to be Malefactors so the consideration of Christs suffering being as the Doue as innocent as innocencie it selfe should moue in vs not onely a commisseration of the sufferer but also a detestation of the persecutors for who can heare or reade of the death of righteous Abel by that wicked Caine the burning of Laurentius by that Tyrant Decius the flaying of Saint Bartholmew by his bloudy enemies or the dragging of Hippolytus with wilde Horses and such like cruell and bloudy Tragedies without a detestation of such horribly wicked Actors And can we heare the sufferings of innocent guiltlesse Christ without a deadly detestation of those inhumane Butchers That Christ was a good man Acts 10.38 Thirdly He was not onely a iust man that did no hurt to any man but he was also a good man that did good to euery man for He went about saith the Apostle doing good and that both in words and workes for first He often taught them in the Temple in the Synagogue vpon the Mount in the High-wayes in Houses in all places his goodnesse would not suffer him to conceale any thing in silence that might be any wayes profitable vnto his hearers but to dispell with all diligence all mysts and cloudes of errors from the inward eyes of the people and to instruct them cleerely in all the heauenly mysteries of saluation Secondly He cured the bleeding wounds of afflicted consciences he reclaimed brought home many stragling sheepe and wandring sinners he gaue eyes vnto the blinde feete vnto the lame speech vnto the dumbe eares vnto the deafe bread vnto the hungry yea many times hee restored health vnto the diseased and sometimes the dead vnto their lamenting friends And as Saint Paul saith Who is weake and I am not weake 2 Cor. 11.23 who is offended and I burne not So might our Sauiour more truly say Who is burthened and I am not grieued at it for he commisserated the corporall and spirituall infirmities of all men yea he did not onely pitty them in vs but he put them all vpon himselfe Et tulit in se vt à nobis tolleret and tooke them all vpon himselfe that he might take them all from vs as Saint Chrysostome saith And therefore if the people did so much condole the naturall death of Dorcas Acts 9.39 because shee was so good a Creature as to bestow some few clothes vpon some few poore distressed people how much more ought wee to bewaile the shamefull and the dolefull death of Christ that did so much good and neuer any ill all the dayes of his life Fourthly He was not onely Iustus bonus A iust and a good man or an innocent man voide of sinne and a vertuous man full of grace but he was also more honourable and noble then all the sonnes of men for he was Christus That Christ is 1. A King 2. A Priest 3. A Prophet Math. 2.2 Annointed to be a King a Priest and a Prophet First King Simul natus simul Caesar He was a King by birth Where is he that is borne King of the Iewes He descended of the regall race Saint Mathew reckons foureteene Kings in his pedegree and hee was a King to his dying day Iesus of Nazareth John 19.22 King of the Iewes Pilate writes it and he will not alter it for God himselfe had spoken it Psal 2.6 I haue set my King vpon my holy hill of Sion Secondly Priest for The Lord sware it Psal 110.4 and he will not repent it that he is a Priest for euer after the order of Melchizedecke The noblest Order and the royallest Priesthood in the World for this holy Priest was also a noble King Esay 9.6 for hee was King of Shalem King of peace euen as Esayas calles him The Prince of peace Thirdly Prophet for Deut. 18.15 A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise vnto you And he shall be a Prophet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the highest degree euen the Prince of Prophets and so great a Prophet that Whosoeuer will not heare him he shall surely die Ier. 22.18 And therefore if Ieremie taketh vp that mournefull lamentation for the death of King Iosias and say Alas for that noble Prince ah my Lord or ah his glory and yet he came to an honourable death in the Field without any shame and but little paine then what shall wee say for the death of this King of Kings this Priest of the most High God and this great Prophet of the Lord that was annointed with the Oyle of gladnesse aboue his fellowes Psal 45.8 The Lord had said Touch not mine Annointed and doe my Prophets no harme Psal 105 15. yet we see Kings the Annointed of God are slaine and Ierusalem killed the Prophets and stoned those that are sent vnto them Luke 13.34 But behold a greater then all Kings is here Et quasi vnus è decem milibus And such a one as ten thousand Kings are not equal vnto him and yet he is not brought to an honorable death of a Priest at the Altar or of a King in the Field but to a most shamefull and reprochfull death the most accursed death of the Crosse among the wicked O then let vs consider if euer such a person came to such a death That Christ was a true and eternall God Math. 17.54 Fiftly He was not onely the highest among all the Sonnes of men but he was also the Sonne of the most High God Pilate heard it and feared the Centurion saw it and confest it Truly this was the Sonne of God And the very Diuels felt it and proclaimed it We know who thou art euen the holy one of God yea the trembling Earth quaking Luke 4.34 the flinty Rockâ—s cleauing asunder and the dolefull graues opening themselues did by a visible voyce confirme him to be a God And so that strange Eclipse that was seene at his death and that vnexpected darkenesse that vayled the face of the Sunne for three houres together because it was no defect of Nature the Moone being at the full and the day being at the middest and therefore could not be any vsuall Eclipse caused by the head or the tayle of the Dragon vnlesse you meane that olde Dragon the Diuell it made that great Phylosopher Dyonisius Dionys in Ep. then in Athens to say That now the World was at an end or the God of Nature suffered violence so strange were these accidents beyond the power of Nature The enemies of Christ ascribe that to him in mockerie which he was indeede Mat. 26.68 Nay the very enemies of Christ acknowledged him to be a Prophet a King a God for while the people play vpon him and contemne him yet notwithstanding they confesse him to be a Prophet saying Prophesie vnto vs thou Christ who is hee that smote thee And as Saint Ambrose saith Compungentes coronant illudentes adorant While the Souldiers denied him
15 qud quad 19 Aetneum Aetnaeum 41 num nun◠124 seeing being 196 prestare praestare 438 Hillarius Hilarius 690 Psal pag. 695 Blando Blanda And some other mis-quotations which for want of the copie I cannot directly amend The first golden Candlesticke HOLDING The first greatest light of Christian RELIGION Of the misery of MAN ROMANS 6.23 The reward of sinne is death EVery man saith holy Iob is borne to labour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yea necessitie enioyneth all mortall men to labour saith Euripides and euery labourer is induced saith Hugo Cardinalis to performe his worke with alacritie vpon the assured hope of iust reward and therefore the law required that no man should detaine the hyre of the Labourer vntill the morning but as soone as euer hee had done his worke Leuit. 19.13 to pay him his wages because as our Sauiour saith the Labourer is worthy of his hyre and we finde that according as the payment is Luc. 10.7 good or bad so are the Labourers willing or vnwilling to doe their worke for good and present payment makes a painefull and a cheerefull agent Now here the Apostle setteth downe a worke performed and the wages thereof not onely iustly deserued but also presently discharged the reward of sinne is death and in what day thou sinnest Gen. 2.17 in that day thou shalt die the death saith the Lord few words but full of matter Sinne and Death the two most common things vpon the face of the earth for all men sinned except Christ himselfe and all men died except Enoch and Elias and yet two of the most lamentable and most fearefull things in the world for what is more lamentable then sinne or what is more terrible then death Iudges 15.4.5 and yet as Sampsons Foxes were tyed together by the tayles and carried firebrands betwixt them to destroy all the Corne of the Philistimes so here sinne and death are indissolubly linked together with vnquenchable firebrands betwixt them to deuoure all the whole race of mankinde for the reward of sinne is death But I must seuer them for a time to examine these murtherers of men that all wee may hate them if we cannot shunne them and therefore according to the number of the words of this text The diuision of the Text. stipendium peccati mors I desire you to obserue the parts of this tragedie three words three parts 1 the worke performed Sinne. 2 the payment rendred Death 3 the equitie shewed the wages of sin is death All which well considered will shew vnto vs all the most wofull state and the manifold miseries of poore distressed miserable man CHAP. I. Of Originall sinne The first Part. and how the same is deriued from the Parents vnto the Children Of the worke that is done i. e. Sinne. HEre you see sinne is the roote of death and death is the fruit of sinne Sower must be the roote when the fruit doth proue so bitter and sinne must needes bee execrable when as death is a thing so lamentable and therfore sinne makes me quake to thinke of it and death should make you tremble to consider of it because death is the wages of sinne And sinne is either 1 originall Sinne is twofold 2 actuall the first is traduced vnto vs from Adam the second is daily committed by our selues For the first In what day thou eatest of the tree of knowledge of good and euill thou shalt die the death saith the Lord vnto Adam but you may eate Gen. 2.17 and you shall not die at all saith the Diuell vnto Euah she beleeued the Diuell and the man obayed his wife and so both would needes eate and therefore God cannot be true or else man must needes die and he must iustly die because he did vniustly eate i. Of Originall sinne Rom. 5.12 Here was the sinne committed by one and from him it was deriued vnto all for by one man sinne entred into the world and sinne went ouer all and spread it selfe like that far-spreading tree which Olympias dreamt shee bare or like a vile gangrene ouer all the face of the whole earth and corrupted all the race of mankinde for it is a schoole-point most infallible that Adam now stood not as a priuate person or as one particular man but as the roote of all the branches and as bearing in his person the nature of all mankinde And therefore if he had stood we had all stood Heb. 7.9 but as Abraham paying tythes Leui paid tythes in Abraham so Adam sinning we haue all sinned in Adam Et omnes peccauimus in isto vno homine quia omnes eramus iste vnus homo And wee haue all sinned in that one man because we all were that one man saith Saint Augustine And so both himselfe and wee all The dammage that we receiue by Adams fall is two-fold 1. A depriuation of all goodnesse doe by this fact of Adam receiue a double dammage 1. A depriuation of all our originall goodnesse the image of God in vs and the loue of God towards vs and therefore if at the losse of earthly treasures we shew our selues so much grieued O then how should our soules for the amission of such heauenly graces be continually perplexed vntill wee see the same once againe restored 2. An habituall naturall pronenesse to all kinde of wickednesse 1. A pronesse to all wickednesse and to commit sinne euen with greedinesse In respect of the first we are altogether vnable to doe any good for who can bring a cleane thing out of that which is vncleane how can wee being voide of grace bring forth any fruits of goodnesse and In respect of the second wee are naturally inclined to all kinde of euill like a stone tumbling downe a hill that can neuer stay it selfe vntill it come to the bottome So Medea saith Video meliora proboque deteriora sequor Though I see the good yet am I naturally driuen to doe that which is euill for our whole nature being defiled we are wholly inclined to fall from one wickednesse vnto another as the Psalmist speaketh And in respect of both these wee are said to bee conceiued in sinne borne in iniquiitie destitute of grace void of goodnesse nothing but flesh full of corruption children of darkenesse sonnes of wrath heyres of damnation slaues of death for the reward of sinne is death But here it may be questioned and it is not easily to be resolued how originall corruption is traduced from the Parents into the Children The question is not of the verity of the matter for it is plaine Ezech. 18. that our Fathers haue eaten sowre grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge and euery one may truely say with the Prophet Psal 51.5 in sinne my Mother hath conceiued me but it is of the Mystery of the manner Iohn 3.9 as Nicodemus said to Christ how can these things be for How originall sinne
carefull to resist the beginnings of sinne but withstand the very first motions and the least beginnings of the same so maist thou the easier keepe all these mad Greekes out of Troy these deadly sinnes out of thy heart if euery Protesilaus euery first sinne that seekes entrance into thy soule shall vpon the first footing be there laid for dead Otherwise as Nature though it can easily exclude somekindes of diseases which casually come yet is it pressed and wearied with those that are habituall Thriuer in Apoth 169. Euen so saith Thriuerus the soule of man that is but once wounded may the easier be cured and the Sin by repentance may be the sooner excluded but the same wounds being still wounded and the same sinnes being vsually practised they will neuer or hardly be subdued For if an Ethiopian can change his blacke skinne Ierem. 13.23 or a Leopard his spots that are vpon his backe then can you doe well hauing learned and practised all the dayes of your life to do euill saith the Lord and therefore as our Sauiour saith of rich men I may as truely say of these men Matth. 19.23 that they can hardly enter into the Kingdome of Heauen O then beloued Brethren let vs not continue in sinne Luc. 15.13 for the further we goe with the Prodigall Child the harder it is for vs to returne and the more steps we goe from any Citie the more paines it will be for vs to returne to that Citie againe so the more sinne we commit the more must be our sorrowes for our sinnes and the harder it will be for vs to forsake our sinnes Great sinnes must haue great repentance for as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Great sinnes and offences deserue great punishments so they must be greatly sorrowed for before they be pardoned for whosoeuer sinneth wickedly with Saint Peter he must goe out with Saint Peter out of wicked company out of his wicked sinnes and weepe bitterly And he that is vsed to sinne and to leese grace will hardly be induced to leaue his sinnes and to seeke for grace or if he should seeke it Luke 2.46 That we ought suddenly to returne vnto the Lord and not to deferre our conuersion yet will it bee very hard for such a one to find it for when Mary lost Christ but one dayes iourney she was three dayes seeking and searching after him sorrowing before she found him and therefore questionlesse if we leese him thirty forty or fifty yeeres as many men vse to doe it will be very hard for vs to finde him in an hower in the last hower when we haue no more howers left vnto vs and therefore to day if you will heare his voyce harden not your hearts but returne O Shunamite Qui non est hodie cras minus aptus erit returne returne and seeke him diligently whom thy soule loueth but seeke him quickely and seeke him now while he may be found Fourthly When the custome of sinning hath taken away the sence of the sinne and that the consciences of the sinners are cauterized and as it were seared with a hot iron then they doe aggrauate each sinne and make euery sinne exceedingly sinnefull for now peccator non timet suam famam sinne is growne to his tallest groweth and the sinner hath eaten shame and drunke after it and therefore hee can well digest it hee can fearelessely commit it in all places at all times and before all persons Iacobus de valen in ps 91 Nay now he will First Excuse it and say it is no sinne or if it be it is but a sinne of Infirmitie issuing from the temperature of his body a tricke of youth or his heate and choller or else it is but a sinne of Conformity he doth but as the most men doe because he would not be singular 1 Sam. 13 12. What wicked men will doe to iustifie themselues Secondly They will lessen it and pretending some excuses they will say with Saul that they presumed and forced themselues to doe such things but they hope they are but trifles small veniall sinnes Tush say they wil God be angry for such small sinnes Why if he will then Thirdly They will cleere themselues and say with the same Saule wee haue performed all the commandements of the Lord Matt. 19 20. we haue kept them from our youth vp as the young man in the Gospell sayd and if as the bleating of the sheepe and the lowing of the oxen told Saul that hee lyed so their sinnes doe testifie vnto their face that they haue offended then 1. Sam 15 15. as Saul layed all the burthen vpon the people saying the people spared the best of the Sheepe and of the Oxen and not I and as Adam layd all the fault vpon his wife saying Gen. 3.12 the woman whom thou gauest to be with me Shee gaue mee of the tree and I did eate and therefore is shee in all the fault and not I euen so doe they lay all their sinnes on others euen on God himselfe rather then they will confesse themselues guilty of sinne Then Fourthly They will not onely cleere themselues from sinne and blasphemously say that either God is in fault that they doe sinne or else because he did not make them so that they could not sinne but they will also approue these sinnes in others and knowing the iudgement of God that they which commit such things are worthy of death not onely doe the same but also haue pleasure in them that doe them Roâ—â— a most fearefull behauiour of most impudent men and yet not all for then Fiftly They will not onely consent with them that doe such things but they will also teach them how to doe them as our Sauiour sheweth they will set vp a Schoole of wickednesse these shall be the least in the Kingdome of Heauen i. e. none at all Matt 5.19 saith the blessed Veritie And yet for all this we are not come to the height of our times iniquity for we will be sure to haue a note aboue Ela to goe a little further then either Scriptures or times can giue vs presidents and therefore Sixtly If these mens schollers be not able enough to learne to sinne they will cause them and compell them to doe it there is no resistance See how the drunkards doe it in euery place and many more who take delight to driue men into Hell And therefore now this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this spirit of slumber or this sleepe in sinne which we may rightly call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the brother of death or a deadly sleepe makes these wofull sinnes to sit in the seate of the scornefull that is secure pertinaciter perseuerare in delictis Psal 1 1. Mollerus in Psal 1. omnem pietatem habere pro ludibrio most securely to continue most obstinately to goe on in all iniquity and most basely to esteeme of all piety
their consciences and they shall see that they must part from all the things that they haue gathered but that not one of those sinnes will part from them which they haue committed and least they should forget them Satan will now open his booke and set all their sinnes before their eyes and then he will bestirre himselfe because he knoweth his haruest is great and his time is but short and therefore he will tell them Matth. 19.17 that if they would haue entred into life they should haue kept the commandements as our Sauiour Christ himselfe doth testifie Rom. 2.13 he will alleage against them that not the hearers but the doers of the Law shall be iustified and he will inferre that if the iust shall scarce be saued it is intollerable for them being wicked men to appeare How Satan discourageth the wicked at their death and what the Preachers of God now cannot beat into the thoughts of these carelesse men this wicked damned spirit will then irremoueably settle in their deepest considerations 1 Cor. 6.9.10 viz. that neither adulterers nor fornicators nor drunkards nor swearers nor vsurers nor extortioners nor lyers nor enuious men nor haters of men nor any such like shall inherit the Kingdome of God and of Christ O then what agonies and perplexities will inuade and teare the wofull hearts of wicked men In that day saith the Lord I will cause the Sunne to goe downe at noone Amos 8.9.10 and I will darken the earth in the cleare day I will turne their feasts into mournings and their songs into lamentations that is they shall be sure then to haue the greatest griefe and vexation when they haue the greatest need of comfort and consolation for I will make all those things that were wont most sweetly to delight them now most of all to torment them the pleasure of sinne shall now turne to be as bitter as Gall and now they shall see that they must die and liue they can no longer and that Satan whom they would not forsake all their life-time will not forsake them now at their death-time but wil be still sounding in their eares Me you haue serued and from me you must expect your wages We read the Deuil assayled the best-Saints Saint Martin Saint Bernard Eusebius Ignatius and others Luke 23.31 and if these things be done in a greene tree what shall be done in a withered saith our Sauiour If he be so busie about the Saints Pet. 4.17 which haue the Angels of God round about them to preserue them Psal 91.11 What shall he doe to sinners who haue nothing but deuils round about them to confound them This is the state of wicked men at their dying day and therefore mors peccatorum pessima of all terrible things the death of sinnefull men is the most terrible Secondly After the seperation of the body and soule How death aequalizeth the bodies of all men then death indeede makes different effects for though it makes the bodies of all alike their dust is so mingled and their bones are so like one another that we know not Irus from Craesus as Diogenes being demaunded by Alexander what he sought for among the tombes sayd he sought for his father Phillips bones but among so many dead mens soules hee knew not which they were yet in respect of the soules How death sendeth the soules of the good to Heauen and of the wicked to hell it worketh very different consequents for it sends the good soules into Abrahams bosome and the wicked soules to hell to be tormented in fire for euermore Now that the efficiente cause of death which is sinne should be the same in all men and that the fruites and effects or subsequents of death should be so different in the godly from all other men we find a treble reason A three-fold reason of the subsequent different effects of death The 1. Is the practise of a godly life 2. Is the meditation of our owne death 3. Is the application of the death of Christ These things as Sampson sayd in his riddle out of the eater bring meate and out of the strong sucke sweetenesse these things doe translate the sting and curse of death into a sweete and a blessed life Of the first Saint Augustine sayth Mala mors putanda non est Aug. de ciuit dei l. 1. c. 21. That to liue well is a speciall meanes to make vs die well quam bona vita praecessit It is impossible that his death should be ill whose whole life hath beene alwayes good quia nunquam Deus deserit hominem quovsque homo deserat deum because God will neuer forsake that man at his death which hath truely serued God throughout all his life and therefore Seneca sayth Seneca in quad epist Ante senectutem curaui vt bene viuâ—rem vt in senectute bene morerer While I was young all my care was to liue well that when I were old I might die well and so let vs doe if wee would die well let vs liue well let vs learne artem viâ—endi the art to liue the life of the righteous and wee shall bee sure to die the death of the righteous for seeing the wages of sinne is death it must needs be that the lesser and the fewer our sinnes be the better our death will be But if we liue like Baalam which loued the gaine and wages of vnrighteousnesse it is vnpossible that we should die the death of Israel for God beheld there was no iniquitie in Iacob Numb 23 21. nor any peruersenesse in Israel and therefore the Lord his God was with him Godly sorrow for sinne and the meditation of our death is the death of sinne Of the second Bosquierus sayth that à culpa natae sunt duae filiae Tristitia Mors hae duae filiae hanc pessimani matrem destruunt Sinne brought forth two goodly damosells Sorrow and Death and these two daughters like the brood of vipers doe eate through the bowells and destroy that wicked mother For First Paenitudine commissa delentur by repentance wee wash away the sinnes that are past and therefore Iohn Baptist sayth O generation of Vipers if you would kill your cruell wicked mother Matth. 3.7 8. that is Sinne bring foorth fruits meete for repentance for that is the onely way for you to escape death and to flee from the wrath to come And Secondly Meditatione mortis futura cauentur by the frequent meditation of death we come more and more to detest and to beware of sinne Aug l. 1. contra Man for so Saint Augustine sayth that nihil sic reuocat hominem à peccato quam frequens meditatio mortis Nothing is so powerfull to make a man hate sinne as continually to consider of this bitter fruit and reward of sinne which is death and Seneca before him sayth the same thing and therefore he aduiseth euery man
fault where it is vpon our selues and vpon our owne Sinnes for though the many multitude say it was a good world with them When they sacrificed vnto the Queene of Heaven yet the King of Heauen knowes what a wofull time it was for Man when the Crucifixe was kissed with the kisses of their Mouthes and Iesus Christ was crucified againe with the workes of their hands and when they changed The trueth of God into a lye and Worshipped and serued the creature made a god with their owne hands Rom. 1.15 More then the Creator who is blessed for euer Amen And if we would be free from plagues free from punishments let vs free our selues from sinne I know that feare of Poperies comming againe with superstitions hath spread it selfe ouer the face of this whole Iland but alas Wee feare where no feare is for I dare confidently affirme that it neuer was his Maiesties minde nor the purpose of the State to bring in Idolatry and superstition into this land againe Cantic 5.3 for We haue washed our feete and shall we foule them againe But the secrets of State is more then either I can perceiue or most of you well vnderstand Or if they did yet were it vayne Quia non est concilium contra Dominum because no deuice of man can subuert the truth of God vnlesse our sinnes doe prouoke our God Reuel 2.5 Nulla nocebit aduersitas si nulla dominetur iniquitas Gregor Cyprian to remoue our Candlesticke and to take away our light and therefore though all the Iesuites of the world and all the Cardinals of Rome nay though all the Deuils of Hell should doe their worst against vs yet if we feare our God and forsake all Sinne the diuels may haue all their seruants before they all shall be able to hurt any one seruant of the Lord quia non plus valet ad deijciendum terrena paena quam ad erigendum diuina tutela 1 John 4.4 because He that is in vs is greater then he that is in the World and is more able to preserue vs then the Prince of darkenesse is to destroy vs. That wee should turne to the Lord our God And therefore if you thinke Poperie to be euill and would be free from superstition neuer feare the State nor lay the blame on others but leaue your sinnes and Turne to the Lord your God with all your hearts and with all your soules and you shall see the Saluation of the Lord which hee will shew vnto vs this day Exod. 14.13 for the Egyptians whom you haue seene and feare you shall see them againe no more for euer the Lord shall fight for you and you may be sure no euill shall happen vnto you it shall not come nigh your dwelling for the onely way to escape all punishments is to forsake all sinnes Neither doe I say this as if we could be cleane from sinnes for I know it was Nouatus his error and we must all know it for an error Hieron adversus Pelag. that a Christian after Baptisme doth not sinne and it was but a Pellagian conceite before him inuented by Pythagoras that the exercise of Vertue rooteth out all the seede of Vices Matth. 7.18 for a Bad tree cannot bring foorth good fruit and in some things sayth the Apostle I feare I may say as it is in our last English translation in many things wee Sinne all Iames 3.2 1 Iohn 1.8 And if wee say wee haue no sinne wee deceiue our selues and there is no trueth in vs. But I say this that we should haue a feruent desire not to sinne and to say with the Prophet O that my wayes were made so direct that I might keepe thy Commandements and that wee would endeuor pro virili to the vttermost of our abilities not to sinne and labour alwayes with the Apostle Acts 24.16 to keep a cleere conscience in all things both before God and Man Thirdly Seeing all miseries death and damnation are as iustly inflicted vpon the sinner as the poore Souldier may iustly claime his little stipend we should not complaine against God Sueton. in vita Vesp C. 10. with Vespasian Immerenti sibi vitam aripi that he tooke away his life without any fault of his or without any fayling on his part but we should with the Leuites in Nehemiah with Daniel with Ieremie and with all the rest of the men of God commend the Lord and condemne our selues saying surely thou art iust in all that is come vpon vs thou hast dealt truely Nehem. 9.33 but wee haue done wickedly And thus I haue shewed thee O man quid sit malum what is euill and you haue heard a large discourse of Sinne and the most lamentable effect and wages of Sinne And now it is a thousand to one that the first thing many one of vs will doe is to goe home or perhaps afore wee goe home to sinne some to sweare some to their whores some to be drunke some to deceiue and most of vs to some sinne or other But if euer any of you doe for those sinnes receiue this pay remember I haue told you what you should haue Death for the wages of Sinne is Death and I can doe no more but pray to God that he would giue vs grace to forsake Sinne that we may escape Death through Iesus Christ our Lord To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost three distinct Persons of that one eternall in diuided Essence be giuen as is most due all prayse and glory for euer and euer Amen A Prayer O Blessed God which hast created Man we doe acknowledge that thou hast made him righteous but he sought out many inuentious and hath most grieuously sinned against thy diuine Maiestie and thereby hath most iustly pulled vpon himselfe and all his posteritie all miseries death and damnation But thou desirest not the death of a Sinner but rather that hee should turne from his wickednesse and liue And therefore we doe confesse our sinnes we doe detest our sinnes and we doe most humbly pray thee euen for thy mercies sake to bee mercifull vnto vs to deale with vs not according to our offences but according to thy Grace to giue vs Grace to serue thee that so we mâ—y be deliuered from our iust deserued punishment and be receiued into thine euerlasting fauour to prayse and magnifie thy blessed Name for euer and euer Amen A wearied loathed Life I leade content with onely Sadnesse To see my selfe opprest with Sinne and with this worlds Madnes I alwayes striue with wicked Sinne yet doth my Sinne preuaile I therefore hate my Selfe because my Sinnes I cannot quaile And I doe likewise wish for Grace that I might neuer offend But truely serue my Master Christ and please him to my end And yet I see this tyrant Sinne and wicked men doe wrong me To Hell the one to Miserie th' other still would throng me But reason bids
and that indeede we were preserued to that end that we might serue him as Zacharias telles vs That wee were deliuered from our enemies that wee might serue the Lord in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life Wee ought to endeauour what lyeth in vs to serue this Lord and we should the more ioyfully doe it because as Philo saith Philo in l. de Regno 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To serue the Lord is not onely better then liberty but also more excellent then all Soueraignty And Hugo de prato setteth downe three especiall reasons to perswade all men to serue the Lord. Hugo de prato ser 6. de temp 1. Because we owe our seruice vnto God 2. That we may obtaine a good reward from God 3. That we may escape the punishment of them that neglect to serue God for Three speciall reasons to perswade vs to serue God First The Lord hath made vs redeemed vs preserued vs inriched vs with all that we haue and therefore What reward shal we render vnto the Lord for all the benefits that he hath done vnto vs vnlesse we will be contented to take the Cuppe of saluation and to call vpon the name of the Lord and so dedicate our selues wholly to the praysing and glorifying of his name Secondly if we will serue him we shall be sure to haue in this life his grace to guide vs his Angels to guard vs his holy Spirit to comfort vs and whatsoeuer he knoweth to be needfull for vs and in the life to come wee shall haue eternall happinesse wee shall haue the Crowne of euerlasting glory Thirdly if we will not serue him but say Nolumus hunc regnare super nos We will not haue him to be our Lord and Master but wee will serue our selues and the lusts of our owne flesh then you must know what he will say to such Those mine enemies that would not serue me bring them hither and slay them before me nay if you will despise my Statutes and abhorre my iudgements so that you will not doe all my Commandements I also will doe this vnto you I will euen appoint ouer you terror consumption and the burning ague that shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart and you shall sow your seede in vaine Leuit. 26.15.16.17 and I will set my face against you hee manes here in this life and at the last dreadfull day they shall be bound hand and foote and cast into that lake which burneth with fire and brimstone for euermore There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth And therefore to discharge our duty to attaine vnto eternall felicitie and to escape this endlesse miserie let vs serue the Lord with feare and reioyce vnto him with reuerence And blessed are all they that serue him Psal 2.11 And so much for the first Part What God is or of the Essence of God PART II. Of the Nature of God Part. 2. or what manner of God he is CHAP. I. Of the power of God and how many sorts of Aduersaries there be which doe oppose the Truth of this Doctrine of the power of God YOu haue heard what God is IEHOVA that is an Eternall being in himselfe and a giuer of being vnto all the things that doe subsist and now we are diligently to consider The nature of God or what manner of God he is for I find that God doth here expresse himselfe vnto Moses by three especiall attributes 1. His Power to make vs beleeue in him 2. His Goodnesse to make vs loue him 3. His Iustice to make vs feare him 3. excellent points to bee throughly knowne to be euer learnt neuer to be forgotten for The first attribute of God i. e. His Power First the Doctrine of Gods Power is the very Anchor of our Faith and the foundation of all Christian Religion for hence proceede all Heresies because the Heretickes know not the Scriptures nor the Power of God and hence proceeds all Faith because we beleeue with the blessed Virgin Stella in Luc. c. 1. p. 36. b Quia potens est that God is able to doe all these things which Reason is not able to comprehend and therefore here immediately after Iehoua he addeth E L Jeron tom 3. p. 95. in ep ad Marell which the Septuagint turned and translated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 GOD and Aquila searching into the Etymologie of the word interprets it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Strong saith Saint Hierome and so Zanchius euery where Tremelius and some other Latine versions and the old English Translation reads it strong How needfull is the Doctrine of the Power of God Psal 62.11 and so in Lege credendi in the Symbole of our Beliefe as soone as euer he sheweth himselfe to be he sheweth himselfe to be Almighty and so the Prophet Dauid saith God spake once and twice I haue also heard the same that Power belongeth vnto God And surely this Doctrine of GODS Power is so vsefull for all Christians and so necessary for the vnderstandâ—ng of the Scriptures that among all the Attributes of God this deserueth first to be discussed because there is almost no page of Scripture Zanch. de nat Dei l. 3. c. 1. wherein there is not some mention made of the Power of God and the ignorance or not rightly vnderstanding of this Truth is the cause of so many Infidels and Heretickes in the world and therefore I must craue leaue to insist a little vpon this point of Doctrine of the Power of God And for Method sake I will diuide my whole discourse of this point into these foure heads 1 I will set downe the number Foure points handled touching the Power of God and the qualitie of the Aduersaries of this Truth 2 I will explaine this point and shew wherein and how farre this Power of God extendeth 3 I will sufficiently confirme the truth hereof and answere to whatsoeuer is or can be said against it 4 I will briefly shew the vsefull application of the whole Doctrine For the first the Aduersaries of this Truth which doe either exceedingly erre or be mightily deceiued are almost infinite but I may reduce the chiefest of them into these foure sorts whereof two by impayring and denying his Power doe vnto him the greatest wrong that is Foure sorts of men doe erre about the Truth of this Doctrine of the Power of God 1. The Infidels that will not beleeue in him 2. The desperate men that will not hope in him Because they thinke he cannot do those things which in very deed are most facile and easie for him to doe And the other two by mis-vnderstanding the extent of his Power doe not shew much lesse indignitie vnto God then the former and they are 1. The Vbiquitaries of Germany 2. The Pontificials of Rome Which say hee can doe those things which indeed are agreeable neither to the Power nor to the Truth of
he was contented to become Sanguinolentus propter te without forme or beauty for our sake Esay 52.3 Quando velauerunt faciem eius when the accursed Iewes buffeted and bespitted his glorious face yet was he alwayes gloriesissimus in se most gracious and glorious in himselfe and so the Apostles testifie that they saw his glory Iohn 1.14 as the glory of the onely begotten Son of God full of grace and truth And yet they saw the same but in part because of the infirmitie of their Flesh while they liued here in this life But Christ is the image of the Father Heb 1.3 That God is of an incomprehensible beauty and the ingraued forme of his person and therfore God must needs be gracious and amiable yea so amiable so louely that it is no maruell the very Saints Angels do so vehemently desire to see the face of God in Iesus Christ do esteem it their chiefest happinesse to be alwaies contemplating vpon the same And the reason why all men are not inflamed with the loue of his excellent Maiestie is because they know him not they haue not tasted how sweet the Lord is Quia ignoti nulla cupido for if men did know how graecious and how amiable the Lord is they would with Saint Paul long to be dissolued that they might but see him Secondly God is not onely gracious in himselfe That God is easie to be reconciled but he is also placable reconcileable vnto vs for though God be prouoked euery day yet doth his wrath indure but the twinckling of an eye he is ready to receiue vs into his fatherly fauour Psal 77.7.8.9 if we would but be willing to be reconciled vnto his Maiestie therfore the Prophet Dauid examining this point saying Will the Lord absent himselfe for euer and will he be no more intreated Is his mercy cleane gone for euer and is his promise come vtterly to an end for euermore Hath God forgotten to be gracious and will he shut vp his louing kindnesse in displeasure At last he concludeth Psal 77. v. 10. that it was his owne infirmity that is his vnablenesse to returne to God and not Gods vnwillingnes to be reconciled vnto him for the Lord is euer gracious ready to forgiue vs if wee were ready to receiue his grace yea hee beseecheth vs to be reconciled vnto himselfe and not wilfully to refuse his grace and fauour which he so louingly offereth vnto vs And therefore I wish to God that we had but that grace to accept his grace when it is so graciously offered vnto vs. That God is most bountiful vnto all his people Ezech. 16.7 Thirdly he is not onely ready to receiue vs into his fauour but he is also willing to inrich vs with all kinde of graces for though we be polluted in our owne bloud i. e. Loathsome in our selues and odious in his sight yet doth he wash v◠in the bloud of Christ and then indue vs with his most excellent graces faith hope and charitie and all the other vertues and good things that are in vs And though we be come naked into this World yet doth he clothe vs Job 1.21 and feede vs inrich vs and raise vs to all that we haue And in this kinde he is not onely gracious vnto the godly but also vnto the wicked for what hath any of them which he hath not receiued of the Lord It is he that filleth the Barnes of Diues as well as the Pallace of Dauid And therefore Saint Iames saith That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euery good giuing i. e. Euery temporall gift Iames 1.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and euery perfect gift that is Euery spirituall grace that is giuen to bring vs to perfection is from aboue and commeth downe from the Father of Lights The difference betwixt the gifts that God giueth to the godly and to the wicked Math. 6.16 But herein is the difference he bestoweth temporall graces vpon the wicked yea many times more plentifully then to the godly for hee seeth their desire is onely set on worldly things Therefore as he said of hypocriticall Fasters They haue receiued their reward that is Acceperunt suam sed amiserunt meam They haue what they would haue though they leese thereby what I would haue giuen them which is a losse not counteruailed with any gaine So he dealeth with the Worldlings God giueth temporall riches vnto the worldlings He filleth their hearts with his hidden treasure and he giues them often times especially to most of them their hearts desire that is the riches and the vanities of this life So foolish are they and ignorant euen as it were a beast before him But to the godly who loue not this World nor the things of this World hee shewes himselfe gracious after a more speciall manner in giuing them his heauenly graces that is graces which will bring them vnto Heauen and in giuing them worldly blessings too so much as hee sees needfull and conuenient for them Because Godlinesse hath the promise of the life that now is 1 Tim. 4.8 and of that which is to come And so you see how God is gracious in all respects amiable in himselfe placable vnto men and liberall vnto all his Creatures and in all these respects gracious after a speciall manner vnto his elected Saints and Seruants Psal 107.8.15 O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse and declare the wonders that he doth for the Children of men And that as the Apostle saith We would not receiue the grace of God in vaine i. e. That wee would not vainely abuse the good gifts and graces which our most gracious God doth so freely and so graciously bestow vpon vs. And so much for the second particle of Gods goodnesse Gracious CHAP. VII Of the patience and long sufferance of God THe third Particle of Gods goodnesse here expressed is that he is slow to anger that is How slow the Lord is to reuenge our sinnes that he is such a one that although we by our daily sinnes doe giue most iust occasions to prouoke his wrath and indignation against vs to destroy vs and to consume vs from off the face of the Earth yet the fire of his wrath is not suddenly kindled and his furious vengeance is not speedily executed But he is slow to anger full of patience long suffering and in a word such a one as reioyceth not to see the sinne committed that he may punish but still expecteth if the sinner will at any time repent and amend that he may spare him For so the Prophet saith The Lord will waite that he may be gracious vnto vs i. e. Esay 30.18 He doth tary and stay and looke if at any time or by any meanes we will forsake our sinnes that hee may stay his iudgements and be gracious vnto vs. O most sweete and
Rursus labefacta cadebat religio then hee thought it could not bee that there should bee any God because he cared not as he thought for the righteous people Euen so I must needes confesse that when I consider the sincerity of that Religion which wee teach the summe of it plainely expressed in the Scriptures and the end of it tending onely to the glory of God I doe assure my selfe that we haue amongst vs the very Truth of God but on the other side when I consider Quomodo commutauerunt veritatem Dei in mendacium How many of vs doe change this Truth of God into a lye when they doe liue cleane contrary to what they Professe and some of the best of vs euen of the Teachers of this Truth doe leade our liues not onely as they doe whom we daily condemne for such intollerable corruptions vnbeseeming Christians but also in many things as Pagans who know not God It makes me often muse and Nicodemus-like to aske how can these things be John 3. to haue the Truth amongst vs and yet to haue such pleasure in vanity and to seeke after leasing Psal 4. For our Sauiour prayeth for his seruants that God would sanctifie them through the Truth Iohn 17.17 and yet behold the fruits of our Sanctification It was said of old Mos est praelatis praebendas non dare gratis ô Monachi vestri stomachi sunt amphora Bacchi vos estis Deus est testis turpissima pestis Sed bene nummatis aut corum sanguine natis And now the world saith of some of vs Wee sell our Churches we purchase Lands we raise our sonnes to worldly honours we suppresse whom we lift though neuer so good we raise our friends though neuer so bad and what not What should I say any more what say they can Rome doe more or what more doe we then the Heathens doe or as our Sauiour saith Doe not the Publicans and Sinners euen the same and if these things be done in a greene tree If this be the life of vs that are as the light of the world what shall we say of others which by Profession are lay secular men I take God to witnesse before whom I stand and by whom I shall be iudged that I haue admired and often grieued at my heart not onely to heare what perhaps the aduersaries of the Truth or some lewd dissolute men that neither loue God nor his Ministers but are euer ready to speake the worst of all for the offence of few might falsely say against vs but also to see how dissolute how worldly and how conformable to the world boone companions fashionable to all Companies a great many of vs doe liue Nec Iouis imperium nec Phlegetonta timent And therefore I wonder not that the simple are brought to their nonplus to see Truth and Wickednesse thus linked together in the same persons Rom. 1.18 But when I consider what the Apostle saith that the Gentiles did hold the Truth in vnrighteousnesse I must needs acknowledge that wicked men may haue the theoricke knowledge of the Truth and teach this Truth vnto others and yet be castawayes themselues for so our Sauiour saith that many shall come in the last day and say Lord open vnto vs for we haue prophesied in thy Name and done many great workes through thy Name to whom the Lord shall answer I know you not depart from me you workers of iniquity Rom. 3.3 Besides as the Apostle saith of the Iewes What if some did not beleeue shall their vnbeliefe make the faith of God without effect God forbid c. 10.16 or what If all did not obey the Gospell or that some of the branches be broken off Shall this hinder the saluation of the rest God forbid So I may say of vs What if some of vs what if many of vs euen the best of vs should be as the world saith we are should that preiudice the rest and especially the Truth of God God forbid I hope I may boldly say it that the world cannot say nor any man in the world deny it vnlesse he putteth on the face of the father of lies but as we haue had many Reuerend and faithfull Bishops many graue and painfull Preachers that haue spent their strength in the expressing and sacrificed their deerest bloud in defending this Truth so wee haue still many worthy and godly Bishops and many holy and heauenly Ministers Parcite paucorum diffundere crimē in omnes Spectetur meritis quilibet apte suis that doe most vprightly walke in the Truth of God and shall these be condemned and reproached for the offence of others Shall all be blamed for the offence of few No God forbid let euery horse beare his owne burthen for euery man shall be iudged according to his owne workes And therefore though as in the field of Gods Church there are Tares as well as Wheat so in our Priestly dignity there are many amongst vs that are not of vs of whom I vnderstand what I said before that are like Statuae Mercuriales which shew the way to others but walke not one steppe themselues or like those skilfull Cookes that dresse good meate for others but taste not a bit thereof themselues or rather that feed not the flocke at all but feed themselues vpon the flocke of Christ and gather wealth to themselues in steed of gayning soules to God yet let GOD be true and euery man a lyar and let not the wicked life of some men scandalize this eternall Truth of God we haue it now amongst vs It was purchased by paines preserued by blood and most gloriously continued to this very day and I doe assure my selfe that as there were seauen thousand men in Israel which bowed not their knees to Baal 1 Kings 19.18 so there be many thousands of men in England that if they wanted Inke to defend that Diuine Truth which we doe Professe would maintaine the same with their deerest blood and I boldly set it downe that if Satan should be let loose to persecute the Saints of God I doe vnfainedly wish my burning bones might first giue light vnto all them that desire to walke in this Truth But we haue more cause to pray to God to defend the Defendor of this Truth not onely by his Royall Authority whereby wee doe inioy this Truth in a blessed peace but also by his owne Diuine Penne and industry whereby he shewed himselfe Esse quod est to be of the Truth indeed rather then any wayes in the least manner to feare or suspect the disturbance of the same for God who is abundant in Truth will preserue his owne Truth for euermore And therefore seeing that though some of vs be wicked yea though all of vs should be wicked and depriue our selues of happinesse which I hope our greatest enemies will not dare to say yet doth not that make the Truth of God of none effect Let vs be Gens
other by creation then is the second a creature and therefore but one God vncreated and if one bee from the other by generation then the first gaue the second either a part or his whole substance if a part then is God partible may be diuided which cannot be said of such spirituall indiuidible substance and if the first gaue the rest his whole Essence then haue all the same Dietie and so all must be the same Godhead And so Anâ—isthenes saith it was the opinion of the best Philosophers Plures esse Deos populares vnum naturalem That although the people worshipped many Gods yet indeed there was but one onely God by Nature And therefore against the Valentinians thirty couple of gods Jrenaeus contra Valentin and all others that professe many gods it must needes follow euen from reason it selfe that there can be no more gods but one not specificall but numericall i. e. so absolutely one Tertul. l. contra Hermog e. 17. that he is one alone besides whom there can be none other and is therefore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 onely one for we deny all number in the Deitie vnlesse you meane in the personall proprieties and therefore Gregory Nissen saith well Quod in multitudinem extendere numerum Deitatum eorum duntaxat est Nyssen ad Eustach l. de trin qui laborant multitudinis deorum errore That to extend the number of the Deities into a multitude belongs onely vnto them which doe erroniously maintaine a multitude of gods for the Catholicke faith is this that wee should worship the Trinity in Vnity and the Vnity in Trinity that is Basilius Ep. 141. ad Caesarium the trinity of Persons and the vnity of Essence because all number is to be reiected from the Essence of God saith Saint Basil For the Diuine Essence is so simple and so numerically one that no diuersitie can be giuen whereby the very persons doe differ in regard of the Essence and therefore in respect of this identitie and vnitie of Essence in the three persons of the Godhead our Sauiour saith I am in the Father and the Father in me Iohn 14.10 Wherupon Saint Cyril addeth further for the explanation of the same that we may not say that the Father is from the Sonne nor contained in the Sonne nor the Sonne to be in the Father as we are said to be and to liue in God for that we are onely by the effects of his grace he in the vnitie of his essence i. e. wee are one with God by grace but the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost are one by Nature so that whatsoeuer the Father essentially is the Sonne is the same and the holy Spirit is the same That the Essence of God is distinguished into three persons Gen. 1. And yet we must know that this one onely one indiuisible Essence is distinguished into three persons which we call the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost for so the Scriptures plainely teach vs as Let vs make man in our image and behold the man is become like one of vs saith the Lord himselfe to shew that in this vnity of Essence there is a plurality of persons and againe the Lord rained vpon Sodom and vpon Gomorrha from the Lord out of Heauen Gen. 19. that is the Sonne rained from the Father as Iustin Martyr Tertullian Epiphanius Cyprian Irenaeus Eusebius Cyrill Sozomen the Councell of Smyrna held in the yeare of Christ 336. Socrates Eccl. hist l. 2. c. 30. wherein Marcus Arethusius against the heresie of Photinus and many others doe so expound that place And so the three men that appeared vnto Abraham and that Heauenly harmony of Cherubims saying Holy holy holy Lord God of Sabboth Esay 6. doe sufficiently declare the Trinitie of persons in the Vnity of Gods Essence Ob. But then it may bee some will say these and the like places are too obscure to confirme the truth of so great a point Sol. Why God did not fully and plainely reueile the mysteries of the Trinitie at the first I answere that God at first would not shew this great mystery vnto all lest that being so prone as they were in the infancie of the Church to fal into Idolatry they should shake off the seruice of the true God therby be drawn to worship many Gods but the more his Church did increase in abilitie to vnderstand the more did God reueile vnto it both this mystery of the Trinitie and also many other mysteries of the Incarnation Passion Resurrection and Ascention of Iesus Christ And therefore what hee obscurely shadowed in the time of the Patriarchs hee did more cleerely shew vnto his Prophets and most plainely in the time of the Apostles proclaime the same vnto all people For Christ bad them goe and baptize all men Matth. 28. in the name of the Father and of the Sonne 1. Iohn 5. and of the Holy Ghost And so Saint Iohn saith there be three that beare witnesse in Heauen the Father the Word and the Spirit And yet these three be but one saith the Apostle For as in one Sunne there are the body of the Sunne the Sunne beames and the heate Aug. de Trinit the beames are begotten of the Sunne and the heate doth proceed both from the Sunne and the Sunne beames but the Sunne it selfe proceeds from none Euen so in the one Essence of God there are the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost the sonne is begotten of the Father the Holy Ghost proceeds from both but the Father is of himselfe alone and as the fountaine begets the brooke Jdem de verbis Domim and both the fountaine and brooke doe make the Poole and yet all three is the same water so the father is the Fountaine which begets the Sonne and from the Father and Sonne proceeds the Holy Ghost That there are certaine similitudes of the Trinity to be seene in the creatures and yet is the Deity of all three the same in like manner the fire hath motion light and heate and yet but one fire and in the soule of man there are three faculties the vegetatiue the sensitiue and the rationall and yet but one soule and in all other creatures wee may behold certaine glimpes and similitudes that doe after a sort adumbrate and shadow out this ineffable and inexpressable mysterie for by their greatnesse we may consider the power of the Father by their beauty we may see the wisedome of the Sonne and by their vtilitie we may note the goodnesse of the Holy Ghost God left not himselfe without witnesse no not wholly of the manner of his subsistence if not to proue this blessed mysterie yet at least to illustrate it Thom. p. 1. q 32. art 1. and to proue as Aquinas saith Non esse impossibile quod fides praedicat That those things are not impossible which faith preacheth But it may be some
things which for the present seeme harsh and bitter vnto vs will in the end proue to our great aduantage Thirdly For the manner of Christ his birth it is recorded Of the manner of Christs birth how meane it was in many respects that it was very poore and meane meaner then ordinary or extraordinary base for he was borne of poore Parents they trauelled on foote they had not an Asse to ride on in a poore Towne little Bethlehem which is by interpretation An House of Bread but such a poore House of Bread that there was scarce any bread in the House And then being come from darkenesse into light Non poterat verbum fari verbum This word could not speake a word but hee was wrapped in poore swadling cloutes it may be his Mothers ragges and then laid in a poore lodging euen in the Manger and so he was indeed made lower then the Angels for he was consorted and laid among the Beasts that perish Quia non erat locus in diuersorio Because there was no roome in the Inne for these poore innocent people among the drunken swaggering companions for these will be sure to haue roome Et pauper vbique iacet And the poore shall bee thrust out of doores And yet Christ was well contented he desired no better Why Christ would be born so meanely Psal 22.6 but chose indeede to come after this meanest manner First To fulfill the Scriptures for the Prophet Dauid said in the person of Christ I am a worme and no man a very scorne of men and the outcast of the people And the Prophet Esay saith He should grow vp as a roote out of a dry ground i. e. wrinckled and almost withered for want of radicall moysture He hath neither forme nor comelinesse and when wee shall see him there is no beauty Esay 53.2.3 that we should desire him he is despised and reiected of men Secondly To teach vs true humility Descendit quo inferius non decuit vt ascenderet quo superius non poterat For he made himselfe of no reputation that he might be exalted Phil. 2.9 and haue a name giuen him about all other names to shew vnto vs Luke 18.14 that Whosoeuer humbleth himselfe shall be exalted Thirdly To condemne the courses and desires of worldly men for they desire nothing so much as wealth honours and promotions and yet all the Monarchs of this World with all their pompe and power with all their riches and greatnesse cannot reconcile one soule to God They must let that alone for euer But Christ poore stript and naked hath so pleased God that through him God cannot be displeased with vs for it is goodnesse and not greatnesse to be void of sinne and not to be full of riches that our God respecteth Fourthly To procure true riches vnto vs for so the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 8.9 that Christ though he was rich yet for our sake he became poore that we through his pouerty might be made rich Fiftly To shew the difference betwixt his first and his second comming for now he came in pouerty but then hee shall come in maiesty Math. 16.27 He shall come on the glory of his Father with his Angels The Earth shall burne the Heauens shall melt and all the powers of the same shall be shaken And therefore seeing as Emyssenus saith Talis tantus sit horror venientis quis poterit terrorem sustinere iudicantis That comming of his shall be so terrible as that all the wicked crue of damned sort shall exceedingly howle and cry and pray the mountaines to fall vpon them and to hide them from that fearefull day let vs make the right vse of this his first comming that wee may escape the terror of his second comming And so you see the manner of his birth weakely poorely and meanely That we should be well contented with any state And this should teach vs to be euer contented with our poore and meane estate for if the Sonne of God who made all things and whose all things are All the Cattle vpon a thousand hilles was well contented and made choyce of this low estate why should we be discontented with the same for wee are vnworthy of the very Bread wee eate and of the very Light of Heauen wherewith we are illuminated we are very base and miserable beggars begging of God the very crummes that wee eate Math. 6.11 saying Giue vs this day our daily bread and yet such is our pride and haughtinesse that wee are ready to snatch it out of his hands and not to stay while he giues it vs Such is our disdaine and discontentednesse that the daintiest fare will scarce please vs and such is our desire and ambition that euery man still cryeth with the Daughters of the Horse-leech More more Our eyes are neuer satisfied with seeing nor our eares with hearing nor our hearts with enioying the vanities of this World But alas Beloued Beware of murmuring Wisedome 1. 11. which is nothing worth and let the same minde be in you herein as was in Christ Iesus If you would be happy remember how he came Phil. 2.5 Math. 8.20 poore and meane remember how he liued meane and miserable for He had not an House wherein to put his head We haue more then that and remember how hee was entertained cold and comfortlesse Math. 10.24.25 for He came amongst his owne and his owne receiued him not And therefore seeing he found such cold entertainement in the world why should wee looke for any better or be any wayes discontented at the like for The Seruant is not aboue his Master but it is enough for the seruant to be as his Master is CHAP. III. Of the testimonies which proue that Christ the Messias is borne THirdly Of the witnesses that testifie the birth and comming of the Messias For the testimony and witnesse whereby he was approued and confirmed vnto the world to be incarnate and made Flesh for to be the Sauiour and Redeemer of the World I finde the same especially to be two-fold 1. The Creatures 2. The Creator First The testimony of the Creature is three-fold 1. The Angels of Heauen 2. The Starres in the Skies 3. Men on Earth First An Angell said vnto the Shepheards Luke 2.11 Vnto you is borne this day in the City of Dauid a Sauiour which is Christ the Lord And immediately there were not sixe Cherubims as Esayas saw nor foure and twenty Elders Esay 6.2 as Saint Iohn saw but a multitude of heauenly Angels that by their heauenly Halelu-iah did confirme the same And therefore the truth hereof is infallible because the Angels though they bee mutable by nature yet they be now cōfirmed by grace Isidorus l. 1. c. 12. de summo bono Ne à veritate voluntatem auerterent That they cannot lye nor fall away from truth as Isidorus saith Secondly The gentile Prophet Baalam prophesied that there
Mary but Saint Marke saith plainely that they were three and that as we may gather for three speciall reasons First For decency because it was not so fit to see a Woman gadding all alone for it is neither customable nor commendable for Matrones like Dina to walke single Secondly For mutuall society Quia vae soli For woe to him that is alone especially at so vnwonted a season as the night so dismall a place as the graue and in so heauy a case as death Thirdly For the better confirmation of the truth for that in the mouth of two or three witnesses euery word shall be established And therefore there went three of them And Secondly They were all three called by the same name Haymo in postil in die resur Mary Et vno nomine censentur quia vna voluntas And they had but one name First Because they had but one will they had the same desire What it signifieth that all the three Women were called by the same name they all desired and all sought but onely Iesus Christ that was crucified And Secondly Because they all signified the same thing i. e. the Church of God in generall or euery Christian soule in particular For the first the Scripture saith Vae duplici corde Woe to him that goeth two manner of wayes that hath two tongues two hearts two affections one to seeke for God and another to seeke the World because such in seeking both doe leese both for the World they cannot keepe though they seeke neuer so much after it and God for seeking the World they shall neuer finde And therefore these three Women hâ—d but one heart one will one desire they all seeke for Iesus that was crucified For the second they all signifie the same thing for Maria in the Syriach Tongue signifieth Dominam a Lady or Mistresse and Mara in Hebrew signifies bitternesse So is the Church of Christ and so is euery Christian soule a Mistresse for her affections and bitter for her afflictions How the Church is to rule her Children First The Church ruleth ouer her Children and the Soule ouer her desires shee makes all her affections yeeld obedience vnto reason and reason it selfe to faith for where humane reason faileth there diuine faith attaineth to the height of many mysteries Math. 8.24 How the Church was euer subiect vnto afflictions Secondly The Church is like that Shippe that was tossed to and fro with the mightie waues and billowes of the raging Seas neuer at rest vntill it arriueth at the Hauen of eternall happinesse The storie of the Church doth make this plaine Sanguine fundata est Ecclesia sanguine creuit Sanguine succreuit sanguine finis erit And so is euery Christian soule full of sorrowes full of bitternesse we may see our selues as in a glasse if wee looke into the state of these three silly soules seeking Christ for they are bereaued of him whom their soules loued And therefore as the Spouse saith in the Canticles Cant. 3.1 In my bed I sought him whom my soule loued I sought him but I found him not So these Women seeke him whom their soules loued and not in their beddes but in the Garden for they range and rage and runne vp and downe like as it were a Lyon or a Beare robbed of her whelpes and yet they finde him not they see the nest but the Eagle is flowne away and the Watchmen can tell no tydings of him And therefore they stand apalled all woe-begone with griefe their hearts are all sobby and swolne like the lower â—allies that drinke vp the droppes of Heauen and for want of teares to expresse their griefes hauing emptied their bottles afore by continuall crying each one of them doth now lamentingly say Quis dabit capiti meo aquam Who will powre water into the Cesterne of our heads that we may powre out our plaints like a Nightingale robbed of her brood and mourne like a Turtle for the loste of our dearest Lord For hee being taken from vs our life is loathsome to vs Sit mihi posse mori It were well for vs if we could â—ie Lament 3.15 for as our names be Marah bitter so he hath filled vs with bitternesse and made our soules drunken with wormewood This is the state of these Women and this is the state of euery Christian soule Teares must be her meate day and night whiles they say vnto her Psal 137.4 Where is now thy God for how shall we sing the Lords song in a strange Land and whiles we are as strangers from the Lord And so you see why all three were called by one and the same name And yet we finde that they were all distinguished for the 1. Was Mary Magdalen 2. Was Mary the Mother of Iames. 3. Was Marie Salome And this sheweth either three speciall properties How the three Maries were distinguished and knowne the one from the other both in the Church and in euery member of the Church or else the different gifts and faculties which God bestoweth vpon his seruants to euery one as pleaseth him For First Mary Magdalen was so called à Castello Magdalo from a Tower which was loftie and strong Marie Iacobi was the Sister of the blessed Virgin and the Mother of Iames an Apostle and follower of Iesus Christ and Mary Salome was so called either of her Husband or of a Village named Salome which signifieth peaceable And therefore by these three Women Three speciall properties signified by the three women these three Maries are signified three speciall properties 1. Fortitude 2. Faecundity 3. Peace So is the Church so were these Women and so is euery Christian soule For First Salomon saith of the fortitude of the Church 1. Fortitude Cantic 4.4 Sicut turris Dauid collum tuum Thy necke is as the Tower of Dauid that is as high as Heauen and so strong as that the gates of Hell can neuer preuaile against it And in these Women here Math. 16.18 we finde a peerelesse patterne of Christian fortitude for though they were the weaker Sexe yet I finde them stronger in affection then Men for the Apostles ranne and out-ranne these Women How fearelesse the Women were in seeking Christ yet was their deuotion sooner spent and themselues sooner out of breath for they stayed not but these Women as they had formerly come vnto the graue so now they stand longer at the graue for so it is said of Mary Magdalen Quod stetit That shee stood still and stood to it And so no doubt they did all not like Peter who fearefully following afarre of Iohn 20.11 and warming his hands in the High Priests Hall benummed his heart for want of faith Math. 26.58 nor yet like Ioseph of Aramathia who secretly for feare of the Iewes begged of Pilate the body of Iesus but like tâ—e stoutest Heroickes steeled with a manly resolution they feare not death it selfe And as the Poet
therefore he had none other remedy but to wander as a Pilgrime and a forlorne creature till hee ended his dayes in extreame miseries so Agrippa suffered intollerable calamities Cap. 17. so Herod the Tetrarch was spoiled of his goods depriued of his Kingdome and banished from his Countrey So Herod that killed Iames Cap. 18. was miserably eaten vp of loathsome wormes and to the Iewes was measured the same measure as they had measured vnto Christ before for as they had sold him for thirty pence so thirty of them were sold for one peny and fiue hundred of them were nayled to Crosses in one day in so much that nec locus sufficeret crucibus nec cruces corporibus there was not place sufficient for the Crosses nor Crosses enough to nayle them on It were too too lamentable to relate more of those dolefull Tragedies which Iosephus Eusebius Euagrius and others haue written of them and what they suffered at the finall ruine and destruction of Ierusalem and what heauy bondage farre worse then that Egyptian slauery they haue endured to this very day In aureo tractatu Rabbi Sam. de miserimo statu Iudaeorum Hence it is that Rabbi Samuel about sixe hundred yeares agone writ a tractate in forme of an Epistle vnto Rabbi Isaac Master of the Synagogue of the Iewes in Subiulmeta a Citie of Morocco wherein he doth excellently discusse the cause of their long captiuity their great blindnesse and extreame misery and after that hee had proued tâ—at this punishment was inflicted vpon them for some great and grieuous sinne he sheweth that sinne to be the same whereof the Prophet Amos speaketh For three transgressions of Israel and for foure Amos 2.6 non transferam eo I will not turne away the punishment thereof because they sold the righteous for siluer And though he saith that their Rabbies doe vnderstand this righteous to be Ioseph that was sold by his brethren vnto Egypt What Rabbi Samuel saith concerning Iesus Christ yet because the Prophet putteth this for the fourth sinne and the greatest sinne of Israel and because he cannot finde any three sinnes of the sonnes of Israel before the selling of Ioseph therefore he maketh the selling of Ioseph to be the first sinne of Israel the worshipping of the Calfe in Horeb to be the second the abusing the killing of Gods Prophets to be the third and the fourth to be the selling of Iesus Christ For the first they serued foure hundred yeares for the second they wandred forty yeares in the Wildernesse vntill they that came out of Egypt were all consumed and brought to nothing excepting onely Caleb and Iosuah for the third they were held Captiues seauenty yeares in Babylon and for the fourth the said Rabbi Samuel confesseth that they were held in most pittifull Captiuity to this very day because hee was most vniustly sold and most shamefully deliuered to death as he sheweth in the seauenth Chapter of the said Tractate Much and many more circumstantiall proofes and demonstrations of his Resurrection to shew him to be the true Messias Why the Author did so prosecute the proofes of Christs Resurrection might be produced but I hope these will serue I say not to make vs to beleeue this truth for to that end I hope we neede not bring any proofe at all because we doe fully and vndoubtedly beleeue the same already but to shew that our fore-fathers haue not or we doe not beleeue these things without more then abundant and vnanswerable proofes thereof and to conuince that malicious obstinacy and infidelity of all those whether professed Iewes or seeming Christians which notwithstanding such an Army of arguments and such a cloud of witnesses will still continue blinded and hardened in vnbeleefe It were strange there should be any Athiests amongst vs yet I thinke it was not without cause that Dr. Fotherby writ his large and learned discourse against Atheisme and questionlesse they that deny God will neuer beleeue in Christ and therefore as that booke shall be a witnesse against all Atheists in the latter day to condemne them so shall this which I haue written be an accuser of all those that will not beleeue in Iesus Christ CHAP. VIII Of the place from whence our Sauiour rose both in respect of his body and soule NOw hauing seene that the Messias when hee should come was to rise againe the third day and that our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ is that true Messias because he did rise againe vpon the third day I must yet intreate you to consider that so you may haue the full knowledge of this point these two especiall things Arsatius in postilla ser de resurrect fol. 122. 1. The place from whence he rose 2. The manner how he rose First We must vnderstand that as Christ in respect of his humane nature consisted both of body and soule so his Resurrection must needs be considered both in respect of his body and soule First The Resurrection of the Body was that whereby hee raised the same from the graue a dead carkasse to be a liuing and a most glorious body neuer to die againe The place from whence Christ raised his soule Secondly The Resurrection of his Soule must be from some infernall place or else it must be a descention and not a Resurrection of his soule and therefore as in our Creede we professe to beleeue that he descended into Hell so we must likewise confesse that he raised himselfe from Hell but here vnawares I am fallen into an Ocean of contention For First Some say this Article of our Creede crept in by negligence and therefore would haue raced it out againe but that would proue a want of Gods prouidence that would suffer his whole Church to erre so grossely in the chiefe summe of her Christian faith and if such things might creepe into our Creede which is but the abstract of our faith then much more might easily creepe into our Scriptures which is so large an expresser both of faith and manners but the Spirit of Christ is alwayes with his Church to guide it into all truth and the Church of Christ is the Pillar of truth and a most faithfull preseruer of all truth and therefore this opinion is most absurde Secondly Others still retayning the words Foure expositions of that article of Christs discention into Hell cannot agree vpon the meaning of the sentence and of these I finde foure seuerall expositions The first is that the soule of Christ suffered the paines of Hell vpon the Crosse But this cannot stand first because we must bring in such a sense as will agree with the words after his buriall for that being dead and buried he descended into Hell and secondly That Christ suffered not the torments of the damned Iohn 9. because as that worthy Bishop of Winchester hath most excellently shewed there bee eight speciall things in Hell paines which the soule of Christ could not
office of this Angell here expressed to serue Christ to affright the souldiers and to delight these women to teach them to direct them Reuel 4.8 and to preserue them in all their wayes for as they neuer cease to serue the Lord so they neuer cease to preserue the Saints vntill they cease to serue their God and therefore to vse Saints Bernards exhortation Quantum debet hoc verbum inferre reuerentiam afferre deuotionem conferre fiduciam How ought this doctrine to moue vs and worke in vs reuerence for their presence confidence for their custody and obedience vnto God for so great an argument of his beneuolence vnto man as to giue his Angels charge ouer vs Et quam cauté ambulandum and how warily ought we to walke seeing the Angels of God are euer present with vs when all the men of the world are absent from vs It is reported of a godly Virgin that being often sollicited by a gallant vnto vnlawfull lust at last she yeelded that if hee met her at such a place he should haue leaue to worke his pleasure with her both came to the place appointed and the place was full of people then the mayden told him that now if he pleased he might vse her as he would he answered that now for shame he durst not doe it in the sight of so many men and women then she replyed and thinkest thou that I dare doe that in the presence of God and his holy Angels which thou darest not doe in the sight of mortall men and I wish euery one of vs did so that is to be ashamed to doe those things in the sight of God and his holy Angels Psal 139.2 Velleius paterculus which we are afraid to doe in the presence of men for they alwayes see vs though wee see not them they are about our beds and about our pathes and spie out all our wayes and therefore as Marcus Drusus when one told him he could build him an house of such a forme as that no man might see what he did therein answered that hee liked better of such an Architector as could build his house so as that euery one passing by might plainely see what was done therein so I wish to God that euery one of vs would striue and labour so to liue as it becommeth vs to doe in the sight of God and of his blessed Angels And so we see the Resurrection of Christ fully and plainely shewed vs to the eternall praise and glory of God and to the endlesse ioy and happinesse of all Christians through the said Iesus Christ To whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be ascribed all power and dominion both now and for euer Amen A Prayer O Blessed God which gauest thine onely Sonne Iesus Christ to suffer death for our sinnes to descend into Hell to destroy our enemies and to rise againe for our iustification and so to declare himselfe mightily to be the Sonne of God and the true Sauiour of all men We most humbly beseech thee to raise vs from the death of sinne from all our sinnes and to giue vs grace to beleeue in thee to be thankfull vnto thee and to serue thee in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life that when we shall be laid to rest in our graues we may rest in assured hope to be raised vp by Christ to liue with him for euermore through the same Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen IEHOVAE LIBERATORI FINIS The Sixt Golden Candlesticke HOLDING The Sixt greatest Light of Christian RELIGION Of the Ascention of our SAVIOVR and of the Donation of the HOLY GHOST EPHES. 4.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherefore he saith when hee ascended vp on high heeled captiuity captiue and gaue gifts vnto men AFter that the blessed Apostle Saint Paul had by many arguments proued vnto the Ephesians that they should earnestly studie The coherence of this verse with what goeth before and most carefully labour to preserue the vnity of the Church of Christ he seemeth in the seuenth verse to answer a certaine obiection that might bee made viz. seeing the graces the gifts and the offices which God hath bestowed vpon his Church are so many and so manifold so diuers and so vnequall some hauing many graces some but few some one gift and some another how can it be that this vnity can be so faithfully preserued therefore the Apostle sheweth that the diuersity and inequality of gifts is not onely no hinderance but is indeed a great furtherance to cherish and preserue the same First Because all these gifts do flow from the same fountaine Iesus Christ Secondly Because they are all giuen and imparted for the same end and purpose that is to gather together the Church of Christ into the vnity of faith The first reason he proueth out of this Prophesie of Dauid who speaking of the Messias triumphing ouer his enemies saith Thou art gone vp on high thou hast led captiuity captiue and receiued gifts for men And The second reason he confirmeth at large in the verses following where he sheweth that Christ gaue some Apostles and some Prophets and some Euangelists and some Pastors and Teachers and all to this end that is for the perfecting of the Saints for the worke of the Ministery for the edifying of the boâ—y of Christ till wee all come into the vnity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Sonne of God Two things contained in this verse And therefore we finde contained in this verse two speciall points First A confirmation of the Apostles alledged reason that all graces doe flow from Christ in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherefore he saith Secondly A Propheticall prediction of the Messias in these words When he ascended vp on high he led captiuitie captiue and gaue gifts vnto men That the Scripture is the best warrant for all Preachers For the first I meane not to stand long vpon it I will onely note this one thing that all we the Teachers of Gods people according to the example of this Apostle nay of Christ himselfe and of all Christs true Schollers should not teach any positiue point of doctrine vnlesse we can either directly or by necessary consequence proue and confirme the same out of the Sacred Scriptures for whatsoeuer hath not authority from the word of God Eadem facilitate refellitur qua probatur may as well be reiected as receiued Hieron in Matth. c. 23. saith Saint Hierom and whatsoeuer is therein contained it requires absolute faith without doubting because as Hugo Cardinalis saith Quicquid in sacris literis docetur veritas est sine fallacia quicquid praecipitur bonitas est sine malicia quicquid promittitur faelicitas est sine miseria Whatsoeuer is caught in the Scripture it is truth it selfe without fallacy whatsoeuer is commanded it is purely good without the commixtion of any euill and whatsoeuer is promised it is perfect felicitie without the least
soules Now after the holy Ghost bestoweth vpon the Saints faith to beleeue in him hope to expect all happinesse from him and charity most feruently to loue him and all men for his sake then hee worketh many other graces in the hearts of his Elect to preserue them blamelesse in the sight of God and to defend them from the malice of that roaring Lion as a filiall feare neuer to offend him and a speciall care alwaies to please him and beside and aboue all the rest he infuseth into their soules these two excellent gifts viz. 1. Prouidence to fore-see 2. Patience to indure all things First Moses in his last speech and best song that hee made vnto the children of Israel saith O that they were wise Deut. 31. that they vnderstood this that they would consider their latter end that is that they would remember things past vnderstand things present and consider things to come for this is the onely difference betwixt man and beast the one craues for the present time the other fore-seeth and prouideth for the times to come and the want or neglect of this consideratiue fore-sight is the cause of many miseries for as hee that fore-seeth euill either preuenteth it or prepareth himselfe for it and so it is more easily borne of him because it doth not suddenly apprehend him so he that neuer seeth it till it strikes him is the more amazed with it because hee feeleth that which hee neuer feared and therefore as Iob saith that he was surprised with that which he feared so the Saints of God haue this grace giuen them by God to expect and fore see miseries before they come that they may be the more tollerable vnto them if they come And as they haue one eye open to feare and fore-see euill before it commeth so they haue the other eye open to fore-see and to hope for good that when it comes it may be the more welcome to them and that vsing all lawfull meanes to compasse it they may the sooner attaine vnto it But here it may be some wil obiect say as it was said of old Ob. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Scire si liceret quae debes subire non subire pulchrum sit scire Sed si subire oportet quae licet scire quorsum scire nam debes subire That is Doctor Euerard in his Aâ—rere han p. 76. as Doctor Euerard doth as wittily translate them as they were prettily composed If a man might know the ill that hee must vndergoe and shunne it so then were it good to know But if he vndergoe it though he know it what bootes him know it he must vndergoe it And so of good things if he might the sooner obtaine them by fore-seeing them it were worth our paines to looke after them but seeing no care no prouidence can either helpe vs vnto the good we desire or preuent the euill we feare because as one truly saith What shall be shall be sure there is no chance For the eye eterne all things fore-sees And all must come to passe as he decrees And therefore to what end should wee trouble our selues in vaine to fore-see that which we cannot forbid Sol. To this I answere briefly that although God worketh all things according to his will yet it is his wil ordinarily to work by ordinary meanes and secondary causes as we may see in the second of Osee 21. Osee 2.21 I will heare the Heauens and they shall heare the Earth and the Earth shall heare the Corne and the Wine and the Oyle and they shall heare Israel And therefore whom God hath decreed shall escape euill or attaine vnto any good God decreeth the meanes as well as the end of any thing he hath also decreed that they should by their care and diligence the one to preuent it and the other to vse all lawfull meanes to procure it and they that will not vse all possible care to obtaine these ends doe most apparantly shew an infallible argument against themselues they shall neuer attaine vnto their desired end because it is a sure rule that whatsoeuer end God hath decreed hee hath also decreed the meanes to bring to passe that end And therefore as he hath decreed the saluation of his Saints so he hath decreed to giue them his grace to fore-see all things that are necessary for them to know that they may the better vse all diligence to eschew the euill and to obtaine the good Secondly seeing our estate in this life is a state full of miseries and that we are long expecting good before we can inioy it therefore wee haue neede of patience Heb. 10.36 that after wee haue done the will of God wee might receiue the promise and therefore God seeing how needfull patience is for his seruants hee giueth this gift vnto vs and it is indeed a most excellent gift without which I know not how the Saints could well subsist that we might patiently and contentedly suffer whatsoeuer happeneth vnto vs and as Iob saith quietly to waite all our dayes Iob. vntill our change shall come It is recorded in the books of the Gentiles that in the Olympian combates that Champion wan the Garland that bestowed most blowes vpon his Antagonist but in the warres of the Lord where God himselfe is our rewarder wee finde that hee beares away the Crowne which beareth patiently the most blowes from his aduersaries and in lieu thereof returneth nothing but good words But here we must vnderstand patience is vsed either Patience is taken two waies 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 abusiuely and improperly 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rightly and properly and In the first sence wee finde the word vsed foure manner of wayes First for a sinnefull carelesnesse when men per patientiam asininam will suffer themselues like lazie asses to bee drawne and compelled by lewd companie to drinking swaggering or any other sinne whatsoeuer Secondly for a stoicall apathie when men will locke vp all naturall passions and striue to bee insensible of any thing that shall befall them Thirdly for a customarie induring of all stormes when like children in the Schoole which doe so much the lesse care for whipping the oftner they are whipped we grow insensible of all crosses by a continuall custome of bearing crosses Fourthly for a naturall fortitude when through the strength of nature and the courage of a heroick minde men will vndergoe whatsoeuer aduersities shall betide them and will seeme to beare the same as if their strength were the strength of stones Iob. 6.12 and their flesh of brasse as Iob speaketh In the second sence we doe likewise finde the word vsed many wayes as Rom. 2.4 First for a contayning of our selues from the reuenging of any iniuries done vnto vs. Secondly for a contented waiting and a most quiet expecting of what we desire Rom. 2.7 Heb. 10.36 Psal 9.18 without muttering
of twelue Starres is the Symbole of her faith containing twelue articles of her beleife And fourthly her paine to be deliuered is that earnest desire and loue which euery Christian soule hath to increase and multiply the number of Gods children And so the holy Ghost hauing descended vpon the Apostles and remaining in their hearts it caused them first to beleeue and to compose that crowne of twelue Starres which is the glory of euery Christian soule i. e. the twelue Articles of our faith as the Church receiueth it Secondly to forsake all the world and to follow Christ as S. Peter sheweth Thirdly Matth. 19.27 to lead a most vpright and a godly life as Saint Paul auoucheth Heb. 13.18 And fourthly to labour incessantly night and day to send out their voyces into all lands and their words vnto the ends of the world as now the whole world testifieth And so you see how in the first beginning of the Church the gifts of the holy Ghost were visibly and abundantly giuen vnto these seruants of Iesus Christ according as it was prophecied long before Ioel 2.28 that he would powre out his Spirit vpon all flesh and so their sonnes and their daughters should prophesie But CHAP. VI. How the gifts and graces of Gods Spirit are now giuen vnto vs and how wee may know whether wee haue the same or not SEcondly Christ doth now giue his Spirit otherwise vnto the Pastors of his Church How God bestoweth his graces vpon vs sufficiently for the edifying of the same but through great paines and diligent searching after knowledge for now we must not looke for Exthusiasmes nor thinke to attaine vnto learning and knowledge by reuelations but orando quaerendo bene viuendo by earnest praiers by continuall watching and tumbling and tossing of many bookes and by wearing and wearying out our selues in reading musing and writing of many lines we must seeke to attaine to a little learning and when wee haue done all we can wee can get nothing but what this blessed Spirit please to giue vs for except the Lord build the house the builder laboureth but in vaine so except he doth blesse our studies Psal 127.1 all our paines and industry will proue no better then Aethiopum lauare to wash a blacke Moore a breaking of our braines but an attaining to no true knowledge But we may be certaine that if we do our duties in all humility to seeke and search for grace our God will most surely giue vs grace yea and the same graces though not in the same manner or according to the same measure which hee did giue vnto his Apostles And as here it was apparantly seene that these Apostles had the gifts of this Spirit by these signes and effects of this Spirit so wee may most certainely know if we will diligently search whether we haue these gifts and graces of Gods Spirit or not by the works that we doe and by the things that we finde in our selues for Si iniurias dimittimus The signes whereby we may know whether we haue the Spirit of God or not quod denotat columba si paenitentiae lachrymis irrigamur quod nubes si desiderium habemus rerum aeternarum quod ignis si magnalia Dei annuntiamus quod lingua tum habemus signum praesentiae Spiritus sancti If we water our couch with our teares and bee truly sorry for our sinnes which is signified by the cloud if we be purged from all the drosse of sinne and be eleuated to desire and loue heauenly things which is noted in the fire if wee bee carried against the naturall streame and current of our owne corruptions which is shewed by the winde if we remit and forgiue all wrongs done vnto vs and bee meeke and gentle vnto all men harsh and sullen vnto none which are the properties of the Doue and if we zealously preach and pray and talke of God and of his will his grace and goodnesse towards vs and render thankes and praise vnto him for the same which is the office of a fiery tongue then we doe with the Apostles shew the effects of Gods Spirit and we may to our endlesse comforts assure our selues that the Spirit of God is in vs. 1 Cor. 3.85 But if we finde none of these things no hatred of sinne no loue of vertue no loathing of the vanities of this world no lifting vp of our hearts to heauen no meekenesse with men no praising of God but rather finde our selues cleane contrary defiled with sinne deboist in our liues iniuring men offending God blaspheming his name with wicked oathes and breaking his Sabboths with great contempt then wee should not onely wonder to see the gifts and graces of Gods Spirit in others as the people did when they saw what had happened vnto the Apostles vpon the day of Pentecost but we should rather bewaile and lament the want of the same in our selues for it is vnpossible that they should haue any part or portion of Gods Spirit that doe shew no signe nor fruit of Gods grace And therefore euery man should try and examine himselfe whether he finde in himselfe the fruits and effects of Gods Spirit or not For First the holy Ghost being like water if he be in you That we should diligently examine whether we haue Gods Spirit or not Psalme 1.3 then you are washed and cleansed from all filthinesse and you are like the trees that are planted by the waters side and doe bring forth their fruits in due season but if you bee like a barren and drie ground where no water is or like fruitlesse trees that beare nothing but leaues then certainely the Spirit of God is not in you and you are fit for nothing but to be hewne downe Matth. 3.10 and to be cast into the fire Secondly the holy Ghost being like fire if he be in vs hee illuminateth the eyes of our vnderstanding and hee giueth light to them that sit in darkenesse and in the shadow of death that they may walke without stumbling in the way of peace but if our vnderstanding bee so darkened that wee neither know God nor the will of God then certainely the Spirit of God is not in vs 2 Cor. 4.3 for if our Gospell be hid saith the Apostle it is hid to them that are lost that being depriued and void of Gods Spirit are filled with the spirit of darknesse A most fearefull saying against them that vnderstand not the great mystery of godlinesse that they haue the marke of lost ones and if hee be in vs then we must needes be feruent and zealous to doe all good seruice vnto God as Apollo was who is said to be hot in spirit or as the twelue tribes were who serued God night and day instantly Act. 18.28 c. 26.7 saith the Apostle but if we be cold and carelesse to serue the Lord then surely we are destitute of this Spirit of God for
from all appearance of euill and fashon not our selues in any thing like vnto the courses of this present world In what a dangerous state the Ministers doe liue Secondly as our taske is great which we are to doe thus vprightly to liue most faithfully to preach the Word of God so our danger is great whatsoeuer we doe for wee are betwixt the barke and the tree betwixt the fire and the water betwixt the anger of God and the malice of the diuell and as the Poet saith incidit in Scyllam cupiens vitare charib dim we shall fall into one doe what we can For The fearefull state of those Ministers that neglect their dutie First If we neglect our duties either in not preaching or in ill-liuing the bloud of the people besides liuing in our sinnes shall be required at our hands and therefore woe is mee if I preach not the Gospell saith the Apostle vae miseris qui sunt catholici praedicando heretici operando vae qui tenent in memoria quae non agunt in vita and woe to those miserable men which preach well but liue ill which haue Christ in their Sermons but not in their actions which know and teach others what to doe but will not doe it themselues woe woe to those miserable men saith Saint Bernard Quia satius est sustinere paenam Caiphae Pilati Herodis quam paenam sacerdotis indigne Ministrantis because it were better to suffer the punishment of Caiphas Pilate and Herod then the punishment that is due to an vnworthie Minister Secondly If we truely preach the Word of God and liue as vprightly as the Saints of God yet wee shall be sure neuer to escape the censures of men nor the malice of the diuell for though in olde time there were counted but seauen wise men that had that name among the Greekes yet now there are not in their owne iudgements so many fooles amongst vs and therefore et garrula anus et delirus senex as Saint Hierome saith to Paulinus Coblers and Tinkers in their shoppes will iudge what we shall say in our Pulpits But if this were all we could well indure it but it is not for as wee seeke to destroy the Kingdome of darknesse so doth the Prince of darknesse seeke by all meanes to destroy vs and therefore he shooteth all his poysoned darts at vs he stirreth vp the hearts of wicked men to trample vs vnder feete Tincta licambaeo sanguine tela dabit Ouidius in Ibin as the mire in the streete to doe vs all the mischiefe that lieth in them and to deale with vs as their Fathers vsed the Prophets and as wee read of them in the second of Wisdome 10 c. saying come Let vs lie in waite for the righteous let vs see if their words be true let vs examine them with despitefulnesse and torture that we may know their meekenesse and proue their patience for they be not for our turne Wisd 2.10.12 we haue no benefit by them but they vpbraid vs with our offending of the Law and obiect to our infamie the transgressing of our education yea they reproue our thoughts and their life is not like other men but their waies are of another fashion esteeming vs as counterfeits and abstaining from our waies as from filthinesse and therefore seeing they are so grieuous vnto vs euen to behold let vs see if their words bee true and let vs ioyne our selues against them as against our mortall enemies thus doe they consult thus doe they combine themselues as against all righteous men so specially against the Preachers of Gods Word and the reprouers of their faults O then beloued brethren what created power is able to vndoe this couenant of hell it selfe when subtilty cruelty the world and the diuell like Simeon and Leui that were brethren in euill haue combined together to ouerthrow vs surely God who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deus in oportunitatibus a God in the needefull time of trouble as Simplicius calls him must be our helper and defender or els we shall be soone consumed and brought to nothing for we are weake to resist and our enemies strong to oppresse and all our hearers our owne people of whom we should receiue most comfort are either mockers and scoffers of vs or at least iudges of vs who and when wee doe ill and when we doe well rather then helpers of vs by their prayers that we may doe well and therefore we see how many of vs are one man learned without discretion another worldly wise but cannot preach a third preacheth well but liueth ill and in briefe most of vs defectiue of what wee should be and all this turneth to the hurt of all men And therefore that we may be as we ought to be good for our selues good for you all you see how necessarie it is that you should pray for vs and especially First that euil licentious Ministers might haue grace for their amendment or the censure of eiectment out of the Church as Adam was out of Paradise some indeed had rather couer their faults then cure them lest the reuealing of their vices might be a cause of reuiling their fellowes but alas had it beene more credit for the Apostles to haue had Iudas still retayned or excluded I trow excluded and therefore he lost his dignity to teach vs that all such false stewards should heare the same sentence Episcopatum tuum accipiet alter let another take this place for a litle leauen will leauen the whole lumpe and one lewd man may doe much mischiefe and therefore as our Sauiour droue the buyers and sellers out of the Temple so should all buyers and sellers of the Church of Christ all factious and contentious Preachers and all loose and lewd liuers be deliuered vnto Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saued in the day of the Lord Iesus and that all the leauen of iniquity may bee purged from the Ministery And Secondly that God would not suffer the world to condemne the righteous with the wicked nor to accuse all for the offence of some but as the Poet saith in another kinde Parcite paucarum diffundere crimen in omnes Spectetur meritis quaeque puella suis So in this that they onely should be blamed which are blame-worthy or if they will still persecute vs that neither Satan with all his cruelties nor yet the world with all his subtilties may deiect the mindes of worthy and godly Ministers but that in all afflictions and contempts they may say with the Prophet Dauid Why art thou so heauy O my soule and why art thou so disquieted within me yet put thy trust in the Lord for he is thy helper and defender and that they may goe on in the course of godlinesse like the two Cowes which carried the Arke which went on straight forward without turning to either hand Pyndarus and
may be said two waies 167 In what sence God willeth sinne 167 Will of Christ two fold 296 301 To doe the will of God will sooner bring vs to know God then to heare his word 571 Wings wherewith we flie to heauen what they be 631 Wine how deceitfull it is 45 Why wisedome is ascribed to the Sonne 273 By the wisedome whereof Salomon speaketh Prou. 8 22. what is meant 285 How hard for the wisedome of God to please foolish man 3â—0 Christ how said to be with God 297 Not as we are said to be with God ibid. To be with God and in God how the same 298 Witnesses of the birth of the Messias 411 WO. Woe trebled to the inhabitants of the earth 46 Christ why borne of a Woman 334 Women why three went together vnto the Sepulchre 519 Why they were all three called by the same name ibid. They were a type of the Church and of euery christian soule 520 How sorrowfull they were ibid. How distinguished and knowne one from the other 521 How they signifie three properties of the Church â— 521 How fearelesse they were in seeking Christ 521 How they laboured to increase the numbers of beleeuers 522 How peaceably they came to the graue 522 Many women were made instruments of great goodnesse 532 Word of God diuided into two parts 12 That the word was before he was made flesh 278 The word GOD no accidentall but an essentiall word 285 The word how he may be said to be created and begotten 289 Words of Dauid this day haue J begotten thee how vnderstood 290 Words of the Apostle he is the first borne of euery creature how vnderstood 290 Words of Saint Luke be shall be called the Sonne of God how vnderstood 248 Words of Salomon the Lord created me how vnderstood 286 Words of Christ my Father is greater then I how vnderstood 300 Words of Christ I came not to doe mine owne will how vnderstood 301 Words of Saint Paul then the Sonne shall be subiect to the Father how vnderstood 301 Words of Christ I came from aboue how vnderstood 344 345 Words of the Apostle God sent his sonne in the similitude of sinfull flesh how vnderstood 346 Words of our Creede he descended into hell how vnderstood 580 581 c. The seauen gratious words that Christ spake vpon the Crosse 486 Christ called the Word because he declareth his father vnto vs. 322 How God can expresse himselfe with one word 307 Why Christ is tearmed the word ibid. How the word GOD resembleth our outward word 308 How it resembleth our inward word ibid. How it differeth from our word 309 Whether it be a name of Christ his person or hâ—â— office 310 Why Saint Iohn vseth the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word 310 The word why made flesh 317 318 Why the Word rather then the Father or the Holy Ghost 322 The word onely assumed our flesh 326 How said to be made flesh 368 c. All the world without Christ will auaile vs nothing 263 Philosophers striue to proue the world to be eternall 136 World made by God proued 137 World diuided into his seuerall ages 402 To flie the world the next way to finde Christ 571 Workes of our vocation to be followed 13 Outward workes of God common to each person of the God-head 145 274 They are transient and voluntarie ibid. Inward works of God are euerin doing 275 They are necessary and incommunicable i. e. proper to each person 275 Worke of the incarnation how common to the three persons and how proper to Christ the Word 326 God worketh one contrary out of another 351 Workes of Christ testifie him to bee the true Messias 417 Workes of any man testifie what he is ibid. Workes requisite to expresse thankfulnes 507 God worketh all the good that is in the Saints and how God worketh our willingnesse to doe good 530 Good workes what they be 670 God worketh foure wayes with meanes without meanes with weake meanes contrary to meanes 147 Workes of God proue the power of God 159 Our best workes haue need of mercy 185 Workes of mercy of two sorts 232 Outward workes of mercy chiefly sixe 232 God worketh diuers wayes 237 Wormewood wherefore good 527 Worth of the sufferings of Christ how to bee considered 502 Wounds of Christ why reserued by him 572 WR Wrath of God feared by Christ 545 Wrath of God quite turned away by our repentance 195 YO YOuth described and the miseries thereof shewed 69 ZE. ZEno what he said of the Word 312 IEHOVAE LIBERATORI FJNJS