HONI·SOIT·QVI MAL Y·PENSE A DECLARATION OF THE TRVE MANner of knowing CHRIST CRVCIFIED GALAT. 6. 14. God forbid that I should reioyce but in the Crosse of our Lorde Iesus Christ c. Printed by IOHN LEGATE Printer to the Vniversitie of Cambridge 1596. TO THE READER IT is the common sinne of men at this day and that in the very places of learning that Christ crucified is not known as he ought The right knowledge of whome is not to make often mention of his death and passion and to call him our Saviour or to handle the whole mysterie of God incarnate soundly and learnedly though that be a worthy gift of god but first of all by the consideration of the passion to be touched vvith an inward and a lively feeling of our sinnes for which our Redeemer suffered the pangs of hell and to grovv to a through dislike of our selves and our lives past for them and from the ground of the heart to purpose a reformation and a conformitie vvith Christ in all good duties that concerne man secondly in the Passion as in a myrrour to behold and in beholding to labour to comprehend the length the breadth the height the depth of the love of the father that gave his ovvne deare sonne to death and the goodnesse of the sonne that loved his enemies more then himselfe that our heartes might be rooted and grounded in the same love and be further inflamed to love God againe To further this true manner of knovving Christ crucified I have penned these feew lines read them at thy leysure and have care to put them in practise othervvise thou art but an enemie of the crosse of Christ though thou professe his name never so much Ian. 5. 1596. William Perkins OF THE RIGHT knowledge of Christ crucified IT is the most excellent and worthy part of diuine wisdome to know Christ crucified The Prophet Esaisaith The knovvledge of thy righteous servant that is Christ crucified shall iustifie many And Christ himselfe saith This is eternall life to knowe thee the onely God and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ. And Paul saith I have decreed to know nothing among you but Iesus Christ and him crucified Againe God forbid that I shold reioyce in any thing but in the crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ. Againe I thinke all things but losse for the excellent knovvledge sake of Christ Iesus my Lorde and doe iudge them but dung that I might winne Christ. In the right way of knowing Christ crucified two points must be considered one how Man for his part is to know Christ the other how he is to be knowen of man Touching the first Man must know Christ not generally and confusedly but by a liuely powerfull and operatiue knowledge for otherwise the deuils themselues know Christ. In this knowledge three things are required The first is notice or consideration wherby thou must conceiue in mind vnderstand seriously bethinke thy selfe of Christ as he is reuealed in the history of the Gospell and as he is offered to thy particular person in the ministery of the worde and sacraments And that this consideration may not be deade and idle in thee two things must be done first thou must labour to feele thy selfe to standin neede of Christ crucified yea to stand in excessiue need euen of the very least drop of his bloode for the washing away of thy sinnes And unlesse thou throughly feelest thy selfe to want all that goodnes and grace that is in Christ and that thou euen standest in extreme neede of his passion thou shalt neuer learne or teach Christ in deed and trueth The second thing is with the understanding of the doctrine of Christ to ioyne thirsting wherby man in his very soule and spirit longs after the participation of Christ and saith in this case as Samson said Giue me water I die for thirst The second part of knowledge is application wherby thou must know and beleeue not only that Christ was crucified but that he was crucified for thee for thee I say in particular Here two â—les must be remembred and practised O 〈…〉 that Christ on the crosse was thy pledge surety in particular that he then stood in thy very roome and place in which thou thy selfe in thine owne person shouldest haue stood that thy very personall and particular sinnes were imputed and applied to him that he stood guiltie as a malefactour for them and suffered the very pangs of hell and that his sufferings are as much in acceptatioÌ„ with God as if thou haddest borne the curse of the law in thine owne person eternally The holding and beleeuing of this point is the very foundation of religion as also of the Church of God Therefore in any wise be carefull to applie Christ crucified to thy selfe and as Elizeus when he would revive the child of the Shunamite went vp and lay vpon him and put his mouth vpon his mouth and his hands vpon his hands and his eyes vpon his eyes and stretched himselfe vpon him euen so if thou wouldest be revived to euerlasting life thou must by faith as it were set thy selfe vpon the crosse of Christ and applie thy hands to his hands thy feete to his feete and thy sinnefull heart to his bleeding heart and content not thy selfe with Thomas to put thy finger into his side but euen dive and plunge thy selfe wholly both bodie and soule into the woundes and bloode of Christ. This will make thee to crie with Thomas and say My Lord my God and this is to be crucified vvith Christ. And yet doe not content thy selfe with this but by faith also descend with Christ from the crosse to the graue and burie thy selfe in the very buriall of Christ and then looke as the dead souldiour tumbled into the graue of Elizeus was made aliue at the very touching of his bodie so shalt thou by a spirituall touching of Christ dead and buried be quickned to life euerlasting The second rule is that Christ crucified is thine beeing really giuen thee of God the father euen as truely as houses and lande are giuen of earthly fathers to their children this thou must firmely hold and beleeue and hence is it that the benefits of Christ are before God ours indeede for our iustification and saluation The third point in liuely knowledge is that by all the affections of our hearts we must be caried to Christ and as it were transformed into him Wheras he gaue himselfe wholly for vs we can doe no lesse then bestow our hearts vpon him We must therefore loue him aboue all following the martyr Ignatius who said that Christ his loue vvas crucified We must value him at so high a price that he must be vnto vs better then ten thousand worlds yea all things which we enioy must be but as drosse and dung vnto vs in respect of him Lastly all our ioy reioycing comfort and confidence must be placed in him
And that thus much is required in knowledge it appeares by the common rule of expounding Scripture that vvordes of knovvledge implie affection And indeede it is but a knowledge swimming in the braine which doth not alter and dispose the affection and the whole man Thus much of our knowledge Now followes the second point how Christ is to be knowne He must not be knowne barely as God or as man or as a Iewe borne in the tribe of Iudah or as a terrible and iust iudge but as he is our Redeemer and the very price of our redemption and in this respect he must be considered as the common Treasurie and storehouse of Gods Church as Paul testifieth wheÌ„ he saith In him are all the treasures of knovvledge and wisdome hidde and againe Blessed be God which hath blessed vs vvith all spirituall blessings in Christ. And S. Iohn saith that of his fulnesse we receiue grace for grace Here then let vs marke that all the blessings of God whether spirituall or temporall all I say without exception are conuaied vnto vs from the father by Christ and so must they be receiued of vs and no otherwise That this point may be further cleared the benefits which wee receiue from Christ are to be handled and the maner of knowing of them The benefits of Christ are three his Merit his Vertue his Example The merit of Christ is the value and price of his death and Passion whereby man is perfectly reconciled to God This reconciliation hath two parts Remission of sinnes and acceptation to life euerlasting Remission of sinnes is the remoouing or the abolishing both of the guilt and punishment of mans sinnes By guilt I vnderstand a subiection or obligation to punishment according to the order of diuine iustice And the punishment of sinne is the malediction of curse of the whole law which is the suffering of the first and second death Acceptation to life euerlasting is a giuing of right and title to the kingdome of heauen and that for the merit of Christs obedience imputed Now this benefit of reconciliation must be knowne not by conceit and imagination nor by carnall presumption but by the inwarde testimonie of Gods spirit certifying our consciences thereof which for this cause is called the spirit of Revelation And that we may attaine to infallible assistance of this benefite we must call to minde the promises of the Gospel touching remission of sinnes and life euerlasting this being done we must further strive and indeauour by the assurance of Gods spirit to apply them to our selues â—nd to beleeue that they belong vnto vs and we must also put our selues often to all the exercises of invocation and true repentance For in and by our crying vnto heauen to God for reconciliation comes the assurance thereof as scriptures and Christian experience makes manifest And if it so fall out that any man in temptation apprehend and feele nothing but the furious indignation and wrath of God against all reason and feeling he must hold to the merite of Christ and know a point of religion hard to be learned that God is a most louing father to them that haue care to serue him euen at that instant when he shewes himselfe a most fierce and terrible enemie From the benefit of reconciliation proceede foure benefits First that excellent peace of God that passeth all vnderstanding which hath sixe parts The first is peace with God and the blessed Trinitie Rom 5. 1. beeing iustified vve have peace vvith God The second peace with the good Angels Ioh. 1. 51. Ye shall see the Angels of God ascending and descending vpon the sonne of man And that Angels like armies of souldiours incampe about the seruants of God and as nources beare them in their armes that they be neither hurt by the deuil and his angels nor by his instruments it proceeds of this that they being in Christ are partakers of his merits The third is peace with all such as feare God and beleeue in Christ. This Esay foretold when he said that the vvolfe shall dvvell vvith the lamb and the leopard lie vvith the kidde and the calfe and the lyon and a fatte beast together and that a little child should lead them c. 11. v. 6. The fourth is peace with a mans owne selfe when the conscience washed in the blood of Christ ceaseth to accuse and terrifie and when the wil affections and inclinations of the whole man are obedient to the minde enlightened by the spirit and word of God Coloss. 3. Let the peace of God rule in your hearts The fifth is peace with enemies and that two waies First in that such as beleeue in Christ seeke to haue peace with all men hurting none but doing good to all secondly in that God restraines the malice of enemies inclines their hearts to be peaceable Thus God brought Daniel into loue and fauour with the chief of the Eunuches The last is peace with all creatures in heauen earth in that they serue for maÌ„s saluatioÌ„ Psal. 9â— 13. Thou shalt walk vpon the lyon and the Aspe the young lyon and the dragon shalt thou tread vnder foot Hos. 2. 18. And in that day vvill I make a couenant for them vvith the beasts of the fielde and vvith the foules of heaven Nowe this benefite of â—eace is knowne partly by the testimonie of the â—pirit and partly by a daily experience thereof The second benefit is a recoverie of that right and title which man hath to all creatures in heauen and earth and all temporall blessings which right Adam lost to himselfe and euery one of his posteritie 1. Cor. 3. 22. Whether it be the world or life or death whether they be things present or things to come all are yours Now the right way of knowing this one benefit is this When God vouchsafeth meate drinke apparrell houses lands c. we must not barely consider them as blessings of God for that very heathen men which know not Christ can doe but we must acknowledge and esteem them as blessings proceeding from the speciall loue of God the father whereby hee loues vs in Christ and procured vnto vs by the merite of Christ crucified and we must labour in this point to be setled and perswaded and so oft as we see and vse the creatures of God for our owne benefite this point should come to our mindes Blessings conceiued apart from Christ are misconceiued whatsoeuer they are in theÌ„selues they are no blessings to vs but in and by Christs merit Therefore this order must be obserued touching earthly blessings first wee must haue part in the merite of Christ and then secondly by meanes of that merit right before God and comfortable vse of thâ— things we enioy All men that haue and vse thâ— creatures of God otherwise as gifts of God but not by Christ vse them but as flat vsurpers and theeves For this cause is it not sufficient for vs generally and
by the sworde of the spirit wound it euē to death This being don we must yet goe further and labour by experience to see and feele the very death of it and to lay it as it were in a graue neuer to rise againe and therefore we should daily cast new mouldes vpon it The third is a spirituall resurrection whereby we should by Gods grace vse meanes that wee may euery day more and more come out of our sinnes as out of a loathsome graue to liue vnto God in newnes of life as Christ rose from his graue And because it is an hard matter for a man to come out of the graue or rather dungeon of his sinnes this worke can not be done at once but by degrees as God shall giue grace Considering we lie by nature dead in our sinns and stinke in them as loathsome carrion first we must beginne to stirre our selues as a man that comes out of a sowne awakened by the word and voice of Christ sounding in our deafe eares secondly we must raise vp our mindes to a better state and condition as we vse to raise vp our bodies after this we must put out of the graue first one hand then the other This done we must doe our indeauour as it were vpon our knees at the least to put one foote out of this sepulchre of sinne the rather when we see our selues to haue one foote of the bodie in the graue of the earth that in the day of iudgement we may be wholly deliuered from all bonds of corruption The fourth part is a spirituall ascension into heauen by a continuall elevation of the heart and minde to Christ sitting at the right hand of the father as Paul saith Haue your conuersation in heauen and If ye be risen vvith Christ seeke things that are above Conformitie in morall duties is either generall or speciall Generall is to be holy as he is holy Rom. 8. 29. Those whome he knew before he hath predestinate to be like the image of his sonne that is not onely in the crosse but also in holines and glorie 1. Ioh. 3. He vvhich hath this hope purifieth himselfe euen as he is pure Speciall conformitie is chiefly in foure vertues Faith Love Meekenesse Humilitie Wee must be like him in faith For as he when hee apprehended the wrath of God and the very pangs of hell were vpon him wholly staide himselfe vpon the ayde helpe protection and good pleasure of his father euen to the last so must wee by a true and liuely faith depend wholly on Gods mercie in Christ as it were with both our handes in peace in trouble in life and in the very pang of death and we must not in any wise let our holde goe no though we should feele our selues descend to hell We must be like him in meekenesse Matth. 11. v. 28. Learne of me that I am meeke and lovvly His meekenesse shewed it selfe in the patient bearing of all iniuries and abuses offered by the hands of sinnefull and wretched men and in the suffering of the curse of the lawe without grudging or repining and with submission to his fathers will in all things Now the more we follow him herein the more shall we be conformable to him in his death and passion Philip. 3. 10. Thirdly he must be our example in love he loued his enemies more then himselfe Eph. 5. 4. Walke in love even as Christ loued vs and hath giuen himselfe for vs an oblation and sacrifice of svveete smelling savour vnto God The like loue ought we to shew by doing seruice to all men in the compasse of our callings and by beeing all things to all men as Paul was that we might doe them all the good wee can both for bodie and soule 1. Cor. 9. 19. Lastly we must follow Christ in humilitie whereof he is a wonderfull spectacle in that being God he became man for vs and of a man became a worme that is troaden vnder foote that he might saue man Philip. 2. 5. Let the same minde be in you that vvas in Iesus Christ who beeing in the forme of God humbled himselfe and became obedient to the death euen to the death of the crosse And here we must obserue that the example of Christ hath something more in it thē any other exāple hath or cā haue for it doth not only shew vs what we ought to do as the exāples of other men doe but it is a remedie against many vices and a motive to many good duties First of all the serious consideration of this that the very sonne of God himselfe suffered all the paines and torments of hel on the crosse for our sinnes is the proper most effectuall means to stirre up our hearts to a godly sorow for them And that this thing may come to passe euery man must be setled without doubt that he was the man that crucified Christ that he is to be blamed as well as Iudas Herode Pontius Pilate and the Iewes and that his sinnes were the nayles the speares and the thornes that pearced him When this meditation beginnes to take place bitternesse of spirite with wayling and mourning takes place in like maner Zach. 12. v. 10. And they shall looke vpon him vvhome they have pearced and they shall lament for him as one lamenteth for his onely sonne Peter in his first sermon strooke the Iewes as with a thunderclappe from heauen when hee saide unto them Yee have crucified the Lorde of glory so as at the same time three thousande men were pricked in their heartes and saide Men and breethren What shall vvee doe to be saved Againe if Christ for our sinnes shedde his heart bloode and if our sinnes made him sweate water and bloode Oh then why should not we our selues shedde bitter teares and why shoulde not our heartes bleede for them He that findes himselfe so dull and hardened that the Passion of Christ doeth not humble him is in a lamētable case for there is no faith in the death of Christ effectuall in him as yet Secondly the meditation of the Passion of Christ is a most notable meanes to breed repentance and reformation of life in time to come For when wee beginne to thinke that Christ crucified by suffering the first and second death hath procured unto vs remission of all our sinns past and freed vs from hell death and damnation then if there be but a sparke of grace in vs we beginne to be of another minde and to reason thus with our selues What hath the Lord beene thus mercifull to me that am in my selfe but a firebrand of hell as to free me from deserued destruction and to receiue me to fauour in Christ yea no doubt he hath his name be blessed therefore I will not therefore sinne any more as I haue done but euer hereafter endeauour to keep my selfe from euery euill way And thus faith purifies both heart and life Thirdly when thou art in any paine of body or