couenaunt in stead whereof wee haue baptisme the whiche whosoeuer shall refuse wee accompt him as cut off from Gods Church Christ Iesus gaue inuisicle grace by visible laying hys handes vppon children and other sicke people So hee gaue the gift of his holy spirite vnto his Disciples when hauing breathed vppon them he sayd receiue you the holy ghost The Sscramentes were ordayned in the church of God for 3. vses first that we should acknowledge al those to be our fellows seruants whom we see to haue put on the same liuerie with our selues and in this sense said the Apostle Paule all those that are baptized into Christe haue put on Christ Secondly the Sacramentes do put a manifest difference betwixt the true church and the false as Peter hath taught vs in saying repent and be baptized euerie one of you in the name of Iesus Christ for to vse the promise made vnto your children all that are yet farre off euen so many as God shall call and our Sauiour saith to such belongeth the kingdomof God that is to such as lead an innocent life The third vse of the Sacraments is to seale vp in the hearts of the elect all those promises which GOD hath made vnto them in Iesus Christ his Son and their Sauiour in the which sense Paule spake when hee said that Abraham receiued the sign of circumcision as a seale of that righteousnes which he had by faith and in the verie same sense our Sauiour saith hee that beleeueth and is baptized shall be saued But it is to bee considered that the Institutor setteth downe the form of administring the sacraments when he saith baptizing them in the name of the father of the sonne and of the holie Ghost Hee commaundeth to baptize in the name of the father and of the son because the holie Ghost proceedeth from the father the sonne and in the name of the holie Ghost for except a man be borne of water and the spirite he cannot see the kingdom of God When our sauior offered to wash Peters feet he imagined it to be a nedles work for thou shalt neuer wash my feet said he but when Christ aunswered that such as are not washed by him haue no part with him that is neither part of his spirite nor of his kingdom Peter bethinking himselfe better would not haue his feet onlie but also his hands aud head washed howbeit it is not necessarie to washe any more then is vncleane as Peters feet defiled vvith dirt and mire so our soules spotted with sins must be cleansed by Christ his bloud onely And after this manner it is necessarie that euerie one of vs should be washed wherof the outward putting of water vpon the partie baptized is a liuelie figure Iohn Baptist was sanctified in his mothers wombe as the Angell had foreshewed But when our Sauiour Christ came to him to be baptized Iohn put him backe and said I haue neede to bee baptized of thee and commest thou to me That kingly prophet Dauid was a man after gods own heart yet he saith of himselfe I was borne in iniquitie and in sin hath my mother conceiued mee Iob was called by God himselfe a iust and vpright man fearing God and eschewing euill whose peere was not found vppon the face of the earth notwithstanding all this he saith of himselfe who can bring a cleane thing out of filthines the which question is all one with Paules affirmation who saieth such as the roote is such are the braunches as if hee had said with Adam the father of vs all was vndefiled then are wee his sons cleane also But if he were once dead in sinne beeing our roote then howe could wee his imps haue life of our selues All this was spoken of originall sinne as for actuall sins namely those sins which we continuallie commit they are as palpable as the darknes of Aegipt the which as Moses saith was so grosse that it might be felt in so much that Dauid saith when God looked down from heauen vppon the children of men that is when hee considered mans conuersation they were all so farre gone out of the way that there was none that did good in so much that the prophet repeateth it with an Emphasis and saith no not one And the man of God Moses saith when God beheld the boldnes of the olde world in sinning it repēted him that he had made man that is he was sorie that man whome he had made to liue well should liue so ill The continuall sinne of Sodome brought fire and brimstone from heauen to consume them in the same Dauid feeling the burthen of his sinnes began to sincke vnder them for saith he my sins are gone ouer my head and are like a sore burthen too heauy for me to beare Paule hauing by the vertue of the law learned his sinnes for he had not knowen sin except the lawe had said thou shalt not sinne fell to lamenting of them thus O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from this bodie of death where it is to be noted that he calleth his bodie a bodie of death in respect of sinne which giueth power to death ouer our bodies And to conclude of such force is sinne in vs that if the goodnes of God had not so praeordained that the vnbeleeuing husband is sanctified by the beleeuing wife and the vnbeleeuing wife by the beleeuing husband our children should be verie vncleane Againe beeing washed or baptized in the name of the father sonne and holie Ghost wee are aduertised that wee must giue godlie christian and holy names vnto our children in in token of their sacred profession for holie is he that hath called vs and that we may be the more forward so to doe It will be worth our labour to consider of a few examples tending to the same purpose as of Zachary the father of Iohn the Baptist who being dum when that his son was born his friends made signes vnto him howe he would haue him called and askeing for writing tables writte saying his name is Iohn the which vvorde Iohn is as much as to say Grace and thus was Zacharie commaunded by the Angell to name him The scripture accordeth plentifull examples of those that haue giuen names to their children affoordeth to suche occasions as haue been offered in the time of their trauell As when Raell went with her husband Iacob toward Bethell to builde an aultar vnto God She trauailed in child-birth and in trauelling dyed but before shee departed shee called his name Benony that is the sonne of her sorrowe but his father Iacob called him Benony that is the sonne of his right hand So Leah hauing born to Iacob foure sons she said now will I prayse God c. And that shee might the better beare in minde her promise she named her last son Iudah
want of saluation proceedeth eyther of the lack of teaching or of the want of faith to beleeue rightly that which is taught The first of these is approued by the wordes which the holy Ghost spake by the mouth of this prophet last named thus my people are destroyed with lacke of knowledge c. The other by the testimonie of our sauiour Christ himselfe who sending hys Eleuen to preach and baptise sayth he that beleueth and is baptised shall be saued he that beleeueth not shall be damned why went the rich man to hell but either for one of these causes afore named or for thē both that is to say because he neuer frequented the word of God whereby faith is begotten in the heartes of the hearers or if hee heard the same worde yet it was heard so carelesly that it tooke no roote at all and indeede that answere which Abraham made to his request seemeth to auer the trueth of that whiche I say for when request was made by that helhound that a messenger might go from the dead to his fiue brethren which were yet at his fathers house c. Abraham replied thus they haue Moses and the Prophetes Let them heare them for as Abraham sayth if that whiche Moses hath set downe in Gods iustice cannot better our brasen faces and heartes of Adament nor they vnualuable and moste assured promises made by Christ to his elect and recorded by his prophetes cannot driue vs from sinne and draw vs to himselfe Then there is no more hope of vs in hearing the worde of God then was of Symon and Iudas Though they heard the worde and receiued the Sacramentes for our life is no other waie reformed by a carelesse kinde of hearing then Ieroboam redressed the religion in Israel when hee set vp two golden Calues the one in Dann and the other in Bethel that the Israelites might worship them them or Nabuchadneezer in his kingdome when he destroyed Idols that he might be worshipped as God It is a matter so true that no man can so muche as imagine much lesse speake the contrarie without great offence that God hath done so much for his vine as by anie meanes might be in somuch that Dauid the king of Israel neuer hadde greater cause then the prince and people of England haue to say of the goodnesse of God hee hath not dealt so louingly with anie nation as with vs in giuing to vs so long vse of his lawes and yet he that compareth the pastors painfull preaching with the peoples little profiting in most places of this land shall finde iust occasion to thinke that the sonne of God hath pronounced that same curse vppon this Englishe vine which hee vttered against that fruitlesse figtree mentioned by Marke in these wordes Neuer fruite growe on thee henceforth God grant that there be not some men who measure the meate by the man like those proud Citizens whiche saide wee will not haue this man to reigne ouer vs and loathe the message because they like not the messenger like those skornfull Iewes that tolde Ieremie to his face the worde which thou speakest to vs in the name of the Lord vve will not heare it of thee but whatsoeuer we thinke good that will wee do but that they may knowe those men which labour among them and haue the ouersight of them in the land and not barely knowe them but also loue them for their good workes sake Thus hauing finished the former circumstances as compendiously as I promised I proceed to the next wordes the whiche containe in them the second part of a christian ministers dutie which is to minister the sacramentes rightly whereof one is set downe in his due order by the institutor Christ hymselfe when he saith baptising them in the name of the father and the sonne and the holy ghost Nowe because the worde Baptisme hathe diuers significations in the scripture I will heere set downe as manie of them as my memorie can recorde First the worde Baptisme according to the true meaning of the Greeke text Baptisma doth not signifie onely addicting but suche a dipping in the water as doth cleanse the partie dipped and for that the Primitiue Churche did vse to put the partie baptised quite vnder the water Therfore Paule writing both to the Romaines and Collossians vseth these wordes wee are buried then with him in baptisme into hys death that like as Christ was raised vp from the dead by the glorie of the father So we also should walke in newnesse of life in the whiche wordes the Apostle sheweth what resemblance their baptisme hath with Christ hys death and resurrection Secondlie baptisme is vsed for a bare washing in whiche sense our Sauiour spake when hee saide to the Pharisies you lay apart the commaundementes of God and obserue the traditions of men as the washing of pottes and cuppes and manie suche thinges yee doe and in the same sense wee read in the Epistle to the Hebrewes when the authour saith that the olde Tabernacle consisted of manie washinges and ceremoniall rightes vntill the daie of reformation came Thirdly by baptisme wee may vnderstand affliction as our Sauiour Christ did in saying to Iames and Iohn the sonnes of Sebedeus can you be baptised with that baptisme wherwith I must bee baptised and to hys Disciples I must bee baptised with a baptisme but howe am I payned vntill I bee ended Fourthly baptisme is a liberall distribution of the graces of GOD as appeareth in these wordes Iohn baptised with water but you shall be baptised with the holy Ghost within these fewe dayes Fifthly the worde baptisme is taken for doctrine onely as in that place wherein the holie Ghost hauing occasion to speake of Apollo a Iewe of Alexandria sayth that hee was mightie in the Scriptures and did knowe but the baptisme of Iohn only And last of al Baptisme is taken for a reuerent order of ministring that Sacrament in the Churche and the whole sanctification of the parties baptised as in the wordes of this present part of Scripture baptising them c. But to speake of the Sacrament it selfe It hath beene vsuall with almightie God from time to time to confirme hys couenauntes with seales set to the same for example wee see that there is a Rainbowe in the cloudes the reason whereof is that GOD hauing in his iustice destroyed the olde worlde for sinne onely Noah and his famelie being excepted the same GOD in hys mercie made a couenant with Noah that hee would neuer destroy it so againe for confirmation thereof hee set the Raynbow in the Clowdes as a seale to that couenant betwixt himselfe and Noah So was circumcision giuen to Abraham as a seale of confirmation in that promise that in his seede all the nations of the earth should be blessed So that as manie as were circumcised were within the compasse of that
is a point of iudgement Secondlie in restoring the liuing childe to his owne mother whiche was a point of iustice And these partes of a Christian Magistrate duetie are so necessarilie lincked togeather that so often as one of them is wanting the lavv receiueth a maime at the hand of the Magistrate As when Pilate iudged Christ guiltlesse but yet put him to death and when Paules cause was heard and approoued yet hee was left in prison Therefore it is good counsaile and worthie to bee hearkened vnto which Dauid gaue vnto all Kings and Magistrates that they bee learned and wise for if the Magistrate be not wise words may carie the matter away As when Daniel when he was accused of dispising the decree of Nabucadnezer the King of Babilon Ieremie to bee an enemie to the common-wealth of Israell Elias to bee a troubler of the state Paule to be a factious seditious fellow Naboath to haue blasphemed God and king Ahab and as at the importunate crye of the Iewes Christ was put to death and Barrabas the murtherer set at libertie The speciall wisedome of God matched Moses the Magistrat with Aron the minister thereby gyuing vs to vnderstand that when the word the sword go together there can be none other but good gouernment As for example so long as the good priest Iehoiba the godly king Ioas liued together God was worshiped and his people guided according vnto his word for the man of God counsailed vertuously and the King practised carefully whereunto that saying of Solon doth verie well agree who being asked when the common wealth did best florish he answered when the people obey the magistrat and the magistrate obeyeth the law for lawes are better vnmade then vnkept no doubt there want not such as wilsay with those head strong people in Dauids daies let vs break their bonds in sunder and cast away their coardes from vs and our lawes haue bene a long time like to spiders webs so that the great buzzing bees break through the little feeble flies hang fast in them But admitte that you replye and saye they are made stronger then in the daies of our forefathers yet are they like vnto walled Citties in the time of warre at the which time bee your walkes neuer so strong they are beaten downe if they want men and munition so if your lawes wiselie made doe want Patrones to defend them they will soone be little worth therefore it was not the worst vvarning that Iethro gaue to Moses that he should make such magistrats as were men of courage For as Crisippus sayd somtimes so it is true at all times that if a magistrate ruleth amisse hee shall procure the displeasure of God if well hee shall be hated of men and herof it commeth that Valerius Maximus writeth to Antigonus the Emperour who vvhen he should put on his imperiall crovvn and roabes stepping vppon the cloath of estate vttered these vvordes vvith a very loude voice Oh cloath of more honourable then happie estate vvherewith if a man vvere so thorouglie acquainted that hee coulde number the cares that concerne thee â—hee woulde not stoope for thee though hee might haue thee for the taking vp for great and vvaightie is that charge vvhiche is layde vppon a Christian magistrate in common-wealthes affaires of no lesse continuance then care wherfore Haimo would haue euery magistrate to remember these 3. things 1. that himselfe is but a man 2. that he gouerneth men like to him selfe and 3. that he shall not alwaies bee a magistrate as the Prophet hath taught when he spake thus in the person of GOD I said you are Gods but you shal die like men and fall like one of the Princes and yet shall they not be so excused but must also giue accomptes of their gouernment as did that Steward mentioned by S. Luke It is good therefore not onely for those men that haue the election of Magistrats to make such choise of officers as Iethro inioyneth Moses and as God himselfe commaunded Israel when hee said you shall make him king whome the Lord our God shall chuse but also verie meete for those magistrates being so elected to haue a care that as they are in place aboue other men so in good life they go before the people for this was it that the Israelites desired God to graunt vnto Iosua beeing newly made their gouernour Namely a faithful heart to go in and out before them For said they euen as wee obeyed Moses in all things so will wee obey thee Onely the Lord thy God be with thee as hee was with Moses And it was a necessarie praier for howe fowle a fault were it that the man which is appointed to punishe adulterie should be more worthie of correction for the same kind of sin then the partie punishied Like vnto the whore-hunting Iudges of Samaria mentioned by the Prophet Ieremie in his fift chapter or that hee whiche is appointed to iudge according to lawe should doe anie thing contrarie to the law As angrie Ananias commanded that Paul should be smitten contrary to law in this point doth the Lord schoole the king of Iuda by his Prophet Ieremie who saieth heare the word of the Lord thou King of Iuda that sittest in thy kinglie seat of Dauid thou and thy seruaunts and thy people that goe in and out at this gate thus the Lorde commaundeth keepe equitie and righteousnes deliuer the oppressed from the power of the violent doe not greeue nor oppresse the stranger the fatherlesse nor the widowe and shed no innocent bloud in this place and if you keepe these thinges faithfully then shall there come in at the doore of this house kings to sit vpon Dauids seate c. But if you will not be obedient vnto these commandements I sweare by mine own self saith the Lord this house shall be waste for example the same prophet speaking there of the wicked gouernement of Seluin the sonne of good king Iosias that gouerned Iuda sayth did not thy father eate and drinke and prosper well so long as hee dealt with righteousnesse from whence came this but because hee had mee before his eies saith the Lord. Nowe when Ieremy saith that Iosias had God before his eies hys meaning is all one with Dauids intent when he saith God standeth in the parliament of princes he is iudge among Gods to giue all Magistrates a Memento that God is present in all their assemblies and iudgeth them that iudge vnder him whereof they had neede to bee put in minde for oftentimes Mycheas prooueth too true a prophet in saying that the great man will speake what his heart desireth and the hearers must allowe it well of the whiche sorte of men the verie best is but as a thisle whiche a man can hardly touche vnpricked and the moste iust like a bramble wherevnto the sillye sheep seeking to be