THE FIRST SERMON OF R. SHELDON PRIEST after his Conuersion from the Romish Church Preached before an honourable Assembly at S. Martins in the Field vpon Passion Sunday c. PSAL. 19. 7. The Law of the Lord is unspotted conuerting soules the testimony of the Lord is faithfull giuing wisdome to little ones Published by Authoritie LONDON Printed by I B. for NATHANAEL BVTTER 1612. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPVL and his much respected friend Sir THOMAS GARDINER Knight all happinesse in Christ Iesus SIR I present this my Sermon vnto you and place your worthy name in the forefroÌ„t thereof thereby to shew my respectiue loue vnto you to let you vnderstand that if there be any fault committed in the publishing therof that you ought to beare a great portion of the blame who haue bin amongst very many others earnest with mee to afford it publike attire If the Pon ificians be distasted therewith they may in some part thanke them selues some of them haue beene too clamourous out of the relation either of ignorant maleuolent or semi-popish hearers in rumoring the same to haue beene but a rouing discourse sometimes ouer-learned somewhiles vnlcarned but alwaies very bitter against the Papists so bitter that in it I branded all those of that sect and heresic excepting none whatsoeuer with the vile marke of disloyalty traiterous spirits In consideration whereof I was easier induced to let it see light and in so publike a habit to vndergoe all censures and to giue thereader some satisfaction this also the rather because through confuse noises and clatterings of voices and of dores my selfe staying not lesse then a whole houre in an open pew before the deliuery of my Sermon the recollection of my memory was then somewhat confused so that for that cause and through want of time also I did not nor could not pronounce all thereof so fully and in that sort as I intended it The scope thereof kind Sir being briefly and contractly not intended for so publike and so honourable an assembly to delineat the inestimable perfections and dignities of Christ to perswade all my Auditours to a sincere and most zealous affiance for saluation in his onely blood to most assured loyalties to their Prince and Countrey and to a detestation against all Popâ—sh Ignatian bloody and sanguineous attempts against the state of this Church and Countrey I doe not know any one of your worthy ranke and calling to whom a discourse of this kind would prooue more acceptable more welcome Make acceptance of it Sir therefore with that loue and respect with which it is sent and doe mee this fauour that if you heare any semi-papists or anie that are leaning that way or any other doubtfullie to coniecture or surmise whether my câ—nuersion bee from the heart or not or for hope of preferment to speake as you haue heard as you thinke and perfectlie know of mee for you know and knew from the beginning from whom my encouragements haue beene from God from Iesus Christ whose name therefore be euer magnified and blessed to whose blessings and gratious fauours I commend both you and yours for euer From my chamber this 28. of Aprill 1612. Your worships most assured in Christ Iesus R. SHELDON A SERMON PREACHED AT S. MARTINS in the Field vpon Passion Sunday c. 1612. HEBR. 9. vers 13. 14. For if the blood of Buls and of Goates and the ashes of a young Cowe being sprinkled purifieth the vncleane as touching the purification of the flesh how much more shall the blood of Christ who by the eternall Spirit offereth himselfe without spot to God purge the conscience from dead workes to serue the liuing God GOD most infinite immense in Nature in power incomprehensible and in the perfect possession of a consummate happinesse consisting in an vnspeakeable contemplation comprehension and fruition of his owne diuine Nature and essence three persons and one God from all eternities most blessed at time appointed by his holy pleasure out of an admirable propension of goodnesse to communicate and diffuse himselfe did produce and create ad extra without himselfe this whole Vniuerse as an imperfect yet very good shadow and obscure resemblance of himselfe so wisely framed that man considering and admiring the beauties and perfections of the same might surmount with his soule eleuate his vnderstanding aboue all and by all that is in it to contemplate though obscurely that Holy holy holy Lord God of Sabaoth of whose Maiestie and Glory Heauen Earth are so ful and to vnderstand how infinitely more excellent the maker of all these things is to be admired and esteemed Whos 's infinitely wise goodnesse also considering how all the creatures which he had produced were but as very imperfect and defectiue shadowes of his most infinite excellency desirous more fully to diffuse himsefe resolued in his eternall Consistory in an infinite and a diuinely inexplicable sorte to imparte himselfe to his creatures by giuing and imparting his Sonne consubstantial and coaequall to himselfe to humane nature to assume the same into a Diuine vnitie not of nature for that is impossible but of subsistence of personalitie in so admirable a sort that thereupon we may Christianly beleeue and confesse that God is become Man and Man is become God without all confusion or permixtion of natures in a most perfect and sweet vnitie of one person This is that immense that infinite communication of God to his creatures so often fore prophecyed so often promised by God so longed for so desired so expected both by God and Man that as it may seeme and if I may so speake both God and Man like women trauailing with childe and longing for deliuerie trauailed with longing desires for the accomplishing of the same Of the Sons longing desires intermitting now to speake of the other two persons of the most sacred Trinitie I dare boldy affirme so much because he himselfe long before his in carnation hath so forespoken by the mouth of his holy Prophet and Wiseman Prouerb 8. Deliciae meae esse cum filijs hominum They are my dainties my delicates saith he to be with the sonnes of men How is this otherwise then as a man amongst men as the Son of man a name in which our sweet Sauiour being conuersant vpon earth much delighted as my Catholike and religious Auditors well know amongst the children of men amongst the Sonnes of men This infinite communication being made then which a greater the omnipotent power and wisedome of God cannot thinke vpon or make what was the purpose and proiect of it What was the obiect and last end of the sons longing desires I answere but not without premitting the admiration and exclamation of the Prophet Esay Domine quis credidit auditui nostro O Isay 53. Lord who hath belieued our hearing what we haue heard or to whom is the arme of the Lord reuealed I answere that the proiect of this immense communication of God this
betwixt blood and blood one base filthie corrupt seruile contemptible the other honourable most pure sincere free excellent the one of Bulles and Goates the other of man of a perfect and most innocent and holy man As if the Apostle should say O ye Hebrewes you haue bulles goates kiddes lambes wee haue Christ the Messias desired expected you haue the sprinckling of a few corruptible droppes we haue incorruptible and sincere droppes of Christ diuinely vnited to his person you haue the vncleane and durtie ashes of a young cowe intermixt with water we haue the admirable sprinckling of the diuine and humane nature in vnitie of person your sprinckling is naturally vncleane and corporally polluteth the takers ours is most pure sanctified by the eternall spirit beautified by the diuinitie it selfe yours is a sprinckling made vpon man ours is a sweet smelling sacrifice offered to God your sprinckling onely purifieth an outward kind of impuritie and legall irregularitie ours clenseth and purifieth the soules and consciences of faithfull offerers yours many and often repeated can neuer make the offerers perfect ours being one and once only offered hath found an eternall redemption and eternally consummateth all beleeuers yours were not efficacious for sanctification ours so potent that it giueth abundance of grace whereby we may be enabled to serue the liuing God Christian and religious hearers is it not worthily written of this Apostle Saulus autem c. But Act. 9. Saul was comforted and strengthened and euery where confounded the Iewes testifying that Iesus is Christ O incredulous Iewes when I consider the pride of your mindes and withall the basenesse of such creatures and such elements vnder which you liued in so toilesome a seruitude I am astonished to thinke that you would rest in such weake sacrifices rites sacraments ceremonies and obseruancies and would not seeke nor receiue Christ the Messias and the true immaculate Lambe slaine from the beginning of the world being offered vnto you Thus much most briefly of the proposition it selfe for I hasten to the inference made by the Apostle in which full of all Christian consolation I obserue and distinguish first of whom the blood is which is offered to wit of Christ in these words How much more the blood of Christ Secondly I obserue by whom and through whom this blood is offered By and through the Eternall spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Apostle by the eternall Spirit Thirdly I distinguish to whom it is offered there to God Fourthly I obserue for what end this sacrifice is offered there to cleanse the conscience from dead workes to serue the liuing God Of these foure intermitting some other obseruations which might be here made in order Touching the first when I weigh with my selfe whose blood it is which is offered I am wholly disanimated from presuming to decipher the excellencies perfections and eminences of his person For I beleeuing with faith that he is both God and man not onely man nor onely God but a Christ consisting both of God and man a perfect supposit a compleate Person who though as Christ had a beginning and was not before the incarnation yet as touching his diuinity and personality hee was most perfectly from all eternities very perfect God of God Sonne of the father who in the fulnesse of time by a certaine inexplicable vnion became the Sonne of man or rather the true and naturall Sonne of a woman and the reputed Sonne onely of man of Ioseph his putatiue father These things I say beleeuing with faith the saying of Isaiah the Prophet Generationem eius quis enarrabit Isay 53. who shall declare his generation occurreth and checketh my presumption that I bee not too bold a searcher of maiesty least I be oppressed and confounded with the glory thereof Yet considering that the veile of Moses is remoued and the veile of Sancta Sanctorum is rent at the dreadfull houre of Christs consummatum est it is consummated and that the mysterie of Christ the hope of our glory which was hidden in ancient ages and generations as the Apostle speaketh in his Epistle to the Colossians is now made manifest to the Saints I will according Collos 1. to the rule of Christian faith with my best faculty of wit and learniug but alasse what a nothing is all that in respect of the excellency of the obiect whereof I am to discourse declare vnto you what this Christ is of whose blood we speake what this verbum abbreuiatum this abbreuiated word is to speake with the Apostle in his Epistle to the Romanes is if in this discourse I seem Rom. 9. briefe and obscure impute it to the eminency of the obiect which otherwise then defectiuely cannot be spoken of neither by the tongue of man nor of Angell With most submisse reuerence therefore we will consicer Christ first with a reference to God and his actions secondly with a reference and relation to vs Thirdly as he is in himselfe In the first consideration first of all we consider Christ as the very terme obiect or bound of the greatest communication or diffusion which the Almightie Trinity can make so that by the communication which the most blessed Trinitie and peculiarly the second Person hath already made of his subsistence and personality to the humane nature the same blessed Trinity be it spoken vnder correction of faith and with demisse reuerence is at a stop and stay not potent to make a greater communication then this which is already made whereby Christ is made For is a substantiall communication of the diuinity it selfe in the very diuine nature were possible which yet cannot be granted vnlesse we wil subuert the very foundation of christian religion yet the same greater then this which is alreadie made should nor could not be because a greater cōmunicatiō then of God himselfe which is already made by this personall coniunction in Christ cannot bee imagined Againe if either the father or the holy Ghost or both as Christian diuinity faith it is possible should aslume by hypostatical and personall vnion the nature of an Angell or of man yet both such communications both such assumptions should not surpasse in greatnesse or excellency this one which is already made in Christ alone For our holie faith teaching vs that two persons of the most ineffable Trinity are not greater then one nor one of them lesser then two but that euery Person hath infinitely a perfect equality and persection with the other two manifest it is that the communications of two Persons or of three is not greater nor excellenter then of one onely How admirable therefore how ineffable therefore is this communication of God to man whereby the Omnipotent power of God is so bounded and limited that it cannot proceed further to make a worke of greater perfection O inenarrable generations As the Eternall and natural generation of the sonne in diuine essence is so infinite so immense that God the father could
not beget a more perfect naturall Sonne so like wise the voluntary and temporall generation of Christ is so absolute so infinitely perfect that a greater cannot by God be made Well diddest thou crie out holy Isay Generationem Isay 53. eius quis enarrabit who shall shew forth his generation and againe O Lord who hath beleeued what we haue heard and the arme of the Lord to whom is it reuealed Admirable indeed but more sweetly and more comfortably admirable is that which the same Prophet adioineth of this our Christ that hee should be reputed with the wicked with malefactours that through slander and false iudgement he should be cut from the land of the liuing that he should bee smitten by the senere decree of his father for the expiation of the sinnes of a most wicked and most vngratefull people O Lord who will beleeue what wee haue heard or to whom is the arme of the Lord reuealed not framing the heauens but nailed and hanging vpon the Crosse to eleuate man with the might of his blood to the heauens But of this anone This supreme communication of God to man doth so farre surpasse all naturall productions of creatures or supernaturall of qualities of that kind as of iustification sanctification glorification that there is no comparison to be made yea all the same graces of iustification sanctification glorification by necessary consequence follow vpon the same communication and by vertue of the hypostaticall vnion so that it is impossible that the soule or humane nature which is assumpted into vnity of the diuine Person should not by necessary consequence be holy be sanctified be glorified beatified And had not Christ by his almighty power bounded and limited the brightnesse which the soule and humane nature receiued and possessed by the vision of the diuine nature from redounding and imparting it selfe vnto his inferior parts and his body the same by an effluence and ouer flowing of happinesse from his soule should haue become glorious glorified and consequently impassible immortall and so Christ could not haue died But because our deare Sauiour desiderio desiderauit with a desire desired as he testifieth of himselfe that is most vehemently desired to drinke the cup of passion and Luc. 28. to die the death lest the whole nation of mankind for want of such a death should haue perished Therefore in capite libri in the very head beginning or top of the booke as it is described in the 40. psalme by some readings in the very first moment of his conception he gratiously and out of the bowels of an infinite mercy vouchsafed by a great miracle to stop and conteine the glory of his soule from communicating or redounding it selfe to his body that so he might haue a fit a ready or Psal 40. Heb. 10. prepared body as the holy Prophet and our Apostle doe speake a readie and prepared bodie a bodie fitted to suffer O sweet Iesus had not thy bodie beene fitted for the person of thee a God if it had not beene passible apt to suffer apt to die No no saith our Christ otherwise not fit but being so fitted so prepared then saith Christ Ibidem ecce venio Behold I come behold I come to doe the will of my Father and to die for the deliuerie of mankind O Christian and Catholike soules are you not astonished with admiration Are you not incensed and fired with flames of louing and most thankfull affections to obserue that the very first miracle which Iesus should make and this vpon the verie moment of his conception was to containe the glorie which by vertue of the Hypostaticall and personall vnion would haue imparted it selfe to his bodie and haue made it impassible and immortall that by such a miraculous subtraction and containing of glorie he might make his bodie passible mortall apt and fitted to suffer to die for whom for whom for you Christian hearers and for all mankind If vpon such considerations you feele no alterations of loue of ioy of detestation of sinne of amendment of life of thanksgiuing of consolation in your soules Tentate vosmetipsos ne forte reprobi sitis Trie your selues to speake with the 2. Cor. 13. Apostle least perhaps you be reprobate trie and examine whether soules congealed and obdurate in sinne not to be moued or melted by such a fire of loue are not reprobat Hebr. 6. and neere to malediction But to our confiderations vpon Christ whom if wee consider with respect to the diuine attributes and infinit perfections in God to wit his infinite wisedome omnipotencie iustice mercie goodnesse c. they doe so perfectly shine and appeare in him that most worthily therefore he is called in holy Scripture facies Domini the face of the Lord for so some thinke that is to be vnderstood in the Num. 6. booke of Numbers ostendat Dominus faciem suam the Lord shew his face and those frequent speeches in holy Scriptures Shew thy face O Lord Turne not away thy face Illuminate thy countenance ouer vs. What other face or countenance of God is this than that of which Saint Hebr. 1. Paule thus pronounceth That he is the splendour of the glorie of his Father and the figure of his substance And I vnderstand this shining and appearing of the diuine attributes in Christ not onely in respect of his diuine essence and nature by which he is the sonne of God and therefore according to the common law of Sonnes as a Sonne he is like to his Father nor in respect of any supernaturall gifts or qualities onely or by reason of his soule for these two later are common with him to iust and sanctified persons but moreouer in a certaine admirable and inexpressible sort the diuine attributes did so shine and were so resplendent in Christ his humane nature and conuersation that by the same he might be knowne to be very God euen as the sex of man or woman is knowne and distinguished by their faces May I not gather this out of that speech of Christ to Philip Philippe qui videt me c. Ioh. 14. Philip he who seeth me seeth my Father Againe if you had knowne me you should also haue knowne my Father Cleare is this in S. Iohn the beloued Disciple thus pronouncing 1. Joh. 1. Quod fuit ab initio c. That which hath beene from the beginning which we haue heard which we haue seene with our eyes of the word of life that which we haue beheld and our hands haue felt of the word of life and the life is made manifest and we haue seene and witnesse and doe shew to you the life eternall which was with the Father and hath appeared vnto vs. O admirable diuine and most beloued Disciple in Christs conuersation and apparition thou diddest see with thy eyes and feele with thy very hands God the life the word made flesh But tell vs O ye Sages of the East yee who being
infinite eleuation of the manhood is that this God himselfe should be a sacrifice this man assumpted should die this Man and God this God and Man O most diuinely sweet mystery should be an expiation and propitiation for the sinnes of humane nature that the same being reuiued and sanctified in his blood might be eleuated into a most sweet fellowship of diuine puritie and happinesse consisting in the contemplation loue possession fruition of this God most blessed from and for all eternities And as I deliuered before how God to represent himselfe did make this whole vniuerse as a booke for his reasonable creatures to looke vpon and in it to rende him his glory goodnesse and maiestie yet neuerthelesse manie profane impious and godlesse men there haue beene who would not know God and who haue sayd in their Psal 14. most foolish hearts There is no God So likewise before this admirable communication this most sweet assumption was to be made to be a sacrifice a propitiation for all man kinde Iew and Gentile Good God! by how many legall sacrifices and sacraments By how many rites and obseruances By how many expiations sprinklings of bloods of waters of bloods of Buls Goates Kiddes Hee-goates Lambes yong Hefers Turtle Doues Pigeons was this admirable sacrifice and the infinite excellencies thereof presignified premonstrated and foretold to giue vnto mankind some certaine fore knowledge and beliefe of the immaculate Lambe slaine from the beginning Apoc. 13. of the world to and for the saluation of all sincere beleeuers And although all that was appointed by God eyther in the Law of nature or vnder Moyses to foreshew the infinite excellencie of this sacrifice were but as darke types and imperfect shadowes in respect of the trueth and body it selfe of this sacrifice yet the incredulous Iewes to whom the prophecies of Christ and this sacrifice were specially made might by the Sonne haue come to perfect knowledge and beleefe thereof But the veyle of malice against the most meeke Lambe our holy sacrifice who taxed their vices reproued their transgressions condemned their Pharisaicall pride blinded their eyes especially the veile of pride by which they gloried in the Law of Moyses in the blood of Abraham in the obseruation Rom. 2. of the workes of the Law was it which so captiuated their vnderstanding that they presumptuously thought they needed no such a Messias who by sacrificing himselfe should bee a propitiation a reconcilement for their sins they rather despised disesteemed such a Messias making him as a stumbling blocke and scandall to their owne vtter ruine and perdition by their ambitious thoughts they proiected to themselues a Messias like some Soueraigne Lord and mighty Monarch who should restore the temporall glorie of Israel and extend his dominions ouer the whole force of the earth iust such an other as the ambitious Bishop and Monarch of Rome challengeth himselfe to bee in his pretended Vicary for the Messias Against this their vnhappie incredulitie the blessed Apostle S. Paul who once had beene a contumelious persecutor of all religious worshippers of this sacrifice doth most egregiously and diuinely dispute in his Epistle directed vnto them out of the 9. Chapter whereof the 13. and 14. verses I haue chosen for my Theme vpon which I purpose to discourse The which I selected partly to proportion my discourse to the season when we all are or should be preparing and making a Quadragesime or fortieth as a parasceue of Christ his death and passion partly for my owne speciall consolation who knowing not how to make any least requital to my Sauiour for his vnspeakeable Charitie toward me doe take according to the counsel of the Prophet Dauid the cup Psal 116. of saluation into my hand and doe inuocate the Name of the Lord for that he hath mercifully vouchsafed to translate me into the kingdome of his beloued Sonne Iesus making knowne to me the mysterie of Christ crucified and deliuering mee from the base seruitude of contemptible creatures weake elements and the most idolatrous sacrifice of the Masse which humane inuentions hath most presumptuously deuised and set vp in the Popish synagogue as an abomination most detestable against the one and onely sacrifice and altar of the Crosse for which my happy deliuerance his Maiestie be blessed by me and magnified for euer When I first chose this text to handle I thought to speake at large of euery branch thereof but meditating thereupon it became so fruitfull that store made mee penurious and I could not but say in my soule with learned Augustine O mira profunditas eloquiorum tuorum Confess lib. 12 Cap. 14. Deus meus mira profunditas mira profunditas horror est intendere in eam horror honoris tremor amoris O wonderfull profoundenesse of thy speeches my God! wonderfull profoundnesse wonderful profoundenesse it is a horrour to thinke vpon it a horrour of honour a trembling of loue Wherefore I resolued to pretermit all allegorizing and moralizing vpon the figures and especially to confine my discourse to that blood to that sacrifice in beleefe whereof the saluation of vs all consisteth wherein as I doubt not but that I shall be assisted by your deuout and Christian prayers so I most humbly request your kind acceptance of these first fruits and labours from my selfe a nouice-Preacher in the Church of England I haue bin perhaps ouer prolixe contrary to the fashion of complete Orators in my Exordium before I come to the distinguishing of my Theme and to the selecting of some speciall braunch wherevpon to insist a fault pardonable and excusable with such as are acquainted with the profoundnesse of sacred Scriptures and Christian mysteries the deuout consideration whereof as it illuminateth the vnderstanding so it also repleteth the mind with such a treasurie of discourse that the religious chewer of such a cudde findeth greatest difficultie to bee briefe to distinguish to diuide For if the blood of Bulles and of Goates and the ashes of a young Cowe being sprinckled purifieth the vncleane touching the purification of the flesh how much more c. This argument of the Apostle which consisteth vpon a proposition an inference is of that kind which is called by the Philosophers à minori ad maius from a lesse to a greater from a darke obscure lesser and smaller truth admitted by the Aduersary to inferre and euince a truth cleerer manifester greater and most certaine If saith the Apostle the blood of such contemptible creatures the weake vncleane and seruile sprinckling of the ashes of a young Cowe mixed with water can purifie the flesh how much more shall the blood of Christ who by the eternall spirit offered himselfe vnspotted to God clense the conscience from dead workes to serue the liuing God Singular vessel of election how mightie is thy argument either to confound or conuert the incredulous Hebrews Christian and beloued Hearers obserue the Antithesis and oppositions of the Apostle waigh his comparisons
eternall Spirit the Diuinitie of the second person in Trinitie by reason of the hypostaticall and personall vnion of it with the humanitie communicated vnto the same humanitie an infinite dignitie the very dignitie and vnspeakable excellencie of the God-head it selfe and by reason of the same personall Vnion the operations and actions of this person for operationes sunt suppositorum Operations and actions are of the persons and supposites themselues though immediately proceeding from the humanitie or the soule of Christ or any power of his soule or bodie doe receiue and are dignified with an infinite kinde of valour dignitie and estimation as being the operations of God and Man and although there be no Phisicall Diuines or Supernaturall impression or qualitie giuen to these actions yet the only proceeding of these operations from such a person hauing so inestimable an excellencie and dignitie intrinsecally within himselfe giueth vnto them an extrinsecall valour by which they are esteemed and regarded as the very actions of God himselfe by which hee offereth and submitteth himselfe to his Father and therefore no tongue neither of Man nor Angell can deliuer how infinitely deseruing they are of esteeme and regard the only knowledge of God which is infinite can comprehend their worth and valour If I should stand largely to proue this you would thinke that I held these my Auditors to bee but of common intelligence Few of you are so ignorant as I suppose but conceiue that according to the dignitie or excellencie of the Person is the morall worth and esteeme of the action which proceedeth from such a Person Respect worthy is a salutation or honourable vse which commeth from a worthy Gentleman more worthy that which commeth from a Knight worthier is the same from a Baron aboue that is the same proceeding from an Earle a Duke but of highest esteeme is that which is giuen from a Prince and if there were any earthly Prince of infinite worth and excellencie in the intrinsecall worthinesse of his person the actions and operations of such a Prince in morall estimation would haue a morall kinde of infinitie Here-hence it is that our high Priest Iesus whose dignitie was the very God-head it selfe whose Person was of infinite Maiestie did immediately and by it selfe communicate vnto his operations and actions an infinite kinde of morall worthinesse and valour by which they were so eleuated that being presented to the sight of the diuine Maiestie in very rigour of Iustice and perfection of Satisfaction and Merit they were equiualent super-excellent and surpassing all the malice of sinne which mankinde had or could commit and therefore this our high Priest offering himselfe by the eternall Spirit thus dignifying and eleuating his actions and operations to his Heauenly Father for the Redemption of Mankinde did by the same Oblation and Sacrifice so fully so abundantly so perfectly so iustly so deseruingly purchase vs to himselfe and reconcile vs to his Father that his Father could not refuse his face making intercessions and supplications for vs vpon the Altar of the Crosse and this is that which our Apostle pronounceth in this his same Epistle to the Hebrewes of the infinite worthinesse and excellencie of Christ Hebr. 5 Qui in diebus carnis suae c. Who in the daies of his flesh with teares and a loude crie offering vp praiers and supplications to him who was able to saue him from death was heard for his Reuerence So great Catholike and Christian Hearers so infinite was the reuerence and excellencie of CHRIST because hee was the Sonne of GOD that his Father could not but heare his requests and supplications made vnto him for vs and from this reuerence and from this worthinesse hath his flesh valour efficacie and force to cleanse our consciences from dead workes to serue the liuing God Heare to this purpose but what neede I authoritie of any man to confirme so manifest a truth Saint AVSTEN Aug. lib. 10. de Ciuit. cap. 24. Non ergo Caro Christi per se ipsum mundat credentes sed perverbum à quo suscepta est Therefore the flesh of Christ doth not by it selfe cleanse the beleeuers but by the word of which it was taken and assumpted and this is that which AQVINAS hath most clearely Aquin q. 48. art 6. in cap. ad 1. ad 2. eodem art Efficiens principale humanae salutis est Deus Quia vero humanitas Christi est diuinitatis instrumentum ideo ea consequenti omnes actiones passiones Christi instrumentaliter operantur in virtute diuinitatis ad salutem humanam secundum hoc Passio Christi efficicienter causat salutem humanam The principall efficient of saluation of mankinde is God but because the humanitie of Christ is the instrument of his diuinitie therefore consequently all the operations and actions of Christ do worke in the vertue of the diuinitie to the saluation of mankinde And in his answere to the first obiection thus most clearely Pasio Christi c. the passion of Christ referred to the flesh ibidem of Christ answereth and is agreeing to the infirmitie assumpted but referred to his diuinitie hath thereby an infinite vertue or efficacie Thus he which I partly bring to confirme what I haue said partly to stop the mouthes of such Pontificians who gladly would calumniate the Church of England for her doctrine touching the concurrence of Christs diuinitie in the office and acts of his most high Priest-hood But what shall I here plunge my selfe into that depth in to that profound abisse of discoursing of the manner of Christs concurring as a Priest by reason of his diuinitie and humanitie for the saluation of mankind no no Sermo in-interpretabilis the speech would bee uninterpretabile my shallow conceite would bee ouerplunged in such a depth it is enough for vs at this present to vnderstand and conceiue that by reason of the personall vnitie not only the humane nature but very Christ God himselfe was offered to his Father and offered himselfe to his Father and also this diuine nature had his concurrence in the suffering of his humanitie that the same consented to his suffering and did in a wonderfull sort particularly gouerne comfort and strengthen the said humanitie as being a principall and proper part of himselfe that it might suffer and be offered in such obedience to the Father to the death of the most ignominious crosse I shall not here need to insist vpon the third branch of my diuision by the which our Apostle distinguisheth to whom this sacrifice is offered to wit to God For if all sacrifices are to be consecrated as sacred vnto him to whome else should the sacrifice of a God and from a God bee offered then to God himselfe neither shall I neede to dwell any whit in this discourse to shew how this Christ this sacrifice was vnspotted without blemish and most immaculate I could not esteeme it lesse then blasphemie in me to seeme