in his ordinances We sinne against Christ in his owne person either when we expect the forgiuenesse of sinnes and iustification from God for the workes of righteousnesse whiâ—h we haue done through the assistance of Goâ—s grace for by how much we flâ—â— to any thing o t of Christ by so much wee derogate from the worth oâ— Christ or when wee doe noâ— learne to know him in his natures and offices and worke as God hath set him forth to be a reconciliation through faith in his bloud Rom 3.25 Hebr. 2.3 to dâ—clare his righteousnesse c. for what is this but to neglect so great saluation or else when we returne to the lusts of our former ignorance as Peter speaketh 1 Pet. 1.14 18 19. for as this is to sinne that the merits of Christ may abound so in a manner wee doe account the bloud of Christ an impure thing and therefore doe rather cleaue to sinne than to it which is alone able to purge our consciences from dead workes to serue the liuing God Secondly wee may sinne against Christ himselfe in his ordinances both in the Word and Sacrament We sinne against Christ in his word either when we despise the ministerie thereof as a poore powerlesse and beggarly means to bring vs to saluation whereof Christ speaketh He that despiseth you despiseth me or when we apply not the promises to our owne soules in particular For what is this but to say that Christ came in vaine In vaine should â—he clouds drop fatnesse if the showres that be sent by God should not be applied vnto the earth so in vaine should our Christ be giuen if he should not be applied to euery soule by it selfe to whom he is giuen I know that Christ haâ—h not spoken vnto me by name but if when a man doth bequeath legacies to all the sonnes of my father I will come in for a share though I am not named how then can I doe lesse than sinne against the will and new testament of Iesus if I that am a sonne of my Father in heauen to whose sonnes all things are giuen doe not come in for a childes part for my selfe in particular Lastly wee sinne against Christ in the Sacrament when we doe receiue it with a prophane and vnworthy heart Yee know the words of the Apostle 1 Cor. 21.27 Whosoeuer shall eat this bread and drinke the cup of the Lord vnworthily shall be guilty of the bodie and bloud of the Lord. If therefore we receiue bare signes of bread and wine and doe not discerne the Lords bodie yea and receiue it according to the spiâ—ituall manner of perceiuing and receiuing wherein God doth offer him and communicate him vnto vs or if wee doe denie the truth of these signes by transubstantiation whereby it is childishly faigned that the substance of bread and wine doth passe away and the very bodie and bloud of Iesus Christ doe come in the roome whereto besides the word of God euen our very senses doe giue the lie or if we come to eat this Lambe but without the herbes of godly sorrow or lastly if we by sealing Christ vnto vs when he belongeth not to vs doe betray him into the hands of an impenitent and vnbeleeuing heart then doe we sinne against our blessed Sauiour in the Sacrament Loe thus my brethren beloued Philip. 4.1 and longed for haue I shewed you in part how we may be said to sinne against Christ that so we may auoid the danger God stirre vs vp and sanctâ—fie our hearts and minds wisely to consider these things How miserable are we if we are not in Christ yet to be in Christ is impossible if we sinne against him Alas Lord what then can we doe to helpe our selues Plow vp we humbly beseech thee ô thou Creator of cleane hearts the fallow ground of our hearts cut vs off from the old Adam by that circumcision which is made without hands glew vs vnto thy selfe in thine only Sonne Iesus Christ by a true and a liuing faith out of his fulnesse let vs all receiue grace for grace open from him a fountaine for vs the house of Dauid for sinne and for vncleannesse that wee hauing abilitie and power of not sinning willingly either against thee our God or against him our Sauiour either in his members or in his owne person either in his ordinances or in himselfe we may doe accordingly that so we assuring our hearts that we are in Christ and new creatures we may liue like Christians and by power from on high prepare our selues for that new estate in heauen which thou at the last wilt bring vs vnto to thy eternall glory and our eternall comfort Euen so Amen A PREVENTER OF SECVRITIE VPON 1 PETER 4.7 By ROBERT ABBOT LONDON Printed by John Haviland for Nathaniel Butter 1623. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL SIR THOMAS HENDLEY Knight and to the Lady ELIZABETH his dearely beloued Wife Life Health and Saluation through Christ Iesus our Lord. RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL I DOE not know whether those that doe aduenture to publish bookes in these woefull times wherein we liue doe goe too fast or too slow I remember it was fained of old that Aeolus hauing bestowed a bottle vpon Vlysses wherein all the windes were inclosed his seruants let them out when hee was asleepe to their owne hurt so many times it falleth out that wee doe emptie our owne poore withered bottles by the Presse to our owne preiudice Howsoeuer it proues for mine owne particular I doe humbly commit the successe to God who only knoweth with what heart I doe it and being drawne out by little and little to appeare in publike I being sensible of the many fauours which aboue my expectation or desert I haue reaped both from you and yours can doe no lesse than make you publikely to appeare also together with me your Pastour who ioy in your loue and shall more ioy in the increasing of your graces and the further fitting of your soules and bodies for heauen and happinesse I know not what benefit this poore Sermon can bring vnto you yet so farre as I can be mine owne carner thus much I resolue that whatsoeuer good shal arise by it either to your selues or others it shall beare your Worships names in the forehead of it and thereby speake thus much that the world should neuer haue seene it if the loue of God together with your kindnesses had not drawne out from me who can shew little other such a kinde of fruit and acknowledgement as this is I thought it was enough for me to preach vnto my owne and now and then to lend the best dugge I had to a neighbours childe abroad I well knew mine owne weaknesse and the weight of a presses burthen Yet considering how apt the weake mud-wals of my poore house are euery yeere to fall and withall that it is not altogether impossible that I should doe some small good vnto my good people euen when I am dead
Christ in his life death resurrection and ascension there being two things distinctly to be conceiued which yet goe together in time first our being made members and secondly our receiuing the gifts of members vpon this I say there will grow two questions wherein our consciences will desire satisfaction whereunto I would intreat you to attend in their order The first is this How we may know that we are made liuing members of Christ How we may know that we are made liuing members of Christ It is a sweet question and worthy our consideration Therefore marke diligently that this secret will be discouered vnto vs by three signes especially The first signe of our being a member of Christ is If we are borne againe No member can be a member of the bodie but by naturall generation and therefore in the want of armes and legs all that are made by Artizans are but counterfeit members so none can be a member of Christ but by spirituall regeneration Therefore through the power of Gods spirit and word we must finde an alteration in all the parts and powers of the bodie and soule from what we are by nature This is called a turning in the Scriptures when of Prodigals we become Conuerts feeding no longer vpon the husks of swine those noysome and filthy lusts of the flesh but of the feast of fat things and fined wines as Esay speaketh or of the fat calfe which God hath prouided Esai 25.6 Luke 25. that is chearing our hearts with the wisdome of Christ against our folly and blindnesse with the righteousnesse of Christ against our guiltinesse with the sanctification of Christ against the reliques of our sinne and vncleannesse 1 Cor. â— 3 and with the redemption of Christ against our apostaticall and back-sliding hearts The second signe of our being a member of Christ is If we receiue new sense and motion from the head As in the naturall bodie all the members doe receiue sense and motion from the head so in the spirituall bodie For though there be no naturall connexion of parts betwixt Christ and vs Act. 3.21 the heauen containing him in respect of his bodily presence and we being here on the earth yet by vertue of the spirituall ligatures and ties of faith which is Gods ordinance to this end wee haue no lesse reall coniunction though we cannot see it than naturall head and members haue Wee cannot see the coniunction betwixt man and wife who yet are one flesh though they are a thousand miles asunder Prov. 2.17 by vertue of that contract and couenant of God betwixt them The vnion betwixt the beasts and the wheeles in Ezekiels vision was not visible Ezek. 1.21 yet it was reall because the spirit of the beasts was in the wheeles which made them moue together and stand still together So it is betwixt our Head and vs. If therefore by vertue of this vnion we doe not daunce after natures pipe which the Apostle calleth walking after the flesh or sowing to the flesh or fulfilling the lusts of the flesh but are moued to walke after the spirit so to runne that we may obtaine not to be clogged with the earth but to haue our conuersation in heauen to sit with Christ in heauenly places and in our whole course though with much strife and reluctation to moue vpwards then may we safely say that we are members of Christ The third signe of our being a member of Christ is if we worke for the head As the whole naturall bodie is vnder the obedience of the head so the whole spirituall bodie doth worke for its head as for its king and soueraigne If the head be warred against the foot runneth or standeth and the hand doth defend if the head be in peace the whole bodie maintaineth its honour vseth meanes to better vnderstanding to ripen iudgement to corroborate memorie to quicken senses and to performe other offices vnto it So must we worke for Christ he must increase we must decrease All our labour must be to maintaine his honour therefore wee must denie our selues to wit our naturall iudgements wills affections and the worth of our workeâ—â—hat Christ may be all in all vnto vs and wee may cry out with that blessed Martyr None to Christ none to Christ Oh that we had hearts to try our selues by these signes How great will our comfort be if we can finde our selues to be members of Christ Some men ioy that their armes and legs are members of sound and healthfull bodies but it is no matter though the outer man perish so long as the inward man by being a member of Christ is renewed daily I bowe therefore the knees of my heart vnto the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ and beseech him that hee would grant both to you all and me and all Gods people that wee may for euer proue our selues to be borne againe to receiue heauenly motion from Christ and to worke for him that so wee may proue our selues to be his members I will open a little light vnto you in these three points We may know our selues to be borne againe How wee may know our selues to be borne againe if God haue giuen vs a conscionable care to nourish the hid man of the heart Euery thing hath a naturall instinct to nourish it selfe so soone as it hath a naturall production euen so must wee haue 1 Pet. 2.2 For therefore Peter saith As new borne babes desire the sincere milke of the word that yee may grow thereby As babes desire the mothers dug so must our soules if they be regenerated desire the word of God How is that 1 Vnappeasably I answer First wee must desire it vnappeasably Giue a childe houses and lands gold and gaine profit and pleasure and nothing will content it but a dug so all the world is worth nothing to Gods babes without the word Psal 1 19. as Dauid saith The word of thy mouth is dearer vnto me than thousands of gold and siluer Secondly we must desire the word constantly 2 Constantly Little children doe not onely desire the dugge waking but when they are asleepe their lips will be going so Gods babes though they being ouertaken with drowsinesse cry out with the Spouse I sleepe yet their hearts awake Cant. 5.2 and when they are most drowsie they will be nibbling vpon the word yea they cannot be content without it For looke as the needle of a Diall doth nothing but tremble and shake and hath no rest till it be turned vpon the North pole so the heart of Gods childe can haue no peace in any degree of securitie till it be raised feelingly to imbrace the word of God againe 3 Cryingly Thirdly we must desire the word cryingly Euery one of vs do see the new-borne babe to cry for the dugge euen so must we for the word We must cry to God for it and desire him that we may neuer be
by some short Mementoes of what I haue formerly taught I thought that it would become me a little to write something whereby the weake faith of me vnworthy thy Abel might speake being dead and in the publishing of which I might not be altogether vnmindfull of the kindnesses and fauours of my louing friends Hence then commeth this Sermon to appeare which though in respect of the manner it be rude and homely yet it hath matter which is worth our consideration It presseth sobrietie watchfulnesse and prayer which are necessary and vsefull duties euery day and it will stand vp as a little sea-marke to point at those rockes of the Papacie from which it hath pleased God hitherto to preserue you I know that your temptations haue not beene small nor seldome kindred and kinde opportunities haue giuen much aduantage to the tempters but by how much more open you lay by so much greater appeareth the glory of God in your weaknesses which haue beene preserued from the defilements of the filth of Babylon Long and euer may that gratious worke be continued vpon you and yours And I humbly pray God that as the Aegyptians did vse to offer in sacrifice to their cursed gods of the fruit of the Peach-tree which is not altogether vnlike to a mans heart and of the leaues of the same which are like to a mans tongue thereby teaching that God requireth both tongue and heart so you may still continue and abound in offering vp the outward and inward man in publike and priuate seruices to the true God I hope that from sound knowledge you doe throughly hate the many lies wherewith our aduersaries doe seeke to disgrace vs and our cause as of the noueltie impuritie and blasphemie of our Religion and the like and haue learned from the Persian Law after the third lie to enioyne a man perpetuall silence or if that be not in your power yet neuer to beleeue him more I know that as it is said of Aspes they are of a skie colour and hide their inuenomed teeth within soft gummes so yee shall see and haue seene the Proctors of Antichrist veluet-mouthed and like heauen in appearance mustering the Fathers yea and Scriptures in such order and equipage as if in the cause of Religion all were theirs but I remember what we reade of Balme Pozel de Patef Dâ—i that Vipers are nourished with the iuice of it which they turne into poison and that they with their whole broods are delighted with the shadow of the leaues of it yet the iuice of Balme is an excellent remedie against their poyson Euen so the maintainers of Schismes and Heresies doe feed vpon the Balme of Gilead I meane the sacred Scriptures and Fathers abused and doe turne those wholesome viands into poyson and yet that very word of God and vnsophisticated antiquitie are excellent remedies against all their impostures of false doctrine whatsoeuer Let mee therefore beseech you in the entertainment of any doctrine to vse Gods spectacles still that no false colours may deceiue you to the preiudice of your soules and so to prouide for sobrietie and watchfulnesse in prayer in these perilous times that yee may not be like to vnthriftie seruants who hauing their allowance of candle spend it out in gaming and riot and at the last are faine to goe to bed darkling This would be a wofull abuse of that light of knowledge which God hath giuen you From this therefore euen the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath preserued your Worships hitherto keepe both you and yours for euermore Thus he humbly prayeth who heartily desireth the well-fare of your bodies and soules ROBERT ABBOT A PREVENTER OF SECVRITIE 1 PETER 4.7 The end of all things is at hand be yee therefore sober and watch vnto Prayer THIS speech of the Apostle is short in words and long in sense Brevis in verbis longa in sententijs He hath spoken much in a little and the further opening and applying of it shall by the blessing of God bring it close both vnto our heads and hearts As therefore God saith vnto his people Heare O my people Psal 50. and I will speake so say I Open your hearts and eares wide and through Gods assistance I shall not feed you with the winde but offer you the connexion scope and meaning of the words that at the length yee may taste of the good word of God in the application of it for the benefit of your soules For the Connexion Connexion conceiue it thus The Apostle Peter from the beginning of this Chapter goeth forward to exhort vnto holinesse and to this purpose he vseth diuers arguments The first is drawne from that communion and fellowship which we haue with Iesus Christ our Head in his sufferings Christ hath suffered for vs and in our roome in the flesh that is in his humane nature As therefore he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sinne So it behooueth vs hauing suffered that from hence forth wee should liue not after the lusts of men but after the will of God That faith which vniteth vs to Iesus Christ is a liuing faith which liueth both to kill sinne and to quicken vs to grace As wee reade of a certaine tree which bringeth forth such leaues as doe goe when they fall to the ground as if they were aliue so the godly man as from the tree of Faith he doth bring forth leaues of profession so when they fall off for the vse of themselues and others they doe not proue dead and vnprofitable but going and liuing for the ruine of sinne and the vpholding of the kingdome of Christ The second Argument is drawne from that wrong which we haue done vnto God already by our vnholinesse in times past It is sufficient for vs that we haue spent the time past of the life after the lusts of the Gentiles as if he should say we haue done wrong enough vnto God alreadie in liuing wickedly let vs not for shame goe on still but let vs now liue vnto God Esay 59.15 Or as others reade it Hee that departeth from euill is counted trad Dr. Cur. Ser. pag. 41. f. But yee will say meane while we are made a by-word to the wicked as the Prophet saith Hee that refraineth himselfe from euill maketh himselfe a prey Like enough saith the Apostle they carrie themselues like strangers because ye runne not with them into the same excesse and they speake euill of you but yet know that they shall giue an account to him that is readie to iudge quicke and dead As if he should say Looke as it is with a Bat or Flinder-mouse it is in kinde like a bird and it flieth like a bird but it doth not bring forth young like a bird nor feed them like a bird nor feed it selfe like a bird So yee that are the children of God though in respect of kinde yee be men though in ciuill and
Christ The dead shall heare the voice of God and shall arise Both which places doe speake of a gracious arising from sinne As therefore the holy Ghost saith All must first die and then comes the resurrection to iudgement So all must first die to sinne or they shall neuer arise to liue godlily Sometimes againe it is called a Quickning Psal 119.25 as when Dauid saith Quicken me according to thy Word As therefore the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 15. O foole that which thou sowest is not quickned except it die So neither are our soules quickned except they thus die Secondly if we respect the malice of sinne it is such a deadly aduersarie that we cannot be deliuered from death in sinne but by the death of sinne if we doe not kill sin sinne will kill vs. As AZahel pursued Abner like a swift Roe so doth sinne vs euen vnto the graue and will neuer giue vs rest till it be quite vanquished in the perfect mortification of the bodie against the day of the Resurrection As therefore wee doe desire that grace may liue so wee must striue that this deadly enemie of grace may die Vse 1 We hauing thus considered the truth of this point may deriue from it both matter of doctrine and matter of exhortation As for doctrine it learneth vs that there must be a thorow change in all the children of God before they can be termed gracious Iohn 11. As when Lazarus who stunke in his graue was raised from death to life there was a thorow change in him a change in his parts essentiall and a change in his parts integrall in which respect a man might well haue said here is not the same man euen so is it with euerie one of vs when God makes vs gracious which change that we doe not conceiue to be substantiall we must marke as we are often taught that as there are three things to be considered in an instrument the bodie the strings and the harmonie wrought by the skill of the player So in man there is the bodie and soule the faculties and the worke of them Now touching this change the bodie soule and faculties remaining intire the change is made in the last when discord thorow the whole man is changed into concord and anomie in all the powers of man into conformitie to Gods will For this cause sanctification may be compared vnto our sense of touching If of blinde wee are made seeing there is a change but in the eye if of deafe wee are made hearing there is a change but in the eare if our smelling be restored there is a change but in the nose if our tasting be brought to vs againe there is a change but in the pallat but if our feeling be lost and restored there is a change in the whole bodie So is it with this spirituall Resurrection and quickning which worketh a change in the powers of the whole bodie and soule in putting them ouer to Gods vse There must be a new vnderstanding quickned to know Gods will a new heart quickned to incline vnto it and imbrace it new bodily instruments quickned to be weapons of righteousnesse vnto holinesse yea and the whole man 2 Cor. 5.17 or a new man or a new creation both in the whole soule and bodie and spirit to be kept blamelesse vntill the comming of our Lord Iesus 1 Thess 5.23 Thus in the first place let vs take notice of this point that so we entring into our selues and viewing the whole man may discerne by a change or no change whether we are sanctified and quickned yea or no. Vse 2 Secondly this point serueth also to exhort euery one of vs to a conscionable care to trie whether we haue life in vs yea or no. If we liue we can say as the father of his prodigall sonne This my sonne was dead and is aliue So I was dead yea I am dead vnto sinne and am aliue Wee haue no more assurance that we are aliue than we haue certaintie that we are dead If England and Ireland lay claime to one peece of ground the triall must be this Put a snake into it if it liues it belongs to England if it dieth it is Irish ground Right so if there be a controuersie betweene God and the Deuill whose possession man shall be the triall shall be thus Put the Serpent sinne into him if it liue he is the Deuils if it pine away and die he is part of Gods heritage Will you inquire then how we shall know whether sin die in vs yea or no I answer as a man may know whether another be dead vnto nature by the antecedent of death to wit sicknesse by the concomitants of death namely the decay of senses and pangs of death and by the consequents which are coldnesse and putrefaction So answerably we may know whether we are dead vnto sinne these three waies First by this antecedent which goeth before it namely See these three more largely in my Sermon on 2 Cor. 5.17 if we be sicke of sinne If as a man surcharged with grosse humours is neuer at ease till he haue abated them by vomit or purge so we oppressed with our sinnes can haue no rest in our soules till wee haue discouered sinne to our selues by examination opened it to God by confession executed reuenge vpon it by godly sorrow and purged it by faith in Christ then sinne is in a good degree to death Secondly by these two concomitants which goe with it First the sense of sinne must decay If therefore our eyes doe feebly behold vanitie and not with that vigour and content as before if our eares cannot endure to heare of it if we flie from the garment spotted of the flesh as from a Serpent if we finde no rellish and sauour in it but with an honest heart can say to it as to an vnprofitable thing Get thee hence then are wee in a second degree in the death of sinne But if secondly wee are come to the pangs of this death and doe finde that our sins through our lothnesse to forsake them haue striued and struggled as for life haue disturbed the peace of our soules haue sadded the flesh as those that mourne for the death of their friends haue comforted the spirit as those that reioyce at the death of enemies and so haue made the paines of the new birth the greater then are we a degree further in the death vnto sinne Thirdly we shall know it by these consequents which follow vpon it to wit coldnesse and putrefaction If therefore the heat of sinne be ouer Esay â— and the spirit of burning doe by degrees take possession of the place to consume it and if it rot and stinke in our account and make vs a burthen to our selues so long as it retaineth liuelihood in any corner of our bodies or soules then this is a fourth degree in the death of sinne and that which may assure vs of
the soule than the soule is to help it selfe without the liuing seeds of faith foregoing and fore-planted in the new creation of our hearts Thirdly we learne from hence also that so long as we are without faith our bodies are but as it were our dead soules graues 2 Cor. 5.1 If the bodies of Gods children are an earthly house or a house of mud walls as well as others then the bodies of naturall men cannot but be loathsome graues And what should dead men doe with other dwellings or why should we thinke other of dead mens habitations For doe but marke First the soule doth annoy the good with many loathsome smels of sinne and damps of iniquitie as out of a graue As God doth as it were smell a sauour of rest in the exercises of faith in Iesus Christ and a sweet perfume in the faithfull prayers of his children so doe the soules of the godly also and as sinnes make many stinks in the nosthrils of God so likewise in the nosthrils of good men Againe the faiâ—hlesse soule as if it were pent vp in a graue hath no freedome nor elbow-roome in the bodie to exercise it selfe either in naturall or spirituall things In naturall things it cannot giue a power of growing sense or reason at its pleasure for how many dwarfish dumbe deafe and foolish men and women are there in the world how is it with all of vs who can neither adde one cubit to our stature nor mâ—ke one haire either blacke or white In spirituâ—ll things wee are dead as I haue said Lastly as a graue doth make that bodie that is put into it to rot and turnes it for the most part into its owne common nature so the bodie if God doe not worke by the miracle of faith and sustaine vs by vertue of the couenant will more corrupt and make the blinde soule more earthly sensuall and deuillish For as hee that cannot worke but by a bad instrument will be brought so out of square that custome will breed another nature neuer to bring forth better fruits so the soule being tied vnto the bodie as to its proper instrument it not being eleuated by the spirit of faith through custome and long continuance is brought to rot in bodily exercises and earthly things Seeing therefore that our bodies are graues for our naturall dead soules oh that all of vs might take notice of it All I say both good and bad that the good might be weary of the world seeing their whole life is but a liuing in Golgotha among dead mens graues and skuls that the bad might content themselues with a meane graue except they had more hope of a comfortable resurrection That dead man were but possessed with Deuils who hauing no hope of a ioyfull resurrection should spend all his time in dressing vp and adorning his graue so are all dead men in sinne who hauing no hope of the fauour of God and of Christs dwelling in their hearts by faith doe yet spend all their time in prouision for the graue of their bodie the very throat whereof is an open sepulchre venting the stinke of their rotten hearts Vse 2 Secondly for practise we learne from hence how to carry our selues to our vnconuerted friends to wit as those who pitty them and pray for them and vse all meanes for a holy resurrection Hast thou a husband a wife a childe or any friend or enemie that hath not faith Pitty them mourne ouer them as Christ ouer dead Lazarus and as thou wouldst mourne ouer thy dead friend Pray to the liuing God that he would quicken them And as in the time of Christs being vpon the earth they either brought their dead corps to Christ or besought him to come to them so let vs deale with our faithlesse friends that is let vs seeke by all meanes to bring them to Christ in the word and prayer to see if yet Christ will meet them in his owne ordinances to raise them out of their stinking graues of sinne Oh that we would neuer forget to deale thus with those to whom we stand neerest in relation that so at the length custome if not conscience may preuaile with vs to doe it vnto others especially considering as I said before that it is full of discontent and misery to spend our daies among dead mens tombes Come we now from this miserable estate of ours by nature to our estate by grace Touching which the first point which the Text offereth to be considered is this That we haue communion and fellowship in the suffering and death of Christ. This is plaine from the words of the Apostle I am crucified with Christ which cannot be but by vertue of our communion with him It is true that if wee consider Christ as an indiuiduall person and vs as particular branches of another stocke we haue no fellowship with him For whereas fellowship betwixt disioyned persons may arise either by working the same worke in kinde which another doth Operando as in Corporations brethren of the same Trade or by a co-working and partnership in the same worke Cooperando as when two men are conuersant in one and the selfe-same businesse Consâ—ntiendo or else by consenting to the act of another man as when Dauid had fellowship in the murther of Vriah whereas I say wee may be thought to haue fellowship with Christ one of these three waies yet we neither being actually crucified nor crucified with Christ nor consenting to his crucifying for vs we cannot be said to haue fellowship with him Neuerthelesse if we do consider Christ as the head of his Church and vs as the members of his bodie if wee doe consider him as set apart sealed of God the Father to be a surety for vs and vs the parties to whom he is giuen and for whom bound our communion and fellowship standeth firme with him Now that we may the better conceiue it we must know that we haue fellowship with Christ in three things First in his Natures for the Sonne of God is made partaker of the humane nature that hee might make vs partakers of the diuine nature He became the sonne of man that we might become the sonnes of God 2 Pet. â—â— Wee wanted sonship God could not giue vs that which he had not therefore the Sonne of God alone tooke the nature of the sonnes of men that he might restore vs to the dignitie of the sonnes of God Secondly we haue fellowship with Christ in his goods for wee hauing nothing else that may be truly said to be ours hee takes our cursed ragges of sinne vpon him and hath communicated vs the riches of his glory Thus saith the Apostle God hath made Christ sinne for vs to wit 2 Cor. 5.21 by imputation and is made vnto vs wisdome righteousnesse 1 Cor. 1.30 sanctification and redemption Thirdly we haue fellowship with him in his estates His honourable estate is ours for wee are