euerie word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God This is thought to bee the same white Manna which is vsed in shops at this day but I will not dispute thereof seeing it is doubtfull That Manna did represent a more excellent food and therefore Paul calleth it A spirituall meat because it represented vnto them the spirituall food of the soule Christ Iesus the true Manna The liuing bread that came downe from heauen as wee may see at large Iohn 6. And so in this place by Manna wee must not vnderstand the Manna of the people of Israel But Christ himselfe the true food of life eternall How Christ doth become vnto vs our spirituall Manna and the true food of life I will shew by these conclusions I. He is this food not in regard of his doctrine or of his miracles nor yet onely in regard of the blessings of his death and passion But Christ himselfe God and man is true food of life as is shewed at large Iohn 6. And in Christ himselfe are his death and passion the benefits thereof food vnto the soule II. Conclus Christ is this food not as he lay in the manger or as he now sitteth in heauen at the right hand of his father but as he suffered the wrath of God and pangs of hell vpon the crosse and as he died was buried for our life commeth out of Christs death III. Concl. He is this food not in regard of his godhead for that no creature can receiue or apply to his iustificatiō or sanctification but in regard of his manhood subsisting in the person of the sonne of God Christs flesh profiteth nothing seuered from the godhead but yet his body and bloud haue this vertue to be true spirituall food because they are the flesh and bloud of that person which is God IV. Concl. Christ is not a bodily food to be receiued with the hād eaten with the mouth digested in the stomacke but he is a spirituall food to be receiued applied digested by faith◠And being so receiued he doth preserue the soule vnto eternall life This faith is that wherby a man is enabled to beleeue that Christ crucified is his Christ. And thus doth he become our spirituall Mannah when by true faith wee assure our selues that he suffered for our sinnes and rose againe for our righteousnesse Is Christ crucified the true bread of life and our spirituall Manna then should we long after him with a true spirituall hunger in our very hearts as truly as any man longeth after meat drinke When a man is famished for the staying of his hunger he will pull his owne flesh from his bones and eat it Euen so for the satisfying of our hungrie soules with Christ Iesus this food of life we must forsake the deerest thing in all the world though it bee our owne flesh For that which we will do for our bodies we must do much more for our soules Que. How shall we attaine to this true spirituall hunger Answer It is with the hunger of the soule as it is with the hunger of the body In bodily hunger bee two things A great paine in the stomacke for want of nourishment And a strong and earnest appetite which continueth till the stomacke be filled Euen so we should feele a paine in our hearts rising from a sense of the wrath of God for our sinnes And then wee must labour to haue a greedie appetite and earnest desire to bee filled with Christ crucified neuer be at rest til we be satiat with the merit of his passion which only can free vs from Gods wrath and fill vs with true ioy But wofull bee these times for there is in most mens hearts a deadnesse of spirit whereby they are made insensible of inward wants and miseries They are like vnto full men that feele no paine for want of food There is indeed an hunger nay a greedie worme in many after the profits pleasures and honors of this world but few or none do hunger after Christ. But if wee would haue part in the feast of the Lambe we must labour to haue this longing appetite after Christ If we be full stomacked wee shall haue no refreshing from his merits Mary saith truly in her song God filleth the hungrie with good things but the rich and full goe away emptie Which is a most fearfull curse when the soule is debarred from this food of life But blessed are we if we hunger after Christ and his righteousnesse for then we shall bee satisfied Christ will giue vnto vs our fill of the water of life freely Reuel 21.6 Secondly here we may take a view of the profane madnesse of the world For though this bread of life Christ Iesus be the most excellent food of all farre surpassing the Israelits Manna the food of Angels yet it is nothing or little desired Men are like to the foolish Israelits that had more regard to leekes and onions and to the flesh pots of Egypt than to Angels food which God gaue them frō heauen They spend their wits and their strength by day and by night that they may satiate themselues with the fraile riches and vaine pleasures of the world And yet these men haue the name to be the onely men whereas indeed they are profane Esau◠wicked Israelits As therefore this practise is damnable so must we learne to detest it And on the contrarie seeing Christ Iesus is the true Manna our principall care and desire must bee to bee fed therewith Wee must thinke it is a great disgrace to Christ Iesus which hee cannot endure without reuenge that wee should haue lesse regard to him the true bread of life than to earthly foode which perisheth Thirdly here wee may see that which is vsuall in the Scripture intreating of the Sacraments to wit the name of the signe giuen to the thing signified for Christ here promiseth them Manna meaning thereby not the Israelits food but himselfe whereof their Manna was a signe a seale a pledge as appeareth plaine because Paul calleth it spiritual meat 1. Cor. 10·2 Further Christ is not only called Manna but hidden Manna to put a difference betweene himselfe and the Manna of the Israelits which was visible that euery man might see And Christ is called hidden Manna for two causes first because no man by nature knoweth this food or desireth it secondly because God doth not reueale this food to al men effectually as may appeare Mat. 11.25 I giue thee thankes oh father that thou hast hidden these things that is the doctrine of the gospell and the mysteries of the kingdome of heauen from the great and wise men of the world and hast opened them vnto babes Is Christ hidden Mannah then first here learne to take knowledge of the state of men in the world They know not Christ neither do they feele in themselues any want of this food and therefore they know not what
integritie Abrahams in meekenesse Moses in knowledge Arons in paines Paules and in praying Samuels and remember that as Augustine sayd Manus pauperum sunt gazophylacium Christi The hands of the poore are the treasurie of Christ. I need not speake much of the dutie of a Minister for euery one will teach him his dutie that will not bee ranged within any dutie himselfe These Churches were then like Dauids Worthies excellent aboue all the Churches of the world but because they lost their first loue were not faithfull to the death maintained the doctrine of Balaam suffered women to teach bare a name onely to liue had but a little strength were neither hote nor cold and repented not as they should haue done of all their sinnes they are reprehended by Iohn threatened by Christ and the Candlesticke of the Gospell is now taken away from them Iam seges est vbi Troia fuit Now Mahomet rageth where Messiah did raigne Are they reprehended let vs hearken are they threatened let vs feare are they fallen let vs labour to continue From Iohns reprehension we see that as one said hereof our Elders haue complained hereof doe we complaine and hereof they which liue after vs will complaine that men waxe worse and liue not according to the doctrine of Gods word From Christs threatning we see that God is mercifull who first offereth peace before he fight against vs that we being forewarned might be fore-armed And by the wofull downefall of these seuen Churches let vs that stand take heed that we fall not for if God spared not the old world who despised Noah the Sodomites who vexed Lot Ierusalem which abused the Prophets Colossa Hierapolis and Laodicea who reiected Paule and these Asian Churches who did not grow in righteousnesse as they did in riches how shall wee escape if we neglect so great saluation and for this cause these Sermons are most worthie to be considered of in this present age O then let vs now consider this season redeeme the oportunitie not harden our hearts but regard the time of our present visitation As the day openeth and shutteth with the Sunne so saluation openeth and shutteth with the Gospell Whilest it is called to day let vs heare his voice He that laboureth in Summer is the sonne of wisedome but he that sleepeth in haruest is the sonne of confusion All things in the world doe take their time the bird to build her neast the husbandman to sow his seed the mariner to goe to sea the gardener to set his trees the sicke patient to take physicke the cooke to season meats and the dresser of the vineyard to gather his fruit It will bee too late to build in Summer to sow in haruest to go to sea when the ship is launched to transplant trees when they are old to take physicke when we are dying to season meates when they are vnsauorie and when winter is come to gather fruit The fiue foolish virgines came too late Diues in hell repenteth too late the time present is onely ours Is the figge-tree fruitlesse it shall heare that sentence Neuer fruit grow on thee any more Get thee then righteousnesse before thou come to iudgement vse Physicke before thou be sicke and whilest thou maiest yet sinne shew thy conuersion as the wise man exhorteth euery man But alas whereunto shall I liken this generation We are like the Ephesians wee haue lost our first loue or the Laodiceans we are neither hote nor cold or the twilight neither day nor night or the Autumne neither faire nor foule or one sicke of an ague one day well another ill or a man in a Lethargie neither aliue nor dead or Hermaphroditus neither male nor female or to those creatures called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which liue in water or on land or the Lionesse which the oftener shee breedeth the fewer cubs she beareth or the Mariner who is onely good in a storme or the Marigold that shutteth and openeth with the Sunne or the Mermaids which are halfe flesh halfe fish I would to God wee were either hote or cold that as the hotest regions bring foorth sweetest spices so most zealous people might be most fruitfull in good workes that as the Sunne in the heauen is swiftest at her setting so the sonnes of God might bee best at their ending But is it so no the more wee are taught the more ignorant are many and the older we are the colder in religion We haue indeed many of vs as it was said of Aristogiton Martem or rather religionem in lingua religion in tongue but when triall is made of vs euery Phocâ—on can espie our halting and then with Archilochus we thinke it better clypeum abiicere quà m interire euen to cast off all religion than to vndergoe the least disgrace for religion The Moone desiring to be apparelled as the rest of the Planets answer was made her That her diuerse chaunges could admit no kind of habite and we desiring to be attired with the robes of Christians it is to bee feared that since we tread not the Moon vnder our feet we shal neuer be clothed as the Church was with the Sunne Who is wise and he shall vnderstand these things and prudent and he shall know them Let vs therefore labor to grow in grace to abound in knowledge to be full of good works and to ouercome all the vnderminers of our future saluation Then shall we eat of the tree of life not be hurt of the second death tast of the hidden Manna haue power ouer nations bee clothed in white made pillars in Gods temple and sit with Christ Iesus in the throne of his father And though the sonne of Ishai cannot make vs Captaines of thousands yet that Sonne of Dauid will make vs the sonnes of God That we may doe so we must beleeue the Gospell put on Christ Iesus and bee renewed by repentance The first is necessarie the second comely the third profitable To come to the first it is necessarie we should beleeue for hee that beleeueth not is condemned alreadie he is condemned in the counsell of God in the ministery of the word and in his owne conscience he shall be condemned in the day of iudgement for the wrath of God abideth vpon him The more I consider the fruits of faith the more I see the necessitie of faith Through it we are saued by it we are iustified in it we liue We are saued from Sathan iustified before God liue in the Church In the Church nay by it we liue in heauen for hee that beleeueth in the Sonne of God hath euerlasting life Faith is that which purifieth the heart maketh the whole man to run the wayes of Gods commaundements
Gospell when he preacheth Gods word is in the roome of Christ and speaketh that vnto the church which Christ wold speake That they may be faithfull witnesses sundry things are required at their hands First they must deliuer the testimonie of Christ aboue all other things and before all testimonies of man in the office of their ministerie This was meat and drinke to Christ to teach his fathers will Eleazar Abrahams eldest seruant shewed his fidelitie in that he would not eate or drinke till hee had done his masters message Gen. 24.33 Much more ought the ministers of Christ haue speciall care of that weightie message committed vnto them Secondly they must testifie all the will of God concerning matters of salvation as faith obedience and a godly life among men wee count him a faithfull witnesse which testifies all the truth and no more but the truth so shold it be with all ministers that be Gods witnesses to his church Herein Paule cleared himselfe That he was free from al mens bloud seeing he deliuered the whole will of God in matters necessarie for saluation and kept nothing backe Thirdly he must neither add vnto or take away much lesse in any case depraue the word of God And this is the true marke of a faithfull witnesse For false prophets teach some truth but withall they adde something of their owne or detract from Gods truth something that they ought not In the church of Rome a man may hear things concerning morall vertues handled soundly but come to Iustification and thereto they adde the merit of mens works so they deale with Faith and Repentance matters of saluation they take away one part and adde another to the scriptures they hold the Creed in word yet in deed they denie the same as by their doctrine may appeare so shew themselues false witnesses Fourthly a faithfull witnesse must deliuer the testimonie of Christ in that spirituall manner which best beseemeth the maiestie of God and which he best approoueth that is in a plaine easie and familiar kind of speech that the conscience of the sinner may be touched the vnderstanding of the simple may be edified When the word is otherwise deliuered as in the entising words of mans wisdom or for ostētation of wit or much reading though nothing be said but the truth yet he that so dispenseth it is an vnfaithfull witnesse because he corrupteth the word by his vaine deliuerie And this is the sinne of this age in many ministers who teach the truth indeed but yet in such sort as it may appeare they seeke thēselues and not Gods glory respecting little the edification of the simple so themselues may bee famous for wit eloquence and learning But these men make marchandise of the word like to huxters that by starching blowing and spicing set a glosse vpon their ware to make it seeme that which it is not which is a greeuous sinne and such as will banish the Gospell out of our land vnlesse it be reformed Secondly this title of Christ That faithfull witnesse doth discouer vnto vs the damnable practise of men in the sinne of vnbeleefe for Christ this faithfull witnesse hath giuen testimonie to his word which is preached that the same is true And therefore they that beleeue it not doe make Christ a false witnesse and a lyar than which what can be more horrible yet this is the common sinne of this age For when the law is applied who is afraid and when the gospell is preached yet who beleeueth our report Gods ministers may say with the little children Wee haue piped vnto you but you haue not daunced we haue mourned vnto you but you haue not wept This deadnesse of heart whereby men are not mooued with the word preached vnto them is an euident argument of this fearfull vnbeleefe whereby they make Christ a false witnesse This therefore should moue vs to consider in our selues the heinousnesse of this sinne that so we may striue against it and labour to giue free passage to the word into our hearts trembling at the law and reioycing in the Gospell that so each part thereof may haue his perfect worke in vs for which end also wee may consider That amongst those which shall haue their portion in the burning lake vnbeleeuers are set in the first ranke Reuel 21. vers 8. Thirdly seeing Christ Iesus is that faithfull witnesse which giueth testimonie to mens consciences in particular of their saluation we learne That euery one which professeth himselfe to repent is bound in conscience to beleeue that the promises of the Gospell and the benefits thereof as Election Redemption Iustification Sanctification and Saluation belong to him particularly And though this be against all humane sence and reason yet seeing we haue a faithfull witnesse auouching the same wee must submit our selues vnto his testimonie for by vnbeleefe we greatly dishonour our witnesse bearer by denying truth vnto his record Here then wee see it it no presumption as the Papists say to beleeue our election and saluation in particular nay it is an horrible sinne in euery one that repenteth not to beleeue it seeing Christ a most faithfull witnesse testifies the same to our consciences by his holy spirit Hereto also serue the sacraments instituted by God to seale vp vnto euery worthy receiuer Christ and all his benefits The ministers giuing of the bread and wine to them that truly repent is as much as if Christ should say Beleeue thou and life eternall belongs to thee And the first begotten of the dead In these words is contained the second office of Christ namely his Priesthood the principall actions whereof stand in dying in rising againe from the dead and making intercession for vs. And here S. Iohn alludeth to the estate of the families amōg the Iewes comparing Christ to the first borne for as among them hee which was first borne and eldest of the familie had many priuiledges and preheminences aboue his brethren as Lordship right of the Priesthood and double portion c. so Christ he hath his priuiledges yea euen Christ crucified hee hath his prerogatiues among the dead aboue all that are dead So Paule expounding this title calleth him The first borne and beginning of the dead that hee might in all things haue the preheminence Coloss. 1. vers 18. The priuiledges of Christ dead and buried among all the dead are two first That he was the first that euer rose from death to life and so to glorie Some indeed haue risen before Christ from naturall death to naturall life as Lazarus but it was to die againe And Moyses and Elias assumed their bodies in the Mount with Christ in his transfiguration but yet they laid them downe againe to the former miserie of corruption for a time But Christ Iesus ros◠from death to life eternall neuer to die againe And his resurrection was the first steppe into his glorie Secondly that by his owne power he raised vp
and doctrine Second reason Antichrist say they sitteth in the Temple of God Now the Temple of God is Gods Church therfore the church of Rome is Gods church Answ. He sitteth there not as a member thereof but as an vsurper and deceiuer For in the Church of Poperie is the hidden church of God they are therein mingled as a little wheat with much chaffe and as little gold with much drosse So that though the church of God be where Antichrist sitteth yet the Church whereof hee is head is no church of God for whether we regard their doctrin or worship of God there is no meanes to beget or preserue spirituall life in their Church Further this which Christ sayth of Sardis may be sayd not onely of the Papists but of the churches of the Protestants as of this our Church of ENGLAND of the most congregations in the great townes thereof though not for doctrine yet in regard of mens conuersationsâ— for the body of our people seeme to be aliue by their outward profession but indeed they are dead in respect of the power of godlinesse for by occasion of outward peace these sins abound fulnes of bread pride both inward in heart outward in attyre also cruelty couetousnes carnal security like as it was in Noahs time Now where these sins raigne there the power of godlines is wanting men content theÌ„selues with an outward profession but the spiritual life of grace is not to be seen And yet this doth not preiudice the state of our church to nullifie it from being the church of God for God hath his chosen among vs in all places who liue indeed a spirituall life thogh the body of our people be dead in 〈◊〉 so will continue while peace abideth the threatnings of the ministers wil not awake meÌ„ out of the sleepe of sin it must be the rod of correctioÌ„ that must put into them the power of religion Men are like to little children who besides admonition must feele the smart of the rod to bring them to their dutie Further in this Church of Sardis whom Christ calleth dead though they had a name to liue Note the state of the Church of GOD for this was a true Church of God who among the rest was washed in the blood of Christ. Chap. 1. vers 5. And yet Christ saith it is dead in sinne that is in part not wholly And therfore a Church that is in a very corrupt state both in regard of outward conuersation and of sundry erronious opinions may yet remaine the true Church of Christ if so be they erre not in the foundation Which serueth for answere to them that thinke our Church to bee no Church because it maintaineth not that out-ward order which they thinke should be in it And therefore though wee must preferre Church before Church yet we must not condemne a Church to bee no Church for some corruptions that bee therein A true body may haue some blemish and a true Church some wants Againe the Churches of God say this is a Church yet Christ saith they are dead How can these two stand Answ. The Churches about Sardis iudged this to be aliue according to the rule of charitie because of their outward profession of true Religion for as Infants are not indeede all holy as experience sheweth yet till wee see the same made manifest wee are in charitie to iudge them to bee holy that are borne of fâ—ithfull parents euen so ought the Minister and euery one in GODS Church to thinke the best of euery one in Gods Church till God make manifest what hee is Paul following this rule calleth whole Churches elect But thou art dead Here are two iudgements one of neighbour Churches the other of Christ and Christs iudgement is preferred Wee must therefore regard specially the iudgement of Christ and labor to approue our selues our conuersations vnto Christ rather then to men for let men say what they will of vs it is Christ that must saue and condemne this made Paul to say I passe little to bee iudged of you or of mans iudgement why so for hee that iudgeth mee is the Lord. And indeed without Christs commendation the iudgement of men is nothing for Christ may condemne vs when men thinke well and speake well of vs and therefore hee saith Woe bee vnto you when all men speake well of you Luke 6.26 Verse 2. Be watchfull and strengthen the things that remaine that are readie to die for I haue not found thy works perfect before God There be two degrees of hypocrisie first when men professe that which is not in their heart at all The second when men make profession of more then is in their heart This second kind of hypocrisie oft befalleth the children of God and it is that which Christ reprooueth in this Church of Sardis in the former vers After which reproofe here he propoundeth a remedie to their vice and a reason to mooue them to vse the same The remedie is in the beginning of the verse where are two duties prescribed To bee watchfull and to strengthen or confirme the decayed graces of God in them For the first Be watchfull to bee watchfull here is a most worthy and excellent dutie it is not bodily but spirituall and it is practised when any man hath a circumspect care and diligent heed in respect of the saluation of his soule This dutie of watchfulnesse concerneth two things sinne and death Watchfulnes against sinne stands in two duties First a man must daily and continually bethinke himselfe before hand of all sinnes and vices into which he may happily fall for the doing of this he must consider in himselfe two â—hings his Nature and his Calling Touching his Nature he must consider that in him remaines the seed and roote of all sin and therefore that hee may fall into any sinne whatsoeuer Againe a man considering his nature shall finde himselfe more inclined to some sinnes then to others and those hee must especially marke and obserue Secondly for his Calling a man must marke the sinnes thereof for since the fall of man euery calling hath his especiall sins wherto men that walke therein are more incident The Magistrate hath his sins the Minister his the Lawyer his the Physition his and the Trades-man his And touching these a man must consider vnto what vices and abuses men are most subiect that walke in that calling wherein he liueth and so shal he haue a foresight of the sinnes that he may fall into Secondly after this foresight of sin he must watch his heart with all diligence that though it bee tempted and assaulted yet it bee not tainted with any one sin as the wise man counselleth Keepe thy heart with all diligence that so the fountaine of al thy actions may be kept holy and pure The second part of this watchfulnesse respecteth death or the second comming of Christ. In this two things must bee practised
And so accordingly is misery to be considered Now of the punishments in this life some concerne the whole man some the parts of man some his estate PunishmeÌ„ts concerning the whole man bee of two sorts The first is subiection to the wrath of GOD whereby a man since Adams fall is made the child of wrath a misery of all miseries yet the more greeuous because without some grace a man cannot discern see the same The second is a Bondage vnder the Diuell wherby a man in his mind will affections is subiect euery way to the will of the Diuell which though we cannot describe yet wee may thus conceiue of it The regenerate man saith I sin but I would not sin The naturall man saith I sin and I will sin It is my nature to sin and my delight and this was the state of this Church Punishments concerning the parts of man bee either miseries of his soule or of his body the miseries of his soule be these First in the vnderstanding Ignorance of Gods will And in sundry madnesse and foolishnesse and in all men pain and difficulty both to learn remember whatsoeuer is good which was not in man by creation In the conscience also be accusations secret feares and terrours In the will is rebellion to Gods will In all affections peruersnesse All which are miseries of the soule The body also hath these miseries First it is subiect to all infirmities sicknesses diseases and aches which are so many as all the bookes of Phisitians neither doe nor can record the same Secondly mans body is mortal subiect to teÌ„poral deth which no man can possibly auoid or preuent by all the art and skill in the world Punishments of mans estate concerne either his goods or calling In goods there bee these miseries want of things necessary for by reason of sin it is a punishment in it owne nature a curse and all the hurts that come by the creatures for their enmity towards man towards one another as also their subiection to vanitie all these be miseries and the punishments of mans sinne In mans calling there is miserie for therein man is subiect to trouble to losses and sorow which come as a punishment of mans first sinne And all these be the miseries of man in this life At the end of this life comes bodily death the separation of soule and bodie asunder which in it selfe is a most fearfull curse for so it is the verie gate of Hell But after this life is the accomplishmeÌ„t of all miseries that is eternal destruction and condemnation in hell fire which to be the end of all misery appeares by this because it is a separation of mans person from the societie presence of God and an enduring of Gods wrath in the whole person euen in the place of the Diuell and damned soules that not for a time but for euer and euer eternally And thus we see what punishment is and answerably what misery is wherby we may see what it is to be wretched namely in a word to be subiect to al miseries whether we consider theÌ„ in the râ—ot thereof originall sin or vnder the forme of punishment in this life in the whole person and in soule body seuerally in goods and calling at the end of this life and in the world to come The proper end that moues Christ to say to this Church She knew not that shee was wretched is this to teach this Church and in them vs and all Churches to learne to knowe their owne miseries to feele the same and to be touched in conscience for them We therfore must learne not to â—â—atter our selus with hope of our good state but labor to see our miserie both in sin the punishment thereof And seeing it striue to be touched with it that we may crie with the Iewes What shal we do to be saued for till such time as this in some measure be wrought in vs we shal be but luke-warme professors hauing a shew of godlines but wanting the power thereof The true sight of our miserie is the gift and grace of God but yet we must vse all good means that we may come to see the same to be touched with it that so we may haue hearts hereby fit to receiue the Gospell which containes the remedie of this our miserie And miserable that is worthy to be pitied this is added not to set downe another thing but to expres the greatnes of their misery as if he should say Thy misery is not small but so great and so greeuous as indeed thou art in that regard to be pitied of all men Hence we learne that we must not despise parties miserable by reason of their sins or scorne and contemne them But contrariwise lament pity them When Dauid saw men sin and so pull heapes of miseries vpon them he shed riuers of tears The Lord makes it a good mans property to mourne for the abhominations of the people Ieremie for the sins of the people wished his head were full of water And iust Lot greeued his righteous hart for the abhominations of Sodome It was the fault of the Corinthians which Paul reprooueth that when the incestuous man had sinned that greeuous sinne They were not humbled but puffed with contempt against the partie And it is a fault in sundry men at this daye that they are not humbled in themselues when they see other men sin We must not do so but shew the grace we haue aboue others in being greeued for the miseries which men without grace by their sins pull dayly vpon them Thus much of their miserie in generall The partes of their miserie are three which Christ noteth particularly that if it were possible he might cause this church to lay aside this damnable pride for these in all men are maine miseries The First is pouertie And poore that is properly one that hath not a rag to his back nor bread to his mouth vnlesse hee begge the same of others But here it is taken for one that is spiritually poore which pouerty wee shall better conceiue if we do vnderstand what be true spirituall riches True riches be Gods grace and sauor in Christ as the pardon of sinne and life euerlasting The poore man therefore is hee that wanteth Gods fauour for the remission of his sins and the gift of eternall life hath in him no good thing that is acceptable to God but in regard of his soule is as silly and poore as any beggar in regard of his bodie The end why Christ calleth this church poore is to beat downe the proud conceit of her owne good estate and to cause her to feele her spirituall pouertie and so become poore in spirit And we in them are likewise taught to labour to feele our owne pouertie how by nature there is no goodnesse in vs but wee are vtterly destitute of the grace and