Iesu Christ in the seconde place speaketh of hys Gospell when he maketh protestation that he spake not of hymselfe but hys father that sente hym he hymselfe gaue commaundement to hys sonne of y ◠whiche he shoulde saye and speake And he addeth that he knoweth well that thys commaundement is eternall lyfe To vnderstande thys opposition it behoueth vs to returne to that which Saint Paule sayeth in the self place 2. Cor. 3. the lawe was written in tables of stone Then it was but a doctryne of y ◠letter Thys lacke in the lawe was to be amended by the Gospel for so long as it was engraued in tables of stone it must needes be frayle The Gospel then is holy vnbreakeable attonement forasmuche as it was ratifyed by the holy ghost In steade then that the lawe is the minister of death and damnation the Gospel by which men are regenerated and reconciled to God by y e free forgeuenesse of synnes is the minister of ryghteousnesse and consequentlye of lyfe It was sayd that the office of the law is to set forth the sicknesse but not to shewe what remedy a mā might haue to heale it But the offyce of the Gospel is to geue to the hopelesse a redy remedy It was shewed that y e lawe leauyng a man to hymself geues pronounceth sentence of death but y ◠Gospell brynging vs to Iesu Christ opens the gare of lyfe So a man may say at a woorde that thys is a continual accident to the lawe to kil bycause all they that abyde vnder it ar vnder the curse But in the Gospel the iustice of God is reueled from fayth to fayth and therefore it is the power of God to saluation to euery one that beleueth 69 The lavve is the minister of death 2. Cor. 3. The lavve of the Lorde refresheth the soule the testimony of the Lorde geueth vvysedome to the ignorante his commaundement lyghteneth the eyes Psal 1◠HERE before a mā myght see how the lawe is the minister of death not that it is such in it self for perfect ryghteousnesse is contayned in it and by consequent life is inclosed in it But suche it is in vs whiche be weake and not able to fulfyll it and as breakers of it not able to drawe any thyng out of it but death whiche it pronounceth to all those that shall not do y e thinges whiche are therin contayned If nowe we wil agree these two sentences we must adde to them that whiche Saint Paule hymselfe addeth in thys thyrd Chapter of y e second to y ◠Corrinthians to wete that oure Lorde is the spirite He had sayd before of the lawe that the letter killeth but y ◠spirite ioyned with the letter quickeneth The doctryne of the law is litteral and not onely dead but also the geuer of death Contrarywyse he calleth Christ y ◠spirite of it sygnifying therby that then it shalbe quicke and quicknyng when it shal be breathed in by Christ Let the soule bee ioyned with the body and of those two shal be made a man quycke garnyshed with sense and vnderstandyng and mete for all workes of lyfe Take awaye and part the soule frō the body and it shal be but a carrayn dead without any felyng at al. Now a man may accord these prayses whiche Dauyd geues to the lawe with these sentences of Saint Paule For when Christ is ioyned to the law as the soule with the bodye the prayses which Dauyd geueth it belong to it it lighteneth the eies it geueth wisedome to little ones it refresheth the soule Take away and seperate Christ from the lawe and it shal remayne dead and the minister of death and damnation Then Christ is the lyfe of the lawe These thinges verely seme to be cōtrary altogether one agaynst another that the lawe recreateth the soules and yet it is a dead letter and geueth death that it lyghteneth the eyes and yet it suppresseth the lyghte which is wythin hauyng a Veyle set agaynst it that it reioyseth the heartes and the spirites and yet brynging a spirite of bondage it astonneth and agasteth But Dauyd speaketh not symply of the bare commaundements but he comprehendeth al the league by which God had adopted the childrē of Abraham for his people And therefore he ioyneth the fres promyses of saluation with the rule of well liuyng yea Christ hymselfe vpon whom the adoption was grounded Saint Paule whoe had to doe with the peruerse interpretours of y e law which dyd separate it from the grace and spirite of Christ doth but touch the symple ministery of Moyses Now it is very certayne that when the lawe is not quickened by the spirite of Christ it is not only vnprofitable but also it bryngeth death to y e scholars of it For without Christ there is in the lawe nothing but an vnintreatable rigoure whiche bringeth all mankynde vnder y ◠wrath and curse of God Moreouer the rebellion of the fleshe taryeth remaynyng in vs whiche inflameth in vs an obstinate hatred agaynst God and his law and thence procedeth thys weary bondage and horrour 70 Novv vvhy tempt you God in laying a yoke on the neckes of hys Dysciples vvhich neyther our fathers nor vve haue bene able to beare Acte 15. And his commaundements are not heauye 1. Ioan 5. OVR own experience and the holy scriptures sufficiently beare witnesse y ◠the yoke of the law is more thā we can beare Moreouer it is clere y t bicause the renouncing of our self is as it were a trial of the true obseruation of y ◠law We dare not say y ◠it is easye for a man to renounce hymself but rather seyng the lawe is spiritual as Saint Paule saith of our part we ar nothyng but fleshe ther must nedes be a great difference beetwene y e lawe of God and vs. And where Saint Peter sayeth it is a yoke whiche not oure fathers were able to beare he speaketh not of y ◠onely which men haue accomplished but also of y ◠which they myght haue done Neyther speaketh he of any cōmon persons but of y ◠holy fathers seth he sayth that such coulde not beare the yoke of the lawe it appeareth that it is impossible for mē to beare it Here he medleth not only with the woorkes and will of men but also with theyr power abilitye With this also Saint Paule agreeth affyrmyng that it was impossible for the lawe to geue vs life bicause it was weake through y ◠fleshe If any man can performe the lawe certaynly he shall fynde in it the lyfe whiche was promysed in it But when Saint Paule sayth that lyfe cannot be attayned by the lawe a man may well conclude that in it is requyred a righteousnesse so hygh and perfect as man can not accomplyshe If a man looke vpon nothyng ells but the strength of mans nature not only he shall not bee strong ynough to beare the yoke of the law but also he shal
gentilly reacheth forth his hand to al to the end y â— al might be very desyrous to repent He came to cal all hauyng forgotten y â— person of a iudge he myndeth nothyng els but to drawe al meÌ„ to hym to deliuer from death and destruction those that seme to be altogether lost But in y â— means season thys belongeth to the proper and naturall offyce of Iesus Christ For where the vnbeleuyng and obstinate be more greuously condemned for refusyng the Gospell it is by accident and not by nature As touchyng that he came in iudgement as touchyng that he is called the stone of offence as touching that he is appoynted for the fall of many al these thynges are accidentall for those that refuse the grace that is offered in him deserue to feele hym as a rigorous iudge reuenging so vylannous a contempt and so horrible an vnthankfulnesse As much may a man say of the Gospell althoughe it be the power of God to saluation to all that beleue it Yet the vnthankefulnesse of many makes it turne to theÌ„ vnto death So the ministers are ready at hand to reuenge to breake and throwe down the pryde of all the enemyes of the Gospell when the true obedience of the faythfull shalbe accomplished 2. Cor. 10. The Gospell is fyrst and cheiflye appoynted to bee for the saluation of the faythful But theÌ„ afterward the stubborne vnbeleuyng shal not remaine vnpunyshed who despysing the grace of the Lord Iesus haue chosen to haue hym rather the author of death than of life Beholde how the sonne of God is coÌ„me to saue and not to Iudge or condemne and yet he came in iudgement Howbeit in thys seconde sentence thys word of iudgement cannot be symply taken for the punyshment of the obstinate and contemners of God for it streatcheth forth eueÌ„ to the grace of illumination Iesus Christ is coÌ„me in iudgement that is to saye he setteth agayne in good order thynges that were out of order which is done by a maruelous secrete wysedome of God and beyonde al mannes vnderstanding 35 Yf I vvitnesse any thing of my self my vvitnesse is not true Ioan. 5. Though I vvitnesse of my self my vvitnesse is true Ioan. 8. AS touching the first sentence our Lord Iesus meaneth not that his witnesse it not sufficient to be beleued for y â— in other places he defendes it strongly and earnestly but he speaketh as agreeing herein with hys aduersaries as he shoulde thus saye wel beleue me not yet ar there ynough of others y â— witnesse of me He speaketh theÌ„ after y â— coÌ„mon fashion of meÌ„ which bryng theÌ„self into suspition when they beare witnesse of them self as though he would his enemyes should take the matter as if hys witnesse wer nothing worth It is certayn that y â— witnesse y â— any maÌ„ beareth of himself ought in no case to be receaued as true lawfull no not though y â— thiÌ„g y â— be he saith be true for in dede no man is a sufficient witnesse in his own cause Now although it is not reason or meâ—e y â— the sonne of God should be set among theÌ„ Yet he had rather geue ouer his right to conuince hys aduersaryes by the authoritye of God But yet the witnesse of our Lord Iesu is of authoritye ynough of it self and hath no nede of mens confirmations for asmuch as he is not of the common sort of men And therfore he addeth y â— he knoweth well whence he came and whither he must goe He exempts hym self out of the common sort of other men Although therefore other be suspected in their owne and priuate causes and that it is appoynted by the lawes that a man shoulde not beleue or trust any man that speaketh for hys owne profyte or aduantage yet thys hath no place in Christ who is farre aboue all the world is not reckened to be of the coÌ„mon sort of men but hys father hath geuen hym thys priuilege that by hys only word he causeth all men to obey hym 36 I vvill do nothyng of my self Ioan. 5. No man taketh my lyfe from me but I leaue it of my self Ioan. 10. IN the fyrst sentence our sauior Iesus Christ maketh aunswere to the slauÌ„ders of y e Iewes which iudged maliciously of y â— worke which he had done in healyng y â— man y â— had ben 38. yeres sicke Thei loked only on his humaine fleshe and therefore dispysed him althoughe they sawe in hym woorkes that were in dede Godly Wherefore he would haue them to go hygher and to beholde God in hym and in y â— workes whiche he wrought to the end by that meane they myghte be moued to beleue hym Thys then is not symply to say that he can do nothyng of hym self for he is God eternal almyghty And thys belongeth not perticularly to the euerlastyng worde but to the sonne of God in asmuche as he was manyfested in the fleshe Such is thys manner of speakyng when he sayeth Ioan. 14. The worde which you heare is not myne but hys that sent me It is wel knoweÌ„ that he is the eternal wisedome of God hys father which made all the Prophetes Apostles other trustye seruauntes of God to speake But this he sayth to lifte men vp vnto the Maiestye of God which staying at y â— outward loke of Iesus Christ could not owe such reuerence to the worde as it deserued excepte they had bene wel assured that it is God which speaketh in hys sonne and that the sonne speaketh through hys father All this matter must be referred to thys opposition to weete that they that thynke they haue to doe with a mortall man when they accuse the Lorde Iesus of hys doynges which were in very dede diuyne are farre out of the way And therfore he affirmeth earnestly that he hath done nothyng in the healyng of thys man that is diuerse or contrary to hys fathers will And by the other sentence he meaneth that men haue no power on him to take hys lyfe from hym but that he could haue thondered vpon al his enemyes if he woulde and so haue consumed al their attempts But in y â— he dieth it is with his wil he being able to withstande the violence of his aduersaries but beyng also willing to obey the will of hys father which had ordered and appoynted hys sonne to die to deliuer vs. Now then not only he sayeth that men cannot put him to death but in as muche as he suffereth them but also he exempteth him self from al force of necessitye But it standeth other wyse with vs for we must nedes dye bycause of our synne Christ in dede was borne a mortall maÌ„ but hys submission was voluntarie and not a forced bondage enioyned him from els where Then let vs conclude that he can do nothyng of hymself in asmuch as he wills that al hys works be wayed accordyng to hys diuyne power that the respect of his manhode
rule of prayeng to God they haue al in one maner that whych is requisite for the profession of theyr fayth Nowe the meane by whych al the flocke of God is gathered together is when there is but one shepheard for all and when hys voyce onely is heard when the Churche is made subiect to Christ onely and obeyeth his cōmaundement and heareth his voyce and his doctrin then is it in good state But when the Lord Iesus is dumme when his maiesty is troden vnder fote when hys holy ordinances are set forth to be mocked at and contemned what can a man saye of that goodly vnitye but that it is a diuilish Sinagoge or cōspiracy worse and more execrable with out all comparison than anye waste or spoyle There is no Church but where Christ raygneth there is no knowlege of God but wher the honor of the shephearde is geuen vnto Christ But the other sentence sheweth that al the disorders that are thys day in the world shalbe brought agayn into good ordre There are Hypocrites mired w t the true chyldren of God they haue sō shew to be of the flock and are among the sheepe but when the sonne of God shall come to restore them the goates shall be put apart and cast 〈◊〉 and the shepe shal be gathered together into the eternal Kingdome of God The state of this Kingdome shall be wel gouerned when the iust shall haue obtayned the crowne of glorie and when the wycked shalbe recompenced as they haue deserued Now this diuision which shall be of goates from among the lambes signifieth that nowe ther ar wicked mired among the good yea in suche 〈◊〉 that they liue as in one self folde So the faithful must not thinke their state ouer troublesom bycause as nowe they bee constrained to liue with the goates yea and that at their hand they endure terrible assautes and displeasures 64 God rested the seuenth day from al the vvorkes that he had made Gensi◠2 ▪ My Father vvorketh euen tyll thys houre Ioan. 6. A MAN muste vnderstande what the rest of God is and then he shal easly resolue this doubt when it is sayd that he rested the seuenth day that is not to say that he left his workes so as he hath no more care of them as if a master Mason or Carpenter hauing finished the building of his house shuld leaue it to him that could ocupy it not caring any more for it or as a shippe-wright afterthat he hath finished a vessel should geue it ouer to the waues of the sea not caring what shoulde betide of it So the reste or Sabat of God is not a sluggishnesse or idlenesse but a sound perfection which bringeth with it a quiet state of rest God then rested from al his workes that is to saye hee ceassed from creating of new kindes of any thing There was so sounde a perfection that nothing coulde bee added Wherfore it is said that God hath set to the last hand And that which is recited by Moises is asmuche as if hee had said that which God was determined to do was thē fulfilled To be short this is spoken onely to shewe the perfectnesse of the building of the worlde so that heere of a manne coulde notte gather that God so rested frō his workes that he hath left them of seing they haue no vertue or force nor substance but in hym In the meane tyme it is certayne that God worketh and is occupied continualy in that he vpholdeth the world by hys power that he gouerneth it by hys prouidence that he maintaines al creaturs in their being and also multiplies them Thereby a man may see how true thys sentence of the Sonne is My Father worketh from the beginnyng euen tyll now for if God neuer so litle wythdrawe hys hand all thinges shal perysh in a momente and shall be strayghtways brought to naught as it is sayd in the. 104. Psalme Besydes a man could not well know that God is the creatour and fashioner of heauen and earth except this be attributed vnto hym that he geueth strēgth and quickening to al things that he sustaineth the world by hys hygh vertue that he gouerneth it by his hyghe councel and mayntayneth it by his goodnesse and stayeth al things acording to his good pleasure as well beneath here in earth as there aboue in heauē Lo thē how it behoueth vs to conclude the makyng of the world was perfect in syx dayes but the gouerning it dureth for euer God is continualy busied to maintayn and cōserue the ordre of the same This is that which Saint Paul sayth Act. 17 that we lyue and haue our mouyng and beeing in God And he not onely mayntayneth by a generall prouidence the nature whych he hath created but also he gouerneth and ordreth euery parte of it And chiefly hys faythfull be gouerned and kept by him whome he hath receiued vnder his defence and safegard 65 It is appoynted for men that they should once dye Hebr. 9. VVhosoeuer beleueth in me shall neuer dye Ioan. 2. ALthoughe we had no wytnesse of the Scripture yet our own fraylnesse doothe warne vs enoughe of the truth of thys sentence that it is ordained that al men shal once dye The riches the honor the dignity strēgth of men nor whatsoeuer there is beside can redeme a man from this conditiō And this argument is infallible wher sinne is there is death al men are sinners it foloweth then that al men shal die we nede no other reason to proue that all that went beefore vs were sinners but that by Death they were taken out of this world and that we also and they which shall followe vs be sinners but that it is decreed by the sentence of God that we and they shal die Death is the hyer or rewarde of synne But now that which is said hetherto extendeth vnto the Deathe of the bodie for the body is subiect to Death bicause of sinne Furthermore we must vnderstand how Christ protesteth so often times that he is life and how he saith els where that Who so beleueth in hym are now already raysed from Death to Lyfe that they shall neuer dye He speaketh of the soules of his faithfull whiche are begotten anewe with an vncorruptible sede and whiche haue the spirite of Christ dwelling in them by whiche they receue continuall force The body is subiect to dy bycause of sinne but this spirit is life bicause of righteousnesse Rom. 5. Then Iesu Christ is the life bicause he neuer suffreth the life to decay which he hath once geuen but conserueth it to y ◠end Seing the fleshe is so fraile what wold befal of men if after they haue once obtayned life they were lefte to themselues Therfore we muste conclude that there is a continuall and permanente state of lyfe grounded in the strengthe of Iesus Christ to the end he may perfourm that which he hath once begon This is verye true that the outewarde
not yet eyes meete to beholde the lyght of lyfe vntyll God haue opened them It is certaine that al the sermōs should serue to no purpose if god taught not inwardly by hys spirit Neuerthelesse hee woulde not take awaye the meane whiche hee himselfe had ordayned to weete to heare and reade the Scriptures as though it were not necessary for mē to be instructed by y ◠outward ministery but y ◠it shuld not behous thē only to wayt for reuelatiōs from aboue But when Christe sayeth Search the Scriptures he reproueth y ◠fond vauntyng of the hypocrites which said they had life in them and yet they medled onely wyth the dead letter Truly lyte should be sought in the Scripturs saing they be appoynted for vs for that vse and to that ende not withstanding what booteth it to think that the scripture bringeth lyfe and the whylest to go away from the natural meaning of them and to put the light of life by peruerse opinions How may it be that y ◠law shuld quicken w tout Christ which only quickeneth it Beside thys place teacheth vs that if we would haue true knowledge of God and of Iesu Christ hys sonne we must take it of the scriptures For if we forge imaginations of God after oure fantasyes and as it shall seeme good to vs wee haue but a vayne Imagination and a shadow in stead of God But the whilest let vs remember how we must search the scriptures If we go to to them thinkyng to finde any thyng in them by our owne diligēce or wisdome we shal brīg awai w t vs nothing els but false vaine opiniōs But we must resigne our spirits to god to y e end that he which is y e autor of y e scriptures may make vs wel to vnderstand the truth of them 55 Flesh and bloud cannot possesse the Kingdome of God Cor. 15. VVe beleeue the resurrection of the flesh EMong the articles of our fayth wee beleue that our bodies shall ryse agayne without thys the preaching of y e Gospel wer vain for if our bodies rise not again christ is not risē agaī if he be not risen agayne what shal becōm of our hope This is the argumēt which Saint Paul maketh 1. Corinth 15. then euery man shal rise againe in his owne body and the fleshe of euery one that shal haue bene corrupted and shal haue slept in the earth shal be fully restored and ioyned agayne to hys soule when it shal haue put of al weakenesse and corruptiō to be made like vnto the glorious body of Iesus christ Though ther be nothing that the vnderstāding of man repulseth more yet faith is not deceued when she holdeth assuredly on the power of God ioyned with his promisse He that hath made man of nothyng can easily make him hole again after y ◠he hath bene wasted Now to y ◠ende this should not seeme so strāge to vs y ◠spirit sets before our eies an ordinary experience After that the corn is cast into the ground it semeth to be lost for it rottes and wasteth in the ground but afterwarde it springeth vp fairer So when the body hath ben corrupted it tarieth the time apointed by God to cōme out of y ◠earth to be altogether perfect So then euen as the corne by meanes of the sede taketh agayn a new shape and that more fayrer so the faythfull which dyeth and goeth to rest with the sede of Iesu Christ which is the spirite of God is raysed agayne by the same spirite which raysed the sonne of God from death Moreouer God hath geuen a visible certayntye hereof in Iesus Christ so that is manyfestly set before our eyes which otherwyse semed vnto vs altogether incredible Therefore to vnderstand perfectly what our resurrection shalbe we must still loke vpon Christ whoe is the myrrour and substance of it Lyke as he rose agayne in the self body in which he suffered so we also shal ryse agayne in the selfe same fleshe which we carry about wyth vs. And also as after hys resurrection he had another glorye much greater than he had had before so we shall bee farre other after our rysyng agayne And thys serueth to expound the other sentence that fleshe bloude cannot possesse the kyngdome of God to wete in the same qualitie y ◠now they are in and vntil thys corruption be chaunged to incorruption Before we be able to receaue this heauēly heritage our bodyes muste bee renued in asmuche as they ar subiect to corruption they cannot enter into the kyngdome of God whiche is incorruptible vnto whiche they shall haue no accesse till Christ haue fashioned vs a newe after hys owne Image otherwyse our flesh shal not be partaker of the glory of God til it be renued and quickened by the spyrite of Christ 56 And he is the attonement for our synnes and not only for ours but also for the synnes of the vvhole vvorlde 1. Ioan. 2. I praye not for the vvorlde Ioan. 17. THE summe of the first sentence cōmes to thys poynt that y ◠faythful should be thorowly persuaded that the clensyng gottē by Iesu Christ extendeth vnto all those that haue receaued the Gospell by fayth and that is to the end a man shoulde not thynke that thys benefyte is restrayned to a fewe people onely or to certayne ages A man maye replye howe maye thys bee that the synnes of all the worlde are blotted oure There at certayne frentrycke spyrites which vnder thys coloure receaue al the reprobates to saluation yea the deuyl hymselfe But wee oughte not to tarye aboute the refutyng of thys monstruous opynion If a man saye that Iesu Christ hath sufficientlye suffered for the faultes of all the worlde but that hys death hath profyted the faythfull onely thys is somewhat but it is not all For here is another meanyng in the woordes of Sainte Iohn that is to saye that thys benefite is becōme cōmon to the whole Church and therfore the reprobate ar excluded Whē he sayth of al the world it is spoken of thē that shoulde beleue and whiche were scattered in diuerse countreyes of the world For then we are made trulye to vnderstande what the grace of Iesu Christ is when it is tolde vs that it is the only saluation of all the worlde As touchyng y ◠other sentence wher Christ sayth that he prayeth not for the worlde thys worde world is taken in another meanyng to wete for the reprobate And therein he sheweth openly that he will aske nothyng whiche agreeth not with the good pleasure of his father He recōmendeth vnto him those onely which hys father loueth of hys owne good will For he sayeth he prayeth not for those that are cutte of from the kingdome of God bycause he hath not care but onely for hys owne shepe which he had receaued at y ◠hand of hys father A man will saye that here is an absurditie for the beste rule we
but he abode a vanquysher by a wonderfull power of the holy ghost Thys feare made hym to make thys our crye My God my God why haste thou forsaken me not faynedly nor after the opiniō of other but the inwarde heauinesse of hys spyrite was so violent and burnyng that it made hym so to cry Nowe then not onely he suffred the natural death not only his soule was seperated from hys bodye but as Saint Paule sayeth Act. 2. he fett y ◠panges of death that is to say he was pressed with meruelous anguysh It had bene a very smal matter if Christ had escaped wyth a natural death only but it was expedient he shoulde fele the rygour of Gods iudgement that he myghte bee oure true intercessoure to hys father and that he myghte stande beetwene him and vs to keepe the wrathe of God from fallyng on our heades To do thys it was nedefull he should abyde the assault of al the powers and force of hel and the horrour of eternal death And thys is that that is sayd in the Articles of oure fayth that he descended into hel when he suffered so many vylannyes so many iniuryes outrages when he swet bloude when hys soule was payned euen vnto y e death when he was shamefully hanged beetwene two theues as one forsaken of God and of mē without helpe fauour and comfort when he yelded hys ghost vpon the Crosse bearyng the curse of the anger of God whiche is the true hel felyng condemnation vpon hymselfe the paynes and grieses that we oure selues had deserued for our synnes and iniquityes To bee shorte when he was counted as a worme of y e earth not as a mā May we not wel say y ◠he went down into hel which had wel nigh swalowed hym in Synners had deserued to be altogether swalowed vp confounded by the iuste iudgement of God before whiche they could in no wyse stand Seing thē he represented y e person of al synners and presented himself before God to abyde the iudgemente for them it was nedeful y ◠he shoulde fele thys distresse in hys conscience as if he had bene forsaken of God and euē as though God had bene angr◠with hym so horrible and feareful is the iudgement of God Albeit he was in al things pleasyng to hys father and albeit he had no waye offended him yet he was accounted on the Crosse more wicked than theues for Barrabas was quite and he condemned Al dutyes of humanitye were denyed yea such as wer offred to other which shoulde be put to death for their mysdedes He shewed then suche extremitye of anguyshe when on the Crosse he made thys outcrye My God my God why haste thou forsaken me It is no meruayle then if it be sayd that he descended downe into hel that is to say to the depe gulfes of al miseries and myscheuyng For he suffered the death which by the wrath of God was layd vpon il doers Is not thys a terrible thyng for a man to fele himself forsaken of God to fynde no fauoure or suttour at hys hand when he calleth on hym when a man loketh for nothing els of him but that he hath conspired to destroye him Now seyng it is so that he spake not thys worde after the opinion of other but as he felte it in dede how is it that he sayeth in thys 16. of Iohn that he is not alone but that hys father is with hym Althoughe it seme that therein is some absurditye that such a word of dyspayre shoulde come oute of the mouth of the Sonne of God yet when he felte the death and destruction accordyng to the felyng of the fleshe he ceased not to haue a faste fayth in hys heart by whiche he behelde God present of whose absence he complayneth For a whyle hys God head gaue place to the weakenesse of the fleshe in asmuche as touched our saluation to the end he might accomplyshe al the parts of our redemption There is also a dyfference betwene the felyng of nature and the knowledge and vnderstandyng of faythe Wherfore these two thyngs may wel agree that Christ conceaued in hys spiryte that God had forsaken hym and that accordyng as the felyng of man tolde hym And yet for all that he had thys fyrmnesse of fayth y t God was gentle and fauourable to hym Whiche thyng he sheweth when he maketh thys preface that he hath recourse to God as to his God that before he make any mention of the temptation whych he beateth backe strongly and fyrmely by the buckler of fayth Furthermore in thys feareful carefull carefulnesse hys fayth abode safe and whole so that complaynyng to bee forsaken he trusted to the nere ayde of God But we must marke to what purpose he sayth that his father is with hym For albeit he myghte well haue spoken thys woorde euen in hys anguyshe yet it behoueth vs to marke the circumstance of the place He had sayed beefore that the houre was cōme already that euery one of hys Apostles should be scattered abrode and shuld leaue hym alone He addeth therunto by and by thys correctiō Though I be not alone but my father is with me He sygnifyeth that thoughe al the world shoulde forsake hym yet shoulde he bee nothyng abated thereby Hys truth and hys glorie are grounded in hym and depend not on the worlds beleuing it or not beleuing If al y e world forsake hym yet he ceaseth not to abide whole For he is God not hauyng any nede at al of the helpe of any other Let hym be lefte alone yet hys father will take his part so that he shal not nede to borrowe ought of men Whosoeuer shal haue thys wel prynted in his hart shal not cease to abyde faste though al the world shoke yea and the very forsakyng of al other shal not ouer throwe his fayth For he which contenteth not hymselfe with God onely he doth hym not the honour that belongeth to him howsoeuer it bee although the violence of the extreme anguyshe made this cry and this vehement worde to cōme out of the mouth of the sonne of God My God my God why hast thou forsaken me yet was it euer true that hys father was with hym Wherfore we ought not to thynke y ◠hys father was at any tyme agaynst hym or angry with hym for howe should he be angry with his welbeloued sonne in whō he was wel pleased Or howe could Christ appease or quench the wrath of God and make an attonement betwene God and men yf he were angry with hym 80 The vvorlde cannot hate you Ioan. 7. Bycause you are not of the vvorlde but that I haue parted you from the vvorlde therefore the vvorlde hateth you Ioan 15. CHrist in thys fyrst sentence speaketh of hys kynsfolke that as yet were fleshly for it is there sayd of them that they beleued not in hym he sayd to them my tyme is not yet cōme but your tyme is
Christ according to the respect of men but to apprehend by faith al that whych the Scriptures teach of hym And when it is sayed that ther was neyther beauty nor shape in him thys is not to be vnderstoode onelye of his persone whiche was dispised of the world and at the last iudged to shameful Death but also of his whole raign which in the Iudgemente of men had neither forme nor magnificence nor apparaunce of beauty nor any thyng to tourn the eyes of men on him to beholde any goodly ornament vpon him for although Christ wer risen agayne yet y ◠Iewes euer considred him crucified and in infamy 94 He shal reigne ouer the house of Iacob for euer and his reigne shal haue no end 1. Cor. 15. And then the end vvhen he shal haue gyuen the kingdome to God the Father Luke 2. THE Prophetes in manye places haue foretold promised y e y t kingdome of Dauid shuld be continual yet did it florish only in the time of Dauid Salomō his sōne The third king after Dauid that is to say Robā had but one tribe a halfe of y e twelue and so the strength the riches of his kingdome were greatly diminished After Roboam the kingdom ceased not to be troubled and endaungered by mani ouerthrowes tyl that at the last it fell downe altogether but the Angell declareth here that when thys Kingdom shal bee once stablished in the persone of Christe it shall not bee subiecte to ruine but shal bee endelesse But it behoueth vs also to mark that thoughe God oughte chiefelye to bee keper and gouernour of Christes Kingdome and of the Churche and to see that it shoulde neuer decaye on earth so long as the Sunne and Moone should last yet the true continuaunce beelongeth to the blessednesse and glorye to cōme The faythful then succede so in contynuall ordre one after another that at the laste they muste bee receaued into heauen where they shall reigne withoute ende Nowe thys seemeth to make agaynste thys eternitye to were that the Sonne shal once geue vp the kingdome to the Father and that whiche is added by and by after when the father shal haue made all thing subiect to hys sonne the Sonne also shal make himselfe subiecte to the Father Howe maye a man agree these two thynges that the raigne of Christe shal haue no end that which is spokē here y ◠Christ shal bee broughte into subiection It behoueth vs to note that al power was geuen to Christe in that that he was manifested in y ◠flesh True it is y ◠such a maiesty belōged not to a man which wer only a mā but y ◠father hath exalted and glorified him in y e same nature in which he had bene abated and humbled and hath geuen him a name vnto the which euery knee should bende and bow Bisydes we must note that he hath ben so appoynted soueraine Lord and King that he is as it wer Goddes Deputy and Lieutenant for the gouernement of the worlde not that he worketh and that in the meane tyme the father doth nothing but is idle for how might this be seing the sonne is y ◠wisdom and counsell of the father seeing he is of one selfe substaunce and being with him yea truly one self God But y ◠reason why the Scripture testifieth that Iesu Christ now hath the Empire or rule as Deputy of his father it is to the end we should not think that there is another Lord Gouernour Protectour and Iudge of the quicke Dead but y ◠we shuld haue al our senses stated on the beholding of him We acknowledge God for our conductor and Gouernor but it is in y e face of Iesu christ a man Yet y e sōne shal then restore the Kingdō which he hath receued to y ◠end we may cleaue wholly vnto God And in this doing he wil not depart frō this Kingdō but he wil trāsport it from his manhode vnto his glorious Godhead for thē y ◠accesse shalbe opē to vs frō which now we ar put back by meās of our weaknesse So Christ shal becōme subiect to his father for then y e veile shalbe taken away we shall openly beholde God in his glorious maiesty and y e mā hode of the sō shal be no more betwene both to make vs see the face of God as through a glasse 95 I am not sent but to the lost sheepe of the house of Israel Math. 10. I gaue thee to be a lighte vnto the Gētils to the end thou mightest be my sauing helth euē to the ēds of the earth Esai 49. SAynt Paul in the. 15. Chapter to the Romaines sayth that Christe was apointed to be y e minister of Circūcision He himselfe testyfieth here that he was appoynted to be the minister of heauenly grace only for the Iewes Hereon he argueth that he oughte not to succour straungers but this is not to say that the grace and vertue of the Lord Iesus was continually shutte in within so straight bounds but bycause the reason of the tyme so would that he should begin with the Iewes and for that time geue himself only vnto them for the wall was not broken before the resurrection so that the Sonne of God himselfe might proclayme peace vnto the Gentiles which were banished frō the Kingdom of God This is the reasō why he forbode his Apostels to sow their doctrine any where but in Iewry onely yea for that time And therefore he sayth here truly iustly that he was not sēt but for y ◠Iews vntil at y ◠lēgth y ◠gētils shuld succed also in their ordre For a time he gaue hymselfe to the Iewes but after that by his resurrection he had broken the wal he sheweth in dede that he was not onely cōme to preach peace to those that wer at hand but to those also that were farre of he was apoīted to be y ◠light sauing helth of y ◠Gentiles as well as of the Iewes So the trauayle of Christ and of al the Church had not their efficacy towarde the Iewes onely but also towarde the Gentils And moreouer seing that the Iewes dyd take no profite of the preaching of the Gospel but dyd obstinatly reiect our Sauiour Christ therfor the Gentiles were put in their place Loe nowe how Christ was geuen to be the lyght of the Gentiles and how his sauing health was manifested euen vnto the fardest endes of the world 96 VVe vvere by nature the chyldren of vvrath as others Ephe. 2. Othervvise your children shuld be vncleane but novv they are holy 1. Cor. 7. IT is certayne that al men withoute exception are worthy of condēnatiō til they be quit by y e sōne of God w tout whom ther is no righteousnesse or sauing health nor excellēcy for when S. Paul sayeth that we were children of wrath he meaneth that wee were lost and woorthy of eternal Deathe For thys woorde wrath