the way that carrieth vs to that high Country The Lion of the Tribe of Iuda is our Conuoy stronger than the armed man our guide hath the key of Dauid openeth and no man shutteth I haue enough sayes Iacob Ioseph my sonne is yet aliue I will goe see him ore I die We also haue enough and more than Iacob had therefore goe masters goe that we may see him too The spouse in the Canticles compareth him to a Roe or a yoong Hart Behold he commeth leaping by the mountains and skipping by the hils he is the sonne of God and thereby higher than the highest heauens that is beyond our reach For God dwelleth in light that none can come neere to Therefore because he would be low enough for vs he became man also and stood vpon the ground Hee tooke nor the Angels he came leaping by those mountaines and skipping by those hils but hee tooke the seed of Abraham and desired to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rather than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a louer of men rather than a louer of Angels He professeth it in the 8. of the Proverbs My delight was to bee amongst the sonnes of men I had thought O Lord that thy delight had beene amongst the Host of Angels but seeing that of thy pittifull clemencie and admirable be â—ignitie thou makest it thy delight to be amongst the sonnes of men I will not interrupt thy pleasure but pray for thy prosperitie Good lucke haue thou with thy delight O thou most mighty Now if you aske me why he tooke our nature and not the Angels that were fallen as well as wee Multum est à me abyssus est profundum Crucis est The Well is deepe and I haue not any thing to draw withall If it were lest Angels might so bee thought to restore themselues because of their excellencie wee must commend the wisdome of his prouidence If it were because man did not sinne of malice and without intisement as the Angels did but in a kinde of weaknesse and by their instigation we magnifie his iudgements that are examplerie vpon the principall and fauourable to vs poore seduced accessories Criminosius est decipere quà m decipi peccatum excogitare quam facere Iâ— it were because all mankinde was lost through Adams preuarication but not all the Angels in Lucifers Apostasie we praise his goodnesse that would not quench our sparke Let curious men discusse the causes it is fittest for vs to admire the worke Let them dispute and let vs cry O altitudo O 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O the height and depth of Gods iudgements O the loue of God towards mankinde Lord what is man that thou art so mindfull of him or the sonne of man that thou visitest him Iacâ—bs ladder reached vp to heauen but it stood also vpon the ground Such must the mediators condition be The mediator betweene God and man must haue something like vnto God and something like vnto man lest if hee were altogether like vnto men he should be a stranger vnto God or if hee were like to God euery way he should then be farre from men and so no mediator The sonne of God appeared to Adam after his fall and the man ran away and hid himselfe in the trees of the garden Heere was nothing but the terrour of a Iudge no flesh taken no placabilitie of a mediator Hee appeared many times to the fathers in humane shape to giue them a taste of his future incarnation heere was great contentment if it might haue had continuance but hee layd downe that shape againe When the fulnesse of time came hee combined the godhead and our nature so firmly together with the glue of his person that man could neuer flie from God againe and God would neuer be seuered from man Opus sine exemplo gratia sine merito charitas sine modo A worke that cannot be exemplified grace that was neuer merited and loue vnstinted An admirable coniunction wherein God was made man sinners righteous and our Iudge becomes our aduocate So now I will deliuer him vnto you as the ladder that Iacob did see high enough because he was God low enough because he was man strong enough to carrie vs to God because of a Iudge hee is become an aduocate and of perpetuitie because the personall vnion cannot be dissolued Some doubt may bee of his bredth I am not sent he saith but vnto the lost sheepe of the house of Israel That is too narrow for vs that be Gentiles But vnderstand it of order and not of election that hee was sent to the Iewes first that they might haue the precedence and first fruits of his ministerie and then you shall finde this narrownesse temporarie For after he had performed all things and was risen againe when the maturitie of time was come hee dilated his bosome to receiue vs Gentiles and made himselfe a passage broad enough for all the world It is a small thing that thou shouldest bee my seruant to raise vp the Tribes of Iacob and to restore the desolations of Israel I will also giue thee a light to lighten the Gentiles that thou maist bee my saluation to the ends of the world Behold the bredth and height and length and depth loe all the dimensions of a perfect and accomplished ladder Search now and run thorow heauen and earth in your thoughts and you shall not finde any other nâ—me wherein all these properties doe concurie and meet together saue only in the person of Iesus Christ The other two persons that are in heauen the Father and the Holy Ghost could not be incarnate made low enough also for the office of a mediator without manifest solecismes and incongruitie How farre vnbeseeming had it beene the greatnesse of the Father if the Sonne or Holy Ghost had sent him Therefore as the first person in order and fountaine of all diuinitie he did abide in his maiestie and sent the Sonne And Father and Sonne both sent the Holy Ghost not to bee incarnate for so there must haue beene two Sonnes one Sonne of God in Heauen and another Sonne of mâ—n in earth and not one Sonne in both And then wee should confesse and worship not a trinitie but a quaternitie of persons which God keepe farre from the saith of Christians Why then doth Christ call the Holy Ghost an aduocate Alâ—um Paâ— mâ—daâ— vobis I will giue you another Aduocate And Paul doth second that translation when he saith The Spirit doth make intercession for vs with sighs and groan as that cannot be expressed Yet there be two differences that make the mediation of the Sonne of God eminent aboue all the groanes of the Holy Ghost the one for the time the other for the manner 1. The Sonne of God maketh intercession for vs before the wrath of God bee appeased the groanes of the Holy Ghost come after 2. The Sonne of God interposeth himselfe as a
but sit with thee eating and drinking at thy table in thy kingdome Hitherto ye haue heard Christs prerogatiue and the benefit therof The last point remaineth to whom this benefit belongs to euery one that beleeueth Why then say the Iesuites the promises of Christ are conditionall as well as the promises of the Law The law sayes Doe this and liue Christ sayes Beleeue only and all things are possible to him that beleeueth Heere is a condition in the one as well as in the other If time would giue me leaue I could shew that the promises of Christ are absolute and without condition but let vs now admit that they are conditionall as well as the promises of the law yet haue we many aduantages in this condition of Christ that are not in the law 1 Is it not much easilier to beleeue the promises of the one than to doe the workes of the other 2 Againe the law is stoicall and curious not content with our endeuours vnlesse wee haue done all and done it most exactly Christ is milde and gentle he striueth not lifteth not vp his voice quencheth not smoaking flax bruseth not a shaken reede but enterteineth euery true faith though it be as little as a graine of mustard seed though it be neuer so vnperfect 3 The law is solitarie teacheth vs what to doe but giueth vs no meanes to doe it whereupon the Apostle cals it a dead letter Christ is neuer solitarie but accompanied with the grace and influence of his holy spirit which hee sends into our hearts to illuminate to regenerate to giue vs faith to comprehend him And therefore when he giueth vs the condition which he requireth of vs his condition is most gracious and the condition of the Law is grieuous Christ is the end of the law for righteousnesse to euery one that beleeueth If Christ bee the end of the law to euery one that beleeueth then did he not fulfill the law for himselfe but for those that doe beleeue As he was God he was not subiect to the law and as he was man also he was Lord of the law Duplici iure sayes Bernard filius Dei regnum possidet coelorum Semel quia filius 2. quia passus atque hoc secundo modo nihil illi fuit opus mihi autem dedit omnibus credentibus The sonne of God hath two titles and rights to the kingdome of heauen The first is by inheritance because he is sonne the second is by acquisition because he suffered of this second title he had no vse or need himselfe but hath giuen it to me and all that beleeue This will easily be yeelded that hee suffred for vs but the other point is controuerted that hee fulfilled the law for himselfe and for his owne righteousnesse As God he needed not and as man also hee was Lord of the Sabboth The sonne of man is Lord of the Sabboth and so consequently of the whole law Eadem est ratio partium totius If Lord of the law as man then needed hee not to be subiect but hee made himselfe So the Apostle writeth to the Galathians but he addeth the reason of Christ his subiection that hee might redeeme vs that were vnder the law When the humane nature in the very moment of conception thereof was vnited inseparably to the Godhead what felicitie did it want in that vnion which might be supplied by his actuall righteousnes fulfilling of the law What was not the law to be performed of euery man or was not Christ a man The law verily was enioined to euery humane person but Deus verbum as Augustine sayes non suscepit personam sed naturam hominis and this nature hauing no subsistance at any time of it selfe but assoone as it began to bee it was personated as they say in the schooles of the diuinitie could not bee brought into necessarie subiection of the law without manifest iniurie to that person that susteineth it Others write that Christ must fulfill the law to make himselfe a meet high Priest and they doe not consider his natiue innocencie that hee brought with him into the world which being neuer teâ—erated was sufficient to qualifie him to the office of Priesthood Was he not by that natiue integritie holy harmlesse vndefiled separated from sinners And these be all the qualities that the Apostle to the Hebrewes requireth in his highâ—Priesthood Seeing then hee had all these by the sacred conception which wee professe I may conclude that all which he did beside in fulfilling of the law was as the text noteth for righteousnesse to euery one that belleeueth and as it is in 8. Rom. that the exquisite righteousnesse of the law might be fulfilled in vs. So he sayes himselfe Eâ—o procis sanctifica meipsum It is for them and not for mine owne behoofe that I sanctifie my selfe As it is in a glasse that hath not his brightnesse and reflexions for himselfe but that others may haue the vse and benefit of it so is Christ the end of the law for righteousnesse not to himselfe or for his owne benefit but for the vse and commodity of euery one that beleeueth Thus I haue deliuered you Christ the end of the law for righteousnesse to euery one that beleeueth Hee is a high Priest according to the order of Melchâ—sedeth And wee read nothing of the exercise of that Priesthood but only that he blessed Abraham to giue vs to vnderstand that the whole Priesthood of Iesus Christ doth consist in blessing Hold him therefore and let him not goe vntill hee haue giuen you a blessing which hee hath already graciously begun heere in this world and will multiplie it aboue all that you can desire in the Kingdome of Heauen Whereunto wee doe all with heart and voice say Amen Euen so be it Lord Iesus who with the Father and the Holy Ghost liuest and raignest one God blessed for euer FINIS A SERMON PREAched before the Kings most excellent Maiestie in the Church of BEAVLY in Hampshire Iohn 1. chap. last verse Verily verily I say vnto you heereafter shall ye see heauen open and the Angels of God ascending and descending vpon the sonne of man WOrds of great asseueration and therefore of great importance What can more import vs that were exiled out of Paradise and beequeathed to the earth than to haue heauen open that were sequestred and retired from the societie of Angels than to haue their sweet haunts againe and their ministry too than to haue ingresse and egresse and familiar intercourse with God Placet cunctis sâ—curitas sed ei magis qui timuit lucunda omnibus lux est sed euadenit de potestate tenebrarum incundior Transisse demorte ad vitam vitae gratiam duplicat Safety is pleasing to all but more to him that was afraid Light is comfortable to euery man but more to him that is escaped out of the power of darknesse To haue pâ—sâ—ed from death to life makes
and not in another place or world alter they be dead Neque gubernator postquam nauâ— meâ—sa est neque medicus postquam aegrotus obijt quicquam trâ—dessâ— potest Neither can the gouernour after the ship is suake nor the Physician after the sicke is dead auaile Hic misereri potest poenitentis quia ibi Iudex est non misericâ—rs Heere he may haue pittie on them that repent in the world to come hee is a Iudge not a pardoner Come foolish Virgins and perswade the Catholikes by that which befell vnto your selues that all preparation after death is idle and vnprofitable In the meane time wee will search if you please what allowance the Scripture giueth to fire for purging of sinnes The onely place that is alleged with probabilitie is that which the Apostle writeth The fire shall true euery mans worke of what sort it is That shewes that there is a probatorie but prooues not any Purgatorie fire Thorow this fire of probation all maner of workes and workmen must passe and the masters of Purgatorie you know will not allow that any of their saints or excellent workmen should bee once cinged And therefore this fire of triall makes nothing for their Purgatorie The true Purgatorie of Christians is the blood of Iesus Christ which quencheth euery aduersary fire and purgeth vs from all our sinnes When the Centurion pierced his side there came out water and blood to shew that it was no common and ordinary blood that came from Iesus Christ but such as had a cleansing vertue O Lord purge vs heerewith and wee shall be cleane wash our robes in the blood of this Lambe and we shall be whiter than snow Surely he that is so washed already needs not the mathematicall fire of Purgatorie but is cleane thorowout And he that is not washed with the blood of Christ shall neuer be cleansed but tormented for euer in real fire Seeing then that the fire of Purgatorie is to some men needlesse and to all other helplesse I wish better to this sacred presence than to hold you any longer in the smoake of that which is fruitlesse Abrahams bosome is a place of more contentment And who would not bee with the father of the faithfull But if the Church of Rome will haue it to bee no more than a place discharged of sensible pains where they were neuerthelesse suspended from Gods presence I see no great matter that can be in it to allure vs. But none can speake better to the quality and condition of Abrahams bosome than Abraham himselfe And he bids the rich glutton remember that hee in his life time receiued pleasures and Lazarus likewise paines now therefore he is comforted and thou art tormented In suspension there is anxietie and no comfort especially when the suspension is from the fruition and sight of God Augustine writeth of his friend Nâ—bridius that was dead and in Abrahams bosome I am non ponit aurem ad os meum sed spirituale os ad sontem tuum bibit quantum potest sapientiam pro auiditate sua sine sine foelix If he that is in Abrahams bosome drinketh at the well head puts his mouth to the fountaine of life and hath happinesse for euermore as Augustine writeth then is it not a place of retrait of suspension of an Interim but of present and actuall possession Hierome equalleth the Fathers of the old Testament in reward with vs Quis ignorat sub altera dispensatione Dei omnes sanctos eiusdem juisse meriti cuius nunc Christiani sunt Who knoweth not that all the saints which were vnder the Old Testament had the same reward which Christians haue now And if they had the same reward then that Christians haue now whence comes this difference that the gate of heauen is open to vs and shut vpon them that assoone as wee faile they receiue vs into euerlasting Tabernacles Into Paradise the same day Into blessednesse instantlie and they of the Old Testament are delaied vntill the resurrection of Christ are without any warrant at al so vncourteously sent to Abrahams bosome and that vnto Vtopia It cannot be for that the worke of Christs redemption was not performed at the time of their death For albeit that worke was fixed to the fulnes of time Before his houre was not come Then hee would not admit of any tergiuersation Shall I not drinke of the cup which my father hath giuen me Yet was the power of that worke and the vertue of his redemption extended from the beginning of the world vnto the end thereof He entred but once to the Sanctuarie of heauen but hee found eternall redemption And how can that which is eternall be limited or restrained to future times Doth it not comprehend all times Yes verily and it is a transcendent aboue them all Was not the lambe slaine from the beginning of the world And is it possible that a Sacrifice of such price so offred and so accepted should not bee of present efficacie Prius eius mors profuit quà m fuit It satisfied God redeemed man opened heauen and put the whole kingdome of Satan into combustion presently So Christs Heereafter in this text is no limitation of time as if heauen had not beene penetrable before his death and resurrection But this Hencefoorth implieth the accession that is giuen to out sight by the ministerie of the Gospell Hencefoorth yee shall see That which the Fathers hoped for that wee doe see and the passage vnto heauen is made much more conspicuous by the light of the New Testament We haue Christ borne and ful growen they had him too but hidden in the seed of Abraham in the loines of Dauid in the wombe of a royall Virgin or if a childe were borne vnto them yet was he wrapped vp in the swaâ—ling clouts of the law Velâ—m pendebat in templo ne templi secreta panderentur cruce autem Domini velum consâ—issâ—m est vt paterent The veile did hang in the Temple that the secrets of the temple might not bee published but at the death of Christ this veile was rent that all within might be visible and manifest Thorow this veile Iacob did see a ladder that reached vp to heauen heere is yet obscuritie enough the Angels went vp and downe What is that to vs that be men What shall wee doe with a ladder when the gates of Heauen bee shut against vs when there be Cheâ—ubins and angry Porters and a firie sword to keepe vs out Who shall open vs the gate Who shall remooue the Cherubins Who shall take away the firie sword If you will bee pleased to looke vpon this Heereafter in the New Testament Iacobs veile is rent that you may see all things plaine heauen open the Angels ascending and descending vpon the sonne of man If they goe vp and downe vpon the sonne of man then Christ is the ladder that reacheth vp to heauen he is