mayst glory safely that thou art perfectly good godly holy and righteous in Gods sight Esay 45. 25. Esay 45 25. Yea God cannot deferre or delay where there is this sincere heart that trusteth in him alone all other things being left looking only to the naked word of God there God cannot hide himselfe but revealeth himself commeth unto such an heart and maketh his abode there as the Lord saith Ioh. 14. 21 23. I will come Ioh 14. 21 23. unto him and will dwell with him Now what can be more joyfull than for a man to give credit to the naked word of God And as to be plucked from it by no affliction or temptation so to shut his eyes against every assault of Satan to become a foole that hee may be wise 1 Coâ— 3. 18 19. The obediences of the Gospel that is to lay aside humane sense understanding reason and wisdome and to say daily in his heart God hath spoken it he cannot lie this is true mortifying of our selves and right obedience to the Gospel and I say that nothing is more joysull than such a faith THe third meanes to overcome all doubting is The third remedy against doubting much and often to meditate upon our baptisme yea as often as we feele that we have by any sin pierced and wounded our soul with the sting of death for the sting of death is sin 1 Cor. 15. 56. so often must we call 1 Cor. 15. 56. to minde especially these foure things wherein the very essence and vertue of our baptisme consisteth First that God in baptisme gave unto us his Sonne 2 Foure speciall things to be considered in Baptisme in the likenesse of water signifying that Jesus is no Jesus unto us but as he hath first and before all things with his blood washed away out of the sight of God all our sins as S. Iohn saith Revel 1. 5. And hath washed Revel 1. 5. us from our sinnes in his blood and by cloathing us with the obedience and righteousnesse contained in his blood doth so perfectly deck and adorn us as fit Brides unto himselfe with that wedding-garment of his own righteousnesse that he doth not only of unjust make us just but also preserves us as is before shewed in the same above our sense and feeling ever and continually perfectly holy and righteous from all spot or wrinkle sin or any such thing in the sight of God freely Ephes 5. 26 27. because as the Apostle testifies with one sacrifice upon the Crosse hee hath made Ephes 5. 26. 27. pefect for ever and continually all them that are sanctified Heb. 10. 14. For saith Luther the blood of Christ Heb. 10. 14. Christs blood as pâ—rging sope and niter hath in it such sharp salt and such purging sope and niter as that it takes away from before God and abolisheth all foulnesse and all spots so that in one moment it consumes sin and death takes them away and utterly abolisheth them And because wee must mark that at the time of our baptizing it is not the man or Minister that doth baptise us properly But it is God the Father Sonne and God properly is the Baptizer holy Ghost that is the true right and proper baptiser of us the reason whereof is because it is not the work of the Minister that baptizeth outwardly nor the Baptisme of man but the Baptisme of Christ and of God for the minister or man doth nothing in The Minister â—â—ly is â—n the nâ—mâ— and place of God his own authority but stands by Gods appointment in the place and steed of God and supplies the roome of God whereupon we ought to receive our baptisme at the hand of man no otherwise than if Christ himselfe or rather as if God himselfe did baptize us with his own hands and therefore we must take heed that wee doe not so divide Baptisme as to attribute the outward baptisme to man and the inward to God but we must attribute both to God and count of the man or minister baptizing us but as the instrument like the axe in the Carpenters hand God himselfe using it to square thee himselfe to the glory of his grace by the which God sitting in heaven doth reach down his own ordinance of Baptisme comming meerly from himselfe out of heaven as his hand and doth poure water upon thee with his own hands and doth pronounce that hee hath washed thee clean from all thy sinnes speaking unto thee in earth himselfe with his own mouth by the voyce of the Minister And this the very words used in thy Baptisme doe make cleere unto thee when the Minister pouring water upon thee said I baptize thee in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost Amen That is I wash thee clean from all thy sinnes but how what in thine own name and power No for alas that were able to doe no such work and just nothing but as the Brazen-Serpent healed the Israelites that is in the meer ordinance name and power of God the Father Sonne and holy Ghost as if he should say that which I doe I doe it not in mine own strength name or power but it being none of my work but standing by God own appointment and ordinance in his place and stead and supplying his roome I wash thee in the name and power of God that thou mayst count no otherwise of it than if God had done it visibly himselfe This sense is full of comfort and an effectuall help of faith for a man to know that hee was baptized not of man but of the Trinity himselfe by man who standing in his stead did the work signified as truly in his name and power as if God himselfe had been the very outward and visible agent and worker But I say because God himselfe is all in all the proper workman in our baptisme therefore in his outward signe of washing by water he doth although inwardly and mystically to himselfe yet so throughly wash us with the blood of Christ that it is as much when any one is baptized into faith as if he were visibly washed not with water but with the purging blood of of Christ And hereupon both for the Agent God and for the meane of Christs blood is Baptisme such a magnificent work and hath such vertue and so great power as the holy Ghost by S. Paul restifieth that it is indeed the laver and washing of the new birth and the renewing of the holy Ghost Tit. 3. 5. That is first it makes Tit. 3. 5. New â—reâ—tâ—ras two wayes us new born creatutes to Godward by Justification by abolishing all our sinnes out of Gods sight and making us perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sin in the sight of God freely whereby we are adopted the sons of God and secondly it doth renew us by the holy Ghost to bee new creatures to menward by sanctification whereupon
to dwell in them But now concerning the excellency of this wonderfull gift brought upon us only by Free Iustification who is The glory of this gift is inexplicable able either of men or Angels to lay forth the glory of it For is not the holy Ghost true and very God that takes up our bodies souls to be his blessed Temples Was it not this blessed Spirit that wonderfully governed the Patriarks Was it not he that inspired all the Prophets as Peter testifieth saith These holy Prophets spak as they were moved by the holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1. 21. 2 Pet. 1. 21. Was not his power wonderfully shewed and was hee not a mighty worker when he formed the humane nature of our Saviour Christ to bee conceived and born of a pure Virgin Shewing that where the holy Ghost worketh there nothing is impossible Is it not hee only that regenerateth a man and makes him a new born creature both towards God by Iustification and towards man by Sanctification Or can any man worthily lay forth the glory of a new creature by the holy Ghost Are not his gifts excellent and marvellous which hee worketh in whom hee will and as he will described 1 Cor. 12. And finally must 1 Cor. 12. not Iustification needs bee a glorious and wonderfull work that bringeth so wonderfull a benefit upon us and can people heare and read and meditate Free Iustification sufficiently that doth enrich us so heavenly And if there were no more Reasons why Ministers after our misery by sinne laid open should continually beat upon the greatnesse and excellency and glory of Free Iustification to work the joyfull and violent receiving oâ—â—â— by faith that brings with it unseparably and unfallibly so precious a gift as the holy Ghost to dwell in us were not this sufficient Is not the gift of the holy Ghost all in all The third excellent benefit of the Gospel wrought 3 Vnion into Christ upon us by Free Iustification is our wonderfull Vnion into Christ whereby wee are by the power of the holy Ghost though mystically and spiritually yet truly really and substantially so ingraffed and united into Christ that wee are made one with him and he one with us For first that this wonderfull Vnion is not a thing in meer imagination no nor consisting in meer charity love and affection only but is a true reall This union is not imaginary but reall and substantiall Vnion Is evident both by the expresse Word of God and unanimous consent of Gods faithfull Dispensers of his Mysteryes both ancient and modern For first the Word of God in that excellent prayer that Christ made for all the faithfull Ioh. 17. Ioh. 17. 20 21 22 23. 20 21 22 23. saith thus I pray not for these alone but for all them also which shall believe in me through their Word Well what doth he pray for That they all may be one How one As thou O Father art in me and I in thee Can men or Angels lay open or sufficiently conceive either the wonderfulnesse or how really and substantially Christ as hee is God is one with his Father And yet even so are we by this Union One We by this union are one with Christ with Christ as he is Man and our Mediatour and thereby knit into God as Christ saith That they may be also one in us that the world may believe that thou hast sent me that the greatnesse and wonderfulnesse of this work may declare that none but the Son of God sent of his Father to effect it could otherwise bring it ot passe And the glory saith hee which thou hast given to me I have given them that by this meanes also they may discern the greatnesse of this Union That they may be one even as we are one I in them and thou in mee that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Can possibly the understanding of man conceive a more absolute and perfect union with all the circumstances of the same than is here described But to shew yet further how true reall and substantiall this Union is cleere is the testimony of Paul Ephes 5. 31. saying For we are members of his body of his flesh Ephes 5. 31. and of his bones Certainly nothing can bee more reall and substantiall than such a Union Whereupon learned Zanchius in that excellent Treatise upon Zanch. upon Ephes 5. 30. Ephes 5. 30. concerning the Union betwixt Christ and his Church reproving them that hold that our Union is no otherwise true and reall than because we partake of the spirituall gifts and graces of Christ sets down this Thesis or position confirming the same both by Scripture and consent of the Ancient Writers namely that Vnio nostricum Christo Christi nobiscum essentialis ac substantialis est vera atque realis That is The Union of us with Christ and of Christ with us Our union with Christ is first substantiall is essentiall and substantiall true and reall First substantiall saith he because the substances themselves of the flesh of Christ and of our flesh both of the person of Christ and of our persons are united together and so not the fruit and graces only of Christ are received seeing they cannot bee received but by partaking of the substance it selfe of Christ Secondly I call it true and reall saith hee because we are not Secondly true and reall in bare imagination but reipsa in very deed united into Christ and being united although non Physico sed spirituali supernaturali modo not by a naturall but a spirituall and supernaturall manner wee grow more and more into one body with Christ But that we may dive more deeply into this most excellent glory of our Union into Christ Let us mark that the holy Ghost which effectually sheweth the power of his God-head in working this benefit upon us to expresse the substantiallnesse and reallnesse and wonderfull closnesse of it doth use six principall similitudes in Six similitudes used to express the realnesse of this union the Word of God to shew to our weak capacities the great glory of it That as S. Paul speaketh passeth knowledge The first and furtherest off similitude is That the justified person being cloathed with the righteousness of Christ hath thereby put on Christ as a man puts on and is cloathed with his own apparell As S. Paul speaketh Gal. 3. 27. saying All yee that are baptized into Gal. 3. 27. Christ thereby sealing up unto you your Justification have put on Christ namely as the originall Word imports as a man puts on and is cloathed with his apparell Whereby as old Isaac in the weaknesse and infirmity of his old age took Iacob for Esau in Esaus apparell so doth God in the virtue and strength of this our wonderful union into Christ take
us not ignorantly and unwittingly as Isaac but truly and graciously for Christ having thus truly put on Christ himself And this the faithfull Interperters plainly testifie saying Cum dicit Galatas Christum induisse intelligit Christo sic esse insitos ut coram Deo nomen personam Christi gerant ac in ipso magis quam in seipsis censeantur that is Where as the Apostle saith that the Galathians have put on Christ he meanes that they are so ingraffed into Christ that before God they beare the name and person of Christ and are reputed and estimated rather in him than in themselves The second similitude expressing more reall and Husband and wiâ—e entire union than the former is taken from the union not only between ordinary husband and wife but also that we are as substantially and really united into Christ as Adam and Eva who was made of his very rib and thereby truly and really of his flesh blood and bone were one in Paradise for which cause Adam Eva are both called but one Adam Gen. 5. 2. of which Gen. 5. 2. perfect union Adam said thus this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh shee shall bee called woman or as the Hebrew Wâ—rd importes a she-man because she is taken out of man Gen. 2. 23. which mystery S. Paul expounding Gen 2. 23. in the fifth to the Ephes saith thus of Christ and his Church For we are members of his body of his flesh and of his bones For this cause shall a man leave his Father and Mother and shall bee joyned unto his Wife and they two shall bee one flesh This saith he is a great mysterie for I speak concerning Christ and his Church Ephes 5. 30 31. 32. Whereupon true and excellent is Ephes 5. 30 31 32. the testimonie of a noble man and Martyr in France who writing of the dignity and excellency of a Christian man sayth thus By this spirituall bond o knot the Christian man is made one with Christ flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone yea even so farre that he beares Christs name and person before God Is not this wonderfull And yet S. Paul not herewith content shewes that the union betwixt Christ and every child of God is more close and entire than between husband and wife for saith he they are not only one flesh But also He that is joyned to the Lord Christ is one spirit 1 Cor. 6. Calvin upon 1 Câ—r 6. 17. 17. Which place Calvin expounding saith thus Hoc ideo adjecit ut doceret arctiorem esse conjunctionem Christi nobiscum quà m viri cum uxore that is Hee therefore addeth these words That he might teach us that the union betwixt Christ and us is closer and straighter than betwixt husband and wife Which Lutâ—er upon Gal. 2. 20. thing Luther also testifieth saying Gal. 2. 20. This faith therefoâ—e that Christ hath loved mee and given himselfe for mee to justifie me doth couple Christ and mee more neer together than the husband is coupled to his wife The third Similitude expressing this marvellous union is that wee are as truly and really united and 3 Tree Branches made one with Christ as a Tree and the branches thereof are one This Christ himselfe testifieth Ioh. 15. 5. saying I am the Vine yee are the branches As the branch cannot beare fruit of it selfe except it abide in the Vine no more can yee except yee abide in mee Upon which words Zanchius truly saith thus Quid etiam hoc Zanch. upon Iohn 15. 5. simili clarius quam nos verè ac realiter Christo insitos esse that is What is more cleere by this similitude than that ' we are truly and really ingraffed into Christ The fourth Similitude expressing this wonderfull union is That wee are as truly and really united and 4 Body members made one with Christ as the body and members thereof are one And this similitude if it were as well understood as it is often expressed in the Scripture wee should abound with more joy for the same than we doe For how plaine is S. Paul 1 Cor. 12. 12. saying As the 1 Cor. 12. 12. body is one and hath many members and yet all the members though they be many make but one body so also is Christ For saith he yee are the body of Christ and members for your part verse 27. Again to the same Cor. 6 15 17. Verse 17. Cor. 6. 15. 17. he saith thus Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ Nay more But hee that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit What more perfect and more wonderfull union can there be Than to be one spirit and one body with the Lord Certainly saith Zanchias The union of the members with the head and with themselves is substantiall true and reall Wherby saith hee wee may further understand that the fruit of the passion of Christ and his gifts and graces cannot be received without a real participation of the very flesh of Christ for the members can receive neither motion nor life nor juice nor nourishment being separated from the head And hereupon it is that the ancient Dispensers of Gods mysteries doe so greatly extoll this our concorporation into Christ for thus saith Chrysostome Homil. 60. ad populum Antioch Non satis fuit homosieri colaphis caedi verùm semet ipsum nobis commiscet Chrysost Hom. 6. non fide tantùm verùm et reipsa nos suum efficit corpus that is It was not enough to become man to be buffetted with fists but also he doth mix and mingle his own selfe together with us and not by faith only but also he makes us in very deed his own body Which doctrine of the ancient Fathers of our wonderfull union although the Papists goe about to misapply it and say this great work and union is wrought upon us by the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ in that say they the bread becomes transubstantiated into the body and blood of Christ and so wee eating the same the body of Christ is mingled and united into one body with us yet it is well proved of the Learned Protestants to bee utterly false For the Sacrament is not the bond of this so mysticall and wondersull union after so grosse fleshly and carnall a manner but it is wrought only by the holy Ghost after a spirituall and unsearchable manner Who yet notwithstanding because he is true God hiîc exerit and herein doth shew forth the power of his God-head in thus wonderfully knitting and reall and substantiall uniting us into Christ hereupon doe the ancient Fathers confesse that no tongue of men or Angels is able to lay forth sufficiently the reallnesse substantiallnesse and excellency of the same though sealed unto us by an outward sign and figure in the supper of the Lord. For hence it is that