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
man is marred and corrupted daily in the faithful but they are so farre from losing by that meane any of their true lyfe that rather it is soe encreased by that mean for the inward man is ther by renued as it is said 2. Cor. 3. and which is more Death it self is vnto them a freedome from the bondage of Death 66 He that kepeth Israel vvil not slomber nor sleepe Psal 121. Ryse vp Lord vvhy slepest thou Psal 44. THys Sentence is very worthy to be noted that God is the keeper defender of all his faythful yea so a keper that he will make them whole and safe in al sortes Ther is great talking of the power of God but in the meane tyme how many are there that in al their talk haue this reply in their mouth God can if he wyll but we are vncertayne and in doubte of his intēt So we must not onelie attribute power vnto God but also a fatherly care and continual watchfulnesse And we oughte to haue him before our eies as our cōtinual defender which watcheth at al houres for our saluatiō to the end we might rest vs fafely vpon hys holy prouidence On one syde the Epicures forge y ◠God hath no care at all for the world and so they quench al feare and reuerence of God But on the other syde there is daunger leaste when a man hathe ymagyned that God gouerneth the world it should be a confounded ymagynation by whyche a man were not resolued that God hath care for al his faythfull partycularlye for so oure spirites shoulde hang in doubt shoulde flote in continual vnquietnesse And surely a man can neuer cal vpō God earnestly nor with a good and liuely affection till the certayntye of thys kepyng be well prynted in the heart But now such complayntes are many times in the scriptures chiefly in the Psalmes Lorde ryse or awake whye slepest thou The iudgement of the fleshe maketh vs so to speake and thinke that God is layed down and that he slepeth when he doth not manifestly exercyse hys Iudgements when we are afflicted and that we fele not the remedyes as sone as we haue called vpon God It semeth to vs that he slepeth but it is not so Thys good Lord suffereth vs to lament so and to make hym such complayntes in oure prayers yet it behoueth vs to be certaynly persuaded that he continually and wythoute ceasyng watcheth for our profyte and saluatiō but bycause our spirites be stowe we conceaue not at the fyrst what care h◠hath of vs. The faythful then requyr◠he should shew in effecte y ◠he is neither forgetfull nor a slepe Al must be resolued that God hath hys eyes set on thē though he dyssemble yet notwithstandyng bycause thys persuatiō is of faith not of the fleshe they cast familiarlye into the bosome of God thys contrary iudgement which they haue conceaued of the present syght of y ◠dede by thys meanes they caste out of their heartes these fylthy affections to the end fayth shuld afterward com forth pure clere 67 The iuste shall liue by fayth Abac. 2 Thys do and thou shalt liue Luke 10. THE proud confydence of the flesh is contrary to fayth which y e Prophet sayth the iuste shal liue Whē he hath made mention of the destruction of the proud he addeth also that the lyfe of the meke and iuste consisteth in fayth But there is nothyng that maketh a mā to line before God but righteousnesse It foloweth thē y ◠our righteousnesse also consisteth in fayth and thys lyfe which we haue of fayth is not to dure onely for a whyle but is fyrme for euer For it is sayth by which wee mount a lofte it is fayth by which wee passe ouer al daungers of thys present life ouercōm al myseries troubles fayth is to vs an assured port in y e middest of y ◠stormes and tempestes of this world To be short faith maketh vs to obtayne victorie against al y ◠world as S. Iohn sayth in hys fyrst canonicall Wherfore let vs thus conclude y t they which ar counted iuste with God liue by faith only Then let vs hold this seing no man can be iustifyed otherwise thā by fayth also no mā can liue but by fayth for life can not be but wher righteousnesse is The lawe veryly contayneth perfect Iustice so y t if any coulde accomplyshe a lawe he should obtayne lyfe bicause he should fynde righteousnesse in y e lawe sufficient to make hym liue as also the promyse is made in the lawe that whosoeuer shal do y ◠thinges contayned in it shal lyue And this is y ◠which is here sayd Do this and thou shalt lyue But in the meane season we must see how thys promyse agreeth with the free iustification whiche is by fayth For the reason why God iustifyeth vs freely is not for that the lawe sheweth not perfect righteousnesse but bycause we fayle in kepyng it Wherfore al the scripture pronounceth that there is no man that can obtayne lyfe by it The fault is not in the lawe but in y ◠weaknesse of man and the faulte is in oure fleshe So a mā may say that these two sentences agree well together for the lawe sheweth howe men may obtayne ryghteousnesse by their woorkes and that no man is iustifyed by his works for the lacke is not in the doctryne of the lawe but in men Besyde it was mete that Iesus Christ shoulde cleere hymself of the false accusyng of y e Iewes and of the slaunder which he knew well the rude and ignorante charged hym with as though he had abolyshed the lawe in that it is the continual rule of ryghteousnesse 68 The Lavve administreth death 2. Cor. 5. Hys commaundement is euerlastyng lyfe Ioan. 12. SAINT Paule calleth the lawe not only y e administer of death but also of damnation and that iustly For where men are warned of their duety and they heare that all they that satisfye not the iustice of God are cursed they are constrayned to fynde themself gyltye of synne and death They bring therfore from the lawe nothing els but suche a condemnation forasmuche as God claymeth y ◠to which a man standeth bound to hym And in the meane season he geueth not the power or abilitye to fulfyl it The lawe only geues the rule of wel liuyng but the whilest it reformeth not the heartes to the obedience of iustice and it declareth eternal death to transgressours and therefore it can not but condemne or to say better the offyce of the lawe is to shew the sycknesse but it is in such sort as it geueth no hope of healyng For seyng it leaueth a man to hymself it muste nedes be that it awardeth him to dye Loe howe the lawe is the minister of death But to accorde thys sentence with the fyrste it behoueth to loke vpon the opposition that is beetwene the lawe the Gospel For
beare the name of Christians to take from him his power and to spoyle him of his strength and glory to the end to giue it ouer vnto diuerse gouernours which thei themselues haue forged after their owne apetit For God is not acknowledged or aduoutched for God when men attribute vnto hym a bare name onely but when all authority is geuen vnto hym Hereby we may see that when it is sayed that God is hee that maketh peace and createth il it is not to be vnderstode that he is the doer or autor of naughty things and the oposition which is heere shelues it more plainly to wete this woord peace for there is a contrariety herein betwene prosperity aduersity for a maÌ„ ought to vnderstaÌ„d by peace prosperity as also by y e al aduersity to wete war famine al other lyke things wher as if ther were a coÌ„trariety betwene iustice euil this error might haue soÌ„e colour but the contrariety that is here shewes veri wel another selfe to were that ther is neither prosperity nor aduersity neither good nor euil but that proceadeth froÌ„ y â— haÌ„d of God of whoÌ„ we cannot say that he is author of the fault but of the payne There are restimentes â—now in the holy Scripture which shew plainly that the Lord shal â—aue the mischeuous and proud to chasten vs by them yet for all that we cannot say that he breatheth into them the 〈◊〉 but he vseth it or serues his courâ—e with it or correct vs therin doth the 〈◊〉 Iudge So we may conclude that God is the only author of al things that is to say prosperitye and adueâ—sity are sente by him although he vse the hand of men to the ende that nothing be attributes to forrane or to any other cause But euen as God tempreth not nor stirreth any persone to euel dooing as he himself is not tempted to euel so also the Diuel burneth with a raging desire of doing il God wil vse hym hys wickednesse to proue try vs yet the wickednesse is roted in y â— sprite of y â— Diuel and God hath not breathe 〈◊〉 into him he is called a liar and a murtherer and that he hath of his owne he is accustomed to lie and can do nothing els but forge lies with craft and guile but that he hath of hymselfe and not of the fyrst creation of God for when y â— Lord Iesus maketh hym the workman and author of lies he doth manifestly separate him from God and makes him al together contrary to God so much we may wel say of al the wicked and reprobate that are obstinate in their wickednesse God hath in no wise wrought y â— euel or mischef that is in them 20 Honour thy father and thy mother and he that shall curse his Father Mother let hym die the deathe Exod. 20. 〈◊〉 If any com to me hate not his Father and Mother he cannot be my Disciple Luke 14. THIS coÌ„mauÌ„dement is set forth in the law of God that we shoulde honor our fathers mothers and this coÌ„maundementt requires that the children be lowly toward their fathers obey them reuerence them and helpe them as they are bound and to be at their commaundement The true loue is there required without which there can be no true obedience and as the promise of loÌ„g life is made vnto those that obei their fathers and mothers in the curse is pronouÌ„ces against such as curse or speake ill or are stubborne towarde their parentes yea they are adiudged to Death by the lawe of God Exod. 21. Leuit. 10. Deut. 〈◊〉 and thoughe they shuld escape the hand of men â–ª yet God wyll reuenge 〈◊〉 in some sorte although he â—arry long as we may see it by coÌ„mon experience For how many of such people die either in the warres either in bralles or are eueri day geueÌ„ into the hands of the hangman or dye shamefully before their age or in some other sort so that a man may perceaue that it is Goddes hande that maketh them dy w t shame And if it com to pas that they escape to the old later age yet do they but pine away bicause thei are destitute of the blessing of God Then seing the loue of Parentes is so muche commended vnto vs yea and that in such sorte that whosoeuer doth agaynst it eyther by rebellion eyther by disobedieÌ„ce or by striking is adiudged to Death by the certaine decree of God How may this agree with it that a man shuld hate his Father and Mother to follow the sonne of God Our Lord Iesus coÌ„mauÌ„deth vs not to take away and put of the affections of men he doth not forbid vs to loue our pareÌ„tes as we ought but he doth decree that all the mutuall loue y â— is betweene men should kepe his owne due ordre to the ende that the feare of God shoulde be farre aboue all Let the house band loue his wife the wife hir houseband the father his sonne the soÌ„ne his father so as for al y t the loue of man beareth not the reuerence that is due vnto our Lord Iesus For if among men themselfe euen where the line of frendshyp is strayghtest there are some aboue others is it not reason y â— the soÌ„ne of God should be placed before all And in very dede this is not a sufficieÌ„t acknowledâ— to considre what it is to be receaued among the Disciples of Iesus Christ if the price of thys honour and dignitye haue not the force in vs to subdue and represse al the affections of our fleshe It now any man thinke that thys maner of speach to hate his Father is to hard yet it is one self sense as if he said if the loue of our fathers and mothers let vs from following Christ we must Manfully resist it 21 Hebr. 6. They that haue bene once illumynated and haue tasted the heauenlye gyft and bene partakers of the holye Ghost haue tasted the good vvord of God and the povver of the vvorld to coÌ„me it is vnpossible they should be renevved by repentaunce if they fall back VVhosoeuer shall call vpon the name of God shal be saued WHEN God pronounceth hys threatnings vnto vs and is wylling to astonne vs wyth them he pryckes vs forward as sluggish slow asses to seke our saluatioÌ„ And in these Iudgements he setteth before vs dredful signs as though the suÌ„ne wer altogether dimmed w t darknesse y â— Mone tourned into blood and al that is here below mingled and confounded And also after that he hath so filled the heauen and earth with darkenesse yet for all that he sheweth vs the meane how we mai openly see our saluation shine before our eyes that is by calling vpoÌ„ hys name If God dyd but simply promise to saue vs yet that were a greate mater but behold here a more excelleÌ„t and farre greater thing when he promiseth this saluatioÌ„ among diuers bottomlesse depthes and
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