Christ her Sauiour 1017 THE PRACTISE OF PIETIE Directing a CHRISTIAN how to walke that hee may please GOD. WHo euer thou art that lookest into this Booke neuer vndertake to read it vnlesse thou first resoluest to become from thy heart an vnfained Practitioner of Pietie Yet reade it and that speedily least before thou hast read it ouer God by some vnexpected death cut thee off for thine inueterate Impietie The practise of Pietie consists 1 In knowing 1 The essence of God that in respect of 1 The diuers manner of being therin which are 3. persons 1 Father 2 Sonne 3 H. Ghost 2 The Attributes therof which are either Nominall or Reall 1 Absolute 1 Simplenes 2 Infinitenes 2 Relatiue 1 Life 2 Vnderstanding 3 Will. 4 Power 5 Maiestie 2 Thy owne selfe in respect of thy state of 1 Corruption 2 Renouation 2 In glorifying God aright 1 By thy life in dedicating thy selfe deuoutly to serue him Ordinarily 1 Priuately in thine owne person 2 Publikely 1 With thy familie euery day 2 With the Church on the Sabboth day Extraordinarily by Fasting Feasting 2 By thy death in dying 1 In the Lord. 2 For the Lord. VNlesse that a man doth truely know God hee neyther can nor will worship him aright for how can a man loue him whom hee knoweth not and vvho will worship him whose helpe a man thinkes he needeth not and how shall a man seeke remedie by Grace who neuer vnderstood his miserie by Nature Therefore saith the Apostle Hee that commeth to God must beleeue that God is and that he is a rewarder of them that seeke him And for as much as there can be no true Pietie without the knowledge of GOD nor any good practise without the knowledge of a mans owne selfe wee will therefore lay downe the knowledge of Gods Maiestie and mans miserie as the first and chiefest grounds of the practise of Pietie A plaine Description of the Essence and Attributes of GOD out of the holy Scriptures so far forth as euery CHRISTIAN must competently know and necessarily beleeue that will be saued ALthough no Creature can define vvhat God is because hee is incomprehensible and dwelling in inaccessible light yet it hath pleased his Maiestie to reueale himselfe in his Word vnto vs so farre as our weake capacitie can best conceiue him Thus God is that one spirituall and infinitely perfect essence whose beeing is of himselfe eternally In the Diuine Essence we are to consider two things first the diuers manner of being therein secondly the Attributes thereof The diuers manner of being therein are called Persons A Person is a distinct subsistence of the whole God-head There are three Diuine Persons the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost These three Persons are not three seuerall substances but three distinct subsistences or three diuerâ— manner of beeings of one and the same Substance and Diuine Essence So that a Person in the God-head is an indiuiduall vnderstanding and incommunicable Subsistence liuing of it selfe and not sustained by another In the vnitie of the God-head there is a pluralitie which is not accidentall for GOD is a most pure act and admits no accidents nor essentiall for God is one essence onely but personall The Persons in this one essence are but three In this Mysterie there is alius alius another and another but not aliud aliud another thing and another thing The Diuine Essence in it selfe is neyther diuided nor distinguished But the three Persons in the diuine Essence are distinguished among themselues three manner of wayes 1 By their Names 2 By their Order 3 By their Actions 1 By their Names thus THe first Person is named the Father first in respect of his naturall Sonne Christ secondly in respect of the Elect his adopted sons that is those who being not his sonnes by Nature are made his Sonnes by Grace The second Person is named the Sonne because hee is begotten of his Fathers substance or nature and he is called the Word first because the conception of a word in mans minde is the neerest thing that in some sort can shadow vnto vs the manner how hee is eternally begotten of his Fathers substance and in this respect he is also called the Wisedome of his Father Prou. 8.12 Secondly because that by him the Father hath from the beginning declared his Will for our saluation hence called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Person speaking with or by the Fathers Thirdly because hee is the chiâ—fe argument of all the Word of God or that Word whereof GOD spake when he promised the blessed Seede to the Fathers vnder the old Testament The third Person is named the holy Ghost first because hee is spirituall without a body secondly because hee is spired and as it were breathed from both the Father and the Sonne that is proceedeth from them both And he is called holy both because he is holy in his owne nature and also the immediate sanctifier of all Gods Elect people 2 By their Order thus THe Persons of the God-head are eyther the Father or those vvhich are of the Father The Father is the first person of the glorious Trinitie hauing neyther his beeing nor beginning of any other but of himselfe begetting his Sonne and together vvith his Sonne sending forth the Holy Ghost from euerlasting The Persons which are of the Father are those who in respect of their Personall existence haue the whole Diuine Essence aeternally communicated vnto them from the Father and those are either from the Father alone as the Son or from the Father and the Sonne as the Holy Ghost The Sonne is the second person of the glorious Trinitie and the onely begotten Sonne of his Father not by Grace but by Nature hauing his beeing of the Father alone and the whole beeing of his Father by an eternall and incomprehensible generation and with the Father sendeth forth the Holy Ghost In respect of his absolute Essence he is of himselfe but in respect of his Person hee is by an eternall generation of his Father For the Essence doth not beget an Essence but the person of the Father begetteth the Person of the Sonne and so he is God of God and hath from his Father the beginning of his Person and Order but not of Essence and time The holy Ghost is the third Person of the blessed Trinitie proceeding and sent forth equally from both the Father and the Sonne by an eternall and incomprehensible spiration For as the Sonne receiueth the whole diuine essence by generation so the H. Ghost receiueth it wholy by spiration This Order betwixt the three persons appeares in that the Father begetting must in order be before the Sonne begotten and the Father and Sonne
lacking where GOD himselfe will be the soule of our soules Yea all the strength wit pleasures vertues colours beauties harmony goodnesse that are in men beasts fishes fowles trees hearbes and all creatures are nothing but sparkles of those things which are in infinite perfection in GOD. And in him we shall enioy them in a farre more perfect and blessed manner Hee himselfe will then supply â—heiâ— vse nay the best creatures vvhich serue vs now shall not haue the honour to serue vs then There will be no neede of the Sunne nor of the Moone to shine in that Citie for the glory of God doth light it No more will there be any neede or vse of any creature when we shall enioy the Creator himselfe When therefore wee behold any thing that is excellent in any Creatures let vs say to our selues how much more excellent is hee vvho gaue them this excellencie When wee behold the wisedome of men who ouer-rule creatures stronger then themselues out-runne the Sunne and Moone in discourse prescribing many yeeres before in what courses they shall be eclipsed let vs say to our selues how admirable is the wisedome of GOD who made men so wise When we consider the strength of Whales and Elephants the tempests of Windes terror of Thunder let vs say to our selues how strong how mighty how terrible is that GOD that makes these mighty fearefull Creatures When wee taste things that are delicately sweete let vs say to our selues oh how sweete is that GOD from vvhom all these Creatures haue receiued this sweetnesse When we behold the admirable colours which are in Flowers and Birds and the louely beauty of Women let vs say how faire is that GOD that made these so faire And if our louing GOD hath thus prouided vs so many excellent delights for our passage through this Bochim or valley of teares what are those pleasures which he hath prepared for vs when wee shall enter into the pallace of our Masters ioy How shall our Soules be there rauished with the loue of so louely a GOD So glorious is the obiect of heauenly Saints So amiable is the sight of our gratious Sauiour 3 Of the Prerogatiues which the Elect shall enioy in Heauen BY reason of this communion with GOD the elect in Heauen shall haue foure super-excellent prerogatiues 1 They shall haue the Kingdome of heauen for their inheritance and they shall be free Denizons of the heauenly Ierusalem S. Paul by being a free citizen of Rome escaped whipping but they who are once free Citizens of the heauenly Ierusalem shall euer be freed from the whips of eternall torments For this freedome vvas bought for vs not with a great summe of money but with the precious bloud of the Sonne of God 2 They shall be all Kings and Priests Spirituall Kings to raigne vvith Christ and to triumph ouer Sathan the World and Reprobates and spirituall Priests to offer vnto God the spirituall Sacrifice of Praise and Thankesgiuing for euermore And therefore they are said to vveare both Crownes and Roabes Oh what a comfort is this to poore Parents that haue many Children If they breede them vp in the feare of God to be true Christians then are they Parents to so many Kings and Priests 3 Their bodies shall shine as the brightnesse of the Sun in the Firmament like the glorious Body of CHRIST which shined brighter then the Sunne at noone when it appeared to Paul A glimpse of which glorious brightnesse appeared in the bodies of Moses and Elias transfigured with our Lord in the holy Mount Therefore saith the Apostle it shall rise a glorious body yea a spirituall body not in substance but in qualitie preserued by spirituall meanes and hauing as an Angell agilitie to ascend or descend Oh vvhat an honour is it that our bodies falling more vile then a carrion should thus arise in glory like vnto the body of the Sonne of God! 4 Lastly they together with all the holy Angels there keepe without any labour to distract them a perpetuall Sabbath to the glory honour and praise of the aye-blessed Trinitie for the creating redeeming and and sanctifying of the church and for his power wisedome iustice mercy and goodnes in the gouernment of Heauen and Earth When thou hearest a sweet Consort of Musicke meditate how happy thou shalt be when vvith the Quire of heauenly Angels and Saints thou shalt sing a part in that spirituall Alleluiah on that eternall blessed Sabbath where there shall be such varietie of pleasures and satietie of ioyes as neuer know tediousnesse in doing nor end in delighting 4 Of the effects of those prerogatiues From these prerogatiues there will arise to the Elect in heauen fiue notable effects 1 THey shall know GOD vvith a perfect knowledge so farre as Creatures can possibly comprehend the Creator For there wee shall see the Word the Creatour and in the Word all creatures that by the Word were created so that wee shall not neede to learne of the things which were made the knowledge of him by whom all things were made The excellentest creatures in this life are but as a darke vaile drawne betwixt GOD and vs but when this vaile shall be drawne aside then shall we see GOD face to face and know him as wee are knowne We shall know the power of the Father the wisdome of the Sonne the grace of the holy Ghost and the indiuisible nature of the blessed Trinity And in him we shall know not onely all our friends who dyed in the faith of Christ but also all the faithfull that euer were or shall be For 1 Chirst tels the Iewes that they shall see Abraham Isaac and Iacob and all the Prophets in the kingdome of God therefore wee shall know them 2 Adam in his innocency knew Eue to be bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh assoone as he awaked Much more then shall we know our kindred when we shall awake perfected and glorified in the resurrection 3 The Apostles knew Christ after his resurrection and the Saints which rose with him and appeared in the holy City 4 Peter Iames and Iohn knew Moses and Elias in the transfiguration how much more shall wee know one an other when wee shall be all glorified 5 Diues knew Lazarus in Abrahams bosome much more shall the Elect know one another in heauen 6 Christ saith that the twelue Apostles shall sit vpon twelue thrones to iudge at that day the 12. Tribes therfore they shal be known and consequently the rest of the Saints 7 Paul saith that at that day we shall know as wee are knowne of God and Augustine out of this place comforteth a Widow assuring her that as in this life shee saw her husband with externall eyes so in the life to come shee should know his heart and what
before the Holy Ghost proceeding from both This Order serues to set forth vnto vs two things first the manner how the Trinitie worketh in their externall actions as that the Father worketh of himselfe by the Sonne and the holy Ghost the Sonne from the Father by the holy Ghost the holy Ghost from the Father and the Sonne Secondly to distinguish the first and immediate beginning from vvhich those externall and common action do flow Hence it is that for as much as the Father is the fountaine and originall of the Trinitie the beginning of all externall working the Name of God in relation and the title of Creator in the Creede are giuen in a speciall manner to the Father Our Redemption to the Sonne and our Sanctification to the person of the Holy Ghost as the immediate agents of these actions And this also is the cause why the Sonne as he is Mediator referreth all things to the Father not to the Holy Ghost and that the Scripture so often saith that we are reconciled to the Father This diuine order or oeconomie excepted there is neyther first nor last neyther superioritie nor inferioritie among the three Persons but for Nature they are coessentiall for Dignitie coequall for Time coeternall The whole diuine Essence is in euery one of the three Persons but it was incarnated onely in the second Person of the Word and not in the Person of the Father or of the Hâ—ly Ghost for three reasons First that GOD the Father might the rather set forth the greatnesse of his loue to Mankinde in giuing his first and onely begotten Son to be incarnated and to suffer death for mans saluation Secondly that hee vvho was in his Diuinitie the Son of GOD should be in his Humanitie the Sonne of Man lest the name of Sonne should passe vnto another vvho by his eternall natiuitie was not the Sonne Thirdly because it vvas meetest that that Person who is the substantiall Image of his eternal Father should restore in vs the spirituall Image of GOD which we had lost In the Incarnation the God-head was not turned into the Man-hood nor the Man-hood into the God-head but the God-head as it is the second Person or Word assumed vnto it the Man-hood that is the whole nature of man body and soule and all the naturall properties and infirmities therof sinne excepted The second Person tooke not vpon him the Person of man but the Nature of man So that the humane nature hath no personall subsistence of it owne for then there should be two Persons in Christ but it subsisteth in the Word the second Person for as the soule and body makes but one Person of Man so the God-head and Man-hood makes but one Person of Christ. The two natures of the God-head and Man-hood are so really vnited by a Personall vnion that as they can neuer be separated asunder so are they not confounded but remaine still distinguished by their seuerall and essentiall proprieties which they had before they were vnited As for example the infinitâ—nesse of the Diuine is not communicated to the humanâ— nature nor the finitenesse of the Humane to the Diuine nature Yet by reason of this personall vnion there is such a communion of the proprieties of both natures that that which is proper to the one is sometimes attributed to the other Nature As that God purchased the Church with his owne bloud And that he will iudge the world by that man whom he hath appointed Hence also it is that though the Humanitie of Christ be a created and therefore a finite and limited nature and cannot be euery where present by actuall position or locall extension according to his naturall being yet because it hath communicated vnto it the personall subsistence of the Sonne of God which is infinite and without limitation and is so vnited with God that it is no where seuered from God the body of Christ in respect of his personall being may rightly bee said to be euery where 3 The Actions by which the three Persons be distinguished THe Actions are of two sorts either Eternall respecting the Creatures and those are after a sort common to euery one of the three Persons or Internall respecting the Persons onely amongst themselues and are altogether incommunicable The Externall and communicable Actions of the three Persons are these The creation of the World peculiarly belonging to God the Father The redemption of the Church to God the Sonne And the sanctification of the Elect to God the holy Ghost But because the Father created and still gouerneth the World by the Sonne in the holy Ghost therefore these external actions are indifferently in Scripture oftentimes ascribed to each of the three Persons and therefore called communicable and diuided Actions The Internall and incommunicable Actions or proprieties of the three Persons are these 1 To beget and that belongeth onely to the Father who is neither made created nor begotten of any 2 To be begotten and that belongeth only to the Sonne who is of the Father alone not made nor created but begotten 3 To proceede from both and that belongeth onely to the holy Ghost who is of the Father and the Sonne neither made created nor begotten but proceeding So that when wee say that the diuine essence is in the Father vnbegotten in the Sonne begotten and in the Holy Ghost proceeding wee make not three Essences but onely shew the diuers maners of subsisting by which the same most simple eternall vnbegotteÌ„ Essence subsisteth in each Person namely that it is not in the Father by generation that it is in the Sonne communicated from the father by generation and in the holy Ghost communicated from both the Father and the Sonne by proceeding These are incommunicable Actions and doe make not an Essentiall accidental or rationall but a reall distinction betwixt the three Persons So that he who is the Father in the Trinity is not the Son he who is the Son in the Trinity is not the Father hee who is the holy Ghost in the Trinity is neither the Sonne nor the Father but the Spirit proceeding from both though there is but one and the same Essence common to all three As therefore wee beleeue that the Father is God the Sonne is God and the holy Ghost is God so we likewise beleeue that God is the Father God is the Sonne and God is the holy Ghost But by reason of this reall distinction the Person of the one is not nor neuer can be the person of the other The three Persons therefore of the Godhead doe not differ from the Essence but formally but they differ really one from an other and so are distinguished by their hypostaticall proprieties As the Father is God begetting God the Sonne the Sonne is God begotten of God the Father and the holy Ghost is God
enuied to be taxed with such a blemish though I knew that otherwise the graces of God shined in him in aboundant measure I made â—ests of officious and aduantage of pernitious lyes herein shewing my selfe a right Cretian rather then an vpright Christian. And lastly O Lord where I should haue rested fully contented vvith that portion which thy Maiestie thought meetest to bestow vpon me in this Pilgrimage and reioyced in an others good as in mine owne Alas my life hath beene nothing else but a greedy lusting after this neighbours house and that neighbours land yea secretly vvishing such a man dead that I might haue his liuing or office coueting rather those things which thou hast bestowed on another rather then being thankefull for that which thou hast giuen vnto my selfe Thus I O Lord who am a carnall sinner and sold vnder sinne haue transgressed all thy holy and spiritual commandements from the first to the last from the greatest vnto the least and here I stand guiltie before thy Iudgement-seate of all the breaches of all thy lawes and therefore lyable to thy Curse and to all the miseries that Iustice can poure forth vpon so cursed a creature And whither shall I goe for deliuerance from this miserie Angels blush at my rebellion and will not helpe mee Men are guilty of the like transgression and cannot helpe themselues Shall I then despaire vvith Caine or make away my selfe with Iudas No Lord for that were but to end the miseries of this life and to beginne the endlesse torments of Hell I will rather appeale to thy Throane of Grace where Mercy raignes to pardon abounding sinnes and out of the depth of my miseries I will cry with Dauid for the depth of thy mercies Though thou shouldest kill me with afflictions yet will I like Iob put my trust in thee Though thou shouldest drowne me in the Sea of thy displeasure with Ionas yet will I catch such hold on thy Mercy that I will be taken vp dead clasping her with both my hands And though thou shouldest cast mee into the bowels of Hell as Ionas into the Belly of the Whale yet from thence would I cry vnto thee O God the Father of Heauen O Iesus Christ the Redeemer of the World O Holy Ghost my Sanctifier three Persons and one eternall God haue mercy vpon mee a miserable sinner And seeing the goodnesse of thine owne nature first moued thee to send thine onely begotten Son to dye for my sinnes that by his death I might be reconciled to thy Maiestie O reiect not now my penitent Soule who being displeased with her selfe for sinne desireth to returne to serue and please thee in newnesse of life and reach from Heauen thy helping hand to saue mee thy poore seruant who am like Peter ready to sincke in the Sea of my sinnes and miserie Wash away the multitude of my sinnes with the merits of that bloud which I beleeue that thou hast so abundantly shed for penitent sinners And now that I am to receiue this day the blessed Sacrament of thy precious body and bloud O Lord I beseech thee let thy holy Spirit by thy Sacrament seale vnto my soule that by the merits of thy Death and Passion all my sinnes are so freely and fully remitted and forgiuen that the curses and Iudgements which my sins haue deserued may neuer haue power eyther to confound me in this life or to condemne me in the world which is to come For my stedfast faith is that thou hast dyed for my sinnes and risen againe for my iustification This I beleeue O Lord helpe mine vnbeliefe Worke in mee likewise I beseech thee an vnfained Repentance that I may heartily bewaile my former sins and loath them and serue thee hence forth in newnesse of life and greater measure of holy deuotion And let my soule neuer forget the infinite loue of so sweete a Sauiour that hath laid downe his life to redeeme so vile a Sinner And grant Lord that hauing receiued these seales and pledges of my Communion with thee thou maist henceforth so dwell by thy Spirit in mee that I so liue by Faith in thee and that I may walke all the dayes of my life in godlinesse and pietie towards thee and in Christian loue and charitie towards all my neighbours that liuing in thy feare I may dye in thy fauour and after death be made partaker of eternall life through Iesus Christ my Lord and onely Sauiour Amen 3 Of the meanes whereby thou maist become a worthy Receiuer THese Meanes are dueties of two sorts the former respecting GOD the later our Neighbour Those vvhich respect GOD are three first sound knowledge secondly true faith thirdly vnfained repentance That which respecteth our neighbour is but one sincere Charitie 1 Of sound knowledge requisite in a worthy communicant Sound knowledge is a sanctified vnderstanding of the first Principles of Religion As first of the Trinity of Persons in the vnity of the Godhead Secondly of the Creation of Man and his fall Thirdly of the curse and misery due to sinne Fourthly of the natures and offices of Christ and redemption by faith in his death especially of the doctrine of the Sacraments sealing the same vnto vs. For as an house cannot be built vnlesse the foundation bee first laid no more can Religion stand vnlesse it bee first grounded vpon the certaine knowledge of Gods word Secondly if wee know not Gods will we can neither beleeue nor doe the same For as wordly businesses cannot be done but by them who haue skill therein so without knowledge must men be much more ignorant in diuine and spirituall matters And yet in temporall things a man may doe much by the light of nature But in religious mysteries the more we relye vpon naturall reason the further we are from comprehending spirituall truth Which discouers the feareful estate of those who receiue without knowledge and the more fearefull estate of those Pastors who minister vnto them without Catechising 2 Of sincere faith required to make a worthy communicant Sincere faith is not a bare knowledge of the Scriptures first grounds of Religion for that Diuels and Reprobates haue in an excellent measure and doe beleeue it and tremble But a true perswasion as of all those things whatsoeuer the Lord hath reuealed in his word so also a particular application vnto a mans owne soule of all the promises of mercy which God hath made in Christ to all beleeuing sinners And consequently that Christ and all his merits doe belong vnto him as well as to any other For first if wee haue not the righteousnesse of Faith the Sacrament seales nothing vnto vs and euery man in the Lords Supper receiueth so much as hee beleeueth Secondly because that without Faith we communicating on earth cannot apprehend Christ in heauen For as he dwelleth in vs by faith so by faith we must likewise eate him Thirdly because
qualities but the same still in substance And howsoeuer sinne and corruption makes a man in this state of mortality lower then Angels yet surely when God shall thus Crowne him with glory and honour I cannot see how man shall be any thing inferiour to Angels For are they Spirits So is Man also in respect of his soule yea more then this they shall haue also a spirituall Body Fashioned like vnto the glorious body of the Lord Iesus Christ in whom mans nature is exalted by a personall vnion into the glory of the Godhead and indiuiduall society of the blessed Trinity An honor which he neuer vouchsafed Angels And in this respect man hath a prerogatiue aboue them Nay they are but spirits appointed to be ministers vnto the Elect and as many of them who at the first disdained this office and would not keep their first standing were for their pride hurled into hell This lesseneth not the dignity of Angels but extols the greatnesse of Gods loue to Mankinde But as for all the Elect who at that second and sodaine comming of Christ shall be found quicke and liuing The fire that shall burne vp the corruption of the world and the workes therein shall in a moment in the twinkling of an eye ouertake them as it findes them either grinding in the mill of prouision or walking in the fields of pleasure or lying in the bed of ease and so burning vp their drosse and corruption of mortall make them immortall bodies and this change shall be vnto them in stead of death Then shall the Soule with ioyfulnesse greete her body saying Oh well met againe my deare sister How sweet is thy voice how comely is thy countenance hauing lyen hid so long in the clifts of the rockes and in the secret places of the graue Thou art indeed an habitation fit not onely for me to dwell in but such as the Holy Ghost thinkes meete to reside in as his Temple for euer The Winter of our affliction is now past the storme of our misery is blowne ouer and gone The Bodies of our Elect Brethren appeare more glorious then the Lilly flowers on the earth the time of singing Halleluâ—ah is come and the voyce of the Trumpet is heard in the Land Thou hast beene my Yoâ—ke-fellow in the Lords labours and companion in persecutions and wrongs for Christ and his Gospels sake now shall we enter together into our Masters ioy as thou hast borne with mee the crosse so shalt thou now weare with mee the Crowne as thou hast with mee sowed plenteously in teares so shalt thou reape with mee aboundantly in ioy O blessed aye blessed be that GOD who vvhen yonder reprobates spent their whole time in Pride fleshly lusts eating drinking and profane vanities gaue vs grace to ioyne together in watching fasting praying reading the Scriptures keeping his Sabboths hearing Sermons receiuing the holy Communion relieuing the Poore exercising in all humilitie the workes of Pietie to God and vvalking conscionably in the duties of our calling towards men Thou shalt anone heare no mention of thy sinnes for they are remitted and couered but euery good worke vvhich thou hast done for the Lords sake shall be rehearsed and rewarded Cheere vp thy heart for thy Iudge is flesh of thy flesh and bone of thy bone Lift vp thy head behold these glorious Angels like so many Gabriels flying towards vs to tell vs that the day of our Redemption is come and to conuey vs in the clouds to meete our Redeemer in the Ayre Loe they are at hand arise therefore my Doue my Loue my faire One and come away and so like Roes or young Harts they runne with Angels towards Christ ouer the trembling mountaines of Bâ—ther 6 Both quicke and dead being thus reuiued and glorified shall forth-with by the ministery of Gods holy Angels be gathered from all the quarters and parts of the world and caught vp together in the Clouds to meet the Lord in the Ayre and so shall come with him as a part of his glorious traine to iudge the Reprobates and euill Angels The twelue Apostles shall sit vpon twelue Thrones next Christ to iudge the twelue Tribes who refused to heare the Gospell preached by their Ministerie And all the Saints in honour and order shall stand next vnto them as Iudges also to iudge the euill Angels and earthly-minded men And as euery of them receiued grace in this life to be more zealous of his glory and more faithfull in his Seruice then others so shall their glory and reward be greater then others in that day The place whither they shall be gathered vnto Christ and where Christ shal sit in Iudgement shall be in the Ayre ouer the valley of Iehosaphat by mount Oliuet neere vnto Ierusalem East-ward from the Temple as it is probable for foure reasons 1 Because the holy Scripture seemes to intimate so much in plaine wordes I will gather all Nations into the valley of Iehosaphat and pleade with them there Cause thy mightie ones to come downe O Lord let the Heathen be wakened and come vp to the valley of Iehosaphat for there will I sit to iudge all the Heathen round about Iehosaphat signifieth the Lord will iudge And this valley was so called from the great victory vvhich the LORD gaue Iehosaphat and his people ouer the Ammonites Miabites and Inhabitants of Mount Seir. Which victory was a Type of the finall victory which Christ the supreame Iudge shall giue his Elect ouer all their Enemies in that place at the last day as all the Iewes interprete it See Zach. 14.4 5. Psal. 51.1.2 c. all agreeing that the place shall be thereabouts 2 Because that as Christ was there-abouts crucified and put to open shame so ouer that place his glorious Throne should be erected in the Ayre when hee shall appeare in Iudgement to manifest his Maiestie and glory for it is meete that Christ should in that place iudge the world with righteous Iudgement where he himselfe was vniustly iudged and condemned 3 Because that seeing the Angels shall be sent to gather together the Elect from the foure windes from one end of heauen to the other It is most probable that the place whither they shall be gathered to shall be neere Ierusalem and the valley of Iehosaphat which Cosmographers describe to be in the middest of the superficies of the Earth I the termini a quibus be the foure parts of the World the terminus ad quem must be about the Center 4 Because the Angels tolde the Disciples that as they saw Christ ascend from Mount Oliuet which is ouer the valley of Iehosaphat so hee shall in like maner come downe from Heauen This is the opinion of Aquinas and all the Schoolemen except Lombard and Alexander Hales 7 Lastly when Christ is set in his glorious
which a wise Merchant will purchase though it cost him all that hee hath Mat. 13. Alexander hearing the report of the great riches of the Eastern country diuided forth-with among his Captaines and Souldiers all his Kingdome of Macedonia Hephoestion asking him what hee meant in so doing Alexander answered that he preferred the riches of India whereof hee hoped shortly to be Master before all that his Father Philip left him in Macedonia And should not Christians then preferre the eternall riches of Heauen so greatly renowned vvhich they shall enioy ere long before the corruptible trash of the earth which last but for a season Abraham and Sarah left their owne Country and possessions to looke for a Citie whose builder and maker is God and therefore bought no land but onely a place of buriall Dauid preferreth one day in this place before a thousand else-where yea to be a doore-keeper in the house of God rather then to dwell in the richest tabernacles of wickednesse Elias earnestly besought the Lord to receiue his soule into his Kingdome and went willingly though in a fiery Chariot thither Paul hauing once seene heauen continually desired to be dissolued that hee might be with Christ. Peter hauing spyed but a glimpse of that eternall glory in the Mount wished that hee might dwell there all the dayes of his life saying Master it is good for vs to be here How much better doth Peter now thinke it to be in heauen it selfe Christ a little before his death prayeth his Father to receiue him into that excellent glory And the Apostle witnesseth that for the ioy which was set before him he endured the Crosse and despised the shame If a man did but once see those ioyes if it were possible hee would endure an hundred deaths to enioy that happinesse but one day S. Augustine saith that he would be content to endure the torments of hell to gaine this ioy rather then to lose it Ignatius Paules Scholler being threatned as hee vvas going to suffer vvith the crueltie of torments answered with great courage of Faith Fire Gallowes Beasts breaking of my bones quartering of my members crushing of my body all the torments of the Diuell together let them come vpon me so I may enioy my Lord Iesus and his Kingdome The like constancie shewed Polycarpe who could not by any terrors of any kinde of death be moued to deny Christ in the least measure With the like resolution answered Basil his persecutors when they would terrifie him with death I will neuer said hee feare death which can doe no more then restore mee to him that made me If Ruth left her owne country and followed Naomi her Mother in Law to goe and dwell with her in the Land of Canaan which was but a type of heauen onely vpon the fame which she heard of the God of Israell though shee had no promise of any portion therein how shouldest thou follow thy holy mother the Church to go vnto Christ into the heauenly Canaan wherin God hath giuen thee an eternall inheritance assured by an holy Couenant made in the words of God signed with the bloud of his Sonne and sealed with his Spirit and Sacraments This shall be thine eternall happinesse in the Kingdome of heauen where thy life shall be a communion with the blessed Trinitie thy ioy the presence of the Lambe thy exercise singing thy ditty Alleluiah thy consorts Saints and Angels where youth flourisheth that neuer waxeth olde Beautie lasteth that neuer fadeth loue aboundeth that neuer cooleth health continueth that neuer slaketh and life remaineth that neuer endeth Meditations directing a Christian how to apply to himselfe without delay the fore-said knowledge of GOD and himselfe THou seest therefore O man how wretched and cursed thy state is by corruption of nature without Christ insomuch that whereas the Scriptures doe liken wicked men vnto Lyons Beares Buls Horses Dogges and such like sauage Creatures in their liues it is certaine that the condition of an vnregenerated man is in his death more vile then a Dogge or the filthiest Creature in the world for the Beast being made but for mans vse when hee dyeth endeth all his miseries with his death But man endued with a reasonable and an immortall Soule made after Gods Image to serue God when hee ends the miseries of this life must account for all his misdeedes and begin to endure those miseries that neuer shall know end No creature but man is liable to yeeld at his death an account for his life The bruite Creatures not hauing reason shall not be required to make any account for their deedes and good Angels though they haue reason yet shall they yeeld no account because they haue no sinne And as for euill Angels they are without all hope already condemned so that they neede not make any further accounts Man onely in his death must be Gods accountant for his life On the other side thou seest O Man how happy and blessed thy estate is being truely reconciled vnto GOD in Christ in that through the restauration of Gods Image and thy restitution into thy soueraigntie ouer other Creatures thou art in this life little inferiour to the Angels and shalt be in the life to come equall to the Angels yea in respect of thy Nature exalted by a personall vnion to the Sonne of God and by him to the glory of the Trinitie superiour to the Angels a Fellow-Brother with Angels in spirituall grace and euerlasting glory Thou hast seene how glorious and perfect GOD is and how that all thy chiefe blisse and happinesse consisteth in hauing an eternall communion with his Maiestie Now therefore O impenitent Sinner in the bowels of Christ Iesus I entreat thee nay I coniure thee as thou tenderest thy owne saluation seriously to consider with mee how false how vaine how vile are those things which still retaine and chaine thee in this wretched and cursed estate wherein thou liuest and doe hinder thee from the fauour of God and the hope of eternall life and happinesse Meditations on the hinderances which keepe backe a sinner from rhe practise of Pietie THose Hinderances are chiefely seauen I. An ignorant mistaking of the true meaning of certaine places of the holy Scripture and some other chiefe grounds of Christian Religion The Scriptures mistaken are these 1 Ezek. 33.14.16 At what time soeuer a sinner repenteth him of his sinne I will blot out all c. Hence the carnall Christian gathereth That he may repent when hee will It is true Whensoeuer a sinner doth repent GOD will forgiue but the text saith not that a sinner may repent whensoeuer he will but when GOD will giue him grace Many saith the Scripture when they would haue repented were reiected and could not repent though they sought it carefully with teares What comfort yeelds this Text to thee who hast not repented nor knowest whether thou shalt