mine and other mens vnder an earthly Iudge I shall be discharged by the heauenly Iudge vvhat is meant by this that he was crucified That he died not only a common death but such an one as was accursed both of God and man. vvhat comfort haue you by this This That I am deliuered from the curse which I haue deserued by the breath of the law and shall obtaine the blessing ▪ due vnto him ▪ for keeping the same ▪ vvhat meaneth this that he died That his soule was separated from his bodie so that he died a corporall death VVhy was it requisite that he should die Because by sinne came death into the world so that the iustice of God could not be satisfied for our sinnes vnlesse death had béene ioyned with his suffrings VVhy is it further sayd that He was buried To assure vs more truly that he was surely dead VVhat comfort haue you by his death and buriall 1 This is my first comfort that my sinnes are fréely discharged in his death and so buried that they shall neuer come in remembrance 2 Besides my comfort is the more because by the virtue of his death and buriall sinne shall be killed in mée and buried so that henceforth it shall haue no power to raigne in me 3 I néede not feare death séeing that sinne which is the sting of death is taken away by the death of Christ and that death is now made to me an entrance into life What meanes this He descended into hell That my Sauiour Christ did not onely suffer in bodie but also in soule did abide most miserable vexations griefes and painefull troubles and feare of minde into which both before and most of all when he hanged vpon the crosse he was cast VVhat comfort haue you heereby That in all my grieuous temptations and assaults I may stay and make sure my selfe by this that Christ hath deliuered me from the sorrowfull paines and griefes of hel What beleeuest thou in this article He rose againe I beleeue that Christ which in his manhood had suffered for me did on the third day rise by his owne power from the dead Wherin doth this article minister comfort vnto thee 1 In thrée things 1 His resurrection assureth me that his righteousnes shall be imputed to me for my perfect iustification 2 Because it rayseth me vp from day to day to righteousnes and newnes of life in this world 3 It ministreth vnto me a comfortable hope that I shall rise againe in the last day from bodily death What beleeuest thou in this article He ascended into heauen I beléeue that Christ in mans nature the Apostles looking on ascended into heauen What comfort haue you thereby 1 I am comforted in this that Christ hath prepared a place for me in the heauens which now I féele by faith and héereafter I shall fully inioy 2 I am comforted by his intercession to the father for me What fruit haue you thereby 1 It doth reconcile me to the Father for those sins which I daily commit 2 Being reconciled to him I can pray to God with boldnes and cal him father What meaneth that Hee sitteth at the right hand of God c. That Christ in his mans nature was aduanced by the father vnto that hie authoritie whereby he ruleth all things in heauen and earth What comfort reape you heereby 1 Because I shall receiue from him all things néedfull for me vnder his gracious gouernment 2 By his power all mine enemies shal be subdued and troden vnder my feet What beleeue you in this article From thence he shall come to iudge the quicke and the dead That Christ shal come in his maiestie to pronounce sentence vpon all those that were dead before and that shall be found aliue What comfort haue you by this 1 I am comforted in my greatest miserie knowing that Christ will come one day to rid me out of all 2 I am sure he will giue sentence on my side and take me to glory with him VVhy say you I beleeue in the holy Ghost Because he is God equal with the Father and the Sonne Why call you him holy Because he is the author and worker of all holines What fruit haue you by this 1 He doth assure me that I am that child of god by making me cal him Abba Father 2 He assureth me that by the death and resurrection of Christ sinne dieth in me and I am raised vp to holines of life 3 He leadeth me into all truth needfull to Gods glory and my saluation 4 He comforteth me in all troubles and in death assureth me of a better life in this same bodie and soule What meaneth this article I beleeue the holy Catholike Church That there is a Church of God though it cannot alwaies be seene with the eyes of men Why call you the Church holy For that although in this life in it selfe it is sinfull yet in Christ the head it is holy and in the life to come shall be brought to the true perfection of holines Why doe you call it Catholike Because God at all times and in all places and of all sorts of men hath an holy Church What meaneth this article The communion of Saints That the whole Church communicate with Christ euery member one with another VVhat comfort haue you by this 1 I am comforted for that I am iustified by that faith whereby Adam and Abraham were iustified which is tyed to no time nor place and excludeth no person 2 Because I am made pertaker of Christ and all his merits by faith and all the blessings of the Church by loue VVhat beleeuest thou by this article I beleeue the forgiuenes of sinnes That God for Christs sake doth fréely forgiue not onely my sinnes but also the punishment which I haue thereby deserued vvhy say you I beleeue the forgiuenes of sinnes Because no reason can perswade mee but the holy Ghost must worke the assurance thereof in my hart onely vvhat comfort haue you thereby 1 Because all the sinnes I daily commit shall neuer be laid to my charge 2 Because the weaknes and wants of all my duties are couered and supplied in Christ. 3 For that God will heare me praying for other that they may haue faith to féele the forgiuenes of sinnes vvhat meane you by this article The resurrection of the bodie into life euerlasting That this bodie after it shall be dissolued into dust shall be raised vp againe at the last day and my soule shall liue in euerlasting glory VVhat comfort reape you thereby 1 I am made cheerefull in well doing séeing my labour is not in vaine 2 I am made to dispise the pleasures and glory of this word and with patience to suffer all the troubles of this life 3 It comforteth me ouer the death of my friends and maketh me to be chéerefull in death knowing I shal haue a part in the resurrection of the iust What fruit haue
here are forbidden those only wherto the hart doth not consent VVhence doe these motions arise Eyther of our owne corruption or else are offered by Sathan or else by men Are all these sinnes in vs. All that arise of our own corruption are but those which the deuill or men offer vnto vs are not vnlesse wee be infected with them How are we infected by them When we take pleasure in them when we be intangled by them or when wee suffer theÌ„ to tary in our minds although our harts do not giue consent How is this commaundement broken 1 When euill motions arise of corruption moouing vs to hurt our neighbour 2 When we be infected with those euil motions which sathan or euill men put into our minds 3 When we doe not with like affection desire the good of our neighbour as we doe our owne VVhat is commaunded To loue my neighbour as my selfe Who is your neighbour Euerie one that is neere me and standeth in need of my helpe and it lyeth me tâ—â—elpe him though he be a stranger or my foe Why iudge you so Because of the image of God in him and that he is mine owne flesh in respect of our first parents Doth the law of God prescribe the perfect rule of righteousnes Yea For there is no good thing in déed word or thought but it is heer coÌ„manded likewise no euil but heerâ—it is forbidden Can euerie one keepe the Lawe perfectly They that are not borne againe of God cannot keep it at all in any point as pleasing God therby in respect of themselues For except he be borne againe of God he cannot sée the kingdome of God nor enter therein much lesse keepe the commaundements of God Moreouer all men by nature being borne and conceiued in sinne are not onely vtterly insufficient to any good thing but also disposed and ready to all sin wickednes What punishment is due to the breakers of Gods law In this life the curse of God and death with manifold miseries of bodie soule or both And where this curse is not taken away euerlasting death and damnation of bodie and soule in hell But God is mercifull Yea and God is iust righteous which righteousnes must fully be discharged or else we cannot be pertakers of his mercy And cannot we by ourselues make satisfaction for our sinnes No But rather from day to day increase our debt But doth not God wrong to man to require of him that which he is not able to performe No For God made man so that he might haue performed it but he by his sinne spoyled himself and his posteritie of those godly gifts Can any creature in heauen or earth which is onely a creature satisfie his righteousnes None at all for 1 God will not punish that in another creature which is due to be paid by man. 2 None that is onely a creature can abide the wrath of God against sinne and deliuer other from the same What manner of man is to be sought out to be our Mediator and deliuerer Hée which is indeed a verie right man and perfectly righteous more mighty then all creatures beside that is hee which also is God. Why must he be man and perfectly righteous Because the righteousnes of God requireth that the same nature which had sinned should pray and make amendes for sinne Why must he be God withall That by his godly power he may abide the burthen of Gods wrath in his flesh and may get againe and restore to vs the righteousnes and life which we in Adam lost Who is that Mediatour which is verie God and very man and perfectly righteous withall Our Lord Iesus Christ who is made vnto vs wisedome righteousnes sanctification and redemption What is the vse of all which hath hitherto beene taught To bring vs to a sound perswasion and féeling of our sinnes because they haue deserued so grieuous punishment as eyther the death of the Sonne of God or hell fire Are they deliuered from the curse of the Law and made partakers of Christs merits that are truly humbled Yea For heauen and earth shal passe but one tote or tittle of Gods lawe shall not faile till all be fulfilled How is the truth of Gods law fulfilled Both in Gods children and in the wicked In them because it bringeth them to be truly humbled in themselues for their sinnes and then sendeth them to Christ who doth quite fulfil it In these because it declareth to them their iust confusion when to the ende they eyther perseuere or dispaire Is sorrow for sinne sufficient to bring vs to saluation No But wée must also haue a true faith which is a true perswasion of the mereies of God merited by our Sauiour Iesus Christ. How shall we attaine to this true faith By the spirit of God giuing vs the true vnderstanding and perswasion of the Gopell VVhere is the Gospell declared vnto vs. It is generally declared vnto vs in the holy Scriptures but the Church of God hath gathered out of them a certaine sum thereof which is the articles of our Christian faith commonly called the Creed Rehearse those articles I beleeue in God the Father almightie c. How many parts are ther in these articles There are two 1 Touching our faith in God. 2 Of our faith concerning the Church What beleeue you in the first part I declare that I beléeue in God the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost Why say you I beleeue in God and not in Gods For that there is but one onely true God vpoÌ„ whom my faith is wholy staied If there be but one God why name you three the father the son the holy ghost Because God hath so opened himselfe in his word that these thrée sundry persons are but one true euerlasting God. Why say you I beleeue in God and not rather that there is a God. By saying I beléeue in God I declare that I put my whole trust assurance in God whereas the deuils wicked men beleeuing that there is a God yet cannot put their whole trust confidence in him vvhy say you I beleeue not we beleeue Because I must be saued by my owne faith and not by the faith of another Why call you God Father Because he is the Creator of heauen and earth so the father of all creatures Why say you Creator and not Maker of heauen c. Because he created all things of nothing but to make is to make somthing of that which was before Why call you him Almightie Because as he created all things of nothing so he doth preserue guid theÌ„ by his mighty power wisdom iustice mercy What comfort hence do we receiue 1 That al the good angels of god shal watch ouer me pitch their tents about me 2 That neither the deuil nor men shal haue any power to hurt me but when and so farre as God will permit them 3 That I shal haue a
profitable conuenient vse of all Gods creatures 4 Though I suffer hurt by sathan or want of his creatures yet all this shall turne to my good in the end How can this be Because God can doe it as an almightie God and will doe it as a most mercifull and louing father True it is that by creation we had this benefit but we haue lost it and are become the children of wrath how then can God become our father and shew vs thys mercy Hee is become my father by faith in Christ the sonne of God What beleeue you of GOD the Sonne First that he is able to worke my saluation 2. That he hath wrought it indeed after the manner that is heere set downe How can you beleeue that he is able to worke your saluation I beléeue it because he is both God and man and hath receiued an office from God the Father to worke my saluation By what words in the Creed do you beleeue that Christ is God. By these His onely sonne I declare that I beleeue in Christ the onely begotten Sonne of God begotten of his Father before all worlds God of God light of light verie God of verie God begotten nor made being of one substance of the father by whom all things were made Why call you him the onely begotten Sonne of God. Because he is the alone Sonne of God by nature How can this be seeing the Angels Adam and we also be the Sonnes of God. Adam was the sonne of God by creation which state we haue lost but now we be the sonnes of GOD by regeneration VVhy was it requisite hee should be God. Because nothing but God was able to abide and ouercome the wrath of God and the punishment due vnto sinne What comfort haue you by this that Christ is God. Héereby I am assured that he is able to saue me by reconciling me to the Father that he may make me the child of God. By what words in the Creede doe you shew that you beleeue that Christ is man. By these words Borne of the Virgine Mary where I shew that he was borne as other men bee and subiect to all infirmities of man sinne onely excepted Why are these words added Conceiued by the holy Ghost To shew that Christ by the holy Ghost was conceiued in the womb of the virgin Mary she continuing still a pure virgin and that he was borne holy and without sinne whereto all other by nature are subiect VVas it needfull that Christ should be without sinne Yea For otherwise the Godhead and manhood could not haue him ioyned together besides if he had béene a sinner hee could not haue satisfied for others sinnes Why was it requisite that he should be man Because the righteousnes of God requireth that the same nature which had sinned should also pay and make amends for sinne What coÌ„fort is in this that Christ is man I am thereby assured that Christ is fit to suffer the punishment of my sinne and beeing man himselfe will be more pittifull and mercifull to me vvhat fruit haue you by his holy conception I am assured that his holy conception hath couered the corruption of my nature and that his pure conception shall be imputed vnto mee vvhat comfort haue you by this that he is both God and man That hee is able to finish most fully my saluation seeing as hee is man hee is fit to suffer for sinnes as hee is GOD hee is able to beare the punishment of sinne and to ouercome in suffering and therefore to be called Iesus vvhat doth Iesus signifie It signifieth a Sauiour which name agreeth to Christ because hee saueth mee from all my sinnes because there is no other meanes whereby I may in part or whole bee deliuered from them vvhat comfort haue you by this Euen the same which I said and the rather because GOD from heauen gaue him this name and the Church on earth hath subscribed thereunto What signifieth Christ. Annoynted for he was annoynted to be a Prophet a Priest and a King for all his people and so for mee How gather you this By the annoynting Prophets Priests and Kinges which were figures of him VVas Christ annoynted with materiall oyle as they were No But with all gifts of the Spirit without measure Why call you him Prophet Because he was is and euer shal be the onely teacher of the Church What were then the Prophets and Apostles They were his disciples and seruants speaking onely by his spirit What comfort haue we by this Héereby I am assured that he will lead me into all truth needful for Gods glory and my saluation Why call you him Priest. Because offering vp himselfe a sacrifice once for all he hath satisfied for all my sinnes and maketh continuall intercession to the father for me What comfort doe wee reape by his Priesthood That I am sure that he is my Mediatour and that I am made a Priest. How is that By him I haue fréedome and boldnes to draw néere and offer vp my selfe and all that I haue to God the Father Why call you him King. Because he doth guide and gouerne me to euerlasting life by his word and spirit What comfort haue you by this Héereby I am assured that by his kingly power I shall finally ouercome the flesh the World Death and Hell. Why call you him Lord. For that not with gold or siluer but with his precious blood he hath purchased â–ª vs to be a peculier people to himselfe VVhat comfort haue you thereby â–ª Séeing hée hath paid so precious a price for me that he will not â–ª suffer me to perish VVhat is the second thing wherein thy faith in Christ consisteth I beleeue that he hath wrought my saluation in deed after that manner that is set downe in the Creed â–ª How is that 1 First by his most painefull sufferings for sinne 2 By his most glorious victorie and triumph ouer sinne In what words are his paineful suffrings expressed In these Suffered vnder Pontius â–ª Pilate was crucified dead and buried c. vvhat is the generall meaning of these words Therein I shew my selfe to beléeue that Christ indured most grieuoâ—s torments both of bodie and soule vvhat comfort haue you ny this I am fréed from all those punishments of bodie and soule which my sins haue â–ª deserued How then commeth it to passe that we are so often afflicted with grieuous torments of bodie and soule Our sufferings are not by desert any satisfaction for our sinnes in any part but being sanctified in the most holy sufferings of Christ they are medicines against sinne vvhy are those words set downe Suffered vnder Pontius Pilate Not onely for the truth of the story but also to teach that he appeared willingly and of his owne accord before an earthly Iudge of whoÌ„ he was pronounced innocent yet by the same man condemned vvhat comfort haue you hereof That my Sauiour thus suffering not for his owne sinnes but wholy for