Sauiour knoweth whereof ye haue need before ye aske of him Againe if a King appoint a master of Requests he wil not ordinarily receiue petitions from other and therefore seeing the King of Kings is pleased to make Christ our only mediatour and aduocate the sole master of the requests in heauen euer liuing to make intercession for vs it cannot bee but dishonourable to Gods choice and Christs office to substitute any other halfe mediatours either of redemption or intercession as Saint Ambrose com in Rom. 1. Misera vtantur excusatione dicentes per istos posse ire ad Deum sicut per comites peruenitur adregem Yea but although Aue Maria bee not a supplication it may be taken as a thankesgiuing and that is a kind of prayer according to that of Paul I exhort that supplications prayers intercessions and giuing of thanks bee made for all men c. Answere is made that it is not a thankesgiuing and if it were yet should it not bee babled vnto Mary but vttered vnto God as conteining his praise to whom all honour is due king dome power and glory Well Aue Maria notwithstanding all this may be vsed as a salutation our answere is noe for that a salutation is ciuil whereas the Papists appoint this to be said as a religious office 2. Salutations are to persons present but the vergine is absent and therefore the Papists may not nay the Papists indeed cannot vse these words in the same sense they were deliuered by Gabriel and Elizabet that there should bee ten Anemaries to one Pater noster and that 150. Auemaries with fifteene Pater nosters make a Ladies psalter and that after the Pater noster which Christ himselfe taught vs by his owne mouth Aue Maria is the most excellent prayer and that in it we speake with the mother of God as the Queene of heauen and our aduocate is now knowen in the world to be such intollerable soppery that as Hierome said of 〈…〉 heresies a repetition of it is a sufficient refutation I know that reuerend Foxe in his Calender of Saints annexed to his Martyrology cals the blessed Virgin our Lady and the Church of England also tenneth vsually this present feast our Ladies day but herein we doe not as the Papists ascribe to the Virgin any diuine honour making her our Lady as God is our Lord. It is a ciuill vse not a religious office for in a holy seufe to speake properly there is but one Lord and neuer a Ladye one Lord one faith one baptisme or the Virgine is stiled our Lady because she was as Elizabet cals her the mother of our Lord Luke 1.43 Hitherto concerning the wrong done by the Papists in grosse to the haile Mary let vs examine now their iniuting of euery word in particular the first is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which they transtate Aue turning vpside downe the letters of Eua the woman who did occasion the worldes woe was named Eua therefore it was fit that Mary who bare Christ the worlds ioy should be saluted with Aue being opposite in name so well as in nature this playing vpon the word is pretie but not pithie because Aue is latine whereas Eua is Hebrew and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 greeke so that the Fryars wit hath out runne the holy spirits wisedome in this exposition and transposition of Eua and Aue. The Greeke predicant Illephonso Giron obserues in the three letters of Aue the three persons in holy Trinity A altitudo patris V veritas filty E aeternitas spiritus sancti Some Fryers haue profoundly deriued Aue of A priuatiuely taken and ve quasi sine va that is without woe now there is a threefold woe denounced Apocalips 8.13 Vae vae vae ix colis terrae woe woe woe to the inhabitants of the earth and this woe is for sinne in the world as the lust of the flesh the lust of the eâ—es and pride of life Woe to the couetous woe to the luxurious woe to the proud all which Esay sets downe in his 5. Chapter expresly Woe to them that ioyne house to house and field to field till there be no more place for other in the mids of the land c. that is a woe to the couetous Woe to them that rise vp early to follow drunkennesse c. that is a woe to the luxurious woe to them that are wise in their own eyes c. that is a woe to the proud now the Virgin as being poore chast and humble was exempted from all these woes therefore worthily saluted by Gabriel with an Aue or as other popish expositors inhabitants of the earth haue deserued a woe for their originall sin and that is the woe which is in Limbus a woe for their venial sin and that is the woe which is in Purgatory a woe for their mortall sinne and that is the woe which is in hell but Mary the Virgine say they was free from all these kindes of sinne and so consequently free from all these kindes of woe the which assertion is contradictory to the text of holy scripture concluding all vnder sinne Rom. 3.9 Galat. 3.22 Yea but say Suarez and Bellarmine Mary was exempted ex speciali Dei priuilegio let them if they can shew her patent and wee will instantly beleeue it otherwise Gods word is a lanterne to our feet and a guide to our pathes if either man or Angell preach a new Gospell let him be accursed That Mary was a blessed Virgine and the mother of the worlds Sauiour we beleeue because we read so but that she was impeccabilis conceiued without sinne borne without sinne liuing without sinne dying without sinne we doe not beleeue because we do not read it in the Bible nay we reade the contrary for Mary saith in her hymne my spirit reioyceth in God my Sauiour c. If she needed a Sauior vndoubtedly she was a sinner for the whole need not a physitiaÌ„ Mat. 9.12 and therefore the popish annotation of Aue thus applied vnto the virgin is both vnlearned and vntrue The next word is Maria the which is so magnified and extolled by the Romanists as that King Alphonso the sixt would not haue his wife called by that high and venerable name Petrus de Palude whose wit as it should seeme dwelt in a sen hath this muddy conceit the fiue letters of Maria designe the fiue singular priuiledges almightie God granted vnto the Virgine M mater omnia sanctorum A aduocata omnium peccatorum R regula omnium morum virtutuos I interfectrix omnium vitiorum A harmonia spiritus sancti donorum The Portugal Frier and flower Philip Diez approued by Didacus Caro Dominicus Bannes and other great Clearkes of Spaine for an exquisite preacher affirmes that Maria is compounded of the first letters in the names of fiue most illustrious and holy
An EXPOSITION OF THE FESTIVALL EPISTLES AND Gospels vsed in our English Liturgie Together with a reason why the Church did chuse the same By IOHN BOYS Doctor of Diuinitie The first part from the Feast of S. ANDREVV the Apostle to the Purification of blessed MARY the Virgin Psalme 151.1 Laudate Dominum in Sanctis eius LONDON Printed by EDVVARD GRIFFIN for William Aspley 1615. TO THE MOST REVEREND FATHER IN GOD GEORGE BY the diuine prouidence Lord Archbishop of CANTERBVRIE Primate of all England and Metropolitane c. My very good Lord. I Finde three sundrie readings of the first words in the last Psalme Praise God in vis Saints praise God in his sanctitie praise God in his Sanctuarie God is to be praised in his Saints as hauing out of the riches of his mercie bestowed on them eminent gifts of grace the which as their bequeathed legacies and onely true reliques are to be remembred often in Gods Church vnto Gods people that as B. Latimer speakes wee may worship the Saints in following their good examples And so these three lines meeting in one center intimate that the most holy being donor of euery good and perfect gift ought to be magnified in his Sanctuarie for his sanctitie conferred vpon his Saints whereby they shined as lights in this heauen on earth and now shine like starres in heauen of heauen For this end I haue begun and I hope to finish an exposition of the Festiuall Epistles and Gospels vsed in our English Liturgie The which howsoeuer herein I may seeme bold yet am I bound to dedicate vnto your Grace for many respectiue considerations especially for this one because your honourable disposition in the middest of a crooked nation is euermore to be both a patron and a paterne of vnfained sanctitie Thus humbly beseeching the Lord to blesse and your Grace to sauour these my labours I rest Your Graces seruant in all dutie IOHN BOYS S. ANDREVVES DAY The Epistle ROM 10.9 If thou knowledge with thy mouth that Iesus is the Lord and beleeue in thy heart that God raised him vp from death thou shalt be safe c. THE Gospell and Epistle chosen for this Fesâ—iuall intimate the true reason of our Church in celebrating the memories of the blessed Apostles and Euangelists vnto Gods honour namely because they were fishers of men ambassadours of peace preachers of good tidings euen the disposers of the riches of God in Christ indiffâ—rently to men of all sexes and sorts in that their sound went out into all lands and their words into the ends of the world and so by consequent principall instruments of God in the worke of our saluation and eternall happinesse Which our Apostle sheweth heere by this Sorites or gradation Whosoeuer â—allâ—th on the name of the Lord shall be saued Inuocation is by faith Faith is by hearing of the word Hearing is by the Preachers And Preachers are sent of God c. Ergâ— such as haue learned Christ in their minde beleeuing vndoubtedly with their mouth acknowledging him vndauntedly for their Iesus ought to praise God in his Apostles as being after Christ immediately the first and vnder Christ absolutely the chiefe Trumpetors of the Gospell which is the power of God vnto saluation In the whole text two points are remarkable Cansa causatâ— the means of our iustification and herein a Proposition If thou knowledge c. verse 9. Proofe 1. From a sufficient enumeration of the principall heads of Christianitie Faith for to belâ—eue with the heart instifieth Good works to knowledge with the mouth c. vers 10. 2. From the testimonie of the Prophets Esay Whosoeuer beleeueth on him c. vers 11. Ioel Whosoeuer doth call c. vers 13. Causa causae the meane for these meanes and that is the preaching of the Gospell in this respect aptly termed the word of faith vers 8. If thou knowledge S. Paul hauing in the Chapter afore sufficiently discoursed of the reâ—ection of the Iewes A priore from Gods absolute decree shewing mercie on whom he will and whom he will hardening he commeth in this present to demonstrate the same point â— postâ—riore from their obstinate incredulitie stablishing their owne righteousnesse and not submitting themselues vnto the righteousnesse of God in Christ apprehended and applied by faith only declaring it selfe in a twofold act one which is outward to confesse with the mouth another which is inward to beleeue with the heart Some confesse but beleeue not as hypocrites other beleeue but confesse not as timorous and Peter-like professors in the daies of persecution other doe neither confesse nor beleeue on Christ as Atheists other both confesse and beleeue and they be true Christians A bare confessing with the mouth is not enough except thou beleeue with thine heart Esay 29.13 This people come neere to mee with their mouth and honor me with their lips but haue remoued their heart farre from me c. Neither is it sufficient vnto saluation only to beleeue with the heart vnlesse thou confesse with the mouth according to that vnauoidable sentence Math. 10.33 Whosoeuer shall denie me before men him also will I denie before my father which is in heauen Now though in nature beleeuing with the heart preceed confessing with the tongue yet Paul mentioneth acknowledging in the first place for that wee doe not know the faith of such as beleeue but by their confession according to that of S. Iames I will shew thee my faith by my workes Heere then obserue that to confesse the Lord Iesus is necessary both in respect of other and our selues In respect of other as being herewith armed in the times of persecution and instructed in the daies of peace Christ is the fountaine of the waters of life faith in the heart is as the pipes and cesterne that receiue in and hold the water and confession with the mouth as the cocke of the Conduit that lets out the water vnto euery commer And therefore let your light so shine before men as that they may see your good workes and glorifie your father which is in heauen Againe to confesse that is to praise Christ in thy words and to doe whatsoeuer appertaineth vnto his worship is needfull in regard of our selues in that a true faith is neuer idle but alway working by loue Galath 5.6 For although it iustifieth alone yet is it no more alone then the heat of the Sâ—nne which alone warmes the earth is seuered from light â—or then Christ is diâ—â—oined from his spirit Calâ—â—â— apud 〈◊〉 de Iustist at lib. 1 cap. 15. § Caluinus or men a hand when it alone doth apprehend any thing is separated from the bodie Luther apuâ—â— Sanderâ—m de Iustis◠〈…〉 4 cap. 4. This doctrine makes against the 〈◊〉 in o'd time defending this 〈◊〉 Iura peruira secretum
that which is crooked can none make strait This fact then of Thomas is a fault and it is amplified heere by three circumstances especially 1. That he was one of the twelue Not to beleeue the resurrection of Christ is a sinne in an ordinary Christian in a Disciple yet greater but in an Apostle so well instructed and so well beloued it was greatest of all 2. For that hee gaue no credit to the report of his fellow Disciples although his Master had often said hee that despiseth you despiseth mee Moreouer they were the greater part of the companie tenne against one and each of those tenne had receiued afore the Holy Ghost Ver. 22. and concerning the present businesse had heard and seene more then he Ver. 20.21 3. For that hee did vent his incredulous thought in such a bold and peremptorie stile except I see in his hands the print of the nâ—ilâ—s nay that is not enough except I feele the print except I put my finger into the print of the nailes euery one being so bigge as my finger except I thrust mine hand into his side and search his wound so great as mine hand except with hand and finger I measure both and finde by due proportion that they are the same I cannot beleeue nay the truth is I will not beleeue From hence then obserue that the naturall man if Christ once leaue him is not able to discerne the things of God especially that hard article concerning the resur rection it seemeth as a fained thing to such as with their senses only seeke their Sauiour Thus much of the fault I proceed now to the faith of Thomas And heere the Doctors haue moued a double doubt 1. Whether Thomas did touch the wounds of Christ or no. 2. Whether his speech my Lord and my God were an exclamation or an acclamation For the first it is thought by some that hee did not touch the wounds of Christ and that for these two reasons especially First because Christ saith in the 29 verse Thom is because thou hast seene me thou hast beleeued and not because thou hast touched me Secondly for that it is probable that Thomas hearing his masters voice and seeing his countenance was abundantly satisfied without any further enquirie But these obiections in the iudgement of the most ancient and best learned expositors are very weake because Christ in the 27. verse saith expresly put thy finger hither and see mine hands c. What as Augustine disputes in 121. tract in Ioan. had Thomas hâ—s eies in his fingers if not then seeing in that text is nothing else but touching put thy finger and see For seeing is attributed to all the senses Audi vide quâ—m bene sonet Heare and see how trimly the bels ring Olfac vide quâ—m bene cleat Smell and see how sweet the flower is Gusta vide quâ—m bene sapiat Taste and see the pleasantnesse of the fruit And so Tange viâ—e touch and see reach hither thine hand and christ it into my side For the second arguments albeit happily Thomas at the very sight of his master instantly became satisfied in himselfe yet that euery scruple might be remoued out of his and our minde our blessed Sauiour suffered his glorious bodie to be touched as S. Iohn in his first Epistle That which was from the beginning which wee haue heard which we haue seene with our eies which we haue looked vpon and our hands haue handled of the word of life Yea but Christ said in this Chapter at the 17. verse to Mary Magdalene Touch me not for I am not yet ascended to my Father is it likely that Thomas obtained more fauour then Mary so dearely beloued of the Lord Diuines answer this obiection diuersly First our Sauiour did not forbid all touching simply but immoderate embracing only for Mary Magdalene and other holy women with her touched his feet Matth 28.9 They tooke him by the feet and worshipped him It is plaine then that Mary was suffered to touch and onely forbidden when she did it too much Secondly Mary beleeued the resurrection of Christ and therefore had no such need to touch him as Thomas had Thirdly Christ did intimate that his body being now glorified he was not any longer to be respected carnally but onely to be touched spiritually with the finger of faith according to that of Paul If ye be risen with Christ set your affections on things which are aboue not on things which are on the earth And lastly there is an euasion in the text Touch me not for I am not yet ascended to my Father but goe to my brethren and say to them c. As if Christ should say you need not be so fond and forward in touching mee nowfor I meane not as yet to depart from you but goe tell my brethren that I am risen againe from the dead and then both they and you shall further handle and see me For so we finde Luk. 24.39 Behold mine hands and my feet for it is I my selfe handle me and see palpet videte see with your fingers that it is I. This exposâ—tion is proper and pertinent and therfore notwithstanding the former obiections I conclude if not demonstratiuely yet probably that Thomas did actually touch Christs wounds according to Christs words bring thy finger hither and see mine hands and reach hither thine hand and thrust it into my side The next qâ—ere to be discussed is whether the words of Thomas my Lord and my God are an exclamation or an acclamation Arius and his brood who denie Christ to be very God of very God make them an exclamation as if Thomas should haue said O Lord God what is it that I touch and see I not an acclamation or acknowledgement that Christ is the Lord God Answere is made first that the text hath not any note of exclamation it is â— not â— which is prefixed to the two Greeke words Secondly Thomas acknowledged something which he did not afore beleeue but he knew before thâ—â— the Father was God and therefore this speech of his concerned God â—he Sonne Lastly Christ commended his faith in confessing the sonne to be the Lord Thomas because thou hâ—st seene me thou hast beleeued hee did reprehend Thomas for the manner but yet approoue him for the matter of hiâ— beleefe So that the words my Lord and my God are a plaine confession of Didymus his faith touching Iesus Christ the Sauiour of the world He saith not thou art my Lord and my God but as if he had not time enough to put in Creed enough hee brake foorth into this abrupt and impeâ—fect speech as being of greater force my Lord and my God And it is so sweet as it is short v◠〈◊〉 sie 〈◊〉 confâ—ssioâ— quoth Bullinger a very briefe yet a most absolute Creed For the further examination whereof obserue first his
or metonymically vnderstanding by the world men of the world Mundus non capit idest non intelâ—git the world cannot comprehend that is apprehend the bookes that should be written A very lanke conceit for the world in this sense cannot vnderstand so much as one line of the Gospell according to that of Paul The naturall man perceiueth not the things of the spirit of God Other take these words as spoken hyperbolically for the spirit of God accommodating it selfe to the rudenesse of men vseth elsewhere this kind of figure Deut. 1.28 The Cities of the Canaanites are said to haue been walled vp to heauen Exod. 3.17 The land of the same Canaanites is tearmed a soyle flowing with milke and honie Psal. 107. The men who goe downe into the sea in ships and occupie their businesse in great waters are so tossed in the deepe by the stormie winds and waues as that Dauid saith in the 26 vers They mount vp to the heauen and are carried downe againe to the depths And so S. Iohn in auowing the world could not containe c. doth intimate that if all the things which Iesus did should bee written euery one the number of the bookes in folio would be without number As high walles and huge waues are said to reach heauen euen so these bookes hyperbolically to be greater then all the world Other construe this verse literally Iesus is that eternall word in the beginning by whom all things were made Iohn 1.3 and by whose mighty word all things are sustained Heb. 1.3 working from the foundation of the world hitherto Iohn 5.17 So that if euery thing which Iesus did as God both afore the world and in the world should be registred all this huge vniuerse though it be Gods faire library could not containe the bookes that should be written And thus as you see the conclusion of this Gospell is answerable to the beginning both intimating Christs incomprehensible diuinitie Hee made the whole world at the first and hee gouernes all things in the world euer lithens and therefore most impossible that all his words and works and wonders should bee recorded in bookes albeit euery plant were a pen euery drop of water inke euery foot of land paper and euery liuing creature a ready writer The Disciplethen who wrote these things as Horace said of Homer hath so fitly disposed of his whole storie The Epistle APOCAL. 14.1 I looked and loe a Lambe stood on the mount Sion c. THis text is nothing else but a description of Christ a Lambe sitting on mount Sion The Church in quantitie an hundreth fortie and foure thousand qualitative for Faith in that her coÌ„fession is Open hauing his name and his fathers name written in their foreheads a voice like the sound of many waters and great thunder Harmonicall singing a new song of diuerse parts and yet all agreeing as the voice of harpers harping with their harps Good workes in that her children are not defiled with women and in their mouthes is no guile for they follow the Lambe whithersoeuer he goeth and the reason of all is because they were redeemed from the earth and from men that they might be the first fruits vnto God and to the Lambe A Lambe stood on the mount Sion Christ the Sonne of God is the Lambe of God euen the Lambe here mentioned as it is apparant by his correlatiue father For so the text hauing his name and his fathers a Lambe in figure and a Lambe in fact In figure for Christ Iesus is our Pascall Lambe 1. Cor. 5.7 slaine from the beginning of the world Apocal. 13.8 prefigured in the sacrifices of the Law so well as now presented in the Sacraments of the Gospell As one pithily Prius profuit quà m fuit A Lambe indeed so meeke as a Lambe Like a Lambe dâ—â—â—be before his shearer A Lambe for that hee feedeth all his with his flesh and clotheth all his with his white robe of righteousnesse whereby wee stand as it is in our text without spot before the throne of God And this Lambe sits not idle nor lieth asleepe but standeth alwaies in a readinesse to protect his followers He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleepe Psalm 121.4 Hee standeth not as the beast in fickle sand or sea but on mount Sion which cannot be remoued Psal. 125 1. In the middest of his inheritance the Church against which hell gates shall not preuaile For Sion is a type of Christs Kingdome called often in holy Scripture Ierusalem aboue prepared in the top of the mountaines and exalted aboue the hils He stands on a mount higher then either earth or sea from whence the two beasts his opposites arise So that he is willing to defend his followers as standing and able for that he stands on a mount and left any should doubt of this our Apostle saith I looked and loe Two words of attention assuring vs hereby that the woman persecuted in the wildernesse that is the Church afflicted in the world shall at the last haue the victorie though all the red Dragons on earth and al the blacke deuils in hel furiously rage together against the Lord and against his anointed And here giue mee leaue to remember an obseruable note touching the writings of S. Iohn how that in his Gospell he teacheth especially faith in his Epistles especially loue in his Apocalyps especially hope This booke being as reuerend Bellinger censure h Euangeliâ—â—ssineâ—ss liber of all holy Scripture the fullest of consolation And with him an hundred fortie and foure thousand This affoords comfort that the Lambe stands not alone but hath on his side many from East and West as well Gentiles as Iewes hauing his fathers name written in their foreheads It is thought by some that this number is mysticall insinuating the perfection of Gods elect because both the duodenarie number and millinarie are numbers of perfection It is a certaine number because the Lord knoweth who are his 2. Tim 2.19 as hauing their names written in his booke yet a definite for an infinite as almost all haue noted in that the number of such as are with the Lambe is a multitude which no man is able to number Apocalyps 7.9 it is in it selfe a very great number but in comparison of the company fauouring lies and following Antichrist it is a little flocke a few people which are redeemed from the earth selected out of those innumerable troops of small and great rich and poore bond and free whose names are not written in the booke of life of the Lambe Apoc. 13.8 16. Hauing his name and his fathers name written in their foreheads The vulgar Latine Aretas Ardens and other reade as the translation of Hen. 8 and our Communion booke His name and his fathers name the which is more significant then
of God then to command in the Courts of other Princes Now God as earthly Kings hath some seruants in ordinary and other extraordinary All Christians are his sworne seruants extraordinary for they vowed in holy Baptisme to fight vnder Christs banner against the world the flesh and the diuell and to continue his faithfull souldiours and seruants vntil their liues end The true profession of the true saith is Christs liuerie and loue is the cognisance of his liuery for faith working by loue is the wedding garment with Christs badge by this saith he shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye loue one another Princes and Prophets are the seruants of God in ordinary so neere to God in ordinary so neare to God in office that they are called Gods A Magistrate is a singer as it were of Gods owne hand a Preacher is a steward in Gods owne house So Saint Iames as being an Apostle was in this sense the seruant of Iesus Christ and therefore such are deceiued greatly who thinke that this author was not an Apostle because hee calles not himselfe an Apostle for first Iude being an Apostle doth vse the same subscription in this Epistle Iudas the seruant of Iesus Christ. 2. Seruant in his acception is nothing else but an Apostle wherefore many Greeke copies and the Syriac and the vulgar Latine make this title to this Epistle the generall Epistle of S. Iames the Apostle Here theÌ„ obserue that to be called a Minister of Iesus Christ is not as the Papists obiect against our reformed Churches any contemptible stile seeing Saint Iames here doth afford vs a paterne and S. Paul 1. Cor. 4.1 a patent sic nos aestimat homo vt ministros Christi so the Romish translation in Latine and the Rhemish in English lei a man esteeme vs as the Ministers of Christ. Of God and of the Lord Iesus Christ These words are to be construed copulatinely Iames a seruant of Iesus Christ which is God and Lord as Tit. 2.13 looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Sauiour Iesus Christ. For the mediator betweene God and man is perfect God and perfect man and yet not two but one Christ one not by confusion of substance but by vnity of person as Athanasius in his Creed To the twelue tribes which are scattered abroad The Iewes were led captiue to Babylon other countries out of which it is apparant that some neuer returned into Iurie for Paul as wee reade in the storie of the Acts found almost euery where both in Europe and in Asia Synagogues of the Iewes Now this dispersion of Gods owne people for their ingratitude toward him is a manifest argument of his wrathfull indignation against sinne and it is written for our instruction vpon whom the ends of the world are come for if God spared not his naturall branches his peculiar enclosed plant take heed left he also spare not thee which art but a wild Oliue by nature Remember the words of Azariah vnto King Asa the Lord is with you while yee are with him and if ye seeke him hee will bee found of you but if ye for sake him he will for sake you Yet God in his wrath remembers mercy for among these scattered people some were gathered to the Church and truly conuerted vnto Christ vnto whom our Apostle wrote this excellent letter Vt qui dispersicrant corpore congregarentur mente S. Iames I say sent not this instruction vnto Iewes vnconuerted for then hee would haue proued that Iesus was the sonne of Mary the Messias of the world promised to the fathers If he had written vnto the Iewes in generall hee would as S. Matthew did haue penned a booke of the generation of Iesus Christ the sonne of Dauid the sonne of Abraham c. But his greeting is vnto such Iewes as were turned Christians exhorting them to make demonstration of their faith out of their workes leading a life answerable to their profession for the light of the Gospell appearing teacheth vs that we should denie vngodlines and worldly lusts and that we should liue soberly righteously and godly in this present world To conuert Iewes he wrote principally but that which is said vnto them is said vnto vs and all in which respect this letter is entituled the generall or Catholike Epistle of S Iames. Greeting This kind of salutation hath occasioned some to doubt of this Epistles authority Saint Peter and S. Paul in their inscriptions haue grace and peace Saint Iude mercy and peace and loue bee multiplied vnto you But this as they thinke is prophane taken rather out of Platoes Academie 〈◊〉 out of Christs schoole For Plato reports that in Greece the Physitians salutation is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Philosophers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the vulgars 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Answere is made that this forme of saluting although it were common among the Heathens is notwithstanding apostolicall and that a paterne hereof is found Act. 15.23 The Apostles and the Elders and the brethren vnto the brethren of the Gentiles in Antiochia and in â—â—ria and in Cicilia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 greeting 2. Saint Iames being a spiritual Physitian wisheth here perfect health of the soule so well as the body 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying to reioyce considering he wrote to people dispersed and distressed vnder the Crosse is both as sit and as full as the salutation of peace for there is no true ioy in the spirit without peace of conscience Rom. 14.7 The kingdome of God is not meate nor drinke but righteousnes and peace and â—oy in the holy Ghost an vpright life breedes in the iustified peace of conscience and peace of conscience makes a ioyfull heart temptationsâ— Wee reade Acts 8. that there was a great persecution against the Church at Hierusalem and that all the conuerted Iewes were scattered abroad thorow the regions of Iudea and of Samaria Now for the comfort of these distressed professours as some coniecture S. Iames wrote this instruction and because their condition vnder the crosse was vnto flesh and blood exceeding grieuous he beginneth ire ipsâ— with this exhortation aptly count it all ioy when ye fall into diuerse temptations He that suffers as a murtherer or as a theefe or as an euill doer hath hereby griefe of heart but blessed is the man that endureth temptation in Christs cause To cast our selues into temptation affordes matter of sorrow but if we for righteousnes sake by Gods appointment fall into sundry temptations our sorrow shall be turned into ioy Iohn 16.20 Here the Gospell and Epistle meet our Apostle count it for exceeding ioy when ye fall into diuers temptations is answerable to Christ let not your heart be troubled and both are fitly read on this day which is
world their Dioces Euntes in mundum oniner sum praedicate c. Hee being the true Samaritane powred into their wounds oyle and wine first vinum tribulationis and then â—leum consolationis he chasteneth all such as he loueth and he scourgeth euery sonne that he receiueth In Christs commission or grant to his Apostles obserue two things especially 1. Their warrant goe and preach for how shall they preach except they be sent hee that runneth of his owne accord without a calling is a false Prophet Ier. 23.21 See Gospell 1. Sund. after Easter and 8. after Trinitie 2. Theâ—â— worke in respect of their Dioces where they must preach in the whole world to eâ—ery creature Doctrine what they must preach and that is said expresly to be the Gospell Concerning their Dioces it is not the meaning of our blessed Sauiour that his Apostles should preach vnto liuelesse stones or senselesse plants or witlesse beasts but he doth vnderstand by all creatures onely men as being an abridgement of all the creatures Stones haue a being but not a life plants haue both a being and a life but not sense beasts haue being life sense but they want vnderstanding Angels haue being life sense vnderstanding Now man as being a little world and as it were the compendious Index of Gods great booke in folio participates a being with stones life with plants sense with beasts vnderstanding with Angels and therefore fitly called euery creature as hauing the chiefe perfections of euery creature Or man may bee called all creatures as being that excellent câ—eature for whom all other creatures were made Psalm 8.6 Thou makeâ—t him to haue dominion ouer the workes of thine hands and thou hast put all things in subiection vnder his feet Or preach the Gospell vnto all creatures vnderstanding onely such as are capable to receiue the Gospell So Christ elsewhere said all things that I haue heard of my father haue I made knowne vnto you that is all things which are necessary for your saluation and are fit for you to know And Ioh. 12.17 If I were lifâ— vp from the earth I will draw all men vnto mee that is all which are to be drawne So Paul Loue suffereth all things beleeueth all thiâ—gs hopeth all things that is all which are to be suffered and beleeued and hoped Or preach the Gospell vnto all creatures that is all nations for so Saint Marke may be well expounded by S. Matthew who relating this commission saith Euntes ergo docete omnes gentes goe and teach all Nations Hereby repealing a former edict Matth. 10.5 Goe not into the way of the Gentiles and into the Cities of the Samaritans enter ye not That commission is determined now therfore goe into all the world and preach the Gospell vnto all creatures to men of all countries and conditions whatsoeuer This vnlimited extraordinarie commission is expired and hath his end for now the successors of the Apostles as Bishops and Pastors haue their peculiar prouinces and proper Paâ—ishes assigned for their cure yet so â—hat they may preach the Gospell of Christ in other places also where need requireth albeit the same be not particularly committed vnto them And therefore the Church of England enioyneth euery learned Pâ—stor sometime to preach in Chapels and Chuâ—câ—es râ—ioyning neare to his benefice Aâ— for their wâ—â—ke they must employ their time 〈◊〉 in secular actions of the world nor yet in idle speculaâ—ions of the S. hoole but apply themselues vnto preâ—â—hing goe ye into the world and preach And they 〈◊〉 not their owne wisedome but the Gospel it 〈◊〉 man speake let him deliuer oracles of God consenting to the wholesome words of our Lord Iesus Christ and to the doctrine which is according to godlines And for as much as the the Law the Psalmes and the Prophets are nothing else but as it were a preface to the booke of the generation of Iesus Christ I say for as much as Christ is the supplement of the Prophets and end of the Law they must especially preach vnto the world the glad tidings of saluation making this sentence the period of all their Sermons vnto vs a child is borne vnto vs a son is giuen or that of Christ himselfe So God loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten sonne that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life To the preaching of the Gospell administration of the Sacraments is adioyned and enioyned also Matth. 29.19 Go teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Sonne and the holy Ghost The which our Euangelist implieth here when hee saith hee that beleeueth and is baptized shall be saued but he that beleeueth not shall bee damned Concerning Baptismes necessity see Gospell on Trinity Sunday And these tokens shall follow them that beleeue These words are to bee digested with a little salt to bee construed with a great deale of caution otherwise the simple soule will obiect how shall I know that I beleeue seeing I worke no miracles If wee take them as many learned and ancient Diuines haue done mystically then euery true beleeuer in Christs name casteth out of his heart diuels that is euils for euery foule sinne is a foule fiend to man and then his soule being sound his mouth ex abund intia cordis out of the hearts abundance speakes with new tongues His communication heretofore was im â—ious toward God and vncharitable toward his neighbour his throte an open sepulchre his tongue d e ceiuing his lips flattering his mouth full of cursing and bitternesse But now hauing put on the new man he speakes in a new language words of truth and sobernes Acts 16.25 Words of meekenesse and courtesie Titus 3.2 Words agreeable to the wholsome words of our Lord Iesus Christ and to the doctrine which is according to godlines 1. Tim. 6.3 After this compunction in his heart and confession of his mouth if any venemous temptation be suggested he shall haue power to driâ—e away serpents and if he drinke any deadly thing it shall not hurts him although he taste of it a little yet he shall not in any case swallow it downe to his vtter destruction And lastly he shall impose his hands vpon the sicke and they shall recouer that is he shall out of his loue beare the infirmities of his weake brethren and hide a multitude of their sinnes his exhortation and doctrine the Lord worâ—ing with them as it is in the last words of our text shall heale the sicke yea raise the very dead in sinne to newnes of life If we take Christs promise these signes shall follow them that beleeue literally then it must of necessity bee construed with a few limitations and exceptions As first in respect of the time miracles are not necessarie for a Church already planted but only for a Church in planting So Paul
of the filthie Familists had troupes of women euer accompanying him Apelles had Philomene for his mate Montanus had Prisea and Maximilla women of great birth and opulent estate Donatus had Lucilla for his mistresse Arius the Princes owne daughter for his Patronesse as S. Hierome notes in his Epistle to Cresiphon against the Pelagians Postelliu the lesuite had an old beldame called mother Iane and the rest of that ranke as the Quodlibeticall discourse auoweth haue deluded many young gentlewomen and deuoured many widowes houses And this kinde of fishing they learned from Satan himselfe who did first attempt the woman and then tempt the man vsing the wife as a trap to catch her husband And the reason why the deuil and his agents are fishers of women rather then of men is because they be lesse able to resist and more willing to repoâ—â— a new fangled opinion in one word for that their â—its are shorter and their tongues longer Fishers of men not of children as Seruetus absurdâ—y cauillesh Ergo saiâ—â—h he Pâ—eâ—â—hers may not baptise little infants Answer is made by Caluin and other that men heeâ—e signifieâ—h all mankinde of whâ—tsoeuer age or sex Christs commandement is expresse reach all nations baptising them c. and Mark 10.14 suffer the little children to come vnto me There be young Lambes in his fold so well as old sheepe it is not his Fathers will that one of these little ones should perish for of such is the kingdome of heauen See Melancthon loc com tit baptis infant Caluin vbiâ—up in margin Master Iohn Philpots letter concerning this argument apud Fox in his martyrdome Bucan loc com â—it baptis quest 35. Little children must be caught and brought vnto Christ and after these minumes are baptised in the sacred font they must be catechised and further instructed in the principles of holy religion that they may know what a solemne vow they haue made by their godfaâ—hers and godmothers And forasmuch as euery man is a Priest and a Prince in his owne house you must bring vp your childâ—en in instruction and information of the Lord drawing them vnto God while they be young lest afterward being past correction they say with the wicked in the second Psalme Let vs breake their bonds asunder and cast array their cords from vs. Niâ— fundamenta stirpis lâ—cta sint probe Miseroâ— necesse est esse deinceps posteros The draw-net of the Church incloseth all kinde of fish and therefore the Preachers are fishers of all sorts of men None is too good or too bad or too rich or too poore or too young or too old to be brought vnto God I will make you fishers of men indefinitely not of this or that man in particular Andrew must fish for all especially for such as are committed vnto his peculiar charge Acts 20.28 Take heed to your selues and to ak't he flocke whereof the holy Ghost hath made you ouerseers Our principall care must be to reduce such as are vnder our proper cure from the linke and seas of their sin to righteousnesse and holinesse by preaching of the word to draw them out of the shadow of death out of the pit of ignorance to the maruellous light and sunne-shine of the Gospell And that we may performe this it is required on our part that we be painfull either casting our nets into the sea or else mending them in our ship and skilfull also that we may know to cast our nets on the right side of the ship Omnis ignorantia mala Sacerdotis autem pessima The blinde leading the blinde drawes him not out of the puddle but rather hurleth him into the ditch Matth. 15.14 Now the fishers of men for the catching of soules ought to preach and presse two points especially repentance and faith Almightie God himselfe the first fisher of men in his very first draught when the worlds sea was not so tempestuous as it is now stood vpon these two principally First hee rebuked Adam for his sinne that he might repent and then he shewed how Christ is the propitiation for his sinne the seed of the woman shall breake the serpents head that he might beleeue The Patriarkes and Prophets vrged these points vnto the men of their age Iohn Baptist the last of the Prophets and first of Apostles a midling as it were betweene both inculcated often these two repent and behold the lambe of God All the sermons of Christ as our Euangelist reports in the verse before my text consisted of these two likewise from that time Iesus began to preach and say amend your liues for the kingdome of heauen is at hand If any then desire to know whether the fishers of men haue caught him or no let him examine his owne heart whether he be repentant and faithfull If he feele sorrow for his sin and comfort in his Sauiour if he confesse his fault as the Publican O God be mercifull to mee a sinner and confesse his faith as Andrew Wee haue found the Messias if crying with teares hee can vnfainedly say Lord I beleeue helpe mine vnbeleefe it is a manifest argument that the fishers of men haue drawne him out of the dead sea into the land of the liuing out of the darke waters into the glorious light of the Sun of righteousnesse Heere the Gospell and Epistle meet againe Preachers are fishers of men because men are iustified by faith and faith commeth by hearing of the word and the word is brought vnto you by the mouth of the Preachers And therefore you must honour their holy function as Gods ordinance for the gathering together of the Saints and edifying of the body of Christ. Abhorre the positions of Stenckfeldius Anabaptists Familists holding that the word is not taught by the sermons of Peter and Andrew c. but only by the reuelation of the Spirit As also the practises of vncharitable Martinists Barrowists Brownists openly breathing out slander secretly threatning sâ—aughter against the Disciples of the Lord making it their greatest vertue to meddle with the Preachers vice so that whereas Andrew should catch them it is apparant that they labour principally to catch Andrew But the best is in the meane while they lose themselues among themselues hauing almost as many factions as there be fractions in their seuerall inuectiues In isâ—a Babylons sectae dissectae their sects are now so diuers and aduerse that as one said Luigando res non dirâ—mitur sed perimitur The last of all the remarkable circumstances in our text is how Iesus called his Disciples and that is hee saw them and saith vnto thens follow me and I will make you c. that is as Ardens in a short glosse pithily Vidit per electionem vocanit per fidem iussit se sequi per obedientiam pramium promisit per obâ—dientie reminerationem According to that
of Paul whom he did predestinate them he called and whom he called them also hee iustified and whom hee iustified hee also glorified For faith is a consequent of election obedience of faith and remuneration of obedience He called his Apostles here by word only follow me Goe not before me nor beside me but come after me for I am the way the truâ—h and the life Where note the power of his word hee spake and it was done he called and they came immediately But we reade in the 5. of Luke that he called these by working a wonder also for whereas they laboured all night and caught nothing he commanded them to let down their net and they tooke such a multitude of fish that they filled two ships vntill they did sinke Where Diuines obserue that Christ accommodates himselfe euermore to his present auditors as hee called the wise men of the East addicted vnto the studies of Astrologie by a starre and conferring with a woman of Samaria who came to draw water at Iacobs Well hee tooke occasion to speake of the water of life saying Whosoeuer drinketh of the water that I shall giue him shall neuer â—e more a thirst and in the 6. chapter of S. Iohns Gospell hee did instruct the Capernaits who followed him only for loaues by a similitude taken from bread and meat willing them to labour for the true bread of heauen and for the meat that endureth vnto euerlasting life By whose example fishers of men are taught to become as weake to the weake that they may winne the weake being all things to all men that by all means they may saue some Hitherto concerning the calling of Simon Andrew Iames and Iohn Let vs now come to their comming Simon and Andrew straight way lest their nets Iames and Iohn immediately lest their ship and their father and followed him They came straight way without inquisition or delay considering only who called and not disputing why hee called And they came willingly without any grudging or griefe leauing nets and ship and father and all things or the world to follow Iesus whose kingdome was not of this world whose pouertie was so great that hee was borne in another mans house and buried in another mans tombe as not hauing wherein to rest his head They forsooke all that little they had and all the great things they desired to haue They did not abandon vtterly their estate for S. Peter afterward vsed his neâ—s and followed his trade Iohn 21.3 but they so subdued their will vnto Gods will as that they counted all things losse to winne Christ. Apostoli quoth Hierome quantum ad dâ—uâ—â—s nibil quantum ad voluntatem totum mundum pariâ—er reliquerunt Iesus euery day calleth vs vnto him either by the good motions of his spirit or by his word in the mouth of his Preachers or else by strange iudgements or extraordinarie mercies And therefore let vs I beseech you forsake the vaine pompe of the world the carnall desires of the flesh and all other nets and lets whatsoeuer hindering our comming that wee may follow him immediately For if the Disciples heere followed him in his humiliation and pouertie what a sinne yea what a shame will it be not to follow him now sitting at the right hand of God in the heauen of heauens a Lord of Lords higher then the highest a King of glorie rich vnto all that call vpon him able to doe for his followers exceeding abundantly aboue all that they can aske or thinke These followed him in Bodie being conuersant with him and witnesses of all hee did and said Minde for nothing could separate them from the loue of Christ. Life learning of him to bee meeke and mercifull as he was mercifull exhorting their auditors to be followers of them as they were followers of Christ. Death for as he suffred on the Crosse to make their peace so Peter and Andrew were crucified and Iames slaine with the sword in his quarrell and Iohn as wee finde in Ecclesiasticall historie was by the commandement of the tyrant Domitian cast in feruent is olei dolium or as other solium into a vessell or bath of hot boiling oile from which he was notwithstanding by Gods hand deliuered miraculously without any hurt Though happily neuer occasion shall be giuen vs to die for the Lord yet let vs so follow him in our liues and in our loues as that we may die in the Lord. Let vs mortifie our earthly members our feet that we stand not in the way of sinners our eies that wee may not delight in vanities or wantonly behold a woman our hands that we may labour and worke the thing which is good our mouth that it bee not full of cursing and bitternesse our hearts that they be not exercised with auarice that forsaking our selues to follow him only which is our saluation as we suffer with him euen so wee may be glorified together with him Amen Almightie God which didst giue such grace vnto thy holy Apostle S. Andrew that hee readily obeied the calling of thy sonne Iesus Christ and followed him without delay grant vnto vs all that wee being called by thy holy word may foorthwith giue ouer our selues obediently to follow thy holy commandements through the same Iesus Christ our Lord. The Epistle EPHES. 2.19 Now are ye not strangers nor forreiners but citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God c. THis Epistle sets down the most happy condition of all such as truly beleeue 1. Priuatiuely shewing what they are not in the 19. verse Now are yee not strangers nor forreiners 2. Positiuely describing in the rest of the text what they are namely Gods Citie House Temple Of which heauenly building the Materials are liuely stones all Gods elect built together to be an habitation of God Foundation is Iesus Christ himselfe Builders Apostles and Prophets Properties are to be built together c. answering the three properties of the Church in the Creed Holy a temple of the Lord an habitation of God Catholique all the building c. knit in a communion coupled together and built together Now ye are not strangers As Augustine said it is one thing to walke in the law another thing to liue vnder the law so likewise there is difference between being in grace and vnder grace Many men in our time who receiue the Gospell of God in vaine liue vnder grace but not in grace many Prophets and holy Fathers in old time liued in grace but not vnder grace For properly to liue vnder grâ—ce is opposed vnto the state of the law to liue in grace is opposed vnto the state of sinne The men of Ephesus and other Gentiles in time past vnbeleeuing were neither in grace nor vnder grace not in grace for in walking according to the
day Againe this sentence Christ is the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles ouerthroweth as Interpreters obserue Marcion and other heretickes affirming that two sundrie disagreeing Gods are Authors of the two Testaments As if one God were preached in the Gospell and another in the Law whereas one and the same Christ is the very center of both at which all the Prophets and Apostles aime principally The builders of Gods house are the Prophets and Apostles and all their lawfull successours the Ministers and Preachers of the word Behold saith the Lord to Ieremie the Prophet I haue put my woreis in thy mouth I haue set thee euer the nations and ouer the kingdomes to plucke vp and to roote out and to destroy and throw downe to build and to plant That is to roote out vice to plant vertue to destroy the dens of Sâ—tan and build vp Gods remple to throw downe the kingdome of Antichrist and to set vp the kingdome of Christ. And so Paul cals himselfe a skilfull Architect or a cunning master builder laiing the foundation and hee faith of other Preachers of the word that they build vpon his foundation gold siluer precious stones c. that is doctrines and exhortations answerable to the foundation and worthie of Christ. In a word that the Pastors are Gods labourers and the people God building 1. Cor. 3 9. it is true that Christ himselfe is the chiefe builder as hee saith in the Gospel vpon this rocke will I build my Church he builds as it is in our text through his holy spirit vers 22. yet hee doth vse Prophets and Apostles and Euangelists and Pastors and Teachers as vnder-workmen for the gathering together of his saints and edification of his Church Ephes. 4. 11.12 The tooles or instruments which Apostles and Preachers vse toward this worke are the Word and the Sacraments especially For so the Lord of these labourers hath appointed Goe teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Sonne and the holy Ghost His word iâ— his power to bring his elect to the foundation and to build them vpon the foundation His Sacraments are fastnings as it were to strengthen and confirme them after they be laid in the building that they fall not away but grow to an holy temple of the Lord. Our doctrine must be according to the analogie of faith our exhortation according to the rules of good life the Bible which is our lanterne and our guide furnisheth vs with both and therefore wee must euer build vpon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Beside these tooles a Minister ought to further Gods building with heartie praiers and good example Bellarmine said of Erasmus falsely that he was but halfe a Christian but it may be said of a lewd Pastour truly that he is but halfe a Preacher he may peraduenture pull downe more building in one weeke with his bad life then he can set vp againe in a whole yeere with his great learning Seneca thought it impossible that any body should at onetime be both a good man and a good captaine but a Clergie man is not a good Pastor vnlesse he be a good paterne God defend me and mine from a mangie Physitian a ragged Alchimist and a dissolute Diuine If thou be a president of godlinesse to thy people pray to the God of all grace that you may so remaine if you sometime were and are now fallen returne if you neuer were repent if you neuer will be perish Nam à Deo separabitur qui à diabolo superabitur Concerning the properties of the Church it is built together in such a due proportion and concinne symmetrie that euery part is content to keepe his ranke and performe his function without any faction It is a body fitly ioined together and compacted by that which euery ioint supplieth c. Ephes. 4.16 See Epistle 2. Sund. after Epiphanie It is built together in respect of her vnion with Christ the head corner stone and coupled together in respect of her communion with the members See Communion of Saints in the Creed And being thus inserted and built on Christ it liueth and groweth from grace to grace till it become an holy Temple to the Lord. The which Interpreters vnderstand of euery singular part so well as of the whole body for euery Christian is an habitation of God If thou be then a consecrated Chappell vnto the Lord how darest thou commit Idolatrie which is against the first table What agreement hath the temple of God with Idols Or how dinest thou commit adulterie which is against the second table Know yee not that your body is the temple of the holy Ghost and that God is to bee glorified in your spirit and in your body will you then take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot God forbid Euery liuing stone that is built vpon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles is holy Lapides in templo sancto non possunt esse non sanctificati The temples of God are holy both in regard of their righteousnesse imputed in that their vnrighteousnesse is forgiuen and Christ himselfe made their holinesse and in regard of sanctification and righteousnesse in herent for that being deliuered out of the hands of all their enemies they serue God in holinesse and righteousnesse all the daies of their life The Gospell IOHN 20.24 Thomas one of the twelue which is called Didymus was not with them when Iesus came c. THis Scripture consists of a Dialogue Thomas one of the twelue c. Epilogue Many other signes truly did Iesus c. The Dialogue is between a weake sinner and a meeke Sauiour And according to these two principall persons it hath also two principall parts one concerning Thomas and another touching Christ. In Thomas obserue his Faults which are two 1. His absence from the meeting of the other Apostles 2. His incredulitie not beleeuing the resurrection of Christ occasioned by that absence Faith My Lord and my God That other part concerning Christ is a relation of his second appearing vnto the blessed Apostles after his rising againe from the dead And heerein is set down 1. What he did After eight daies he came againe c. 2. What he said 1. To the whole companie Peace be to you 2. To Thomas in particular Bring thy finger hither c. 3. In conclusion to him and them and vs and al Blessed are they that haue not seen and yet haue beleeued In that our Euangelist hath set downe the fall of Peter and fault of Thomas wee may learne that euen the most holy men are but imperfectly perfect in this life The Pontificians are true Donatists and as it were the very spawne of the Cathari For is any man so great a Puritan as the Papist highly conceiting that he can obserue all
knowledge then his application the which are the two principall parts of faith As for his knowledge Thomas confessed here not only that Christ is a Lord and a God for there be many Gods and many Lords in opinion analogie title But to distinguish Christ from all these kindes of Lords and Gods he doth affirme that he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lord and the God that is the Lord of Lords and God of Gods Psal. 50.1 Here then is a pregnant text against vnbeleeuing Iewes and misbeleeuing Arians If Christ had not been very God of very God euen one substance with the Father he would haue condemned and not commended this confession of Thomas If any shall aske why Thomas is not content with one word but vseth two Lord and God and why first hee calls Christ Lord and then God Answere may be that he called him Lord in that he conquered hell and death and God in that hee knew the very secrets of his heart For when Christ had said put thy finger hither and see mine hands and reach foorth thine hand and put it into my side Thomas instantly remembring what hee had fondly thought and foolishly said confesseth his fault in confessing his faith my Lord and my God The Disciples vsually termed him Lord in his life to signifie therefore that it was the same Christ hee first according to his accustomed manner calleth him Lord and then after hee proceedes further then he was wont and calleth him also God In the word Lord acknowledging his humanitie in the word God his diuinitie Faiths obiect is the reuealed will and word of God and the summe of his word is the new Testament and the summe of the new Testament is Iesus Christ God and man In that therfore Thomas confessed his Lord to be crucified dead and buried as a man and that he did againe raise himselfe and loose the bonds of death as God hee did vtter that in two words which is the contents of the two Testaments and summe of all summe of faith and holy beliefe Now for application hee saith my Lord and my God Not onely God in generall but my God in particular mine by promise mine by stipulation mine by oath mine by free gift mine by purchase mine by participation of grace my Emmanuel my Shilo my Iesus Of this particular faith Isaiah the Prophet spake wheÌ„ he said Secretum meum mihi secretum meum mihi My secret to my selfe my secret to my selfe The Papists indeed terme this personall and particular assurance presumption but the children of God in all ages haue thus applied the medicine to the maladie saying with Dauid O God thou art my God and with Mary my Sauiour For as their owne Frier notes vpon my text it is not sufficient to beleeue that he is the Lord except thou beleeue likewise that he is thy Lord as Didymus here not only once but twice my Lord my God doubling as it were his faith as he had before doubted his fall O the deepnesse of the riches of Gods mercie Who would haue thought that Thomas who beleeued least and last of all his fellowes vpon so short a conference should thus equall if not excell them all in his abrupt yet absolute confession And therefore let not any man either discomfort himselfe or condemne his brother afore the time for no man hath so weake a faith or so wicked a life but that one day Christ out of his infinite goodnesse may call him and heale him as he did S. Thomas making him who did not beleeue so soone as the rest to become notwithstanding in his beleefe so sound as the rest apprehending and applying the merits of his Sauiour to his soule my Lord my God After eight daies againe his Disciples were within and Thomas with them then came Iesus Hee came before hee was vp sought and that to seeke one lost sheepe only Teaching vs heereby to recall such as are in errours and to beare the infirmities of the weake But hee deferred his comming a whole weeke that Thomas in the meanewhile might be better instructed and induced to beleeue the resurrection Or happily for the greater manifestation of his goodnesse in tolerating such incredulitie so long Or as other to trie the faith of the rest and to shew that humane reason is not able to perswade this article The translation of Gods holy day from the Saturday to the Sunday is not by patent in the Bible but only by paterne because the blessed Apostles vsually met together on this day The which assuredly they did by the direction of Gods holy spirit and as it may seeme heere by Christs approbation at the least if not institution againe and againe manifesting himselfe to be risen on the eighth day So that albeit happily some will grant that the Church assembled in a generall Councell hath authoritie to constitute another day for the Sabbath as the second or third of the weeke yet I am sure wee can neuer haue so good a patterne nor yet so great a reason for altering this our day as was heere for the changing of that other day The patterne is Christ and his Apostles and the reason is the resurrection of Christ euen that exceeding wonderfull worke of our redemption Againe Christs appearing on the eighth day is not without a mysterie wee labour six daies in this life the seuenth is the sabbath of our death in which we rest from our labours and then being raised from the dead on the eighth day Christ in his owne body the very same body that was crucified dead and buried shall reward euery man according to his worke When the doores were shut Papists vrge this place to prooue the carnall and grosse presence of Christ in the Sacrament extremely condemning our incredulitie who will not beleeue that Christs body and blood is vnder the formes of bread and wine seeing his whole body heere perfect in all his lineaments length bredth and thicknes distinct and diuers from the substance and corpulence of the wood was in the same proper place the wood was in and passed thorow the same To this obiection our Diuines answer diuersly some that the doore opened of it selfe to let him in other that the doore was vnbarred by some of the house within vnknowne to the Disciples other that to come in the doores being shut is no more but that hee came in late in the euening at what time men vse to shut their doores but most acknowledge that he came in miraculously not thorow the wood and iron of the doores as the Papists absurdly conceiue but through his omnipotent and al-commanding power the dooâ—es were opened to him aâ— they were to Peter Acts 12 9. and to some other Apostles Acts 5.19 Creatur acessit Creators Hieron epist. ad Pammac tom 1. fol. 178. Or
que creata sâ—nt non pervenires 〈◊〉 pâ—r quem facta sunt omnie For as an Eagle so Iohn remaineth vpon the top of the rocke and tower from thence hâ—e spieth his meate and his eyes behold a farre off He was aptly called the sonne of thunder for in saying in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God hee seemes to speake not words but wonders yea thunders as Ardens excellently filius tontruiest qui loquitur tenitruum est quod loquitur a preamble so strange and stately that some Christians in olde time which had happily zeale but not according to knowledge hung it about their necke as an amulet or as other as a Symbole to distinguish them from Arâ—ans And a certaine Plâ—tonist as Augustine reports in lib. 10. de ciuitate dei cap. 29. reading this one line said it was worthy to be written in letters of gold and to be represented in the most eminent places of all Churches in the world In the text allotted for this day two points are remarkable 1. What Christ is in himselfe God In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God c. Man the same word became flesh and dwelt among vs c. 2. What Christ is vnto vs openly reuealed by the witnesse of Iohn the Baptist and his owne dwelling among vs in the world to be 1. Our Creator ad esse for all things were made by him 2. Our preseruer in esse for he is our life vpholding all things in their being 3. Our Redeemer in bene esse for he gaue power to them that beleeue in his name to bee the sonnes of God In the beginning The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is potestatiuum as well as ordinatiuum in which acception higher powers especially Princes are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so some take this in principio to be nothing else but in principatu because Christ the word hath vpon his garment and vpon his thigh a name written The King of Kings and Lord of Lords Apoc. 19.16 Origen Cyril Augustine Gregor Nyssen and many moe construe it thus in the beginning that is in the Father according to that of the Schoole Pater est principium sine principio silius est principium de principio The Father is of none the Sonne is of the Father alone not made nor created but begotten Beleeue mee saith our blessed Sauiour that I am in the Father and the Father in me Iohn 14.11 I am in the Father as the riuer in the fountaine the Father in me as in his ingraued image Heb. 1.3 God the Sonne then is de principio principium as lumen de lumine lighâ— of light and very God of very God Other expound in the beginning of eternitie for the word being the true Melchisedec is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hauing neither bâ—ginning of daies nor end of life Heb. 7.3 The Lord saith he hath possessed me in the beginning of his way I was before his workes of old when there were no depths I was begotten when he prepared the heauens I was there when he gaue his decree to the sea that the water should not passe his commandement then was I with him c. Insinuating that he was in the beginning without any beginning in a time when there was no measured time Principio rutih cùm nondum luminâ— coeli Et nondum grauides extarent lumina terris I am tum patris er at sanctain venerabile verbum Other vnderstand by beginning the beginning of the world as if our Euangelist had said in the beginning when all things were made the word was and therefore not made but all things on the contrarie were made by it and without it was made nothing that was made The creatures are from the beginning but Christ who made the world was in the beginning before there was a beginning This exposition is agreeable to the plaine words as also most answerable to S. Iohns intent For if hee penned his Gospell as the Fathers haue noted against Eâ—ion and Corinthus he confounds them in one word and that the very first in principio for that had no beginning which was in the beginning Ergo Christ had not his first being from his mother Mary nam quod ante omnia erat semper erat quoth Augustine hee was alwaies who was before all workes Was. It is probable that Saint Iohn in this exordium alludes per antithesin vnto Moses preface Genes 1. In the beginning God created heauen c. hereby shewing the difference betweene the Creator and the creature For whereas Moses wrote in the beginning God made heauen and earth and all that in them is our Euangelist on the contrary saith in the beginning was the word not in the beginning God made the word Insinuating that the word had his being already when other creatures of what sort soeuer had but their beginning And here diuines haue distinguished acutely between fuit and erat affirming that fuit imports a thing that once was and is not now so Scaliger in his Motto suimus Troes whereas erat implyeth eternitie which was and which is and which is to come Apocal. 4.8 Saint Ambrose notes excellently that this one verbe erat is repeated heere foure times in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and that word was God the same was in the beginning c. Erat erat erat erat vbi impius invenit quod non erat The word He saith not in the beginning was the son lest his reader should dreame of a carnaâ— generation but in the beginning was the word Holy Scriptures or speeches of the Prophets and Apostles vttered by Gods appointment for the reuealing of his diuine will towards man are called Gods word but to distinguish God the Son from these words hee is termed after a more eminent sort 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word or that excellent word from whom euery diuine truth issueth and in whom are hid all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge Coloss. 2.3 Christ is not a vocall word verbum eò quod verberato aâ—re plectroque linguae formetur for hee was in the beginning before there was any sound or aire But Christ is the mentall and substantiall word of hiâ— father verbum non sonus auribus strepens sed imago mentibus innotesceus As our Epistle for this day doth vnfold the Gospell the brightnesse of his glory and expresse image of his person 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ipse paterni pectoris essigies lumenque à lumine vero And the word was with God Concerning the diuerse significations of the preposition apud I referre you to Thomas Beauxamis and Maldonat in their commentaries vpon this text It imports here
not a locall but a personall distinction I and my Father saith Christ are one Ioh. 10.30 vâ—um of one substance not vâ—â—â— one person and therefore he saith not in the singular I and my father aâ— one but in the plural are onâ— The Sonne is alius then the Father not uliud and her person albeit not another essence non alius in natura sed alter in persona for it is written here the word was so with God as that it was God first said to be with God and then to be God signifying that the word was the same God with whom it was in the beginning Semper cum patre semper in patre semper apud patrem semper quoad pater Here then obserue concerning the word three points especially 1 When it was in the beginning 2 Where it was with God 3 What it was and the word was God The pith of all is that God the Son is a distinct person from God the Father and yet of the same substance with the Father equall in glory coeternall in Maiesty This one verse then ouerthroweth many blasphemous hereticks in the beginning confureth Ebimites and Cerinthians The clause was with God Sabellians and other denying a Trinitie in vnâ—â—ie that is a distinction of persoâ—s in the deity was God confoundeth Arians and all such as with 〈…〉 affirme that Christ was a meere man in the beginning with God all Ennemians and such as hold Christ to be but a temporall God by grace and not an eternall God by nature All thâ—ngs were made â—y it and without it was mâ—de no 〈…〉 made As the epistle doth expound the Gospell he â—â—d the 〈◊〉 of the earth and the hâ—auens are the works of his hands all things as well invisible as visible were created by him and for him he made whatâ—â—euer was made and it was exceeding good Genes 1.31 But Satan as hee is a deuill and sinne which came into the world by the suggestion of the deuill and and death also which is brought vpon man as a curse by sinne are not his workes And the reason is plaine because that which is euill is a nothing mali nutta natura est sed amissio boni quoth Augustine mali nomen accepit And Gregorie Nyssen Mali essentia in eo posita quod essentiam non habet euery good and perfect gift is from aboue comming downe from the father of lights and with him is no variablenesse neither shadow of ruâ—ning It a confert bâ—na quod non infert mala See S. Augustine tract 1. in Ioan Bibliothec. Sixt. Senen lib. 6. annot 174. Mclanâ— postil Eras. câ—nnot in loc The clause more proper to this Festiuall and most profitable for vs to be further examined is that the word became flesh and dwelt among vs c. And this was not by conuersion of the God head into flesh but by taking the manhood into God Naturam suscipiendo nostram non mutando suam Homo quippe Deo accessit non Deus à se recessit For in the word made flesh all the fulnesse of the Godhead dwelleth as the Scripture speaks bodily Col. 2.9 that is personally For albeit he be God and man yet is he not two but one Christ one not by confusion of substance but by vnitie of person For as the reasonable soule and flesh is one man so God and man one Christ. See Epist. Sund next before Easter The first newes of Christs actuall natiuitie was broached and brought into the world as we read in the second lesson appointed for this morning praier by the tongues of Angels and that with an ecce behold I bring you tidings of great ioy that shall be to all the people that is that vnto you is borne this day in the Citie of Dauid a Sauiour which is Christ the Lord. Reioice grandfather Adam for on this day according to the word of thy gratiou Creator the seed of thy wife Eua hath bruised the serpent-head reioice father Abraham for on this day in thy seed all the nations of the earth are blessed Ge. 22.18 Reioice King Dauid for on this day God hath fruit of thy body set a King vpon thy throne Reioice ye Prophets of the Lord for all your prophecies on this day were fulfilled Reioice yee that are sicke for on this day the Physitian of the world was borne Reioice yee Virgins for a Virgin on this day brought forth a sonne Reioice ye children for on this day the great God became a little babe Let all people reioice for that he who was in the beginning and as it is in the former lesson appointed for this morning praier an euerlasting father in the fulnesse of time was made of a women and wrapped in swadling clothes For that he who was the word became an infant not able to speake one syllable For thâ—t hee who was with God did vouchsafe to dwell among vs appearing in the shape of a man Philip. 2.7 For that hee who was God and therefore most mightie became flesh and so most weake for all flesh is grasse and the grace thereof as the flower of the field Esay 40.6 Saint Bernard preaching on this day said the shortnes of the time constrained him to shorten his Sermon and let none quoth hee wonder if my words be short seeing on this day God the Father hath abbreuiated his owne word for whereas his word was so long as that it filled heauen and earth it was on this day so short that it was laid in a manger I wish vnfainedly with the same deuout Bernard that as the word was made flesh so my stonie heart might be made flesh also that it might alway meditate on this heauenly Gospell Vnto you is borne this day in the Citie of Dauid a Sauiour which is Christ the Lord For all our sound comfort stands in happinesse and all our happinesse is in fellowship with God and all our fellowship with God is by Christ. For God the Father if wee consider him in his iustice heares not sinners Iohn 9.31 He therefore remembring his mercie got as it were new eares and set them on our head Iesus Christ who being flesh of our flesh is such an high Priest as is touched with the feeling of our infirmities openly professing that hee came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance Come to me all yee that are laden and I will ease you Mat. 11.28 Whatsoeuer yee shall aske the Father in my name he will giue it you Iohn 16.23 If thou wert invited to some great wedding thou wouldest I am sure be very carefull what apparell to put on but if thou wert to be maried thy selfe thou wouldest be very curious in thine attire behold saith Augustine all of vs are bidden on this day to a marriage for Christ came out of
to death Wherefore seeing to loue our enemies in the iudgment of some men is against Gods law and of other beside the law seeing many men in their precepts and most men in their practise manifestly shew that it is an hard saying Saint Steuens charity doth appeare to be great in blessing such as cursed him and in praying for such as did hurt him Iob renowmed in holy Scripture for his patience said If mine aduersarie should write a booke against me would I not take it vpon my shoulder and binde it as a crowne vnto me But Steuen surpassing Iob as Gregorie Nyssen obserues esteemed the very ring of his persecutors wherewith he was enclosed on euery side his crown and euery stone flung at his head a pretious diamond so that it might haue beene said of him as it was of Dauid The Lord preuented him with the blessings of goodnesse and set a crowne of pretious stones vpon his head Our goods are sweet vnto vs and therefore wee can hardly forgiue the theese our good name sweeter and therefore wee doe more hardly forgiue the slanderer but our life most sweet Skinne for skinne and all that euer a man hath will he giue for it and therefore most hardly doe we forgiue murtherers and martyrers in hot blood especially while they wring vs and wrong vs and yet Steuen full of the holy Ghost and therefore full of loue in persecutione positus pro persecutoribus orabat in the middest of his persecution heartily praied for his persecutors O Lord Iesu lay not this sinne to their charge Our sinnes not forgiuen are set before vs and as enemies in battell fighting against vs a pillar of infamie to disgrace the wicked in this and the next life the which as Basil thinkes is more grieuous to their soule then hell fire So that the meaning of S. Steuen is in saying lay not this sinne to their charge that God would giue them a better minde and not impute this offence but rather to burie this and all other their sinnes in his death and graue that they neuer rise vp againe to worke desperation in this world or destruction in the world to come S. Augustine brings in Steuen speaking thus vnto God Ego patior ego lapidor in me sauiunt in me fremunt sed ne statuas illis hoc peccatum quia vt dicamtibi à te primo audiui Ego seruus tâ—us patior sed muleum interest inter me te tu dominus ego eruus tu verbum ego auditor verbi tu magister ego discipulus tu Creator ego creatus tu Deus ego homo multum interest inter peccatum istorum qui lapidant me illorum qui crucifixerunt te quando ergo dixisti Pater ignosce illis quia nesciunt quid faciunt pro magno peccato petisti me pro minimo petere docuisti domine ne statuas illis hoc peccatum ego patior in carne isti non pereant in mente Now the Lord heard his praier and granted his request in that Saul had not this sinne said to his charge as himselfe witnesseth I was a blasphemer and a persecutor and an oppressor but I was receiued to mercy for I did it ignorantly through vnbeleefe So that Augustine is bold to say Si Stephanus non sic orasses ecclesia Paulum non haberet And Fulgentius Quo pracessis Stephanus trucidatus lapidibus Pauli illuc sequutus est Paulus adiutus orationibus Stephani When hee had thus spoken Vttering such excellent words and with such a resolute spirit and in such a reuerent fashion after he had thus spoken for the matter and thus for the manner giuing vnto God the life of his soule forgiuing his persecutors the death of his bodie hee sweetly slept in the Lord. Christus pro nobis hominem induit Stephanus pro Christo hominem exuit as Gregorie Nyssen elegantly Christ became man for Steuen and Steuen became no man for Christ hominem exuit he so willingly put off his flesh as a man would put off his clothes at night and so death as welcome to him as steepe to the wearie when he had thus spoken hee fell asleepe To mitigate deaths horror it is called often in holy Scripture sleepe So the text saith of Dauid and of Salomon and of other Kings of Israel and Iuda that they slept with their fathers In the new Testament also such as are dead in the Lord are said to sleepe in Christ. I would not haue you saith Paul ignorant concerning them which are asleepe c. For this cause many are weake and sicke among you and many sleepe 1. Cor. 11.30 For man in his graue sleepeth and waketh not againe till the heauen be no more Iob 14.12 So great a resemblance the Gentiles acknowledged between dying and sleeping that Ouid cals sleepe mortis imago deaths image Virgil consanguineus lathi the kinsman of death Seneca the brother of death and Hesiode the sister of death Among infinite comparisons I finde that death is principally likened vnto sleepe In respect of the Rest of the dead Resurrection of the dead Concerning the first it is said by the spirit Blessed are the dead in the Lord for they rest from their labore and so God giueth his beloued sleepe The coffin is a couch in que mollius ille dormit quisquis durius in vit a se gesserit I finde in the records of antiquitie that a Sepulchre is called requietorium a bed of sacred rest and securitie which Valerius Probus expressed in these letters H.R.I.P. Hic requiescet in pace and Pet. Diaconus in other D.M.S. Dormiunt mortus securi Hic mortuius requiescit semel Qui viuus requieuit nunquam But here we must obserue that our soule sleepes not in the dust as our body till our last dome For the soules of the reprobate at their death are fetched away from them and carried into hell But the soules of such as die in the Lord instantly liue with the Lord conueied by the glorious Angels into Abrahams bosome Luk. 16. 22. So Christ expresly to the theese on the Crosse Verily I say to thee this day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Anima absoluitur corpus resoluitur quae absoluitur gaudet quod resoluitur in terram suam nihil sentit And so the Saints departed are dead in their worst part onely but liuing in their best euen in that wherein they desire to liue most as an Heathen Poet diuinely Sed lugere nefas nam quite Prisce reliquit Vâ—â—â—t qua volnit viuere partemagis And therefore though the dead bodies of Gods seruants haue beene giuen as meat to the sowles of the aire and their flesh vnto the beasts of the land yet right deare in the sight of the
Lord is the death of his Saints And these things as Augustine note are spoken in the Psalme not to shew the Martyrs infelicitie but in amplification of the murtherers inhumanitie For the sea shall giue vp the dead in it and the glorious Angels in the last day shall gather together all Gods elect from the foure winds and from the one end of the heauen to the other and then this corruptible shall put on incorruption and this mortall immortalitie then our bodie which hath a long time slept in the graue shall be roused vp againe by the sound of the trumpet and raised vp againe by the power of our blessed Sauiour who died for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification And then he shall change our vile bodie that it may be fashioned like vnto his glorious bodie Then he which is the resurrection and the life shall giue vs our perfect consummation in bodie and soule in his eternall glory Iob in his greatest extremitie said I am sure that my Redeemer liueth and though after my skinne wormes destroy this bodie yet shall I see God in my flesh Ambrose being readie to depart out of this world told his acquaintance Non sic vixi vt me pudeat inter vos viuere sed nec mori timeo quia bonum dominum habemus I haue not so liued among you that I am ashamed to liue neither doe I feare to die because we serue a good Lord. Oecolampadius to his friend visiting him at the point of death What shall I say to you newes I shall be shortly with Christ my Lord. The renowned Martyr Babilas when Decius the cruell Emperour had commanded his head to be chopped off vsed the words of the Psalmist O my soule returne to thy rest And Steuen here stoned to death is said Terminis terminantibus to sleepe in the Lord. Felix somnus cum requie requies cum voluptate volupt as cum aternitate The Gospell MATTH 23.34 I send vnto you Prophets and wise men and Scribes c. IT is a good obseruation in the Churches historie that these three commonly succeed each other Ingentia beneficia ingentia peccata ingentes pocnae The present Gospell is an example hereof in which all the same points are very remarkable 1 Ingentia beneficia Christs exceeding great mercy toward the Iewes in seeking their conuersion as well by himselfe as his messengers And those Prophets and wisemen and Scribes and that not once but often how often would I haue gathered and that not cursorily but earnestly Ierusalem Ierusalem not coldly but affectionately like as the benne gathereth her chickens vnder her wings 2 Ingentia peccata the Iewes exceeding great malice toward Christ abusing his meanes ye would not ministers of all sorts Prophets Wisemen Scribes with all kind of iniury Killing Crucifying Stoning Scourging Persecuting in all places not sparing so much as the Sanctuarie whom yee shew betweene the temple and the altar At all times for it is not heere thou that hast killed in time past or thou that wilt kill in time to come but in the present thou that killest and stonest Intimating their continuall habit in killing the Prophets and stoning such as were sent vnto them As if he should haue said qua occidissi occides occisara es 3. Ingentes paere both in respect of the Guilt that vpon you may come all the righteous bloud c. Punishment behold your house is left vnto you desolate Or as other their punishment is threefold Temporall your house is left vnto you desolate Spirituall yee shall not see mee henceforth Eternall that vpon you may come all the righteous blood Wherefore behold This Idea renders not there son why Christ did send Prophets vnto this people but imports the true cause why they persecuted such as were sent namely because they were serpents and a generation of â—â—pers as it is in the words immediately going before Vipers are conceiued by byting off the males head and borne by renting the females belly so they killed their spirituall Fathers the Prophets and rent in sander the compassionate bowels of their deare mother the Church I send How shall they preach except they be sent no man ought to take that honour vnto himselfe but he that is called of God Heb. 5.4 Here then obserue that Christ is very God taking vpon him as the master of the vineyard and Lord of the haruest to thrust forth labourers into the Church It is a token of his mercy to send Prophets and Wisemen and Scribes vnto any nation and an infassible demonstration of his seuere iudgment not to send according to that of the Prophet Amos in his 8. chapter at the 11. verse Behold the daies come saith the Lord that I will send a famine in the land not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water but of hearing the word of the Lord. Prophets and Wisemen and Scribes Howsoeuer all these may be confounded and meet in one yet I thinke with Hierome and other expositors that Christ vsed so many tearmes to shew the riches and diuersities of his grace ordaining some to be Apostles and some Pastor and teachers Ephes. 4.11 As if hee should haue said I will omit no meanes for your conuersion I will send vnto you messengers endued with all varietie of gifts administrations and operations Some distinguish Prophets and Wisemen and Scribes after this sort Prophetae sunt quifutura praenunciant Sapientes qui recte praesentibus vtuntur Scribae qui praeterita nobis in memoriam reuocant God hath dealt with England as with Iewrie speaking vnto vs early and late by his Wickliffes and Whit gifts Bilwys and Bradfords giuing vs his Latymors and Ridleys and other Iewels of all sorts vsing all kindes of messengers adorned with all kindes of gifts sending zealous Preachers endowed with the spirit of prophecie politicke Prelates endued with the spirit of wisdome iudicious and accurate writers endued with the spirit of knowledge who like learned Scribes taught vnto the kingdome of heauen are able to bring forth out of their treasure things both new and old Ierusalem had many Prophets and great is the number of our Preachers England affoords an Eli for an Eliah and a Matthew for a Matthew c. In the first obseruable point of our text concerning Ingentia beneficia Gods owne people the Iewes and wee parallell And some of them shall yee kill and crucifie Some they killed as Iames the brother of Iohn with the sword Some they crucified as Peter and Christ himselfe the Lord of life Act. 3.15 Some they scourged as Paul for thus hee p.c. writes of himselfe Of the Iewes fiue times receiued I fortie stripes saue one I was twice beaten with rods Some they persecuted from Citie to Citie as Barnabas Act. 13.50 Some they
touched his pretious body both afore his death and after his resurrection and so that which wee so many waies assuredly know to be true declare we vnto you For albeit the word of life being very God of very God is neither visible nor palpable yet in respect of the personall vnion of the two natures in him it may be safely said againe and againe that which we haue seen and heard And we saw the glory of it as the glory of the onely begotten sonne of the Father full of grace and truth Iohn 1.14 And in this sense the word of life yea the Lord of life is said elsewhere to be killed and crucified Thirdly in regard of the profit because Christ is the word of life not onely formaliter in respect of himselfe but in respect of vs effectiue being authour of our naturall life for in him we liue and mooue and haue our being Aâ—t 17.28 Of our spirituall life Thus I liue yet not I now 〈◊〉 Christ liueth in mee saith Paul Galath 2.20 Of our eternall life for he is the way the truth and the life Iohn 14.6 The resurrection and the life Iohn 11.25 yea that eternall life 〈◊〉 it is in our present text So that if weâ— will embrace the Gospell and receiue these glad tidings of peace we shall haue fellowship with the blessed Apostles and in conclusion it will bring vs vnto fulnes of ioy The which is not in this life for here many sorrowes are mixed with a few ioyes Hee was a blessed man who said O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from this body of death Our reioycing is in part as our knowing is in part and our prophecying in part Here God giueth his children sometimes a good measure of ioy shaken together and pressed downe but hereafter in his kingdome of glory when all teares shall be wiped from our eyes and all cares from our heart then onely our ioy shall be full and as Christ speakes elsewhere running ouer Let all Doctors of Diuinitie learne by this Diuine to shun new dubious vnprofitable quirkes of learning and to deliuer vnto Gods people that which was from the beginning a true Gospell and a certaine procuring an happy communion with God and a fulnesse of ioy God is light Almighty God is compared vnto light in many respects As first for that all things are naked and open vnto his eyes as to the light Secondly as wee cannot see things earthly without lighâ— so wee cannot discerne things heauenly vnlesse the father of lights illuminate our minde and giue vs an vnderstanding heart Thirdly for that as the light of the sunne dasseth our eyes if they gaze too much vpon it euen so the Diuine Maiestie dwelling in the light which no man can approach vnto confoundeth all such as curiously pry too much into it according to that of Salomon in the vulgar latine quâ— serutator est maiestatis epprimetur à gloria But God is called here light as expelling â—ll darknesse of sin ignorance being in himselfe pure sincere righteous in al his waies holy in al his works Our Apostle then argueth against hypocrites and tale-gospellers often and openly boasting of their Communion with God à natura Dei from the properties of God after this sort God is light Ergo none can haue fellowship with him except they walke in the light If we say we haue communion with him and walke in darknesse we lie and doe not the truth Our wilfull ignorance and sinnes vnrepented are called in holy Scripture darknesse as hauing their beginning from Satan the Prince of darknesse and their end in hell which is the pit of darknesse and therefore though hypocrites out-mouth as it were true Christians in bragging of their familiaritie with God and his Sonne yet the truth is as long as they walke in darknes it is impossible they should be children of God for in him is no darknesse nor so much as a shadow Iam. 1.17 What communion hath light with darknesse or what concord hath Christ with Belial or what fellowship hath righteousnesse with vnrighteousnesse God is without wickednesse himselfe and hateth all manner of wickednesse in other according to that of the Prophet in the fifth Psalme thou art the God that hath no pleasure in wickednesse neither shall any euill dwell with thee Such as be foolish shall not stand in thy sight for thou hatâ—st all them that worke vanitie Thou shalt destroy them that speake leasing the Lord will abhorre both the bloudthirstie and deceitfull man I conclude this point in the words of our Apostle Little children let no man deceiue you he that doth righteousnesse is righteous It is not sufficient to say that hee is righteous for if wee say we haue fellowship with God and walke in darknesse we lie and doe not the truth that is we lie to our selues and doe not the truth vnto other because they be misled through our example mentimur commissione veâ—itatem nor facimus omissione If we walke in the light An argument from the effect to the cause for our studiousnesse to walke in the light and to doe good in our callings is not the cause of our fellowship with God and of the remission of our sinne by the bloud of Iesus Christ his sonne but an effect or consequent It is a signe that we are the sonnes of God if wee bee followers of God as deare children if wee will embrace the Gospell and receiue these glad ridings of peace we shall haue fellowship with the blessed Apostles and in conclusion it will bring vs vnto fulnes of ioy The which is not in this life for here many sorrowes are mixed with a few ioyes Hee was a blessed man who said O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from this body of death Our reioycing is in part as our knowing is in part and our prophecying in part Here God giueth his children sometimes a good measure of ioy shaken together and pressed downe but thereafter in his kingdome of glory when all teares shall be wiped from our eyes and all cares from our heart then onely our ioy shall be full and as Christ speakes elsewhere running ouer Let all Doctors of Diuinitie learne by this Diuine to shun new dubious vnprofitable quirke of learning and to deliuer vnto Gods people that which was from the beginning a true Gospell and a certaine procuring an happy communion with God and a fulnesse of ioy God is light Almighty God is compared vnto light in many respects As first for that all things are naked and open vnto his eyes to the light Secondly as wee cannot see things earthly without light so wee cannot discerne things heauenly vnlesse the father of lights illuminate our minde and giue vs an vnderstanding heart Thirdly for that as the light
Christs sake whose bloud cleanseth vs from all sinne 2. Why because God is faithfull and iust so forgiue vs our sinnes 3. What a plenarie not a partiall absolution a pardon for all vnrighteousnesse 4. When in this present life while wee walke in the light Our selues must acknowledge for our selues and not another we must indeed confesse one to another but not one for another wee must also confesse sinnes and not vertues as the proud Pharisie Luk. 18. I fast twice in their 〈◊〉 I pay tithes of all that eâ—â—r I possesse and our owne sinnes not our neighbours offences as the same Pharisie who did accuse the Publican and in comparison of his faults excuse himselfe This confession is to be made to God as being the searcher of our hearts vnderstanding all our secret sinne so well yea better then our selues O Lord who can tell how ofâ— he offendeth O cleanse me from my secret faules and to God as being very willing and mostable to purge vs from all vnrighteousnesse It is true that we must acknowledge our faults one to another as hauing trespassed one another and in some cases it is expedient also that wee resort to deuour learned discreet pastors for the releefe of our distressed conscience yet by Bellamines leaue this our text is not a pregnant Scripture for popish auricular confession vsed in the Church of Rome For the Ministers of the word may both openly pronounce absolution vnto true penitents and in secret also when occasion is offered iustly Though annuall and auricular confession of euery singular and single sin were thrust out of the Church as it was for twelue hundred yeeres after Christ See Gospell 3. Sund. after Epiphanie Wee must acknowledge that is say with our mouth and acknowledge in our heart that wee haue sinned in Adam and doe sinne for the present and may sinne hereafter as long as we liue For faith Augustine Iderat peccatum insanabilius quo me peccatorem esse non arbitrabar it is our dutie to feele sinne to feare sinne to flie sinne so farre as wee can in one word soundly and seriously to repent vs of all vnrighteousnesse Non fit satis quod doleamus sed ex side doleamus non semper doluisse doleamus de dolore gaudeamus Wee must hartily griue for our offences and grieue for that we grieue no more and ioy for that we grieue so much After such a confession a penitent ought to seeke for an absolution of God as being faithfull and iust to forgiue vs our sinnes Happily some will obiect God if wee consider him as iust is more ready to punish then to pardon for the wages of sinne is death and the Church hath taught vs euery day to pray with the Psalmist enter not into iudgement with thy seruants O Lord for no flesh is righteous in thy sight For answere to this obiection I find the word iust expounded diuersly Somesay God is iust as being able to iustifie sinners Other thinke that God is called iust in forgiuing our sinne because Christ hath paid a iust and sufficient price for the sinnes of the whole world Other construe iust here to bee nothing else but a comely thing or a propertie besitting the goodnesse of God according to that of Anselme Iustum est oÌ„ Deus vt parcas malis And so some read God is faithfull and facile ready to forgiue But I follow their Glosse who thinke that faithfull and iust in this place signifie the same God is faithfull in his promise iust in his word to forgiue Now God saith in his word though their sins were as crimson they shall be made white as snow though they be red like scarlet they shall be as wooll I am not come to call the righteous but the sinners to repentance Wherefore come to me all yee that labour and are laden and I will ease you yea that which is more then his word if any thing can be greater his oath is As I liue saith the Lord God I desire not the death of the wicked but that the wicked turne from his way and liue Now God euer dealeth with his seruants according to his word and hauing bound his word with an oath it is due debt and then it is iustice to pay debts he is faithfull and therefore can no more deny his promise then himselfe who saith at what time soeuer a sinner doth repent him of his sinne from the bottome of his heart I will put all his wickednesse out of my remembrance Wherefore let vs boldly come to the throne of grace let vs agree with our aduersary quickly while wee are in the way while wee walke in the light while it is called to day for after this life there is no purgatorie for sinne in another And let vs aske not onely some parcell of a pardon but an absolute absolution and a plenarie discharge from all vnrighteousnesse Larga Dei piet as veniam non dimidiabit aut 〈◊〉 ant totum se lachrymante dabit The Gospell IOHN 21.19 Iesus said vnto Peter Follow thou me c. THis Scripture containeth a Correction of Peters curiositie What is that to thee Follow thou mee The disciples error touching the death of Iohn yet Iesus said not vnto him he shall not die c. Commendation of Iohn in respect of his Grace with Christ the Disciple whom Iesus loued which also learned on his breast at supper c. Place in the Church as being an Apostle that testified of these things an Euangelist who wrote these things Conclusion of the Gospell intimating that so much is written as is necessarie to saluation and other things omitted and those many for that if they should bee written euery one the world could not containe the bookes that should bee written Our blessed Sauiour in the words immediately going afore shewed Peter in what vocation hee should liue Feed my sheepe as also by what death he should die When thou shalt be old thou shalt stretch forth thine hands and another shall gend thee and leade theâ— whither thou wouldest not And when hee had spoken thus alluding to both especially to the latter he said vnto Peter follow me that is be thou such a Pastor in feeding my sheepe and such a Pastor in suffering for my sheepe as I haue giuen example Christ said vnto Peter in the 13. chapter of this Gospell at the 36. verse Whither I goe thou caust not follow me now but thou shalt follow me afterwards Vnto whom Peter answered Lord why can I not follow thee now I will lay downe my life for thy sake Iesus replied wilt thou lay downe thy life for mysake Verily vâ—rily I say vnto thee the Cocke shall out crowâ—â— thou haue deared me thrice Now Iesus remembring this conflict and conference with his Disciple said vnto him in the words a little before our tex
Wâ—â—â— thou wast rouâ—â— thou girdeast thy selfe and walke liâ— who here 〈◊〉 That is when thou wast a yâ— angling in faith and diddest gird thy selfe with thine owne strength it was thy follie to thinke that thou couldest 〈◊〉 me whither I went and therefore by denying me thrice thou diddest proue my words to be true Weâ—ther I â—e thou canst not sodow me now but when thou shalt be old thou shalt stretch forth thine hands and another shall gird thee c. that is when thou shalt feele thine owne weaknesse and grow strong in the Lord my other saying also shall be found true Thou shalt follow â—â—ce afterwards I therefore now command thee Peter againe and againe follow mee whither I â—â—â— But Peter as it may seene neglecting this charge concerning himselfe but of a curious humour enquites after the doing and dying of other saying vnto Iesus Lord what shall we here â—â—â— to whom his matter answered And â—â—â— haue him to 〈◊〉 I come what is that to 〈…〉 Teaching vs hereby to follow him in the same calling and in the same way that hee doth appoint It is not said examine others imploiment but see your owne calling 〈◊〉 let euery man abide in the some calling wherein he was called walking in his vocation worthily studying to be quiet and to meddle with his owne businesse 1 Thess. 4.11 The which apostolicall apophthegme being a parallel vnto the words of Christ here what is that to thee follow thou mee may serue to direct vs in all matters of this life Whether they be Theologicall Concerning God Whether they be Ecclesiasticall Concerning The Church Whether they be Politicall Concerning Common-weale Whether they be Morall Concerning Our neighbours friends Whether they be Occonomicall Concerning Our priuate familie Whether they be Monasticall Concerning Our single selues In matters appertayning to God it teacheth vs not bee curious inquisitors after the secrets of his will vnknowne for what is that to thee but to keepe the words of his Law doing his will which is knowne for of this onely Christ speakes here follow thou mee The secret things belong to the Lord our God but the things reuealed belong to vs and to our children for euer In affaires of the Church it sheweth how the good sheepheard should spend his life for the benefit of the flocke committed vnto his charge Peter follow mee forbidding Vzzab to put his hand to the arke of God recalling the Lacke not onely from incroaching vpon the Clergie mans benefice but also from intruding into the Clergie mans office for what is that to thee In businesse of the Common-wealth it correcteth oâ—ercurious Euesdroppers of State for what is that to thee Teaching vs to giue the things of Casar vnto Caesar honour to whom honour custome to whom custome tribute to whom tribute though as Christ Mat. 17.27 wee fish for money for in performing this office like wise Iesus said vnto Peter follow thou mee The soole saith Salomon will euer be medling but hee that iwise will not walke in magris mirabilibus in great affaires and such as are too high and huge for him hee plots not how to dispose of the Scepter but possessing his soule in patience desires the Scepter should rightly dispose of him as being assured that Princes are the ministers of God euen fingers of that great hand that gouerns all the world In morall offices or duties of charity between neighbour and neighbour it inhibits thee to be a busie body or as Peter speakes a busie Bishop in another mans diocesse for what is that to thee aduising on the contrarie to doe good vnto all vnto such as are of the houshold of faith especially For in this respect Christ Iesus our great patrone and patterne speakes vnto all as to Peter here follow me Learne of me to be humble and meeke walking in loue euen as I haue loued you giuing my selfe for you to bean offering and a sacrifice of a sweet smelling sauour to God in all other businesse appertayning either to the priuate house or single selfe the counsell is wholesome res 〈◊〉 age plough in thine owne ground fish in thine owne boat looke to thy selfe ouerlooke not other vnlesse they bee such as are committed vnto thy proper charge For in this exempt case Christ expects not of Peteâ— aâ—tendance to the former clause what is that to thee but obedience to the latter onely follow thou mee Then went this saying among the brethren that that Disciple should not 〈◊〉 Hence wee may leaâ—ne to take good heede how â—ereid and heare holy Scripture For by misconthing the words of our Sauiour many false rumours are spread among the brethren If the Disciples easily were deceiued how much more wee Let vs imbrace therefore those things which are cleare and such things as are spoken darkly let vs conferre with pâ—ainer places alway calling vpon God to giue vs the key of true knowledge that wee may dâ—scerne the thingâ— of his spirit The Disciples here made that an absolute affirmatiue which indeed is but a conditionall proposition If I will haue him to tarry c. not I will haue him to tarry For wee may not reade as the vulgar Latine corruptly sic cum volo manere but si cum volo manere Againe Iesus said not hee shall not die but if I will that hee tarry till I come what is that to thee In this correction of the Disciples errour obserue first S. Iohns ingenuitie who would not suffer a false report to be spread among the brethren though it were for his honour Secondly that it is not alway safe to follow the most in all things one Iohn here is opposite to the rest of his companie one Lot opposite to the rest of his Citie one Luther opposite to the rest of his country one Noah opposite to the whole world Thirdly wee may learne by this example to bee diligent and patient in reuoking all such things as haue been mistaken either in our words or writings Augustine hath his retractations Bellarmine his recognitions Baronius his Emendanda the Disciples here their Errata sic corrige This saying went among the brethren c. yet Iesus said not hee shall not die c. The Disciple whom Iesus loued The word by whom all things were made loues all that he made Yet men more then vnreasonable creatures and his Saints more then other men and his chosen Apostle more then other Saints and Iohn more then other of his Apostle He loued all his Disciple as the Father hath loued mee 〈◊〉 haue I loued you continue in my loue Iohn 15.9 But hâ— loue to Iohn as the schoole speakes was greater â—xtensiue though not intensiue shewing more signes of familiaritie to Iohn then to the rest of his company For whereas Iohn the Baptist held himselfe not worthy to beare
in the world to come when all superfluity shall be cut off vtterly when as wee shall appeare before Gods throne without any spot in our soule or corruption in our body Now the circumcision of Christ heere mentioned is that of the flesh for Almighty God before mans fall and after is fall before the Law vnder the Law and after the Law certified his will vnto man especially by two things an vnderstanding minde and a perceiuing sense When God had created Aâ—â—m hee put him in Paradise giuing him his â—ord as a witnesse of hiâ— will and vnto the word hee did adde a twofold outward signe namely the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and euill After Adâ—â—ous fall he gaue him a promise touching the blessed seede Gen. 3.15 and added thereunto sacrifices as outward signes of his worde When the floud was ouerpast hee made a promise neuer to destroy the world againe with water and hee made the Rainbow a signe of the same Hee promised deliuerance from the bondage of Egypt which hee performed also but he sealed the promise with the Paschal Lambe Exod. 12. To father Abraham hee gaue his promise that his seed should be multiplied and in perpetuall remembrance thereof hee did institute Circumcision Gen 17. At the length in the fulnesse of time he giueth his owne Sonne and by him he promiseth euerlasting life to such as beleeue the which hee confirmes with two Sacraments as seales of his grace Baptisme and the Lords supper Thus the father of mercies in all ages euermore prouided for our weaknesse that wee might as it is in the Psalme taste and see how gratious the Lord is and therefore such as are so spirituall as that they cannot endure significant ceremonies and outward rites in the Church haue runne a violent course quite contrary to the goodnesse of God and meeknesse of his holy spirit who doth instruct the conceiuing minde by the perceiuing sense For the Sacraments as Augustine speakes are visible words and Circumcision in the iudgment of Chrysostome was a Preacher of the righteousnesse of faith I confesse that the Iewish ceremonies are now no more necessarie then a token left in remembrance of a bargaine is necessarie when the bargaine is fulfilled but christian rites ordained by lawful authority for outward comelinesse in the Church ought to be retained as hauing more in weight then in sight In the Câ—râ—â—â—â—tiâ—â—on of â—hâ—â—â—t obâ—â—eâ—ue these â— poâ—nâ—s 1 Theâ—iâ—e when the eâ—ghth day 2 Theâ—â—â—e â—heâ—e implyed here for that Câ—â—â—i but expâ—essed in the first Lesson aâ—â—oâ—â—eâ— for this aâ—â— nin â—â—rayer â—en 17.11 to be the 〈…〉 3 The eâ—â—se â—hy 〈…〉 that is â— in the woâ—dâ— foâ—â—o 〈◊〉 â—â—â—r the Lâ—â—â— When the eighth 〈…〉 Châ—â—e en were circumeâ—sed on the eâ—ghth day foâ—thâ—â— in this tender age they coâ—â—d more eâ—stly bâ—â—re the gâ—â—ese of circumcision or eâ—reâ—meised on the eâ—â—ghâ—h dâ—y hâ—â—â—use thaâ— is the day â—hâ—rein our bleâ—sed Sauiour â—â—ofe â—â—â—m the dead Seuen daie signifie the time oâ— this â—â—efeâ—e worâ—d and the â—â—ghâ—h dâ—y the reâ—â—â—eâ—â—ion when alâ—coâ—uption of the â—eth shall he eâ—â—oâ—â— accordâ—â—g to that oâ— Paulâ— Câ—r 15 5â— Tâ—â—s 〈…〉 〈…〉 For thâ—s end â—he circumciâ—â—on kniâ—e 〈◊〉 mâ—de of 〈◊〉 Exod 4.25 Iâ—â—a 5.2 To siâ—nitiâ—â—hâ—â—â—â—eceâ—e 〈◊〉 Câ—â—cumcâ—â—on is by Chriâ—t the â—ocke â—nd â—hâ—ad coâ—eâ—â—â—enâ— Câ—â—cumciâ—â—on â—â—s placed in the generatiue pâ—â—t for thâ—eereâ—â—on eâ—â—â—â—â—ally First for that it â—as a seâ—â—e of Gâ—â—â—â—â—â—â—e thâ—â— Câ—â—â—â—t hâ—â—â—d â—e â—oâ—ne of Abâ—â—â—â—m◠〈◊〉 Seâ—â—nd â—â—â—eeâ—â—e the propâ—â—â—tion of originalâ—â—â—nne 〈…〉 Thiâ—dly Qâ—â—â—â—â—◠〈…〉 coâ—ciâ—iâ—â—â—◠〈…〉 O◠〈◊〉 oâ—heâ—â—oâ— thaâ— i◠〈◊〉 â—â—â—ne of Gâ—◠〈…〉 the â—â—ent and hâ—â—â—eâ—◠〈◊〉 Gen. 17.7 〈…〉 Thâ—â—â—â—â—â—nsâ— hâ— Câ—â—◠〈◊〉 â—eceiâ—ed and bâ—rne 〈…〉 are â—â—niâ—â—â—â—â— 1 To shew that he was of the seede of Abrahamâ— Heb. â— 16 2 To declare himselfe a member of the Iewish Church in which euery man child was circumcised 3 To demonstrate that hee had true flesh against 〈◊〉 and such a flesh as was not of the same substance with his deitie Co◠〈…〉 corpus against Apolâ—naris or fetched from heauen as Valâ—ntinus imagined hee was I say circumcised to shew that he was made of the seede of 〈◊〉 accorâ—â—â—â— to the 〈◊〉 Rom. 12. 4 For that he was the truth of which Circumcision was a type Vâ—â—â—â—ramiâ—â—â—â—ritas â—â—irâ—â— But the principall reason iâ— inâ—â—nuated in the text for that theiâ— required that eueâ—y man child should be cirâ—â—â—â—s sâ—d He therefore was circumcised to â—â—e â—hiâ— obediâ—nce to the lâ—w Wâ—â—â— the â—alâ—es of ume waâ— come God 〈◊〉 â—â—th his 〈◊〉 mâ—â—e oâ— a â—oman make vnder the Law tâ—at â—e â—â—iâ—â— reâ—â— mâ—tâ—â—m thâ—t were vâ—der the Law As then he â—aâ— borne for â—s Esay 9.6 Puer natus â—st neâ— is And Luk 2.11 Vâ—â—â—s nâ—tuâ—â— Vnto you is borne that iâ— vnto yoâ— a men aâ— an Angeâ—l expounds the Prophet euen fâ—â—â—â— hee â—â—â—â—â—mâ—sed for yâ— hâ—reby giuing a publike â—y â—â—noâ—iâ—â—hâ—â— he would fuâ—fill all the whole Law for vs foâ— eueâ—y 〈◊〉 iâ— circumcâ—sâ—d â—s bâ—â—â—d to keep the whole Lâ—w. Hoâ— the consâ—laâ—orie name Ieâ—â—us inuented by God 〈◊〉 pâ—â—ed bâ— the Angâ—â—l invocated by men is proper to Châ—iâ—t 〈◊〉 Sâ—e Gospell on the Sunday next after 〈◊〉 And how his named aboue all name Epist. 〈…〉 will end here with a diuine 〈…〉 â—ccurate Poet. 〈…〉 〈…〉 of content 〈…〉 rent 〈…〉 pâ—â—ne O take thy crosse and naiâ—es and therewith straine My hearts desire to his full extent That thy â—eaâ—e loue therein may not be â—ent But thoughts man haue free scope thy loue t'explaine Ah new my heart more pâ—uneth then before Because it can receiue and hath no more O filâ— this emptinesse or 〈◊〉 â—â—â—e Now stretch my heart againe and now supply Now I want â—pace now grace to end aâ— smart Since my heart 〈◊〉 not thee hold thou my heart Almighty God which madest thy blessed sonne to he circumcised and obedient to the Law for man granâ— vs the true circumcision of the spirit that our hearts and all our members being mortified from all worldly and carnall lusts may in all things obey thy blessed will through the same thy sonne Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen The Epistle EPHES. 3.1 For this cause I Paul am a prisoner of Iesus Christ for you heathen c. THE maine drift of all this exceeding profound Epistle written vnto the Saints of the Church of Ephesus is to confirme their in the word of truth euen the Gospell of their saluation and faith in the Lord Iesus And this our Apostle doth in the present text by two reasons especially 1. From his owne ministery in respect of the Bonds or disgrace hee suffered of men I Paul am a prisoner c. Boon or grace he receiued of God If yee haue heard of the ministration of the grace of God which is giuen mee to you-ward 2. Fom the Gospels mystery which hee
and perfect gift corporall spirituall temporall And therefore they did honour him as interpretors obserue with all these kinds of goods In falling downe slâ—t they did honour him with the good of the bodie in adoring him with the goods of the minde in offering to him gold frankincense mirrhe with the goods of the world They did offer gold to relieue Maries necessitie frankincense to sweeten the stable myrrhe to comfort the swadled babe In offering frankincense they confounded Arius holding that sacrifices are onely due to God the Father In offering myrrhe they confounded Manichaeus who denied that Christ truly died for our sinnes In offering gold they confounded them both as denying that Christ is our King In offering all these they confounded Nestorius diuiding Christ into two persons one diuine another humane for the Magi gaue not here some gifts vnto God and other vnto man but all vnto one Christ. Ergo non diuidatur in personis qui non invenitur diuisus in donis as Pulgentius excellently Or as other they did offer gold to Christ as being a King Frankincense as being God myrrhe as being man according to that of the Christian Poet. Auruen Thus Myrrhem regique deo hominique Dona ferunt It is an idle conceit that one did offer gold another myrrhe and the third frankincense for seeing each of them acknowledged Christ to bee a King and God and a passible man it is more probable that all of them offered all these gifts euery one three singuliaria They returned into their owne country another way The grace of God appearing teacheth vs that wee should deny vngodlinesse and worldly lusts and that wee should liue soberly and righteously and godly in this present world Wherefore the Wise-men hauing found Christ and being taught of God not to returne againe to Herod that is any longer to serue the deuill they renounce their owne wills and their olde waies and walke according to Gods will in new waies Immutatio via emendatio vitae quoth Euseb. Emisen Heretofore they walked in errour but now they walke in truth Heretofore they went a whoring after their owne inuentions but now they follow the word and warning of God The summe then of all this Gospell is that wee must seeke Christ by the guiding of a starre that is by the light of his word and when wee haue found Christ it is our duty to manifest our faith by good workes in presenting vnto Christ our King gold that is a pure confession of a true beleefe frankincense that is humble prayer and inuocation myrrhe that is a chast and a mortified life Wee must also giue to Mary that is to the Church vnto the Preachers of the word and all other members of Christ in want a part of our temporal estate And all this ought to be done cheerefully for the Wisemen opened their treasures and our heart is our treasure Matth. 12.35 So that wee must euen with exceeding gladnesse from our heart offer gold frankincense myrrhe That is almes praier fasting Praier respects God almes our neighbours fasting our selues And thus hauing changed the whole course of our inordinate conuersation in time past and walking in another way which is the path of Paradise wee shall in fine returne to our owne Countrey which is Heauen in Heauen and there wee shall enioy Christ our King God and man in eternall happinesse euermore There be many points in this text as yet vntouched and I might as Ruth happily gleane after such as haue reaped before me but I am so deuoted to breuitie that I rather chuse to wonder a little with another then to write any more my selfe vpon this Gospell O strangest thing that God doth now begin In being which he hath no godheads grace O strangest Roome this subiect takes his place In want of Roome for none was in his Inne O strangest colour to be viewed in For humane darknesse vailed hath his face O strangest middle of respectiue space Where as a starre more then the sunne could win O strangest starre that must reueale this sight That by disorder from the rest giues light O strangest eies that saw him by this starre Who when by-standers saw not saw so farre And since such wonders were in seeing him No wonder if my wondring thought grow dim O God which by the leading of a starre diddest manifest thine only begotten Sonne to the Gentiles mercifully grant that we which know thee now by faith may after this life haue the fruition of thy glorious God-head through Christ our Lord. Amen FINIS THE PVRIFICATION OF SAINT MARIE THE VIRGINE The Epistle being the same which is appointed for the Sunday is expounded among the Dominicals in due place The Gospell is written LVK. 2.22 When the time of their purification after the Law of Moses was come c. IT is the saying of S. Bartholmew reported by Dionysius Areopagita that the Gospell is little yet large If we consider only the syllables it is a very small booke but if we examine the profound sense mundus non capit it is so great that as S. Iohn speakes the world cannot containe it Example hereof is found in this present Chapter abounding with as many wonders almost as words Here you may reade that Marie was at once both a wife and a maide at once both a wife and a midwife bringing forth a sonne who was her father by whom all things were made swadling him in cloutes and laying him in a cratch who filled heauen and earth Here you may reade how the Word in the beginning infinite and incomprehensible was not onely circumscribed but also circumcised Here you may reade that the pure was purified God offered and the Redeemer redeemed Here you may reade that a glorious Angell attended silly shepheards and that a child of twelue yeeres old confounded the Doctors in his disputations and that a dying man vttered songs in stead of sobs In the words allotted for our text 3. points are to bee considered especially the Purification of Marie When the time of her purification was come Christ They brought him to Hierusalem to present him to the Lord c. Simeon Behold there was a man in Heirusalem whose name was Simeon and the same was iust and godly c. Presentation of Marie When the time of her purification was come Christ They brought him to Hierusalem to present him to the Lord c. Simeon Behold there was a man in Heirusalem whose name was Simeon and the same was iust and godly c. CommeÌ„ndation of Marie When the time of her purification was come Christ They brought him to Hierusalem to present him to the Lord c. Simeon Behold there was a man in Heirusalem whose name was Simeon and the same was iust and godly c. And this feast hath accordingly three names as the Masters of ceremonies obserue 1. The
A ship doth aâ— thy resemble the Church of Christ for as a ship is small in the foredecke broad in the middle little in the sterne so the Church in her beginning as you see was exceeding little in her middle age flourishing but in her old age her companie will bee so small and her beleefe so weake that when the Sonne of God shall come to iudge the sonnes of men he shall scarce find any faith on earth This Scripture must needs haue been fulfilled S. Peter in his oration heere first sheweth how Iudas Apostleship became void Secondly that it is needfull another should be chosen into his place Iudas Bishopricke was lost by treason as being guide to them who tooke Iesus Whereupon as wee read in the Gospell hee did first accuse himselfe I haue sinned in betraying innocent blood secondly arraigning himselfe hee repented and brought againe the thirtie plates of siluer to the chiefe Priest and cast them downe in the Temple thirdly executed himselfe he departed and went and hanged himselfe Now to take away thy scandall of this horrible sact our Euangelist intimates that nothing in Iudas treacherie came to passe casually but it was foreseene of God and foretold in his word This Scripture must needs haue been fulfilled And yet the fall of Iudas is not excused hereby no more then the fault of Herod and Pilate who did whatsoeuer Gods owne hand and counsell had determined before to be done Act. 4.28 For Iudas committed not this outragious crime by the compulsion of prophecy but through his owne motion and malice His delight was in cursing and it did happen vnto him he loued not blessing therefore was it far from him It is true that Peter saith hee was numbred with vs and had obtained fellowship in this ministration but hee receiued the grace of God in vaine abusing it to couetousnes and worldly lusts he did open a dore to Satan and gaue him as it were possession of his heart This necessity then is not necessitas absoluta sed consequentis suppositionis a necessity hypotheticall and by consequent not an absolute or a simple necessity So the holy Ghost elsewhere There must be heresies it must needs be that offences shall come ye shall heare of warres and of rumours of warres for all these things must come to passe That is supposing the malice of Satan and wickednesse of man it is impossible but that there should bee warres and offences and heresies in the world An Astrologer expert in his art foretelleth an ecclips of the Sunne yet his prediction is not any cause why the Sunne is ecclipsed euen so God foreseeth all the workes of darkenesse and ecclipses as it were in the reprobate but his prescience compels not any to commit any sinne It is the prince of darkenesse who worketh in the children of disobedience taking them in his snares at his will 2. Tim. 2.26 All our waies are known vnto the Lord our going out and our comming in Esay 37.28 being of euery good pace bonus author but of euery bad passage â—ustus vltor I will end this argument in the words of Augustine Viuit O Domine Deus apud te semper bonum nostrum quia inde auersi sumus peruersi sumus For saith he ligatus eram non ferro alieno sed mea ferrea voluntate velle meum tenebat inimicus inde mihi catenam fecerat constrinxerat me quippe ex voluntate peruersa facta est libido dum seruitur libudini facta est consuetudo dum consuetudine non resititur facta est necessitas How the fall of traterous Iscariot may serue to terrifie the pastour and teach also the people See Gospell 6. Sund. in Lent Wherefore of these men which haue companied with vs Christ in his life chose twelue Apostles one therefore must be ordained and elected into Iudasâ—oome â—oome to fill vp the number againe answerable to the twelue tribes of Israel of which as our Sauiour promised they shall be Iudges and to the twelue gates of heauenly Hierusalem of which also the twelue Apostles were builders according to that of Paul Ephes. 2.20 built vpon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ himselfe being the chiefe corner stone See Epistle on S. â—homas day There bee manie moe resemblances 〈◊〉 the twelue Apostles as you may read in my 〈…〉 vpon the Gospell Sund. 6. in Lent and in 〈…〉 part 3. considerat 29. One must be chosen and one of these men ergo not a Pope Ioâ—ne â—or a woman must bee silent and not a teacher in the Temple one of these men ergo not a boy Bishop not a yonker in yeeres or scholleâ—ship for pastours are called elders and Christ himselfe preached not vntill he was thirtie yeeres olde one oâ— these 〈…〉 câ—mpaâ—â—ed with vs ergo not a stranger but a domesticall one that is knowne a man of note liuing among vs all the time that the Lord Iesus was conuersant among vs ergo not a leaud or ignorant person but a proficient in Christs owne schoole brought vp euen from his youth in instruction and information of the Lord. See Gospell on S. Andrew 8. Sund. after Trinity But why should one being such an one chosen into Iudas roome to witnesse with vs of the resurrection of Christ. A Prelate then ought to bee predicant not an Idle or an Idoll Apostle like the dumbe Doctors and Abbey-lubbers and lasie lay Bishops vnder the gouernment of the Pope Right prelating as old Father Latimer said is labouring and lâ—rding or loytering it is horrour rather then honour for an Apostle to leaue the text and onely to follow the tithe A witneâ—â—e hee must be yet not a witnesse alone broaching insolent nouelties and other doctrines of his owne braine but a witnesse with vs of one heart and of one mind with vs endeauouring to keepe the vâ—itie of the spirit in the bond of peace For hee who seâ—kes in the troublesome sea of this world to schismaticall Apostles affecting singularity Non portum sed planâ—tam inueniet as Augustine pithily Well the new chosen ought to record and accord to witnesse and to witnesse with vs agreeing with the rest of his Colledge and companie But whereof is hee to be a witnesse of the resurrection of Christ in all his words and in all his workes in his preaching and in his life so behauing himselfe as one that beleeues the resurrection of Christ and hopeth also for his owne redemption euer looking for his Sauiour euen the Lord Iesus who shaâ—l change our vile body that it may be like to his gloriou◠〈◊〉 Or a witnesse of the resurrection of Christ becausâ— this one point is primarium Euangeli caput as it were the predominant article presupposing all the
day Come to Christ and he will bring it to passe that thy greatest enemy shall if he haue any sparke of grace confesse ingeniously to thee as Saul once to Dauid thou art more righteous then I for thou hast rendred me good and â— haue rendred thee euill Hee shall make thy righteousnesse as cleare as the light and thy iust dealing as the noone day Psalm 37.6 Art thou much afflicted with sicknesse I saith the Lord am he who kill and giue life wound and make whole bring downe to the graue and raise vp againe I am the resurrection and the life hee that beleeueth in me though he were dead yet shall he liue Ioh. 11.25 The 2 burthen is that â—f the law a yoke which neither our fathers nor we were able to beare saith S. Peter Act. 15.10 a yoâ—e of bondage a heauie burthen and grieuous to be borne Now Christ easeth vs of this burthen also being made vnder the law to redeeme them vnder the law He blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against vs which was contrary to vs and tooke it out of the way nailing it to hiâ— crâ—ssâ— So that if Satan that informer and common accuser of vs all obiect the lawes obligation against vs our answere may be that the debt is payed and the bond cancelled If his euidence be good let him if he can shew it in the court Christ is the end of the law Rom. 10.4 For the law was added because of the transgression vntill the blessed seed came to the which the promise was made Galath 3.19 The Prophets and the law did endure till Iohn but since the kingdome of heauen suffereth violence and the violent take it by force The blessed seed is come when once Christ dwelleth in our hearts by faith and then it is time for the law to bee paâ—king out of the conscience then her kingdome is at an end Come therfore to Christ all ye that labour vnder the yoke of the law written and all ye which are laden with the burthen of pharisaicall traditions vnwritten and yee shall finde rest vnto your soules The third burthen is of sinne the which is so weighty that Zecharias calles it a talent of lead and Dauid who felt the load himselfe saith of it expresly there is no health in my flesh because of thy displeasure neither is there any rest in my bones by reason of my sinne for my wickednesses are gone ouer my head and are like a sore burthen too heauie for me to beare And heere let vs obserue with Euthymius that sinne is first a labour in accomplishing and then a load when it is accomplished The couetous incontinent ambitious exceedingly labour to compasse their vnlawfull desires and yet when all is done they remaine still as men vndone For no man is more beggerlike then a couetous wretch in an opulent fortune nor more base then a proud man in the midst of his honour There is a labour in geering these things and when once they be got a load All is but â—â—nity and vexation of spirit They who truely repent them of their sin feele this burthen in this world and they who being irrepentant are in a reprobate sense shall at the last day notwithstanding confesse to their endlesse shame We haue wearied our selues in the waies of wickednesse and destruction Now Christ saith vnto such as grieue and groane vnder the burthen of their sinnes I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance the spirit of the Lord is vpon mee that I should preach the Gospell vnto the poore he hath sent me that I should heale the broken hearted that I should preach deliuerance to the captiues and recouering of sight to the blind He calleth all that labour siue secundum naturam in qua nascimur siue secundum culpaem qua transgredimur siue poenam in qua morimur All men as you haue heard sufficiently yet onely such as labour and are laden with the burthen of their sinnes efficiently The carnall and carelesse haue eyes and see not eares and heare not hearts and vnderstand not How often would I saith hee who calleth all haue gathered you together as the hen gathereth her chickins vnder her wings and ye would not And in this present chapter at the seuenteenth vers We haue piped vnto you and ye haue not danced we haue mourned vnto you and ye haue not lamented That is as Ambrose construeth it we haue preached vnto you the sweet comforts of the Gospell and ye haue not reioyced in spirit we haue denounced vnto you the terrible iudgements of God contained in the law and yee haue not trembled at our words O thinke on this all yee that forget God all yee that stop your eares and harden your hearts at his voice repent and exhort one another while it is to day seeke the Lord while hee may bee found and call vpon him and come vnto him while he is neare Esay 55.6 Yea but where shall wee find thee sweet Iesus I am saith he found in my workes and in my words and in my Sacraments In my workes for they beare witnesse of me they shew that by me the blind receiue sight and halt go and the leapers are cleansed and the dead are raised vp Matth. 11.5 In my word for the Scriptures are they which testifie of me There you shall reade how God so loued the world that he gaue his only begotten Son that whose euer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life Iohn 2.16 in my sacâ—arâ—â—is he that eare 〈…〉 blood dwelleth in me and 〈◊〉 ye come to my table ye shall be refreshed 〈…〉 my blood refâ—â—teris 〈◊〉 necesseris de 〈…〉 〈…〉 to the comming or motion and that is by 〈◊〉 and not by feet moribus non pedibus by loue not by leggs come to me then in saith and 〈…〉 yoke 〈…〉 to hope and learne â—f me meekâ—es and lowlinesse in â—one he that comes to God must beleeue that God is and that he is a rewarder of such as seeke him hee must in hâ—pe beare Christs yoke the which in respect of the present labour is heauen but in respect of the â— fâ—ture retribution hope 〈◊〉 to saith he must adioyne loue whereof there be two principall obiects and two principall offices the principall obiects of our loue are God and our neighbours lowlinesse in heart disposeth aright of our loue toward God and meeknes sheweth how wee should demeane our selues in our cariage toward our neighbours the two principall offices of our loue are to giue and to forgiue lowlinesse is ready to giue euery man his due meeknesse to forgâ—ue euery man his debt or we must be mites 〈◊〉 humiles mentibus in our outward behauiour toward other meeke in our inward conceit of our selues humble lowly not in
of Remaliahs sonne For albeit they determine to depose thee and to dispose of thy Kingdome purposing to set vp in thy throne the sonne of â—abeal vers 6 Yet thus saith the Lord God their counsell shall not stand neither shall it bee for the head of Aramis Damascus and the head of Damascus is Rezin and within threescore and fiue yeeres Ephraim shall be broken from being a people As if he should say these two kingdomes shall haue their limits and their two Kings must be content with their owne greatnesse they both aspire to the Crown but I haue set them their bounds which they shall not passe Beleeue my words and it shall goe well with you but if ye will not beleeue surely ye shall not bee established vers 9. And therefore that Ahaz and his people might giue credit to this promise the Lord saith our text spake once more to Ahaz Where note Gods long suffering and patience toward an Idolatious and a wicked King who did not vprightly in the sight of the Lord his God 〈◊〉 Dauid his father â— but made his sonne goe thorow the fire after the abominations of the Heathen whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel and offered and burnt incense in the high places and on the hilles and vnder euery greene tree The Lord desired not the death of a sinner but that he may turne from his euill waies and liue speaking to him as heere to Ahaz againe and againe turne you turne you for why will ye die O yee house of Israel He doth inuite to mercie not onely such as are godly men according to the prayer of Dauid Do well O Lord vnto those that be good and true of heart But he maketh his Sunne to rise on the euill and sendeth his raine on the iust and on the vniust Matth. 5.45 Hee is not slacke faith Peter in comming to iudgement as some men count sâ—â—icknesse but is patient toward vs and would haue no man to perish but would all men to come to repentance Wherefore thou whosoeuer thou bee which art in the gall of bitternesse selling thy selfe to worke wickednesse nay giuing thy selfe to wantonnesse to commit all vncleanenesse euen with greedinesse How dost thou thinâ—e thou shalt escape the iudgement of God or despisest thou the riches of his bountifulnesse and patience and long sufferance not knowing that the goodnesse of God leadeth thee to repentance The Lord spake to Ahaz againe yet not onely for his sake nor for the wicked alone but rather to prouide for the weake which had some seeds of Godlinesse For albeit they did offend the Lord very much in their distrust and Idolatrie yet God as being the father of mercies in wrath remembers mercy Habac. 3.2 Compassion and forgiuenesse is in the Lord our God albeit wee haue rebelled against him Dan. 9.9 Require a token of the Lord thy God As if Esay should haue said I perceiue you giue credit to my report entertaining my speech as the words of a meere man and not as the word of God Wherfore to demonstrate that I come not in mine owne name but from the Lord of Hosts Aske a signe not of Idols or of strange gods vnable to helpe thee but of thy God Aske a signe not of me but of the Lord which onely doth wondrous things Aske of him Ahaz and thou shalt vnderstand that it is the Lord who speakes vnto thee God for the confirmation of our faith addeth vnto his promises as proppes of our infirmitie signes and tokens which Augustine calles aptly visible words And these signes are of two sorts extraordinarie whereof the Prophet in our present text and that which was giuen to Hezekiah in the 38. chapter of this prophesie vers 7. Ordinarie in daily vse as Baptisme and the Lords Supper the which are signes and seales of Gods holy couenant with vs. And wee must so ioyne faith vnto the word that wee despise not the Sacraments which Almighty God offereth as helps for the strengthening of of our faith It is a true saying that Iesus Christ came into the world to saue sinners And this saying ought by all meanes to bee receiued and one chiefe meane is the ministration of the Sacraments and therefore the frantick spirits in our time who make no reckoning of Baptisme nor of the blessed Eucharist but esteeme them abces onely for little children are worthily censured by reuerend Caluin to separate those things which God hath ioyned together Whether it be toward the depth beneath or toward the height aboue The Prophet prescribes not what token Ahaz should aske lest happily the truth of the miracle might be suspected but hee leaueth it to the Kings owne free choice whether hee will haue it toward the depth or height that is in earth or heauen Or it may be the word depth is of some deeper signification as if Esay should say God will openly shew thee that his dominion is farre aboue all the world yea that it reacheth euen from the heauen of heauens to the very depth of depthes insomuch as hee can at his good pleasure fetch Angels out of heauen and also raâ—e the very dead out of their graues Here then obserue Gods omnipotencie who can doe whatsoeuer hee will in heauen and in earth and in the sea and in all deepe places Psal. 135.6 O God the great and mighty great in Counsell and mighty in worâ—e Behold thou hast made the heauen and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arme and there is nothing hard vnto thee This doctrine is comfortable to the godly who dwell vnder the defence of the most high and abide vnder the shadow of his wings hauing his spirit for their guide and his Angels for their guard But it is very terrible to the wicked in that all the creatures in heauen in earth and vnder earth attend the Lord of Hosts euenmore readie to fight against such as fight against him noneâ— This argueth his pride rather then humblenesse Or as other his trust in the strength of the King of Ashor rather then his affiance in the King of Kings And yet hee colours his foule contempt hypocritically with a faire pretence saying I will not tempt the Lord alluding doubtlesse to the text Deut. 6.16 ye shall not tempt the Lord your God He forgate the words in the some chapter a little before yee shall not walke after other gods c. and only wrested that clause which he thought would fit his turne wrest I say for to require a signe when God inuiteth and inioyneth vs is not to tempt the Lord but to trust and obey which is better then sacrifice Gedeon is commended for asking signes of the Lord Iudges 6. the Pharities on the contrary condemned euen by Christ himselfe the wicked generation and adulterous seeketh a
signe now the reason hereof is exceeding plaine their actions differed in their endes for whereas Gedeon asketh a signe to bee confirmed in Gods promise the Pharisies required miracles of Christ out of curiositie to betray rather then to be taught of him in this acceptable time of grace we need not aske for new miracles it is sufficient to beleeue those which are recorded in holy Bible The blessed Sacraments are Gods ordinary signes appointed in his word for the strengthening of our faith hee that refuseth them as a superfluous helpe commits the sinne of Ahaz he that vseth them according to Christs ordinance spiritually receiues Christ himselfe as Durandâ—ss pithily verbum andimus motum sentimus modum nescimus praesentiam credimus Heare ye now O house of Dauid For as much as it was an intollerable wickednes to shut the gates against the might and mercies of God vnder colour of honesty and modesty the Prophet is iustly displeased and sharpely rebukes these painted sepulchres and saith heare ye now O house of Dauid c. for albeit it was an honour for them to be held the race of Dauid if they had walked in the steps of Dauid yet notwithstanding he now cals them house of Dauid rather by way of reproach then otherwise And in very deed the contempt and vnthankfulnes in refusing a signe was so much the more hainous because this fauour was reiected by that house out of which the saluation of the whole world should come Note then here the Prophets order and exquisite method in teaching first he begins with doctrine take heed be still and feare not c. then he proceeds to the confirmation of his doctrine 〈…〉 a token of the Lord thy God c. 〈…〉 when he saw 〈◊〉 both his offered sayings and signes vnto King Ahaz were fruitlesse hee comes to reproofe grievously â—â—ding this obstinate man and â—o him â—lone but also all the royall house defiled with this impietie we must in our ministry take the lâ—ke course first beginning with doctrine then proceeding to confirmation and when these two faile we must as our Prophet speakes elsewhere lift our voice like a trumpet sâ—ewing Gods people their transgressions and to the house of Iacob their sinnes after proofe wee must as Esay here come to reproofe◠〈◊〉 lachrimae laudes tuae sint as Hierome doth aduise Nepotian for saith he melius est ex duobus imperfectis rusticitatem sanitam habere quà m eloquentiam peccatricem and Martin Luther that sonne of thunder was wont to say cortes meus esse potest durior sed nucleus mollis dulcis est Is it not enough for you that ye be grieuous vnto men but ye must grieue my God also He doth vse comparisons between God and men not as if the Prophets could in deed be separated from God for they be nothing else but his instruments hauing one common cause with him as long as they discharge their duties according to that of Christ Luke 10.16 He that heareth you heareth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me the Prophet then shapes his speech according to the wicked opinion of Ahaz and his followers imagining that they had to doe with men only as if hee should say though I am a mortall man as you conceiue yet in reiecting the signe which is offered vnto you yee greiue God himselfe for asmuch as the Lord speakes in mee 〈…〉 Luther is our comfort and credite that in de 〈◊〉 Gods errand our tongue is Gods tongue and our 〈…〉 God 's voice hee therefore that despiseth our preaching despiseth not men but God as the Lord said to 〈◊〉 they haue not reiected thee but they haue reiected mee that I should not raigne ouer them and this ought to moue the Prophets and preachers of the word that a wrong done to them in executing their holy sunction is an iniury done to God himselfe and they must grieue not so much in respect of their owne â—ishonour as for that God is grieued according to that of Dauid mine eyes gush ouâ— with water because men keepe not thy law it is well obserued that whereas Esay said before whilest Ahaz rebellion and ingratitude was hidden aske a signe of the Lord thy God he now takes this honour to himselfe saying my God not thy God insinuating that God is on his side and not with these wicked hypocrites and so testifies with what a confidence and conscience hee promised deliuerance to the King as if he should haue said I came not of my selfe but I was sent of the Lord and haue told thee nothing but out of the mouth of my God all preachers of the word should haue the same boldnes not in appearance only but effectually rooted in their hearts as Luther excellently Summa summarum haec est inestimabilis gloria conscientiae nostrae contra omnem contemptum in mundo quod Christus nos praedicatores plane deos creat dicendo qui vos recipit me patremque meum recipit Therefore the Lord shall giue you a signe behold a virgine All orthodoxal interpretours aswel ancient as moderne construe this of Christs admirable natiuity herein being taught by the spirit of truth in the 1. Chapter of Saint Matthews Gospell at the 22. verse all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the Prophet saying behold a virgine shall conceiue c. I know the Iewes haue many cauils against this exposition he that desires to know them as also the Christians answere to them at his opportune leisure may read the Commentaries of Hierom and Caluin vpon this text of Aretius Marlorat Mâ—ldonat in Mat. 1.22 Pet. Galatinus de arcanis cat verit lib. 3. cap. 18. lib. 7 cap. 15. Suarez in 3. Thomae disput 5. sect 2. â—That which here troubleth interpretours most is how this token is a confirmation of Gods promise to King Ahaz examine the circumstances of the place say the Iewes Hierusalem is besieged and the Prophet is to giue them a signe of their deliuerance to what end then is the Messias of the world promised now who should be borne fiue hundred yeares after answere is is made by some that the coherence may be thus O Ahaz thou art exceedingly deceiued in thinking that God is not able to deliuer thee from the furious wrath of Rezin and of Remaliahs sonne for hee will in time to come shew greater arguments of his power vnto thy succeeding posterity for behold a virgine shall conceiue and beare a sonne who shall deliuer his people from more dangerous enemies then the two tailes of these smoaking firebrands he will in the fulnes of time send a Sauiour to deliuer vs from all that hate vs euen our spirituall enemies as sinne death and the deuill he shall be called Emmanuel which is by interpretation God with vs not God against vs but with vs and for vs
as Musculus vpon the words of Saint Matthew non siue nobis non contra nos sed nobiscum pro nobis Other obserue that it is the custome of the Prophets in confirming the particular promises of God euermorâ— to lay this foundation that he will send his sonne the redeemer By this generall prop the Lord euery where ratifies that which he specially promiseth vnto his children according to that of Paul an Christ all the promises of God are yea and amen that is categoricall and true complete and implete and assuredly whosoeuer expects help and succour from God must also be perswaded of his fatherly loue but how should hee be fauourable without Christ in whom he hath adopted vs his sonnes and heires before the foundation of the world so louing vs that hee hath giuen his only begotten sonne to dewell among vs and to be God with vs and when his houre was come to dye for our sinnes and to rise againe for our iustification so that vpon these premises we need not at any time doubt of Gods holy promises but infalliblely conclude with the blessed Apostle Rom. 8.32 If God spared not his owne sonne but gaue him for vs all to death how shall he not with him giue vs all things also Other hold this signe most agreeable to the present occasion of Iudahs promised deliuerance because the Patriarke Iacob had prophesied that the scepter should not depart from Iuda nor a law giuer from betweene his feet vntill Shilo come as if Esay should thus argue with Ahaz the Messias of the world is to bee borne of the tribe of Iudah and of the linage of Dauid it is impossible therefore that either Rezin or Pekah or any other prince whatsoeuer should rent thy Kingdome from the successours of Dauid vntill a virgine conceiue and beare a sonne who shall bee called Emmanuel It is reported Mat. 2. that the wise men enquired after the birth of Christ in the dayes of Herod the King wherein they shewed themselues to bee wisemen in deed obseruing their right quando because now the scepter had departed from Iudah and was in the hands of Herod an alien and a tyrant crept in by the Romane Emperour this then is a fit and a full signe to confirme Gods promise touching Iudahs deliuerance from the furious wrath of Rezin and of Remaliahs sonne For there be two kindes of signes vnum prognosticum alterum remoratiuum as Petrus Galatinus in his examination of this text aptly distinguisheth one which is a prognostication of an euent to come so Gedeons fleece was a signe to him of a future victory another which is a memoriall of a thing past so the Lord said vnto Moses Exod. 3.12 This shall be a token vnto thee that I haue sent thee after thou hast brought the people out of Egypt yee shall serue God vpon this mountaine now the signe mentioned here was a rememoratiue not a prognosticke Ahaz saw not this token but his posterity might say with Dauid as wee haue heard so haue wee seene in the city of the Lord of Hosts in the city of our God God vpholdeth it for euer And heere the fathers obserue that Christs admirable natiuity was a signe both in the depth beneath and in the height aboue For in being a man eating butter and honis nourished after the same manner that other children are he was a signe on earth and in being Emmanuel conceiued of a Virgin without the seed of man hee was a signe from heauen Thus as you see this token is accommodum aptly fitted to the present occasion of the Prophet I proceed now to shew that it is also commodum as profitable for vs as it is pertinent for Hierusalem A Virgin shall conceiue That is the Virgin or that Virgin for the Hebrew particle â— added in the text originall and the Greeke article prefixed by the Septuagint interpretors are both emphaticall and import so much as this excellent Virgine So the fathers vseth to speake Quis vnquam aut quo seculo ausus est proferre nomen S. Maria interrogatus non siatim intulit virginis vocem In what age did any man name the blessed Mary without adding her surname Virgin Nay the blessed Apostles in their Creed haue taught vs so to beleeue borne of the Virgine Marie For she was a perpetuall Virgine ante partum in partâ— post partum All which is concluded at the least included in our present text A Virgin before she conceiued and when she conceiued her sonne our Sauiour as we defend against vnbeleeuing Iewes and Gentiles and against misbeleeuing hererickes also namely the Cerinthians Ebionites Carpocratians holding that Christ was the naturall sonne of Ioseph verus mer us home contrary to the words of our Prophet here behold a Virgin shall conceiue The Lord hath made a faithful oath vnto David and he shal not shrinke from it Of the fruit of thy belly shall I set vpon thy seat Where the Doctors note that he saith according to the Hebrew de fruitu ventris and not de fructu femoris aut renum because the promised seed is the seed of the woman Gen. 3.15 made of a woman Gal. 4.4 hauing the materials of his body from Mary but his formale principium of the holy Ghost agent in his admirable conception as it is in the Gospell allotted for this day the holy Ghost shall come vpon thee and the power of the most high shall ouershadow thee See Gospell on the Sunday after Christmas 2. We say that Mary was a Virgin in her childbirth against Iouinian and Durandus according to the tenor of our text A Virgin shall conceiue and beare a sonne The which is not to be construed in sensu diuiso sed in sensu composito to wit a Virgin shall conceiue and continuing a Virgin shall bring forth her child granida sed non granata So runnes our Creed borne of the Virgin For otherwise what wonder had it beene that one who sometime was a Virgin should afterward knowing a man haue a sonne Consule S. Irenae lib. 3. cap. 18.21.24 Epiphan haeres 30. Circa sinem Grego Nyssen orat de sanct Christi natiuitat Basil. Hierom in loc Partus integritas discordes tempore longo virginis in gremio foedera pacis habent 3. Mary was a Virgin after the birth of Christ as the Church hath euer taught against Heluidians and Antidicomarianites And some probable reason hereof also may be gathered out of this Scripture thou shall call his name c. that is as our Communion booke thou his mother Or as our new translation hath it A Virgin shall conceiue and beare a son and shall call his name c. For as Caluin notes the verbe is of the feminine gender among the Hebrewes which occasioned happily the translators of Geneua to reade
salutations as sent from God and not according to the worlds fashion only For some speake friendly to their neighbors but imagine mischiefe in their hearts Iudas had an hade master as well as Gabriel an haile Mary Christians in their complements ought to be hearty not hollow See Gospell Sund. 4. after Trinity Haile the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth as Erasmus obserues gaudere saluere valere If wee take it in the first acception it is Gabriels giuing of the ioy to Mary Teaching vs to wish much ioy to the good and to labour for true ioyes in our selues alway reioycing in the Lord Philip. 4.4 If in the two latter health is a good blessing of the Lord to bee desired in our owne selues and for our other selues in this world without which all our whole life is but a lingring death O Lord grant thy seruant health and heauen It was good for Dauid that he was in trouble so likewise it is good for the health of our soule that our body bee sometime sicke Affliction is the true purgatorie of the flesh infirmit as carnus vigoremmentis exacuit Vpon this ground Plato scared his Academie at Athens in an vnhealthy place We must especially wish haile to the soule praying alwaies Vi sit mens sâ—na in corpore sano The Lord with thee Some construe this clause by way of enunciation affirmatiuely the Lord is with thee Other imprecatorâ—e by way of a good wish or salutation the Lord be with thee They who take this affirmatiuely make it a reason of Maries haile reioyce Mary because full of grace because the Lord is with thee because blessed among women God is in beat is per gloriam in electis per gratiam in assumpta carne per vnionem in omnibus per prouidentiam sed in virgine per supereminentem quandam opâ—ratiouem As if Gabriel should haue said I am sent from God and so the Lord is with me but he is with thee much more The Lord is in mee because hee made mee but with thee because within thee because he shall bee borne by thee Is a domenies est secum â—t is in corde tuo sit in vtero tuo adempleat mentem tuam adempleat carâ—â—m 〈◊〉 God the son is with thee for thou shalt conceiue him in thy wombe God the holy Ghost is with thee for the holy Ghost shall come vpon thee and the power of the most highest all ouershadow thee God the father is with thee making his sonne thy sonne Demmus silim tecum quem câ—t ne tua induâ—â— dominus spiritus sanctus de quo concipis dominus pater qui genuit quem concipis But I follow their iudgement which vnderstand this imprecatorie because the blessed Virgin her selfe tooke it so vers 29. She cast in her mind what manner of salutation that should bee ergo all the words spoken by Gabriel vnto her hitherto were salutatorie Blessed art thou among women In comparison or aboue other women happie The like phrase is vsed Iudg. 5.24 Iael the wife of Heber the Kenite shall be blessed aboue other women It doth insinuate that Mary was highly fauoured of God as also that she shall be praised of men throughout all generations Elizabeth expounds Gabriel in this present chapter at the 4â— verse Blessed art thou among women because the fruit of thy wombe is blessed and Bernard expounds Elizabeth Non quia tu benedicta ideo benedictus fructus ventris â—â—i sedâ—yâ—tia ille te praeuenit in benedictionibus dulcedinis ideo â—ubenedâ—cta Mary was blessed of God in that she was chosen to bee the mother of God Other women haue bin and are the daughters of God but Mary was both a daughter and a mother The one is a speciall fauour the other a singular honour and Mary was blessed in respect of both Albeit we doe not beare Christ bodily yet if wee spiritually beare him in our heart by faith it is a great mercy which wee must acknowledge both in our selues and others For he that doth the will of God is a brother and a sister and a mother vnto Christ. As Mary was highly graced of God so she was and is and shall bee magnified of men And from hence we may learne that there is a time to commend so well as to condemne namely 1. when the party praised needeth encouragement 2. when his gifts extolled are most excellent and eminent as in Mary fulnesse of grace 3. When he that is commended hath the grace to giue the glory to God acknowledging himselfe to be freely beloued therfore blessed 4. When the party praising doth it as Gabriel heere not to flatter men but to magnifie God I haue spoken of three remarkeable persons in this Gospell of the party sending God of the party sent Gabriel and Angel of the party to whom he was sent A Virgin whose name was Mary full of grace blessed among women It remaineth I should now treate of the partie to whom all this annunciation was and that is man For all this was said and all that followeth in our text was done for vs men and our saluation I will heere briefly glosse this Gospell in the words of Bernard Felix est qui mittiter felix à quo mittitur felix ad quam mittitur vt home fiat felix pro quo mittitur Wee beseech thee Lord powre thy grace into our hearts that as we haue knowne Christ thy sonnes incarnation by the message of an Angel so by his Crosse and passion wee may bee brought vnto the glory of his resurrection through the same Christ our Lord. Amen The Epistle ACTS 10.34 Peter opened his mouth and said of a truth I perceiue that there is no respect of persons with God c. THe summarie pith in this accurate speech of saint Peter vnto Cornelius is that all men indifferently whether they be Iewes or Gentiles haue remission of their sinnes by faith in Christ which is Lord ouer all things and ordained of God to bee the iudge of all men quicke and dead The whole sermon is diuided into three parts A Proeme vers 34.35 wherein obserue what is said for the matter there is no respect of persons with God c. how it is said for the manner Peter opened his mouth and said of a truth I perceiue Narration ye know the preaching c. Wherein S. Peter catechizeth his auditour Cornelius in the chiefe points of holy beleefe concerning the doctrine verse 36.37 of Iesus Christ. miracles vers 38. of Iesus Christ. life vers 39. of Iesus Christ. death ibid. of Iesus Christ. resurrection vers 40.41 of Iesus Christ. comming to iudgement v. 42. of Iesus Christ. Confirmation by production of witnesses new the blessed Apostles v. 39. Wee are witnesses of all things which he did c. and such witnesses as were chosen before of God vers 41. old the holy
many as the Lord our God shall call And Act. 3.26 Vnto you hath God raised vp his sonne Iesus and him hee hath sent to blesse you in turning euery one of you from your iniquities And here Ye men and brethren children of the generation of Abraham and whosoeuer among you feareth God to you is the word of this saluation sent And vers 38. Be it knowne vnto you that thorough the man Iesus is preached vnto you the forgiuenesse of sins Now that our Apostle might the better insinuate himselfe into the minds of his hearers and thereby more powerfully perswade the truth of his doctrine hee cals them brethren children of the generation of Abraham and such as feare God The first title was among the Iewes held gratious the second and third glorious esteeming it euer the greatest honour to be the seruants of God and sonnes of Abraham And whereas Christ crucified is vnto the Iewes a stumbling blocke for what Iew will out of his owne iudgement admit him for the Sauiour of Gods people who was condemned by the chiefe Priests and rulers and inhabitors of Gods owne City Hierusalem of which it is said the law shall goe forth of Sion and the word of the Lord from Hierusalem our Apostle remoues the scandall of Christs crosse retorting and answering this obiection in his ensuing discourse First hee retorteth it and maketh it aduantage in his present businesse As if hee should say ye men of Antioch children of the generation of Abraham especially such as feare God among you I say ye should the rather embrace the word of saluation sent vnto you because the men of Hierusalem and their rulers killed the Lord of life condemning him in whom they found no cause of death Hierusalem vnderstood not the things appertaining to her peace but murthered the Prophets and stoned such as were sent to her Take heed therefore ye men of Antioch that ye commit not the like sinne and ingratitude lest that fall on you which is spoken of in the Prophets behold ye despisers and wonder and perish Secondly S. Paul heere giueth answere to this obiection It is true that the men of Hierusalem and their rulers haue crucified the Lord of glory but it was out of their ignorance because they knew him not nor yet the voices of the Prophets which are read euery Sabbath day They killed him indeed but heerein they fulfilled all the Scriptures that were written of him especially that Scripture the same stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner And lastly though it be granted vnto you that the Sauiour Iesus through whom is preached vnto you forgiuenesse of sins had a death full of ignominy for that hee was hanged on a tree yet his rising againe from the dead the third day was exceeding glorious in that hee lead captiuity captiue triumphing ouer death hell and the graue Now that Christ is risen againe from death he proues by the witnesse Of Apostles himselfe we declare c. For Christ after his resurrection was seene of Paul 1. Cor. 15.8 Other who went with him from Galilee to Hierusalem of whom hee was seene many daies as being witnesses chosen of God for the same purpose Act. 10.41 Prophets Esay chap. 55.3 Dauid Psal. 2.7 16.11 The first testimonie cited by Paul is in the second Psalme thou art my sonne c. the which I finde expounded of Dauid and of Christ. If we take this spoken of Dauid he may be called the sonne of God as A King for Princes haue their power from God and so stiled the children of the most high Psalm 82.6 Man for we are the generation of God it is he who made vs and not our selues Psal. 100.2 and is not hee thy father that made thee Deut. 32.6 Regenerate man for euery one that is new borne is borne of God adopted his sonne and made his heire Rom. 8.15.17 Thus it may be said by God vnto Dauid in type this day haue I begotten thee but onely to Christ in truth And therefore Rabbi Solomon and other Doctors among the Iewes vnderstand this of the Messias and assuredly Paul in his Epistle to the Hebrewes chap. 1. vers 5 did the rather cite this text to proue that Christ is God for that hee knew their Rabbines vsually constâ—ued it of Israels Sauiour The maine proposition of the second Psal. is thâ— the Messias is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords euen Gods onely begotten sonne very God of very God The which is concluded in this argument Hee that is to bee worshipped and kissed of all Princes on earth is doubtlesse the King of Kings but the Messias ought to be worshipped of all other Kings and Rulers and Iudges of the earth ergo the Messias seated vpon Gods holy hill of Sion is the King of Kings euen the Lord who dwelleth in heauen If the Princes of the world stand vp and take counsell together against the Lord and against his anointed it is but in vaine For if his wrath be kindled yea but a little they shall instantly perish hee shall bruise them with a rod of iron and breake them in peeces like a potters vessell On the contrary blessed are they who kisse the sonne and put their trust in him happie men and wise Kings are they who serue the Lord in feare and reioyce before him in reuerence God onely killeth and maketh aliue bringeth downe to the graue and raiseth vp Ergo the Messias hauing his absolute power of life and death is vndoubtedly Gods onely begotten sonne whom he hath made heire of all things and iudge of all men And therefore Diuines interpret the cited words as properly spoken of Christ and that in respect of his generation temporall eternall Resurrection Some construe this of his temporary birth in saying thou art my sonne God sheweth his diuine generation and in saying this day haue I begotten thee his humaine natiuity For hodie signifieth in holy Scripture the present life Heb. 3.7 Psalm 95.8 to day if ye will heare his voice So that I haue begotten thee this day as if he should haue said I haue brought my first begotten sonne into the world I haue caused thee to become flesh and in the fulnesse of time to be borne of a woman Other vnderstand this of Christs eternall generation As if God should haue said other are my sonnes improperly but thou art my sonne properly filius meus naturalis singularis substantialis A sonne not by creation as the whole world nor through adoption as the whole Church but a sonne by nature my begotten and onely begotten sonne Iohn 3.16 The very brightnesse and expresse character of my person Hebr. 1.3 Whereas Arrians and other obiect against this interpretation the word hodie Saint Augustine answereth appositly that with God vnto whom all things are
present there is neither yesterday nor to morrow but onely today Apud Deum nunquam erastinus nunquam he lernus dies est sed semper bodie And in his Enchiridion cap. 49. Vbi dies nec heâ—ternisâ—â—e inchoatur nec initio era â—â—terminatur semper bodieraus est Hilary Eusebius Ambrose with other expound this of Christs resurrection as Paul here We declare to 〈…〉 the promise made to the fathers God hath fulfil 〈◊〉 vnto their children euen vnto vs in that her 〈◊〉 vp Iesus againe euen as it is written in the second Psalme thou art my sonne this 〈◊〉 haue I begotten thee For to 〈◊〉 vp againe from death vnto life euerlasting is a new begetting and in this sense Christ is called elsewhere the 〈◊〉 begotten and the 〈◊〉 borne of the deâ—â— Againe the circumstances of the place leade the Reader to this construction Why doe the heathen so furiouâ—â— rage together and why do the people imagine a vaine 〈◊〉 that is as Peter and Iohn haue well applied it Act. 4.27 Herâ—d and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and people of Israel gathered themselues together against the Lord and against his Christ euen his holy son Iesus and when they had filled all things that were written of him as Paul in our text they tooke him downe from the tree and put him in a sepulchre rolling a great stone to the doore thereof and sealed it and making it sure with the watch In all which as the Prophet speakes their imaginations and actions were vaine for hee that dwelleth in heauen did laugh them to scorne the Lord had them in derasion he raised his Christ againe the third day making him a King ouer his holy 〈◊〉 of Sion that is absolute head oâ— his Church giuing him all the heathen for his inheritance and the vttermost parts of the earth for his possession And so God in raising Christ vp againe from the dead euidently shewed that he was his onely begotten sonne As if he should haue said thou wert euer my sonne before to day before there was any day but yet in this day of thy resurrection I haue most especially manifested vnto the world that thou art my son whom I haue begotten It is then an idle conceit to thinke that Paul is not author of that Epistle written to the Hebrewes because the words of Dauid vrged here to proue Christs resurrection are cited heere chap. 1. vers 5. to shew Christs eternall generation For as Paul in his Epistle to the Romans chap. 1. vers 4. Christ is declared mightily to be the sonne of God by rising againe from the dead His resurrection is an infallible demonstration of his diuinitie seeing none euer raised another from the dead but by God none euer raised himself from the dead but God I conclude this obseruation in the words of â—mbrose Pulchre pater dicit ad filium ego 〈◊〉 genui te hoc est quando redemisti populum quando ad caâ—ereâ—â—um vocasti quando implesti voluntaâ—em meam probâ— 1 meum te esse filium The next Scripture quoted heere by Paul is Esay 55.3 The 〈◊〉 of God made to Dauid concerning the sending of Israels Sauiour are sure mercies and faithfull woâ—â— he must of necessity therefore fulfill them in euery respect the which hee could not haue done but in raising vp Iesus againe for the resurrection of Christ is the complement and as it were Amen of all his promises according to that of Paul hee died for our sinnes and is risen againe for our iustification See conclusion of the Gospell on S. Thomas day The last authority cited in this place to proue Christs resurrection is taken out of the 16. Psalme verse 11. thou shalt not suffer thine holy one to see corruptioâ— The Iewes vnderstood this of Dauid but saith our Apostle Dauid albeit he was a King and a Prophet and a Partriarke a man according to Gods owne heart as it is recorded of him in this present chapter at the 22. verse yet after hee had in his time fulfilled the will of God he fell on sleepe and was laid vnto his fathers and saw corruption Earth he was and to earth hee returned againe But Christ Iesus although he was hanged on a tree and put in a sepulchre yet he saw no corruption Hee rose againe the third day triumphing ouer all his enemies openly saying O death I will bee thy death O graue I will be thy destruction And therefore this Iesus is he through whom is preached vnto you forgiuenesse of sinnes and by whom all that beleeue are iustified from all things from which ye could not be iustified by the law of Moses Mors mortis morti mortem nisi morte dedisset à nobis vitae Ianua clausa foret Beware therefore lest that fall on you which is spoken of in the Prophets This text is taken out of the first of Habakuk vers 5 but for as much as all the prophesies were collected together into one volume he saith in the Prophets Or according to the Hebrew phrase in the Prophets is as if he should haue said in one of the Prophets as Genes 23.6 In the chiefest of our sepulchres bury thy dead that is in one of the chiefe He doth alter the words of the Prophet according to the sound but not according to the sense Habaâ—uâ— saith behold among the heathen Paul heere behold ye despisers In which our Apostle doth expound and not confound the Prophet for whereas the Iewes despised the word of God hee sent them to be taught by the Caldeans as if Habakuk had said ye will not obey Gods voice ye will not learne any thing in his schoole wherefore yee shall ere it beelong bâ— made to know his iudgements among the heathen â—ee saith the Lord I will raise vp the Caldeans that better and hasty nation which shall march through the bredth of the land to possesse the dwelling places which are not theirs And this their ouerthrow was a type of their future reprobation and spirituall vastity for the contempt of the Gospell These things are ensamples and are written to admonish vs vpon whom the ends of the world are come Let vs therefore beware that these heauie iudgements fal not vpon vs as they did vpon the Iewes Videte aspicite admiramini admiramini take heed againe I say take heed quench not the spirit despise not prophesying receiue not the grace of God in vaine Nemo malus nisi stultus he that is a despiser of the sauing word is an arrant foole for if hee were wiser hee would kisse the sonne and beware lest that fall on his head which is spoken of in the Prophets behold ye despisers and wonder and perish The Gospell LVKE 24.36 Iesus stood in the middest of his Disciples c. COncerning the chiefe parts and passages of this Scripture See Gospell 1.
his workes of creation and redemption and preseruation of his people though he may not read Gods priora yet he may know Gods poâ—teriora beholding him in his wonders in his words in his sacraments in his sonne principally being the brightnes of his glory and expresse character of his person as Christ in our text he that hath seene mee hath seene also my father I am in the father and the father in mee Hereby prouing himselfe to be God 1. For that we must only beleeue in the Creator and not in any creature 2. Because God only knowes the secret perturbation of the heart and if ye beleeue that I am God ye must also confesse that I am a present helpe in trouble willing and able to relieue you for if God be with you who can stand against you Why then are your hearts troubled as if he should haue said albeit I am to suffer death as man yet I will on the third day raise my selfe againe from the dead as God it is expeâ—hent for you that I dye for your sinnes and rise againe for your iustification and so prepare a place for you in my fathers house that where I am there you may be also mansionsâ— Saint Paul hauing at large disputed of the resurrection in his first Epistle to the Corinthians 15. Chapter prouing that the dead shall rise againe by manifest and manifold arguments taken out of the bookes as well of nature as of Scripture concludeth in fire therefore my beloued brethren 〈…〉 sumoutable 〈…〉 alwayes in the 〈◊〉 of the Lord for as much as we know that your labour is not in vaine So Christ in the Gospell vnto his â—ollowers In the 〈…〉 and all the wicked of the world â—all hate you for my names sake they shall scourge you in their Synagogues and persecute you from City to City not affording to much as an hole Wherein to rest your head in peace yet let not your hearts be troubled as long as in my fathers house there be mansions and I goe to prepare a place for you The Church militant on earth is often called in holy Scripture Gods house wherein he hath a great many mansions as dwelling in our hearts by faith and we likewise haue many places of preferment some being Apostles and some Prophets and some Euangelists and some Pastors and Teachers Ephes 4.11 It is true that God and we too dwell here but it is saith Iob in houses of clay whose foundation is in the dust or as Paul speakes in earthly tabernacles set vp to day and pulled downe to morrow non habemus hic manentem ciuitatem in this world we haue no continuing City For our kingdome which cannot be shaken Heb. 12.28 Our habitation which is euerlasting Luke 16.9 Our inheritance that fades not away 1. Pet. 1.4 Our dwelling place mentioned in our text by Christ is not made with hands but eternall in the heauens 2. Cor. 5.1 Our best houses on earth albeit neuer so gorgeous and neuer so glorious hauing if it be possible walles of gold and windowes of Saphire are not withstanding no better then Innes for strangers and pilgrimes 1. Pet. 2.11 Our mansions and places of abode for euer are in Hierusalem aboue which is without either death or danger Apocalyp 21.4 Wherefore seeing we beleeue in God and looke for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our Sauiour Christ who when he commeth againe shal reciue vs vnto himselfe that where he is in his fathers house there we may be also let vs say with Dauid â—â— by art thou so heauie O my soule and why art thou so disquieted within mee O put thy trust in God and hee shall one day satisfie thee with the plenteousnes of his house for there is not only roome for Christ in Gods house but also place for all his followers the mansions of heauen are many the least of all his souldiers if they fight a good fight and continue faithfull vnto death is rewarded with an incorruptible crowne of glory hauing for his inheritance no lesse then a whole kingdome Againe these mansions are many because the Saints in heauen haue diuerse degrees of glory So Paul 1. Cor. 15.41 There is another glory of the Sunne and another glory of the Moone and another glory of the Starres for one Starre differeth from another in glory so likewise in the resurrection of the dead A great vessell and a little dipped in the same well hold notwithstanding diuers measures according to their capacity so in Gods house euery chosen vessell of honour is filled vp to the brim with the water of life but the better hath vndoubtedly the bigger mansion he that held more charity here shall haue more clarity hereafter Yet as Au gustine notes vpon our text Non erit aliqua inuidra imparis claritatis quoniem regnab it in omnibus vnit as charitatis I goe to prepare a place for you It is said Matth. 25. 34. That the mansions in Gods house were prepared before the foundation of the world how then is it true that Christ at this time goeth to prepare a place Answere is made that the mansions indeed are prepared from all eternity but the men who shall inhabit them as yet were vnprepared It was expedient therefore that the redeemer of the world should die for their sinnes and rise againe for their iustification and ascend into heauen to take possession of this kingdome and to set open the doores of these prepared mansions vnto his followers as also to send vnto them a conforter and a conductor euen the spirit of truth who might leade them in the right way to this place So Saint Augustine acurely Parat quodammando mansiones mansionibus parands mansores Hee prepareth a place by making men sit for the place For election is in Christ and through Christ and so consequently none come to the Father but by the Sonne wee passe by the kingdome of grace to the kingdome of glory for without holinesse it is impossible to see God Touching other readings I referre you to lansen concord cap. 134. and Erasmus annot in loc Lord we know not whether thou goest S. Thomas and S. Philip were so good proficients in Christs schoole that their master in the former chapter at the 10. verse said of them and of the resâ— of their fellowes excepting Iudas the traitor ye are cleane and Saint Peter as the mouth of the company professed openly to whom shall we goe thou hast the words of eternall life and we beleeue and know that thou art the Christ the sonne of the liuing God And yet their faith in the houre of tentation as you see was so weake that Saint Thomas said Lord we know not whither thou goest And Saint Philip Lord shew vs thy Father and it sufficeth vs. Now these things
1 Cor. 14.22 Strange tongues are for a signe not to them that beleeue but to them that beleeue not a yong plant must often be watered at the first setting but after it is once thoroughly rooted in the ground it will easily sprout and spring without irrigation euen so the Church primitiue was a while watered by signes and tokens in those who did beleeue but being now perfitly grounded in Christ it may nor say thy wonders O Lord but thy word O Lord is a lanterne vnto my sect and a guide to my pathes The second limitation is in respect of the persons all beleeuers in the primitiue time were not workers of wonders but only some few whereof euery one had a seuerall gift as S. Paul teacheth expresly 1. Cor. 12. â—0 Are all doers of miracles haue all the gifts of healing do â—ll speake with tongues it is said indefinitly them that beleeue because these tokens were wrought at the first preaching of the Gospell vnto euery creature for the common good of such as beleeue but euery true beleeuer was not endued with a gift actually to worke these signes himselfe Iohn the Baptist albeit he was more then a Prophet yet he did no miracle Iohn 10.41 Hee had as one distinguisheth vpon this text potestatem faciendi miracula sed non actum a power to haue done many wonders if need had bin but hee did act none The meaning then of these comfortable words vttered by Christ vnto his Apostles are plaine though I goe now to my father and so leaue you yet in executing your ministry ye shall haue power to worke signes and tokens your preaching of my Gospell vnto the world shall euery where be confirmed with miracles I haue done many strange things among you yet I say vnto you verily verily he that beleeueth in me the workes that I doe he shall doe also yea greater then these shall he doe And he did performe so much as he did promise for we reade that his Apostles in his name did cast out deuils Acts 16.18 And spake with new tongues Acts 2.4 And driue away serpents as Paul Act. 28.5 shooke off a viper from his hand into the fire and felt no harme and heale the sicke as Peter Acts 9.34 There was a certaine man at Lydda named Aeneas which had kept his bed eight yeares and was sicke of the palsie to whom Peter said Aeneas Iesus Christ maketh thee whole arise and make vp thy bed and he arose immediatly Yea they did greater signes in Christs name then Christ himselfe greater in number for whereas Christ wrought all his workes either about the borders or else within the boundes of Iudea his Apostles preached vnto all the world and had the word confirmed euery where with miracles Other thinke that they did greater workes in nature maius est enim vt sanet vmbra quam fimbria saith Augustiâ—e it was a greater miracle that the very shadow of Saint Peter as hee walked in the streete should heale many sicke Acts 5.15 Then that the hem of Christs vesture should heale one woman who hauing an issue of blood Mat. 9.22 But here you must obserue that Christ said not hee that beleeueth in me shall doe greater workes then I can or then I will doe but only greater then these which I haue done Hereby signifying that they should not doe greater workes out of thir owne power but only thorough his helpe Hoc saith Euthymius est demonsiratio potentiae eius qui signa dedit non eius qui signa edit And Augustin tract 72. in Ioan. Maiora quam ipse fecit dicit eosesse facturos sed in eis vel per eos se faciente non ipsis tanquam ex seipsis He saith elsewhere without me can ye do nothing but in my name they shall cast out deuils and speake with new tonques c. The seruant is not greater then his Lord nor the disciple greater then his master nor man greater then his maker In the beginning he made the world without them and hee made them also without them and in vouchsafing to be man he made himselfe without them ipse sine ipsis fecit hunc mundum ipse sine ipsis fecit eos ipse sine ipsis fecit seipsum but alas what haue they without him excepting sinne Christ then in saying he that beleeueth in me shall doe greater workes then I doe meaneth vndoubtedly this if our heart be so troubled that ye can not now beleeue that I am in the father and the father in me yet when I am gone to the father and shall in his kingdome sit at his right hand ye shall euidently see that I am God and that I and my father are one for I will in my corporall absence from you doe greater workes in you and by you then euer I did hitherto before you So himselfe doth interpret himselfe in the words immediatly following whatsoeuer ye aske in my name that will I doe that the father may bee glorified in the sonne and againe if ye shall aske any thing in my name I will doe it The which is agreeable to the tenour of our text verse 17. In my name they shall cast out deuils c. and vers 20. The Lord wrought with them and confirmed the word with miracles following He was receiued into heauen Saint Augustine Gregorie the great and other Diuines obserue that the foure beasts mentioned Ezechiel 1. Apocalyps 4. mystically represent the 4. chiese actions of Christ in his working of our redemption The 1. beast had a face like a man the 2. like a bullocks the 3. like a lyon the 4. like a flying Eagle So Christ in his incarnatioÌ„ was found as a man in his passion as a sacrificed Bullocke in his resurrection like a lyon in his ascension as a flying Eagle mounting aboue the cloudes and sitting at the right hand of God in the highest heauens And therefore S. Marke relating here the glorious ascension of Christ addes to the name Iesus the title Dominus so when the Lord had spoken vnto them hee was receiued into heauen hereby shewing that he was Lord of all things able to command the cloudes in heauen as well as the cloddes on earth He manifested himselfe to be Lord of the seas in walking on the water without a ship and in calming the stormy waues when he was in a ship He manifested himselfe to be Lord of the land in commanding the graue to giue forth her prisoner Lazarus which had bin dead foure dayes He manifested himselfe to be commander of hell in casting out Deuils and when he did ouercome Sathan in his temptations and take from him all his armour wherein he trusted and diuided his spoiles openly triumphing ouer him and his on the crosse Coloss. 2.15 And now to shew that he was Lord of heauen and equall