e saide to walke with God The meaning is That Henoch liued a godly righteous and innocent life in this world â—or to liue in holinesse and righteousnesse is to walke with God And further his heart was possessed of two perswasions or resolutions which were the inducements drawing him to this holy life First that hee was alwayes in Gods presence and that God is alwayes readie to dispose of all thinges to his good Againe that God did see trie and discerne all his wordes and deedes yea his cogitations and thoughts and the whole course of his life These were the holy resolutions of Henoch and these made him lead a holy life This lesson is worth learning and this example worthy to be followed of vs all our dutie is with Henoch to walke with God in this life if wee purpose to liue with God in heauen and wee walke with God by leading holy and vnblameable liues in holinesse towards God and righteousnesse towards man But if wee thinke this hard to doe wee must labour to be resolued on these grounds First that God and his prouidence is euer present with vs to dispose of vs alwaies to his glory and of all other things to our good Secondly that as wee are in Gods presence so God seeth vs and all our thoughts words and workes bâ—rgaines and dealings and will iudge them all When these two perswasions possesse our hearts it cannot be but wee shall liue godly and feare to offend God for as a childe is dutifull and obedient in his Fathers presence so when a man is perswaded he is in Gods presence it cannot but make him dutifull When a man is perswaded that God seeth him
the world so the same word of God which beleeued and obayed by godly men is their saluation disobayed and refused by vngodly men shall be their condemnation And thus much for the two ends why Noah prepared the Arke consequently of the second effect of Noahs faith It followeth And was made heire of the righteousnesse which iâ— by faith Here is the third and last effect whereby the excellencie of Noahs faith is commended It made him an heire and that not of the world for so he was besides but of that that the world could not yeeld of righteousnesse and that of the best of all euen of that righteosnesse which is by faith These words haue relation to that testimonie which God gaue of Noah in Genesis 6.9 Noah was a iust and vpright man and walked with God Now that which is spoken there more generally is here particularly opened and vnfolded he was iust or righteous how hee was righteous by the righteousnesse of faith so that these words are a commentarie vnto the other But because that that is here affirmed of Noah is a most glorious thing his faith made him an heire that is made him that was heire of all the earth a better heire therefore these words are to be well waighed For their full opening three points are to be considered 1. What is the righteousnesse here spoken of 2. Why it is called the righteousnesse of faith or by faith 3. How Noah was made Heire of it by his faith For the first That righteousnesse by which Noah and all holy men are to stand righteous before God is not a righteousnesse of any nature but such a one as is appointed of God for that purpose That wee may knowe it the more distinctly wee must examine the seuerall kindes thereof Righteousnesse is of two sorts Created Vncreated Vncreated is that which is in God and hath no beginning nor ending no meanes nor measure Of this speaketh the Prophet Psalm 119.137 Righteous art thou O Lord. This cannot make any man righteous for two reasons First for the Godhead and it are all one It is in God essentially A man is one thing and his righteousnesse is another But God and his righteousnesse are all one And therefore it is as impossible for any man to haue this righteousnes as it is to be God Secondly it is infinite and mans soule a finite creature and therefore not capable of any thing that is infinite and consequently not of the vnmeasurable righteousnes which is in the godhead Therefore this we must leaue vnto God as proper to the Deitie Created righteousnesse is that which God frameth in the reasonable creature Men and Angels Of Angels we are not to speake though theirs and man 's differd not much in nature at their creations Created righteousnesse of man is of 2. sorts Legall or Euangelicall Legall righteousnesse is that which the Morall law prescribeth Euangelicall that which the Gospell hath reuealed Of legall righteousnesse I finde there are three sorts spoken of 1. One that is a perfect righteousnesse 2. One that is a ciuill righteousnesse 3. One that is an inward righteousnesse Perfect righteousnesse Legall is the perfect fulfilling of the law in a mans owne selfe And by this shall no man liuing be iustified before God for no man since the fall of Adam is able perfectly to fulfill the Law If any can then shall he be righteous by it but none did nor euer can therefore no man shall stand righteous by perfect legall righteousnesse in himselfe Some will obiect But a regenerate man may for he is restored by grace therefore though by Adams fall a man is disabled yet by regeneration hee is inabled to fulfill the law perfectly I answere It were so if they were perfectly sanctified in their regeneration but they are sanctified but in part and it is not perfect vntill death Obiect 1. Thess. 5.23 We are sanctified throughout spirit soule and body If all those what then remaines vnsanctified therefore our sanctification is perfect I answere It is perfect in parts but not in measure nor degree As a childe is a perfect man in all the parts of a man but not in the quantitie of anie part So a childe of God is perfectly sanctified in all parts but not in the measure of any part vntill flesh and mortality and corruption haue an end Secondly some may obiect The virgine Mary sinned not I answere so teacheth indeede the Church of Rome that she neuer sinned that her life was free from sinne â—ctuall and her conception from sinne originall But so taught neither the Scripture nor Gods Church but contrariwise it is more then manifest shee was a sinner For first she confesseth her soule reioiced in God her Sauiour but if she were no sinner she stoode in neede of no Sauiour Againe she died but if she had not sinned she should in Iustice not haue died For death entred by sinne and where no sinne is there death is not due Thus no man can be righteous by the perfect righteousnesse of the law in himselfe Secondly there is a ciuill righteousnesse and that is when a man in his outward actions is conformable to the law especially to the Commaundements of the second Table For example hee is free from the outward actions of murther adultery or theeuery and such like or he can refraine his anger and ouercome his passions that they shall not break out into open violence to the view of the world and for the first Table he comes to the Church professeth religion All this is a ciuill righteousnesse and by this can no man be iustified nor made righteous For first it is not a perfect but a most imperfect righteousnesse and therefore cannot iustifie It is so imperfect that it is as good as none at all in Gods sight for it is but an outward and constrained and dissembled obedience and wants the inward and true obedience of the heart and soule Secondly it cannot make a man righteous for wicked men haue it which are vnrighteous and cannot be saued Haman hated Mordecay in his heart yea his heart boyled in malice against him yet the Story saith That neuerthelesse he refrained himselfe till he came home Ester 5.10 And therefore Christ saith that except our righteousnesse exceede the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisies we cannot enter into the kingdome of heauen Math. 5.20 Now what was theirs but an outward ciuill righteousnesse whereby they kept the law onely in outward actions as appeareth in that Christ afterward in the same Chapter expounding the law doth reduce it to the inward which is to his full and proper sense So then yet wee haue not found that righteousnesse which may make a man righteous Thirdly there is a righteousnesse called the inward righteousnesse of a Christian man which is this A man hauing repented and his sinnes being forgiuen hee is by the holy Ghost sanctified inwardly in his soule and all the parts powers of
a citie also and the best on earth are but shadowes of it And it may shame them that are drowned in the pleasures and delicacies of earthly cities and care not nor looke after the city of the liuing God the heauenly Ierusalem as it is called Heb. 12.22 But alas it seemes they care not for this shame for where is securitie wantonnesse profanenesse oppressions so coÌ„mon as in these great cities And as in the Apostles times the countrey towne Berea was more zealous and religious than the rich and stately citie of Thessalonica Acts 17.11 So is it generally to this day especially at such places in the countrey where teaching and knowledge is But let such cities know that as they haue better meanes more comforts and their very name should put them in minde and make them in loue with heauen so they shall receiue greater damnation Lastly Cities are places of freedome and all such great places haue some notable priuiledges therefore men desire to be free in such places as is to bee seene in London Rome Venice c. Euen the greatest persons will bee content to be free of them and many seeke it and pay deer for it or at least worke a long time for it But heauen is the City of cities the perfection of beauty and true happinesse therefore let euery one that desires either honour or happinesse labour and striue to be a free-man of heauen and neuer rest till he know hee be And let those that liue in cities when they are admitted free-men as daily some are remember what a blesâ—ednes it will be if they can bee admitted free-men of the glorious Citie which is aboue and how little that shall auaile them if they want this which was the hope and ioy of Abraham and all holy men To goe further This Citie which Abrahams faith waited for is described by two points 1. That it hath a foundation 2. That the maker and builder was God For the first Heauenly Ierusalem hath a foundation such a one as no city in this world hath by this phrase the holy Ghost insinuates vnto vs what be the properties of heauen which be two 1. The state of heauen is vnchangeable 2. Euerlasting and eternall First the state of the Elect in heauen their glory there is not subiect to corruption or the least alteration as appeareth in that notable and loftie description of the heauenly Ierusalem Apoc. 21.14 and from the 10. verse to the 21 It hath a great wall and high 12. gates 12. Angels for Porters and the wall had 12. foundations of 12. sorts of most excellent pretious stones and the wall it selfe was Iasper and the citie pure gold like crystall The state of it is shadowed by pretious stones and gold to signifie as well the durablenesse as the excellency therof And in the 15. Psalme vers 1. it is called the mountaine of Gods holines Hills are hardly remoued and therefore Dauid saith that Mount Zion cannot bee remooued but remaineth for euer Psal. 125.1 Now if that be true of Mount Zion in this world which must needes bee taken either literally for the state of the visible Church which cannot be vtterly ouerthrowen or mystically for the state of Gods grace which in this world cannot totally finally be lost I say if this Mount Zion standeth fast and cannot be remoued how much more true iâ— it of the state of glory in heauen and of the triumphant Church and of heauenly Zion that it is so vnchangeable so durable so vnremoueable that it cannot be shaken but standeth fast for euer And in this respect well may the Apostle say here It hath a foundation which the holy Ghost in the Reuelation saith to haue 12. foundations Secondly the state of the Elect in heauen is not onely sure but euerlasting that is without end Psal. 37.18 the Inheritance of holy men is perpetuall And therfore S. Peter 1.1.4 saith that the inheritance reserued in heauen for vs is immortall not fading away It fades not away there is the vnchangeablenesse It is immortall there is the eternity of it And this is meant by hauing a foundation for in this world so much the longer doth any thing endure as the foundation is stronger Therefore seeing the heauenly city hath such a foundation no maruell though it indure for euer Now put these two together and they shew the perfect excellency of that city which is both vnchangeable and eternall Where we learne the great difference betwixt the state of that world and this present world wherin we liue in the body For what is there in this world so excellent so pâ—etious so costly so artificiall but is subiect both to alteration and in the ende to dissolution The longest day hath his night and the longest life endeth in death after many miseries and tossings the longest Empires and mightiest Monarchies had their period after many mutations the stateliest and strongest cities ended in ruine after many ciuill broiles massacres and other miseries So that no glory no strength no happinesse nothing at all is there in this world that is either constant or perpetuall but subiect to vtter dissolution in the end and in the meane time to pittifull alterations So weake a foundation hath this world and the best things in it But contrariwise the glory of heauen hath such a foundation as it is both vnchaâ—geable and eternall The consideration of this difference hath manifold profitable vse First we may see how reasonable the counsell of the Apostle is 1. Tim 6. â—7 Charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high minded and put not their trust in vncertaine riches but in the liuing God For what a misery and vanity is it to trust in that that is vncertaine and therefore will deceiue them The Apostle tells them what to doe namely Doe good and be rich in good works and be ready to distribute laying vp in store for themselues a good foundatioÌ„ against the time to come that they may obtain eternal life that is that they so speÌ„d their riches in holines charity that they may 〈◊〉 the ende attaine heauen which is the Citie that hath a foundation and who would not spend riches which are so vncertaine for heauen which is so certaine a glory Secondly this must teach vs to followe the Counsell of Christ Iesus Math. 6.19.20 Lay not vp for your selues treasures on earth where moth and canker corrupt theeues steale but in heauen where is neither canker moth theefe nor any other corruption Euery man naturally must haue his treasure and that is it whereon hee sets his heart now that is vnworthy of a mans heart which will bee lost wee knowe not how soone But let vs make heauen our treasure the glory whereof is both eternall and vnchangeable Againe seeing nothing here is certaine wee must learne to seeke sound comfort where it may be had Seeke it in this world and it will faile
them otherwhile his holy Angels brought them messages from GOD and sometime they had his will reuealed vnto them by dreames and visions all which were notable helpes and meanes both to beginne and to encrease faith in them but Ioseph wanted all these meanes or at least many of them For reade his whole Historie and you shall not finde that either Angell appeared vnto him or else that GOD by dreames and visions spake vnto him and no meruaile For hee liued out of the visible Church where GODs presence was in superstitious and Idolatrous Egypt and yet for all this hee is heere matched in the matter of faith with the three worthie Patriarchs It is then a good question how Ioseph should come by this faith Answer We must knowe this that though he had not the like extraordinarie meanes with the Patriarches yet he wanted not all meanes for in his younger dayes hee was trayned vp in his Father Iacobs family and by him was instructed in the wayes of God and in the practice of religion and in his later dayes also he had the benefit of his Fathers company and instructions in Egypt Now Iacob was not an ordinarie Father but a notable Patriarch and an holy Prophet in whose family God had placed his visible Church in those dayes wherin Iacob was the Lords Prophet and Minister Now Ioseph both in his young age and also after his Father came to Egypt did heare and learne of him the wayes of God and by that meanes came to this excellent faith for which he is so commended here and matched with his Fathers the holy Patriarchs Hence we learne that the preaching of Gods word by his Ministers though extraordinarie meanes as reuelations and visions be wanting is sufficient to bring a man to faith yea to such a faith as the three Patriarchs had Indeede in the ministerie of the word hee which speaketh vnto vs is but a man as others are but yet the word which he deliuereth is not his own but the mighty word of God and looke what is truly pronounced by him vnto vs out of Gods word the same is as certainly sealed vnto vs by his spirit as if God himselfe from heauen should extraordinarily reueale the same And howsoeuer in former times men had visions and dreames and Angels from God himselfe to reueale his will vnto them yet this Ministerie of Gods word in the new Testament is as sufficient a meanes of the beginning and encreasing of true faith as that was then This plainly confuteth all those that neglect or contemne the Ministerie and preaching of the word looke for extraordinarie reuelations and for visions dreames for the begetting and encrease of faith and grace in their hearts But our Sauiour Christ doth notably checke all such in the Parable of the rich man by the words of Abraham to Diues saying of Diues brethren that they had Moses and the Prophets if they will not heare them neither will they beleeue though one should come from the dead againe Verse 31 insinuating that if a man will not beleeue by the preaching of the word there is nothing in the world will make him to beleeue neither reuelations nor visions no not the words of them that rise againe from the dead Secondly the consideration of the sufficiencie of Gods ordinance in the holy Ministerie to beget and to encrease true faith must stirre vs vp to all care and diligence not onely to heare the word of God preached vnto vs but to profit by it both in knowledge and obedience and thus much for the first point The second point to be handled is the commendation of Iosephs faith by two actions thereof to wit 1. His mention of the departure of the children of Israell out of Egypt 2. His commaundement concerning his bones Of both which we will speake briefely because the speciall points herein were handled in the former verse For the first Ioseph when hee died made mention of the departing of the children of Israell that is out of Egypt into Canaan Here we may obserue a most notable worke of faith it makes a man to keepe in memory the mercifull promises which God hath made vnto him This is it which commends Iosephs faith for a liuely faith That being about to die he remembreth this mercifull promise of God made to his fore-fathers touching their posterity to wit that after they had cōtinued as seruants in a strange Land 400. yeares they should then haue a good issue and a happy deliuerance and be brought into the Land of Canaan Gen. 15.13 This is a notable work of faith as may appeare by two notable effects hereof in the life of a Christian For first by this remembrance of Gods mercifull promises the seruant of God at all times and in all distresses and extremities doth finde comfort vnto his soule This brings to his memory the wonderfull goodnesse and mercy of God by which he is comforted When Dauid was in a most desperate case so as he cried out by reason of affliction and temptation Will the Lord absent himselfe for euer and will hee shew no more fauour Is his mercy cleane gone doth his mercy faile for euermore Psal. 77 with such like most fearefull speaches How did he then comfort himselfe in this distresse Answ. Surely by remembring the works of the Lord and his wonders of olde and by meditating in all his workes and gracious acts which he had done for him So likewise in another place in great anguish of spirit he saith to his soule Why art thou cast down my soule and why art thou disquieted within me Psalm 43.5 Yet in the next words hee thus stayes himselfe Waite on God for I will yet giue thankes vnto him he is my present help and my God How came Dauid to say so in this distresse Answer By meanes of faith which doth reuiue and refresh the dead heart of man by bringing to his remembrance the mercifull promises of God Saint Paul pressed with corruption cried out O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the body of this death Rom. 7.24 Yet in the next words he saith I thanke my God through Iesus Christ our Lord Then I my selfe in my minde serue the Law of God c. How come the latter words to followe on the former Answer In the first words indeede he is cast downe with the view and sight of his naturall corruption which drew him headlong into sinne but yet the later words are a remembrance of the mercifull deliuerance from sinne which GOD had wrought in him by Christ and therefore hee breaketh out to this saying I thanke my God through Iesus Christ c. Secondly the remembrance of Gods promises serueth to be a meanes to keepe a man from sinne for mans nature is as readie and prone to sinne as fire is to burne when fewell is put to it But when by faith hee calls to minde Gods mercifull promises especially those which are
reward Now euery true beleeuer that endeuours to doe the will of God is in Christ and so Christes righteousnesse with the merit thereof is his so farre forth as serues to make his person acceptable to God Whereupon hee hath a promise of reward made vnto him vpon his obedience yet not for his worke but for the worke of Christes obedience in whom he is And so must these words here be vnderstood 1. The consideration of this reward of life eternall giuen through Christ to those that suffer for his sake may make vs ioyfull and patient in all our afflictions for righteousnesse sake A naturall man will endure much for a good recompence in the end Now Christ saith Great is your reward And therefore let vs reioice in suffering for Christ holding fast our confidence which hath so great recompence of reward Heb. 10.35 Secondly is life euerlasting a recompence that is a giuing of a reward Then heere is condemned the desperate practice of many a one who spend their whole life in a greedie pursuite after the profites and pleasures of the worlde as it were running themselues out of breath in the way to hell without all regarde of their soules till death come thinking that if at the last gaspe they can crie God mercie and commend their soules to GOD all is well But all such persons for the most part deceiue their owne soules not considering that life euerlasting is giuen as a reward Now wee knowe that no reward is giuen to any man till the worke be done which hee is set about he must come worke in the Vineyard some part of the day that would haue his pennie at night as for those that neither stirre hand nor foote to doe the worke what reward can they looke for And yet this is the state of carnall liuers they addict themselues wholly to earthly things But if wee looke for any reward at the day of death wee must labour in the workes of godlinesse all the dayes of our life for therefore were wee redeemed Luke 1.74.75 In the whole booke of God wee finde but one man that liued wickedly and repented at his end that is the thiefe vpon the Crosse. Which shewes that it is a most rare thing for a man to haue the reward of life euerlasting after this life that labours not in the workes of godlinesse in this life Thirdly the consideration of this reward must stirre vp all Gods children vnto all diligence in the duties of godlinesse that with cheerefulnesse through the whole course of their liues When wee shall die wee will looke earnestly for this reward and therefore while we liue we must diligently doe the workes that God commaundeth and then when death comes we may assure our selues that God will giue vs this reward not because wee did deserue it by our works but because he hath promised it in Christ vpon our endeuour in obedience and true repentance And thus much for the reason of Moses choise VERSE 27. By faith he forsooke Egypt and feared not the fiercenesse of the King For he was couragious as hee that saw him that is inuisible IN this verse the spirit of God proceedeth to another example of Moses faith and heereto also in the verse following hee addeth a third Now hee is thus large in the commendation of his faith for this end to perswade the Hebrewes to whom this Epistle is sent that they were not to looke for any Iustification by the workes of the Law and his reason is because if any man could be iustified by the workes of the Law it must be Moses who gaue the Law to the people from the Lord and did excell in obedience to both Tables and therefore is a renowmed Prophet vnto all posterity in speciall fauour with God Numb 12.7.8 But Moses could not be iustified by the works of the Law for here the holy Ghost proues that Moses was iustified saued by faith The thing that cōmends Moses and makes him stand before God is not his works but his faith and therefore the conclusion is that as Moses was not iustified by his works but by faith no more must they stand vpon their works to be iustified therby but labour for such faith as Moses had Now this faith of Moses is a true sauing faith founded on these two promises of God 1. On this great maine promise made to Abraham I will be thy God and the God of thy seed 2. On another particular promise rising from the general made vnto him when he was called to fetch the Israelites out of bondage which was this I will be with thee and guide thee And in this place Moses is said to haue faith not onely because he beleeued that God would be his God as hee was the God of all Abrahams seed but because he beleeued particularly that God would be his God defend and be with him in the deliuerance of the Israelites out of Egypt To come particularly to this fact By faith Moses forsooke Egypt Moses departed from Egypt twise First when hee had slaine the Egyptian and fled from Pharaoh vnto Midian and there kept Iethroes sheepe Secondly fourty yeares after when hee led the people of Israell out of Egypt into the Land of Canaan and heere some make it a question whether of these departures is meant in this place Answere It is most like that this place is to be vnderstoode of his second departure rather than of the first And the reason is taken out of Exodus Chapter the second verses 14 15. Where wee finde that the first time he fled for feare for so soone as he heard that his slaughter of the Egyptian was knowen to Pharaoh he fled in such feare as that hee durst not returne againe of 40. yeares Now these words are not to be vnderstoode of such a flight for here it is said Hee departed not fearing the Kings wrath or fiercenesse Here some will say This is no commendation for malefactors and rebels doe flie their Country Answer They flie indeede yet not in faith but in feare Moses fled in faith and hereby his faith is commended that hee fled not fearing the King But malefactors flie for feare of due punishment Moses departed with courage and boldnesse and therfore fled not as a malefactor for he feared not the King as appeareth plainely in the History for though Pharaoh had said vnto him Exod. 10.28 Get thee gone see thou see my face no more for when thou commest in my sight thou shalt die yet Moses went once more namely the tenth time and tolde him of the tenth plague and saide That Pharaohs seruants should come downe vnto him and fall downe and pray him to get him out with the people and their cattell And when the Israelites murmured against him at the red sea when Pharaoh was at their heeles and they had no way to flie Moses encourageth the people saying Feare not stand still and behold the
and lip-faith and to be endued with true sauing faith whereby we may profitably heare the word and receiue the sacraments and so enioy Gods most excellent promises in Christ. Men may lie and be deceiued but God is truth it selfe and cannot lie and therefore as he hath made his promise of life to beleeuers and to no other so will hee surely accomplish the same to them and to no other Wherefore if we loue our soules and desire life let vs get into our hearts the grace of faith And thus much of the third effect of their faith The fourth and fift effects which I will handle together are these Stopped the mouths of Lions Quenched the violence of the fire For the fourth Whereas some of these persons are said to haue stopped the mouthes of Lions it is to be vnderstood of Daniel as appeareth in the 6. Chapter of that booke For Daniel through the malice of others that incensed the Kings wrath against him was cast into the denne of hunger-bit Lions But Daniel euen then beleeued in the Lord and put all his trust in God and for this cause the Lord by his angel stopped the mouthes of the Lions and as it were sealed vp their pawes that they could not hurt him The fift effect in quenching the violence of the fire must bee vnderstood of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego the companions of Daniel which three as we may read Dan. 3. refused to worship the golden image which Nabuchadnezzar had set vp For which cause they were cast into an hot burning Ouen but they put their trust in God and claue fast vnto him in obedience euen to the hazzard of their lyues Whereupon the Lord by his omnipotent power did most miraculously preserue them by staying the rage of the fire contrary to the nature thereof that it had no power ouer their bodies nay it did not burne the haire of their heads nor cause their garments to smell And therefore they are said to haue quenched the violence of it because it had no power ouer them thogh it burned most fiercely but was to them as though it had been quite put out and quenched Now ioyn these two effects together they affoord vs good instructions First here wee learne how to behaue our selues in time of danger and at the point of death Euen as these foure men did so must we from the bottome of our hearts forsake our selues and put all our trust in Christ. This did Daniel when he was in the Lions den and this did the 3. Children in the hot fiery furnace And this hath beene alwaies the auncient practice of Gods children in all ages At the very point of death and in the extremitie of all danger they rested themselues wholly vpon the mercifull promises of the true God The time wil come vpon vs all wherein wee shall be called to the practice of this duty for we must all passe the doore of death once lie in the pangs thereof Now what shall we doe when we lie halfe dead gasping panting for breath able to speake to no man nor to heare any speaking to vs when all comfort of the world failes vs Surely we must then at that very instant labour to leaue our selues and this world and yeeld vp our selues by faith into the hands of GOD and cleaue fast vnto Christs Passion from the bottome of our hearts and he will surely deliuer vs from the danger stopping the mouth of Satan that roaring Lion quenching the fire of hell that it shall not touch vs. But some will say if this be all we must doe then all is well for this I can soone doe when time serues and therefore I will take no care till then Answer Beware of spirituall guile for it will be found a most hard matter for a man to rely and cast himselfe wholly vpon Christ in the houre and pang of death For then aboue all times is the diuell busie against vs then will the conscience stir if euer and the body being tormented the soule must needes be wonderfull heauie This we may see by the state of our Sauiour Christ in his agony and passion and therefore wee must not reckon so lightly of this duty Question But if it be so hard a thing how could Daniell and the three children doe it Answer They were prepared for it for they rested vpon God in the time of peace and so were enabled to rely vpon him in time of perill Euen so if we would beleeue in God when wee die then shew forth our faith we must while we liue put our trust in him and shew it by obedience for rare it is to finde a man that liues in vnbeliefe to shew forth faith at his end And therefore while wee haue health strength and peace wee must labour to beleeue and then shall wee finde the comfort of it in time of perill and of death Secondly from these two effects of faith wee obserue further that Gods diuine prouidence doth firmely rule and gouerne the whole world Ordinarily God gouernes the world by secundarie causes setting one creature ouer another and ordaining one to doe this thing and another that and accordingly they worke but we must not thinke that God is bound to any of these meanes but is most free to vse them or not to vse them Ordinarily he executeth this or that punishment by this or that creature and so by meanes conuayes his blessings but yet he can work without them as here we see For he preserues his creatures against the ordinary meanes as Daniel from the Lions whose nature is to deuoure and against the nature of fire he saued the three children in the fire So that God worketh by meanes but yet freely because he can work at his pleasure either without or against meanes and his powerfull hand sauing against meanes shewes his ruling and disposing prouidence ouer all things Thirdly by these effects of their faith wee learne that Gods goodnesse and mercy towardes beleeuers is farre greater and more vnspeakeable than euer he promised or they could exspect This point is carefully to be considered of vs all for it is of singular extraordinary vse especially in time of perill and trouble and yet we see it is the plaine truth of God and therefore Paul giues thanks and praise vnto God who is able to do for vs exceeding aboundantly aboue all that wee aske or thinke Daniel put his trust in the Lord when he was in the Lions den and what doth he obtaine for his labour the Lord neuer promised to stop the Lions mouthes neither did Daniell euer presume vpon that deliuerance and yet the Lord saued him And so the three childrē though they made no account of their liues because God had not promised to keep them frō burning yet they com out in safety For God in mercy so quenched the heat of the fire vnto thē that thogh it burnt to death those that cast them in yet
the matter of their mocking is religion and the professers thereof This ought not to be so for howsoeuer men may faile both in knowledge practice yet the professers of religion should not be so despised This abuse is growen to such a height that many refraine the diligent hearing of the word preached least they should be mocked But let these mockers know that heerein they shake hands with the diuell and with the persecuters of Gods Church for mocking is a kinde of persecution Young Christians should not be so dealt with but rather encouraged for the aduancement of the Kingdome of Christ. Thus dealt our Sauiour Christ with those that gaue any testimonie of the sparkes of grace when the young man said He had from his youth kept Gods commaundements the Text saith Iesus beheld him and loued him Marke 10.21 and hearing a Scribe answer discreetly he said vnto him Thou art not farre from the Kingdome of God Marke chapter 12. ver 34 Now we must be followers of Christ and walke in loue iudging and speaking the best of all professours accounting none for hypocrites till GOD make their hypocrisie knowen It is a note of a Christian to loue a man because hee loues religion on the contrarie to hate a man because hee is a Christian is a note of a persecuter and an enemie to Christ. And thus much in generall Now wee come in particular to the seuerall kindes of sufferings which these beleeuers endured by faith the first whereof is racking in these words others also were racked or as some translate it And others were beaten with clubbes For the words in the originall will beare either translation and both of them fitly agree to this kinde of suffering For in these times the enemies of GODs Church vsed to set the bodies of them that were to be tormented vpon rackes and engines whereon they stretched out euery ioynt and then did beat the whole body thus racked with clubs till the party were starke dead An example of this kind of suffering we haue in Eleazer a Iewe 1. Mac. 6. who vnder Antiochus was first racked and then beaten on euery part of his body vnto the death because he refused to eat swines flesh But some will say This cannot be any commendation of faith to be racked and beaten to death for malefactors and traytors are so vsed Ans. To preuent this obiectiō the holy Ghost addeth these words and would not be deliuered or would not accept deliuerance to shewe that this suffering was a notable commendation of true faith The meaning of the words is this That whereas some Iewes in the olde Testament were condemned to death for their religion by persecutors and yet had life and libertie offered vnto thē if they would recant and forsake their religion This proffer of life they refused and would not be deliuered vpon such a condition In this example of faith we are taught to hold fast true religion and to preferre the enioying of it before all the pleasures and commodities in the world yea before life it self This point Paul vrgeth in sundry exhortations saying Let him that thinketh he standeth take heede lest hee fall 1. Co. 10.12 forbidding vs to preserue our outward peace by communicating with idolaters And againe Stand fast in the faith 1. Cor. 16.13 Yea this is one maine point that Paul vrgeth to Timothy in both his Epistles to keepe faith and a good conscience And our Sauiour Christ in one of his parables Math. 13.44 compares the kingdom of heauen to a treasure hid in the field which when a man findeth hee hideth it goes home sels al he hath to buy the field Wherby he would teach vs that euery ones duty who would enioy the Kingdom of heauen is this In regard of it to forgoe and forsake all things else esteeming them to bee drosse and dongue as Paul did Philip. 3.8 What though a man had all the riches and pleasures of the world al things else for this life that his heart could wish yet if he want religion and a good conscience all he hath is nothing for so he wants the loue and fauour of God shall lose his soule for the ransome whereof all the world can doe nothing Wherefore we must hereby be admonished to haue more care to get and maintaine true religion and a good conscience than any thing in the world besides Now because nature will iudge it a part of rashnesse to refuse life when it is offered therfore to preuent this conceit against these beleeuers the holy Ghost sets downe a notable reason of this their fact to wit They refused deliuerance that they might receiue a better resurrection Many interpreters vnderstand these words of the resurrection at the day of iudgement simply as though the holy Ghost had said These Martyrs therefore refused to be deliuered from death because they looked to receiue at the day of iudgement a greater measure of glory euen for this that in obedience to God for the maintenance of true religion they were content to lay downe their liues This no doubt is the truth of God that the more wee humble our selues in suffering for the name of Christ in this life the greater shall our glory bee at the generall resurrection for our light affliction which is but for a moment causeth vnto vs a farre more excellent and eternall waight of glory 2. Cor. 4.17 And yet as I take it that is not the meaning of these words but their resurrection at the last day is here tearmed better than the temporall deliuerance offered vnto them For beeing in torments on the racke they were but dead men and when life was offered vnto them it was as it were a kinde of resurrection and in regard of the enemies of the Church a good resurrection but for that they would not lose the comfort of resurrection to life at the last day Here then are two resurrections compared together The first is a deliuerance from temporall death the second is a rising to life euerlasting at the last day of iudgement Now of these two the later is the better and that in the iudgement of Gods seruants and Martyrs So then the true meaning of these wordes is this These seruants of God refused deliuerance from temporall tortures and punishments because their care and desire was that their bodies might rise againe to life euerlasting at the day of iudgement which rising againe to life at that day they iudged farre better than to rise to a temporall life for a while in this world This reason wel obserued may teach vs these two speciall duties First to be carefull aboue all things for assurance in our consciences as these seruants of God had that our bodies shall rise againe to life euerlasting at the last day True it is wee make this confession with our mouthes among the articles of our Faith but we must labour to bee setled and resolued effectually in our hearts that
these our bodies be they neuer so miserably tormented here shall one day rise to life and glory by Iesus Christ. All the true Martyrs of Christ knewe and were resolued of this and this it was that made them so confident in their sufferings And if wee can attaine vnto it we shall finde great vse hereof both in life and death For our lyues this will moue vs to embrace true religion from our hearts and in all things to indeauour to keep a good conscience This Paul testifieth Act. 24.15 16 for hauing made profession of his hope in the resurrection both of iust and vniust he saith And herein I endeauour my selfe to haue alwaies a cleere conscience both towards God and towards men And for death this perswasion also is of great vse for it will notably stay the heart against the naturall feare of death It is a wonder to see how terrible the thoughts of death are to many a one Now this feare ariseth hence that they are not in heart resolued of their resurrection to life and glory at the last day for if they were they would endeuour themselues with patience and with comfort to vndergoe the pangs thereof though neuer so terrible Secondly hence we must learne so to leade this temporall life that when we are dead our bodies may rise againe to life eternall These Martyrs are a notable precedent herein vnto vs for they are so resolute to holde that course of life which hath the hope of glory that they will rather lose temporall life then leaue that course And indeede this duty is so necessary that vnlesse we order wel this temporall life we can neuer haue hope to rise to glory Quest. How should we leade this temporall life that we may rise to glory after death Answer This S. Iohn teacheth vs Reuel 20 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath his part in the first resurrection for on such the second death hath no power Wee must therefore labour earnestly to haue our part heerein This first resurrection is spirituall wrought in the soule by the holy Ghost causing him that is by nature dead in sinne to rise to newnesse of life whereof whosoeuer is truly partaker shall vndoubtedly rise to glory For they that are quickned in Christ frō the death of sin are made to sit together in heauenly places in Christ Iesus Eph. 2.5.6 Naturall death may seuer soule body for a time but it can neuer hinder the fruition of eternall life Wherefore as we desire this life which is eternall when we are dead so let vs frame our naturall liues to die vnto sinne while we are aliue Verse 36. And others haue beene tried by mockings and scourgings yea moreouer by bonds and prisonment The second kinde of suffering wherewith the seruants of God were then tried is mocking Touching the which we may obserue diuers points First whence it came No doubt it came from vngodly persons that were enemies to Gods Church true religion for here it is made a part of the triall of Gods Church by the enemies thereof Heere then beholde the state of mockers and scoffers at the seruants of God they are heere accounted wicked wretches and enemies to God and to his truth So Saint Iude speaking of certaine false Prophets which were crept into the Church calls them vngodly men Iude 4 which hee prooues afterward by their black mouth in euill speaking verse 8.10 And Ismaell is accounted a persecuter by the holy Ghost for mocking Isaac Galatians chapter 4. verse 29. And Dauid reckoning vp the degrees of sinners makes the chaire of the scornfull the third and highest Psalme 1.1 All these places shew the haynousnesse of this sinne and therefore if any of vs young or olde high or lowe haue beene ouertaken with it heeretofore let vs now repent and leaue it for it is odious in Gods sight Thou that art a scoffer mayst flatter thy selfe and thinke all is well let the matter prooue how it can words are but winde But knowe thy case is fearefull for as yet thou wantest the feare of God and art an enemie to Christ and his religion and one day thou shalt be iudged not onely for thy wicked deedes but for all thy cruell speakings Iude verse 15. Secondly whereas these seruants of God were tried by mockings it shewes that Gods Church in this world is subiect to this affliction It is not a thing newly begunne in this age of ours but hath beene alwayes in Gods Church from the beginning Genesis chapter 21. verse 9 Ismaell mocked Isaac and Isay brings in Christ complaining thus Isay chapter 8. verse 18 Beholde I and my children whom the Lord hath giuen me are as signes and wonders in Israell And Ieremie saith I am in derision daily euery one mocketh me Ieremie chapter 20. verse 7 Yea our Sauiour Christ vpon the Crosse when hee was working the blessed worke of mans redemption was euen then mocked by the spitefull Iewes Mat. 27.41 And Paul was mocked of the Athenians for preaching Christ and the resurrection Acts 17.18 Now if this haue been the estate of Christ our head of his most worthy Prophets and Apostles to be mocked scorned then must no child of God at this day think to escape for if they haue done this to the green tree what wil they doe to the dry Wherefore if we belong to Christ we must prepare for it and arme our selues with patience to vndergoe this triall The Disciple is not aboue his master nor the seruant aboue his Lord. If they haue called the Master of the house Beelzebub how much more them of the house Mat. 10.24 25 Thirdly whereas these seruants of God were tried by mockings and did endure the same by faith here we learn how to behaue our selues when we are subiect to mocking and derision especially for religions sake We must not returne mock for mock and taunt for taunt but with meeknesse of heart learne to beare the same When Christ was vpon the Crosse the Iewes most shamefully mocked him yet euen then did Christ pray for them And the same was Dauids behauiour as we may reade notably Psal. 38. verse 12 13 14 When his enemies spake euill of him what did hee Did hee raile on them againe No Hee was as a deafe man and heard not and as a dumbe man which openeth not his mouth euen as a man that heareth not and in whose mouth are no reproofes This was a rare thing in Dauid that he could thus bridle his affections in the case of reproach but read the 15. verse and wee shall see the cause Hee trusted in the Lord his God also hee considered the hand of God in their reproaches as 2. Samuel chapter 16. ver 10 and these things made him silent This example we must looke vpon and learne hereby with patience to possesse our soules vnder reproach The third kinde of suffering is Scourging They were not onely mocked for religion but also whipped and
coÌ„pany At Abrahams request had there bin but 10. righteous men in Sodome all had beene spared for their sakes Gen. 18.32 When Ioseph dwelt in Egypt all Putiphars house and all in it though hee were a heathen man were blessed for Iosephs sake Gen. 39.5 When Lot was deliuered out of Sodomes destruction the Angels asked him Hast thou any sonnes in law that they might haue beene saued for his sake Gen. 19.12 When Paul and 276. soules with him suffred shipwracke and were all in present danger of drowning God saued Paul and for his sake all the rest God gaue him the liues of all that were with him in the ship Acts 27.24 And so here Noahs children and their wiues are spared for Noahs sake Let this encourage all men to serue God in truth and vprightnesse seeing thereby they shall not make themselues alone blesâ—ed but bring downe Gods blessing euen on their houses children and posterities yea the very places where and the people with whom they dwell shall fare the better for them And thus we see the causes reasons why not Noah alone but euen his houshold were also saued In the fourth place let vs obserue how the holy Ghost saith that Noah built the Arke not for the sauing of himselfe but of his houshold and it is so said for two causes First to shew that Noah though he were the head gouernour yet was one of the houshold for in the word houshold himselfe is comprehended Maisters and Fathers though they be gouernours yet must thinke themselues members of the houshold so will they haue more care thereof when they esteeme themselues members of the body and parts of the whole Secondly to teach vs what care Noah had for his family euen so great as hee prepared the Arke to saue them withall Here is an example of a worthy Maister of a houshold and yet all this was but for a temporall deliuerance Now if hee was so carefull for their bodily safety how much more was he to saue them from hell and damnation which he knew to be an eternall destruction of both soule and body Therefore doubtlesse as he was a diligent Preacher of righteousnesse to that sinfull world so principalâ—y a diligent Preacher and Prayer and Catechiser of his owne family that so he might make them Gods seruants and deliuer them from the eternall fire of hell Noahs example is to be a patterne to all Parents and Fathers of families to teach them care not onely for the bodies bodily welfare of their families but especially for their soules and spirituall welfare And if they be bound by all bonds of nature and religion to prouide for the bodies of their children let reason iudge how much more straightly they are tied to looke to their soules But S. Paul saith He that prouideth not temporall things necessary for his family is worse then an Infidel 1. Timo 5.8 Then what is he who prouideth nothing for their soules Surely his case is extremely fearefull Therfore when thou hast prouided meat apparell a calling and mariage house liuing for thy child think not thou hast done and so maist turne them off The world may take them thus But God will not take them so at thy hands No the greater duty remaines behind thou must prouide for their soules that they may know God feare his name Thou must with Abraham Gen. 18.19 Teach thy family that they may walke in the wayes of God I know Abraham saith God that he will do it And surely God will know all such as do so By doing thus men shal make their houses Churches of God as here Noahs was it would be far better with our Church State if men did so Ministers in the Church Iustices in the Country should haue much lesse to do if Maisters of families would do their duties But to goe further let vs see more particularly what this houshold was that was thus saued by the Arke First it was a family of foure men foure women not men or women alone but both and consisting of as many women as men Thus God would haue one sexe to loue another and one to think themselues beholden to the other the beginning of the first world was by one man one woman Of the second by foure men and foure women but alwaiâ—â— equall And here also God would teach men not to contemne the other though the weaker sexe for God saued as many of them from the vniuersall floud as he did men Secondly how many were they in all but eight persons Of the whole world no more were saued A miserable spectacle See what sinne can doe It can bring many Millions to eight persons in a short time See what it is to offend God Let vs not then glory in our multitudes but glory in this that we know and serue God for otherwise if our sinnes cry out to him against vs he can easily make vs fewe enow Thirdly what were these eight persons not one seruant amongst them all there were none but Noah and his wife his three sonnes and their wiues It is meruailous that here were none of Noahs seruants Some thinke he had none and that the simplicity of those dayes required no attendance but that each one was seruant to him selfe And they seem to gather it out of Gen 7.1 where God biddeth Noah Enter thou all thine house into the Arke And when they entred they are recounted in the seauenth verse to be none but himselfe his wife and his children therefore say they in Noahs house there were no seruants But why might not Noah haue seruants as well as Abraham and Lot had doubtlesse he had But behold a wonderfull matter Noahs owne seruants would not beleeue his preaching but chose rather to liue loosely with the world perish with it then to liue godly with their Maister and be saued with him This was and wil be true in all Ages that in a wicked age or in a wicked towne a Maister shal not be able to gouerne his owne seruants but the streame of common wickednesse and ill examples of other men doth draw them from the obedience of their Maisters They can readily alledge for themselues we wil not be vsed more hardly then other mens are we will not be tied to our houres bound to so many exercises we will do as others do Thus would Noahs seruants do and perished with the world So hard a thing is it for a good man to haue good seruants in such times or places where wickednes raigneth And thus wee haue seene in some sort How the Arke saued Noah and his houshold and what this houshold of his was Now besides this end and vse of the Arke we are further to know that whereas this sauing of them was but a corporall deliuerance from a temporall death this Arke hath also a spirituall vse which we may not omit for as many of Noahs family as were true beleeuers