Sancta custodiens veritatem a Righteous and a holy Nation Esay 26. to hold fast this Truth of God not shewing our selues like Rehoboam that found shields of gold but left behinde him shields of Brasse to receiue the cleere Truth from our fathers and to leaue the same darkened vnto our children Secondly As the word of God is the primary and most absolute declared Truth wherein there is no possibility of error Quia dicta Iehouae dicta pura Because the words of the Lord are pure words So the words of men agreeable to their vnderstanding conformed to the Truth of things Iohn 8.44 are secondarily the Truth of God because as euery lye is from the Deuill though it should be vttered from the tongue of a Saint as our Sauiour sheweth so euery Truth is from God though it were spoken from the mouth of a Diuell because the Spirit of God is the Spirit of Truth Et omne verum à quocunque dicitur à Spiritu sancto est And all Truth whosoeuer speaks it doth spring from the Spirit of God saith Saint Ambrose Euery Truth whatsoeuer whosoeuer saith it proceeds from God A sufficient reproofe for them that will not heare the Word of God but from the mouth of Saints for we are not to respect who speake or what they be that speake but what is spoken and therefore if Balaams Asse should preach me Christ I would willingly be his disciple for Saint Paul tels me that none can say 1 Cor. 12.3 that Iesus is Christ but by the Spirit of God and therefore hee did not so much care who preached nor how they preached so they preached Iesus Christ because he knew that euery truth must needs proceed from the Spirit of Truth â—hat we should say nothing but Truth And therefore this should teach vs to make much of Truth and not onely to beleeue the Truth whosoeuer speakes it but also to speake the Truth euery man vnto his neighbour whatsoeuer comes of it though it should be like Cassandra's Prophesie not beleeued or O dium parere Beget hatred as the Comicke speaketh Quia dilexit Deus veritatem because as all Truth is from God so God loueth all Truth whatsoeuer Corruit in platea veritas And yet we see Quod diminutae sunt veritates à filijs hominum The Truth is troden downe in the street and the faithfull are minished from among the children of men Psal 12.1 we are all like the Cretians alwayes lyars and though the godly man keepeth his promise vnto his neighbour Psal 15.5 though it were to his owne hinderance yet now we seldome think of any promise vnlesse it be for our furtherance to attaine vnto our owne desires so farre are wee from Truth But we must all loue Truth and follow after Truth if we would be children vnto him that is abundant in Truth And so much for the fift Particle of Gods goodnesse Of Gods abundant Truth CHAP. X. Of the large extent of Gods mercy and of the remission of all kinde of sinnes and the vsefull application of the whole Attribute of Gods goodnesse THe sixt Particle of Gods Goodnesse is God is mercifull to all men that hee reserueth mercy for thousands and that as I vnderstand it two manner of wayes 1. Extensiuely 2. Successiuely First he meaneth that his Mercy is not like a carnall Patrons loue which commonly reacheth no further then his kindred he can preferre none else Nor yet like great mens fauours which extendeth no further then their seruants their greatnesse is no greater but Miserationum Dei multitudo numerari Basil in regulis contract q. 15. magnitudo mensurari non potest The mercies of God are so many that they cannot be numbred and so great that they cannot be measured so that he hath enough in store to helpe not onely a few but also many multitudes thousands he hath enough for all being not like Isaac that had but one blessing Gen. 27.38 for he hath many blessings for euery one Secondly Gods Mercie lasteth for all times euen for euer and euer he meaneth that his Mercy is not for any set Period of time which is the property of all other things euen of the greatest Monarchs they haue but their time and when that time is gone they can do nothing which a little before seemed to be able to do all things but Gods mercies are tyed to no time but they continue froÌ„ generation to generation they are like a springing well that can neuer be dryed or like the Lampe that is fed with the oyle of immortality And this the Word reseruing doth most plainely shew that he hath mercy enough in store not onely for the fathers that beleeue in him but also for their children for their childrens children euen vnto a thousand generations of them that loue him and keepe his Commandements Good Parents doe leaue the best patrimâ—ny vnto their children Rom. 11.28 O then what a Patrimony doe good parents purchase vnto their children to haue the Mercies of God reserued and laid vp in store for thousands of them and as the Apostle saith of the Iewes to make them to be loued for their fathers sakes Most happy are those children which haue such fathers as doe feare God and keepe his Commandements And so much for the sixt Particle of Gods goodnesse Reseruing Mercy for thousands Forgiuenesse of sinnes our chiefest comfort Rom 4.7 The seauenth Particle of Gods goodnesse is that he forgiueth iniquitie and transgression and sinne Here is the last but not the least act of Gods goodnesse expressed For herein consisteth all our happinesse Blessed is the man whose vnrighteousnesse is forgiuen and whose sinne is couered And here by these three words God vnderstandeth three sorts of euill 1. By Iniquity is vnderstood originall corruption 2. By Transgression is meant the outward actuall commission 3. By Sinne is vnderstood the height of all abhomination No sinner excluded from hope of pardon The custome of sinning and the greatest sinnes For God depriues not these from hope of Pardon if these come to him with penitent hearts and therefore that none should despaire of his goodnes he sheweth that he can forgiue all these and forgiuing these he forgiueth all But here I must haue leaue to take away the vaile froÌ„ Moses his face and to looke further then the Iewish Tabernacle for as in Ezekiels vision Ezek. 10.10 Rota erat in rota Gospel was in the Law Law in the Gospell as Saint Gregory expounds it so here I finde all this to be Gospell and I see Iesus Christ in euery word for in Christ Coloss 1.14 we haue Redemption through his blood the forgiuenesse of our sinnes and so of all the rest of these Graces wee haue them all by Christ for though the Law came by Moses yet as Saint Iohn saith Grace and Truth yea Mercy and Peace and all the other good
that I should so largely treate of the eternity and diuinity of the word against the Arrians of the verity of his Humanity against the Marcionists of the distinction of the two natures against the Eutychians of the vnion of the natures against the Nestorians Why the former points were so largely handled and of the communicating of the properties against the Lutherans seeing as Hyperius aduiseth vs we should rather deale against the iniquitie of the times and those present euils that are raging and raigning amongst the people in euery place then by needlesse mention of old buried heresies to giue occasion vnto any man to inquire into them I answere that I haue done the same for sundry and diuers reasons As First because these points concerning Christ are the most principall points of all Diuinity and the most comfortable for all Christians for this is eternall life Iohn 17.3 to know thee to be the onely true God and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ The chiefest knowledge is the knowledge of Iesus Christ And therefore I did euer loue to be euer fishing in this Sea to be euer studying in these points and I did neuer thinke that I could either stay too long or speake too much in discoursing about Iesus Christ Secondly because the Apostle saith there must be Heresies that in these our dayes 1 Cor. 11.19 we are as apt as prone to fall into all sorts of Heresies as euer were men in any dayes since the beginning of dayes The Diuell is most desirous to keepe vs ignorant of this truth or else to corrupt this Truth and that we know the Diuell is more desirous to obscure this light and to corrupt the truth of this doctrine concerning Christ then any other point of Diuinity whatsoeuer And therefore I thinke it were good if this truth were more fully handled and more generally divulged vnto all people then it is not only that our armour might be in a readinesse but also that hauing oyle in our lampes and our loynes girt and these points by continuall hearing and reading of the same perfectly knowne and understood wee might be able to quench the fiery darts of Satan and to stop the mouthes of all Hereticks if at any time Satan should stirre them vp to speake against the truth By seeing the villanies of Satan wee ought the rather to detest him and to beware of him Thirdly because it is not onely our parts onely to set down ablatiue directions to confute or preuent errours but as wee are to recite the long fore-passed benefits of God that wee may see the greatnesse of his goodnesse and be thereby induced to shew the more loue and thankefulnesse to his Maiesty so we are to relate the long fore-passed villanies miseries and Heresies wherevnto that cruell enemy of mankinde hath plunged vs that so men may see and haue it alwayes before their eyes what destruction and miseries he hath brought continually vnto the sonnes of men and may be hereby induced euer to hate and detest that cruell fiend Luke 5.4 Fourthly because we are debters both to the wise and vnwise and must oftentimes launch forth into the deepe as our Sauiour commanded Peter if we will catch a good draught of fish The best way to teach vs to lay a good foundation for we find that popular exhortations not grounded vpon the sure doctrinall points of instructions are like roofes built without foundation and therefore Tertullian saith it is the property of Hereticks first mouere to perswade and then docere to teach and euer to spend more time in morall perswasions then they doe in the fundamentall points of diuine instructions but the true labourers with Saint Paul are most desirous euer to lay downe a good foundation 1 Cor. 3.11 and other foundation can no man lay better then this to know Iesus Christ and him crucified The doctrine of diuinitie is very deepe Fiftly because we are to shew how Diuinity is like a boundlesse Ocean and of an vnwadable depth wherein the greatest Elephant may swimme and how great is the mystery of godlinesse 1 Tim. 4.16 God manifested in the flesh iustified in the Spirit seene of Angels preached vnto the Gentiles beleeued on in the world and receiued vp into glory that so the people may see how laborious and painefull is the calling of the poore Ministers 2 Cor. 2.16 for who can expresse his noble Acts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or who is sufficient for these things or to attaine to the knowledge of any of these things without seruent prayers for Gods assistance and indefatigable paines with all diligence continually and that both Priests and People should alwayes striue and labour How deligent we ought to be to attaine vnto the knowledge of Iesus Christ Et orando audiendo legendo bene viuendo vt intelligant By praying hearing reading and all other possible meanes that they may vnderstand so much as their weake capacities can vnblameably comprehend both of these and all other truthes concerning Christ for all knowledge without this will auaile vs nothing the knowledge of all morall vertues of all naturall causes of all Crafts and Sciences can neuer bring vs vnto eternall happinesse but this is eternall life to know Iesus Christ and therefore for mine owne part I had rather weare and weary out my selfe in this difficult study of Christ then to bath my selfe in those fountaines or to be crowned with the sweetest Garland flowers of Philosophy or morality Sixtly because hereby is seene that greatnesse of Gods loue to mankinde in that he was pleased to open and to search the treasure of his wisedome that he might deuise and finde out the meanes to saue vs That no wisedome but that insearchable wisedome of God could euer haue found this way to saue sinfull man which of our selues could neuer so much as to haue inuented the way much lesse to effect the meanes to helpe our selues for if it be now so ineffable and so incomprehensible that we can neuer fully vnderstand nor perfectly attaine vnto the depth of these mysteries how the Word should be incarnate and the two natures so farre in nature disagreeing one from the other should notwithstanding be vnited into one person for the accomplishing of our redemption being already done and so plainely shewed by Christ and vnfolded by so many faithfull seruants of Christ how should we euer haue inuented or found out the way to effect so great saluation before it was done for many can tell how to deuise the way and learne to know the meanes that might doe them good but cannot tell how to effect the same but we could neither performe the worke nor yet deuise the way how we might be reconciled vnto God and therefore as the Psalmist saith The helpe that is done vpon earth God doth it himselfe And he did it wholly himselfe for when we could doe
be abundantly true because as Hugo saith In sacra Scriptura non solum bonitas est quod praecipitur faelicitas quod promittitur sed etiam veritas est quod dicitur Whatsoeuer is said in the holy Scripture 2 Cor. 1.20 it is absolutely true without any errour and the promises of God are as sure as if they were already performed for he is yea and Amen i. e. True in himselfe true in his workes and true in all his words And this Truth of the Lord indureth for euer for He will not alter the thing that is gone out of his mouth neither will he suffer his Truth to faile But when we forget both him and our selues Luke 1.72 he will still be mindfull of his promise and remember his holy couenant And therefore seeing that as the Light is so excellent a thing the first-borne of all visible Creatures and the very comfort of euery afflicted heart that dispelleth all darkenesse discouereth all things and the procreatiue cause of all Creatures so is this Truth of God What we ought to doe of that transcendent excellency as that it is the best guide of our liues and the sole meanes to saue our soules It should teach vs First Comparare veritatem To purchase this Truth and to get the same vnto our selues by any meanes First to spare no cost to get that Truth Matth. It is that Treasure â—id in the field to gaine which the wise Merchant sold all that euer he had no labour is too great no cost is too deare to gaine this Truth Multa tulit fecitque puer sudauit alsit Horat. And as another saith Ardua quamuis sit via non metuit virtus inuicta laborem If the Gentiles did toyle and moyle and sweat and spare no paines to get a little measure of humane learning which did almost nothing else but puffe them vp with pride what paines ought we to take to search and seeke for this Diuine Truth which is onely able to saue our soules Secondly Retinere veritateÌ„ to let passe this truth Secondly to hazard all we haue in defence of this Truth when once we haue attained vnto the same by no meanes but to keepe it and to retaine it vnto death for so Salomon saith Buy the truth but sell it not i. e. when you haue gotten it part not from it and this is no small taske Non minor est virtus quam quaerere parta tueri But it is as difficult a thing to retaine it as it is to finde it for seeing the truth is like the light and the light is many times obscured with cloudes and darkenesse so the truth is opposed by errour and ignorance it is enuied and hated by the sonnes of men and as Tertullian saith it hath beene euer seene Juellus in Apol. ex Tertul. Apolloget Veritatem in terris peregrinam agere inter ignotos facile calumniatores inuenire That the truth was entertained on earth but as a Pilgrime and a Stranger that easily findeth enemies in euery place and scarce friends in any place and so the Booke of God and the story of times doth make it plaine how the Professors of this Truth were alwayes persecuted and the Truth it selfe sought to be suppressed by the sonnes of darkenesse Moses and Aaron were withstood by Pharaoh and resisted by Iannes and Iambres and the rest of the Sorcerers of Egypt The Prophets were so vehemently and so generally persecuted by the Iewes that Saint Stephen asketh them Acts 7.52 Which of the Prophets haue not your Fathers persecuted and Christ himselfe which was borne to this end Vt testimonium perhiberet veritati That he might beare witnesse vnto the Truth John 18.37 was resisted vnto death and so all the Martyres and faithfull witnesses of this eternall Truth can beare witnesse what they suffered in the defence of Truth What is needfull for vs if we would retain the Truth And therefore if we would retaine the truth wee haue need of Patience we haue need of Courage and of a constant Resolution neuer to suffer this Heauenly Truth to bee taken from vs vntill our selues be taken out of this wretched life Let vs lay before vs the examples of the Patriarkes and Prophets of Christ himselfe of his holy Apostles and of all his blessed Martyres which thought not their liues too deare to defend this Truth let vs not be degenerate children of such worthy Progenitors as transmitted this Truth vnto vs with the losse of their liues That Truth at last will euer preuaile And though wee haue neede of Patience to suffer much in the defence of Truth yet wee may be confident that Truth will preuaile and get the victory for as no darkenesse can so swallow vp the light but that in its appointed time it will gloriously returne againe so no power of darknesse can so suppresse the Truth but at last it will appeare as the cleare day Because as the nature of errour is such Cokus de iure regis Eoclesiastico that although none be to withstand it yet as the smoake at last it will vanish of it selfe so the nature of Truth is such that although neuer so many doe oppugne it yet at last it will preuaile as Zorobabel saith and as the Comicke saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Time will bring out the Truth into Light at last And therefore seeing the Truth is of that inuincible power that although it may be obscured yea for a time with Christ himselfe be buried yet it cannot be extinguished nor remain perpetually intombed but that the time will come wherein nothing is hid which shall not be reuealed nothing is couered which shall not be manifested We should arme our selues with confidence and sure trust in God which according to his Truth will at last bring all Truth to light and saue all them that put their trust in him But here me thinkes I heare some saying they would willingly spend their liues in defence of Truth if they could tell what were Truth for now there are so many Religions so many Professions and so many diuersities of Opinions in the world that it is farre easier for them to spend their life then to find out what is Truth I answere that as Claudian saith Saepe mihi dubiam traxit sententia mentem curarent superi terras an nullus inesset rector He was much distracted and knew not what to resolue whether there was a Diuine prouidence or not because when he saw the most admirable course of things he said Claud. l. 1. in Ruff. Tunc omnia rebar consilio firmata Dei He thought it was vnpossible that that could proceed but from a superiour cause but on the other side when as the Prophet Dauid saith He saw the wicked in such prosperity and the Righteous hang downe their heads like a Bull-rush yea and hâ—nged many times like the wicked sonnes of euill doers
thee in his Name and for his sake to forgiue vs all our sinnes to accept his death as a plenary satisfaction to acquit vs from euerlasting death and to giue vs thy grace that for this and all other thy louing sauours vnto vs we may be truely thankefull and most dutifully obedient to please thee and to praise thy blessed Name for euer and euer through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen IEHOVAE LIBERATORI FINIS The Fift Golden Candlesticke HOLDING The Fift greatest Light of Christian RELIGION Of the Resurrection of CHRIST MATH 28.4.5.6 And for feare of him the Keepers did shake and became as dead men And the Angell answered and said vnto the Women feare not you for I know that you seeke Iesus which was crucified He is not here for he is risen as hee said come see the place where the Lord lay OVR blessed Lord God The coherence of this Treatise with the former and louing Father out of his excellent prouidence and secret loue to Man hath so tempered all the accidents and whole course of mans life with such proportion and equall counterpoyse that euer and anon ioyes and sorrowes are mixt together as wee may easily see in our blessed Sauiour for vpon Mount Thabor he was transfigured in glory Math. 17.2 that his face did shine as the Sunne and vpon Mount Caluary he was disfigured in sorrow that confusion went ouer his face and that in him there was neither forme nor beauty and vpon Mount Oliuet euen now Esay 53.2 Luke 22.43 Verse 44. an Angell comforting him and by and by an agony affrighting him so vpon the Crosse euen now he cries as destitute of all helpe My God my God why hast thou forsaken me yet by and by after as assured of comfort he saith O my Father into thy hands I commend my spirit Math. 27.46 Euen so it is with vs all Nocte pluit tota Luke 23.46 redeunt spectacula mane Heauinesse may indure for a night but ioy commeth in the morning To day we may be sicke at the point to die to morrow wee may be restored to life againe to night in prison and in distresse to morrow at liberty and aduanced to dignitie And this we see plaine in my Text for the last day was a day of cloudes and darkenesse a day of griefe and sorrow for the passion and suffering of the Sonne of God But behold this day is a day of ioy and gladnesse a day of Iubile for the most glorious resurrection of this Omnipotent Son of God for as it behoued him to suffer for our sinnes as you heard so it behoued him to rise againe for our iustification saith the Apostle And so this Angell testifieth that he did Rom. 4.25 He is not here but is risen as he saide Come see the place where the Lord lay And In these words we may obserue The diuision of the Text. 1. The persons here mentioned 2. The action of each person plainely expressed First The Persons mentioned are especially of three sorts 1. Keepers 2. Women 3. Angels Secondly The actions expressed are 1. Of the Keepers watching Christ 2. Of the Women seeking Christ 3. Of the Angell 1. Terrifying the former 2. Comforting the latter And from all this we may see these three things 1. The malice of the Iewes 2. The deuotion of the Women 3. The Office of the Angels And the maine summe of all is The Resurrection of Christ PART I. CHAP. Of the malice of the Iewes against our Sauiour Christ FIRST The malice of the Iewes against our Sauiour Christ is seene in that they did not onely spitefully oppose themselues against him throughout all his life and most vniustly deliuer him to a most shamefull death but also maliciously watched him in his graue that he might not rise to shew the right property of the wicked not onely to throw the righteous downe but also to keepe them downe and to trample them still vnder feete and to hire the Watchmen to belie both themselues and his Disciples that the truth of his Resurrection might not be knowne and beleeued for our saluation O miseri quae tanta insania ciues O wretched men that you are what is your rage as strong as death nay stronger then death and longer then death For the man is dead and he is buried And yet Vos excandescitis ira Your rage is implacable you set armed Souldiers to watch and ward ouer this dead harmelesse man And so we finde what the Scripture saith of the wicked to be true in you Malicia eorum excaecauit eos Wisedome 2.21 Your malice and your wickednesse haue blinded your eyes Nay but this deceiuer said saith some of them That after three dayes I will rise againe A deceiuer indeede Sed pius seductor How wicked men are deceiued But of them onely that deceiue themselues either First By relying too much on his mercy and not thinking of his iustice or Secondly By fearing too much his iustice and forgetting all his mercy or Thirdly By not beleeuing his power either to saue the penitent beleeuers in him or to punish the wicked contemners of him for of all these and the like the Prophet saith The Lord will deceiue you that is suffer you to deceiue your selues He will make his Arrowes drunken in bloud Deut. 32.42 and hee will cause his Sword to goe through your sides But them that truly trust in him he will neuer deceiue nor suffer them to be deceiued in him For our Fathers hoped in him Psal 22.4 and were not confounded But what if you had seene him rise againe what would you haue done would you haue beleeued in him no surely for you know he rose his Disciples testifies it to your faces and your owne Souldiers sayes it and you are faine to hyre them to say the contrary What then would you haue done would you haue crucified againe the Lord of life Yes no doubt such is the malice of the wicked that the death of the godly decies repetita placebit is neuer often enough inflicted O therefore good Lord thou King of Heauen Giue me any head saue the head of a Serpent and any malice saue the malice of an enemy For death it selfe cannot hide me from these but they will rage and rayle on my very Ghost And so much for the malice of the Iewes Part. 2 PART II. CHAP. I. Of the number and the names of these Women that came to seeke our Sauiour Christ in his Sepulcher SEcondly The deuotion of the Women is here commended in that they are said to come early while it was yet darke to seeke Iesus Iohn 20.1 for to imbalme him And for the better vnderstanding of this point these three especiall things must bee considered 1. Their number 2. Their names 3. Their action First Saint Mathew here seemes to say they were two Why three Women went together vnto the Sepulcher Mary Magdalen and the other
that they had recollected more courage now after his death then euer Peter the boldest of them had during his life which all men will say is most vnprobable because a liuing Dogge is better then a dead Lyon Eccles. 9.4 and therefore Christ being aliue might animate the vilest coward-like Thirsites to be more valiant and aduenturous for his defence then now being dead he could doe to the most heroicke Achilles yet is it any wayes likely or could it possibly be that his Disciples should come thither breake vp the Monument tumble away that great stone take vp his body bestrip him of his winding sheete lay all his linnen cloathes wherewith he was wrapped so orderly by themselues a signe they had leisure enough and were in no danger at all or else they were very fooles that they did not suddenly snatch him away and take some other time and place to bestrip him and then carrie him away neuer after to be seene or found without the espyall of some one or other among so many that attended there Ideo mentita est iniquitas sibi But the Iewes answere that as the foolish Virgins whereof our Sauiour speaketh so these foolish and sottish Souldiers they all slumbered and slept and then while their Argos eyes were sleeping his Disciples came those poore fresh-water Souldiers and their committed charge was stollen away The absurdities following the High Priests saying But then I replie first with Rhemigius out of Saint Augustine If they all slept Quomodo furtum viderunt How can they tell his Disciples and not others tooke him away Might not God take him as he did Enoch or the Angels burie him and hide him as they did the bodie of Moses or how can they tell who tooke him away for they slept and therefore surely no credit to be giuen vnto them If they had said We slept and therâ—fore we cannot tell what became of him this might haue some likelihood of truth but to say We slept and his Disciples stole him away this must needes be apparantly false Secondly If they slept why did the High Priests giue them money large money saith the Text for their negligence and not rather punish them for their slothfulnesse must men be so largely rewarded for euill doing especially in so weighty a cause as not the losse of a Citie or a Kingdome but the losse of saluation to the whole race of mankinde all depended vpon this one point for if he rose againe he was the Sauiour of the World if not he was but an impostor Why then would they not watch or if not why not seuerely punished and no punishment too great for so great a negligence Thirdly If they were awake why did they hire them to say they were asleepe This may be answered They knew money deliuered him into their hands and therefore they thought that money would conceale the truth from the people for as the Poet saith Quid non mortalia pectora cogit auri sacra fames What wickednesse is not done for money How the loue of money maketh many men to doe any thing These Souldiers had beene Preachers to publish this truth vnto the World had not their mouthes beene stopt with siluer for as this opens the mouthes of many to bruite forth and to testifie many lies so it shuts the mouthes of as many to conceale and keepe secret many truthes and therefore the high Priests did giue large money to these Souldiers to conceale this truth and to belie themselues to say that they were asleepe Well then if they were asleepe how can they tell what became of him and why did the chiefe Priests giue them such large summes of monies for their negligence or if they were awake why did they hire them so dearely to say they were asleepe To all this they must answere now to vs as they did heretofore in another case to Christ Wee cannot tell Math. 21.27 But then O foolish Iewes if you cannot tell why will you not beleeue that your Messias is alreadie come and that God hath raysed him from the dead Saint Paul tels vs why Rom. 11.25 Because partly obstinacy is come vpon them vntill the fulnesse of the Gentiles be come in O Lord if it be thy will doe thou open their eyes that they may see the truth CHAP. VI. Of the testimony of the Angell and the manifold apparitions of Christ after his Resurrection to proue the truth and certainety of his Resurrection YOV see then how the Iewes are blinded to destroy themselues but on the other side we doe know and beleeue and teach this Iesus the Sonne of Mary whom the Iewes haue crucified to be the true Messias and the Sauiour of the World not onely because hee liued without sinne and died without cause on his owne behalfe but especially because that he being dead and laide in his graue did declare himselfe mightily to be the Sonne of God Rom. 1.4 by his Resurrection from the dead And this Resurrection of him we doe most faithfully beleeue and as constantly teach for these three especiall reasons and respects and a three-fold cord is not easily broken That we beleeue the Resurrection of Christ fâ—r three speciall respects 1. In respect of this Angelicall assertion 2. In respect of his personall apparitions 3. In respect of many other circumstantiall demonstrations First the Angell said vnto the women why seeke yee the liuing among the dead he is not here but he is risen Et si non credideritis oraculo credite oculo and if you will not beleeue vs beleeue your owne eyes Math. 28.1 Luke 24.4 for you may see the place where hee lay And this was spoken vnto two women as Saint Matthew sheweth and by two Angels as Saint Luke saith and therefore if Diues thought that the words of one man comming from the dead would bee sufficient to make all his brethren to beleeue the torments of hell First The Angels testifie the Resurrection of Christ why should not the words of these heauenly Angels bee alonely sufficient to make vs to beleeue this diuine truth of the resurrection of the Sonne of God for the Angels though they be mutabiles natura mutable in respect of their nature yet are they now confirmati per gratiam ne à veritate voluntatem auerterent so confirmed by grace that they shall neuer euert themselues from the truth Isidorus de summo bono saith Isidorus Secondly as the Angels had testified that he was not there in the graue among the dead but was risen and aliue among the liuing so truth it selfe confirmes this truth vnto vs by those manifold apparitions that he made after his resurrection That Christ appeared twelue seuerall times after his resurrection during the space of forty dayes that before he ascended into heauen he walked here on earth And these if I be not far deceiued in my reckoning were at least twelue times according to the