not a mediatour 14 Christ himselfe not our priest onely but also our sacrifice Now that the sonne of God our mediatour and priest might haue a meete sacrifice to offer in our behalfe he tooke vnto him our body and flesh and demeaned himselfe to the condition of our nature which although in it selfe it be but of small price to offer vnto God yet being ioyned into one person with the sonne of God becommeth thereby of infinite woorth because it is the body of the sonne of God For we cannot doubt but that the body of the sonne of God the sufferings and death of the sonne of God are a sufficient expiation redemption of the sins of men As therefore against the priest so against the sacrifice there is no exception because the priest himselfe is also the sacrifice For it is otherwise here thē in the former priesthood of Aaron bicause there the priest was one thing and the sacrifice another but here the priest and sacrifice are both one whilest Christ himselfe the son of God f Tit. 2.14 giueth himselfe for vs g Heb. 7.27 offereth vp himselfe h Heb. 9 26. putteth away our sins by the sacrifice of himselfe Seing therfore both the priest the sacrifice are of so infinit worth value The intercession of Christ auaile able by has owne woorth the praier of mediation which this priest vttereth by vertue of the sacrifice which he hath offered cannot but be in the highest degree acceptable to the Lord and make them accepted also whom thereby he commendeth to the Lord. Such was the praier that Iesus Christ powred foorth vnto his father immediately before his passion beholding now in spirit the acceptation of the sacrifice which he was about to offer and by vertue thereof entreating and making intercession for them for whom he offered not onely his Apostles but all that a Ioh. 17.24 the father had giuen vnto him and b vers 20. by their word should beleene in him Who afterward hauing finished all things which he had to do and to suffer for vs here on earth ascended into heauen there thence foorth to doe the office of a priest c Heb. 9.24 by appeering in the sight of God for vs. Christ ascended into heauen still continurth a priest for vs and for euer 15 For he hath not by his ascending into heauen put of the care of his redeemed or left them to themselues but euen yet he sitteth at the right hand of God to plead our cause and to be our me diatour that by his intercession our sinnes may be forgiuen vs the loue and fauour of God may be yeelded vnto vs and our praiers may be gracious and acceptable in his sight And what is his verie sitting at the right hande of God in that flesh wherein he hath performed the satisfaction and attonement for our sinnes but a continuall remembring the Lord of that that in the same flesh he hath done for vs thereby as it were with strong and mightie voice crauing for vs mercie and grace and the defence of Gods blessed hande to preserue keepe vs vntill he bring vs vnto that inheritance whereunto he hath redeemed vs. And this continuall intercession for vs the prophet heere noteth in that he saith that he is appointed to be a priest for euer For where as in the former testament the priests could not cōtinue d Heb. 7.23.24 by the reason of death this man because hee endureth euer hath an euerlasting priesthood There is one died another came in place and by succession of priests was the continuance of that priesthood but this priest needeth no successour because although hee once died yet being raised againe from the dead hee liueth for euer and is euer present with God by himselfe to doe the office that hee hath taken vpon him to make intercession for vs. Christ a priest after the order of Melchisedec 16 And this eternitie of priesthood is againe implied in that that he addeth that Christ is a priest after the order of Melchisedec Of which fully to speake would require a long discourse but I wil briefly knit vp that which is most needful to be spoken In the holy scripture therefore we read of two orders of priesthood only two Two orders of priesthood the one a Heb. 7.11 the order of Aaron the other as heere we reade the order of Melchisedec The order of Aaron togither with the earthly tabernacle was but b Hebr. 9.9.10 a figure for that time whereby were offered gifts sacrifices that could not make holy concerning the conscience him that did the seruice which onely stoode in meates and drinkes and diuers washings and carnall rites c Heb. 7.19 which made nothing perfect but serued onely for an introduction to abetter hope and to d Gal. 3.24 schoole men vnto Christ. Which hauing but the e Heb. 10.1 shadowe of good things to come when for the time it had serued the vse whereunto it was appointed and now the truth and substance was reuealed in Iesus Christ ceased vtterly and became of none effect and profited them nothing at all that were exercised therein There remaineth therefore thence foorth no other priesthood faue onely the order of Melchisedech the title where of resteth onely and entirely in Iesus Christ The figure of Melchisedec how it is to be applied 17 For the application of which figure of Melchisedec if we will goe safely we must tread no other steps but those which the holy ghost hath marked out vnto vs as for mens presumtions we cannot safely build vpon them neither is their word any warrant to iustifie vnto vs their owne conceipts What there is in the story of Melchisedec to be applied vnto Iesus Christ the holy ghost in the seuenth to the Hebrews prosecuteth at large And first in his name and titles we may see the whole mysterie of Christ briefely comprised For Iesus Christ is indeed the true Melchisedec that is by interpretation f Heb. 7.2 king of righteousnesse not onely for that he is righteous himselfe but because he is as the prophet calleth him g Ier. 23.6 the Lord our righteousnesse who h 2. Cor. 5.21 when he knew no sinne was made sinne for vs that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him whose people are called i Esa 61.3 trees of righteousnesse the planting of the Lord bringing foorth the k Phil. 1.11 fruites of righteousnesse to the glory and praise of God He is also l Heb. 7.2 king of Salem that is king of peace accordingly as the prophet also tearmeth him m Esa 9.6 the prince of peace because he is the procurer and mainteiner of our peace at whose birth the angells sound out n Luc. 2.14 peace vpon earth who going to his death bequeathed vnto his a legacy of peace o Joh. 14.27 peace I leaue
c. but as saith Saint Ierome c Hierony in Psal 110. all Ecclesiasticall writers haue saied that he is saied to bee without father according to his manhood without mother and kinred according to his godhead and therein also without beginning of daies or end of life Therefore as Melchisedec for any thing we reade so Christ verily and indeed continueth a priest for euer seeing he euer liueth as was before saide to make intercession for vs. The honour of priesthood proper vnto Iesus Christ 21 Nowe of all that hath beene spoken this is the summe that the honour of priesthood for propitiation and attonement for sinne belongeth onely vnto Iesus Christ that hee alone it is who for the greatnesse of his person and for the woorthinesse of his sacrifice and for the power of his intercession is sufficient to be our mediatour vnto God that hee onely answereth that that was figured in Melchisedec being for vs both a king and a priest The sufficiencie of the priesthood of Christ is the condemnation of the popish priesthood in whom we haue righteousnes and peace and blisse who neuer ceaseth to stande and pleade for vs before the throne of God Seeing then hee is thus alsufficient in himselfe and abideth euer with God to performe in our behalfe the office of a priest wee learne heereby to looke to another priest or mediatour but onely to him therefore to cōdemne the popish priesthood togiher with all their strange intercessiōs of sacriledge blasphemie as tending to the derogation of the priesthood of Christ and to the impeachment of that sacrifice and attonement that he hath performed for vs. The popish priesthood of no order appointed by God and therefore not of God Of whom it may be demaunded by what order it is that they take vpon them to bee priests and to offer sacrifice for forgiuenesse of sinnes The Scriptures as before is saide name vnto vs onely two orders of priesthood of which theirs is neither The order of Aaron they will not chalenge vnto themselues the order of Melchisedec they dare not because it is noted to be the peculiar and soueraigne royaltie of the sonne of God Or if they dare as indeed what dare they not to serue their turne how or with what colour can they fitte themselues to that order for to be a priest after the order of Melchisedec is to be both king and priest and to be a priest a Heb. 7.3 continuing for euer without father without mother c. But these things cannot be applied to popish priests Therefore priests according to the order of Melchisedec they cannot be If neither according to Aaron nor according to Melchisedec then their priesthood is not of God but they are priests of their owne making and therefore hatefull vnto God The popish priesthood impeacheth and disgraceth the priesthood of Christ 22 And so much the rather for that by this their vsurped priesthood they vilifie and disgrace the priesthood which God by his oath hath established for euer in Iesus Christ For what doe they but mainely detract from the excellencie of his person when in offering sacrifice for sinne they match mate with him euery varlet and pesaunt to whom it pleaseth any Romish bishop to giue imposition of hands and make them priestes to appeere before God and to make attonement for sinne whom men woulde scant thinke woorthie enough for the wiping of their shooes or the keeping of their swine The sacrifice of his crosse that b Heb. 7.27 9.12.26 10.10.12.14 once offering of himselfe which onely and without any second offering the scripture commendeth vnto vs teaching vs that thereby we c Heb. 10.10.14 are sanctified and perfited vnto God so that wee haue no neede of any further offering what doe they but disgrace as vnsushcient when they make a necessitie of offring him vp in sacrifiec euery day to purchase thereby forgiuenesse of sinnes both for quicke and dead and when the holy Ghost most expressely saith that a Heb. 9.24.25 he is entred into heauen to appeere in the sight of God for vs not that hee shoulde offer himselfe often doe yet notwithstanding teach that being in heauen he often and euery day b Rhem. Tesia Annot. Heb. 7.23 concurreth with their priests as the Rhemists speake to offer vp himselfe His intercession they haue made in a manner frustrate and voide by putting in his place other intercessours and mediatours by whome they haue perswaded themselues to haue more ready accesse vnto God euen as many as there are saints to be found in heauen as if Christ were either vnwilling or vnable to procure them fauour with God or were asleepe and had forgotten either the office committed vnto him or this promise whereby as before was noted he hath assured vs in this sort c Ioh. 14 13. Whatsoeuer ye aske the father in my name I will doe it that the father may be glorified in the sonne teaching vs to vse no other but onely his owne name because God in this behalfe hath chosen to be glorified neither in Peter nor Paul nor in the virgin Mary but onely in his sonne To discourse these points at large would be too long and tedious but thus in a word they rob Christ so much as in them lieth of that honour which God the father by an irreuocable oath hath confirmed vnto him and make the word of God of none effect by communicating that to other which the father hath vowed shal be proper vnto him alone And horrible is the iniquitie and villanie that from time to time they haue committed vnder the pretence of this priesthood even d 2. Pet. 2.1.3 denying the Lord that hath bought them and through couetousnesse with famed words buying and selling and making merchandise of the e Renel 18.13 soules of men and whilest they fed them with an opinion of forgiuenesse of sinnes by their priesthood and sacrifice bereauing them of forgiuenesse of sinnes which they should haue found indeede in the bloud of Iesus Christ Let vs not be partakers of their error but refusing all other priesthood and mediation let vs cleaue vnto that onely which God hath ordeined in the person of Iesus Christ He hath f Heb. 1.3 by himselfe purged our sinnes and perfectly fulfilled the worke of reconciliation which was committed vnto him of the father he needeth no aslistants or helpers in this behalfe The comfort that we receiue by the priesthood of Christ 23 But of all this a singular comfort is ministred vnto vs. For seing we haue such an high priest so glorious and great in person so sufficient in woorth of sacrifice so gratious in intercession sitting also at the right hand of the maiesty in heauen so neere vnto God the very sonne of God what good thing is there that we may not hope for at the hands of God by his meanes How should we doubt but
euill men so swarme euery where in the world that the promise made to Christ seemeth to be of small effect h Math. 11.19 Wisedome shall surely be iustified of her children who though they appeare but few vnto vs yet are exceeding many in the eies of God so that we need not thinke we goe alone or be the worse perswaded of the way wherein we goe because we see but few to walke therein Let vs goe on forward in faith and patience and we shall see that the l Ioh. 14.2 many mansions in our fathers house shall haue men to furnish them and that the church of Christ is not so barren but that thereby he shal breede k Heb 2.10 many children vnto glorie 22 Secondly the morning dew waiteth not for man nor is wrought by mans hand Our second birth the worke not of man but of God onâ—ly but descendeth from the Lord and falleth many times in such sort as that we see it is come but know not when or how it came Euen so is that generation and new birth whereby we become the children of God It is not wrought by the hand or power of man but this worke also descendeth from the Lord. It is the hand of God the inspiration of the holy ghost that worketh in you men and brethren that chaunge whereby you are newly created and borne the people of Iesus Christ Indeede we speake the words vnto you which tend to the conuerting and regenerating of the hart but what can our words doe in your harts if there be not the worke of some other power that is mightier then our words The husbandman may manure and till the ground but it is not he that can make the fruite a 1. Cor. 3.6.7 Paul planteth Apollo watereth but God giueth the encrease and neither is he that planteth any thing nor he that watereth but God that giueth the encrease That that we doe goeth no further then to the outward man and our words make but a sound in the eare of the body but they that are inwardly taught to the conuersion of the soule they are b Ioh. 6.45 all taught of God It is a secret and hidden worke our eies see it not our eares here it not our vnderstanding cannot sufficiently conceiue it nay they cannot throughly conceiue it in whom it is c Cypr. de cardin Christi operibus As the lightning breaketh the cloudes saith Saint Cyprian and with the suddaine flashing doth not so much enlighten as astonish the eie so a man is sometimes touched with I know not what motion and perceiueth himselfe to be touched and yet beholdeth not him that toucheth him There are spoken vnto him certeine secret wordes inwardly which he is not able to vtter so that he cannot doubt but that he is neere him yea within him that mooueth him and yet showeth not himselfe that 〈◊〉 may see him as he is This is that which our sauiour Christ saith d Joh. 3.8 The winde bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but knowest not whence it commeth nor whither it goeth so is euery one that is borne of the spirite And hence it commeth which we else where also reade by the words of Christ e Mar. 4.26 so is the kingdome of heâ—en as if a man should cast seede in the ground and should sleepe and rise vp night and day and the seede should spring and grow vp he not knowing how We sow the seede but we know not how it groweth and though we know not how it groweth yet in the end we see and perceiue that it hath growen Thus we comfort our selues that though we cannot giue successe vnto our owne labours yet we loose not our labour but the spirite of God as it were in the hart of the earth fostereth and cherisheth the seede that we sow and quickneth it to bring foorth fruite and out of the wombe of Gods eternall election still raiseth vp a newe youth and ofspring to serue in the Lordes campe and to receiue the promises of grace and saluation by Iesus Christ It resteth that for the growing of this seede in our harts wee praie vnto him c. The fourth Sermon vpon Twelfth day Verse 4. The Lord hath sworne and will not repent Thou art the Priest for euer after the order of Melchisedec THis verse setteth foorth vnto vs the calling of Iesus Christ to the office of priesthood Christ both in humilitie and maiestie our priest and mediatour vnto God where by he is be come our redeemer and aduocate with the father that in the kingly height and maiestie of Iesus Christ there may be nothing to dismay vs seeing we know that both in his humilitie and in his maiestie he is made our priest and mediatour to reconcile vs and bring vs vnto God The Scripture woont to qualifie the dread of Gods maiestie with the consideration of his mercie And thus is the Scripture woont to qualifie the glorious and dreadfull maiestie of God with the consideration of his gracious and most mercifull inclination towards vs that we may learne so to reuerence him for his greatnes as that by his goodnes wee bee allured to loue him and by praier to seeke vnto him assuring our selues that he a Esa 57.15 Who is high and excellent that inhabiteth eternitie whose name is the Holy one that dwelleth in the high and holy place yet is with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to reuiue the spirite of the humble and to giue life vnto them that are of a contrite hart b Psal 138.6 Though the Lorde be high saith Dauid yet hath he respect vnto the lowly and c Psal 102 1â—.19.20 out of the heauen he beholdeth the earth to turne him to the praier of the desolate and to heare the mourning of the prisoners and to deliuer the children of death 2 Thus Iesus Christ is described vnto vs sitting in glorie at the right hand of God and yet stowping downe to the compassion of our infirmities that the conceite of his greatnesse may be no terrour vnto vs but rather a ground of exceeding great comfort whilest we stande perswaded that he who by mercy is so readie to succour vs is by power so able to do for vs whatsoeuer pleaseth him There is nothing more fearefull then the guiltie conscience of a sinner which is still running away from God and hiding it selfe as Adam did vnlesse it be embouldened and established by the acknowledgement and assurance of his fauour and good will And hence it came to passe as hath beene before touched that they who no otherwise cosidered of Iesus Christ but in his maiestie sitting at the right hand of God conceiued of him a doubtefull and distrustfull feare and shadowed themselues vnder the winges of other mediatours and hidde themselues vnder the patronage and intercession of saints and angels that by them they might haue accesse
that day when as the angell brought that gracious and blessed tidings from heauen e Luc. 2.10 Behold I bring you glad tidings of great ioy that shall be to all people that this day there is borne vnto you in the citie of Dauid a Sauiour which is Christ the Lorde This Psalme written of Christour Lord and not appliable to any other Of this Sauiour Christ the Lord was this Psalme written by way of Prophecie which for the performance of this solemnity I haue chosen to entreate of which although the Iewes of later times haue gone about to wrest to another meaning yet is so approoued and vndoubted a prophecie of Christ that the Pharisees durst not dense it when a Math. 22. â—â— 4â— being apposed and demaunded by our Samour how it should be seeing Christ is the sonne of Dauid that Dauid notwithstanding should call him Lord saying The Lord said vnto my Lord they could not answer him a word whereas the answere had been very easie and readie if they could haue denied this Psalme to be meant of Christ But they knew it could not be otherwise vnderstood and it was commonly taken amongst them to be a prophecie of their Messias according to the verie euidence of the text it selfe which cannot be fitted to any other but onely to Christ our Sauiour the sonne of God For whereas some of them sithence haue construed all these things as spoken in the name of the people of Iudah concerning Dauid their king the text it selfe refuseth that construction when in those words sit thou at my right hand it mentioneth an honour done to him of whom it speaketh greater then can be fitted to the angels and therefore much lesse to be applied vnto Dauid Againe that which is spoken in the fourth verse of the Priesthood cannot be vnderstood of Dauid who was indeed a king but neuer had any thing spoken as touching the Priesthood to appertaine vnto him and of whom it cannot be conceiued how it should be saied Thou art a priest for euer c. Yea there is nothing here spoken whereof we may see in Dauid anie more but some little shadow in comparison of that that hath come to passe in Iesus Christ The diuision and parts of this Psaâ—me 3 Vnderstanding it therefore of him to whom onely it can properly belong we may see many notable lessons conteined heerein of the kingdome and priesthood of Christ of his mightie power and successe in the gathering and gouerning of his Church of the condition and qualitie of his people of his dreadfull reuengement and wrath to be brought vpon all them that resist his kingdome and gouernment We may for orders sake diuide the whole Psalm into three parts the one concerning the kingdome of Christ in the three first verses the other concerning his priesthood in the fourth verse the third concerning his power and victorie and triumph ouer his enimies Three things to be obserued in the kingdome of Christ. from the fourth verse to the ende Againe in the first concerning the kingdome of Christ three points may obserued First the inuesting of him into his kingdome in the first verse In the second verse the meanes and maner how this kingdome is erected and established In the third verse the qualitie and continuall supply of the subiects of this kingdome 4. The inuesting of Christ into this glorious kingdome is by the word of his heauenly father The Lord saied vnto my Lord. Wherein is vttered the euerlasting decree and purpose of God for the exaltation of Iesus Christ to this excellent glorie to sit at the right hand of God Gods saying is the manifesting of his euerlasting purpose For whatsoeuer God doth or will do he hath before saied it with himselfe in his secret and vnsearchable counsell before the foundations of the worlde were laide Now we are heere to distinguish him that saieth from him to whom it is saied the one termed the Lord The Lord God the father my Lord God the sonne the other my Lord to import by the one that is the Lord God the father by the other that is my Lord the sonne Iesus Christ who according to the a Rom. 1.3 flesh was made of the seed of Dauid and in that respect was the sonne of Dauid but yet called by Dauid himselfe my Lord that we may vnderstand that he is somewhat more then that that he was borne of Dauid For by being Dauids sonne he was but onely man but somewhat there is further for which Dauid speaking of him calleth him Lord teaching vs thereby to acknowledge him to bee the sonne of God But when speaking of God the Father My Lord why in speciall maner spoken of Christ he calleth him the Lord and speaking of God the Sonne he calleth him my Lord as thereby to import some more speciall and neerer bond and respect betwixt the sonne and vs he doth it not to barre vs from calling God the father our Lord also but thereby giueth vs occasion to consider that all that communion and felowship which wee haue with God the father thereby we are his people and he is the Lord our God ariseth from the sonne and standeth in the sonne so that no otherwise can we call God our Lord and our God but as with Thomas we can first saie vnto Iesus Christ b Ioh. 20.28 Thou art my Lord and my God For whosoeuer is excluded from the sonne is excluded also from the father c 1. Ioh. 2.23 Whosoeuer denieth the sonne saieth Saint Iohn the same hath not the father And the sonne himselfe telleth vs d Ioh. 14.6 God no otherwise good and mercifull vnto vs but in his sonne Iesus Christ. I am the way the truth and the life No man commeth vnto the father but by me God is good gracious full of mercy and compassion full of bountie and kindenesse but the fountaine of all this goodnes is stopped and shut vp against vs but as it is opened vnto vs in the sonne of God Whereby we may conceiue how little good they haue reaped by their speculations concerning God that haue liued without the knowledge and faith of Iesus Christ They haue caried great credite and reputation of wisedome and learning in the world and haue beene accounted diuine men and indeed haue vttered many excellent and woorthie sentences concerning the diuine nature his wisedome and power his iustice and mercy and our dutie and deuotion towards him But they spake onely as it were by hearesay and those sentences were but onely weake and languishing imaginations the authors whereof sought rather to gaine glorie vnto themselues by speaking of God then to glorifie God of whom they spake Albeit howsoeuer they spake them and how farre soeuer they apprehended what they spake yet what comfort of conscience receiued they thereby what peace towards God what perswasion of Gods loue towards them what assurance of the forgiuenesse of sinnes what were
and entrance vnto God They liued in the darke and sawe not that light of faith whereby wee are taught to a Heb. 4.16 goe with boldnes vnto the throne of grace assuring our selues that the b Ioh. 15.7 words of Christ abiding in vs c 14.13 whatsoeuer we shal aske the father in his name he will do it that the father may be glorified in the sonne To which coÌ„fort we are instructed by the doctrine of the priesthood of Christ whose consecration and enstalment to this office the prophet describeth vnto vs in this verse Fiue things to be obserued in this verse of the priesthood Wherein we may first obserue the confirmation of this office by the irreuocable oath of God Secondlie the office it selfe which is priesthoode Thirdly the person to whom it is assigned Thou that is Iesus the sonne of God Fourthly the continuance of this priesthood which is for euer Lastly what order of priesthood it is namely after the order of Melchisedec 3 As touching the first this protestation by oath serueth according to the matter in hande The oath of God a significacation of 〈◊〉 vnchangeable and irreuâ—â—able purpose to set foorth the vnchangeable counsell of God for the establishing of the priesthood of Christ to bee the onely meanes for euer of attonement and peace betwixt God and vs. It is alwaies vsed in Scripture to note Gods immutable purpose and setled determination that shall neuer be reuersed For the wordes of God sometimes implie conditions and exceptions and hee saith thus and thus it shall be but with limitation namely things continuing as they be but so that if the case be altered with vs he will also after the course of his dealing towards vs. Thus he saith by the prophet Ieremie d Ier. 1â— 7 I will speake sodainely against a nation or against a kingdome to placke it vp and to roote it out and to destroie it But if this nation against whom I haue pronounced turne from their wickednesse I will repent of the plague that I thought to bring vpon them And I will speake sodainely concerning a nation and a kingdome to builde it and to plant it But if it doe euill in my sight and heare not my voice I will repent of the good that I thought to do for them According to the tenure of these wordes God saide of Niniue a Ion. 3.4 Yet fortie daies and Niniue shall be destroied when notwithstanding vpon their repentance God spared them and turned backe his hande whereby hee had threatned to destroy them On the other side God speaketh vnto Eli thus b 1. Sam. 2.30 I saide that thine house and the house of thy father shoulde walke before me for euer but nowe the Lord saith It shall not be so for them that honour me I will honour and they that despise me shall be despised Thus the wordes of God sometimes though in termes they seeme absolute yet in meaning are conditionall and whether they bee for good or euill they stande or fall according to the good or euill that they finde in vs. But where God putteth to his oath there is no reuocation and what he hath once sworne he neuer repenteth him thereof nor goeth back from it And indeede God neuer repenteth him of any thing God indeed neuer repenteth him the repentance that is attributed vnto him is some change in his actions no change in himselfe whether spoken with oath or without oath but bicause where the actions doings of God are altered towards vs there seemeth to vs to be some alteration in God himselfe the scripture in this case by the phrase of repentance somewhat submitteth it selfe to our conceite when as indeed God foreseeing all things before they come to passe and c Act. 15.18 knowing all his works from the beginning of the world doth nothing but d Esa 25.1 according to his counsells of old nothing but what from euerlasting he had decreed and purposed with himselfe But in those things wherein the oath of God is vsed there is no shew of variablenesse nor shadow of change but his words and deeds both in semblance and substance are perpetuall and euerlasting 4 And to this vsage of an oath God for our sakes vouchlaseth to submit himselfe Why God yâ—â—ldeth â—â—arre vnto vs to vse an â—ath the more to stirre vs vp to the embracing of his wordes and the more strongly to chalenge and hinde our credite and assent to those thinges which he speaketh Now strange it is that God should need to sweare and that his worde whereby he made the world should not in the worlde be sufficiently beleeued without an oath But because he seeketh our saluation he laboureth by all meanes to preuaile with vs that wee may hearken vnto him And as for Marcions cauill that it is an indignitie for God to sweare Tertullian answereth c Tertuâ—â—â—nt Maâ—â—ionâ—â— 2. There is nothing vnwoorthie of God that furthereth man to beleeue God The things that are necessarie for man are woorthy of God because there is nothing so woorthy of God as the saluation of man is God sweareth sometimes in iudgement sometimes in mercy 5 God therefore vseth an oath sometimes in threatning of iudgement sometimes in prounsing of mercy sometimes in extreme wrath and furie sometimes in compassion and louing kindnesse The one way it is matter of extreme horrour and dread the other of singular and vnspeakeable comfort When God sweareth in wrath what is his oath but the sealing vp of irreuocable damnation the verie opinion whereof is sufficient to astonish our harts and to confound all the senses and powers both of bodie and soule For what is it but euen hell it selfe for a man to conceiue that he hath God for his vowed and sworne enimie who by his oath hath bounde himselfe to destroy him so that now there is no remedie but to vndergo that iudgement at which the angels themselues do tremble and quake and are not able to stande vnder the burden of it Thus when the people of Israell prouoked the Lord and increased their rebellions from day to day the Lord was so farre mooued at length that a Psal 95.11 he sware in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest When by his prophet he called them to b Esa 22.12 weeping and mourning and sackcloth that by their repentance they might pacifie the Lord and they contrariwise as it were to despight the Lord gaue themselues to ioy and gladnesse slaying oxen and killing sheepe eating flesh and drinking wine and in scorne of the prophets words cheered one another saying Let vs eate and drinke for to morrow we shall die the Lord saied vnto them in forme of an oath c Vers 14. If this iniquitie be purged from you till ye die Which Hebrew maner of swearing if we will expresse it is as much as to say As truly as I liue or am a iust and