earnestly beleeue when you are baptiz'd Hee then regenerates when you pray together He is then in the mid'st when you receiue the Communion it is then his body and bloud when you heare the word He then speakes when you confesse your sinnes you then confesse to him when you are absolu'd by the Keyes Hee then absolues you when you releeue He then receiues when you forgiue your enemies Hee then forgiues when you entertaine defend or aduance the Prophets you then euen then entertaine defend and aduance euen Christ himselfe And this is some vertue more that our times are certaine and at his appointed times let the meanes be dead and all reason and probability buryed and seal'd vp from vs yet we are sure of Him Hee is there then and He keepes his time duely But yet this is not all He has done for our times we are not yet come to times full redemption To conclude all as I began and to keep time too Touch the Person of Christ Iesus we must with that Faith onely that beleeues only and adores the mystery of grace so are we iustified in Him made members of Him Touch the Garment of his works we must with that Faith only that does not only beleeue but works thorow and resembles his loue so are wee sanctified in him and couered with His righteousnes Touch the Hem of His garment the circumstances of His workes we must with that Faith only that does not onely beleeue and worke in grosse but is the measure and proportion fashioning our conuersation to His in heauen our time place meanes manners to His onely so are wee glorified in Him with the glorious liberty of the sonnes of God Now to shew in some sort this measure and proportion betwixt Christ vs S. Paul tels vs 1. Cor. 15.23 1. Cor. 15.23 There Ordo Resurgentium An Order of Risers erected by Christ himselfe and himselfe is the president of that order First Christ and then they that are Christs in order and this I dare say is Gratus sermo an acceptable saying For all men desire to be of this order It is neither scandall to greatones nor imputation to meaner in Kings Courts to say wee courteirs would all verygladly rise and bee install'd in this order of risers But if you would doe so you know there is a credit and a Creed to be remembred To get into this order you must follow your Prince president And to keepe order with him you must keepe his times duly his very dayes and those are but three dayes now no more for I haue yet another mystery to tell you Abbreuiatum faciet Deus opus super terram Thom. Presat in decal So the olde ones read that place of Esay cited by S. Paul Rom. 9.28 which wee read thus Ashort worke will the Lord make vpon earth and this short worke say they is the worke of our redemption from eternall euill Phil. 2.7 with restauration into eternall good Wherein as God the sonne our Lord abbreuiated the equality with God into the fashion of man and that man the meanest of men a poore Minister and seruant to redeeme the diuision between God and man and make the Highest God and the lowest man at one againe so the same Lord seruant has wrought out and perfected this redemption and vnion amongst men by abbreuiation onely and making short worke in all Generations persons place words time all the measures by which either the kind coÌ„dition content knowledge or the actions of men are differenc'd and diuided they are all now abbreuiated and made shorter we are redeem'd now from distinctions of kindred and all generations are abbreuiated into the Newbirth in the lauer of regeneration wherein wee are all now of one kind and blood we are redeemed now from distinction of condition for all persons are abbreuiated into the Person and body of Christ wherein wee are all members of one Person of one suffering and honour we are redeem'd now from all distinctions of contents for all places are abbreuiated into the Church and Communion of Saints wherein meum is tuum and tuum is meum Our desire the same because our possession and content is one and the same we are redeem'd now from distinction of knowledge diuision of vnderstanding for all wordes are abbreuiated into these three faith hope and charity These are all our study and the study of all alike for the measure of all knowledge Lastly we are redeem'd now from the distinction of indeuours and diuision of will and choice in doing for all time the measure of all actions is abbreuiated in these three daies of Christ the Preparation the Sabhath the Resurrection And as wee haue no kinred to deriue to but the Newbirth no condition of honour but in the Person of Christ no content in place but in the Communion of Saints no words to study but faith hope and charity So we haue no time to obserue for the measure of all our aâ—tions but only these three dayes and we haue no actions at all to will chuse or doe but what are measured and fitted to these three Dayes the Preparation the Sabbath the Resurrestion These are the measure samplar and patterne to our dayes or else of Christs order we cannot be The dayes of our life must be our day of Preparation our Good Friday as was Christs and as it was His and no otherwise In it wee must labour against sinne and Sathan as Christ did we must suffer from sin Sathan as Christ did we must die in conquest of sin Sathan as Christ did And now how like the order But be not dismaied for after this will succeed our Iewish and Typicall Sabbath the day of our rest in the graue as Christ did in the hands of Christ onely and not of deeath at all no more then he did And then will yet follow the spirituall and heauenly Sabbath the Lords day and the day of Lords the day of resurrection vnto life and full enstallment in this order This the order Both habited armed and tim'd like your President you must be and then as in other orders it is a fellowship as well as an order August in 29 Psal Hoc sperate mea membra quod in capite praecessit sayes Saint Augustine and t' is the Word Motto of your order What the Head enioyes let the member expect what is gone before in the Head according to his vertue let the member expect in his measure and condition As let our first day bee troublesome as Christs was yet it shall be short and the shortest of the three as Christs was Let our second day of death be longer by many houres as Christs was yet it shall bee as long in rest as Christs was Let our third day bee long before it come yet it will come and come earely as Christs did and when it does come it shall neuer know euening as Christs did And that 's a
further comfort yet in this third Day The time of the member of Christ is redeemed and is abbreuiated into three Dayes onely and but two of those Dayes haue nights belonging to a'm The third Day has no night but is euer day as Christs was In these three Dayes His state and condition is by succession first trouble with the Crosse then rest in death then happinesse in Heauen First trouble with the Crosse for which hee has the Grace of Faith both begun and perfited heere to lead and defend him all his first day But faith has a night and dies with him and his Crosse Then comes his rest for which hee has the grace of hope begunne heere to assist faith but perfited in death to establish him in comfort all his second day But hope has a night too and leaues him when hee leaues to rest in death Then comes his happinesse for which he has the grace of loue begunne heere to make faith and hope actiue continued in death to sweeten hopes rest but perfited in eternall life with God that is loue in esse with whom there is no night but alwayes day without either end or change And then time is redeem'd into eternity And now you most Honourable and blessed order of Risers may it please you value your order with the honour and rule of it as you are regenerated in Christ members of his body Saints by Communion students of faith hope and charity and of the order of the Resurrection to life The bloud that runnes in your veins is Sanguis Dei the bloud of God And then S. Peters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is your Charter of Priuiledge against all power of death You die not when you die but onely to end your troubles and shew you are of a mortall nature you shall rest in peace as Christ did Impossible it is but the bloud of God should rise But ah the misery The seruant is not aboue his Lord the Disciple is not aboue his Master the member is not aboue the Head And rise we cannot possibly but as our Head did vpon a third Day And to rise vpon a third Day it is impossible vnlesse two dayes goe before it Nay nor rest can we possibly vpon a second day vnlesse the first day goe before it So it is ordered now and there is no breaking of it No skipping to the Resurrection day without both the Sabbath and preparation No nor any getting to the Sabbath without wee take our rise at the preparation The rise both to rest and rising is heere onely Is there no rise heere at combat with the crosse Why then no rest in death and then no happinesse in the resurrection Is there no fighting faith with base and dishonourable temptations why then no resting hope and then no rising loue Had not Christ resisted vnto death Hee had not died in conquest and had He not died so Hee had not risen in triumph and glory But all this our Prince and President must doe and did for vs and all this wee must doe for him And if all this wee doe and in this order If faith feele a good Friday and haue so fought with the Crosse as at the houre of death though faith die yet hope and loue stand conquerours aboue all temptations Then as sure as Christ our head conquer'd vpon the preparation rested vpon the Sabbath and rose againe vpon the third day so sure shall our hope rest secure and sweetly in death our second day and after death our loue shall rise in triumph vpon the third Day to enioy that happinesse that faith fought for heere hope rested in in death and loue onely enioyes without night or faile To which happinesse He bring vs that to purchase it as deerely as gloriously for vs was crucified dead buried and rose againe the third Day Iesus Christ the righteous To whom with God the Father and God the Holy Ghost one true eternall euer-liuing onely wise God be ascribed as is most due all honour prayse power glory dominion and thankesgiuing the first second and third Day and for euer FINIS LONDON ¶ Printed by IOHN BILL M.DC.XXII
third day wherein Hee rose gloriously from the Dead and fully accomplished our Iustification against the sting of Rom. 4.25 Death our Sinne the strength of sinne the Law the victory of Hell our Condemnation Ouer all which there was Conquest Triumph and perpetuall Dominion both taken in and giuen to our flesh by that his Resurrection the third Day And by that his Resurrection onely I doe not say but I adde too as a master-piece in this great Building by that his Resurrection The third Day Together they went and together Faith must touch a'm as the woman touch'd the Hemme and the Garment together The third Day is a prop and stay to Faith as well as the Resurrection For to keepe my word Let vs leaue now the Left hand touch of Historicall faith That such a thing was so done by such a Persō at such a time which the Deuil that teaches others to disput yet himselfe beleeues conuicted in vnderstanding trembles at the very Hemme of time The Second Touch concerning the Necessity of the third day And come to the Right hand touch of Iustifying and sauing Faith That such a thing was so done by such a Person at such a time for me and you and the whole world to iustifie our conquering satisfaction to God with full power of the Sonnes of God to doe all good and resist all euill either to be done or suffred This vertue and benefit of Christs Resurrection Faith cannot draw from it to the soules rest and stay of the mind vnlesse the assent of Faith to Christs Resurrection be stayd and determin'd vpon the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very third Day it was done in and no other Neither the first Day wherein he suffred Nor the second Day the Iewes Sabbath Nor any Day beyond the third Day That Christ may resolue my Faith that he is the Christ and rose againe for me He must not only rise but rise the third Day and no other And to Discouer this Mystery of Godlinesse As these Dayes of Christ are three So I find accordingly three seuerall Dayes of the Church and mysticall body of Christ as also three seuerall Diuinities and Lights of these three Dayes all inlightening the necessity of this Third Day The first is the Diuinity of the Primitiue Day the Good Friday of the Church wherin Christ was persecuted and suffred in his Members mysticall body through Heathenisme and Heresie The light of which day was simplicity of Faith vnto saluation The second is the Diuinity of the Schoole Day what we cal the Popish Day the Iewes Sabbath of the Church wherein the mysticall body of Iesus Christ lay wrapped in the Linnens of Iewish Ceremonies buryed in the New-found Sepulchre of humane inuentions the light of which day was Subtilty of Reasonings where there was not more Mist then Sun-shine vnto saluation too The third is the Diuinity of the Reformed Day the Resurrection Day of the Church when after a darke euening and a little cloudy dawning of trouble and persecution in the beginning of Reformation the Sun of Righteousnes rose gloriously in our Hemisphere enlightēing our wosterne world with the simple subtilty of Saint Pauls foolish wisedome vnto saluation call'd Preaching of the Gospel All these Dayes gaue their seuerall lights to this point in hand and from the same Sunne of Righteousnes though neither with equall force nor in the same measure The first shewes the Necessity of the third Day in respect of the Person in whose Name Christ rose that is Adam The second in respect of the Person wherin Christ Rose that is God and Man The third in respect of the Persons to whom and for whom he rose that is Iewes and Gentiles the sonnes of Adam But let me light a'm vp all The Necessity of the Third Day in respect of the Person in whose Name Christ rose and as our Sauiour wills let me set a 'm vpon the table and in their own order and discourse First the simple Faith of the Primitiue Church both touch'd the Necessity and drew foorth the Benefit of the Third Day vpon the plainest grounds that are lai'd and lai'd open in holy Scripture Tertul. aduer Iud. cap. 13. Athan. de Incar verbi Chrysostome Hom. 89. in Mat. and yet not allneither Tertullian Athanasius and Chrysostome to take the marrow of their simple meaning all pitch their consent vpon these two especially No differring the rising beyong the third Day say they Partly for the Comfort of his friends that expected it should be then Partly for the Conuiction of his enemies that endeuour'd it should not bee then Had he risen any day but the promised third Day all his Disciples and friends would haue turn'd Thomases and as he did haue requir'd another Touch and fingring of him ere they would haue beleeued and taken Comfort Mat. 27.62.63 And had he not risen vpon the appointed third Day vntill which Day the souldiers were appointed by the Priests intreaty and Pilates charge to watch the Sepulchre with the seale vpon it to make all sure for feare forsooth his most fearful Disciples should steale him away who were ready God wot to steale themselues away out of all sight Had he not then risen in the presence and sight of the very souldiers the souldiers had not testified his Resurrection to his enemies as they did Matt. 28.11 Mat. 28.11 His enemies had not beene conuicted by the Testimony Matt. 28.12 as they were and shew'd it by corrupting the souldiers to conceale the truth For that corruption to conceale was a plaine confession that they were indeed onely they would not seeme to be conuicted and taken in their owne snare The spite of His enemies and the Diuell in them was at the third Day onely The comfort of his friends and simple faith in them was in the third Day onely It was the third Day onely that could conuince the one and comfort the other and it did both But why I beseech you and what was this conuiction and comfort of this third Day Was it the bare returne of the naturall body to life againe the third Day that malicious feare would haue hindered Ioh. 11.47 The Diuell indeed was angrie when Lazarus was rays'd to life or was it the bare fruition of his bodily presence and company againe the third Day that simple fayth expected comfort in There was comfort indeed in this Ioh. 11.45 and both comfort and fayth followed Lazarus raysing But this is not comfort of simple but of sensuall Faith In this comfort that is beleeued because it is seene or felt there is a mixture of flesh a composition of sensuall delight from which the Touch of simple faith is most pure and free For simple Faith is an euidence of things vnseene sayes S. Paul Heb. 11.1 And our Sauiour tels Thomas that Beatifica fides The blessed or blessing faith is that that neither sees nor feeles and yet then