heauen and the holy Ghost was there by his soleâ—â—â— presence He had no possessions of his owne but was maintained by the almes of deuout women but out of them had hee cast Diuels Hee must paie tribute Mat. 17.27 but hee will fetch it out of the fishes mouth in the end hee was taken with a band of men but when he spake Ioh. 18.6 they reeled backward and none durst lay hold on him he was whipped and ill intreated but twice before had hee whipped the money changers out of the Temple and none durst open their mouth against him Mark 11.15 Mat. 27.19.24 he was condemned to die but the Iudges wife dreamed and was troubled being perswaded of his innocency and Pilat himselfe acquitted him When he was going to the crosse he was so worne as he was not able to beare it but he was able to beare the wrath of his Father He was hanged betweene two theeues Mat. 27.32 Luk. 23.43 but he saueth one of them And howsoeuer sometimes he was called Belzebub yet Belzebub confesseth him often to bee the Sonne of God thus was euer his humility qualified with some testimony of his diuinitie In that it is said The Angels came and ministred vnto him note that howsoeuer they bee ministring spirits to giue vs security of the Lords protection though his promise were sufficient yet by speciall prerogatiue they are attending on Christ to whom alone they owe and doe their homage And besides learne heere the time when we are to expect this ministery of Angels not vntill we haue fought the battels of the Lord then to succour our faint spirits and to releeue our distressed hearts they are sent as comforters vnto vs. Gen. 22.11 And thus when Abraham held in his body an anguished soule and in his hand a blondy knife to haue fetched the life of Isaac from him then was the window of comfort opened and then had God prouided another sacrifice When Iacch was wearied and benighted Gen. 28. hauing for his bed the earth and for his pillow an heape of stones then standeth the Lord about him and blesseth him and when Eliah is forced to flie to preserue his life and yet ready to die for want of food then doth the Lord awake him by his Angell and bid him eate 1. King 19.5 And when Christ had finished the combat and wonne the field then the Angels come to waite vpon him so as wee may not thinke to beare away the victory without blowes nor to be comforted without sorrowes not to bee refreshed without 〈◊〉 MATH 4. vers 12 13.14.15.16 verse 12 And when Iesus heard that Iohn was committed to prison he turned into Galile verse 13 And leauing Nazareth went and dwelt in Capernaum which is neere the sea in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalins verse 14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet Esaias saying verse 15 The land of Zabulon and the land of Nephthalins by the way of the sea beyond Iordan Galile of the Gentiles verse 16 The people which sate in darknesse saw great light and to them which sate in the region and shadow of death light as risen vp HEere followeth the real execution of Christs office and what hee did after Iohn was in prison For now was the time that the day-star going away the Sunne of righteousnesse might appeare In the words there are three things to bee considered first the cause why Christ returned into Galile the very place where that Herod dwelt that committed Iohn for reprouing him of his adultery Secondly that hee leaueth Nazareth his owne place the reason whereof is giuen by Saint Luke chap. 4.29 because they sought to breake his necke Thirdly the cause of his going to Capernaum to fulfill Esay his Prophesie that those quarters should first bee made famous through Christs doctrine and miracles being the first that were caried away into captiuity Now first it shall not be amisse since wee see Iohn in prison to seeke out the cause of his commitment which though it bee not heere expressed yet it is in the 14. chapter of this Euangelist set downe vpon another occasion that Herod thought the soule of Iohn Baptist to be gone into Christ howbeit S. Luk. chap. 3.19 vpon this very occasion sheweth the cause to bee for reprouing Herod for taking his brother Philips wife Where note behold as in a mirror the wonderfull resolution of a Christian seruant of God that durst tell a king to his face of so enormous a crime And if Iohn liued now howeuer many might haue commended his zeale yet most would haue condemned his discretion that durst aduenture himselfe so far for he was growen into high fauor with the king as appeareth Mark 6.20 Herod would heare him often acknowledged him to bee godly reformed many things and granted many things at his request so that heerein men now adaies would call in question his discretion that hauing such interest in the king he would not spare him in this one vice but must needs lance this sore whereas if he had but stopped his mouth in this one hee might haue continued still and done much good But Iohn Baptist durst not conceale any part of his ambassage The imitation of which president will be thought to be preiudiciall to the serpentine wisedome of these times for now it is thought good aduice not to wake a sleeping Lion nor to put our hands into the hiue lest we be stung but to beware of vae nobis lest wee come coram vobis not at all to reproue lest wee bee striken Which is contrary to the wisedome of Iohn for though there were none left but Christ yet hee spareth not his message nor is ashamed to tell Herod of that sin he ought to be ashamed to commit and away with this idoll discretion which marreth all euen as the image in Daniel chap. 3.1 which was set vp in Dura Nathan 2. Sam. 12.1 must tell Dauid of his adultery to his face and Paul aduiseth 1. Tim. 5.20 those that sin to rebuke openly that the rest may feare which being sealed by the canon of the Apostle prooueth that men must not onely rebuke in generall but in particular And if Paul had need of the prayer of the Ephesians chap. 6.19 that he might speake boldly much more haue wee that stand in such feare to be bound for our speech for by this courage and boldnesse shall wee establish our doctrine in mens consciences Secondly in this example of Iohn note as his constancy to speake boldly so his persecution to suffer extreamly and this is the portion allotted to all Gods Ministers If Eliah speake the truth in reprouing Ahab 1. King 19.8 he must flie to the mount Horeb to saue himselfe If Amos preach at Bethel the destruction of Ieroboams house Amos 7.12 he must go to his tar-box again And if Michaiah 1. Kings 22.17 tell the king truly he may not go to battell he shall be sure to
then conquerers two waies first in respect of our selues secondly in respect of others We are conquerers in respect of our selues three waies first in the afflictions that goe before death secondly in the very suffering of death thirdly that sometimes there comes a speciall deliuerance and the wicked are made a ransome for the godly Prou. 21 1â— The first of these appeareth in that wee chuse to suffer rather then to admit any ill condition in seruing God as rather then the three children would stoupe to the worship of the beast they embraced the fire Daniel 3.22.23 And though through the sharpnesse of the trouble oftentimes the outward man trembleth and decaieth yet are wee strengthened and renewed in our soules and consciences that wee are not carefull to answer the greatest tyrant vpon the earth that that God whom wee serue is able and will deliuer vs from the sting and poison of any torment yea though sometimes the Lord strangely handleth them that suffer for the Gospel so as their soule is troubled and cannot apprehend any comfort but euen feele the iustice of God vpon them for their sinnes and in the instant of their dissolution they seeme to be void of inward heauenly power to strengthen them and do find a heauy vnaptnesse and vnapt heauinesse to sustaine the triall and that though they haue poured foorth their soule with teares vnto the Lord yet they cannot finde that resolution in any comfort to take the cup but as it is held to their mouths yet at the last being for the cause of Christ they may be sure he will send his spirit to quicken them and dispatch such a comforter from heauen as they shall find euen in the flames such alacritie and delight as if they had rather receiued a pardon from death then any power to bee thrust on to death for the Lord will comfort the abiect bring light out of darknesse and as 2. Cor. 4.11 make the life of Iesus manifest in our flesh by our being deliuered vp to death for his sake For the second that we are more then conquerers in death we haue many examples in the booke of Martyrs and elsewhere how some haue protested they haue sate in the flame as easilie as in a downe bed some haue lifted vp their hands when they were halfe consumed verifying this speech in Esay 43.2 Neither shall the waters drowne thee nor the fire burne thee nor the flame kindle vpon thee meaning thereby that the Lord shall make the most bitter drinke pleasant to them whom he hath called by his name Thirdly wee are more then conquerers in our owne person by the Lords sending of some strange deliuerance and by seeing our enemies consumed in our stead and this is two-fold either extraordinarily immediate or extraordinarily mediate The first appeareth Act. 5.19 Peter cast into prison had the dore opened by the Lords messenger was brought forth in despite of his enemies the same Peter was whipt and being Act. 12.6 a sheepe appointed to the slaughter lying fast bound between two souldiers the prison doores being watched the Angel of God smote him on the side and his chames fell off he was brought through the first and second watch and the praiers of the church did disappoint the purpose of the tyrant whose hands were not yet washed from the blood of Iames whom he had killed with the sword So vehement also were the praiers of Paul and Silas Act. 16.25 that an earthquake shaked the foundation of the prison and loosed the bands of all the prisoners and the Lord put it into the hearts of authority to send Paul foorth in peace and when hee would not standing vpon the law of the Romanes Act. 22.25 that no man should be scourged before he was condemned his enemies were glad to intreate him to goe Of which examples wee must make this vse that if the Lord saw it good for his glory he could doe as much now for nither is his power abated nor his loue diminished Exod. 16.15 Deut. 8.3 For in that he fed the Israelites with Manna he shewed that he can make a man liue without bread in that he blessed the small quantity of meale which the widow of Sarepta had he sheweth that our life standeth not in abundance 1. Kin. 17.16 and he that made the three children dance in the fierie fornace Dan. 3.22 when they that put them in were killed with the heat of the ouens mouth he can and will cheare vs and make glad our hearts in the vale of death For it is he that strengtheneth Dauid to ouerthrow Goliah and his power shall support vs to ouer come death 1. Sam. 17.45 Now for the deliuerance which is extraordinary mediate wee haue example in Saul Act. 9.25 who by the Disciples was put thorow the wall and let downe by a rope in a basket when the Iewes watched the gates to kill him Wee haue likewise our owne Prince Queene Elizabeth on whom many waters did beat and ouer whose head many flouds haue runne and when euen in her sisters time she was as a lambe to be led foorth to the shambles it pleased the Lord to snatch her out of the mouthes of the mighty and to set her seate farre aboue their reach and then were they sory they had cur downe the branches and suffered the stocke to stand Secondly we are more then conquerors in these afflictions in respect of other and that two waies either in the conuersion of others in seeing the Lords power in the midst of our perplecities or else in the confirmation of others they being emboldened by the Lords hand on vs to assure themselues he will not leaue them destitute in the like extremitie Examples of the first wee haue Act. 4.32 and 5.14 how in the heat of the disciples afflictions and when it was counted little better then insurrection to flocke to sermons the people sold their possessions to buy a good conscience and to know the fruit of Christ his death and how the number of them that beleeued grew more and more and how out of the blood of that constant Martyr Stephen there sprung vp daily fresh and new Christians Examples of the latter wee may see in the testimony of Paul who said his bonds were famous in the Court of the Emperor Phillip 1.13 and by that others were taught to preach more boldly and 2. Tim. 2.10 I suffer as an euill doer euen vnto bonds but the word of God is not bound therefore I suffer for the elects sake meaning thereby that his example of captiuity and patience did sundry waies confirme the Church in the hope of a better life For this is the property of the Gospell to grow highest where it is troden downe and to spring fastest where it is killed For when Ahab and Iezabel thought they had not left a Prophet of the Lord but had destroyed all but Eliah and him had they sought for as with
brethren and the malice of the Iewes in the apprehension and death of Christ were wicked and euill in themselues though God turned their ends contrarie to that they were intended For the last point If he giue him he will with him giue all things obserue that no man can partake of the benefites of Christ but first hee must partake of Christ himselfe and therefore they that holde wee doe in the Sacrament of the Supper onelie partake of the benefits of Christ his death and not of Christ himselfe doe grossely offend for wee doe eate spiritually the verie bodie and doe drinke the very bloud of Christ and by this wee are made partakers of his soule and by consequent of his humanity and by this of his diuinity for they are neuer separated and by this of Christ God and man and by consequent of all his benefits for these benefites be like an c. in the end of a sentence that implieth a necessary addition of many things not expressed and yet must needs be vnderstood as depending vpon the former So that if we haue Christ he commeth not naked nor alone but he bringeth all he hath with him his puritie his obedience his sacrifice his power and whatsoeuer else may make a Christian man perfect Secondly obserue hence that no man can partake of Christ but with him he must likewise partake of all his benefites answerable to that speech of the Euangelist Mat. 6.33 When we haue the kingdome of God other things shall be added for saluation neuer commeth alone And therefore damnable is that opinion that a man may eat Christ really and indeed and yet not partake of his benefits because he doth not eat him effectually for this should argue there is no life in the flesh of Christ contrary to that Ioh. 6.54 He that eateth of the flesh of the sonne of man must needes haue life Thirdly obserue hence that all is gift and no merit and a gift purposed of God to be bestowed before euer we deserued any thing for though we in dutie must labour in the course of mortification yet in vaine doe we wash our selues thinking to be accepted for our cleanlinesse for it is God that giueth the beginning in his Ioue and the increase in his spirit and the end and perfection in his Sonne And therefore he that leaneth to himselfe shall surely fall for if flesh be thy arme and thine owne works the ladder whereby thou thinkest to clime to heauen when thou art passed the ground then shall the rounds breake and thy fall shall be to thy confusion for in the gift of Christ alone we are beloued Vers 33. Who shall laie any thing to the charge of Gods chosen It is God that iustifieth verse 34 Who shall condemne It is Christ which is dâ—â—d yea or rather which is risen againe who is also at the right hand of God and maketh request also for vs. The Apostle hath before proued that if any thing should make vs tremble and stand in feare of damnation it should bee one of these two first either the sinfull imperfection of our nature or secondly the ineuitable necessity of affliction Now that we being in Christ the remainder and relikes of that corruption which we shall onely shake off in death cannot make vs subject to the curse of God he hath proued from the first to the seuenteenth verse going before Secondly that the rod of affliction resting on our backs is no argument of the wrathful face of God but onely the chastisement of a Father he proued from the 17. to the end of the 32. vers Hauing proued these two points he now maketh a most comfortable conclusion demanding a question by way of a challenge and doth most confidently himselfe answer it Who can lay any thing to our charge If Sathan shall accuse the brethren Zach. 3.2 whom the Lord notwithstanding will reproue yet who dare condemne and giue sentence against vs since Christ for our sakes is dead secondly is risen thirdly sitteth at the right hand of the Father fourthly and maketh intercession for vs. First for his death how this saueth vs from damnation it is two waies first in respect of the grieuousnesse of his death secondly in respect of the worthinesse of his person that did sustaine and indure it The grieuousnesse of it resteth in these two first that visibly he was nailed to the crosse and there was a separation of soule and body secondly that inuisibly the markes of the wrath of God were vpon his soule he suffering for a time so may torments of hell as euer all the damned shall doe The worthinesse of his person appeareth in this that he was the Son of God by eternall generation who for his obedience and humbling of himselfe in the shape of a seruant to so cursed a death might worthily haue merited the saluation of a thousand worlds So that as death came in by sinne which stingeth a man to damnation and whereby the diuell raigned ouer all so by the death of the sonne of God was death ouercome sinne abolished and the diuell vanquished and as by sinne came in death so by death went out sinne Hereupon we beholding Christ crucified by a liuely faith 1. Cor. 15.21 wee shall be freed from the impoysoned bitings of the old serpent euen as the Israelites were healed of their wounds and stings Ioh. 3.14 Num. 21.9 by looking on the brasen serpent in the wildernesse For the second which is Christ his resurrection we haue this comfort that no sinne is vnsatisfied or vnexpiated since he is deliuered from the power of darknesse and of death vnder which he was kept and still should haue beene kept vntill all our debts had beene paied to the vtmost farthing Heeeupon we beleeue that Christ caried all our sinnes with him into the graue but what became of them afterward we know not nor need not to inquire for he rose without them And this was represented in the scape-goat Leuit. 16.21 who hauing all the sinnes of the people laid vpon him was sent into an vninhabitable place where he was neuer heard of againe set downe to be in the wildernesse by the hand of a man appointed For the third consider two things first what is meant by his sitting at the right hand of his Father secondly what benefites we reape by his sitting there For the first vnderstand it is a translated or borrowed speech for can we thinke that God hath a hand whose power is diffused through all creatures and being an infinite spirit hath no definite place And as heere Christ is said to be sitting so else where he is said to be standing as Act. 7.56 Stephen saw the Sonne of man standing at the right hand of God In which there is also a borrowed speech for we must not thinke he either fitteth or standeth at a certaine place but the phrase is fetched from the custome of great Princes who vse to set them on
in a holy conuersation Heere will be obiected since workes are so precisely vrged what say wee to the faith of the theefe vpon the crosse what workes did he and by this example many betray their soules in presuming of the like grace Wee answer that this was a particular priuiledge giuen to that theefe euen as a pardon may bee giuen to a man vpon the gallowes and if any embolden himselfe heereupon perhaps the rope will be his hire and it is not good to put it vpon the Psalme of Miserere and the necke-verse for sometime he proueth no Clarke And for this theefe the Lord neuer did it but to one that none might presume and yet hee did it to one and did saue one in the exigent of his life that none might despaire Secondly this was a worke reserued for the manifestation of the power of the Sonne of God that he should beleeue in his fellow sufferer and desire him to saue him that when the Pharisees denied him to be the Sonne of God yet a poore wretch and a theefe should confesse it Thirdly we must not regard the shortnesse of his confession but consider the time and circumstance when and before whom this confession was made euen then when no man durst defend the innocencie of the Sonne of God when the Pharisees left him when all his Disciples were scattered and when Marie his mother that stood a farre off and knew him to be the Sonne of God and yet spake nothing in his defence whereby she finned against the first table She was his mother and saw him put to death vniustly and yet would not testifie of his innocencie whereby she bore false witnesse against him so sinned against the ninth commaundement being her sonne she did not comfort him vpon the crosse and so sinned against the fift commaundement yet when all these either doubted of his diuinity or despaired the poore theefe did confesse him to be that Christ the Sonne of God who â—â—d Paradise to dispose Lastly know that he was such a wretch that he neuer knew God before and therefore was it no maruell though he committed felonie but as soone as the Lord knockt at his heart first he confesseth Christ to be God and to die an innocent Luk. 23.41 We suffer righteously but this man hath done nothing amisse wherein he wrought a worke of the first table secondly he reprooued his fellow who raned on Christ wherein he wrought a worke of the second table So as this example of the theefe is no warrant to deferre or trifle off our repentance till the last houre for hee wrought as soone as hee was called If therefore the Lord hath offered vnto vs the riches of his mercie let vs in the acceptable time embrace it and not abuse his long suffering by growing more leane and ill-fauoured by these many yeeres wee haue had of religious peace and plentie but let vs returne vnto him while he is in the way before darknesse too fast ouer-grow our soules and before death snatch vs away into the graue For the similitude which is vers 26. obserue onely that it agreeth not in all points for the soule is the cause of the life of the body but so are not good works the cause of faith but only an effect and fruit of it for faith giueth life to good works and faith worketh by loue in the person instified for we must as hath bene said first be good before we can do good and we are made good spiritually by our regeneration in Christ and we being ingrafted into him then we do good so as the meaning only of the Apostle is by this similitude to shew that when a dead man being dead can speake which is impossible then faith which hath no workes and so is but a dead faith shall iustifie and saue vs. 1. IOHN chap. 3. vers 9.10 verse 9 Whosoeuer is borne of God sinneth not for his seed remaineth in him neither can he sinne because he is borne of God verse 10 In this are the children of God knowen and the children of the diuell who so doth not righteousnesse is not of God neither he that loueth not his brother THE Apostle in the beginning of this chapter first setteth downe that God the Father by his euerlasting loue in his Sonne hath bestowed vpon the faithfull this priuiledge to be called the sonnes of God in the sonne of God Christ Iesus Secondly that this dignity to bee the sonne of God and so to be called is not to be discerned by the men of the world because they haue not knowen the Sonne hauing not his spirit for spirituall things cannot be discerned by them that haue nothing but fleshly policy Thirdly as this cannot be discerned of the world so it is impossible our selues should sufficiently conceiue of it while we remaine in the tabernacle of this life because there is another glory we expect vers 2. Fourthly he setteth downe an effect inseparable from this adoption As many as are the sonnes of God and haue this hope of future glory they striue to reformation of life not to be equally pure but to bee like pure to the Lord Iesus This hee prooueth first from the institution of the law God neuer ordained the law neither after our creation nor after our redemption but to bee kept and the reason is thus The breach of the law is a disparagement swinge and sinne it perfect strength Thirdly the godly eâ—e said not to sinne be 〈◊〉 he laboureth to walke in all the commandements of the Lord. Now he that walketh in the right way may somtime fall but if hee doe heâ— striueth to regaine it by greater carefulnesse and speedier passageâ— but the wicked goe cleane out of the way as if heauen stood at hell gate Lastly because in the godly there is a combat for there is two men in them in the inward man they would faine please God and by the outward as Saint Paul saith they are made captiue to sinne Rom. 7.23 but in a meere naturall man there is nothing but flesh and so no combat for where all is one there is no diuision and if there be any strife in him it is betweene his conscience and himselfe in iudgement conuincing him that it is sinne and not betweene his conscience and his affection misliking it as it is sinne for this is easily seene by his often relapse into the same sinne Now for the reason hee doth not sinne because the holy Ghost which is the seed of our second birth remaineth in him neither can he sin and this is proued by two places of scripture first Rom. 8.1 where the Apostle proueth these two graces inseparable iustification from sinne and sanctification from sinne thus There is no condemnation to him that liueth a spirituall man this is proued vers 5. by contraries They that liue after the flesh sauour the things of the flesh but he that is borne of God cannot doe so for then