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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	grace_n	life_n	reign_v	4,565	5	9.3210	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68672	Certaine sermons, vpon seuerall texts of Scripture: preached by that reuerend and faithfull seruant of Iesus Christ M. Robert Rollok, minister of the Church (and rector of the Colledge) of Edinburgh. Whereof the first eleuen were before published, and the remnant seuen, are newly adjoyned thereunto; Certaine sermons upon severall places of the Epistles of Paul	Rollock, Robert, 1555?-1599.; Charteris, Henry, 1565-1628.; Arthur, William, fl. 1606-1619.	1616 (1616)	STC 21272; ESTC S116139	202,286	389

this naturall life shall bee taken from thee thou shalt get another life euerlasting in glory but if thou findest thy self not renewed by the Spirit of grace take this life from thee thou shalt not get life euerlasting in glorie So looke if thou be a newe creature thou hast gotten a greater grace than to be borne to an earthly kingdome if so be thou mayst assure thy selfe of lif euerlasting What is this newnesse in the new creature This newnes that is in the new creature is nothing els but that same life which we shall liue in Heauen and is begun here This newnesse is only this new life of regeneration which life so long as thou liuest heere from the time that thou hast gotten a sponke thereof piece and piece eateth vp the olde and cankered nature The life of God within thee will consume euen as thou consumest the meat thou eatest the olde corruption which lieth in thy nature and in the ende in the glorious resurrection of the dead it shall bee altogether abolished This life then which is begunne heere it shall open the mouth and swallow vp death and death thereafter shall haue no more place This life is onely eating vp by little and little death heere but at that time it shall swallowe it vp wholly and thou shalt say with Paule Death is swallowed vp 1. Cor. 15. 54. So well is the soule that hath a warrande of his new creation whether he die in his bed or out of it he shall die with joy Then my counsell is seeing death is daylie threatned let euery one striue to get this assurance of this new life begun in him heere that it may swallowe vp death Woe bee to them that haue not this assurance This is the second assurāce of life euerlasting I pray you marke these assurances for Paule had such an earnest desire that hee sought all assurances and warrandes of this life and hee is reigning now in Heauen So thou who thirstest after life learne at him Nowe resteth the thirde warrande in the next wordes Who also hath giuen vs the earnest of the Spirite Learne the words for al the doctrine riseth of the words Then the third warrand is the Spirit of Christ Iesus in thee If euer thou mindest to haue life hereafter thou must haue Gods Spirit in thee not onlie thine owne Spirite but Gods Spirite flowing from God through Iesus Christ entering into thy bodie soule Beholde the liberality of God when Hee by His Spirite hath renewed thee Hee will not take that Spirite from thee as a man will doe when he hath builded a worke hee will take his hand from it stand if it will or not But the Lord doeth not so Hee hath renewed thee by His Holie Spirite which Hee putteth within thee O how the Lord putteth the third person of the Trinitie in thee and maketh Him an earnest-pennie to thee of Life euerlasting Because thy regeneration is vnperfect and thou hast not yet attained to that Life therefore Hee letteth His Spirit abide in thee assuring thee as an earnest-pennie that whatsoeuer God hath promised He shal perform it to thee and thou shalt not bee disappointed of a jot thereof Such is the infidelitie of our nature that all the promises all the othes which He maketh to confirme His promises all His Sacramēts which Hee hath joyned to His promises cannot perswade vs. But looke to this thirde warrande Hast thou the Spirit of God if Hee bee in thee He will bee quicke working joye with sighs He cannot be idle Hee will be working the worke of regeneration both day and night Then anger Him not Ephes 4. 30. Away with filthie cogitations away with euerie rotten worde away with euerie euill deede labour to pleasure Him day night and striue to keepe Him and thou shalt hauea warrande of life in thy bosome and when thou art dying thou shalt find such sweetnesse in death as is wonderfull to tell None euer had the Spirite of God but in death they had vnspeakable joye Then seeke to bee in Christ and get His Spirite within thee and hauing gotten this Spirite keepe Him diligently and powre out thine owne spirite but never Gods Spirit for then in all distresses thou shalt have comfort Now to resume all Yee who take great pleasure in your Charters the Evidences of your inheritance and land take heed to this Your inheritance is in Heaven and thou art a foole who thinkest that thou hast an inheritance in earth For either shalt thou be pulled from it or it shall bee pulled from thee Nay looke as ever thou wouldest be an inheriter that thine inheritance be in Heaven Thou art the foolishest begger and the poorest that ever was if thou bee a King if thou thinkest thine inheritance to be in earth Having laid this count with thy selfe Mine inheritance is in Heaven then next looke that thou have thine evidence For thou shalt never possesse Heaven except thou have the evidence thereof laid up in thy charter kist Now thine evidences are the same euidences that Paul had and the same kind of evidences serve for all it is an inheritance that all men must get one sort of charter must serve for one inheritance What then can be the charter and evidence Canst thou sigh for that Heavenly inheritance Canst thou have a desire of it There is thy first evidence Then findest thou thy selfe to bee renewed Findest thou CHRISTS life in thee The life of Iesus is manifest in me saith Paul 2. Cor. 4. 10. Findest thou the wicked life of this world reformed There is the second evidence Yet more findest thou the worker of the desire and the worker of thy regeneration the Spirit of Christ within thee then keepe him well There is the best evidence of all the evidences of thine inheritance having these assure thy selfe of Heaven but wantest thou these or any of them thou shalt never get that inheritance in Heaven As these three are three evidences of thine heavenly inheritance so they are three props of Faith that gripe this Heavenly life They are the three pillars that hold up Faith which is builded upon them cut one of these pillars away and thou shalt lose Faith and Hope But here it may be asked Are all these three of the nature of the life to come I answere As for the desire sighing and sobbing for that heavenly inheritance it endeth with this life and in that life to come all weeping shall bee taken away REVEL 21. 4. Mourne and groane in time then heereafter shall come ioy aud pure ioy A troubled ioy is ●eere in this life but heereafter there shall bee a pure and solid ioy and nothing but ioy So this mourning ceaseth then and is not of the nature of the life to come but as to the new creature and regeneration it is of the nature of the life to come and it is the beginnning and first part of that heavenly glorie so that our

saluation All the troubles that shall bee laide vpon thee in this worlde shall bee so turned ouer that they shall serue to thy good and consolation But if this hope be away if thou lie sluggishly not hauing thine head raised vp with closed eyes not looking and hoping that thou shalt glorifie thy Lord not caring for His glorie either in thy life or in thy death all thy miserie that lighteth vpon thee shall remaine miserie and shall presse thee down to euerlasting damnation Looke then how precious this hope is Learne another thing here There standeth much in these two in shame and blushing in confidence libertie and courage I say to thee there standeth more in the consequēts of suffering and doing than standeth in the suffering and doing it selfe I suppose thou suffer the death for Christes sake if thou bee ashamed in suffering and hast not libertie and courage thou sufferest not so much for CHRIST as for thy selfe and thy death is nothing else but a death to thee and thy suffering is nothing but a suffering to thy selfe Euen so do what thou wilt doe to glorifie Him if it be not done with libertie freedome and courage thou losest thy trauell Seeing then that so much standeth in the disposition of the heart let euery man looke that hee prepare himselfe with courage and confidence against the daye of triall that with confidence in suffering he may magnifie God Paul saith to Timothie in his 2. epist chap. 1. vers 8. Bee not ashamed of Christ nor of me that am His captiue Thinke shame of none that suffer for Christ but rather bee thou partaker of that affliction to suffer with courage and confidence those things with them Yet marke another thing here he saith that he might magnifie Christ in his bodie Hee speaketh not of the soule And so I obseru that of the very bodie let bee of the soule euen of the very bodily masse which thou bearest about with thee a great duety is required for the glorifying of God and His Christ When thou art liuing in thine actions when thou art dying in thy death it must be an instrument glorifying God when thou art going vpon thy feete it must bee an instrument of His glorie when thou art lying in thy bedde yea the Lord must bee glorified in it when it is dissolued into ashes in the graue I marke this against that vaine conceite of men who will saye What care I so I keepe a good minde to God let mee prostitute my body to harlotrie gluttony and all vices yet I will keepe my soule to God No either God will haue all or the Deuill will haue all Awaye thou idolater who wilt keepe thy soule to GOD and wilt bowe thy knee to Baal the Deuill will get both soule and bodie Paul saieth not that the Lord hath only bought thy soule with a price but that Hee hath bought both soule and body that they should glorifie God 1. Corin. 6. 20 ●ee are bought with a price yee are not your owne Fye filthie bodie that wilt say May I not doe with my bodie as I please Hast thou power to reaue it out of the handes of the Lord The Lord hath the power of thy body and in that last day thou shalt bee challenged with theft and sacriledge And when hee hath said ye are bought with a price hee subjoyneth Glorifie God not in your spirite onely but also in your bodies Either Hee will haue both or else none Thinkest thou to send thy soule to God and thy body to the Deuill No either the Lord shall get both or both shall goe to Hell Take heed how ye keepe these bodies ye shall render accompt of them Thy body should be the Temple of the holie Spirit if thou defile the seate of that holy One shame shall light vpon thee I marke heere To assure himselfe of continuance that hee shall continue in glorifying God in life and death he taketh an argument from his former experience Euer hitherto I haue glorified God in my body I haue a stedfast hope that I shall continue that all the actions of my body shall glorifie Him and when I am dead He shall be glorified in my body It is good then to begin well and to haue experience that thou hast serued GOD well in thy calling for experience bringeth hope and hope maketh thee no wayes ashamed Rom. 5. 4. 5. And if thou haue experience that thou hast serued GOD and Hee hath beene with thee and kept thy bodie in puritie thou mayest bee assured to continue to the ende Not that our continuance standeth in our self no our continuance standeth not in our selues for the best man that liueth is not able of himselfe to stand one moment but out standing is in God for if Hee would take His grace from vs in one moment we would fall It is the loue that He beareth to vs that holds vs vp be once assured of that loue of GOD towardes thee and then thou mayest bee assured that thou shalt glorifie God both in life and death Now in the next verse he saith For Christ is to me both in life and death aduantage Hee giueth a reason wherefore hee saide hee would magnifie God in his bodie both in life and death The reason is because of the aduantage hee hath of Him CHRIST IESVS is aduantage to him And when Not when I liue onelie saieth hee but in my death also Is it not good reason that I should glorifie Him both in life and death in whome I haue aduantage both in life and death All men doe for aduantage When a man hath done and suffered hee woulde haue aduantage When wee honour the Prince or anie man all is for aduantage If gaine mooueth to honour men to serue them where was there euer such a gaine and aduantage as may bee looked for at the handes of CHRIST If gaine will mooue thee where wilt thou get it if not in CHRIST Would thou haue gaine aduantage for thy doing in thy lifetime He will giue thee it Thou shalt not do one deed but thou shalt haue thine hire in thine hande Wouldest thou haue gain in thy death if thou die for Him thou shal get as fair an aduātage as euer man got Indeede a man will giue thee gaine for honouring him in thy life-time but when thou art lying in thy deathbedde canst thou get aduantage out of the hand of a man Suppose a Monarch would giue thee a kingdome what aduantage is it to thee if thou liuest not to brooke it But I tell you plainelie The LORD is greater aduantage to vs in death than in life and all this aduantage which wee haue of Him in this life is nothing in respect of that aduantage which we shall get in the life to come Paul in the third chapter of the Epistle to the Philippians when hee hath counted al his aduantages and numbered out all the prerogatiues which hee had in this worlde

to Iesus discerne betwixt dead men and liuing men in this world Dead men are they who are natural men and no more Hast thou no more but nature with all the prerogatiues that can followe nature thou art dead although thou bee a king Liuing men are they who are borne againe by Christ Hast thou the Spirit of Christ thou liuest wantest thou the Spirit of Christ thou art but dead So there is a speciall point of Christes seruice discerne betwixt liuing men and dead men thou art in the middest of them and liuing men on the one hand dead men on the other hand Discerne betwixt them Count not of the dead man although hee had all the prerogatiues vnder Heauen If he haue no more but nature call him not blessed The liuing man is hee that hath the Spirit of Christ in him albeit he be a begger and the men who make an account of their worldlie prerogatiues and follow nature and the olde generation are but naturall men thou that accountest of dead men thou art dead thy self as thou art dead so all thine estimation is of dead men To goe forward to the wordes Hee amplifieth this by the example of Christ and saieth How beit I accounted once of Christ after the flesh before ● knewe Him well yet from hencefoorth I will knowe Him no more after the flesh and therefore why should wee knowe men after the flesh who are inferiours to Christ the head of all flesh Nowe ●o speake of this Lord When He was in this worlde Hee was clothed with these earthlie prerogatiues as other men yea I thinke Hee had these outwarde prerogatiues in His owne person in greatest measure aboue all men For neuer man descended of a more excellent rase and genealogie than He did Then looke to his beautie albeit it bee not set downe in the Scripture yet I thinke there was neuer man so faire in beautie as He He was most wise most eloquent of all mē therefore y e Apostles held Him in admiration for these prerogatiues But from once by His glorious resurrection as the Apostle ●aieth Roman 1. 4. Hee was declared mightily to be the Sonne of GOD then all these thing euanished and the onelie admiration remained of that glorie which Hee declared by His resurrection All these earthlie prerogatiues saieth Paule then passed out of their eyes and the graces of CHRIST onlie remained to be marueiled at The lesson is plain The LORD IESVS is the rule of the estimation of all flesh In thine estimation hold thine eye alwayes vpon CHRIST or els thou shalt fall First cast thine eyes vp to Heauen and then ca●● downe thine eyes on man who is but a worme on the ear●● Looke vp to a glorious GOD IESVS the Mediator and then to a worme on this earth though hee bee a king and say Those thinges that I will not count of in IESVS which He had beeing in G●●l●e and in the earth I will not count of them in thee that art but a worme I will not doe it But by the contrarie that thing which I esteeme of in Him that passing glorie which is in Him when I looke to thee and see a glaunce thereof in thee indeede for that little resemblance which I see in thee like to my LORD resembling Him in grace I will esteeme of thee otherwise I may well giue thee this worldlie reuerence b●● if thou wantest this resemblance I will neuer count thee happie albeit thou hadst all the earthly prerogatiues in the world And certainelie they who hold men in ●…miration for their earthly prerogatiues neuer ●●●● CHRIST nor His glorie Thou that wilt see a Tribunall a Monarch heere and maruell thereat thou neuer saw the Tribunall of CHRIST So the thing that causeth people to esteeme of men for their earthly prerogatiues is because they see not the glorie graces of CHRIST Would the people haue esteemed so much of Herod if they had knowne the Majestie of the Great GOD when they called him a god Acts 12. 22. No not for all the world and therefore seeke a sight of the glorie of GOD if ye would rightlie esteeme of men and giue them only their owne place Nowe to goe forward Yee haue heard of the purpose that the Apostle taketh in seruing of his LORD by the right esteeming of men in this world among whome hee liueth In the next verse he commeth to the estate of this world sheweth what alteration was made in the world by the alteration made in the person of IESVS for when IESVS altered all creatures altered with Him when He went from the earth to the Heauen and left behinde Him all these earthly pleasures there followed a wonderfull change and alteration in all the creatures But to come to the wordes Hee first speaketh of the estate of man and secondly of the estate of the rest of the creatures in the earth As for man h●● saieth Therefore if anie man be in Christ let him ●●● a newe creature Marke this If anie man bee in CHRIST hee is a new creature hee is changed he is altered and wonderfully altered he is changed from an olde creature to a new creature from an olde dead creature to a newe liuing creature from nature to grace from death to life from Hel to Heauē What shold become of an old rottē stok but be casten into the fire So if thou hadst continued an olde rotten creature thou hadst beene brunt in that fire which is vnquenchable He setteth downe the meanes how this change is made First thou must be in Christ as euer thou sawe an impe ingraffed in a tree so thou must be planted and ingraffed in Him Being planted in Him then commeth that fresh sap out of Him into thee and transformeth thee and maketh thee a newe creature Then learne of this first looke the force of the alteration of IESVS when Hee altered from earthlie things to Heauenlie glorie man especiallie altered with Him Then looke secondly the dignitie of man among all creatures hee hath the first place of changing Christ was first effectuall in man to make him a newe creature And this preferment hath man aboue all the Heauens and aboue al the creatures The maner how this commeth to passe is this Ere thou bee altered thou must bee raised vp to Him and joyned with Him and ingraffed in Him as an impe in a tree then He and thou and thou and Hee being made one the glorie that is in Iesus spreadeth her selfe oued thee couereth thee But if thou bee not in Him thou shalt neuer get any part of His glory Looke that thou be in Him by faith for faith ingraffeth thee in Him and beeing in Him thou shalt get a part of His glory and yet thou art but a creature and not a creator The difference is in newnesse thou was made before olde but now made newe greene liuelie being once ingraffed planted in Christ thou art flourishing It is

came in the world hath ascended to glory Alas this is not perceiued and in my selfe I cannot see it as I would the moste godly complain that they cānot see this effectualnesse of Christes glory The cause is the deadnesse that abideth in vs sin cānot be gotten out of this world till the Lord come again it dwelleth in vs. and reigneth in the world the Deuil the prince of this world reigneth by it for where sinne reigneth he reigneth yea it oppresseth y e godly heart that they can scarcely feele in themselues this renouation so weighty is sinne who seeth it There is a glimmering of this newe creation but who hath this glimmering None but that new soule an vnregenerate man neuer sawe this regeneration neither in himselfe nor in others and hee cannot suffer to heare of a regenerate sanctified man hee will laugh as though there could not bee such a thing as regeneration because the scorner himselfe is vnrenewed therefore hee cannot weigh GODS graces in others So long as thou art vnregenerate thou canst not but scorn regeneration yea and persecute the regenerate man and so rash thine head against a wall For the LORD hath made him inviolable and the Temple of His Spirite and therefore He shall destroy thee that art the vnregenerate man yea and destroyed shall euerie man bee that dasheth himselfe against the Church of IESVS that is the renewed body that body as an yrō wall shall bruise them Experience telleth this Who euer was hee that rashed against the Church but the Church hath beaten him into powder Meddle not with y e Saincts of God although it were but one Sainct renewed by the grace of God hee is sufficient to destroy and bruise a whole kingdome that rasheth on him The Lord open mens eye to see this For all the world would not I bee one to make opposition to one of the Saincts of GOD. The LORD therefore saue men and learne them to account of this renouation as they would haue a portion thereof be glorified at the comming of Christ Now to end shortly The Apostle when he hath spoken of the renewing of all creatures made by IESVS the Mediator for all floweth out of him in the next verse hee riseth and mounteth vp O howe hee that is carried with the Spirite of Christ will rise when hee is speaking of IESVS hee riseth vp to a light inaccessible he seeth God the Father sitting in his Throne and Majestie and the worke of this renewing flowing frō him through Christ the Mediator rising vp to the Father of Christ hee saieth And all thinges are of GOD c. Our lesson is All graces come from Christ the Mediator our regeneration floweth out of his life but the fountain of all is the Father of Heauen the Father of Iesus and therfore when thou findest the grace flowing from Iesus raise vp thy soule look thorowe to the glorious Fountaine sitting in his Majesty say All glory be to y e Father I acknowledge all goodnesse to come from thee O Father thou hast giuen all graces to me through thy Son Christ Now when he hath risen vp to the Father he cōmeth down again to two degrees which are the ●●wayes wherby the regeneration is wrought The first is the reconciliatiō to the Father throgh Christ the Mediator by his death The second is this Ministerie base and contemptible in the eyes of men this dispensation of the mysteries of GOD that hee hath put into the handes of his Ministers to bee distributed to the people Well Brethren a man must come to this regeneration by degrees as a mā stepping vp a ladder If thou wouldest be renewed in Christ thou must climbe and goe vp by degrees The first is the Ministery of reconciliation The second is the reconciliation it selfe in Christ The thirde and last is the fountaine of regeneration God the Father Will thou runne vp and misse one of these s●eps No it is not possible for thou shalt neuer get regeneration before God be friended with thee thou art His enemy thou must be friēded with Him before thou bee renewed Well then thou wilt say I must bee friended with Him but I neede not thy ministery can I not come to Heauen but by hearing thee pre●ch I say thou canst not I lay this necessity before thee and I charge thee I binde thee to this ministery Imagine thou another meanes to attaine to this glory contemne thou this ministery in the silliest person to whome God hath giuen it I shal make a strawe bar the gates of Heauē in thy teeth yea albeit thou bee a Monarch thou shalt neuer get reconciliation without this Ministery The Lord wakē our cōsciences that we may embrace the ordinance of God we shall neuer be wise in God except first wee become fooles that wee may bee wise Then seeing this necessity is of the Ministery to make a reconciliation with our God and this reconciliation must passe by a proclamation of peace to the miserable worlde and passe by the mouth of this contemned Ministery The Lord waken these our senselesse heartes that we may reuerence and esteeme of this Ministerie more than we haue done The Lord grant vs this for Christs sake To whome with the Father and the Holy Spirite bee all Glory and Honour for euermore AMEN THE SIXT SERMON I. COR. CHAP. II. verse 6 And we speake wisedome among them that are perfect not the wisedome of this world nor of the princes of this world who come to naught verse 7 But we speake the wisedome of GOD in a mysterie euen the ●id wisedome which God ordained before the world vnto our glorie verse 8 Which none of the princes of this world knew for had they knowne it they would not haue crucified the Lord of glorie verse 9 But as it is writtē The eye hath not seene the care hath not heard neither hath entred in●● the hart of mā the things that God hath prepared for thē that l●ue him IN the Text immediatelie preceeding well-beloued in the LORD IESVS the Apostle hath beene renouncing the wisedome of man in vttering of the Gospel of IESVS CHRIST thinking it not worthy that any mans faith should be builded on it For that faith that is builded on it cannot stand because y e wisdome of man is a false foundation and the thing that is builded on a false foundation cannot stand Now to come to this Text which we haue read presentlie It might haue beene said to the Apostle Who counteth of thy wisedome thou esteemest not of mans wisedome nor eloquence but who counteth of thee or of thy wisedome either Hee answereth in the 6. verse Wee speake wisedome among them that are perfect c. That is Who soeuer are perfect in y e Church of God or whosoeuer are come to a degree of perfection or preasse to perfection aspiring aboue nature aboue humane things to see things Heauenly and spiritual these men account

relieued of their condemnation It is true the Philosophers among the nations aspired to a wisdome and knowledge of God to know Him and some of them laboured to set downe a science of Him Plato traueiled much on this purpose and therfore he was called Diuine but all their knowledge was of GOD the Creator as Hee created this world and by His prouidence gouerneth it But will ye speake of GOD the Redeemer in His Sonne Iesus Christ they had neuer such a thing as a thought of Him and yet for all the businesse that they had about the Creation and GOD the Creator what were they fooles and euanished in their owne cogitations as ye may reade Rom. 1. 22. 23. in stead of the true God they set vp an idole to bee worshipped Then seeing they found it not out and seeing it is so necessary for al men euē for Princes for they shal neuer see life except they get a part of this wisedome they are bounde to keepe that wisedome in sinceritie and not to prejudge her libertie one whit but to maintaine her and keep her from all her enemies that would peruert her Thou foundest her not out keep her therfore in her liberty The Lord grāt that men may be occupied this way in their coūsels not in impairing but in preseruing the libertie of this wisedome that onelie must saue them Thy kingdome thy life thine honour and all these earthlie riches will away onelie this wisedome will abide Then this wisedome is not founde out by this world or by the Princes thereof Yet before wee come to the Author whereof it is come ye haue a reason wherefore she cannot bee of the Princes of the worlde who come to naught they are abolished they euanish shee is eternall and will neuer haue ende A perishing head will neuer inuent a science that will last for euer albeit his head were neuer so quicke so curious but as the head perisheth and goeth to graue so shall the wisedome thereof die in her owne time And therefore there was neuer anie Arte nor Science inuented by the braine of man which shall not die perish because they are all come of perishing heads howbeit the head die and the wisdome remaine for a space yet that science and wisedome shall also die in her owne time Aristotle is dead his wisedome abideth yet but it shall die Plato is dead his wisdome abideth yet but it shall also die But the immortall GOD when He findeth out a wisedome it shall bee immortall also In the first Epistle of Peter Chap. 1. vers 23. there are two thinges joyned together The immortall seede of the word and a liuing and immortall God who abideth for euer The seede of the worde is immortall and wherefore is it immortall Because it commeth from a God that abideth for euer If it be once sown in thine heart it shall neuer die out of thine heart No this word shall goe to Heauen with thee and there it shall spring out in a wonderfull glorie and shall abide in him who found it out and in thee in whome it is sowne for euer Then if the world be not the author of it who hath found it out We speake saith the Apostle not our owne wisedome but the wisedome of God Paul inuented it not neuer a man that preached this Gospell was the author of it the Lord who is onelie wise found it out Then marke Brethren If God of His infinite mercie after thou madest that foule fall in Adam and fell from grace innocencie had not found out to thee the onelie meanes of thy deliuerance from death and sin thou hadst neuer risen againe for thou hadst neuer so much as once a thought of the way of thy redemption Adam when hee had fallen and hid himselfe in an hole had not so much as one cogitation of his deliuerance That God that created thee without thee redeemed thee also without thee when He made thee of nothing in the beginning Hee called not thee to the counsell because thou was not no more was thou on the counsell of thy redemption when He took purpose to redeeme thee No there was neuer an Angell on the counsell of thy redemption And this is that that is spoken Rom. 11. 34 Who hath knowne the minde of the Lord or who hath giuen Him counsell No all is of Him all is from Him only He is the onlie finder out as well of thy redemption as of thy creation that the onlie glorie may bee giuen vnto Him I might speake something here against the enemies of the trueth but I will not insist If thou takest any part of that worke to thy selfe thou bereauest God of a part of His glorie Therfore seeing thou hast neither arte nor part in it let Him haue the onelie glorie for euer and euer Nowe followeth the seconde part of the commendation of the Gospell In a mysterie It is in a mysterie it was hid vp Sciences vse to bee commended because of their secrecie for men wil say O! it is a mysticall and secrete thing therefore it is a commendable and precious thing But if euer anie science or wisedome in the worlde merited commendation thorowe the secrecie of it especiallie this wisedome of GOD for there was neuer so secrete a wisedome so manie ages from Adam till CHRIST came all closed vp in a mysterie hidden from the world and if there was anie blinke of it it was verie obscure Brethren there are sundrie wisedomes of God There is a wisdome of the creation and gouernament of the worlde and there is a wisedome of God of the redemption of the worlde once created and making defection from that blessed estate of creation As for the wisedome of creation as soone as euer the worlde was created this wisedome brake foorth and was reuealed and made knowne to men and it shineth yet in the creatures looke to them thou shalt see the image of that wisedome shining in them and more than this man receiued this wisdome of creation written in his heart So this wisedome was not kept close but made patent to the eyes of men Angels to looke vpon it But as for the wisdome of God of the redemption of the worlde in the creation Hee neither vtred it in word nor writing He wrote not one letter of it in the heart of man in the creation But after the fall of Adam He gaue an inkling of it but very obscure Nowe wherefore was this that the Lord hid vp this wisdome Thereby no doubt He would testify to the world that this wisdome contained a precious thing a jewell there was inclosed in it the whole treasure of Heauen The treasure of Heauen is Christ Iesus who is inclosed in this mysterie and therefore the Lord woulde not reueale it till Iesus Christ came into the world Is it reuealed now It hath beene reuealed euer since CHRIST came into the worlde and this daye in SCOTLAND that treasure is laid