28. 18. 1 Cor. 15. 24 25. 27 28. Rom. 14. 9. Phil. 2. 9 10. Luke 17 21. and of heaven also and Lord both of quick and dead meet it was that He should Govern his Kingdome in order unknown to our senses for if he should be within reach of sight then must he needs change place and seat and be drawn now hither now thither and now and then remove into sundry Countreys to do his affairs for if in one moment of time he were ever present with all men thcn should he seem not to be a man but some Ghost and not to have a very body but Imaginative or as Eutecheâ— thought that his body was turned into his Godhead that it might be thought to be every where wherof would by and by arise infinite false opinions all which he hath driven away with carrying his body up whole into heaven and hath delivered mens minds from most foul Errors yet in the mean time though he be not seene of us he wonderously ruleth and governeth Mat. 28. 18. Phil. 2. 9 10. the world with most high Power and Wisdom It is for men to govern and order their Common-weales after a certain order of men but for Christ that is the Son of God to do it after the manner of God M. Thou hast touched certain of the chief of the infinite and unmeasurable benefits the fruit wherof we receive by the Death Resurrection and Ascention of Christ for the whole cannot be conceived by the mind and heart of man mueh less in any wise expressed with words and utterance But yet thus farr I will try thy knowledge in this matter to have thee set me out briefly in a summ the chief principal points whereunto all the rest are referred S. Then I say that both of these and of the other doings of Christ we take two kinds of profit the one that whatsoever things He hath done He hath done them all for our benefit even as farâ—â—â— they be as much our own so that with stedfast and lively faith we Isa 9. 6. 1 Cor. 15. 48 49. Rom. 6. 6 7. c. and 8. 32. 13. 14. Gal. 2. 20. 17. Heb. 3. 14. 10. 17. cleave unto them as if we our selves had done them He was crucified and we also are crucified with him and our sins punished in him He died and was buried we also together with our sins are dead and buried and that so all the remembrance of our sins is for ever forgotten He rose from death and we also are risen again with him being so made partakers of his Resurrection and Life and that from thenceforth death hath no more dominion over us for in us is the same Rom. 8. 11. Spirit which raised Christ from the dead Finally beside that since his Ascension we have most abundantly received the gifts of the holy Ghost he hath lifted and carried Eph. 4. 8. us up into heaven with him that we might as it were with our Head take possession therof These things indeed are not seen but then shall they be brought to light when Christ which is Ioh. 8. 12. Rom. 8. 23. 1 Cor. 1. 30. Col. 1. 5. 2. 3. 4. 3. 11. 1. Pet. 1. 4. the Light of the World in whom all our hope and wealth is set and setled shining with immortal glory shall shew himself openly unto all men M. Wâ—at manner of profit is the other which we receive of the doings of Christ S. That Christ hath set himself for an Examplar for us to follow to frame our Ioh. 13. 15 1 Pet. 2 â—â— 1 Joh â— life according thereunto where Christ dyed for sin and was buried he but once suffered death from whence he did arise again with power and Ascended into heaven he now dyeth no more but enjoyeth eternal life and raigneth in most high and everlasting glory So if we be once dead and buried Rom. 6. 2 3. 10 Gal. 2. 19. Col. 2. 20. 3. 1. 2 Tim. 2. 11. to sin how shall we hereafter live in the same if we be risen again with Christ if by assured faith and stedfast hope we be conversant with him in heaven then ought we from henceforth to bend all our cares and thoughts upon heavenly divine and eternal things not earthly worldly and transitory and as we have Rom. 8. 20. 1 Cor. 15. 47 48 49. heretofore borne the Image of the earthly man we ought from henceforth to put on the Image of the heavenly man quietly and patiently bearing after his example all sorrows and wrongs and following and exprssing his other Divine vertues so farr as mortall men be able and wheras Christ our Lord never ceaseth to do us good continually to entreat for and to crave his Fathers mercy for us to give us his holy Spirit and wonderfully and continually to garnish his Church with most liberal gifts it is meet that we in like manner with our whole endeavour Ioh. 13. 18. 15. 12. Ephe. 5. 2. Hâ—b 12. 14. should help our neighbour and we be bound to all men in most streight bonds of love concord and most near friendship so much as shall lye in us and so to be wholly framed after the manner of Christ Gal. 2. 20. 1 Pet. 2. 21. 1 Ioh. 2. 6. as our only Exampler M. Are we not also here by put in mind of our duties toward Christ S. We are indeed admonished that we obey and follow the will of Christ whose we are wholly and whom we profess to be our Lord that we so again on our part and with all our affection love esteeme and embrace Christ our Saviour which shewed us such deare love while we are yet his enemies as his most entire love toward us could not possibly be encreased that we hold Christ dearer to us then our selves that to Christ which hath so given himself wholly to us we again yeeld our Mat. 10. 19. 37. 16. 25. Luke 9 23 24. 14 26 selves wholly and all that is ours that we esteem riches honors glory our Countrey parents children wives and all dear pleasant and delightful things of no value in Comparison of Christ and account light and despise all dangers for Christ Finally that we loose our life and our very soul rather then forsake Christ and our love and dutie toward him for happy is the death that being due to Nature is chiefly yeilded for Christ for Christ I say which offered and yeilded himself to willing death for us and which being Mar 8. 3â— the Author of life both will and is able to deliver us being dead from death and Mar. 8. 31 restore us to life M. Go forward S We are furthermore taught purely and sincerely to worship Christ the Lord now raigning in heaven not with any earthly worship wicked traditions Mat. 15. 5. 6. 89. Ioh 4. 21. 22. â—â—h 4 23 24 and cold inventions of men but with heavenly and
1. 19. 20 dead and to very hell it self that both the Souls of the unbeleiving felt their most painful and just damnation for Infidelity and Satan himself the Prince of Hell felt that all the power of his tyranny darkness was weakned vanquished and fallen to ruine on the other side the dead which while they lived beleived in Christ understood that the work of their redemption was now finished and understood and perceived the effect and strength thereof with most sweet and assured comfort M. Now let us go forward to the rest Mat. 28. 6. 9. Mark 16. 6. 9 Luk. 24. 6 7. 14 15. Ioh 20. 14. 19. 20. 26. 8. 2. 1. 4. Act. 1. 3 4. 8. 21. 24. 32. S. The third day after he rose again and by the space of forty daies oftentimes shewed himself alone to them that were his and was conversant among his Disciples eating and drinking with them M. Was it not enough that by his death we obtain deliverance from sin and pardon S. That was not enough if we consider Rom 1 2 3. either him or our selves For if he had not been risen again he could not be thought the Son of God Yea and the same did Mat. 27. 40. 41. 42. Mark 15. 30. Luke 23. 35. 37. they that saw it when he hung on the Cross reproach him with and object against him He saved others said they himself he cannot save Let him now come down from the Cross and we will beleive him But now rising from the dead to eternity of life he declared a greater power of his Rom 1. 2 3. Heb. 9. 27. God-head then if in descending from the Cross he had fled from the terrours of death To dye certainly is common to all and though some for a time have a voided death intended against them yet to loose or break the bonds of death once suffered and by his own power to rise alive again Rom. 1. 4. 6. 4. 9 14. 9. 1 Cor 15. 54 55. 57. Eph. 1. 20. Col. 1. 17 18. 1 Joh. 3. 8. Heb. 2 14 that is the proper doing of the only Son of God Jesus Christ the Author of life by which he had shewed himself the Conqueror of sin and death yea and of the Devil himself M. For what other cause rose he again S. That the Prophesies of David and of Psal 16. 10. Mat 12. 40. Act 2. 26 31. other holy Prophets might be fulfilled which told before that neither his body should be touched with corruption nor his soule be left in Hell M. But what profit bringeth it unto us that Christ rose again S. Manifold and divers For thereof cometh to us Righteousness which before Rom 4. 25. Rom 6. 5 11 12 13. Col 3. 1 2. we lacked thence cometh unto us endeavour of innocency which wee call newnesse of life thence cometh to us power virtue and strength to live well and holily thence have we hope that our Ioh 11. 25. Rom 8. 11. 1 Cor 15. 21 22 23. Rom. 8. 11. 1 Cor. 15. 20. 14. 16. mortall bodies also shall one day be restored from death and rise whole again For if Christ himself had been destroyed by death he had not been our deliverer for what hope of safety should we have had left by him that had not saved himself It was therefore meet for the person which the Lord did bear a necessary help for us to salvation that Christ should first deliver himselfe from death and afterward Rom 8. 11. 1 Cor. 15. 20. 20. 21 22. 1 Pet. 1. 3. he should break and pull in sunder the bands of death for us that so we might set the hope of our salvation in his Resurrection for it cannot be that Christ our Ephe. 1. 22. 4. 15 16. 5. â— 23. Col. 1. 18. head rising again should suffer us the members of his body to be consumed and utterly destroied by death M. Thou hast touched my child the principall causes of the Resurrection of Christ now I would hear what thou thinkest of his ascending to Heaven S. He being covered with a Cloud spread about him in sight of his Apostles ascending into Heaven or rather above Mar 16. 19. Luke 4. 51. Acts 1 9 10. all Heavens where he sitteth on the right hand of God the Father M. Tell me how this is to be understood S. Plainly that Christ in his body ascended Ioh 14. 19. 16. 10. â—6 28. into Heaven where he had not afore been in his body for in his nature of Godhead which filleth all things both hee ever was in heaven and also with the same and with his spirit he is alway present in Mat 18. 23. 28 20. Earth with his Church and shall be present till the end of the world M. Thou sayst that there is one manner of his Godhead and another of his manhood S. Yea certainly for we neither make Jsa 7. 14. Mat 1. 2 23. Luke 2. 7 40. 52. Joh. 1. 3 14. Gal. 4 4. Marke 16. 19. Luke 24. 51. Acts 1. 9 10. 3. 21. Ephe. 4. 10. Joh. 1. 3. 16. 15. 1 Cor. 15. 28. Ephe. 1. 23. Cos 1. 16 17. of his Godhead a body nor of his body God for his Manhood is a Creature his Godhead not created and the holy scriptures witnesse that his Manhood was taken up into heaven but his Godhead is so every where that it filleth both Heaven and Earth M. M. Dost thou say that Christ is in any wise present with us in body S. If wee may liken great things to small Christes body is so present to our faith as the Sun when we see it is present to our eye For no one thing subject to our sences cometh more near to the likenes of Christ than the Sun which though it still abide in the Heauen in very deed toucheth not the eye yet the body of the Sun is present to the sight notwithstanding so great a distance of place between so the Ioh. 14 19. 16. 10. 26. Act. 7. 55 Col 3. 1. Heb. 4. 16. 10. 18. 11. 1. 3. body of Christ which by his ascending is taken up from us and hath left the world and is gone to his Father is indeed absent from our sences yet our faith is conversant in Heaven and beholdeth that Son of righteousness and is verily in presence with it there present like as our sight is present with the body of the Sun in the Heaven or as the Sun is present with our sight on the Earth Moreover as the Sun is with his light present to all things so is Mat. 28. 20. Eph 1. 23. â—ol 1. 17. 18. also Christ with his God-head Spirit and Power present to all and filleth all M. Now as touching Christ what dost thou chiefly consider in his ascending into Heaven and sitting at the right hand of his Father S. It was meet that Christ which from the
Feast of Sweet Bread was now at hand which Feast the Jewes were accustomed yearly to keep holy with most great Religiousness and Solemnity they could not bring their intent to pass but that He suffered hard before the Feast day in a day most unseasonable for them but appointed by God for this purpose wherby sufficiently appeareth that no governance of these things and times was in their hand and power but that of His own Will not compelled by any force He suffered this Death for our salvation S. Why did God specially appoint that day for His Death Isa 3. 7. 12 Mat. 20. 28. 26 53. Ioh. 10. 17. Mat. 16. 2. Luke 22. 1 7. Mar. 14. 1. 1 Cor. 5. 7. Heb 7. 27. S. That by the very time also it might be perceiv'd that Christ is that Paschal Lamb that is to say the true chast pure Lamb that should be slain and yeild himself the acceptable Sacrifice to his Father for us M. Sith He had the power to choose His own death why would He be Crucified rather then suffer other kind of death S. First for his Fathers Will whereunto Isa 53. 12. Mat. 26. 39. 42. he conformed himself and which had been long afore in old time uttered Mar. 15. 28. Luke 22. 37. Ioh. 1. 14. and declared by God by so many Prophesies and Oracles Signs and Tokens Moreover his Will was to suffer all extremity for us that had deserved all extremity for that kind of death was of all Deut. 1. â—â— Gal. 3. 13. other most accursed and abominable which death yet he chose to dye for us to the intent to take upon himself the grievous curse wherein our sins had Isa 53. the whole Psal 22 6 7. 27. 21 26. 28. 34 38. 44. 48. Phil. 2. 7 8. bound us and therby to deliver us from the same curse for all spiteful handlings all reproaches and torments for our salvation he counted light and as things of naught so was contented to be despised as an abject and to be accounted the basest of all men that he might restore us which were utterly undone to the hope of salvation which we had lost M. Hast thou any more to say of the death of Christ S. That Christ suffered not only a Isa 53. 6. Psal 22. 1. Mar. 26 38. 27 46. Luke 22. 41. common death in sight of men but also was touched with the horror of eternal death he fought and wrestled as it were hand to hand with the whole army of hell before the Judgement Seat of God he put himself under the heavy Judgement and grievous severity of Gods punishment he was driven into hard distress he for us suffered and went through horrible feares and most bittâ—â— griefes of mind to satisfie Gods Judgement in all things and appease his wrath for to sinners whose person Christ did Jsa 53 4. 5. 8. 1 Pet. 3. 18. here bear not only the sorrows and pains of present death which are due but also of death to come and everlasting so when he did take upon him and bear both the guiltiness and just Judgment of mankind which was undone and already condemned he was tormented with so great Psal 22. 1. Mat. 27. 46. trouble and sorrow of mind that he cryed out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me M. Is not the Son of God hereby dishonored and touched with some note of desparation S. He suffered all these things without 1 Pet. 2. 22. any sin much less did any desperation possess his soul for he never ceased in the mean time to trust in his Father and to have good hope of his safety and being Mat. 23. 36 Luke 23. 46. Heb 5. 7. beset round about with fear he was never dismayed or overwhelmed with sorrow and wrestled with the whole power Hos 13 14. 1 Cor. 15. 26. â—4 55. Col 1. 13 14. â— Tim. 1. 10. Heb. â— â—4 15. of hell he subdued and overcame all the force that stood against him and all the furious and violent assaults and all these he took upon him and utterly destroyed them and himself remained nevertheless most blessed imparted his blessedness to us that put our trust in him for if we Joh 8 â—4 Ephe. 2. 12. Col. 1. 13. Heb. 2. 14. had not by this his blessed death obtained salvation and life we had all perished for ever in everlasting death M. But how could Christ being God have so great sorrow of mind and fearfulness S. This came to pass according to the Mat. 26 41. Rom. 8. 3. 1 Pet. 4 1. state of his humane nature his Godhead in the mean time not putting forth the force of his power M. Now rehearse me briefly in a summ these most large benefits which the faithful re-receive by the death of Christ and his most grievious pain Heb. 7. 27. 9. 12. 10. 12 14. S. Briefly with the one only Sacrifice of his death he satisfied for our sins before God and appeasing the wrath of God made us at one with him with his Heb. 9. 14. 1 Ioh. 1. 7. blood as with most pure washing he washed and cleansed away all the filth and spots of our souls and defacing with Psal 32. 1 2. Rom 4. 7 8. Heb. 10. 17. everlasting forgetfulness the memory of our sins that they shall no more come in the sight of God he hath cancelled made Col 2. 14. void and done away the Hand-writing whereby we were bound and convicted and also the Decree by the sentence wherof Ioh. 3. 16. 11. 25 26 Rom 1. 4 7. 11. c. 8. 1 2. 8. 10 11. c. Col 2. 13. we were condemned All these things hath he done by his death both for the living and for the dead that trusted in him while they lived Finally by the strength of his death he so bridleth and subdueth in them that cleave wholy unto him by faith the lusts which otherwise are unbridled untamed and so quencheth the burning heat of them that they more easily obey and yeild to the Spirit M. Why dost thou also add that he was buryed Isa 53. 9. Ma. 12. 40. 27. 39. 60. Cor 15. 4. 6. S. His dead and spiritless body was layd in the Grave that his death should bc more evident and that all men might certainly know it For if he had by and by revived many would have brought his death in question and so might it seem that it was likely to prove doubtfull M. What meaneth that which followeth of his descending into Hell S. That as Christ in his body descended into the bowels of the earth so in his soul severed from the body he descended into hel that therin also the virtue efficacy of his death so peirced through to the Pet. 3. 19 Ioh 24. Cor 15 55. Col. 1. 14. Heb. 2 14. 15 Joh. 5 25. 11. 25. 26. Rom. 14. 9. Col.