ea spiritus there was no more breach in her So vsually in the best approued Latine Authors the word anima is also taken for winde Cicero de V. muersit and breath Tully saith inter igneÌ„ et terram Deus aquam animamque posuit Betwixt the element of fire and the earth God hath placed the water and the ayre Geta in Terence telleth Antopho how by hearkening and listening Terent. in Phorm he had found out the parents of Phanium accessi astiti animam compressi aurem admoui I came neere stood close held in my breath and listened And in Plautus the fault of the breath is called faetor animae Plautus in Asinaria Philenium said to Demaenetus dic amabò anfaetet anima vxoris tuae As in the three chiefest languages the etymologie of the wordes vsed for soule and spirit do import one force and nature so in the three principall significations and purposes whereunto they are most commonly applied in the description of the parts and faculties of man they haue as large a priuiledge the one as the other For first they are taken generally for the spirit of life in euery liuing creature As in Genesis it is said Gen. 7.15 Venerunt ad Noachum bina ex omni carne in qua erat spiritus vitae There came 2. 2. of al to Noah Tulli. de senec tute in whoÌ„ was the spirit of life Tul. extolleth those olde men quorum ad extremum spiritum prouecta est prudentia whose wisdome encreaseth euen vnto the ende of their life Aenaeas promiseth to bee mindful of Dido Vir. Aeneid 4 dum spiritus hos regit artus while life doth last This bodily life is called often in the Scripture by the worde of anima Reuben said to his brethren concerning Ioseph Gen. 37.21 Non percutiamus eum in anima Let vs not strike him in soule that is Exod. 21.23 let vs not kill him The law of retribution is eye for eye tooth for tooth hand for hand animam pro anima life for life Psal 59.4 Dauid praieth to be deliuered from those bloud-thirstie men which laid waite for his soule Our Sauiour commaundeth vs not to be solliciti pro anima Math. 6.25 carefull for the life what we shal eate or drinke nor for the body what raiment we shall put on The Angell bad Ioseph to take the babe and his mother and to returne out of Aegypt into Iury because they were dead qui petebant animam pueruli Math. 2.20 which sought the childes life Qui vult animam suam seruare saith our Sauiour hee which will saue his life Luk. 9 2â— shall loose it and hee which will loose his life for my sake shall finde it Ioh. 10.11 A good sheapherd layeth downe his soule for his sheepe that is his life Ioh. 3.16 as hee laid downe his soule for vs so should wee lay downe our soules for our brethreÌ„ that is our liues The Poet Iuuenal reprouing the greedy couetousnes of marchaÌ„ts saith I nunc et ventis animam committe dolate Confisus lÃgno digitis à morte remotus Quatuor aut Septem Secondly the word spirit and soule are in an equall degree taken vsually for the affections of man either good or euill Gal. 6.1 1. Cor. 4. v. vlt. The Apostle doth exhort vs to instruct one another with the spirite of mildnesse Psal 51.10 The Psalmist prayeth God to renew a right spirit within him that is holy motions of the mind Esay 29.10 The Prophet Esay telleth the stiffe-necked people that God had cast vpon them a spirit of slumber Greg. in mor. spiritus carnalis mollia spiritus mundi vana spiritus malitiae seÌ„per amara loquitur Psal 27.12 So may proud couetous affections be called the spirit of pride and the spirit of couetousnesse So is the word soule often vsed for the affections of the heart The Prophet Dauid sath ne tradas me animae hostium meorum deliuer me not to the soule that is the wicked desire of my enemies for false witnesses are risen vp against me Anima Sichem ad haesit Dinae filie Iacobi Gen. 34.8 the soule of Sichem that is the affection of his hart did cleaue vnto Dina the daughter of Iacob The Lord saith by Ezekiel that he had giuen vp the Israelites animae odio habentium eos Ezech. 16.27 to the soule that is the will and affections of them that hated them So of good and louing affections it is said in the Actes of those first conuerts in the primitiue Church Act. 4.32 there was amongst them cor vnum et anima vna one heart and one soule that is their counsels did all agree and their willes and affections were faithfully ioyned Eph. 4.3 The like doth the Apostle Paul exhort vs to when he biddeth vs hold the vnitie of the spirit in the bond of peace When the affections of our Sauiour Christ are expressed they are set out sometimes by the word spirit and sometimes by the word soule Ioh. 13.21 Saint Iohn saith turbatus est spiritus his spirit was troubled when he said one of you shall betray me Luk. 10 21. and as it is in Saint Luke exhitauit Iesus spiritu Iesus reioyced in spirit when hee said I thanke thee O Father Lord of heauen and earth that thou hast hid these thinges from the wise and prudent and reuealed them to babes euen so was thy good pleasure In Saint Marke he said Mark 14.34 tristis est anima vsque ad mortem my soule is sorrowful vnto death tary here watch And in Saint Iohn anima mea turbata est Ioh. 12.27 my soule is troubled and what shall I say Father saue me from this houre Aug. in Ioh S. Augustine doth expound these places to signifie his infinite loue towardes mankind and saith caput nostrum suscepit membrorum suorum affectum Our head vouchsafed to take vpon himselfe the affections of his mystical bodie Thirdly the word soule and spirit do in as full maner the one as the other point out vnto vs the principall part of man that rationall soule and vnderstanding spirit which beeing part of mans substance here doth remaine still immortall when the bodie is extinguished Of that is meant that speech of the wise man Eccles 12.7 when earth goeth to earth the spirit goeth to God which gaue it That did the first Martyr Saint Stephen yeeld vp into the hands of Christ Act. 7.59 when he said Lord Iesu receiue my spirit Of that speaketh the Apostle to the Hebrewes Hebr. 12 9 if wee haue reuerenced the Fathers of our flesh when they haue corrected vs much more shall wee bee subiect to the Father of our spirites and liue Of that doth our Sauiour speake in the yeelding vp of his soule Luk. 23.46 Father into thy hands I commend my spirit For as he tooke
of her chiefe animall facultie to haue seate in the braine and by her vitall facultie to haue place in the heart and by her naturall facultie to possesse the liuer yet the first by sinewes and the second by arteries and the third by veines doe with such societie harmonie and neere coniunction worke continually together in all the bodie that the soule it selfe which ruleth and gouerneth them al may bee said in and by them to bee present in all the bodie although in her owne essence and substance shee hath her proper place appointed by God being the chiefest part of mā it is most likely that she hath it in that part which is the chiefest beauty as it were the very maiestie of this earthly creature CHAP. VI. Whether the soul do come ex traduce by generation and conception from the parents as doth the bodie WHether the soule of man be created of God or no it is a matter that was neuer called in question in the Church of God for al the faithful haue euer acknowledged that as the body is created of God so also the soule But sundrie doubts haue been often made by many in what sort and maner the soule is created Some haue thought it to be a corporal thing and to come by propagation from the bodies of the parēts others haue on the other side so much extolled it as that they wold haue it to be created of the very substance of God A third sorte there haue bin which haue defended the soule to be a spiritual substāce but yet to come by propagation the soule from the soule as the bodie from the body Origin his opinion of all soules created together at the creation of the world is touched Chap. 4. August Epist 157. tom 2. Others wil haue it to be created of nothing others that it is created but yet of the substāce of that immortall soule which was giuen vnto Adam S. Augustine saith that if we keepe our selues frō the two first grosse heresies then Origo animae sine periculo latet it is no danger to vs to bee ignorant how the soule hath her beginning The first assertion which was the errour of Tertullian is at large confuted in that Epistle of Augustine The two chiefest reasons of Tertullian are these Gen. 46.26 first because it is said in Gen. that there came three score and sixe soules out of the loines of Iacob secondly because whē God made Adam Gen. 2.7 it is said that God did breath into him hee was made a liuing soule but when Eue was made there is no mētion made of any soule inspired into her therefore she had hers from Adam To the first it is answered that the word soul signifieth some times the person Gen. 14.21 as Gen. 14. giue mee the souls take thou the goods when the king of Sodom desired to haue his people againe S. Paul biddeth euery soul be subiect to higher powers that is euery person sometimes it is takē only for the body Aug. epist 157 tom 2. as S. Aug. sheweth in that Epistle as I haue laid open here in my first Chap. As for the ensāple of Eue it was sufficiēt to haue the inspiring of the soule once named but no doubt she had also her soule giuen her of God as Adā did acknowledge whē he said this is now flesh of my flesh Gen. 2 23. bone of my bone he did not say soule of my soule therfore did confesse it to be giuen of God The second opinion which was of the Manichees renewed of late time by Seruetus that because the Apostle saith Act 17.28 In God wee liue moue haue our beeing meaning indeed of the qualities gifts and graces which God hath bestowed on vs therefore our soule is made of the very essence of the God-head it is so grosse a collection that it needeth no cōfuting It is most absurd impious once to think that the soule of man being so many waies stamed polluted and so full of inconstancies vaine imaginations should be in substance a portiō of the most pure sacred God head As for them which thinke that it commeth of the essence of mans soul some do holde that in procreation it floweth out cum semine Aug. epist 15◠But Aug. doth thinke that to be incredible because multa fluunvirrita sine conceptibus semina and if the semen animae be mortall how shuld then the soule it selfe be immortall Others are of opiniō that no part of the soule issueth out with the seede but as one candle doth light another lose no part of it selfe thereby so the soule of the parents doth giue a soule to the naturall heate good temperature of that which is conceiued and yet not diminish thereby any portion of it selfe But the most generall opinion now holdē in the church is that the soules are created of God from outwardly by his diuine power inspired into mā at the time of giuing life Whether created of the soule of Adā as some in times past haue thought or created of nothing as in the first creation I account it a question needlesse seeing the word of God hath reuealed no determining thereof but that it is created of God and also created in another maner then is the body that seemeth to be apparātly declared in the holy scriptures The Apostle saith to the Hebrewes if we haue had fathers of our flesh to correct vs Heb. 12.9 we haue reuerenced thē how much more shall wee be in subiection to the father of our spirits and liue What can bee more apparant to shew that the body and the soule do not come both vnto vs after one maner God is our creator in respect of our bodies but hee hath made them by meanes by the parents of our flesh but hee is called the father of our soules 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by a certaine excellency and peculiar preheminēce because he hath made them himselfe alone and in the creatiō of our spirits hath gone beyond the course helpe of natural meanes The like speech we haue in the Preacher Eccl. 12.7 when earth saith he goeth to earth the spirit goeth to God which gaue it No doubt God giueth also the body as the Psalmist cōfesseth Psal 139.13 thou Lord hast couered me in my mothers wombe I will praise thee for that I am wonderfully made but he is by a singular proper prerogatiue called the giuer of spirits because they come not as the body by means but immediatly frō himself Hereunto hath S. Peter respect 1. Pet. 4.39 when he willeth vs to commit our soules vnto God as a faithful creator Dauid whē he saith the Lord doth fashion the harts of mē Psal 33.15 Hereupon is it that the Lord himselfe saith by the Prophet Esay that he hath made the soules Esay 57.16 to this worke
when the poorest should liue of the spoile of the richest and the best sword should most preuaile Amongst all these dispaires of men ill minded it pleased God when wee were bereaued of our most Gratious Queene whose memory bee blessed for euer to send vs according to the expectation and hearty desire of the faithfull a most noble religious wise and vertuous King and with him such an assured hope of an established succession that wee are neuer able sufficiently to magnifie his inestimable goodnes and mercies And the more to testifie that it was his own handy work it was the good pleasure of God that when at the first our Soueraigne King being far absent from the chiefe seate of his Realmes authority could not of a sodaine bee presently established In that time as it were of magistracie sleeping all partes were founde so quiet and obedient that the most simple in the world might see such a gouernour now to be placed ouer vs as whoÌ„ God doth vntertake to protect with his owne right hand WheÌ„ in the Arke oÌ„f Noah the rauening birdes Gen. 7.2 the Hauke Gripe and Vultur liued quietly with the Doue and tamer fowles when the Wolfe Lion and Leopard remained in peace with the simple sheepe and heyfer then it appeared euidently that this agreemeÌ„t was not ordinarie but a very wonderfull worke of the finger of Gods own hand And euen so wonderfull of late was the prouideÌ„ce of God in repressing the cruell affections of them which had before ill will against Sion The Lord make vs so truely thankefull for these his vnspeakable benefits that his graces and fauours may still be multiplied towards vs. And the Lord so still extend his miraculous preseruations that by our noble king and by his most royall issue the holy Gospell may be continued to vs and our posterity for euer The second thing that is to bee obserued in this text is the maner how wee must shewe our thankfulnsse to wit first both priuately and openly both before the Lord and before the sonnes of men and secondly with offering the sacrifice of praise telling Gods workes with gladnes To celebrate Gods goodnes before the Lord is to do it religiously zealously as in Gods presence Ioh. 4.24 God is a spirit they which worship him must do it in spirit and truth Dauid in his thanksgiuing doth principally encourage his soule to praise God Psal 103.1 Prayse the Lord O my soule and all that is within me prayse his holy name In the time of Gods seruice our mind must still cary in selfe as now talking with God When the word is preached vnto vs Aug. Serm. 112. I de temp God speaketh to vs wheÌ„ we pray or giue thanks we speake vnto God Cypr. lib 2. â—p 2. if then in those holy exercises our hearts be caried away with wordly or vaine cogitatioÌ„s it is an euident token that Satan doth then endeuor to steale our hart from God that our outward profession is nothing but meer hypocrisie Of such seruing of God the Lord himself doth pronounce by the Prophet Esay This people doth draw neer vnto me with their mouth Esay 29 13â— and honor me with their lips but their heart is far froÌ„ me That we may giue thanks in soule spirit it is altogether requisite that the hart of euery particular man do vnderstand the sense and meaning of the wordes which are vttered 1. Cor. 14.8 for that I may vse the coÌ„parisoÌ„ of the Apostle vnlesse the truÌ„pet do giue a certain souÌ„d that the army may plainly vnderstand when is souÌ„ded the alarum wheÌ„ the retreat how shal the souldier order himselfe aright in the battell Euen so in the seruice of God vnlesse the people do vnderstaÌ„d wheÌ„ they pray wheÌ„ they giue thanks for what they pray for what they giue thanks how can they in hart ioyne with the Pastor how can they serue the Lord in zeale spirit Psal 103.1 euery thing within theÌ„ praise Gods holy name 1. Cor. 14 1â— I had rather saith S. Paul speake fiue words with vnderstanding to instruct others then ten thousand words in a strange language Obiection The Romanists haue a slender shift and euasion that the Apostle should speake of the preaching of the word because in that Chapter he nameth sometimes the instructing of others and the edifying of others The confesse that preaching must needes bee in a knowne language but as for prayer and thanksgiuing such Psalmes hymnes as are song vnto God they say that all these may be in Latine although it be either in them or before them which vnderstand not the Latin tongue Resp But it is more cleare then the Sun that the Apostle doth speake not only of preaching 1. Cor 14.15 but also of all maner of prayer and thankesgiuing in the Church of God Hee saith in the fifteenth verse I will pray with the spirit that is with the strange language which was then the extraordinary gift of the spirit but I will pray also with vnderstanding I will sing with the spirit but I will sing also with vnderstanding Hee willeth therefore not onely preaching of the word but also all prayers hymnes songs and anthems whatsoeuer to bee in that tongue which may be vnderstood by them by whome they are presented to God I thinke that euery good Christian ought to be perswaded that when the minister doth publikely vtter either prayer or thanksgiuing the whole Church either doth or ought to ioyne with him in the offering of that spirituall sacirfice vnto God But in the verse following V. 16. the Apostle doth put the matter out of all controuersie he saith if thou shalt blesse with the spirit hee which occupieth the place of the vnlearned how shall hee say Amen to thy giuing of thanks seeing he vnderstandeth not what thou hast said Thou truely doest giue thaÌ„ks well but the other is not edified It is therfore a thing necessarie to thanksgiuing as well as to prayer or preaching that the heart doe vnderstand what is vttered before the Lord. If an vnknowne tongue had no place in the Apostles time where was the miraculous gift of Gods spirit much lesse may it chalenge any place now when it is gotten more vnperfectly and by more ordinary meanes If in that primitiue church not onely the latine or greeke Acts. 2.9 or hebrew but also all languages vnder heauen were vouchsafed to be powred downe by the holy ghost then why should not euery tongue be equally sanctified to giue thanks vnto God Phil. 2.11 to confesse that Iesus is Christ to the glorie of God the Father Thanksgiuing must bee done with ioyfulnesse as here Dauid sheweth now the olde saying is true ignotinulla cupido Psal 107.22 There is neither hearty desire nor true ioy in that whereof the mind is vnskilfull and ignorant All thinges in the Church of God ought
as they doe imagine as when the Apostle saith 1 Thes â— 23 the God of peace sanctifie you who by that your spirit being perfect your soule and bodie may bee kept vnblamably vntill the coÌ„ming of our Lord Iesus Christ the meaning is not that there shuld be a perfect coniunctioÌ„ of the Spirit to the bodie by the soule as a meane or middle that so the spirit the bodie might the better continue long together but the praier of the Apostle is that the spirit of the Thessalonians that is their reason vnderstanding their soul that is their wil and affections and thirdly their body should be kept vnblamably vntill the coÌ„ming of Christ These significations of the words I haue proued at large in my first Cha. And althogh they being named here together haue seueral significations Peâ—a piscater Iâ—wellus alii in hunc locum yet can we not thereupon conclude that they are seueral substaÌ„ces But as the body and flesh are but one body so the spirit soule are but one soule Aqui. saith vpoÌ„ tht place ad peccatuÌ„ tria concurruÌ„t ratio seÌ„sualitas et exi equutio corporis Aquinas in 1 Thess 5 23 optat vt in nullo horuÌ„ sit peccatuÌ„ Three things in man may offend reasoÌ„ sensuality the body he praieth that none of these maybe defiled with sinne The ancient Fathers Augustine and Hierom doe expounde this place in an other sense Folio 21. and yet nothing fauouring the opinion of Dorne v. 19. for by the spirit they vnderstand the graces of Gods spirit and so to bee all one with that which goeth a little before Spiritum ne extinguite Quench not the spirite they make the meaning to be that both one soule and the giftes graces of Gods spirit bestowed vpon it Hieron epist 150. ad 12. quest Hedibiae might be kept perfect vntill the coÌ„ming of Christ Alii ex hoc loco tripliceÌ„ affirmare volunt substantiam spiritus quo sentimus animae qua vinimus corporis quo incedimus Some saith S. Hierom would out of this place to the Thessalonians proue a threefolde substance in man c. Nos autem accipimus gratias donationesque spiritus sancti But we by the first by the word spirite do vnderstaÌ„d the graces and giftes of the holy spirite The like affirmeth S. Augustine Aug. de ecclesiast dogmat cap. 20. tom â— Non est tertius in substantia hominis spirities sicut Didimus contendit sed spiritus ipsi est anima quae prospirituali natura vel pro eo quod spiret in corpore spiritus appellatur anima veró ex eo vocatur quod ad viuenduÌ„ viuificandum aenimet corpus Tertinm autem cum anima corpore coniunctum spiritum gratiam spiritus sancti esse intelliga mus quam orat Apostolus vt integra perseueret in nobis The spirit is not a third substance in man as Didimus woulde haue it but mans spirite is his soule which for the spiritual nature or because it breatheth in the body is called a spirit and it is called Anima because it quickneth the body and giueth vnto it a quickning force but the spirit which is in this place ioined by the Apostle with the soule and body wee must vnderstand it to bee the grace of the holy Ghost which the Apostle doth pray that it may perseuere and continue in vs. The late Writers Beza Piscator and others do in the sense of this place differ from the Fathers but all doe geneally conspire against a third substance to be framed out of it Aquinas holdeth two Axioms very strongly first Aquinas in 1. parte suae summ Theol. quest 76 3 lib. senâ—â—â—â— distinct 1. that Forma substantialis vnitur immediaté materiae the substantiall forme of a thing is immediately or without any medium vnited with the matter Aquinas in 1. parte suae summ Theol. quest 70. sentent lib. 2 dist 12. and the second that non est possibile plures formas substantiales simul esse in eodem corpore It is not possible that two substantiall forms should be at one time in the selfe same body Writing also vpon that place of S. Paule 1 Cor. 15.44 Est corpus animale est corpus spirituale there is a naturall body and there is a spirituall body where the Apostle seemeth to giue the word body both to anima and spiritus Aquinas in 1. Cor. 15. he expoundeth the naturall body corpus animale to be that which in this world is troubled with naturall functions for feeding increase generation and such like and the spirituall body to bee that which absque aliquo impedimento fatigatione incessanter seruiet animae ad spirituales operationes eius hoc per Christum spiritum id est non solùm animam viuentem vt Adam sed viuentem viuificantem without all impediment and wearines continually serue the soule for her spirituall operations and that by the power of Christ being a spirite not onely a liuing spirit as Adam but a liuing and also a quickning spirite And that this is the very sense of the place it is most euident by the wordes last going before and by that which immediately followeth for in the verse before hee compareth our body in this life with our body that shall be in the resurrection It is sowen in weaknes it doth rise againe in power it is sown Copus animale it shall rise againe corpus spirituale And when he hath said there is an animall body and there is a spirituall hee addeth as it is written the first man Adam was made a liuing soule and the second Adam that is Christ Iesus was made a quickning spirit The Animal body is that which the posterity of Adam haue in this life Rom. 8. v. 11 and the spiritual body is that which shall be raysed with the quickning spirit of Christ in the resurrectioÌ„ Aug. de Ciuitate Dei lib. 13. cap. 20. Augustine sayeth that that is called a spirituall body which Spiritui summa mirabile facilitate subdetur omni molestia sensu omni corruptibilitate tarditate detracta shall obey the spirite with admirable facility all sense of trouble being taken away and all corruption and slownesse remoued And in an other place Aug. de fide symbolo cap. 6. tom â— Spirituale corpus intelligitur omnifragilitate labe terrena in coelestem puritatem stabilitatem mutata conuersa That is vnderstood to bee a spirituall body wherein all frailty and earthly pollution is conuerted and changed into heauenly purity and stedfastnes Anselmus Anselm in 1. Cor. 15 Titleman in 1. Cor. 15 and after him Titleman and other schoolemen doe interprete that to be an animal body which hath need of meats drinkes and other cherishing that to bee a spirituall body which shall not neede any of these but liue for euer by the
quickning spirit of Christ To call a body spirituall and to say that the spirit is a body are speeches very much different Col. 2. v. â— S. Paule sayeth that the fulnes of the Godhead doth dwell in Christ bodily but wee can not thereupon inferre that the Godheade is a body Rom. 7.14 The law is called spirituall the law sayth the Apostle is spirituall and I am solde vnder sin who will thereupon inferre that the law is a spirit Rom. 8.7 It is sayd the wisedom of the flesh is enmity against God is the flesh therefore a thing rationall Paule will haue the body of sinne destroyed Rom. 6. v. 6 is therefore sin a thing corporeall 2 Cor. 4.16 He sayeth though the outward man doe perish the inward man is renewed daily is therfore the soule of it selfe a person Aquinas writing vpon that place Aquinas in 2. Cor. 4. condeÌ„neth an heresie of Tertullian Hic Tertulliani error daÌ„natur etiam ab Augustino Epist 157 who taught that because S. Paule doth call the Soule an inward man therefore the Soule no doubte had a bodily shape but hee frameth him this answere Vnumquodque dicitur illud esse quod est in eo principalius Any thing may beare the name of that which is most principall in him secundum veritatem iudicium principalius in homine est mens sed secundum apparentiam principalius est corpus exterius cum sensibus suis According to true iudgement the principall part of man is the minde but according to the outward appearaÌ„ce the principal part is the body the seÌ„ses thereof therfore it is that the one is called the outward maÌ„ the other the inward S. Hierom sheweth that some in his time to proue that the spirite and soule are seuerall substaÌ„ces Hierom. epist 150. ad 12. quaest Hedibiae In adiectione ad Dan. v. 86. did alledge that in the song of the three children O yee Spirites Soules of iust men praise the Lord. But hee putteth it downe as an vsual answere that that chapter is of the Apocrypha and he addeth Non vtique sunt tot substantiae quot nomina We must still imagine so many substances as we finde names The Apostle to the Hebrewes Heb. 4. v. 12. calleth the worde of God such a two edged sworde as doth enter to the deuiding of the soule and spirite we may not conclude thereby two seuerall substances but by the soule is meant as most do expounde it the affections and by the spirit the reason an vnderstanding Aquinas in Heb. 4. Aquinas saith spiritus est illud per quod communicamus cum essentiis spiritualibus anima est illud per quod communicamus cum brutis anima operatur cum corpore sciritus sine corpore That part of the soule which doth communicate with spirituall substances is called a spirit but that faculty which is common to brute beastes is called anima the one worketh with the body and the other without the body Others make that to the soule do appertaine those thinges which are agreeable to nature and to the spirit those thinges that are aboue nature but still meaning the faculties of one soule and not seuerall substances It is no abasing of the soule of man to haue some thinges common with brute beastes as it is no disgrace to the mightiest prince in the world to haue some things common with the vilest and basest subiect of his kingdome to witte eating drinking sleeping such other naturall functions All Creatures haue their seuerall degrees of this anima some haue onely the natural degree as haue trees and herbs some haue further a vitall degree as haue wormes some besides the vital haue also a sensuall degree with some feeling of feare and ioy as haue brute heastes and some besides the naturall vitall and sensuall haue also an intellectuall as hath man to discourse ponder and iudge and stil the higher includeth his inferior and the highest and most soueraign compreheÌ„deth all in one Some to derogate from the word anima doe alledge that speech of Athan. Athanasius tom 4. in tractatu de definitionibus ecclesiasticis Nemo existimet quod ille spiritus queÌ„ in homineÌ„ inflauit factus sit anima absit Let no maÌ„ think that the spirit which God did breath into man was made a soule God forbid wee should think so wherupoÌ„ they conclude that in Athan. his iudgemeÌ„t the spirit the soule are two distinct substaÌ„ces most certaine it is that Athanasius in that place doth not speake of spirite as of any essentiall part of man but of that Spirite wherewith God created all thinges of which it is sayde in Genesis Spiritus Dei incubabat superficiei aqua rum The spirite of God did hatch vpon the waters and in the Psalms by the word of the Lord the heaueÌ„s were made all the army of them Gen 1 2 Psal 33.6 Spiritu oris eius by the breath of his mouth This working creating spirite did God breath into maÌ„ â—en 2.7 by it man was made a liuing soule without any elementary matter now that efficient al-creating spirite which God did breath into maÌ„ let no maÌ„ think saith Athana that it self was made a soule God forbid for then anima esset nimiruÌ„ de Dei essentia Our soule should be of the very essence of God Sed spiritus ille perficit animaÌ„ But that spirite which is of Gods essence doth make the soule of man and all the powers therof by which wordes following Athanasius doth so plainely expounde his owne meaning that no doubt can be left thereof I conclude therfore that the soundest course is when we take vpon vs to determine what anima is to giue it the same properties and the same signification as hath been euer giuen to it by the holy Scriptures by the auncient Fathers by the wisest of the Philosophers and by all the best approued authors that euer haue written and if in any place either in the booke of God or in the writinges of learned Diuines if be ioined together with the word spirit theÌ„ to giue it no other sence theÌ„ is the scope and drift of the places In all the places which are alledged the purpose of the originall text is not to shew how the soule should bee vnited to the body but how al the powers of the soule should be ioyned vnto God CHAP. V. In what place of the body the Soule doth possesse his seat THe vulgar and common axiome that anima rationalis est tota in toto tota in qualibet parte The rationall soule of man is whole in whole and whole in euerie part which some do attribute to Augustine and some to other late schoolemen but in Melancthon his iudgement it is no speech of Plato Melancth de anima pag 34 Aristotle or of any ancient Philosopher may best bee expounded of the power and efficacy of the
Christ and as the Lord doth behold vs not in our selues but in and through his sonne Christ Iesus Math. 3 17 in whome only he is well pleased How the righteousnes that is in the faithful and such as are sanctified is called the image of God shall be shewed hereafter Let this suffïce here to condemne that dreame of the Manichees and Osiander who by the image of God in man did imagine a perfect vprightnesse righteousnesse and holinesse inherent in the powers of man making him in this life voide of all blemish or imperfection either in body or soule A third opinion or rather an application by the way how the soule is the image of God is that of Saint Augustine making our soule to be an image of the blesied Trinitie In the soule there is memoria intellectus voluntas haec tria potes numerare non potes separare Aug. de verbis domini Serm. 63. Memorie vnderstanding and will you may number these three but you cannot seperate them So the three persons in the Trinitie you may number them but you cannot diuide them as the one is but one soule so the other but one Godhead Yet in another place he correcteth himselfe and saith Aug epist 102. that this is similitudo dissimilis an vnlike similitude because the memorie the vnderstanding and the will are in the soule but wee cannot say that euery one of them is the soule but the Trinitie it selfe is God and euery person God Fourthly the making of man after Gods image hath beene expounded by some to signifie the soueraigntie which God gaue vnto him ouer al his earthly creatures to bee a similitude of his heauenly prouidence gouerning all things and therefore when it is saide that God made man after his owne image there followeth in the next verse the commaundement of God Gen. 1 27 ver 28 giuing Adam power to rule ouer all beastes and fishes and foules This is the interpretation of Chrysostome and although it be condemned by some Calu. in Psycopan yet I doe not see but it may stand very well to bee a part of the image of God seeing the Apostle speaketh directly speaking of preheminence in gouernmēt 1. Cor. 11.7 The man ought not to couer his head for as much as he is the image of God but the wowan ought because shee is the image of the husband But this is not the image of God which wee are in this place to seeke out wee must finde such an image as shall be common to both sexes for as the Apostle saith Gal. 3.28 In Iesus Christ there is neither Iew nor Gentile bond nor free male nor female but all is one A fift description of the image of GOD Calu. Instit lib. 2. cap. 12. sect 6. is of them which make it to be that high perfection which God gaue first to Adam to conuerse with God and to bee ioined vnto GOD which perfect integrity was also giuen to the Angels being therefore called the sonnes of God for to behold the countenance of God requireth a similitude with God and it is saide Mat. 22.30 that the glorified in the life to come shall bee like the Angels of God This Angelical perfection was giuen to our first parents but for their disobediance and vnthankfulnes both they and wee were iustly depriued of it for man hath receiued naturally fower woundes whereby this image of God is defaced in him The first is a iudiciall wound Heb. 7.10 wherby man being shut vp in the loines of Adam and therefore sinning in Adam is iustly condemned as guilty of the same trespasse with him and standeth by nature as a mā before a iudge condemned and for a time repriued This confessed the kingly Prophet when hee sayde psal 51.5 In sinne was I born and in iniquity my mother conceiued mee The second wound is called priuatiue to wit a depriuing of all those excellent gifts which were at the first bestowed on Adam when in a corporation the liberties are shamefully abused or when Subiects doe rebell against their Soueraigne it is accounted iustice to depriue the posteritie of the one of their priuileges and the whole of spring of the other of their inheritance much more when the heauenly graces of God are rebelliously cast off they are in right and equitie most iustly plucked away from the generation ensuing Man is therfore naturally depriued first of al power of doing good so that none can come to Christ Ioh. 6 44. vnlesse the heauenly Father drawe him Luke 15.5 none can truely come home vnlesse as the lost sheep hee bee laid vpon the shouldèr of the mercifull shepheard to wit our Sauiour and be brought home to repentance Wee are therefore accounted naturally as dead The Apostle saith Rom 6.13 Giue your selues vnto God as they which of dead are aliue you which were dead hath he quickned againe Col. 2.13 forgiuing you all your sinnes Secondly wee are depriued not onely of power but also of will Phil. 2 13 Aug. in Enchirid ad Laurentium as Augustine obserueth well Libero arbitrio male vtens homo se perdidit ipsum Man by abusing free will lost both himselfe and it As saith he a man that wilfully murdereth himselfe hath neither life nor power to raise vp him selfe againe so when free will was abused vnto sinne and ouercome by sinne it lost his freedome and fell into slauery and dondage wee are further depriued of all ability of thinking well 2 Cor 3 5 so that of our selues we cannot thinke a good thought euery framing or cogitation of the heart of man Genes 6 5. is onely ill continually moreouer our knowledge is gone 1 Cor. 2.14 naturall man cannot conceiue the thinges of God Act. 16 14 Lydia cannot so much as mark the wordes of Paul vntill God doe open her eyes wee are nothing of our selues in respect of spirituall knowledge Eph. 5 8 Eph. 4 18 but meere darknes and blindenesse yea those thinges which are thought most excellent of vs haue neede to bee remoued the very wisedome of the flesh is enmity against God Rom. 8 7. Eph 4 23 and the Apostle requireth that wee be renewed euen in the spirite of our mindes psal 51 10. Dauid praieth God to create in him a new heart and a new spirit and being created to guide thē still with his grace not to take his holy spirit from him or els hee well perceiued there was no power in himselfe to yeeld obedience to the will commaundement of God The third wound is caled Positiue whereby wee are by nature enclined vnto all euill as by the former we are depriued of all powers and faculties of doing good so by this wee are naturally prone to vngodlines and iniquitie The Apostle saith Eph. 2.3 wee be natura filii irae by nature the children of wrath The Pelagians and of late the
Anabaptists say that wee are sinfull from our parents but they say it is by imitation or by imputation but the Apostle maketh no such begininges of sinne hee pronounceth flatly the vnregenerate to bee by nature children of wrath Iob sayeth Iob. 11 1◠that a new borne babe is as an vntamed and vnbroken Colt apt by nature to all vntowardnes Infantes haue the seedes of anger way wardenesse pride and vanity howsoeuer as the serpent sometimes is so frozen in winter that it may bee handled without danger not because it hath no poyson but because it hath no power to put it out so little children doe for a time not shew forth manifest effectes of these sins not because they haue not the venome but because they are not able to send it forth If a whole vessell be poysoned how can any droppe therof be sound or wholesome the whole stocke of mankinde is poisoned with the sinne of Adam Gen 5 3 It is saide Adam begat issue after his owne likenesse as Adam was sinful lustfull vnthankfull disobedient so the branches bee of the same nature with the stocke and roote The fourth wound is called transitiue whereby as by a wound which is deeper growne and of long continuance commeth at the last a Fistula yeelding most filthy mater so of these former woundes do proceede actuall sinnes and custome of sinning wherby all actions and operations both of body and soule are repugnant to the will of God And those things which by nature we should haue done without sinne had Adam not offended those things wee performe now with a thousand imperfections for as a man that hath the palsey hath a mouing of head and handes as hee had before and as wee see also other men haue but his mouinges are now altogether irregular and full of infirmities so all those affections of mind loue desire reioycing and all naturall functions eating drinking sleeping and such like which wee should haue performed without sinne if Adam had not transgressed are now become plainely irregular and full of infinite blemishes and corruptions Thus many wayes by nature is the image of God blotted out in the vnregenerate but in them which are born anew by the grace and spirite of God and do by a true and sound faith take holde of the merites and satisfaction of Christ 1 pet 2.21 by whose stripes we are healed and are liuely members of that Chruch Esay 30.26 vnto which the Redeemer was promised to binde vp their breaches and to heale the stroke of their woundes Ezech. 3◠16 In them all these sores hereditary diseases aforenamed are so farre cured Luk. 10.19 that nothing shall bee able to doe them harme their powers are so farre strengthned as that by the helpe of the grace of our Lord Iesus and by the merite of his passion they do performe those things which are acceptable vnto God phil 4 13. I can doe all thinges sayth the Apostle in him that doth strengthen me phil 2 13 God doth worke in vs both to will and to performe so likewise for the thoughts the heart is purified by faith Act. 15 9. for the knowledge 1 Cor. 2 14 Eph 5 8 the spirituall man discerneth all thinges ye were once darkenes but now yee are all light in the Lord Iames 1 5 for wisedome hee giueth it to the askers that vpraideth no man for the spirit of the minde that is performed in them which the Apostle nameth to the Thessaloniās 1. Thes 5 21. euen the God of Peace doth sanctifie them throughout that their perfect spirite and soule and body shall bee blameles phil 3 12 vntill the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ That spirit is accounted perfect which doth aime still at perfection and labour continually more and more to attaine vnto it Phil. 3 14. 2. Chron. 15.17 going on in singlenesse and soundnesse of heart without hypocrisie endeuouring by all meanes to bee the same before God as it would seeme to be before men Psal 119.6 and hauing respect as much as may bee to all the commandementes of God and yet seeking especially that perfect blessednesse Psal 32. ◠which doth consist in the couering of imperfections That happy couering of sinnes spoken of by the Prophet Dauid is atributed by Saint Paule to iustification by faith Rom. 4.5.7 taking hold of the righteousnes and satisfaction of Iesus Christ if these thinges bee performed with deuoute and holy zeale then doth the soule and spirit in some measure put on againe the image of God Aug. de Gen. ad literam l. 6. cap. 1 S. Augustine sheweth that it is the soule and minde of man where the image of God is to bee sought when God first created him made him after his likenesse it was non secundum corpus sed secundum intellectum not in respect of the body but in respect of the vnderstanding Quanquam in corpore habeat quandam proprietatem quae hoc indicet quòd erecta statura factus sit vt admoneretur sibi non esse terrena spectanda Although hee hath also in body a certaine property which sheweth the very same to witte his stature with the face lifted vppe that hee might bee admonished not to set his mind on earthly thinges There bee fiue especiall thinges required to the renewing of the image of God in vs. The first is knowledge of diuine misteries as the Apostle saith Col. 3.10 Put on the new man renewed vnto knowledge according to the image of the Creator The Psalmist doth pronounce him blessed which doth meditate and pōder day night in the law of GOD. Psal 1.2 The second thing is righteousnes as the Apostle exhorteth Put on the new man Eph. 4.2 4 which after God is created in righteousnes and true holinesse Dauid saith psal 145.17 God is righteous in all his wayes and holy in all his workes To put on Gods image in righteousnes is not onely to abstaine from iniuries vniust dealing and oppression but to bee good vnto all men to the vttermost of our power for those who did feed the hungry giue drinke to the thirsty and visite them which were sicke or in prison are called iust the other to wit they on the left hand shall goe into euerlasting paine but these righteous into life eternall The third true holinesse Mat. 25.40 Leuit. 19.2 1. Pet. 16. Eph. 4.24 The commaundement is often giue bee holy as I am holy The Apostle to the Ephesians doth as by righteousnes point out all duties towardes our neighbour so by holinesse he doth signifie especially our duties towardes God that wee carry our selues religiously in the seruice of God that our praiers be no matters of custome psal 25.1 but liftings vp of our soules vnto God psal 63.5 that our soules be filled with marrow and fatnes when we prayse God with ioyfull lippes psal 69.9 that the zeale of
truly mans flesh so tooke hee also a humane soule and was perfect man Hebr. 4 15 like vnto vs in all thinges sinne onely excepted Saint Peter saith ye were all as sheepe going astray 1 Pet. 2 25 but ye are returned to the sheapheard and Bishop of your soules Ver 11. And in the same Chapter againe abstaine from fleshly lustes which fight against the soule Hee calleth by the name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 anima Iam 1.21 the spirit and principall part of man So doth Saint Iames when he willeth vs to receiue with meeknes the word of God which is able to saue your soules so doth our Sauiour Christ when hee biddeth vs not to feare them which kill the body Mat 10.28 and haue no power to kill the soule but to feare him that hath power to kill both body and soule and to cast both into hell fire Mat. 11.28 Heb. 13.17 1. Pet. 1.9 1. Pet. 4.39 And in the Chapter following learne of me that I am meeke and lowlie in heart and you shall find rest vnto your soules Hieron aduer Iouinian lib. 2 of this speaketh S. Hierom Anima in aurigae modum retinet fraena sensuum currentium The soule as a Wagoner doth holde and gouern the bridle of the running senses Aug. quaest super Numer lib. 4. cap. 18. And Augustine Humana natura constat corpore spiritu quem etiam animam dicunt The nature of man doth consist of a body and a spirit which spirit is called also the soule And Bernard Bernard super cant se m 59. gemit anima deuota Christi absentiam A deuoute soule doth grone and sigh when it feeleth Christ absent or longeth for the comming of Christ The other significations of the wordes soule and spirit as wheÌ„ soule is taken Gen. 14.21 Rom. 13.1 either for the whole person of man yet liuing Numb 21 1 Numb 6.6 or for the body of man being dead and the spirit taken for a Phantasma or Ghost appearing in some visible shape as Theophilact doth expound that place in S. Luke Luk 24.37 where it is said that the Apostles when our Sauiour appeared to them did think that they had seene a spirit and were afraid but our Sauiour did cheare theÌ„ vp why are ye troubled touch mee and behold for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see mee haue These and sundry other acceptations of the wordes soule and spirit I omit as impertinent to the question now in hand and doe thinke it more fit the aequiualency of the words being thus briefly laid open to passe vnto that which in order ought next to follow to wit the definition of anima what it is first generally in al liuing creatures and then more particularly what is the soule of man CHAP. II. What is the soule or anima and how the soule in man doth differ from anima in other creatures WHat that anima is that is the life of all animalia of all liuing creatures it is a question much disputed amongst auncient Philosophers Some doe make it a bodily thing some a nature incorporeal and some onely the temperature of the body The Stoickes taught See these opinions more at large in the beginning of the 7. chapter ammam esse vitales spiritus in sanguine that the soule was onely the vitall spirites in bloud If it be a corporall thing then must it needes be like either the aeriall or the fiery element The signification of the worde doth import rather an aerial nature but Democritus called it Igneam naturam of a fiery nature some called it a harmony or as Empedocles a friendship of the elementes and humors Heraclitus accounted in a certaine force flowing from the celestiall bodies into the terrestrial vnto which opinion the Poet seemeth to allude Virg. Igneus est illis vigor caelestis origo Aristotle defineth it to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tully Tusc 1 the continued motion as Tully doth interprete it of a naturall organicall body hauing life in power some doe reprehend that interpretatioÌ„ of Tully do think that it should be expounded rather perfectioÌ„ because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth perfect Plato de leg Arist 3 Physic in lib. de gener anim at l. 2 de ani ait inima est principium quo vluimus sentimus mouemur But Plato vseth the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for iugiter continuè certaine it is that Aristotle doth vse often promiscuè the wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for an efficiency and working motion many hold it to be all one with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a continuall agitation as in the Prouerbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a drippe alwaies dropping doth harden the hard rocke and the Wiseman sayeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eccl. 30.1 He that loueth his sonne doth continually adde correction to him When anima is called a continued agitation wee must not vnderstand an accidentall motion but a substantiall and habituall agitation stirring vp actions Hippocrates nameth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the naturall heat or the spirite in bloud and hee addeth Cum haec anima inflammatur pereunt corpus anima because when the heat and spirits doe not keepe a iust proportion theÌ„ all liuing creatures are thereby extinguished In the holy scriptures the word anima is giuen to the bloud Carnem cum sanguine ipsius qui anima ipsius est ne comedite Gen. 9.4 Eate not the flesh with the bloud of it which is his life tantummodò non comedas vllum sanguinem Deut. 12. â—3 quia sanguis cuiusque est eius anima ideo non com ede vllius animam cum ipsius carne Eate no bloude for the bloude of euery thing is the life therefore eate not the life together with the flesh Herevpon is the word anima also giuen to euery liuing creature Quaecunque anima viuebat in mari mortua est Apoc. 16.3 Euerie soule that liued in the sea that is euery liuing creature Adam called by name omnem animam viuentem Gen. 2 20. euery liuing soule that is euery liuing creature omnis anima viuens quae repit euery creeping soule Ezech. 47.9 that is creeping creature In most authors the worde bloud is taken for life because of the spirits of life proceeding of the bloud when the Poet describeth a man slain he vseth this phrase Purpuream vomit ille animam He cast out his purple-red soule Virg. Aenead that is his life together with his bloud Gal. de vsu partium lib. 6 cap. 17. Galen defineth animalem spiritum esse exhalationem quandam sanguinis benigni the animall spirit to be a certain exhalation of the best part of bloud Ibid lib. 9. c. 4 And afterward sheweth how this animal spirit is engendered of the vitall the thinnest and purest portion of the vitall spirits engendered
of one length is incomprehensible and vnspeakable such as no eie can see 1. Cor 2. â— no eare can heare neither can it enter into the hart of maÌ„ But it is many waies apparant that howsoeuer in the day of iudgement the body shal be ioined to the soul as in society of either blisse or torment yet is that immortal inuisible creature of it selfe inorganical sufficiently able for all her actioÌ„s motions and operations without the bodily instruments humors qualities powers agitations temperaments or any corporall faculties whatsoeuer CHAP. IIII. Whether anima the soule bee a medium a meane or middle thing betwixt the spirit and the bodie DIuers late writers set it downe for a firme position Dorn in claue pag 138 142 anima est medium inter spiritum et corpus The bodie and spirit are so contrarie one to another that they cannot be ioyned together but by a middle or meane now the meane to ioyne them is the soule and one expoundeth what that soule is anima est corporis motrix Ibid pag. 136 Fol 141 it is the mouer of the bodie and after he saith anima duobus constat motu scilicet et sensu the soule doth consist of two things to wit mouing and sense And afteward he addeth a third thing to wit appetites Fol 145 odit animam in corpore qui fraenat appetitus he hateth his soule in his body which doth bridle his appetites And in another place defineth it to bee the life Fol 137 anima est vita corporis et substantia media inter animam et corpus participans de animo et corpore the word anima signifieth the life of the bodie and is a middle substance betwixt the mind and the bodie and taketh part of both By which places his meaning seemeth to be that the worde anima should comprehend whatsoeuer is betwixt the principall part of mans soule and the grossenesse of the bodily substance and that the immortall inuisible substance is by it as by a second middle substance vnited to the bodie In these his assertions hee is first iniurious to the worde anima which as I haue shewed alreadie hath as large a signification as hath the word spirit for the immortall soule of man and hath beene alwayes so vsed in all ages amongst Philosophers and approued Latine Authors and especially amongst the most religious Fathers of the Church in all their sermons and discourses and further in as many as haue translated the holy Scriptures vnto vs. As it is taken sometimes for the inferiour faculties so is also the worde spirit and therefore there is no reason why the one should bee restrained strictly to an inferiour baser substance more then the other Marsil Ficin de vita caeliâ—us comparada lib 3 cap 3 The excellent interpreter of Plato Marsilius Ficinus maketh spiritus to be the medium betwixt corpus and anima His words are inter animam et corpus in nobis spiritus necessariò requiritur tanquam medium quo anima diuina et adsit corpori crassiori et vitam eidem penitùs largiatur Betwixt the soule and the bodie a spirit is of necessitie required in vs as it were a middle or meane whereby the soule being diuine may be present to the body being more grosse and thorowly bestow life vpon it And a little after Scimus viuentia omnia tà m plantas quà m animalia per quendam spiritum viuere et generare sui simile lapides sui similes non generant quia spiritus iniis crassiori materia cohibetur Wee knowe that all liuing things as well plants as sensible creatures do liue by a certaine spirit and thereby get their like But stones doo not bring forth their like because the spirit in them is holden backe by the grossenesse of their matter The meaning of Ficinus doth not much differ from Dorne but that which the one calleth anima the other calleth spirite because indeede the wordes are aequivalent and both of them equiuocall And therefore to take away ambiguitie the best had beene for either of them to haue added to the worde the difference as to haue said that the vegetatiue and sensitiue soule is the middle betwixt the rationall soule and the bodie or that the spirit of life is the middle betwixt the vnderstanding spirit of man and the bodie But Dorne in calling that vegetatiue and sensitiue facultie a third substance doth seeme to haue drawne his position out of Origen Origen super Leuit. Hom 2. who doth directly set it downe that anima is in such sort a medium betwixt the spirit the bodie that the soule may be damned and yet the spirit saued and one of his proofes is Origen in Mathaeum hom 30 Fol 96. because it is said in the Gospell that God can cast both bodie and soule into hell fire ex eo quod nihil de spiritu dixit euidenter oftenditur quòd spiritus cum anima peccatrice non simul punitur quà enim peccauit diuiditur et pars quidem eius cum infidelibus punitur quod autem non cius reuertitur ad Deum qui dedit eum Seeing hee speaketh nothing of casting the spirit into hell it is euidently shewed that the spirit is not punished together with the sinfull soule The person that sinned is diuided and part is punished with the Infidels and that which is not his but Gods that gaue it must returne to God that gaue it A very grosse errour is this as are likewise many other opinions which the said Origen doth hold as concerning the soule as the omnes animae erant in initio simul creatae all soules were created in the beginning all together which heresie of his is at large confuted by Aquinas Tho Aquinas 1. parte suÌ„mae theologiae and animam saluatoris fuisse antequam nasceretur à Virgine et in restitutione omnium animas Christianorum Iudaeorum et Gentilium vnius conditionis fore et ex Angelis fieri animas et rursus ex animis Angelos That the soule of our Sauiour Christ was before hee was conceiued of the Virgine and that in the restoring of all things the soules of Christians Iewes and Gentiles shall bee all of one estate and condition and that of Angels are made soules and againe of soules Angels All which absurde opinions of Origen are condemned by Saint Hierom. Whatsoeuer therefore may be gathered as is by some out of Origen Hierom. in Apologiâ— aduersus Ruffinum to proue anima to be a third substance in man wee see by these his assertions what little account may iustly bee made thereof But say they there are many places in the holy Scriptures wherein the worde soule and spirit are both ioyned together in such sort that they seeme apparantly not to signifie one thing Indeede when they are ioyned both together all the Fathers of the Church generally doe make a difference betwixt them but not such a difference
reason Tul. Tusc 5. that corpus est quasi vas anim quoddam receptaculum the bodie is but as it were a vessell for the soule and a receptacle for a time Againe if the soule were not a substāce of it selfe why should the Apostle saint Peter call the end of our faith the saluation of our soules 1. Pet. 1.9 1. Pet. 2.11 or bid vs abstaine from lustes which fight against our soules Or the Apostle to the Hebrewes Heb. 1◠17 call the labour of Ministers a watching euer soules as they which must giue an account of them with sundrie other such exhortations as are set downe here in my first chapter Heb. 10.17 Or how could there be a terrour and trembling of conscience in the wicked when by the guiltinesse of their sinne they finde in themselues a fearefull looking for of iudgement and violent fire to consume the aduersarie It is not a motion but an essence which doth pierce vp to the tribunall seate of God and from thence strike terrour into it selfe This sting of conscience as it is a spirituall punishment and not corporall so it falleth not vpon the body but vpon the soule For the immortalitie of this spirituall essence what is reuealed by the holy scriptures I shall haue occasion to declare more at large in my four last chapters only my chief drift hath beene here to shew what the wise Philosophers of the world haue cōceiued thereof by the light of naturall reasō and to let vs see what a shame it is for vs not to make so much vse of deepe meditations as they did When Socrates did but consider that the minde doth thē discourse best when nothing doth trouble it neither hearing nor seeing nor griefe nor pleasure as wee see when the senses are stopped the vnderstanding doth most deepely meditate he could gather thereby an argument of immortalitie Seneca epist 111. When Seneca sawe that the greater and more heroicall mind was in man the more it did despise these base worldly things and the lesse it feared to depart out of the bodie he would say straight maximum est argumentum animi ab alitiori venientis sede It is the greatest argument that can be of a mind comming from heauen and therefore of a heauenly and eternall nature To conclude euen the Poets when they considered the diuine gifts bestowed on the soul of man Phoeylides could not but confesse that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Th' immortall soule stil yong lasteth for aye And Pythagoras a Poet but much more a Philosopher 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pythag. in aureis carmini 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If soule and mind as wagoners rule all Then when thou leauing body comest to skies With God thou shalt be euer immortall And taste no more of death nor miseries CHAP. VIII How in the soule the image of God shal be renewed OF those words in Genesis Gen. 1.27 that God made man after his owne image likenes there haue beene amongst many sundry applicatiōs and sundrie opinions some plainely heretical and others more tolerable The heresie of the Anthopomorphitae is dānable which maketh God to be a bodily substance like vnto man for the scriptures doe shew vs abundantly Ioh. 4.24 2. Cor. 3.17 that God is a spirit inuisible and incomprehensible he appeared sometime visibly to the Patriarkes Exod. 33.20 Ioh. 6.46 Gen. 16.10 Exod. 2.2 Esay 6.1 and his holy seruants but that was not according to his essence which is infinite but according to certaine representments or as Athanasius speaketh maiesties farre inferior to that which he is of himself applied to the capacity of man And certaine it is that in Genesis that image of God which is said to bee in man was not in respect of the bodie which was made of the slime of the earth but in respect of the spirit which was giuen vnto man Gen. 2.7 whē God did breath into him and hee was made a liuing soule Osiander made the image of God to signifie Christ which in the preordināce of God was for to come and to take mans nature vpon him hee taught that then doth the soule beare the image of God when it hath the very righteousnesse of Christ Iesus as an inherent quality He had it from the Manichees groūded his opiniō especially vpon that place of the Apostle 2. Cor. 3.18 we all with open face beholding the glory of God as in a glasse are trāsformed into the same image frō glory to glorie as by the spirit of God Those wordes are spoken especially of the Apostles and Ministers of whome Saint Paul doth in that place intreat and doe import thus much that they in the glasse of Gods worde beholding the glorie of God are transformed into the same image to bee lights vnto others as our Sauior said Math. 5.14 ye are the lights of the world and to light them not onely in doctrine but in going before them in sanctification of life The righteousnesse of Iesus Christ is imputed to vs as the Apostle doth often declare when wee put on Christ by faith Rom. 4.9.10 Rom. 4.22 Gal. 3.27 1. Cor. 1.30 Phil. 3.9 and are clothed with the righteousnesse of Christ But that perfect righteousnesse it self such as is able to stand before the iudgement of God neither is nor euer was an inherent quality residēt in any but only in the manhood of Christ Iesus It may and ought to suffice vs to receiue of the fruit and to let the tree roote remaine where it should 2. Cor 5.21 The Apostle sheweth that in the same manner as Christ was made sinne for vs so we are made the righteousnes of God in him Now he was made sinne by imputation when all our sinnes were laid vpō him Pet 2 24 and as Saint Peter saith hee bare our sinnes in his bodie on the tree so likewise his righteousnesse as of one that hath vouchsafed to become our head is imputed to all the true members of his mysticall body for as Adā was as no priuate mā but the fountain and welspring of mankind therfore most iustly Rom 5 12 as in him we all sinned so in him we all died So the second Adā our Lord Iesus is not to be considered as a priuate mā but as the head of the church what was wrought by him is wholy benificial to al the faithful If by the husband as being the head a debt be answered how iustly thē is the wife discharged The church is called the spouse of Christ Eph. 5 27. although it be said to be without spot or wrinckle yet must it not be vnderstood that it is void of all sin for why should it then be taught by our Sauiour to pray continually for forgiuenes of trespasses but we are said to bee without spot or wrinckle as we are clothed with the iustice of
miseries of this worlde making light to shine in the middest of darkenesse Psal 112 4 Ioh. 16 20. and turning all their pensiuenesse into gladnesse but it conceiueth an assured hope of a better to wit an euerlasting life in the ioyes of heauen and that so soone as the soule is deliuered from the bodie The Apostle Paul did account his loosing from this prison to bee a present beeing with Christ I desire saith hee to bee dissolued and to bee with Christ Phil. 1.23 hee was assured that his remouing from this tabernacle should bee a present dwelling with the Lorde as hee saide wee had rather remoue out of the bodie 2. Cor. 5.8 and dwell with the Lord. Stephen prayed in faith and assurance that his soule should presently bee receiued into the hands of God Lord Iesus receiue my spirit Act 7.59 In the Reuelation of Saint Iohn Aopc 14.13 such a blessing and such a rest is promised to them that dye in the Lorde August in Psa 102. that their good workes may followe after them that is that God may crowne his giftes in them Our Sauiour saith to the repentant thiefe vpon the Crosse Luk. 23.43 This day thou shalt bee with mee in Paradise The soule of Lazarus beeing departed Luk. 16.22 was carried by Angelles into Abraham his bosome Polycarpus that holy Disciple of the Apostles amongst many excellent speeches at the time of his martyrdome added this Eccl. hist lib. 4 cap. 13. Hodiè representabor coram Deo in spiritu This day I shall be in soule represented before the Lorde The Wise man saith of the death of all the faithfull When earth goeth to earth Eccl 12.7 the spirit goeth to God which gaue it When the Prophet Dauid saith Psal 16 10. that God will not leaue his soule in hell nor suffer his holy one to see corruption No doubt hee prophesieth of the resurrection as it is expounded by Saint Peter Act. 2.29 but hee includeth in that resurrectioÌ„ of Christ the life also of his own soule hee called Christ his soule I liue saith the Apostle yet not I Gal. 2.20 but Christ liueth in me especially in the resurrection of Christ our life is hid with Christ Col. 3 2 therfore Dauid beleeueth that seeing his soule Vido Gen. 42 38. Iob 14.13 de significatione inferni Psal 16.11 and the life of his soule Christ Iesus shall not bee left in the graue he shall vndoubtedly be brought to the preseÌ„ce of God which hee calleth in the next verse a fulnesse of ioy and pleasures for euermore The hope of the Apostle Paul is to be made conformable to the death of Christ Phil. 3.10 vntill he come to the resurrection of the dead now as his death was no extinguishing of the humaine soule Ion. 2.3 Mat 12.39 but like the being â—f Ionas in the Whales belly his soule being stil safe and yeelded vp into the haÌ„ds of God as hee saide Father into thy handes I commend my spirite Luke 23.46 and like the sacrificing of Isaac wherein the soule remained vntouched so also by his quickening power Iohn 4.17 hee giueth to all his elect that well of water that springeth vp to eternall life The Ram which was offered in steed of Isaac may well signifie our body our irrationall part that dieth but the soule though it be a while bouÌ„d to the body as Isaac was bound yet as soone as the bandes are loosed it mounteth vp to the place of al blisse and perpetuall blessednes Our Sauiour saith Quia ego viuo vos viuetis Because I liue Iohn 14.19 Iohn 6.56 you shal liue I liue by the father and hee that feedeth on me shall liue by me Iohn 5.24 Hee that heareth my wordes hath life eternall and shall not come into condemnation but hath passed from death to life Eccle. hist lib 6. cap. 26. Aug. lib de heres c. 83 In decret distinct 2. de Iohanne Vide Gerson in sermone paschali Hereby are condemned two grosse heresies the one deuised first by the Arabians and after renewed by Iohn Bishoppe of Rome and of late defended by certain Anabaptistes to wit that the soule doth sleepe or dye with the body and that both are raysed vp againe together in the last day And the other of the Romish Catholikes confessing indeed that the soule liueth after death but yet that the soules of the children of God Their vsuall buls and indulgences goe for thousaÌ„ds of years doe and must remaine so many yeares or so many thousand yeares in Purgatory before they can be admitted to the ioyes of heauen For the former to wit such as defeÌ„d both body and soule to dye together and both at the last day to be raised together they are coÌ„demned as you haue heard by the manifest testimonies of the holy Scriptures you may adde if you please those wordes of our Sauiour Feare not them which kill the body Luke 12.5 and haue no power to kill the soule if the Soule dye as well as the body and together with the body how can it bee said that tyrants doe kill the one and not the other 2. Cor 5.1 4 How can the Apostle Paul desire no longer to be a Pilgrime from the Lord by remaining here in the body but rather to bee absent from the body and to bee present with the Lord vnlesse the soule remaine after death with what is God saide to bee present if both soule and body bee ouercome with death v. 1 or how can the Apostle say in the same place that when this earthly tabernacle is destroyed wee haue a building or house not made with hands but euerlasting in heauen vnlesse the soule do continue to possesse that heauenly habitation Our Sauiour Christ doth promise eternall life resurrection as two distinct things and the one taking place before the other Ioh. 6.39.40 This saith he is the will of the Father that whosoeuer beleeueth in the sonne should not perish but haue euerlasting life and I will rayse him vp in the last day Iohn 6.54 And againe hee that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud hath euerlasting life and I will rayse him vp in the last day And afterward Iohn 11.2 I am the resurrection and the life whosoeuer beleeueth in me though hee were dead yet hee shall liue and hee addeth hee that liueth and beleeueth in me shall not dye for euer The Saduces denyed not onely the resurrection but also the immortality of the soule Our Sauiour doth by one argument confute both their heresies Mat. 22 32 Exod. 3.6 God is the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Iacob God is not a God of the dead but of the liuing therefore Abraham Isaack and Iacob doe now liue Rom 14.8.9 and all the Saintes shall liue for euer S. Paul saith whether wee liue wee
liue vnto the Lord or whether wee dye wee we dye vnto the Lord whether wee liue therfore or dye we are the Lords for Christ therefore dyed and rose againe and reuiued that he might bee the Lord both of the dead and of the quicke How can our sauiour bee said to be the Lord and gouernour of the dead vnlesse some part of them doe remaine aliue to be subiect to his dominion Gouernement rule do of necessity import that there be also some to yeeld obedience and submission The Apostle sheweth Heb. 12.22.23 who bee the subiectes of that heauenly king to wit the angels and the spirites of iust and perfect men and hee sheweth there the great dignity of a Christian who is ioyned as it were to the Angels and spirites of iust men when he embraceth that religion which they doe continually reuerence But say they if the soule doe already enioy eternall blisse in heaueÌ„ what needeth then a day of iudgement If it be iudged already to what purpose should there bee any further sentence The day of iudgement is ordained of God for the vniting together both of body soule that as the elect haue serued God both in body and soule so they may receiue euerlasting ioy blisse both in body and soule and as the wicked haue serued the Diuell both in body soule so they receiue eternall tormentes both in body and soule And for this cause we are taught to belieue as an article of our faith the resurrection of the body wee do not say the resurrection of the soule for the soule doth not dye but the resurrection of the flesh or the resurrection of the body The soules of theÌ„ which haue dyed in the Lord August in Iohn tract 49. doe already enioy perfect and happy rest Nothing is wanting to the perfection of their ioyes but only the company of their bodies and the company of their brethren for this cause as some expounde it the soules of the Martyrs attired with white robes Apoc. 6.10 Anselmus in Apoc. Calu. in psychopanychia doe cry out in the ReuelatioÌ„ How long Lord holy and true as thirsting and longing for the comming of Christ to their full accomplishment If in this world a glorious sight doe delight vs neuer so much yet is our ioy increased when our friend doth behold the same together with vs. And no doubt this is as it were an accomplishing of the ioyes of the soules already receiued into the presence of Christ in the celestiall paradise when they shall receiue the company of their bodies the societie of their fellow-brethren An other argument doe the Anabaptists make Gen. 2.17 Rom. 6.23 Ezec. 18 4 20. drawn from the reward of sinne The stipend of sinne is death therefore say they seeing the soule hath sinned the soule must needes dye but death is in the scripture taken sundry wayes sometimes for the separation of the soule from the body sometimes for the separation of God from the soule 1. Tim 5.6 as when the Apostle calleth the widow liuing in wanton delightes dead though shee liue that is aliue in the body but dead in the soule sometime for the horror of condemnation as the Diuell did receiue the reward of sinne and yet was not so extinguished but that hee doth watch and goe about continually 1. Pet. 5. â— seeking whome to deuoure In respect of the Saintes of God death is saide to haue lost her sting and to become as a drone bee as the Apostle speaketh 1. Cor. 15 56 O death where is thy sting It was prophesied of our Sauiour Christ by the Prophetes Praecipitabit mortem in aeternum Esay 25.8 Hee shall throw death headlong for euer O Death I will be thy death O hell I will bee thy destruction They obiect further that the death of the saintes is called a sleepe Act. 7 60 Ioh. 11.11 2. Thes 4.13 Stephen when he dyed fell a sleepe Lazarus being dead was said to sleep the Apostle biddeth not to mourne for them that sleepe that is be dead If death bee a sleepe theÌ„ can there not be in the soule any conceiuing of ioyes vntill that sleepe bee awakened by the resurrection It is very apparant that in that Phrase by a Synechdoche that is giuen to the whole which agreeth but to one part when Iob saith Ecce nunc in puluere dormio Iob 7.21 Behold I shall sleepe now in the dust and if you seeke mee in the morning I shall haue no being did Iob thinke that when hee dyed his soule should lye in the dust that were too grosse to bee once imagined It is very apparant then that hee meaneth onely that his body shall sleepe in the dust and that figuratiuely hee doth attribute that to the whole which agreeth but to a part That which they alledge out of Salomon that man and beast haue both one end Eccl. 3.21 who knoweth whether the spirite of man shall ascend vpward or the spirite of beast descend downe into the earth is answered by those wordes which Salomon doth so often repeat in that book Eccl. 1.2 Eccl. 2.11 Vanity of vanities and all is but vanity hee sheweth often in that Booke what are the speeches of vaine men Eccl. 9.4 as after when hee sayeth Better is a liuing dog then a dead Lion for the liuing know that they shall dye but the dead know nothing at all wee must not think that Salomon speaketh this as of himselfe but to shew the affections of worldlinges who are led by vanity of vanities and by nothing but vanity Tertul. lib de resurr carnis Irenaeus lib. 9 aduersus haeresi Chrysost hom 28. in â—1 ad Hebr. August lib 12 de Ciuit. Dei cap. 9 When the Fathers doe sometimes affirme that the soules are not crowned vntill the day of resurrection they mean of the perfect triumph they deny not but that the soules of the Saints are in peace and happy rest but the perfect triumph crown of glory they made to be then when the bodies being againe vnited to the soules death should be vtterly swallowed vp in victory The argument which some doe alledge out of the Apostle that because he saith If the dead rise not againe 1. Cor. 15.19 we are of all men most miserable v. 32 therefore before the resurrection there is no ioy nor felicity is of no force at all for hee saith after what will it profite mee to fight with the beastes at Ephesus if the deade bee not raysed vppe the bodies of the Saintes in this life suffer many iniuries reproches and often martyrdomes Now vnlesse these bodies bee hereafter to be aduanced to glory we are of all meÌ„ most miserable and againe although the soule do enioy blessed rest yet a great part of the happinesse doth consist in the assurance of the expected resurrection Caluin in Phychopanychia haec tractat 1 vberrime It is further obiected
bee found call vpon him while he is night that is saith he Dum estis in corpore Hierom. in Esay 55. V. 6. dum datur locus paeniteÌ„tiae et quaerite non loco sed fide while ye be in the bodie while place is granted for repentance and seeke him not in place but in faith The ransome of Christ is so sufficient to all those which with true faith take hold of it that as the Scriptures doe shewe vs plainely Psal 32.2 Rom. 8.33 Rom. 8 â— Esay 4â— 25. Micha there is no imputation of sinne no accusation no condemnation no remembrance and therefore as vpon these foure benefits doth necessarily followe they haue a perfect deliuerance both from fault and punishment The faith of Dauid was Psal 51.7 that when he is washed of the Lord hee is become whiter then snowe And Saint Iohn appointeth this onely purgrtorie for the Church of God 1 Ioh 1 1 the bloud of Iesus Christ to purge vs from all sinne If their purgatorie fire should appertaine to the Church it must needes be either to the Church militant or to the Church triumphant for there are but these two parts of the Church as the Apostle saith Col 1 20 that Christ hath reconciled and set at peace by the bloud of his Crosse both the things in earth and the things in heauen but it appertaineth not to the Church militant for then it should be on earth nor to the Church triumphant for then it should be in heauen therefore indeed it appertaineth to no part of the Church of God There are but two kindes of ioyes and torments the one temporall the other eternall the temperall are al of this life the eternall are those which followe after this life 2. Cor 4 18 as the Apostle saith the things which are seene are temporall the thinges which are not seene are eternall The ordaining of a temperall ioy or a temporall punishment after this life is a thing that the Scriptures doe no where acknowledge Our Sauiour Christ and likewise Iohn the Baptist Luke 24 47 Mark 1 4 did preach repentance for forgiuenesse of sinnes whereby they plainely shewed that where there is no place for repentance there is rhere no place for forgiuenesse of sinnes Math 25 10 1 Cor 9 14 but after this life there is no place of repentance for then the gate is shut and the race of this life is already run Cyp. saith quaÌ„do istinc excessus fuerit nullus paenitentiae totus Cyprian coÌ„tra Demetri c. When man is departed out of this life there is then no place of repentance therefore to them which dye without repentance there is after this life no hope of forgiuenesse of sinnes Bee faithfull saith Christ vnto death Apoc. 2.10 and I will giue to thee the crowne of life Rom. 10 14 Faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word preached where there is no place of hearing there can there not be any place of increase of faith Aug. in Psal 3 It was well aduised by Saint Augustine tuus certè vltimus dies longè abesse non potest ad hunc te praepara qualis enim exieris ex hac vita talis redderis illi vitae thy last day cannot be farre off prepare thy selfe vnto it for in what maner thou shalt depart out of this life in the same estate thou shalt bee restored to the life to come Aug ad Hesy 1 pâ—t 80. Qualis in die isto moritur talis in die illo indicabitur as man dieth in this world so shall he be iudged in the world to come They obiect that which is saide of Saint Peter that Christ going did preach vnto the Spirits which were in prison once disobedient when the mercy of God did waite in the dayes of Noah 1 Pet. 3 12 The purpose of the Apostle is there to shew that Christ did alwayes in all ages shew his diuine power as namely when by Noah he preached to those disobedient spirites which are now in prison that is in hel as likewise in Saint Iohn Apoc. 2 â— 7 the word prison is taken for hell and if they take it for purgatorie they are two wayes condemned by their owne doctrine for first they confesse that not purgatorie but hell is the place for such as are infidels and rebellious and no members of the true Church Nowe Saint Peter sheweth that not the family of Noah which did represent the Church of God but the other disobedient and vnfaithfull people were cast into this prison and therefore by the prison must needes be meant that place which appertaineth not to the Church of God Secondly some of them seeme to teach that the Fathers in the olde Testament were in a Limbo patrum but in no purgatorie and that purgatory only tooke place after the comming of Christ If that be their meaning little reason then haue they to drawe vnto purgatorie those thinges which are spoken of the people in the olde Testament and much lesse to make such contrarie maners of the remitting of sinne The Apostle sheweth euidently 1. Thes 4.17 that in the end of the world at the second comming of Christ they which shall be then found aliue shall bee sodainly catched vp to meete the Lord and remaine euer with the Lord. The tenour of Gods iustice is alwaies one and the same against sinne and therefore it is no wayes likely that in so many seuerall ages of the world there should be such farre differing estates of soules departed They alledge the fact of Iuda 2. Mach. 12.14 who when some of his meÌ„ being slaine in the battell were found to haue vnder their garmeÌ„ts little reliques of Idolatrie did send two thousand groates to Ierusalem to offer for them and this acte is called a holy and godly cogitatioÌ„ because he made an expiation for the dead that they might bee loosed from their sinnes This may be answered with the same answere which Saint Augustine maketh against the Donatists who vrged out of the Machabees that it is lawfull for a man to kill himselfe because when Rhasis killed himselfe Mach. 14.2 42 43. he is there twise commended to dot it generosè or viriliter nobly and manfully Saint Augustine telleth them that that is a Scripture recepta ab ccclesia non inutiliter si sobriè legatur Aug. contra 2. Gaudentii epist cap 23 â— receiued of the Church not vnprofitably if it be soberly read It is then soberly read when no newe doctrine is collected out of it against the lawe and the Prophets The law appointed no such vse of offerings to offer for them which perished in Idolatrie how damnable the sinne was it may well appeare by the grieuous punishment of Achan Iosua 7.24 But wee may answeare rather with the iudgement of that ancient expositio symbols attributed to Cyprian that those bookes of the Machabees are no Canonicall scripture
The words of the Author of those bookes doe plainely declare it 2. Mach. 15.39 If I haue done well saith he it is as I would but if I haue done slenderly barely it is as I could What more apparant proofe can wee desire to shewe that those books were not penned by the spirit of God They seeke some defence by the wordes of of our Sauiour that he which sinneth against the holy Ghost Math. 12.32 Luk. 11.10 shall neither be forgiuen in this worlde nor in the worlde to come therefore say they there is some place of forgiuenes to some sins after this life But our Sauiour speaketh there of the fault or blame and not of the punishment and his meaning is that it shal neuer be remitted neither in this life which is graunted to sinners for repentance nor in the world to come when God shall by his Angelles seperate the sheepe from the goates They rest further vpon that precept Math. 5.25 Agree with thy aduersarie quickly whilest thou art in the way with him least the aduersary giue thee to the Iudge and the Iudge to the Sergeant and the Sergeant cast thee into prison verily I say vnto thee thou shalt not come our vntill thou haue paid the vttermost farthing Sic exponit Chrysost de vsitato circere magistratu The meaning of the place is that wee must in time cut off all occasions of suites and contentions But they wresting it to an allegory make the prison to bee purgatorie the Iudge to be God the Sergeant to be his angels and the aduersarie to be the diuell This cannot possible be the true interpretation of the place for then must the wordes agree with the aduersarie be expounded agree with the Diuel and the paying the vttermost farthing in the prison must erect such a Purgatorie as leaueth nothing at al to be performed by our Sauiour Christ Besides it can make nothing for them for they teach satisfaction to be made vnto God but in that text satisfaction is not required to the Iudge again who seeth not that lying in prison is not a satisfying of the debt So likewise they wrest that place of Saint Paul The fire shall trie euery mans worke of what sorte it is 1 Cor 3 13. some as he hath said before do build vpon the foundation gold siluer precious stones timber hay or stubble but euery mans worke shall bee manifest for the day shall declare it because it shall be reuealed by the fire and the fire shall trie euery mans worke The meaning of the Apostle is that God in his due time by the examination of his word and spirit shall trie the doctrines of all that doe build any thing vpon the foundation some build sound doctrine signified by the gold siluer and precious stones others build curious and friuolous matters signified by the word hay stubble God will by his worde and spirite make manifest and cōfirme the good and sound but the more vaine he will consume and burne and yet so that the vnskilfull builder shall bee saued but as by fire This maketh nothing for the confirmation of their purgatorie For first the Apostle speaketh of matter to be tried in the fire and not the persons hee saith that which the builders haue builded shall bee tried Secondly hee saith that euery mans worke shall be tried in that fire euen the gold and precious stones the doctrines of the Apostles themselues and therefore cannot bee meant of their purgatory which they themselues do make not to be a place for the perfecter sort Thirdly the Apostle speaketh of a trying fire and not of a purging fire We reade of a trying fire as the Wise man saith the fining pot is for siluer and the furnace for golde Prou. 17.3 but the Lord trieth the hearts We reade also of a fire to consume vices in man as the Lord saith by the Prophet what is chaffe to wheate Ierem. 23.29 Is not my worde as fire and like the hammer that breaketh the stone And so afflictions are an instrument whereby God doth mortifie sinne in vs and as with fire consume it Dauid saith Psal 66.12 hee passed thorowe fire and water meaning the afflictions of this life But of a purging fire and that after this life there is none such mentioned in the holy Scriptures Fourthly it is most certaine that whether the fire be of triall or purging it is meant in that place of a fire in this life because the Apostle saith is shall reueale and make manifest euery mans worke Hee speaketh no◠of a purgatorie in some farre remoued center but of such a place where euery mans work shall be made manifest Fiftly when at the last hee commeth to the persons he saith that the builders which builded hay and stubble yet because they held the foūdation they shall be saued but as by fire he saith not by fire but tanquam per ignem as it were by fire because they shall not onely bee examined by the examination of the holy spirit often compared to fire but shall suffer the losse and consuming of their vaine doctrines and therefore bee saued as by fire Ambr. in Psal 118. serm 20 Aug. de ciuit dei lib. 10. cap 25. I deny not but some of the ancient Fathers haue expounded this fire to be meant of a purging fire in the life to come but they haue named it to be onely that fire which shall bee at the end of the world They taught that by it God wold make a consummation of all thinges to burne the drosse and to make the pure more perfect they thought it to bee such a fire Ambr. in Psal 118. as oportet omnes transire siue sit ille Iohannes Euangelista siue Petrus all men must passe thorowe it whether it bee that Iohn the Euangelist or Peter This opinion of the Fathers doth nothing fauour the Romish Catholikes The like may be said of that prophesie of Malachie who may endure when he shall appeare Malach. 3 v 2 for he shali bee like a purging fire and like fullers sope he shall trie the siluer and fine the sonnes of Leui and purifie them as golde that they may bring offerings to the Lord in righteousnesse The prophesiyng in the next verse before of the comming of Christ and of his messenger Iohn the Baptist and the naming of the end of this purging fire to be that the people should bring acceptable offerings vnto God as their faithfull predecessors had done doe plainely shewe that the Prophet doth in that place speake of the power of Christ at his first comming when hee shal baptize with his spirit Math. 3.11 hauing his fanne in his hand and purging his floore gathering the wheate into his barne but burning the chaffe with vnquenchable fire Augustine doth expound it of the generall fire Aug. de ciuita te dei lib. 20. cap. 25 at the second comming of Christ but
doth neuer apply it to any purging fire taking place betwixt the departure of the soule out of this life and that finall day of iudgement Similitudes as you see are easily drawne into sundrie expositions But it was well said of Aquinas Aquin. opusculo septuagesimo siue super Roetiū de trinitate though in words somewhat barbarous symbolica theologica non est argumentatiua when for pointes in Diuinitie there are no other proofes but similitudes and metaphors they rest vpon slender arguments Another such figuratiue speech they alleage out of the Apostle that at the name of Iesus euery knee must bowe Phil. 2.10 both of things in heauen and of things in earth and of thinges vnder the earth there by the thinges vnder the earth they vnderstand the soules in purgatorie But the Apostle there setteth downe a generall doctrine that all creatures whatsouer are subiect vnto Christ the good to bee gouerned by his spirit and the bad to be bridled by his power The bowing of the knee in Esay Esay 45.23 signifieth the worshipping of God and the bowing of the knee in the Epistle to the Romās Rom. 14.10 is taken for the appearing of all before the tribunall seate of Christ where shall also bee iudged euen the diuels Iude. V. 6. who as Saint Iude saith are reserued in euerlasting chaines vnder darkenesse vnto the iudgement of the great day The like maner of speech wee haue in the Reuelation where it is said that euery creature in heauē and in earth Apoc. 5.13 and vnder the earth and in the sea did ascribe honour and glorie and power to him that sate vpon the throne and vnto the Lambe that is so submit themselues to God that either his mercy or iustice might bee glorified in them So to the Philippians the Apostle speaketh of the soueraigne power of Christ ouer both elect and reprobate as it was foreshadowed in the kingdome of Salomon whereof the Prophet saith Psal 72.9 his enemies shall licke the dust CHAP. XII The Conclusion concerning the twofold estate of soules once loosed from their bodies WHen the soule is by death separated from the body it is either receiued into eternall happinesse as was the soule of Lazarus Luk. 16.22 or else it entreth into eternall torments as did the soul of the vnmercifull rich glutton Saint Augustine although in some places he call the bosome of Abraham onely secretum quietis eius Aug. de genes ad liter lib 12 cap 23 the secret of his rest into which the Fathers were gathered for as in the newe Testament Saintes departing are said to bee gathered to their head Christ so in the former times they were said to be gathered to Abraham the Father of the faithfull yet elsewhere doth Augustine at large define what this bosome is Aug quest Euang lib. 2. cap 38 tom 4 sinus Abrahae est requies beatorum pauperum quorum est regnum caelorum in quo post hanc vitam recipiuntur The bosom of Abraham is the rest of those blessed poore in spirit Mar. 5.3 to whom is promised the kingdome of heauen into which kingdome they are receiued when this life is ended but the hel which was possessed by the rich glutton he saith is that Paenarum profunditas quae superbos immisericordes post hanc vitam vorat That very depth of all punishments which doth swallow vp the proud and vnmercifull after this life Gregory affirmeth the very same Gregor in Euangel homil 40. Quid Abrahae sinus nisi secretam requiem significat patrum de qua veritas dixit multi venient ab oriente occidente c. What doth the bosome of Abraham signifie but that secret rest of the fathers of which our Sauiour speaketh Mat. 8.11 Many shall come from the east and from the west and shall sit downe with Abrahā Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of heauen They doe both interprete the bosome to bee the kingdome of heauen and both also consent in this that there are but two wayes for the soule after this life Augustine sayeth Aug. de verbi Apost serm 18 Duae quippe habitationes sunt vna in igne aeterno altera in regno aeterno There are but two habitations one in an euerlasting fire Aug. lib. 5. Hypognost and the other in an eternall kingdome and againe Primum fides catholica diuina authoritate regnum esse credit coelorum secundum gehennam tertium ignoramus imo nec esse in scripturis sanctis inuenimus First the catholike faith by the authority of Gods word beleeueth that there is a kingdome of heauen and secondly a hell Greg. in 7 cap. Iob. lib. 8. cap. 8. a third place wee know not neither doe wee finde in the holy scriptures that there is any Hereto agreeth Gregory Cum humani casus tempore siue sanctus siue malignus spiritus egredientem animam claustro carnis acceperit in aeternum se cum sine vlla permutatione retinebit vt nec exaltata ad supplicium proruat nec mersa aeternis suppliciis vltra ad remedium ereptionis ascendat when in the time of mans fall or death eyther a good Angel or an euill Angell shall receiue his soule going out of the prison of his body it doth hold it for euer as it is holden it selfe without any change so that if it bee exalted it cannot fall into punishment neither can it ascend vnto any remedy of deliuerance if it bee once drowned in eternall punishmentes Mat 12.32 The scripture maketh mention of two worlds this world the world to come Damascene sheweth what is that worlde to come Aeterna vita Damascene de fide Orthodoxa lib. 2. cap. 1 aeternū supplicium seculum futurum The world to come is either euerlasting life or euerlasting punishment Bernard likewise acknowledgeth but two places Bernard in sentent cap. 9 when the soule hath left the earth Tria sunt loca coelum terra infernus coelū habet solos bonos terra mixtos infernus solos malos There are three places heauen earth and hell heauen conteineth onely the good the earth hath good and bad mingled together and hell hath onely the bad Aug. de vera religione cap 38. Augustine saith Omnia temporalia transeuntia mundus iste concludit This worlde is the place that containeth all temporall transitory things the things of the life to come 2 Cor. 4.18 whether ioyes or paines are not temporall but eternall But some may say how commeth it then to passe that Augustine praied for his mother Monica being departed and Ambrose prayed for Theodosius and diuers others of the auncient Fathers made rehearsall of the deade in their praiers and supplications if eyther the departed bee in torments vnrecouerable or in blisse immutable what neede there any prayers to bee made to God for them Those auncient fathers did pray for the departed not as hauing any
fouÌ„taine of our saluatioÌ„ Ioh. 3.16 So God loued the world that he gaue his only begotten Son In the causes of our redeÌ„ptioÌ„ we must not begin at our selues or at our own merits nay we may not begin at the death and passion of Christ Iesus but wee must begin at the eternall loue of God who sent his onely begotten Sonne and therefore blesse that good God Ephe. 1.4 which hath chosen vs to bee saued before the foundatioÌ„ of the world was laid The goodnesse of God in our redemption appeared to be greater towardes mankind then it was to the very Angels When the Angels fel froÌ„ God they were neuer restored but as S. Iude sayth they are reserued in euerlasting chaines vnder darkenesse to the iudgement of the great day but when man was fallen Iude. v. 6. the Lord of his goodnes gaue a comfortable promise of the seede of the woman Gen. 3 15 which should bruse the power of Satan The Angels which continued stedfast do continually prayse God are ready to execute his will Psal 103.21 but of Gods goodnes they are yet ministring spirits to serue for their vse that shall bee heires of saluation Heb. 1.14 And therefore Dauid Psal 34.7 when hee hath said that the Angels of the Lord doe pitch round about theÌ„ that feare him he addeth in the next verse O tast see how good the Lord is blessed is the man that putteth his trust in him A blessing it is to bee guarded by meÌ„ a greater blessing to bee guarded by Princes but what exceeding fauour is this when God doth vouchsafe to guard vs with his holy and blessed Angels Though in some respects Dauid doth acknowledge man to bee somewhat inferior to the Angels yet in this he saith Psal â— 5 that God hath crowned man with glory and worship in that he hath made him an Emperour ouer all his works put all things in subiection vnder his feet not only the beastes of the field the foules of the aire whatsoeuer walketh through the pathes of the seas but as he saith before in the same Psalme euen the heauenly Creatures when I consider the heauens v. 3. the worke of thy fingers the moon the stars which thou hast ordained theÌ„ say I O Lord what is man that thou art so mindfull of him or the son of man that thou so regardest him This vse we must make of all Gods Creatures so to behold in theÌ„ the goodnes of God towards maÌ„kind that we be thereby stirred vp to prayse Gods holy name The horse mule can behold the heauens to bee high bright and lightsome The hog seeth the earth to be a place to walke vpon the so to feede vpon The Peacocke conceiueth a glorious shew in his variable coloured fethers many dumbe Creatures doe exceed man in the sharpenes of smelling when wee behold eyther the glistering azured skye or the beautifull flowers and fruites of the earth if we goe no further then seeing smelling and tasting theÌ„ are we no better then the brute vnreasonable creatures but we must in all those things go further we must behold therein the mighty power of God that wee may bee stirred vp to feare him and the infinite goodnes of God that we may learne to loue him and then are we endued with true spirituall wisedom as Dauid concludeth in the end of this psalme Psal 107.43 Who so is wise will consider and ponder these thinges he shall vnderstand the louing kindnes of the Lord. The goodnes of God doth many wayes shine out in the creation of man Hee made him as Zorastes said Pulcherrimum naturae spectaculum the most beautifull spectacle of nature not going groue-long towards the earth but with his face lifted vp to heauen to signifie that his mind should alwayes bee on heauenly things Hee gaue vnto him a soule endued with vnderstanding made after his own image He framed him to be as it were a little world and an abridgement of all his creatures whereupon some haue giuen him the name of Microcosmus some of Omnigena Creatura because he taketh part of al and containeth the principal parts of all Hee hath substance as haue stones life as haue plants sense as haue beastes and vnderstanding as haue angels When the Romane Pollio would haue drowned one of his slaues in a fury because hee had broken a fayre Christall glasse Augustus did well forbid him and said Homo cuiusuis conditionis si nulla alia ratione nisi quia est homo totius mundi vitris preciosior A man of any poor estate whatsoeuer if it be for no other cause but onely because he is a man is farre more pretious then all the glasses of the whole world but especially the goodnesse of God did appeare in the renewing of our hearts by his grace and holy word 1. Pet. 1.3 That doth S. Peter call the aboundant mercy of God Blessed be God the father of our Lord Iesus Christ which according to his abouÌ„dant mercy hath begotten vs againe to a liuely hope by the resurrection of Christ Iesus That doth S. Bernard call a greater worke then the Creation of vs Bernard in Cantic or of the whole world When God made the world onely he spake the word and it was done Let there be a light Gen. 1.3.9 and there was light let the waters be gathered into one heape and they were gathered whereby was made the sea and the dry land was called earth Let there be two great lights in the firmament and there was straightway a Sunne to rule the night Bern. But quam multa dixit quà m multa fecit quà m multa perpâ—ssus est How many things hath God spoken how many things hath God done how many things hath he suffered to renew the heart of man If we should receiue the creatures ordained for the sustenance of our bodies and not be renewed and fed inwardly in our soules our estate were infinite thousand times worse then the estate of brute beasts For they are fed to perish temporally but we should be fed to perish eternally The seed of our new birth 1. Pet. 1.23 to wit the word of God is by an earnest acclamatioÌ„ pronounced by the Psalmist to be one of the greatest tokens of Gods fauour and goodnesse towards his elect For when he hath declared that God gaue his word vnto Iacob Psal 147.20 his statutes and ordinances vnto Israel he crieth out He hath not dealt so with euery nation neither haue other people the knowledge of his lawes There are two especiall properties which do greatly extoll and magnifie the goodnesse of God First that it is free not in respect of our deserts but in respect of Gods aboundant mercy Secondly that it is endlesse and perpetuall Esay 43.25 The freenesse thereof is set out by the Prophet I euen I am he that putteth away thine iniquities for mine owne
for thou hast created al things by thy will they are haue bin created worthy is the Lambe that was killed Apoc. 5.12 to receiue power and riches wisedome and strength and honour and glory and praise Of which celestial thanksgiuing hee make vs al partakers that dyed for vs all euen that Lambe Christ Iesus to whome with the Father and the holy Ghost bee all glory Maiestie honour and praise now for euer Amen The End of the First Sermon THE SECOND SERmon of Thanksgiuing PSALME 107. V. 21. And sacrificing the sacrifice of prayse let them tell forth his doings with gladnesse COncening that which hath already beene spoken in the forenoone as well of the generall argument of the Psalme as also of the particular handling of the former part of my text I purpose not now right Worshipfull and beloued to make any repetition thereof partly because it was so lately vttered and partly because as some of you know I must of necessitie hasten to another place It remaineth onely now that I proceede somewhat further with the fruites and effects of thankfulnesse which then I began to speake of and to enterpret the verse following of our offering the sacrifice of praise and telling forth his workes with gladnesse The sacrifices which here the Psalmist speaketh of are not propitiatory but eucharisticall not for ransome of sinne but for rendering of thankes The propitiatorie sacrifices of the olde Testament Heb. 10.1.8 were types and shadowes of the passion of Christ The truth being come those shadowes are vanished away The last altar was the Crosse the last sacrifice was the bodie and bloud of Christ Heb. 7 17 and the last sacrificing priest was Christ Iesus himselfe a priest for euer after the order of Melchizedeck The order of Aaron had successours which did often offer sacrifices because they were vnperfect But the order of Melchizedeck is to haue no successour Christ offered a perfect sacrifice and therefore without any neede of repeating it he offered himselfe once for all Heb. 10.14 No mortall man nor yet any angel of God was fit to offer this sacrifice but onely Christ Iesus himselfe who was holy pure Heb 7.26 blamelesse and higher then the heauens he offered himselfe once for all Heb. 9.26 He ordained the sacrament of his bodie and bloud not to bee an altar 1 Cor 10.21 but a table not to offer but to receiue not to be a sacrifice 1 Cor 10 16 but a heauenly supper wherein our soules doe feede vpon the bodie and bloud of Christ and doe enioy a communion or common partaking thereof not to bee a propitiatory act but eucharisticall as that sacrament was called in the primitiue Church eucharistia a solemne and publike thankesgiuing vnto God for all the benefits which wee receiue in and through his Son Christ Iesus The sacrifice was offered by Christ himselfe It is sufficient for vs by faith to feede vpon it and thankfully to acknowledge that all is ours 1. Cor 3 â—2 as wee are Christs and Christ is Gods Phil 1 17 Without this faith all our thankesgiuings are but dead sacrifices as were the offerings of Kaine Gen. 4.3 who did offer to God as well as Abel but not with the faith of Abel Luk 1â— 11 And as were the speaches of the Pharisie Lord I thanke thee that I am not as other men when he sought more to exalt himselfe then to giue glorie and prayse vnto God Be there neuer so good a proportion of a body in the outward lineaments yet if the life be absent it is not a bodie but a carkase euen so be there neuer so good words in prayer and thanksgiuing yet if the soule bee absent for the life and soule of God his seruice is faith in the bloud of Christ then is our honouring of God but only a mere shadow ad carkase howsoeuer it do carry an outward shew of holines The good Christians of the primitiue Churches did not thinke it sufficient in God his great deliuerances to testifie their ioy with bonefires ringing of belles reuelings and belly-cheare but they shewed their thankfulnes by a general and solemne receiuing of that sacrament which they called Eucharistia the sacrament of thanksgiuing to wit Cyprian in serm de orat Dom. the Supper of the Lord by the often and zealous receiuing whereof they did both testifie their thankefulnesse vnto God and acknowledge also by whom they hoped that their prayers and prayses should be graciously receaued Apoc. 8.3.4 Christ onely it is that hath the golden censer to offer vp the prayers of the Saintes before the throne of God and with the smoake of the odours that is with the sweete sauour of his oblation the prayers of the Saintes go vp to the presence of God Dauid when hee hath called to mind the manifolde blessings of God Psal 116 13 can finde no other way to bee thankefull but onely by receiuing the cup of saluation and calling vpon the name of the Lorde V. 17 by paying his vowes vnto God and offering vnto God the sacrifice of thankesgiuing True thankefulnes requireth that our heart should loue God our lippes prayse God our bodie and soule obey God and our goods with all that we haue serue for the glorie and honour of God And each of those duties is accounted in the holy Scriptures to as it were a sacrifice offered to God For the hart the Lord saith by the wisedome of Salomon Prou. 23.26 My Sonne giue me thy hart and let thine eyes marke deligently my wayes The sacrifice of the Lord saith Dauid is a contrite spirit a contrite spirit and a broken heart Psal 51.19 â— O Lorde thou wilt not despise In the sacrifices of the olde Testament the Israelites did first behold the wrath of God against sinne that the rewarde of sinne was death for the Ramme Rom 6.23 Heyfer and such like being sacrificed did plainely shewe vnto them what they had deserued and thereby they conceiued a griefe for sinne and a loathing of sinne Secondly it was vnto them a liuely figure of the passion of Christ Ioh. 8.56 whereby they were stirred vp to loue the Lorde for his goodnesse and to reioyce in the beholding of the dayes of Christ And thirdly the sacrifice was as it were a vowe of amendment of life They vowed that as that beast was slaine vpon the altar so they would from thence foorth slay mortifie the wicked corruptions of their sinfull nature In which respect God doth call it a couenant Psal 50.5 when hee saith they make a couenant with mee by their sacrifice If these thinges to wit the griefe for sinne the loue of God and the full purpose to amend were wanting then was the sacrifice before God abhominable To him will I looke saith God euen to him that is poore and of a contrite spirite Isay 66.2 and that trembleth at my wordes
otherwise hee that killeth a bullocke is as hee that slayeth a man and hee that sacrificeth a sheepe is as hee that cutteth off a dogges necke and hee that offereth an oblation is as hee that offereth swines bloud and hee that remembreth incense is as hee that blesseth an Idoll such are these which haue chosen their owne wayes and whose soule doth delight in their owne abhominations 2â— Cor. 5.14 Then do we giue the heart vnto God when wee say with the Apostle the loue of Christ constaineth vs or wheÌ„ we performe that of the Psalmist Loue the Lord all ye Saintes of his Psal 31.24 for the Lord preserueth the faithfull and plenteously rewardeth the proude doer The olde Verse is true Non clamans sed amans cantat in aure Dei Not he that crieth out but he that loueth doth sing in the eares of God Dauid when he would giue thanks for his victories saide I will loue thee O Lord my strength Psal 18.1 or as trauellers do translate it ex intimis visceribus te diligam I will loue thee from my inward bowels Racham futur eâ—chomca O Lord my strength for so indeede the Hebrew worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth signifie Heb. 13.15 Osea 14.8 Another sacrifice of thanksgiuing is to offer the fruite of our lips confessing vnto his name that is with our tongue to praise God Dauid doth call his tongue his glory because thereby hee did principally set forth the glorie of God to the edifying of others Awake saith hee my glorie Awake Lute and Harpe Psal 57.9 I my selfe will awake right earely And in an other Psalme psal 30.13 Thou hast put off my sackcloth and girded mee with gladnes therefore my glory shal sing vnto thee that is my tongue a principall member made for thy glory The Apostle doth commaund vs generally Col. 3.17 that whatsoeuer wee doe in word or deede we should doe all in the name of the Lord Iesus giuing thankes to God the Father That is indeede to consecrate our tongue wholy to the glorie of God not now with the mouth to praise God and by and by with the same mouth to dishonor God but euery where and in all our speeches to haue an eye to that for which our tongue was made to wit 1. Thess 5.11 the glory of God the edifying one of another Aboue all things saith the Apostle sweare not Iam. 5.12 Eph. 4.25 put away lying and speake euerie man the truth one to another v. 29 for wee are members one of another Let no rotten or filthy communication proceede out of your mouth but that which is good to edifie withall that it may minister grace vnto the hearers V. 31 let bitternes and railing be put from you and blasphemie and all malitiousnes Otherwise howsoeuer wee doe with the tongue sometimes praise God if wee doe with the same tongue in our other speeches dishonour God it doth then euidently argue that our praising of GOD was nothing but meere hypocrisie for so sayth Saint Iames Iam 3.9 with the tongue wee blesse GOD the Father and with the same tongue wee curse men made after Gods image this cannot bee Can the same fountaine send forth both sweet water and bitter and how then can there come out of one mouth both blessing and cursing This saith the Apostle ought not to bee The people of Israel when God had shewed his infinite fauour towards them in deliuering them from bondage in sending them a pillar of cloude Deut. 8.3.4 for the day and for fire for the night to guide them in the desert in giuing them water out of the stony rocke and feeding them with foode from heauen 1. Cor. 10.10 Numb 14.37 in so protecting them that for forty yeares their garment did not waxe old neither did their foot swell They were so far from giuing praise vnto God that they fell to the clean contrarie that is to murmure against God But for this their wretched vnthankfulnes they were plagued some with leprosies some with fiery serpentes some the earth swallowed vp some perished with the pestilence that of aboue sixe hundred thousand there came but two of them into the land of promise A fearefull iudgement of GOD against such as refused to offer to God the calues of their lippes Osea 14.8 confessing vnto his name An other sacrifice of thankesgiuing is in the whole course of our life to consecrate our bodies and soules to the obedience of God his holie will Rom. 12 1 I beseech you saith the Apostle for the tender mercy of GOD that you offer vppe your body and Soule a liuelie sacrifice holy and acceptable vnto GOD which is your reasonable seruing of God 1. Cor. 6.20 fashion not your selues like to this world In an other place hee giueth the reason why wee must offer this sacrifice both in body and soule to glorifie God to wit because they are Gods God made them Christ Iesus redeemed theÌ„ whatsoeuer is bought from vs is none of our owne yee are bought saith the Apostle with a price Christ gaue his body and bloude for vs that hee might purchase vs vnto himselfe Tit. 2.14 that hee might redeeme vs ftom all iniquitie and purge vs to bee a peculiar people vnto himselfe zealous of good works whosoeuer therfore yeeldeth any part of his bodie or mind to commit sinne hee doth therein coÌ„mit sacriledge he robbeth the Lord Iesus of that which in dutie should bee offered to him The word sacrificing doth import a killing or slaying Rom. 8 13 The Apostle sheweth what we must slay to wit our owne vices and corruptione if yee mortifie the deedes of the flesh by the spirit yee shall liue mortifie your earthly members Cos 3.15 fornication vncleannes coueteousnesse This mortification must especially take place in those sinnes whereunto we are either by nature or by age most inclined what great thing is there performed of the riotous yong man if hee auoide couetousnes or of the olde man if hee auoide the wanton lustes of youth But if the old man do subdue anger nigardly care waiwardnes and such other crimes whereunto the nature of his age is most enclined or if the young man can by prayer and the power of Gods spirit mortifie those filthy lustes whereunto hee findeth himselfe most endangered then doe they offer vnto God a verie acceptable sacrifice for this sacrifice doth highlie please God wheÌ„ euerie man shall examine his own coÌ„science and when hee hath found to what vice hee is most bent doth then striue to mortifie that sinne by earnest praier and by the assistance of God his spirit Gal. 5.24 if wee doe not seeke by all good meanes to slay sinne before it of it selfe doth forsake vs if the yong man will not abandon his lustes vntill age doe of necessitie plucke it from him then hee forsaketh not sinne but sinne forsaketh him
and that is not to offer a sacrifice vnto GOD if our strong and youthfull times be consecrated vnto pleasures and we onely purpose either in sicknesse or in olde age to repent of our follies imagining that at the last gaspe one worde will bee sufficient Mal. 1.13 then are wee like to those Iewes whome the Prophet Malachie doth condemne for that hauing whole and sound cattle they kept them to themselues and offered vnto GOD the sicke and maymed Eccl. 12 But the wise man doth exhort vs to remember our Maker in the dayes of our youth euen thy best and most flourishing time thou must consecrate the same vnto God doe not giue thy good wine of thy best yeares vnto pleasures and the dregs of thy infirmities vnto God but saith he remember thy maker in the daies of thy youth God made vs after his owne image and that image of his must wee offer vnto him againe Our Sauiour saith Giue vnto Caesar the thinges which are Caesars Math. 22 23. and vnto God those thinges which are Gods Augustine by that speech inferreth Deus exigit ab homine imaginem suam ab homine sicut Caesar suam in nummo Aug. epist 45 God requireth of man to receiue his owne image in man as Caesar doth require to receiue his owne image in his coine Eph. 4.24 That image of God is as the Apostle teacheth to put on the new maÌ„ created after God in righteousnes true holines to be renewed in the spirit of our minds our affections must first bee sanctified before they caÌ„ be fit to offer the sacrifice of praise Look to thy feet Eccl 4.17 saith the wisemaÌ„ when thou entrest into the house of God be more ready to heare theÌ„ to offer the sacrifice of fooles Chrysost for as in the making of a garlaÌ„d it is not sufficieÌ„t that the flowers be sweet clean but the hand that maketh them must bee cleane also euen so in prayer thanksgiuing it is not sufficient that the wordes be pure and holy but the heart that offer them must bee holy also Psal 26.6 Dauid saith I will wash my hands in innocency so will I compas thy altar 1 Tim 2 8 Paul willeth men in praiers to lift vp pure handes without wrath without contention As the hâ—rt must be charitable in respect of our neighbour so must it bee pure from filthy lustes in respect of the carriage of our selues Rom. 12.2 Iam. 2.27 In these two pointes doth S. Iames conclude the very summe of that which is called our reasonable seruing of God Pure Religion saith hee and vndefiled before God the Father is this to visite the fatherlesse and widow in their aduersity and to keepe a mans selfe vnspotted of the world if compassion of heart loue bee absent our other offeringes can not please God although I should as the Apostle speaketh 1. Cor. 13.3 giue all my goods to the poore euen giue my body that I be burned yet if I want loue I am nothing And if we be not sanctified in regard of our owne liues then the wisedome of God doth reiect our sacrifices Prou. 15.8 The sacrifice of the wicked saith Salomon is an abhomination to the Lord. He that turneth away his eare from hearing the lawe of God his prayer is abhominable Prou. 28. â— Let our thankfulnesse then appeare by the fruit of good life Pliny lib. 18 cap. 14. Let benefits be that to our hearts which Pliny writeth of pulse beanes and lupines Non exhauriunt agrum they do not pill the ground but they make the soyle the more fruitfull and the more that we tast of Gods blessings and fauours the more Phil 2 11â— let vs bee filled with the fruits of righteousnesse to the glorie and praise of God otherwise our outward shew of thanksgiuing is nothing but meere hypocrisie like theirs of whom Paule doth pronounce Tit. 1 1â— they professe that they know God but by workes they denie him being abhominable and disobedient and to euery good worke reprobate Furthermore our sacrifice of thanksgiuing must extend to the right vse of our goods first that we ioyfully yeeld a portion thereof to the maintenance of God his honour and seruice Dauid when the King of Arauna or Orna would haue giuen him a plot of ground a threshing flower to build an Altar vppon it and wood also for the sacrifice would not take it of gift but would needs pay for it and sayd that he would not offer vnto God that which cost him nothing 2. Sam. 24.24 And when he had giuen towards the building of the temple 3000. talents of gold and 7000. talents of siluer besides many vessels of gold siluer and brasse 2. Chro. 29 9 it is sayd that the hart of Dauid reioyced exceedingly and that he accounted it but as a chiefe rent for that which he held euery whit of God in capitie V. 12. they are thine saith he O Lord to thee they are due what are we that we shold thus offer vnto God The earth is the Lords Psal 24 1. all the same contained whatsoeuer we haue we hold of him in chiefe and this is that which he requireth for our tenour to wit that partly we be chearful in mainteining his seruice partly bountifull in relieuing our needy neighbour To do good sayth the Apostle and to distribute forget not for with such sacrifice God is pleased Nothing ought to make vs to be more forward in almes deeds then to call to mind that God doth account it a sacrifice that is offered to himselfe for sacrifices are offered vnto God and that Christ wil account as done to himselfe Whatsoeuer is done to the least of his brethreÌ„ Prou. 10 He that giueth to the poore saith the wiseman lendeth vnto the Lord and whatsoeuer he layeth out he shall be paid againe The prayers the almes of Cornelius went vp in remembrance before God 1 Pet. 4 Saint Peter sheweth that our prayers must haue as it were two wings that they may mouÌ„t vp to heaueÌ„ on the one side sobriety in respect of our selus on the otherside ferueÌ„t loue in respect of our neighbor They must first haue life for if they be dead they cannot pierce the heauens Now the life of our prayers thanksgiuings is faith without faith no man can please God When they haue the life of faith that they bee a liuing sacrifice then must they also haue the wings of temperance and almes deedes as had the prayers of Cornelius whereby they went vp in remembrance before God The free gift of God is first taken hold of by faith and then good workes do follow as a fruite of our thankfulnesse First the Saints are blessed of the Father to receiue a kingdome not purchased by their almes deeds Math 25 34 but prepared for them before the foundation of the world was
of the Church of God as may appeare by the often naming of the Church in the verses last going before Now there is the place of the Church where the word of God is taught and the Sacraments administred according to the institution of Christ and publicke prayer and thankesgiuings offered vnto God Teach all nations sayth Christ and Baptize them in the name of the Father Math 28 19. and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost then followeth the promise I will be with you to the end of the world The Apostle when he hath made mention of the Church 1. Cor 11 1◠20.23 and publicke place of the assembly when ye come together in the Church V. 23 when ye come together into one place c he addeth that which I receiued of the Lord that haue I deliuered vnto you how the Lord Iesus in the same night that he was betrayed tooke bread V. 33 c. and after when ye come together one tary for another He requireth of the Romaines Rom. 13.6 that they all with one heart and one mouth glorifie God and to the Ephesians that prayses be giuen in the Church through Christ Iesus Eph. 8.21 vnto all generations for euer Math 28.20 where is the word and Sacraments there is especially the ero vobiscū vsque ad cōsummationem seculi Fourthly the alotting of the place amongst Christians must needs be in the power of the supreme magistrate and of such lawes as are confirmed by him Ios 6.6 Ios 11. If Iosua being Duke did take order for matters in the Church 1. Chro. 23.6 2. Chro. 3.14 1. Reg. 2.35 If Dauid and Salomon did set the courses of the Priests and Leuites remoue the bad and place better in their roome 2. Chro. 17.8 2. Chro. 19 8 If Iehosaphat did send Elithama and Iehoram Priests to instruct the people and set the Priests and Leuites for the iudgement of the Lords cause 2. Chro. 31 4 If Ezechias did not onely appoint the courses but also prescribe to euery one their portions and stipends If Asa 2 Chro 29 1 2 Reg 23 4 Iosias and other godly Kings of Iuda did account it their chiefest charge to purge the Church from Idolatry then why might not Constantinus Theodosius and other Christian Emperours imitate their godly ensample And when now our Christian most noble King doth inioyne or establish orders for the publicke seruice of God Why should not all good subiects obey not for feare but euen for conscience sake Where Princes do command Idolatry Rom 13 5 or any thing directly against the word of God there the subiects may say with S. Peter and the Apostles Act. 5 29 we must rather obey God then man Yet in no wise may they rebell Eccl 10 17 Rom. 13.1 nor in heart wish the subuersion of God his annointed But God his holy name be praysed we haue no need to feare any such edicts we may of all people vnder hearte most willingly submit our selues to that obedience where goalinesse and loyalty may both meete together Psal 85.10 and righteousnesse and peace may kisse each other Fiftly in respect of the prayers themselues great cause we haue had and no doubt shall haue still most carefully to frequent them the prayers being all euen in the conscience of the aduersary most godly and needfull for all good gifts and graces requisite both for Prince and people and all made through our onely mediator Christ Iesus 1. Tim. 2 5. There is one God sayth Paule and one mediator betwixt God and man euen the man Christ Iesus 1. Ioh. 2.2 If any man sinne saith Saint Iohn we haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sinnes Aug. in Psal 108. Oratio quae non fit per Christum non solum non potest delere peccatum sed ipsa fit peccatum The prayer which is not made through Christ doth not onely not put away sinne but euen it selfe is made sinne And further it must needs be a great comfort to the vnlearned and a ioy generally to all when the prayers are made in that vsuall knowne language wherein the whole Church may ioyne together with one heart and one voyce to praise God The Apostle sayth I will pray with the Spirit 1. Cor 14.15 V. 16. I will pray with vnderstanding also He which occupieth the place of the vnlearned how can he say Amen to the giuing of thankes when he vnderstandeth not what thou sayst I had rather in the Church speake fiue words to the instructing of others then ten thousand in a strange language V. 19. If there were in our Churches blasphemous prayers maintained or Idolatrie erected then we should with Sidrach Misach and Abednego chuse rather to die then to yeeld so much as the body to prostrate it selfe before them But otherwise for euery small abuse or corruption which is crept into the Church we are not to take occasion thereby to refuse the place of God his seruice There were corruptions when there was buying and selling in the Temple of the Iewes Luc 19.45 Luc. 2.22 Luc. 19.47 Act. 3.1 yet Ioseph and Mary did present themselues to the oblations in that Temple Christ refused not to teach daily in it the Apostles refused not to pray in it Luc. 2 37 and Anna the ancient widow is commended for that in her fasting and prayer she serued God day and night in that Temple Sixtly our intent in comming to the Church is not to iudge the faith of other men but euery one to examine his owne faith Paule sayth Let a man proue and examine himselfe 1 Cor 11.28 31 and so let him eate of that bread and drinke of that cup If we would iudge our selues 2 Cor. 13.5 we should not be condemned Trie and examine your selues whether ye be in the faith or no. If any do come vnworthily in a wrong faith or without repentance the Apostle denounceth of him 1. Cor. 11.29 that he eateth and drinketh his owne damnation He cannot condemne others he damneth but himselfe It was sayd to him that had no wedding garment Friend how camest thou hither not hauing a wedding garment Math. 22 12 he was himselfe cast into vtter darknesse he did not condemne the rest of the guests which were clothed with faith working through charity Gal. 5.6 The Apostles knew that Iudas was a traytor our Sauiour had before certified them of it Math 26.21.22 yet they refused not to receiue the Sacrament with him Iudas receiued his owne damnation he could not condemne the rest of the Disciples If the time imployed in the Church be not for the Sacraments or prayers but for the preaching of the word our assured preseruation against all error is to cleane to the holy Scripture the old and new Testament Aug in Psal 57. Saint Augustine