In the Text it selfe hee tells the Blessednesse of Christs Glorification In that wee may behold him in his lowest Humiliation In this we may behold him in his highest Exaltation In that we may observe him sustaining the fullnesse of sorrow in his Fathers absence In this wee may observe him regaining the fulnesse of joy in his Fathers Presence In that wee may see how hee felt the heavy Hand of Gods displeasure for a time In this wee may see how hee found the pleasure at Gods right Hand for evermore And thus in both togerher wee may observe how Christ passed by the Crosse of ignominy and the ignominy of the Crosse unto the Crown of Glory and the Glory of that Crown Indeed the whole life of Christ from his Cradle to his Crosse Tota Christi vita fuit continua passio Brent was nothing but a bearing of the Crosse for no sooner did hee beginne to crosse this troublesome World but hee himselfe was troubled with a World of crosses crossed with a World of troubles But the greatest Crosse that ever hee suffered in the World was his suffering upon the Cross to save the World That Crosse that did beare Christ was the heaviest Crosse that ever Christ did beare And therefore though his daily sufferings were encreased with his Days of suffering yet the Sufferings of his last Day have caused that Day of his last Sufferings to be Christened his Passion-Day 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For then was his Soule in a very Hell of Sufferings And then were the very Sufferings of Hell in his Soule But his Soule was not left in that Hell of Horrour Nor was that Horrour of Hell left in his Soule His Soule and Body too were both right-soone felicified with the fulnesse of joy in the presence of God and with pleasure at his right Hand for evermore Our Lord and Saviour suffered for a time on Earth for us that wee might not suffer for our selves in Hell for ever Yea hee suffered willingly upon the Crosse for our sakes that wee might be willing to suffer under the Crosse for his sake and we must be willing to suffer with him here or hee will never be willing that wee should reigne with him hereafter Wee must take 2 Tim. 2. 12. up our Crosse and follow him if ever with him wee would enjoy Mat. 10. 38. 16. 24. Marke 8. 34. the fullnesse of joy in the presence of God and pleasure at his right Hand for evermore It was his pleasure to beginne an Health to us in the bitter cup of sufferings and wee must pledge him in the same cup of sufferings if wee would be sharers with him of the Health It was his intent when hee tooke his owne Cup off to have the Health goe round Yee shall indeed drinke of the same cup that I drinke of saith hee Mat. 20. 22. And good reason for why Mat. 10. 24 25. Luke 6. 40. John 13. 16. 15. 20. should any Servant looke to fare better then his Lord and Master It is enough that the Disciple be as his Master and the Servant as his Lord saith the Lord our Master He was the Lillie of the Valleyes which Solomon sung of and Song of Sol. 2. 1 2. as a Lilly amongst Thornes he was whilest hee grew in this earthly Valley Encompassed hee was with Thornes even all the time hee was growing here yea hee was quite covered with them at the last Hee was crowned with Thornes and by wearing of Mat. 27. 29. them was worne up by them But hee wore them onely as the Head of the Church And must not the Body be conformed to Ephes 5. 23. Isaia 53. 4 5 6 7 8. the Head Must not the Church be thorned with tribulations as well as Christ Yes surely And every mysticall Member of the Church must be conformed to the Body of it For tribulation is every true Disciples Portion Christs Servants must all be sufferers Hee that would waite upon our Saviour in the height of Glory must be content to follow him thorow the depth of Misery The way to Heaven is by weeping Crosse It Acts 14. 12. is through much tribulation yea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 through many tribulations that wee must passe to the Kingdome of Heaven if ever wee looke to enter into it Temporall sufferings are the Legacyes which our Lord bequeathed to all his faithfull followers as an annuity unto them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith hee unto them John 16. 33. In the World you shall have tribulation For if they have persecuted me they will also persecute you saith hee John 15. 20. and therefore marvell not saith he though the World hate you for it hated me first If yee were of the World the World would love his owne But because yee are not of the World but I have chosen you out of the World therefore the World hateth you John 15. 19. In this World therefore they that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution as saith that inspired secretary of the Holy Ghost St. Paul 2 Tim. 3. 12. And well may wee say with him 1 Cor. 15. 19. If in this life onely we had hope in Christ wee were of all men most miserable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Miserable are all men in this life But wee the servants of Christ were the most miserable of all men if in this life onely we had hope in Christ It cannot be therefore but there must needes be an other life and that life must needes be better then this present for it cannot be that Christ our Lord the Lord of Life a righteous Lord Jerem. 12. 1. should serve them alwayes worst that in all their lives doe serve him best And them ever best that serve him ever worst It is a Bargaine of Gods owne making to honour them that honour him And God will surely make those Bargaines good 1 Sam. 2. 30. that are of his owne making Can Hee say it and never doe John 14. 6. it Can Truth it selfe prove false It cannot be Never did God suffer any Man to lose by doing for him Nor was ever any Man lost by suffering for him Hee will infallibly save all them that doe unfeignedly serve him Yea truely they doe even serve themselves that doe truely serve the Lord. And they doe save themselves too most surely that lose themselves for serving him most seriously Indeed it is a Paradox yet is it Orthodox indeed for it is an Oracle from the mouth of Truth it selfe Mat. 16. 25. That whosoever will save his life shall lose it and whosoever will lose his life for Christs sake shall save it It seemes that it is the losse of life to save it by forsaking Christ the Lord of Life And that it is the saving of life to lose it for his sake who is life it selfe and the giver of it Hee that does not lose Christ with his life or in it shall save his
with Christ and yet alive neverthelesse But why should wee thinke it strange to heare of a Man alive and dead at the same time Are not all Men living ever so Is not every Man alwayes dead and living so long as hee is a Man or living Alive naturally and dead spiritually or Qui luxuriatur vivens mortuuâ— est S. Hieron ad matr filiam dead mystically and alive spiritually Dead in sinne and alive in Nature or dead unto sin and alive in Grace When Paul was in the state of Nature hee was both dead and alive hee was alive Naturally but dead spiritually But when he changed the state of Nature for the state of Grace he changed the Natures of his life and death He was dead in sinne before but now dead unto sinne or sinne is dead in him Hee lived as a Naturall Man before but now as a Spirituall He lived in sin before but now Grace lives in him Hee is now dead to himselfe dead to his sinnes but alive to his Saviour living to the Lord of life Crucified with Christ and living to him alive in him Now this his mysticall death is very desirable It is rather to be wished then any kinde of Death that Augustus thought of It is a Death that may be lawfully sought for yea it is a Death that men must pull upon themselves as soon as they can with a holy kinde of violence and the more earnest any man is in doing of it the more he is to be praised for it and more worthy of praise is hee that thus killeth the old Man in himselfe then ever Cleombrotus was or Cato or Lucretia for Plato in Phaedone S. August de Civitate Dei l. 1. ca. 19. 23. killing as they did themselves yea hee deserves no praise that does not thus crucifie himselfe This is an Euthanasy indeed and there can be none without it They never can die well that doe not die thus whilst they live Nor can they ever live well that are not thus dead When Paul was crucified with Christ then hee reckoned himselfe to be alive indeed Christo confixus sum cruci vivo autem jam saith hee as the vulgar translation has it I am crucified with Christ and now I live Jam vivâ— now I live as if hee had not lived indeed till now that hee was thus crucified with Christ As hee liveth after his crucifixion so hee liveth by it Hee that layes downe a Duplex hic est miraculum quòd mortuum vitae restituit quòd per mortem Theophil in locum temporall life for Christs sake shall take up one eternall for it and hee that with Paul does part with an evill life does gaine a good one by it yea hee gaines two good ones by it one here and one hereafter for hee shall raigne with Christ that is crucified with him as well as hee that is crucified for him I am crucified with Christ saith our Apostle Christ was crucified and so was Paul but severall wayes Christ was crucified for Paul but so was not Paul for Christ Yet sanâ— sensu in some sense Paul was crucified for Christ but not so as Christ for Paul Paul was crucified for Christs sake and Christ for Pauls But Christ was crucified for Pauls sinnes so was not Paul for Christs Christ had no sinnes of his owne to demerit any crucifixion in himselfe or in any other for him but so had Paul And Pauls crucifixion was for himselfe rather then his Saviour yet it was of the sinnes in himselfe rather then of himselfe in his sinnes It was a crucifying of sinâ—â— in his mortall Body Not a crucifying of his mortall Body in sinne Christ was crucified for Paul in Body and Paul for Christ Per crucem Christi remotus est à me proprius affectus Aquin. Commenta in locum 1 Cor. 9. 27. in Minde Mente orucifixus sum As Theophilact expounds it In minde I am crucified with Christ In minde with him not in person for him It was not a corporall but a spirituall concrucifixion Yet it was in Body as well as Minde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I beate my body downe saith hee and keepe in subjection And this subjection of the Body it selfe was spirituall It was not a crucifixion of flesh but of fleshly-mindednesse It was the suppressing of the Rebellions of Nature not the destroying of Nature it selfe The Nature of his life was altered by it But the Life of his Nature was not utterly abolished for still hee lived for all this kinde of Death This concrucifixion was not to Death but Life There are two kinds of concrucifixions 1. Corporall 2. Spirituall Those two Malefactours that dyed when Christ did upon Luke 23. 33. the Crosse were both crucified with Christ But not as Paul was in the Text for one of the two was never the better for that corporall concrucifixion Hee lost his temporall life upon the Crosse with Christ himselfe yet hee got not Life eternall for it from the Crosse of Christ Alas for him His was a Crosse indeed but none of Christs Hee suffered not for Christs sake but for his owne sinnes and there is seldome Life in such a Death A Crosse may be the Tree of Life unto a Penitent theefe But such Malefactours are seldome truely penitent Indeed the Crosse is vita justorum life to the Righteous but mors infidelium Death to the Wicked saith Cassiodorus The true Believer layes hold of an other a better Life then this present 2 Cor. 5. 1 2. Heb. 11. 35. as hee parts with this But the Infidell loseth this and gets no other for it The wretched and impenitent unbeliever by the Crosse of sufferings or by his sufferings upon the Crosse does lose even all his stock of Life and gaineth nothing The believing penitent loseth little and gaineth much hee parteth with a bad life and receives a better for it But our Apostle loseth nothing and gaineth all He gets a new life without giving the old away But his concrucifixion was of an other kinde It was not corporal but spiritual and such concrucifixions are twofold Primarie and Secondarie Now the first of these is that which every true Believer suffered in the Person of Christ when as Christ suffered in the Person of every true Believer For as all that fell by the sinne of the first Adam did sinne with that Adam in his person and Rom. 5. 12. fell in his Person with him So all that are saved by the sufferings of the second Adam did suffer with him in his person and are so saved with him Christiani omnes unà cum Christo tanquam illius membra in cruce pependerunt All Christians as the Musculus in locum members of Christ did suffer with him upon the Crosse The catholick Head of the Church was fastened to the Crosse and suffered for the whole Mysticall Body and all the mysticall Members that are fastened to the Body by
love and to the Head by faith must needs be sensible of the sufferings of the 1 Cor. 12. 26 27. Head Whereas one member suffers all the members suffer with it by way or sympathy and therefore surely when as the Head suffers which is the fountaine of sense there must needs be a Catholike Compassion in all the Members Those are not living Members of Christs Mysticall Body that do not sympathize with him in the biternesse of his passion The very Remembrance of his grievous sufferings upon the Crosse for their sakes does make make them grieve for his sake And that 's their first Concrucifixion Now the second followes this and is twofold 1. Mysticall 2. Morall And the first of these is in the Sacrament of Baptisme For that Christens a man and makes him a member of Christ So many as are baptized into Christ they put on Christ And they put Galat. 3. 27. on Christ crucified that put him on by baptizme It is into the Death of Christ that they are Baptised And the Death of Christ was upon the Crosse by crucifixion And this laver of Signum est exhibitivum Regeneration the Sacrament of Baptisme does both signe and seale the Benefits of Christs crucifixion to a Christian And from this sacramentall or mysticall concrucifixion must we all derive that concrucifixion which is Morall And the Morall Concrucifixion does Crowne the Mysticall The Sacrament of Baptisme does begin the life of Christianity but it is the Christianity of life that does compleate a Christian and fits him for the Crowne of life Non quaeritur in Christianis S. Gregor l. 28. Moral initium sed finis saith S. Gregory The initiation of Christianity in any man is nothing so remarkable as the consummation of it Alas what is it to begin to be a Christian unlesse a man goes on to the perfection of Christianity I meane what profit is it to be baptized into Christ unlesse a man does live like a Christian Quid enim tibi prodect vocari quod non es nomen usurpare alienum sed si Christianum te esse delectat quae Christianitatis sunt gere S. August de doctrinâ Christianâ What benefit can there be in putting on of Christ by Baptisme unlesse we keepe him on in our lives and weare him in our Conversations Christiani nomen ille frustra sortitur qui Christum minimè imitatur saith S. Austine It s a frivolous thing to be a Nominall and not a Reall Christian to have the Name of a Christian and not be a follower of Christ Christianus à Christo A man is called a Christian from Christ whose follower he professes himselfe to be as those Disciples did which were first called so at Antioch Act. 11. 26. But those men bely A Christo Christiani â—umus â—uncupamur Athan. Orat. 2. contr Arian Gregor Nyss de profes Christianor S. Cypr. de 12. abusionib Greg. Naz. in Orat. funebri de S. Basilio the Name of Christ saith Gregory Nyssen that doe nor make their practice of Christianity to answer their profession of it Nemo Christianus verè dicitur nisi qui Christo moribus pro ut valet coaequatur saith S. Cyprian No man is rightly called a Christian unlesse he followeth Christ in his moralls as neere as he can S. Basil the Great and Gregory the Divine that were like Twinnes of Devotion in the Service of the Church did both rejoyce that they both were and were called Christians The putting on of Christ by Baptisme does give the Name but it is the keeping of him on in our moralls that speakes us Christians indeed It is not enough therefore to be crucified with Christ in Baptisme onely Ecce baptizati sunt homines See saith Saint S. Aug. Ser. 16. de verb. Apost Austine men are baptized and thereby their sinnes be washed away yet still something remaines on their parts to be performed Restat lucta cum carne restat lucta cum diabolo restat lucta cum mundo still there remaineth many Combates to Revel 2. 10. Mysterium hoc geritur in Christianis sacramentaliter efficaciter Sacramentaliter in Baptismo efficaciter in ipsa veteris nostri hominis mortificatione vitae novitate Musculus Dicendo simul cum Christo crucifixus sum Baptismum tecte significat diâ—â—do Vivo autem jam non ego sequemeÌ„ vitae rationeÌ„ significat per quam mortificantur membra S. Chrys in loc be maintained against our Ghostly Enemies the world the flesh and the Devil And indeed every Christian is engaged by his Baptisme to bid defiance unto these and to fight against them under the Banner of Christs Crosse to the utmost of his life We must be faithfull unto Death or never expect the Crowne of life Thus is this Mysterie begun and carried on in all true Christians as Saint Chrysostome hath observed and after him Theophilact and Musculus after both It begins in Baptisme and must be carried on in our lives It is this Morall concrucifixion that God expecteth and rewardeth But this is not easily and quickly finished Hic labor hoc opus it requires our greatest care and diligence to crucifie our selves with Christ in our lives This part of Christianisme is the hardest task that our Master Christ hath imposed upon us as his Disciples It is a worke that must be done so long as we live for that so long as we live we must never thinke we have done it But what is it that makes it so hard to be done there are many things that doe encrease the difficulty of it The first is that innate power or naturall strength that the Body of sinne hath in our Mortall Bodies I delight in the law Semper in nobis dum vivimus peccati Adami noÌ„nullae reliquiae manent Si enim ista semina sic omnino clui possit ut nullae in nobis restarent sordes vitiorum nec Paulus de legâ— membrorum mortisque corpore conquestus fuisset nec nos assidua spiritus renovatione opus haberemus Whitak â—â— 1. li. 8. of God after the inward man saith this Apostle But I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into Captivity to the law of sinne which is in my members Rom. 7. 22 23. See here was law against law and members against minde in Paul himselfe The corrupted Principles of Nature opposing the reformed and refined Principles of Grace and somtimes prevailing to the conquering to the captivating of this great Apostle and compelling him to cry 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O wretched man that I am who shall deliver â—â— from the body of this death Rom. 7. 24. Though man be renewed in his mind by the law of Grace or the Grace of the New man yet the Old man is still in him and the old man in him hath the law of Nature or the law of the Members on his side and the
were more ingenious Valer. Max. lib. 9. cap. 4. to invent new projects to gain the World then the old Athenians were which were the very Minters of Arts and Sciences And suppose he could be more assiduous in It is nor improper that the Iâ—elian i. e. the Hollander be compared to the Ant for his sedulity and labour Vocal Forrest all his Negotiations then the most industrious Hollander and more deceitful in all his dealings then the most perfidious Carthaginian yet could he never engrosse the whole World Let this Merchant Man have never so great a Stock to begin the World with and let him drive never so good a Trade to increase it yâ—t must he never think to gain the whole World Were he the onely Sonne of a second Pyrrhus and the onely Nephew of another Craesus Volateran in Anthropologia and so had both their wealths to set up with And were it possible for him to use a Conscience more cauterized then the worst of Jewes in the hardest wayes of Usury And could he have an Head-peece more crafty then that of Mahomet in the mysteries of Merchandise and an Heart more Archb. Abbot of Arabia in his Descrip of the World greedy then his and Hands more violent in robbing of other Merchants in their travels And could he be more fortunate then Polycrates himself that was the very Favourite of Fortune as Herodotus hath storied it yet would it still Herodot in Thalia 78. be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a thing impossible for him to gain the whole VVorld Though Machiavels Policy and Catalines Activity and Hectors Valour with that Martial prowesse of those two Thunder-bolts of war Menelaus and Agamemnon should all meet in one man yâ—t could they never advance him to the absolute Command or Governance of the whole VVorld The greatest Monarchies of all that ever were in the world were never truly universal of all the world Indeed Nebuchad-nezzar was a mighty Monarch in Syria and Chaldea And Cyrus had vast Dominions when he had joyned the Kingdome of the Medes unto the Persians yet both their Territories had their Fronâ—iers And though the prodigious Avarice and boundlesse Ambition of Alexander the Great affected the Soveraignty of more then one whole World as Plutarch stories it of him yet could he never reduce the whole of this one World unto his Grecian Monarchy Nor could those Noble Victors Caius Julius Caesar and Octavianâ—â— Caesar Augustus subjugate the whole unto the Romane Eagle by all their notable Victories And without all controversie the sole Command of all the World is too great a Soveraignty for any one Man in the World It must needs seem a very mockery for the sullen Donns of our neighbouring Nation to sooth their Soveraign up with the fondlyaffected Title of Catholique Majesty Me thinks that ominous Ribellion of Catalonia with that fatal Revolt of Portugal without the thinking of others that led them the way or that are like to follow them might fully infeoffe them with the apprehension of that dislike which the undoubted Monarch of Heaven and Earth hath often shewn unto such generall Claims Though many and many Manarchs be the Supreme Governours in their several Monarchies yet may no Monarch in the World claime any title to the Manarchy of the whole World It is an honour belonging to God alone And mine honour saith he will I not give to any other It is He that is cloaâ—hed with Catholique Majesty It is He that is King The Lord reigneth saith the Psalmist and let the Earth rejoyce yea let the multitudes of the Isles be glad thereof Ps 97. 1. He reigns not only over one but all the Isles nor reigns He only over Isles but over the Continent too for He is King over all the Earth Ps 47. 7. It was but an Usurpation in Dariâ—s the Persian to stile himself The King of Kings And it is no lesse presumption in Rex Regum Consanguineus Deorum Q. Curtius l. 2. the Pope to aself that Title It is a Title belonging to God alone who is as S. Paul proclaimes him the blessâ—d and onely Potentate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The King of Kings and Lord of Lords 1 Tim. 6. 15. And certain it is He never made thâ— whole World for any one man Yet when any one shall prove himself the sole Heire of the Protoplast the World will give him leave to claim his Propriety in the whole But for the present the Possessions of Adam are parcelled almost into as many Particles as his Nature is into particular Persons which numerous Progeny knowes not how to acknowledge any Lord Paramoâ—nt amongst them besides that onely true God whose Throne is in the highest Heavens Nor may the Christian World acknowledge any Catholique Those that are learned know that the government of the Church is neither Popular nor Aristocratical but a Monarchie Of the Universal Church onely Christ is the head and chiefe and therefore the state of it is Monarchical c. Whitgiâ—ts Dâ—fâ—nce of the Answer to the Admonision tract 17. Commander besides our Saviour Christ who is Emmanuel God with us The God of Gods as well as Lord of Lords Yea God of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 very God of very God as the Nicene Council hath well explain'd the second Article of the Apostles Creed against the Arrian Heresie It was into lerable Pride in that Romane Prelate that first contended for the supreame Headship of the Christian World Indeed this very sin of that very Man hath plainly proved him to be that very Man of Sin that St. Paul forespake of 2 Thess 2. 3. It must needs be deemed a most hatefull inclosure for any Subject in the Kingdome of Christ to take in all the Commons of the Christian World And yâ—t alas the World Christian is a very little one a smal Manor a veâ—y little Lordship in compare with the vast dominions of the great Sultan and grand Sophie and other parts of the World not Christian But suppose a man could gain the Monarchie of the World not of the World Christian onely but of the whole World yet still the Question may be asked What is a man profited For such soveraignty would neither make him the sole Possessour nor yet the proper Owner of the whole World For still the Subjects should not onely have the Possession of but a true and just Right and Title to and Property in all their Goods Constitut 1. made at the Convocation 1640. and Estates yea and perhaps some churlish Nabals might have full-Coffers when such a Monarch might have au empty Exchequer But to put the Supposition as high as our Saviour Christ here puts it in the Text Suppose a man should gain not onely the empty Title to the World but the full possâ—ssion of the whole World yet still the Question may be asked What is a man profited For what 's the World the whole World but a Shop of vanities a