strugling with death before she depart her body from which she doth not yeeld but by force of death taking from her first speech and sense and so by degrees the whole possession of hir bodie violently thrusting hir out of her seate Neither this violence of death nor this resistance of the soule may be admitted or were perceaued in the person of Christ. He might suffer nothing but willingly because the misliking of the hart is disobedience though the fact be endured Wherefore if we meane with the Apostle to confesse Christ to haue beene obedient to his death we must leaue in him both sense and will to obey euen to the last gasp and also power to breath out his soule into his Fathers hand when the time was come appointed by God for him to depart this life Againe what force created could wrest his soule from him being God and man but at his liking His owne words are none taketh my soule from me but I lay it downe of my selfe Whereon Chrysostome rightly groundeth this consequent Si nemo vtique nec mors If none then surely neither death But you would see expresse words in the Text that Christ died as I say not naturally but miraculously and then you will beleeue it Would you haue so plaine words in the text that you can not or that you should not quarrell with If you delude as your maner is the plaine words of the Scripture with kinds of speeches and large senses I see no words that can hold you but you may defend after your fashion any kind of fansie or heresie with Synecdoches Allegories and Hyperboles And though the iudgement of so great and godly fathers ioyning with the very words of the Scripture carie with it sufficient weight to a sober and religious Reader yet for your pleasure that you may see your follie I am content to cast about againe What is ponere animam in the Scripture Sir I pray is it willingly or vnwillingly to lay downe a mans soule or life You know Peters words to his Master Animam meam pro te ponam I will lay downe my life for thy sake And S. Iohns Nos debemus profratribus animas ponere We ought to lay downe our liues for our brethren And Christes Propter hoc Pater me diligit quoniam ego pono animam meam vt iterum sumam eam Therefore the Father loueth me because I lay downe my soule to take it againe In all these places ponere animam must needs be to lay downe life or soule willingly except you be so wise as to thinke that Peter in loue telleth his Master he was vnwilling to die for him and S. Iohn forwarneth vs we must not be willing to die for our brethren yea and that the Father loued the Sonne because hee was vnwilling to die for his sheepe which were Diuinitie fit for such a Doctor as you are Then tollere animam is for another to take our life or soule fromvs whether we be willing or vnwilling it should be done as appeareth by Eliahs prayer vnto God in saying take away my soule when he desired to die Resort now to the words of our Sauiour where he sayd None taketh my soule from me but I lay it downe of my selfe and see whether they inferre a peculiar maner of dying not common to others Had he meant to say no more but I die willingly as you imagine he intended pono animam I lay downe my soule had been words enow to expresse that meaning but he maketh an addition which must needs haue some force and not be an idle repetition of the same thing and likewise an opposition the contrarie whereof must be found in his death For where other mens soules are taken from them though they be neuer so willing to die as appeareth by the witnesse of Scripture I lay it downe OF MY SELFE sayth our Sauiour that is not onely of mine owne accord but by mine owne power To shew that so he doth he sayth None taketh my soule from me which they do from others I lay it downe of my selfe And lest any man should doubt as you doe whether â—…e spake of his willingnesse to die which is common to others or of his power which was proper to himselfe in full expresse and direct words to stoppe such cauilling mouthes as yours is hee addeth as a proofe of his speech I haue power to lay it downe he meaneth of himselfe as the former words conuince and haue power to take it againe this commandement haue I receiued of my Father That he was willing to lay down his soule I do not denie the word pono I lay it down proueth so much but he professeth that hee had receiued power and commandement from his Father to lay it downe of himselfe and to take it againe of himselfe This commaundement was peculiar to his person no man liuing euer had or shall haue the like this power to lay downe his soule of himselfe was as MIRACVLOVS as his power to raise himselfe from the dead since they are both compared and ioyned together These things did those ancient and learned Fathers see when they made their collections and so plaine and perspicuous are they euen in the Text it selfe that none of meane capacitie or any modestie can mistake or will outface them As for Chrysostom whom you cite hereupon he hath nothing for this point He that hath once hardned his hart and mouth against the truth will neuer stay nor sticke at any thing When you would needs out of those words He was like vs in all things inferre therefore Christ must be like vs in the manner of his death I let you see that Chrysostom auoucheth the contrary The death of Christ and his rising from the dead both these saith Chrysostom were strong and besides the common that is the naturall course of men And expounding Christs words I haue power to lay downe my soule that is saith Chrysostom I alone haue this power which you haue not In this power which he had and we haue not I trust he was vnlike vs and so Chrysostom directly refelleth your vnskilfull application of the Scripture that Christ was like vs in all things euen in the manner of his death But If it were new and not ordinarie that Christ should haue power to lay downe his life yet why may not his manhood dye naturally notwithstanding Forsooth because he vsed that power at the time of his death as he himselfe witnesseth which no man euer did or can doe As he had power which was aboue nature to lay downe his life when he himselfe would so his owne mouth testifieth that none tooke his soule from him but he layed it downe of himselfe that is of his owne accord and power when he saw his time And so Chrysostom telleth you Ita mori vires humanas excedit So to dye as Christ did passeth the power or
howbeit euen their externall punishments in this life are not voide of Gods bountie and patience diuersly blessing them with earthly things often warning and sparing them by giuing them time and place to mislike and leaue their sinnes and length-fully expecting their submission and amendment which the Apostle calleth the riches of Gods bountie patience and long sufferance leading euen the obstinate and hard harted to repentance The doubt is of the godly whether their afflictions which are corrections and chasticements for sinne rise only from Gods loue or rather from his iustice mixed with loue I affirme the Scriptures doe directly and distinctly propose in the chasticements of the elect as well iudgement and wrath as mercy and loue and that not by abusing the words but by reseruing to either their naturall proprieties and seuerall consequents the one for the commendation of Gods iustice the other for the demonstration of his mercy and consolation of the afflicted For his wicked couetousnesse I was angry saith God and did smite him ‖ but ‖ I will heale him and restore comfort vnto him He must be more then absurd that will imagine God would or could say for his wicked couetousnesse I loued him that were to make God the abettour and embracer of wickednesse which is wholy repugnant to his Diuine sanctitie and glory the words therefore must stand as they doe without any euasion of improper speech and Gods anger in this place must plainely differ from his loue which cannot be added to these words without euident impietie Since then the cause was sinne which God doth perfectly hate in whomsoeuer euen in his owne and the smiting came for sinne and from anger it is not possible this chasticement should spring onely from loue but ioyntly both must worke together I meane Gods anger against sinne and his loue towards the person to make the punishment tolerable and comfortable to the bearer The like rule God giueth for all that belong to the true seed and sonne of Dauid which is Christ. If his children forsake my law and walke not in my iudgements I will visue their transgressions with the Rod and their iniquitie with sâ—…ripes but my mercy will I not take from him God threatneth no loue to sinne he threatneth anger the stripes here mentioned are not the loue of a father but mitigated by loue the mercy here promised is not adioyned as the onely cause of this correction which is ascribed to the transgressions and iniquities of the children but it serueth for a salue to heale the wound which Gods iustice prouoked by their sinnes should formerly make For he is the God that woundeth and healeth killeth and quickneth casteth downe to hell and rayseth vp againe not working contraries by one and the selfe same loue but when he hath iustly done the one for our offences he gratiously doth the other for his mercies sake in wrath remembring mercy least we should be consumed He then despouseth the Church vnto himselfe in iudgement and mercy not in iudgement forgetting mercy nor by mercy excluding iudgement for iudgement beginneth at the house of God but retaining both that the whole Church may sing mercy and iudgement vnto him as Dauid did yet with this difference that he doth not punish with the hart as the Prophet testifieth but his delight is in mercie Which plainly prooueth the Rod is not all one with loue as the Apostle noteth when he opposeth the one against the other saying Shall I come to you with a rodde or in loue but is guided by loue lest in displeasure God should shut vp his mercies These two therefore in God iust anger against the sinnes and tender loue towards the persons of his children together with their effects which are iudgement and mercy may not be confounded the one with the other but as they haue different causes and proprieties in God so haue they different effects and consequents in vs the Scriptures bearing witnesse that Gods anger riseth for our sinnes his loue for his owne names sake his anger he threatneth his loue he promiseth he hath no pleasure in punishing he delighteth in mercie he repenteth him often of the euill which he denounceth his gifts and calling are without repentance when we call vpon him he deliuereth vs out of all our troubles his mercy will he neuer take from his nor frustrate his truth Yea the godly haue a different feeling of his anger towards them from his loue they feare they faint they grieue and grone vnder the burden of affliction they waxe weary of it they pray against it they giue him thankes when they are freed from it none of which affections may with any sense of godlinesse agree to his loue But these are no effects of Gods proper wrath you thinke Christ onely hauing wholy suffered that for vs all What you meane by Gods proper wrath is knowen onely to your selfe you neuer expresse nor expound the word but with more obscure and doubtfull termes then the former At first you affirme Gods wrath towards his children was a most improper speech I haue now shewed that if you looke to the words vsed in the sacred Scriptures Gods wrath towards his enemies is as improper a speech as the other Your second wrench was that all chastisements for sinne are inflicted on Gods children properly by his loue I haue prooued that they proceede properly from Gods iustice tempered with mercie and not from his onely loue Your third shift is now they are no effects of Gods proper wrath which Christ did wholy suffer for vs all If you vnderstand by Gods proper wrath that which is only wrath and hath no admixture of his loue fauour or mercie then is your position ridiculous in your first maine point and blasphemous in the second For who euer auouched that God punished his children and his enemies with the same degrees and effects of wrath or who euer dreamed that God chastising the sinnes of his elect in wrath remembred not his mercie you doe indeede affirme of Christ that he suffered all Gods proper wrath which if you now interpret to be without all respect of loue or fauour towards him you light on a greater blasphemie then you are ware of Wherefore looke well to your new found phrases of Gods meere iustice and proper wrath with which you thinke to colour your conceits they will else proue you a weake Scholer and a worse Christian. The word proper applyed to Gods wrath may signifie either that which is not figuratiue or that which is not common to others or that which hath no mixture of loue or mercie to mitigate wrath but is wholy and onely wrath In God nothing is figuratiue he is naturally and wholy truth itselfe The words applyed to him are often improper and figuratiue because we can hardly speake or vnderstand many things that are in him but by such words as are knowen and familiar to
had God chiefly respected the execution of his iustice against sinne his owne sonne was most vnfit to be subiected to that vengeance which was prepared for deuils but God in the recompense which he required for sinne chose rather to haue his holinesse contented and his glory aduanced than to haue his iustice inflicted to the vttermost And therefore he selected the person of his owne sonne that might fully satisfie his holinesse and maruellously exalt his glorie but on whom of all others his iustice could take least holde not that his iustice should be neglected but that a moderate punishment in his person for the worthinesse thereof would weigh more euen in the balance of Gods exact iustice than the depth of Gods wrath executed on all the transgressours The chastisement of our peace layd vpon him will proue the same For where the wages of sinne is death and death due to sinne is threefold spirituall corporall and eternall as I haue formerly shewed such was the person of our Sauiour that two parts of death due to sinne could by no rule of Gods iustice fasten on Christes humane nature The gifts of Gods spirit and grace could not be quenched nor diminished in him he was full of grace and trueth he had not the spirit by measure as we haue but of his fulnesse we all haue receiued It is my father saith he that honoureth me whom ye say to be your God yet haue ye not knowen him but I know him and if I should say I know him not I should be a liar like vnto you but I know him and keepe his word and do alwayes the things that please him The cleerenesse of trueth knowing Gods will and fulnesse of grace keeping his word beeing continually present with the humane soule of Christ most apparently the death of the soule which excludeth all inward sense and motion of Gods spirit could haue no place in him by reason the death of the soule is the want of all grace and height of all sinne from which he was free much lesse could any part of Christs manhood by Gods iustice be condemned to euerlasting death or to hell fire since there could nothing befall the humanitie of Christ which was vnfit for his Diuinitie they both being inseparably ioyned together or repugnant to that loue which God so often professed and proclamed from heauen or iniurious to the innocencie and obedience which God so highly accepted and rewarded or preiudiciall to mans saluation which God so long before purposed and promised No weight of sinne no heat of wrath no rigour of iustice could preuaile against the least of these to cast Christ out of heauen and combine him with diuels in the second death which is the lake burning with fire and brimstone There is onely left the third kinde of death which is corporall to which Christ yeelded himselfe willingly for the conseruation of Gods iustice who inflicted that paine on all men as the generall punishment of sinne for the demonstration of his power who by death ouercame death together with the cause and consequents thereof and for the consolation of the godly that they should not faint vnder the crosse nor feare what sinne and Satan could do against them It was loue then in God towards vs to giue his sonne for vs So God loued the world that he gaue his only begotten sonne that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue life euerlasting but farre greater loue to his sonne than to vs though the burden of our sinnes which we could not beare were layd vpon him For since God hath adopted vs through Christ Iesus vnto himselfe and made vs accepted in his beloued of force he must be much better beloued for whose sake we all are beloued And if to make the world by his sonne were an excellent demonstration of Gods euerlasting and exceeding loue towards his sonne to send him into the world that the world through him might be saued doth as farre in honour and loue exceed the former as our Redemption by which heauen is inherited doth passe our creation whereby the earth was first inhabited Neither was it possible that God should remit the rigor of iustice against sinne for the loue of any but onely of his owne sonne whom because he loued as deerely as himselfe and had made heire of all things worthily and rightly did the wrath of God against man asswage and yeeld to the loue of God towards his owne sonne against whom no punishment could proceed but such as was fatherly and serued rather to witnesse obedience than to execute vengeance For though you Sir Discourser in the height of your vnlearned skill resolue that Christ could suffer no chastisement but all his sufferings were the true and proper punishment or iust vengeance of God for sinne yet the Prophet Esay telleth vs the chastisment of our peace was vpon him and the word Musar which the Prophet there vseth deriued from Iasar is the proper word that in the Scripture signifieth the correction of a father towards his sonne and of God likewise towards his Church Chastise thy sonne saith Salomon while there is hope As a father chasteneth his sonne ‖ so ‖ the Lord chasteneth thee sayth Moses to Israel My Sonne refuse not the chastening of the Lord. Blessed is the man whom thou Lord doest chasten The like may be seene by those that will looke Deutr. 21. vers 18. Ierem. 2. vers 30. Ierem. 31. vers 18. Psal. 118. vers 18. The Apostle concurreth with the Prophet Esay touching Christes sufferings and sayth Though he were the sonne yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered He learned obedience which is the subiection of a sonne to his fathers chastisement he tasted not vengeance which is the indignation of an enemie requiting Yea the very death which Christ suffered in the body of his flesh was so farre from being an effect of Gods proper wrath that it was an increase of Gods loue towards him and as well the price of our Redemption as the cause of all his honor following Therefore the Father loueth me sayth our Sauiour because I lay downe my soule or life to take it againe And so much the Prophet foretolde Therefore will I giue him sayth God a part in many things and he shall diuide the spoile of or with the mightie because he poured out his soule or life vnto death Which the Apostle sheweth to be thus verified in Christ. He humbled himselfe being obedient vnto the death euen the death of the Crosse. Wherefore God also highly exalted him and gaue him a name aboue euery name that in the name of Iesu euery knee should bow of things celestiall terrestrial and infernall euery tongue confesse that Iesus Christ is the Lord to the glory of God the father All power honour and iudgement in heauen earth and hell are therefore deliuered
ouer to Christ by God and all things subiected vnder his feet because he hâ—…bled himselfe and was obedient to his father vnto death euen the death of the Crosse. Was it then wrath in God without loue that brought Christ to his death or rather vnspeakable loue in God towards his sonne which ouerruled his iustice prouoked by our sinnes and so highly accepted and plentifully rewarded the death of Christ that he made him LORD ouer all things and persons in heauen earth and hell to giue grace and peace mercie and glory to Gods elect by his meanes and merites and to inflict excecation destruction and damnation on the wicked both men and diuels by his iudgement and sentence If it were admirable loue and fauour in God towards Christs humane nature to ioyne mans flesh and spirit into the vnitie and societie of his Sonnes Diuine maiestie what inestimable honor and glory was it to put the whole gouernment of Gods kingdome in heauen and earth into Christs hands which is the reward that God hath allotted to Christs obedience patience shewed on the Altar of the Crosse So that the learned may soone perceiue I worke no deceit nor mistaking to the Reader through the ambiguitie of this word THE VVRATH OF GOD as you pretend but you wandring in the desart of your owne deuises haue fashioned to your selfe a fardle of phrases as Gods proper and improper wrath 〈◊〉 meere iustice and such like and vnder the generalitie and vncertaintie of these words you hide your head and when you are required to make some proofe and shew some parts of Gods wrath out of the Scripture which Christ suffered besides the death of the Crosse and paines thereof you answere to particularize or to specifie the parts of Gods wrath which Christ felt as I will you to doe what madnesse were it in men to attempt and what folly is it in any to require Indeede it would be madnesse in you to attempt it for thereby you should plainly disclose that absurditie and impietie which now is cloaked vnder generall and doubtfull termes but those that be godly will neuer suffer their faith to be framed by your phrases except you shew warrant of Gods word both whence you collect them and what you meane by them neither of which you doe nor can doe with any truth in these points now in question For first by what Scripture proue you that Christ did or must suffer the proper wrath of God or the punishment and vengeance of sinne I following the sense and words of the Scriptures and of Diuines both olde new which make shame sorrow paine and death in this life the effects of Gods wrath punishing sinne in Adam and his of-spring at his fall did by consequent a specie ad genus affirmatiue gather and in that respect confesse that Christ suffering those things on the Crosse suffered the wrath of God and due punishment of sinne in this life but you tell vs now the Scriptures in that point speake most improperly you haue found out that Gods wrath signifieth properly the paines of the damned and those Christ suffered for our sinnes True it is and long since by me auouched that Gods wrath against sinne extendeth to all the paines and punishments of Soule and body as well in hell as on earth and in comparison of the terrible torments of hell fier the paines and punishments of the faithfull in this life may be called and accounted rather the chastisements of a Father then the rigour of a Iudge but since you refuse that sense of Gods wrath which I collected from the Scriptures as very improper take no aduantage of my confession and let Gods wrath stand in your sense either for Gods displeasure against the person offending or for the vengeance of sinne executed on the wicked and damned I aske you now by what authoritie of holy Scripture can you prooue that Christ suffered Gods proper wrath or his wrath at all I recall not my former Resolution which I take to be sober and sound but you reiecting it as improper and deceitfull let vs see how you prooue by the Scriptures that Christ suffered Gods wrath which you so much presume and make the chiefe pillour of all your procedings In your late defence with shame enough you yeeld at last that this word HELL is not literally and expresly applyed to Christs sufferings in the Scriptures you must likewise yeeld by your leaue that this speech the wrath of God is not literally nor expresly affirmed of Christs sufferings in all the Scriptures That he was wounded for our transgressions and torne or trodden vnder feete for our iniquities and we healed by his stripes as also that he was afflicted and oppressed and bare our iniquities and poured out his soule vnto death the Prophet Esay witnesseth that he dranke of the Cup which his Father gaue him the Euangelists mention and the Apostle saith he was deliuered and died for our sinnes according to the Scriptures but none of these expresse or inferre that he suffered the proper wrath of God or full punishment and vengeance of sinne which are the phrases placed for the ground-worke of all your discourse though no way prooued by any shew of Scripture The words vsed generally by the holy Ghost to expresse Christs sufferings besides the former import that he gaue himselfe for vs to be the sacrifice the price and the ransome of our deliuerance All which wordes note no wrath conceiued against him nor vengeance executed on him but rather the exceeding loue and fauour of God towards him as the onely Sacrifice that God would accept the onely price that God did esteeme the onely ransome that God would receaue for the sinne of the world This Sacrifice was his body this price was his bloud this ransome was his death We are sanctified by the offering of the body of Iesus once ‖ made ‖ priceâ—…th â—…th Paule that is yee were redcemed with the precious blood of Christ saith Peter For we haue redemption in him by his blood And he is the mediatour of the new testament through death for the ransome of the transgressions in the former testament So that by the sacrifice of his bodie price of his blood and ransome of his death he hath made a most full recompence satisfaction and redemption for the sinnes of the world and consequently the punishment which he sustained when he bare our sinnes in his body on the tree was the full perfect purgation and propitiation of our sinnes full not in the degrees and parts of condemnation and vengeance due to sinne which the damned doe suffer as you falsely and absurdly insinuate but full in price and force of Redemption and deliuerance from sinne for somuch as Gods holinesse is highly pleased with the obedience Gods glory greatly aduanced by the humilitie and Gods iustice fully satisfied with the
members and vitall parts is so weake that they are not able to sustaine the force which bringeth great or most sharpe paine Which Chrysostome also confiâ—…meth Name fiâ—…e if thou wilt the sword or wilde beasts and if any thing be more grieuous than these yet are these scant a shadow to the torments of hell And these when they grow vehement are easiest and soonest dispatch men the body not sufficing to suffer a sharpe paine any long while Your hell paines then are not very sharpe which the wicked may suffer so many yeres in this life and not forsake either food or sleepe Yet Christ did feele you say Gods very wrath and proper vengeance for sinne and that only you know though you câ—…n not expresse the maner or measure of his feeling it And it was discerned and conceiâ—…ed by Christ to be such and so did wound the soule properly yea chiefly though it were outwardly executed on his bodic The wrath and vengeance of God due to sinne and generally to all mankinde for sinne is spirituall corporall and eternall death with all the seeds and fruits of death that is the losse of all earthly and heauenly blessings in this life and the next and the depth of perpetuall miâ—…ery in body and soule here and in hell This is the true wages and full payment of sinne and though God of his bountie and patience do often remit to the wicked in this life a great part of this 〈◊〉 in things tempo all yet when he inflicteth on them the miseries and calaâ—…ities of this life he giueth them their due And as for spirituall and eternall death now and hereafter it is so proper and certaine to the reprobate that not one of them shall eâ—…cape eâ—…ther Spirituall death is blindnesse and hardnesse of heart working all vncleâ—…nnesse euen with greedinesse which sheweth men to be strangers from the life of God and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as past all sense and feeling of God Eternall death the Scripture calleth WRATH TO COME because no man suffereth the full force and waâ—…ght thereof in this life but as it is the second death so it followeth in men after the first death which â—…euereth the soule from the bodâ—…e Yee vipers broâ—…d sayd Iohn Baptist to the Pharises and Sadduâ—…s who hath taught you thus to flâ—…e from the wrath to come Iesus sayth Paul deliuereth vs from the wrath to come In this life the wicked may haue a fearefull expectation but no present execution of this iudgement there is a day of â—…rath euen the reuelation of the â—…st iudgement of God when euery man shall be rewarded according to his works and a violent fire shall dâ—…uoure the aduersaries This wrath by the Scriptures is reserued for the vessels of wrath for euer and shall be executed on them with indignation furie and fire not onely because the wrath of God against the wicked burneth lâ—…ke fire but for that it shall be powred on them with flaming and euerlasting fire The effects whereof are reiection malediction confusion desperation and such lâ—…ke which neuer accompanie saluation To say that Christ suffered this kinde of wrath which is the true and proper wages of sinne is horrible and hellish blasphemie which I hope no Christian man will aduenture From the spirituall death of the soule which is the wrath of God reuealed from heauen against all vngodlinesse and vnrighteousnesse of men and bringeth with it the losse of all grace and goodnesse in this life and consequently leaueth the pollution and dominion of sinne in the soule of man our Lord and master must be as free as from damnation the one being alwayes a necessary consequent to the other Displeasure and wrath against Christes person God neuer had nor could haue any Christ being his owne and only sonne and so deerely beloued that for his sake Gods most iust and most heauie wrath against the sinnes of all his elect did calme and asswage for Gods inward loue doth not admit contrarieties or changes as mans doth all Gods counsels wayes and wo kes being absolutely perfect and constant chiefly towards his owne sonne whom he naturally infinitly and euerlastingly loueth in the same degree that he doth himselfe and therefore no more possible there should be in god any displeasure or dislike conceiued of his sonne for bearing the sinnes of the world or for what cause soeuer than of himselfe And since the humane nature of Christ was by Gods owne wisdome will and worke ioyned into the vnitie of the person of his sonne and made one and the same Christ with his Godhead no cause nor course whatsoeuer could alter or diminish the exceeding loue and fauour of God towards the very manhood of Christ but as God did inseparably knit it to the person of his sonne so did he make it fully partaker of that infinite loue wherewith he embraced his sonne To confirme this to all the world God did often from heauen pronounce with his owne voice This is my beloued sonne in whom I am well pleased as he forespake by his Prophet Beholde mâ—…e elect in whom my soule delighteth This vnspeakable loue of God towards the person of his Sonne now being God and man is the chiefe ground of our election and redemption For wee were adopted through Iesus Christ and made accepted in his beloued by whom wee haue redemption through his blood euen the forgiuenesse of sinnes according to the riches of his grace So that we were neither elected nor redeemed but by the infinite loue of God towards his sonne for whose â—…ake we were adopted to be the sonnes of God and to whose loue the fierce wrath of God prouoked by our sinnes did yeeld and giue place neither may he beare the name of a Christian man that otherwise teacheth or beleeueth of our election and redemption Now iudge thou Christian Reader whether it were wrath or loue in God towards his sonne that pardoned all our sinnes for his â—…ake and accepted the voluntarie sacrifice of his bodie and blood for the redemption of the world through whoâ—…e death we are reconciled to God and cleansed by his blood from all our sinnes Then as in God there neither was nor could be any displeasure against the person of his Sonne nor against any part thereof for what cause soeuer nor any chaunge or decrease of the loue which God with his own mouth professed from heauen towards Christ incarnate so could not Christ without plaine infidelitie conceaue or beleeue that God was inwardly displeased or angrie with â—…im no not when he presented him â—…elfe to God his Father vnder the burden of all our â—…innes knowing that neither sin from which he was â—…ee being the innocent and â—…mmaculate â—…amb of God noâ—… Gods most holy dislike or iust pursuite of sinne could diminish Gods fatherly affection and most constant loue to him For though he were not ignorant that God in his holinesse did hate
and abhorre the vncleanesse of our sinne and in his iustice would pursue it to witnesse his vâ—…ter dislike and detestation thereof yeâ—… for so much as Christ himselfe was holy and vndefiled euen in his humane nature and did not thrust himselfe into this action but was called and annointed by God to this honor which God would yeelde to none but to his onely Sonne and this readines of the Sonne to lâ—…ke and obey his fathers counsell and decree and to pitie our miserie by laying our burden on his owne shoulders was in it selfe so glorious to God and gratious towards man that it could not bâ—… but most meritorious and acceptable to God the Author and accomplisher of mans Redemption by this meanes what cause could Christ haue to doubt of his fathers loue towards him or of his fathers approuing and accepting his office and seruice tending wholy to the perfourming of Gods will and aduauncing of Gods glorie But God was angrie with our sinnes though not with his sonne and that Anger Christ must beare before we could be freed from it The more Angrie God was with our sinnes the more contented he was with the person of his Sonne and euery part thereof that submitted himselfe to the purpose and pleasure of God to appease his wrath kindled against our offences And that Anger Christ did vndertake to quench by satisfiyng the iustice of God in such sort as seemed best to God himselfe and not by frustrating or declining it nor by suffering the substance of the same destruction and damnation which was due to vs. Yea this very point of Christs obedience and patience enduring and so vpholding Gods iustice according to Gods owne will respecting who he was that in this wise submitted and emptied him selfe was farre more contenting and pleasing to God then if the whole world had beene condemned for sinne to hell fire For God delighteth not in the destruction of the wicked but in the obedience of his Sonne he tooke infinite delight not reuenging him with rage as an enemie but imposing a fatherly correction on him for our sinnes which in his person could extend no farder that is to none other kinde of death and in ours would haue beene the eternall destruction of body and soule Wherefore the wisedome and goodnesse of God chose out the person of his owne Sonne purposely that neither our sinnes might be remitted as trifles skant prouoking his Anger nor his Iustice meete with such as no way deserued to be respected or spared but that the burden of our sinnes might be translated from vs who were vnworthy of all fauour and lye vpon the shoulders of his owne Sonne whom in all iustice he must and did most highly loue and tender and therefore could award no farder or other punishment against him for our sinnes then might stand with the moderation and affection of a father and try the obedience and submission of a sonne Sharpe was the chasticement of our peace on that part of our Sauiour which was capable of paine and smart least God should seeme to dally with our sinnes but not such as either exceeded his strength or any way chaunged or called in question Gods fauour towards him And so our Sauiour conceaued and resolued of all his sufferings that by Gods iustice they must haue in them griefe and anguish very painfull and offensiue to his humane nature because our sinnes were very lothsome and displeasing to Gods diuine nature yet so that nothing should be laid on him which might ouerwhelme or endanger his obedience or patience and that Gods purpose in so doing was to abolish sinne and abate his wrath his iustice being thus satisfied in the person of Christ Iesus and not to execute on his owne Sonne the fulnes of that vengeance which was prepared for sinne in men and Angels And where the Discourser prateth so much of Gods VERY wrath and PROPER vengeance for sinne to be executed on the bodie and soule of Christ if he meane the very same wrath and vengeance which is prepared for deuils and shall be executed on all the damned he openly blasphemeth For then must the Sonne of God be euerlastingly adiudged to hell fire as they are If hee flie to the substance and essence thereof he foolishly cauâ—…lleth or vainely seeketh to shift his hands of open impietie For if by substance and essence of hell fire prouided for sinne he meane only a sharpe and extreame paine then by this childish sophistrie an headach or toothach a fit of an ague or pang of the stone if the paine be sharpe are in substance and essence all one and the very same which the damned now suffer in hell since he is no way able to prooue that God is the immediate tormentor of soules in hell But thus to mocke and delude the dreadfull Iudgements of God against sinne and to play with the person of Christ in so waightie matters of our saluation is fitter for Pagans then Christians and well this Discourser may multiply the miste of his words but he shall neuer be able thence to derâ—…e any light of trueth If he meane the very same paine in soule or bodie which the damned suffer he runneth headlong into that impietie which he would seeme to shun For the bodies of the damned suffer hell fire which Christs did not and their Soules apprehend that God is their enemie and not onely hateth them but hath reiected accursed and condemned them for euer which to imagine of Christs soule is to charge him with plaine Infidelitie and Apostasie Christ therefoâ—…e rightly conceaued of his sufferings and knew God to be a gracious and louing father euen to his manhood though such was the constant course of Gods iustice to which Christ submitted himselfe that the price of our sinnes might not â—…e easie in the person of our Sauiour to make vs the more warie how to prouoke Gods iustice hereafter and to acknowledge our selues the more bound to him who with his no small smart redeemed vs and withall to ratifie the fearefull vengeance of God powred on the wicked to be most iust when as the exchange of our sinnes was so grieuous to the vndefiled and welbeloued manhood of the Sonne of God Since then God could no way be displeased with the nature office or action of Christ in offering himselfe a ransome for man which God himselfe first decreed before all worlds promised by his Prophers published by his Angels testified by signes and wonders and confirmed with his owne voyce from heauen and the sufferings of Christ were tempered with Gods loue proportioned to Christs strength supported with â—…oy accepted with fauour and rewardâ—…d with all honor in him and in vs for his sake what wound could this chastisement make in the depth of Christs soule when it was executed on his body or what could the soule of Christ conceaue more then that God was in deâ—…de angrie wâ—…th our sinnes and therefore would not accept our persons being in
of his seruants and none that trust in him shall perish yea He shall redeeme Israell from all his Iniquities And so God in his owne person speaketh by his Prophet I will Redeeme them from the hand of hell I will Redeeme them from death Repentance is hid from mine eyes Here is he that first vndertooke out cause and professed and promised to be our Redeemer â—…uen the Sonne of God who being the brightnesse of glorie and the Character of his Fathers substance or liuely Image of his Person supporting all things with the word of his power made the purgation of our sinnes by himselfe that is in his owne Person Now if you being a Christian haue any bands to tie God withall besides his loue and his truth you were best shew them forth we shall otherwise take you if you stand vpon it for little better then an Arian to lay subiection or seruitude on any of the Persons in the most glorious Trinitie The word is vsed in the Scripture it selfe he was made a Suretie of a better couenant Is not this sufficient to warrant the goodnesse and aptnesse of the similitude against your vndutifull reproofes of it It is not written in the Scriptures that Christ was made our Suretie to God much lesse that he was a Suretie bound to the Law to pay our debts for vs. Our debt was euerlâ—…ting damnation of Body and Soule which either Christ or we must pay or suffer if your prophane vrging of this Similitude take place The Scripture saith He was made a Suretie of a better Testament proouing expresly by the Comparison of two Testaments a former and a weaker which was the Law a later and a better which was the Gospell that Christ was not a Suretie of the Law nor to the Law as you falsely conceaue but of a better Testament then the Law that is he was Gods assurance to vs that all his promises of â—…ercie grace and glory should stand fast notwithstanding our iniquitie indignitie and Infirmitie were neuer so vnmeete and vnworthie thereof This Suretiship of Christ to establish with his bloud the new couenant which God made with vs not we with him without all respect of our merits to pardon our offences and to make vs heires of his heauenly kingdome the Scripture mentioneth which is no more like to your Suretiship then freedome is to bondage I therefore reprooued not the word which my selfe also did vse I reprooued your seruile applying the word to bring Christ from loue and libertie which led him to be our Redeemer vnto thraldome and debt to make him thereby sinfull and defiled with our vncleannesse And is it not worthie of reproofe when a word is vsed in the Scriptures to one purpose for you to take vpon you to draw it as you list to your deuices It is plainly written in the Gospell The Sonne of man came noâ—… to be serued but to serue Will you hence presume your selfe to be Christs Master and take him bound to fulfill your Commandement as seruants must their Masters He saith of himselfe I am a worme and not a man Will you trample on him as you doe on wormes God hath giuen vs his Spirit as the pledge of our inheritance Shall we claime power ouer Gods spirit as we doe ouer pledges that are in our possession What wickednesse may not be bolstered if we stretch Similitudes vsed in the Scriptures farder then they were intended and we authorized You say Christ was not as a Suretie bound to the Law but of a better couenant euen of grace Verely a Suretie to vs of both Verely if you say that Christ was bound to vs or to the Law in both that is as well to beare our sinnes as to giue vs grace you broch two apparant blasphemies If you shift with saying Christ doth assure vs he hath done both for vs you slide from your former Assertion For that both these are done by Christ we bothagree only you would haue him when he bare our sinnes to be thereto bound and in that respect worthely condemned by the iust sentence of the Law which layeth the Penaltie on the Suretie when the Debtor cannot discharge it I told you that not onely we were in our selues to wicked and hatefull as being Enemies to haue any loue or fauour due to vs from God but also the Person of the Redeemer was so full of might and maiestie that no bands could be laid on him by the Lawe because he was afore the Law and aboue the Law that vndertooke our Redemption To this what reply yon He was a Suretie to vs of both But was he bound to vs or to the Law in either Why speake you not to that which is in Question It would well become the rest of your conceits to say that Christ was bound to redeeme vs being his Enemies and that the Sonne of God was bound to beare our burdens for vs. He promised so to doe Then the Loue of God which began it the Will which published it and the Truth which performed it are the more to be magnified by vs in the Sonne of God who could owe vs no duetie nor be bound to vs nor to the Law Those are the greatest bands that God can enter If Gods Counsels purposes and Promises be bands to barre the freedome of his fauour grace and mercie and in all these to impose on him a necessitie then is there in God no freedome but onely bondage which God forbid should come within any Christians hart He is most constant in all his thoughts words and waies which we may not thinke much lesse call debts to vs or bands to him without euident and extreame impietie but as he giueth all things to all and oweth nothing to any which the Scripture calleth his Grace whereof he is a giuer and not a Debtor so he cannot repent or change as men doe which we must ascribe to the infallible stedfastnesse of his most wise and glorious will the only Rule of all his gifts and works No band then if you know what a band meaneth can be fastned on God since that hath in it a debt which must of necessitie be yeelded whereto the partie may be compelled and forced by the right of the Law which chalenges in Gods promises are most prophane and heathenish Blasphemies It is written that Christ was made Hyponomon subiect to the Law or vnder the Law which you mightely denie against expresse Scripture You are so well acquainted with corrupting and deprauing other mens words that you make no care to doe the like to mine That Christ was vnder the Law I neuer denied no more then that he was vnder death but I said he was not bound to the Law no more then he was bound to death though he willingly for our sakes subiected himselfe to the rudiments of the Law for of those the Apostle speaketh to liue vnder them for a time
against him was no law though in loue to vs which was the fulfilling of the law he would humble himselfe not vnder the law only but vnder the worst of men to be the contempt of men and reproch of the people If the Sonne shall make you free you shall be free indeâ—…d sayth our Sauiour For the seruant abideth not in the house for euer but the Sonne abideth for euer If then when we are made the sonnes of God by faith we can be no longer seruants to the law because the law ingendreth bondage which is repugnant to the libertâ—…e wherewith Christ hath made vs free how much lesse could the manhood of Christ which not only freeth vs but was personally borne the Sonne of God be a seruant and in bondage to the law sauâ—… onely because he would humble himselâ—…e to serue in our steads This Paul learned of his master and followed in his maâ—…ter when he sayd Though I be free from all men yet haue I made my selfe seruant vnto all men and am made all things to all men that I might by all meanes saue some So that by your leaue it is a plaine errour in you because Christ submitted himselfe willingly to the lâ—…w to conclude his manhood was bound to the law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not of â—…m else in his manhood bound to the law for vs but freely and voluntarily 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gods gratious eternall decree appointing him so he became bound to the 〈◊〉 The â—…eader will finde in the end that your greatest strength is the mistaking oâ—… oâ—…her mens words and abusing of your owne For when you haue wrangled foure leaues to â—…e Christ to the true curse of the law and to hang him by the iust sentence of the same law because he stood bound with vs as a Suretie to pay our debts now at last long lingering you say he did freely and voluntarily vndertake to redeeme vs yet loth to let go you adde and so became bound to the law Sir you should tell vs Wâ—…o did â—…ely and voluntarily vndertake our redemption and WHEN For if it were vndertaken by the Sonne of God long before Christes manhood was borne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 you the Sonne of God to the law which before you disclaimed And did â—…od thiâ—…ke you eternally decree and appoint his Sonne to be bound to the Law 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 if you appoint any of the persons in Trinitie to be one bound 〈◊〉 thâ—…n another with any manner of bondage or seruice Then as the Sonne coâ—…ld not â—…e boâ—…nd because he was God No more would the Father binde the Sâ—…nne whose loue to vs ledde him to vndertake our Redemption and to binde him that was willing was to distrust him which suspition I hope you will not impure to the Father against the Sonne The Father therefore in the same loue to vs wherewith his Sonne offered to be the person that should redeeme vs accepted the offer of his Sonne and gratiously decreed with one consent of the whole Trinitie as well the manner as the meane of our redemption which decree did not binde but accept and approoue the loue of the Redeemer And when the time came that the Sonne of God would execute this decree made as well by himselfe as the other persons in Trinitie he tooke an vndefiled humane bodie and soule into the person of his Godhead which he so repleâ—…ished with the woonderfull light and supported with the infallâ—…le strength of his spirit that it most willingly embraced and most earnestly affeâ—…ted the same submission and obedience which the diuine nature of Christ was pleâ—…sed to yeeld for our redemption So that the manhood of Christ neuer hauing any subsistence by it selfe apart from the Godhead of the Sonne it neuer had any humane action or pasâ—…ion in birth life or death which pertained not to the whole person consisting of God and man And in that respect the Scriptures say God sent his Sonnâ—… maâ—… of a womâ—…n and made vnder the Law and we are reconciled to God by the death of hiâ—… Sonne the 〈◊〉 crucified the Lord of glorie and God purchased his church with his owne bloud Which speeches could haue no trueth in them as likewise our saluation no certaintie if the manhood of Christ could haue had any action or passion asunder from the Godhead The person therefore of God and man after his incarnation was subiect to the Law and euen the same person that from the beginning vndertooke our redemption and so not the manhood of Christ as you would shift the matter off but the person of God and man must be bound to the Law if our Suertie were bound May not God be bound by his promise Then must you say that God is bound to giue vs grace mercie and glorie because he hath promised euerie one of these and hath sworne to performe them and so you turne the whole Scriptures vpside downe and put your selfe in Gods place and make him your attendant and seruant because by an immutable decree he hath promised to heare vs when we call and helpe vs in time of need By this Diuinitie like to the rest of your deuices the loue fauour compassion bountie mercie trueth and maiestie of God shall be not onely a necessitie but euen a bondage vnto him which blasphemie no Christian eares I hope will enduâ—…e God therefore is a most mercifull promiser a most gratious giuer and a most faithfull performer his promises are assurances that he will giue what he saith but they are no bands that he must yeeld what he oweth because we haue neither meanes to deserue them nor â—…ight to chalenge them nor power to exact them but onely need to receaue them praier to entreat them and thanks to acknowledge them He is content to make himselfe our debtour by promise to let vs see how much we are bound to him that deseruing nothing we are yet by his mercy assured of all things Though he who ordinarily Redeemeth a prisoner from the Enemie be not bound but content so to doe yet a Suertie being content becommeth bound and so Christ our Redeemer became bound as a Suertie to pay our debt for vs. Though the Scriptures euerie where calling Christ a Redeemer and no where a Suertie to God for vs to pay our debts but Gods Suertie or assurance to vs doe by the verie name giue vs to vnderstand that God must needs be lesse bound then men which are not bound but content to redeeme others from their enemies yet you will haue your will in spite of Scriptures and Fathers and make Christ no Redeemer indeed by taking his freedome from him but biâ—…de him with your similitudes to doe that in thraldome which in loue and meâ—…cie he was content to doe for vs. And where Gods decrees and promises which aâ—…e most faithfull and firme assurances can not be called bonds in him without blaspheâ—…ie yet you will haue him bound to saue vs because he
promised to deliuer vs. And our debt being eternall damnation of bodie and soule to hell fire you will tie Christ to paie our debts without dispensation or qualification except it please you with your possiâ—…ilities to releeue him And the law to which you will haue him bound was first that which inflicted penalties on vs for sinne then it was the Gospell which shewed vs our saluation in Christ and now it is the eternall decâ—…e of God whereby Christ was appointed to be our Sauiour And all this impiety and inconstancie you build neither on Scripture nor Father but vpon the similitude of a Suertie taken from Westminster Hall where men mistrusting ech others words and willes take bands with Sureties to haue their due payed them But know you good Sir that God had no distrust of his Sonnes will and loue to vs nor doubt of his abilâ—…ty to performe our redemption and therefore bound him not as you desperately drâ—…ame when he offered to be our Redeemer but accepted his loue which could not faile and his will which could not change making no decree for the maner of our redemption but what the Sonne himselfe with the rest of the persons in Trinitie liked for the preseruing of his owne diuine iustice and shewing of his owne exceeding loue towards vs. Then as it is certaine by the Christian faith the Sonne of God could not be bound to helpe or redeeme vs being his enemies nor to humble himselfe to the forme of a seruant but only was thereto led with the loue of his Fathers glorie and of our safetie so it is euident that the same person after he had assumed our nature vnto him could not be forced with any necessitie nor vrged with any commandement against his will but the humane will of Christ was so guided and directed by his diuine will and power that it readily and gladly submitted it selfe in all things to the will and pleasure of his Father which indeed was also the will of his owne diuine nature forsomuch as the three persons in Trinitie haue all one the same glorie and maiestie will and worke And therefore aswell the Scriptures as the Fathers do plainly testifie that euen Christes manhood had power enough giuen it to withstand all that was offered him by men or diuels but that for our sakes the person would submit himselfe to the seruitude infirmitie miserie and mortalitie of our condition therein to comfort vs thereby to redeeme vs and therefrom to deliuer vs which he could not do but in his humane nature since his Godhead was impassible This fredome and power not to be bound nor compelled to any of his sufferings we must reserue to the person of Christ that his obedience might be meritorious and voluntarie not only at his first consenting thereto which is this Defenders drift but in his continuall persisting therein and finall performing thereof that is in all and euery part of those things which the wisedome of God thought requisit for our redemption When you haue done all those things sayth our Sauiour which were appointed you say We are vnprofitable seruants we haue done that which was our bounden duetie to dâ—…e Will you bring Christ within the compasse of an vnprofitable seruant by doing that he was appointed and bound to do Without thy liking sayth Paul to Philemon I would do nothing that thy good should not be as it were of necessitie but willingly If God so much respect the willingnesse of the heart that he will not haue men tied with necessitie to doe good shall we thinke that he would binde his owne Sonne to the obedience of a seruant and not suffer his submission to be voluntary that it might be acceptable and thanks worthy to God And to what purpose lay you these bands on Christ If he were willing there needed no bands besides the bands of loue which is the surest hold that God requireth of vs. If he were not willing his vndertaking our cause was neither loue to vs nor obedience to God who loueth a cheerefull giuer but a compulsion or exaction which ouerthroweth the very ground-worke of Christes submission and our saluation To preuent all lewd and wicked surmises of bonds duetie or necessitie to be layd on the Sonne of God in redeeming vs the Scriptures exactly say that Christ loued his Church and gaue himselfe for her that is he was led by loue and by no compulsion noâ—… commandement to giue himselfe for her which otherwise by no meanes could be exacted of the Sonne of God And therefore he EMPTIED HIMSELFE taking the forme of a seruant and HVMBLED HIMSELFE becomming obedient vnto death euen the death of the Crosse to assure vs it was loue that caused him to giue himselfe that is at first to offer and after to yeeld himselfe for vs which otherwise could by no decree nor band be imposed on him nor required of him And this libertie to do and suffer of his owne accord euerie thing which he in his diuine wisdome together with the Father and the Holy Ghost thought meet for mans saluation the person of Christ kept vntouched euen to his death in his death and after his death himselfe most plainly professing so much of himselfe in the laying downe of his soule that none tooke it from him but he layd it downe of himselfe and would in three dayes raise vp againe the temple of his bodie by taking his soule vnto him And this was the chargâ—… and appointment that he receiued of his Father to do and suffer these things of himselfe that is without any band force or necessitie but only of his owne accord and voluntarie obedience to that which was his Fathers will because it was first his owne good will and offer and so accepted and decreed to the whole Trinitie as a most sufficient amends for mans disobedience and a most iust and full desert of mans adoption and saluation by the meanes and merits of Christ Iesus For which cause the Scripture resolueth vs that Christ loued vs and gaue himselfe for vs to be an offering and a sacrifice of a sweet sauour vnto God that is a most willing free and acceptable seruice and satisfaction to God for all our sinnes The Catholike Fathers were very carefull to continue this Doctrine in Christs Church Nos Dominum verum hominem suscepisse credimus in ipso visibiliter inuisibilem apparuisse in ipso inter homines conuersatum fuisse in ipso ab hominibus humana pertulisse Totum autem hoc nulla fecit necessitate We Christians saith Austen beleeue that the Lord tooke vpon him the true Nature of Man and therein did visibly appeare to men when he was before inuisible and in his Manhood conuerâ—…ed amongst men and in the same sâ—…ffered the tâ—…ings which men may offer to men All this did â—…e with no necessitie To shew what Christ suffered from men Austen addeth The word was made
flagitiorum maculas morte voluntaria suo innocente sanguine luisse atque eluisse It is euident that Christ admitted receaued and suffered of his owne good will the paines due to mans wickednesse but not due to him and with a voluntarie death and his owne innocent bloud did wash and clense the spots of our filthinesse And againe It is euident the Iewes had not in their power these things or times sed sua ipsum voluntate nulla vâ—… coactum harc mortem pro nostra salute oppetijsse but of his owne accord without anie câ—…action Christ died this death for our saluation Where also this is set downe as a true position that eligendae mortis optio penes ipsum fiâ—…t the election and direction of his death was left to his owne power and choise which the whole Church of Christ hath hitherto ascribed to the power and will loue and mercie of the Sonne of God reiecting your bands and obligations lately deuised to barre the freedome and abridge the power of the Sauiour of the worlde because you would tie him to the paines of hell You see not you will say how these Fathers make against you None otherwise but that they directly denie that which you affirme Christ you say though of good will he was at first content so to doe yet after became bound to the Law to pay our debts Now he that is bound must needs obey and so you lay on Christ not onely a necessity but also a dutie These Fathers with one consent disclaime al necessitie in the death of Christ and consequently they confesâ—…e he was free from all bands and debts but in loue and mercie as a free Redeemer he would giue himselfe for vs which was a farre greater price then we were woorth or could owe. And these multitudes of men as you call them though they be not of equall strength with the word of God which is the touchstone of all trueth yet doe they plainely prooue that you innouate the faith of Christes Church which in their seuerall ages they all beleeued and professed and for their faith they haue the manifest wordes of our Sauiour that none tooke his soule from him but he laid it downe of himselfe and the witnesse of the Apostle that Christ for loue gaue himselfe for vs which argueth that he was vrged thereto with no violence necessitie nor dutie much lesse was thereto bound and you for your deuice haue the curiositie of creditours the discredite of debtours of whom men require Suerties with bands because they trust not their words and promises much lesle their willes and dispositions But this iealousie in the Sonne of God is hainous blasphemie therfore there could be no cause to bind him as there could be no distrust of him since our miserie and his mercie were motiues enough to incline and continue his loue though we leaue him at his full libertie without all seruitude or necessirie Gods decree and his owne good will was that he should satisfie and pay none otherwise for vs then so as he did There can be no question but in creating condemning and redeeming man the Father the Sonne and the holie Ghost had one and the same will and decree yet except with the Arian heretickes you make an inequallitie of the persons in the most blessed Trinitie you can impose no seruice nor suffering on the Sonne of God by any decree but what must come from his owne good pleasure offer and perfourmance And that the Scriptures euerie where imply when they say Christ loued vs and gaue himselfe for vs that is he FIRST of loue towards vs OFFERED to serue and suffer in our places and AFTER of the same loue submitted himselfe to performe his purpose and promise of our saluation So that Gods decree was no iniunction nor ordinance that his Sonne should doe it but an ACCEPTATION of his Sonnes loue and mercie towards vs and an APPROEATION that it was a most sufficient recompence for all the transgressions of men And the Father is said to giue his Sonne for vs not that he loued vs better then he did his Sonne whom he infinitely loueth as himselfe and for whose sake onely he accepteth vs not that he vsed any authoritie or power ouer his Sonne to appoint him to this seruice but that knowing the strength and sufficiencie of his Sonne to be as his owne and seeing his loue and mercie towards vs which was common to him with the rest of the persons in that most glorious Trinitie the Father out of the same loue towards vs thought it fitter to accept the offer of his Sonne then that we should perish And therefore though the Father loued his Sonne as himselfe yet he was content his Sonne should beare our burden which we could not without euerlasting destruction and his Sonne could with exceeding honour and admiration of his mercie humilitie obedience and patience If you slide from the Godhead of Christ to his manhood to binde that because it was a Creature and not the Creator by diuiding the person of Christ you runne into the heresie of Nestorius condemned in the generall Counsell of â—…phesus and yet releiue not your selfe For the person and not this or that part of his nature must be the Redeemer since neither man could saue vs vnlesse he were also God nor God could die for vs vnlesse he were also man and so did sufâ—…er death in his humane nature So that the Suertie as you call him that vndertooke our saluation not onely from the beginning but before the world was precisely the person of the Sonne of God and not the humane nature of Christ and therefore you must either binde the Godhead of Christ as our Suertie or free his manhood from all bands Neither could any of Christs sufferings be of infinite price and merite for vs except we asâ—…ibe them to the voluntarie obedience of the person since the death of a iust man could not be the redemption of the worlde but the death of that person which was more woorth then all the world If then Christs sufferings take their force and value from the person they must likewise haue their freedome and election from the person Those sentences of your Authors Gregorie Austen and Ambrose if they be spoken simply seeme very harsh where they say that Christ could haue saued vs otherwaies then by suffering and dying for vs. For herein they oppose Gods absolute omnipotencie against his expresse and reuealed will which how it may be liked in Diuinitie I know not Yours is more harsh that reprooue them before you vnderstand them and chalenge that as false which is most apparantly true by the maine grounds of Christian Religion For if you auouch Gods power to extend no farder then his works as if God could doe no more then he hath done or will doe is a manifest denying of Gods omnipotencie which is larger then either his will or his
works and though his works must alwaies be measured by his wil yet must his power be limited to neither because God is able to doe many things which he neuer did nor will doe And in his works if you bind him with any necessitie to do as he did and leaue him not at libertie to doe all things according to his owne wisdome and will you reuiue the accursed error of the Manichees against whom Saint Austen fully resolueth Nullam ergo necessitatem patitur Deus neque necessitate facit quae facit sed summa ineffabili voluntate ac potestate God then suffereth no necessitie neither doth he the things which he doth with any necessitte but with a supreame and vnspeakeable will and power So that the words of Gregorie Austen and Ambrose are most true that God had other meanes in his power to saue vs then by the death of his owne Sonne but a BETTER or more conuenient way to demonstrate his loue and mercy towards vs and to manifest his wisedome power and iustice against sinne death and Satan he had not for no Question God chose the best And why these words should offend any Christian man I see no cause since they be both sound and sober They oppose Gods power against his expresse and reuealed will You were told it is an error to restraine Gods power to his will as if he could not doe more or otherwise then he hath done but in this you conceiue them not For they doe not say God had meanes to change his will or to alter his promise once published but when he first decreed this way to saue man it was in his power to haue appointed an other way if it had pleased him So that God was not tied to determine this way by any necessitie as if the power of euill preuailed against him or choyse of other meanes failed him but this in the wisedome of God common to all three persons in that most holy Trinitie was allowed as the most honorable and acceptable way to God and most fauorable and comfortable to man And this confession which you so much controle hath beene vsed by Diuines of all ages howsoeuer you know not what to make of it in your new Diuinitie Cyprian before their time Et sine hoc holocausto poterat Deus tantum condonasse peccatum sed facilitas veniae laxaret habenas peccatis effrenibus quae etiam Christi vix cohibent passiones God was able to haue pardoned so great sinne without this Sacrifice but the facilitie of forgiuenesse would loose the raynes to vnbridled sinnes which euen the sufferings of Christ doe skant represse Nazianzene euen with the eldest of them It was possible for God to saue man without taking flesh by his only will as he did and doth worke all things without the helpe of a Body Damascene after them He was not vnable that can doe all things by his Almightie power and strength to take man from the Tyrant that possessed him Bernard likewise Was not the Creator able to restore his worke without this difficultie He was able but he chose rather to wrong himselfe then the most lewd and hatefull vice of vnthankefulnesse should haue any colour in man Zanchius resolueth the same Could not mankind be deliuered by any other meanes then by Christs death who can doubt it Solo nutu iussu ac voluntate diuina poterat It might haue beene deliuered by the onely becke Commandement and will of God Master Caluin whose warinesse you so much commend where he maketh any thing for you doubteth not in this Assertion to ioyne with Ambrose Austen and Gregorie against you Poterat nos Dominus verbo aut nutu redimere nisi aliter nostra causa visum esset The Lord might haue Redeemed vs with a word or a becke of his but that for our sakes he thought good otherwise to doe it The Booke of Homilies on which you would seeme so much to depend goeth farder then either Ambrose or Austen saith Was not this a sure pledge of Gods loue to giue vs his owne Sonne from heauen he might haue giuen vs an Angell if he would or some other Creature and yet should his loue haue beene farre aboue our deserts All these Similitudes of Mediator Redeemer and Suretie may stand very well together in the office of Christ though you would perswade vs the contrarie yea rather they confirme ech other The names of Mediator Redeemer are exactly affirmed of Christ and often authorised in the Scriptures the name of Suretie to God for vs is not he is called Gods Suretie to vs of a better Testament then the Law because God in him and by him hath assured vs of his mercie and grace in this life and of his heauenly kingdome in the life to come And if you will needs vrge the Similitude of Sureties from the course and custome of humane Lawes which appoint and admitte Sureties they vtterly exclude vs in the case that we were in from hauing any Sureties For neither in Capitall crimes nor in Corporall paines doth mans Law allow any Sureties Againe no Suretie standeth bound for a seruant much lesse for a condemned dead person Since then we were not only the seruants of sinne but for haynous offences condemned Soule and Body to euer lasting perdition and already dead in Soule by sinne no course of Law allowed vs Sureties Moreouer the Prince who is the Lord ouer the Law may be no Suretie because he is not chalengable by the Law how then will you bind the King of Kings to be our Suretie as if the most Soueraigne were most subiected to the Law besides Christ freed vs by giuing himselfe and his life for vs. What Sureties doe so Christ bought vs with a Price to be his seruants Doe Sureties buy their debtors to serue them Christ gaue infinitely more then we were worth Is that possible for Sureties Christ did change our punishment in his person from eternall death to the death of the Crosse. Haue Sureties that libertie or authoritie We rested on Gods promise for our Redemption before it was performed Know you not that a bare promise by mans Law doth not bind though God be faâ—…thfull in all his words Albeit then Christ recompenced our debt and voluntarily by his owne death discharged our danger being no way thereto bound yet since he obserued none other conditions of a Suretie and no right or Law did allow vs Sureties I see no cause why you should change the honor of a free Redeemer so much mentioned in the Scriptures into the Thraldome of a Suretie bound with vs as you say to pay our debt which was euerlasting destruction of Body and Soule Our publike Churches Doctrine also auoucheth that â—…e was our Suretie Our Church alloweth that Catechisme to be taught in Schooles to Children with whom it may be you seâ—…ke to be sorted because you
neuer waded any farder vnlesse in one or two new writers that fit your fansie It doth approue likewise and appoint Erasmus Paâ—…aphrase to lâ—…e openly in the Church for euery man that doubteth of any thing in the nâ—…we Testament to reade for his instruction and yet you will not take euery word in Erasmus Paraphrase for the publike Doctrine of the Church of England For so you should â—…oone exclude the most of your new conceits But what saith the Catechisme that Christ was bound to suffer for vs or did endure the same damnation which we dâ—…serued It sayth that Christ was our Suretie The Catechisme goeth not so farre but sayth God dealt cum Christo quasi sponsore with Christ as it were with a Suretie Christ then did voluntarily assume some similitude but not the strict and exact condition of a Suretie euen by the tenor of the words which you cite though you guilefully translate them as if Christ had beene our Suretie It is one thing to hold Christ was our Suretie and ioyntly bound with vs by law to pay our debts which is your errour and another thing to say Christ was as it were a Suretie or did of his owne accord discharge our debts for vs. The Catechisme in this very section precisely noteth that he was not bound as Sureties be but of his owne will suffered for vs the cruell and wicked rage of the Iewes in putting him to death Haec quidem illi in eum crudeliter malitiose atâ—… impiè perpetrarant verum ipâ—…e sua sâ—…onte ac volens haec omnia perpeâ—…s atâ—… perfunctus est These things before described the Iewes did cruelly malitioâ—…ly and impiouâ—… against him but he OF HIS OVVNE ACCORD and good will not bound suffered all these things And before he commeth to your words he sayth but it iâ—… not vnusuall amongst men that one should vndertake and suffer for another By which he doth not meane that by right or law one man may be bound to suffer or die for another but by liking or loue men are sometimes thereto led Otherwise the law both of God man is directly against all such suffering Sancimus ibiesse poenaÌ„ 〈◊〉 est Peccata suos teneant authores nec vlterius progrediatur metus quam reperiaâ—…r delicium We appoint say the Emperours Arcadius and Honorius that punishment shall be there where the fault is Let offences binde their committers and let no feare of punishment extend farther than to such as be guiltie of the crime Gods law doth ratifie the same The wickednesse of the wicked shall be vpon himselfe The sonne shall not beare the 〈◊〉 of the father neither shall the father beare the iniquitie of the sonne but the same soule that sinneth shall die Wherefore the Catechisme if he vnderstood what he said as I truely thinke he right-well did could not deriue Christes bodily sufferings from any band or Suertiship allowed amongst men by Law but onely from Christes loue and will which is aboue all law by which indeed he humbled and emptied himselfe to the death of the crosse for our sakes when there was neither law nor band to compell him to it Also Cyprians words are plaine and can not beare any other sense than I make of them that Christ was a verie Suretie for his people and suffered such a forsaking of God touching sense of paine and want of present feeling of comfort in his paines as the damned doe I did well to say you neither vnderstood nor liked the meaning of Cyprian for where there is nothing in Cyprians words that bolstereth your error you haue made such a construction of them or rather such a contradiction to them that few men besides you could deuise the like For by them you bring the person of the Sonne of God in his humane nature that was alwayes full of grace and trueth To haue no MORE SENSE NOR COMFORT OF GOD for the time THAN THE DAMNED HAVE From which pâ—…stilent position though you kisse your hand in it I wish all the godly to blesse themselues But let vs first see on which words of Cyprian you graffe this golden fruit and then how true it is and agreâ—…able to the faith Your foundation â—…s because Cyprian sayth of Christ Thou diddest shew anxietates illius querimoniae verba esse dilâ—…ctorum tuorum quorum personam causam assumpseras the pensiuenesse of that complaint My God my God why hast thou forsaken me to be the words of thy beloued whose person and cause thou hadst assumed What is this to your purpose or how doth this patronize your violent and wicked assertion The dolors of Christs complaint on the Crosse that he was forsaken were the words of his beloued that is Christ spake those words in the name and behalfe of his Elect that they were forsaken of God not of his owne person as Austen saith of the same That was the voice of Christes members not of the head And Leo Sub redemptorum suorum voce clamabat Christ cried those words vnder the voice of his Redeemed Now this being Cypâ—…ans plaine speech that those were the words of his Elect finding themselues for their sinnes worthie to be forsaken of God how come you to turne Christ into his beloued that is the head into the members and his beloued into the damned and then to conclude of Christ that he had no more sense nor comfort of God in his paines than the damned haue Such another leape will easily bring you and your followers from faith to infidelity and if you take not heed the sooner from the number of the Elect to the rancke of the Reprobate which take so light occasion to draw Christ into the same desperation for the time with the damned Cypriâ—…ns words you say can not beare any other sense It is not enough for you shamefully to peruert Cyprians words but you must proudly proclaime in print that they can haue none other sense than you list to like of when his speech expresly doth import the contrarie If you had auouched so much of Christes words we would desire no better interpreter then Cyprian who saith those were the wordes of Christs beloued and so that forsaking had no direct application to Christes person but a mercifull relation to his members who might often inwardly feele that they were forsaken of Gods fauor and assistance for the time though not as the damned are MEE you thinke in Christes words must signifie his person and not his members But Cyprian is expresly opposite to you in that point and saith MEE there is as much as MY BELOVED or chosen members And for this exposition Cyprian hath the manifest precedence of the sacred Scriptures in which Christ often speaketh of his members as of himselfe by the verie same words Saul Saul why persecutest thou mee that is my members whom I loue and esteeme as my selfe and this is no cauilling euasion the Iudge at the last
since Gods promises and his owne knowledge did assure him that hee was ordained and annointed of God to be the Sauiour of the world I omit that dereâ—…iction is one of the properties of the damned of which before you said there couâ—…d vâ—…terly be none of these in Christ. Now belike vpon some new inspiration from the father of lies you haue found that Christ suffered such a forsoking of God as the damned doâ—… With such mysteries of impietie and contrarietie you daâ—… be vp your new redemption by the paâ—…nes of hell and of the damned But the Apostle teacheth vs that as the sufferings of Christ abound in his members so their consolation aboâ—…ndeth through Christ. And if wee reioice in trouble knowing that suffering with him we shall raigne with him how could patience that breedeth hope in vs and maketh vs perfect exclude him from all comfort whom God did consumâ—…ate with affliction and made the Author of eternall salâ—…ation to all that obey him I adde vnto all this last of all your owne grant where you fully yeeld that Christ was our Suertie to the Law and that he did suffer iustly or in Gods iustice The vengeance of the Law say you once executed in our Suertie can no more in Gods iustice be exacted on vâ—… The name of a Suertie is not it that I mislike but your concluding from the similitude thereof that Christ was bound to suffer hell paines in our steed and was defilâ—…d and hatefull to God by our sinnes So much resemblance Christ had with a Suertie as suffering in our steedes and for our sakes to cleere and acquit vs by his sufferings but that he was thereto bound or therewith defiled these were the two points that I misliked to be drawne from the similitude of a Suertie and heerein I said the Scriptures rather make him a Mediatour and Redeemer them a Suertie I say the same still but that you doe not or will not perceaue it least you should want somewhat to quarrell with But I ouerthrow mine owne chiefe exception which I make that Christ was not our Suertie to the Law to pay our debts When I say Christ died for vs NOT AS A SVERTIE BOVND TO THE LAVV you put BOVND in your pocket to serue you an other banket against you be disposed where if you did loue trueth as well as you doe talke you would farely report though you did not fully vnderstand my words I said it was not written in the Scriptures that Christ was a Suertie to the Law to pay our debts If you haue found where it is so written shew the place and take the prize you will prooue it out of my words you say at least if you could and yet betweene my wordes and the Scriptures when you liste you can put difference enough But let vs see how you deduce it out of my words that Christ was bound to the Law to pay our debts for vs. That he did submit himselfe to the curse of the Law to discharge vs from all our debts to the Law I neuer denied the Apostle saith Christ redeemed vs from the curse of the Law being made a curse for vs that is in our steeds or to our vse The Question is whether he did this willingly freely and of his owne accord as I with the whole Church of Christ affirme he did or whether he were bound to the Law so to do which is your new found faith to defile Christ with our sinnes and to hang him iustly by the sentence of the Law You haue laboured a long while in vaine saying much and proouing nothing what now conclude you out of my words The vengeance of the Law was executed on him as our Suertie The vengeance of the Law due to vs was executed on him that of his owne fice-will put himselfe in our places by his suffering who was an innocent and the Sonne of God to ouerthrow the curse of the Law which we could neuer haue done but rather by our punishment haue confirmed it How prooue you now that he was bound thus to doe or that the Law did allow vs Suerties You haue my words make your best of them He was our Suertie May not a man as well freely when hee seeth his time discharge an others debts as if he were bound must euerie man that will shew mercy be thereto tied with bands was not the loue which the Sonne of God bare vnto vs as good an assurance as all the bands you haue brought in to make him a seruant vnder the Law that was Lord ouer the Law Those are not properly Suerties Amongst Banckrowts and Vsurers they are not but honest and able men do most desire such How much lesse then ought we to binde the Sonne of God as if his credite were crazed or haue him in suspition except he will enter an obligation to redeeme vs The debt can not now by Gods iustice be exacted on vs. And why because God in his mercie towards vs liked rather to accept the obedience of his Sonne for vs then to execute his vengeance on vs. Which since he did no way owe for himselfe being not onely a most innocent man but the most excellent Lord of heauen and earth his sufferings were in vaine if they preuailed not for vs. For vs then they were iust Farre woorse were well deserued by vs and reserued for vs if the Lord of glorie had not interposed himselfe but his willing admitting the punishment due to vs in his owne bodie did not make him guiltie of our sinnes nor woorthie of our punishment If Christes sufferings were iust in him how was he an innocent Because God is as well righteous in his fauour as in his anger and no lesse iust in sauing his elect then in condemning his enemies Wherefore Christes sufferings were not due to him by Gods reuenging iustice but in his righteous mercie towards vs he laid our burden on him who was well able to beare it and of his owne good will desired it And this suffering as an innocent with his vndeserued death to releeue others was more righteous and glorious in the sight of God by infinite degrees then if he had patiently suffered and deserued it It was therefore exceeding mercy in the Sonne to offer it and maruellous clemencie in the Father to accept it and in both most admirable loue to performe it which is neuer vniust with God And this though you for a shift call Law the Scriptures call grace by faith in Christ which is not of the Law nor by the Law that increaseth sinne and causeth anger For the Law was giuen by Moses but grace and trueth by Iesus Christ. But heereof I haue spoken enough before I may not repeat it for your pleasure Your Similitude of a Kings Sonne intreating for his Fathers Rebels is very weake and ouerthroweth if it were good a confessed point of Christs Redemption
and was infinitely more grecuous and dolefull as touching the present sense then otherwise the meere outward stripes and wounds of men were or could be Sir you haue cast out your nets all night and caught iust nothing We know the diuell can not touch any haire of our heads till he receaue power from God so to doe This our discerning and acknowledging the hand of God in setting the wicked on worke as you call it in giuing them leaue to sift his Saints as I say and to exercise his graces in them doth breede no such feare nor torment of conscience as you talke of in Christ so long as we are perswaded that God loueth vs and doth all things for the best and that the sharpest triall in this life is the speediest way to his kingdome If we that be sinfull and fraile subiected indeede to the iust remorse of our consciences can yet apprehend and discerne the rage of Satan and of the wicked armed with power from aboue to make triall of our Faith and Patience and not be dismayed nor tormented in mind in any such sort as you speake of what shall we thinke the Soule of Christ full of grace and of the holy Ghost inseparably ioyned with his Godhead in one and the same person could conceaue of these his sufferings or Satans incensing the Iewes against him but as the truth was that he well liked and God approoued and annointed him to be the Sauiour of the world and the destroyer of Satans kingdome for this obedience and patience which he should shew in admitting the Iewes to execute Satans furious rage against his Body You would haue Christ to conceaue that he was sinfull defiled hatefull and accursed of God and in that respect God was become an Enemie to him and had forsaken him but these mysteries of iniquitie and Infidelitie were farre from that holy vndefiled and acceptable Sacrifice which the vnspotted I amb of God did offer for the sinnes of the world But why shrinke you and shift you thus from pillar to post and make sometimes the immediate hand of God to be cause of Christs suffering in Soule sometimes the working or conflicting of Satan with him and sometimes Christs owne apprehension that the Iewes and the diuell were set on worke by the secret wrath of God and all this while you doe not once endeuour you say to expresse the manner of it where in deede you doe nothing but waue to fro not knowing where to stand or what to hold but only to requoile to your accustomed couerts of Gods proper wrath and indignation against sinne from which you thinke you may frame what fansies you will q Defenc. pag. 81. li. 33. In your Booke you speake directly against the maine ground of it affirming that God himselfe did nothing to Christ that is he did not PROPERLY punish him Indeede I doe defend that God with his immediate hand or power did not torment the Soule of Christ otherwise that God gaue power to the Prince of darkenesse to come against him and r Matth. 27. deliuered him into the hands of sinners to doe vnto him s Acts. 4. whatsoeuer the counsell of God had determined before to be done that I euery where confesse and anouch Himselfe saith his t Iohn 18. Father gaue him the Cup which he did drinke to shew as well the Fatherly moderation as the righteous permission of his sufferings more then which no Scripture doth enforce though it call that Gods hand or deede which God by his loue did approoue and ordaine and by his wisdome and power direct and order for the performance of our Saluation u Defenc. pag. 82. 〈◊〉 2. The very truth and Gods nord it selfe is flat contrarie to you Your fansies perhaps be very strong against me but as for the Scriptures you vse to crake a great deale more of them then you haue cause He that can tell the meaning of Iobs words when he said x Iob. 〈◊〉 the Lord hath giuen and the Lord hath taken though the Sabeans and Chaldeans tooke his Oxen and Camels from him and y Iob. 19. the hand of God hath touched me when yet Satan z Iob 2 smote him with sore Boyles from the sole of his foote vnto his Crowne shall soone disperse the mists that you would make out of the word of God 〈◊〉 is written God made him sinne for vs Yea he made his Soule sinne Which is nothing Defenc. pag. 82. 〈◊〉 else but the Lord laid vpon him the iniquitie of vs all You shew your skill and vnderstanding in the Scriptures To prooue that God with his immediate hand did afflict and torment the Soule of Christ you note that God did appoint him to be the Sacrifice for sinne and that Christ accordingly did offer vp his Soule or life to be disposed at Gods pleasure What is ment by sinne in those words of the Apostle God made him sinns for vs I haue largely shewed before whence you may conclude that God did appoint and approoue Christ to be the Lamb that should take away the sinnes of the world because he was vndefiled and accepted of God as a most sufficient exchange or recompence for the sinnes of men but torment from the immediate hand of God these words doe not touch and therefore you might haue as well saued your Paper as lost your paines The next words that Christ made his owne Soule or life an offering for sinne to what purpose you bring it I can not ghesse except it be to let your Reader see that you doe not vnderstand whereabout you goe For how doth Christs giuing of his life for many proue that his Soule was afflicted by the very hand of God Had Gods immediate hand tormented his Soule when he commended his Spirit into his Fathers hands by your Doctrine he commended it not to rest but to Torment This is nothing else you say but the Lord laid vpon him the iniquitie of vt all Then none of these three Texts come any thing neere your intention that God with his owne hand laid the punishment of our sinnes on Christ since the last word by which you expound the rest inferreth no more but that God caused or made our sinnes to come against him In which words as in all the rest implying any such thing the Prophet meaneth God was the Supreme Cause and Author of all Christs sufferings which I no way deny but not the immediate executioner with his owne hand as you haue lately deuised and now would prooue if you could tell how This Phrase in the Scriptures that God DID these or these things concludeth not that he did them with his immediate hand but that he was the Decreer director and disposer of those things by his iust Iudgement to punish sinne or by his wisdome to make triall of his Saints God vsing for his Ministers and executioners Men or Angels good or bad as seemed best to his heauenly
submission and Sacrifice as a sufficient recompence and Satisfaction for the sinnes of the world Againe he certainly knew that Gods displeasure against our sin in loue would not in Iustice could not extend to the dissolution râ—…iection or dâ—…struction of his Person but that God would temper the punishment of our sinnes in his Body where he bare them that neither his obedience nor patience should be wearâ—…ed or ouerwhelmed And to that ende the Scripture plainly testifieth that Iesus i Iohn 13. knew the Father had giuen all things into his hands and so whatsoeuer Christ suffered was a triall of his obedience to which he most willingly submitted himselfe that neither the burden of our sinnâ—…s might seeme a sport to him nor his case common to him with the desperate and damned persons Christ then neither did nor could apprehend or discerne any wrath of God kindled against his person as the reprobate feare and the damned find neither any purpose in God to punish sinne farther than by the death of his bodie to purge it and abolish it nor the measure of paine determined to be sharper then his humane patience could without repining or refusing endure Wherefore though I willingly grant as much paine in Christes sufferings as his patience could sustaine without declining or disobeying yet see I no point wherein the sufferings of Christ either apprehended or inflicted did concord with the paines of the damned As for the terrour of Gods anger against sinne which wrought in Christ submission not confusion and sorow for sinne conceiued for that God was thereby iustly displeased these and all such religious FEARES sorowes tremblings I easily yeeld to the soule of Christ which were sacrifices in Gods sight of inestimable price and very painfull though very faithfull submissions and passions of the inward man The farther proofe of these I referre to the place where I shall speake of Christes agonie and in the meane time assure the Châ—…istian Reader that neither this Praâ—…er nor all his compartners shall euer be able by the sacred Scriptures to make any proofe of any farther or other sufferings then I haue specified Whether the paines of bodie or soule in Christ were greater or sharper I take it to be a needlâ—…sse and fruitlesse question The paines of Christes body were proportioned The paines aâ—… well of Christes sâ—…ule as of his bodie were equall to the strength of Chrâ—…stes patience to the strength of his patience and so were his feares and sorowes and in either the soule was the part that felt the smart and discerned the cause And if we balance these things by the consequents of nature since the paines from the body doe in this life by their vehemency separate soule and body farre sooner and oftner then sorowes and feares of minde except in present and ouerwhelming euils which coole quench and ouerthrow the spirits with more speed though with lesse paines then the sharpnesse of Christes bodily paines hauing no release nor ease but perfect sense and continuance did pinch as neere not as the paines of the damned but as the passions or affections of Christes soule hauing fath and hope to support them and comfort and ioy proposed to mitigate them And euen in the damned both men and diuâ—…ls whence you would seeme to fetch your president for Christes sufferings whether thinke you are the sharper the paines which they now feele before the day of iudgement or the violence of fire which shall then exceed all the paines they now suffer For both the diuels and the damned haue as much griefe of reiection confusion and desperation and as mighty terrors and inward torments of minde as they are capable of and yet neither of them haue their sharpest punishments Of the diuels the Scriptures say k Iude epist. vers 6. They are reserued in euerlasting chaines vnder darkenesse vnto the iudgement of the great day And the spirits themselues could say to Christ l Maâ—…th 8. Art thou come to torment vs before the time Of the wicked Peter sayth m 2. Pet 2. God knoweth how to reserue the vnâ—…ust vnto the day of iudgement to be punished And n Rom. 2. thou sayth Paul to euery one of them according to thine hardnesse and impenitent heart heapest vp wrath to thy selfe against the day of wrath and reuelation of the iust iudgement of God By which it is plaine that the terrors and torments of minde presently felt by the deuill and the damned are farre lesse then the vengeance of externall and eternall fire reserued and then augmented on all the reprobate both men and angels o Defenc. pag. â—…0 li. 4. The greatest paines are no more sinne then the least Therefore by your owne graunt Christ might and did feele and endure the grâ—…atest sorrowes of the minde and soule as well as the lâ—…sser in the bodie Paines if they be onely paines and nothing els are not sinne and therefore the suffering of hell fire is no sinne but the terriblest punishment of sinne that men or angels shall feele yet terrours and torments of minde are increased by doubt feare or despaire of Gods goodnesse towards vs which are sinnes in this life where grace and mercie are proposed and could not be in Christ without intolerable infidelitie after so plaine and plentifull assurances of Gods loue and fauour towards him Take therefore from Christ all doubt and distrust of Gods anger and displeasure towards his person and then it is euident that neither his apprehension of Gods wrath was the same that the damned and desperate feele noâ—… any way so sharpe as if Christ had conceiued God to be displeased with him or purposed to destroy him as the wicked are perswaded of Gods indignation against themselues Christes sufferings then were wrath to the sense and feeling of mans nature but his Christs Faith did not faile in the sharpest of his paineâ—… faith in the sharpest of his paines beheld the setled and assured loue of God towards his person and he not only called God his Father in all his afflictions but out of his owne power he gaue the thiefe that confessed him on the crosse the inheritance of Gods kingdome that present day together with himselfe So that he was more then perswaded or resolued of Gods fauour and faithfulnesse who tooke vpon him in the midst of his sufferings to giue the kingdome of heauen to such as acknowledged and beleeued in him though the chastisement of our sinnes in his body and soule were by Gods iustice and his owne consent very sharpe and bitter vnto him that his loue to vs and obedience to his Father might appeare the more fully not in peace ease and dalliance but in sorrow paine and grieuance by which ardent and constant loue is tried as golde in the fire Whereby it appeareth that all your talke of Gods wrath against Christ equall with the damned or reprobate hath no trueth nor sense in it but is a meere and
might and did punish properly Christes soule also and yet neuer deuide his Godhead nor his loue from it The one standeth with Gods iustice and with the nature of man in Christ as well as the other A wanton colt when he winceth with his heeles thinketh he can batter walles and beate downe trees with a blow when yet the skittish thing doth but hurt it selfe Is this the reason which weakened all that I said in so manie sides against the death of the soule for of that I speake in all those pages which you quote Neede you a paire of spectacles so see the difference betweene the death of the soule and the death of the bodie that you so falsely idlely and foolishly match them together A verie drone would soone discerne that the death of the bodie innocently obediently and patiently suffered could no way separate Christ from the fauour and loue of God nor hinder the worke of our redemption though it depriued hiâ—… of life sense and motion in the bodie for the time which are the good blessings of God when they are vsed to his glorie and yet the death of the soule which leaueth neither action affection nor communion of grace trueth or faith in the soule seuereth both Soule and body quite from God and maketh them hatefull vnto God and altogether vnapt to reconcile others vnto God when they themselues are disioyned and parted from God And therefore notwithstanding your Crakes that you can blow mountaines afore you with your breath and your craft that shift the death of the Soule whereof I speake in all those places into a proper spirituall punishment of your owne framing you haue not auoyded any one Reason there nor offer so much as to come toward the matter in question but roue after your wonted manner with generall phrases proper to your selfe and then thinke that no man seeth you there are other punishments in the Soule besides death but none that can reconcile vs vnto God For b Rom 5. We were reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne c 1. Cor. 15. I declare vnto you saith Paul the Gospell which I preached vnto you and whereby you are saued For first of all I deliuered vnto you that Christ died for our sinnes according to the Scriptures Then you and whosoeuer else that preach or beleeue Remission of sinnes by any thing else but by the death of Christ you preach not the Gospell which the Apostle deliuered neither can you looke for saluation in Christ that leaue the maine ground thereof which is the death that he tasted for all and through which he destroyed him that had the power of death euen the diuell So that to step to any other spirituall punishments for the satisfaction of our sinnes and reconciliation to God then to that which the Scriptures call the death of Christ and the death of the Crosse is to renounce all that God hath ordained or reuealed for our Saluation and to create you new Sauiours after your owne conceits You must therefore be directly and plainly brought to this point whether Christ suffered for vs the death of the Soule by the Scriptures and not such giggers of proper punishments nor straines of improper speeches as you and your friends hunt after but fairely and fully according to the direction of the sacred Scriptures which must be heard and preferred before all your fansies as well touching the death of the soule as the trueth of our redemption by the bloud of Christ Iesus Wherein though I exclude not the sense and affections of his soule which felt the paine knew the cause and beheld the counsell of God in all those sufferings vndertaken for man through the tender loue that he bare to man yet none of those feares sorrowes nor paines which the soule discerned and receiued did any whit diminish the power of Gods spirit and grace in him nor the perfection of his faith hope and loue whereby the soule cleaued fast to God without any separation and consequently the innocence obedience and patience of Christes soule in his sufferings both outward and inward did confirme and manifest the life of his soule But of this more in due place d Defenc. paâ—… 90. li. 27. Then you addresse your selfe against another euen one of the chiefest reasons of mine which I make from the strange and incomparable agonies of Christ in the time of his passion You make no reasons from Christes agonie but assuming that for a shew which you do not vnderstand you inferre what you list by your rash presumptuous and manifest contradictions both to your selfe and to the Scriptures e Ibid. li. 30. These inuaded him as we reade principally at three times First in the foretaste of his passion Ioh. 12. secondly in the Garden a little before his apprehension thirdly in his very extreame passion it selfe on the crosse The Scripture mentioneth one agonie and you multiplie that to three In the twelfth of Iohn when some of the Grecians that came to worship on the feast of Easter were desirous to see Christ of whom they had heard much and made their desire knowen to Philip and he to Andrew and they both to Iesus Iesus answered them f Iohn 12. The houre was come euen at hand that the Sonne of man should be glorified by his death This therefore was not a time to shew himselfe when his heart or soule was troubled with other matters euen with the meditation and preparation of his death Now except you be so wise that you will make euery affection in Christ an agonie there is no cause to conceiue this to be an agonie He often times thought and spake of his death before where no man besides you doth dreame of agonies and this verie word is in other cases ascribed aswell to Christ as to others where no colour of an agonie doth appeare When he tolde his Disciples that one of them should betray him g Iohn 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he was troubled in spirit and meaning to raise Lazarus from death when he saw Mary the sister of Lazarus and the Iewes that were with her to weepe h Iohn 11. he groned in spirit and troubled himselfe insomuch that he wept which yet was no agonie but a touch of humane compassion shewing the loue he bare vnto them The complaint on the crosse besides the words had no shew of an agonie and what sense they beare we shall after examine Verily he that would not suffer his owne Disciples to beholde his agonie in the Garden would neuer in the eyes or eares of his enemies with his owne deeds or words verifie their reproches and taunts against himselfe as if he were forsaken of God which was the thing they vpbraided him with And therfore you may deuise not three but threescore agonies if you will The Scripture expresseth one and that you neither rightly conceiue nor rightly vse i Defenc. pag. 90. li. 35. To all that
of this iudgment Christ before expressed when he said and I if I were exalted to the Crosse will draw all men vnto me And after when rising from his feruent praier he said z Marke 14. Behold the sonne of man is deliuered into the hands of sinners As also to the Iewes that came to apprehend him a Luke 22. This is your verie hower and the power of darkenes as likewise to Peter when he b Iohn 18. drew his sword and smote the high Priests seruant and cutt of his right eare put vp thy sword into thy sneath b Iohn 18. shall I not drinke of the cup saith Christ which the Father hath giuen me The fruit of this Iudgment is euerie where specified in the Scriptures c 1. Pet. 2. Christ bare our sinnes in his bodie on the Tree by whose stripes ye were healed that being deliuered from sinne wee should liue to righteousnes What need you then so curiously question Against whom or in what cause sate God in iudgment now when Christ was thus astonished and agonized God sate in iudgment to receaue satisfaction for the sinnes of his elect at the hands of his owne Sonne by his humilitie and obedience vnto death d Defenc. pag. 93. li. 3. Of necessitte it must be one of these three wayes First Gods maiestie and great iustice now at this time might sit in iudgment against vs and so consequently yea chiefly against Christ himselfe as our Ransomepaier Suertie in our steed e li. 16. Secondly God might be considered now as iudging Satan the Prince of this world f Pa. 94. li. 40. Thirdly Gods matestie iustice may be considered sitting in iudgment meerely against sinfullmen You be copious where you neede not and carelesse where most cause is you should be circumspect to make an idle shew of small skill you bring here a TRIPLE iudgment of God First against vs and Christ our suertie Secondly against Satan Thirdly against sinnefull men which were either elect or reprobate as though one and the same iudgment of God for mans Redemption did not concerne all three to witt Christ as the Redeemer Gods iudgement for our redemption concerneth Christ men and Satan Satan as the accuser the Elect as the ransomed leauing the reprobate in their sinnes through their vnbeliefe vnto the dreadfull day of vengeance In that the Redeemer was by this iudgment receaued and allowed to make satisfaction for the sinnes of his elect Satan was excluded from all place and power to accuse them for sinne or to raigne ouer them by sinne and the purgation of their sinnes which should beleeue in Christ being made by the Person of the Sauiour they were reconciled to God by the death of Christ and discharged from the wrath to come the anger of god remaining on such as by faith obeied not the sonne of God Saue therfore your fruitlesse paines in the rest and shew why the beholding of Gods power and iustice now sitting in iudgment to redeeme the world and to receaue recompence from the person of Christ for the sinnes of men might not breed a religious feare and trembling in the humane nature of Christ. g Defenc. pag. 93. li. If you meane that thus Christ with submission beholding his Father in iudgement at this time was cast into this agonie it is the verie trewth and the same which we maintaine You take this for a shew to build your fansies on but as your maner is you abuse trewthes to serue your turnes Let it stand for good that Christ now beheld his Father Christ might beholde the power of his Fathers wrath against sinne and yet not feare the vengeance due to the wicked sitting in iudgment to require recompence for the sinnes of the faithfull what followeth that God awarded the selfe same vengeance against the person of Christ that we had deserued and should haue suffered if we had not beene redeemed This is a false hereticall and blasphemous conclusion no way coherent to the premisses and no way consonant to the Scriptures For then finall destruction desperation confusion and euerlasting damnation of soule and bodie to hell fire which without question were the wages of our sinnes as we may see by their example that are not clensed from sinne by the bloud of Christ must without reseruation or remedie haue lighted on the person of Christ. If that vengeance of sinne which was due to vs could by no iustice be inflicted on the person of the sonne of God no not if he had borne the sinnes of the whole world how then could the doubt or feare of his punishment on himselfe cast him into this agony you will release him of the circumstance but tie him to the substance of the selfe same pains which the damned endure When you sitt in iudgement on Christ shew your wicked and witles conceits as much as you list but the father to whom of right it appertained sitting in iudgment to receaue 〈◊〉 from the person of his sonne who was most willing thereto ne did ne could by iustice determine any thing against his owne sonne that should either derogate from the person of Christ or abrogate the loue which God professed and pronounced so often from heauen towards him God might haue condemned vs that most iustly deserued it but to adiudge the same condemnation to his owne Sonne was simply impossible to the Iustice holines trueth and loue of God For so the vnion of Christes person must either be dissolued which god hath faithfully sworne and mightily wrought or els the second person in Trinitie must haue tasted of the same vengeance with the damned and with the Diuells which is a blasphemie that the Diuell neuer drempt nor durst to broche h Defenc pag. 93. li. 8. This 〈◊〉 not but that Christ had recall paines inflicted from the Father as from the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 against vs in him who were thus acquited by him Not denying is a slender proofe of that which you should with most infallible certaintie conclude 〈◊〉 you did a 〈◊〉 If Christes manhood might and did righteously and iustly seare and tremble at the glorie power and maiestie of God sitting now in iudgement to proportion the price that should be payed for mans ransome how doth that 〈◊〉 the reall paines of the damned were inflicted on the soule of Christ at that instant except in madde mens conceits which respect more their pangs than their proofs and preferre their willes before the wisdome of Gods spirit or witnesse of mans reason All iudgement against sinne you will say tendeth vnto condemnation No iudgement against the Sonne of God could proceed vnto damnation for what or whose sinnes soeuer And therefore to me and to all that obserue the words of the Holy Ghost it is a cleerer case than the Sunne-shining at noone day that we are reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne and healed by his stripes who bare our sinnes in
disputation that manie here vndertake whether this wish were lawfull or vnlawfull If Paul refâ—…ained thus to wish because it was neither lawfull nor possible actually to obtaine it how senselesse and truethlesse are your foure obseruations grounded vpon the possibilitie and pietie of this wish whereas all men of any iudgement or vnderstanding conclude the cleane contrarie but such is your cariage that except you may crosse the resolutions of all men you thinke your selfe no bodie Be famous therefore in your follie that bring impossibilities and impieties for the chiefe foundation of your late sprung faith your Reader I trust will require some better proofe before he giue you allowance in matters of such moment as these be m Defenc. pag. 97. li. 1. Thirdly that extraordinarily there is greater loue among meere men then only to die bodily one for another though vsually and ordinarily a greater cannot be found among men which is it that Christ meaneth but how much more then may the loue of Christ toward his elect be farre greater contrarie to your assertion pag 107. 108. Your doctrine is all extraordinarie The Defendâ—…r sayth the Scriptures â—…re ordinarily true that is sometimes false that no ordinarie rules of the Scriptures can stand with it Howbeit in this you chalenge Christ and not mee who saith n Iohn 15. No man hath greater loue then to lay downe his life for his friend That is ordinarily true you say but extraordinarily false Then extraordinarily by your supposition Christ sometimes speaketh an vntrueth though it be not ordinarie with him so to doe which honor you yeeld to the rest of the Scriptures For when you can not otherwise auoid them those you answeare are the o Defenc. pag. 96. li. 32. ordinarie and common rules of the Scripture But your doctrine consisteth of extraordinarie Rules which are no where found but in your owne braine You haue heard Chrysostome Photius and Zanchius auouch who are the chiefe commenders of the exposition which you would seeme to follow that Paul neither did nor might preferre the loue of his Countriemen before his owne saluation and communion with Christ but that his principall respect in this wish was his loue to the glorie of Christ which he more esteemed then his owne soule So that nothing did hinder Paul to preferre Gods glory before the safety of his owne soule and yet Christes rule to stand true that no man hath greater loue then to lay downe his life for his friend Neither was it the death of the Soule that Paul wished since he would by no meanes as these old and new writers obserue be seuered from the loue and fauour of Christ but from the ioy and honour that is laid vp for the saints of God Peter Martyr is of the same opinion with them p Pet. Martyr in ca. 9. epist. ad Romanos Neither doth Paul in this place say he wished to be separated from the loue of God nullo enim modo voluisset ab illo amando desistere for by no meanes would Paul haue ceased from louing God only he wisheth to be excluded from the blessednesse and fruition of God And this euerie one of vs ought to be willing vnto euen lesse to regard his owne eternall happinesse then the glorie of God Now he that still loueth god and is beloued of him by no meanes can suffer the death or curse of the soule mentioned in the Scriptures q 1. Cor. 16. if any man loue not the Lord Iesus Christ let him be Anathema maranAtha that is accursed in the highest degree then could not the same curse befall him that loued Christ dearer then his owne soule but the words of our Sauiour must needes be verified in him r Maâ—…th 10. he that looseth his soule for my sake shall find or saue it So that neither of your suppositions are true either that Paul preferred the loue of men before the safety of his owne soule or that for their sakes he was content to die the death of the soule mentioned in the Scriptures which is a separation as well from the loue and trueth of God as from the glorie and felicitie of God And your comparison for which you intend all this and wherewith you would crosse my assertion is most vntrue that Christes loue to his elect led him to die the death of the soule or to forgoe the fauour and fellowship of God for their sakes For the coniunction of Christs manhoode to his Godhead being personall was farre greater and nearer then the knitting of Paul or Moses vnto God and if that vnion were broken all the workes and sufferings of Christs manhoode were no way able to bring vs to God Christ could not be content to be separated from God for vs. Wherefore it were a thing extreamly impious in the manhood of Christ and no lesse dangerous to our saluation for him to be content to be vtterly seuered from the vnion and communion of the diuine nature with which he was personally ioined and though your imagination of Moses and Paul be false enough and altogether impossible yet to dreame the like of Christ is the higth of all impietie Neither doth that diminish his loue to vs since there was no need thereof for vs his other suffrings being sufficient in the iust and exact iudgement of God and the loue that led the second person in Trinitie to lay aside for the time the full and perfect fruition of his glorie and equalitie with God his Father and in our flesh to emptie and humble himselfe not only to the infirmities of our nature and miseries of our life but euen to the shame and paine of our death on the Crosse farre exceeded all the loues that men or Angels could shew vnto vs. For there is more distance betweene the glorie and Maiesty of God and the sense and shame of our miserie and mortality then betwixt the saluation or damnation of men or Angels Wherefore Christs loue to vs may not be diminished or made inferiour to the loue of creatures though he were not damned for our sakes since that ineuitablely and irreuocablely would haue fastned vs to a greater condemnation and no way saued vs whereas now his vnspeakable fellowship with God hath recalled vs all from the damnation due to vs to be partakers of the loue and grace that eternally and infinitely he possessed with God s Defenc. pag. 97. li. 6. Fourthly we see here these holy men without feeling any paines inflicted by Gods wrath but only through an earnest and mighty compassion of loue had their minds drawen so wholy to thinke on this speciall thing aboue their reach that during the time they turne not themselues to any other cogitation t li. 17. This you acknowledge may be in men and yet you will not scoffe at them as cast into a Traunce by it nor reproche them with infernall confusion How much lesse ought you so to deale with Christ.
crosse top to toe and hanging in that plight now three houres on the crosse when the paine was greatest and himselfe weakest his sense was quickest which could not be ouerwhelmed in him as it is in vs but he endured most horrible anguish all that time and therefore when his patience was at the highest proofe he had more than reason to complaine that he had long beene left in that extremitie without assistance or deliuerance and he that doubteth thereof sheweth that his fansie doth ouerrule his reason and his will doth vndermine his wit b Defenc. pag. 109. li. 35. Note this well that no godly 〈◊〉 nor martyr did euer ascribe thiâ—… forsaking of themselues to God in the time of their martyrdomes But note this better that you auouch a notable â—…alsehood euen against the expresse witnesse of the Holy Ghost When the Angel of God c Iudg. 6. v. 13. appeared to Gedeon and sayd vnto 〈◊〉 The Lord is with thee thou valiant man Gedeon answered Aâ—… my Lord if the Lord be with vs why then is all this come vpon vs did not the Lord bring vs out of Egypt but now the Lord hath forsaken vs and deliuered vs into the hands of the Midianites So the godly by the mouth of Ieremie d Ier. 14. v. 8. 9. O the hope of Israel the 〈◊〉 thereof in the time of trouble why art thou as a stranger in the land and as a strong man that can not belpe thy name is called vpon vs forsake vs not And speaking of the captiuitie of Gods people sayth e Lament 〈◊〉 vers 5. 20. Our necks are vnder persecution we are wearie and haue no rest Wherefore doest thou forget vs for euer and forsake vs so long time Yea the godly in farre lesse afflictions than was Christ on the crosse haue vsed farre more grieuous complaints f Psal. 89. Thou hast reiected and abhorred thine aneinted thou hast broken the couenant of thy seruant and profaned his crowne to the ground Lord how long wilt thou hide thy selfe for euer shall thy wrath burne like fire Now if martyrs doe not confesse before their enemies and persecuters that God hath forsaken them what is that to this purpose so long as they in their prayers to God desire him not to forsake them and their flesh in their torments strugleth and striueth as neither willing nor able to beare the burden Againe Christs praiers made with so loud a voice in the eares of all his aduersaries had an other meaning then to acknowledge as they obiected vnto him that he was indeed forsaken of God which was to hasten now the time of his death for an end God shewed by the present 〈◊〉 that he had not forsaken his sonne of his paines and to besecch his father that had all this while forborne to shew any open signe of liking and loue towards him being so much afflicted and reproched by the Iewes now when he should leaue this life to let them all see how much God regarded and glorified the person of his Sonne both which God accordingly performed for straightwayes with a second prayer Christ commending his spirit into his Fathers hands did voluntarily but miraculously breathe out his soule and g Matth. 27. vers 51. BEHOLDE sayth the Scripture that is immediatly and to all their admirations the vaile of the Temple did rent in twaine the earth did quake the stones did cleaue h 52. and the graues did open which things were so fearefull and wonderful that when i Vers. 54. the Centurion and they that were with him watching Iesus saw the earth Quake and the things that were donne they greatly feared and said truely this man was the sonne of God Here is the intent and effect of Christes complaint on the crosse expressed that when he had now three howres endured most extreame paines in all parts of his body and heard the insolent and pestilent reproches of his persuers obiecting to him that he did falsely call himselfe the sonne of God since in his greatest necessity God did neither deliuer him nor any way regard him he at the time appointed by his father made his complaint to God with a loude voice that they all might heare him that he was now a long time forsaken that is LEFT in this anguish and ignominie without any shew of his fathers loue towards him Whereupon presently Christ before k Iohn 18. Knowing all that should come vnto him and so knowing what should be the issue of this his praier to his no small comfort was permitted to breath out his soule with greate power and the temple the earth the Rockes renting shaking and cleauing asunder gaue manifest testimony to those that watched him that he was the son of God for so much as all these thinges were done at his petition to declare that God had not forsaken his sonne though he suffered him to dy that death on the crosse for causes then to them vnknowen And so this praier which you would haue to be a most mournefull and vncomfortable complaint of inward forsaking in soule and spirit was an effectuall and powerful praier prouoking God his father to demonstrate by most maruailous signes and wonders the exceeding loue and honour that he bare to the tormented and despised person of his sonne This Athanasius obserued before me Loe saith he l Athanasius contra 〈◊〉 oratio 4. vpon Christes speach why hast thou forsaken me the father shewed himselfe to be euen then in Christ as euer before For the earth knowing her Lord to speake straightway trembled and the vaile rent in twaine and the Sunne did hide himselfe and the Rocks claue insunder and the Graues were opened and the dead in them rose And that which was no lesâ—…e maruailous the standers by which before denied him seeing what came to passe confessed him truely to be the sonne of God This Bernard saith was the dereliction that Christ ment in his complaint m Bernardus dâ—… verbis Esaiâ—… Serm. 5. Quasi quâ—…dam ibi derelictio fuit vbi nulla fuit in tanta necessitate virtut is exhibitio nulla maiestatis ostensio There was on the Crosse a kind of forsaking of Christ where there was in so great necessity no demonstrance of his power no declarance of his maiesty n Defenc. pag. 110. li. It is a great shame to imagine that Christ was lesse able to endure such a dereliction or that he would thus complaine and mourne for it onely It is a greater shame and sinne first to mistake and then to disgrace the wordes of Christ. What rule either of reason or pietie could hinder our Sauior when his time drew neere that he would die and ease himselfe of his exceeding paines on the crosse earnestly to call to God euen now to declare which he had all this while refrained what account he made of that person whom the Iewes and Gentils so much despised and oppressed was it any shame
de Trinitate li. 10. Derelinqui se ad mortem questus est sed TVNC confessorem suum secum in Regno Paradisi recepit Christ complained that he was forsaken or left vnto death but EVEN THEN he receiued the Thiefe that consessed him into the kingdome of Paradise iointly with himselfe Ambroses words are u Ambros in Luc. li. 10. de commendatione spiritus in 〈◊〉 Patris Clamauit homo diuinitatis sepâ—…ratione moriturus The man Christ cried not then dead in soule when he cried as you would haue it but ready to die or that after should die when he yeelded his spirit into his fathers hands The very next sentence before sheweth that this departing was of the diuinity from the body to leaue that vnto death x Ibidem Euidens manifestatio contestantis Dei secessionem diuinitatis corporis A manifest speach of God witnessing the departure of his diuinity from his bodie So that by no meanes Ambrose euer imagined that Christes soule died but as he expresseth himselfe in the same Chapter y Ibidem Caro moritur vt resurgat spiritus Patri commendatur vt pax fuerit in Caelo The flesh dieth that it might rise againe the spirit is commended to God the father that peace might be established in the heauens Thus shortly haue you taken the paines to produce three Fathers for the death of Christes soule and haue as shamefully peruerted and inuerted euery one of them which is no newes with you and yet all that you can conclude out of them may amount to a pestilent heresie if you will that the vnion of Christes person was dissolued for the time of his death but it can neuer inferre any thing pertinent to your purpose z Defenc. pag. 113. li. 4. Here the Fathers do sâ—…ew indeed that Christ died but more than a meere bodily death euen the death of the soule also Heere the Fathers are exquisitly belied and falsified otherwise that Christes soule died they offer neither word nor syllable sounding that way And though you can not speake trueth in so false a cause yet you should learne to speâ—…ke coherently You grant they auouch here that Christ died the death of the bodie and more euen the death of the soule also whereas it is euident by the words of the holy ghost as also by your owne positions that Christ neither did nor could die these two deaths at one time For by the manifest witnesse of the Euangelist Christ a Luc. 22. 〈◊〉 his spirit into his Fathers 〈◊〉 and so died Then most certeinly the soule of Christ was accepted and receiued into the hands of God which I trow is life and not death when the bodie was left to death Wherefore if their words concerne his bodily death they by no meanes admix the death of the soule since they all affirme aâ—… the Scripture doth that Christ committed his soule to his Fathers hands and so died of which death they say he spake in those words Why hast thou left me that is to die as they expound it Now if you affixe any death to the soule of Christ I hope you will free him from it before he commended his soule into his Fathers hands And so the one must be ended before the other could enter and consequently if they spake of the latter their words haue no intent to implie the other But what dispute we of their meaning when their words are so manifest that you can not hale them to your hell-paines but by shamefull corrupting of their sentences and wilfull misconstruing the bodie for the soule b Defenc. pag. 113. li. 6. What is the separation of the deitie from his soule els but the death of his soule Which of these Fathers doth auouch the separation of Christes deitie from his soule Is it so small a mote in your eye that Christes deitie was separated from his humane soule that you may loosely and lightly surmise it by disordering and altering other mens words At this speech of Ambrose you could not so grosly haue stumbled had you but read the Master of the Sentences who long since in one whole distinction of his third booke examined those words and answered as the trueth is that separation in that place was taken for want of protection and withholding Christes power whiles the bodie died c Sententiarum li. 3. dist 21. Separauit se 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 subtraxu protectionem Separauit se foris vt non esset ad defensionem sed non 〈◊〉 defuit ad vnionem Si non ibi cohibuisset potentiam sedexercuisset non 〈◊〉 Christus The deitie seuered it selfe because it withdrew protection It separated it selfe outwardly not to defend but if failed not inwardly to continue the vnion If it had not refrained but exercised power Christ could not haue died Theodoret calleth this dereliction d In Psal. 21. The permission of the deitie that the humanitie might suffer And Isychius sayth e 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 li. 5. ca. 16. Diuinit as abijsse dicitur cohibens propriam virtutem ex humanitate vt daret spacium Passioni Christs deitie is sayd to depart by withholding his owne power from his humanitie that he might giue time to his Passion Otherwise it is a certaine truth which â—…ulgentius teacheth f Ad 〈◊〉 lib. 3. Licet in Christi morte carnem morieâ—…tem fuisset anima desertura diuinit as tamen Christi nec ab anima nec à carne posset separari suscepta Though in Christes death the soule were to forsake the bodie dying yet the deitie of Christ could not be seuered from the soule nor from the bodie once assumed g Defenc. pag. 113. li. 7. Howbeit note I pray that neither the Fathers nor I do meane any separating of the vnion of both natures in Christ nor the separating of any holinesse or habituall grace of God from his soule nor the separating of Gods loue from him but the separation of all comfortable feeling and assistance of the Godhead This separation is meant and may be called the death of the soule If you separate none of these what then is it that you separate from the soule of Christ to proue it dead All comfortable feeling and assistance of the Godhead He knew himselfe to be personally God and man he saw his soule full of all truth and grace he was assured the loue of God towards him could neither faile nor change he knew that his obedience and sacrifice were acceptable to his Father and should be the redemption of the world and he was most certaine that the third day he should rise againe into immortall and celestiall glory hauing men diuels and angels euen all things in heauen and earth subiect to his manhood Were all these no comforts or was there no assistance of the Godhead in these Nay take but your owne words a little before that Christ on the crosse euen when he complained of his forsaking was in h Pag.
if you take vpon you to tell you must consult with Balaams beast for no man can tell you vnlesse you finde by the starres how long that sturre dured For my part I thinke as they were neuer satisfied with his torments so neuer left they taking all occasions to deride him as we may perceiue by the very speaking of these words vpon which some sayd Let be Let vs see if Elias will come and saue him Now if the very passengers did not refraine their tongues from 〈◊〉 on him shal we thinke the standers by did so quickly leaue with mouth to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 heart to disdaine him and condemne him as forsaken of God in the midst of so many shames and miseries And the poison of their hearts accounting him to be wicked and reiected of God was the thing which Christ respected as well as the 〈◊〉 of their tongues But what if their mocks did cease at twelue of the clocke as you 〈◊〉 presume with out all good ground might not Christ therefore in this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their 〈◊〉 words and hatefull thoughts three houres after when now he was 〈◊〉 to giue vp the ghost though whiles life did last he was content with all quietnesse and silence to endure them Was it so fond and absurd as you talke of to 〈◊〉 them with the beginning of that Psalme that all these things which he had suffered and they had vsed towards him were foreprophesied of the Messias and Sauiour of the world Who but a man destitute of wit or sense would giue such entertainment to two so learned and ancient Fathers for so saying t Defenc. pag. 114. li. 16. Your authorities are bare arguments Ierom bringeth no reason but his owne word 〈◊〉 I see not what he sayth to your purpose at all Your absurdities and contrarieties hatcht out of your owne head are farre worse arguments Ieroms bare word is as good as your bare will or bold face in any place in Christendome Howbeit Ierom is not alone in this minde S. Austen sayth u August epist. 120. Psalmum cuius prophetiam 〈◊〉 ad se 〈◊〉 demonstrans cius primum versum exclamauit cum pendâ—…ret in ligno To shew the prophesie of that Psalme to perteine to him the Lord repeated the first verse thereof with a loud voice as he hung on the crosse You see not how Chrysostome maketh to this purpose Christ spake these wordes sayth Chrysostome that thereby the Iewes might learne he honoured his Father to the last breath and that his Father was no 〈◊〉 x 〈◊〉 in Matth. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to him Therefore he spake the Prophets words confirming the ancient Scripture that they might perceiue him to be of the same will with his Father Had he beene forsaken 〈◊〉 his Father and conuicted thereof by his owne confession as you interpret Christs words he had declared by his speech his Father to be an aduersarie to him since to 〈◊〉 is no signe of loue but of dislike But he spake these words of the Prophet to proue that his Father was not opposite to him but of the same will with him What els can Chrysostome meane by this but that the Prophet by this Psalme foreshewed the Sonne of God and Sauiour of the world should speake these words on the crosse and thereby not only affirme that God was his God and not his aduersarie but ratifie the ancient Scripture euen that whole Psalme as forespoken of him whereby the Iewes might plainely learne that nothing befell him which the Prophet in that Psalme did not before declare should befall the true Messias and Sauiour of the world y Defenc. pag. 114. li. 〈◊〉 Finally these kindes of dereliction which you mention besides pag. 32 33 38 c. are nothing sitter than the former You sit like a supreame Iudge ouer Fathers and Scriptures and cassiere all besides your owne conceits vpon the warrant of your owne will without any farther trouble or proofe It is vrged in those pages which you passe ouer that forsaking thorowout the Scriptures neuer signifieth the state or paines of the damned You care not for that your will must haue way and your word must stand It is there also auouched that whensoeuer the godly complaine in the Scriptures as they often doe that they are forsaken they meane of helpe in time of need and of deliuerance in the day of trouble Nor Scriptures nor Fathers haue any power to preuaile against your pleasure you will haue forsaking in Christes words to note the paines of the damned though there be no example thereof in any diuine or humane writings You are belike some Praetor or some Pilate that what you haue written you haue written and other reason you will yeeld none z Defenc pag. 114. li. 22. Six or seuen diuers yea contrary senses you haue brought of a few words and of them all you say they are all godly expositions and all these interpretations are sound and stand well with the rules of Christian pietie How sound and fit they are it hath beene scene And what haue you found in any of them dissonant from the rules of Christian pietie for which I commended them They fit not your fansie I know it well but they swarue neither from the faith of Christ nor from the word of God For where all good Expositions The true rules how to expound the Scriptures should haue these foure conditions the right vse of the words the circumstances of the place the coherence with other Scriptures and concordance with the maine grounds of pietie and charitie which by no pretence of any speech in Scripture may be impugned these expositions of the ancient Fathers transgresse in none of them And where the Iewes falsely wickedly and blasphemously obiected to Christ that he was forsaken of God you out of the abundance of your wit and faith will haue Christ on the crosse publikely and plainly to confesse and confirme their sacrilegious obiections and to iustifie their impietie for trueth by acknowledging with a loud voice that he was forsaken of God A worse exposition than which the diuell himselfe could not deuise For whatsoeuer was inwardly betweene him and his Father he would neuer so openly ratifie their impious and slanderous cogitations and imputations with his owne mouth nor leaue such a confession presently before his death in the eares and hearts of all his enemies as that he found himselfe to be truely and inwardly forsaken of God but rather calling that a forsaking which they misconstrued to be so he complained that God had so long with such patience left him in their hands without any shew as yet of loue and fauour towards him which made his enemies thinke God had indeed forsaken him z Defenc pag. 114. li. 26. Verily you haue a good head if you can reconcile all these and make them stand together Doth any man that hath so much as a head require to haue all expositions reconciled before they may be tolerated
When they are diuers the Reader may make his choise what he best liketh but there is no cause nor reason to reiect all that can not be reconciled Neither did I tell you they might all stand together but I sayd they stood well with the rules of Christian pietie And since they had in them no contradiction to the text nor to the faith I saw no ground to depriue the Reader of them much lesse to reiect or disdaine the authours of them as you do And yet truly it were no such hard matter as you imagine to make the substance of them stand together For why might not Christ on the crosse as the head and Sauiour of his bodie in his owne name make his complaint or inquire the cause why both he and his were so long and in this wise forsaken as namely the head to be left to the paine shame and death of the crosse and his members to the poison of sinne and rage of Satan and therefore pray that his members might be freed and restored to Gods fauour and himselfe be eased of his anguish with deposing his spirit into his Fathers hands and honoured with the signes of his Fathers loue and liking towards him when he should depart this life that all his enemies might know there was a great and good cause euen the glory of God and mans saluation why he was thus martyred and mocked on the crosse Here are the effects of those sixe or seuen causes layd together what so great repugnancie finde you betwixtthem that because they are manie therefore your hell-paines should be the likelier to be the true meaning of these words a Defenc. pag. 114. li. 27. A very badde opinion of the holy Scriptures you seeme to haue if you thinke they may be handled by Interpretations and Expositions thus that a man may take them in sixe or seuen diuers senses and all sustisiable I honour them more in not reiecting the manifolde expositions of considerate and godly Interpreters than you do in fastening them to the leauen of your sower humour and affixing such senses to them as shall contradict the maine grounds of faith and religion deliuered in them And who but you did euer hinder Expositors olde or new to labour in them and scant to reach to the depth of them since as you seeme to be affected no man may offer diuersly to interpret them for feare of hauing a badde opinion of them But such is your stiffe and proud presumption all things that like not you are vaine and friuolous and your fansies be they neuer so vnreasonable or irreligious must be weighty and holy b Defenc. pag. 114. li. 34. Now it resteth that I gather some reasons from the expresse Scripture to shew you that indeed very paines and the vehemencte of sorrowes namely which he now susteined by way of yeelding satisfaction and sacrifice for sinne were the principall and only proper cause of his most dreadfull agonies and complaint Which trucly though it need no reason for proofe of it the matter being so cleere in it selfe yet your vnreasonablenesse is such that it draweth somewhat from me about it Your Art of carping hath fayed but ill-fauouredly with you you will now proceed to your trade of prouing and that by expresse Scripture wherein you shew your selfe to be right your selfe that is take all your owne fansies for expresse Scripture and though your conceits be such that are more worthy to be derided than answered yet the matter you say is so cleere in it selfe that it needeth no reason for proofe of it The expresse Scriptures on which you so much stand are the name of the Agonie the Houre and the Cuppe with this one sentence My soule is on euery side heauy vnto death About these you brabble going neither backeward nor forward but heaping vp a few generall phrases of mightie sorowes and excessiue paines you iterate the very same that you often sayd before and adde not so much as a piece of a reason that should stumble a man of any vnderstanding And touching your hell paines or the second death you lay that on soaking till your proouing be ouerpast and then we shall heare of it at Lands end when you are lightned of your burden c Defenc. pag. 115. li 3. First no Christian doubteth I suppose much lesse denieth that Christs most wofull agonies and complaining belonged properly and directly to his Passion and sacrifice and that they expressed a part thereof yea as I thinke not the least part but his whole sacrifice consisted in afflictions The prince of our saluation was consecrated through afflictions Therefore afflictions sorrowes and paines were the cause of his agonies and complaint not his religious The Defenders maner of reasoning is as illogical as his matter is false feare not his piette or pitie Somewhat it was this gecre was Drawen from you it commeth not so vnwillingly but it commeth as vntowardly from you First to the forme and then to the matter of your argument Your conclusion is a strange kind of creature it hath to much and yet it hath too little For before you can exclude religious feare pittie and pietie from the cause of Christs agonie or complaint you must adde onely to your inference and say Afflictions sorrowes and paines were the onely cause of Christs agonies and complaint Otherwise with one part you exclude another as if a man would say that your head is not part of your bodie because your heele is which would put all your reasons in daunger to be drawen out of your heele and not out of your head And yet as defectiue as your conclusion is one way it is as excessiue another way For these words were the cause are stollen into this conclusion of which there was no mention in your premisses and so your precedent propositions are of one countrey and your conclusion of another they haue not so much as entercourse eche with other where by the rules of reason and Art there should be nothing in your conclusion which is not exactly specified in your premisses Your maior beginneth with belonged to your minor proceedeth to consisted in and your conclusion huddleth was the cause of which are rather like forkes to skatrer then rakes to gather the parts of your syllogisme together If to hale in your conclusion you will amend your assumption as you must and say that afflictions were the onely cause of Christs sacrifice we shall more wonder at this monster then at the former For besides the falsenesse of it in that it is vtterly repugnant to all truth since the causes of Christs sacrifice were sinne in vs needing it Loue in Christ proferring it and Iustice in God requiring it how come the parts of any thing to be the causes thereof Afflictions suffered were parts of Christs sacrifice and not the causes And therefore you must pray the Printer to stampe you a new conclusion before any part of this argument will haue
words of Christes sorow and feare or astonishment vsed by the Euangelists S. Ierom saith p Hieronym in Matth. ca. 26. Caepit contristari aliud est enim contristari aliud incipere contristari Christ began to be sorowfull for it is one thing to be sorowfull and another thing to begin to be sorowfull And so Origen q Origen in Matth. tract 35. Capit pauere vel tristari nihil amplius tristitiae vel pauoris patiens nisi principium tantum Christ began to be afrayd or to be sorrowfull suffering no more but onely the beginning of feare or sorrow And consider sayth he r Ibidem the Euangelist sayth not he was afrayd or he was loaden with sorow but he beganne to be afrayd and sorowfull There is great difference betwixt sorow and the beginning of sorow And so he expoundeth Christes words My soule is heauie vnto death that is Heauinesse is begunne in me so that I am not altogether without some taste thereof The continuance thereof the Scripture noteth not to be such that either bereaued him of memorie or hindred his prayers for both he persisted in earnest and humble Christ did not pray in astonishment prayer wherein he was heard and carefully warned his Apostles that were with him to watch and pray that they entred not into temptation Now prayer requireth not vnderstanding and memory alone but faith also Of euery man that would pray Saint Iames sayth s Iames 1. Let him aske in faith and wauer not for he that wauereth is like the waue of the sea tost with the winde Neither let that man thinke he shall receiue any thing of the Lord. And where by these tastes and touches of feare and sorow you would insinuate your hell paines partly felt and partly further to come S. Austen telleth you that t August 83. quâ—…st quâ—…st 33. cognitu facile est nullum metum esse nisi futuri imminentis mali it is easie to know there is no feare but of future and imminent euill As also u Ibidem Nihil erat inter omnia genera mortis illo genere execrabilius formidolosius Amongst all kindes of death there was none more execrable and formidable than that kinde of death on the crosse which Christ died So that what Christ feared was to come and not present as also he might haue a naturall mislike and feare of that kinde of death respecting as well the paine which would be intolerable as the exactnesse of patience required more in him than in all men liuing because he might admit no declining nor disliking the sharpnesse thereof in the weakenesse of his flesh were it neuer so grieuous This I speake of his bodilie paines besides the feare and sorow that his soule might apprehend for the weightie worke of mans redemption then in hand x Defenc. pag. 115. li. 31. You skip this kind of feare when you recken but foure kinds for this was neither a religious care nor doubtfull feare nor desperate nor damned feare but a right naturall feare in Christ. As though the ground of all these were not a naturall feare and dislike of hell paines For why doe the faithfull decline them the weake conflict with them the desperate sinke vnder them and the damned lie confounded in them but because nature abhorreth and shunneth all kind of paine and consequently the greatest which is hell with the greatest detestation that may be You after your surly sort presume that Christ really felt in the Garden the paines of the damned I admitting no such deuice did yet sufficiently comprise all kinds of feare concerning hell in that diuision of mine since if they were presently felt of Christ as they are of the damned his feare of them must then needs be a damned feare or rather paine because he had as you defend a present sense of them as the damned haue And therefore if you misse no more in your conclusions then I did in my partition your reasons would passe without any iust reproofe y Defenc. pag. 116. Dauid wanted sometime the present feeling of Gods comfortable spirit and mourned dolefully for the want of it albeit yet he was not destitute of his spirit indeâ—…de which also himselfe knew well enough And thus did Christ euen in his greatest plunge of woe for then he called God his God resolutely The example of Dauid maketh nothing for your hell paines to be suffered in the soule of Christ but very much against them and yet betweene Dauids case in that Psalme and Christs there is no comparison For Dauid then was not pressed with any outward affliction but stroken with an inward doubt of Gods fauour towards him whom he had so greatly offended with adultery and homicide and so long dallied with before repentance Christ contrariwise was neuer pressed with any doubt or distrust of Gods fauour towards himselfe but the weakenesse of his flesh was burdened with extreame and intolerable paynes What affinitie then had Dauids feare of reiection with Christs sense of affliction and yet were they like what gaine you by that Dauid was truely penitent when he made that psalme and true repentance I hope putteth not men into the paines of hell Againe Dauid you confesse was not then destitute of Gods spirit which also himselfe knew well enough But the spirit of God is life to the soule of man and quickeneth it Ergo Dauid though he wanted the full peace and ioy of conscience which he calleth saluation yet he liued in soule and was farre from the second death How much more then was Christs soule free from all these things in whom was the fulnesse of Gods spirit with all his gifts and graces any way needfull for the Sauiour of the world though glory were differred and ioy diminished for the time by excesse of paine To wish ease of paine or to grieue at the sharpenesse therof is naturall vnto man and therefore may well be graunted to haue bene in Christ as also to lacke the fulnesse of ioy and comfort till his sufferings were ouer past But he neuer wanted the ioy of saluation nor assurance thereof and therefore he doubled his inuocation on the crosse saying not onely My God my God but Father forgiue them and Father into thine hands I commend my spirit and in the Garden he resolutely pronounced as often if not oftner z Mat. 26. vers 39 42. O my Father Which words doe most apparantly prooue that Christ had neuer any other perswasion suspition or feare but that God was his God and his Father and therefore most certainly bare towards him a fatherly loue and affection though he knew it was his Fathers will he should inwardly and outwardly grieue a while for our sinnes and so receiue ease by death ioy by Paradise and glory by his speedy and heauenly resurrection a Defenc. pag. 116 li. 14. Thirdly adde hereunto Christs owne expresse wordes when in this season he prayeth that this
vsed by misapplying them to your fansie Otherwise feares and sorrowes to satisfie and pacifie the wrath of God against our sinnes Christ might haue and yet be farre from the paines of the damned and the second death yea from the terrors and confusion of the wicked since he knowing the iustnesse and greatnesse of Gods anger against sinne and how impossible it was for him with patience to support the power thereof either in soule or in body might giue God his due by inward and euident sorrow for sinne and feare of Gods power by which the fiercenesse of Gods indignation against sinne was rebated and calmed and so much paine proportioned to the weakenesse of Christs flesh as should not exceede the patience of his humane nature But this doth no way further your hell paines suffered in the soule of Christ since these religious feares and sorowes which mitigate the wrath of God though they be painefull in themselues yet haue they no communion with the feares and sorrowes of the reprobate much lesse of the damned o Defenc pag. 119. li. 5. What reason haue you against our assertion Verily only this you oppose because all the sorowes of the reprobate are but sinfull guiltinesse of conscience or feares of iudgement foreseene which is executed onely in the next life you meane onely in the definite and locall hell Which is no refutation of my assertion that Christ was as sharpely touched with paine as the very reprobate When men affirme strange and new positions in Christian religion they must not aske what reason can be brought against them but they must shew where that they teach is written in the word of God or ineuitably concluded from that which is written for p Rom. 10. faith is by hearing and hearing by the word of God So that if you take vpon you to be a Coiner of new Creeds we must not beleeue you till by reason we can refute you but you ought q Prou. 30. not to adde to the word of God lest you be found a liar Shew then where these comparisons and positions are written if not feare the plagues appointed for such as adde their lies to the Trueth of God And yet to exclude all comparison betweene Christ and the reprobate in this case what better reason can be brought than that Christes feares and sorowes had no sociâ—…tie nor affinitie with the feares and terrours of the reprobate for no rule of reason alloweth you to compare things together that haue no likenesse betwixt themselues You make Christ and the reprobate yea and the damned equall in paine and Christes paines superiour to the sharpest of theirs and yet when all is sayd there is no kinde of likenesse betwixt their paines r Defenc pag. 119. li. 11. Though the wicked in this world did neuer suffer any reall effect of Gods burning wrath working actuall vengeance on their soules for sinne but only some guiltie remorse or feare and nothing els yet this letteth not but that Christ whom God ordained extraordinarily and alone to be in this life a whole and absolute burnt sacrifice for all sinne did feele and suffer the same truely properly and perfectly You were of opinion in your Treatise and set it downe resolutely for one of your new-made Maximes That the s Trea. pa. 77. li. 5. paines and sufferings of Gods wrath did ALVVAYES ACCOMPANIE THEM that are separated from the grace and loue of God And euen there you also affirmed t li. 9. Christ suffered the horror of Gods seuere iustice LIKE THEM who be separated indeed from the grace and loue of God If you stand to these words you must confesse that Christ suffered the horror of reiection confusion and desperation LIKE to the reprobate which is euen as the reprobate doe suffer it and then ineuitably you fasten on the soule of Christ a plaine persuasion and inward feeling that he was for the time reiected confounded and seuered from God as the reprobate be which whether it will amount to open impietie I leaue to the Christian Reader to iudge Your cunning in two leaues after with as touching the vehemencie of paine is a giddie deuice when you haue made their horrors like then to restraine it to the sharpnesse of paine for thereby you doe not intend to make their horrours vnlike which before you pronounced to be like but that their horrours being LIKE their paines can not be vnlike Since then paine and griefe of minde is a necessarie consequent to horror as it is to feare and sorow you doe not recall but confirme your former impâ—…etic That Christ hauing the same horrour of Gods iustice and wrath which the reprobate haue must needs haue the same paine forsomuch as that horrour is not without paine answerable to it in the soule of man despairing the goodnesse of God and beholding nothing in God but his terrible and fierie indignation against sinne That the wicked haue ALVVAYFS these horrors accompanying them in this life is a great and grosse vntrueth the 73 Psalme doth auouch the cleane contrarie u Psal. 73. ver Loe these are the wicked yet prosper they alway So that they for the most part liue here in pleasure and abundance neither are they plagued with other men but x Luke 16. receiue their good things in this life saue when the wisdome and iustice of God is pleased to make some of them examples vnto others for then these inward terrours of minde raised with remorse of sinne and feare of iudgement to come doe desperately finally and vtterly ouerwhelme them This now you begin to see which before was not within your thoughts and therefore you now affirme that though the wicked did suffer no such thing as you before sayd they ALVVAYES suffered yet this doth not hinder but Christ did feele and suffer the same What doth not hinder is not the question but what doth helpe you to proue that Christ did suffer your new-made hell from the immediat hand of God in the garden or on the crosse I hope you bring it not for an argument that the wicked do not suffer it in this life ergo Christ did suffer it That were very strange both Logicke and Diuinitie y Defenc. pag. 119. li. 18. Second how I haue alwayes expresly excluded from Christ all sinfull adherents and consequents in paines and feares which are in the wicked and doe resemble his to theirs onely in sharpnesse and vehemencie of paine I haue often declared before In generall words you would seeme to exclude them but by your positions and comparisons you conclude the contrary for if you exempt from Christ all feare and doubt of his Fathers loue towards him and confesse he had perfect and full assurance of all Gods promises in the midst of his paines tell vs then how the horrours of the reprobate could inuade his soule Shew vs how the fulnesse of trueth and grace alwayes dwelling in him he could be so confounded
to all that obey him but that he must be God aswel as man to be able to suffer the paines of hell the second death that is a new deuice of yours not conuerting the Godhead of Christ to the infinitenesse of his merits but abusing it to the infinitenesse of his paines to make place for your new-found hell from the immediate hand of God where Scripture mentioneth no such thing in the worke of our redemption but plainly and fairely teacheth vs that we are k Rom. 5. reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne who l Coloss. 1. by the bloud of his Crosse procured perfect peace in heauen and in earth and restored vs to the fauour of God through death in the bodie of his flesh in which he m Rom. 8. condemned sinne that we might be n Heb. 10. sanctified by the offering of his bodie once made on the altar of the Crosse. And this doctrine so euidently and frequently deliuered by the Holy Ghost in the sacred Scriptures is so sufficient that I see no cause nor need of your hell paines besides no warrant nor witnesse of them except we dreame that the spirit of God did not well vnderstand or could not aptly expresse your hellish mysteries which he alwaies ouerpasseth with silence when hee speaketh of the purgation of our sinnes and our redemption by the precious bloud of the Lambe vnspotted and vndefiled If therefore it be not lawfull in the highest points of faith to adde ought to the word of God nor to thinke that the spirit of Trueth faileth or defecteth in his instruction vnto trueth I do not see with what dutie to God you and others may be so bolde with the Sonne of God as to subiect his soule to the second death and to the paines of the damned when the Scriptures offer vs no such part or point of our beliefe o Defenc. pag. 121. li. 36. You seeme to grant vnto Christ all naturall sorrow and feare neither doe we seeke any more but you trust the paine of the damned is more than a naturall oppressing and afflicting of the heart with humane feare and sorow For sooth it is not It is no more than a very naturall humane feare and sorow It proceedeth immediately and principally from God himselfe who is the Nature of Natures Also mans nature is apt to receiue such sorow and feare from him Thus the very paines of the damned are meerely naturall If you make vs many such conclusions you will proue your selfe a meere Naturall For if all things be meerely naturall to man that God either bestoweth or inflicteth on man then grace and glorie are meerely naturall to man yea heauen it selfe is as naturall to man as hell and the Holy Ghost himselfe shall become meerely naturall to man for God doth giue and we p Rom. 8. receiue the spirit of adoption whereby we crie Abba Father yea the second person in Trinitie is inseparably ioyned to mans nature and as well the â—…ather as the Sonne q 1. Ioh. 4. abide and r 2. Cor. 6. dwell in all the Saints So that the coniunction communion and inhabitation of the godhead in man is meerly naturall vnto man by your doctrine and not only God but the Diuell is as naturall to man and so are those things which are most vnnaturall and most repugnant to mans nature For man doth and suffereth them by and from God or the Diuel As corruption and incorruption mortality and immortality righteousnesse vnrighteousnesse saluation and destruction eternall life and eternall death are meerly naturall to man by your learned discourse which if you persist to defend take heed least men doubt whether frensie be naturall to you or no. Natural I called not whatsoeuer is any way incident to men in this life or the next but that which is generall necessary to all men in that they are men Wherfore I make neither hell nor heauen naturall vnto men since the one God giueth by his power and grace aboue our nature for our nature is not to be as the Angels of God and in the other by iustice and wrath God worketh against our nature For that fire should euerlastingly burne and flesh euerlastingly dure therein and soules be extreamely tormented therewith are to my vnderstanding farre beyond nature except you beâ—…eaue God of his almighty power and will which the Scriptures confesse in him and call him by the name of nature which is no more but the condition and operation that he hath assigned in this world to euery creature If you would needs know whence I tooke the word naturall read either Fulgentius or Damascene and you shall soone see what they and I meane by nature s Tulgentiâ—… ad Trasimundum li. tertio Because Christ saith Fulgentius tooke vpon him to be a true man ideo cunct as naturae humanae infirmitates ver as quidem sedvoluntarias sustinuit therefore he sustained all the infirmities of mans nature truely but voluntarily and so Damascene t Damas. li. 3. ca. 20. We confesse that Christ vndertooke all naturall and sinlesse passions Naturall and sinlesse passions are those which entered into mans life by the condemnation of Adams transgression as hunger thirst wearinesse labour weeping shunning of death feare agonie and such like which are naturally in all men So that what is geneâ—…all and necessarie to all men in this life is naturall to man which I trust neither hell nor heauen is though by iustice or mercie all men after this life shall feele the one or enioy the other u Defâ—…nc pag. 122. li. 6. Supernaturall I graunt they are if we meane this that they are aboue our natures state to beare or to comprehend them If your rule be true that men naturally receiue the paines of hâ—…ll why should not mans nature as well beare them or compâ—…ehend them as receiue them except you meane the bearing of them with patience or comprehending the end of them what punishment men receiuâ—… that they beare x Gala 5. He that troubleth you shall be are his condemnation whosoeuer he be And againe y Gala 6. euery man shall beâ—…re his own burden And so elsewhere z Ephes. 3. I bow my knees vnto the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ that he will grant you that ye may be strengthened by his spirit in the inward man that ye may be able to COMPREHEND with all Saints what is the breadth length and depth and height and to know the loue of Christ which passeth the knowledge of man And if men shall feele the paines of hell why shall they not comprehend that which they feele They shall apprehend no end nor ease thereof but feeling is a comprehension of the paine though it shall be so great that they cannot endure it with any patience And yet since you striue for the paines of hell in the soule of Christ aduise you whether Christ shall
in Scripture for this point yet our question is fully proued and confirmed by those other sufficient and pregnant proofs alleaged and iustified before Your palpable and pregnant follies are sufficiently seene before your proofs were none but bald and false presumptions conceiued by your selfe though otherwise voide of all reason and authoritie with such props you haue hitherto supported your Defence and now you be come to the maine issue whether the Scriptures or Fathers doe teach that Christ for our redemption died the death of the soule or the death of the damned which is the second death you would passe it ouer as a matter of no moment and here tell vs if you had no such proofe as indeed you haue none yet you haue played your part before which was to set a good face on an euill cause and to proue iust nothing d Defenc. pag 136. li. 13. For it is to be noted that no man setteth the question in these tearmes that Christ died in his soule neither doe we at all vse them very much in speaking of this matter The Scriptures themselues set that for the question First of all I e 1. Cor. 15. deliuered vnto you sayeth Paul that which I receiued how that Christ died for our sinnes according to the Scriptures Since then f Rom. 5. we were reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne and Christ is the g Hebr 9. Mediatour of the New Testament through death for the redemption of the transgressions in the former Testament and where a Testament is there must be the death of him that made the Testament The question riseth of it selfe what death the Sonne of God died for our sinnes by the witnesse of holy Scripture And hitherto for these fifteene hundred yeeres and vpward the Christian world both of learned and vnlearned hath beleeued that the Sonne of God by the death of his bodie on the tree ransomed our sinnes reconciled vs to God and vtterly destroyed the kingdome of Satan and that he neither did nor could suffer any other kinde of death as the death of the soule or the So that the reference of the Apostles words standeth thus he offered vp praiers and supplications with strong cries and teares to him that was able to saue him from all touch of death and was heard in that he prayed for and though he were the sonne and god was able to keepe him vntouched of death that is to make him the Sauiour of the world without tasting any kind of death yet such was Gods counsell and his owne liking that he learned or perfourmed the obedience of a sonne by the things which he suffered Whereby the Apostle teacheth vs it was neither want of power in God that Christ died for God was able to haue saued the world by him without his death neither was it lacke of fauour towards his sonne for God HEARD him in that he asked but to manifest in his person the perfect submission of a sonne to his father God would haue him obedient to death euen vnto the death of the crosse and so make him the author of eternall saluation to all that obey him As he obeied God his Father Those words then Christ offered praiers to him that was able to keep him from death prooue not death to be the cause of Christs feare nor the scaping therefrom to be the scope of Christes strong cries and teares but the Apostle thereby noteth that Christ neither doubted of his Fathers power nor loue when he praied so earnestly vnto him but was assured of both and enioyed both in such sort as might best stand with the honor and wisedome of God the father and of Christ his sonne And therefore all your collections and illations built on that false ground doâ—… fall of themselues as hauing nothing to support them but your idle and vaine supposals a Defenc. pag. 137. li. 6. Your owne selfe doe fully grant and affirme it with me yea you affirme farder then we doe or then the trueth is or possibly can be you say Christ heâ—…re thus feared eternall death and euerlasting damnation I must take no â—…corne to haue you wrest and wring my words to a contrary sense when you offer that course to the Apostles words The place which you quote for proofe of my meaning will conuince you to be a malitious falsifier My words a man would thinke are plaine enough and my exposition of that speach vsed by some men is such that no man of any intelligence or conscience would so grosly peruert it Thus I say pag 23. b Serm. pag. 23. li. 4. Distrust of his owne saluation or doubt of Gods displeasure against himselfe we cannot so much as imagine in Christ without euident want of grace and losse of faith which we may not attribute to Christs person no not for an instant And againe c Ibid. li. 17. I refraine to speake what wrong it is to put either doubtfulnâ—…sse or forgetfulnesse of these things in part of Christs humane nature And to the question thereon demanded d li. 20. Why then did he pray that the cup might passe from him I answere he had no need to pray for himselfe but only for vs who then suffered with him and in him What learning I cannot say but what lewdnesse is this to father that on me which I fully forsake and still to presse me with that which I so often preuent and repell I did not intend in my Sermons to note any by name nor sharply to censure their sayings but repeating as much as I saw I gaue the best construction or mittigation to their words that any trueth would endure Where then some men whom by your importunity you haue vrged me to name as the Catechisme of master Nowel which you would seeme so much to reuerence in plaine words auoucheth that Christ was e Pag. 280. 〈◊〉 mortis horrore perfusus perfused or plunged with the horror of etâ—…rnall death And master Caluin saith f Institutione li. 2. ca. 16. sect 10. Oportuit 〈◊〉 cum inferorum copijs 〈◊〉 mortis horrore quasi consertis manibus luctari Christ was to wrâ—…si â—…ith the powers of hell and with the horror of eternall death as it were hand to hand Their words suppressing their names I there taught might be tolerated if we tooke horror for a religious feare only trembling at the terror of hell and praying against it or did attribute that trembling and feare of eternall death to Christ in respect and compassion of vs that were his members and whom he ioined and reckened in his sufferings for vs as one person or body with him Which moderation of mine you euery where conceale and make your Reader beleeue that I fully grant and affirme that which I expressely denie And not content therewith you enterlace my words with your lewd additions as if I said Christ thus feared eternall death You meane with strong cries and teares and
with a bloudy sweat where I referred his earnest cries and teares to one purpose and his feare to another yeelding to Christ a religious feare to decline the force of hell and a carefull praier against the power of hell by the example of Dauid who describing the passion of Christ in the 22 Psalme saith expressely of his person and in his person g Psal. 22. They pearced mine hands and my feete they part my garments among them and cast lots on my vesture But be not thou farre of O Lord my strength hast thee to help me Deliuer my soule from the sword my desoâ—…ate soule from the power of the Dogge sauâ—… me from the Lions mouth and answere me or protect me from the hornes of the Vnicorne praying in this place not against any man but against Satan the author and vpholder of all mischiefe h Defenc. pag. 137. li. 10. Christ could not possibly feare in such wofull maner that which he perfectly knew should neuer come nere him but he perfectly knew that eternall death and the cup of Gods euerlasting malediction should neuer touch him Therefore he could not by any meanes pray in such sort against it You refute your selfe and not any thing which I affirmed That Christ praied against the power and rage of hell and Satan is plaine by Dauids words that he praied in such wofull maner are not my words but yours And yet this proposition that Christ praied for nothing which he perfectly knew was Gods almighty and vnchangeable decree is not true For Christ was most assured and most certainly knew of all thinges whatsoeuer were decreed and appointed by God for himselfe and yet he praied for many things not as doubting of them but as confessing whence he must and did receaue them He perfectly knew he should be glorified with the glory which he had with his Father before the world was and yet i Iohn 17. he praied for it In the former words of Dauid Christ perfectly knew that God would saue and deliuer his soule from the Lions mouth from the power of the Dogge and from the hornes of the Vnicorne and yet he earnestly praieth for it Christes praiers then doe not proue that he feared the contrary to his petition but that he was assured to obtaine and by praier professed whence it came whatsoeuer he had euen from his Father The next assertion which you make is a direct contradiction to your selfe and not to me For if Christ in those vehement praiers had such exact and perfect knowledge of Gods counsell and loue as heere you auouche then was Christ in no such confusion and forgetfulnesse as you put him in at the time of his agony to saue him from sinne And where not foure leaues before you made a shamefull shift to rescue your selfe from a plaine contradiction and bobbed your Reader with a manifest fitten that I did you wrong k Defenc. pag. 129. You did argue from my supposition that Christ was not astonished at the time of his praiers in the garden but in his perfect memory which I seemed to affirme and you denied a man may heere perceiue that you want witte to see what hangeth together in your owne tale or that your memory is very short to relapse so soone to the cleere crossing of your selfe againe For heere you positiuely frequently and earnestly affirme that in his praiers Christ m 11. perfectly knew and saw l Defenc. pag. 137. li. 18. what was ordeined by God for him and n 12. that the cup of Gods eternall malediction should neuer touch him So brickle are your braines that you egerly and openly say and vnsay in the space of foure leaues and reuerse your owne positions wherein the Reader if he be wise will see you more 13. constant before he credit you o Defenc. pag. 137. li. 17. Againe that which he feared and so pittifully praied against was that which he knew was by God ordeined for him Yea feare is alwaies of that which is to come but eternall death was not by God ordeâ—…ned for him that was not to come vpon him which Christ p In the margâ—…ne knew right well Therefore it was not eternall death which he so feared Your reasons be like rotten reâ—…ters that when you would push forward recuyle on your head Out of the Apostles text the 5. to the Hebrewes you draw a maior directly against the Apostles words For he saith Christ was heard in that he FEARED supposing that as yet to be the sense of the last word you say he was not heard but knew that which he feared to be ordeined of God for him and not to be auoided So skilfull you are that out of the Scriptures you frame asâ—…ertions expressely repugnant to the Scriptures and yet you fansie them to be inuincible arguments Wherefore the Apostle denieth your first proposition That what soeuer Christ praied against was ordeined of God for him And if his authority be not currant with you Christ himselfe assureth you it is false His owne words are against which I hope you will not open your mouth q 〈◊〉 11. Father I know thoâ—… he arest me alwaies If Christ were alwaies heard in his praiers then that which he praid against was not ordeined of God for him For God did not alter or innouate the thinges ordeined for his sonne neither would Christ haue so strongly praied against them if he had knowen them to be ordained of God for him So that heere you are as sound as in the rest broching still your owne fansies without any warrant besides your owne which is grounded on false and absurd positions you taking no care what you say noâ—… heede what you should prooue For who besides you would flaunt this out for a foundation of his cause r pag. 〈◊〉 7. li. 19. feare is alwâ—…ies of that which is to come Where if you meane certainly and infalliblely to come as you must otherwise it prooueth nothing the proposition is generally true neither in the wicked nor in the godlie and least of all in Christ himselfe The wicked doe feare manie things that fall not on them yea they often feare as Dauid saith s Psal. 53. where no feare is The godly by fearing before hand what may come do often preuent the comming of it Mary was t Luc. 1. afraid at the sight of the Angell that saluted her and yet brought he a greate blessing to her Peter walking on the water was u Mat. 14. afraid when he saw a mighty wind and began to sincke but Christ presently reached forth his hand and rebuked him for doubting The Disciples were x Luc. 24. abashed and afraid at the suddaine presence of there master in the middest of them and yet no euill was towards them So that feare may grow as well from appearance and opinion when no hurt is imminent as from the certainty of euil present or comming Christ taught
all his Disciples to feare him euen God y Luc. 12. who after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell Shall we thence inferre by your diuinitie that God will cast all the faithfull into hell because he hath power so to doe which they must feare z Philip. 2 Finish your saluation with feare and trembling saith the Apostle Shall we therefore neuer be saued because we must alwayes tremble and feare vnder the mightie hand of God Vnder the same hand of God migh Christ feare and tremble not doubting of his saluation nor distrusting his Fathers loue but knowing that the hand of God was Almightie and able to impose farre greater paine on his bodie then his humane flesh was able to beare It is therefore due to Gods power from all the faithfull and was likewise from Christes manhoode for men to be afrayd of the strength of Gods hand when he ariseth to punish sinne though when and how he will doe it we may not or cannot determine And if we should graunt that Christs flesh euen thus feared the power of Gods hand that was able to keepe him from death and to inflict what paine pleased him you are no whit the nearer to your new found hell or to your second death of Christs soule which you labour to deriue from these words of the Apostle to the Hebrewes But to let the reader see how rashly rudely you conclude what you list out of the Apostles words without any sure ground The word which all this while you haue taken to import a coufused and perplexed feare in Christ hath no such signification in the Greeke tongue and in this place of the Apostle by the iudgement of the ancient and best learned interpreters of all ages that are not infected with this new fansie is taken for reuerence or a religious feare of God Of which signification there can be no question with any man that is meanely learned And albeit some fauouring your fansie haue sough farre and neere for examples where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 might signifie a painefull and amazing feare yet find they none neither in prophane nor sacred writers but only a carefull feare to decline euill or a religious feare honoring God to be the true force of that word How prophane men vse the word with that I haue elsewhere sayd this may suffice Diogenes Laertius deliuering the decrees and opinions of the best philosophers saith of them they affirme a 〈◊〉 de 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that 〈◊〉 carefulnesse is contrary to feare as being an honest and reasonable declination of euill 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that a wise man is neâ—…er amazed with feare but wary to decline euill Saint Ierom confesseth as much among Christians b 〈◊〉 li 3 〈◊〉 5. â—…pist â—…d 〈◊〉 He that feareth hath paiâ—…e and is not perfect According to which signification of feare seruants haue the spirit of bondage in feare There is another kind of feare named by the Philosophers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and with vs it may be called 〈◊〉 though this doe not fully match the force of the word The Prophet Dauid knew tâ—…e 〈◊〉 of the perfect when he said nothing wanteth to them that feare the Lord. Of Simeon that tooke Christ in his armes when he was brought to the Temple by his mother Saint Luke saith he was a iust man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and one that religiously feared God So of those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. that buried Steuen the Martyr he saith d 〈◊〉 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 certaine mâ—…n Fâ—…ARING GOD caried Steuen to bee buried And in the twelfth of this Epistle the same Apostle vseth the very word which he applied before to Christ for the common duetie of all the godly e Hebr. 12. Let vs haue grace by which we may serue and please God with reuerence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and a religious feare Which is M. f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in 12. ca. epistolâ—… ad Hebreos Bezaes owne interpretation of that place howsoeuer he swarue from it in the formâ—…r words of the same Epistle Neither doth the Syriack translation any thing helpe him since the word dechalta which in the fift Chapter is affirmed of Christ in the 12. Chapter of the same Epistle and indiuers other places of the new Testament is by the same translator referred to al Christians as expressing a generall duty belonging to God And therfore there is no need why any man should translate the one otherwise then he doth the other specially the whole Greeke and Latin Church concurring in one and the same signification and exposition of the word which is a better precedent to follow then any one mans translation And where some others would take aduantage of the Greeke preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifiâ—…th for as well as from signifying alwayes from and not for it is an euident ouersight in them abusing their skill to maintaine their will more then trueth enforceth For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the new Testament and with the Septuagint noteth vsually as well for as from In the 14. of Saint Matthewes Gospell when the disciples saw Christ walking on the waters at the fourth watch of the night and approching the ship wherein they were they cryed g Matth. 14. vers 26. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for feare The souldiers likewise that kept the Sepulchre when they saw the Angell that rolled away the stone and sate on it they were h Matth. 28. vers 〈◊〉 astonished 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for feare and became as dead men Zacheus by reason of his low stature could not see Iesus i Luc. 19. v. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the multitude or presse that was about him The Apostles that cast theiâ—… net into the sea at Christs commandement could not draw it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the number k Ioh 21. v. 6. of fishes that were in the net Paul reporting the maner of his conuersion how he was stroken to the ground with a great light that suddenly shined on him from heauen sayth When I could not see l Acts 22. ver 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because of the glory of that light I was led by the hand to Damascus The Sâ—…ptuagint in many places vse the same proposition in the same sense Israels eyes were dimme m Gen. 48. v. 14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for age My bones sayth Iob are drie n Iob. 30. v. 30 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for heat You shall crie o Esa. 65. v. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for griefe of heart and houle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for affliction of spirit sayth Esay of the Iewes reiected Where the Septuagint doe make 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 equiualent to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with an accusatiâ—…e which noteth the cause of any thing Infinite are the examples that might be brought out
man of any learning or vnderstanding thus in print and open view of the whole Realme to rage revell rush on with lying craking and facing when he speaketh not one true word for first Sir flincher is this the point heere or any where proposed by me whether Christs sufferings were only bodily did I promise or produce any Fathers to that end is it not the death of the soule and the paines of the damned which I impugned in Christs sufferings haue I not most truely performed which I euer professed that the whole Church of Christ for so many hundred yeeres neuer thought neuer heard of the death of Christs soule in the worke of our redemption but rested their faith on the death of Christs body as a most sufficient price both for the soules and bodies of the faithfull What cunning then is this first to shift your hands of that you can no way prooue though you still doe and must professe it and then to clamour at me for drawing the Fathers cleane from their intent and meaning is this the way to credit your new Creed by such deuices and stratagemes to intertaine the people of God least they should see how farre you be slid from the ancient primatiue Church of Christ take a while but the thought of a sober man and this pangue will soone be ouerpast Did you not vndertake to prooue the death of Christs soule by Scriptures which indeed I first and most required and haue you so donne looke backe to your miserable mistakings and palpable peruertings of the words of the holy Ghost and tell vs what one syllable you haue brought sounding that way are your secrets such that they be no where reuealed in the word of God must all faith come from thence and is your faith exempted that it shall haue no foundation there are men and Angels accursed that preach any other Gospell then was deliuered and written by Christs Apostles and shall you be excused for deuising a new kind of redemption by the death of Christs soule no where witnessed in the Scriptures you see how easie it were to be eloquent against you in a iust and true cause but words must not winne the field What I impugned my sermons will shew what I haue prooued I will not proclaime If I haue failed in that I endeuoured the labour is mine the liberty is the Readers to iudge Let the indifferent read it they shall find somewhat to direct them let the contentious skanne it they shall see somewhat to harle their hast and perhaps to restraine their stifnesse What euer it be I leaue it to others since the discourser hasteth towards an end and so doe I. s Defenc. pag. 146. li. 2 This is the profit that comes by ordinarie flaunting with Fathers which many do frequent in these dayes Thinke they if the Scriptures alone suffice not for things in religion that the Fathers will suffice or if the Scriptures may be wrested by subtle heads that yet the Fathers can not Is it not enough for your selfe to be a despiser of all antiquitie and sobrietie but you must insult at them that beare more regard to either than you do If to flaunt with Fathers be so great a fault which yet respecteth their iudgements that haue beene liked and allowed from age to age in the Church of Christ what is it to fliske with pride and follie grounded on nothing but on self-selfe-loue and singularitie It were to be wished that euen some of the best writers of our age as they thinke themselues had had more respect to the auncient Fathers then they shew we should haue wanted a number of nouelties in the Church of God which now wee are troubled withall as well in Doctrine as in discipline This course of concurring with the lights of Gods Church before our time in matters of faith though you mislike other manner of men then you are or euer will be haue allowed and followed as u August contra Iâ—…num li. 1. Augustine x Theodor. diol 2. 3. Theodorete y Leo epist. 97. 〈◊〉 Leonem Leo z Cassi. de incarnat Domini li. 7 ca. 5. Cassianus a Gelas. de duabus in Christo natâ—…ris Gelasius b Vigilius li. 5. cap. 6. Vigilius and the two c Hispalensi concilium 2. ca. 13. councels of Hispalis and others not doubting the sufficiencie of the Scriptures but shewing the correspondencie of beleeuing and interpreting the Scriptures in all ages to haue bene the same which they imbraced and vrged And in all euennesse of reason were it better to feede the people with our priuate conceits pretended out of Scripture or to let such as be of iudgement vnderstand that we frame no faith but such as in the best times hath bene collected and receiued from the grounds of holy Scripture by the wisest and greatest men in the Church of God your only example turning and winding the words of the holy Ghost to your owne conceits will shew how needfull it is not to permit euery prater to raigne ouer the Scriptures with figures and phrases at his pleasure and thence to fetch what faith he list If you so much reuerence the Scriptures as you report which were to be wished you would why deuise you doctrine not expressed in the Scriptures Why teach you that touching mans redemption which is no where written in the word of God Indeed the Scriptures are plaine in this point of all others what death Christ died for vs if you did not peruert them against the histories of the Euangelists and testimonies of the Apostles Omit the description of his death so farely witnessed by the foure Euangelists what exacter words can we haue then the Apostles that Christ d Coloss. 1. pacisied things in earth and things in heauen by the bloud of his crosse and reconciled vs which were strangers and enemies in the bodie of his flesh through death Beleeue what you reade and what you reade not in the word of God beleeue not and this matter is ended but by Synecdoches without cause you put to the Scriptures not what you read in them but what you like best and by Metaphores and Metonimies you will take bodie for substance and flesh for soule And so where the Apostle auoucheth that we were reconciled to God through death in the bodie of Christs flesh you tell vs we could not be redeemed without the death of Christs soule and the essence of the paines of the damned suffered by suddaine touches from the immediate hand of God after an extraordinarie manner If you teach no doctrine but deliuered in the Scriptures aband on these deuices not expressed in the Scriptures If you content your selfe with the all sufficient word of God in matters of faith you must relinquish the death of Christs soule and paines of the damned as no part of our redemption since there is no such thing contained in the word of God To me and
prepared which were requisite to offer the sacrifice for our sinnes behold the Priest with his sacrifice Christ with his body the body I say of him that was God who through voluntary obedience to his Father and most ardent loue to vs offered himselfe to God for a most sweet smell And where did he offer himselfe on the altar of the Crosse he suffered and died and that on the crosse k Ibidem Patitur in anima summam tristitiam timorem ignominiam in corpore summos dolores in singulis membris atrocissima flagella l Ibidem In ligno moritur vt mors per lignum ingressa in mundum per lignum tolleretur è mundo He suffered in soule most exceeding heauinesse feare and shame In his bodie most bitter paines in euerie member most grieuous scourges On the tree he died that as death came into the world by a tree so it might be taken out of the world by a tree m Idem in ca. 1. ad Ephes. v. 7. To that point how we are redeemed the Apostle saith by his bloud that is by 〈◊〉 sacrifice which consisted of the offering of his body deliuered to death and his bloud shed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fuit proprius modus this was the proper manner or onely way how we must be redeemed from the captiuitie of sinne and death This n Ibidem sacrifice which is often signified by the name of Christeâ—… bloud alone is that price of which the Prophets before and after the Apostles say we were redeemed by it For o Ibidem we are redeemed and haue remission of sinnes in Christ by his onely bloud p Idem de tribus 〈◊〉 1. cap. 5. test 9. This is euen he who by the onely sacrifice of his bodie should effectually clense the sinnes of the world And so againe The Apostle q Idem in ca. 1. ep ad Coloss. vers 22. expresseth the materiall cause of our reconciliation or the thing wherewith the Father reconciled vs to himselfe to 〈◊〉 by the oblation of the true and humane body of Christ deliuered to death for our sinnes This he meaneth when he saith in the body of his flesh through death For this body which was truely flesh and an humane body not simply but as it died is the matter of our reconciliation by that was reconciliation made He r Ibidem ioineth the body with bloud because both are the price of our reconciliation and by both were our sinnes clensed The Apostle then s Ibidem signifieth reconciliation was by the oblation of the body of Christ as by the true sacrifice sor sinne Zanchius speaketh not precisely you will say against the death of Christes soule In plainely and fully deliuering the matter and meane of our redemption to be the ONELY SACRIFICE of the body and bloud of Christ offered on the crosse to death he excludeth all other ransomes for our sins so maketh the death of Christs soule not onely to be superfluous to mans saluation but no meane of our redemption For in his iudgement t Zanchius de tribus Elohim part 1. li. 5. ca. 1 〈◊〉 10. Christ is the propitiatorie sacrifice for sinne not simply but as he died for vs with the shedding of his bloud and u Ibidem this ONELY SACRIFICE the shedding of Christes bloud vnto death God chose from euerlasting for the expiation of our sinnes and promised the same from the creation of the world and shadowed it with resemblances And touching the death of the soule if you teach as Zanchius doth you will presently finde it is open blasphemie to ascribe to Christ any death of the soule x Zanchâ—… tractat theologicâ—… de peccato originali ca. 4. thes 3 A triple death saith he God threatned to Adam for disobedience a spirituall death which was the separation of grace of the holy Ghost and of originall righteousnesse from the soule and body of Adam of which death in the Scriptures there is often mention made This death Adam died as soone as he did eate The second was a corporall death whereby the soule is seuered from the bodie To this Adam was presently vpon his eating made subiect though he did not straightwayes actually die The third is euerlasting death which is knowen to all of this death Adam was forthwith made guiltie This triple death was the punishment of his disobedience And vpon like occasion comparing the death of the soule and of the bodie he saith y Ibidem in ca. 2. epist. ad ephes vers 5. There is a triple death spirituall of the spirit or soule corporall knowen to all men and the third is that eternall death pertaining to bodie and soule wherewith all the wicked shall be punished in hell These all God threatned to Adam when he said what hower soeuer thou shalt eate c. thou shalt die the death For he straightway died in spirit or soule he incurred also the death of the bodie because he became mortall and was made guiltie of eternall death z Ibid. We haue rightly said death to bee the priuation of life and so of all the actions of life consisting in the separation of bodie and soule The like we must say of the spirituall life and death The spirituall life is a certaine spirituall and diuine force whereby we are mooued to spirituall and diuine actions by the presence of the holy Ghost dwelling in vs. The holy Ghost regenerating vs in this spirituall life is as it were the soule thereof And holy and spirituall thoughts holy desires holy actions both inward and outward are the operations of this spirituall life What then is the death of the spirit euen the priuation of the spirituall life and consequently of all spirituall and good actions in a man destitute of the presence of the holy Ghost which should quicken him comming from sinne and for sinne a Ibidem What strength hath a man dead in bodie to the actions of this life so neither can he that is dead in spirit or soule do any workes of the spirituall life Heere is a full and true description of the death of the spirit or soule of man which if you and your friends dare attribute to Christ then doth Zanchius fauour the death of Christs soule but if euery peece hereof applied to Christ be euident heresie and infidelitie then did Zanchius no way defend the death of Christes soule to be any part of our redemption and as for the second death he acknowledgeth none but that which is eternall and inflicted in hell on all the wicked Much more might be brought to like effect shewing the true and onely meane and matter of our redemption and reconciliation to be the only body and bloud of Christ yeelded vnto death for the ransome of our sinnes but I should make a new volume if I should stand thereon It may suffice in the iudgement of any reasonable man to refute the slaunderous