common vse no vncleane thing might be suffered to touch them that so they might remaine pure and vndefiled to the vses of the Lord. Euen so we whom Christ a Ioh. 15.19 hath chosen and b Gal. 1.4 giuen himselfe to deliuer vs from this present euill world that he might make vs c 2. Tim. 2.21 vessells of honour sanctified and meete for the vses of the Lord should d Iam. 1.27 keepe our selues vnspotted of the world by e 2. Pet. 1.4 flying the corruption that raigneth therein by lust and abhorring those polluted and vncleane courses in the lothsome filthinesse whereof the world walloweth and tumbleth it selfe to the great offense and displeasure of almighty God And surely so long as the contagion and filth of the world cleaueth fast vnto vs and we frame our selues to the fashion and behauiour thereof there can be nothing so lothsome and hatefull vnto vs as we our selues are lothsome vnto God And therefore God himselfe in this sort aduiseth vs a 2. Cor. 6.17 Come out from among them and seperate your selues and touch no vncleane thing and I will receiue you and I will be a father vnto you and you shall be my sonnes and daughters saith the Lord. Whereupon the apostle thus exhorteth in the beginning of the next chapter b 2. Cor. 7.1 seeing then we haue these promises let vs clense our selues frō all fithines of the flesh of the spirit and grow vp to full holines in the feare of God In which words he expresseth both those parts of holines which I mentioned before calling the one the clensing of our selues from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirite the other the growing vp to full holinesse or the fulfilling and perfiting of our sanctification in the feare of God Which fulfilling of our sanctification standeth in clothing from day to day both inwardly our conscience and outwardly our conuersation with pietie and the feare of God thereby to c 1. Pet. 2.9 set foorth the vertues of him that hath called vs out of darkenes into his maruelous light And this the Apostle Saint Paule calleth d Rom. 13.14 Gal. 5.16 the putting on of the Lord Iesus Christ teaching vs thereby not onely to attire our selues by faith with his merites and righteousnes that thereby we may be iustified in the sight of God but also by holines to expresse in our life the example that he hath laied before vs that by our good workes and godly life it may appeere that we haue Christ dwelling and ruling in our harts Which the same Apostle elsewhere more particularly describeth saying e Col. 3.12 put on as the elect of God holy and beloued tender mercie kindenesse humblenesse of minde meekenes long suffring c. And againe f 1. Thess 5.8 Let vs which are of the daie be sober putting on the brestplate of faith and loue and the hope of saluation for an helmet 17 These and such like are the ornaments whereby the church of Christ is to him that loueth her g Cant. 5.9 Holines our attyre when we come to the place of the Lords assemblie goodly as the morning faire as the moone pure as the sunne and to her enimie terrible as an armie with displaied ensignes Thus attired and armed we shoulde come and present our selues in this place of the assemblie of the Lordes armie not in hautines and presumption not in vaine and wanton apparell not in the care of decking our selues to the eies of the worlde the follie whereof in this generation nowe long agoe stinketh in the nostrels of the Lorde but in humblenesse and lowlinesse of minde in meekenesse and quietnesse of spirite in innocencie and simplicitie of hart in a sacred feare and reuerence of that high maiestie before which we present our selues If we come not thus prepared wee are but spots and blots in the Lords assemblie and we are to feare the same exception to be taken against vs as was taken against him that came to the wedding supper without a wedding garment a Math. 22.12 friend howe cōmest thou in hither not hauing on a wedding garment For what is the wedding garment but euen the beautie of holinesse which the prophet heere commendeth as the attire of the Lords armie That therefore our comming may be gratefull to the Lord and without danger to our selues let vs haue this sentence of the prophet in our mindes and remember alwaies to appeere before the Lorde in the beautie of holinesse in true deuotion humblenesse of minde obedience loue b 1. Tim. 1.5 out of a pure hart and a good conscience and faith vnfained so the Lorde seeing in vs the shadow and picture of his beautie shal take delight and pleasure in vs whereas otherwise by hypocrisie and sinne our being heere is but abhomination before him 18 Now followeth the latter part of this verse Thy youth shal be as the dew vnto thee from the wombe of the morning Where the words being very obscure in the Hebrew text are diuersly translated Vpon searching and comparing of diuers iudgements I haue set downe that which I take to be most fit And verie answerable heereunto is that which is written by the prophet Micah c Micah 5.7 The remnant of Iacob shall be among manie people as the dew from the Lorde and as the little mistling droppes vpon the grasse which doe not waite for man nor hope in the sonnes of Adam By which wordes the prophet foretelleth the mightie increase of the church amongst the Gentiles whose multitude shall be as the small dew and little drops that fall from heauen without number and that this shall come to passe not by any power or worke of man but by the gracious hand of almightie God euen as hee onely without the helpe of man causeth the shewers and dew to fall vpon the earth To which verie purpose I take it the wordes of our prophet here are likewise to bee vnderstoode The multitude of the armie of Christ and by what hand they are raised vp vnto him for hauing before declared how Iesus Christ shall haue his armie to ioyne with him in fight against his enimies he addeth heere in what multitude they shall come and by what hand they shal be raised vp vnto him They shall be innumerable as the dewe which by the onely hand of God is brought foorth from the wombe of the morning where the prophet by a metaphor nameth it the wombe of the morning where the morning dewe is secretly formed and from whence it commeth as children from the wombe Againe the name of youth by another figure importeth not meerely yoongnesse of age but the persons themselues that are yoong by the like phrase of speech as we are woont to say The youth were gathered togither the youth were sporting themselues c. Youth they that are newly newly borne againe to Christ 19 By youth then are meant the young frie
and annointings c. were in some sort separated from other men but as touching inward qualitie where the eie of God looketh they were the same that other men sinners weake vnwoorthie to appeere in the sight of God and therefore were bound to offer not onely a Heb. 7 27. for the peoples sinnes but for their owne also Againe their sacrifices were not such as might yeelde any due satisfaction for sinne For it b Heb. 10.4 was vnpossible as we reade that the bloud of bulles and goats shoulde take way sinne A man hauing committed trespasse brought his offring to the priest He laied his hande vpon the head of the sacrifice as it were there to lay his sinne The brute and dumbe creature was slaine as if it had done the trespasse But what could the bloud of a brute beast auaile to acquite the conscience of him that had offended indeed It was a testimonie that he had sinned because in that name it was slaine but purgation of sinne it could yeeld none and the vttermost that it could doe was but c Heb. 9.13 to sanctifie as touching the purifying of the flesh to perform an outward satisfaction to the church Therefore the praier that was grounded vpon these sacrifices could not be effectuall or strong enough to entreat and mooue the maiestie of God And hence it is that the authour to the Hebrewes saith that d Heb. 7.18 that priesthood was disanulled for the weakenes and vnprofitablenes thereof calling it weake and vnprositable as it is considered meerely in it selfe without respect vnto Iesus Christ figured shadowed therein For al the vse and benefit thereof stood in the reference that it had vnto the priesthoode heere established which by the oath of God is appropriated for euer vnto Iesus Christ Thou art the priest The priest in that priesthood was accepted with God as in figure bearing the person of this priest The sacrifices there were called attonements as implying respectiuely his oblation and sacrifice of himselfe The praier of the priest there was heard for the people as vttered in the name of this mediatour and depending vpon the intercession that he should make The truth of priesthood for forgiuenesse of sinnes belongeth onely vnto Iesus Christ. 12 Therefore the soueraignty of priesthood belongeth properly vnto the sonne of God vnto Iesus Christ who is in that respect called e Heb. 9.15 the mediatour of the new testament wherein God hath promised forgiuenesse of sinnes The excellency of whose person to that purpose the holy ghost in sundry places describeth as that a Col. 1.15 he is the image of the inuisible God the first borne of euery creature by whom all things were created both in heauen and in earth both visible things and inuisible whether thrones or dominions or principalitics or powers c. And againe that he is b Heb. 1.2.3 the heire of all things that by him the world was made that he is the brightnes of the glory of God and the ingraued forme of his person bearing vp all things by the power of his word c vers 4. more excellent then the angels c. Thus Saint Iohn also beginneth his gospel as at the first to shew the greatnes of him of whom he writeth d Ioh. 1.1 In the beginning was the worde and the worde was with God and that worde was God c. All things were made by it c. In it was life c. e vers 14. We saw the glory thereof as the glorie of the onely begotten of the father c. In this glory the holie Scripture setteth him foorth vnto vs that we may vnderstand that seeing he is the sonne of God there is in his person no defect but all sufficient perfection for the performance of this worke There was no exception for the father to take against the person of his onely begotten sonne his owne image being the same that he himselfe is because this were al one as to take exception against himselfe If in God there be worth enough to make attonement for man then is there enough in Iesus Christ because Christ is the sonne of God 13 Christ our priest not onely according to has manhood but also according to his godhead Which foundatiō they greatly shake who rest the priesthood and mediation of Christ in his humane nature onely and yeelde not vnto the godhead any part in this execution whereas the whole power and vertue of that that Christ in his manhood hath done for vs ariseth from the godhead the respect whereof being set aside nothing that he hath done can be of sufficient force to worke our peace and to bring vs vnto God And therefore hence doth the scripture teach vs to esteeme the force and power of the sufferings of Christ for that it is f Act. 20 2◠God that hath purchased vs with his owne bloud and g 1. Cor. 2.8 the Lord of glory that was crucified for vs not onely by vnity of person but by act of priesthood mediation whilest as he is the sonne of God he hath giuen himselfe in his manhood to be thus cruelly entreated for our sakes Which the holy ghost very expresly teacheth vs when he saith that Christ not onely by the will and worke of his humane nature but h Heb. 9.14 by his eternall spirit offered himselfe vnto God For if by his eternall spirit that is the power of his godhead he offered himselfe how can it be denied but that by the same eternall spirit and godhead he hath performed the worke and office of a priest So when the Apostle saith that a 2. Cor. 5.19 God was in Christ reconciling the world vnto himselfe he plainely sheweth that the godhead of Christ was an agent in this reconciliation and adioyned it selfe not onely as a part of the person but as a partaker of the worke to effect this attonement betwixt God and man Therefore Saint Ambrose saith that he is b Ambros in 1. Tim. cap. 2. ex vtroque mediator a mediatour in both respects as he is both God and man And more plainely he speaketh in another place that c in Heb. cap. 7. Christ both in his godhead and in his manhood being a mediatour for euer betwixt God and man is alwaies liuing to make intercession for vs. So Saint Austen likewise saith that d August orat cont Iudae paga Arianos c. 8. Christ whole man and God the word the soule and the flesh one Christ is made a mediatour for vs. To be short when the auncient e August cons lib. 10. cap. 42. Chrysost Theodoret Theophy Oecumen in 1. Tim. cap. 2. fathers teach that Christ in that he is the priest and mediatour betwixt God and man is and needs must be partaker with them both and so both God and man what is it but a meere contradiction to affirme that Christ according to his godhead is
of the church the new increse and supply thereof from time to time in them who are newly a Iam. 1.18 begotten by the word of truth and b Ioh. 3.3.5 borne againe c Tit. 3.5 by the washing of the new birth and by the renewing of the holy ghost to become of Adams children the children of God and people of Iesus Christ Who for that are called d 1. Ioh. 2.12 little children and e 1. Cor. 3.1 babes in Christ and f 1. Pet. 2.2 new borne babes that are to be suckled with the milke of the word of God that they may grow thereby Of whom this prophet elsewhere speaketh when he saith g Psal 22.31 They shall declare his righteousnesse vnto a people that shal be borne and againe h Psal 102.18 This shal be written for the generation to come and the people which shal be created shall praise the Lord. Where he prophecieth of a generation and people to be created and borne not by the creation and birth whereby we are men but whereby we are according to the phrase of the Apostle i Eph. 4.24 new men and k 2 Cor. 5.17 Galat. 6.15 new creatures hauing l Ezec. 36.26 a new hart giuen vnto vs and a new spirit put into the middest of vs our stony hart being changed into an hart of flesh and m Heb. 9.14 our consciences by the bloud of Christ purged from dead works that we may serue the liuing God Such are the youth that the prophet speaketh of in this place And hereby we are put in minde of our second natiuity and birth whereby we are made members of the church of Christ and called to become children againe children as n 1. Cor. 14.20 concerning malitiousnesse children in o Mat. 18.3.4 humility simplicity innocencie that whereas being in time past a Luc. 16.8 children of this world we b Eph. 2.2.3 haue walked according to the course of this world in fulfilling the will of the flesh and of our owne minde we may being now c Gal. 3.26 the children of God d Rom. 6 4. walke in newnesse of life and liue e Eph. 4.18 the life of God and f Phil. 2.15 as the sonnes of God be blamelesse and pure and without rebuke g Math. 5.16 shining by our good works as lights in the middest of the froward and crooked nation of the world Yea further we are to be remembred that as youth as young children are still growing in stature and strength and discretion vntill they come to ripe and perfect age so we after that we are once new borne vnto Christ should likewise be still encreasing and growing in those things that belong vnto a christian life in vertue in holynesse in faith in h 2. Pet. 3.18 grace and in the knowledge of Iesus Christ that i Psal 84.7 going thus from streÌ„gth to strength we may be euen k Phil. 1.11 filled with the fruits of righteousnesse and in the end attaine l Eph. 4.13 vnto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Chist 20 Now of this new birth and the fruits and effects thereof the solemnitie of this day may giue me some occasion to speake being as we call it new yeeres day wherein we celebrate the remembrance of the circumcision of Christ and that m Col. 2.11 in him we also are circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands that n Eph. 4.22 putting of the body of the sinnes of the flesh and the old man which is corrupted through deceiueable lusts we may be renewed in the spirit of our mindes and put on the new man which according to God is created in righteousnesse and true holynesse But of this I spake vnto you more at large the last yeere by occasion of the words of the Apostle o 2. Cor. 5.17 If any man be in Christ he is or let him be a new creature The particulars whereof happely you remember not but remember that which is the generall that from yeere to yeere from day to day you stil goe forward to become new creatures in Iesus Christ Say with the Apostle and let vs be carefull that of our selues we may truely say it p ibid. Old things are past behold all things are become new And surely in this state of our new birth all things are set before vs vnder the name of new things q Mat. 26.28 a new testament r 〈◊〉 13 34. a new commandement Å¿ Reu. 3.9 a new song t Reuel 2.17 a new name u Heb. 10.20 a new way x Reuel 21.2 a new Ierusalem y â— Pet. 3.13 new heauens and new earth Nowe what an vnâ—eete thing is it that when all things are new for our sakes we our selues shoulde remaine old Nay let vs also become newe and by our conuersation let vs make it appeere that wee are new borne and what we haue neglected heeretofore let vs now beginne to amend with the beginning of a newe yeere and be carefull heereafter to a Eph. 5.16 redeeme the time that the encrease of our yeeres may be the encrease of our comfort and may further vs in the assured hope of that life where there shall be no change of yeeres but one new yeere to continue for euer and euer The multitude that shoulde be borne vnto Iesus Christ as the drops that cannot be numbred 21 But to come towards an end concerning this ofspring and youth which I haue spoken of the prophet saith that they shal be as the dew from the wombe of the morning First for their multitude for that as the drops of heauen cannot be numbred so the people of Christ shal be assembled vnto him in multitudes without number accordingly as Saint Iohn in the spirit saw it come to passe when as beside the remnant of Israel he beheld a b Reuel 7.9 great multitude which no man could number of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues standing before the throne and before the Lambe clothed with long white robes and palmes in their hands and crying with a loude voice saluation commeth of our God c. So that although in comparison of the multitude of the world the church of Christ be but c Luc. 12.32 a little flocke and d Mat. 7. â—4 few there be that enter into life euen as the grapes after the vintage a few here and a few there and as after e Esa 17.6 the shaking of the oliue tree there are two or three vpon one bough and foure or fiue vpon another seldome to be found yet in themselues they are according to the promise made to Abraham as f Gen. 13.16 15.5 the stars of heauen that cannot be numbred and g Heb. 11.12 as the sand by the seaside And therefore let it not discourage vs that the chaffe seemeth to hide the corne and