them that have bodies and souls know that there is a duty lies upon them to glorifie God in their lives both in their bodies and souls The next point is this That the sinful body hath a dead soul every sinful body wallowing in sin hath a dead soul So we read 1 Tim. 1.5 The woman living in pleasure she was dead though she lived Again the Bishop of Sardis a wicked Bishop but yet a Bishop I am sure a Bishop Thou hast a name that thou livest but thou art dead Our Saviour Christ said unto the survivers of those that were dead Survivers unto them and go and attend their Funeral and Herse Go saith he let the dead in sins bury their dead So you see that these wicked ones they have but the carkasse of Christians And as nothing is more ugly and odious in the sight of man then the carkasse of man so there is nothing more detestable in the sight of God then a wicked obstinate and impenitent sinner Again the mortified body hath a living soul It is necessary that this be preached unto all the world because most of the world have forgot themselves And the principal part of Christianity consists in this mortification and sanctification We all live in sins dost thou live in actual sin bodily sin thou art dead if thou be not mortified in them Give up your bodies a living sacrifice that is mortification let not sin reign in your mortal bodies I will give you a pattern of S. Paul himself 1 Cor. 9. But I chastise my body and bring it into subjection So then you see that this is a matter on which consists eternal life The Apostle tells us If you mortifie the lusts of the flesh you shall live if not you shall dye It s a matter of life and death which is to shew that those that are mortified men have a living soul Again we must take heed of bodily and actual transgressions for I must tell you that these acts of men done in their bodies shall have resurrection with them even with their bodies This is a profitable point for God sees all things before him all things that have been or can be he sees them all in present as it were in present that 's the infinitenesse of his Science Now then what saith the Apostle We all must appear before the Tribunal-Seat of Christ and every one shall give an account of those things that are done in his flesh fleshly body So then whereas the Epicure sings his Ballad and the burthen of his Song is Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall dye yet death will come and then we must give an account of all our actions So much for my Text. Because I was told I should make some application concerning the present occasion I do therefore addresse my self and my speech unto you Right Honourable and to all your reverend Senate and to all your Associate Worthies First we must give an acknowledgment unto God and blesse his great goodnesse that hath so sanctified the hearts of our Predecessors of former times to leave such worthy and real Testimonies to the world of their piety and godly devotion devotion both for the Church and Houses of God and charity unto the poor these have received their rewards the full rewards of all their labours on Earth in the Heavens where they shall remain for ever in the highest Seat of Glory they are now Canonized by God himself and have left themselves in their memories and examples for you and those that shall be able to walk in their steps The Roll that I have seen speaks of wonderful blessed Foundations of Hospitality for the relief of hundreds and hundreds and thousands It doth not need so much to put them here in your Calendar and Paper for the comfort of men but that their good examples might stir up others to the like duties of piety and charity in respect of those that are the Founders all their names are registred in the Book of Life for all Eternity My Exhortation unto you must be that you would enlarge your munificence both wayes in duties of piety and charity but especially of charity because of the objects before our eyes the Orphans that have sung joyfully and comfortably unto God by way of Thanksgiving I shall not stand to reason with you I shall onely apply those things which are appliable unto the men of the world as they are worldly men and apply the promises of God unto them as they are worldly though the promises are all Heavenly and ye with a recommendation to men as worldly men for you look to have habitation here in the world behold the poor that you bestow your charity on they shall bring you you know the place of Scripture I do but name the words into eternal habitations You labour for treasure and the promise is that you shall have treasure in Heaven Will you have bags for your treasures the Gospel is that these Orphans and such like how mortal soever they may be yet unto God they are bags those bags that will never wear out Will you have a trade of life for the best advantage then without all comparison it is charitable usury the promise is You shall receive an hundred fold be the poor what they will of themselves the gift is to God and to Christ not so much unto them for be they wanderers in the world as we say rogues sometimes charity is not alwayes suspicious without cause What faith the Wise man to us Cast thy bread upon the waters for after many dayes thou shalt find it with advantage that thou givest unto such a man though unworthy what saith Job his loins shall bless thee thou givest mortal things and he gives immortal blessings his loins shall blesse thee Whatsoever thou dost to the poor their loins and their back and their belly shall blesse thee for it comes from God But withal let us know and remember why it is that the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour would set down the tenure of salvation or damnation upon the giving or not giving unto the poor it is because it is such a work if rightly done that proceeds from a true faith and therefore God knows that it is a work that proceeds from true charity and those that do thus and make conscience of it as giving it for Gods sake indeed and Christs sake indeed certainly they are Christs and will walk according to the Precepts of Faith And now I conclude with prayer c. And thus this Pillar this reverend Father of the Church of God this sound Divine as heretofore he hath asserted the truth of our Religion by his hand-writing against grand Apostates and against all the Chaos of Antichrists devises as then by his pen so now by his tongue did vindicate the Resurrection which is the Fundamental Article of our Religion for Resurrectio à mortuis est fides Christianorum the resurrection from the dead
upon the next verse He is risen as he said What said he The Evangelist Saint Luke chap. 24. as he said to you women when you were in Galilee Then the saying must be taken as it was told them by Christ in Galilee before he was crucified What was his saying He said unto them I shall rise the third day What meant Christ by rising was it rising in the grave or out of the grave Certainly out of the grave VVill you have our witnesses Two Angels Luke 24.5 Say unto these women Why seek you the living among the dead If he be living he is not among the dead therefore not in the grave but out of the grave It is the conclusion of the very Angels themselves Come to the next words following here Go quickly tell his Disciples that he is risen Tell his Disciples then the Angels instructed them so that they might have a faith that he was out of the grave to the end they might perswade the Disciples being now a foundation of the Articles of the Christian Faith But above all you will see it Luke 24.6 He renders the words of Christ thus He is not here but he is risen But that is a particle adversitive alwayes implying a contradiction from the former as if he should say such a one is not dead but alive if therefore alive not dead Christ saith of his body I am not spirit but flesh flesh therefore not spirit Thus in all it is a contradiction in adjuncts Therefore the truth is this is an impossibility that the body of Christ can be in two places at once which is the conclusion drawn from thence Now beloved I had not insisted so much upon this except it had been First that it was so full in my way that I could not passe by it Secondly because of the jealousie of these times wherein it is suspected that divers of the Ecclesiasticks are infected with this leaven or rather leprosie of Popery to think that the body of Christ can be in divers places at once Therefore now I shall crave leave to inlarge my self and the rather because in thus saying whosoever they be they destroy it I am therefore now beloved to prove it unto you not by testimonies and allegations onely but to deliver unto you the heads as I may say the form and the reasons summarily of true Antiquitie in the Primitive Church and that shall confirm unto us this our doctrine to have been not onely a Catholique truth but to have had the degree of a Catholique faith in the Church of God for six hundred years together Briefly then thus those holy Fathers taught first that no creature can be in divers places at once why for that this to be in divers places at once is the Prerogative of God himself Secondly they prove that the holy Ghost the third Person in the Trinity is God Why for that it was in divers Prophets at once Jeremiah in Jewry Daniel when he was in Babylon Ezekiel in Cabar and also after that when he was in divers Apostles at once they being dispersed into divers Regions of the world Thirdly they prove that the Angels are not Gods Why Because Angels cannot be in divers places at once Fourthly they prove that no body no bodily substance can be in divers places at once Why For that it is one body and to be here and there in one instant were to divide it self from it self that it were two and one and not one are contradictions Lastly that we may omit divers others they prove that the Humanity is thus distinguished from the Divinity because the Deity the divinity nature that being in Heaven is in Earth and every where else but the humane nature if it be in Heaven it is not on Earth if on Earth it is not in Heaven Thus these holy Fathers You have their doctrine of truth Now that it may appear unto you that this doctrine of truth was also a doctrine of faith and that by two reasons First because by these for 's which are answerable to this for of the Angel here they urged them against the Hereticks of their times such were the Marcionites the Manichees the Neucomitans and such like Secondly because they did this to this end that they might confirm unto all the world the doctrine of the Deity to know that this is a Prerogative belonging to God alone and secondly for the preservation of the true nature of the manhood of Christ for whereas the Manichees might say that the body of Christ was in the Moon and the Deity together fieri non potest saith Saint Austin it cannot be for by this means you will not make it a true body of Christ I will conclude and it shall be in the words of an holy Father that lived six hundred years after Christ Vigilius by name who saith thus Humanitas Christi si in terra tunc non in coelo c. The Humanity of Christ if it be on Earth then certainly it is not in Heaven if in Heaven bodily then certainly not on earth Was this his private opinion onely No Haec est Confessio Catholica quam c. This is the Confession a Catholique confession saith he which the Apostles have delivered the Martyrs of Christ have confirmed and now all the faithful in Christ do preserve to this day Beloved this Vigilius was Bishop of Trent and he hath delivered unto us a confession as contrary unto the last Councel of Trent as yea and nay truth and falsity Antiquity and Novelty so that if the Primitive Church of Christ was the Catholique Church certainly the now Romish church it is a step-dame and degenerate If the Primitive doctrine was a Catholique faith and a legitimate childe then the now doctrine of the Church of Rome it is a bastard-brat Now then beloved I have delivered unto you the points concerning the Logical part wherein if I have been too obscure if that Logick part be too obscure for some I may make amends in the Historical where I shall not make it so plain to your brains as to your senses He is not here for c. This Historical part will offer unto you 3 observations concerning this doctrine of Christs Resurrection the first is 1. That it is a truth most evident 2. It is a truth Omnipotent 3. It is a truth Trimphant For Christ after his Resurrection manifested himself unto all men all kinds of men that heard him Preach he manifested himself to two to twelve to five hundred at once to Saint Paul after his Ascension into Heaven here is all the eye-sight to other senses he manifested himself to his Apostles by feeling and handling his body here are three senses Now beloved why should not this be a foundation of truth to know and discern to build our faith upon these things The Apostlâ—â—aint John tells us that it ought to be so for saith he 1 John 1.1 That which you have heard that which you
have seen that which your hands have handled that we declare unto you c. He laies the faith of Christ on this foundation hearing seeing handling Here again I am justly occasioned to deal with the Church of Rome by this light to dispel the darknesse thereof that their great infatuation concerning the body of Christ they say he is in the Sacrament in these three opinions First he is here say they and yet his body is invisible Secondly it is here impalpable And lastly 't is in Heaven both visible and palpable It is here invisible impalpable and yet it is in Heaven both visible and palpable three monsters which are now to be expulsed not by the strength of my wit but by the authority of this Angel here speaking from Christ here spoken of from tâ—â— Church of Christ their whole voice for a general union for this the Angel in the next words even in this Text this verse he saith unto the women Come and see Come and see where they laid the Lord. I say he is not here I will prove it unto you demonstrate it unto your sight let your sight be Judge the arbitration of your sight shall satisfie you Come and see he is not here though they laid him here he is not here here is the argument of the Angel But here they will tell us he passed by men out of company to avoid danger and they saw him not This is truth but this is not all the truth for the reason why they saw him not it was because their eyes were held that they could not see How many of you now see this Pulpit and yet wink with your eyes you cannot see it Is this Pulpit ere the lesse visible because you do not see it When mens eyes are held they cannot see Christs body notwithstanding was visible still to be seen And now to confirm this that I have said unto you St. John himself shall make it good There was one of the Disciples saith he John 20. and he speaks of himself the other Disciple he looked into the sepulchre and he saw the linnen clothes he saw not Christ there present and what doth he but resolve and beleeve that he was risen out of the grave And indeed it had been a mockery of these women for the Angel if their eyes being held to bid them to see without their sight Therefore you have the first point concerning this sense of Seeing sufficiently demonstrated unto you Come to our Saviour Christ As the Angel said to the woman Come and see so Christ he said to his Disciples Come and feel feel I am I this body is mine feel my body search the wounds c. So that now Christ makes this truth even palpable unto them that they may have their faith from the vertue of their own fingers This is the doctrine of Christ the body of Christ is palpably to be seen Come unto our faith the Councel of Ephesus one of the first Councels in the Christian world for the humane nature of Christ resolves thus Corpus Christi est visibile palpabile ubicunque fuerit The body of Christ it is visible and tractable wheresoever it is therefore may we come now to our resolution and conclude that the body of Christ in the Sacrament of the Masse you say it is invisible I say then it is not the body of Christ Do you say it is impalpable it is not the body of Christ Do you say also it is both visible and invisible I return to the Fathers and they say thus This is say they sottish Why you may as well say that the same body of Christ can be finite and infinite it can be created and not created at once which the distinction of places can never reconcile Oh but say they unto us this is natural reason this is reasoning like Ethnicks and Pagans Nay we have the Authority which is the Authority of the Catholick Church we have the Authority Angelical we have not onely the Authority Evangelical but of Christ himself He is not here c. Thus I have shewn that he is palpable wheresoever he be Now the evidence being thus plain let us ascend a little higher to know that what if some should say that notwithstanding these evidences I doubt whether this doctrine be true or no that Christ is risen Our Apostle Saint Paul hath answered this argument long ago when he said thus If that Christ be not risen we are false witnesses As if he should say a thing most incredible for they which were with our Lord and Saviour and saw and heard and felt him were alwayes ready to lay down their lives for Christ and for this very Article he is risen There Saint Paul speak for himself If Christ be not risen what should it advantage me that I fought with beasts at Ephesus after the manner of men to endanger my life for this Article Christ is risen and this was that Paul that could say of himself 1 Cor. 10. That among all those many troubles and afflictions for this profession In carcere c. I was in death often oftentimes left for dead stoned and persecuted so manifold a Martyr was this one Saint Paul He speaks also of the rest of the Apostles 1 Cor. 5. We are in jeopardy every day every day in jeopardy even for this Article and this truth that Christ is risen he stands upon in that 1 Cor. 15. Well then beloved for the establishing of our Christian faith in this one point certainly these Apostles of Christ had been most shamelesse if they had published to all that which they saw not most faithlesse if they had not believed that which they all saw most heartlesse if they had not ventured their lives for the profession of that the resurrection of Christ from the dead by vertue whereof their bodies should also be reserved to eternal life and most foolish also if they should have spent their bloud for that they believed not they having thus seen thus heard thus believed thus Preached thus dying and suffering death they may be eyes and have been to the Christian world to see by their faith and so I perswade my self of you all that are here present to give faith unto this Article of the resurrection of Christ from death and therefore I am authorised to give unto you the benediction which Christ gave unto such as you saying Blessed are they that see not and yet believe and so Blessed be you Now you have heard the evidence this is an evident truth we have not yet heard the power of it but that is in the next part wherein I said that this is a truth which is Omnipotent an Omnipotent truth look to our Text I but saith the Evangelist He is risen he doth not say Agarthes he is raised but he is risen and because it was he that raised himself from the dead It is he that said I have power to lay down my life and
and the work left undone The best Comment upon prophecies is the fulfilling of them Look upon some other Texts of Scripture What should they do that are baptized for the dead if the dead rise not up again Because of the Angels the women must be modest Saint Austin did not know it and that 's in regard of the Scripture We know but in part Thirdly in regard of the subject what we know we know after an imperfect partial fashion and therefore it is Beloved that Faith should be embraced by us because we believe that we cannot understand Hence it is that we have but an opinion of many things in the world If there were certain knowledge what needed opinion Fourthly because we do admire all things there 's no admiration but where there wants understanding Thus it is in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 displayed unto you I might proceed further in several kindes of knowledge among Heathens and Christians among Heathens they do worship an unknown God there was an Altar in Athens dedicated with this Inscription To the unknown God Acts 17. They do worship they know not what as our Saviour speaks to the Samaritan woman You worship you know not what and they do feel and grope after God if perhaps they can finde him There was one Antonius that having read Platoes Works of the Immortality of the soul and having often read them used these words Nescio c. I know not how but when I am reading I give assent when I have laid aside the Book all slips from me so doting is our knowledge for the earthly man the carnal man discerns not the things that are Gods nay for the best they see but through a glass they see but in part Thus you see the points laid open unto you I will bring it home to your Consciences a little in the application and then I shall conclude Some there are that do oppose this truth others that pervert it Some there are that oppose it and those are our adversaries the Romanists First in setting up the infallibility of the Pope and secondly in crying up the Fathers and the Councels for our Faith How can this be but false if this be true that we know but in part First therefore for the infallibility of the Pope who will sit like an Emperour and take up any controversie Beloved we know controversies on foot which he cannot decide between the Franciscans and Dominicans about the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and the like either he cannot or dares not end them for fear of losing either side but we know but in part Have not some of their Popes been pronounced Hereticks by General Councels and yet these men must know all things One of them could not read Saint Matthews Gospel and yet these must be saved they would pluck out their own eyes and see by other mens and how can this be if as Saint Paul saith we know but in part And then again they will cry up the Fathers and Councels but when all is done they do but abuse us and the Fathers will be found to erre when all comes to light Were there not some of them that held dangerous and Heretical opinions But I am loth to uncover our forefathers nakedness If I must I will take you off from adoring it rising up to it and too much reverencing it Cyprian was for rebaptization Saint Austin was once of opinion that children should receive the Sacrament of the Lords Supper as well as others of age and Origen was of opinion that Spirits had hands and flesh and eyes and Justin Martyr but I rather cover them in silence but that the Papists do incite us the Fathers were but a partial no infallible rule Again as some do oppose this point so some do pervert it So the Papists they pervert it and say Because we know but in part therefore we must have Traditions for we know but in part as Saint Paul saith In this they do but as we say bring coals to New-Castle or light a candle to the Sun by bringing their Traditions to be proved by this Scripture Secondly the Anabaptists they pervert it and conclude from hence because we know but in part therefore we will look for revelation from above and thereupon they cast by the Book of God and look for revelations from Heaven God forbid we should countenance any such spirits as these are for what is there to be known but what is fetcht out of Gods Word Thirdly others forsooth that are lazy Christians will say If I turn over the Book of God never so much I shall know but in part therefore I will know nothing at all Like little children if you take away one of their trinkets they will throw all the rest away Or because one man gives me a box on the ear therefore I will sue him and because I may not have five hundred pounds damages therefore I will have nothing at all This is like the Hangman that first blindes the malefactors eyes and then turns him off This was it made the Jews crucifie the Lord of life for had they known it they would not have done it The candle must be put out or else put into the dark Lanthorn say the Papists we must not see what mischiefs are towards This ignorance must needs be the way to Hell to utter darkness If we know but in part First let us follow men but in part Turn over Antiquity borrow authority from the Fathers they will be good moral perswasions and inductions to bring us to the truth but bring all to the Scripture weigh it by the ballance of the Sanctuary whether it be good or no. And where they speak that which is contradictory to the Word of God let us prefer Truth before the Fathers Christ saith not I am Antiquity or I am Custome but I am Truth Secondly if we know but in part let us add some cubits to our knowledge Knowledge is like unto Heaven it is very glorious if we could see it and we must first know the will of our Father before we can do it This is the first step to know what God is and to know what our selves are First begin with knowledge then go on with practice First know the truth and then adhere to it and then defend it to the death Let us add knowledg unto our knowledg but as we know but in part let us be wise also take heed of entring roughly into the cabinets of God we must not gaze too high I do not say but that we should search the mysteries of the Word of God and study them freely but what mysteries God hath reserved unto himself meddle not with them we know but in part And then again make amends for thy want of knowledg by thy faith believe if God hath said it set thy seal of faith unto it He saith Luther that will be wise in Aristotle is a fool in Christ And a Pope did once say that Piscatores and not Philosophers were to be believed they that say they know much know nothing saith Solomon and Saint Paul The emptiest hogsheads sound most and the shallowest waters make the greatest noise Non est c. This is no true knowledg but a swelling and excrescency In the sixth place we must practise what we know if we know but in part let us make amends for our partial knowledg in practising what we know and whatsoever else you know be sure to know those things that concern your eternal salvation What is it for men to be scrupulous in leaving out H in Homo and yet will take away a man This is the onely true Arithmetick to number our dayes that we may apply our hearts unto wisdome that 's the true Astronomy This is it indeed that we must discourse of What is it then to deserve our Supremacy in Logick to be overcome in Arithmetick to talk of Generation and have not Regeneration It is not enough to know but we must practise If you know these things happy are you if you do them Beloved how many Sermons have been lost in this place and in divers other places of this Kingdome what will you hear and devour all and bring forth no fruit at all for shame make it up by your practice he that practiseth what he knows God will make him to know more some know to instruct others that 's charity some know to practice and that 's piety some know for affectation and that 's pride Knowledge makes a man worse rather then better unless he practise Knowledg like the Unicorns horn doth well in a mans hand but ill in a beasts head A man that 's ignorant he carries Uriah's letters in his own bosome They that know and do not practise shall be beaten with many stripes What canst thou say in excuse of thy self thou seest the Sun-shine of the Gospel thou art not in darkness as many are if thou dost not practise it woe be unto thee We have had the light of the Gospel above these threescore years and what excuse can we make Lastly let us hunger and long after that place where we shall see God face to face where there shall be no darkness without nor darkness within where the walls are made of chrystal and the gates of pearl There is no need of the Sun nor of the Moon nor of the Stars God is the Light and the Lamb is the Light of it and to that place God of his mercy bring us for his mercy sake for his Sons sake and for our Saviour Jesus Christ his sake Amen FINIS