reason of the justice of God Sin is an offence or injuring of him who is mans Summum bonum or highest good and therefore to be expiated by the greatest punishment he therefore that was our surety was to taste of death by reason of the truth of God who spake concerning the fruit of the forbidden tree in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die Gen. 2.17 It behoved Christ to die for the fulfilling of the prophesies and by reason of the prediction of Christ himself concerning his death Joh. 12.33 For the confirmation of the Testament of his grace which was to be performed by the death of the Son of God Heb. 9.6 From the death of Christ as it were out of a fountain floweth our redemption hence primarily is justification Rom. 8.34 hence regeneration or the restauration of corrupt nature our old man is destroyed by the power of Christs death and sanctification is obtained the death of Christ doth much weaken original sin in a Christian and although the death of Christ be past yet to this present time it doth mortifie our sins because its vertue and efficacy endureth for ever If so be that we apply this universal remedy of the heavenly chief Physician to our hearts Let us therefore with the Apostle exult for joy and say a Mors mortis morti mortem mors morte redemit O death where is thy sting c. 1 Cor. 15.55 This bondage of death Jesus undertook that he might procure unto us the liberty of eternal life True real death seiz'd upon him that we might attain to true life saith S. Ambrose But if Christ died for us Object why then must we die Answ We answer Our death is no satisfaction for sins but an admonition to us of the reliques of sin inherent in us a cleansing us from them and a passage into eternal life Holiness is the end of our redemption let us not then indulge our selves in pleasures The most sweet Jesus vouchsafed to die for our sins and because of this his unspeakable love we should rather choose to die then to rush into sin But oh the misery of it most holy Jesu how few mortals are so affected with sorrow for the dolours of thy death that they love holiness of life and piety Christ laid down his life for his friends yea for his enemies let us in like manner love others if occasion require which thing the most holy Apostle S. John urgeth in his 1 epist ch 3. v. 16. This love is heartily to be wished but can hardly be expected from a sort of men too too cruel To conclude death to beleevers is nothing but a disguised thing to scare them let us therefore be faithful unto death and not afraid to die Hitherto of the death of Christ his burial follows The bodies of the dead ought to be decently buried They are esteemed inhumane who neglect this Amongst these were the Lotophagi Historici Geographici passim a people of Africa who cast the bodies of their friends into the sea The Sabeans who threw the carcases of kings amongst dung-hils The Scythians who to honour those whom they loved did in their banquets devour their dead carcases The Hyrcanians who gave them to dogs or wilde beasts All these are detestable But although the death of Christ were ignominious yet his burial was very honourable For he was buried by men of quality Nicodemus a great Lawyer and Joseph a Counceller and Citizen of Jerusalem These were disciples before but secretly now they appear openly so great was the vertue of his passion Moreover many noble and religious women helped forward this work The honour of his burial is evident also by other circumstances his body was embalmed with abundance of spices and wrapped in costly fine linen Christ was buried in a new sepulchre hewn out of a rock lest that if another should have been buried there another might have been said to have risen as the Fathers note The New man would be buried in a new sepulchre and in a garden that his body might be sowen there and bring forth the fruit of resurrection That as in a garden Adams sin was committed so in a garden it might be expiated and satisfied for As his nativity was from the unstained bed or chamber of a Virgin so likewise his burial might not be defiled by any dead body He would be buried in another mans sepulchre that as he was born in another mans house so being dead he might lie in a grave that was another mans And he would not have a proper burial place or sepulchre of his own who had no proper cause of death in himself The sepulchre of Christ was a place of the chiefest devotion S. Jerom speaking of Paula saith That at her entrance into the sepulchre of the Lord she kissed the stone and the very place where Christ had lien The pilgrimage to this glorious sepulchre hath been most famous from all parts of the world The Turk a most malicious enemy getteth much profit by the visitation of the place which for this cause or for fear of punishment he hath not yet destroyed I think it not necessary for us to take so long a journey we may meditate on this matter more safely at home And although there is appointed a solemn procession at Lovain for the memory of Christs burial where the blessed Virgin and other women sorrowfully following the dead corps are wont to be represented yet we doubt not but that a pious soul may perform this without such pomp or ostentation Christ was buried that the types of the Old Testament might be fulfilled to wit that of Jonah and others As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale so Christ foretold concerning himself Matth. 12.40 Besides he was buried that it might appear that he was truly dead and that we might know that our sepulchres are sanctified by his being buried no more to be horrid places but sweet and quiet chambers in which we may rest until we shall be raised up hence our burying places are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 places for the dead to rest or sleep in We therefore being buried with Christ by baptism into his death ought to walk in newness of life Rom. 6. v. 4. where the Apostle alludes to a rite of baptism which was by plunging for his body who was baptized in this manner was in a sort buried in the waters And they that were baptized were wont to be thus plunged thrice in the waters by an allegorical similitude to represent Christ dead and three days immersed or drowned in the Sepulchre But S. Chrysostom saith the tropological meaning of it was to signifie that as Christ by his corporal death is dead unto this world so we likewise by a spiritual death should die to the same world and to sin its lord and king and with a purpose to lead a new life as Tertullian expounds it Let
self-same thing The hour shall come in the which all that are in their graves shall hear his voice and they which have done good shall come forth unto the resurrection of life but they that have done evil unto the resurrection of condemnation S. Paul also very notably confirms the resurrection by very many arguments 1 Cor. 15. the which arguments I desire you to search out from thence The Sadduces therefore have erred who beleeved not the resurrection Acts 23.8 and the Epicureans who practise the like with them to whom death is the utmost bound and end of all things Object It may be objected out of Ecclesiastes chap. 3. verse 19. that there is one and the same event both to man and beast But the beasts rise not again therefore neither do men rise again To this we answer Answ The Preacher speaks there according to the judgement of a natural man whom he brings in the speaker and afterwards refutes his opinion Moreover he speaks of the general qualities of man and beast but not the special and he shews wherein the similitude holds between men and beasts to wit in the natural death but he doth not speak of the state and condition after the natural death Besides bodies shall arise again the same in number and with perfection and beauty in the same form as it is likely which men attain to if they come to mans estate Our bodies shall be like to the glorified body of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in quality not in quantity aliqualiter non aequaliter and after some fashion but not equally Our bodies shall be spiritual not in substance but for certain qualities and proprieties they shall have agility subtilty and be incorruptible The Anabaptists err who denie that bodies shall arise again the same in number and affirm that at the second coming of Christ new bodies shall be created Origen also was in an errour who was of this opinion that it should be an aereal body not a carnal that should rise again It is very warily warded in the Creed that the very self-same flesh shall arise For the resurrection is of the same body that did fall as the word it self implies So far concerning the doctrine of the resurrection That which remains for me to do is to warn and admonish all yea and my self too that even now we would arise to the life of grace that by so doing we may hereafter arise to the life of glory of which there is mention made in the last Article I beleeve the life everlasting In hell this is the state of the wretches there that they have death without death in a dreadfull manner an end without an end a defect without defect because that death always liveth and the end is always beginning and the defect knows not how to cease death destroyeth and exextinguisheth not God preserve and keep us from this eternity which that he may do let us repent amend our lives correct our pride for it is not so easie a thing to be saved as men say If we do this we shall enter into life everlasting This life is the eternal being of those that live in heaven which is an eternal well-being It is called eternal life not in regard of that part which went before but of that which is behinde because it is to endure for ever In this life there will be the necessary presence of all good and the necessary absence of all evil Whatsoever shall be lovely will be there present nothing shall be desired that shall not be there there shall be life without death day without night security without fear pleasure without grief tranquillity without toyl beauty without deformity strength without weakness rectitude without perversness or frowardness love without malice truth without falshood felicity without misery The blessed shall rejoyce for the pleasantness of the place which they shall possess for the delightful society in which they shall reign for the glorified body which they shall have in regard of the world which they have contemned of hell which they have escaped yea in respect of God whom they shall behold for ever and ever In the life eternal there are the most choice delights and the greatest store of riches The good things which are there exceed all understanding and therefore much more that which can be said of them I will therefore admire in silence what I cannot express by speaking Lastly it is to be noted that this word Amen is added to the Creed as the seal of faith as if a Christian should say I beleeve all these things to be most true S. August de Civit. Dei lib. ult cap. ult Non alius est finis nisi pervenire ad regnum cujus nullus est finis There is no other end but to attain to that kingdom whereof there is no END
been yet in our sins all our faith would have been in vain 1 Cor. 15.17 He rose for his own and his Fathers glory for the dignity and authority of his Person Because of his office he ought to reign for ever and always to intercede for us He rose for our salvation for our justification for our regeneration for our resurrection and glorification That he might raise up our bodies at the last day the head being risen the members cannot but rise like as Adam brought death upon himself and his posterity even so Christ life the Lord makes the faithful coheirs of his glory let us therefore rise again to the life of grace and persevere in the same It is objected that these benefits flow from the death of Christ Object Answ We answer that Christ did merit them by his death but they are declared and applyed by his resurrection And if it be further said that these benefits were given to the faithful beleevers under the Old Testament our answer is This was done in respect of the resurrection to come But may some say the ungodly also shall rise again They shall rise again indeed but to the judgement of condemnation not of absolution And these things out of many concerning the resurrection of Christ His Ascension follows Jesus like the Sun at his full meridian ascendeth the highest Heaven He ascended from the mount of Olives to Bethany and not onely into the aereal and starry heaven but also into the empyreal into the seat of the Blessed He ascended according to his humane nature Object But we have it S. John 3.13 the Son of man was then in heaven Answ But this was spoken by communication of idioms whereby the properties of either nature are attributed to one and the same Person of Christ by what name soever expressed He was there then according to his Divinity But he that descended hath also ascended Object saith the Apostle Answ Ephes 4.10 He did not descend as man it seems therefore that neither did he ascend as man But here the kinde or manner of the predication is changed the Divinity descended that is did shew it self in a place where before it had not so discovered it self And even as Jesus did discover or manifest himself in his humane nature in like manner he ascended He ascended on the fourtieth day after the resurrection in this space he would instruct his disciples concerning his kingdom He ascended visibly and locally he ascended into heaven But S. Object Paul saith he ascended far above all heavens Answ Eph. 4.10 That is say some far above all the starry heavens others determine that this doth not denote the sublimity of the place but the excellency or highness of the Divine Majesty because he hath all things in subjection under him Some will have Christ to be in a void space above the heaven and with his feet to stand upon the outmost surface of the highest Heaven where the Saints live under him But the words of the Apostle compel us not to the belief of this He may be said to have ascended far above all heavens when he ascended into the supreme or highest Heaven and to the most worthy place therein even as we say not onely he that gets up to the very top is said to ascend a tree or a tower but he also that climbs up to the higher boughs or steps although he stays beneath the top But it may be objected Obser that Christ promised he would be with us to the end of the world Answ But this is to be understood of the Deity of Christ of his grace and power spiritually not of his humanity and corporally Christ ascended that he might intercede for us and although the intercession of Christ was before his ascension yet it depended upon this glorious intercession It was made before in the worth of the sacrifice that was to be offered but now of that which hath been offered Secondly Jesus ascended as an eagle that we although but worms may ascend with him Adam had shut up heaven Christ opened it again And although Enoch and Elias ascended before him yet it was not by their own but Christs power by which also he himself ascended Thirdly Christ ascended that he might give the Holy Ghost and although he was given before yet it was in regard of the Ascension and after it in a more plentiful manner Hitherto of the Ascension of Christ his sitting at the right hand of the Father followeth The right hand is attributed to God per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is by a borrowed speech from men and it signifies the chiefest power and glory To sit at the right hand is a phrase taken from the custom and manner of kings who place those whom they honour at their right hand and cause them whom they set over the affairs of the kingdom to sit together with them So Christ is said to sit at the right hand of God the Father because the Father after he had finished our redemption on earth crowned him with the chiefest glory above all Angels and men in heaven and declared him to be Head and King of the Church by whom he would immediately govern all things both in heaven and earth and whom he would have to be adored of all creatures The Lord said unto my Lord Sit thou on my right hand saith the Prophet Psal 110. The sitting therefore at the right hand of God is the singular and proper dignity of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God and man conferred upon him by the Father after his Ascension And it consists First in the perfection of his Person or the equality of the Word with the Father which indeed he did not then first of all receive but it being vailed in the time of his humiliation he did again make apparent or manifest Secondly this dignity consists in the perfection of the humane nature which the infirmities being put off or laid aside is adorned with supereminent and surpassing excellency of gifts wisdom and power Thirdly this dignity consists in the perfection of his office because Jesus is constituted or appointed Head of the Church This true Trismegist is King Prophet Priest And although he was the Head of the Church before yet was not that according to both natures nor always exalted Fourthly the dignity of Christ consists in the perfection of his honour because he ought to be acknowledged and extolled by all as Lord of all All things are put under Christs feet by reason of his glorious victory and although some things may seem to be refractory to him yet they are to be repressed by him at his will and pleasure It may be objected against the sitting of Christ at the right hand of God the Father Object that S. Stephen saw him standing at the right hand of God Acts 7.55 But by this posture he expressed Christ his readiness to assist them that are his Champions Answ as when Christ is said to sit