action of theirs we are to marke two points First the diligence of vngodly men the quicknes of their nature to practise sinne wickednes as it was said of the old Iewes their feet runne to euill they make hast to shed blood When the Israelites would sacrifice to the golden calfe which they had made it is said they rose up early in the morning Hence it appeares that if God leaue us to our selues we are as ready to practise any mischiefe as the fire is to burne without delay and with violence Now the consideration of this must mooue euerie one of us to take heed of all occasions provocations to sinne whatsoeuer they be that it breake not foorth any way Secondly in the circumstance of time of this councell we may marke the rashnes of this solemne assembly in iudiciall proceedings whereas they examine him both of his doctrine and also of his disciples omitting such circumstances as should haue bin used as the serious examining of witnesses the waynig of his coÌ„trarie answers for he is takeÌ„ brought before the iudge coÌ„deÌ„ned on a suddeÌ„ now as this was the practise of this councel so on the coÌ„trary the coÌ„mon coÌ„plaint of these times is of the slow dispatch of matters in lawe and of the long delay insomuch that some be almost undone before their suits be ended wheras iudiciall proceedings were ordained by God not for mens undoing but for the maintaining of the common peace and libertie and wealth And therefore iustice ought to be dispatched with such speed as men thereby might be furthered and not hindred The end of Christs inditement was directly to kill him to put him to death Here is no indifferent proceeding to be looked for but plotting on euery haÌ„d for the very blood of Christ. Where note that in the hearts of all wicked men there is an ingrafted hatred of Christ as it were bred in the bone the same affectioÌ„ they cary to the meÌ„bers of Christ. This hatred is manifested in the first giuing of the promise I will put enmity between thee and the woman between thy seed and her seede It appeares in the hatred that Cain bare to his brother Abel Ismael towards Isaac Esau towards Iacob the GentileÌ„s that were without the couenant towards the Church of god at all times And to come nere to our selues this ingrafted hatred that is in the heart of the wicked against Christ his members is as plentifull euident as euer it was euen in these our daies For among all men none are more maligned hated then those that professe Christ for none other cause but because they professe Christ. And hereupon the very profession of religion is laden with nick-names and reprochfull termes by all sortes of men And thus much of the end and intent of their counsell The proceeding in iudgement standes in these pointes I. they examine Christ. II. they bring witnesses against him III. they adiure him to tell them who he is of these in order First they examine our Saviour Christ of his doctrine suspecting him to be a false prophet secondly of his disciples as suspecting him seditiously to raise up a new sect unto himselfe to make a faction amongst the Iewes Nowe to this examination let us marke Christs answere in which hee saieth nothing at all concerning his disciples whereas notwithstanding he might haue said that one of them betraied him another denied him and the rest fled away whereby wee note that it is not our dutie at all times and in all places to speake of the faultes and wantes that we know by others Secondly the answere which he makes is onely concerning his doctrine whereby the ministers of God and all men els are taught that being called before their enemies to giue reason of their doctrine they are as S. Peter saith to be alwayes ready to give an account of the hope that is in them And further wee are to consider the wisedome that Christ useth in answering for he saith nothing of his doctrine in particular but said I speake openly to the world I ever taught in the synagogue and in the temple whether the Iewes resorted in secret have I taught nothing aske them therefore what I saide which heard me Behold they can tell you vvhat I said Now the reason why he answereth thus sparingly in generall tearmes is because their examination serued only to intangle him and out of his words to gather matter of accusation After whose example wee may learne that being called to make answere of our faith doctrine before our enemies we are to do it so as thereby we do not intangle our selues nor giue any advantage unto our enemies and hereof we haue a notable example in the Apostle Paul Act. 23.6 In the words of Christes answere we must obserue 2. things First that the place vvhere Christ taught was publiâ—e Now hence it may be demaÌ„ded whether ministers may handle the word of god privately or no Ans. The state of Gods Church is twofold peaceable or troblesome In the time of peace ministers must preach the word publikely but in time of persecution for the safetie and preseruation of the Church of God they may with good warrant preach priuately and indeed at such times the assemblies of the Church make priuate places publike And hence we learne that in time of peace all those that are called to the office of the ministerie must if it be possible spend their labour publikely so as they may doe most good Secondly whereas Christ saith he preached in their Synagogues and temple which at that time were places full of disorder in so much as he called the Temple a denne of theeues and the Scribes and Pharisies had corrupted the doctrine of the Law transgressing the commaundements of God by their owne traditions and they taught iustification by the works of the Law as Paul saith they beeing ignorant of the righteousnes of God and going about to stablish their owne righteousnes which is by workes haue not submitted themselues to the righteousnes of God Besides all this they were loose and wicked men in their liues and conuersations therefore Christ commaunded the people that they should obserue and doe whatsoeuer the Scribes and Pharisies bidde them sitting in Moses chaire but after their workes they must not doe because they say and doe not Now although these corruptioÌ„s deformities were in the Iewish Church yet our Sauiour Christ severed not from it but came and preached both in their temple Synagogues where these seducers and false teachers were And hence we gather that the practise of all those men in our Church which separate themselues from all assemblies for the wants thereof holding that our Church is no Church that the grace which is wrought by the preaching of the word among vs is nothing else but a sathanicall illusion that our
Creede is concerning God and the church For in these two points consisteth the whole summe therof Lastly I say that it is gathered forth of the scripture to make a difference betweene it other writings and to shew the authoritie of it There be two kind of writings in which the doctrine of the church is handled they are either divine or Ecclesiasticall Diuine are the bookes of the old new Testament penned either by Prophets or Apostles And these are not only the pure word of God but also the scripture of god because not only the matter of them but the whole disposition thereof with the stile the phrase was set down by the immediate inspiration of the Holy Ghost And the authoritie of these bookes is diuine that is absolute and soveraigne they are of sufficieÌ„t credit in and by theÌ„selves needing not the â—estimony of any creature not subiect to the ceÌ„sure either of meÌ„ or angels binding the coÌ„scieÌ„ces of all meÌ„ at all times being the only fouÌ„datioÌ„ of faith the rule canoÌ„ of all truth Ecclesiasticall writings are all other ordinary writings of the church consenting with scriptures These may be called the word or truth of God so far forth as their matter or substance is consenting with the written worde of God but they cannot be called the scripture of God because the stile and phrase of them was set downe according to the pleasure of man And therfore they are in such sort the word of god as that also they are the word of men And their authoritie in defining of trueth falshood in matters of religion is not soveraigne but subordinate to the former and it doth not stand in the authority pleasures of men councels but in the consent which they haue with the scriptures Ecclesiasticall writings are either generall particular or proper Generall are the Creedes and confessions of the Church dispersed over the whole world and among the rest the Creed of the Apostles made either by the Apostles themselues or by their hearers disciples apostolical men delivered to the Church conveyed from hand to hand to our times Particular writings are the confessions of particular Churches Proper writings are the books confessions of private men Now betweene these we must make difference For the Generall Creede of the Apostles other universall Creeds in this case not excepted though it be of lesse authoritie then Scripture yet hath it more authoritie then the particular and priuate writings of Churches and men For it hath bene received and approved by universall consent of the Catholike Church in all ages and so were neuer these in it the meaning and doctrine can not be changed by the authoritie of the whole Catholicke Church and if either the order of the doctrine or the wordes whereby it is expressed should upon some occasion be changed a particular Church of any cuntry can not doe it without Catholike consent of the whole Church yet particular writings coÌ„fessions made by some speciall Churches may be altered in the words in the points of doctrine by the same Churches without offence to the Catholicke Church Lastly it is receiued as a rule of faith amoÌ„g all churches to try doctrines interpretations of scriptures by not because it is a rule of it selfe for that the scripture is alone but because it boroweth his authority from scripture with which it agreeth And this honour no other writings of men can haue Here some may demaund the number of Creeds Answ. I say but one Creede as there is but one faith and if it be alledged that we have many Creedes as besides this of the Apostles the Nicene Creede and Athanasius Creede c. I answer the severall Creedes and confessions of Churches containe not seuerall faithes and religions but one and the same and this called the Apostles Creed is most ancient principall all the rest are not new Creedes in substance but in some points penned more largely for the exposition of it that men might better avoid the heresies of their times Futther it may be demaunded in what forme this Creed was penned Answ. In the forme of an answer to a question The reason is this In the Primitiue Church when any man was turned from Gentilisme to the faith of Christ and was to be baptised this question was asked him What beleeuest thou then he answered according to the forme of the Creede I beleeve in God c. And this manner of questioning was used euen from the time of the Apostles When the Eunuch was converted by Philip he said What doth let me to be baptised Philip said If thou doest beleeve with all thine heart thou maiest Then he answered I beleeve that Iesus Christ is the sonne of God By this it appeares that although all men for the most part amongst vs can say this Creede yet not one of a thousand can tell the ancient and first use of it for commonly at this day of the simpler sort it is said for a prayer being indeede no prayer and when it is used so men make it no better then a charme Before vve come to handle the particular pointes of the Creed it is very requisite that we should make an entrance thereto by describing the nature properties and kindes of faith the confession and ground whereof is set foorth in the Creede Faith therefore is a gift of God whereby we giue assent or credence to Gods word For there is a necessarie relatioÌ„ between faith gods word The coÌ„mon property of faith is noted by the authour of the Hebrews when he saith Faith is the ground of things hoped for and the demonstration of things that are not seene For all this may be understoode not onely of iustifying faith but also of temporarie faith and the faith of miracles Where faith is said to be a ground the meaning is that though there are many things promised by God which men do not presently enioy but only hope for because as yet they are not yet faith doeth after a sort giue subsisting or being vnto them Secondly it is an euidence or demonstration c. that is by beleeuing a maÌ„ doth make a thing as it were visible being otherwise invisible abseÌ„t Faith is of two sorts either common faith or the faith of the elect as Paul saith he is an Apostle according to the faith of Gods elect which also is called faith without hypocrisie The common faith is that which both elect and reprobate haue and it is threefold I. is historicall faith which is when a man doth beleeve the outward letter and historie of the word It hath two partes knowledge of Gods worde and an assent to the same knowledge it is to be found in the deuill and his angels So S. Iames saith the devils beleeve and tremble Some will say what a faith haue they Answ. Such as thereby they understand both the Law and
is one thing to beleeue in this or that is another thing and it conteineth in it 3. points or actions of a beleeuer 1. to know a thing 2. to acknowledge the same 3. to put trust and confidence in it And in this order must these three actions of faith be applied to euery article following which concerneth God And herein is contained a speciall matter For alwaies by adding them to the words following we doe applie the article vnto our selues in a very comfortable manner As I beleeue in the father and doe beleeue that he is my father and therefore I put my whole trust in him and so of the rest Now we come to the obiect of generall faith which is either God or the Church in handling of both which I wil obserue this order I. I will speake of the meaning of euery article II. Of the duties which we ought to learn thereby III. And lastly of the consolations which may be gathered thence Concerning God three things are to be considered And first by reason of manifold doubtings that rise in our minds it may be demanded whether there be a God many reasons might be vsed to resolue those that haue scruple of conscience otherwaies we are bound to beleeue that there is a God without al doubting As for those Atheists which confidently auouch there is no God by Gods lawe they ought to die the death nay the earth is too good for such to dwell on Malefactours as theeues and rebells for their offences haue their rewarde of death but the offence of those which denie that there is a God is greater and therefore deserues the most cruell death The second point followeth namely what God is Answer Moses desiring to see Gods face was not permitted but to see his hinder parts and therefore no man can be able to describe God by his nature but by his effects properties on this or such like maner God is an essence spirituall simple infinite most holy I say first of all that God is an essence to shew that he is a thing absolutely subsisting in himselfe by himselfe not receiuing his being from any other And herein he differeth frō all creatures whatsoeuer which haue subsisting beeing from him alone Againe I say that he is an essence spirituall because hee is not a kinde of body neither hath he the parts of the bodies of mē or other creatures but is in nature a spirit inuisible not subiect to any of mans senses I adde also that he is a simple essence because his nature admits no maner of composition of matter or forme or parts The creatures are compounded of diuers parts of varietie of nature but there is no such thing in God for whatsoeuer thing he is he is the same by one the same singular and indiuisible essence Furthermore he is infinite and that diuers waies infinite in time without any beginning and without end infinite in place because he is euery where and excluded no where within all places and foorth of all places Lastly he is most holy that is of infinite wisdome mercie loue grace goodnes c. and he alone is rightly tearmed most holy because holinesse is of the very nature of God himselfe wheras among the most excellent creatures it is otherwise As for example a man is one thing and the holines of man is another Thus we see what God is and to this effect god describes himself to be Iehova Elohim Paul describes him to be a King euerlasting immorall inuisible onely wise to whom is due all honour glorie for euer The thirde point is touching the number of Gods namely whether there be more Gods then one or no. Ans. There is not neither can there be any more Gods then one VVhich point the Creede auoucheth in saying I beleeue in God not gods and yet more plainly the Nicene Creede and the Creede of Athanasius both of them explaning the words of the Apostles Creede on this maner I beleeue in one God Howsoeuer some in former times haue erroneously held that two Gods were the begining of all things one of good things the other of euill things others that there was one God in the old testament an other in the new others againe namely the Valintinians that there were 30. couple of gods and the heathen people as Augustine recordeth worshipped 30. thousand gods yet we that are members of Gods Church must hold and beleeue one God alone no more Deut. 4.39 Vnderstand this day and consider in thine heart that Iehovah he is God in heauen aboue and vpon the earth beneath there is none other Eph. 4.8 One God one faith one baptisme If it be alleadged that the Scripture mentioneth many gods because Magistrates are called gods Moses is called Aarons god the deuill and all idols are called gods The answer is this They are not properly or by nature gods for in that respect there is onely one God but they are so tearmed in other respects Magistrates are gods because they be Vicegerents placed in the roome of the true God to gouerne their subiects Moses is Aarons god because he was in the roome of god to reueale his will to Aaron the deuill is a god because the hearts of the wicked would giue the honour vnto him which is peculiar to the euerliuing God idols are called gods because they are such in mens conceits and opinions who esteeme of them as of gods Therefore Paul faith an idole is nothing in the worlde that is nothing in nature subsisting or nothing in respect of the diuinitie ascribed vnto it To proceede forwarde to beleeue in this one God is in effect thus much 1. to knowe and acknowledge him as he hath reuealed himselfe in his worde 2. to beleeue him to be my God 3. from mine heart to put all mine affiance in him To this purpose Christ saith This is eternall life to knowe thee the onely God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. Nowe the knowledge here meant is not a bare or generall knowledge for that the deuills haue but a more speciall knowledge whereby I know God not onely to be God but also to be my God and thereupon doe put my confidence in him And thus much of the meaning of the first wordes I beleeue in God c. Nowe followe the duties which may be gathered hence First of all if wee are bound to beleeue in God then wee are also bound to take notice of our naturall vnbeliefe to checke our selues for it and to striue against it Thus dealt the father of the childe that had a dumme spirite Lord saith he J beleeue Lorde helpe myne vnbeleefe And David Why art thou cast dovvne my soule and why art thou so disquieted in me wayt on God And that which our Sauiour Christ said once to Peter should a man say euery day to himselfe O thou of little faith why hast thou doubted But
vaine for men to busie themselues about such things Ans. But we must know that as God hath appointed all things to come to passe in his eternall and vnchangeable counsell so in the same decree he hath together set downe the means waies whereby he will haue the same things brought to passe for these two must neuer be seuered the thing to be done the means whereby it is done VVe may read in the Acts in Pauls daungerous voyage towards Rome an Angel of the Lord told Paul that God had giuen him all that sayled with him in the ship nowe the souldiers and marriners hearing this might reason thus with theÌ„selues Seeing God hath decreed to saue vs all we may doe what we will there is no danger for we shall all come to land aliue but marke what Paul saith except these abide in the ship ye cannot be safe where we may see as it was the eternall counsell of God to saue Paul all that were with him so he decreed to saue all by this particular meanes of their aboad in the ship King Ezechias was restored to his health receiued from God a promise that he should haue 15. yeares added to his daies the promise was confirmed by signe nowe what doth he cast off all means no but as he was prescribed so he applieth a bunch of drie figges to his sore and vseth still his ordinarie dyet Therefore it is grosse ignorance madnes in men to reason so against Gods decree God in his vnchangeable counsell hath decreed set down all things how they shal be therefore I will vse no means but liue as I list nay rather we must say the contrarie because God hath decreed this thing or that to be done therfore I wil vse the means which God hath appointed to bring the same to passe Now followes the Creation which is nothing else but a worke of the blessed Trinitie forming framing his creatures which were not before that of nothing The points to be knowne concerning the creation are many The first is the thing by which God did begin finish the creatioÌ„ And we must vnderstande that at the first God made all things without any instrument or meanes not as men do which bring to passe their busines by seruants helps but only by his word commandement as the Psalmist saith He commanded and all things were made In the beginning God said Let their be light there was light by the same meanes was the creatioÌ„ of euery creature following The very power of the word and coÌ„mandement of God was such as by it that thing was made had a being which before was not It may be demanded what word this was by which God is said to make all things Ans. The word of God in scripture is taken 3. waies for the substantiall word for the souÌ„ding or written word for the operatiue or powerful word The substaÌ„tial word is the secoÌ„d person begotteÌ„ of the substaÌ„ce of the father Nowe howsoeuer it be true that God the father did create al things by his word that is by his SoÌ„ne yet doth it not seeme to be true that by these words God said let there be this or that that the SoÌ„ne is mâ—nt For that word vvhich God gaue out in the creation vvas in time vvheras the SoÌ„ne is the vvord of the father before all times and againe it is a vvord common to the three persons equally vvhereas the SoÌ„ is the vvord of the father onely Furthermore it is not like that it was any souÌ„ding word staÌ„ding of letters syllables vttered to the creatures after the vsuall maner of meÌ„ that was the cause of theÌ„ it remains therfore that all things were made by the operatiue vvord vvhich is nothing but the pleasure vvil appointmeÌ„t of God is more povverful to bring a thing to passe then all the meanes in the vvorld beside For Gods vvilling of any thing is his effecting doing of it And this is prooued by Dauid vvhen he saith He spake the word and they were made he coÌ„manded and they were created Hence vve must take out a speciall lesson needefull to be learned of euery man Looke vvhat povver God vsed shevved in making the creatures vvhen they vvere not the same povver he both can vvil shevv forth in recreating redeeming sinful meÌ„ by the pretious blood of Christ. By his vvord he created mans heart when it vvas not he can vvill as easily create in any of such a nevv heart specially vvheÌ„ vve vse the good means appointed for that end As vvhen Christ said to dead Lazarus Lazarus come forth he arose came forth of his graue though bouÌ„d haÌ„d foot so vvheÌ„ the Lord speaks to our dead hearts by his vvord spirit vve shal rise forth of the graues of our sinnes corruptions In the creatioÌ„ of the great vvorld God said let there be light presently darknes gaue place the same he caÌ„ do to the little vvorld that is to man We are by nature darknes let God but speake to our blind vnderstaÌ„dings our ignoraÌ„ce shal depart vve shal be inlightned vvith the knovvledge of the true God and of his vvil as Paul saith God that coÌ„maunded the light to shine out of darknes is he which hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knovvledge of the glory of God in the face of Iesus Christ. Secondly God made all creatures without motion labour or defatigation for his very bidding of the worke to be done was the doing of it And this thing no creature can doe but God onely though vnto Adam labour was without paine before the fall Thirdly the matter the first beginning of all creatures was nothing that is all things were made when as there was nothing whereof they might be made as Paul saith God calleth those things vvhich be not as though they were And indeed in the first creation al things must be made either of the essence of God or of nothing but a creature can not be made of the essence of God for it hath no parts it is not divisible and God made all things that were made out of himselfe or his owne essence the conclusion then is that the framing of the creatures in the beginning was not of any matter but of nothing This must teach us to humble our selves Many there be that stande upon their ancestours but let them here looke whence they came first namely as Abraham saith of himselfe of dust and ashes And what was this dust and ashes made of Surely of nothing wherefore every mans first beginning is of nothing Well then such men as are caried away with their pedigree and descent if they looke well into it they shall finde small cause to boast or bragge And this coÌ„sideration of our first beginning must moue vs to true
by meate drinke yet so as he can doth most freely order all things by meanes either aboue nature or against nature as it shall seeme good unto him As when hee caused the sunne to stand in the firmament to go back in Achas diall when he caused the fire not to burne the three children when he kept backe devve and raine three yere in Israel when hee made waters to flovve out of the rocke when hee caused Elias cloake to deuide the waters of Iorden when he caused iron to swimme when he preserued Ionas aliue three daies and three nightes in the whales belly when he cured diseases by the strength of nature incurable as the leprosie of Naaman the issue of blood and blindnesse c. Among all the meanes vvhich God useth the speciall are the reasonable creatures which are no passiue instruments as the toole in the hande of the workeman but actiue because as they are mooued by God so againe beeing induâ—d with will and reason they mooue themselues And such instruments are either good or euill Euill as wicked men and angels And these he useth to doe his good vvill and pleasure euen then when they doe least of all obey him And considering that the â—inning instrument which is mooued by God doeth also mooue it selfe freely without any constraint on Gods part God himselfe is free from all blame when the instrument is blame-worthy In directing the instrument God sinneth not the action indeede is of him but the defect of the action from the instrument which being corrupt can it selfe do nothing but that vvhich is corrupt God in the meane season by it bringing that to passe which is uerie good The whole cause of sinne is in Satan and in us as for god he puts no vvickednes into vs but the evill vvhich he finds in us he mooues orders and gouernes and bends it by his infinite vvisdome vvhen and in vvhat maner it pleaseth him to the glorie of his name the euill instrument not knowing so much nay intending a farre other ende As in the mill the horse blind-folded goes forward and perceiues nothing but that he is in the ordinarie way vvhereas the miller himselfe vvhippes him and stirres him forward for another end namely for the grinding of corne And this is that which we must holde touching Gods providence ouer vvicked men and angels and is standes vvith the tenour of the whole bible Iosephs breethren sold him into Egypt verie wickedly euen in the testimonie of their owne consciences yet Ioseph having respect to the counsell and vvorke of god vvhich he performed by his brethren saith that the Lorde sent him thither And the Church of Ierusalem saith that Herode and Pontius Pilate did nothing in the death of Christ but that which the hand and counsell of God had determined to be done because though they wickedly intended nothing but to shevve their mallice and hatred in the death of Christ yet God propounding a further matter by them then euer they dreamed of shewed forth his endles mercie to man in the worke of redemption On this maner must all the places of scripture be understood in which it is said that god gaue the vviues of Dauid to Absolon that God mooved David to number the people that he commanded Shemi to raile on David that the Medes and Persians are his sanctified ones that the revolt of the ten tribes was done by God c. By all these examples it appeares that we must not sever gods permission from his will or decree and that wee must put difference betweene the euill worke of man and the good worke of God which he doth by man and the whole matter may yet be more clerely perceiued by this comparison A thiefe at the day of assise is condemned and the magistrate appointes him to be executed the hangman owing a grudge to the malefactour useth him hardly and prolongeth his punishment longer then he should Nowe the magistrate and the hangman doe both one and the same worke yet the hangman for his part is a murderer the magistrate in the meane season no murderer but a iust iudge putting iustice in execution by the hangmaÌ„ So God though he use euill instruments yet is he free from the euill of the instruments And further we must here marke the difference vvhich must be made in gods using of all kinds of instruments WheÌ„ he useth good creatures as angels hee worketh his will not onely by them but also in them because hee inspires them and guides them by his spirite so as they shall will doe that which hee vvilleth and intendeth As for evill instruments he worketh by them only and not in them because he holdes backe his grace from them and leaues them to themselves to put in practise the corruption of their owne hearts Thus much of the partes of Gods prouidence now follow the kinds thereof Gods prouidence is either generall or speciall Generall is that which extendes it selfe to the whole world and all things indifferently euen to the deuils themselues By this providence God continues and mainetaines the order which he set in nature in the creation and he preserues the life substance and the being of all and euery creature in his kinde The especiall prouidence is that which God sheweth and exerciseth towards his Church and chosen people in gathering and guiding them and in preserving them by his mightie power against the gates of hell And therefore Gods Church here upon earth is called the kingdome of grace in which he shewes not onely a generall power ouer his creatures but withall the special operation of his spirite in bowing bending the hearts of men to his will Thus much concerning the doctrine of Gods prouidence Now followes the duties First seeing there is a providence of God ouer euerie thing that is wee are hereby taught to take good heede of the transgression of the least of Gods commaundements If men were persvvaded that the prince had an eie every where doubtles many subiects in England would walke more obediently to the lawes of the land then they doe and durst in no wise worke such vilanies as are daily practised VVell howsoeuer it is with earthly princes yet this is least wanting in God he hath an eye euerie where wheresoeuer thou art there god beholdeth thee as Dauid saith God looked downe from heauen upon the children of men to see if there were any that woulde vnderstand and seeke God Therefore except thou be brutish and past shame take heed of sinne If men had but a sparke of grace the consideration of this would make them loath the practise of wickednes Eliah saith to Ahab As the Lord God of Israell liveth before whom I stand there shall be neither dew nor raine these 3. yeres VVhere the Prophet confirmeth his speech with an oth saying As the Lord of hosts liueth it shall be so least Ahab should thinke he
vvoulde neuer rest nor be quiet but seeke unto him for his helpe and crie vvith Dauid O Lorde say unto my soule that thou art my salvation The woman that was diseased with an issue of bloode came behinde our Sauiour Christ and when shee had but touched him shee was healed In the same maner if wee shall seeke to come to Christ and do but touch his pretious body blood by the hand of faith the issues and the bleeding woundes of our soules shalbe dried up When a man that had bene sicke 38. yeres was come to the poole of Bethesda hee was faine to lie there vncured because when the angell troubled the water euermore some stept before him but if we will seeke to Christ for the saluation of our soules no man shall preuent us or step before us And if wee finde our selues to be so laden with the burden of our sinnes that we can not come to him let us then doe as the palsie man did he got 4. men to carry him on their shoulders to the place where Christ was and when they coulde not by reason of the prease of people enter into the house they opened the roofe and let him downe in his bedde by cordes to Christ that he might be healed And so let vs vse the helpe of such as be godly that by their instructions and consolations they may as it were put too their shoulders by their prayers as with cordes bring us to Christ that wee may receiue eternall saluation being otherwise deade in sinne and subiect to damnation Lastly whereas Ioseph and Mary gaue this name not at their owne pleasure but at the appointment of God himselfe this ministers a good instruction to all parents touching the naming of their children when they are baptised that they are with care and deliberation to giue convenient names vnto them which may put them in mind of duties either to God or men This is worthy of our obseruation for many care not how they name their children yea it is at this day euer hath bene that some giue such names to them as that at the verie rehearsing thereof laughter ensueth But this ought not to be so for the name is giuen unto children at the time of their baptisme in the presence of God of his Church and angels euen then vvhen they are to be entred into the Church of God and that in the name of the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost therefore though we do not place religion in titles or names yet neuerthelesse a vvise and godly choise in this matter is to be had that the names imposed may be in stead of instructions and admonitions to the parties named and for this cause in the old testament names were giuen either by propheticall instinct or according to the euent of things which came to passe about the time of the birth of children or they were borowed from the holy auncetours to put the posteritie in mind to follow their steppes And thus much of the duties Now follow the consolations that Gods Church and people reape from this that the sonne of God is our Saviour When as all mankind was included under sinne condemnation then the Lord had mercy upon us and gaue unto man the couenant of grace in vvhich he promised that his owne sonne should be our redeemer This is a great and unspeakable comfort as may appeare in that the angels so greatly reioyced herein when Christ was borne Behold say they I bring you tidings of great ioy that shall be to all the people that is that unto you is borne iâ— the citie of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord. Now if they reioyce thus exceedingly at Christs birth who vvas not their Sauiour because they stand not in neede to be redeemed then much more ought the Church of God to reioyce herein whome it doeth principally concerne and no marvell for if this sauiour had not beene it had bene better to haue beenâ— a bruite beast or any other creature then a man for the death of a beast is the end of his woe but the death of a man without a Sauiour is the beginning of endelesse miserie Satan and his angels are fallen and haue no Sauiour but when man was fallen God of his mercie dealt not so with him but gaue his ovvne sonne to restore him to better estate whereas he might as iustly haue damned all men for the fall of our first parents as hee did the wicked angels for theirs for God is not bound to any creature beholde then a matter of unspeakeable ioy let us therefore receiue and embrace Christ our Saviour flie to him for the pardon of all sinnes Nowe vvee come to the second title of the Sonne of God whereby hee is tearmed Christ vvhich title is as it were the surname of the seconde person as some doe thinke yet according to the opinion of some others it is no name at all but onely a meere appellation as vvhen in the like case a particular man is called a Duke or a King It is all one vvith Messiah in Hebrewe wherwith the redeemer was named in the olde Testament and both signifie annointed Among the Iewes before the comming of Christ three estates or orders of men were annointed with oile First of all kings as Saul Dauid and the rest of the kings of Iuda Secondly the priestes that serued in the tabernacle and temple before rhe Lorde when they were ordained and as it vvere installed into the priesthoode were annointed vvith oyle as first of all Aaron and his sonnes but aftervvard the high priests alone Thirdly prophets were thus annointed as Elisha Now this legall annointing was a tipe and figure of the annointing of Christ which was not with bodily oile but by the spirite and it was more excellent then all other annointings were For David saieth hee was annointed with the oile of gladnesse aboue all his fellowes signifying that neither king priest nor prophet was euer annointed in the same manner as he was Christes annointing is according to both his natures for in what nature hee is a Mediatour in the same hee is annointed but according to both his natures ioyntly hee is a mediatour the godheade is no mediatour without the manhoode nor the manhoode vvithout the godhead and therefore his annointing extendes it selfe both to his godhead and to his manhood Christes annointing hath two partes both of them figured by the annointing of the Iewes The first is his consecration whereby hee was set apart to doe the office of a Mediatour betweene God and man and therefore to be a king a priest a prophet a king to gather and withall to gouerne his Church and people a priest to make satisfaction and intercession for the sinnes of the elect a prophet to reveale and teach his people the will of God his father And though it be true that Christ is set a part to the worke
thankfulnes but mens hearts are so frozen in the dregges of their sinnes that this dutie comes litle in practise now adaies Our Sauiour Christ clensed ten leapers but there was but one of theÌ„ that returned to giue him thanks this is as true in the leprosie of the soule for though saluation by Christ be offered vnto vs daily by Gods ministers yet not one of ten nay scarse one of a thousand giues praise and thanks to God for it because men take no delite in things which coÌ„cerne the kingdome of heauen they thinke not that they haue need of saluation neither doe they feele any want of a Sauiour But we for our parts must learne to say with David What shall I render vnto the Lord for all his benefits yea we are to practise that which Salomon saith My sonne giue me thy heart for we should giue vnto God both bodie soule in token of our thankfulnes for this wonderful blessing that he hath giueÌ„ his only son to be our sauiour let vs know this for truth that they which are not thaÌ„kfull for it let them say what they wil they haue no soundnes of grace at the heart And thus much of the third title The fourth last title is in these words our Lord. Christ Iesus the only sonne of God is our Lord three waies 1. by creation in that he made vs of nothing when we were not 2. he is our Lord in the â—ight of redemption In former times the custome hath bin that wheÌ„ one is taken prisoner in the fields he that paies his ransome shall become alwaies after his lord so Christ when we were bondslaues vnder hell death condemnation paid the raÌ„some of our redemption and freed vs from the bondage of sinne and satan and therefore in that respect he is our Lord. 3. He is the heade of the Church as the husbande is the wiues head to rule and gouerne the same by his word and spirit And therefore in that respect also Christ is our Lord. And thus much for the meaning Now follow the duties 1. If Christ be our soueraigne Lord we must performe absolute obedience vnto him that is whatsoeuer he commaunds vs that wee must doe And I say absolute obedience because Magistrats Masters Rulers and fathers may command and must be obeyed yet noâ— simply but so farfoorth as that which they command doth agree with the word and commaundement of God but Christs will and word is righteousnes it selfe and therefore the rule and direction of all our actions whatsoeuer and for this cause he must be absolutely obeyed Thus he requires the obedience of the morall law but why because he is the Lord our God And in Malach. he saith If I be your Lord where is my feare And againe we must resigne both bodie and soule heart minde will affections and the course of our whole liues to be ruled by the will of Christ. He is Lord not onely of the bodie but of the spirite and soule of man hee must therefore haue homage of both as we adore him by the knee of the bodie so must the thoughts and the affections of our hearts haue their knees also to worship him and to shew their subiection to his commandements As for such as doe hold him for their Lord in word but will not indeauour to shew their loyaltie in all manner of obedience they are indeede no better then starke rebels Secondly when by the hande of Christ strange iudgements shall come to passe as it is vsuall in all places continually we must stay our selues without murmuring or finding fault because he is an absolute Lord ouer all his creatures all things are in his hands and he may doe with his owne whatsoeuer he will and therefore wee must rather feare and tremble whensoeuer wee see or heare of them so David saith I was dumbe and opened not my mouth because thou didst it And againe My flesh trembleth for feare of thee and I am afraid of thy iudgements Thirdly before we vse any of Gods creatures or ordinances we must sanctifie them by the direction of his word and by praier the reason is this because he is Lord ouer all and therefore from his word we must fetch direction to teach vs whether we may vse them or not and when and how we must vse them and secondly wee must pray to him that he would giue vs libertie and grace to vse them aright in holy maner Also we are so to vse the creatures and ordinances of God as beeing alwaies readie to giue an account for them at the day of iudgement for wee vse that which is the Lords not our owne we are but stewards ouer them we must come to a reckoning for the stewardship Hast thou learning then imploy it to the glorie of God the good of the Church boast not of it as though it were thine owne Hast thou any other gift or blessing of God be it wisdome streÌ„gth riches honour fauour or whatsoeuer then looke thou vse it so as thou maist be alwaies readie to make a good account thereof vnto Christ. Lastly euery one must so lead his life in this world as that at the day of death he may surrender and giue vp his soule into the hands of his Lord and say with Steven Lord Iesus receiue my soule for thy soule is none of thine but his who hath bought it with a price therfore thou must so order and keepe it as that thou maist in good manner restore it into the hands of God at the end of thy life If a man should borrow a thing of his neighbour and vse it so as he doth quite spoile it he would be ashamed to bring it againe to the owner in that manner and if he doe the owner will not receiue it Vngodly men in this life doe so staine their soules with sin as that they can neuer be able to giue them vp into the hands of God at the day of death if they would yet God accepts them not but casts theÌ„ quite away We must therefore labour so to liue in the world that with a ioyfull heart at the day of death we may commend our soules into the handes of our Lord Christ Iesus who gaue them vnto vs. This is a hard thing to be done and he that will doe it truly must first be assured of the pardon of his owne sinnes which a man can neuer haue without true and vnfained faith and repentance wherfore while we haue time let vs purge and clense our soules bodies that they may come home againe to God in good plight And here all gouernours must be put in mind that they an higher Lord that they may not oppresse or deale hardly with their inferiours And this is Pauls reason ye masters saith he doe the same things vnto your seruants putting away threatning and knowe that euen your master is also in heauen neither is
vnderstood with two caveats The first is that infirmities be either certaine vnblameable passions or else such defects as are sinnes in themselues nowe Christ takes the first onely and not the second Secondly infirmities be either generall or personall generall which appertaine to the whole nature of man and are to be found in euery man that comes of Adam as to be borne vnlearned and subiect to naturall affections as sorrowe anger c. Personall are such as appertaine to some particular men and not to all and arise of some priuate causes and particular iudgements of God as to be borne a foole to be sicke of an ague consumption dropsie pleuresie and such like diseases Now the first sort be in Christ and not the second for as he tooke not the person of any man but onely mans nature so was it sufficient for him to take vnto him the infirmities of mans nature though hee tooke not the priuate infirmities of any mans person And the reason why Christ would put on not onely the substance and faculties of a true man but also his infirmities was that hee might shewe him selfe to be very man indeed also that he might suffer for vs both in bodie and soule and that he might giue vs an example of patience in bearing all manner of euill for Gods glorie and the good of our neighbour Now the things which may be alleadged to the contrarie for the infringing of the truth of Christs manhood are of no moment As first because Christ appeared in the forme of a man in the old testament beeing no man therefore he did so at his comming in the newe testament but the reason is not like For Christ in the old testament as the angell of his father in some speciall affaires tooke vnto him the bodie of a man for some space of time but he did not receiue it into the vnitie of his person but laid it downe when the busines which he enterprised with men was ended Now in the fulnes of time he came from heauen as the angell of the covenant and for that cause he was to vnite into his owne person the nature of man And when as Paul saith that Christ came in the similitude of sinnefull flesh his meaning is not to signifie that he was a man onely in resemblance and shewe but to testifie that beeing a true man indeede void of sinne was content to abase himselfe to that condition in which he became like to a miserable sinner in bearing the punishment for our sinne For Paul doth not say that he tooke vpon him the similitude of flesh simply as it is flesh but of the flesh of sinne or sinnefull flesh The third question is why the sonne of God must become man Answer There be sundrie reasons of this point and the most principall are these First of all it is a thing that greatly standes with the iustice of God that in that nature in which God was offended in the same should be a made satisfaction to God for sinne nowe sinne was committed in mans nature Adam sinned first and in him all his posteritie therefore it is very necessarie that in mans nature there should be a satisfaction made to Gods iustice and therefore the sonne of God must needes abase himselfe and become man for our sakes Secondly by the right of creation euery man is bounde in conscience to fulfull euen the very rigour and extremitie of the morall lawe But considering man is nowe fallen from his first estate and condition therefore it was requisite that the sonne of God should become man that in mans nature hee might fulfill all righteousnes which the law doth exact at our handes Thirdly hee that is our redeemer must die for our sinnes for their is no remission of sinnes without shedding of bloode but Christ as he is God can not die For no passion can befall the Godhead Therefore it was needefull that hee should become man that in mans nature hee might die and fully satisfie Gods iustice for mans offence Lastly hee that must make reconciliation betweene God and man must be such an one as may make request or speake both to God and man For a Mediatour is as it were a middle person making intercession betweene two other persons the one offended the other offending Therefore it is necessarie that Christ should not onely be God to speake vnto the father for vs and to present our praiers vnto him but also man that God might speake to vs and we to God by Christ. For howsoeuer before the fal man could speake to God euen face to face yet since the fall such feare possesseth mans corrupt nature that he cannot abide the presence of God but flieth from it Nowe whereas I say that it was necessarie that the sonne of God for the causes before alleadged must become man the necessitie must be vnderstood in respect of Gods will and not in respect of his power For if it had so pleased God hee was able to haue laide downe an other kinde of way of mans redemption then by the incarnation of the sonne of God and he appointed no other way because he would not Thus much of the Incarnation in generall Now followe the duties vvhich arise of it And first vvee are taught hereby to come to Christ by faith and vvith all our heartes to cleaue unto him Great is the deadnesse and sluggishnesse of mans nature for scarse one of a thousande cares for him or seekes unto him for righteousnesse and life euerlasting But wee shoulde excite our selues euerie vvay to dravve neare to him as much as possibly vvee may for when hee was incarnate hee came neare unto us by taking our nature upon him that wee againe whatsoeuer wee are might come neare unto him by taking unto us his divine nature Againe when Christ was incarnate he was made bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh therfore proportionally we must labour to become bone of his bone flesh of his flesh which we shall be when we are mistically united unto him by faith born anew by his spirit Moreouer Christ by his incarnation came down frō heauen to vs that we being partakers of his grace might ascend vp to heauen by him And thus we see how the meditation of Christs incarnation should be a spurre to pricke vs forwarde still more and more to come to Christ. Secondly Christs incarnation must be a patterne vnto vs of a most wonderfull and straunge humilitie For as Paul saith Beeing in the forme of God and thinking it no robberie to be equall with God made himselfe of no reputation and tooke on him the forme of a seruant and humbled himselfe and became obedient to death euen to the death of the crosse Yea so farrefoorth abased hee himselfe that as David saith he was a worme and no man And this teacheth vs to lay aside all selfe-loue and pride of heart and to practise the dueties of
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
saluation by this meanes was nothing in man for all mankinde was shut vp vnder vnbeleefe and therefore vnable to procure the least fauour at Gods hād but the will and good pleasure of God within himselfe The instruments which the Lord vsed in this busines were the wicked Iewes and Gentiles the deuill himselfe by whō he brought to passe the most admirable worke of redemption euen then when they according to their kind did nothing els but practise wickednes and malice against Christ. II. The matter of the passion is the whole malediction or curse of the Law containing in it all manner of aduersities and miseries both of bodie and minde All which may be reduced to three heads the temptations of Christ his ignominies and slaunders his manifold sorrows and griefes especially those which stande in the apprehension of the vnsupportable wrath of God III. The forme of the passion is that excellent and meritorious satisfaction which in suffering Christ made vnto his father for mans sinne We doe not rightly consider of the passion if we conceiue it to be a bare and naked suffering of punishment but withall wee must conceiue it as a propitiation or a meanes satisfactorie to Gods iustice The passion considered as a passion ministers no comfort but all our ioy and reioycing stands in this that by faith we apprehend it as it is a satisfaction or a meanes of reconciliation for our offences In this very point stands the dignitie of the passion whereby it differs from all other sufferings of men whatsoeuer Therefore most damnable and wicked is the opinion of the Papists who besides the alone passion of Christ maintaine workes of satisfaction partly of their owne and partly of the Saints departed which they adde to the passion as an appendance thereof IV. The ende of the passion is that God might bring to passe a worke in which hee might more fully manifest his iustice and mercie then he did in the creation and that is the reconciliation betweene God and man And here remember with the passion to ioyne the obedience of Christ in fulfilling the lawe for Christ in suffering obeyed and in obeying suffered And they must be ioyntly conceiued together for this cause In reconciliation with God two things are required the remoouing of sinne in regard of the guilt of the fault and the punishment and the conferring or giuing of righteousnes Now the passion of Christ considered apart from his legall obedience onely takes away the guilt and punishment frees man from death and makes him of a sinner to be no sinner and that he may be fully reconciled to God and accepted as righteous to life euerlasting the legall obedience of Christ must be imputed And therefore in the Scriptures where all obedience is ascribed to the death and passion of Christ this very obedience which stands in the perfect loue of God and man must be included and not excluded V. The time of the passion was from the very byrth of Christ to his resurrection yet so as the beginnings onely of his sufferings were in the course of his life and the accomplishment thereof to the very full vpon the crosse VI. The person that suffered was the sonne of God himselfe concerning whome in this case two questions must be resolued The first how it can stand with Gods iustice to lay punishment vpon the most righteous man that euer was and that for grieuous sinners considering that tyrants themselues will not doe so Answer In the passion Christ must not be considered as a priuate person for then it could not stande with equitie that he should be plagued and punished for our offences but as one in the eternall counsell of God set apart to be a publike suretie or pledge for vs to suffer and performe those things which we in our owne persons should haue suffered and performed For this cause God the father is said to giue his sonne vnto vs and the sonne again to giue his life for his friends The second question is how by the short temporary death of the sonne of God any man can possibly be freed from eternal death damnation which is due vnto him for the least sinne Answer When wee say that the sonne of God suffered it must be vnderstood with distinction of the natures of Christ not in respect of the Godhead but in respect of the assumed manhood yet neuerthelesse the passion is to be ascribed to the whole person of Christ God and man and from the dignitie of the person which suffered ariseth the dignitie and excellencie of the passion whereby it is made in value and price to coūteruaile euerlasting damnation For when as the sonne of God suffered the curse for a short time it is more then if all men and angels had suffered the same for euer VII The difference of the passion of Christ and the sufferings of Martyrs and that stands in two things First Christs passion was a curse or punishment the sufferings of the Martyrs are no curses but either chastisments or trials Secondly the passion of Christ is meritorious for vs euen before God because he became our Mediatour and suretie in the couenant of grace but the sufferings of martyrs or not of value to merit for vs at Gods hand because in suffering they were but priuate men and therefore they nothing appertaine to vs. By this it appeares that the Treasurie of the Church of Rome which is as it were a common chest containing the ouerplus of the merits of Saints mingled with the merits of Christ kept and disposed by the Pope himselfe is nothing else but a sensles dotage of mans braine And whereas they say that Christ by his death did merit that Saints might merit both for themselues and others it is as much as if they should say the sonne of God became Iesus to make euery one of vs Iesus And it is a manifest vntruth which they say For the very manhood of Christ considered apart from the Godhead cannot merit properly considering whatsoeuer it is hath or doth it is hath and doth the same wholly and onely by grace whereas therefore Christ meriteth for vs it is by reason he is both God and man in one person For this cause it is not possible that one meere man should merit for an other The vse of the passion followeth It is the manner of Friers and Iesuits in the Church of Rome to vse the consideration of the passion of Christ as a meanes to stirre vp compassion in themselues partly towards Christ who suffered grieuous torments and partly towards the virgin Marie who for the torments of her deere sonne was exceedingly troubled and withall to kindle in their hearts an indignation towards the Iewes that put Christ to death But indeede this kinde of vse is meere humane and may in like manner be made by reading of any humane historie But the proper and the speciall vse of the passion in deede is
congregation to be elect in holy maner seeketh and willeth the saluation of euerie one which neuerthelesse the Lorde in his eternall counsell willeth not Nowe betweene both these willes there may be and is a difference without contrarietie For one good thing as it is good may differ from another but it can not be contrarie to it It may further be alleadged that in this prayer there seemes to be a combat and fight in the minde will and affections of Christ and therefore sinne Ansvvere There are three kinde of combates the one betweene reason and appetite and this fight is alwaies sinnefull and was not in Christ the second is betweene the flesh and the spirite and this may be in Gods childe who is but in part regenerate but it did not befall Christ who was perfectly holy The third is a combate of divers desires vpon sundrie respectes drawing a man too and fro This may be in mans nature without fault and was in Christ in whome the desire of doing his Fathers will striving and struggling with another desire whereby nature seekes to preserue it selfe caused him to pray in this manner The sixt point is in what maner Christ prayed Ansvver Hee prayed to his Father partly kneeling partly lying on his face and that with strong cries and teares sweating vvater and blood and all this hee did for our sinnes Here then behold the agonie of Christ as a cleare crystall in which we may fully see the exceeding greatnesse of our sinnes as also the hardnesse of our hearts We goe vaunting with our heads to heauen as though it were nothing to sinne against God whereas the horrour of the wrath of God for our rebellions brought downe euen the sonne of God himselfe and laid him groueling vpon the earth And wee can not so much almost as shed one teare for our iniquities whereas hee sweates bloode for vs. Oh let vs therefore learne to abase our selves and to carrie about us contrite and bleeding hearts and be confounded in our selues for our sinnes past The last point is the euent of the prayer in that it vvas heard as the authour of the Hebrewes saith Christ Iesus in the dayes of his flesh did offer vp vnto his father prayers and supplications with strong cries and teares vnto him that was able to saue him and vvas also hearde in that thing vvhich he feared But some will say how vvas Christ heard seeing he suffered death and bare the pangs of hell and the full vvrath of God if hee had beene hearde he shoulde haue beene delivered from all this Ans. VVe must knowe that God heares our prayers two vvaies I. when hee directly graunts our request II. vvhen knovving vvhat is good for vs he giues not vs our requests directly but a thing ansvverable therunto And thus vvas Christ heard for he was not deliuered from suffering but yet he had strength and povver giuen him vvhereby his manhood vvas made able to beare the brunt of Gods wrath And in the same manner God heareth the prayers of his seruants upon earth Paul prayed to be deliuered from the Angell Satan that buffeâ—ed him but the Lord answered that it must not so be because his grace vvherby he vvas inabled to resist his teÌ„ptaâ—ion vvas sufficient Paul finding the fruit of his praiers on this maner protestes hereupoÌ„ that he vvill reioyce in his infirmities Others pray for teÌ„porall blessings as health life libertie c. which notwithstanding God holds back and gives in stead thereof spirituall graces patience faith contentation of minde Augustine saith God heares not our prayers alwaies according to our willes and desires but according as the things asked shall be for our salvation He is like the Phisition who goes on to launch the wound and heares not the patient though he crie never so till the cure be ended Novve followeth the second thing to be considered in Christs apprehension namely the dealing of the Iewes wherein we must consider foure things I. how they consult togither concerning Christes apprehension II. howe they came to the place and mette him III. how they laid hands on him IIII. how they bound him and tooke him away For the first before they enterprised this matter they did wisely and warily lay their heads togither to consult of the time and place and also of the manner of apprehending him So S. Matthevv saith There assembled togither the chiefe priests and the scribes and the elders of the people into the hall of the chiefe priest called Caiphas and consulted how they might take Iesus by subtiltie Whence wee learne two good instructions First the Iewes hauing a quarrell against Christ could never be at rest till they had his blood and therefore they consult hovv they might take him but God did so order the matter and dispose of their purposes and consultations that hereby he did both confound them and their nation For by reason of this heynous sinne against Christ came the iust vvrath of God upon them and so remaineth unto this day VVhereby vvee see that those vvhich vvill be vvise vvithout the direction of Gods vvord and against Christ the Lord vvill ouerthrowe them in their ovvne vvisdome And thus it vvas vvith Achitophel vvho for vvisedome vvas as the oracle of God yet because he rebelled against the Lords anointed God confounded him in his ovvne vvisdome For vvhen his counseil vvhich he gaue against Dauid vvas not folovved he thought himselfe dispised as the text saith and sadled his Asse and arose and vvent home into his citie and put his houshold in order and hanged himselfe wherein he shewed himselfe more senselesse then a bruite beast And in our daies the Leagers that haue bound themselues by othe to roote out the Church of God by his most wonderfull providence turne their swords against themselues and destroy ech other Therefore if wee will be wise we must learne to be wise in Christ for els our counsell will be our owne confusion Secondly hence wee learne that if men will liue in their stubbernnesse and rebellion against Christ the Lord will so carrie and order those men or that people that they shalbe the causes of their owne perdition This wee may plainely see in the example of these Iewes for they evermore envied Christ and now they goe on to take counsell against him but God so disposed of it that thereby they brought destruction vpon themselues theit cuntry This must teach thee to take heed how thou livest in thy sinnes for if thou doe so the Lord hath many waies to worke thy confusion as thy conscience to condemne thee thy friends to forsake thee the divell his angels to torment molest thee his creatures to annoy thee Yea the Lord can leaue all these and make thine owne selfe to be the direct meanes of working thine owne confusion both in body and soule eternally and that euen then when thou art most wary and wise in thine owne behalfe
imputation and application was made his Furthermore Christ was crucified not after the maner of the Iewes who used to hang malefactors upon a tree binding them thereto with cords that wheÌ„ they were dead but after the usuall maner of the Romans his bodie being partly nailed to the crosse partly in the nailing extremely racked otherwise I see not but that a man might remaine many daies togither alive upoÌ„ the crosse And here we haue occasion to remeÌ„ber that the Papists who are so deuout zelous towards crucifixes are far deceived in the making of theÌ„ For first of all the crosse was made of 3. pieces of wood one fastned upright in the ground to which the bodie and back leaned the second fastened towardes the toppe of the first overthwart to which the hands were nailed the thirde fastned towards the bottome of the first on which the feete vvere set and nailed vvhereas contrarivvise popish caruers painters fasten both the feet of Christ to the first secoÌ„dly the feete of Christ vvere nailed asunder vvith tvvo distinct nailes not nailed one upon another with one naile alone as Papists imagine and that to the verie body of the crosse for then the soldiers could not haue broken both the leggs of the thieves but only the outmost Let vs now come to the vse which may be made of the crucifying of Christ. First of all here we learne with bitternes to bewaile our sinnes for Christ was thus cruelly nayled on the crosse and there suffered the whole wrath of God not for any offence that euer he committed but beeing our pledge and suretie vnto God he suffered all for vs and therefore iust cause haue we to mourne for all our offences which brought our Sauiour Christ to this low estate If a man should be so farre in debt that he could not be freed vnlesse the suretie should be cast into prison for his sake nay which is more be cruelly put to death for his debt it would make him at his wits ende and his very heart to bleede And so is the case with vs by reason of our sins we are Gods debters ye bankrupts before him yet haue we gotten a good suretie euen the sonne of God himselfe who to recouer vs to our former libertie was crucifyed for the discharge of our debt And therefore good cause haue we to bewaile our estate euery day as by the Prophet it is said They shall looke on him whome they haue pierced they shall lament for him as one mourneth for his owne sonne they shall be sorrie for him as one is sorrie for his first borne Looke as the blood followed the nailes that were striken through the blessed hands and feete of Christ so should the meditation of the crosse and passion of our Redeemer be as it were nayles and speares to pierce vs that our hearts might bleed for our sinnes and we are not to thinke more hardly of the Iewes for crucifying him then of our selues because our sinnes they also crucifyed him These are the very nayles which pierce his hands and feete and these are the speares which pierce through his side For the losse of a litle worldly pelfe oh how are we grieued but seeing our transgressions are the weapons whereby the sonne of God was crucifyed let vs I say it againe and againe learne to be grieued for them aboue al things with bleeding and melting hearts bowe and buckle vnder them as vnder the crosse Secondly Christ saith of himselfe as Moses lift vp the serpent in the wildernes so must the sonne of man be lifted vp the comparison is excellent and worthie the marking In the wildernes of Arabia the people of Israel rebelled against God and thereupon he sent fierie serpents among them which stong many of them to death now when they repented Moses was commanded to make a brasen serpent and to set it vpon a pole that as many as were stong might looke vnto it and recouer and if they could but cast a glaunce of the eye on the brasen serpent when they were stong eueÌ„ to death they were restored to health life Now euery man that liueth is in the same case with the Israelits Satan hath stong vs at the heart giuen vs many a deadly wound if we could feele it and Christ who was figured by the brasen serpent was likewise exalted on the crosse to coÌ„ferre righteousnes life eternal to euery one of vs therfore if we will escape eternal death we must renouÌ„ce our selues lift vp the eyes of our faith to Christ crucified pray for the pardon of our sinnes then shall our hearts consciences be healed of the wounds gripes of the deuil vntill such time as we haue grace to do this we shall neuer be cured but stil lie wounded with the stings of satan bleeding to death euen at the very heart although we feele no paine or griefe at all But some may aske how any man can see him crucifyed now after his death Answer Wheresoeuer the word of God is preached there Christ is crucifyed as Paul saith Oh foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you that ye should not obey the truth to whome before Iesus Christ was described in your sight and among you crucifyed meaning that he was liuely preached among them We neede not to goe to wooden crosses or to golden crucifixes to seek for him but where the Gospell is preached thither must wee go there lift vp our eyes of faith to Christ as he is reuealed vnto vs in the word resting on him and his merits with all our hearts and with a godly sorow confesse and bewaile our sinnes crauing at his hands mercie and pardon for the same For till such time as we doe this we are grieuously stong by Satan and are euery moment euen at deaths dore And if we can thus behold Christ by faith the benefites which comes hereby shall be great for as Paul saith the old man that is the corruption of our nature and the bodie of sinne that raigneth in vs shall be crucified with him for when Christ was nayled on the crosse all our sinnes were laide vpon him therefore if thou doest vnfainedly beleeue all thy sinnes are crucified with him and the corruption of thy nature languisheth and dieth as he languished and died vpon the crosse Thirdly we must learne to imitate Christ as he suffered himselfe to be nailed to the crosse for our sinnes so answearably must euery one of vs learne to crucifie our flesh and the corruption of our nature and the wickednesse of our owne heart as Paul saith They that are Christs haue crucified the flesh with the lusts and affections thereof And this we shall doe if for our sinnes past we doe waile and mourne with bitternes and preuent the sinnes to come into whiâ—h we may fall by reason of the corruption of our natures by vsing all good meanes as
marke that both the thieues in euery respect were equal both wicked and leud liuers and for their notorious faults both attached condemned executed both on the crosse at the same time with Christ yet for all this the one repenting was saued the other was not And in their two exāples we see the state of the whol world wherof one part is chosen to life eternall and thereupon attaines to faith and repentance in this life the rest are reiected in the eternall counsell of God for iust causes knowne to himselfe and such being left to thēselues neuer repent at all Secondly we are taught hereby that the whole worke of our conuersion and saluation must be ascribed wholly to the meere mercie of God of these two thieues the one was as deepely plunged in wickednes as the other and yet the one is saued the other condemned The like was in Iacob and Esau both borne at one time and of the same parents neither of them had done good nor euill when they were borne yet one was then loued the other was hated yea if we regard outward prerogatiues Esau was the first borne and yet was refused Furthermore the thiefe on the crosse declareth his conversion by manifest signes and fruites of repentance as appeares by the words which he spake to his fellowe Fearest not thou God seeing thou art in the same condemnation Though hands and feete were fast nailed to the crosse yet heart and tongue is at libertie to giue some tokens of his true repentance The people of this our land heare the word but for the most part are without either profit in knowledge or amendment of life yet for all this they perswade themselues that they haue good hearts good meanings though they cannot beare it a way and vtter it so wel as others But alas poore soules they are deluded by satan for a man that is conuerted can not but expresse his conuersion and bring foorth the fruits thereof And therefore our Sauiour Christ saith If a man beleeue in me out of his bellie shal flow riuers of water of life The grace as Elihu saith of God is like newe wine in a vessell which must haue a vent and therefore he that sheweth no tokens of Gods grace in this life is not as yet conuerted let him thinke say of himselfe what he will Can a man haue life and neuer mooue nor take breath and can he that bringeth forth no fruit of his conuersion liue vnto God Well let vs nowe see what were the fruites of the thiefes repentance They may be reduced to foure heads First he rebukes his fellow for mocking Christ indeauouring thereby to bring him to the same condition with himselfe if it were possible whereby he discouers vnto vs the propertie of a true repentant sinner which is to labour and striue so much as in him lieth to bring all men to the same state that he is in Thus Dauid hauing tried the great loue and fauour of God toward himselfe breaketh foorth and saith Come children hearken vnto me and I will teach you the feare of the Lorde shewing his desire that the same benefits which it pleased God to bestow on him might also in like manner be conveighed to others Therefore it is a great shame to see men professing religion carried away with euery companie and with the vanities and fashions of the world whereas they should rather draw euen the worst men that be to the fellowship of those graces of God which they haue receiued That which the Lord spake to the Prophet Ieremie must be applied to all men Let them returne vnto thee but returne not thou vnto them In instruments of musicke the string out of tune must be set vp to the rest that be in tune and not the rest to it Againe in that he checkes his fellowe it shewes that those which be touched for their owne sinnes are also grieued when they see other men sinne and offende God But to goe further in this point let vs diligently and carefully marke the manner of his reproofe Fearest thou not God seeing thou art in the same condemnation In which words he rippes vp his lewdnesse euen to the quicke and giues him a worthie item telling him that the cause of all their former wickednesse had beene the want of the feare of God And this point must euery one of vs marke with great diligence For if we enter into our hearts and make a thorough search wee shall finde that this is the roote and fountaine of all our offences We miserable men for the most part haue not grace to consider that we are alwaies before God and to quake and tremble at the consideration of his presence and this makes vs so often to offend God in our liues as we doe Abraham comming before Abimelech shifting for himselfe said that Sara was his sister and beeing demaunded why he did so answeared because he thought the feare of God was not in that place insinuating that he which wants the feare of God will not make conscience of any sinne whatsoeuer VVould wee then euen from the bottome of our hearts turne to God and become newe creatures then let vs learne to feare God vvhich is nothing else but this vvhen a man is persvvaded in his ovvne heart and conscience that wheresoeuer he be he is in the presence and sight of God and by reason thereof is afraide to sinne This wee must haue fully settled in our hearts if wee desire to learne but the first lesson of true wisedome But what reason vseth the thiefe to drawe his fellowe to the feare of God Thou art saith he in the same condemnation that is by thy sinnes and manifolde transgressions thou hast deserued death and it is nowe most iustly inflicted vpon thee wilt thou not yet feare God Where we are taught that temporall punishments and crosses ought to be meanes to worke in vs the feare of God for that is one ende why they are sent of God It is good for me saith Dauid that I haue beene chastised that I may learne thy statutes And Paul saith when we are chastised we are nurtured of the Lord. And the Iewes are taught by the Prophet Micah to say I will beare the wrath of the Lord because I haue sinned against him The second fruit of his conuersion is that he condemneth himselfe and his fellow for their sinnes saying Indeede we are righteously here for we receiue things worthie for that we haue done that is we haue wonderfully sinned against Gods maiestie and against our brethren and therefore this grieuous punishment which we beare is most iust and due vnto vs. This fruit of repentance springs and growes very thinne among vs for fewe there be which doe seriously condemne themselues for their owne sinnes the manner of men is to condemne others and to cry out that the world was neuer so badde but bring them home to
his godheade But his godhead could not descend because it is euery where and his bodie was in the graue And as for his soule it went not to hell but presently after his death it went to paradise that is the third heauen a place of ioy happines Luke 23.43 This day shalt thou be with me in paradise which vvordes of Christ must be understood of his manhood or soule not of his godhead For they are an answer to a demaÌ„d therfore unto it they must be sutable Now the thief seeing that Christ was first of all crucified therfore in all likelihood first of all die makes his request to this effect Lorde thou shalt shortly enter into thy kingdome remeÌ„ber me then to which Christes answere as the very words import is thus much I shall enter into paradise this day there shalt thou be with me Now there is no entrance but in regard of his soule or manhood For the godhead which is at all times in all places caÌ„ not be said properly to enter into a place Again when Christ saith thou shalt be with me in paradise he doeth intimate a resemblaÌ„ce which is betweene the first secoÌ„d Adam The first AdaÌ„ sinned against God was presently cast foorth out of paradise Christ the second Adam hauing made a satisfactioÌ„ for sinne must immediatly enter into paradise Now to say that Christ in soule descended locally into hell is to abolish this analogie betvvene the first second Adam III. Ancient councels in their confessions and creeds omitting this clauseshew that they did not acknowledge any reall descent and that the true meaning of these words he descended was sufficiently included in some of the former articles that may appeare because when they set downe it they omit some of the former as Athanasius in his creed setting downe these words he descended c. omits the buriall putting them both for one as he expounds himselfe else where Now let us see the reasons which may be alledged to the contrary Ob. I. Mat. 12.40 The sonne of man shall be 3. dayes 3. nights in the heart of the earth that is in hell Ans. I. This exposition is directly against the scope of the place for the Pharisies desired to see a signe that is some sensible manifest miracle hereunto Christ answeres that he will giue them the signe of Ionas which caÌ„ not be the descent of his soule into the place of the daÌ„ned which is impossible but rathet his buriall after it his manifest glorious resurrectioÌ„ II. The hart of the earth may as wel signify the graue as the center of the earth For thus Tyrus bordering upon the sea is said to be in the heart of the sea III. This exposition takes it far granted that hell is seated in the middest of the earth wheras the scriptures reveale unto us no more but this that hell is in the lower parts but wher these lower parts should be no man is able to define Obiect II. Act. 2.37 Thou wilt not leaue my soule in hell neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption Answer These wordes can not prooue any locall descent of Christs soule For Peters drift in alleadging of them is to prooue the resurrection and he saith expressely that the wordes must be vnderstoode of the resurrection of Christ vers 31. He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ. What namely these words his soule was not left in hell c. Nowe there is no resurrection of the soule but of the bodie onely as the soule cannot be said to fall but the bodie It will be replied that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cannot signifie the bodie and the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the graue Answer The first word signifies not onely the spirituall part of man the soule but also the whole person or the man himselfe Rom. 13.1 1. Cor. 15.45 And the second is as well taken for the graue as for hell Apoc. 20.14 Death and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are cast into the lake of fire Nowe we can not say that hell is cast into hell but the graue into hell And the word in this text must needes haue this sense For Peter makes an opposition betwâ—eene the graue into which Dauid is shut vp and the hell out of which Christ was deliuered vers 2â— 31. Againe it will be saide that in this text there be two distinct parts the first of the soules comming forth of hell in these words Thou wilt not leaue my soule in hell The second of the bodies rising out of the graue in the next words neither wilt thou suffer my flesh to see corruption Answer It is not so For flesh in this place signifies not the bodie alone but the humane nature of Christ as appeares vers 30. vnlesse we shall say that one and the same word in the same sentence is taken two waies And the words rather carrie this sense Thou wilt not suffer me to continue long in the graue nay which is more in the time of my continuance there thou wilt not suffer me so much as to feele any corruption because I am thy holy one Obiect III. 1. Pet. 3.19 Christ was quickned in spirit by the which spirit he went and preached to the spirits which are in prison Answer The place is not for this purpose For by spirit is ment not the soule of Christ but his Godhead which in the ministerie of Noe preached repentance to the olde world And I thinke that Peter in this place alludes to another place in Genesis 6.3 where the Lord saith My spirit shall not alwaies striue with man because he is but flesh And if the spirit doe signifie the soule then Christ was quickned either by his soule or in his soule But neither is true For the first it can not be said that Christ was quickened by his soule because it did not ioyne it selfe to the bodie but the Godhead ioyned them both Neither was he quickened in soule for his soule died not It could not die the first death which belongs to the bodie and it did not die the second death which is a totall separation from God onely it suffered the sorrowes of the second death which is the apprehension of the wrath of God as a man may feele the pangs of the first death and yet not die the first death but liue Againe it is to no ende that Christs soule should goe to hell to preach considering that it was neuer heard of that one soule should preach to another especially in hell where all are condemned and in conscience convicted of their iust damnation and where there is no hope of repentance or redemption It will be answered that this preaching is onely reall or experimentall because Christ shews himselfe there to conuince the vnbeleefe of his enemies Answer This which is said is flat against reason For when a man is iustly condemned
turne betime from our sinnes and become the friends of Christ that so we may escape these fearefull iudgements And whereas Christ in this manner gouernes all things in heauen and earth we are bound to performe vnto him three duties reuerence obedience thankfulnes For the first Paul saith God hath exalted him and giuen him a name aboue all names that at the name of Iesus which name is his exaltation in heauen in full power and glorie should euery knee bowe We dare not so much as speake of an earthly king vnreuerently what reuerence then doe we owe vnto Christ the king of heauen and earth Dauids heart was touched in that he had cut off but the lappe of Sauls garment when he might haue slaine him because he was the Lords annointed Oh then howe much more ought our hearts to be touched if we shall in the least measure dishonour Christ Iesus our Lord and king Secondly we are here taught to performe obedience to him and to do him all the homage we can The master of the familie in all his lawfull commaundements must be obeied now the Church of Christ is a familie therfore we must yeild obedience to him in al things for al his coÌ„mandemeÌ„ts are iust WheÌ„ Saul was chosen king ouer Israel certain men which feared God whose hearts God had touched followed him to Gibea brought him presents but the wicked despised him the same is much more to be verified in vs towarde Christ our Lord. We must haue our hearts touched with desire to performe obedience vnto him if not we are men of Belial that despise him and refuse to bring our presents vnto him If this obedience were put in practise the Gospell would haue better successe in the hearts of the people and the Lords sabbath would be better kept and men would beare greater loue both to God and to their neighbours then now they doe The third dutie which we owe vnto him is thankfulnes for the endlesse care which he sheweth in the gouerning and preseruing of vs. VVhen Dauid waxed old and had made Salomon his sonne king in his stead all the people shouted and cried God saue king Salomon God saue king Salomon so as the earth rang againe Shall the people of Israel thus reioyce at the crowning of Salomon shal not we much more reioyce when as Christ Iesus is placed in heauen at the right hand of his father and hath the euerlasting scepter of his kingdome put into his hand And we are to shew this thankfulnes vnto him by doing any thing in this world that may tend to his honour and glorie though it be with the aduenture of our liues VVhen Dauid desired to drinke of the water of the well of Bethlem three of his mightie men went and brake into the host of the Philistims and brought him water Thus they ventured their liues for Dauids sake and shall not we much more willingly venture our liues to doe Christ seruice in token of thankfulnes for his continuall preseruing of vs Thus much of the highest degree of Christs exaltation in his kingdome now followeth the last point to be beleeued concerning Christ in these words From thenâ—e he shall come to iudge the quicke and the deade And they containe a proofe or a particular declaration of the former article For as on earth those that are set at the right hand of kings doe execute iustice in courts or assises for the maintenance of the state and peace of the kingdome so Christ Iesus sitting at the right hande of his father that is being made soueraigne Lord of all things both in heauen earth is to hold a court or assise in which he shall come to iudge both the quicke and the dead Now in handling the last iudgement we are to consider these points I. whether there shall be a iudgement or not II. the time of it III. the signes therof IV. the manner of it V. the vse which is to be made thereof Of these in order For the first point whether there shall be a iudgement or not the question is needefull for as Saint Peter saith There shall come in the last daies mockers which shall walke after their lusts and say Where is the promise of his comming which daies are now The answeare is set downe in this article in which we professe that the coÌ„ming of Christ to the last iudgement is a point of religion specially to be held and auouched The reasons to prooue it are principally two first the testimonie of God himselfe in the books of the old and new testament which affoard vnto vs plentifull testimonies touching the last iudgement so as he which will but lightly reade the same shall not neede to doubt thereof The second reason is taken from the iustice and goodnes of God the propertie wherof is to punish wicked and vngodly men and to honour and reward the godly but in this world the godly maÌ„ is most of al in misery for iudgement beginneth at Gods house and the vngodly haue their hearts ease Wicked Diues hath the world at will but pore Lazarus is hunger bitten full of soares miserable euery way This being so it remaineth that after this life there must needes be a iudgement and a second comming of Christ when the godly must receiue fulnes of ioy glorie and the vngodly fulnes of woe and miserie This second reason may stoppe the mouthes of all gainesayers in the worlde whatsoeuer But it may be obiected that the whole world stands either of beleeuers or vnbeleeuers and that there is no last iudgement for either of these for the beleeuer as Christ saith hath euerlasting life shal not come into iudgement and the vnbeleeuer is condemned alreadie and therefore needeth no further iudgement Answ. Where it is said he that beleeueth shall not come into iudgement it must be vnderstood of the iudgement of condemnation not the iudgement of absolution he that beleeueth not is condemned alreadie in effect substance three waies I. in the counsel of God who did foresee appoint his condemnation as it is a punishment of sinne and an execution of his iustice II. in the word of God where he hath his condemnation set down III. he is condemned in his own conscience for euery vngodly mans conscience is a iudge vnto himselfe which doth euery houre condemne him and it is a forerunner of the last iudgement And notwithstaÌ„ding all this there may remain a second iudgement which is a manifestatioÌ„ finishing of that which was beguÌ„ in this world therefore the meaning of that place is this he that beleeueth not is alreadie iudged in part but so as the full manifestation thereof shall be at the second comming of Christ. The second circumstance is the time of his iudgement in handling whereof I. we will see what is the iudgement of men II. what is the truth For the first two opinions touching this
time take place The first is that the second comming of Christ shall be about sixe thousand yeares from the beginning of the world that for the elects sake some of these daies must be shortned now since the beginning of the world are passed fiue thousand almost sixe huÌ„dred yeares so as there remaine but foure hundreds The grouÌ„ds of this opinion are these First the testimonie of Elias two thousand yeares before the law two thousand yeares vnder the law and two thousand yeres vnder Christ. And for the elects sake some of these yeares shalbe shortned Answ. This was not the senteÌ„ce of Elias the Thisbite but of another Elias which was a Iew no Prophet And wheras he saith two thousand yeares before the law two thousand yeres vnder the law he faileth From the giuing of the law to the comming of Christ was about one thousand fiue hundred yeares and from the law to the creation aboue two thousand Now if Elias can not set downe a iust number for the time past which a meane man may doe what shall we think that he can doe for the time to come And if he deceiue vs in that which is more easie to finde howe shall wee trust him in things that be harder The second reason is this howe long God was in creating the worlde so long he shall be in gouerning the same but he was sixe daies in creating the worlde and in the seuenth he rested and so proportionally he shall be sixe thousand yeares in gouerning the world euery day answearing to a thousand yeares as Peter saith A thousand yeares are but as one day with God and then shall the ende be Answer This reason likewise hath no ground in Gods word as for that place of Peter the meaning is that innumerable yeares are but as a short time with God and we may as well say two thousand or tenne thousand yeares are but as one day with God For Peter meant not to speake any thing distinctly of a thousand yeares but of a long time Thirdly it is alleadged that within sixe thousand yeares from the creation of the worlde shall appeare in the heauens straunge coniunctions and positions of the starres which signifie nothing else but the subversion of the state of the world nay some haue noted that the ende thereof should haue beene in the yeare of our Lord a thousand fiue hundred eightie eight their writings are manifest but we finde by experience that this opinion is false and friuolous and their groundes be as friuolous For no man can gather by the ordinarie course of the heauens the extraordinarie change of the whole world The second is that the end of the world shall be three yeares and an halfe after the reuealing of Antichrist And it is gathered out of places in Daniel and the Revelation abused Where a time and times and halfâ— a time signifie not three yeares and an halfe but a short time And therefore to take the words properly is farre from the meaning of the holy Ghost For marke if the end shall be three yeares an halfe after the reuealing of Antichrist then may any man knowe before hand the particular moneth wherein the ende of the world should be which is not possiblâ— Now the truth which is to be auouched against all is this that no man can know or set downe or coniecture the day the weeke the moneth the yeare or the age wherein the second comming of Christ and the last day of iudgement shall be For Christ himselfe saith of that day and houre knoweth no man no not the angels in heauen but God onely nay Christ himselfe as he is man knoweth it not And when the disciples asked Christ at his ascensioÌ„ whether he would restore the kingdoÌ„ vnto Israel he answered It is not for you to know the times and seasons which the father hath put in his owne power And Paul saith Of the times and seasons brethren you haue no neede that I write vnto you For you your selues knâ—w perfectly that the day of the Lord shall come euen as a thiefe in the night Now we know thaâ— a man that keepeth his house can not coniecture or imagine when a thiefe will come and therefore no man can set downe the particular time or age when Christ shal come to iudgement This must we hold steadfastly and if wee reade the contrarie in the writings of men we are not to beleeue their sayings but accouÌ„t of them as of the deuices of meÌ„ which haue no ground in Gods word To come to the third point namely the signes of the last iudgement they are of two sorts some goe before the comming of Christ and some are ioyned with it The signes that goe before are in number seuen recorded distinctly by the holy Ghost The first is the preaching of the Gospell through the whole worlde So our Sauiour Christ saith This Gospell of the kingdome must be preached through the whole world for a witnesse vnto all nations and then shall the ende come Which place must thus be vnderstoode not that the Gospell must be preached to the whole world at any one time for that as I take it was neuer yet seene neither shalbe but that it shall be published distinctly and successiuely at seuerall times and thus vnderstanding the words of Christ if we consider the time since the Apostles daies we shall finde this to be true that the Gospell hath bin preached to all the world and therefore this first signe of Christs comming is alreadie past and accomplished The second signe of his comming is the reuealing of Antichrist as Paul saith The day of Christ shall not come before there be a departure first and that man of sinne be disclosed euen the sonne of perdition which is Antichrist Concerning this signe in the yeare of our Lord 602. Gregorie the eight Pope of Rome auouched this solemnly as a manifest 〈◊〉 that whosoeuer did take to him selfe the name of Vniuersall Bishop the same was Antichrist Now fiue yeares after Boniface succeeding him was by Pâ—ocas the Emperour entituled Vniversall Bishop pastor of the Catholicke Church in the yeare of our Lord 607. of all Popes he was the first knowne Antichrist since him all his successours haue taken vnto them the same title of Vniuersall Catholick Bishop whereby it doth plainly appeare that at Rome hath bin and is the Antichrist And this signe is also past The third is a generall departing of most men from the faith For it is said in the place before named Let no man deceiue you for the day of Christ shall not come except there come a departing first Generall departure hath bin in former ages When Arius spied his heresie it tooke such place that the whole world became an Arian And during the space of 900 yeares from the time of Boniface the popish heresie spread it selfe ouer the whole earth and the faithful seruants of
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
and therefore proportionally Esau was debased to the condition of a seruant in respect of his younger brother not so much in respect of his outward estate and condition as in regard of the couenant made with his auncetours from which he was barred And though it be graunted that by Iacob and Esau two nations and not two persons are to be vnderstood yet all comes to one head for the receiâ—ing of the nation of the Israelites into the couenant and the excluding of the nation of the Edomites both descending of Iacob and â—sau serue as well to prooue Gods eternall election and reprobation as the receiuing and reiecting of one man Others say that these words I haâ—e hated Esau are thus to be vnderstood I haue lesse loued Esau then Iacob But how then shall we say that Paul hath fitly alleadged this text to prooue the reiection of the Iewe from the fauour of God and the Couenant of grace considering that of men whereof one is loued more of God the other lesse both may still remaine in the Couenant Lastly it is alleadged that the former exposition makes Ismael and Esau damned persons Answer Wee must leaue vnto God all secret iudgement of particular persons and yet neuerthelesse Paul doeth very fitly in there two persons both descending of Abraham and both circumcised set foorth examples of such as for all their outwarde prerogatiues are indeede barred from the couenant of life euerlasting before God And againe the opposition made by Paul requires that the contrarie to that which is spoken of Isaac and Iacob should be saide of Ismael and Esau. And there is nothing spoken of either of them in the Scriptures which argues the disposition of men ordained to eternall life Ismael is noted with the brande of a mocker and Esau of a prophane man To proceede in the text because the doctrine of Paul deliuered in the former verses might seeme straunge vnto the Romanes therefore in the 14. verse hee laies downe an obiection and answeares the same The obiection is this If God put distinction betweene man and man without respect had to their persons vpon his owne will and pleasure then hee is vniust but hee is not vniust therefore hee makes no such distinction The answeare is God forbid Whereby he denies the consequence of the proposition on this manner Though God should elect some to saluation and reiect some others and that vpon his will yet were there no iniustice with God The reason of this answeare followes in the 18. vers God hath absolute povver of will whereby without beeing bound to any creature he may and can first of all haue mercie on whome he will and secondly harden whome he wil. For the proofe of the first that God hath mercie on whome he will he laies downe the testimonie of Moses vers 15. I will haue mercie on him on whome J will shew mercie and I will haue compassion on him on whome I will haue compassion And in vers 16. makes his collection thence that it namly the purpose of God according to election v. 11. is not in him that willeth or in him that runneth but in God that shevveth mercie Whereby hee teacheth that the free election of God in order goes before all things that may in time befall man and that therefore neither the intentions and indeauours of the minde nor the workes of our life which are the effects of election can be the impulsive causes to mooue God to choose vs to saluation The second that God hardens whome he will is confirmed and made plaine by the testimonie of Scripture concerning Pharao vers 17. In the 19. vers there followes an other obiection arising out of the answeare to the former on this manner If God will haue some to be hardened and reiected and his will can not be resisted then with no iustice can he punish them that are necessarily subiect to his decree but God will haue some to be hardened and reiected and his will can not be resisted therefore saith the aduersarie with no iustice can he punish man that is necessarily subiect to his decree Here marke that if there had beene an vniuersall election of all men and if men had beene elected or reiected according as God did foresee that they would beleeue or not beleeue the occasion of this obiection had beene cut off But let vs come to Pauls answeare In the 20. verse he takes the assumption for graunted that some are reiected because God will and that the will that is the decree of God can not be resisted and onely denies the coherence of the preposition checking the malipert pride of the aduersarie and shewing that the making of this wicked and blasphemous collection against the will of God is as if a man should sue God at the lawe and bring him as it were to the barre and pleade against him as his equall whereas indeede the creature is nothing to the creator and is absolutely to submit it selfe to his will in all things In vers 21. he proceeds to a second answeare shewing that Gods will is not to be blamed because by his absolute soueraignitie and the right of creation he hath power to chose men or to reiect and harden them And where there is right and power to doe a thing the wil of the doer is not to be blamed Now that God hath this right and power ouer his creature it is prooued by a comparison from the lesse to the greater on this manner The potter hath power ouer the clay to make of the same lumpe one vessell to honour and an other to dishonour therefore may God much more make some vessells of mercie and some vessells of wrath prepared to destruction The first part of the comparison is vers 21. the second part vers 22 23. And least any man should thinke that God makes vessells of honour and dishonour without sufficient and iust cause in himselfe as the potter may doe therfore he sets downe ends of the will of God he makes vessels of dishonour to shew his wrath and to make manifest his power and againe he condemnes no man till he haue suffered him with long patience And he makes vessels of honour that he might declare the riches of his glorie vpon them Hence it is manifest first that the ende of predestination is the glorie of God which is to be made manifest partly in his iustice and partly in his mercie secondly that men are not elected or refused of God for their foreseene corruptions or vertues for then Paul would not haue said that God made vessells of dishonour but that beeing so alreadie he left them in their dishonour Thus from the 6. verse of this chapter to the 24. Paul hath described vnto vs the doctrine of Gods eternall predestination and that by the iudgement of Diuines in all ages The order of Gods predestination is this It is the propertie of the reasonable creature to conceiue one thing after an
churches elect II. they are called elect of the principal part and not because euery member thereof was indeed elect as it called an heape of corne though the bigger part be chaffe Secondly it is alleadged that Dauid praies that his enemies may be blotted out of the booke of life which is the Election of God and that Moses and Paul did the like against themselues Answear Dauids enemies had not their names written in the booke of life but onely in the iudgement of men Thus Iudas so long as he was one of the disciples of Christ was accounted as one hauing his name written in heauen Now hence it follows that mens names are blotted out of Gods booke when it is made cleare and manifest vnto the worlde that they were neuer indeede written there And where Moses saith forgiue them this sinne if not blotte me out of thy booke and Paul I could wish to be accursed c. there meaning was not to signifie that men elected to saluation may become reprobates onely they testifie their zealous affections that they could be coÌ„tent to be depriued of their owne saluation rather then the whole bodie of the people should perish and God loose his glorie As for that which Christ saith Haue I not chosen you twelue and one of you is a deuill is to be vnderstood not of election to saluation but of election to office of an Apostle which is temporarie and changeable The third point is that there is an actuall election made in time beeing indeede a fruit of Gods decree and answearable vnto it and therefore I added in the description these words whereby he hath chosen some men All men by nature are sinners and children of wrath shut vp vnder one and the same estate of condemnation And actuall election is when it pleaseth God to â—euer and single out some men aboue the rest out of this wretched estate of the wicked worlde and to bring them to the kingdome of his owne sonne Thus Christ saith of his owne disciples I haue chosen you out of the world The fourth point is the actuall or reall foundation of Gods Election and that is Christ and therefore wee are said to be chosen to saluation in Christ. He must be considered two waies as he is God we are predestinate of him euen as we are predestinate of the father and the H. Ghost As he is our Mediatour we are predestinate in him For when God with himselfe had decreed to manifest his glorie in sauing some men by his mercie he ordained further the creation of man in his owne image yet so as by his owne fall he should infold himselfe and all his posteritie vnder damnation this done he also decreed that the Word should be incarnate actually to redeeme those out of the former miserie whome he had ordained to saluation Christ therefore himselfe was first of all predestinate as he was to be our head and as Peter saith ordained before all worlds and we secondly predestinate in him because God ordained that the Exequution of mans Election should be in him Here if any demaund how we may be assured that Christ in his Passion stoode in our roome and steade the resolution will bee easie if wee consider that hee was ordained in the eternall counsell of God to be our suretie and pledge and to be a publike person to represent all the Elect in his obedience and sufferings and therefore it is that Peter saith that he vvas deliuered by the foreknovvledge and determinate counsell of God And Paul that grace vvas given vnto vs through Christ Iesus before the vvorlde vvas The fifth point is concerning the number of the Elect. And that I expressed in these words hath chosen some men to saluation If God should decree to communicate his glorie and his mercie to all and euery man there could be no Election For he that takes all can not be said to choose Therefore Christ saith Many are called but few are chosen Some make this question how great the number of the Elect is and the answeare may be this that the Elect considered in themselues be innumerable but considered in comparison to the whole world they are but fewe Hence it follows necessarily that sauing grace is not vniuersall but indefinite or particular vnlesse we will against common reason make the streames more large and plentifull then the very fountaine it selfe And this must excite vs aboue all things in the world to labour to haue fellowship with Christ and to be partakers of the speciall mercie of God in him yea to haue the same sealed vp in our heartes Benefits common to all as the light of the sunne c. are not regarded of any Things common to fewe though they be but temporall blessings are sought for of all God giues not riches to all men but to some more to some lesse to some none And hereupon how doe men like drudges toile in the world from day to day and from yeare to yeare to inrich themselues Therefore much more ought men to seeke for grace in Christ considering it is not common to all We must not content our selues to say God is mercifull but we must goe further and labour for a certificate in the conscience that we may be able to say that God is indeede mercifull to vs. When the Disciples would haue knowne how many should be saued he omitting the question answeares thus Striue to enter in at the straight gate The last point is the ende of Gods Election and that is the manifesting of the praise and excellencie of the glorious grace of God Thus hauing seene what Election is let vs nowe come to the Exequution thereof Of which remember this rule Men predestinate to the ende that is eternall life are also predestinate to the subordinate meanes whereby they come to eternall life and these are vocation iustification sanctification glorification For the first he that is predestinate to saluation is also predestinate to be called as Paul saith Whome he hath predestinate them also he calleth Secondly whome God calleth they also were predestinate to beleeue therefore sauing faith is called the faith of the elect And in the Acts as many as were ordained to life euerlasting beleeued Thirdly whome God hath predestinate to life them he iustifieth as Paul saith whome he hath predestinate them he calleth and whome he calleth them he iustifieth Fourthly whome he hath predestinate to life them he hath predestinate to sanctification and holines of life as Peter saith that the Iewes were Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the father vnto sanctification of the spirit Lastly they that are predestinate to life are also predestinate to obedience as Paul saith to the Ephesians Ye are the workemanship of God created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes vvhich God hath ordained that vve should walke in them This rule beeing the truth of God must be obserued for it hath
beleeueth in Christ by reason of this union hath an unspeakeable prerogatiue for hereby he is first united to Christ and by reason thereof is also ioyned to the whole trinitie the father the sonne and the holy ghost and shall haue eternall fellowshippe with them Thirdly sundrie men specially Papistes deride the doctrine of iustification by imputed righteousnesse thinking it as absurd that a maÌ„ should be iust by that righteousnesse which is inherent in the person of Christ as if we should say that one man may liue by the soule of another or be learned by the learning of another But here we may see that it hath sufficient foundation For there is a most nere and straite union betweene Christ and all that beleeue in him and in this union Christ with all his benefites according to the tenour of the couenant of grace is made ours really therefore we may stand iust before God by his righteousnes it being indeed his because it is in him as in a subiect yet so as it is also ours because it is giuen unto us of God Now there is no such union betwene man maÌ„ for that cause one man can not liue by the soule of another or be learned by the learning of another Fourthly from this fountaine springs our sanctification whereby wee die to sinne are renewed in righteousnes and holines Wormes and flies that haue lyen dead all winter if they be laid in the sunne in the spring time begin to reuiue by vertue thereof euen so when we are united to Christ are as it were laide in the beames of thiâ— blessed sonne of righteousnesse vertue is deriued thence which warmeth our benummed heartes deade in sinne and reviveth us to newenesse of life whereby we begin to affect and like good things and put in practise all the duties of religion Firstly hence we haue the protection of Gods angels for they alwaies wait and attend on Christ and because wee are made one with him they attend upon us also Lastly by reason of this union with Christ euery beleeuer commeth to haue interest and to recouer his title in the creatures of God and to haue the holy and lawfull use of them all For we must consider that although Adam created in the image of God was made Lord over all things in heauen earth yet when he fell by eaâ—ing the forbidden fruite he and in him all mankinde lost the title and use of them all Now therefore that a man may recover his interest hee must first of all be united and made one with Christ and then by Christ who is Lord and King ouer all shall he recouer that title in the creatures of God which hee had by creation and be made Lorde ouer them againe But some will say if this be so then a Christian man may haue and enioy all creatures at his pleasure and therefore the goods of other men Ans. The reason is not good for in this life we haue no more but right unto the creature right in it that is actuall possession is reserued for the life to come Therefore wee content our selues with our allowed portions giuen unto us by God by his grace using them in holy manner expecting by hope the full fruition of all thinges till after this life Againe if all title to the creatures be recouered by Christ it may be demanded whether infidels haue any interest to their goods or no Ans. Infidels before men are right lordes of all their landes and possessions which they haue obtained by lawfull meanes and in the courtes of men they are not to be depriued of them but before God they are but vsurpers because they hold them not in capite that is in Christ neither haue they any holy and right use of them for to the uncleane all things are vncleane And they must first of all become members of Christ before they can hold enioy them aright use them wel The duties which are to be learned of the doctrine of this vnion are manifolde And first of all wee are taught to purge our handes and heartes of all our sinnes and especially to auoide all those sinnes whereby mens bodies are defiled as drunkennesse uncleannesse fornication for they driue away the spirit of God from his owne house and dissolue the bond of the coniunction betweene Christ and vs. Secondly we must euery one of us which professe our selues to be members of Christ labour to become conformable unto him in holinesse of life and to become new creatures for this union requireth thus much Let a man take the griftes of a crabbe-tree and set them into good stockes yet will they not chaunge their sappe but bring foorth fruite according to their owne nature euen sowre crabbes but it must not be so with us wee are indeed wild oliues and the braunches of wilde vines yet seeing we are perswaded that wee are grafted into Christ and made one with him we must lay aside our wild and soure nature and take upon us the nature of the true vine beare good fruite haue good iuyce in us and render sweete wine Thirdly wee are taught hence to be plentifull in all good workes consideriag wee are ioyned to him that is the fountaine of grace And therefore Christ saieth I am the true vine and my Father is the husbande man every braunch that beareth not fruite in mee hee taketh avvay and everie one that beareth fruite hee purgeth it that it may beare more fruite And the Prophet Esai compares the Church of God to a vineyarde with a tower and a wine-presse in it And God himselfe comes often downe vnto it to see the fruites of the valley to see if the vine budde and the Pomegranates flourish And further wee must bring forth fruite vvith patience For the Lorde of this vineyarde comes with crosses and afflictions as with a pruning knife in his hand to pare and to dresse us that wee may be fit to bring foorth fruite plentifully in duties of pietie to God and in duties of loue to all men yea to our enemies Crhistian men are trees of righteousnes growing by the waters of the sanctuary but what trees not like ours for they are rooted upwarde in heauen in Christ and their graines and branches growe downward that they may beare fruite among men Hitherto we haue heard what the Church is now to beleeue the Church is nothing else but to beleeue that there is a companie of the predestinate made one in Christ and that withall we are in the number of them Before wee proceede any further three rules must be obserued touching the Church in generall The first that Christ alone is the head of the Catholike Church that hee neither hath nor can haue any creature in heauen or earth to be his fellow herein For the Church is his body and none but he can perfourme the duty of an head unto it which dutie
written of the Phoenix that first shee is consumed to ashes by the heat of the sunne and that afterward of her ashes riseth a young one and on this manner is her kinde preserued Againe swallowes wormes and flyes which haue lien dead in the winter season in the spring by vertue of the sunnes heat reuiue againe so likewise men fall in sounes and traunses beeing for a time without breath or shew of life and yet afterward come againe and to vse Pauls example before the corne can grow and beare fruit it must first be cast into the ground and there rotte And if this were not seene by experience men would not beleeue it Againe euery present day is as it were dead and buried in the night following and yet afterward it returns againe the next morning Lastly we reade how the old Prophet◠raised some from death and our Sauiour Christ raised Lazarus among the rest that had lien foure daies in the graue and stanke why then should any thinke it impossible for God to raise all men to life But let vs see what reasons may be alleadged to the contrarie First it is alleadged that the resurrection of bodies resolued to dust and ashes is against common sense reason Answeare It is aboue reason but not against reason For if impotent and miserable men as experience sheweth can by art euen of ashes make the most curious workemanship of glasse why may we not in reason thinke that the omnipotent and euerliuing God is able to raise mens bodies out of the dust Secondly it is said that mens bodies beeing dead are turned into dust and so are mingled with the bodies of beasts and other creatures and one mans bodie with another and that by reason of this confusion men cannot possibly rise with their own bodies Answ. Howsoeuer this is impossible with men yet it is possible with God For he that in the beginning was able to create all things of nothing is much more able to make euery mans body at the resurrectiō of his own matter to distinguish the dust of mens bodies from the dust of beasts and the dust of one mans bodie from another The goldsmith by his art cā sunder diuers metells one frō another some men out of one metell can draw another why then should we thinke it vnpossible for the almightie God to do the like It may be further obiected thus A man is eaten by a wolfe the wolfe is eaten by a lyon the lyon by the foules of the ayre and the foules of the ayre eaten againe by men againe one man is eaten of another as it is vsuall among the Canibals Nowe the body of that man which is turned into so many substāces especially into the bodie of another man cannot rise againe if the one doth the other doth not Ans. This reason is but a cavill of mans braine for we must not think that whatsoeuer entreth into the bodie is turned into the substance therof must rise again become a part of the bodie at the day of iudgement but euery man shall then haue so much substance of his own as shal make his bodie to be entire perfect though another mans flesh once eaten be no part therof Againe it is vrged that because flesh and blood cannot enter into the kingdom of God therfore the bodies of men shall not rise againe Answ. By flesh blood is not meant the bodies of men simple but the bodies of men as they are in weaknes without glorie subiect to corruption For flesh blood in scripture signifies sometime the originall sinne corruption of nature sometime mans nature subiect to miseries infirmities or the bodie in corruption before it be glorified and so it must be vnderstoode in this place Lastly it is obiected that Salomon saith The condition of the children of men and the condition of beasts are euen as one condition Now beasts rise not againe after this life therefore there is no resurrection of men Answer In that place Salomon expoundeth himselfe They are like in dying for so he saith as the one dieth so dieth the other he speaketh not of their estate after death The second point to be considered is the cause of the resurrection In mankinde we must consider two parts the Elect the Reprobate and they both shall rise againe at the day of iudgement but by diuers causes The godly haue one cause of their resurrection the vngodly another The cause why the godly rise again is the Resurrection of Christ yea it is the proper cause which procureth and effecteth their resurrection In the Scripture Adam Christ are compared together Christ is called the second Adam these were two roots The first Adam was the root of all mākind and he conuaieth sinne by sinne death to all that sprang of him Christ onely excepted the second Adam which is the root of all the Elect cōuaieth life both in body soule to all that are vnited to him by the vertue of his resurrection they shall rise againe after this life For looke as the power of the Godhead of Christ when he was dead in the graue raised his bodie the third day so shall the same power of Christ his Godhead conuaie it selfe vnto all the faithfull which euē in death remain vnited vnto him raise thē vp at the last day And for this cause Christ is called a quickning spirit Nowe the cause why the wicked rise againe is not the vertue of Christs resurrection but the vertue of Gods curse set downe in his word In the day that thou shalt eate of the tree of the knowledge of good and euill thou shalt die the death that is a double death both of bodie and soule And therefore they arise onely by the power of Christ as he is a iudge that this sentence may be verified on them and that they may suffer both in bodie and soule eternall punishment in hell fire Furthermore Saint Iohn setteth downe the outwarde meanes whereby the dead shalbe raised namely the voyce of Christ The houre shall come saith he in which all that are in the graues shall heare his voice and they shall come forth For as he created all things by his word so at the day of iudgement by the same voice all shalbe raised againe This may be a good reason to mooue vs to heare the ministers of God reuerently for that which they teach is the very word of God and therefore we are to pray that it may be as effectuall in raising vs vp from the graue of sinne in this life as it shalbe after this life in raising vs vp from the graue of death vnto iudgement Thirdly we are to consider what manner of bodies shal rise at the last day Answeare The same bodies for substance this Iob knew well when he said I shall see him at the last day in my flesh whome I my selfe shall see and none other
that God can make trees plants herbs to grow without the meanes of raine and vvithout the vertue and operation of the Sunne the Moone the Starres III. he made the worlde in sixe distinct dayes and framed all things in this order to teach us his wonderfull providence of his creatures for before man was created he prouided for him a dwelling place and all things necessarie for his perpetuall preseruation and perfect happinesse and felicitie So also he created beasts and cattell but not before he had made hearbs plants and grasse and all meanes whereby they are preserued And if God had this care ouer man when as yet hee was not much more will God haue care ouer him now when hee is and hath a being in nature And thus much concerning the pointes of doctrine touching the creation The duties follow And first by the worke of creation we may discerne the true Iehouah from all false gods idols in the world This Esaiah maketh plain bringing in the Lorde reasoning thus I am God and there is no other God besides me How is that prooued thus I forme the light and create darkenesse I make peace and create evill I the Lord doe all these things If a man aske thee how thou knowest the true God from all false gods thou must answere by the worke of â—â—eation for he alone is the maker of heauen and earth and all things in them This propertie can not agree to any creature to any man saint or Angell nay not to all men and all Angels they can not giue being to a creature which before was nothing Secondly wheras God the Father is the Creatour of all things and hath giuen unto man reason understanding and abilitie more then to other creatures we are taught to consider and meditate of the worke of Gods creation This the wise man teacheth vs saying Consider the worke of God And indeed it is a speciall dutie of euery man which professeth himselfe to be a member of Gods Church as he acknowledgeth God to be the Creatour so to looke upon his workemanshippe and view and consider all creatures A skilfull workeman can haue no greater a disgrace then when hee hath done some famous thing to haue his friende passe by his worke and not so much as looke upon it If it be demaunded for what ende must we looke upon the worke of Gods creation I ansvvere that in it vvee may see and discerne Gods power wisedome loue mercie and providence and all his attributes and in all things his glorie This is a most necessarie dutie to be learned of euery man we thinke nothing too much or to good to bestow on vaine shewes plaies idle sportes and pastimes which are the vanities of men and we doe most willingly beholde them in the meane season utterly neglecting and contemning the glorious worke of Gods creation Well the Lorde God hath appointed his Sabaoth to be sanctified not only by the publique ministerie of the worde and by private prayer but also by an especiall consideration and meditation of gods creatures and therefore the duetie of euery man is this distinctly and seriously to view and consider the creatures of God and thereby take occasion to glorifie his name by ascribing vnto him the vvisedome glorie povver and omnipotencie that is due unto him for the same Thirdly wee must giue God the glorie in all his creatures because hee is the creatour of them all So in the Revelation the foure and tvventie Elders fall downe before him and say Thou art vvorthy O Lorde to receive glorie and honour and povver giuing this reason for thou hast created all things and for thy vvills sake they are and haue beene created Reade the Psalmes 147. and 148. both vvhich tende to this that God may be praised because he is the Creatour of all things and therefore must haue all the glorie VVee knowe that when men beholde any curious vvorke of a cunning and skillfull craftesman straightway they vvill leaue the vvorke and inquire after him that made it that they may praise his skill The same is our dutie in this case when we come abroad and beholde every where in all the creatures the admirable and unspeakeable vvisedome goodnesse and povver of God then vvee must make hast from the creature and goe forvvarde to the Creatour to praise and glorifie him and herein must vvee shevve our selues to differ from bruite beasts in that in the vse and view of Gods creatures we doe returne due glory praise and honour unto the creatour Our fourth duty is set downe by the Prophet Amos who moouing the people to meete God by repentance addeth a reason taken froÌ„ the creation He that fourmeth the mountaines createth the winds which declareth unto man what is his thought which maketh the morning darkenesse c. the Lord God of hosts is his name The meaning of the Prophet is this God is a terrible iudge we are as traitors rebels against him therfore the best way that we can take is this he is coÌ„ming to iudgement let us therfore meete him fall downe before him humble our selues under his mighty haÌ„d And the holy ghost by the prophet would mooue the people to meete God by serious repeÌ„tance by a reason framed thus If God who is their iudge be able to create the winds and to forme the mouÌ„taines to make the morning darknes then he is also able to make an eternall iudgement for their confusion And therfore all such as be impenitent sinners let theÌ„ prepare themselues to turne unto him surely if men had grace to lay this to their hearts they would not liue so loÌ„g in their sinnes without repentance as they do nay rather they would prepare themselues to meet him in the way before he come to iudgement because he is a creator therefore able to bring infinite punishments upon them at his pleasure and to bring them to nothing as he made them of nothing And let them know it whosoeuer they be that go forwarde in their sinnes that God the creator whensoeuer hee will can opeÌ„ hell to deuoure them that he can shew him selfe as mightie in his iudgement to mens destruction as he vvas in the beginning in giuing us a being vvhen vve vvere nothing Wherefore notable is the practise of David vvho ineures himself to the feare of god by the consideration of his creation saying I am fearefully and wonderfully made c. Lastly those vvhich haue bin impenitent sinners all their life past must not only learne to repent for their sinnes but also endeauour to perfourme obedience unto gods vvord God is a creatour and the thing created shoulde in all respectes be conformable to his vvill for David saith Thine hands have fashioned me framed me give me vnderstanding therfore that I may learne thy coÌ„mandemeÌ„ts And good reasoÌ„ for there is no man of any trade but hee vvould faine haue
all that he maketh and deuiseth to be used but yet so as the use thereof must be conformable to the vvill of the maker For this cause Moses that faithfull servant of God saieth that the people of Israel dealt wrongfully vvith the Lord why For he hath created them and proportioned them he is their father and he bought them yet they haue dishonoured him by corrupting themselues towardes him by their vice All creatures in heauen and in earth doe the will of the Creatour except man and the deuill and his angels for the Sunne the Moone and the starres they keepe that course which God hath appointed them but man though he be bound to doe the will of God because god is his Creator yet he rebells against him The potter if in tempering his clay he can not make and frame it according to his minde at length hee will dash it in peeces so God hee createth man not that he should doe his owne vvill but gods vvill and therefore that man vvhosoeuer he be that follovveth the lustes of his ovvne vvicked heart and vvill not be brought to be conformable to gods vvill but continues rebellious still the Lorde in his vvrath vvill confound him eternally Therefore it standes euery man in hand to yeeld himselfe plyable unto gods vvill to indeauour to obey it by keeping a good conscience before god and all men and by vvalking faithfully in his calling othervvise the ende vvill be confusion If a man haue a trade and other men come into his shoppe and use such instruments as be there to a wrong end though they vvere their owne yet it vvould grieue him to see it so god created all things for his ovvne use and for the accomplishing of his vvill but rebellious man conformes himselfe to the deuils vvill and thereby no doubt he grieuously offendeth god And thus much of the duties Novv in the third place follow the consolations unto Gods Church and people First as S. Paul saith God is a creator yea a faithfull creator The properties of a faithfull creatour are two I. he will preserue his creature no man is so tender ouer any worke as hee that made it for he can not abide to see it any way abused Now God being a faithfull creatour tenderly loues all his creature So Iob reasoneth with God that hee will not cast him off because he is the worke of his hands II. God will beare with his creature to see whether it will be brought to any good ende and use before he will destroy it And to use the former comparison The potter will turne and worke the clay euery way to make a vessell unto his minde but if it will frame no way then he will cast it away and dash it against the wall And so God who created man and still preserueth him and useth all meanes to make him conformable to his will before hee cast him away The Lorde did long strive vvith men in the olde worlde to turne them from their wickednesse but when nothing would serue them it is saide It repented the Lorde that hee had made man on the earth Amongst us euery one is the creature of God now if wee shall rebell against this our creator it may be he will beare with us for a time but if we continue therein and do not turne to him by repentāce he will bring upon us a finall destruction both in body and soule Yet I say before he doe this he will trie all meanes to preserue us and turne us unto him and afterwarde if nothing will serue then he will shew forth his power in mens confusion therefore it stands us in hand to looke unto it Secondly looke what power the Lord did manifest in the creation of all things the same power he both can and will make manifest in the redemption of mankind In the beginning God made all things by his worde and so likewise he is able still to make by the power of his word of a wicked man that is dead in sinne a true and liuely member of Christ which the Prophet Isay signifieth when he saith The Lord that created the heavens and spred them abroad hee that stretcheth forth the earth and the body thereof c. I the Lord haue called thee in righteousnesse This must not encourage evill men in their wickednesse but it serueth to comfort the people of God considering that the same God which once created them is also as able to saue them and will shewe himselfe as mightie in their redemption as hee did in creating them of nothing And thus much of the Creation in generall Now it follovveth that vve come to the handling of the partes thereof For it is not said barely that God is a creatour but particularly that he is a creatour of heauen earth of both which we will speake in order and first of the creation of heauen Heaven in Gods vvorde it signifieth all that is aboue the earth for the aire wherein we breath is called Heauen And according to this acception of the worde there are three heauens as Paul saith He was taken up into the third heauen The first of these Heauens is that space which is from the earth upvvard unto the firmament where the starres are Thus we reade often in the Psalmes the birdes which flie in the aire betvveene the earth and the starres are called the foules of the heaven and when God sent the floode to drovvne the olde vvorld Moses saith the windowes of heauen vvere opened meaning that God powred downe raine from the cloudes abundantly for the making of a floode to drowne the worlde The second heauen is that which conteineth the Sunne the Moone and the starres so Moses saith that God in the beginning created the Sunne the Moone and the Starres and placed them in the firmament of heauen Besides these two heauens there is a thirde which is inuisible and yet it is the worke of Gods handes and it is that glorious place where Christ in his manhoode sitteth at the right hande of the father and whether the soules of the faithfull departed are carried and placed and in which at the end of the world shall all the elect both in bodie and soule haue perfect ioy and blisse in the glorious sight and presence of God for euer But for the better conceiuing the trueth wee are to scanne and consider three questions First whether this third heauen be a creature for many haue thought it was neuer created but was eternall with God himselfe but it is a grosse errour contrarie to Gods vvorde For the Scripture saith Abraham looked for a citie meaning the heauenly Ierusalem this thirde heauen having a foundation vvhose builder and maker is God Further if it be eternall it must either be a creatour or a creature but it is no creatour for then it shoulde be God and therefore it must needes be a creature But some will say the