vpon the crosse and felt the whole burden of the wrath of God vpon him cryed My God my God why hast thou forsaken me And it appeareth in the Epistle to the Hebrewes that Christ was heard in that he feared whereby we are giuen to vnderstand that they shall neuer be vtterly forsaken that take God for their God And King Dauid hauing experience of this vseth most excellent speaches for this ende to shewe that the ground of his comfort was that God was his God And it is said that Daniel had no manner of hurte in the Lyons denne because hee trusted in the Lorde his God And contrariwise such as distrust God are subiect to all miseries and iudgements The Israelites in the wildernesse beleeved not God and trusted not in his helpe therefore God vvas angry and his fire vvas kindled in Iacob and vvrath came vpon Israel God the Father Almightie Some haue thought that these wordes are to be coupled with the former without distinction as if the title of God had bene proper to the first person the Father and not common to the rest and thus haue some heretikes thought But indeed there must a pause or distinction be made that the name or title of God may be set in the fore-front as common to all the three persons following For that is the very intent of the order of this Creed to teach vs to beleeue in one God who is distinct into three subsistances or persons called the Father the Sonne the Holy Ghost And here offers it selfe to be considered euen one of the greatest mysteries of our religion namely that God is the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost and againe that the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost are one and the same God Some at the first may possibly say that this cannot stande because it is against all reason that one should be three or three one The answere is that indeed if one and the same respect be kept it is not possible but in divers considerations and respectes it may And thus the Father the Sonne the Holy Ghost are three namely in person and againe they three are one not in person but in nature By nature is meant a thing subsisting by it selfe that is common to many as the substance of man consisting of body and soule common to all men which we call the humanity of a man is the nature of man By person is meant a thing or essence subsisting by it selfe not common to many but incommunicable as among men these particulars Peter Iohn Paul are called persons And so in the mysterie of the Trinity the diuine nature is the godhead it selfe simply and absolutely considered and a person is that which subsisteth in this godhead as the Father the Sonne the Holy Ghost Or againe a person is one and the same godhead not absolutely considered but in relation and as it were restrained by personall or caracteristicall proprieties as the Godhead or God begetting is the father God againe considered not simply but so farre foorth as he is begotten is the Sonne and God proceeding of the Father and the Sonne the Holy ghost And if any man would conceiue in mind rightly the divine nature he must conceiue God or the Godhead absolutely if any of the persons then he must conceiue the same godhead relatiuely with personal proprieties Thus the godhead considered with the propriety of fatherhood or begetting is the father cōceiuing the same godhead with the proprietie of generation we conceiue the sonne the godhead with the proprietie of proceeding we conceiue the Holy Ghost Neither must it seeme strange to any that we use the names of nature and person to set forth this misterie by for they haue bene taken up by common consent in the primitive Church that upon weighty consideration to manifest the truth to stop the mouthes of heretikes they are not used against the proper sense of the scriptures nay they are therein contained Thus wee see how it comes to passe that the three things signified by these names Father Sōne holy Ghost are ech of them one the same God And this mistery may well be conceived by a cōparison borowed frō light The light of the sunne the light of the moone the light of the aire for nature and substance are one the same light yet they are 3. distinct lights The light of the sunne being of it selfe from none the light of the moone from the sunne the light of the aire frō them both So the divine nature is one and the persons are three subsisting after a divers maner in one and the same nature And for the further clearing of the point we must yet further marke remember two things namely the vnion the distinction of the persons The vnion is whereby three persons are one not simply but one in nature that is coessentiall or consubstantiall having all one godhead For the father is God the sonne is God the holy ghost is God now there are not 3. distinct Gods but one God because there is one God no more in nature considering that the thing which is infinite is but one is not subiect to multiplicatiō the Father is this one God as also the Sonne and the holy ghost And as these three persons are one in nature so whatsoeuer agrees to God simply considered agrees to them all three They are all coequall and coeternall all most wise iust mercifull omnipotent by one the same wisdome iustice mercie power And because they haue all one godhead therfore they are not only one with another but also ech in other the father in the sonne and the sonne in the father and the holy ghost in them both And we must not imagine that these three are one god as though the father had one part of the godhead the sonne an other part the holy ghost a third For that is most false because the infinite and the most simple godhead is not subiect to composition or division but euery person is whole god subsisting not in a part but in the whole godhead the whole entire godhead is communicated from the father to the sonne from both father sonne to the holy ghost But some may yet say that this doctrine seemes to be impossible because three creatures as for example Peter Paul Timothy being three persons so remaining cannot haue one and the same nature that is the same body the same soule Ans. Three or moe mē may haue the same nature in kind but the truth is they cannot possibly haue a nature which shalbe one the same in number in them all three For a man is a substance created finite the bodies of men are quantities therfore divisible separable one from another Hereupon it comes that the persons of men are not only distinguished by proprieties but also divided
sundred one from another And though Peter Paul Timothy haue all one common universall forme yet they three are not one man but 3. men Now it is otherwise with the divine nature or godhead which is uncreated and infinite and therefore admittes neither composition nor division but a distinction without any separation so as the three persons subsisting in it shall not be three gods but one and the same god Yet further some will obiect that it is truly said of the father that hee is god but the same godhead is not in the sonne nor in the holy ghost for the sonne and the holy ghost haue their beginning from the father Ansvver The sonne and the holy ghost haue not a beginning of their nature or of their godhead from the Father but of their person only the person of the Sonne is from the Father and the person of the Holy ghost is both from the Father and from the Sonne but the Godhead of all three persons is vncreate and vnbegotten and proceeding from none Yet some may say both the Sonne and the Holy Ghost haue receiued from the Father all their attributes as wisedome knowledge power c. Now he that receiueth any thing from another is in that respect inferiour to him that giueth it and therefore the sonne and the Holy ghost are not God as he is Ans. We must know that which the Sōne receiueth of the Father he receiueth it by nature and not by grace he receiueth not a part but all that the Father hath saving the personall proprietie And the Holy Ghost receiueth from the Father and the Sonne by nature and not by grace and therefore though both the Sonne and the Holy Ghost receiue from the Father yet they are not inferiour to him but equall with him And thus much is necessarie to be learned of the vnion betweene the three persons in Trinitie whereby they being three haue all one and the same godheade The second point to be considered is that though these three haue but one godhead and all make but one God yet they are distinguished one from another for the Father is the Father and not the Sonne nor the Holy Ghost the Sonne is the Sonne and not the Father nor the Holy ghost and the Holy Ghost is the Holy ghost not the Father nor the Sonne This distinction of the persons is notably set forth vnto vs in the baptism of our Saviour Christ where it is said that vvhen Iesus was baptized hee came out of the vvater there is the second person and the Holy ghost descended upon him in the forme of a dove there is the thirde person and the Father the first person pronounced from heauen that hee was his beloved Sonne in whome hee was well pleased And we must not conceiue this distinction in such manner as though these three Father Sonne and Holy Ghost were three names of one God For the three persons doe not in name or word but really in truth distinctly subsist in the same divine nature Neither must we imagine that the three persons are three formes or differences of one god as some heretikes haue dreamed who taught that the father alone is God and that he is called a Father in one respect the Sonne in another and the Holy ghost in a thirde For this were nothing else but to make the personall proprieties to be nothing but imaginarie accidents which indeede or at the least in mans conceit might come and goe and be either in the persons or foorth of them For the personall relations though in minde they may be distinguished from the divine essence yet indeede they are one with it But some will say if they make this distinction there is rather a quaternitie then a trinitie for the godhead is one the father an other the sonne a third and the holy ghost a fourth Thus some heretikes haue obiected against the distinction of the trinitie but it is untrue which they say for the godhead must not be severed from the father nor frō the sonne nor frō the holy Ghost for the father is God or the whole godhead so also is the sonne and the holy ghost and the godhead likewise is in euery one of these three persons and euery one of them subsisting in the godhead and the godhead must be conceived to be in them all and not as a fourth thing out of them And therefore we must still maintaine that these 3. persons are distinguished and not deuided as three men are deuided in being and substance for this division can not be in them because all three haue one divine nature and one godhead This is the misterie of all misteries to be receiued of us all namely the trinitie of the persons in the vnitie of the godhead This doctrine must be reteined and holden for these causes I. because by it we are able to distinguish this true God from all false Gods and Idols II. Because among all other pointes of religion this is one of the chiefest being the verie foundation thereof For it is not sufficient for us to know God as we can conceiue of him in our owne imagination but we must know him as he hath revealed him selfe in his worde And it is not sufficient to saluation to beleeue in God confusedly but we must beleeue in one god distinct into three persons the Father the Sonne the holy Ghost yea more then this we must hold beleeue that God the father is our father the sonne our redeemer the holy ghost our sanctifier comforter Well then if we must in this maner beleeue in god then we must also know him for vve can haue no faith in the thing which is utterly unknown wherfore if we would beleeue in the father son or holy ghost we must know them in part Ioh. 17. This is life eternall to know thee the only God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. Ioh. 14.17 The world can not receiue the spirite of truth because it hath neither seene him nor knowen him 1. Ioh. 2.23 Whosoever denieth the sonne hath not the father Thirdly this doctrine directs us in worshipping God aright for vnitie in trinitie trinitie in vnitie is to be worshipped one God must be worshipped in the father in the sonne and in the holy ghost if we worship God the father without the sonne the holy ghost or if we worshippe the sonne without the father and the holy ghost and the holy ghost without the father the sonne we worship nothing but an Idol Againe if we worship the 3. persons not as one God but as three gods then likewise we make three Idols Note further that of all the three persons the first person the father is set in the first place and is described to us by three things I. by his title that he is a father II. by his attribute that hee is Almightie III. by his effect that hee is maker of heaven and earth
their respect of persons with him Inferiours againe must remember to submit themselues to the authoritie of their gouernours especially of magistrates For they are set ouer vs by our soueraigne Lord and king Christ Iesus as Paul saith Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers For there is no power but of God and the powers that be ordained are of God And againe Seruants be obedient to your masters according to the flesh with feare and trembling in singlenes of your hearts as vnto Christ. The comfort which Gods Church may reap hence is very great for if Christ be the Lord of lords our Lord especially we neede not to feare what the deuill or wicked men can do vnto vs. If Christ be on our side who can be against vs we neede not feare them that can destroy the bodie and doe no more but we must cast our feare on him that is Lord of bodie and soule and can cast both to hell Thus much of the fourth title Now followes Christs incarnation in these words Conceiued by the holy Ghost borne of the Virgin Marie And they containe in them one of the most principall points of the doctrine of godlines as Paul saith without coÌ„trouersie great is the mysterie of godlines which is God is made manifest in the flesh iustified in the spirit c. And that we may proceede in order in handling them I will first speake of the incarnation generally and then after come to the parts therof In general we are to propound fiue questions the answearing whereof will be very needefull to the better vnderstanding of the doctrine following The first question is who was incarnate or made man Answer The second person in Trinitie the sonne of God alone and it is set downe in this article according to the Scriptures Saint Iohn saith The Word was made flesh and the angel saith The holy one which shall be borne of thee shalbe called the sonne of the most highest And Paul saith that Christ Iesus our Lord was made of the seede of Abraham according to the flesh And there be sundrie reasons why the second person should rather be incarnate then any other 1. By whome the father created all things and man especially by him man beeing fallen is to be redeemed and as I may say recreated now man was at the first created of the father by the sonne and therefore to be redeemed by him 2. It was most conuenient that he which is the essentiall image of the father should take mans nature that he might restore the image of God lost and defaced in man but the second person is the essentiall image of the father and therefore he alone must take mans nature 3. It was requisite that that person which was by nature the sonne of God should be made the sonne of man that we which are the sonnes of men yea the sonnes of wrath should by grace be made the sonnes of God nowe the second person alone is the sonne of God by nature not the father nor the holy Ghost As for the father he could not be incarnate For to take flesh is to be sent of an other but the father cannot be sent of any person because hee is from none Againe if the father were incarnate hee should be father to him which is by nature God and the sonne of a creature namely the Virgin Marie which thinges can not well stand And the holy Ghost could not be incarnate for then there should be more sonnes then one in the Trinitie namely the second person the sonne of the father and the third person the holy Ghost the sonne of the Virgin Marie It may be obiected to the contrarie on this manner The whole diuine essence is incarnate euery person in Trinitie is the whole diuine essence therefore euery person is incarnate Answer The whole Godhead indeede is incarnate yet not as it is absolutely considered but so farfoorth as it is restrained and limited to the person of the sonne and to speake properly the Godheade it selfe is not incarnate but the very person of the sonne subsisting in the Godhead And though all the persons be one and the same essence yet doe they really differ each from other in regard of the peculiar manner of subsisting and therefore mans nature may be assumed of the second person and be not assumed either of the father or of the holy Ghost as in the like case the soule of man is wholly in the head and wholly in the feet yea wholly in euery part and yet the soule can not be said to vse reason in the feete or in any other part but onely in the head Againe it may be alledged that the incarnation beeing an outward action of God to the creature is not proper to the sonne For the rule is that all outward actions of God are common to al the persons in Trinitie equally Ans. The incarnation stands of two actions the first is the framing creating of that manhoode which was to be assumed by Christ this is coÌ„mon to all the three persons equally the second is the limiting or the receiuing of it into the vnitie of any person and in respect of this action the worke of incarnation is peculiar to the Sonne To this purpose Augustine speaketh that creature which the Virgin conceiued brâ—ught foorth though it appertaine to the person of the sonne alone yet was it made by the whole Trinitie as wheÌ„ three meÌ„ weaue one and the same garment and the second onely weares it The second question is what manner of man the sonne of God was made Ans. He was made a proper or particular man and a perfect or a very man I say that he was a particular man to shew that he tooke not vnto him the generall forme or idea of mans nature coÌ„ceiued onely in mind nor the coÌ„mon nature of man as it is existing in euery man but the whole nature of man that is both a bodie and a reasonable soule existing in one particular subiect I say further that he was and is a true and perfect man beeing in euery thing that concerns mans nature like to Adam Abraham Dauid and all other men sauing onely in sinne For first of all hee had the substance of a true bodie and of a reasonable soule secondly the properties of bodie soule in the body length breadth thicknes circumscription c. â—n the soule the faculties of vnderstanding both simply and compounde will affections as loue hatred desire ioy feare c. the powers also of hearing feeling seeing smelling tasting moouing growing eating digesting sleeping c. Thirdly he tooke vnto him the infirmities of mans nature which are certaine naturall defects or passions in bodie or minde as to be hungrie thirstie wearie sadde and sorowfull ignorant of some things angrie to increase in stature and wisdome and knowledge c. yet this which I say must be
creation first received Gods image and after lost the same for himselfe his posteritie Now Christ to remooue the sinne of man is made the secoÌ„d Adam the roote and very head of all the elect His manhoode was filled with holinesse aboue measure that from thence as from a storehouse it might be deriued to all his members And therefore by his most holy conception our sinnefull birth and conception is sanctified and his holinesse serves as a cover to hide our manifold corruptions froÌ„ the eyes of God Yea it serues as a buckler to awarde the temptations of the deuill for when he shal say to our hearts on this maner no uncleane thing can enter into the kingdome of heauen but thou by reason of the remnants of originall sinne art uncleane therfore thou canst not enter into the kingdome of heauen we returne our answere saying that Christs righteousnesse is our righteousnesse seruing to make us stand without blame or spot before God And as Iacob put on Esaus garments that he might get his fathers blessingâ— so if by faith we doe put on the white garment of righteousnes of our elder brother Christ Iesus present our selues in it unto our heauenly father we shall obtaine his blessing which is eternall happinesse Now remaines the third and last part of the conception which is the unioÌ„ of the godhead the manhood concerning which many pointes are particularly to be handled The first is what kind of union this is Ans. In the Trinitie there be two sortes of unions vnion in nature and vnion in person Vnion in nature is when two or moe things are ioyned and united into one nature as the Father the Sonne the holy ghost being and remaining three distinct persons are one and the same in nature or godhead Vnion in person is when 2. things are in that maner vnited that they make but one person or subsistance As a body created by God a reasonable soule ioyned both togither make one particular man as Peter Paul Iohn c. And this second is the union whereof we intreat in this place by which the second person in Trinitie the sonne of God did vnite unto himselfe the humane nature that is the body and soule of man so as the godhead of the sonne and the manhoode concurring togither make but one person The second point is in what thing this union doth consist Ans. It consists in this that the second person the sonne of God doeth assume unto it a manhod in such order that it being void of all personall being in it selfe doth wholly and onely subsist in the same person As the plante called Miâ—tell having no roote of his owne both growes liues in the stock or body of the Oke or some other tree so the humane nature hauing no proper subsistance is as it were ingrafted into the person of the sonne and is wholly supported sustained by it so as it should not be at all if it were not sustained in that manner And for the better understanding of this point we must consider that there be foure degrees of the presence of God in his creatures The first is his generall presence and it may be called the presence of his providence whereby he preserueth the substances of all creatures and giueth unto them to liue moove and haue beeing and this extendeth it selfe to all creatures good and bad The second degree is the presence of grace whereby he doeth not onely preserue the substance of his creature but also giueth grace unto it and this agreeth to the Church and people of God upon earth The third degree is the presence of glorie peculiar to the saints and Angels in heauen and this standes in three things for God not onely preserues their substances and giues them plenty of his grace but also admittes them into his glorious presence so as they may behold his maiestie face to face The fourth and last is that whereby the godhead of the sonne is present and dwelles with in the manhood giuing unto it his owne subsistance Wherby it comes to passe that this manhood assumed is proper to the sonne and cannot be the manhoode of the father or of the Holy Ghost or of any creature whatsoeuer And this is a thing so admirable and so unspeakeable that among all the workes of God there can not be found another example hereof in all the world Hence it followeth necessarily that the manhoode of Christ consisting of bodie and reasonable soule is a nature onely and not a person because it doth not subsist alone as other men Peter Paul Iohn doe but wholly dependes on the person of the worde into the unitie whereof it is receiued The third point is in what order the divine and humane nature of Christ are vnited togither Answere The common consent of divines is that albeit all the partes of the manhoode and the godhead of Christ be united at one instant yet in respect of order hee unites unto himselfe first and immediatly the soule and by the soule the body For it seemes not to be meete that God being a most simple essence should immediatly be ioyned to a compound bodie and therefore he is united unto it by the more simple parte of man which is the soule Againe the manhood of Christ is first and immediatly ioyned to the person of the sonne himselfe and by the person to the godhead of the sonne The fourth point is whether there remaine any difference or diuersitie of the two natures after that the union is made Answer The two natures concurring make not the person of the sonne to be compounded properly but onely by analogie for as bodie and soule make one man so god and man make one Christ neither are they turned one into another the godhead into the manhood or the manhoode into the godhead as water was turned into wine at Cana in Galile nether are they confused and mingled togither as meates in the stomacke but they are and so remaine without composition conversion or confusion really distinct and that in three respectes First in regard of essence For the godhead of Christ is the godhead and can not be the manhood and againe the manhood of Christ is the manhood and not the godhead Secondly they are distinguished in proprieties the godhead is most wise iust mercifull omnipotent yea wisdome iustice mercie and power it selfe and so is not the manhood neither can it be Againe Christ as hee is God hath his will eternall and uncreated which is all one with the will of the father and the holy ghost And as hee is man he hath another will created in time and placed in his reasonable soule and this Christ signifieth when he saith Not my will but thy will be done Thirdly they are distinct in their actions or operations which though they go together inseparably in the worke of redemption yet they must in no wise be confounded but distinguished as the
to obey the voice of Christ in the ministerie of the worde For if we rebell against his voice in this world vvhen in the day of iudgemeÌ„t sentence shal be pronounced against us we shall heare another voice at the giuing whereof vve must obey whether vve will or no and thereupon go to euerlasting paine whither vve vvould not Let us therfore in time denie our selues for our sinnes past and onely relie upon Christ Iesus for the free remission of them all and for the time to come leade a nevv reformed life Thus much of the order of Christ his proceeding at the day of iudgement Novv follovv the uses thereof vvhich are either comforts to gods church or duties for all meÌ„ The first comforte or benefite is this that the same person vvhich died for us upon the crosse to work ouâ— redemption must also be our â—udge And hence vve reape tvvo speciall comfortes I. The people of God shall hereby inioy full redemption from all miseries and calamities which they had in this life So Christ himselfe speaking of the signes of the end of the world saith to his disciples When you see thâ—se things lift vp your heads for your redemptioÌ„ draweth nere TheÌ„ he shall wipe all teares from their eies Secondly we shall hereby haue a finall deliuerance from all sinne Now what a ioyfull thing it is to be freed from sinne may plainely appeare by the cry of Saint Paul Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from this bodie of death And certen iâ— is that he which knowes what sinne is and seriously repents him of the same would wish with all his heart to be ouâ— of this world that he might leaue off to sinne and thereby to displease God The second comfort is this the godly in this worlde haue many enemies they are reuiled slaundred and oftentimes put to death well Christ Iesus at the day of iudgement will take euery mans case into his owne hand he will then heare the complaint of the godly howsoeuer in this world they found no remedie and then he will reuenge their blood that is shed vpon the earth according to their praier This comfort is to be considered especially of all those that are any way persecuted or molested by the wicked of this world Now follow the duties to be learned of euery one of vs and they are diuerse First the consideration of the last iudgement serueth to teach all ignorant persons and impenitent sinners repentance and humiliation for their sinnes and to mooue them with all speede to seeke vnto Christ for the pardon of the same When Paul preached to the Athenians he willed them to repent vpon this ground reason because the Lord hath appointed a day wherin he will iudge the world in righteousnes To speake plainly we can be content to heare the worde and to honour him with our lippes yet for the most part all is done but for fashions sake for still we liue in our old sinnes our hearts are not turned but in the feare of God let vs bethinke our selues of the time when we shall come before the iudge of heauen and earth and haue all our sinnes laide open and wee must answer for them all This is the point which the holy Ghost vseth as a reason to mooue men vnto repentance and assuredly if this will not mooue vs there is nothing in the world will Secondly to this purpose Paul saith If we would iudge our selues we should not be iudged Wouldest thou then escape the iudgement of Christ at the last day then in this life iudge thy selfe Now a man in iudging of himselfe must performe foure things I. he must examine himselfe of his owne sinnes II. he must confesse them before the Lord. III. he must condemne himselfe and as a iudge vpon the bench giue sentence against himselfe Lastly he must plead pardon and cry vnto God as for life and death for the remission of all his sinnes and he that doth this vnfainedly shall neuer be iudged of the Lord at the last day but if we slacke and neglect this dutie in this life then vndoubtedly there remaines nothing but eternall woe in the world to come Thirdly by this we may learne one not to iudge or condemne another as Paul saith Iudge nothing before the time vntill the Lord come who lighten things that are hidde in darknes and make the counsells of the hearts manifest And Christ saith Iudgement is mine and Iudge not and ye shall not be iudged And againe Paul saith to the Romanes Why doest thou iudge thy brother for we must all appeare before the iudgement seat of Christ but some will aske how doth one iudge another Answer Thus I. when a man doth well to say of him that he doth euill II. when a man doth euill then to make it worse III. when a thing is doubtfull to take it in the worst part And by any of these three waies we are not to iudge either of mens persons or of their actions Fourthly we must endeauour our selues to keepe a good conscience before God and before all men This is the practise of Saint Paul who in consideration and hope of a resurrection vnto iudgement as well of the iust as of the vniust endeauoured himselfe to haue alwaies a cleare conscience both towards God and towards men His example is worthie our marking and imitation for fewe there be that vpon this occasion make any conscience either of dutie to God or to their brethren Fifthly the last iudgement must stirre vs vp to a reuerend feare of God and cause vs to glorifie him as the angel saith in the Revelation Feare God and giue glorie to him for the houre of his iudgement is come And doubtles if any thing in the world will mooue a man to feare the Lord it is this to remember the fearefull and terrible day of iudgement Now hauing spoken hitherto of the first person the father and also of the sonne it followeth in the next place to speake of the third person in these words J beleeue in the holy Ghost In which we may consider two things the title of the person and the action of faith repeated from the beginning The title is holy Ghost or Spirit It may here be demaunded how this title can be fit to expresse the third person which seemes to be common to the rest for the father is holy and the sonne is holy againe the father is a spirit and the sonne is a spirite Answer Indeede the father and the Sonne are as well to be tearmed holy in respect of their natures as the third person for all three subsisting in one and the same Godhead are consequently holy by one and the same holines but the third person is called holy because beside the holines of natures his office is to sanctifie the Church of God Nowe if it be said that sanctification is a worke of the whole Trinitie the
sure to haue his house in a readinesse all matters in order against his comming so as euery thing might be pleasing unto so worthy a guest well now behold wee put our confidence and affiance in the holy ghost and doe beleeue that he will come unto us and sanctifie us and lodge in our hearts He is higher then all states in the world whatsoeuer and therefore we must looke that our bodies and soules be kept in an honourable and holy manner so as they may be fitte temples for him to dwell in S. Paul biddeth us not to grieve the holy spirite where the holy ghost is compared to a guest our bodies and soules unto Innes and as men use their guestes friendly and courteously shewing unto them all seruice and dutie so must wee doe to gods spirite which is come to dwell and abide in us doing nothing in any case which may disquiet or molest him Now there is nothing so grieuous unto him as our sinnes and therefore we must make conscience of all manner of sinne least by abusing of our selues we do cause the holy ghost as it were with griefe to depart froÌ„ us When the arke of the couenant which was a signe of the presence of God was in the house of Obed Edom the text saieth that the Lord blessed him and all his house but whâ—n the holy ghost dwelles in a mans heart there is more then the arke of the Lorde present euen God him selfe and therefore may we looke for a greater blessing Now then shall we grieue the holy goost by sinning seeing we reape such benefite by his abode It is saide that our Sauiour Christ was angrie when hee came into the temple at Ierusalem and saw the abuses therein Now shall hee be angrie for the abuses that are done in a temple of stone and seeing the temples of our bodies which are not made of stone but are spirituall figured by that earthly temple seeing them I say abused by sinne will he not be much more angry Yea we may assure our selues he can not abide that And therefore if wee beleeue in the holy ghost wee must hereupon be mooued to keepe our bodies and soules pure cleane And further to perswade us hereunto we must remember this that when we pollute our soules and bodies with any manner of sinne wee make them euen stables and styes for our wretched enemie the deuill to harbour in For when Sathan is once cast out if afterward wee fall againe to our olde sinnes and loosenesse of life and so defile our bodies they are then most cleane and neate for him to dwell in whereupon he wil come and bring seuen other deuils worse then himselfe and so a mans last ende shall be worse then his beginning Now what a fearefull thing is this that the body which should be a temple for the holy ghost by our sinnes should be made a stable for the devill Further S. Paul biddeth us not to quench the spirit The graces of the holy spirite in this life are like sparks of fire which may soone be quenched with a little water Now so oft as we sinne we cast water upon the grace of God and as much as wee can put out the same therefore it standes us in hand to make conscience of euery thing wherein wee may offende and displease God And wee may assure our selues that so long as wee liue and lie in our corruptions and sinnes the Holy Ghost will neuer come and dwell with us Hee is a pure spirite and therefore must haue an undefiled temple to dwell in Thus we haue heard what is to be beleeued concerning the father sonne holy ghost now looke as we beleeue in God distinguished into â— persons so we must remember that when wee perfourme diuine worshippe to him we may distinguish the persons but wee are not to seuer them when wee pray to the father wee must not omit the sonne or the Holy Ghost but make our praiers to them all for as in nature they are one and in person not deuided but distinguished so in all worshippe wee must neuer confounde or seuer the persons but distinguish them and worship the trinitie in unitie and untie in trinitie one God in three persons and three persons in one God Hitherto we haue intreated of the first part of the Creed concerning God now followeth the second part thereof concerning the Church and it was added to the former upon speciall consideration For the right order of a confession did require that after the Trinitie the Church should be mentioned as the house after the owner the temple after God and the citie after the builder Againe the Creed is concluded with pointes of doctrine concerning the Church because whosoeuer is out of it is also forth of the number of Gods children and he cannot haue God for his father which hath not the Church for his mother Question is made what the wordes are which are to be supplied in this article the holy Catholike Church whether I beleeve or I beleeve in and ancient expositours haue sufficiently determined the matter One saieth In these vvordes in which is set forth our faith of the godhead it is said In God the father in the sonne and in the holy ghost but in the rest where the speech is not of the godhead but of creatures and mysteries the preposition In is not added that it should be in the holy Church but that we should beleeve there is an an holy Church not as God but as a companie gathered to God And men should beleeve that there is remission of sinnes not in the remission of sinnes and they shoulde beleeve the resurrection of the body not in the resurrection of the body therefore by this preposition the Creatour is distinguished from the creatures and thinges pertaining to God from things pertaining to men Another upon these wordes This is the worke of God that yee beleeue in him saith If yee beleeve in him ye beleeve him not if yee beleeve him yee beleeve in him for the devils beleeved God but did not beleeue in him Againe of the Apostles we may say we beleeve Paul but vvee doe not beleeve in Paul wee beleeve Peter but wee beleeve not in Peter For his faith that beleeveth in him which iustifieth the ungodly is imputed to him for righteousnesse What is it therefore to beleeve in him by beleeving to love and like and as it vvere to passe into him and to be incorporated into his members Novv the reasons which some Papistes bring to the contrarie to prooue that wee may beleeue in the creatures and in the Church are of no moment First they alledge the phrase of scripture Exod 14.31 They beleeved in God and in Moses 1. Sam. 27.12 And Achis beleeved in David 2. Chron. 20.20 Beleeve in the Prophets and prosper Answer The Hebrewe phrase in which the servile letter Beth is used must not be translated
had they then any neede of faith in the same God as he is Messias but this faith is a new grace of God added to regeneration after the fal first required in the couenant of grace And by this faith differeth from the rest of the gifts of God as the feare of God the loue of God the loue of our brethren c. for these were in mans nature before the fall and after it they are but renewed but iustifying faith admits no renewing For the first in grafting of it into the heart is in the conuersion of a sinner after his fall The place and seat of faith as I thinke is the minde of man not the will for it stands in a kinde of particular knowledge or perswasion and there is no perswasion but in the minde Paul saith indeede that we beleeue with the heart Rom. 10. but by the heart he vnderstands the whole soule without any limitation Some doe place faith partly in the minde and partly in the will because it hath two parts knowledge and affiance but it doth not stand greatly with reason that one particular and single grace should be seated into diuerse parts of the soule The forme of faith is to apprehend the promises Gal. 3.14 that we might receiue the promise of the spirite through faith and Iohn 1.12 to receiue Christ and to beleeue are put one for another and to beleeue is to eate and drinke the bodie and bloud of Christ. To apprehend properly is an action of the hand which laies hold of a thing and puls it to it and by resemblance it agrees to faith which is the hand of the soule receiuing and applying the sauing promise This apprehension of faith is not performed by any affection of the will but by a sound and particular perswasion whereby a man is resolued that the promise of saluation belongs vnto him Which perswasion is wrought in the mind by the holy Ghost 1. Corint 2.12 And by this the promise which is generall is applied particularly to one subiect By this sauing faith differeth from all other kinds of faith From historicall for it wanteth all apprehension standeth onely in a generall assent From temporarie faith which though it make a man to professe the Gospel and to reioyce in it yet doth it not throughly applie Christ with his benefits For it neuer brings with it any thorough touch of conscience or liuely sense of Gods grace in the heart And the same may be said of the rest The principal and maine obiect of this faith is the sauing promise God so loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten sonne that whosoeuer beleeues in him shall not perish but haue euerlasting life But some will say Christ is commonly said to be the obiect of faith Answ. In effect it is all one to say the sauing promise and Christ promised who is the substance of the couenant Christ then as he is set forth vnto vs in the word and sacraments is the obiect of faith And here certaine questions offer themselues to be skanned The first What is that particular thing which faith apprehendeth Answ. Faith apprehendeth whole Christ God and man For his Godhead without his manhoode and his manhood without his Godhead doth not reconcile vs to God Yet this which I say must be conceiued with some distinction according to the difference of his two natures His Godhead is apprehended not in respect of his essence or nature but in respect of his efficacie manifested in the māhoode his manhood both in respect of the substance it selfe and also in respect of the efficacie and benefits thereof The second In what order faith apprehēds Christ Ans. First of all it apprehends the very body blood of Christ secondly the vertue benefits of his bodie and blood as a man that would feele in his bodie the vertue of meate and drinke must first of all receiue the substance thereof To go forward Besides the mayn promise which cōcernes righteousnes life in Christ there be other particular promises touching strēgth in temptatiōs cōfort in afflictiōs such like which depēd on the former they also are the obiect of iustifying faith with the very same faith we beleue thē wherwith we beleeue our saluatiō Thus Abrahā by the same faith wherwith he was iustified beleued that he shold haue a son in his old age Rō 4.19.22 And Noe by that faith wherby he was made heire of righteousnes beleeued that he his family should be preserued in the flood And hereupō it comes to passe that in our praiers besides the desire of things promised we must bring faith whereby we must be perswaded that God will graunt vs such things as he hath promised and this faith is not a new kinde or distinct faith from iustifying faith Thus we see what sauing faith is Whereas some are of opiniō that faith is an affiāce or cōfidence that seems to be otherwise for it is a fruit of faith indeede no man can put any confidence in God till he be first of all perswaded of Gods mercy in Christ towards him Some again are of mind that loue is the very nature and forme of faith but it is otherwise For as cōfidence in God so also loue is an effect which proceeds frō faith 1. Tim. 1.5 The end of the law is loue frō a pure heart and good conscience faith vnfained And in nature they differ greatly Christ is the fountain of the waters of life Faith in the heart is as the pipes ledds that receiue in hold the water loue in some part is as the cocke of the cōduit that lets out the water to euery cōmer The property of the hād is to hold of it self it cānot cut yet by a knife or other instrumēt put into the hād it cuts the hād of the soule is faith his property is to apprehend Christ with al his benefits by it self it cā do nothing els yet ioyn loue to it by loue it wilbe effectual in al good duties Now to proceed further first we are to cōsider how faith is wrought 2. what be the differēces of it For the first faith is wrought in by the outward ministery of the gospel accōpanied by the inward operatiō of the spirit that not suddēly but by certē steps degrees as nature frameth the body of the infant in the mothers wombe 1. by making the brain and heart 2. by making veines sinewes arteries bones 3. by adding flesh to them al. And the whole operation of the spirit stands in two principall actions First the enlightening of the minde the second the moouing of the will For the first the holy Ghost enlightens mens mindes with a further knowledge of the lawe then nature can afoard and thereby makes them to see the sinnes of their hearts and liues with the ouglines thereof and withall to tremble at the curse of the lawe Afterward
to the flesh As for his soule it was not deriued from the soule of the virgine Mary as a part therof but it was made as the soules of all other men be of nothing by the power of God and placed in the bodie both of them from the first moment of their being hauing their subsistance in the person of the sonne And here vve must take heede of two opinions the first is of the Anabaptists which hold that the flesh of Christ came downe from heauen and passed through the virgine Marie as through a pipe without taking any substance from her the places which they alledge for their purpose are manifestly abused For whereas Christ saith of himselfe that he descended from heavē his speech must be understood in respect of his godheade which may be saide in some sorte to descend in that it was made manifest in the manhoode here upon earth And vvhereas Paul calleth him heavenly the Lorde from heaven it is not in respect of the substance of his bodie but in respect of the glorious qualities which he received after this resurrection The other opinion is of the Papistes that hold the bread in the sacrament to be turned substantially into the bodie of Christ which thing if it be true then the bodie of Christ is made of bread kneaded and tempered by the hand of the baker and not of the substance of the virgine Mary As for the manner of the making and framing of the humane nature of Christ it was miraculous not by generation according to the ordinarie course of nature but by an extraordinarie operation of the holy Ghost aboue nature and for this cause it is not within the compasse of mans reason either to conceiue or to expresse the manner and order of this conception The Angell ascribes two actions to the holy Ghost in this matter the one to come upon the virgine Marie the other to overshadovv her by the first is signified the extraordinarie worke of the holy ghost in fashioning the humane nature of Christ for so much the phrase else-where importeth The seconde signifieth that the holy ghost did as it were cast a cloud ouer hir to teach vs that we should not search over much into the mysterie of the Incarnation It may be obiected against this which hath beene saide that if Christ be in this manner conceiued by the holy Ghost then the holy ghost shalbe father to Christ and Christ his sonne Answer The reason is not good For hee that is a father is not a bare efficient cause but one which in the effecting of any thing conferres the matter vnto it from him selfe whereof it shall be made Now the holy ghost did not minister any matter vnto Christ from his owne substance but did onely as it were take the masse and lumpe of mans nature from the bodie of the virgine Mary and without ordinarie generation made it the bodie of Christ as Basill saieth Christ was conceiued not of the substance but of the power not by any generation but by the appointment and benediction of the holy ghost The second pointe in the conception is the sanctifying of that masse or lumpe which was to be the manhood of Christ. And that was done upon speciall cause first tha◠that it might be ioned to the person of the Sonne which coulde not haue beene if it had beene defiled with sinne Secondly Christ was a Saviour as hee is both God and man now then beeing man if hee had beene sinnefull himselfe he could not haue saued others but should haue stood in need of a Saviour for himselfe This sanctification hath two partes the first is the stay and stoppage of the propagation of originall sinne and of the guilt of Adams sinne which was on this manner God in the beginning set downe this order touching man that what euill or defect soever he brought upon himselfe hee shoulde deriue the same to euerie one of his posteritie begotten of him and hereupon when any father begets his childe hee is in the roome of Adam and conveyes unto it besides the nature of man the verie guilt and corruption of nature Now for the preuenting of this euill in Christ God in great wisdome appointed that hee should be conceiued by the holy ghost without any manner of generation by man And by this meanes he takes substance from the virgine without the guilte and corruption of the substance But it may further be obiected thus All that be in Adam haue sinned in him but Christ was in Adam as hee is man therefore he sinned in him Answer The proposition is false vnlesse it be expounded in this manner All that were in Adam haue sinned in him so be it they come of him by generation Paul saith not that out of one man but by one man sinne entred into the world to shewe that hee propagates his corruption to no more then he begets Againe Christ is in Adam not simply as other men are but in part namely in respect of substance which hee tooke from him and not in respect of the propagation of the substance by ordinarie generation other men are both from Adam and by Adam but Christ is from him alone and not by him as a begetter or procreant cause The second parte of sanctification is the infusion of all purenes and holinesse into the manhood of Christ so farre forth as was meete for the nature of a redeemer The duties to be learned hence are these First whereas Christ was sanctified in the wombe of the virgine Mary we likewise must labour to be sanctified in our selues following the commandement of God Be ye holy as I am holy S. Iohn saith that he which hath hope to be with Christ in glorie in heaven purifieth him-selfe even as he is pure no doubt setting before himselfe the exāple of Christ as a patterne to follow in all his waies And because our hearts are as it were seas of corruptiōs we must daily clense our selues of them by litle litle following the practise of the poore begger that is alwaies peecing and mending and day by day pulles away some ragges and puts better cloath in the roome And if we shall continually indeauour our selues to cast off the remnants of corruption that hang so fast on and make a supply thereof by some new portions of Gods heavenly grace we shalbe vessels of honour sanctified meete for the Lorde and prepared unto euerie good worke Christ could not haue bin a fit sauiour for us vnlesse he had first of all bin sanctified neither can we be fit members vnto him unlesse we be purged of our sinnes in some measure truly sanctified The comfort which Gods people may reape of the sanctificatiō of Christs manhood is great For why was he sanctified Surely if we marke it well we shal find it was for the good benefit of his elect For Adā Christ be two roots as hath bin shewed Adam by
it self to be a meritorious sacrifice therfore the dignity excellencie which it hath is deriued thence As for the chalkie stony altars of the Church of Rome they are nothing els but the toyes of mans brain Christ himselfe is the only reall altar of the new testament And instead of altars which were under the lawe wee haue now the Lords table vvheron vve celebrate the sacraments of his body and blood to shew forth his death till he come The 4. point is concerning the time of Christs oblation which he himselfe calleth the acceptable yere of the Lord alluding unto another yere under the lavve called the yeere Iubile vvhich was every 50. yere amoÌ„g the Iewes in which at the sound of a trumpet all that had set or sold their possessions receiued them againe all that were bondmen were then set at libertie This Iubile was but a figure of that perfect deliveraÌ„ce which vvas to be attained by Christs passioÌ„ which was no temporarie deliverance for euery 50. yere but an eternal freedome from the bondage of sinne hell death condemnation And the preaching of the worde is the trumpet sounded which proclaimeth unto us freedome froÌ„ the kingdome of darkenesse invites us to come dvvell in perfect peace vvith Christ himselfe Well if the yeere of perpetuall Iubile be novv come in what a vvreâ—ched estate are all our loose blind people that esteem nothing of that libertie vvhich is offered to them but choose rather to liue in their sinnes and so in bondage under Satan condemnation then to be at freedome in Christ. Novv follovv the uses vvhich are to be made of the sacrifice of Christ. The prophet Aggai saith that the second temple built by Zorubbabell vvas nothing in beautie unto the first vvhich was built by Salomon and the reason is plaine for it vvanted five things vvhich the first temple had I. the appearing of the presence of God at the mercie seat betweene the two Cherubims II. The Vrim and Thummim on the breast-plate of the high Priest III. The inspiration of the holy Ghost vpon extraordinarie Prophets IV. The Arke of the Covenant for that was lost in the captiuitie V. Fire from heauen to burne the sacrifices Yet for all this the Prophet afterward saith The glorie of the last House shall be greater then the first Now it may be demaunded how both these sayings can stand together Answer We are to know that the second Temple was standing in the time when Christ was crucified for our sinnes and it was the sacrifice of Christ which gaue glorie and dignitie to the second temple though otherwise for building and outward ornaments it was farre inferiour to the first And by this we are taught that if we would bring glorie vnto our owne selues vnto our houses and kindred either before God or before men we must labour to be partakers of the sacrifice of Christ and the sprinkling of his blood to purge our hearts This is the thing that brings renowne both to place and person how base soeuer we be in the eyes of the world Secondly all oblations and meate offerings were sprinkled with salt and euery sacrifice of propitiation which was to be burned to ashes was first salted and hereby two things were signified The first that euery one of vs in our selues are loathsome or vile in the sight of God like vnto stinking carrion or raw-flesh kept long vnpoudered A dead and rotten carkeise is loathsome vnto vs but we in our selues are a thousand times more loathsome vnto God The second that we are as it were salted and made sauorie and acceptable to God by the vertue of the sacrifice of Christ vpon the crosse Our dutie theÌ„ is to labour that we may feele in our selues the biting and sharpnes of the oblation of Christ to wast coÌ„sume the superfluities of sinne and the corruptions of our natures And we must withall indeauour that the whole course of our liues and our speach it selfe be gratious and poudred with this salt least God at length spue vs out of his mouth To this end hath God appointed his ministers to be the salt of the earth that by their ministerie they might applie the death of Christ and season the people And it hath pleased God to besprinkle this land with more plentie of this salt then hath beene heretofore But alas small is the number of them that giue any rellish of their good seasoning The more lamentable is their case For as flesh that can not be seasoned with salt putrifies so men that cannot be sweetned and changed by the sacrifice of Christ doe rotte and perish in their sinnes The waters that issued from vnder the threshold of the Sanctuarie when they came into the dead sea the waters thereof were holsome but myrie places and marishes which could not be seasoned were made salt-pits Now these waters are the preaching of the Gospell of Christ which flowing through all the parts of this Ile if it doe not season and chaunge our nation it shall make it as places of nettles and salt-pits and at length be an occasion of the eternall curse of God Thirdly Christs priesthoode serues to make euery one of vs also to be priests And being priests we must likewise haue our sacrifice and our altar Our sacrifice is the cleane offering which is the lifting vp of pure hands to God without wrath or doubting in our praiers also our bodies and soules our hearts and affections the workes of our liues and the works of our callings all which must be dedicated to the seruice of God for his glorie and the good of his Church The altar whereon wee must offer our sacrifice is Christ our redeemer both God and man because by the vertue of his death as with sweet odours he perfumes all our obedience and makes it acceptable to God The ministers of the Gospell are also in this manner priests as Paul insinuateth when he calleth the Gentiles his offering vnto God And the preaching of the word is as it were a sacrificing knife whereby the old Adam must be killed in vs and we made an holy and acceptable sweete smelling oblation vnto God sanctified by the holy Ghost Therefore euery one that heareth Gods worde preached and taught must endeauour that by the profitable hearing thereof his sinnes and whole nature may be subdued and killed as the beast was slaine and sacrificed vpon the altar by the hand of the Leuite Lastly the exhortation of the holy Ghost must here be considered Seeing saith he we haue an high Priest which is ouer the house of God let vs draw neere with a true heart in assurance of faith sprinkled in our hearts from an euill conscience and washed in our bodies with pure water the meaning of the words is this that if Christ haue offered such a sacrifice of such value and price which procureth pardon of sinne
Iesus Christ the iust And thus we haue three persons in the worke of intercession really distinguished The partie offended is God the father the partie offending is man and thirdly the intercessour distinct from them both is Christ the second person in trinitie For howsoeuer in Godhead he and the father be one yet in person they are really distinguished he is as it were in the middle betweene the father us for the father is God not mā we that beleeue in Christ are men not God Christ himselfe both man God It may be further replied that this answer will not stand because not only the father is offended but also the sonne the H. ghost therefore there must be a mediatour to them also Ans. The intercessiō of Christ is directed to the father the first person immediatly now the father the sonne and the H. ghost haue all one in diuisible essence by consequent one and the same will wherupō the father being appeased by Christs intercessiō the sonne the holy ghost are also appeased in him Thus then intercession is made to the whole trinitie but yet immediatly directly to the first person and in him to the rest The second point to be considered is the manner of his intercession vnto his father Wee must not imagine that Christ now in heauen kneeles downe on his knees vtters words and puts up a supplication for all the faithfull to God the father for that is not beseeming the maiesty of him that sits at the right hand of God But the maner of his intercessiō is thus to be conceiued When one is to speake to an earthly prince in the behalf of another first of all he must come into the presence of the king and secondly make his request and both these Christ perfourmeth for us unto god For the first after his ascension he entred into heauē where he did present vnto his father first of all his owne person in two natures and secondly the invaluable merits of his death and passion in which he is well pleased And we must further understand that as on the crosse hee stoode in our roome so in heauen he now appeares as a publicke person in our stead representing all the elect that shall beleeue in him as the holy ghost saith Christ Iesus ascended up into heaven to appeare in the sight of God for us And for the second Christ makes request for us in that he willeth according to both his natures and desireth as he is man that the father woulde accept his satisfaction in the behalfe of all that are giuen unto him And that he makes request on this maner I prooue it thus Looke what was his request in our behalfe when he was here upon earth the same for substance it cōtinues still in heauen but here on earth the substance of his requests was that he willed and desired that his father would be well pleased with us for his merites as appeares by his praier in S. Iohn Father I will that those which thou hast given me be with me even where I am that they may beholde my glorie which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the worlde Therefore hee still continues to make request for us by willing and desiring that his father woulde accept his merites in our behalfe If it be alledged that Christ in this solemne praier vsed speech and prostration of his bodie the answere is that these actions were no essentiall partes of his praier The prostrating of his bodie serued onely as a token of his submission to God as hee was a creature and the speech which he used serued onely to utter and expresse his request Furthermore a difference here must be marked betweene Christs passion and his intercession The passion serues for the working and causing of a satisfaction to Gods iustice for us and it is as it were the tempering of the plaister the intercession goes further for it applies the satisfaction made layes the salue to the verie sore And therefore Christ makes request not onely for the elect generally but for particular men as Paul Iames Iohn and that particularly as he testifieth of himselfe saying I have prayed for thee Peter that thy faith faile not If any shall say that Christs vvilling and desiring of a thing can not be a request or intercession the answere is that in vertue and efficacie it countervailes all the praiers in the world For whatsoeuer Christ willeth the same also the father being well pleased with him willeth and therefore whatsoeuer Christ as Mediatour willeth for us at the handes of his father in effect or substance is a request or praier The third point is that Christ alone and none with him makes intercession for us And this I prooue by induction of particulars First of all this office appertaines not to the angels They are indeed ministring spirits for the good of gods chosen they reioice when a sinner is conuerted when he dieth they are ready to cary his soule into Abrahams bosome God otherwhiles useth them as messengers to reveale his will thus the angell Gabriel brings a message to Zacharie the priest that God had heard his prayer but it is not once said in all the scriptures that they make intercession to God for us As for the saints departed they can not make intercession for us because they know not our particular estates here on earth neither cā they heare our requests And therefore if we should pray to them to pray for vs wee should substitute them into the roome of God because we ascribe that to them which is proper to him namely the searching of the heart the knowledge of all things done upon earth though withall we should say that they do this not by themselues but of God As for the faithfull heare on earth indeede they haue warrant yea commaundement to pray one for another yet cā they not make intercessiō for us For first he that makes intercessiō must bring somthing of his own that may be of value price with God to procure the grant of his request secōdly he must do it in his own name but the faithfull on earth make request to god one for another not in their owne names nor for their own merits but in the name and for the merits of Christ. It is a prerogatiue belonging to Christ alone to make a request in his owne name and for his owne merits we therefore conclude that the worke of intercession is the sole worke of Christ God man not belonging to any creature beside in heauen or in earth And whereas the papists can not content themselves with his intercession alone as being most sufficient it argues plainly that they doubt either of his power or of his will whereupon their praiers turne to sinne The fruites and benefites of Christes intercession are these First by meanes of it we are assured that
answeare is that although it be so yet the worke of sanctification agrees to the holy Ghost in speciall maner The father sanctifieth by the Sōne and by the holy Ghost the Sonne sanctifieth from the father and by the holy Ghost the holy Ghost sanctifieth frō the father and from the sonne by himselfe immediatly and in this respect is the third person tearmed holy Againe the third person is tearmed a Spirit not only because his nature is spirituall for in that respect the father is a spirite and the sonne is a spirit but because he is spired or breathed frō the father and from the sonne in that he proceeds from thē both Thus we see there is speciall cause why the third person is called the holy Ghost Now the action of faith which concernes the third person is to beleeue in him Which is I. to acknowledge the H. Ghost as he hath reuealed himselfe in the word II. In speciall to beleeue that he is my sanctifier and comforter III. To put all the confidence of my heart in him for that cause In these words are comprised foure points of doctrine which are to be beleeued concerning the H. Ghost The first that he is very God For we are not to put our affiance or confidence in any but in God alone And no doubt the pennars of the Creed in that they prefixed these words I beleeue in before the article of the third person meant thereby to signifie that he is true God equall with the father and the sonne according to the tenour of the Scriptures themselues Peter saith to Ananias Why hath satan filled thine heart that thou shouldest lie vnto the holy Ghost and continuing the same speach he chaungeth the tearme onely and saith Thou hast not lied vnto men but vnto God Whereby he insinuateth that the holy Ghost is very God In the vision of the Prophet Isai the wordes by him set down are thus I heard the voice of Iehoua saying whome shall I send c. and he said go and say to this people Ye shall heare in deede but ye shall not vnderstand But Paul quoting the same place spake on this maner Well spake the H. Ghost by Esay the Prophet saying goe vnto this people and say vnto them Now these places being compared together make it plaine that the title of Iehovah agreeth to the holy Ghost But yet the enemies of this truth which thinke that the holy Ghost is nothing else but the action or operation of God obiect out of the Scriptures to the contrarie I. God knoweth the Sonne the holy Ghost knoweth not the Sonne for none knoweth the sonne but the father ergo the holy Ghost is not God Answer That place excludeth no person in Trinitie but onely creatures and false gods and the meaning is this None that is no creature or idole god knoweth the sonne of God but the father And the opposition is made to exclude creatures not to exclude the holy Ghost Againe they obiect that the holy Ghost maketh request for vs with groanes and sighes that cannot be vttered ergo the holy Ghost is not God but rather a gift of God For he that is true God can not pray groane or sigh Answer Pauls meaning is thereby to signifie that the holy Ghost causeth vs to make requests and stirreth vp our heartes to groane and sigh to God for he said before we haue receiued the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba father Yet further they obiect the wordes of the angel Gabriel to the virgin Marie saying The vertue of the most high hath ouershadowed thee and hence they gather that if the holy Ghost be the vertue of God then he is not God indeede Answ. As Christ is called the word of God not a word made of letters or syllables but a substantiall word that is beeing for euer of the same substance with the father so in this place the holy Ghost is called the vertue of the most highest not because he is a created qualitie but because he is the substantiall vertue of the Father the sonne therfore God equal with them both Furthermore they alledge that neither the Scriptures nor the practise of the Primitiue Church doth warrant vs to pray to the holy Ghost Ans. It is not true For whensoeuer we direct our praier to any one of the three persons in him we pray to them all Besides we haue example of praier made to the holy Ghost in the word of God For Paul saith to the Corinthians The grace of our Lord Iesus the loue of God the father and the fellowship of the holy Ghost be with you all And the words are as if Paul had said thus O father let thy loue O sonne let thy grace O holy Ghost let thy fellowship be with them all And therefore this first doctrine is true and as wel to be beleeued as any other that the holy Ghost is God The second point is that the holy Ghost is a distinct person from the father and the sonne Hereupon the articles touching the three persōs are thus distinguished I beleue in the father I beleeue in the sonne I beleeue in the H. Ghost This point also is consonant to the Scriptures which make the same distinctiō In the baptisme of Christ the father vttereth a voice from heauen saying This is my beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased not the Sonne or the holy Ghost Secondly the Sonne stoode in the water and was baptised by Iohn and not the Father or the holy Ghost Thirdly the holy Ghost descended from heauen vpon Christ in the forme of a doue and not the father or the sonne but the holy Ghost alone Christ in his commission vnto his disciples saith Goe teach all nations baptizing them into the name of the father the sonne and the holy Ghost Now if the holy Ghost had beene the same person either with the father or with the sonne then it had beene sufficient to haue named the father and the sonne onely And the distinction of the third person from the rest may be conceiued by this that the holy Ghost is the holy Ghost and not the father or the sonne The third point to be beleeued is that the holy Ghost proceedeth from the father and the sonne For a further proofe hereof consider these places Paul saith Ye are not in the flesh but in the spirit for the spirit of God dwelleth in you But if any mā haue not the spirit of Christ he is not his againe Because ye are sonnes God hath sent forth the spirit of the sonne into your hearts where we may obserue that the holy Ghost is the spirit both of the father and of the sonne Now the holy Ghost is called the spirit of the father not onely because he is sent of him but because hee proceedeth from the father as Christ saith to his disciples When the comforter will come whome I
shall send vnto you from the father euen the spirit of truth which proceedeth of the father he shall testifie of mee And therefore likewise he is the spirit of the sonne not onely because he is sent of the sonne but also because he proceedeth from him Againe in the trinitie the person sending doth communicate his whole essence and substance to the person sent As the father sending the sonne doth communicate his essence and substance to the sonne For sending doth presuppose a communication of essence Now the father and the sonne send the holy Ghost therefore both of them communicate their substance and essence vnto the same person Thirdly Christ saith The holy Ghost hath receiued of mine which he shall shew vnto you namely knowledge and truth to be reuealed vnto his Church Whēce we may reason thus the person receiuing knowledge from an other receiues essence also the H. Ghost receiueth truth knowledge from Christ to be reuealed vnto the Church therfore first of all he hath receiued substance and essence from the sonne But some peraduenture will say where is it written in all the Bible in expresse words that the holy Ghost proceeds frō the sōne as he proceeds frō the father Ans. The Scripture saith not so much in plaine tearmes yet we must know that that which is gathered forth of thē by iust cōsequēt is no lesse the truth of God then that which is expressed in words Hereupon all Churches saue those in Greece with one consent acknowledge the truth of this point The fourth and last point is that the holy Ghost is equal to the father the sōne And this we are taught to acknowledge in the Creede in that we doe as well beleeue in the holy Ghost as in the father and the sonne And though the holy Ghost be sent of the father the sonne yet as I haue said before that argues no inequalitie for one equal may send an other by consent but order onely wherby the Holy Ghost is last of all the three persons Againe in that the H. Ghost receiueth from the sonne it prooues no inferioritie Because he receiues from the sonne whatsoeuer he receiues by nature and not by grace And he receiues not a part but all that the sonne hath sauing the proprietie of his person Now follow the benefits which are giuen by th H. ghost they are of 2. sorts some are cōmō to all creatures some are proper to men The benefit of the H. Ghost common to all creatures is the worke of creation preseruation For all things were created made afterward preserued by the H. Ghost So Elihu saith The spirit of God hath made me And Moses saith In the beginning the spirit mooued vpon the waters The phrase is borrowed from a bird who in hatching of her young ones sits vpon the egges mooues her selfe vpon them and heates them And so likewise the holy Ghost in the beginning did by his owne power cherish and preserue the masse or lumpe whereof all things were made and caused it to bring foorth the creatures This beeing euident that the holy Ghost hath a stroake in the worke of creation and preseruation we must vnfainedly acknowledge that we were first created and since that time continually preserued by the benefit euen of the third person The benefits proper vnto men are of two sorts some are common to all men both good and badde and some proper to the elect and faithfull The benefits common to all men are diuerse I. the gift of practising a particular calling As in the bodie seuerall members haue seuerall vses so in euery societie seuerall men haue seuerall offices and callings and the gifts whereby they are inabled to performe the duties thereof are from the holy Ghost When Gedeon became a valiant captaine to deliuer the Israelites it is said he was cloathed with the spirit Bezaleel and Aholiab beeing set apart to build the tabernacle were filled with the spirit of God in wisedome and in vnderstanding and in all workemanship to finde out curious workes to worke in gold and in siluer and in brasse also in the art to set stones and to carue in timber c. By this it is manifest that the skill of any handicraft is not in the power of man but comes by the holy Ghost And by this we are taught to vse all those gifts well wherby we are inabled to discharge our particular callings that they may serue for the glorie of God and the good of his Church and those that in their callings vse fraud and deceit or else liue inordinately doe most vnthankfully abuse the gifts of the holy Ghost which one day they must answeare for The second gift common to all is Illumination whereby a man is inabled to vnderstand the will of God in his word The Iewes in the reading of the old testament had a vaile ouer their hearts and the like haue all men by nature to whome the word of God is foolishnes Paul at his conuersion was smitten blinde and skales were vpon his eyes the like also be ouer the eies of our mindes and they must fall away before we can vnderstand the will of God Now it is the worke of the holy Ghost to remooue these skales and filmes from our eies And for this very cause hee is called the annointing and eyesalue for as it doth cleare the eyes and take away dimnesse from them so doth the holy Ghost take away blindnes from our mindes that we may see into the truth of Gods word This beeing a common gift and receiued both of good and badde it standeth vs in hand not to content our selues with the bare knowledge of the word but therewithall we must ioyne obedience and make conscience thereof or else that will befall vs which Christ foretold that he which knoweth his masters will and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes The third gift of the holy Ghost is the gift of prophecie whereby a man is made able to interpret and expound the Scriptures Now albeit this gift be very excellent and not giuen to euery man yet is it common both to good and badde For in the day of iudgement when men shall come to Christ and say Master we haue prophecied in thy name he shall answer again I neuer knew you depart from me ye workers of iniquitie Hereupon those that are in the calling of the ministerie and haue receiued the gift of prophecie must not herewithall be puffed vp For if they be not as wel doers of Gods will as teachers their gifts wil turne to their further condemnation As the carpenters that built Noahs arke when the floode came were drowned because they would not obey Noahs preaching so those that haue the gifts of prophecie and are builders in Gods house if they build not themselues as well as others for all their preaching at the day of iudgement they shal be condemned
and therefore it standeth them in hande not to content themselues with this that they know and teach others Gods wil but they themselues must be the first doers of the same The fourth common gift of the holy Ghost is Abilitie to bridle and restraine some affections so as they shall not breake out into outragious behauiour Haman a wicked man an enemie to Gods Church when he saw Mordecai the Iew sitting in the kings gate that he would not stand vp nor moue for him he was full of indignatioÌ„ neuertheles the text saith that he refrained himselfe And when Abimelech an heathen king had taken Sara Abrahams wife God said vnto him I know that thou diddest this with an vpright heart and the text addeth further I haue kept thee that thou shouldest not sinne against me And thus the Lord giueth to men as yet without the spirit of sanctification this gift to bridle them selues so as in outward action they shall not practise this or that sinne For why did not Abimelech commit adulterie surely because God kept him from it Againe in the histories of the heathen we may read of many that were iust liberall meeke continent c. and that by a generall operation of the holy Ghost that represseth the corruption of nature for the common good Here then if any man aske how it commeth to passe that some men are more modest and ciuill then others seeing all men by nature are equally wicked the answeare may be not as the common saying is because some are of better nature then others for all the sonnes of Adam are equall in regard of nature the childe new borne in that respect is as wicked as the eldest man that euer liued but the reason is because God giueth this common gift of restraining the affections more to some then to others This must be considered of vs all For a man may haue the spirit of God to bridle many sinnes and yet neuer haue the spirit to mortifie the same and to make him a new creature And this beeing so we must take heede that we deceiue not our selues For it is not sufficient for a man to liue in outward ciuilitie to keepe in some of his affections vpon some occasion for that a wicked man may doe but we must further labour to feele in our selues the spirit of God not onely bridling sinne in vs but alâ—o mortifying and killing the same In deede both of them are the good gifts of Gods spirit but yet the mortification of sinne is the chiefest beeing an effectuall signe of grace and proper to the elect The fifth grace and gift of the holy Ghost is to heare and receiue the word of God with ioy In the parable of the sower one kinde of badde grounde are they which when they haue heard receiue the word with ioy And this is that which the author of the Hebrues calls the tasting of the good vvord of God and of the povvers of the vvorld to come We knowe that there is great difference betweene tasting of meate and eating of it They that sit downe at the table doe both tast and eate but they that dresse the meate doe onely see and tast thereof so it is at the Lords table Many there be that haue this gift truly both to tast and eate of the bodie and bloode of Christ offered in the word and sacraments and some againe doe onely tast and feele the sweetenesse of them and reioyce therein but yet are not indeede partakers thereof Now if this be so then all those which heare the worde of God must take heede how they heare and labour to finde these two things in themselues by hearing I. that in heart and conscience they be thoroughly touched and humbled for their sinnes II. that they be certeÌ„ly assured of the fauour and loue of God in Christ and that the sweete promises of the Gospell doe belong to them and in consideration hereof they must make conscience of all sinne both in thought word deede through the whole course of their liues And this kinde of hearing bringeth that ioy which vanisheth not away Thus much of the benefits of the holy Ghost common to all men both good and bad now follow such as are proper to the Elect all which may be reduced vnto one namely the Inhabitation of the spirit whereby the elect are the temples of the H. Ghost who is said to dwell in men not in respect of substance for the whole nature of the H. Ghost cannot be comprised in the bodie or soule of man but in respect of a particular operation and this dwelling stands in two things The first that the holy Ghost doth abide in them not for a time onely but for euer for the worde dwelling noteth perpetuitie Secondly that the holy Ghost hath the full disposition of the heart as when a man commeth to dwell in an house whereof he is lord he hath libertie to gouerne it after his owne will now this disposition of the hearts of the faithfull by the holy Ghost standeth in fiue speciall notable gifts euery one worth our obseruation The first is a certen knowledge of a mans owne reconciliation to God in Christ. As it is said in Isai By his knowledge my righteous seruant shall iustifie many And Christ saith This is life eternall that they knowe thee to be the onely very God and vvhome thou hast sent Jesus Christ. This knowledge is not generall for then the deuils might be saued but it is particular whereby a man knoweth God the father to be his father and Christ the redeemer to be his redeemer and the holy Ghost to be his sanctifier and comforter And it is froÌ„ the speciall worke of the H. Ghost as Paul saith The spirit of God beareth witnes to our spirits that we are the children of God And we haue receiued the spirit which is of God that we might knowe the things that are giuen vnto vs of God The second gift is regeneration whereby a man of a limme of the deuill is made a member of Christ and of a child of satan whome euery one of vs by nature do as liuely resemble as any man doth his owne parent is made the child of God Except a man saith our Sauiour Christ be born againe by water and the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdome of heauen Iohn Baptist in saying that Christ baptized with the H. Ghost and fire compares the spirit of God to fire and water To fire for two causes I. as it is the nature of fire to warme the bodie that is benummed and frozen with cold so when a man is benummed and frozen in sinne yea when he is euen stark dead in sinne it is the propertie of the holy Ghost to warme and quicken his heart and to reuiue him II. Fire doth purge and eate out the drosse from the good mettall now there is no drosse nor canker that hath so deepely eaten into any mettall as sinne into the nature of
man and therefore the holy Ghost is as fire to purge and eate out the hidden corruptions of sinne out of the rebellious heart of man Againe the holy Ghost is compared to cleare water for two causes I. man by nature is as drie wood without sappe and the propertie of the holy Ghost is as water to supple and to put sappe of grace into the dead and rotten heart of man II. the propertie of water is to clense and purifie the filth of the bodie euen so the holy Ghost doth spiritually wash away our sinnes which are the filth of our nature and this is the second benefite of the H. Ghost By this we are taught that he which would enter into the kingdoÌ„ of God haue the H. Ghost to dwell in him must labour to feele the worke of regeneration by the same holy spirit and if a man would know whether he haue this worke wrought in him or no let him marke what S. Paul saith They that are of the spirit sauour the things that are of the spirit but they that liue after the flesh sauour the things of the flesh If therefore a man haue his heart continually affected with that which is truly good either more or lesse it is a certen token that his wicked nature is changed and he regenerate but contrariwise if his heart be alwaies set on the pleasures of sinne and the things of this world he may iustly suspect himselfe that he is not regenerated As for example if a man haue all his minde set vpon drinking gulling in of wine and strong drink hauing litle delight nor pleasure in any thing els it argues a carnal mind and vngerenerate because it affects the things of the flesh so of the rest And on the coÌ„trary he that hath his minde affected with a desire to do the wil of God in practising the works of charitie religion he I say hath a spirituall and a renewed heart and is regenerate by the holy Ghost The third worke of the holy Ghost is to gouerne the hearts of the elect this may be called spirituall regiment A man that dwelleth in a house of his owne orders gouerns it according to his owne will euen so the holy Ghost gouerns all theÌ„ in whoÌ„ he dwelleth as Paul saith they that are the sonnes of God are ledde by his spirit a most notable benefit for looke where the holy Ghost dwelleth there he wil be Lord gouerning both heart minde will and affections and that two waies I. by repressing all badde motions vnto sinne arising either from the corruption of mans nature from the world or from the deuill II. by stirring vp good affections and motions vpon euery occasion so it is saide The flesh that is the corruption of mans nature lusteth against the spirit and the spirit that is grace in the heart lusteth against the flesh and that after a double sort first by labouring to ouermaster and keepe downe the motions thereof secondly by stirring vp good motions and inclinations to pietie and religion In Esay the holy Ghost hath most excellent titles The spirit of the Lord the spirit of wisdome and vnderstanding the spirit of counsell and of strength the spirit of knowledge and of the feare of the Lord. Now he is so called because he stirreth vp good motions in the godly of wisedome of knowledge of strength of vnderstanding of counsell and of the feare of the Lord. And Saint Paul saith that the fruits of the spirit are ioy peace loue long suffering gentlenes goodnes faith meekenes temperance c. all which are so tearmed because where the H. Ghost ruleth there he ingendreth these good gifts and motions of grace but among all the inward motions of the spirit the most principall are these I. an vtter disliking of sinne because it is sinne And that is when a man hath an eye not so much to another mans sinnes as to his owne and seeing them is truly sorowfull for them and disliketh them and himselfe for them not so much because there is a place of torment or a day of iudgement to come wherin he must answer to God for them all but as if there were no hell or iudgement because God is displeased by them who hath beene vnto him a most louing and merciful father in redeeming him by Christ. The second is an hungring desire aboue all things in this world to be at vnitie with God in Christ for the same sinnes This is a motion of the H. Ghost which no man can haue but he in whom the H. Ghost doth dwell The third the gift of heartie praier For this cause the H. Ghost is called the spirit of supplications because it stirreth vp the heart makes it fit to pray therefore Paul saith that the spirit of God helpeth our infirmities for we knowe not what to pray as we ought but the spirit it selfe maketh request for vs with sighes which cannot be expressed This is an ordinarie worke of the holy Ghost in all that beleeue and he that would know whether he haue the spirit dwelling truly in his heart shall know it by this A mother carrieth hir child in hir armes if it crie for the dugge and suckes the same it is aliue being obserued many daies together if it neither crie nor stirre it is dead In like manner it is an vnfallible note of a true child of God to cry to his father in heauen by praier but he that neuer crieth nor feeleth himselfe stirred vp to make his mone to God is in a miserable case and he may well be thought to be but a dead childe and therefore let vs learne in praier vnfainedly to powre out our soules before God considering it is a speciall gift of the holy Ghost bestowed on the children of God The fourth worke of the holy Ghost in the heart of the elect is comfort in distresse and therefore our Sauiour Christ calleth him the comforter whome he wâ—ll sende and in the Psalme he is called the oyle of gladnes because he maketh glad the heart of man in trouble and distresse There be two things that fill the heart full of endlesse griefe I. outward calamities as when a man is in any daunger of death when he looseth his goods his good name his friends and such like The second thing is a troubled conscience whereof Salomon saith A troubled spirit who can beare it and of all other it is the most heauie and grieuous crosse that can be When as the hand of God was heauie vpon Iob this was the soarest of all his affliction and therefore he crieth out that the arrowes of the almightie did sticke in his soule Now what is the comfort in this case Answer In the middest of all our distresses the holy Ghost is present with vs to make vs reioyce and to fill vs with comforts that no tongue can
newnesse of life then we must walke in the spirite Now to walke in the spirite is to leade our liues in shewing forth the fruites of the spirite In Esai the holy ghost is compared unto water powred foorth on the drie land which maketh the willowes to blossome and to beare fruite wherefore those that haue the giftes of the spirit must be trees of righteousnes bringing forth the fruits of the spirit which as they are set downe by Paul are principally nine The first fruit is love which respects both God and man Loue unto God is an inwarde and spirituall motion in the heart whereby God is loued absolutely for himselfe This loue shewes it selfe in two things I. when a mans heart is set and disposed to seeke the honour and glorie of God in all thinges II. when a man by all meanes strives and endeauours himselfe to please God in euery thing counting it a most miserable estate to liue in the displeasure of God and the hearte that is thus affected can haue no greater torment then to fall into sinne whereby God is offended and his displeasure prouoked By these two signes a man may know whether he loue God or no and by them also must hee testifie his loue Now our loue to man is a fruite of this loue of God for God is to be loued for himselfe man is loued for God This loue must not be in shew onely but in deede and action Saint Iohn biddeth us not to loue in worde and tongue onely but in deed and trueth Brotherly loue doth not alwaies lie hid but when an occasion is offered it doeth breake forth into action it is like fire which though for a time it be smothered yet at length it breakes forth into a flame And so much loue a man sheweth to his neighbour as he hath and where none is shewed none is The second fruite is Ioy when a man is as glad at the good of his neighbor as at his own good this is a speciall worke of the holy ghost For the nature of man is to pine away and to grieue at the good of another and it is a worke of grace to reioyce thereat Paul saieth Reioyce vvith them that reioyce And this was the holy practise of the friendes and neighbours of Zacharias and Elizabeth when Iohn Baptist was borne They came and reioyced with them The third fruit of the spirit is Peace Of this Paul speaketh most excellently saying If it be possible as much as in you is have peace with all men It is nothing else but coÌ„cord which must be kept in an holy manner with all men both good bad so farre forth as can be Isai the Prophet speaking of the fruits of the gospell saieth The woolfe shall dwell with the lamb the leopard with the kid c. Where note that in the kingdome of Christ when a man is called into the state of grace howsoeuer by nature he be as a wolfe as a leopard as a lyon or as a beare yet he shal then lay away his cruell nature and become gentle and liue peaceably with all men Now for the practising of this peace there are three duties especially to be learned perfourmed I. rather then peace shoulde be broken a man must yeeld of his owne right When Publicanes came to our Sauiour Christ for tribute he had a lawfull excuse for howsoeuer he liued in lowe estate among them yet hee was the right heire to the kingdome therefore was free neuerthelesse he stood not on his priuiledge but calleth Peter saying Least wee offend them goe to the sea and cast in an angle and take the first fish that câ—mmeth up and when thou hast opened his mouth thou shalt finde a peece of twentie pence take it and give it to them for thee and me Here we see that our Sauiour Christ rather then he woulde breake the common peace yeeldes of his owne right and so we must doe if we will be good followers of him Secondly when any man shall sinne either in worde or in deed specially if it be upon infirmitie wee must auoide bitter invectiues and mildely tell him of his fault and in all meekenesse and loue labour for his amendment So Paul teacheth us saying If any man be fallen into any fault by occasion restore such an one with the spirite of meekenesse considering thy selfe least thou be also tempted c. Beare yee one anothers burden Thirdly euery man within the compasse of his calling must be a peace-maker betweene them that are at variance This is a speciall duty of godlines and christianitie and therefore our Sauiour Christ doeth highly commend such and pronounceth this blessing upon them that they shall be called the children of God The fourth fruite of the spirit is long suffering and it standeth in two pointes I. when a man deferreth his anger and is hardly brought to it II. being angrie doth yet moderate the same and stay the hotnesse of that affection For the first to bridle anger it is a speciall work of the H. ghost and the meanes to attaine vnto it are these I. not to take notice of the iniuries and wrongs done unto us if they be not of great moment but to let them passe as not knowing them Salomon saith It is a mans discretion to deferre his anger Now how is that done It is added in the next words It is the glory of a man to passe by infirmitie that is when a man shall ouershoote himselfe either in word or in deede to let it passe either wholly or till a time convenient as though we knew not of it The second way to deferre and bridle anger is when a man hath iniuried us either in word or deede to thinke with our selues that wee haue iniured others in the same maner and for this cause Salomon saith Give not thine heartâ— to all the vvordes that men speake least thou doe heare thy servant cursing thee For oftentimes thine heart also knoweth that thou hast cursed others A man must not listen to euerie mans wordes at all times but hee is to thinke that he hath spoken or done the same to other men and that now the Lord meeteth with him by the like as it is saide With what measure yee meete it shalbe measured to you againe This is a thing which few consider Euill men desire good reporte and woulde haue all men speake well of them whereas they can speake well of none but indeede they must begin to speake well of others before others shall speake well of them Thirdly a man must consider how God dealeth with him For so often as he sinneth hee prouoketh god to cast him away and to confound him eternally yet the Lorde is mercifull and long suffering Euen so when men doe offend and iniury us wee must doe as God doth not be angry but fight against our affections endeauouring to become patient
beleeue that really and visibly he ascended into heauen and there abides till his seconde comming to the last iudgement who then hauing but common reason would imagine a communication of the bodie of Christ pent up in the element of bread and conveyed into our bodies by the mouth and stomacke The third point is whether we are not Lordes of Christ he being thus giuen unto us Ans. No for this donation is not single but mutuall As Christ is giuen to us so wee againe are giuen to Christ as he himselfe saith Those whome thou hast given me Father I have kept And wee are giuen unto him in that our bodies and soules are made his not onely as he is God but also as he is our redeemer and our sinnes with the guilt thereof are made his by imputation the punishment thereof is wholly laide upon him This is all the dowrie which the Church being the spouse of Christ hath brought unto him The fift point is how any man in particular may know that Christ is giuen unto him of the Father Ans. When God giues Christ to man he withall giues man grace and power to receiue Christ and to apprehend him with all his benefits and this we doe when wee utterly renounce our selues this world and all things therein bewaile our sinnes past resting on the death of Christ for the pardon of them all and as it were with both the armes of faith catching hold vpon him in all estaâ—es both in life and death When the heart of any man is truly disposed and inclined to doe these and the like things we may truly say that God hath giuen him grace to receiue Christ. The second thing required to make us one with Christ is the Mysticall vnion which is a Coniunction whereby Christ and his Church are actually coupled into one whol Mysticall bodie Now that we may the better conceiue the nature of it sundrie questions are to be mooued The first what kinde of Coniunction this is Ansvver In the scripture we meete with three kind of Coniunctions The first is coniunction in nature when sundry things are coupled all by one and the same nature As the Father the Sonne and the holy ghost being three distinct subsistances are all one and therefore ioyned in one godhead or diuine nature Now Christ and the beleeuer are not ioyned in nature for then they twaine should haue one body soule The second coniunction is in person when things in nature different so concurre togither that they make but one person as body and soule make one man and the godhead of the sonne with his manhood make but one Christ in whome there is an union of distinct natures with unitie of person Now Christ and a Christian are not ioyned in person for Christ is one person Peter a second and Paul a third distinct from them both and so many men as there be so many seuerall persons The third coniunction is in spirit and this is the coniunction meant in this place wherby Christ and his Church are ioyned togither for the very same spirit of God that dwelleth in the manhood of Christ and filleth it with all graces aboue measure is deriued thence and dwelleth in all the true members of the church and filleth them with the like graces in measure and therefore S. Iohn saith Hereby wee know that wee dwell in him and hee in us because he hath given vs of his spirit Hence it followes that the bond of this coniunction is one the same spirit descending from Christ the head to all his members creating also in them the instrument of faith whereby they apprehend Christ and make him their owne The second is what are the things united Ansvv. Not the bodie of the beleeuer to the body of Christ or the soule to his soule but the whole person of the man to the whole person of Christ yet in this order wee are first of all immediatly ioyned to the manhoode of Christ and by the manhood to the godhead The thirde question is what is the manner of this coniunction Answ. Wee must not thinke that Christ and his Church are ioyned by imagination as the mind of man and the thing whereof he thinkes or by consent of heart as one friend is ioyned with another and as the Iewes conuerted were all of one heart and soule or by any abode in one place or by touching as sea and land are both ioyned togither and make one globe or by any composition or commixtion of substances as when many ingredients are put togither to make one medecine But this coniunction is altogither spirituall as the former giuing was and incomprehensible to mans reason and therefore we must rather labour to feele it by experience in the heart then to conceiue it in the braine Yet neuerthelesse it shall not be amisse to consider a semblance of it in this comparison Suppose a man hauing the partes of his bodie disioyned farre asunder his head lying in Italy one arme in Germanie the other in Spaine and his legges with us in England suppose further all these partes or quarters haue all one soule extending it selfe unto them all and quickening ech of them seuerally as though they were nearely ioyned togither and though the partes be seuered many hundred miles asunder yet the distance of place doeth not hinder the coniunction considering one and the same soule doth inlarge it selfe and giue life vnto them all In the same maner the head of the Mysticall bodie Christ our Sauiour is now in heauen and some of his members in heauen with him and some in earth and of these some in England some in Germanie some in Italie some in Spaine distant many thousand miles asunder and the spirit of God is as it were the soule of this body which giueth spirituall life to all the members distance of place doth not hinder this coniunction because the Holy ghost which linketh all the partes togither is infinite The benefites which we receiue by this Mysticall union are manifold For it is the ground of the conveiance of all grace The first that by meanes hereof every Christian as he is a Christian or a man regenerate hath his beginning and being in Christ howsoeuer as he is a maÌ„ he hath his being subsisting in himselfe as Paul saith Ye are of God in Christ. And Wee are members of his body of his flesh and of his bones How will some say can this be After this maner The comparison is taken from our first parentes Eve was made of a rib taken out of Adams side he being cast into a slumber this being done Adam awaked said This now is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh Christ was nailed on the crosse and his most pretious blood was shedde and out of it arise and spring all true Christians that is out of the merite of Christes death and passion whereby they become newe creatures Secondly euerie one that
of these in order as they lye in the Creede And first of the title father It may seeme that he hath some prerogatiue over the sonne and the holy ghost because he is set before them but we must know he is set before them neither in regard of time nor of dignitie for therein all three are equall but in regarde of order onely The father is the first the sonne the second and the holy ghost the third as may appeare by this similitude If three Emperours equall in dignity should meete all in one place beeing equall also in power and maiestie if all three should sit dovvne though one be no better then an other yet one of them must needes sit downe the first and another in the seconde place and then the thirde but yet wee can not say that he which sate downe first is the chiefest And so it is in the Trinitie though none be greater or above another yet the Father is in the first place not because he is before the sonne or the holy ghost in dignitie or honour but because he is the fountaine of the deitie the sonne being from him and the holy ghost from them both Nowe let us come to the title of the first person The name Father in Scriptures is ascribed either to God taken indefinitely and so by consequente to all the three persons in Trinitie or particularly to the first person alone For the first God is a Father properly and principally according to the saying of Christ Call no man father vpon earth for there is but one your father vvhich is in heaven that is principally whereas earthly parentes whome wee are commaunded to worship and honour are but certaine images or resemblances of our heavenly father having this blessing that they are fathers from him And hereupon this title agrees in men not simply but so farre forth as God honoureth them with fatherhoode in calling them to be fathers whereas god himselfe receiues this honour from none God is tearmed a father in respect both of nature and grace Hee is a father in regard of nature because hee created and gouerneth all things In this regard hee is called the father of spirits and Adam is called the Sonne of God Hee is a father in respect of grace because wee are regenerate by him and accepted to be his sonnes by adoption thorough the merite of Christ. And in this respect the second person as well as the first is called a Father and saide to haue an offspring or seede and children But when the name of Father is giuen to the first person 〈◊〉 is done upon a speciall consideration because he is a father by nature to the seconde person begetting him of his owne substance before all worldes By this it appeares that out of the title of the first person wee may fetch a description thereof on this maner The Father is the first person in Trinitie begetting the sonne Nowe to beget is the personall proprietie whereby he is distinguished from the other two If it be said that the creatures doe beget that therefore to beget is not proper to the father the answere is that in this point there are many differences betweene God the father all creatures First the father begets the sonne before all eternitie and therefore God the Father begetting and the sonne begotten are equall in time whereas in earthly generation the father is before the sonne in time Secondly God the father begets his Sonne by communicating unto him his whole essence or godhead which can not be in earthly parents unlesse they should be abolished and come to nothing VVhereas neuerthelesse God the Father giuing his whole nature to his sonne retaines the same still because it is infinite Thirdly the father begetts the sonne in himselfe not forth of himselfe but in earthly generation the father begetting is forth of the child and the child forth of the father And that must not trouble vs which heretikes alledge against this doctrine namely that if the father who is of one nature with the sonne did beget the sonne then hee did beget himselfe for the godhead of the father doth not beget either the godhead or the person of the sonne but the person of the father begets the person of the sonne both which in one godhead are really distinct Thus we see what the father is Nowe to beleeue in the father is to be perswaded that the first person in Trinity is the father of Christ and in him my father particularly and that for this cause I entend desire for euer to put my trust in him The duties which wee may learne hence are manifolde And here we haue occasion offered first of all to consider who is our father by nature I shall say to corruption saieth Iob thou art my father and to the worme thou art my mother seeing god vouchsafeth this great prerogatiue to them that loue him that he vvill be their father therefore Iob in consideration hereof would haue euery man to haue recourse to his owne naturall condition to see who is his father by nature Iob saith corruption is his father but if we mark the condition of our nature we shall further see euery man is by nature the child of wrath and that Sathan is his father for so long as a man walkes in his sinnes which euery man doth by nature so long doth he shew himselfe to be the liuely child of the deuill And thus Christ reasoneth against the Scribes and Pharises Yee are of your father the deuill and the lustes of your father ye will doe And true it is that no childe is so like his father that begat him as euerie man by nature is like the deuill and the whole tenour and course of his naturall life without grace is a liuely resemblance of the disposition of Satan Secondly euery one that beleeves God to be a Father and in Christ his father must as a good child be obedient to his fathers will So Salomon saith A vvise sonne maketh a glad father How by doing his will and therefore when one tolde our Sauiour Christ that his mother and breethren stoode vvithout desiring to speake with him he saide VVhosoever shall doe my fathers vvill vvhich is in heaven the same is my father my sister and mother where vvee may note that hee that will haue God the Father to be his Father and Christ Iesus his brother must doe the will of God the father And hence God saith If I be a master vvhere is my feare If I be a father vvhere is my honour VVhere is plainely taught this seconde duety that if God be our father then as good children vvee must shevve obedience unto him but if vvee be disobedient vnto him then vve must knowe that that former saying of Christ will be verefied vpon vs that because men doe the lustes of the devill therefore they are the children
but he which is very God IV. It was the pleasure of God to shewe his incomprehensible goodnes in this that his grace should not onely be equall to our sinne but also by many degrees goe beyond it And therefore the first Adam beeing but a meere man the second Adam must be both God man that as the second was more excellent then the first so our comfort might be greater in our redemption by the second then our miserie and discomfort was by the fall of the first Hitherto wee haue shewed howe Christ is the sonne of God Now let vs come to the second point namely that he is the onely sonne of God And he is so tearmed because he is the sonne of the father in that manner as nothing else can be but he Angels indeede are tearmed the sonnes of God but that is onely in respect of their creation and all that beleeue in Christ are the sonnes of God by adoption being receiued into the familie of God which is his Church by the merit of Christ whereas by nature they were the children of wrath Christ also as he is man I say not his manhood which is a nature and no person is the sonne of God by the grace of personall vnion and not by nature or by adoption Lastly Christ as he is the second person in trinitie the eternall worde of the father coeternall and consubstanciall with him is also the sonne of God But how neither by creation nor adoption nor by the vertue of personall vnion but by nature as he was begotten of the very substance of the father before all worlds and therefore he is called the proper and onely begotten sonne of God It may be obiected on this manner If the father beget the sonne he doth it either willingly or against his will if willingly then the sonne is begotten by the freewill of the father and no sonne by nature Answer The father did communicate to the sonne his whole Godhead willingly without constraint yet not by his will and therefore he is the sonne of the father by nature not by will It may be further said that if Christ be the sonne of God by nature as he is the essentiall word of the father by personall vnion as he is mā then is he not one but two sonnes Answ. As he is but one person so is he but one sonne yet not in one but in two respects two respects make not two things whereas one and the same thing and so remaining may admit sundrie respects Thus much of the meaning of the third title Now follow the comforts which may be gathered hence Whereas Christ Iesus is the sonne of God it serues as a meanes to make miserable and wretched sinners that are by nature the children of wrath and damnation to be the sonnes of God by adoption as Saint Iohn testifieth Now what a benefit is this to be the child of God no tongue can expresse Christ saith Blessed are the peacemakers but why are they blessed for saith he they shalbe called the sonnes of God Whereby he testifieth that the right of adoption is a most excellent priuiledge and not without cause For he which is the childe of God is spiritually allyed to Christ and to all the saints and seruants of God both in heauen and earth hauing him for his elder brother and all his members as his brethren and sisters yea if we be Gods adopted children we are also heires euen heires of God and heires annexed with Christ. Well how great soeuer this prerogatiue is yet few there be that rightly waigh it and consider of it Children of noble men and princes heires are had in account and reputation of all men they are the very speach and wonder of the world But it is a matter of no account to be the sonne of God and fellow-heire with Christ. The dearest seruants of God haue beene esteemed but as the offscouring of the world And no meruaile for they which are after the flesh sauour the things of the flesh Fewe men haue their vnderstandings inlightned to discerne of such spirituall things as these are and therefore are they little or nothing regarded A blinde man neuer seeing the sonne is not brought to wonder at it and earthly minded men neither seeing nor feeling what an excellent thing it is to be the child of God cannot be brought to seeke after it But let all such as feare God enter into a serious consideration of the vnspeakeable goodnes of God comforting thēselues in this that God the father hath vouchsafed by his own sōne to make thē of the vassals of Satā to be his own deere childrē Now follow the duties which are two First we beleeue that Iesus Christ who was to be the Sauiour of mākind must needs be God what is the reason hereof surely because no creature no not all creatures in heauen and earth were able to saue one man so vyle wretched and miserable is our estate by Adams fall And therefore the sonne of God himselfe pitied our estate and beeing king of heauen and earth was faine to come from heauen and lay downe his crowne and become a seruant and taking vpon him our nature was also faine to take vpon him our case and condition suffer death for our sinnes which otherwaies euery one of vs should haue suffered both in bodie and soule world without end To make this more plaine let vs suppose that some one hath cōmitted an offence against a prince now the trespasse is so grieuous that no man can appease the kings wrath saue onely the kings onely sonne and which is more the kings sonne cannot release him vnlesse he suffer the punishment for him in his owne person which is due vnto the malefactour Now what is to be thought of this mans estate surely all men will say that he is in a most miserable taking and that his trespasse is notorious and so it is with euery one of vs by nature whatsoeuer we are No man could saue our soules no not all the angels in heauen vnlesse the king of heauen earth the only sonne of God had come down from heauē suffered for vs bearing our punishment Now the cōsideratiō of this must humble vs and make vs to cast down our selues vnder the hād of God for our sinnes pray continually that the Lord would send some Moses or other which might smite the rocks of our hearts that some tears of sorow repentāce might gush out for our woful miserie Secondly whereas God the father of Christ gaue his only sonne to be our sauiour as we must be thankfull to God for all things so especially for this great vnspeakeable benefite Cōmon blessings of God as meat drink health wealth liberty must at all times mooue vs to be thankful but this that Christ Iesus the onely sonne of God redeemed vs beeing vtterly lost this I say must be the mayne point of al our
not of himselfe but the sonne of the father begotten of him neuerthelesse as he is God he is of himselfe neither begotten nor proceeding for the essence or godhead of the father is of it selfe without all beginning but the godhead of the sonne is one and the same with the godhead of the father for by what godhead the father is God by the same and no other the sonne is God therefore the sonne as he is God hee is God of himselfe without beginning as the Father Whereupon it followes that the sonne is begotten of the father as he is a sonne but not as he is God The maner of this generation is this The sonne is begotten of the substance of the father not by any fluxe as when water is deriued from the head of the spring to the chanell nor by decision as when a thing is cut in pieces nor by propagation as when a grift is transplanted into a new stocke but by an unspeakeable communication of the whole essence or Godhead from the father to the sonne in receiuing whereof the sonne doth no more diminish the maiestie or Godhead of the father then the light of one candle doth the light of the other from which it is taken Whereupon the Councell of Nicene hath said well that the sonne is of the Father as light of light not proceeding but begotten The time of this generation hath neither beginning middle or ende and therefore it is eternall before all worlds and that is a thing to be wondered at that the father begetting the sonne begottē are coeternall therfore equall in time VVisdom in the prouerbs which with one consent of all divines is said to be Christ affirmeth that she was before the world was created that is from eternity for before the world was made there was nothing but eternitie But it may be alledged to the contrarie that the saying of the father This day haue I begotten thee is expounded by Paul of the time of Christs resurrection Answ. We must distinguish betweene generation it selfe the manifestation of it of the second must the place be understood which may be brought to passe at the time of Christs resurrection in which he was mightily declared to be the sonne of God though in the meane season the generation it selfe be eternall If any man alledge further that the person which begetteth must needs goe before the person begotten the answer is that there is a double priority one of order the other of time now in the generation of creatures there is priority both of order time but in the generation of the second person in trinity there is prioritie of order alone the father being first the sonne second without prioritie of time because they both in that respect are equall and neither is before or after other because the beeing or subsisting of the persons is not measured by time Hence it followeth necessarily that Iesus Christ is true God the whole tenor of the scriptures confirme it sufficiently I. he is made equall to God the father who being in the forme of God thought it no robberie to be equall with God All things that the father hath are mine The children of Israell are said to haue tempted Iehova and Paul saith that he whome they tempted was Christ. Iehoua founded the earth and the same is saide of Christ. II. Christ the sonne of God is by name called God Iesus Christ is very God life eternall III. The properties of the godhead are ascribed unto him He is eternal because he was then when there was no creature In the beginning was the word and before Abraham was I am He is omnipresent Where tvvo or three are gathered togither in my name there am I in the middest amongst them Lastly he is omnipotent Whatsoever things the father doth the same doth the sonne also IIII. The workes of creation and preseruation are as well ascribed to the sonne as to the father By him the father made the world and he beareth up all things by his mightie power and miracles which are workes either aboue or against the order of nature peculiar to God were done by Christ. V. Divine worship is given to him for he is adored invoted and beleeued in as God the father To him is given a name at which every knee doth bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things vnderneath the earth As for the reasons which be alledged to the contrarie they are of no moment I. The worde of God can not be God the sonne is the worde of the father therefore hee is not God Answ. The worde is taken two waies first for a sounding worde standing of letters and syllables vttered either by God or by the creatures nowe on this manner Christ is not the word of God Secondly there is a substantiall worde which is of the substance of him whose worde it is And thus Christ is the worde of God the father And he is so termed I. in respect of the father for as reason speech hath his beginning from the mind without any passion in the mind so hath he beginning frō the father And as the speech is in the mind the mind in the speech so the father is in the sonne the sonne in the father 2. In respect of all creatures The father doth all things by the son by whose powerfull worde the worlde was made is novv preserved shalbe abolished 3. In respect of the Church For the father by him speakes unto us both in the outward ministerie of the worde and by the inward operation of the spirit and againe we by him speake to the father II. It may be obiected thus God hath no beginning from any other Christ hath beginning frō the father therfore he is not God Answer Christ must be considered both in regard of his godhead and in regard of his person in regarde of his god heade hee came not of any but is of himselfe as vvell as the father is yet in regarde of his person hee is from the father vvho is a beginning to the rest of the persons both in respect of order for the scripture saith not the holy Ghost the Sonne the Father but the Father the Sonne the holy Ghost as also in respect of the communication of the Godhead And whereas it is said that God is of himselfe if the name God be taken for the Godhead it selfe absolutely considered it is true but if it be taken for any particular person in the Godhead it is false III. None is greater then God but the father is greater then Christ for so he saith the father is greater then I. Ans. Christ there speakes of himselfe as he was a man abased in the forme of a seruant in which respect he is lesse then the father who neuer was incarnate and abased in our nature And though Christ in respect of his nature assumed
be inferiour to the father yet doth it not hinder but that he may be equall to him as he is the second person in trinitie or as he is God by one and the same Godhead with the father IV. He that is made of God to be this or that is not God but Christ is made of God as Paul saith Christ is made vnto vs wisdome righteousnes c. Answer Christ is said to be made not because there was any beginning of his Godhead or any chaunge or alteration in his person but because in the eternall counsell of the father he was set apart before all times to exequute the office of a Mediatour and was withall in time called and as it were consecrated and ordained thereunto in his baptisme he is made therefore in respect of his office but not in respect of his person or nature V. God hath no head Christ hath an head as Paul saith God is Christs head Answ. God that is the father is head of Christ not as he is God simply but as he is God incarnate or made manifest in the fâ—esh and in respect of the office to which he willingly abased himselfe VI. Hee which giues vp his kingdome is not God Christ giues vp his kingdome Then saith Paul shall be the end when he hath deliuered vp the kingdome to God euen the father Answer Christ is king two waies as he is God and as he is Mediatour as he is God he raignes eternally with the father and the holy Ghost but as he is Mediatour in the ende of the worlde when all the companie of the elect are gathered his kingdome shall cease not simplie but in respect of the â—â—tward manner of administration for the exequution of civill and ecclesiasticall functions shall cease And whereas in the same place it is said that Christ shalbe subiect vnto God eternally after the ende it must be vnderstood partly in regard of the assumed manhood partly in respect of his mysticall bodie the Church most neerely ioyned vnto him in heauen VII The first borne of euery creature of many brethren is a creature not God but Christ is the first borne of euery creature of many brethren Ans. He is called the first borne by allusion to the first borne in the old testament for as they were principall heires hauing double portions allowed them the chiefe or gouernours of the familie so Christ is made heire of the world and the head of Gods familie which is his Church elected and adopted in him And againe he is called the first borne of euery creature because he was begotten of the substance of his father before any creature was made and therfore it is not here said that he was first created but first begotten By the reasons which haue bin alleadged as also by the insufficiencie of the contrarie arguments it is more then manifest against all heretikes that Christ is very God Yet to stoppe the mouthes of all Atheists to satisfie all wauering doubtings minds I will adde one reason further The gospel of S. Iohn was chiefly penned for this end to prooue the dietie of Christ among other arguments alledged this is one that Christ gaue a resolute a constant testimonie of himselfe that he was the sonne of God very God now if any man shall say that sundrie persons since the beginning of the world haue taken vpon theÌ„ that falsely to be gods I answer that neuer any creature tooke this title honour vpon him to be called God but the fearefull iudgements of God were vpon him for it In the estate of mans innocencie the deuill tolde our first parents that by eating the fruite of the tree of knowledge of good and euill they should be as gods knowing good euill now they beleeued him affected diuine honour but what came of it surely Adam with all his posteritie is shut vp for it vnder eternall damnation Herod likewise araied in royall apparell sitting on the iudgement seate made an oration to the men of Tyre Sidon who gaue a shout saying the voice of God not of man Now because he tooke the glorie of God to himselfe did not returne it to him to whoÌ„ it was due immediatly the angel of the Lord smote him And so if Christ had bin but a meere man not very God as he auouched vndoubtedly the hand of God would haue bin vpon him likewise for his confusion but when he suffered for vs and bare the punishment due for our sinnes he most triumphed And the iudgements of God were vpon Herod Pontius Pilate Caiphas vpon all those that were enemies to him and to his church afterward that partly in life partly in death Wherefore seeing that God can not abide that his glorie should be giuen to any creature seeing for that cause he takes reuenge on all those that exalt themselues to be gods it remains that the testimony which Christ gaue of himselfe that he was God is vnfallibly true without all question to be beleeued of vs. And to conclude I would haue all the deuils in hel with the cursed order of Lucians Porphyrians and Atheists whatsoeuer to answer this one point howe it could come to passe that Christ by publishing the doctrine of the Gospell that is as contrarie to mans reason will and affections as water to fire should winne almost the whole world to become his disciples and to giue their liues for him vnlesse he were God indeed as he confessed himselfe to be There be sundrie speciall reasons wherefore it was necessarie that Christ should be God I. There is none which can be a Sauiour of bodie soule but God I euen I am the Lord and besides â—e there is no Sauiour And I am the Lord the God from the land of Egipt and thou shalt knowe no God but me for there is no Sauiour beside me II. There must be a proportion betweene the sinne of man and the punishmeÌ„t of sinne now the sinne of man in respect of the offence of the maiestie of God is infinite in that he is infinitely displeased with man at the breach of his lawe therefore the punishment of sinne must be infinite and hence it followeth that he which suffereth the punishment beeing man must withall be God that the manhood by the power of the Godhead may be supported that in suffering it may vanquish death and make a satisfaction III. He that must be a Sauiour must be able 1. to deliuer men from the bondage of their spirituall enemies namely sinne and Satan 2. to restore the image of God lost by the fall of Adam and to conferre righteousnes and life euerlasting 3. to defend them from hell death damnation the flesh the deuill the world 4. to giue them full redemption from all their miseries both in bodie and soule and to place them in eternall happines all which none can doe