his onely begotten sonne to take our nature vppon him to vvashe vs from our sinnes vvith his precious blood and to redeeme and deliuer vs from Satan For this inestimable benefite let vs continually vppon our knees geue moste hartie and earnest thankes vnto oure God euer and euer And although this great vvorke of God with many other things spirituall seeme ridiculous to the carnall man and humaine sence and prophane Nations accompt it but a deuise of phanaticall persons yet all those that are vnder the Insigne of Christ ought thākfully to acknowledge highly to esteme this holsome worke benefite of God This doctrine issueth out of the places of Repentance of Iustification and of Baptisme For Regeneration conioyneth and lynketh all these thinges together Regeneratiō signifieth not in this place to returne corporally into our mothērs womb to be borne againe as Nicodemus supposed but a spiritual renewing and the similitude is taken frō the corporall natiuitie For as man is conceiued borne of his natural mother in sinne euen so in this spiritual natiuitie by the efficacie of gods worde and sacramentes externall instrumentes he is regenerate and spiritually made cleane from sinne that is to say he receyueth remission of sinnes he is made the sonne of God the temple of the holy ghost and an heire of eternall life albeit the spottes of Originall sinne doo yet remayne in this body of his And vnder this generall worde Regeneration mans conuersion vnto God his iustification and the effectes thereof are comprehended and conteyned Regeneration of Christians in Gods inuisible accion plainly expressed by his holy worde and sacramentes annexed vnto the same whereby our mercifull God doth spiritually forme and fashion of a carnall man a newe iust and holy manne ingraffing him into his kingdome remouing from hym his sinnes cōmitted his wrath indignation and imparteth vnto him his iustice grace deliuereth him also from the power and kingdome of the Diuell and giueth him the holye ghost the earnest pledge of eternall lyfe and fynallye kindleth in him newe strength to begin newnes of life acceptable and pleasaunt vnto God in this world The groundes this definition are the words of the holy scripture Go teach all nations baptising thē in the name of the father the sonne and the holy ghost and he that beleeueth and is baptised shall bee saued This Renouation as I sayde before is a matter of the greatest moment and an especiall signe of Gods loue and mercy toward man For when godlesse man put vpon him the image of the diuell and was therby more then oppressed with many miseries and had cast away al hope of releefe the louing Lord vsed a wonderfull temperature of iustice and mercy and ministred medicines to man his sonne euen then beeing a Solliciter and intercessor for vs. This sonne of the eternall father our Lorde Iesus Christ was from the beginning appoynted to descend take mans nature vpon him and was subiect to all humaine infirmities sinne excepted He appeared to destroy the works of the diuell to seeke the lost grote wherin Gods image vvas stamped to bring home the lost sheepe to the folde of eternall life to th ende that he might florishe for euer there vvith al heauenly companies beeing here regenerated and there according to Gods image perfectly renevved For when man kinde had receiued most greeuous vvoundes and vvas bounde in strong chaynes not able to be brokē by mans strength this bruser of the Serpentes head came professed him selfe when the fulnesse of time should come to be our tender and faythfull Phisition to geue his flesh for the life of the world and that he woulde suffer suche punishements that by his stripes and vvoundes we should be healed and that through death he shoulde be destroyed that had povver of death to vvit the diuell that craftie serpent cruell dragen the enemie of man from the beginning This regeneration of mankinde vvas then done by none other but by Iesus Christ our Priest and euerlasting king who collecteth preserueth his church by the sound of his Gospell vvherein is written the decree of our recōciliation Which Gospell he beeing the eternall worde of the eternall father reueleth vnto vs Shevving the chearefull countenance of his father and powring the holy ghost into our harts that with perfect loue and heauenly ioy we might in obedience be vnited to our god Which propertie of his office speciall priuileges he hath made most manifest by his resurrection by the sending downe of the holy ghost vpon the Apostles that thereby vve might the better consider the inestimable price of that benefite The sonne of God together with the Prophets Apostles do exhort vs to repentance that we might be renued and clothed with that newe image and regenerate to a celestiall wisdome iustice And to th ende that we might know the deformitie of the olde Adam and be excited to seeke gods image in Christ who is the newe and heauenly Adam we must vse both the lavve and the Gospell The Lavve I saye that vvee stricken vvith feare and dread in respect of our sinnes might be enforced to seke after the true and perfect Phisition who is Christ whō the Gospell affyrmeth to be made vnto vs vvisedome redemption iustice and sanctification But wee muste also vnderstande that not onely that iustice which was gotten by Christes blood is transferred vnto vs through gods wōderfull grace mercy but in this regeneration there is a redeliuerie or restitution of certen powers or strengthes in mā out of the which certen accions issue flowe And yet this restitution is not so perfect as that vve are able eyther to fulfill the Lawe or to be accompted iust before God but it is the fruite of Iustice Imputatiue as they call it albeit in some places other respect it haue the name of Iustice as That I may be founde in him not hauing mine owne iustice which is of the lawe but that whiche is of fayth in Christ. I vvill therfore write somvvhat particularly of the powers restored to the godly in regeneration and aftervvarde I will speake of their accions and vvorkes And first of al mans mind hath certen powers or habilities restored by the holy ghost and a kinde of light kindled in thinges spirituall and diuine Be yee renewed sayth the Apostle in the spirite of your mindes And Renewe the newe man in the knowledge of God. And agayne We all vvith face reueled beholding the glory of the Lodre are transformed into the same image from brightnes to brightnes as it were by the spirite of the Lorde There is then restored some power abilitie vnto mans mind somewhat to vnderstand the diuine and heauenly mysteries and a certayne light to discerne the doctrine of God according to the rule of his worde from false doctrine and heresie For it hath vsually come
the hart or of any other member of man if they bee good affections they are certayne remnauntes of Gods image Man hath also almost lost that notable wisdome and absolute authoritie of rule and dominion ouer liuing creatures For albeit there remayneth in him vnto this day some povver ouer them yet the same is ioyned vvith greate perill and greefe not vvanting tyrannie and crueltie For the horse vvyll not obey man vvithoute bytte and brydle neyther vvyll the Oxe dravve the Plough vvithout he bee yoked The sheepe will not yeelde wooll and milke vnlesse she be bounde Byrdes are taken vvith pollicie and cunning And fishes vvith the hooke net other instrumentes As for Tygres Lyons Beares Woolfes Panthers and suche like they are not onely not obedient but extreme aduersaries to mankinde Nowe if any man aske vvhye God made vvilde beastes so disobedient and hurtful to man It is to be answered that this is commen to passe That disobedient children might be corrected For man vvell deserued suche a scourge after his transgression And therefore by meanes of sinne our seruants are armed against vs wild beasts suffred to tormēt afflict vs for so the scripture saith I wil sende amongst you famine and wilde beastes When man was in the state of innocency they were all tame and obedient vnto him And novve thoughe they rebell yet by Gods mercy fewe doe perishe by them And if anye miscarie there ariseth therof a double commodity First an example of gods seueritie as in the Samaritanes who were killed of Lyons In the children that for scorning at Elizeus were destroyed of Beares and in the disobedient prophet who perished with the Lyon. Secondly gods maiesty herein shevveth it selfe mightely in that he is able to cause the wilde and cruell beastes to reuenge his cause against disobedient persons And finally herein we may also consider gods great goodnesse tovvarde vs in secluding shutting them vp out of mennes societie into desertes wildernesses appoynting them the night to walke in and to seeke their pray whiles morning when man goeth about his busines they all auoyd his sight presence and lie hid in their dennes with trembling and feare Man hath also lost eternall felicitie and blessednesse and hath onely lefte vnto him in steede thereof this worldly and earthly lyfe which is short miserable painefull and is subiect to daungerous death euery moment For cruell death seasoneth vppon all men that are borne of corrupt parents assone as they are fashioned in their mothers wombe because they are infected with sinne And therfore all the dayes of their lyfe death is as it were mans hangman and tormētor First the imbecillity of mans substance and strength is the bitte of Satan Then the shortnes of mans lyfe the perils dangers in the same the cruell diseases the vntimely soden vnnatural deathes the resolution of our bodies into dust ashes do euidently expresse his force and malice against mankinde Whiche thinges I willingly note to admonishe men deepely to consider their miserable and wretched estate For man is not only a bubble of water during but a short time sodenly vanishing away but he is a thing much more miserable wherby it is most apparant that man is not now any longer the excellent image of God but the bondslaue of the diuell then the whiche there can bee nothing more lamentable or miserable But the vse of that which we haue vttered alreadie touching the remnantes of Gods image in man is to put vs in remembrance of those great things which we haue lost by sinne and those remnants are much like the rubble of a faire and beautifull citie destroyed And such as they be they ought not to be cōtemned beeing as it were notes remembraunces that god will in eternall life renew restore his image to man according to his holy worde Prouided always that by meanes of this doctrine no power at all be ascribed to man in spirituall matters before regeneration and not ouer much neither in carnall and earthly things For both these excesses are culpable Let vs therefore bewayle this great losse of ours and agayne let vs not forget to geue thanks that it hath pleased him to leaue in vs some print of his image and cheefly let vs reioyce that by Christe wee are regenerate and reconciled to God in this life and that his Image shall be perfectly restored vnto vs in the life to come And before I conclude this parte I thinke it not amisse to admonishe my Reader of certayne detestable and grosse Errors quite contrarie to this doctrine First certayne Athistes and Epicures hold that there is nothing corrupt in man after his first creation and condition vvhich opynion the Manichees doo also mayntayne And this Error seemeth too springe of meere Ignoraunce of mannes creation and fall The Pelagians and certayne Scholemen dreamed mannes nature to bee syncere and vncorrupte after hys Natiuitie euen as Adam vvas before his fall But that furor is directly agaynst the vvorde of God Beholde I am conceyued in iniquitie And agayne The sence of the fleshe is Enimitie agaynste the spirite And some also nowe a dayes vvrite that there is some povver in man before regeneration euen in spirituall thinges and that man is a cooperator or worker vvith God and that it is in mans power to take to folow to assent albeit faintly with God in spirituall thinges which is meere cōtrary to the holy scripture for the Apostle saith The naturall man perceiueth not thinges whiche be of Gods spirite for they are folishnesse vnto him speaking of man not regenerate Finally this extremitie is to be reprehended that there is no porcion at all of gods image left in man And that there is left vnto man no knovvledge of God at al that he hath no principles of arts or accions but that hee is muche like a cleane sheete of paper ot table into the vvhiche vvith education and study hee maye write thinges But saint Paule saith That the worke of the lawe is written in the Gentiles hartes And euen by the law of nature those that be not yet regenerate haue some knovvledge albeit obscure that there is a God and that he is a iuste god Albeit they vnderstande nothing of his essence and of his perfect wil conteyned in the lavve and gospell The fourth part of the Anatomie of the renouation or regeneration of the olde Man. OVT OF WHAT EXCELlent dignitie and honor man vvas deposed and caste by meanes of his transgression and vtterly drovvned in a deepe sea of all euill it hath bene already briefely and plainely declared It now remayneth that vve haue some due consideration of Gods greate mercy povver and goodnesse in the renouation and regeneration of the olde manne For after the fall of Adam God could not doe any thing eyther more mightely or mercifully then to sende
to passe in all ages that Errors springing vp haue bene paynted vvith goodly colours vvhereby manye haue bene sedused and deceyued But ignorance and blindnesse bred in man naturally is not altogether remoued out of his minde The reason therof is because in this life mans restitution is not perfected but attempted only and the disease of originall sinne remayneth after this spirituall Regeneration The olde nature or olde man remayneth albeit some mortification be begon For so the Apostle sayth We knowe in part we prophesie in part but vvhen that vvhiche is perfect is come that vvhich is vnperfect shal be done away And heereof it commeth to passe that ignorances of God and spirituall thinges not knovven vnto vs by nature do oftentimes exceedingly encomber and vnquiet euen the man regenerate So that lighte and darknes in mans minde doo contende and striue one with another as the Apostle moste grauely teacheth in these vvordes The fleshe coueteth agaynst the spirite and the spirite agaynst the fleshe these are contrarie one to another And nowe and then the ignorance darknes of the minde doth extinguish the small light kindled eyther vvith grosse securitie or curious philosophie or carnall reason as vve knowe it came to passe in Aaron Salomon and Hieroboam vvho vvilfully shooke of this diuine light and gaue them selues to the vvorshipping of Idols Let vs not maruell therfore that there is yet remayning suche great imbecilitie in those that be regenerate neither yet because some excellent men accompted lightes of the Church doo often times erre fall very grossely seeing the cause thereof is so apparant to vvitte first the sicknes of originall sinne remayning yet in the posteritie of Adam and secondly the craft furor and power of the diuell vvho vvithout gods especiall vvōderfull grace is able to doo muche agaynst seely and vveake man. As the minde hath receyued certayne seedes or nourishments of regeneratiō in this life by gods grace euen so vvill is partaker of some povver and abilitie to apprehende diuine and spiritual things to couet after them assent vnto them which promptnes facultie it had not before regeneration as the Apostle most excellently vvriteth after this maner It is God that worketh in vs the vvill and the deede according to his good will. And elsewhere he freely confesseth that he hath will in diuine thinges and as a spirituall man to be delighted with gods law But yet the vvill is not perfectly restored in this life For the filth dregges of originall sinne albeit they are forgiuen by Christe are yet abyding in vs and can not wholly bee rooted out of this our Nature First therefore let vs consider the vveakenes of Will euen in those that be regenerate vvithout Gods speciall and peculiar assistance as vve see dayly in the confessions afflictions and deathes of the godly Secondly our vvyll is by our ovvne malice and the subtiltie of Sathan bothe letted deformed and ouercommen Whiche imbecilitie and vveakenes so deepely and daungerously fastened vnto vs the godly doo both taste and feele and also bevvayle and lament praying still vvith earnest groning that they may bee ridde oute of this thraldome into blisse and peace euerlasting The voyce of the Apostle is vvorthy to bee hearde which sayth Wyll is ready vnto mee but I am not able to doo it For I doo not that good thinge vvhiche I vvoulde doo but that euill which I vvould not that I doo If I doo that which I vvoulde not it is not nowe I but sinne dwelling in mee And a little after I see annother Lawe in my members resisting the lawe of my Minde and leading mee captiue vnder the lawe of sinne vvhiche is in my members O vnhappie man that I am who shall deliuer mee from the body of this death I geue God thankes throughe Iesus Christe our Lorde Therefore in my minde I serue the lawe of God but in my fleshe the lawe of sinne In the vvhich vvords the Apostle affyrmeth that he had a good will stirred vp by the holy ghost But he addeth that the old Adam sticking in him did alwayes plucke him avvay to sinne and wickednes He further shevveth the author of regeneration in this life and the perfecter therof in the life to come euē Iesus Christ our sauiour redemer And yet God hath vvith his spirite of strength and fortitude assisted many thousandes of his martyres in giuing testimonie to the truth vvith vvonderfull patience and boldnesse vvhiche is the proper and peculiar worke of the holy ghost vvho is thereof called a Comforter And that voice of the Apostle is most sweete and delectable God is faythfull who vvill not suffer you to be tempted aboue that ye are able to beare but in the middle of your temptation he will prouide that you shall be able to beare it God is always present with his seruants in their agonies and doth most gratiously and plentifully giue them corage strength in cruell torments that they become victors and conquerors In thinges externall conioyned vvith vertue and honesty mannes will after regeneration is vvithout all doubt more pliable then it was before For the man regenerate hath the light of Gods word shining in his minde wherby he perceiueth and embraceth more readily both things diuine and humaine It is a great vertue in Scipio that hee conteyneth him selfe frō Endibilis But it was without the light of the liuing god his vvyll vvas therefore vntovvarde in spirituall thinges he was an idolator and in his accions onely respected externall honesty that hee might not doe any thing against comelynes But in Ioseph refusing vnlawfull company with his maisters wife there shineth a more excellent and diuine vertue For he had the knowledge of the lyuing god and a vvil regenerate whereby hee did more commodiously practise things externall he had the holy ghost his guide and leader hee feared God and was loth to deface his honor glory hee assuredly beleeued that God vvould be with him and comfort him in perilles and daungers There is also a greate difference betweene those that be not regenerate in thinges external for one excelleth another in vertue in discipline in exercises Moreouer there is often tymes seene great imbecilitie in the godly vvho doe horribly deforme thēselues in externall vices the cause is the sinne yet remayning in their nature which is no smal or light euill Wherevnto the diuill addeth his poyson and malice especially against the godly Whereby it commeth to passe that no man Christe excepted be he neuer so learned or godly is pure and cleane from foule spottes and offences And hereof come so many offences and faults of the best most excellent men in the church of God in their externall accions as Loth vvho defiled him selfe with dronkennesse and incest Dauid with adultery and murder Hely with negligence in the education of his children c. So
pearcing all thinges But this subtilty is rather to be referred to the exquisite and perfect power of the senses Wherevnto may also be added affections vvhich shall not be grosse and earthly molesting the minde In this sense spake the Apostle It is sowen a naturall body but it riseth agayne a spirituall body In the vvhich vvordes he ment not that our bodyes shoulde be chaunged into spirites But that they should come as neere the propertie of spirites as possibly they might in respect of their Notices and affections reteyning still their corporall nature and substance These notable properties are collected by the schoole men out of Gods vvord many others there be omitted for it is truely sayd The eye hath not seene the eare hath not harde those thinges which God hath prepared for those that loue him It is not vnmete to be obserued in this place that neither the holy scriptures nor auncient Fathers nor Scholasticall writers haue in any place ascribed either to the bodies of Sainctes glorified or to Christes body vbiquitie to be in no place or in euery place It is that not without cause wondred at that some writers of our time doo so obstinatly mainteine that opinion without any good ground at all And it is to be noted â–ª that many of the Scholemen and amongst others Thomas Aquinas in consideration that the bodies of blessed men shall come moste neere vnto celestiall qualities He inferreth vpon the same that their habitation shall be aboue all elementes in the supreme and high heauen They dispute also of the age of men in their resurrection and their opinion is that the same shal be freshe strong and lustie inforcing that of the Apostle to the prouing therof vntill we growe in the vnitie of fayth into the knowledge of the sonne of God into a perfect man into the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ But by their patience the vvords of the Apostle tend to no suche ende For he speaketh not there of the reformation of bodies but of the renouatio of myndes as the words going before do most euideÌ„tly declare And yet I agree with them in the perfectioÌ„ of glorified bodyes but in some other sort For when god first created maÌ„ he made him no infant no decrepit deâ—â—med or vnperfit person And seing the resurrectioÌ„ is a certen new kind of reformation it must needes be lyke and correspondent vnto the first As therfore all was very good that is to saye perfect in their kindes vvhich god created so shal mens bodies in the resurrection in their kindes be absolute and perfect And these are the properties which the schoole men attribute to the bodyes of saintes in the resurrection Nowe if any maÌ„ will be inquisitiue of the qualities conditions in the bodyes of vvicked meÌ„ when they shall arise to condemnation Let him vnderstande that they also shall haue immortality But as for those other ornaments of glorified bodies they shal haue none at all but rather shal be disfigured with the coÌ„trary deformities For they shall haue no brightnes nor light but as Christ hath taught shal be cast into vtter darkenesse Neither shall they be impassible for they shal be afflicted with dolor paine without any intermission There shal be weeping and gnashing of tâ—â—th Their worme shal not dye their fire shal not go out They shall haue no nimblenes nor agilitie for being bound haÌ„d foote they shal be cast into helfire They shal waÌ„t such subtilty purenes in affections as I spake of before because they shall wepe wayle be vexed with grosse affections vehement desires as we may see by the Euangelical narration of Lazarus and the rich maÌ„ But in al these things that haue bin spoken hertofore in this matter this is always to be had in memory that notwithaÌ„ding these varieties of qualities yet the selfsame substance of our bodies shal not be altred For the selfsame fleshe and body that we beare and carie about with vs nowe shal be raysed vp agayne at the laste day Hitherto Peter Martyr The glorification of blessed men ouer besides those things which I haue spoken of the body coÌ„sisteth in these things folowing First in iustice imputatiue in christ whereby those shal please god euerlastingly that are iustified by fayth and translated into the heauenly IerusaleÌ„ So the prophet Daniel calleth that Iustice which is gotten by the death of Christe sempiternall For this iustice vvhiche is so dearely bought by the sonne of God is not onely a merite for the which eternal life is giuen vnto men but it is also their euerlasting possession and the very wedding garment vvherewith men beeing clothed may boldly sitte downe at the banquet of their Lorde It coÌ„sisteth also in notable excellent wisdom far passing that which euer any mundaine creature was indued withall It hath also annexed vnto it sanctitie puritie a restitution of all powers aswel of the body as of the soule These glorified natures shal haue a notable preeminence ouer all mundaine creatures whiche shall bee in the newe vvorlde as some suppose according to the good vvill and pleasure of almightie god For the Apostle Sainct Peter sayth Wee looke for a newe heauen and a newe earthe according too hys promise vvherein Iustice dwelleth But touching the manner or order of these thynges vvee â—ught to referre them to Gods vvyll and pleasure He him selfe knoweth best howe he will doo them and vve of the sequeles consequences shal knowe the workes of god which I the rather add bicause some may happily wonder at this doctrine This immutation or restitution of man being thus coÌ„plet finished the image of god being perfectly restored vnto maÌ„ he shal at the last be translated into reall possessioÌ„ of the heaueÌ„ly kingdom which he had by faith hope only in this life as Christ hath promised that himself wil giue senteÌ„ce in this forme Come ye blessed children of my father possesse the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the worlde Mortal meÌ„ therfore shal be remoued not into any earthly but into an heauenly IerusaleÌ„ according to the words of christ spoken to the thiefe This day thou shalt be with me in paradise Now in the possession of this kingdom the godly shal haue endles ioy wherwithal they shal be crowned in steed of misery afflictioÌ„ persecutioÌ„ which they suffred for Christes sake in this mortal life vvhich do so farre excel those miseries that there can be no iust coÌ„parison betwene theÌ„ which the same Apostle calleth the crown of Iustice and S. Peter a crowne of glory vvhiche neuer fadeth avvay For first the Saincts shal see god shal come to perfection in knovvlege We see now in a glasse in a dark spech but then we shall see face to face And what thing can there be more pleasant or acceptable theÌ„