it self to be a meritorious sacrifice therfore the dignity excellencie which it hath is deriued thence As for the chalkie stony altars of the Church of Rome they are nothing els but the toyes of mans brain Christ himselfe is the only reall altar of the new testament And instead of altars which were under the lawe wee haue now the Lords table vvheron vve celebrate the sacraments of his body and blood to shew forth his death till he come The 4. point is concerning the time of Christs oblation which he himselfe calleth the acceptable yere of the Lord alluding unto another yere under the lavve called the yeere Iubile vvhich was every 50. yere amoÌ„g the Iewes in which at the sound of a trumpet all that had set or sold their possessions receiued them againe all that were bondmen were then set at libertie This Iubile was but a figure of that perfect deliveraÌ„ce which vvas to be attained by Christs passioÌ„ which was no temporarie deliverance for euery 50. yere but an eternal freedome from the bondage of sinne hell death condemnation And the preaching of the worde is the trumpet sounded which proclaimeth unto us freedome froÌ„ the kingdome of darkenesse invites us to come dvvell in perfect peace vvith Christ himselfe Well if the yeere of perpetuall Iubile be novv come in what a vvreâ—ched estate are all our loose blind people that esteem nothing of that libertie vvhich is offered to them but choose rather to liue in their sinnes and so in bondage under Satan condemnation then to be at freedome in Christ. Novv follovv the uses vvhich are to be made of the sacrifice of Christ. The prophet Aggai saith that the second temple built by Zorubbabell vvas nothing in beautie unto the first vvhich was built by Salomon and the reason is plaine for it vvanted five things vvhich the first temple had I. the appearing of the presence of God at the mercie seat betweene the two Cherubims II. The Vrim and Thummim on the breast-plate of the high Priest III. The inspiration of the holy Ghost vpon extraordinarie Prophets IV. The Arke of the Covenant for that was lost in the captiuitie V. Fire from heauen to burne the sacrifices Yet for all this the Prophet afterward saith The glorie of the last House shall be greater then the first Now it may be demaunded how both these sayings can stand together Answer We are to know that the second Temple was standing in the time when Christ was crucified for our sinnes and it was the sacrifice of Christ which gaue glorie and dignitie to the second temple though otherwise for building and outward ornaments it was farre inferiour to the first And by this we are taught that if we would bring glorie vnto our owne selues vnto our houses and kindred either before God or before men we must labour to be partakers of the sacrifice of Christ and the sprinkling of his blood to purge our hearts This is the thing that brings renowne both to place and person how base soeuer we be in the eyes of the world Secondly all oblations and meate offerings were sprinkled with salt and euery sacrifice of propitiation which was to be burned to ashes was first salted and hereby two things were signified The first that euery one of vs in our selues are loathsome or vile in the sight of God like vnto stinking carrion or raw-flesh kept long vnpoudered A dead and rotten carkeise is loathsome vnto vs but we in our selues are a thousand times more loathsome vnto God The second that we are as it were salted and made sauorie and acceptable to God by the vertue of the sacrifice of Christ vpon the crosse Our dutie theÌ„ is to labour that we may feele in our selues the biting and sharpnes of the oblation of Christ to wast coÌ„sume the superfluities of sinne and the corruptions of our natures And we must withall indeauour that the whole course of our liues and our speach it selfe be gratious and poudred with this salt least God at length spue vs out of his mouth To this end hath God appointed his ministers to be the salt of the earth that by their ministerie they might applie the death of Christ and season the people And it hath pleased God to besprinkle this land with more plentie of this salt then hath beene heretofore But alas small is the number of them that giue any rellish of their good seasoning The more lamentable is their case For as flesh that can not be seasoned with salt putrifies so men that cannot be sweetned and changed by the sacrifice of Christ doe rotte and perish in their sinnes The waters that issued from vnder the threshold of the Sanctuarie when they came into the dead sea the waters thereof were holsome but myrie places and marishes which could not be seasoned were made salt-pits Now these waters are the preaching of the Gospell of Christ which flowing through all the parts of this Ile if it doe not season and chaunge our nation it shall make it as places of nettles and salt-pits and at length be an occasion of the eternall curse of God Thirdly Christs priesthoode serues to make euery one of vs also to be priests And being priests we must likewise haue our sacrifice and our altar Our sacrifice is the cleane offering which is the lifting vp of pure hands to God without wrath or doubting in our praiers also our bodies and soules our hearts and affections the workes of our liues and the works of our callings all which must be dedicated to the seruice of God for his glorie and the good of his Church The altar whereon wee must offer our sacrifice is Christ our redeemer both God and man because by the vertue of his death as with sweet odours he perfumes all our obedience and makes it acceptable to God The ministers of the Gospell are also in this manner priests as Paul insinuateth when he calleth the Gentiles his offering vnto God And the preaching of the word is as it were a sacrificing knife whereby the old Adam must be killed in vs and we made an holy and acceptable sweete smelling oblation vnto God sanctified by the holy Ghost Therefore euery one that heareth Gods worde preached and taught must endeauour that by the profitable hearing thereof his sinnes and whole nature may be subdued and killed as the beast was slaine and sacrificed vpon the altar by the hand of the Leuite Lastly the exhortation of the holy Ghost must here be considered Seeing saith he we haue an high Priest which is ouer the house of God let vs draw neere with a true heart in assurance of faith sprinkled in our hearts from an euill conscience and washed in our bodies with pure water the meaning of the words is this that if Christ haue offered such a sacrifice of such value and price which procureth pardon of sinne
the cause therof being unknown not simply but in respect of man therefore in regarde of meÌ„ which know not the reason of things we may say there is chance so the spirit of God speaketh Time and chance coÌ„meth to them all And againe By chance there came down a priest the same way Now this kind of chaÌ„ce is not against the prouideÌ„ce of god but is ordered by it For things which in regard of men are casuall are certenly known determined by god Mere chance is wheÌ„ things are said or thought to come to passe without any cause at all But that must be abhorred of us as ouerturning the providence of God Thus seeing it is plain that there is a provideÌ„ce let us in the next place see what it is ProuideÌ„ce is a most free powerful actioÌ„ of god wherby he hath care ouer al things that are Prouidence hath 2. partes knowledge gouernment Gods knowledge is whereby all things from the greatest to the least are manifest before him at all times As David saith His eyes vvill consider his eye lâ—ddes vvill trie the children of men And againe Hee abaseth himselfe to beholde the things that are in the heaven and the earth And the Prophet Hanani said to Asa The eyes of the Lorde behold all the earth And S. Iames saith From the beginning of the vvorlde God knoweth all his workes This pointe hath a double use First as S. Peter saieth it must mooue us to eschew evill and doe good why Because saith he the eyes of the Lorde are upon the iust and his covntenance against evill doers Secondly it must comfort all those that labour to keepe a good conscience For the eyes of God beholde all the earth to shew himselfe strong with them that are of perfect heart tovvardes him Gouernment is the seconde parte of Gods providence whereby he ordereth all things and directeth them to good ends And it must be extended to the verie least thing that is in heauen or earth as to the sparrowes and to oxen and the haires of our heads And here we must consider 2. things the maner of gouernment and the meanes The maner of gouernment is diuers according as things are good or euill A good thing is that which is approoued of God As first of all the substances of all creatures euen of the deuils themselues in whome whatsoeuer is remaining since their creation is in it selfe good Secondly the quantities qualities motions actions and inclinations of the creatures in themselues considered with all their euents are good Againe good is either naturall or morall Naturall which is created by God for the lawfull use of man Morall which is agreeable to the eternall and unchangeable wisdome of God revealed in the morall law Now God gouerneth all good things two waies First by sustaining and preseruing them that they decay not secondly by moouing them that they may attaine to the particular ends for which they were seuerally ordeined for the qualities and vertues which were placed in the Sunne Moone Starres trees plantes seedes c. would be dead in them and be unprofitable unlesse they vvere not only preserued but also stirred up and quickened by the power of God so oft as he imployes them to any use Euill is the destruction of nature and it is taken for sinne or for the punishment of sinne Now sinne is gouerned of God by two actions the first is an operative permission I so call it because god partly permitteth sinne and partly worketh in it For sinne as it is commonly taken hath two parts the subiect or matter and the fourme of sinne the subiect of sinne is a certaine qualitie or action the forme is the anomie or transgression of Gods law The first is good in it selfe and euery qualitie or action so farre forth as it is a qualitie or action is existing in nature and hath God to be the authour of it Therefore sinne though it be sufficiently euill to eternall damnatioÌ„ yet can it not be said to be absolutely euill as God is absolutely good because the subiect of it is good and therefore it hath in it respectes and regardes of goodnesse In respect of the second that is the breach of the lawe it selfe God neither willeth nor appointeth nor commaundeth nor causeth nor helpeth sinne but forbiddeth condemneth and punisheth it yet so as by withall he willingly permitteth it to be done by others as men and wicked angels they being the sole authors causes of it And this permission by God is vpon a good ende because thereby he manifesteth his iustice and mercie Thus it appeares that in originall sinne the naturall inclination of the mind will and affections in it selfe considered is froÌ„ God and the ataxie or corruption of the inclination in no wise from him but onely permitted and that in actuall sinne the motion of the bodie or mind is from God but the euilnes disorder of the motion is not froÌ„ him but freely permitted to be done by others As for exaÌ„ple in the act of murder the actions of moouing the whole bodie of stirring the seuerall ioyntes and the fetching of the blowe whereby the man is slaine is from God for in him we liue mooue haue our being but the disposing applying of all these actions to this end that our neighbors life may be taken away we thereby take reuenge upon him is not froÌ„ God but from vvicked men and the deuill Gods second action in the gouernment of sinne is after the iust permission of it partly to restraine it more or lesse according to his good will and pleasure and partly to dispose and turne it against the nature thereof to the glorie of his owne name to the punishment of his enemies to the correcting and chastisement of his elect As for the second kind of evill called the punishment of sinne it is the execution of iustice and hath God to be the authour of it And in this respect Esai saith that God createth evill and Amos that there is no evill in the citie which the Lord hath not done And God as a most iust iudge may punish sinne by sinne himselfe in the meane season free from all sinne And thus the places must be understood in which it is said that God giueth kings in his wrath hardeneth the heart blindeth the eyes mingleth the spirit of errours giueth up men to a reprobate sense sends strange illusions to beleeue lies sends euill spirits giuing them coÌ„mandement to hurt and leaue to deceiue c. Thus hauing seene in what manner God gouerneth all things let vs nowe come to the meanes of gouernment Sometimes God worketh without meanes thus he created all things in the beginning and he made trees plants to grow and florish without the heate of the sunne or raine sometimes he gouernes according to the usuall course order of nature as when he preserues our liues
had they then any neede of faith in the same God as he is Messias but this faith is a new grace of God added to regeneration after the fal first required in the couenant of grace And by this faith differeth from the rest of the gifts of God as the feare of God the loue of God the loue of our brethren c. for these were in mans nature before the fall and after it they are but renewed but iustifying faith admits no renewing For the first in grafting of it into the heart is in the conuersion of a sinner after his fall The place and seat of faith as I thinke is the minde of man not the will for it stands in a kinde of particular knowledge or perswasion and there is no perswasion but in the minde Paul saith indeede that we beleeue with the heart Rom. 10. but by the heart he vnderstands the whole soule without any limitation Some doe place faith partly in the minde and partly in the will because it hath two parts knowledge and affiance but it doth not stand greatly with reason that one particular and single grace should be seated into diuerse parts of the soule The forme of faith is to apprehend the promises Gal. 3.14 that we might receiue the promise of the spirite through faith and Iohn 1.12 to receiue Christ and to beleeue are put one for another and to beleeue is to eate and drinke the bodie and bloud of Christ. To apprehend properly is an action of the hand which laies hold of a thing and puls it to it and by resemblance it agrees to faith which is the hand of the soule receiuing and applying the sauing promise This apprehension of faith is not performed by any affection of the will but by a sound and particular perswasion whereby a man is resolued that the promise of saluation belongs vnto him Which perswasion is wrought in the mind by the holy Ghost 1. Corint 2.12 And by this the promise which is generall is applied particularly to one subiect By this sauing faith differeth from all other kinds of faith From historicall for it wanteth all apprehension standeth onely in a generall assent From temporarie faith which though it make a man to professe the Gospel and to reioyce in it yet doth it not throughly applie Christ with his benefits For it neuer brings with it any thorough touch of conscience or liuely sense of Gods grace in the heart And the same may be said of the rest The principal and maine obiect of this faith is the sauing promise God so loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten sonne that whosoeuer beleeues in him shall not perish but haue euerlasting life But some will say Christ is commonly said to be the obiect of faith Answ. In effect it is all one to say the sauing promise and Christ promised who is the substance of the couenant Christ then as he is set forth vnto vs in the word and sacraments is the obiect of faith And here certaine questions offer themselues to be skanned The first What is that particular thing which faith apprehendeth Answ. Faith apprehendeth whole Christ God and man For his Godhead without his manhoode and his manhood without his Godhead doth not reconcile vs to God Yet this which I say must be conceiued with some distinction according to the difference of his two natures His Godhead is apprehended not in respect of his essence or nature but in respect of his efficacie manifested in the māhoode his manhood both in respect of the substance it selfe and also in respect of the efficacie and benefits thereof The second In what order faith apprehēds Christ Ans. First of all it apprehends the very body blood of Christ secondly the vertue benefits of his bodie and blood as a man that would feele in his bodie the vertue of meate and drinke must first of all receiue the substance thereof To go forward Besides the mayn promise which cōcernes righteousnes life in Christ there be other particular promises touching strēgth in temptatiōs cōfort in afflictiōs such like which depēd on the former they also are the obiect of iustifying faith with the very same faith we beleue thē wherwith we beleeue our saluatiō Thus Abrahā by the same faith wherwith he was iustified beleued that he shold haue a son in his old age Rō 4.19.22 And Noe by that faith wherby he was made heire of righteousnes beleeued that he his family should be preserued in the flood And hereupō it comes to passe that in our praiers besides the desire of things promised we must bring faith whereby we must be perswaded that God will graunt vs such things as he hath promised and this faith is not a new kinde or distinct faith from iustifying faith Thus we see what sauing faith is Whereas some are of opiniō that faith is an affiāce or cōfidence that seems to be otherwise for it is a fruit of faith indeede no man can put any confidence in God till he be first of all perswaded of Gods mercy in Christ towards him Some again are of mind that loue is the very nature and forme of faith but it is otherwise For as cōfidence in God so also loue is an effect which proceeds frō faith 1. Tim. 1.5 The end of the law is loue frō a pure heart and good conscience faith vnfained And in nature they differ greatly Christ is the fountain of the waters of life Faith in the heart is as the pipes ledds that receiue in hold the water loue in some part is as the cocke of the cōduit that lets out the water to euery cōmer The property of the hād is to hold of it self it cānot cut yet by a knife or other instrumēt put into the hād it cuts the hād of the soule is faith his property is to apprehend Christ with al his benefits by it self it cā do nothing els yet ioyn loue to it by loue it wilbe effectual in al good duties Now to proceed further first we are to cōsider how faith is wrought 2. what be the differēces of it For the first faith is wrought in by the outward ministery of the gospel accōpanied by the inward operatiō of the spirit that not suddēly but by certē steps degrees as nature frameth the body of the infant in the mothers wombe 1. by making the brain and heart 2. by making veines sinewes arteries bones 3. by adding flesh to them al. And the whole operation of the spirit stands in two principall actions First the enlightening of the minde the second the moouing of the will For the first the holy Ghost enlightens mens mindes with a further knowledge of the lawe then nature can afoard and thereby makes them to see the sinnes of their hearts and liues with the ouglines thereof and withall to tremble at the curse of the lawe Afterward
some may say wherein standes our vnbeleefe Answer It standes in two thinges I. In distrusting the goodnesse of God that is in giuing to little or no affiance to him or in putting affiance in the creature For the first fewe men will abide to be told of there distrust in God but in deede it is a common and rife corruption and though they soothe themselues neuer so yet their vsuall dealings proclaime their vnbeleefe Goe thorough all places it shall be founde that scarce one of a thousand in his dealings makes conscience of a lie a great part of men gets their wealth by fraud and oppression and all kinde of vniust and vnmercifull dealing VVhat is the cause that they can doe so Alas alas if there be any faith it is pinned vp in some by-corner of the heart and vnbeleefe beares sway as the lorde of the house Againe if a man had as much wealth as the world comes to he could finde in his heart to wish for an other and if he had two worldes he would be casting for the thirde if it might be compassed the cause hereof is men haue not learned to make God their portion and to stay their affections on him which if they could doe a meane portion in temporall blessings would be enough Such men will not yeilde that they doe indeede distrust the Lord vnlesse at some time they be touched in conscience vvith a sense of their sinnes and be thoroughly humbled for the same but indeede distrust of Gods goodnesse is a generall and a mother sinne the ground of all other sinnes and the very first and principall sinne in Adams fall And for the second part of vnbeleefe which is an affiance in the creature reade the whole booke of God and we shall finde it a common sinne in all sorts of men some putting their trust in riches some in strength some in pleasures some placing their felicitie in one sinne some in an other VVhen King Asa was sicke he put his trust in the Phisitians and not in the Lorde And in our daies the common practise is when crosses and calamities fall then there is trotting out to that wise man to this cunning woman to this sorcerer to that wisard that is from God to the deuill and their counsell is receiued and practised without any bones making And this shewes the bitter roote of vnbeleefe and confidence in vaine creatures let men smoothe it ouer with goodly tearmes as long as they will In a worde there is no man in the worlde be hee called or not called if he looke narrowly vnto himselfe hee shall finde his heart almost filled with manifolde doubtings and distrustings whereby hee shall feele him selfe euen carried away from beleeuing in God Therefore the duetie of euery man is that vvill truely say that hee beleeues in God to labour to see his owne vnbeleefe and the fruits thereof in his life As for such as say they haue no vnbeleefe nor feele none more pitifull is their case For so much the greater is their vnbeleefe Secondly considering that wee professe our selues to beleeue in God wee must euery one of vs learne to knowe God As Paul saith Hovv can they beleeue in him of vvhome they have not heard and hovve can they heare vvithout a preacher therefore none can beleeue in God but hee must first of all heare and be taught by the ministerie of the word to know God aright Let this be remembred of young and olde It is not the pattering ouer of the beleefe for a prayer that will make a man a good beleeuer but God must be knowne of vs and acknowledged as hee hath reuealed him selfe partly in his worde and partly in his creatures Blinde ignorance and the right vse of the Apostles Creede will neuer stande together Therefore it stands men in hande to labour and takes paines to get knowledge in religion that knowing God aright they may come steadfastly to beleeue in him Thirdly because wee beleeue in God therefore another duetie is to denie our selues vtterly and to become nothing in our selues Our Sauiour Christ requires of vs to become as little children if wee would beleeue The begger dependes not on the releefe of others till he finde nothing at home and till our hearts be purged of selfe-loue and pride wee can not depende on the fauour and goodnes of God Therefore he that would trust in God must first of all be abased and confounded in him selfe and in regard of him selfe be out of all hope of attaining to the least sparke of the grace of God Fourthly in that we beleeue in God and therefore put our whole trust and assurance in him wee are taught that euery man must commit his bodie his soule goods life yea all that hee hath into the handes of God and to his custodie So Paul saith I am not ashamed of my sufferings for I knowe whome I haue beleeued and am perswaded that he is able to keepe that which I haue committed vnto him against that day A worthie saying for what is the thing which Paul committed vnto the Lorde surely his owne soule and the eternall saluation thereof But what mooues him to trust God surely his perswasion whereby hee knowes that God will keepe it And Peter saith Let them that suffer according to the vvill of God commit their soules to him in well doing as vnto a faithfull creatour Looke as one friende layeth dovvne a thing to be kept of another so must a man giue all that hee hath to the custodie of God Fevve or none can practise this and therefore vvhen any euill befalls them eyther in bodie or in goods or any other vvay then they shewe them selues rather beastes then men in impatience For in prosperitie they vvoulde not trust in God and therefore in aduersitie vvhen crosses come they are voyde of comfort But when a man hath grace to beleeue and trust in God then hee commits all into Gods handes and though all the worlde should perish yet hee would not be dismaide And vndoubtedly if a man will be thankefull for the preseruation of his goods or of his life hee must shewe the same by committing all he hath into Gods handes and suffer him selfe to be ruled by him Nowe followes the consolations and comforts which Gods Church and children reape hereby First he that beleeues in God and takes God for his God may assure him selfe of saluation and of a happie deliuerance in all daungers and necessities When God threatned a plague vpon Israel for their idolatrie good king Iosiah humbled him selfe before the Lorde and he was safe all his daies And so King Hezekiah when Senacherib the king of Ashur offered to inuade Iudah he trusted in the Lorde and praied vnto him and was deliuered VVhereby we see if a man trust in God he shall haue securitie and quietnesse as Iehosaphat saide to the men of Iudah And our Sauiour Christ when he was
Lorde is eternall and this thirde heauen hath alwaies beene the place of the Lords abode and therefore it is also eternall Ansvver True it is that God doeth shewe his glorie and maiestie in the thirde heauen but yet that cannot obtaine his godhead as Salomon saith Beholde the heavens and the heavens of heavens are not able to containe thee Wherefore though God doeth manifest his eternall glorie in this thirde heauen yet it doeth not follow that therefore it shoulde be eternall for he needes no place to dvvell in for hee is every where filling all things with his presence excluded from no place The seconde question where this thirde heauen is Ansvvere There are some protestants say it is euery where and they hold this opinion to maintaine the reall presence of the Lordes body in or about the Sacrament But if it vvere euery where then hell shoulde be in heauen which no man will say but heauen indeed is aboue these visible heauens which we see with our eyes so the Apostle saith Christ ascended on high farre above all heauens c. And againe it is saide of Steven that beeing full of the holy ghost He looked up steadfastly into the heauens and sawe them open and the sonne of man standing at the right hand of God Thirdly it may be demanded why God created this thirde heauen Ansvver God made it for this cause that there might be a certaine place wherein he might make manifest his glorie and maiestie to his elect angels and men for the which cause it was created a thousand folde more glorious then the two former heavens are in which respect it is called Paradise by reason of the ioy and pleasure arising from Gods glorious presence And our Sauiour Christ calleth it the house of God his father because into it must be gathered all Gods children It is called the kingdome of heaven because God is the King thereof and ruleth there in perfect glorie True it is God hath his kingdome here on earth but he ruleth not so fully and gloriously here as hee shall in heauen for this is the kingdome of grace but that is the kingdome of his glorie where he so reigneth that he will be all in all first in Christ and then in the elect both Angels and men Now followes the duties wherunto we are moved principally in consideration of the making of the third heauen First if God created it especially for the manifestation of his glorie unto men that at the ende of this world by the fruition of Gods most glorious presence there they might haue perfect ioye and felicitie wee haue occasion here to consider the wonderfull madnesse of the vvorlde that reigneth euery where among men which onely haue regarde to the state of this life and cast all their care on this world and neuer so much as dreame of the ioyfull and blessed estate which is prepared for Gods children in the highest heauen If a man hauing two houses one but a homely cottage and the other a princely pallace should leaue the better and take all the care and paines for the dressing up of the first would not euerie man say he were a mad man yes undoubtedly And yet this is the spirituall madnesse that reigneth euery where among men for God hath prepared for us two houses one is this our bodie which we beare about us which is an house of clay as Iob saith VVee dvvell in houses of clay whose foundation is dust which shall be destroyed before the moth and as Peter saith a Tabernacle or tent which wee must shortly take downe and wherein we abide but as pilgrimes and strangers Againe the same God of his wonderfull goodnesse hath provided for us a second house in the third heauen wherein we must not abide for a time and so depart but for euermore enioy the blessed felicitie of his glorious presence For all this marke a spirituall phrensie possessing the mindes of men for they imploy all their care and industrie for the maintaining of this house of claye whose foundation is but dust but for the blessed estate of the second house which is prepared for them in the kingdome of heauen they haue no regarde or care They vvill both runne and ride from place to place day and night both by Sea and lande but for vvhat Is it for the preparing of a mansion place in the heauenly Ierusalem Nothing lesse for they will scarse goe forth of the doore to use any meanes whereby they may come unto it but all their studie is to patch vp the ruines and breaches of their earthly cabbine Now let all men iudge in their owne consciences whether as I haue saide this be not more then senselesse madnesse Againe the body is but a tabernacle wherein we must rest as it were for a night as a stranger doeth in an Inne and so away but the second house is eternall in the heavens an everlasting seate of all felicitie And therefore our dutie is aboue all things to seeke the kingdome of heauen and the righteousnesse thereof as Christ himselfe biddeth us And if the Lorde haue there prepared such a place for vs then wee must in this worlde use all good meanes whereby we may be made worthy the fruition of it also fitte and ready at the day of death to enter into it which at the day of iudgement we shall fully possesse both in soule and body and there reigne eternally in all happinesse with God Almightie our creatour the father the sonne and the holy ghost But some may say how shall a man so prepare himselfe that he may be fitte for that place Ansvver This the holy ghost teacheth us for speaking of this heauenly Ierusalem hee saith There shall enter into it none uncleane thing neither whatsoever vvorketh abomination or lyes The meanes then to make our selues fitte is to seeke to be reconciled to God in Christ for our sinnes past and withall to indeauour to haue an assurance of the free remission and pardon of them all in the blood of Christ. And as touching that part of life which is to come wee must remember what S. Iohn saith Euery one that hath this hope purifieth himselfe meaning that he which hath hope to reigne with Christ in heauen vseth the meanes whereby he may purifie and keepe himselfe from sinne as also he saith after that he which is borne of God keepeth himselfe and the wicked one toucheth him not Signifying that all such persons as are truly iustified and sanctified carrie such a narrowe and straite watch ouer the whole course of their liues and conuersations that the deuill can neuer giue them deadlie wounds and wholly ouercome them Now the man that is resolued in his conscience of the pardon of his sinne for the time past and hath a steadfast purpose in his heart to keepe himselfe upright and continually to walke in righteousnesse and true holinesse all the daies
angel had slaine him VVhereby it appeares that when we rush on into the practise of any sinne we doe as much as in vs lieth to cause God to send downe his iudgements vpon vs for our sinnes and that by the ministerie of his angels Secondly we are taught another lesson by Christ himselfe See saith he that you despise not one of these little ones now marke his reason for I say vnto you that in heauen their Angels doe alwaies behold the face of my father By little ones he meaneth young infants which are within the couenant or others which are like to young infants in simplicitie and innocencie of life and humilitie And Christ will not haue them to be despised A duetie very needefull to be stoode vpon in these times For now adaies if a man carrie but a shewe of humilitie of good conscience and of the feare of God he is accoūted but a sillie fellow he is hated mocked despised on euery hand But this ought not to be so For him whome God honoureth with the protection of his good angels why should any mortall man despise And it stands mockers and scorners in hand to take heede whome they mock For though men for their parts put vp many abuses and iniuries yet their angels may take iust reuenge by smiting them with plagues and punishments for their offences Thirdly seeing angels are about vs serue for the good of men we must doe whatsoeuer we doe in reuerent and seemely manner as Paul giues counsell to the Philippians Brethren saith he whatsoeuer things are true whatsoeuer things are honest iust pure and pertaine to loue of good report if there be any vertue if there be any praise thinke on these things many men doe all their affaires orderly for auoiding shame but we must do the same vpon a further ground namely because Gods holy angels wait on vs. And considering that men haue care to behaue themselues well when they are before men what a shame is it for a man to behaue himselfe vnseemely either in open or in secret he then beeing before the glorious angels Paul saith that the woman ought to haue power on her head because of the Angels that is not onely the ministers of the Church but Gods heauenly angels which daily wait vpon his children and guard them in all their waies Fourthly this must teach vs modestie and humilitie for the angels of God are very notable and excellent creatures and therefore they are called in the Psalmes Elohim gods yet how excellent so euer they be they abase themselues to become guardiens and keepers vnto sinneful men Nowe if the angels doe so abase themselues then much more ought euery man to abase and humble himselfe in modestie and humilitie before God and what so euer our calling is we must not be puffed vp but be content This is a necessarie dutie for all but especially for those which are in the schooles of the Prophets whatsoeuer their gifts or birth be they must not thinke themselues too good for the calling of the ministerie And if God haue called vs thereunto wee must be content to become seruants vnto all in the matter of saluatiō though the mē be neuer so base or simple for no mā doth so farre excell the basest person in the world as the glorious angels of God doe exceede the most excellent man that is therefore seeing they vouchsafe to become seruants vnto vs we must not think our selues to good to serue our poore brethren And thus much of the duties Nowe follow the consolations that arise from this that God hath giuen his glorious angels to serue for the protection safegard of his Church and people If mens spirituall eyes were open they should see the deuill and his angels and all the wicked of this world to fight against them and if there were no meanes of comfort in this case then our estate were most miserable But marke as Gods seruant hath all these wicked ones to be his enemies so he hath garrisons of angels that pitch their tents about him and defend him from them all So Dauid saith He shall giue his Angels charge ouer thee and they shall keepe thee in all thy waies that thou dash not thy foote against a stone where the Angels of God are compared to nurces which carie litle children in their armes feede them and are alwaies readie at hand to saue them from falls and many other dangers When the king of Syria sent his horses chariots to take Elisha the Lords prophet because he reuealed his counsell to the king of Israel his seruant saw them round about Dothan where he was and he cried Alas master what shall we doe then Elisha answeared Feare not for they that be with vs are more then they that be with them and he besought the Lord to open his seruants eyes that he might see the Lord opened his eyes he looked behold the mountains were full of horses and charriots of fire round about Elisha So likewise not many yeares agoe our land was preserued from the inuasion of the Spainyards whose huge Navie lay vpon our sea coasts but how were we deliuered from them surely by no strength nor power nor cunning of man but it was the Lord no doubt by his Angels that did keepe our coasts and did scatter our enemies and drowne them Let enemies rage and let them doe what they will if a man keepe himselfe in the waies which God prescribeth he hath gods angels to guide and preserue him which thing must mooue men to loue and imbrace the true religiō to cōforme thēselues in all good conscience to the rule of Gods word For when a man doth not so all the angels of God are his enemies and at all times readie to execute Gods vengeance vpon him but when mē carrie themselues as dutifull children to God they haue this prerogatiue that Gods holy Angels doe watch about them and defend them day and night from the power of their enemies euen in common calamities and miseries Before God sends his iudgements on Ierusalem an angel is sent to marke them in the foreheads that mourne for the abominations of the people And this priuiledge none can haue but he whose heart is sprinkled with the blood of Christ and that man shall haue it vnto the end And thus much of the creation of Angels Nowe it followes to speake of the creation of Man wherein we must cōsider 2. things I. the points of doctrine II. the vses For the points of doctrine First Man was created and framed by the hand of God and made after the image of God for Moses brings in the Lord speaking thus Let vs make man in our image c. in the image of God created he them which also must be vnderstood of Angels The image of God is nothing els but a conformitie of man vnto God whereby man is holy as God
downe froÌ„ the pinacle of the teÌ„ple to the ground wheras there was an ordinarie vvay at hand to descend by staires Hence it appeares that such persons as vvill use no means vvherby they may come to repent beleeue do indeed no more repent beleeue then they caÌ„ be able to liue vvhich neither eat nor drink And thus much of the duties Novv follovv the coÌ„solatioÌ„s first this very point of gods special prouideÌ„ce is a great coÌ„fort to gods church for the lord moderateth the rage of the deuill and wicked men that they shall not hurt the people of God Dauid saieth The Lorde is at my right hand therefore I shall not 〈◊〉 And when Iosephs breethren were afraide for selling him into Egypt hee comforteth them saying that it was God that sent him before them for their preseruation So king Dauid when his owne souldiers were purposed to stone him to death hee was in great sorrow but it is said hee comforted himselfe in the Lord his God where we may see that a maÌ„ which hath grace to beleue in God and rely on his prouidence in all his afflictions extremitie shall haue wonderfull peace and consolation Before we can proceede to the articles vvhich followe it is requisite that we should intreate of one of the greatest workes of Gods prouidence that can be because the opening of it giueth light to all that insueth And this worke is a Preparation of such meanes vvhereby God will manifest his iustice and mercie It hath tvvo partes the iust permission of the fall of man and the giuing of the couenant of grace For so Paul teacheth when hee saith That God shut up all under unbeliefe that he might have vpon al. And againe The scripture hath concluded all under sinne that the promise by the faith of Christ Iesus should be given to them that beleeue Touching the first that wee may rightly conceiue of mans fall we are to search out the nature and parts of sinne Sinne is any thing whatsoeuer is against the will and vvord of God as S. Iohn saith Sinne is the transgression of the law And this definition Paul confirmeth when he saith that by the lavv comes the knowledge of sinne and where no lavve is there is no transgression and sinne is not imputed where there is no law In sinne wee must consider three things the fault the guilt the punishment The fault is the anomie or the inobedience it selfe and it comprehends not onely huge and notorious offences as idolatrie blasphemie theft treason adulterie and all other crimes that the world cries shaâ—e on but euery disordered thought affection inclination yea every defect of that which the Law requireth The guilte of sinne is whereby a man is guiltie before God that is bound and made subiect to punishment And here two questions must be skanned where man is bound and by what For the first Man is bounde in conscience And hereupon the conscience of every sinner sits within his heart as a little iudge to tell him that hee is bound before God to punishment For the second it is the order of diuine iustice â—et downe by God which bindes the conscience of the sinner before God for hee is Creatour and Lorde and man is a creature and therefore must either obey his will and commandement or suffer punishment Now then by vertue of Gods law conscience bindes over the creature to beare a punishment for his offence done against God yea it tels him that hee is in daunger to be iudged and condemned for it And therefore the conscience is the Lordes Sergeant to infourme the sinner of the bonde and obligation whereby he is alwaies bounde before God The third thing which followeth sinne is punishment and that is death So Paul saieth The stipend of sinne is death where by death we must understand a double death both of body and soule The death of the bodie is a separation of the bodie from the soule The second death is a separation of the whole man but especially of the soule from the glorious presence of God I say not simply from the presence of God for god is euerie where but onely from the ioyfull presence of Gods glorie Now these two deaths are the stipends or allowance of sinne and the least sinne which a man committeth doth deserue these two punishments For in euerie sinne the infinite iustice of god is violated for which cause there must needs be inflicted an infinite punishment that there may be a proportion betweene the punishment and the offence And therefore that distinction of sinne which papistes make namely that some are in themselues veniall and some mortall is false hereby confuted otherwise in respect of men sinnes are either veniall or mortall Veniall to the elect whose sinnes are pardonable in Christ but to the reprobate all sinnes are mortall Neuerthelesse we holde not all sinnes equall but that they are greater or lesse according to the diuersitie of obiectes and other circumstances Thus much of sinne in generall now we come to the partes of it The first sinne of all that euer was in man is the sinne of Adam which was his disobedience in eating the forbidden fruite In handling whereof sundrie pointes are to be opened but let us beginne with the causes therof The outward efficient cause was the deuill And though he be not named by Moses in the historie of the fall yet that is not to trouble us for we must not conceiue otherwise of the serpent then of the instrument and mouth of the deuill For it is not likely that it being a bruite creature should be able to reason and determine of good and euill of trueth and falshood Now in this temptation the deuill shewes his mallice and his fraude His malice in that whereas hee can not ouerturne god himselfe yet he labours to disturbe the order which he hath set downe in the creation especially the image of god in the most excellent creatures on earth that they may be in the same miserable condition with himselfe His fraud first in that hee beginnes his temptation with the woman being the weaker person and not with the man which course hee still continues as may appeare by this that more women are intangled vvith witchcraft and sorcerie then men Secondly he shevves his fraude in that he proceedes very slily and intangles Eue by certaine steppes and degrees For first by moouing a question he drawes her to listen to him and to reason with him of gods commaundement Secondly he brings her to looke upon the tree and wishly to vievve the beautie of the fruite Thirdly hee makes her to doubt of the absolute trueth of gods worde and promise and to beleeue his contrarie lies Fourthly hauing blinded her minde vvith his false persvvasions shee desires and lustes after the forbidden fruite and thereupon takes it eates it giues it to her husband The invvarde cause was the vvill of our
must not imagine it to be an inclination or prones to one or two faults but a prones to all and euery sinne that is practised in the world and that in all persons yong and old high and low male and female It is a most horrible villanie for a man to kill his father or his mother or his child yet some there be that doe so at the hearing whereof we vse to wonder and to testifie our dislike by saying that the doers thereof were wicked diuelish persons and it is truly saide Neuerthelesse we must vnderstand that although we abstaine from such hainous practises yet the very root of such sinnes that is a disposition vnto them is found in vs also Iulian the Apostata both liuing and dying blasphemed Christ. Herod and Pontius Pilate the wicked Iewes crucified him and Iudas betraied him Men vse to say that if Christ were now aliue they would not doe so for all the world But let vs better consider of the matter The same naturall corruption of heart that was in theÌ„ is also in vs we being the childreÌ„ of Adam as well as they and by the force of this corruption if Christ were now liuing on earth thou wouldest if like occasion were offered either doe as Iudas did in betraying him or as Pilate did deliuer him to be crucified or as the souldiers thrust him through with their speares or as Iulian pierce him with all maner of blasphemies if God withhild his graces from thee and leaue thee to thy selfe In a word let men conceiue in minde the most notorious trespasse that can be though they doe it not nor intend to doe it nor neuer doe it yet the matter beginning and seed thereof is in themselues This made Ieremie say The heart of man is deceitfull and wicked aboue all things who can know it It is like an huge sea the bankes whereof cannot be seene nor the bottome searched In common experience we see it come to passe that men protestants to day to morrowe papists of Christians heretikes nowe friends but presently after foes this day honest and ciuill men the next day cruell murderers Now what is the cause of this difference surely the hidden corruption of the heart that will thrust a man forward to any sinne when occasion is offered This point must be remembred and often thought vpon From originall sinne springeth actuall which is nothing els but the fruit of the corrupt heart either in thought word or deede Thus much touching mans fall into sinne by Gods iust permission Nowe followes the good vse which we must make thereof First by this we learne to acknowledge bewaile our owne frailtie For Adam in his innocencie beeing created perfectly righteous when hee was once tempted by the deuill fell away from God what shal vve doe then in the like case vvhich are by nature sold vnder sinne in our selues a thousand times weaker then Adam vvas Many men there be that mingle themselues with all companies tell them of the danger thereof they vvill reply that they haue such strong faith that no bad companie can hurt theÌ„ But alas silly people Satan bevvitcheth them and makes them to beleeue falshood to be truth they knovve not their miserable estate If Adam saith Bernard had a dovvnefall in Paradise vvhat shall vve doe that are cast foorth vpon the dunghil Let vs therefore often come to a serious consideration of our ovvne vveaknes and follovv vvithall the practise of Dauid vvho being priuie to himselfe touching his ovvne corruption praieth to God on this manner Knit my heart to thee O Lord that I may feare thy name Secondly vve learne hereby absolutely to submit our selues to the authoritie of God and simply to resolue our selues what soeuer he commaÌ„ds is right and iust though the reason of it be not known to vs. For Eve condiscended to listen to the speach of the serpent and without any calling shee reasoned with it of a most vâ—â—ightie matter and that in the absence of Adam her head husband namely of the truth and glorie of God hereby was brought to doubt of Gods vvord so ouerturned Thirdly if all men by Adams fal be shut vp vnder daÌ„nation there is no cause vvhy any of vs should stand vpon his his birth riches wisdome learning or any other such gifts of God there is nothing in vs that is more able to couer our vilenes and nakednes then figgetree leaues were able to couer the offence of Adam from Gods eyes VVe stand vnder the wrath of God by nature and cannot attaine to euerlasting life of our selues VVherefore it doth stand euery one of vs in hande to abase our selues vnder the hand of God in that we are become by our sinnes the very basest of all the creatures vpon earth yea vtterly to dispaire in respect of our selues and with bleeding hearts to bewaile our owne cases There is no danger in this it is the very way to grace none can be a sound member of Christ till his conscience condemne him and make him quite ont of heart in respect of himselfe And the want of this is the cause why so fewe perceiue any sweetnes or comfort in the Gospell and why it is so little loued and imbraced now adaies Lastly if all mankinde be shut vp vnder vnbeleefe the dutie of euery man is to labour in vsing all good meanes whereby we may be deliuered from this bondage and to pray to God with David Create in me a cleane heart O God and renewe a right spirite within me And cry out with Paul O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from this bodie of death And we must neuer be at rest till we haue some assurance in conscience that in Christ wee haue freedome from this bondage and can with the Colossians giue thanks that we are deliuered from the power of darknes and translated into the kingdome of Christ. This should be the affection of euery man because the spirituall thraldome vnder sinne is of all miseries most loathsome and burdensome And in this respect the day of death should be vnto vs most welcome because it doth vnloose vs froÌ„ this miserable estate in which we do almost nothing but displease God For this is the greatest griefe that can be to the children of God by their sinnes to offend their mercifull father And as for all those which feele not the weight of their naturall guiltines and corruptions but lie slumbring in the securitie of their hearts they are therfore the more miserable in that beeing plunged in the gulfe of all miserie yet they feele no miserie Thus much of the permission of the fall of man Nowe we come to the Couenant of grace Which is nothing else but a compact made betweene God and man touching reconciliation and life euerlasting by Christ. This couenant was first of all reuealed and deliuered to our first parents in the garden of Eden immediately after
For thus much the words in meaning import that Pontius Pilate sate as iudge on Christ to examine him to arraigne him and giue sentence against him Wherefore before we come to speake of the degrees of the passion of Christ we must needes intreat of his arraignement vpon earth In handling whereof wee must generally consider these points First that when hee was arraigned before Pilate he was not as a priuate man but as a pledge and suretie that stood in the place and steade of vs miserable sinners as the Prophet Jsaiah saith He bare our infirmities and carried our sorrowes and withall in him was mankinde arraigned before God Secondly this arraignment was made not priuately in a corner but openly in the publique court and that in a great feast of the Iewes as it were in the hearing of the whole worlde Thirdly though Pilate in citing examinig and condemning Christ intended not to worke any part of mans redemption yet was this wholly set downe in the counsell good pleasure of God in whose roome Pilate sate and whose iudgement he exercised The generall vse of Christs arraignement is two-fold First it is a terrour to all impenitent sinners for there is no freedome or protection from the iudgement of God but by the arraignment of Christ and therefore such as in this life receiue him not by faith must at the ende of this worlde be brought out to the most terrible barre of â—he last iudgement there to be arraigned before the King of heauen and earth And marke the equitie hereof Christ himselfe could not haue beene our Sauiour and redeemer vnlesse he had beene brought out to the barre of an earthly iudge and arraigned as a guiltie malefactour and therefore there is no man vpon earth that liues and dies out of Christ but hee must whether hee will or no holde vp his hande at the barre of the great iudge of all mankinde where he shall see hell vnderneath him burning red hotte and opening it selfe wide to swallow him vp and on the right hand of God standing all the Prophets Apostles and Saints of God giuing iudgement against him on the left hand the deuill and all his angels accusing him and within him a guiltie conscience condemning him And thus shall be one day the arraignment of all those persons that with full purpose of heart cleaue not to Christ and yet alas huge and infinite is the number of those which make more account of transitorie and earthly matters euen of their pigges with the Gaderens then of him and his benefits but such should rather be pitied then despised of vs considering their estate is such that euery day they are going as traytours pinnioned to their owne iudgement that they may goe thence to eternall exequution Secondly Christs arraignment is a comfort to the godly For he was arraigned before Pilate that all such as truly beleeue in him might not be arraigned before God at the day of the last iudgement he was accused before an earthly iudge that they might be cleared and excused before the heauenly iudge lastly he was here condemned on earth that we might receiue the sentence of absolution and be eternally saued in heauen The arraignment of Christ hath three parts his apprehension his accusation his condemnation In the apprehension wee must consider two things the dealing of Christ and the dealing of Iudas and the Iewes The dealing and proceeding of Christ was this when he saw that the time of his apprehension and death was neere he solemnly prepared himselfe thereto And his example must teach euery one of vs who knowe not the shortnes of our daies euery houre to prepare our selues against the day of death that theÌ„ we may be found readie of the Lord. What shall the Sonne of God himselfe make preparation to his owne death and shall not we most miserable sinners doe the same who stande in neede of a thousand preparations more then he wherefore let vs continually thinke with our selues that euery present day is the last day of our life that so we may addresse our selues to death againe the next day The first thing which Christ doth in this preparation is to make choice of the place in which he was to be apprehended as will appeare by conferring the Evangelists together S. Matthew saith he went to the place called Gethsemane S. Luke saith he went to the mount of Oliues as he was accustomed And that wee might not imagine that Christ did this that he might escape and hide himselfe from the Iewes S. Iohn saith that Iudas which betraied him knewe the place because oftentimes he resorted thither with his disciples whereas if he had feared apprehension he would haue rather gone aside to some other secret and vnwonted place This theÌ„ is the first point to be coÌ„sidered that Christ knowing the time of his owne death to be at hand doth willingly of his owne accord resort to such a place in which his enemies in all likelihood might easily finde him and haue fit opportunitie to attach him For if he should haue still remained in Ierusalem the Scribes Pharisies durst not haue enterprized his apprehension because of the people whome they feared but out of the citie in the garden all occasion of feare is cut off By this it is manifest that Christ yeilded himselfe to death willingly and not of constraint and vnlesse his sufferings had bin voluntarie on his part they could neuer haue bin a satisfaction to Gods iustice for our sinnes Here a question offereth it selfe to be considered whether a man may lawfully flie in daunger and persequution seeing Christ him selfe doth not Answ. When good means of flying and iust occasion is offered it is lawfull to flie When the Iewes sought to kill Paul at Damascus the disciples tooke him by night and put him through the wall and let him downe in a basket to escape their handes When Moses was called by God to deliuer the Israelites after he had slaine the Egyptian and the fact was knowne and Pharao sought to kill him for it he fled to the land of Madian And our Sauiour Christ sundrie times when he was to be stoned and otherwaies hurt by the Iewes withdrewe himselfe from among them It is lawfull then to flie in persequution these caueats obserued First if a man finde not himselfe sufficiently strengthened to beare the crosse Secondly his departure must be agreeable to the generall calling of a Christian seruing to the glorie of God and the good of his brethren and the hurt of none Thirdly there must be freedome at the least for a time from the bond of a mans particular calling If he be a magistrate he must be freed from ruling if a minister from preaching and teaching otherwaies he may not flie And in this respect Christ who did withdraw himselfe at other times would not flie at this time because the houre of his suffering was come wherein hee intended most
if he speake not the truth Thus Paul adiured the Thessalonians charging them in the Lord that his epistle should be read vnto all the brethren the Saints And the like doth Caiphas to Christ. And here is a thing to be wondered at Caiphas the high Priest adjureth him in the name of God who is very God euen the Sonne of God which shewes what a small account he makes of the name of God for he did it onely to get aduantage on Christs words and so doe many nowe adaies who for a little profit or gaine make a matter of nothing to abuse the name of God a thousand waies Now Christ beeing thus adjured though silent before yet now in reuerence to Gods maiestie answeared said first Thou hast said it and in Saint Marke I am he In this answeare appeares the wonderfull prouidence of God For though Caiphas take hence the occasion of condemning Christ yet hath he withall drawne from him a most excellent confession that he is the Sonne of God and our alone Sauiour And by this meanes he proceeds to shut heauen against himselfe and to open the same for vs. Thus we haue ended the first inditement of Christ before Caiphas Nowe followeth the second which was before Pontius Pilate in the common hall at Ierusalem The historie of it is set downe at large in all the Evangelists In this second inditement of Christ that we may referre euery matter to his place we are to obserue foure things I. the accusation of Christ before Pilate II. his examination III. Pilats pollicie to saue Christ. IV. Pilats absolving of him and then the condemnation of Christ in both courts Ecclesiasticall and civill of these in order In Christs accusation wee must consider many points The first is who were his accusers namely the high Priest the Scribes and Pharisies and Elders of the people and the common people all these conspired together to accuse him The cause that mooued the Pharisies and Elders of the people hereunto is noted by Saint Matthew who saith of envy they deliuered him Envie is nothing but a sadnes in a mans heart at the prosperitie of his better And it raigned in the Scribes and Pharisies and the occasion was this Christ had taught most heauenly doctrine and confirmed the same by most wonderfull miracles and did greatly exceede them all and was in more account among the people and for this cause the Scribes and Pharisies and high Priests repined grudged at him Nowe their example serues to admonish vs to take heed of this sinne as beeing the mother of many mischiefes And we must rather follow the example of Moses who when Iosua desired him to forbid Eldad and Medad to prophecie answeared Enviest thou for my sake yea I would to God that all the Lords people were prophets And we must be of the same minde with Iohn Baptist who hearing by his disciples that the people left him and followed Christ said his ioy was fulfilled for Christ must increase and he must decrease And so we must be glad and content when we see the prosperitie of our neighbours any way Nowe the cause why the common people ioyne with them was because the chiefe priests and the Scribes elders had perswaded them to a bad conceit of Christ. Hence it appeares that it is most requisite for any people be they neuer so good to haue good magistrates godly rulers to gouerne them by wise and godly counsell The necessitie hereof was well knowne to Iethro Moses father in lawe though hee were a heathen man for he biddeth Moses to prouide among all the people men of courage fearing God men dealing truly hating couetousnes and appoint them to be rulers ouer the people Teaching vs that if couetous malitious and vngodly men not fearing God goe before the people they shall in all likelihood be caried into the like sinnes by their example The next point concernes the place where they accuse him which was at the doore of the common hall for hauing brought him before the councell at Ierusalem and there condemned him of blasphemie afterward they bring him vnto the common hall where Pilate sate iudge Yet did they not enter in but staied without at the doore least they should be defiled and be made vnfitte to eate the passeover In which practise of theirs we are to marke an exāple of most notable both superstition most grosse hypocrisie For they make no bones to accuse arraigne a mā most iust innocent and yet are very strickt and curious in an outward ceremonie And in like manner they made no conscience to giue thirtie pieces of siluer to betray Christ but to cast the same into the treasurie they make it a great and hainous offence And for this cause Christ pronounceth a woe vnto the Scribes and Pharisies calling them hypocrites for saith he you tithe mynt anyse and commin and leaue the weightie matters of the lawe as iudgement and mercie And the very same thing wee see practised of the Church of Rome at this day and of sundrie Papists that liue amongst vs they will not eate flesh in Lent or vpon any of the Popes fasting daies for any thing and yet the same men make no conscience of seeking the bloud of the Lords annointed and their dread soueraigne And in this wee see the most palpable and most grosse hypocrisie of those that be of that Church But shall we thinke that our own Church is free from such men no assuredly for take a viewe of the profession that is vsed among the people of England and it will appeare that they place their whole religion for the most part in the obseruation of certain ceremonies The manner of most men is to come to the place of assemblies where God is worshipped and there mumble vp the Lords prayer the commaundements and the beliefe in stead of prayers which beeing done God is well serued thinke they whereas in the meane season they neglect to learne and practise such things as are taught them for their saluation by the ministers of Gods word At the feast of Easter euery man will be full of deuotion and charitie and come to receiue the Sacraments as though hee were the holiest man in the world but when the time is past all generally turne to their old biace againe and all the yeare after liue as they list making no conscience of lying slaundering fraude and deceit in their affaires among men But we must knowe that there is no soundnes of religion but grosse hypocrisie in all such men they worshippe God with their lippes but there is no power of godlines in their hearts The 3. point is cōcerning the partie to whom they make this accusation against him namely not to a Iew but to a Gentile for hauing condemned him in their Ecclesiasticall court before Caiphas the high Priest they bring him to Pontius Pilate the deputie of Tiberius
is spirituall and his gouernement is in the very heartes and consciences of men His kingdome is not outward to be seene of men but inwarde in the heart and soule and therfore it is onely begunne in this life and is continued and accomplished in the worlde to come in the kingdome of glorie where Christ shall be all in all in the hearts and consciences of all the elect Nowe then if this be so howsoeuer Sathan haue heretofore raigned in vs and made our heartes as it were his pallaces yet nowe let vs prepare a roome for Christ that hee may come and dwell in vs let him rule our hearts wills and affections that they may become conformable to his will let vs resigne our selues wholly to be ruled by him that his spiritual kingdom may be in vs. This kingdom in the heart conscience is the pearle and hid treasure which when a man findeth he sels all that he hath buyeth it Let vs therfore in the feare of God esteem it as the most pretious thing that may be and so liue in this worlde as that Christ may rule inwardly in vs by his word spirit And againe seeing this regiment of Christ is heauenly the full manifestation of it is in the life to come we must therfore vse this world all things in it as honour wealth ease libertie as though we vsed them not As a trauailer vseth his staffe in his iourney as long as it doth further him so long he will carrie it with him but when it hindereth him then he casts it away so must vve vse the things of this life namely as long as they are helps to further and make vs fitte for the kingdome of heauen but if they be any hinderance to this spirituall regiment of Christ wee must renounce them and cast them away be they neuer so pretious to vs. The third point of Christs confession is concerning the meanes whereby he gouernes his kingdome I came saith he into this world to beare witnes of the truth that is to preach the gospell doctrine of saluatiō herby he teacheth that the outward administration of his kingdome stands specially in the preaching of the word which is a principall ordinance of his seruing to gather his Church from the beginning of the world to the end thereof And for this cause he hath in all age◠set apart chosen ministers for the publishing of the doctrine of the Gospell And by this it is manifest that the gift of prophecie is the greatest gift that God bestows on his Church for the building thereof And therfore it ought to be most highly esteemed of as a most pretious iewell And for this cause also the schooles of learning are to be reuerenced and maintained and all other meanes vsed for the furthering of them because they are vnder God the fountains and welsprings of this gift of prophecie The last point is concerning the subiects of Christs kingdome expressed in these words They which are of the truth heare my voice In which he sets downe the true marke of his seruants and subiects that they are hearers of that heauenly and sauing word which he reuealed from the bosome of his father It may be alleadged the most wicked men vpon earth yea the deuils themselues may be hearers of the truth of Christ. Answer There be two kind of hearers one which heares onely the outward sound of the word with his bodily eares and he hauing eares to heare doth not heare the second is he that doth not only receiue the doctrine that is taught with his eares but also hath his heart opened to feel the power of it to obey the same in the course of his life This distinction is notably set foorth by Dauid saying Sacrifice and burnt offerings thou wouldest not haue but my eares hast thou pierced whereby hee insinuates as it were two kinds of eares one that is deafe and cannot heare and thus are the eares of al men by nature in hearing the doctrine of saluation the other is a newe eare pearced and bored by the hand of God which causeth a mans heart to heare the sound and operation of the word and the life to expresse the truth of it Nowe the subiects of Christs kingdome are such as with the outward hearing of the word haue an inward hearing of the soule grace also to obey therfore al those that make no cōsciēce of obediēce to the word of god preached vnto them are no lesse then rebels to Christ. We may perswade our selues that we are good subiects because we heare the word and receiue the sacraments but if our liues abound with sinne and if our heartes be not pierced through by the sword of Gods spirit whether we be high or low rich or poore let vs be what wee will be wee are no right subiects indeede but rebels and traytours vnto the euerliuing God It may be hereafter God will giue further grace but as yet all impenitent persons though liuing in the midst of Gods Church are not obedient faithfull subiects and therfore while we haue time let vs labour to performe in deede that which we doe in word professe Thus much of the examination and confession of Christ. Nowe followeth the third point concerning the pollicies which Pilate vsed to saue Christ and they are three First when he heard that Christ vvas of Galilee he tooke occasion to sende him to Herod thinking thereby to shift his hand of him and not to shed his bloode In vvhich pollicie though he seeme vnvvilling to put Christ to death yet herein he is a most vniust iudge for hauing giuen testimonie of Christ that he is innocent he ought to haue acquitted him and not haue sent him to Herod for further iudgement In Herods dealing vvith Christ vve may obserue these points The first that hee is vvonderfully glad of his comming Why so the text saith because he was desirous to see him of a long season because he had heard many things of him and trusted to haue seene some signe done by him Here marke hovve he reioyced not in Christ because he vvas Christ that is his Messias and redeemer but because he vvrought myracles signes and vvonders And so it is among vs at this day it is a rare thing to finde a man that loueth Christ because he is Christ some loue Christ for honour some for vvealth and others for praise in that they get honour vvealth and praise by confessing his name Againe many professe Christ onely because it is the lavv and custome of their nation But vvee must learne to be of this minde to loue Christ because he is Christ euen for himselfe and not for any other sinister respect and vvee must reioyce in Christ for himselfe though wee neuer haue profite nor pleasure neither honour or wealth by him And if we loue him for wealth or pleasure or for any other ende but for himselfe
alone when these things are taken away then we shall vtterly forsake Christ in like manner The second point is that Herod desires Christ to worke a miracle He can be content to see the works of Christ but he can not abide to heare his word to beare his yoke Like to him are many in these daies which gladly desire to heare the Gospell of Christ preached onely because they would heare speach of some strange things laying aside all care and conscience to obey that which they heare Yea many in England delite to read the strange histories of the bible and therefore can rehearse the most part of it and it were to be wished that all could doe it yet come to the practise of it the same persons are commonly found as bad in life and conuersation yea rather worse then others Let vs therefore labour that with our knowledge we may ioyne obedience practise with our learning and as well to be affected with the word of Christ as with his works The third point is that Herod derides Christ and sends him away cloathed in a white garment This is that Herod whome Christ called a foxe who also when hee heard Iohn Baptist preach did many things heard him gladly How then comes Herod to this outrage of wickednes thus to abuse Christ Answer We must knowe that although Herod at the first heard Iohn preach yet withall hee followed his owne affections and sought how to fulfill the lustes of his flesh For when Iohn told him that it was not lawfull for him to haue his brother Philips wife he cast him in prison and after cut off his head for it after which offence he is grown to this height of impietie that he now despiseth Christ cānot abide to heare him Where we learne that as we are willing to heare Gods word preached so withall we must take heede that we practise no maner of sinne but make conscience of euery thing that may displease God Thou maist I graunt be one that feares and fauours Iohn Baptist for a time wallowing in thy old sinnes but after a while yeilding to the swinge of thy corrupt heart thou wilt neuer heare Iohn nor Christ himselfe but hate and despise them both This is the cause why some which haue beene professours of religion heretofore and haue had great measure of knowledge are now become very loose persons and can not abide to heare the worde preached vnto them the reason is because they could not abide to leaue their sinnes Therefore that wee may begin in the spirit and not end in the flesh let euery one that calls on the name of the Lord depart from iniquitie Now follows the second pollicie of Pilate For when he saw the first would not preuaile then hee tooke a newe course for he tooke Iesus into the common hall and scourged him and the souldiers platted a crowne of thornes and pur it on his head and they put on him a purple garment and saide Haile King of the Iewes and smote him with their roddes And thus he brought him foorth before the Iewes perswading himselfe that when they sawe him so abased and so ignominiously abused they vvould be content therevvith and exact no greater punishment at his handes thinking thus to haue pacified the rage of the Ievves and so to haue deliuered Christ from death by inflicting vpon him some lesser punishment This pollicie is as it vvere a looking glasse in vvhich vve may behold of vvhat nature cōdition all plotts pollicies of mē are which are deuised practised vvithout the directiō of Gods vvord In it we may obserue 2. things the first is the ground thereof vvhich is a most silly simple or rather sensles argument For he reasoneth thus I finde no fault in this man therefore I will chastise him and let him goe A man vvould hardly haue thought that one hauing but his common sense vvould not haue made such a reason much lesse a great iudge sitting in the roome of God But in him vve may behold see the ground of all humane pollicie vvhich is beside the vvord of God namely the foolish and blind reason of men The 2. thing to be considered is the proceeding and issue of this pollicie Pilat must either vvhip Christ beeing innocent or put him to death vvhich are both sinnes and great offences Novve hee maketh choice of the lesser vvhich is to whippe him and is perswaded that he ought to doe so whereas of two sinnes or euils a man ought to doe neither And in doing this Pilate begins to make a breach in his conscience and that is the fruit that all politicks reape of their deuises which proceede by the light of their owne reason without the word of God By this example we are admonished of two things first that before we enterprize any businesse wee must rectifie our iudgements by Gods worde Dauid was a most wise King and no doubt had withall a graue and wise councell but yet he preferred the word of God before all saying Thy testimonies are my counsellers Secondly in our proceedings we must keepe an vpright pure and vnblameable conscience as Paul exhorteth Timothie to haue the mysterie of faith in a pure conscience giuing vs thereby to vnderstand that a good conscience is as it were a chest or cupboard in which we are to keepe and locke vp our religion and all other graces of God as the most pretious iewels that can be and that if we suffer this chest to be broken vp all our riches and iewels are gone But let vs yet view the dealing of Pilate more particularly he whippes Christ puts on him a purple garment puts a reede in his hand sets a crowne of thornes vpon his head and causes the souldiers to mocke him and spit in his face Now in this that Christ standing in our roome was thus shamefully abused we must consider what was due vnto euery one of vs for our sinnes namely shame and reproch in this life and in the life to come endles confusion And we see the confession of Christ to be true which he made to Pilate that his kingdome was not of this world for if it had beene so they would haue put a crowne of gold vpon his head and not a crowne of thornes nothing at all beseeming an earthly king and in stead of a reede they would haue put a scepter into his hand and in stead of buffetting and spitting on him they would haue adored him falne downe before him Againe whereas Christ our heade in this world ware no other crowne but one made of thornes it serueth to teach all those that are the members of Christ that they must not look for a crown of glory in this life because that is reserued for the life to come And if we would then weare the crown of glorie with Christ we must here in this life weare a crown of thorns as he did for as
proper ende of Christes condemnation set dovvne though not in Pilats will yet in Gods eternall counsell was that he might be the cause of absolutiō at the barre of Gods iustice unto all those whosoeuer they are which shall come to life eternall for we must still remember that whē Christ was condemned by mortal Iudges he stood in our place in him were all our sinnes condemned before God Therefore to conclude this point if this were the end in the coūsell of God to haue his owne sonne condēned by Pontius Pilate a mortall iudge that we might not be condemned but absolved before Gods iudgement seat let us all labour to haue this absolution sealed up in our hearts by the testimony of Gods spirit For one day we must come to the bar of Gods iudgement and if we haue not an absolution by Christs condemnation at Pilates earthly barre let us looke for nothing els but the fearefull sentence of condemnation at the celestiall bar of Gods iustice to be uttered at the day of the last iudgement If a man should commit such an heynous offence as that he could no other way escape death but by the princes pardon he neither would nor could be at rest till by one meanes or other hee had obtained the same and had gotten it written and sealed which done hee would carrie it home locke it up safe and sound and many times looke upon it with great ioy gladnes Well this is the case of euerie one of vs by nature we are rebells and traitours against God and haue by our sinnes deserued ten thousand deaths Now our onely stay and refuge is that Christ the sonne of God was condemned for vs and therfore in Christ we must sue for pardon at Gods hands and neuer rest till we haue the assurance thereof sealed up in our hearts and consciences alwaies remembring that euer after we lead a new life and neuer commit the like sinnes against God any more It were a blessed thing if this would enter into our hearts but alas we are as dead in our sinnes as a deade carkasse is in the graue The ministers of God may teach this often unto us and we may also heare the same but Satan doth so possesse mens hearts that they seldome or neuer beginne to beleeue or receiue it till it be too late Euery one can say God is mercifull but that is not enough for Christ being most righteous was condemned that thou being a wretched sinner mightest be saued and therefore thou must labour for thy selfe to haue some testimony of thine absolution by Christs condemnation sealed up in thine owne conscience that thou maist more assuredly say God is and will be mercifull unto thee Hauing spoken of the whole arraignement of Christ and of his passion in generall Now let vs proceede to the partes of the passion which are three Christs Execution his Buriall his Descending into hell This being withall remembred that these three partes are likewise three degrees of Christs humiliation Christes execution is that part of his passion which hee bare upon the crosse expressed in the words of the Creede he was crucified and died In handling of it we must obserue fiue things I. the person that suffered II. the place where he suffered III. the time when he suffered IIII. the manner how he suffered V. the excellencie of his passion For the first the person that suffered was Christ the iust as Peter saieth Christ also hath once suffered for sinnes the iust for the vniust and againe Christ Iesus the iust saith S. Iohn is the reconciliation for our sinnes And in his execution wee shall haue manifest declarations of his righteousnesse and iustice consisting in two most worthie points First when he was upon the crosse and the souldiers were nailing his handes and feete thereunto and racking his bodie most cruelly he prayed Father forgive them they know not what they doe These souldiers were by all likelihood the verie same that apprehended him and brought him before Caiphas and from thence to Pontius Pilate and there platted a crowne of thornes and set it on his heade and buffetted him and spitefully intreated him as we haue heard and yet Christ speaks no word of reuenge unto them but with all patience in the extremitie of their malice and iniurie he prayeth his father to forgive them Hence we are taught that when iniuries are done unto us we ought to abstaine from all affection of reuenge and not so much as manifest the same either in word or deede It is indeed a hard lesson to learne and practise but we must indeauour to doe it not onely so but to be readie for evill to doe good yea even at that instant when other men are doing us wrong euen then I say we must be readie if it be possible to doe them good When as Christes enemies were doing unto him al the trecherie they would euen then he performeth the worke of a Mediatour and prayeth for them unto his father and seeketh their saluation Againe whereas Christ prayeth thus Father forgive them we gather that the most principall thing of all that man ought to seeke after in this life is the forgiuenesse of sinnes Some thinke that happinesse consisteth in honour some in wealth some in pleasure some in this some in that but indeed the thing which we should most labour for is reconciliation with God in Christ that we may haue the free remission of all our sinnes Yea this is blessednesse it selfe as David saith Blessed is hee whose iniquitie is forgiven and whose sinne is covered Here then behold the madnesse of most men in this world that either seeke for this blessing in the last place or not at all The seconde testimony of Christs righteousnesse given in the middest of his passion was that he behelde his mother standing by and commended her to the custodie of Iohn his disciple whereby he gaue an example of most holy obedience unto the fift commaundement which prescribeth honour to father and mother And this his fact sheweth that the obseruing of this commandement standeth not in outwarde shewe and reuerence onely but in a godly recompence in procuring unto parents all the good we can both concerning this and a better life It often falls out that children be as it were Cains to father and mother some raile on them some fight with them others see them pine away and sterue and not relieue them But all dutifull children must here learne that as their parents haue done many duties unto them haue brought them up so they againe must in al reuerence performe obedience vnto them both in worde and deede and when occasion is offered relieve them yea in all that they can do good unto them Againe in this wee may see what a wretched state is that which the Church of Rome calleth the state of perfection namely to liue a part from the companie of men in fasting and
imputation and application was made his Furthermore Christ was crucified not after the maner of the Iewes who used to hang malefactors upon a tree binding them thereto with cords that wheÌ„ they were dead but after the usuall maner of the Romans his bodie being partly nailed to the crosse partly in the nailing extremely racked otherwise I see not but that a man might remaine many daies togither alive upoÌ„ the crosse And here we haue occasion to remeÌ„ber that the Papists who are so deuout zelous towards crucifixes are far deceived in the making of theÌ„ For first of all the crosse was made of 3. pieces of wood one fastned upright in the ground to which the bodie and back leaned the second fastened towardes the toppe of the first overthwart to which the hands were nailed the thirde fastned towards the bottome of the first on which the feete vvere set and nailed vvhereas contrarivvise popish caruers painters fasten both the feet of Christ to the first secoÌ„dly the feete of Christ vvere nailed asunder vvith tvvo distinct nailes not nailed one upon another with one naile alone as Papists imagine and that to the verie body of the crosse for then the soldiers could not haue broken both the leggs of the thieves but only the outmost Let vs now come to the vse which may be made of the crucifying of Christ. First of all here we learne with bitternes to bewaile our sinnes for Christ was thus cruelly nayled on the crosse and there suffered the whole wrath of God not for any offence that euer he committed but beeing our pledge and suretie vnto God he suffered all for vs and therefore iust cause haue we to mourne for all our offences which brought our Sauiour Christ to this low estate If a man should be so farre in debt that he could not be freed vnlesse the suretie should be cast into prison for his sake nay which is more be cruelly put to death for his debt it would make him at his wits ende and his very heart to bleede And so is the case with vs by reason of our sins we are Gods debters ye bankrupts before him yet haue we gotten a good suretie euen the sonne of God himselfe who to recouer vs to our former libertie was crucifyed for the discharge of our debt And therefore good cause haue we to bewaile our estate euery day as by the Prophet it is said They shall looke on him whome they haue pierced they shall lament for him as one mourneth for his owne sonne they shall be sorrie for him as one is sorrie for his first borne Looke as the blood followed the nailes that were striken through the blessed hands and feete of Christ so should the meditation of the crosse and passion of our Redeemer be as it were nayles and speares to pierce vs that our hearts might bleed for our sinnes and we are not to thinke more hardly of the Iewes for crucifying him then of our selues because our sinnes they also crucifyed him These are the very nayles which pierce his hands and feete and these are the speares which pierce through his side For the losse of a litle worldly pelfe oh how are we grieued but seeing our transgressions are the weapons whereby the sonne of God was crucifyed let vs I say it againe and againe learne to be grieued for them aboue al things with bleeding and melting hearts bowe and buckle vnder them as vnder the crosse Secondly Christ saith of himselfe as Moses lift vp the serpent in the wildernes so must the sonne of man be lifted vp the comparison is excellent and worthie the marking In the wildernes of Arabia the people of Israel rebelled against God and thereupon he sent fierie serpents among them which stong many of them to death now when they repented Moses was commanded to make a brasen serpent and to set it vpon a pole that as many as were stong might looke vnto it and recouer and if they could but cast a glaunce of the eye on the brasen serpent when they were stong eueÌ„ to death they were restored to health life Now euery man that liueth is in the same case with the Israelits Satan hath stong vs at the heart giuen vs many a deadly wound if we could feele it and Christ who was figured by the brasen serpent was likewise exalted on the crosse to coÌ„ferre righteousnes life eternal to euery one of vs therfore if we will escape eternal death we must renouÌ„ce our selues lift vp the eyes of our faith to Christ crucified pray for the pardon of our sinnes then shall our hearts consciences be healed of the wounds gripes of the deuil vntill such time as we haue grace to do this we shall neuer be cured but stil lie wounded with the stings of satan bleeding to death euen at the very heart although we feele no paine or griefe at all But some may aske how any man can see him crucifyed now after his death Answer Wheresoeuer the word of God is preached there Christ is crucifyed as Paul saith Oh foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you that ye should not obey the truth to whome before Iesus Christ was described in your sight and among you crucifyed meaning that he was liuely preached among them We neede not to goe to wooden crosses or to golden crucifixes to seek for him but where the Gospell is preached thither must wee go there lift vp our eyes of faith to Christ as he is reuealed vnto vs in the word resting on him and his merits with all our hearts and with a godly sorow confesse and bewaile our sinnes crauing at his hands mercie and pardon for the same For till such time as we doe this we are grieuously stong by Satan and are euery moment euen at deaths dore And if we can thus behold Christ by faith the benefites which comes hereby shall be great for as Paul saith the old man that is the corruption of our nature and the bodie of sinne that raigneth in vs shall be crucified with him for when Christ was nayled on the crosse all our sinnes were laide vpon him therefore if thou doest vnfainedly beleeue all thy sinnes are crucified with him and the corruption of thy nature languisheth and dieth as he languished and died vpon the crosse Thirdly we must learne to imitate Christ as he suffered himselfe to be nailed to the crosse for our sinnes so answearably must euery one of vs learne to crucifie our flesh and the corruption of our nature and the wickednesse of our owne heart as Paul saith They that are Christs haue crucified the flesh with the lusts and affections thereof And this we shall doe if for our sinnes past we doe waile and mourne with bitternes and preuent the sinnes to come into whiâ—h we may fall by reason of the corruption of our natures by vsing all good meanes as
marke that both the thieues in euery respect were equal both wicked and leud liuers and for their notorious faults both attached condemned executed both on the crosse at the same time with Christ yet for all this the one repenting was saued the other was not And in their two exāples we see the state of the whol world wherof one part is chosen to life eternall and thereupon attaines to faith and repentance in this life the rest are reiected in the eternall counsell of God for iust causes knowne to himselfe and such being left to thēselues neuer repent at all Secondly we are taught hereby that the whole worke of our conuersion and saluation must be ascribed wholly to the meere mercie of God of these two thieues the one was as deepely plunged in wickednes as the other and yet the one is saued the other condemned The like was in Iacob and Esau both borne at one time and of the same parents neither of them had done good nor euill when they were borne yet one was then loued the other was hated yea if we regard outward prerogatiues Esau was the first borne and yet was refused Furthermore the thiefe on the crosse declareth his conversion by manifest signes and fruites of repentance as appeares by the words which he spake to his fellowe Fearest not thou God seeing thou art in the same condemnation Though hands and feete were fast nailed to the crosse yet heart and tongue is at libertie to giue some tokens of his true repentance The people of this our land heare the word but for the most part are without either profit in knowledge or amendment of life yet for all this they perswade themselues that they haue good hearts good meanings though they cannot beare it a way and vtter it so wel as others But alas poore soules they are deluded by satan for a man that is conuerted can not but expresse his conuersion and bring foorth the fruits thereof And therefore our Sauiour Christ saith If a man beleeue in me out of his bellie shal flow riuers of water of life The grace as Elihu saith of God is like newe wine in a vessell which must haue a vent and therefore he that sheweth no tokens of Gods grace in this life is not as yet conuerted let him thinke say of himselfe what he will Can a man haue life and neuer mooue nor take breath and can he that bringeth forth no fruit of his conuersion liue vnto God Well let vs nowe see what were the fruites of the thiefes repentance They may be reduced to foure heads First he rebukes his fellow for mocking Christ indeauouring thereby to bring him to the same condition with himselfe if it were possible whereby he discouers vnto vs the propertie of a true repentant sinner which is to labour and striue so much as in him lieth to bring all men to the same state that he is in Thus Dauid hauing tried the great loue and fauour of God toward himselfe breaketh foorth and saith Come children hearken vnto me and I will teach you the feare of the Lorde shewing his desire that the same benefits which it pleased God to bestow on him might also in like manner be conveighed to others Therefore it is a great shame to see men professing religion carried away with euery companie and with the vanities and fashions of the world whereas they should rather draw euen the worst men that be to the fellowship of those graces of God which they haue receiued That which the Lord spake to the Prophet Ieremie must be applied to all men Let them returne vnto thee but returne not thou vnto them In instruments of musicke the string out of tune must be set vp to the rest that be in tune and not the rest to it Againe in that he checkes his fellowe it shewes that those which be touched for their owne sinnes are also grieued when they see other men sinne and offende God But to goe further in this point let vs diligently and carefully marke the manner of his reproofe Fearest thou not God seeing thou art in the same condemnation In which words he rippes vp his lewdnesse euen to the quicke and giues him a worthie item telling him that the cause of all their former wickednesse had beene the want of the feare of God And this point must euery one of vs marke with great diligence For if we enter into our hearts and make a thorough search wee shall finde that this is the roote and fountaine of all our offences We miserable men for the most part haue not grace to consider that we are alwaies before God and to quake and tremble at the consideration of his presence and this makes vs so often to offend God in our liues as we doe Abraham comming before Abimelech shifting for himselfe said that Sara was his sister and beeing demaunded why he did so answeared because he thought the feare of God was not in that place insinuating that he which wants the feare of God will not make conscience of any sinne whatsoeuer VVould wee then euen from the bottome of our hearts turne to God and become newe creatures then let vs learne to feare God vvhich is nothing else but this vvhen a man is persvvaded in his ovvne heart and conscience that wheresoeuer he be he is in the presence and sight of God and by reason thereof is afraide to sinne This wee must haue fully settled in our hearts if wee desire to learne but the first lesson of true wisedome But what reason vseth the thiefe to drawe his fellowe to the feare of God Thou art saith he in the same condemnation that is by thy sinnes and manifolde transgressions thou hast deserued death and it is nowe most iustly inflicted vpon thee wilt thou not yet feare God Where we are taught that temporall punishments and crosses ought to be meanes to worke in vs the feare of God for that is one ende why they are sent of God It is good for me saith Dauid that I haue beene chastised that I may learne thy statutes And Paul saith when we are chastised we are nurtured of the Lord. And the Iewes are taught by the Prophet Micah to say I will beare the wrath of the Lord because I haue sinned against him The second fruit of his conuersion is that he condemneth himselfe and his fellow for their sinnes saying Indeede we are righteously here for we receiue things worthie for that we haue done that is we haue wonderfully sinned against Gods maiestie and against our brethren and therefore this grieuous punishment which we beare is most iust and due vnto vs. This fruit of repentance springs and growes very thinne among vs for fewe there be which doe seriously condemne themselues for their owne sinnes the manner of men is to condemne others and to cry out that the world was neuer so badde but bring them home to
to leaue our flesh behinde vs. For the purchase that is made is worth tenne thousand worlds And besides if we loose it by fainting in the way our purchase shalbe the blacknes of darknes for euer with the deuill and all his angels who therfore would not striue though he lost his life in the gate The vrging of this point is needefull in these daies There is striuing ynough for worldly preferment but a man almost may goe alone in the straight way that leadeth to heauen he shall haue none to beare him companie And where are they that striue to enter in where is the violence offered to the kingdome of heauen where be the violent which should take it to themselues as in the daies of Iohn Baptist. Fourthly if Christ haue prepared a place for vs in heauen then we are in this world as pilgrimes and straungers and therefore must learne the counsell of Saint Peter As straÌ„gers pilgrimes abstain froÌ„ fleshly lusts which fight against the soule He that doth esteem him self as a pilgrime is not to intangle himselfe with the affaires of this world nor put in practise the behauiour thereof but to behaue himselfe as a freeman of heauen as straungers vse to liue in forraine countries according to the fashion of their owne And therefore in thought word and deede in life conuersatioÌ„ he must so carrie himselfe as thereby he may appeare to all the world of what cuntry he is An ancient divine speaking of such as had curled and embrodered haire biddeth them consider whether they must goe to heauen with such haire or no and wheras they adorned themselues with winkles made of other womens haire he asks them whether it may not be the haire of a damned person or no. If it may be he further demaundeth how it may beseeme them to weare it which professe themselues to be the sonnes and daughters of God The like may be saide of all other sinnes they that be of gods house must behaue themselues as free men there And when god hath made us free it doth not beseeme us to make our selues bondmen of sin satan and of this world Fiftly seeing Christ went to heauen to prepare a place for all that beleeue in him here is a good duetie for parentes Many of them are verie carefull to preferre their children to great places and noble mens houses and they are not to be blamed therefore but if they would indeede be good parents to their children they should first endeauour them-selues to get roomes for them in heauen they that doe this are good parents indeede Some will say how shall wee get this preferrement for them Ansvver God hath two houses his Church and the kingdome of heauen The Church is his house of grace heauen is his house of glorie Now if thou wouldst haue thy child to haue a place in the house of glorie then thou art first of all to get him a place in the house of grace bringing him up so in the feare of God that both in life and conuersation he may shewe himselfe to be a member of the Church and then assure thy selfe that after this life he shall be remooued to the second house of God which is the house of glorie and there be free-man for euer in the kingdome of heauen Add if thou shalt thus prouide for thy childe thou shalt not leaue him as an orphan but he shall haue God for his father Christ for his brother and the holy ghost his comforter And therefore first of all and aboue all remember to make thy childe a member of Gods Church Let the example of Dauid excite all parents hereunto I had rather saieth hee be a dore keeper in the house of God then to dwell in the tabernacles of wickednesse For a day in thy courtes is better then a thousand else where Lastly hence we may finde remedie against the tediousnesse of sickenesse and the feare of death Thou which fearest death remember that Christ is gone to heauen to prepare a place for thy bodie where it must be glorified and liue for euer with the blessed trinitie and all the saintes and angels though for a while it lie dead and rotte in the graue Remember this also thou which continuest in any lingring sicknes Christ Iesus hath prepared a place for thee wherin thou shalt rest in ioy blisse without all paine or faintnes The fourth benefiâ—e is that Christ ascended vp to heaueÌ„ to send the comforter vnto his Church This was a speciall end of his ascension as appeares by Christs own words It is saith he expedient that I go away for if I goe not the comforter will not come but if I depart I will send him unto you And againe I will pray unto the father hee shall give you another comforter which shall abide with you for euer even the spirite of truth But some will say how can Christ send his spirit unto his Church for the person sending the person sent are unequall whereas all three persons in trinitie are equall none greater or lesser then another none inferiour or superiour to other Ans. It is true indeed but we must know that the action of sending in the trinitie makes not the persons unequall but only shewes distinction and order among equals The father sendes the sonne the father and the sonne both send the holy ghost yet the father is not aboue the sonne neither the father or the sonne aboue the holy ghost but all are equall in degree though in regarde of order one is before another and it standeth with reason For two men that are equall in degree may upon mutuall consent one send another But it may be further demanded how the holy ghost can be sent which is euery where Ans. The holy ghost indeed is euery where therfore he is sent not so much in regard of the presence of his essence or substance as of his operation whereby he renueth guideth the members of Christ. Now here first we haue occasion to consider the miserie of the world When a man is troubled in his minde as no ungodly man but sometime he feeleth the terrour of conscience for his sinnes then he labours to remoue it by mery company pleasant bookes whereas Christ at his ascension sent his holy spirite to be the comforter of his Church therefore when we are troubled in conscience for our sins we should not seek ease by such slender means but rather seeke for the helpe comfort of the holy ghost and labour to haue our sinnes washed away and our hartes purified and clensed by the blâ—od of Christ. As for wine and mirth such like meanes of comfort neither at the day of death nor at the day of iudgement shall they stande us in stead or be able to comfort us Again when crosses calamities fall the counsell of the minister is not sought for but the help of such as are called
ougly then any lazar man can be the contagioÌ„ thereof is so great noisome that the verie heauens which are many thousand miles distant from us are infected therwith Yet here we are to know that this fire shall not consume the substance of heauen and earth but onely change the qualitie and abolish the corruption which our sinnes haue brought upon them The fourth point to be considered is the manner of the last iudgement in which wee may obserue two things I. who shall be iudge II. the proceeding of this iudge The first is expressed in this article From thence hee shall come to iudge Hee that is Christ Iesus the second person in trinitie For the father hath committed all iudgement unto him It is indeede an action common to all the three persons in trinitie but yet the execution thereof appertaines unto the sonne The father indeed doth iudge the world but yet by the sonne But some may obiect that the Apostles shall sit on â—velve thrones and iudge the twelve tribes of Israel And S. Paul saith The saintes shall iudge the world How then is this true that Christ is the onely iudge of the world Answer The authoritie of iudgement and giuing sentence at the last day is proper to Christ alone and doth not belong either to the Apostles or to the saints and they shall iudge at the last day only as witnesses and apprpouers of Christs iudgement at the great day of assise beside the iudge the iustices on the bench are also in a maner iudges not that they giue sentence but because by their presence they approoue and witnesse the equitie of the sentence of the iudge so the definitive sentence doth belong to Christ and the Apostles and saintes doe nothing but approoue his righteous sentence The whole proceeding of the last iudgement may be reduced to seuen pointes or heades The first is the comming of the iudge in the cloudes Here at the first it may be demaunded why Christ holdes the last iudgement rather on earth then in heauen Ansvver He doth it for two causes One the creature to be iudged hath sinned here upon earth and he proceeds after the maner of earthly iudges who hold their sessions and assises there where trespasses are commonly committed The seconde because the deuill and his angels are to be iudged and it is a parte of their punishment to be cast out of heauen For no uncleane thing may come into this heauenly Ierusalem and therefore they now remaine in the lower parts of the world there must be iudged Furthermore the second comming of Christ is sudden as the comming of a thiefe in the night He will come when the worlde thinketh not of him as the snare doeth on the birde The consideration whereof must teach us the same duties which our Sauiour Christ taught the men of his time First hee teacheth them what they must not doe For hee knowing all things knewe also the disposition of mans heart and therefore saieth Take heede to your selves least at any time your hearts be oppressed vvith surfetting and drunkennesse and the cares of this life least that day come vpon you unavvares For these sinnes benumme the heart and steale away all grace This exhortation in these our daies is most needefull For mens heartes are like the smithes stiâ—hie the more they are beaten with the hammer of Gods worde the harder they are Secondly hee teacheth them what they must doe Watch therefore saieth hee and pray continually That yee may be counted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to passe and that ye may stand before the sonne of man But you will say how may wee be founde worthy to stande before Christ at that day Answere Doe but this one thing for your liues past be humbled before God and come unto him by true hearty and unfained repentance be changed and become newe creatures pray unto him earnestly for the pardon of your sinnes in Christ and pray continually that God will turne your heartes from your olde sinnes euerie day more and more and then come the last iudgement when it will ye shall be founde worthy to stand before Christ at his comming The repentant sinner is hee that shall finde fauour in the sight of God at that day The consideration hereof may mooue us to change our liues Those which were neuer yet humbled for their sinnes let them now begin and those which haue alreadie begon let them goe forwarde and continue But the deuill will crie in the hearts of some men that this exhortation is as yet needelesse for the day of iudgement is not neare because all the signes thereof are not yet passed Answere Suppose the day of iudgement be farre off yet the day of thy death can not be so for the common saying is true to day a man to morrow none Now looke as death leaveth thee so shall the day of iudgement finde thee Impenitent Cain died long since and yet the day of iudgement when it commeth shall finde him impenitent still The same thing may be saide of Saul Achitophel and Iudas They died desperately and impenitent and the Lord shall finde them so at his comming So it will be with thee whatsoeuer thou art that repentest not Death may come upon thee the next day or the next houre therefore watch and pray Prepare thy selfe against the day of death that at the day of iudgement thou maiest be â—ounde worthy to obtaine fauour in the sight of the Lorde Securitie doeth ouerwhelme the vvorlde but let us for our parts learne to prepare our selues daily For if the day of death do leaue thee unworthy then the Lord Iesus at his comming shall find thee unworthy and the deuill shal stand before thee accuse thee thy conscience shall condemne thee hell shalbe ready to swallow thee up If this admonition take no place in thy heart then at the day of iudgement it shall stand against thee and be a bill of inditement to thy further condemnation The second point followeth that Christ after that hee is come in the cloudes shall sit in a throne of glorie as the soueraigne iudge of heauen and earth after the manner of earthly kings who when they will shew themselues unto their subiectes in maiestie power and glorie use to ascende into the thrones of their kingdomes and there to shewe themselues and appeare in state vnto all the people Now what this throne is and how Christ sittes in the same the scripture hath not revealed and therefore I will not stand to search Yet here must we further marke that this appearance of his in endlesse glory and maiestie shalbe most terrible and dreadfull to the ungodly and therefore in Daniel his throne is said to be like a flame of fire and at the verie sight hereof men shall desire the mountaines to fall upon them and the hilles to couer them The third point is the citing of all men and of
long suffering as God is with us The second propertie of long suffering is to keepe the affection of anger in moderation and compasse It is not alwaies a sinne to be angry and therefore it is said of Christ in whome was no blemish of sinne that he was angry yet wee must looke that our anger be moderate and not over-long as Paul saith Let not the sonne goe dovvne vpon your wrath The fift fruite of the spirite is gentlenesse whereby a man behaueth and sheweth himselfe friendly and courteous to euerie man as Paul saith to Titus Put them in remembraÌ„ce that they speake evill of no man that they be no fighters but soft shevving all meekenesse unto all men vvhether they be good or badde This gentlenesse standeth in these pointes First to speake to euerie man friendly and louingly II. to salute friendly and courteously III. to be readie upon euery occasion to giue reuerence and honour to euery man in his place It is made a question of some whether a man is to salute speak unto them that are knowen to be lewd wicked men but here we see what our dutie is in that we are taught to be curteous to all men both good and badde yet so as wee approoue not of their sinnes as for that which S. Iohn saith of false Prophets Receive them not neither bid them God speed it is to be understood of giuing an outward approbation to false teachers The sixt fruit is goodnesse which is when a man is ready to doe good and become seruiceable in his calling to all men at all times upon all occasions This was to be seene in that holy man Iob he saith that hee was eyes to the blind and feete to the lame a father unto the poore and when he knâ—w not the cause he sought it out And S. Paul shewed this fruite most notably after his conuersion for he saith that hee vvas made all things to all men that he might save some Hee was content to undergoe any thing for the good of any man And as we haue heard the godly are trees of righteousnes bearing fruit not for themselues but for others and therfore Paul in the Epistle to the Galatians giueth this rule Do service one to another in love In these daies it is harde to finde these duties perfourmed in any place For both practise and proverbe is commonly this Every man for himselfe and God for us all but it is a gracelesse saying and the contrary must be practised of all that desire to be guided by the spirit The seuenth fruite is faith Faith or fidelitie standeth in these two duties One to make conscience of a lie and to speake everie thing whereof we speake as we thinke it is and not to speake one thing and thinke another A rare thing it is to find this vertue in the world now a daies who is he that maketh conscience of a lie and is not truth banished out of our coastes considering that for gaines and outward commodities men make no bones of glosing and dissembling but alas the practise is damnable the contrarie is the fruite of the Holy Ghost namely to speake the truth from the heart and he that can doe this by the â—estimonie of God himselfe shall rest in the mountaine of his holinesse euen in the kingdome of heauen The second point wherin fidelitie consisteth is when a man hath made a promise that is lawfull and good to keepe and performe the same Some thinke it is a small matter to breake promise but indeed it is a fruite of the flesh and contraâ—â—wise a fruite of the spirite to perfourme a lawfull promise and a mans word should be as sure as an obligation and in conscience a man is bounde to keepe promise so farre foorth as hee vvill to whom the promise is made Indeed if a man be released of his promise he is then free othervvise if wee promise and doe not perfourme we doe not onely cracke our credit before men but also sinne before God The eighth fruite of the spirit is meekenesse which is a notable grace of God when a man prouoked by iniuries doth neither intend nor enterprise the requitall of the same And it standes in three duties The first is to interprete the sayings and doings of other men in better part as much as possibly may be The second when men mistake and misconstrue our sayings and doings if the matter be of smaller moment to be silent and patient as Christ was when hee was accused before the high priestes and Pharisies this being withall remembred that if the matter be of weight and moment vve may defend our selues by soft and milde answeres The thirde is not to contend in word or deede vvith any man but vvhen vvee are to deale vvith others to speake our mind and so an end The last fruite of the spirit is temperance whereby a man bridleth his appetite or lust in meate drinke and apparell In bridling the lust these rules must be observed I. Eating and drinking must be ioyned vvith continuall fasting after this manner Wee must not glutt our selues but rather abstaine from that vvhich nature desireth and as some use to speake leaue our stomackes craving II. A man must so eate and drinke as aftervvarde he may the better be inabled for Gods worship Creatures are abused vvhen they make us unfitte to serue God The commoÌ„ fault is on the sabbath day men so pamper themselues as that they are made unfitte both to heare and learne Gods vvorde and fitte for nothing but to slumber and sleepe but following this rule of temperance these faultes shall be amended III. This must be a caueat in our apparell that we be attired according to our callings in holy comelinesse The Lorde hath threatned to visite all those that are cloathed in straunge apparell And holy comelinesse is this when the apparell is both for fashion and matter so made and worne that it may expresse and shew forth the graces of God in the heart as sobrietie temperaunce grauitie c. and the beholder may take occasion by the apparell to acknowledge and commend these vertues But lamentable is the time looke on men and women in these daies and you may see and reade their sinnes written in great letters on their apparell as intemperance pride and wantonnesse Euerie day new fashions please the world but indeede that holy comelinesse which the Holy Ghost doeth commend to us is the right fashion when all is done And these are the nine fruites of the spirit which wee must put in practise in our liues and conuersations Fourthly if we beleeue in the holy ghost and thereupon doe persuade our selues that hee will dwell in us wee must daily labour as wee are commaunded to keepe our vessâ—ls in holinesse and honour unto the Lorde and the reason is good If a man be to entertaine but an earthly prince or some man of state he would be
the Passeouer he made a supplie by Manna and by the pillar of a cloude Hence we haue direction to answeare the Papists who demaunde of vs where our Church was threescore yeares agoe before the daies of Luther we say that then for the space of many hundred yeares an vniuersall Apostasie ouerspread the face of the whole earth and that our Church then was not visible to the worlde but lay hidde vnder the chaffe of Poperie And the truth of this the Records of all ages manifest The second estate of the Church is when it flourisheth and is visible nor that the faith and secret Election of men can be seene for no man can discerne these thinges but by outward signes but because it is apparant in respect of the outwarde assemblies gathered to the preaching of the worde and the administration of the Sacraments for the praise and glorie of God and their mutuall edification And the visible Church may be thus described It is a mixt companie of men professing the faith assembled together by the preaching of the word First of all I call it a mixt companie because in it there be true beleeuers and hypocrites Elect and Reprobate good and badde The Church is the Lords field in which the enemie soweth his tares it is the corne flore in which lieth wheat and chaffe it is a bād of men in which beside those that be of valour courage there be white liuered souldiours And it is called a Church of the better part namely the Elect whereof it consisteth though they be in number fewe As for the vngodly though they be in the Church yet they are no more parts of it indeed thē the superfluous humours in the vains are parts of the body But to proceed how are the members of the visible Church qualified and discerned the answear followeth in the definition professing the faith whereby I meane the profession of that religion which hath beene taught from the beginning and is now recorded in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles And this profession is a signe and marke whereby a man is declared and made manifest to be a member of the Church Againe because the profession of the faith is otherwhiles true and syncere and otherwhiles onely in shew therefore there be also two sorts of members of the visible Church members before God and members before men A member of the Church before God is he that beside the outward profession of the faith hath inwardly a pure heart good conscience and faith vnfained whereby he is indeede a true member of the Church Members before men whome we may call reputed members are such as haue nothing els but the outward profession wanting the good conscience and the faith vnfained The reason why they are to be esteemed members of vs is because we are bound by the rule of charitie to thinke of men as they appeare vnto vs leauing secret iudgements vnto God I added in the last place that the Church is gathered by the word preached to shew that the cause whereby it is begunne and continued is the word which for that cause is called the immortall seede whereby we are borne anew and milke whereby we are fedde and cherished to life euerlasting And hence it followeth necessarily that the preaching of the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles ioyned with any measure of faith and obedience is an vnfallible marke of a true Church Indeede it is true there be three things required to the good estate of a Church the preaching of the Gospell the administration of the Sacraments and due exequution of Discipline according to the word yet if the two latter be wanting if there be preaching of the worde with obedience in the people there is for substance a true Church of God For it is the banner of Christ displaied vnder which all that warre against the flesh the deuill the worlde must range themselues As the Lord saith by the Prophet Isai I will lift vp my hand to the Gentiles and set vp my standard vnto the people and they shall bring their sonnes in their armes and their daughters shall be carried vpon their shoulders Hence it followeth that men which want the preaching of the Gospell must either procure the same vnto themselues or if that cannot be because they liue in the middest of idolatrous nations as in Spaine and Italie it is requisite that they should ioyne themselues to those places where with libertie of conscience they may inioy this happie blessing Men are not to haue their hearts glued to the honours and riches of this worlde but they should be of Dauids minde and rather desire to be dorekeepers in the house of God then to dwell in the tents of vngodlinesse In the Canticles the spouse of Christ saith Shew mercie O thou whome my soule loueth where thou feedest where thou liest at noone for why should I be as shee that turneth aside to the flockes of thy companions To whome he answeareth thus If thou knowe not O thou the fairest among women get thee forth by the steppes of the flocke and feede thy kiddes by the tents of the shepheards that is in those places where the doctrine of righteousnes and life euerlasting by the Messias is published When the Shunamites child was dead shee told her husband that she would goe to the man of God to whom he answeared thus Why wilt thou goe to him to day it is neither nevve moone nor sabbath day whereby is signified that when teaching was skarse in Israel the people did resort to the Prophets for instruction and consolation And Dauid saith that the people wheresoeuer their aboad was went from strength to strength till they appeared before God in Sion And oftentimes they beeing Proselytes there aboad must needs be out of the precincts of Iewrie Thus we see what the visible Church is nowe further concerning it three questions are to be skāned The first is how we may discerne whether particular men and particular Churches holding errours be sound members of the Catholicke Church or no. For the answearing of this wee must make a double distinction one of errours the other of persons that erre Of errours some are destroyers of the faith some only weakners of it A destroier is that which ouerturneth any fundamentall point of religion which is of that nature that if it be denied religion it selfe is ouerturned as the deniall of the death of Christ the immortalitie of the soule and such like and the summe of these fundamentall points is comprised in the Creede of the Apostles and the Decalogue A weakning errour is that the holding whereof doth not ouerturne any point in the foundation of saluation as the errour of free will and sundrie such like This distinction is made by the holy Ghost who saith expressely that the doctrines of repentance and faith and baptismes and laying on of hands and the resurrection and the
thy transgressions like a cloud and thy sinnes as a myst Now wee know that cloudes and mystes which appeare for a time are afterwarde by the sunne utterly dispersed And king Hezekias when he would shewe that the Lord had forgiuen him his sinnes saith God hath cast them behind his backe alluding to the maner of men who when they will not remember or regard a thing doe turne their backes upon it And Micheas saieth that God doth cast all the sinnes of his people into the bottome of the sea alluding to Pharao whom the Lord drowned in the bottome of the redde sea And Christ hath taught us to pray thus Forgive vs our debtes as wee forgive our debters in which wordes is an allusion to creditours who then forgiue debts when they account that which is debt as no debt and crosse the booke Hence it appeares that damnable vile is the opinioÌ„ of the Church of Rome which holdeth that there is a remission of the fault without a remission of the punishment withall the doctrines of humane satisfactions indulgencies and purgatorie praier for the dead built upon this foundatioÌ„ are of the same kind Moreouer wee must remember to adde too this clause I beleeve and then the meaning is this I do not only beleeue that god doth giue pardon of sinne to his church people for that the verie deuils beleeue but withall I beleeue the forgiuenes of mine owne particular sins Hence it appeares that it was the iudgement of the Primitiue Church that men should beleeue the forgiuenesse of their owne sinnes By this prerogative we reape endlesse comfort for the pardon of sinne is a most wonderfull blessing and without it euery man is more miserable and wretched then the most vile creature that euer was We loathe the serpent or the toade but if a man haue not the pardon of his sinnes procured by the death and passion of Christ hee is a thousand folde worse then they For when they die there is the end of their woe and miserie but when man dieth without this benefite there is the beginning of his For first in soule till the day of iudgement and then both in body and soule for euermore he shall enter into the endlesse paines and tormentes of hell in which if one shoulde continue so many thousand yeres as there are drops in the Ocean sea and then be deliuered it were some â—ase but hauing continued so long which is an unspeakeable length of time he must remaine there as long againe and after that for euer and euer without release and therefore among all the benefits that euer were or can be thought of this is the greatest most pretious Among all the burdens that can befall a man what is the greatest Some wil say sickenesse some ignominie some pouertie some contempt but indeed among all the heauiest and the greatest is the burden of a mans owne sinnes lying upon the conscience and pressing it downe without any assurance of pardon Dauid being a King had no doubt all that heart could wish and yet hee laying aside all the roialties and pleasures of his kingdome saith this one thing aboue all that he is a blessed maÌ„ that is eased of the burdeÌ„ of his sinnes A lazar man full of sores is vgly to the sight and we can not abide to looke upon him but no lazar is so lothsome to us as all sinners are in the sight of God therfore Dauid counted him blessed whose sinnes were câ—vered It may be some will say there is no cause why a man should thus magnifie the pardon of sinne considering it is but a common benefite Thus indeede men may imagine which neuer knewe vvhat sinne meant but let a man onely as it vvere but vvith the tippe of his finger haue a little feeling of the smarte of his sinnes hee shall finde his estate so fearefull that if the vvhole vvorlde were set before him on the one side and the pardon of sins on the other hee would choose the pardon of his sinne before ten thousand worldes Though many drowsie protestants esteeme nothing of it yet to the touched conscience it is a treasure which when a man findes he hides it and goes home and selles all that hee hath and buyes it Therefore this benefit is most excellent and for it the members of Gods Church haue great cause to giue God thankes without ceasing The duties to be learned hence are these And first of all here comes a common fault of men to be rebuked Every one will say that he beleeueth the remission of sins yet no man almost laboureth for a true certen persvvasion hereof in his owne conscience for proofe hereof propound this question to the common Christian Doest thou persvvade thy selfe that God giues remission of sinnes unto his Church The answer will be I know and beleeue it But aske him further Doest thou beleeue the pardon of thine owne sinnes and then comes in a blinde answer I haue a good hope to God ward but I can not tell I thinke no man can say so much for God saieth to no man thy sinnes are pardoned But this is to speake flat contraries to say they beleeue and they can not tell and it bewraies exceeding negligence in matters of saluation But let them that feare God or loue their owne soules health giue all diligence to make sure the remission of their owne sinnes withall avoiding hardnesse of heart and drowsinesse of spirit the most fearefull iudgements of God which euery where take place The foolish virgines went forth to meete the bridegroome with lampes in their handes as well as the wise but they neuer so much as dreamed of the horne of oile till the comming of the bridegrome So many men live in the Church of God as members thereof holding up the lampe of glorious profession but in the meane season they seeke onely for the thinges of this life neuer casting how they may assure them selues in conscience touching their reconciliation with God till the day of death come Secondly if we be here bound to beleeue the pardon of all our sinnes then wee must euerie day humble our selues before God and seeke pardon for our daily offences for he giues grace to the humble or contrite he fâ—â—les the hungrie with good things when the rich are sent empty away When Benhadad the king of Syria was discomfited and ouercome by the king of Israel by the counsell of his seruants who tolde him that the kings of Israel were mercifull men hee sent them cloathed in sackcloath with ropes about their neckes to intreate for peace and fauour Now when the king saw their submission he made couenant of peace with him We by our sinnes must iustly deserue hell death and condemnation euerie day and therefore it standeth us in hand to come into the presence of God and to humble our selues before him in sackcloath and ashes craving and intreating for
nothing in the worlde so much as for pardon of our sinnes and that day by day without ceasing till the Lorde giue this blessed answere to our consciences that all our sinnes are put out of his remembrance We must not thinke that God putteth grace into mens heartes when they lie snurting upon their elbowes and either not use or despise the meanes but wee must first use the meanes partly by making confession of our sinnes to God and partly by crying to heauen for pardon and then when by his grace wee begin to desire grace hee giues further grace Lastly if we beleeue the pardon of our sinnes then wee must chaunge the tenour and course of our liues and take heede of breaking Gods commaundementes by doing any of those things whereof our consciences doe accuse us and tell us that by them we haue displeased God heretofore A man that for some misdemeanour hath bene cast into prison and lyen there many yeeres winter and sommer in cold irons when he obtaines libertie hee will often bethinke himselfe of his old miserie and take heede for eueâ— least hee fall into the same offence againe and hee which hath seene his owne sinnes and felt the smart of them and withall by Gods goodnes obtained assurance touching the pardon of them will neuer wittingly and willingly commit the like sinnes any more but in all things chaunge the course of his life As for such as say that they haue the pardon of their sinnes and yet liue in them still they deceiue themselues and haue no faith at all Thus much for the second benefite which God bestoweth on his Church namely remission of sinnes now followeth the third in these wordes The resurrection of the body In the handling wherof sundry points must be considered The first whether there be a resurrection or no This question must needs be handled because Epicures and Atheists in all ages and at this day some doe call this article in question Now that there is a resurrection of the body after death it may be prooued by many arguments whereof I will onely touch the principall The first is taken from the worke of redemption Saint Iohn writeth that Christ came to dissolue the workes of the devill which are sinne and by sinne death and hence I reason thus If sinne and death are to be dissolued utterly then the bodies of the faithfull which are dead in the graue must needes be made aliue otherwise death is not abolished but sinne and death must be utterly abolished therefore there shall be a resurrection Secondly God had made a couenaÌ„t with his church the tenor wherof is this I will be thy God thou shalt be my people This couenaÌ„t is not for a day or an age or for a thousande yeeres or ages but it is euerlasting without end so as Gods people may say of God for euer God is our God likewise God will say of his Church for euermore this people is my people Now if Gods couenant be euerlasting then all the faithfull departed from the beginning of the world must be raised again to life And if god should leaue his people in the graue under death for euer how could they be called the people of God for he is a God of mercy and of life it selfe therefore though they abide long in the earth yet they must at length be reuiued againe This argument Christ useth against the Sadduces which denied the resurrection God is not the god of the dead but of the living but god is the god of AbrahaÌ„ Isaac Iacob which are dead and therfore they must rise againe The third argument may be taken from the tenour and order of Gods iustice It is an especiall part of Gods glory to shewe forth his mercie on the godly and his iustice upon the wicked in rewarding them according to their workes as the Apostle saith God will reward every man according to his workes to them that by continuance in vvell doing seeke glorie and honour and immortalitie life eternall but vnto them that disobey the trueth that be contentious and obey vnrighteousnesse shall be indignation and wrath But in this life God rewardeth not men according to their doings and therefore Salomon speaking of the estate of all men in this world saith All things come alike to all and the same condition is to the iust and vniust to the good and bad to the pure and polluted to him that offereth sâ—crifice and to him that offreth none Nay which is more here the wicked flourish and the godly are afflicted The ungodly haue hearts ease and all things at will whereas the godly are oppressed and ouerwhelmed with all kinde of miseries and are as sheepe appointed for the slaughter It remaines therefore that there must needes be a generall resurrection of all men after this life that the righteous may obtaine a reward of Gods free mercie and the wicked utter shame and confusion But some will say It is sufficient that God doe this to the soule of euery man the body needeth not to rise againe I answer that the ungodly man doeth not worke wickednes only in his soule but his body also is an instrument thereof and the godly doe not onely practise righteousnes in their soules but in their bodies also The bodies of the wicked are the instrumentes of sinne and the bodies of the righteous are the weapons of righteousnesse and therefore their bodies must rise againe that both in bodie and soule they may receiue a rewarde according to that which they haue wrought in them The fourth argument which is also used by Paul is this Christ himselfe is risen and therefore all the faithfull shall rise againe for he rose not for himselfe as a priuat man but in our roome and steade and for us If the head be risen then the meÌ„bers also shal rise againe for by the same power whereby Christ raised himselfe he both can will raise all those that be of his mysticall bodie he beeing the first fruits of them that sleepe The fifth argument is taken from expresse testimonie of Scripture Iob hath an excellent place for this purpose I am sure saith he that my Redeemer liueth and he shall stande the last on the earth and though after my skinne wormes destroy this bodie yet J shall see God in my flesh whom I my selfe shall see and mine eies shall behold and none other for me And Saint Paul to the Corinthians auoucheth and prooueth this point at large by sundrie arguments which I will not stand to repeat this one remembered If saith he the dead rise not againe then your faith is vaine our preaching is in vaine and the godly departed are perished The sixth argument may be taken from the order of nature which ministreth certain resemblances of the resurrection which though they be no sufficient proofes yet may they be inducements to the truth Both Philosophers and also Divines haue