Gâ—n 1.2 Lâ—vit 19.11 With the Holy Ghost the true Vnction and the truth of all unctions whatsoever The Spirit and water agree the Spirit moved on the face of the waters The Spirit and bloud agree The Spirit of life is in the bloud the vessells of it the arteries runne along with the texture of the veines all the body over To His comming this Spirit agreeth also When He came as Iesus To His comming the Spirit conceived Him When He came as CHRIST the Spirit annointed Him When He came in water at His Baptisme the Spirit was there came down in the shape of a Dove rested abode on Him When He came in blood at His Passion there too Ioh 1.32 It was the aeternall Spirit of GOD by which He offered Himselfe without spott unto God Heb. 9.4 So the most fit that can be to beare witnesse to all Praeseas interfuit vidit audevit was present heard and saw was acquainted with all that passed none can speake to the point so well as He. The Spirit is a witnesse is true every way But why is it said The Spirit the câ—â—efe witnâ—ssâ— It is the Spirit that beareth witnâ—sse seeing they both water and bloud beare it too it is water it is blood that beare witnesse also They indeed are witnesâ—es but it is the Spirit He it is that is the principall witnesse and principally to be regarded before the rest Heere he comes in last but He is indeed first and so as first is placed at the eight verse where they are orderly reckoned up And good reason He is one of the three both above in heaven and beneath in â—arth third there above first heer beneath a witnesse in both Courts admitted ad jus testis in both for his speciall creditt in both the medius terminus as it were between heaven and earth between God and man Besides it is sayd It is He He it is that bâ—areth witnesse For it is neither of the other will doe us any good without him the whole weight lieth upon him Not the water without the Spirit it is but nudum egenum clementum â—al 4.9 Ioh. 6. â—3 Not the bloud without the Spirit no more then the flâ—sh without the Spirit non prodest quicquam as said He whose the flâ—sh and bloud was CHRIST himselfe Will you see a proof without it CHRIST came to Simon Magus in water Act. 18 1â— Mat. 26. he was baptized CHRIST came to Iudas in bloud he was a communicant but Spirit there came none to testifie they were both never the better The better nay the worse Simon perished in the gall of bitternesse Iudas bibit mortem de fonte vitae Act 8 2â— from the cup of blessing drank downe his owne bane All for want of Et spiritus est So is it 1. Cor. 10 1â— with the word and with eny meanes els Ioh. 4.14 Ioh. 6.17 But let the testimonie of the Spirit come the water becomes a well springing up to aeternitie the flesh and blood meat that perisheth not but endureth to life everlasting And even in nature we see this Water if it be not aqua viva have not a spiâ—it to move it and make it runâ—e it stands and putrifies and bloud if no spirit in it it congeales and growes corrupt and foule as the bloud of a dead man The spirit helpeth this and upon good reason doth it For CHRIST being conceived by the Spirit it was most meet all of Christ should be conceived the same way That which conceived him should impregnate His water should animate His bloud should give the vivificat the life and vigor to them both It is the Spirit then that giveth the witnesse Now in a Witnesse above all it is required he be true the Spirit is so trâ—e as he is the Truth it selfe 2 The truth of His witnesse Ioh. 14.6 The Spirit the truth Why CHRIST saith of Himselfe I am the truth All the better for Verum vero cònsonat one truth will well sort with will uphold will make proofe one of another as these two doe prove either other reciprocally The Spirit CHRIST 's proofe CHRIST the Spirit 's CHRIST the Spirit 's Every spirit that confesseth not CHRIST is not the true spirit The Spirit CHRIST'S 1. Ioh. 4.3 CHRIST if He have not the Teste of the Spirit is not the true CHRIST Alwaies the Truth is the best witnesse And if He be the Truth on His teste you may beare your selfe Not so on water or bloud without Him they may well deceive us and be falsa and fallacia as wanting the Truth if He if the Spirit be wanting That truth to be knowen It will then much concâ—rne us to be sure the Spirit on whose testimonie we are thus wholy to relye that that spirit be the truth And it is the maine point of all to be hable to discerne the Spirit that is the truth because as there is a Spirit of truth so is there a Spirit of error abroad in the world 1. Ioh. 4.6 2. Câ—r 11.4 yea many such Spirits and the Apostle who tells us of altum IESVM in the same verse tells us of alium Spiritum too We be then to trie which spirit is the truth that so the spirit on whose witnesâ—e we rest our selves be the truth How take we notice of the Spirit How knew they the Angel was come downe into the poole of Bethesda but by the stirring and moving of the water By His spirituall motions Ioh. 5.8 So by stirring up in us spirituall motions holy purposes and desires is the Spirit 's comming knowen Specially if they doe not vanish againe For if they doe then was it some other flatuous matter which will quiver in the veines unskilfull people call it the life-bloud but the Spirit it was not The Spirit 's motion the pulse is not for a while and then ceaseth but is perpetuall holds as long as life holds though intermittent sometime for some little space Yet hold we it not safe to lay overmuch weight upon good motions which may come of diverse causes By newnesse of life and of which good motions there are as many in hell as in heaven The surest way is to lay it on that our SAVIOVR and His Apostles so often lay it Ioh 6.63 2. Cor. 3.6 that is on Spiritus vivificat The life is ever the best indicant signe of the Spirit Novum supervenisse Spiritum nova vitae ratio demonstrat that a new Spirit is come a new course of life is the best demonstration The notes of that life Ioh. â— 8 2 Tim. 4.1 1. Cor. 1â— 11 1 Breath Now life is best knowen by vitall actions Three the Scripture counteth 1 Spiritus ubi vult spirat by breath 2 Spiritus manifestè loquitur by speech 3 Omnia haec operatur unus idemque Spiritus by the worke these three 1 The neerest and most proper note
arripere apprehendere to seize vpon it with great vehemencie to lay hold on it with both hands as vpon a thing we are glad we haue got and will be loth to let goe againe We know assumpsit and apprehendit both take but apprehendit with farre more fervor and zeale then the other Assumpsit any common ordinarie thing apprehendit a thing of price which we hold deare and much esteeme of Now to the former comparison of what they and what we but specially what we add this threefold consideration 1. That He denied it the Angells 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 denied it peremptorily 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Neither looked nor called nor sent nor went after them Neither tooke hold of them nor suffered them to take hold of Him or any promise from Him Denied it them denied it them thus 2. But graunted it vs and graunted it how That He followed vs first and that with paine And seized on vs after and that with greate desire We flying and not worth the following and lying and not worth the taking vp 1 That he gave not leave for vs to come to Him or satt still and suffered vs to returne and take hold yet this He did 2 That He did not looke after vs nor call after vs nor send after vs only yet all this He did too 3 But Himselfe rose out of his place and came after vs and with hand and foot made after vs Followed vs with his feet and seized on vs with his hands and that per viam non assumptionis sed apprehensionis the maner more then the thing it selfe All these if we lay together and when we haue done weigh them well it is hable to worke with vs. Surely it must needs demonstrate to vs the care the love the affection He had to vs we know no cause why being but as Abraham was dust and as Abrahams seede Iacob saith Gen. 18.25.32.10 lesse and not worthy of any one of these No not of the meanest of his mercies Especially when the same thing so gratiously graunted vs was denied to no lesse persons then the Angells farr more worthy then we Sure He would not have done it for vs and not for them if He had not esteemed of vs made more acompt of vs then of them And yet behold a farr greater then all these Which is apprehendit semen He took not the person but he took the seed that is the nature of man Many there be In Apprehendit Semen that can be content to take vpon them the persons and to represent them whose natures nothing could hire them once to take vpon them But the seed is the Nature yea as the Philosopher saith naturae intimum the very internall essence of nature is the seed The Apostle sheweth what his meaning is of this taking the seed when the verse next afore save one he saith that forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and bloud He also would take part with them Ver. 14. by taking the same To take the flesh and bloud He must needs take the seed for from the seed the flâ—sh and bloud doth proceed which is nothing els but the blessed apprehension of our nature by this days Natiuitie Wherby He and we become not only one flesh as man and wife do by coniugal union but even one bloud too as brethren by naturall union Ephes. 5.28.29 Per omnia similis saith the Apostle in the next verse after againe sinne only set aside Alike and sutable to vs in all things flesh and bloud and nature and all So taking the seed of Abraham as that he became himselfe the seed of Abraham So was and so is truly termed Verse 17. in the Scriptures Which is it that doth consummate and knit vp all this point and is the head of al. For in all other apprehensions we may let go and lay down when we will but this this taking on the seed the nature of man can never be put of It is an assumption without a deposition One we are He and we and so we must be One as this day so for ever And emergent or issuing from this are all those other apprehendings or seisures of the persons of men by which God layeth hold on them and bringeth them back from error to truth and from sinne to grace that have been from the beginning or shal be to the end of the world That of Abraham himself whom God layed hold of and brought from out of Vr of the Chaldeans and the Idolls he there worshipped That Gen 1â— 7 Act. 9.4 Luk. 22.62.62 of our Apostle S. Paul that was apprehended in the way to Damascus That of Saint Peter that in the very act of sinne was seized on with bitter remorse for it All those and all these wherby men dayly are layd hold of in spirit and taken from the by-pathes of sinne and error and reduced into the right way and so their persons recovered to God and seized to his vse All these apprehensions of the branches come from this apprehension of the Seed they all have their beginning and their being from this dayes taking even Semen apprâ—hendit Our receiving His Spirit for His taking our flesh This seede wherewith Abraham is made the sonne of God from the seed wherwith Christ is made the soone of Abraham And the end why He thus took vpon him the seed of Abraham was because He tooke vpon Him to deliver the seede of Abraham Deliver them He could not except He destroyed death Ver. 14. and the Lord of death the devill Them He could not destroy vnlesse He dyed Dy He could not except He were mortall Mortall He could not be except He tooke our nature on Him that is the seede of Abraham But taking it He became mortall dyed destroyed death delivered vs was Himselfe apprehended that we might be lett goe One thing more then out of this word Apprehendit The former toucheth His love whereby He so layd hold of us as of a thing very precious to Him This now toucheth our daunger whereby he so caught us as if He had not it had been a great venture but we had suncke and perished One and the same word Apprehendit sorteth well to expresse both his affection wherby He did it and out great perill wherby we needed it We had been before layd hold of and apprehended by one mentioned in the 14. verse he that hath power of death even the Devill We were in daunger to be swallowed vp by him we needed one to lay hold on us fast and to plucke us out of his jawes So He did And I would have you to marke It is the same word that is used to Saint Peter in like daunger Matt. 14.13 when being ready to sinke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christ caught him by the hand and saved him The same heere in the Greeke that in the Hebrue is used Gen. 19.16 to Lot and his daughters in the
of Grace and Truth both Many are the perfections whereof He is full Two onely heere chosen out as two streames 1 Grace and 2 Truth With them He commeth with the fullnesse of them Not of one of them but of both Grace referreth to the Sonne Truth to the VVord Grace is to adopt us Iam. 1.18 Truth to beget us anew for of His owne will He hath begotten us by the word of Truth And these do very fitly follow after glorie Glorie of it selfe terrifies and makes stand aloofe Grace invites And His glorie is such as is full of grace His Mercie as great as His Maiestie full out A blessed thing it is when these two meet and they that are in glorie are full of grace too It is not so with every one that is in glorie But though there be Grace vnlesse there be Truth too all is nothing For Grace because it is plausible and pleaseth the people it is affected there is a taking on grace in face and phrase but when all is done it wanteth sound truth That is right grace that hath truth ioyned to it Verbum gratiae and verbum charitatis both and it is both Yea verbum caro His word is not wind it hath flesh on it His Truth is as it were the flesh of His Grace Thus may be the consequence But of these two choise is made as of those our nature stood most in need of Out of grace we were and without grace as Sinners and in errors wandring up an downe as even the best of our nature did at his comming into the flesh This is the state He found us in when He came among us Eph. 1.6 Ver. 16. Against the first gratificavit nos in Dilecto He brought us in grace againe through His Beloved SONNE Gratiam pro gratiâ he saith after streight for the grace His Sonne had with Him He received us to grace Against the later He brought us Truth to set us in the right way Via Veritas Vita Veritas betweene both Via veritas or veritas viae the true way Vitae veritas or veritas vitae Ioh. 14.6 the true life that is Life eternall We cannot be without either This for our need But within a verse after I finde these two set in opposition to the Lawe Ver. 17. and the Lawe to them as if S. Iohn pointed us whereto we should refer them The Lawe full of rigour many threats and curses in it CHRIST bringeth the word of Grace opposeth to that The Lawe full of emptie shadowes and Ceremonies which Truth is set against Corpus autem CHRISTVS CHRIST the very body to Lex habens vmbram So Colos. 2.17 Heb. 10.1 requisite to quit us of the Lawe The Lawe the Word that marred flesh The bringing of these two together is a great matter and together they must be Grace take it from Truth and it is fallax but a vizour but a meere illusion Truth sever it from grace and it is ingrata but an unpleasing thing Grace and Truth kept in sunder and never met before but when the Word and flesh met then did they meet and kisse each other sayth the Prophet Pâ—al 85.10 and doth with a whole psalme celebrate this meeting They must meet and Grace be first as here We shall never endure the severitie of His Truth Grace first then Truth unlesse Grace come before and allay it But when Grace hath brought us to Him Truth will hold us with Him By Grace we shall accomplish what Truth requireth at our hands that so receiving Grace and walking in Truth we may come to the third the reward of both Glorie Full of both Luke 1 2â— Act. 7.55 Ioh. 3.34 Full of them and the word would not be passed Wee finde others full of grace as his Blessed Mother and as S. Stephen Theirs reacheth not to us None of them have more then serves for themselves For the Spirit is given them but by measure but pleâ—â—â—â—ndo vasis in them the fulnesse of a Vessell if ye take any thing out to poure into another it is the lesse for it But His is plenitudo fontis the fulnesse of a fountaine which is never drawne drie qui implet abyssum non minoratur fills a great poole and it selfe never the lesse Of which fulnesse they all received and He never the emptier We shall not need to goe to any other store-house or helpe to supply or fill up CHRIST with any other as if he were but halfe full He is full full of both Our care is to be to make ourselves fit Vessells and there is all Thus farre Quòd Verbum factum caro Now Quid Verbum carni the Benefite II. Quid Verbum Carni The Bâ—nefit and that which the Benefite ever draweth with it the Duety Quid Caro Verbo 1. Factus caro benefaciet carni being made flesh He will be a Benefactor to it No man ever hated his flâ—sh and no more can He us who are flesh of His flesh or rather He of ours Ephes. 5.29 He seeth us daily in Himselfe He cannot looke upon His flesh but He must thinke upon us And GOD the Father cannot now hate the flesh which the Word is made which is now taken into one person with His onely Sonne and united to the Deitie it selfe If He love the Word He must love it too for the Word is become it either love both or hate both But love it certainly for as this day When He brought His Sonne clothed with it into the World He gave expresse commandement Heb. 1.6 all His Angells should worship Him so clothed and our flesh in Him A new dignity which is this day accrued to our Nature to be adored of the blessed Angells Our Nature questionlesse is set in high favour with GOD GOD send our persons so too and all shall be well Besides good hope we now have that He being now flesh All flesh may come to Him to present Him with their requests Time was when they fled from Him Ps. 65.2 but ad factum carnem jam veniet omnis caro For since He dwelt amongst us all may resort unto Him Yea even Sinners and of them it is sayd Hic recipit peccatores Luc. 15.2.2 comedit cum eis He receiveth them receiveth them even to His Table A second hope that seeing He hath made our flesh His Tabernacle He will not suffer this of ours the same with that of His to fall downe quite and come to nothing the same He dwelleth in himselfe not to perish utterly but repaire it againe Psal. 16.9 and raise it out of the dust So that insuper Caro nostra requiescet in spe our very body may rest in hope to be restored againe and made like to His glorious bodie Phil. 3.21 A third that where it was flesh and bloud shall not inherit the Kingdome of God it is reversed flesh aâ—d bloud shall
some of us We have ABRAHAM to our father So they We have CHRIST to our SAVIOVR so we and make a short cutt and stepp to CHRIST streight and lay hold on Him by faith without any more adoe Thrust by Saint IOHN BAPTIST him and his repentance both Indeed so some goe but with more hast then good speed that vainely imagine to come to remission of sinnes per saltum over repentance head But it will not be Esai's qui crediderit ne festinet is good counsell in this sense Not to cast away all with making too much hast but take Saint IOHN in their way To him it is said Thou shalt goe before His face to prepare his way And but by that way he prepares Luc. 1.76 CHRIST will not be come to If he prepare one way and you goe another you will never come at CHRIST Therefore he wonders Quis ostendit who had shewed them any other way Saint IOHN knew it not CHRIST knew it not and I cannoâ— tell what to say but they that goe it I pray GOD it deceive them not But for this of no other way CHRIST Himselfe is more peremptorie then S. Iohn See you any Heare you of any that perish Nisi c. unlesse you repent Luc. 13. â— 5 and scape that way so shall you too that is flatt There is no iron no adamant bindes so hard as CHRIST 's Nisi If any but CHRIST had sayd it we might have sought some evasion Now when it is He that tells us there are but two wayes 1 Repent or 2 Perish choose you whither Repent heer for a time or Perish there under GOD 's wrath for ever Not to repent and not to perish is not possible Which Dilemma of CHRIST 's no way to be avoided makes of the twaine to choose this fruit of Repentance rather then to fall into the Wrath to come To flye to the one to flye from the other which otherwise we are of our selves but coldly affected to For though it be somewhat bitter this fruit yet sure we are if it were tenne times more the bitter paines of ira ventura are farre beyond it Now the Physique of the bodie and soule stand upon one Maxime both Melior est modica amaritudo in faucibus quà m aeternum tormentum in visceribus Better the bitter Electuarie then a burning Ague Better a short distaste in the mouth then a perpetuall torment in the bowells Better Repent NINIVE for fourtie Ion. 3.4 then no NINIVE at fourtie dayes end Shall we conclude then with the Psalmist Psal 34.32 What man is he that would deliver his Soule from the wrath to come And they all began at once to say That would I Yea even they that shall not escape it will yet say That would I. Why by the bringing or not bringing forth of this fruit all goes depends the comming or not comming of this wrath Comming if you doe not Not comming if you doe bring them forth Proferte fructus igitur And now we have been at the root downe-ward to come up ward to 1 the tree 2 the fruits 3 the worth of the fruites three points yet behind which will aske more time then is left Nay more then hath been alreadie spent and so the worke of some other time A word or two of Proferte and I have done First take it not this Proferte by way of advise 1. Proferte a Precept Mar. 1.21 Chap. 8.9 or as the wish of a well-willing friend No Saint IOHN delivers it quasi autoritatem habens as a Precept or Injunction the word will warrant it To say Do this belongs to authoritie the Centurion will tell you so and requireth obedience Do this and He doth it Then beside authority to enjoine us there is reason to conclude us It is not made a Proposition barely Doe It is beside a binding Conclusion Bring forth therefore 2. Proferte igitur a Conclusion whereto we in reason to conforme our selves and conclude we will so bring them Last besides both these it bindes the harder by the penaltie annexed to it 3. Proferte an injunction with a penaltie As you will avoid the wrath to come And falling into it you fall from the fruition of Heaven to the damnation of hell Which is poena poenarum the penalty of all penalties most penall This is the three-fold cord that bindes it about Let some or all of them prevaile with us to bring them forth But oft it falls out when we are agreed of the thing we are not so for the time 4. The Time now Proferte in the Present Tense Will we at all bring them forth If we will we will take some time to doe it in Some time yes that we all agree to At what time then It is not proponite or promittite purpose or promise to doe it hereafter to bring them forth but Proferte What Tense is proferte The Present Do it then in present It requires an act instantly to be done bring them forth out of hand This is a small note but it is no small matter to gett this small note borne well away to get our Repentance into the Present Tense Nay then it fitts neerer For to tell you the trueth as it is The word is not â—ring forth In the 〈…〉 at this time now then it should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Present But it is not It is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Aerist a â—ense the Latine hath not nor our Tongue nâ—ither It signifies rather Have done bringing forth rather then Bring forth presently And I would to GOD we had even done so had done bringing them forth for then all feare were past Ventura is to come but come it will and when we know not Both are yet to come for ought I see wrath and our fruict If the fruict come before the wrath come it is well But if the wrath come before the fruict come where are we then We are past recoverie But what speakes he to us of having done We have scarse yet begoon scarse sett the roote that should beare this fruict Well yet this shewes us it is time we were about it seeing Saint Iohn saith it is more then time we had done bringing them forth But well to take no advantage of that tense we wil be content with the present if we may obteine that And so would he have it now For now saith he is the axe layd to the root Now then or not at all Nay not now this is not a time we have appointed other businesse which we cannot put off Well one question more will make an end if not at this time at what time If not now when But then this must be set downe now before we stirr hence And so set downe as if it be not now it be as neer now as may be for feare ventura come not too soon and take tree and all This is sure the sooner the
A little before even in this very Chapter a withered hand was restored to another What could not they see a Signe in that neither Vers. 10. Goe backe to the Chapters before ye shall have no lesse then a dozen signes one after another and come they now with a Volumus videre They would have that shewed them that when it is shewed they will not see A bad minde this certeinly Vers. 38. 2. Nay worse yet Nay maliciously evill For ye shall note malice in them which is the worst kinde of evill For if ye marke this Volumus of theirs is with a kinde of spite with a kinde of disgrace to those he had shewed before They would see one as who should say those were none they had seene that was none they saw even now Maliciously If He shewed none then He was no bodie could not indeed shew any and so vilifie Him with the people If He shewed one then carp and cavill at it as they did at that even now Say it was done by the black art So cavill out one and call for another to deprave that too 3. Nay which is worst of all Evill and absurd men saith the Apostle And absurdly evill 2. Tim 3 13. Psal. 55.9 When is that Vidi iniquitatem contradictionem saith the Psalmist Ye shall see how absurdly they contradict themselves But even now they charged Him to worke by the devill and heer now they come and would have Him shew a miracle The devill cannot shew a miracle a tricke of Sorcerie he can Such may be done by the claw of the devill miracles not but by finger of God by power divine Him then Him whom they even now had pronounced to deale with the devill Him come they to now for a miracle So absurdly maliciouâ— as they cared not in their malice to contradict themselves To men so evill so maliciously evill so absurdly evill Signum non dabitur eis Well howsoever they might erre that way the men otherwise to be respected they were so vertuous men so streight livers See ye not their phylacteries how broad they weare them Nor that neither saith CHRIST but evill and adulterous too As of evill minds so of evill lives too Ye shall come now to the uncasing of a Pharisee For CHRIST lifts up their phylacteries and shewes what lurkes under them For by adulterous I understand not as if He charged them they were borne of adulterie came into the world the wrong way the seed of Canaan and not of Iuda As having nothing in them of the Patriarchs So nothing lesse then their children of whom they bare themselves so much This is adulterina rather then adultera children of the adulterers rather then adulterous themselves And that was no fault of theirs And CHRIST upbraideth no man but with his owne faults Nor I understand it not of spirituall adulterie though that way they might be charged as leaving Him the true Spouse the true Messias taking no notice of Him passing by Him went after such as had adulterate the truth of GOD by devises of their owne taking up Not with Idolatrie perhapps but which is as evill and differs but a letter with idiolatrie For to worship images and to worshipp men's own imaginations comes all to one That they were faulty of and I pray GOD we be free But this is mysticall adulterie and I would make as no more miracles so no more mysteries then needs I must For my part I see no harme to take the word in the native sense without figure for men given to commit that sin the sin of adulterie For for all their deepe fringes all was not well that way Ioh. 8.1 as is plaine by Iohn VIII Where not one of them durst take up a stone to cast at the woman taken in adulterie but slunck away one after another till there was not one left CHRISST toucheth upon that string to shew what heavenly men these were that would have a signe from heaven and none els serve them Were not these meet men to sue for a signe Were not a signe even cast away upon them A generation of such But this is not all For this they were saith our SAVIOVR not heer and there a man of them but the whole bunch was no better not the persons onely but the Generation so not a good of them all And such you shall observe there be Not onely such men but such Generations of men and faults suppose of lying swearing and such like rooted in a stocke kept even in traduce as it were and derived downe ab avis atavisque from the father to the sonne by many descents in a kinde of hereditarie propagation Pro. 30.11.12.13.14 Salomon in his time noted foure of them 1 One a generation unkind to their parents and their children so to them for it 2 Another pure in their owne eyes 3 A third of high eyebrowes 4 A fourth cruel hearted whose teeth were as knives to shred the poor of the earth shred them small Such were these and adulterie made way for such For ubi corrupta sunt semina where a generall corruption that way no good to be hoped for the Countrie will not last long By this Christ had said enough and shewed that non dabitur cis is a fit answer for these Now this ye shall marke the worse the men the more importune ever and the harder to satisfie They must have signes and signes upon signes and nothing will serve them As no lesse then foure severall times were they at Christ. 1 Heer 2 in the XVI Chapter 3 Mar. VIII 4 Luc. XI And still to see a signe As oft as they came Chap 16.4 Mar 8.11 Luc. 11.29 this had been their right answere to dispatch them with a Non dabitur and no more adoe Other answere let them have none Even absolutely none at all For none they should have had II The deniall qualified Non Nisi Yet saith He not None they shall have He wil be better to them then they deserve Christ wil be Christ Redit ad ingenium Forgetts now all He had said erewhile And an evill and an adulterous generation though they be yet a signe they shall have for all that Not simply None then but Non nisi None save the Negative is qualified so qualified as upon the matter it proves an Affirmative The Nisi destroyes the Non Non dabitur nisi that is dabitur So one they shall have Though not now presently at their volumus at their whistling as it were but after when He saw the time And though perhapps not such a one as they would have phansied yet such a one as they rather nâ—ed and would doe them more good that is one for their want not for their â—aâ—ton desires And that is the reason why none but it For no Signe needed but it For without others well they might be without this they or we could not well be For
draw water Esa. 12.3 then to draw blood from Him But indeed to looke well into the matter they cannot be separate they are mixt either is in other There is a mixure of the bloud in the water there is so of the water in the blood we can minister no water without blood nor blood without water In baptisme we are washed with water That water is not without blood The blood serves instead of nitre He hath washed us from our sinnes in His blood Apoc. 1.5 washed They made their robes white in the blood of the Lamp Apoc. 7.14 No washing no whiting by water without blood And in the Eucharist we are made drinke of the blood of the New Testament but in that blood there is water for the blood of CHRIST purifieth us from our sinnes 1. Ioh. 1.7 Now to purifie is a vertue properly belonging to water which yet is in the blood and purifying referrs to spotts not to guilt properly So either is in other Therefore the conceit of separation let it alone for ever To take heed then of dreining CHRIST 's water from his blood or abstracting his blood from his water of bringing in the Restringent sola into either Every one of us for his owne part thus to doe But howsoever men frame phansies to themselves as frame they will doe what we can that our doctrine be looked to we are not to teach IESVS CHRIST but That IESVS CHRIST that thus came in both That our Divinitie then on the one side be not waterish without all heart or comfort presenting CHRIST in water onely to make feâ—re where none is Nor on the other that we frame not our selves a Sanguine Divinitie voyd of fâ—are quite and bring in CHRIST all in blood blood and nothing els with little water or none at all for feare of Ex nimiâ spe desperatio Faith as it justifieth saith Saint Paul there is blood So it purifieth the heart saith Saint Peter Gal. 3.8 Acts 15.9 Rom. 8.20 1. Ioh. 3.3 there is water Hope as it saveth saith Saint Paul blood So it cleanseth saith Saint Iohn water In vaine we flatter our selves if they doe the one and not the other Doe we make grace of none effect that we may not Gal. 2. vlt. Doe we make the Law of none effect by faith that we may not neiâ—her Rom. 3.10 not this day specially the Feast of the Law and Spirit both but rather establish it Apoc. 15.4 Best if it could be sett right the Song of Moses and of the Lamb it is the harmonie of heaven Rom. 15.34 1. Ioh. 2.1 Ioh. 5.14 If we teach Ne peccetis water To teach also blood Si quis autem peccaverit with Saint Iohn If we say Salvus factus es blood to say Noli ampliuâ— peccare water withall with CHRIST himselfe This is that IESVS CHRIST and the true doctrine of Him neither diluta and so evill for the heart nor tentans caput and so fuming up to the head Neither Scammoniate tormenting the conscience nor yet Opiate stupifying it and making it senselesse And so much for CHRIST 's double comming II. The Spirits paâ—t Well when CHRIST is come and thus come may we be gone have we done Done we are yet in the middst of the verse before we make an end of it it must be Whitsontide The Spirit is to come too So a new qui venit that comes in both those and comes in the Spirit besides And a new non solùm not in water and blood onely but in the Spirit withall Not that CHRIST said not truly Consummmatum est that he hath not done all Yes Ioh. 19.30 to doe that was to be done CHRIST was enough needs no supplie The Spirit comes not â— His witnesse to doe comes but to testifie That inter alia is one of his Offices a A witnesse there is to be And a Witnesse is requisite There is no matter of weight with us if it be sped authentically especially a Testament but it is with a Teste And GOD doth none of His great workes but so of which this Comming is one even the greatest of all Neither of his Testaments Acts 14.17 without one As GOD in nature left not himselfe without witnesse saith the Apostle So neither CHRIST in Grace As then in the Old Testament Esay 8.20 Ad Legem testimonium saith Esay 8. So in the New Ad Evangelium testimonium to the Gospell to CHRIST and the testimonie calls Saint Iohn heere CHRIST also to have his Teste We to call for it and if it be called for of us to be hable to shew it A witnesse there needeth then and a witnesse there is One nay three b A witnesse there is nay three Deut. 17.6 In ore duorum that is in every matter nothing without two at least But in this so maine so high a matter God would enlarge the number have it in ore trium have it full no fewer then three three to His part three to ours At the ordering of it in heaven â—hree there were the 1 Father the 2 Word and 3 the Spirit that the whole Trinitie might be aequally interessed in the accomplishment of the worke of our salvation and it passe through all their hands And at the speeding it in earth three more 1 The Spiâ—it and 2 Water and 3 Bloud to answere them that all might goe by a Trinitie that Holy Holy Holy might be thrise repeated The truth heerin answereth to the type For under the Law nothing was held perfectly hallowed till it passed three the 1 cleansing watâ—r first the 2 sprincling of bloud second 3 and last that the holy oyle were upon it too the Holy oyle the Holy Ghost's type but when eny thing annointed with all three then had it his perfect halydome then it was holy indeed And even so passe we through three hands all 1 God's as men Water notes the Creation the heavens are of water and if they the rest God's â—s men 2 Christ's as Christen men Bloud notes the redemption 3 And the Spirit 's as Spirituall men which perteines to all If any be Spirituall he knowes this Gal. 6.1 Iud. 19. and you tâ—at be Spiâ—ituall doe this saith the Apostle For Christians that be animales Sâ—iâ—itum non habentes Saint Iude tells us there is no great reckoning to be made of them To let the other goe The Spiâ—it is a witnesse to IESVS CHRIST c Thâ— Sâ—iâ—it a 〈◊〉 1 〈…〉 that came in water and bloud Witnesse to IESVS CHRIST that came Witnesse to His water and blood He came in In a witnesse it is required He be Tâ—â—â—is idoneus will you see quà m idoneus how apt how every way agreeing The Sâ—irit and Iesus agree Iesus was conceived by the Spirit The Spirit and Christ agree in the word Christ is the Spirit For CHRIST is annointed Annointed with what â— To the waâ—â—r and 〈◊〉 He câ—me in
no sufficient ground make it common For the Manner with great regard Eccle. 8.1 2 For the Maâ—ner We must sweare to the Lord with all our heart They are highly praised that did so 1. Chro. 15.15 that is when they are to take an Oath they are to call togither the powers of their soule and with sad and serious deliberation to undertake it that is to doe it in Iudicio Therefore in the Law GOD maketh it the entrie Thou shalt feare the Lord thy GOD and shalt sweare by His Name that is with due feare and reverence thou shalt sweare For as GOD'S Name is holy not for every common matter so is it also reverend not with an unregarding affection to be taken in our mouthes To this end is it that the Church of GOD excludeth such persons from oaths as are presumed that in iudgement they cannot or will take them as persons already convict of periurie that they will not Those that are under yeares that they can not To this end also there have ever been used Ceremonies that by that meanes there might be a reverend regard stricken into the minde of the swearer Therefore the very Angels when they sweare doe it not without ceremonie but with lifting up their hands to heaven Dan. 12.7 Apoc. 10.5 The Patriarchs under the Law of Nature not without ceremonie but laying their hand on the thigh therein have reference to the incarnation of the Blessed Seed Gen. 24.3 and 47.29 The People of GOD under the Law came into the Temple and before the Altar 1. Reg. 8.31 and in the presence of the Priest Deut. 12.8 uncovered Numbers 5.18 so tooke their Oath all these serving to stir up their reverence that what they did they might doe in iudgement Therfore they are to be condemned that passionately sweare Eccl. 5.1 which Passion alwaies bereaveth men of iudgement either in anger as David which he repented of 1. Samuel 25.33 Or in desire as Saul which proved prejudiciall to him and his people 1. Samuel 14.28 And they that as not of any passion so without all manner of respect to avow any idle fond phansie of their owne even as it were water powre out the Name of GOD. And they yet more that not onely unadvisedly sometimes but continually as it were by a custome make it an interiection of filling for all their speeches and cannot utter one sentence without it yea which therby come to a diabetica passio of swearing that Oathes runne from them and they feele them not But above all they that are come to that pitch that even in contempt they swear and will swear and the rather because they be told of it These persons the Church of GOD hath so detested that they are excommunicate without sentence of any Iudge or Canon and Christian people forbidden to have any fellowship with them 3. In Iustice. In Iustitiâ As the Matter of the Oath is to be true and weighty and the Manner with due advise and iudgement so is it to be taken also to a good and iust end And of this there is to be had chiefe regard for that diverse times both false and rash Oathes are not hurtfull save to the swearer onely but these tend alway to some mischiefe beside the sinne of the swearing An Oath is of the nature of a Bond bindeth a man to do that he sweareth Now it is sinne enough to doe evill of it self but to bind himselfe to doe evill and to make the Name of GOD the Bond that is sinne out of measure sinfull GOD hath ordeined that onely for truth and right his Name should be used to abuse it to uphold falshood and to enforce men to evill dealing is to change a Sanctuarie and make it a brothel-house These we call Latronum iuramenta such Oathes as theeves and such kinde of persons take one of another For they doe not onely ioyne hand in hand as Salomon telleth us Proverbs 2â— 5 but doe even also by oath bind themselves to doe mischiefe Nehemiah 6 28 Tobiah the speciall hinderer of the Temple had many in Iuda his sworne 〈◊〉 1 Not of things impossible That aâ— Oath may be in iustice It is required that it be of a thing possible No man evâ—r required an Oath to an impossibilitie apparent So Abraham's sâ—rvant saith â—enesis 24. What if I cannot possibly get any maiden to comâ— with me Abraham's answer is then he shall be free from the oath So that if at the present it seeme possible otherwise not to be sworne to and after there doe emergere impossibile the partie is innocent The same is observed touching our knowledge for so the Law saith A man shall testifie that onely which he hath seene heard or knowen and more shall not be required of him So the law of Nature Levit. 5.1 onely de quibus sciam poteroque Now because as Ioseph well telleth us Nor unlawâ—ulnâ—sse Genesis 39.9 that we only can doe that which lawfully we can and Christian possibilitie implieth lawfulnesse that is the second point of In iustitia and the second Caveat Ne illicitum Which is either primâ facie as Saul's oath 1. Samuel 28.10 and Acts 23.14 Or it is likewise emergens as in Herod's oath at the first no harm being understood but after the demaund made it was sinne to keepe it So saith Ezra in the Law Secundùm Legem fiat Ezra 10.5 And Saint Paul in the Gospell Acts 23.3 They sit to judge secundùm id quod in Lege est Put these togither that we be required to sweare nothing but the truth In vâ—ritate that we doe it upon due advise and consideration In iudicio that we doe it but of those things we know can tel and of those wherto Law bindeth us There is no more required in a Christian oath This to be remembred because diverse which will be accounted Christians refuse in our daies the Oath which hath all her attendants If the Magistrate Mat 26.63 either Civill Exodus 22.8 Nehemiah 5.12 or Ecclesiasticall Numbers 5.19 1 Either by a curse where the partie is not knowen as Proverbs 29.24 Iudges 17.2 Leviticus 5.1 â— Or by tendering an oath and that againe double Either by way of adiuration I. Sam. 3.27 I. Reg. 22.16 2 Or by way of swoaring them as Exodus 22.11 Numbers 5.13 I. Reg. 8.31 I. Râ—g 18.10 Where the party is accused by complaint detection Genesis 3. presumption Genesis 4. common fame 1. Corinthians 5.4 He is bound to purge himselfe and satisfie the people in Adulterie Theft or any crime But what if it tend to his dammage or to the prejudice of his liberty Our rule is Qui potest ad paenam potest ad quae paena consequitur Therefore in a matter of life or limme we admitt not the Oath because no man can lawfully sweare to cast away or maime himself But a man may directly sweare to his losse in his goods as Genesis 25.33 and