the sonne before the world the sonne was the holy Ghost and the fain the world the father is the holy Ghost and the sonne in the world to come The concentricall Trinity being thus Father Sonne Holy Ghost whose might authority and power shal be at that time all one ouer them that shal be baptized with the holy Ghost and with fire for now euen to day is the holy Ghost labouring in the harts of men to win them vnto the father and the sonne Wherfore harden not your harts as in the prouocation in the day of temptation in the wildernes Happy shall the wise virgins be which are found with oile in their lampes not trusting to borrow in the busie day of all flesh when none can lend Wherfore good brethren be not as the foolish virgins the sleeping disciples the sluggish seruants or as the busie Martha but haue care to choose the better things during the time of the flesh that the holy Ghost may find a resting place in your soules to bring you to euerlasting life Math. 11. 5. Then shal it be said The blind receiue their sight the hault go the lepers are clensed the deaf hear the dead are raised vp and the poor receiue the gospell Mark 14. 38. Take heed watch and pray least ye enter into temptation Mark 13. 33. Take heed watch and pray for ye know not when the time is For Christ saith Iohn 14. 16. I will pray the father and he shall giue you another comforter that he may abide with you for euer the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receiue bicause it seeth him not nor knoweth him but ye know him for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you I will not leaue you comfortlesse I will come to you yet a little while and the world shall see me no more but ye shall see me bicause I liue ye shall liue also And in the same place following Christ saith These things haue I spoken vnto you being present with you but the comforter which is the holy Ghost whom the father will send in my name he shall teach you all things and bring all things vnto your remembrance which I haue told you and so foorth to the end of the chapter And in the next chapter But when the comforter shall com whom I will send vnto you from the father euen the spirit which proceedeth of the father he shall testifie of me and ye shall be witnesses also bicause ye haue been with me from the beginning And againe Christ saith I tell you truth it is expedient for you that I go away for if I go not away the comforter will not com vnto you but if I depart Iohn 15. 26. I will send him vnto you and when he is come he will reprooue the world of sinne of righteousnes and of iudgement of sinne bicause they beleeue not in me of righteousnes bicause I go to the father and ye shall see me no more of iudgement bicause the prince of the world is iudged Iohn 16. 7. I haue yet many things to say vnto you but ye cannot hear them now howbeit when he is come which is the spirit of truth which will lead you into all truth for he shall not speake of himselfe but whatsoeuer he shall hear that shall he speak and he shall shew you the things to come he shall glorify me for he shall receiue of mine and shall giue it vnto you To this place may be applied the Lords words spoken by the prophet Ioel Ioel. 2. 28. I will powre out my spirit vpon all flesh your sonnes and your daughters shall prophesy your old men shall dreame dreames and your yoong men shall see visions and also vpon the seruants and vpon the maidens in those daies wil◠I powre my spirit Whosoeuer therfore shall call vpon the Lord with a contrite hart dooing the works of the spirit and not of the flesh he shall be saued For in mount Sion and in Ierusalem shall be deliuerance as the Lord hath said and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call The holy Ghost is a diuers gift vnto the chosen to som the gift of prophesie to some the interpretation of toongs as Saint Paule saith touching spirituall gifts 1 Cor. 12. Brethren I would not haue you ignorant wherfore I declare vnto you that no man speaking by the spirit of God calleth Iesus execrable also no man can say that Iesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost Now there are diuersity of gifts but the same spirit and there are diuersity of administrations but the same Lord and there are diuersity of operations but God is the same and worketh all in all Now the manifestation of the spirit is giuen euery man to profit withall for to one is giuen by the spirit the word of wisdome to another the word of knowledge by the same spirit and to another the operations of great works and to another prophesie and to another the discerning of spirits and to another the diuersity of toongs and to another the interpretation of toongs Now all these are the body of Christ and members seruing to seuerall vses in the church of God as some for apostles some for prophets some for teachers some to do miracles some for healers some for helpers some for gouernors some for linguists and some for interpreters This gift lighteth on the chosen in many shapes it came vpon the sonne of man in the likenes of a doue Acts 2. 3. it came vpon the Apostles in the form of clouen toongs like fire it came vpon disciples at Ephesus Acts 19. 6. that neuer before heard of the holy Ghost by Pauls laying hands on them How the faithfull may be assured of this gift let them read the eight chapter of the Epistle to the Romans concerning the hope patience and prosperity of this gift which will something ease the tediousnes of this treatise Therfore kind reader take it in woorth that I so often send thee to the spring it selfe for the water that is most sweet and fresh the carriage not far and the burden easie albeit I will not omit to lay downe in this place the fruits of the flesh and the fruits of the spirit for they rebell ech one against the other the operations of both are contrary For the works of the flesh are adultery Gal. 5. 19. fornication vncleannes wantonnes idolatry witchcraft hatred debate emulations wrath cōtentions seditions heresies enuie murther drunkennes gluttony and such like which things whosoeuer doth exercise he shall not inherit the kingdom of God But the fruit of the spirit is loue ioy peace long-suffering gentlenes goodnes faith meeknes and temperancy against which there is no law Thus much I thought good heer to mention that ye may haue in this Enchiridion as it were a marriners compas to passe by for as by it we recouer a direct course againe after many stormes and at last
father hath giuen him He is the holy one that dwelleth in the praises of Israel Psal. 22. 3. in whom our fathers trusted and were deliuered his therfore is the kingdome power Math. 6. 13. and glory for euer and euer Amen He is the Lord of hosts that now fighteth for the house of Israel whose fight let vs manfully vndertake commending our weake forces to his mighty protection Psal. 18. for he is a sure rock of defence in all his waies WHICH WAS CONCEIVED BY THE HOLY GHOST BORN OF THE VIRGINE MARY This especially doth confirme our beleef in Christ Iesus his only sonne in that he was conceiued by the holy Ghost All spirituall conception is from God the father of spirit and life whose works are all miracles in our cleerest sight but this comprehension of our sauiour was meerly spirituall therfore he truly descended from God the father of spirit for before they cam togither she was found with child and that which was conceiued in her was of the holy Ghost Math. 1. Before the morning sprang Messiah had the dew of his birth and before the womb of his mother was made he was knowen who hath been is and shall be all one with the father the same whose yeeres endure for euer although the heauens passe and waxe old as doth a garment He is Michael the Archangel of the couenant high sacrificer of the heauenly Ierusalem and he that buried Moses vsing the words of Iehoua S. Iude. The Lord rebuke thee sathan Here the Papists are seen extremely doting when they make the virgine Mary the queen of heauen and the speciall means by whose praiers and aduocation they attaine to saluation as if of necessity there must be both king and queen which absurd conclusions might by Homers diuinity be sufficiently reproued and corrected when he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hom. II. which is to say A gouernment of many is not good let there be one king Which words although he spoke them not diuinely yet our experience telleth vs that it was skilfully aduised concerning a Common-wealth In saying thus they abrogate the power of Christ and his authority in heauen and make the Trinity imperfect in vnity of Godhead the persons not hauing equal relation each to other they giue vnto Mary that which pertaineth vnto Christ all one with God conceiued by the holy Ghost of his father Wherfore it is he that remaineth still our King our Iudge and Sacrificer whose kingdom is infinit whose iudgement is irreuocable and his priesthood hath none end Saint Iohn saith If any man sinne we haue an aduocate with the father 1. Iohn 2. 1. Iesus Christ the iust and he is the propitiation for our sinnes But in that he was born of the virgine Mary he was a fleshly body to stand for the redemption of all flesh yea of his owne mother whom he reproued of ignorance when she said Why hast thou dealt thus with thy father and me we haue sought thee with heauy harts He answered How is it that ye haue sought me know you not that I must go about my fathers busines but they vnderstood not Which sheweth that she was of the earth earthly and now sleepeth no doubt with her fathers waiting for a glorious resurrection of an immortall body by the intercession of her owne Iesus to whom all power is giuen both in heauen and earth as it is said Blessed is the fruit of thy womb for thou hast brought foorth the sauiour of our soules the true Emanuel God-with-vs For he came in flesh to take away the sinne of the flesh and is also in spirit to continue with al them that beleeue in him for euermore Neither may we imagine any other wight in heauen or earth woorthy to be beleeued in besides the three persons in vnity for as the sonne is aduocate with the father and the father and sonne all one so the holy Ghost being of them both conueieth vs vnto them by an assured faith that we may be with Emanuel which is God with vs for euer He was called Emanuel long before by the prophet Isai A virgine shall conceiue a sonne and she shall call his name Emanuel SVFFERED VNDER PONTIVS PILATE WAS CRVCIFIED DEAD AND BVRIED The prophet Dauid spake of this his passion Psal. 22. 16. saying Dogs haue compassed me and the assembly of the wicked haue inclosed me they pierced my hands and my feet He submitted himselfe to the hands of Pontius Pilate for he knew his hower was euen then com and that his kingdom was not of this world Iohn 16. otherwise as he saith his soldiers would haue fought and not had suffered him to be deliuered into the hands of men Seeing then his time was com in which all things should be fulfilled according to his fathers will he besought of his father the cup to wit of bitter anguish might passe from him and lifting vp his eies to heauen Iohn 17. said Father the hower is com glorify thy sonne that thy sonne may glorify thee When he was to be betraied by the child of perdition Iudas Psal. 110. and knew it how great was his patience when as he reprooued him not but told him What thou doest Iohn 13 27. do quickly Pontius Pilate was a Roman vnder whose hands Christ suffered shewing that as the Romanes had alwaies persecuted the lowe Ierusalem the true Church on earth so that the Lord should iustly continue his wrath in them and that they might remaine in a perpetuall curse they also persecuted him whom the world was not woorthy of the high Ierusalem the spirituall Church Which example of cruell tyranny hath euer since beene found in them and shall be doubtlesse euen to their owne destruction But they will say Pilate was commanded to crucify him againe and againe and he excused him not guilty true wherfore Pilate was so much the more guilty of his death bicause he could find no fault in him For when the power to loose one was in him and not in the Iewes Iohn 19. 10. as he said to him Knowest thou not that I haue power to crucify thee and power to loose thee to them he had tried Christ to be guiltles yet willing to deserue the applause of the Iewes and the fauor of Caesar cleane against his owne conscience to his vtter condemnation to death he loosed Barrabas a notable murtherer Acts. 3. 14. and executed that most iust king of peace and righteousnes to euerlasting life It is like this manner of cruelty will not be left among the Romans vntill a finall desolation the end of affliction come vpon them according to the prophecy of Balaam Nomb. 24. 24. Ships shall come from the coasts Kittim Lord of Italy or Romania and subdue Ashur and vanquish Heber and he to say that Kittim shall come to destruction a most plaine prophecy not yet sufficiently noted for our defence against them By Ashur
therfore in these words consisteth the perfection of the church the members of Christ which is the rock and foundation therof For had not the Iewes had a perfect warning of redemption to come through the Messiah sauiour of the world and the full meanes therof and of all that he was to perform for the saluation of mankind how could they take notice of their redemption or be iustly condemned for misbeleef for they that liued in the time of Christs humanity were to see that which their fathers hoped for If then we will further know what ought the substance of our faith to be I answer in a word Our faith ought to be the haruest of our fathers hope so that we beleeue that we haue receiued that which they hoped for so through one faith in one Iesus they and we are both saued Isai. 53. 8. Who shall declare his age for he was cut out off the land of the liuing Heer my purpose was to shew that this article might safely be vsed without aduātage to the Papists or offence to such as I before meant Therfore as we now see with our eies and beleeue that Iesus the true Christ came and finished his pilgrimage heer on earth being the only begotten sonne of God conceiued by the holy Ghost born of the virgine Mary crucified according to the prophets so what he was to do he himself declared to the fathers in spirit insomuch that they also saw their saluation by the eie of faith which they had in the same Messiah Colos. 1. 18. the first born of the dead and of al things to haue the preheminence He is the reconciliation of all the world and euen as his father spred the heauens and adorned them and created the earth and sea with all the implements so is the sonne commaunder of all and the beginning and end of all things are in his hand he is made iudge of all flesh comming as it were in the meane time to reconcile the limits and to constraine all nations to worship him He was made all one with the father the beginning of the world and the last end must ply vnto him from whom al sentence of ioy eternall or perpetuall misery shall proceed and to this end he preached in spirit long before he was incarnated Gen. 6. 3. The Lord said And my spirit shal not alwaies striue with flesh and his daies shall be an hundred and twenty yeeres 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is to say 1. Pet. 3. 19. By which also he went and preached to the spirits in prison which were somtime disobedient when the long suffering of God waited in the daies of Noah while the ark was in making Your father Abraham reioiced to see my daie Ioh. 8. 56. and he saw it and was glad Suppose saith Peter 2. Pet. 3. 15. that the long suffering of the Lord is saluation euen so our brother Paul according to the wisdom giuen to him wrote vnto you Doest thou the same Rom. 2. 3. and thinkest to escape iudgement and despisest thou the riches of his bountifulnes and patience and long sufferance not knowing that the bountifulnes of God leadeth to repentance Wherfore as by one man sinne entred into the world Rom. 5. 12. and death by sinne so death went ouer all men for vnto the time of the law was sinne in the world but sinne is not imputed while there is no law Gal. 3. 17. The law fower hundred and thirty yeeres after the promise cannot disanull the couenant God gaue the promise to Abraham but death reigned from Adam to Moses euen on them also that sinned not after the maner of Adams transgression which was as a figure of the second Adam Seeing then before the law all men were dead in sinne without any hope of iustification to eternall life it was most needfull that the Gospell should be preached vnto them 1. Pet. 4. 6. Wherupon it seemeth Saint Peter continueth his speech of preaching to this end was the Gospell preached also to the dead that they might be condemned according to men in the flesh but might liue according to God in the spirit Now this is plaine that whoso were vnder the law were condemned by the law according to the flesh By this all men vnder the law were iudged by the law But seeing the dead were before the law howbeit many righteous men to whom the promise was giuen were iustified by faith they were not to be iudged or condemned by the law but by the spirit of Christ that preached vnto them while they were in the prison of death that they might beare fruit in the resurrection also otherwise should they be born without adoption in Christ at all like as the cloudes are congealed and melt againe to nothing or as the wind passeth through the aire and no man marketh it so without law or grace should they perish without conscience which the Atheists now adaies would soon graunt But their iudgement long ago is not far off 2. Pet. 2. 3. and their condemnation sleepeth not They are wels without water and clouds caried about with a tempest to whom the black darknes is reserued for euer Now if we doubt that Christ did preach in the spirit before he came in the flesh let vs consider the Epistle of Saint Iude Iude. vers 9. where is said touching blaspheming of authority Yet Michael the Archangel Christ when he stroue against the diuell about the body of Moses durst not blame him with cursed speaking but said The Lord rebuke thee Mark then this Michael was a cheef Angell yea more than an Angell Apoc. 12. 5. as the Reuelation sheweth also There was a battell in heauen Michael and his Angels fought against the Dragon and the Dragon and his angels fought but they preuailed not neither was their place found any more in heauen And the great Dragon that old serpent called the Diuell and satan which deceiueth all the world he was euen cast into the earth and his angels were cast out with him Heer Christ the seed of the woman brused the serpents head This Michael is the man-child that was borne to rule all nations with a rod of iron Psal. 2. 9. and break them in peeces like a potters vessell Diuers times is this Michael spiritually mentioned through the old and new Testament Dan. 10. 12. Lo Michael a cheef prince holpe me and there is none that holdeth with me Dan. 10. 22. but Michael your prince Dan. 12. In that day shall Michael stand vp the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people And in the same place Lo Michael one of the cheef princes cam to help me Wherfore it is to too absurd for vs to think that a king hauing banished an offender for punishment into a most desolate place of the world to remaine there for euer would himselfe go after to obteine greater power ouer him For what