him as his members and yet walke in darkenesse we deceiue our selues But if we esteeme it our happines to be in Christ we will not only be careful to trie our selues whether we be in him but also wee will giue all diligence to make our being in Christ more more sure vnto vs. And to this purpose we must earnestly pray vnto the Lord that hee would giue vnto vs his spirit which he hath promised to giue to those that aske him his spirit I say of adoption crying in our hearts Abba Father testifying to our spirits that we are the children of God and heires of eternall life sealing vs vp to the day of our full redemption and as the earnest of our saluation assuring vs thereof Secondly wee must not content our selues with the inferiour degrees of faith but be carefull to grow from faith to faith vntill we come to the full assurance of faith And to this end wee having receiued Christ as before was said in the earnest desire of our harts and vnfained resolution of our mindes wee must for the increase of our faith perswade our selues that wee now are in CHRIST and so conceiue of our selues as being in him reconciled vnto GOD and iustified by faith that being in him wee haue communion with him his merits being imputed vnto vs that be in him as if we had performed the same for our selues in our owne persons For being in him wee are to be assured that whatsoeuer hee performed for the saluation of the faithfull he performed for vs and may with the Apostle in particular applie the same to vâ— Together with Christ saith hee and sâ— must euery faithfull man say I was crâ—cisied And I liue no longer I but Christ â—ueth in me and the life whith I now liue 〈◊〉 the flesh I liue by the faith of the sonne 〈◊〉 God who loued me and gaue himselfe fâ— me And for the confirmation of 〈◊〉 faith in this particular assurance wee 〈◊〉 to make vse of the Sacraments For thâ— baptisme which wee receiued in our 〈◊〉 fancie remaineth as a sure pledge vnâ— vs to assure vs that wee beleeuing in Christ are ingrafted into him and the Sacrament of the Lords Supper serueth to assure vnto vs our vnion and communion with Christ. Lastly wee are according to the exhortation of S. Peter to giue diligence to make our calling election iustification and being in Christ more more sure vnto vs by leading of a godly and vpright life For sanctification to a man professing the true faith is an vndoubted argument of his iustification and of his being in Christ 1. Ioh. 3. 24. For seeing a man cannot be sanctified before hee is iustified nor liue a spirituall life vnlesse he be in Christ it is therefore most certaine that whosoeuer is sanctified as euery one is that hath an vnfained purpose to walke in the obedience of Gods will though besides his purpose he faile through infirmitie in many particulars hee is also iustified and ingrafted into Christ. But as we must be in Christ if we will be blessed by dying in him so must we â—bide in him to the end or else wee doe not die in him He that continueth to the end saith our Sauiour shall be saued And againe Be faithfull vnto death and I will giue thee the crowne of life which I speak not as though a man that truly beleeueth in Christ and is once ingrafted into him by a true faith could totally or finally fall away from faith or be cut off from Christ for how can that stand with the maine promise of the Gospell assuring saluation and consequently perseuerance to saluation to euery one that doth truly beleeue but to this end that he which supposeth that hee standeth may take heed lest he fall And that hee which thinketh he is in Christ because hee is in the visible Church which in respect of the faithfull who are therein is a part on the bodie of Christ may labour not only by a true faith to be ingrafted into the inuisible Church which is the mysticaâ— bodie of Christ but also to gather infallible tokens to himselfe of his beinâ— in Christ. For many bee in the visibâ— Church which be not of the Church iâ— uisible and such are subiect to defe ction or falling away and the Loâ— fuffereth them to fall away that it may appeare they are not of vs 1. Iohn 2. 19. There be many branches which seeme to be in the vine which is Christ Ioh. 15. but being rotten branches haue no vnioÌ„ with him by faith nor communion with him by the holy Ghost though they be ingrafted into the Church the visible bodie of Christ. For as Cions ingrafted which doe not take or rotten boughes of a tree which being one with the tree in shew and as the Philosopher saith mathematice by continuitie or vnion of termes are not one indeed and naturally by the vnitie of the forme which is the vegetatiue soule as it were of the plant so are they in Christ externallie and sacramentally but spiritually and in truth they are not And such branches as our Sauiour saith must looke to be cut off and cast into the fire As therefore wee doe now perswade our selues that wee be in Christ so let vs be carefull as our Sauiour exhorteth vs to abide in him yea and to grow in him For if any man professing himselfe to be in Christ and by his being in him to be freed and washed from his sinnes shall fall away from Christ and with the sow that was washed shall returne as it were to his wallowing in the mire the latter end of such a one shall bee worse than his beginning If a righteous man saith the Prophet speaking of him according to the outward appearance that hee might teach vs in like sort to speake of men according to the iudgement of charitie shall turne away from his righteousnes and commit iniquitie doing according to all the abominations of the wicked his former righteousnes shall not bee remembred but hee shall die in his sinnes And that wee may abide in Christ to the end let vs labour to bee vpright and sound Christians beleeuing in Christ by faith vnfained walking vprightly before God and men For vprightnes hatâ— euermore the priuilege of perseuerance For though hypocrites which build vpon the sand being hearers onely anâ— not doers of the word doe fall away iâ— the time of triall yet the sound Christian who liueth according to his profession and hath built vpon the rocke with no surges or assaults of temptation can bee vtterly ouerthrowne Though the seed which fell either amoÌ„g thornes whereby is meant the heart of the worldly professor is choked or on the rockie ground whereby is meant the secure hard and impenitent heart of the hypocrite and temporarie professor couered as it were with the shallow mould of an outward profession
A FVNERALL SERMON PREACHED AT WATTON IN Hertfordshire at the buriall of the ancient and worthy Knight Sir PHILIP BOTELER Decemb. 9. 1606. By G. Downame Doctor in Diuinitie AT LONDON Printed by FILIX KYNGSTON and Martin Clarke 1607. A FVNERALL SERMON PREACHED at Walton in Hertfordshire at the buriall of the ancient and worthy Knight Sir Philip Boteler Decemb. 9. 1606. REVEL 14. 13. And I heard a voice from heauen saying vnto me write Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from thenceforth â—ea saith he spirit that they may rest from their labours and their workes doe follow with then THE holie Ghost hauing in the former chapter from the II. verse to the end described Antichrist as all doe agree and hauing in the 8. verse of this chapter foretold the â—uine of the Antichristian seare signified â—y the fall of Babylon which was to follow vpon the preaching of the eternall Gospell foreshewed vers 7 he endeuoureth in the verses following euen vnto the end of this text by two most forcible arguments to draw men out of Babylon and to withdraw them from Antichrist the one importing those fearefull punishments which shall befall them who after the reuelation of Antichrist by the preaching of the Gospell shall ioyne themselues vnto him the other expressing the happie estate of those who not suffering themselues to bee seduced by Antichrist doe die in the true faith of Christ. The former argument is propounded vers 9. 10. 11. If any â—an saith he worship the beast and his image and receiue his marke on his forehead 〈◊〉 vpon his hand that is as I haue euidenty proued in my treatise of Antichrist vhereunto for breuitie sake I doe now referre you whosoeuer liueth and dieth a reâ—lute and absolute Papist acknowledging the Popes supremacie professing the Antichristian faith and practising the Idolâ—tries and superstitions of the apostaticâ— Church of Rome He shall drinke of tâ— wine of Gods wrath yea of the pure wine powred that is prepared to be drunke in the cup of his wrath whereby is meant euerlasting damnation prepared for the wicked wherein iudgement not to bee allaied with mercie shall bee executed vpon them Which iudgement for the greatnes is most horrible for they shall be tormented in fire and brimstone for continuance is not only without end for the smoke of their torment shall ascend euermore but also without intermission for they shall haue no rest day nor night And lest any man should think it hard that men being either terrified by the crueltie of Antichrist or seduced by his craft to ioyne with him shal euerlastingly bee tormented in fire and brimstone the holy Ghost preuenteth this obiection vers 12. Hereby saith he the patience of the Saints is tried and here are they that keepe the commaundements of God and the faith of Iesus discerned For howsoeuer the vnsound Christian may be peruerted by Antichrist yet it is impossible saith our Sauiour that the elect should finally be seduced by him Matth. 24. 24. By this argument therefore men are to be perswaded as they tender the saluation of their soules so to beware that they doe not encline to Poperie or if they be Papists alreadie to come out of Babylon as they are exhorted Reue. 18 4. For as Chrysostome rightly obserueth on 2. Thess. 2. 10. Antichrist preuaileth in them that perish or as Ierome speaketh in them who are prepared vnto destruction Vpon whom saith the Apostle because they haue not receiued the loue of the truth that they might be saued the Lord sendeth the efficacie of error that they may beleeue lies that all they might be damned which beleeue not the truth but haue pleasure in vnrighteousnes whereby hee meaneth the mysterie of iniquitie which is Antichristianisme that is to say Poperie The other argument expressing the blessed estate of those that die not in the religion of Antichrist which the Papists doe but in the true saith of Christ opposed to the religion of Antichrist and professed in the Churches which are reformed by the preaching of the eternall Gospell is contained in these wordâ— which I haue read vnto you And therefore as the former reason must if wee would not be damned disswade vs from Poperie so this argument must perswade vs if wee would be saued to bee sincere and constant professors of the true faith of Christ which by the vnspeakable mercie of God towards vs is professed among vs. For if we shall liue and die in this faith as true and sound professors thereof as our hope is this worthie Knight did then shal our estate so soone as this life is ended bee most happie and blessed as the holy Ghost doth assure vs in this text Wherein that I may now come to the words themselues the present felicitie of all those that die in the Lord is not onely affirmed viz. in these words Blesâ— are the dead which die in the Lord from thenceforth but also confirmed and prooued both by authoritie and reason The authoritie is first a voice from heauen not only auouching this truth but also commanding Iohn to write it Secondly the testimonie of the spirit Euen so saith the spirit The reason why those which die in the Lord are presently happie is because they rest from their labours and molestations and their works meaning the blessed reward of their workes follow with or accompanie them As if hee should haue said They which die in the Lord are foorthwith happie because death to them is the end of all miserie trouble and the beginning of euerlasting happinesse Now whereas the holy Ghost doth not onely deliuer this assertion that the dead which die in the Lord are blessed but is so carefull to countenance and prooue the same vnto vs and well are wee to be assured that his care is not superfluous this is therefore an euident token that men commonly in the world be of another opinion which is the cause why the holy Ghost saw it needfull not onely to deliuer this truth but also to ratifie and confirme it For first men commonly account it a miserable thing to die and naturally are so affraide of death as to saue their liues they will not sticke to commit any sinne almost as to denie Christ and his religion and to ioyne with Antichrist and by their sinne to cast away their precious soules which they would not doe if they could be perswaded that death brings happinesse with it Againe to die in the Lord as it is here vnderstood with opposition and not in the subiection and faith of Antichrist not in the communion of the now apostaticall Church of Rome of the Papists who falsely tearme themselues Catholikes is counted a damnable thing of the carnall and backsliding Gospellers a more miserable thing than to liue in the saith and subiection of Antichrist That therefore wee may die willingly when God shall call vs and may be readie to lay downe our liues for the
testimonie of the truth rather than to yeeld to Antichrist and generally may be more affraid to commit sin than to suffer death let vs remember what the holy Ghost saith that blessed are those which die in the Lord. And let vs consider that this assertion is no humane inuention or earthly deuice but a diuine and heauenly oracle For so saith Iohn I heard a voyce from heauen Many will say If I might heare an Angell from heauen tell me that which you Ministers doe teach vs as namely that to die in the Lord is an happie thing assuredly I would beleeue it If from heauen it were testified vnto me that it is a blessed thing to die not in the faith and communion of the Romish Church but in the faith of Christ professed in the Churches reformed by the preaching of the Gospell I would rather die than ioyne with the Church of Rome And yet behold this truth is not onely auouched by a voice from heauen but also that as Peter speaketh in the like case we might haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a more firme word which is the written word it is by the commandement of God from heauen committed to writing as containing words faithfull and true and being spoken and written hath the testimonie of the spirit that it is the vndoubted word of God Such is the credit of the written word that if an Angell from heauen should gainsay it he were to be held accursed Gal. 1. 8. And he that will not giue credit to the written word which is the most sure foundation of our faith neither would he beleeue though an Angell should come from heauen or a spirit from the dead Satan can transforme himselfe into an Angell of light and take vpon him the person of the dead and therefore if we should trust to apparitions we might soone be deceiued But the word of God cannot deceiue vs. Seeing therefore this assertion is pronounced by God from heauen and at his appointment is committed by the holy Euangelist to writing and also hath the testimonie of the holy Ghost who is the spirit of truth Let vs therefore with all reuerence and good conscience hearken vnto it as to the oracle of God and with the full perswasion of faith giue vnfained credit vnto it as vnto the vndoubted word of the Lord namely that the dead which die in the Lord are from thenceforth blessed because they rest from their labours and their workes follow them In which words three things are to be considered First who they are which be here pronounced blessed Secondly what this blessednesse is and wherein it doth consist which is shewed in the reason that they rest from their labours c. Thirdly when this blessednes belongeth to them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith hee from thenceforth that is forthwith and immediatly after their death and so forward As touching the first Blessed saith he are the dead What the dead blessed A strange paradoxe no doubt to hypocrites and worldly men who haue placed their felicitie in the fruition of temporall things and put the day of death farre from them fearing nothing more than to die and hoping for nothing lesse than to be blessed after death But let vs remember that it is an oracle of God deliuered from heauen and testified by the holy spirit From hence therefore let vs learne truly to acknowledge the immortalitie of the soule and effectually beleeue that there is a life immortall after this mortall life is ended And in this beliefe let vs be carefull so to liue as that we may hope after this life is ended to be happie and blessed Neither let vs be so mad as for the momentanie fruition of temporall vanities in this vale of miserie to lose an euerlasting inheritance in the kingdome of heauen But hee addeth which die in the Lord. For not all that are dead are blessed for many die out of the Lord Iesus and out of Gods fauour as those which depart in the faith of Antichrist or otherwise die in their sinnes as in ignorance infidelitie impenitencie c. and they are so far from being blessed when they die as that by their death their miserie is infinitely increased But they are blessed which die in the Lord. Which words some vnderstand as spoken of Martyrs onely and so reade them who die for the Lords cause And no doubt if all they be blessed who die in the Lord much more may we assure our selues that they which doe not onely die in the Lord but also for him are most happie and blessed And this must encourage all true Christians as we are perswaded that the Lord hath laid downe his life for our sakes so to bee most readie and willing to lay downe our liues for his sake if it shall please the Lord to vouchsafe vnto vs both that honour as to be the Martyrs of Iesu as also that fauour as to make our death and afflictions which otherwise all of vs must looke to suffer as chastisements for our sinnes to be sufferings for righteousnes But yet not onely such as die for the Lord are here pronounced blessed nor all they are blesled who would seeme to die for the Lord but all they and onely they who die in the Lord are blessed For if any man dying for the maintenance of heresie shall think he dieth for the Lord as all in that case are readie to pretend notwithstanding hee is not blessed because hee doth not die in the Lord. For none are in him but such as truly belieue in him and none truly belieue in him which doe not loue him and his members for his sake But they which die for heresie as they doe not truly belieue in Christ so doe they not truly loue his members but by their heresie cut themselues from the bodie of Christ which is his true Church For hs he that giueth his bodie to bee burnt and hath not loue saith the Apostle so hee that thinketh himselfe to be martyred hath not true faith it profiteth him nothing And such is the state as of all other heretikes so especially of the Popish martyrs of these times as they are esteemed among thē For besides that they do not die for their religion properly but for treason and rebellion and it is not the punishment but the cause that maketh a Martyr their religion also is Antichristian being the Caholike apostasie the common sewre of heresie and the very mysterie of iniquitie Neither doe they die in the cause or faith of Christ but in the cause and faith of Antichrist and therefore are the martyrs not of Christ but of Antichrist The truth whereof none can denie if this once bee prooued vnto them which by our writings is sufficiently prooued that Rome is Babylon the Pope Antichrist and the Papists such as haue receiued the marke of the beast Therfore not only they which die for the Lord nor all they who would seeme
most euident place not only against wandering of soules but especially against Purgatory prayer for the dead For whereas they obiect that the place is vnderstood of Martyrs only I haue before plainely proued that it is generally vnderstood of al those that die in Christ whether as Martyrs or as Confessors who neither by the tyranny nor fraud oâ— Antichrist can bee drawne away from Christ. For these being in Christ consequently made partakers of his merits Christ hath by his blood so fully boâ— purged their soules that they shall noâ— need the fire of Purgatory which waâ— deuised to purge mens purses ratheâ— then their soules and also satisfied the iustice of God for their sinnes that as other purgations so other satisfactionâ— are blasphemies against Christ our alone all sufficient and most perfect Sauiour But in this text there be three euidences against the Papists First in thâ— he saith they are blessed from thencâ— forth forthwith immediately and noâ— many yeeres much lesse many thousanâ— yeeres after as the Pope in his Antichrâ—stian pardons would beare vs in hanâ— Secondly they are said to rest or to bâ— eased as the word signifieth from thâ— labours and therefore are not at all toâ—mented in Purgatory which as theâ—selues reach burnes as hotte as the fiâ— of hel Thirdly it is said that their worâ— that is the reward of their faith and obedience doth accompany them which reward I hope they will not say is the fiâ— of Purgatory And further obserue that he doth not say other mens works are to bee sent after them to redeeme them forsooth out of Purgatory but their owne workes follow with them Know therefore for certaintie that Purgatorie is but a fire seruing for the Popes kitchin and prayer for the dead is but preying vpon the liuing being a meere deuice seruing for the maintenance of the Popish that is to say Antichristian clergie Thus haue you heard the explication of this text and the vses which the seuerall branches thereof affoord there remaineth in a word the application and vse which is to bee made of the whole text both in generall concerning all those that die in the Lord and in particular concerning this our brother who who is asleepe in Christ. For seeing the dead which die in the Lord are presently blessed because they rest from their labours c. this therfore doth reach vs that death of a Christian man who is in Christ is not to be feareâ— as an euill thing but rather to be wisheâ— and desired because it bringeth happinesse with it For to him that is in Christ death is aduantage in that he changeth a life mortall and miserable for a life blessed and immortall chaungeth the companie of sinfull men for the companie of God his Saints and Angels changeth a sinfull and miserable condition in this valey of teares with a moâ— blessed and glorious estate in heauen wherein there is no possibilitie of falling either into sin or miserie And this muâ— also moue vs to labour for assured testimonies that wee bee in Christ that wâ— may desire euen to be dissolued and 〈◊〉 bee with Christ. For hee that doth noâ— feare but rather desire death he will nâ— for feare of any creature be withdrawn either from his faith or obedience Fâ— the worst thing which any creatur◠〈◊〉 threaten is death And that is it whiâ— he desireth especially if it be not only 〈◊〉 Christ but also for him Againe if the dead which die in tâ— Lord be thencefoorth blessed c. 〈◊〉 are not wee to mourne for them which are dead in Christ as in respect of them left wee may seeme to enuie their happines For though their bodies be committed to the earth yet are wee no more to mourne thereat than the husband man mourneth for committing his seed corne to the earth because they as well as the seede hauing purified in the earth will come vp against the great haruest with plentifull increase when this corruptible shall put on incorruption and this mortall shall put on immortalitie And as touching their soule that so soone as it departeth from the bodie is by the holy Angels conueied into the bosome of Abraham the place of heauenly blisse where they haue the fruition of God and fellowship of the blessed Saints and Angels This opinion which the holy Ghost doth here teach vs in general to coÌ„ceiue of all those that die in the Lord Christian charity bindeth vs to entertaine concerning this our worthy brother departed in the faith of Christ. For if all they which die in the Lord are happie and blessed and our assured hope be that he died in the Lord why should not wee conceiue assured hope that his estate is happie and blessed Now that charitie bindeth vs thâ— to conâ—iue of him I wil make it manifest For besides that there is no euidence to the contrarie and charitie euermore iudgeth the best we haue also sufficient euidence whereupon to conclude according to the iudgement of Charitie that hee died in the Lord. 〈◊〉 say according to the iudgement of charitie for as the iudgement of certaineâ— belongeth vnto God so the iudgemenâ— of charitie vnto vs. Let vs therefore take a briefe view of such fruits according to which alone being charitablie interpreted true charitie doth iudge I say oâ— such fruits and signes as haue appeareâ— both in the time of his health and also 〈◊〉 the time of his sicknes vntill his death For whereas there are three thingâ— which euery Christian must be carefulâ— in this present life namely that hee liâ— soberly in respect of himself religiouâ— towards God and iustly among meâ— the first I hope will be confessed of 〈◊〉 that knew him that hee was a sober graue discreet frugall temperate and chast man And as for his religion towards God first I say though hee were borne in the time of Popery notwithstanding he hath professed vnto me and to others in my hearing that from his youth he hath been perswaded that the Pope is Antichrist and that he abhorred the Idolatrous superstitions and damnable doctrines of the Church of Rome against both which I haue heard him by way of discourse inueigh seriously and to good purpose But as hee was no Papist so no neuter or nullifidian which is too common a fault among the politicians of this world but a professed Protestant and open professor of the true faith of Christ that is to say one that did beare the marke of God in his forehead as the faithfull are described in the beginning of this chapter And this beloued was no small fauour of God vouchsafed vnto him For as heere they are pronounced blessed who die in the true faith of Christ and not in the religion of Antichrist so Reuel 20. 6 they are pronounced blessed and holy who haue their part in the first resurrection whereby as they rise from other sinnes and corruptions so especially from the graue of Antichristian that