in my praiers that the God of our Lord Iesus Christ the Father of Glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdome and revelation in the knowledge of him The eyes of your understanding being enlightened that yee may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the Glory of his inheritance in his Saints and what is the exceeding greatnesse of his Power to us ward who believe according to the working of his mighty Power which hee wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his owne right hand in the heavenly places farre above all principalities and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but also in the world which is to come Ephes 1. v. 15. 16. c. But the high price of the knowledge of these mysteries and the fervency of his prayers for attaining unto such knowledge are more pathetically exprest Phil. 3. v. 7. But what things were gaine to mee those I counted losse for Christ yea doubtlesse and I count all things but losse for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Iesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the losse of all things and doe count them but dung that I may winne Christ and be found in him not having mine owne righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by faith that I may know him and the power of his Resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death if by any meanes I might attaine unto the Resurrection of the dead 2 The considerations of these raptures of our Apostles joy and hope occasion or rather revive the reliques of my private sorrow and griefe even in this subject of publique joy and comfort For the bitterest and deepest sting which wordly crosses or multiplicitie of buisinesses or other vexations past have left in my thoughts is this That my portion for many yeares in all these respectively hath brought a necessity upon me either not at all or in my old and decaying daies to publish the fruits of my former labours in these great mysteries which to my apprehension had beene well set in my flourishing and vivid yeares or to borrow an expression from a more sacred and more authentique Author that the children of my desires should come now to the birth when there is least strength left to bring them forth yet was the Lord his comfort and strength who was the Author of this complaint and on the same Lords gracious goodnesse my weaknesse whether of memory judgment or expression shall repose it selfe As for the Articles of Christ's Resurrection and Ascention the ingenuous Reader cannot expect nor can I hope that I should say much which hath not been said before by many others especially in this ripe age of learning these being the theames or subjects of anniversary Sermons upon the solemne feasts unto which they properly belong as well in the Court as in the Vniversities and all other well ordered Churches throughout this Kingdome yet somewhat I must say concerning these two points as being ingaged to bring this long treatise concerning the knowledge of Christ and him crucified to some period 3 The true or Christian beliefe of any Article in the Creed includes somewhat more then an opinion more then a pious opinion or meere probability of its truth and the knowledge of the mysteries last mentioned in our Apostle's meaning or expression imports somewhat more then a meere beliefe of them more then such a beliefe or the sight or experiment of greatest miracles could produce or establish in most docile Auditors whether of our Saviour Christ himselfe or of his Apostles for even the best most docile of the Disciples or Apostles which had been ear-witnesses of his heavenly Doctrine and eie-witnesses of all his miracles from his baptisme or temptation in the wildernesse unto his reposall in the grave did not know halfe so much concerning the mysteries of his Crosse of his passion and bloody death before his Resurrection as they did after it nor did they so well understand so much of the power and vertue of his Resurrection it selfe for many dayes after their experience of the truth of it as they did after his Ascention into heaven and the descension of the holy Ghost upon them by whose efficacious inspiration or operation in their hearts and soules the knowledge of all the fore-mentioned Articles was much increased and their beliefe of the meanest matters which did concerne Christ much better rooted and strengthened then it had been before his glorification His placing at the right hand of God in his throne of majesty did crowne their former beliefe and glorious hopes with fresh joy and comfort 4 Wherein the knowledge of Christ and the knowledge of other subjects whether philosophicall or mathematicall or in other termes wherein the faculty of Theology and sciences properly so called agree or differ hath been discust at large in the seventh Booke of these commentaries and in the fourth We are then properly said to know any effect or conclusion in sciences properly so called or so reputed when we discerne the true cause why it is so and are assured that it cannot be otherwise And we are then said to know Christ and him crucified according to the scale of speculative knowledge when we can discerne the sweet harmony betweene the evangelicall relations or matters related by the Apostles concerning Christ the predictions of the Prophets or prefigurations by matters of fact in the Law or legall services or in sacred histories Againe as in sciences properly so called there is a regresse or knowledge of the cause by the effect of the effect by the cause So there is a two-fold knowledge of Christ the one speculative such as hath beene described before the other which is the better practicall or experimentall which later is better resembled by morall philosophy then by naturall experiments or mathematicall conclusions 5 This experimentall knowledge of Christ and of the mysteries whereof we treate consists in that solid impression which the fore-mentioned speculative knowledge being liniamented in our brains doth by the finger of God that is by his holy spirit ingrave in our hearts and instampe upon our affections I must beginne with the speculative knowledge of these two Articles concerning the Resurrection and Ascention of the Sonne of God and conclude with the practicall or experimentall 6 The conclusions or declarations of these mysteries are set downe by the foure Evangelists didistinctly and accurately both for substance and historicall circumstances and their severall references to former Scriptures avouched not only by them but by other of the Apostles in their canonicall writings especially by S. Paul in his Epistles to the Ephesians Colossians Corinthians and to the Hebrewes The Evangelicall declaration of this great mystery with the manner how the beliefe or
them It was by so much the welcomer by how much the accomplishment of it was lesse thought on 7 But were these two great Apostles altogether without blame in that before this time they knew not the Scripture that Christ was to rise from the dead They might be more capable or worthy of blame then we to lay any blame upon them wherefore not to pronounce what I think of them much lesse to determine any thing concerning them I must make bold to be the Reader 's remembrancer of that which our Saviour himselfe immediately after his Resurrection said unto two of his Disciples which did doubt of the truth of it albeit they had heard it in a sort testified the story is Luk. 24. 22. 23. Gertaine women of our company say those two Disciples which went with our Saviour to Emmaus made us astonished which were early at the Sepulcher And when they found not his body they came saying that they had also seene a vision of Angels which said that he was alive And certaine of them which were with us went to the Sepulcher and found it even so as the women had said but him they saw not Then hee said unto them O fooles and slow of heart to believe all that the Prophets have spoken Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory How farre S. Peter and S. Iohn were lyable to this censure of the supreame Iudge that I leave for him to determine S. Iohn from this time did expressely believe Christ's Resurrection So did not S. Peter till afterwards if we may believe the collections of cardinall Tollet upon this place 8 The point which from our Saviour's words unto these Discipels Luk. 24. and from our Evangelist's confession of himselfe in the 9. ver of the 20. Chap. I would commend unto the Reader 's consideration is this that our Saviour's Resurrection from the dead was fore-signified and might haue beene fore-knowne not from one or two places of Scripture only but from many from the current of that which Moses and the Prophets had written So it followes Luk. 24. 27. Beginning at Moses and all the Prophets he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himselfe And when S. Iohn saith that the Disciples as yet knew not the Scriptures this is more then if hee had said that they knew not the Scriptures that hee must rise againe from the dead The phrase imports as much as if the whole drift and scope of Scripture was to fore shadow setforth or exemplifie the power and vertue of Christ's Death and Resurrection from the Dead CHAP. 30. That the Death and Resurrection of the Sonne of God was aenigmatically fore-told in the first promise made to our Father Adam and our Mother Eve That his Resurrection was exquisitely prefigured by Isaac's escape from death and the Propagation of his Kingdome after his Resurrection by the strange increase or multiplication of Isaac's seede A parallel betwixt our Saviour and Ioseph in their affliction and exaltation THe truth of our Saviour's Resurrection is necessarily though but aenigmatically included in the first promise made to mankind Gen. 3. ver 15. And I will put enmity betweene thee and the woman and betweene her seede and thy seed it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel This sacred oracle as hath been to diverse purposes before observed includes a literall and an emblematicall ormysticall sense To the present purpose by the heele of this womans seed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some of the ancients understand the Humanity of our Saviour and not amisse so it doe not point out the similitude too precisely The warrantable punctuall meaning of the place is thus As a bruise in the heele to an ordinary man is not deadly so neither was death it selfe unto our Saviour because he was God as well as man and by the vertue of his divine power could as easily recover life againe after he had been put to death as a strong body whose vitall or internall parts are whole and sound can recover health after some bruise in the heele or other infirmity in his outward or extream parts but so could not Saran recover the blow which our Saviour by his Sufferings gave him in the head hee hath been ever since diminuti capit is deprived of his wonted power and dispossessed of such as were before his captives So saith our Saviour Ioh. 12. ver 31. Now is the judgment of this world now shall the Prince of this world be cast out And I if I be lift up from the earth will draw all men unto me And his drawing of men unto him was a drawing of them out of Satan's bondage and dominion So that Lucifer as wee may hence gather had a two-fold fall The one from heaven or his sear of Angelicall glory when hee sought to be like God his Creator The other from his power or dominion over this inferior world or morrall men And this befell him by seeking to make the Sonne of God more miserable than other men by attempting to have him lifted up upon the Crosse as the brasen Serpent was in the wildernesse The same nailes that nailed our Saviour's feete to the Crosse did pierce the old Serpent's head In briefe Christ was to crush the old Serpent's head by conquering death and death could not be fully conquered but by dying So that when it offered it selfe unto our Saviour he was to meete with it and to fight with it not a farre off but hand to hand yea to close with it and to receive the utmost force and power of it in every part Not thus throughly to have tasted it had beene to eschew it or to have fled from it not to have conquered it But thus to abide the extremity of it to receive the full dint of all the blowes that death and hell or all the powers of darknesse could reach mortality and yet to put all off or rather to redouble their forces upon themselves was truly to subdue death and him that had the power of death This is our Apostle's inference Heb. 2. ver 14. For asmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood He also himselfe likewise tooke part of the same that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death that is the Divell 2 Our Saviour as some of the ancients have wittily said did as it were bait his divinity with his humanity that hee might catch Satan in his owne net or with his owne hook Satan being by nature an immortall spirit did take upon him the bodily shape of a Serpent to beguile the first woman and our Saviour being the eternall Spirit and Sonne of God did take our flesh that is the womans seed upō him thereby to deceive or intrappe the great Tempter For unlesse the Godhead had been invested with the weaknesse of mortall flesh the old Serpent would not have so desperately adventured his
for seeing the first-lings of the heards though offered in sacrifice unto the Lord could not sanctify the use of their flocks unto them but the use of every dumbe creature was to be sanctified unto them by a sacrifice of one of the same kind As the use of their Lambes or Sheepe was to be hallowed by the sacrifice of a firstling-male Lambe and so the goates by the firstling-male kid and their oxen and cattell by the sacrifice of the firstling calves or bullocks who could in reason expect that the sacrifice of a Lambe of a Kid of a Bullock or any other dumbe creature should be a sufficient price for the Redemption of their first borne males or able to sanctifie or consecrate both male and female in their severall families unto the Lord Hee that sanctifies and they that are sanctified are all of one saith the Apostle Men were to be redeemed and sanctified by man and if the first borne male in every family had been sacrificed for the rest this would have made no satisfaction no sanctification seeing the first born was by nature as uncleane as the rest and every dumbe creature which was by Law uncleane and could not be sacrificed was to be redeemed by the sacrifice of a firstling-male which was by its kind cleane as the asse because it was by its kind unclean was to be redeemed that is the use of it was to be sanctified or made lawfull unto its owner by the sacrifice of a firstling Lambe 2 But who amongst all the first borne of women was in his kind or by nature cleane Not one besides the Sonne of the blessed Virgin who was likewise the only Son of God It is hee alone that was to redeeme and sanctifie the rest of mankind which were all by nature uncleane And with reference to the former Law our Apostle instiles him primogenitus omnis creatura the first borne of every creature Coloss 1. 15. Now though it be most true that Christ was before all things that all things were created by him whether visible or invisible that all things consist by him as hee is the only Son of God begotten of his Father before all Worlds yet this is not the true and full meaning of that most sacred maxime Est primogenitus omnis creature he is the first borne of every creature One part of the Apostle's meaning in that admirable passage 1. Coloss 13. to the 20. is that unlesse Christ had been the Son of God from eternity all fulnesse could not have dwelled in him nor could he have had preheminence in all things which the Apostle there mentions Another part of the Apostle's meaning there is that in the same Christ as man it pleased God that all fulnesse should dwell and that as man he should in all things have the preheminence and in as much as all fulnesse dwelleth in him as man and that in all respect he hath preheminence he is likewise as man the first-borne of every creature that is all the prerogatives which the first-borne males had before the after-borne or females are contained in his prerogative and fulnesse as man Now as the first-born males amongst the offsprings of dumbe creatures did sanctifie all the rest of the same kind So Christ as man doth sanctifie all things make all things acceptable unto God which are capable of sanctification or acceptance As man likewise hee had all the prerogatives of the first-borne in the families of the Patriarchs which were especially two The Priesthood and the principalitie or civill dominion over their brethren and posteritie For Christ as man is made both King and Priest and albeit Abraham Isaac and the Patriarchs and Melchisedech who blessed Abraham were both Kings and Priests over their families and children yet these prerogatives they had by a solemne right derived from him which was to come who was to be a Priest after the order of Melchisedech Againe in respect of the character of the first borne male or of that which gave it the prerogative of the after-borne he hath the preheminence for he opened the wombe or matrix in such a manner as no creature had done or shall doe after him for he was made true man and truly borne of a woman yet not begotten by any man And albeit Melchisedech Abraham and David were dead long before he was conceived by the holy Ghost long before he was born or made man of a woman though he be truly enstiled the seed of Abraham and the Sonne of David which for this reason were of necessity to be before him Yet this precedency was a precedency only of time a precedency in respect of this mortall and miserable life In respect of that better life he hath the precedency even of time for he is the Father of the World to come and as our Apostle hath it 1. Coloss 18. He is the first borne or first begotten from the dead that in all things hee might have the prehemi nence 3 Christ by his divine Power had raised the widowes sonne of Naim and his freind Lazarus the one some two yeares the other but a few dayes before from death to life but neither of them nor any before them which had been so raised could be truly said to be begotten from the dead but rather begotten to die againe for to be borne and begotten from the dead includes an everlasting freedome from the power or approach of death as it is in the hymne for the morning prayer upon Easter day Christrising againe from the dead now dyeth not death from henceforth hath no power upon him According to this notion or importance of primogenitus ex mortuis of being the first borne or first begotten from the dead Christ hath the prehe minence every way hee was the first in order of time and was raised from death to an endlesse life Hee was the only prime in respect of power or causalitie whosoever thus hath been or shall be raised or begotten from death to an immortall life is thus raised and begotten by vertue of Christ's Resurrection Albeit the soules of Abraham of Moses and David c. were before this time seated in blisse Yet were not their bodies so much as capable of dowry oâ— joynture with them in the state of blisse before such time as the Sonne of God was thus begotten from the dead yea might the soules of those and other righteous men have looked upon their bodies oâ— reliques in the dust they would have loathed their company and abhorred cohabiration with them as being things polluted and uncleane 4 How cleane or well winnowed soever the corne were before it was sowne yet the offspring of it after it dyed in the ground was uncleane The use of greene eares was not lawfull unto this people untill the first fruits were offered up unto the Lord. In like manner albeit Abraham Moses and David were justified whil'st they lived in the flesh even sanctified persons through beliefe in Christ which
sting or teeth upon the Godhead as he did But whilst he sought to swallow the bait of his flesh hee hath lost his sting hee hath broken his teeth and spoiled his jawes by medling with the Godhead 3 But more plainely by much was our Saviour's Resurrection and victory over death fore-pictured by Isaac's narrowescape from death Gen. 22. 9. The Altar was built on purpose for him the wood was couched and Isaac fast bound upon it the knife was in his Father's hand whose arm was stretched forth to strike him But God by his Angell and a voice from heaven delivers him from this imminent danger as it is v. 11. 12. This only Son of Abraham this child of promise the only hope or pledge of that promised seede which was expected from the beginning was to come thus neere unto death and yet to be delivered from it that the faith of Abraham concerning the Death and Resurrection of Christ the promised seed might be tried or rather that by his triall our Saviour's Death and Resurrection might be truly represented or fore-pictured by Isaac's danger and delivery So saith the Apostle Heb. 11. 17. 18. 19. By faith Abraham when he was tried offered up Isaac and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten Sonne of whom it was said that in Isaac shall thy seed be called Accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead from whence also he received him in a figure to wit of the Reâ—urrection of Christ or the promised seed 4 The later part of this promise belongs meerly and properly unto Christ in whom alone it could be fulfilled For the more in number Abraham's children according to the flesh were before the promised seed did come and the greater their temporall prosperity or happinesse were the worse it must needs goe with other Nations or kindreds of the earth If the Messias or promised seed should have erected such a temporall Kingdome here on earth as the Iewes expected the Nations of the earth could not have beene blessed in him as God promised by Oath to Abraham for it is no part of happinesse but rather misery to have the Iewes or seed of Abraham according to the flesh for their Lords and Masters 5 Notwithstanding the former promise was in part fulfilled in the mighty increase of Abraham's posterity by Sarah this was a pledge of the later part which was to be fulfilled in Christ Through faith saith the Apostle Sarah received strength to conceive seed and was delivered of acâ—ild when shee was past age because shee judged him faithfull who had promised Therefore sprang there even of one and him as good as dead so many as the starres of the â—kie in multitude and as the sand which is by the Sea shore innumerable Heb. 11. v. 11. 12. 6 It was one of the great wonders of the world that from a woman that had been barrentill after fourscore yeares of age there should proceed above six hundred thousand men within lesse theÌ„ four hundred yeares Thâ—miracle notwithstanding had been lesse if her children had been more but she brought forth no more sonnes then Isaac and this mighty Nation did spring from Iacob who was but one branch of Isaac â— Sarah was as good as dead when she conceived Isaac and Isaac himself was at death's doore before he gave life to others So powerfull is God to raise strength out of weaknesse and to make the barren a fruitfull Mother of many children How beit this wonderfull increase of Sarah's or Isaac's posterity was but a shadow a draught or mappe of that great miracle which was to be exhibited in the promised seed More admirable it was that the blessed Virgin should beare a Sonne then that Sarah should conceive More strange and miraculous that Christ being put to death should become the Father of more people then Isaac had beene Yet this wee see hath God performed For since his Resurrection hee hath begotten more sonnes to God throughout the Nations then all the children of Abraham or Isaac according to the flesh 7 This miraculous birth of the Church and this mighty increase of her children the Lord did as it were point out to future ages in the fore-mentioned increase of Sarah's posterity that the world might know the body or substance when it should appeare by the picture which hee had made of it And that Abraham's posteritie according to the flesh might stedfastly believe the spirituall promise by the temporall pledge Of which pledge every one of them was a part 8 To this end and purpose saith God himselfe by his Prophet Esay Chap. 51. v. 12. He or ken to mee yee that follow after righteousnesse yee that seeke the Lord Looke unto the Rock whence yee are hewen and to the hole of the pit whence yee are digged Looke unto Abraham your Father and to Sarah that bare you for I called him alone and blessed him and in creased him 9 It was more remarkably true of us Chrstians whether the poore remnant of the sonnes of Abraham according to the flesh which were converted or of us Gentiles the seed of Iaphet then it was of the Israelites which were borne in Egypt Wee were not the greatest but the least of all people or Nations It was not our owne wit or strength made us so great a Nation as we are But the Lord our God which loved Abraham loved us in Christ and bestowed the blessing of Isaac in fuller measure upon us It was his power his love and wisdome that did thus multiply and increase us The Rock whence we were hewen and the hole of the pit whence we were digged was our Saviour's grave After his death saith the Evangelist S. Luke Chap. 23. v. 52. 53. Ioseph of Ariâ—â—t 〈…〉 t to Pilat and begged the body of Iesus and tooke it downe and wrapped it in linnen and laid it in a Sepulchre that was hewen in stone wherein man never before was laid 10 This Rock was the quarrie out of which the whole Church of God which is now spread farre and wide over the face of the whole earth was digged Our Saviour's Resurrection from the dead was the first opening of it And by vertue of his Resurrection such as were dead in sinnes and trespasses such as without it should have consumed to dust in the grave are become living stones even Pillars in the house of God Abraham's children according to proâ—â—se for out of stones hath God raised up children ante Abraham 11 This Application of the Type is warranted by the Prophet Esay Chap. 53. v. 8. Hee was taken from prison and from judgment and who shall declare his generation What generation did the Prophet meaneâ— The eternall generation of the son of God So indeed some of the ancients have interpreted this place and too many moderne interpreters have herein followed them But this were to runne-counter upon the Text. No print or footstep of the Prophet's progresse in this