Iesus which is taken vp from you into heauen shall so come as you haue seen him go into heuen Abraham receiued three Angels with the presence of God Gen. 18. 2. Lot receiued two Angels as messengers from God of his saluation in the absence of the Lord Gen. 19. 3. for the Lord sent them to destroy the city In such places is the office of the Trinity to be marked and most diligently considered Likewise that he ascended it appeereth by S. Lukes words Luk. 24. 51. And it came to passe that as he blessed them he departed from them and was carried into heauen into that ancient and euerlasting house of his father where the riches and treasure of Christs kingdome lay where neither rust nor moth could corrupt nor theeues break through and steale which is the farthest height of heauen and aboue all heauens that we can imagine as is abouesaid Let vs not therfore be gazers woonderers or strangers to the things that ought to be most familiar vnto vs. For nothing appeereth plaine to them that know not God and him whom he sent our sauiour Iesus Christ. HE SITTETH AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY Who being the brightnes of glory and the ingrauen forme of Gods person and bearing vp all things by his mighty word Heb. 1. hath by himselfe purged our sinnes and sitteth at the right hand of his fathers maiesty in the highest place Ephes. 1. Heer commeth to passe the spirituall prophesie of Dauid saying The Lord said vnto my Lord sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enimes thy footstoole which is to say at the right hand that ruleth all the wolrd this is the right hand that shall find out them that hate him Psal. â—1 8. strong is his hand Psal. â—9 and high is his right hand The right hand of the Lord hath the preheminence Psal. 118. the right hand of the Lord bringeth mighty things to passe Dauid being a prophet and speaking vnto men was to vse the phrase of men and also to allude vnto the manners and power of men for all the preferment that hath been among men hath been to place authority on the right hand seeing all actiuitie worthines prosperity readines and facility consisteth in the right hand of a man This was the reason of Dauid his figuratiue speech to make men vnderstand the preheminence of the most High wheras indeed God is all spirit and hath no communion with flesh as it is already prooued His right hand is a threatning hand to them that hate him but it entertains them kindly that loue and worship him in spirit and true holines as doers of his will and obseruers of his commaundements Which thing the prophet slacked not when he said Lo I com for in the book of life it is written of me shewing his election by the holy spirit Yet why doth he so stedfastly affirme that it is written of him c surely his owne soule told him For saith he Psal 40. I desired to do thy good wil O my God yea thy law is within my hart and I say thy right hand Psal. 44. thine arme and thy cheerfull countenance saueth and defendeth all such as thou fauorest Againe Psal. 18. thy right hand hath staied me and thy louing kindnes made me grow I beheld the Lord alwaies before me saith he and he is at my right hand Acts. 2. there shall I not be shaken By this we may well perceiue the worthines of Christ receiued by his father into that holy place into which he entred a sacrificer for sinne once for all so there is one God one mediator betwixt God and man Iesus Christ. Wherfore lift vp your harts vnto the Lord let your soules be lifted vp on high yea and fly vnto heauen as a bird with a most cheerfull note and a new song praising God and saying Hosanna in the highest which is to say Saue vs O thou that dwellest in the most high FROM THENCE HE SHALL COME Euen as the men of Galile saw him go Acts. â— 11. and he shall come riding vpon Cherub Psal. 18. 10. and flying vpon the wings of the wind Behold he will come with his fan in his hand Math 3. 12. and he will make clean his floore and gather his wheat into his garner but he will burne vp the chaff with vnquenchable fire Wherfore shall hee come thence TO IVDGE THE QVICK AND THE DEAD Now Gods throne is a firy throne whose comming to iudgement no man knoweth who at his comming shal baptise with the holy Ghost and with fire comming suddenly as a theef in the night or as a maister whose return the seruant knoweth not least the wicked should be forewarned to flee from the anger to come and aduaunce themselues concerning the aduantage of this life therfore they shall giue account to him that is ready to iudge both the quick and the dead 1. Pet. 4. 5. Iudge nothing O people of the earth before the time vntill the Lord commeth who will lighten things that are hid in darknes and make the counsels of the hart manifest and then shall euery man that doth so haue praise of God Christ commanded his Apostles to preach that he was ordained of God a iudge of quick and dead Saint Paul saith I witnes before God and the Lord Iesus Christ that shall come againe to iudge the quicke and the dead at his appeerance and his kingdom 2. Tim. 4. which is to say when his kingdome shall come that we daily pray for in the Lords praier in which kingdom the Lord make vs partakers of his sonnes inheritance euen as we growe in him vnto the house of the liuing Amen I BELEEVE IN THE HOLY GHOST Heer againe is the first tenor of our confession repeated to wit I beleeue in which ought to haue relation wholy and seuerally to the three persons only least we make a confusion of all as some do which take it literally without discerning the sense at all but saying in haste I beleeue in the holy Ghost the holy catholike church the communion of saints c. Heer the simple except he be taught cannot vnderstand but that he beleeueth in the catholike church and in the communion of saints c. so far foorth as in the holy Ghost or in the other two persons but of this point anon more at large I beleeue in the holy Ghost Why I beleeue in the father and the sonne as is abouesaid and the holy Ghost is all one with the father and the sonne for he proceedeth both of the father and the sonne and with the father and the sonne togither is glorified therfore I equally beleeue in the holy Ghost as in the father or the sonne or as in both father and sonne For bicause the holy Ghost is exempted from neither it pertaineth to each one and to both alike The holy Ghost was the father and
father hath giuen him He is the holy one that dwelleth in the praises of Israel Psal. 22. 3. in whom our fathers trusted and were deliuered his therfore is the kingdome power Math. 6. 13. and glory for euer and euer Amen He is the Lord of hosts that now fighteth for the house of Israel whose fight let vs manfully vndertake commending our weake forces to his mighty protection Psal. 18. for he is a sure rock of defence in all his waies WHICH WAS CONCEIVED BY THE HOLY GHOST BORN OF THE VIRGINE MARY This especially doth confirme our beleef in Christ Iesus his only sonne in that he was conceiued by the holy Ghost All spirituall conception is from God the father of spirit and life whose works are all miracles in our cleerest sight but this comprehension of our sauiour was meerly spirituall therfore he truly descended from God the father of spirit for before they cam togither she was found with child and that which was conceiued in her was of the holy Ghost Math. 1. Before the morning sprang Messiah had the dew of his birth and before the womb of his mother was made he was knowen who hath been is and shall be all one with the father the same whose yeeres endure for euer although the heauens passe and waxe old as doth a garment He is Michael the Archangel of the couenant high sacrificer of the heauenly Ierusalem and he that buried Moses vsing the words of Iehoua S. Iude. The Lord rebuke thee sathan Here the Papists are seen extremely doting when they make the virgine Mary the queen of heauen and the speciall means by whose praiers and aduocation they attaine to saluation as if of necessity there must be both king and queen which absurd conclusions might by Homers diuinity be sufficiently reproued and corrected when he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hom. II. which is to say A gouernment of many is not good let there be one king Which words although he spoke them not diuinely yet our experience telleth vs that it was skilfully aduised concerning a Common-wealth In saying thus they abrogate the power of Christ and his authority in heauen and make the Trinity imperfect in vnity of Godhead the persons not hauing equal relation each to other they giue vnto Mary that which pertaineth vnto Christ all one with God conceiued by the holy Ghost of his father Wherfore it is he that remaineth still our King our Iudge and Sacrificer whose kingdom is infinit whose iudgement is irreuocable and his priesthood hath none end Saint Iohn saith If any man sinne we haue an aduocate with the father 1. Iohn 2. 1. Iesus Christ the iust and he is the propitiation for our sinnes But in that he was born of the virgine Mary he was a fleshly body to stand for the redemption of all flesh yea of his owne mother whom he reproued of ignorance when she said Why hast thou dealt thus with thy father and me we haue sought thee with heauy harts He answered How is it that ye haue sought me know you not that I must go about my fathers busines but they vnderstood not Which sheweth that she was of the earth earthly and now sleepeth no doubt with her fathers waiting for a glorious resurrection of an immortall body by the intercession of her owne Iesus to whom all power is giuen both in heauen and earth as it is said Blessed is the fruit of thy womb for thou hast brought foorth the sauiour of our soules the true Emanuel God-with-vs For he came in flesh to take away the sinne of the flesh and is also in spirit to continue with al them that beleeue in him for euermore Neither may we imagine any other wight in heauen or earth woorthy to be beleeued in besides the three persons in vnity for as the sonne is aduocate with the father and the father and sonne all one so the holy Ghost being of them both conueieth vs vnto them by an assured faith that we may be with Emanuel which is God with vs for euer He was called Emanuel long before by the prophet Isai A virgine shall conceiue a sonne and she shall call his name Emanuel SVFFERED VNDER PONTIVS PILATE WAS CRVCIFIED DEAD AND BVRIED The prophet Dauid spake of this his passion Psal. 22. 16. saying Dogs haue compassed me and the assembly of the wicked haue inclosed me they pierced my hands and my feet He submitted himselfe to the hands of Pontius Pilate for he knew his hower was euen then com and that his kingdom was not of this world Iohn 16. otherwise as he saith his soldiers would haue fought and not had suffered him to be deliuered into the hands of men Seeing then his time was com in which all things should be fulfilled according to his fathers will he besought of his father the cup to wit of bitter anguish might passe from him and lifting vp his eies to heauen Iohn 17. said Father the hower is com glorify thy sonne that thy sonne may glorify thee When he was to be betraied by the child of perdition Iudas Psal. 110. and knew it how great was his patience when as he reprooued him not but told him What thou doest Iohn 13 27. do quickly Pontius Pilate was a Roman vnder whose hands Christ suffered shewing that as the Romanes had alwaies persecuted the lowe Ierusalem the true Church on earth so that the Lord should iustly continue his wrath in them and that they might remaine in a perpetuall curse they also persecuted him whom the world was not woorthy of the high Ierusalem the spirituall Church Which example of cruell tyranny hath euer since beene found in them and shall be doubtlesse euen to their owne destruction But they will say Pilate was commanded to crucify him againe and againe and he excused him not guilty true wherfore Pilate was so much the more guilty of his death bicause he could find no fault in him For when the power to loose one was in him and not in the Iewes Iohn 19. 10. as he said to him Knowest thou not that I haue power to crucify thee and power to loose thee to them he had tried Christ to be guiltles yet willing to deserue the applause of the Iewes and the fauor of Caesar cleane against his owne conscience to his vtter condemnation to death he loosed Barrabas a notable murtherer Acts. 3. 14. and executed that most iust king of peace and righteousnes to euerlasting life It is like this manner of cruelty will not be left among the Romans vntill a finall desolation the end of affliction come vpon them according to the prophecy of Balaam Nomb. 24. 24. Ships shall come from the coasts Kittim Lord of Italy or Romania and subdue Ashur and vanquish Heber and he to say that Kittim shall come to destruction a most plaine prophecy not yet sufficiently noted for our defence against them By Ashur
admiration of it But we thinke and contend that it is ynough to acknowledge Christ our redeemer and to beleeue in him whom the father hath sent we are much deceiued to call that ynough which is in due respect nothing For the diuell acknowledged Christ to be the sonne of God which the Papists are alwaies ready to obiect when we argue iustification by faith but the text saith that he confessed him with trembling So then before we can acknowledge him our redeemer we must of necessity learne how we became bound and before we can rightly beleeue in him whom the father hath sent we must needs vnderstand some warning of his message which most often and breefly is repeated throughout the body of the old Testament Then must we try whether he came according to the fulnes of time wherin the father promised to send him and afterward when he is come whether his message be of God or not he himselfe exhorteth vs to make trial These seem good ground-works to build our faith vpon for as it is required in vs to beleeue so is it most expedient for vs to know him in whom we do beleeue bicause it separateth vs from death to life as before I alleaged For example Christ saith to the theef Luk. 23. 43. This day shalt thou be with me in paradise and againe of himselfe Father into thine hands I commend my spirit But concerning his body it died in the flesh for it was wrapped in linnen and laid in a tombe by Ioseph a iust man of Arimathaea and Nicodemus according to the manner of the Iewes Luk. 23. 52. and buried and to manifest that his body was dead after the maner of men the women prepared sweet odours and ointments and rested the Saboth day Nicodemus might heer see a cleerer sight of the second birth than he had before neither was his buriall an illusion to deceiue mens sight for the Iewes would not be mocked but commanded a watch and sure fastening to the doore least his disciples should steal him away keeping in mind the words that he spake vpon the earth Math. 27 64. Within three daies I will rise Thus haue I concluded his passion the manner of his passion and also his buriall which was according to the law HE DESCENDED INTO HELL Heer commeth the article that drew me to this whole discourse for that I saw the learned somthing at ods about it yet so as all both the one and the other did firmly hold it necessarily inserted in our Christian faith Neither wil I take vpon me heer so much to reconcile the learned which diuersly allow of it as to debell the vnlearned opinions which admits it not at all holding it a superfluous and needlesse article to be taught among Christian families It is somthing strange when clownes exceed in sophistry This kind of men had rather be followed as Christs of a new church than follow Christ as disciples of the true Church It behooueth them therfore in whom remedy consisteth speedily to redresse such erronious errors least some other soone after should deny that hee ascended into heauen Acts. 23. wherby a sect of Saduces might arise amongst vs Math. 27. denying any resurrection at all and so the latter error become greater than the former Now therfore concerning the misconstruing of these words then touching the abiection of them and lastly how to vnderstand them both in their vtmost force and also how they were first ment in the primitiue Church as appeereth by the indifferency of the penners of them But as concerning his descending or going downe no man I know will deny this word that hath any feeling of the ascension and going vp which is most manifest by Saint Pauls Epistle to the Ephesians which reciteth the prophet Dauids words mentioned in the Psalmes Ephes. 4. 8. Thou art gon vp on high Psal. 68. and hast led captiuity captiue thou hast receiued gifts for men yea euen the rebellious hast thou led that the Lord God may dwell there praised be the Lord which ladeth vs daily Selah But Saint Paules allusion is this that he ascended and captiued captiuity and gaue dwelling places to men Now insomuch that he ascended saith he what is it but that he descended first into the lower parts of the earth and he that went downe is he that went vp aboue al heauens to fulfill all thingâ— If therefore he had been to go downe to the place of the damned as some will he must had descended into the lowest part of the earth as he went vp to the highest heauen for his depth ought to had been answerable to his height nay 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnder all the earth as he ascended 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 aboue all heauens Reason will that as the Lords glory wherwith he glorified his sonne is aboue all heauens for they were made by him and they are the work of his owne hands and waxe old as doth a garment and shall passe and melt away like wax euen so the damned are to haue their portion below all the earth by opposition Seeing as happines and vnhappines are extremities so are their habitations most extreme and remote one from the other which cannot be in places to be discerned by flesh except we will deuise to make purgatories in the concauities of the earth as Papists haue done or our eies more sharp than Moses eies were For arguments sake then I conclude this that seeing the state of the damned is permanent for euer it is not to be changed by a new creation 2. Pet. 3. 9. For there shall be a new heauen and a new earth so that this heauen which we see is as a vaile before our eies to keep vs from the sight of God whose face would be so glorious that we should not be able to look vp for he appeered in a flame of fire Exod. 3. 6. which God our sauiour maketh himself vsing his fathers owne words shewing Exod. â—2 â—2 that it is he that sitteth on the firy throne this earth but a bar to defend vs from the outrage of the damned spirits which would consume vs with horror and there were no helpe for vs. But for the places of Gods existence and of the euerlasting prison the diuine scripture in no language hath affoorded names except circumstantiall or metaphoricall nay God himselfe hath forborne to name the place of the happy or vnhappy and much lesse was man able to perform it for he neuer went and came againe Neither in our sight can any proper resemblance be made of it Therfore let vs thinke of Christs descension that he went first into the lower parts of the earth which Saint Paul alluding Ezechiels words Ezec. 32. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 writeth in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is all one as to say What is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth Heer he said
may trust in another or one may aduaunce himselfe aboue his fellowes but the one and the other do both fall Gen. 14. 11. as when the children of Israell murmured against Moses being a man supposing the punishment to be his that was inflicted on them shewing that in their prosperitie they beleeued in him only wherefore they perished infinitely through their misbeleef for as they were obedient to man so died they in their own corruption Otherwise if man could be saued by beleeuing in man or in mans works there is not one that would be disinherited of eternall life and the promise of saluation would seem meerly friuolous Numb 20. 10. Moses and Aaron lifted vp themselues at the rock whose honor was abased by extreme punishment Gen. 10. 8. Nimrod began to be mighty vpon the earth and erected a kingdom by his owne might to wit the cities Babel Erech Accad and Calne Gen. 11. 4. all built in the land of Shinar Who said com let vs build vs a citie and a tower whose top may reach vnto heauen that we may get vs a name lest we be scattered vpon the earth He had spoken more prophetically if he had said that we may be scattered vpon the earth seeing it becam suddenly the cause of their horrible confusion so that they were made as aliens in their country and citie one not vnderstanding anothers language euen so are the arrogant depriued of their glory when their most prouident securitie turneth to destruction By this is shewed what it is to beleeue what manner of creature is bound to beleeue and who are misbeleeuers Now followeth the necessary vse of it and to what end we so constantly vse the same Vnderstand therfore that it is the ioint of all the articles of our faith nay without it can be made no effectuall article at all but all the whole speech becommeth a confused heap of faithlesse syllables By beleeuing we are discerned from Infidels and barbarous people that are as bruit beasts without any hope or knowledge our religious constancy is manifested our bond of amity and league of humane societie sealed It is the fire hammer and touch to purifie mally and try vs it is the winde that diuideth the wheat from the chaff it is a most comfortable meditation in all seasons a salue against all offences and scandals whatsoeuer A man may in his mind beleeue and not vtter it but then cannot his faith appeere vnto his brethren So that he shall becom a stumbling blocke vnto them and thus much for the very protestation of the word Now concerning the end of beleeuing it is to be saued and touching the cause why we must not beleeue in the vanity of the aboue recited powers it is that there is no safetie or saluation in them for man hath no power of his owne saluation neither is any man to put trust in the strength of his owne arme to deliuer him from death We beleeue therfore that the subiect of this our spirituall faith shal liue for euer and that the spirit that now is imprisoned in this our flesh shall mortifie our corrupt members by an vnwauering faith which before it vanisheth to fly vnto that eternall dwelling place may so sanctifie our fowl and sinfull nature that we bee made fit vessels to comprehend eternall life For seeing there is no manner of saluation with flesh wood or stone or any other thing that our earthly senses can perceiue we must inuent a thing subiect to our vnderstanding which being a college or digestion of all senses and meer spirit and life the subiect must be wholy spirituall and liuely Wher then is this subiect to be found for we see it is neither in the treasure of the earth nor in the glory of the world Let vs therfore lift vp our eies vnto heauen and behold the habitation of life the euerlasting author of spirit in all creatures The Greekes termed it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which most like commeth of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an high and prosperous wind among the heathen but in the creation it was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where the light spirit vapor of waters remaine that seasoneth all liuing creatures in the aire This is the most excellent dwelling place of that ghostly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or euerlasting AEVVM AETAS ALTERNA or AETERNITAS SOLVM EXISTENS God All-good SVMMVM BONVM PRIMVM MOBILE the first thing that mooued the author of al things whose highest seat is heauen Aristot. de mundo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is to wit Gods highest house of the whole world is called heauen Kal. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the firmament of faith Therfore this is that eternall spirit that we are to beleeue in for it is the very issue of all things the breth of his mouth created all maintaineth all yea and destroieth all at his will him are we to worship as Lord of all who in the first toong that men spake gaue himselfe a name declaring his eternity to wit that he was alwaies one and the same Isai 41. 4. infinite without beginning or end IEHOVA who euer was only is and euer shall be whom no time changeth for a thousand yeeres with the Lord is but as one day he himself is the root of time the point therof his beginning is vnsearchable his presence vnmeasurable and his continuance euerlasting in him then we must beleeue that will be saued or delight to liue for euer and euer not liply only in words but with our whole hart and soule duly conceiuing that his infinite maiestie and power that giueth our vnderstanding matter to worke vpon before him standeth the end of all flesh the relaxation of spirit the volubility of all soules is in his power 1. Sam. 2. There is none holy as the Lord nor any God besides him or like him therfore speak no more presumptuously let not arrogancy com forth of your mouth for the Lord is a God of knowledge and by him enterprises are established The bowe and the mighty men are broken and the weake haue girded themselues with strength they that are full are hired foorth for bread and the hungry are no more hired so that the barren hath borne seuen and she that hath many children is feeble The Lord killeth and maketh aliue bringeth downe to the graue and raiseth vp the Lord maketh poor and maketh rich Psal. 113. 7. bringeth down and exalteth he raiseth vp the poor out of the dust and lifteth vp the begger out of the dunghill to set them among princes and to make them inherit the seat of glory For the pillars of the earth are the Lords and he hath set the world vpon them he will keep the feet of his saints and the wicked shall keepe silence in darknes For in his owne might shall no man be strong the Lords aduersaries shall be destroied and out of