Gods eyes We are vnder the wrath of God by nature and can not attaine to euerlasting life of our selues Wherefore it doth stand euery one of vs in hand to abase our selues vnder the mightie hand of God in that we are become by our sinnes the very basest of all the creatures vpon earth yea vtterly to dispaire in respect of our selues and with bleeding hearts to bewaile our owne cases There is no daunger in this it is the very way to grace none can be a liuely member of Christ till his conscience condemne him and make him quite out of heart in respect of himselfe And the want of this is the cause why so fewe perceiue any sweetnesse or comfort in the Gospell and why it is so little loued and embraced now a daies Lastly if all mankind be shut vp vnder vnbeleefe the dutie of euery man is to labour in vsing all good meanes whereby we may be deliuered from this bondage and to pray to God with Dauid Create in me a â—lâ—an heart O God and renew a right spirit within me And crie out with Paul O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from this bodie of death And we must neuer be at rest till we haue some assurance in conscience that in Christ we haue freedome from this bondage and can with the Colossians giue thanks that we are deliuered from the power of darknesse and translated into the kingdome of Christ. This should be the affection of euery man because the spirituall thraldom vnder sinne is of all miseries most loathsome and burdensome And in this respect the day of death should be vnto vs most welcome because it doth vnloose vs from this miserable estate in which we doe almost nothing but displease God For this is the greatest griefe that can be to such as are indeed the children of God by their sinnes to offende their mercifull father As for those which feele not the weight of their natural guiltinesse and corruption but lie slumbring in the securitie of their owne hearts they are therefore the more miserable in that beeing plunged in the gulfe of all miserie yet they feele no miserie Thus much of the permission of the fal of man Now we come to the Couenant of grace Which is nothing els but a compact made betweene God man touching reconciliation and life euerlasting by Christ. This couenant was first of all reuealed and deliuered to our first parents in the garden of Eden immediately after their fall by God himselfe in these wordes The seede of the woman shall bruise the serpents head and afterward it was continued and renued with a part of Adams posteritie as with Abraham Isaac Iacob Dauid c. but it was most fully reuealed accomplished at the comming of Christ. In the Couenant I will consider two things the parties reconciled between whome the Couenant is made and the foundation thereof The parties are God and man God is the principal and he promiseth righteousnesse and life eternall in Christ Man againe bindes himselfe by Gods grace to beleeue and to rest vpon the promise Here it may be demanded why man is more in the couenant then angels Ans. The will of God in this point is not reuealed vnlesse it be because angels fell of themselues not mooued by any other but man did fall by them Againe it may be asked whether all mankind were euer in the couenant or no Ans. We can not say that all and euery man hath bin and nowe is in the couenant but onely that little part of mankinde which in all ages hath bin the Church of God and hath by faith embraced the couenant as Paul plainly auoucheth The scripture saith he hath concluded all vnder sin that the promise of the saith of Iesus Christ should be giueÌ„ not vnto all men but to theÌ„ that beleeue Without faith no man can please God and therefore God makes no couenant of reconciliation without faith Againe since the beginning of the world there hath bin alwaies a distinction betweene man and man This appeares in the very tenour of the words of the couenant made with our first parents where God saith he will put difference betweene the seede of the woman and the seede of the serpent meaning by the seede of the woman Christ with all the elect whome the father hath giuen vnto him who shall bruise the serpents head and tread Satan vnder their feete And by the seede of the serpent he meaneth wicked men that liue die in their sinnes as S. Iohn saith he that committeth sinne is of the deuil And according to this distinction in times following was Abel receiued into the couenant and Cain reiected some were the sonnes of God in the daies of Noe some the sonnes of men In Abrahams family Ismael is cast out and the couenant established in Isaac Iacob is loued Esau is hated And this distinction in the families of Abraham Isaac and Iacob Paul approoueth when he maketh some to be the children of the flesh and some other the children of the promise And againe the Iewes a people of God in the couenant the Gentiles no people For Paul makes it a priuiledge of the Iewes to haue the adoption and couenants and the seruice of God and the promises belonging vnto them whereas he saith of the Ephesians that they were alients from the common wealth of Israel and were straungers from the couenants of promise and had no hope and were without Christ and without God in the world And the same may be said of the whole bodie of the Gentiles excepting here and there a man who were conuerted and became Proselytes And this is manifest in that they wanted the word and the Sacraments teachers And this saying of the prophet Ose I will call them my people which were not my people and her belooued which was not beloued is alleadged by Paul to prooue the calling of the Gentiles Some doe alleadge to the contrarie that when the couenant was made with our first parents it was also in them made with al mankind not one man excepted that the distinction and difference betweene man and man ariseth of their vnbeleefe and contempt of the couenant afterward Ans. Indeed in the estate of Innocency Adam by creation receiued grace for himselfe and his posteritie and in his fall he transgressed not onely for himselfe but for all his posteritie but in receiuing of the couenant of grace it cannot be prooued that he receiued it for himselfe and for all mankind nay the distinction betweene the seede of the woman and the seede of the serpent mentioned in the very first giuing of the couenant shewes the contrarie for if after the fall all and euery part of mankinde were receiued into the couenant then all men without restraint should be the seed of the woman bruising the serpents head and the serpent should haue no seede at all And againe
Adam lastly as it is a farre greater matter by death to ouercome death and to turne it into eternal life then to commaunde that to exist and be which was not before so is the worke of redemption begunne in the birth of Christ more vnspeakable and admirable then the first creation of man Hereupon not 6. cherubims as in the vision of Isaiah not 24. elders as in the Apocalyps but a great multitude of Angels like armies were heard to praise God at the birth of Christ and no doubt the like sight was not seene since the beginning of the worlde And the Angels by their example put vs in minde to consider aright of this benefit and to praise God for it But alas this practise is very rare in this fruitlesse and barren age of the worlde where sinne and iniquitie abounds as may be seene by experience for by an old custome we retaine still in the Church the feast of the natiuitie of Christ so commonly called which neuerthelesse is not spent in praising the name of God who hath sent his sonne from his owne bosome to be our redeemer but contrariwise in rifling dicing carding masking mumming and in all licentious libertie for the most part as though it were some heathen feast of Ceres or Bacchus Secondly Christ was conceiued and borne in bodily manner that there might be a spirituall conception and birth of him in our hearts as Paul saith My little children of whome I trauell till Christ he formed in you and that is when we are made newe creatures by Christ and performe obedience to our creatour When the people said to Christ that his mother and his brethren sought him he answered He that doth the will of God is my brother my sister and mother Therefore let vs goe with the sheapheards to Bethlehem and finding our blessed Sauiour swadled and lying in the cratch let vs bring him thence and make our owne hearts to be his cradle that we may be able to say that we liue not but Christ liues in vs and let vs present vnto him our selues our bodies soules as the best gold mirrhe and frankincense that may be and thus conceiuing him by faith he remaining without chaunge wee shall be chaunged into him and made bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh The world I know neuer so much as dreameth of this kinde of conception and birth for as Dauid saieth Men trauell with wickednesse conceiue mischiefe and bring forth a lie And S. Iames saith Men are drawne away by their owne concupiscence which when it hath conceiued bringeth forth sinne And these are the ougly and monstrons birthes of these daies But let vs I pray you contrariwise waile and mourne for the barrennes of our hearts that doe so little conceiue the grace of Christ in heart and bring it forth in action The mother of Christ vndoubtedly was a blessed woman but if shee had not as well conceiued Christ in her heart as shee did in her wombe shee had not bin saued and no more can wee vnlesse doe the same The birth of Christ to them that haue touched hearts is the comfort of coÌ„forts and the sweetest balme or confection that euer was Behold say the Angel to the sheâ—pheards we bring tidings of great ioy that shall be to all people but wherein standes the ioy they adde further vnto you this daie is borne in the citiâ— of Dauid a Sâ—uiour which is Christ the Lord. And no maruel for in that birth is manifested the good will of God to man and by it we haue peace first with God secondly with our selues in conscience thirdly with the good Angels of God fourthly with our enemies lastly with al the creatures For this cause the Angels sang Peace on earth good will towards men In the last place the Creede notes vnto vs the parent or mother of Christ the Virgine Mary And here at the verie first it may be demanded howe hee could haue either father or mother because he was figured by Melchisedech who had neither father nor mother Ans. Melchisedech is said to be without father and mother not because he had none at all For according to the ancient and receiued opinion it is very likely that he was Sem the sonne of Noe but because where hee is mentioned vnder this name of Melchisedech in the 14. chapter of Genes there is no mention made of Father or Mother and so Christ in some sort is without father or mother as he is man he hath no father as he is God he hath no mother And whereas Christ is called the sonne of Ioseph it was not because hee was begotten of him but because Ioseph was his reputed father or which is more because he was a legall father namely according to the Iewes lawes in that as sundrie diuines think he was the next of his kin and therefore to succeede him as his lawfull heire Mary became the mother of Christ by a kind of calling thereto which was by an extraordinarie message of an angel concerning the conception birth of Christ in and by her to which calling and message shee condescended saying Behold the handmaid of the Lord be it vnto me according to thy worde And hereupon she conceiued by the holy ghost This being so it is more then sensles folly to turne the salutatioÌ„ of the angel Haile freely beloued c. into a praier For it is as much as if we should stil call her to become a mother of Christ. And shee must be held to be the mother of whole Christ God and man therfore the ancient Church hath called the mother of God yet not the mother of the godhead Furthermore the mother of Christ is described by her qualitie a virgin and by her name Mary Shee was a virgine first that Christ might be conceiued without sinne and be a perfect Sauiour secondly that the saying of the prophet Esay might be fulfilled Behold a virgine shall conceiue beare a sonne according as it was foretold by God in the first giuing of the promise the seede of the woman not the seede of the man shall bruise the serpents heade Nowe the Iewes to elude the most pregnant testimonie of the prophet saie that Alma signifies not a virgin but a young woman which hath knowne a man But this is indeede a forgerie For Esay there speakes of an extraordinary worke of God aboue nature whereas for a woman hauing knowne man to conceiue is no wonder And the word Alma through the whole bible is taken for a virgin as by a particular search will appeare As Maâ—ie conceiued a virgin so it may be well thought that shee continued a virgine to the ende though wee make it no article of our faith When Christ was vpon the crosse hâ—e commended his mother to the custodie of Iohn which probably argueth that she had no child to whose care and keeping shee might be coÌ„meÌ„ded
I answer that they to whome Christ came not neither hath spoken vnto them haue an excuse not of euery sinne but of this sinne that they haue not beleeued in Christ. Againe It remaines to inquire whether those who before Christ came in his Church to the Gentiles and before they heard his Gospell haue bin or are preuented by death may vse this excuse Doubtles they may but they shall not therefore escape damnation For whosoeuer haue sinned without the law shall perish without the law As for the reasons which some of the schoolemen haue alleadged to the contrarie they are answered all by men of the same order and I will briefly touch the principall First it is obiected that the holy Ghoâ—t shall iudge the world of sinne because they haue not beleeued in Christ Ioh. 16.9 I answer that by the world we must not vnderstand all and euery man since the creation but all nations and kingdomes in the last age of the world to whome the Gospel was reuealed Thus hath Paul expounded this word Rom. 11.12 The fall of them is the riches of the world and the diminishing of them is the riches of the Gentiles v. 15. The casting of them away is the reconciling of the world Secondly it is obiected that the law binds all men in conscience though the greatest part of it be vnknowne to them Answ. The law was once giuen to Adam and imprinted in his heart in his first creation and in him as beeing the roote of all mankind it was giuen to all men and as when he sinned all men sinned in him so when he was enlightened all were enlightned in him and consequently when his conscience was bound by the law all were bound in him And though this knowledge be lost by mans default yet the bond remaines still on Gods part Now the case is otherwise with the Gospel which was neuer written in mans nature but was giuen after the fall and is aboue nature Here a further replie is made that the couenant made with Adam The seede of the woman shal bruise the serpents head was also made with his seede which is all mankind and was afterward continued with Abraham to all nations I answer again that Adam was a root of mankind onely in respect of mans nature with the gifts and sinnes thereof he was no roote in respect of grace which is aboue nature but Christ the second Adam And therefore when God gaue the promise vnto him and faith to beleeue the promise he did not in him giue them both to all mankinde neither if Adam had afterward fallen from faith in the Messias should all mankind againe haue fallen in him Moreouer that the promise of grace was not made to Adams seede vniuersally but indefinitely it appeares because when God did afterward renew the couenant he restrained it to the familie of Noe and Abrahamâ— and in Abrahams familie it was restrained to Isaac In Isaac saith the Lord shall thy seede be called yea in the very tenour of the couenant there is a distinction made of the seede of the woman and the seede of the serpent which seede of the serpent is a part of mankind and it is excluded from the couenant And whereas the Lord promised to Abraham that in his seede all the nations of the earth should be blessed the promise must not be vnderstood of all men in euery age but of all nations in the last age of the world And thus Paul hath cleared the text Gal. 3. 8. The Scripture foreseeing that God would iustifie the Gentiles through faith which was done after Christs ascension he preached before the Gospel to Abraham In thee shall nations be blessed Lastly it may be obiected that if any man be ignorant of the doctrine of saluation by Christ it is through his owne fault it is true indeede that all ignorance of the doctrine of saluation comes through mans fault sinne but sinne must be distinguished it is either personall or the sinne of mans nature Now in them that neuer heard of Christ their ignorance in this point proceedes not of any personall sinne in them but onely from the sinne of mans nature that is the first sinne of Adam common to all mankinde which sinne is punished when God leaues men wholly to themselues Now many things there be in men proceeding from this sinne which neuerthelesse are no sinnes as the manifold miseries of this life and so I take the ignorance of things aboue mans nature altogether vnreuealed to be no sinne but a punishment of originall sinne Thus much of the persons which are bound by the Gospel now let vs see how farre forth they are bound by it God in the Gospell generally reueales two points vnto vs the first that there is perfect righteousnes and life euerlasting to be obtained by Christ the second that the instrument to obtaine righteousnes and life eternall is faith in Christ. Moreouer when this Gospel is dispensed and preached vnto vs God reueales vnto vs two points more the first that he will make vs particularly to be partakers of true righteousnes and life euerlasting by Christ the secoâ—d that he will haue vs without doubting to beleeue thus much of our selues And for this cause euery man to whome the Gospel is reuealed is bound to beleeue his owne election iustification sanctification and glorification in and by Christ. The reasons and grounds of this point out of the word of God are these I. 1. Ioh. 3.23 This is his commandement that we beleeue in the name of his Sonne Iesus Christ and loue one another as he gaué vs commandement Now to beleeue in Christ is not confusedly to beleeue that he is a Redeemer of mankind but withall to beleeue that he is my Sauiour and that I am elected iustified sanctified and shall be glorified by him This is graunted of all men yea of the Papists themselues which otherwise are enemies of this doctrine For Lumberd saith To beleeue in God is by beleeuing to loue and as it were to goe into God by beleeuing to cleaue vnto him and as it were to be incorporate into his members II. Paul Gal. 2. 16. â—irst of all propounds a generall sentence That a man is not iustified by the workes of the law but by the faith of Christ. Afterward he addes a speciall application Euen we namely Iewes haue beleeued in Iesus Christ that we might be iustified by the faith of Iesus Christ and in v. 20. he descends more specially to applie the Gospel to himselfe I liue saith he by the faith of the Sonne of God who hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me And in this kinde of application there is nothing peculiar to Paul for in this very action of his he auoucheth himselfe to be an example vnto vs 1. Tim. 1. 16. For this cause saith he was I receiued to mercie that Iesus Christ should shew first on me all long suffering vnto the ensample of them which
before the hoorehead and honour the person of the old man and dread thy God I am the Lord. To meete him that commeth towards vs. Gen. 18.2 And he lifted vp his eies and looked and loe three men stood by him and when he saw them hee ranne to meete them from the tent doore 1. King 2. 19. When Bethsheba came to speake to king Solomon the king rose to meete her and bowed himselfe vnto her To bowe the knee Mark 10.17 And when he was gone out of the waie there came one running and kneeled to him Gen. 18.2 He ran to meete them and bowed himselfe to the ground To stand by those that sit downe Gen. 18.8 And he tooke butter and milke and the calfe that he had prepared and set before them and stoode himselfe by them vnder the tree and they did eate Exod. 18.13 Now on the morrowe when Moses sate to iudge the people the people stoode about Moses from morning vnto euen To giue the cheife seate 1. King 2.19 And he sate downe on his throne and he caused a seate to be set for the kings mother and shee sate downe at his right hand Luk. 14. 7,8,9 He spake also a parable vnto the guests when he marked how they chose out the chiefe roomes and said vnto them When thou shalt be bidden of any man to a wedding set not thy selfe downe in the chiefest place least a more honourable man then thou be bidden of him and he that bade both him and thee come and say to thee Giue this man roome and thou then beginne with shame to take the lowest roome Gen. 43.33 So they sate before him the eldest according to his age and the youngest according to his youth and the men marueiled among themselues To let our Superiours speake before vs. Iob. 32.6,7 17. To keepe silence in courts and iudgement places vntill we be bidden to speake Act. 24. 10. Then Paul after that the Gouernour had beckened vnto him that he should speake answered To giue them such their right and iust titles as declare our reuerence when we speake vnto them 1. Pet. 3.6 As Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him Lord whose daughters ye are whiles ye doe well Mar. 10. 17. Good Master what shall I doe that I may possesse eternall life 20. Then he answered and said vnto him Master all these things haue I obserued from my youth 1. Sam. 1.14 15. And Eli said vnto her How long wilt thou be drūken Put away thy drunkennes from thee then Hannah answered and said Nay my Lord but I am a woman troubled in spirit I haue drunke neither wine nor strong drinke Secondly towards those that are our superiours in authoritie and first obedience to their commandements Rom. 13.1 Let euery soule be subiect to the higher power VVe are to be admonished to obedience because euery higher power is the ordinance of God and the obedience which we performe to him God accepteth it as though it were done to himselfe and to Christ◠Rom. 13.2 Whosoeuer therfore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God and they that resist shall receiue to themselues iudgement Col. 3.23 And whatsoeuer ye doe doe it hartilie as vnto the Lord not vnto them 24. Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receiue the reward of the inheritance for ye serue the Lord Christ. Obedience is to be performed to our superiours with diligence and faithfulnes Gen. 24.2 Abraham said vnto his eldest seruant of his house which had the rule ouer all that he had put now thy hand vnder my thigh and I will make thee sweare by the Lord God of heauen and God of the earth that thou shalt not take a wife vnto my sonne of the daughters of the Canaanites amongst whome I dwell 10. So the seruant tooke ten Camels of his master and departed 12. And he said O Lord God of my master Abraham I beseech thee send me good speede this day and shew mercie vnto my master Abraham 33. Afterward the meate was set before him but he said I will not eate vntill I haue said my message And Laban said Speake on 56. But he saide Hinder me not seeing the Lord hath prospered my iourney send me away that I may goe to my master Gen. 31.38 This twentie yeares haue I beene with thee thine ewes and thy goates haue not cast their young and the rammes of thy flocke haue I not eaten 39. Whatsoeuer was torne of beasts I brought it not vnto thee but made it good my selfe of mine hand diddest thou require it were it stollen by day or stollen by night 40. I was in the day consumed with heat and with frost in the night and my sleepe departed from mine eyes Furthermore we must yeelde obedience to our Superiours yea although they be cruell and wicked but not in wickednesse 1. Pet. 2.18 Seruants be subiect to your masters with all feare not onely to the good and courteous but also to the froward Act. 4.19 Whether it be right in the sight of God to obey you rather then God iudge ye Subiection in suffering the punishments inflicted by our Superiours Gen. 16.6 Then Abraham saide to Sarai Behold thy maide is in thine hand doe with her as it pleaseth thee then Sarai dealt roughly with her wherefore shee fledde from her 9. Then the Angel of the Lord said vnto her Returne vnto thy dame and humble thy selfe vnder her hands And although the punishment should be vniust yet must we suffer it vntill we can get some lawfull remedie for the same 1. Pet. 2.19 For it is thanke-worthie if a man for conscience toward God endure griefe suffering wrongfully 20. For what praise is it if when ye be buffeted for your faults ye take it patiently but and if when ye doe well ye suffer wrong and take it patiently this is acceptable to God III. Thankfulnes in our praiers 1. Tim. 2.1 2. I exhort you therefore that first of all supplications prayers intercessions and giuing of thankes be made for all men for kings for all that be in authoritie that we may lead a quiet a peaceable life in all godlines and honestie 1. Tim. 5.17 Elders that rule well are worthie of double honour Gen. 45.9 Haste you and goe vp to my Father and tell him Thus saith thy sonne Ioseph God hath made me lord ouer all Egypt come downe to me tarie not 10. And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen 11. Also I will nourish thee there for yet remaine fiue yeares of famine least thou perish through pouertie thou and thy houshold and all that thou hast Thirdly towards those that excell vs in gifts our dutie is to acknowledge the same gifts and speake of them to their praise 1. Cor. 8.22,23 Fourthly toward all our equals to thinke reuerently of them Phil. 2.3 Let nothing be done through contention or vaineglorie but in meeknes of minde let euery man esteeme other better then himselfe In giuing honour to goe one before an
shalt preserue the life of thy neighbour Hitherto may we referre these duties I. Such as appertaine to the person of our neighbour and concerne first his welfare both of bodie and minde as to reioyce with them that reioyce Rom. 12.15 Mark 10.20 Then he answered and said vnto him All these things I haue obserued from my youth And Iesus beheld him and loued him Secondly his miseries to be grieued with him for them Rom. 12.15 Mourne with those that mourne Esa. 24.16 And I said My leannesse my leannesse woe is me the transgressours haue offended yea the transgressours haue grieuously offended Psal. 119. vers 136. Mine eies gus◠out with water because men obserue not thy law Againe we must helpe him as much as in vs lieth Iob 29.15 I was as an eye to the blind and a foote to the lame 2. Cor. 8. 2. To their power yea beyond their power they were willing And that we doe we must doe speedily Prov. 3.28 Say not to thy neighbour Goe and come againe to morrow and I will giue thee if thou now haue it Levit. 19.17 Thou shalt plainly rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer him to sinne Thirdly concerning such iniuries as he offereth vnto thee I. Thou shalt not be angrie against him vpon a small occasion Nomb. 12. 3. Moses was a meeke man aboue all that liued vpon the earth Prov. 9.11 The discretion of a man deferreth his anger and his glorie is to passe by an offence II. Thou must be slow to wrath and neuer angrie but for a most iust cause Mark 3.5 Then he looked round about on them angerly mourning also for the hardnesse of their hearts Prov. 14.29 He that is slow to wrath is of great wisdome but he that is of an hastie minde exalteth follie III. Thine anger must be but for a while Eph. 4. 26. Be angrie and sinne not let not the sunne goe downe vpon thy wrath IV. Forgiue freely an iniurie and reuenge it not Eph. 4. 32. Be ye courteous one to another and tender hearted forgiuing one another euen as God for Christs sake forgaue you Fourthly his wants and infirmities 1. Auoid occasions whereby they may be stirred and laid open Gen. 13.8 Then said Abraham to Lot Let there be no strife I pray thee betweene thee and me neither betweene thy heardsmen and mine for we are brethren 9. Is not the whole land before thee depart I pray thee from me If thou wilt take the left hand I will take the rights or if thou goe to the right hand I will take the left Gen. 27.44 And tarie with him a while vntill thy brothers fiercenesse be asswaged 45. And till thy brothers wrath turne away from thee and he forget the things which thou hast done to him 2. Depart somtimes from thine owne right Mat. 17.25,26 What thinkest thou Simon of whō doe the kings of the earth take tribute or poll money of their children or of strangers Peter said vnto him Of strangers Then said Iesus vnto him Then are the children free 27. Neuertheles lest we should offend thē go to the sea and cast in an angle take the first fish that commeth vp and when thou hast opened his mouth thou shalt finde a piece of twentie pence that take and giue it vnto them for me and thee 3. To appease anger kindled which is done I. by ouercomming euill with goodnes Rom. 12.21 Be not ouercome of euill but ouercome euill with goodnes II. By following after peace 1. Pet. 3.11 Decline from euill and doe good seeke peace and follow after it III. By courteous answers Prou. 15. 1. A soft answer putteth away wrath but grieuous words stir vp anger 1. Sam. 1.14 Eli said vnto her How long wilt thou be drunken put away thy drunkennes from thee 15. Then Hannah answered and saide Nay my Lord but I am a woman troubled in spirit I haue drunke neither wine nor strong drinke but haue poured out my soule before the Lord. Philem. v. 15. It may be that he therefore departed for a season that thou shouldest receiue him for euer IV. By ouerpassing some wants and infirmities in mens words and deedes Prou. 19.11 It is a mans honour to passe by infirmities V. By couering thē with silence 1. Pet. 4.8 Aboue all things haue feruent loue amongst you for loue couereth a multitude of sinnes Prou. 17.9 He that couereth transgression seeketh loue but he that repeateth a matter separateth the Prince VI. By taking euery thing if it be possible in the best part 1. Cor. 13. 5. Loue thinketh none euill This sheweth the lawfulnes of truces couenants other agreements concerning peace being made to auoid iniuries maintaine ancient bounds procure securitie in traffique possessions and iournies set pensions commons for cattell liberties of hunting fishing or fouling and getting fewell or other necessaries for publike commodities if there be no vnlawfull conditions annexed vnto the same And we may make this couenant not onely with Christians but for the maintenance of peace with infidels also For that which is godly to be performed is no lesse godly to be promised But it is a note of true godlines to be as much as may be at peace with all men Therfore to promise peace by couenant is very godly We may see the experience of this in the liues of holy men Gen. 21.22 At that same time Abimelech and Pichol his chiefe captaine spake vnto Abraham saying God is with thee in all that thou doest 23. Now therefore sweare vnto me here by God that thou wilt not hurt me nor my children nor my childrens children c. 24. Then Abraham said I will sweare 27. Then Abraham tooke sheepe and beeues and gaue them vnto Abimelech and they two made a couenant Gen. 31.44 Now therefore come and let vs make a couenant I and thou which may be a witnes betweene me and thee 45. Then Laban said to Iaakob Behold this heape and behold the pillar which I haue set vp betweene me and thee 53. The God of Abraham and the gods of Nahor and the god of 〈◊〉 father be iudge betweene vs But Iaakob sware by the feare of his father Izhak II. Concerning his bodie we are to regard it aliue and dead Being aliue we ought if neede be I. To minister vnto it foode and raiment Math. 25.41 42. Depart from me ye cursed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the diuell and his angels For I was an hungred and ye gaue me no meate I thirsted and ye gaue me no drink c. 45. In as much as ye did it not to one of the least of these ye did it not to me II. To lend our helping hand when our neighbours bodie is in any daunger 1. Ioh. 3.16 Hereby we perceiued loue that he laide downe his life for vs therefore also ought we to lay downe our liues for the brethren When a man is dead we ought to commit the dead corpes to the graue as may appeare by these arguments
of the image of a corruptible man c. 24. Wherefore God gaue them vp vnto their hearts lusts vnto vncleannes Yea this sinne is more hainous then theft Prou. 6.30 Men doe not despise a theefe when he stealeth to satisfie his soule when he is hungrie 32. But he that committeth adulterie with a woman is destitute of vnderstanding he that doth it destroyeth his owne soule Againe the adulterer breaketh the couenant of marriage which is Gods couenant Prou. 2.17 Which forsaketh the guide of her youth and forgetteth the couenant of her God Adulterers dishonest their owne bodies 1. Cor. 6.18 Flee fornication euery sinne that a man doth is without the bodie but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his owne bodie And bereaue their neighbours of a great and vnrecouerable benefit namely of chastity As for the children which are begotten in this sort they are shut out from that preheminence which they otherwise might obtaine in the congregation Deut. 23.2 A bastard shall not enter into the Congregation of the Lord euen to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the Lord. He maketh his familie a stewes as appeareth in Dauid whose adultery was punished by Absoloms lying with his fathers cōcubines 2. Sam. 16.21 Achitophel said to Absolom Goe to thy fathers concubines which he hath left to keepe the house Iob. 31.9 If mine heart haue beene deceiued by a woman or if I haue laide waite at the doore of my neighbour let my wife grind vnto another man and let other men bowe downe vpon her Mans posteritie feeleth the smart of this sinne Iob. 31. 12. This adulterie is a fire that shall deuoure to destruction and which shall roote out all mine increase To conclude though this sinne be committed neuer so closely yet God will reueale it Numb 5. from the 12. verse to the 23. And it vsually hath one of these two as companions namely dulnesse of heart or a marueilous horror of conscience Hose 4.11 Whordome and wine take away their heart As for the Patriarkes Polygamie or marrying of many wiues albeit it cannot be defended yet it may be excused either because it serued to the enlarging of the number of mankind when there were but fewe or at the least to the propagation of the Church of God VII With man and wife They abuse their libertie if they know each other so long as the woman is in her flowers Ezech. 22.10 In thee haue they discouered their fathers shame in thee haue they vexed her that was polluted in her flowers Leuit. 18.19 Thou shalt not goe vnto a woman to vncouer her shame as long as she is put apart for her disease Ezek. 8.6 If a man hath not lien with a menstruous woman Ambros. lib. de Philos. which Augustine citeth lib. 2. contra Iulian saith that he committeth adulterie with his wife who in the vse of wedlocke hath neither regard of seemelines nor honestie Hierome in his 1. book contra Iulianum saith A wise man ought to rule his wife in iudgement not in affection He will not giue the bridle vnto headstrong pleasure not headily company with his wife Nothing saith he is more shamelesse then to make a strumpet of his wife VIII Nocturnall pollutions which arise of immoderate diet or vnchaste cogitations going before in the day Deutr. 23.10 Onans sinne Gen. 38.8 was not much vnlike these IX Effeminate wantonnesse wherby occasions are sought to stir vp lust Galat. 5.19 The workes of the flesh are manifest which are adulterie fornication vncleannesse wantonnesse Of this kind are 1. eyes full of adulterie 2. Pet. 3.14 Hauing eies full of adulterie and that cannot cease to sinne 2. Idlenes 2. Sam. 11. 2. When it was euening tide Dauid arose out of his bed and walked vpon the roofe of the kings palace and from the roofe he sawe a woman washing her selfe and the woman was very beutiful to looke vpon 3. And Dauid sent and inquired what woman it was and one said Is not this Bethsheba the daughter of Elian wife to Vriah the Hittite Then Dauid sent messengers and tooke her away and shee came vnte him and he lay with her 3. Riotous and lasciuious attire 1. Tim. 2.9 The women shall array themselues in comely apparell with shamefastnes and modestie not with broydered haire or gold or pearles or costly apparell but as becommeth women that professe the feare of God with goodworkes Esay 3.16 Because the daughters of Zion are hautie and walke with stretched out necks and with wandring eies walking and minsing as they goe and making a tinkeling with their feete 17. Therefore shall the Lord make the heades of the daughters of Zion balde and the Lord shall discouer their secret parts 18. In that day shall the Lord take away the ornament of the slippers and the caules and the round tyers 19. The sweete balles and the bracelets and the bonnets 20. The tyers of the head and the sloppes and the headbands and the tablets and the earings 21. The rings and the mufflers 22. The costly apparell and the vailes and the wimples and the crisping pinnes 23. And the glasses and the fine linnen and the hoodes and the launes And no maruaile if the Prophet be so sharp against excessiue and wanton apparell for this is I. a lauish and prodigall wasting of the benefits of God which might well be employed vpon better vses II. It is a testimonie and as it were the cognisance or ensigne of pride whereby a man would haue himselfe in greater reputation then an other III. It is a note of great idlenesse and slouthfulnesse For commonly such as bestow much time in tricking and trimming themselues vp doe quite neglect other busines of all things can not away with paines IV. It argueth leuitie in deuising euery day some new fashion or imitating that which others deuise V. It maketh a confusion of such degrees and callings as God hath ordained when as men of inferiour degree and calling cannot be by their attyre discerned from men of higher estate 4. Fulnesse of bread and meate which prouoke lust Ezech. 16.45 This was the iniquitie of thy sister Sodome pride fulnesse of bread and idlenesse was in her and in her daughters Luk. 16.19 There was a certaine rich man which was cloathed in purple and fine linnen and fared well and delicately euery day Rom. 13.13 Walke honestly as in the day time not in gluttonie and drunkennesse neither in chambring and wantonnesse 5. Corrupt dishonest and vnseemely talke 1. Cor. 15.33 Erre not euill talke corrupteth good manners Such are vaine loue-songs ballades enterludes and amorous bookes This is the thing we are carefully to shunne in the reading of Poets yet so as mariners doe in nauigation who forsake not the sea but decline and flie from the rockes 6. Lasciuious representations of loue matters in Playes and Comedies Eph. 5.3,4 Fornication and all vncleannesse let it not once be named among you as it becommeth Saints
neither filthinesse nor foolish talking neither iesting which are things not comely 7. Vndecent and vnseemely pictures 1. Thess. 5. 22. Abstaine from all appearance of euill 8. Lasciuious dauncing of man and woman together Mark 6.22 The daughter of the same Herodias came in and danced and pleased Herod c. 9. Companie with effeminate persons Prou. 7. 25. Let not thine heart decline to her waies wander thou not in her paths V. To appoint some light or sheet-punishment for adulterie such as that Romish Synagogue doth For this is nothing els but to open a gap for other lewd persons to runne headlong into the like impietie The affirmatiue part Thou shalt preserue the chastitie of thy neighbour Chastitie is the puritie of soule and bodie as much as belongeth to generation The minde is chaste when it is free or at the least freed from fleshly concupiscence The bodie is chaste when it putteth not in execution the concupiscences of the flesh 1. Thess. 4. â— This is the will of God euen your sanctification and that ye should abstaine from fornication 4. That â—uery one of you should knowe how to possesse his vessell in holines and honour 5. And not in the lust of concupiscence euen as the Gentiles which know not God 1. Cor. 7.34 The vnmarried womâ—n careth for the things of the Lord that shee may be holy both in bodie and spirit There are two especiall vertues which preserue chastitie Modestie and Sobrietie Modestie is a vertue which keepeth in each worke an holy decorum or comelines and it is seene I. in the countenance and eyes namely when they neither expresse nor excite the concupiscence of the heart Iob. 31.1 I made a couenant with mine eye why then should I thinke on a maid Gen. 24.64 Rebekah lift vp her eyes and when she saw Izhak she lighted downe from the camel 65. So she tooke a vaile and couered her face Prou. 1â— 13 Shee caught him and kissed him and with an impudent face said vnto him c. II. In words when a mans talk is decent in speaking of such things we cannot but be ashamed of Gen. 4.1 Then Adam knew Heuah his wife who c. Psal. 51.1 A Psalme of Dauid when the Prophet Nathan came vnto him after he had gone into Bethsheba Esay 7.20 In that day shall the Lord shaue with a rasor that is hired euen by them beyond the riuer by the King of Ashur the head and the haire of the feete and it shall consume the beard Iudg. 3.24 When he was gone out his seruaÌ„ts came who seeing that the doores of the parlar were shut they said Surely he couereth his feete that is he doth his easement in his summer chamber Againe a mans talke must be little and submisse Matth. 12.19 Behold my seruant whome I haue chosen he shall not striue nor crie neither shall any man heare his voice in the streetes Prou. 10.19 In many words there cannot want iniquitie but he that refraineth his lips is wise And it is a note of a strumpet to be a giglot and loud tongued Prou. 7.11 Shee is babling and loud In apparell we must obserue an holy comelinesse Tit. 2. â— The elder women must be of such behauiour as becommeth holinesse Holy comelinesse is that which expresseth to the eie the sinceritie that is the godlines temperance and grauitie either of man or woman This decencie wil more plainly appeare if we consider the endes of apparell which are in number fiue 1. Necessitie to the ende that our bodies may be defended against the extremity of parching heate and pinching colde 2. Honestie that that deformitie of our naked bodies might be couered which immediately followed the transgression of our first parents 3. Commoditie whereby men as their calling worke and trade of life is different so do they apparell themselues and hence it is that some apparell is more decent for certaine estates of men then other 4. Frugalitie when a mans attire is proportionable to his abilitie and calling 5. Distinction of persons as of sexe ages offices times and actions For a man hath his set attire a woman hers a young man apparelled on this fashion an olde man on that And therefore it is vnseemely for a man to put on a womans apparell or a woman the mans Deut. 22.5 The woman shall not weare that which pertaineth to the man neither shall a man put on womans raiment for all that doe so are an abomination to the Lord thy God To set downe precisely out of Gods word what apparrell is decent is very hard wherefore in this case the iudgement and practise of modest graue and sincere men in euery particular estate is most to be followed and men must rather keepe too much within the bounds of measure then to step one foot without the precincts Concerning the purging of excrements of nature care must be had that they bee cast foorth into some separate and close place and there also couered Deut. 23.12 Thou shalt haue a place without the host whither thou shalt resort 13. And thou shalt haue a paddle among thy weapons when thou wouldest sit downe without thou shalt digge therewith and returning thou shalt couer thine excrements 14. For the Lord thy God walketh in the middest of the camp to deliuer thee therefore thine host shall be holy that he see no filthy thing in thee turne away from thee 1. Sam. 24.4 And he came to the sheepe-coats by the way where there was a caue and Saul went in to couer his feete Sobrietie is a vertue which concerneth the vsage of our diet in holines For the better obseruation thereof these rules may serue I. The cheifest at the banket let him consecrate the meates to God by saying grace 1. Sam. 9.13 The people will not eate till he that is Samuel came because he wil blesse the sacrifice and then eate they that be bidden to the feast Mark 6.39 He commanded theÌ„ to make them all sit downe by companies vpon the grasse c. 41. And he tooke the fiue loaues and two fishes and looked vp to heauen and gaue thankes Act. 27.35 When he had thus said he that is Paul gaue thankes in the presence of them all when he had broken bread he began to eate II. It is lawefull to furnish a table with store of dishes not onely for necessity but also for the good entertainment of a friende and for delight Luk. 5. 29. Leui made him that is Iesus a great feast in his owne house where there was a great company of Publicans and of other that sate at tabe with him Psal. 104.15 He giueth wine that maketh glad the heart of man oyle to make the face shine bread that strengtheneth mans heart Ioh. 12.2 There they made him a supper and Martha serued but Lazarus was one of them that sate at table with him 3. Then tooke Marie a pound of oyntment of Spikenard very costly and annointed Iesus feete III.
to beleeue in this one God is in effect thus much I. To knowe and acknowledge him as he hath reuealed himselfe in his worde II. To beleeue him to bee my God III. From mine heart to put all mine affiance in him To this purpose Christ saith This is eternall life to knowe thee the onely God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. Nowe the knowledge here meant is not a bare or generall knowledge for that the deuils haue but a more speciall knowledge wherby I know God not onely to be God but also to be my God and thereupon doe put my confidence in him And thus much of the meaning of the first wordes I beleeue in God c. Nowe followe the duties which may bee gathered hence First of all if we are bound to beleeue in God then we are also bound to take notice of our naturall vnbeleefe whereby we distrust God to checke our selues for it and to striue against it Thus dealt the father of the child that had a dumme spirit Lord saith he I beleeue Lord helpe mine vnbeleefe And Dauid Why art thou cast downe my soule and wâ—y art thou so diâ—quieted in me wait on God And that which our Sauiour Christ saide once to Peter men should daiely speake to themselues O thou of littlâ— faith why hast thou doubted But some may say wherein standes our vnbeleefe Answere It standes in two thinges I. In distrusting the goodnesse of God that is in giuing too litle or no affiance to him or in putting affiance in the creature For the first few men will abide to be told of their distrust in God but indeede it is a common and riâ—e corruption and though they soothe themselues neuer so yet their vsuall dealings proclaime their vnbeleefe Goe through all places it shall be found that scarse one of a thousand in his dealings makes conscience of a lie a great part of men gets their wealth by fraud and oppression and all kinde of vniust and vnmercifull dealing What is the cause that they can doe so Alas alas if there be any faith it is pinned vp in some by-corner of the heart and vnbeleefe beares sway as the lord of the house Againe if a man had as much wealth as the world comes to he could finde in his heart to wish for an other and if he had two worlds he would be casting for the third if it might be compassed the reason hereof is because men haue not learned to make God their portion and to stay their affections on him which if they could doe a meane portion in temporall blessings would be enough Indeede these and such like persons will in no wise â—eelde that they doe distrust the Lord vnlesse at some time they be touched in conscience with a sense and feeling of their sinnes and be throughly humbled for the same but the truth is that distrust of Gods goodnesse is a generall and a mother-sinne the ground of all other sinnes and the very first and principall sinne in Adams fall And for the second part of vnbeleefe which is an affiance in the creatures read the whole booke of God and we shall finde it a common and vsuall sinne in all sorts of men some putting their trust in riches some in strength some in pleasures some placing their felicitie in one sinne some in an other When King Asa was sicke he put his whole trust in the Phisitians and not in the Lord. And in our daies the common practise is when crosses and calamities fall then there is trotting out to that wise man to this cunning woman to this sorcerer to that wizzard that is from God to the deuill and their counsell is receiued and practised without any bones making And this shewes the bitter roote of vnbeleefe and confidence in vaine creatures let men smoothe it ouer with goodly tearmes as long as they will In a word there is no man in the world be he called or not called if he looke narrowly vnto himselfe he shall finde his heart almost filled with manifold doubtings and distrustings whereby he shall feele himselfe euen carried away from beleeuing in God Therefore the dutie of euery man is that will truly say that hâ— beleeues in God to labour to see his owne vnbeleefe and the fruits thereof in his life As for such as say they haue no vnbeleefe nor feele none more pitifull is their case For so much the greater is their vnbeleefe Secondly considering that we professe our selues to beleeue in God we must euery one of vs learne to know God As Paul saith How can they beleeue in him of whome they haâ—e not heard and how can they heare without a preacher therefore none can beleeue in God but he must first of all heare and be taught by the ministerie of the word to know God aright Let this be remembred of young and old It is not the pattering ouer of the beleefe for a praier that will make a man a good beleeuer but God must be knowne of vs and acknowledged as he hath reuealed himselfe partly in his word and partly in his creatures Blinde ignorance and the right vse of the Apostles Creede will neuer stand togither Therefore it standes men in hande to labour and take paines to get knoweledge in religion that knowing God aright they may come steadfastly to beleeue in him and truely make confession of their faith Thirdly because wee beleeue in God therefore another dutie is to denie our selues vtterly and to become nothing in our selues Our Sauiour Christ requires of vs to become as little children if wee would beleeue The begger depends not on the releefe of others till hee finde nothing at home and till our hearts bee purged of selfe-loue and pride wee cannot depend on the fauour and goodnesse of God Therefore hee that would trust in God must first of all be abased and confounded in himselfe and in regard of himselfe be out of all hope of attaining to the least sparke of the grace of God Fourthly in that wee beleeue in God and therefore put our whole trust and assurance in him we are taught that euery man must committe his bodie his soule goods life yea all that he hath into the handes of God and to his custodie So Paul saith I am not ashamed of my sufferings for I knowe whome I haue beleeued and am perswaded that he is able to keepe that which I haue committed vnto him against that day A worthie saying for what is the thing which Paul committed vnto the Lord it was his owne soule and the eternall saluation thereof But what mooues him to trust God surely his perswasion whereby he knewe that God would keepe it And Peter saith Let them that suffer according to the will of God committe their soules to him in well doing as vnto a faithfull creatour Looke as one friende laieth downe a thing to be kept of another so must a man giue that he hath to the
And though Christ be called her first born yet doth it not followe that shee had any child after him for as that is called last after which there is none so that is called the first before which there was none And as for Ioseph when he was espoused to Marie he was a man of eightie yeares old And here we haue occasion to praise the wisdome of God in the forming of man The first man Adam was borne of no man but immediately created of God the second that is Eve is formed not of a woman but of a man alone the third all after begotten both of womā man the fourth that is Christ God and man not of no man as Adam not of no woman as Eve not of man and woman as we but after a newe manner of a woman without a man hee is conceiued and borne And hereupon our dutie is not to despise but highly to reuerence the virgin Marie as being the mother of the sonne God a prophetisse vpon earth a Saint in heauen And we do willingly condescend to giue her honour three waies first by thanksgiuing to God for her secondly by a reuerent estimation of her thirdly by imitation of her excellent vertues yet farre be it from vs to adore her with diuine honour by praier to cal vpon her as though shee knew our hearts and heard our requests and to place her in heauen as a queene aboue the sonne of God The name of the mother of Christ is added to shewe that he came of the linage of Dauid and that therefore he was the true Messias before spoken of It may be obiected that both Mathew and Luke sets downe the genealogie of Ioseph of whom Christ was not Ans. Mathew sets downe indeede in Christs genealogie the natural descent of Ioseph the husband of Marie hauing Iaacob for his naturall father but Luke taking another course propounds the natural descent of Marie the mother of Christ and when he saith that Ioseph was the sonne of Eli he meanes of a legall sonne For sonnes and daughters in law are called sonnes and daughters to their fathers and mothers in law Mary her selfe and not Ioseph being the naturall daughter of Eli. And whereas Luke doth not plainely say that Marie was the daughter of Eli but puts Ioseph the sonne in lawe in her roome the reason hereof may bee because it was the maner of the Iewes to account and continue their genealogies in the male and not in the female sexe the man beeing the head of the familie and not the woman And though Ruth and Rahab and other women be mentioned by Matthew yet that is onely by the way for they make no degrees herein Againe it may be further demanded howe Christ could come of Dauid by Salomon as Mathew saith and by Nathan as Luke saith they twaine being two distinct sonnes of Dauid Ans. By vertue of the lawe whereby the brother was bound to raise vp seed to his brother there was a double descent in vse among the Iewes the one was naturall the other legall Naturall when one man descended of another by generation as the child from the naturall father Legall when a man not begotten of another yet did succeede him in his inheritance and thus Salathiel is the naturall sonne of Neri and the legall sonne of Iechonias Nowe Saint Luke setts downe the naturall descent of Christ from Dauid by Nathan and Saint Mathewe the other descent which is legall by Salomon whome Christ succeeded in the right of the kingdome beeing borne the King of the Iewes none that could possibly be named hauing more right to it then he By this descent of Christ wee haue occasion to consider that Christ was euen in his birth the most excellent and noble man that euer was descending o◠the eternall father as he is the sonne of God and as he is man descending of the Patriarks and of the renowmed kings of Iudah And this his nobilitie hee conuaies in part to his members in that he makes them the sonnes of God a royall priesthood and a peculiar people to himselfe inriching them also with the reuenewes of the whole worlde and with title and right to the kingdome of glorie in heauen as their inheritance And withall Christ beeing the liuely patterne of true nobilitie by his example men of blood are taught not to stand so much on their pedigree and their ancetours as though nobilitie stood in this that man descends of man but to labour with all that they may be the sonnes and daughters of God by regeneration in Christ. This indeede is the ornament of the blood the best part in the noble mans skutchin and the finest flowre in his garland And though a man bee neuer so noble or great an estate yet if he be not a repentant sinner he is base and vile and his nobilitie stinkes in the nosthrils of god Christ in his genealogie doth not so much as vouchsafe to name those his ancetours that ruled wickedly and hereupon Saint Mathewe omitteth three kings of Iudah Achaziah Ioas and Amaziah whereas neuerthelesse hainous offendours that repented are mentioned as Ruth Thamar and Bathshabe Thus much of the incarnation of Christ nowe followeth the third and last point which is to be considered in the description of Christ namely the estate of Christ after his birth which is two-fold the estate of humiliation and the estate of exaltation The estate of humiliation is the condition of Christ the Mediatour in which he abased himselfe euen to the death of the crosse that by that meanes he might performe the office of a priest in making satisfaction to the iustice of his father This estate agrees to the whole person of Christ according to both natures For first of al his manhood was abased and humbled in that it was made subiect to the infirmities of mans nature as also to the miseries and punishments which were due vnto man for sinne Secondly his Godhead was abased not as it is considered in it selfe For so it admits no alteration or chaunge But in respect of the flesh or manhood assumed vnder the which as vnder a vaile the Godhead lay hid from the first moment of the incarnation to the time of his resurrection without any great manifestation of his power maiestie therein The order of these two estates must be marked First is the estate of humiliation and then in the second place followes the estate of exaltatiō As Christ saith of himselfe O fooles slow of heart to beleeue c. ought not Christ to haue suffered these things and to enter into his glorie And here we for our parts must learne a lesson The same which was true in Christ the head must be verified in all his members they must all haue their two-fold estate first in this life the estate of humiliation secondly after this life the estate of glorie And as Christ first entred into the state of his
rise sinne amongst vs in these our daies For it is very euident by common experience that the more men are taught the doctrine of the lawe and of the Gospell the more harde and senslesse are their hearts like vnto the stithie which the more it is beaten vpon with yron hammer the harder it is And againe it is hard to find men that sorrowe for their sinnes and feele the want of Christ which argueth the exceeding deadnes of spiritâ— And let vs be resolued that it is a most terrible iudgement of God the rather to be feared because it is like a pleasant sleepe into which when a man is fallen he feeles neither paine nor griefe And therefore we for our parts must looke vnto it with feare and trembling least it take such hold of vs that we be past all hope of recouerie Furthermore this binding of Christ was prefigured vnto vs in the sacrifices of the old testament for the beast that was to be sacrificed was tyed with cordes bound and so brought to the altar And wheras Christ was bound we must not consider him in his own person but as he standing in our roome and stead beares the person of all sinners and therefore whereas he is thus taken captiue by his enemies to be brought before a mortall iudge there to be arraigned for vs hence we learne two good instructions First here is a comfort to al the people of god Christ was bound by his enemies that they might be vnloosed from the bondage of Satan sinne their own corruptions vnder which they lie bounde by nature and might haue free libertie in and by him Secondly all impenitent sinners are taught hereby to reforme and amend their hearts liues For what exceeding madnes is that they by Christs bonds being set at libertie will yet liue and die in their sinnes and take pleasure to lie bound hand and foote vnder the power of sinne and Satan And indeede this sheweth vnto vs the fearefull and dangerous estate of all those that goe on still in their sinnes For what can they say for themselues at the day of iudgement when as now they haue freedome offered and will not accept of it Thus much of Christs apprehension Now followeth the inditement For they proceed against him iudicially after the custome of the Iewes Christs inditement was twofold One before Caiphas the high priest in the great counsell as Ierusalem the second before the ciuill Iudge Pontius Pilate as is plainly set forth by all the Euangelists And Christs arraignment before Caiphas was a preparation to the second before Pontius Pilate that the Iewes might throughly proceede against him In the first we are to consider these points I. the time in which Christ was indited II. the end of his inditement III. the whole tenour and proceeding thereof For the first Christ was indited earely in the morning at the breake of the day for he was apprehended in the night and with all hast brought into Caiphas hall where they kept him all might and at the breake of the day Caiphas the high priest and the Elders with the Scribes and Pharises held a solemne councill against him and there they receiued accusations and condemned him before morning at which time they sent him to the common hall as Saint Matthew saith When the morning was come all the chiefe Priests and Elders of the people tooke counsell against Iesus to put him to death and ledde him away bound and deliuered him to Pontius Pilate In which action of theirs we are to marke two points First the diligence of vngodly men and the quicknesse of their nature to practise sinne and wickednes as it was saide of the olde Iewes their feete runne to euill and they make hast to shed blood When the Israelites would sacrifice to the golden calfe which they had made it is saide they rose vp earely in the morning Hence it appeares that if God leaue vs to our selues we are as readie to practise any mischiefe as the fire is to burne without delay and that with much violence Now the consideration of this must mooue euery one of vs to take heede of all occasions and prouocations to sinne whatsoeuer they be that the corruption of our nature breake not forth any way Secondly in the circumstance of time of this councill we may marke the rashnes of this solemne assembly in iudiciall proceedings whereas they examine him both of his doctrine and also of his disciples omitting such circumstances as should haue bin vsed as the serious examining of witnesses and the weying of his contrarie answers for he is taken and brought before the Iudge and condemned on a sudden Now as this was the practise of this councill so on the contrarie the common complaint of these times is of the slow dispatch of matters in law of the long delay in somuch that some be almost vndone before their suits be ended whereas iudiciall proceedings were ordained by God not for mens vndoing but for the maintaining of the common peace and libertie and wealth And therefore iustice ought to be dispatched with such speede as men thereby might be furthered and not hindred The end of Christs inditement was directly to kill him and to put him to death Here is no indifferent proceeding to be looked for but plotting on euery hâ—nd for the very blood of Christ. Where note that in the hearts of all wicked men there is an ingrafted hatred of Christ and as it were bred in the bone and the same affection the world carrieth to the members of Christ. This hatred is manifested in the first giuing of the promise I will put enmitie betweene thee and the woman betweene thy seede and her seede It appeares in the hatred that Cain bare to his brother Abel Ismael towards Isaac Esau towards Iacob and the Gentiles that were without the couenant towardes the Church of God at all times And to come neere to our selues this ingrafted hatred that is in the heart of the wicked against Christ and his members is as plentifull and as euident as euer it was euen in these our daies For among all men none are more maligned and hated then those that professe Christ and for none other cause but because they professe Christ. And hereupon the very profession of religion is laden with nicknames and reprochfull tearmes by all sorts of men And thus much of the ende and intent of their counsell The proceeding in iudgement standes in these points I. they examine Christ. II. they bring witnesses against him III. they adiure him to tell theÌ„ who he is of these in order First they examine our Sauiour Christ of his doctrine suspecting him to bee a false prophet secondly of his disciples as suspecting him seditiously to raise vp a newe sect vnto himselfe to make a faction amongst the Iewes Nowe to this examination let vs marke Christs answere in which he saith nothing at all concerning his
mocke and a skoffe at him And in this we may plainly see how dangerous and fearefull their case is who are wholly giuen vp to the hardnesse of their owne hearts and we are further admonished to take heede how we giue our selues to iesting or mocking of others And if any man thinke it to be a light sinne let them consider what befell the Iewes for mocking Christ. The hand of God was vpon them within a while after and so remaineth to this day Little children wickedly brought vp when they saw Elisha the man of God comming they mocked him and saide Come vp thou bald pate come vp thou bald pate but Elisha looked backe on them and cursed them in the name of the Lord and two wilde beares came out of the forrest and tare in pieces two and fourty of them Iulian once a Christian Emperour but after an Apostata did nothing els but mocke Christ and his doctrine and made ieasts of sundry places of Scripture but being in fight against the Persians was wounded with a dart no man knowing how and died scoffing and blaspheming And such like are the iudgements of God which befall mockers and scorners Let vs therefore in the feare of God learne to eschew and auoid this sinne Furthermore if we shall indifferently consider all the mocks and scornings of the Iewes we shall finde that they can not truly conuince him to the least sinne which serueth to cleare Christ and to prooue that he was a most innocent man in whose waies was no wickednes and in whose mouth was found no guile and therefore he was most fit to stand in our roome and suffer for vs which were most vile and sinnefull And here by the way a question offereth it selfe to be skanned S. Matthew saith The theeues which were crucified with him cast the same in his teeth which the Scribes and Pharises did S. Luke saith that one of the theeues mocked him Now it may be demanded how both these can be true Ans. Some reconcile the places thus that the Scripture speaking generally of any thing by a figure doth attribute that to the whol which is proper to some part onely and so here doth ascribe that to both the theeues which agreeth but to one Others answer it thus that at the first both of the euill doers did mocke Christ and of that time speaketh Matthew but afterward one of them was miraculously conuerted then the other alone mocked him and of that time spake S. Luke And this I rather take to be the truth But what was the behauiour of Christ when he is thus laden with reproch In wonderfull patience he replies not but puts vp all in silence Where we are taught that when a man shall raile on vs wrongfully we must not returne rebuke for rebuke nor taunt for taunt but we must either be silent or els speake no more then shall serue for our iust defence This was the practise of the Israelites by the appointment of Hezekias when Rabshakah reuiled the Iewes and blasphemed the name of God the people held their peace and answered him not a word for the kings commandement was answer him not So Hannah beeing troubled in minde praied vnto the Lord and Hely marked her mouth for shee spake in her heart and her lippes did mooue onely but her voice was not beard therefore Hely thought shee had bin drunken and said How long wilt thou be drunken put away thy drunkennesse from thee Such a speech would haue mooued many one to very hard wordes but shee saide Nay my lord but I am a woman troubled in spirit I haue drunke neither wine nor strong drinke but haue powred out my soule before the Lord. This is a hard lesson for men to learne but we must indeauour our selues to practise it if we will be followers of Christ and ouercome euill with good The third thing that fell out in the time of Christs crucifying was the pitifull complaint in which he cried with a loud voice El◠El◠lamasabacthani that is My God my God why hast thou forsaken me In the opening of this cōplaint many points must be skanned The first is what was the cause that mooued Christ to complaine Ans. It was not any impatience or discontentation of mind or any despaire or any dissembling as some would haue it but it was an apprehension and a feeling of the whole wrath of God which seazed vpon him both in bodie soule The second what was the thing whereof he doth complaine Ans. That he is forsaken of God the father And from this point ariseth another question How Christ beeing God can be forsaken of God for the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost are all three but one and the same God Ans. By God we must vnderstand God the father the first person According to the common rule when God is compared with the Sonne or the holy Ghost then the father is meant by this title God as in this place not that the father is more God then the Sonne for in dignitie all the three persons are equall but they are distinguished in order onely and the father is first And againe whereas Christ complaineth that he was forsaken it must be vnderstood in regard of his humane nature not of his godhead And Christs manhood was forsaken not that his godhead and manhood were seuered for they were euer ioyned togither from the first moment of the incarnation but the godhead of Christ and so the godhead of the father did not shewe foorth his power in the manhoode but did as it were lie a sleepe for a time that the manhood might suffer when a man sleepeth the soule is not seuered from the bodie but lieth as it were dead and exerciseth not it selfe euen so the godhead lay stil did not manifest his power in the manhood thus the manhood seemed to be forsaken The third point is the manner of this complaint My God my God saith hee these wordes are wordes of faith I say not of iustifying faith whereof Christ stood not in neede but hee had such a faith or hope whereby he did put his confidence in God The last wordes why hast thou forsaken me seeme at the first to be wordes of distrust Howe then will some say can these wordes stand with the former for faith and distrust are flat contraries Ans. Christ did not vtter any speech of distrust but onely make his mone and complaint by reason of the greatnes of his punishment and yet still relied himselfe on the assistance of his father Hence wee learne first that religion doth not stand in feeling but in faith which faith wee must haue in Christ though we haue no feeling at all for God oftentimes doth withdrawe his grace and fauour from his children that hee may teach them to beleeue in his mercy in Christ then when they feele nothing lesse thē his mercie And faith and feeling cannot alwaies stand togither
Honour thy father and thy mother that they may prolong thy daies Now they prolong the childrens daies by praying to God for blessings on them and by such like duties It is an vse in all places when a man neeseth to salute him by saying Christ helpe you But there is no cause why the words should then be vsed more then at another time The reasons are I. it is an olde custome fetched from the Gentiles before Christ and hath no ground at all for they vsed with the like wordes to wish men health because they thought neesing to be a sacred and holy thing and because some take it to be a signe of vnhappie and euill successe which indeed is otherwise II. If there be any daunger in the braine before neesing when a man hath neesed the danger is past as learned physitians teach therefore there is no cause of the vsing such words then more then at coughing Against the practise of saluting each other some things may be obiected 1. Ioh. epist. 2. vers 10. If there come any vnto you and bring not this doctrine receiue him not to house neither bidde him God speede Answer This place doth not forbid common ciuilitie and curtesie of man to man but onely familiaritie and acquaintance with heretickes yea such acquaintance and familiaritie as may seeme to giue approbation and applause to their badde proceedings II. Elisha sending Gehazi his seruant to lay his staffe on the dead childe of the Sunamite bad him if he met any not to salute them and if they spake to him not to answer them 2. King 4.29 And whē our Sauiour Christ sent his Disciples to preach in Iudea he had them to salute no man by the way Luk. 10.4 Answ. The intent of these two places is not to forbid men to salute others but rather to inioyne Gehazi and the Disciples of Christ onely to omit for that time the practise of the duties of common curtesie so farre forth as they might hinder or delay the performance of weightier affaires Our answers must be soft that anger be neither kindled nor increased A soft answer putteth away wrath but grieuous words stirre vp anger Nabal by churlish language prouoked Dauid to wrath but Abigail by the contrarie appeased him Gedeon spake gently to the men of Ephraim when they were angrie against him and appeased them For the text saith When he had thus spoken then their spirits abated towardes him Therefore Salomon saith well A ioy commeth to a man by the answer of his mouth but how good is a word in due season Now if any shall raile on vs our dutie is not to raile againe Blesse them that persecute you blesse I say and curse not Be courteous not rendring euill for euill neither rebuke for rebuke but contrariwise blesse knowing that ye be thereunto called that you should be heyres of blessing This thing was notably practised by Dauid Psal. 109.4 For my friendship they were mine aduersaries but I gaue my selfe to prayer And therefore in this case either silence is to be vsed or at the most onely a iust and manifest defence of our innocencie to be made Ezechias commaunded the people to be silent and not to say any thing to the speech of Rabsachai now flattering now threatning When Eli spake hardly of Anna and bad her put away her drunkennes shee answered Nay my lord I am a woman troubled in spirit I haue neither drunke wine nor strong drinke but haue powred out my soule before the Lord. Thus Ioseph cleares himselfe saying I haue done nothing wherefore they should put me in the dungeon And Daniel to Nabuchodonosor Vnto thee O King haue I done no hurt And our Sauiour Christ when the Iewes said vnto him Say we not true that thou art a Samaritane and hast a deuill answered I haue not a deuill but I honour my father and ye haue dishonoured me And Paul beeing to make an Apologie for himselfe beginnes thus Men and brethren I haue in all good conscience serued God vnto this day Now when a man hath thus cleared himselfe though his owne word in his owne behalfe take no effect yet let him patiently commit his cause to God who in time will manifest the truth and bring it to light as Dauid did Iudge me O God saith he for I haue walked in min◠innocencie And againe The wicked watcheth the righteous and seeketh to slay him but the Lord will not leaue him in his hand nor condemne him when he is iudged Meekenes in reproofe is when any shall admonish his brother of any fault for his amendment with the like moderation that Chirurgeons vse who beeing to set the arme or legge that is forth of ioynt handle it so tenderly that the patient shall skant feele when the bone falls in againe This counsell Paul giueth Brethren if any man be fallen by occasion into any fault ye which are spiritual restore such a one or set him in ioynt againe with the spirit of meeknes This was practised by Abraham towards Lot when their heardmen were at variance saying Let there be I pray thee no strife between thee me neither between mine heardmen and thine for we are brethren And this is done foure waies First when we reproue a man generally as Nathan did Dauid by a parable Secondly when in the roome of a reproofe we put an exhortation in the exhortation insinuating an oblique reproofe as when a man shall sweare in his talke I shall not neede alwaies to say Ye do very il to sweare and so to dishonour God but I wil lap it vp in the forme of an exhortation as pills are lapt in sugar by saying Yea and nay yea and nay shall serue among vs. Rebuke not an elder but exhort him as a father and young men as brethrē saith Paul to Timothie Thirdly when the reproofe is propounded in a mans own person as though he were faultie which reprooueth Paul practised this Now these things brethren saith he I haue figuratiuely applied to mine owne selfe and Apollos for your sakes that yee might learne by vs that no man presume aboue that which is written Fourthly when the fault is directly reprooued but yet partly with prefaces that we doe it of loue that we wish well to the partie that we speake as considering our selues that wee also are in danger of the same fault and partly by framing the reproofe out of the worde of God that the partie may see himselfe rather to be reprooued by God then by vs after this maner the inferiour may admonish his superiour especially when there is no other way of redresse and he is to listen yeelding himselfe tractable Naaman is aduised by his seruant who said Father if the Prophet had commanded thee a great thing wouldst thou not haue done it howe much rather then when he saith to thee Wash be cleane Then went he downe
terrible but it is false to them that bee in Christ to whome many things happen farre more heauie and bitter then death IV. Death at the first brought foorth sinne but death in the righteous by meanes of Christs death abolisheth sinne because it is the accomplishment of mortification And death is so far from destroying such as are in Christ that there can bee no better refuge for them against death for presently after the death of the bodie followes the perfect freedome of the spirit and the resurrection of the bodie V. Lastly death is a meanes of a Christian mans perfection as Christ in his owne example sheweth saying Beholde I will cast out deuills and will heale still to daie and to morrowe and the third I will bee perfected Nowe this perfection in the members of Christ is nothing els but the blessing of God the author of peace sanctifying them throughout that their whole spirits and soules and bodies may be preserued without blame to the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ. Nowe hauing often thus considered with my selfe of the excellencie of death I thought good to drawe the summe and cheife heads thereof into this small Treatise the protection and consideration whereof I commend to your Ladiship desiring you to accept of it and read it at your leisure If I be blamed for writing vnto you of death whereas by the course of nature you are not yet neere death Salomon will excuse me who saith that wee must remember our Creator in the daies of our youth Thus hoping of your H. good acceptance I pray God to blesse this my little labour to your comfort and saluation Septemb. 7. 1595. Your H. in the Lord W. Perkins ECCLESIASTES 7. 3. The day of death is better then the daie that one is borne THese words are a rule or precept laid downe by Salomon for weightie causes For in the chapters going before he sets forth the vanitie of all creatures vnder heauen and that at large in the very particulars Now men hereupon might take occasion of discontentment in respect of their estate in this life therefore Salomon in great wisdom here takes a new course in this chapter begins to lay downe certaine rules of direction and comfort that men might haue somewhat wherewith to arme themselues against the troubles and the miseries of this life The first rule is in this third verse that a good name is better then a pretious oyntment that is a name gotten maintained by godly conuersation is a speciall blessing of God which in the midst of the vanities of this life ministreth greater matter of reioycing and comfort to the heart of man then the most pretious oyntment can doe to the outward senses Now some man hauing heard this first rule concerning good name might obiect and say that renowme good report in this life affoards slender comfort considering that after it followes death which is the miserable end of all men But this obiection the wise man remooueth by a second rule in these words which I haue in hand saying that the daie of death is better then the daie that one is borne That we may come to the true proper sense of this precept or rule three points are to be considered First what is death here meÌ„tioned secondly how it can be truely said that the daie of death is better then the daie of birth thirdly in what respect it is better For the first death is a depriuation of life as a punishment ordained of God and imposed on man for his sinne First I say it is a depriuation of life because the verie nature of death is he absence or defect of that life which God vouchsafed man by his creation I adde further that death is a punishment more especially to intimate the nature and qualitie of death and to shewe that it was ordained as a meanes of execution of Gods iustice and iudgement And that death is a punishment Paul plainely auoucheth when hee saith that by one man sinne entred into the worlde and death by sinne And againe that death is the stipend wages or allowance of sinne Furthermore in euerie punishment there be three workers the ordainer of it the procurer and the executioner The ordainer of this punishment is God in the estate of mans innocency by a solemne lawe then made in these verie wordes In the daie that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death Genesis 2. â—7 But it may be alleadged to the contrarie that the Lord saith by the Prophet Ezechiel that hee will not the death of a sinner and therefore that hee is no ordainer of death The answere may easily bee made and that sundrie waies First the Lord speakes not this to all men or of all men but to his owne people the church of the Iewes as appeares by the clause perfixed Sonne of man say vnto the â—ouse of Israel c. Again the words are not spoken absolutely but only in waie of comparison in that of the twaine hee rather wills the conuersion and repentance of a sinner then his death and destruction Thirdly the verie proper meaning of the wordes importe thus much that God doeth take no delight or pleasure in the death of a sinner as it is the ruine and destruction of the creature And yet all this hinders not but that God in a newe regard and consideration may both will and ordaine death namely as it is a due and deserued punishment tending to the execution of iustice in which iustice God is as good as in his mercie Againe it may bee obiected that if death indeede had beene ordained of God then Adam should haue beene destroyed and that presently vpon his fall For the verie wordes are thus Whensoeuer thou shalt eate of the forbidden fruite thou shalt certainly die Ausvvere Sentences of Scripture are either Legall or Euangelicall the lawe and the Gospel beeing two seuerall and distinct parts of Gods worde Nowe this former sentence is Legall and must be vnderstood with an exception borrowed from the Gospell or the couenant of grace made with Adam and reuealed to him after his fall The exception is this Thou shalt certenly die whensoeuer thou eatest the forbidden fruite except I doe further giue thee a meanes of deliuerance from death namely the seed of the woman to bruise the serpents head SecoÌ„dly it may be answered that Adam and all his posteritie died and that presently after his fall in that his bodie was made mortall and his soule became subiect to the curse of the Lawe And whereas God would not vtterly destroy Adam at the very first but onely impose on him the beginnings of the first and second death he did the same in great wisdome that in the midst of his iustice he might make a way to mercie which thing could not haue beene if Adam had perished The executioner of this punishment is hee that doeth impose and inflict the same on man and that also is God
thas there is meant Babylon of Assyria The third Babylon is mysticall whereof Babylon of Assyria was a type and figure and that is Rome which is without question here to be vnderstood And the whore of Babylon as by all circumstances may be gagathered is the state or regiment of a people that are the inhabitaÌ„ts of Rome and appertaine thereto This may bee prooued by the interpretation of the holy ghost for in the last verse of the 17. chapter the woman that is the whore of Babylon is said to be a citie which raigneth ouer the kings of the earth nowe in the daies when S. Iohn penned this booke of Reuelation there was no cittie in the world that ruled ouer the kings of the earth but Rome it then being the seate where the Emperour put in execution his Imperiall authoritie Againe in the seuenth verse shee is said to sit on a beast hauing seauen heads ten horns which 7. heads be seuen hills v. 9. whereon the woman sitteth also they be seuen kings Therefore by the whore of Babylon is meant a cittie standing on seuen hills Now it is well known not onely to learned men in the Church of god but euen to the heathen themselues that Rome alone is the cittie built on seuen distinct hils called Caelius Auentinus Exquilinus Tarpeius or Capitolinus Viminalis Palatinus Quirinalâ—â— Papists to helpe themselues doe alleadge that old Rome stood on seuen hells but nowe is remooued further to Campus Martius I answer that howsoeuer the greatest part of the cittie in regard of habitation be not nowe on seauen hills yet in regard of regiment and practise of religion it is for euen to this day vpon these hills are feated certaine Churches and Monasteries and other like places where the Papal authoritie is put in execution and thus Rome beeing put for a state and regiment euen at this day it stands vpon seuen hills And though it be come to passe that the harlot in regard of her latter daies euen changed her seat yet in respect of her yonger times in which shee was bred borne she sate vpon the seuen hils Others because they feare the wounding of their owne heads labour to frame these words to an other meaning and say that by the whore is meant the companie of all wicked men in the world wheresoeuer the deuill being the head thereof But this exposition is flat against the text for in the second verse of the 17. chapter shee is opposed to the kings of the earth with whome shee is said to commit fornication and in the last verse shee is called a citie standing on seuen hills and raigning ouer the kings of the earth as I haue said and therfore must needs be a state of men in some particular place And the Papists themselues perceiuing that this shift will not serue their turne make two Romes heathenish Rome and that wherof the Pope is head now say they the whore spoken of is heathenish Rome which was ruled by cruell tyrants as Nero Domitian and the rest and that Rome whereof now the Pope is head is not here meant Behold a vaine and foolish distinction for Ecclesiastical Rome in respect of state princely dominion and crueltie in persecuting the Saints of God is all one with the heathenish Empire the See of the Bishop beeing turned into the Emperours court as all histories doe manifest But let the distinction be as they suppose yet by their leaues here by the whore must be vnderstood not onely heathenish Rome but euen the Papall or Ecclesiasticall Rome for v. 3 of this chapter the holy Ghost saith plainly that she hath madâ— all nations drunke with the wine of the wrath of her fornication yea it is added that shee hath committed fornication with the kings of the earth whereby is signified that shee hath endeauoured to intangle all the nations of the earth in her spirituall idolatrie and to bring the kings of the earth to her religion Which thing cannot be vnderstood of the heathenish Rome for that left all the kings of the earth to their owne religion and idolatrie neither did they labour to bring forraine kings to worship their gods Againe chap. 17. v. 16. it is saide that the ten hornes which be ten kings shall hate the whore and make her desolate and naked which must not be vnderstood of heathenish Rome but of popish Rome for whereas in former times all the kings of the earth did submit themselues to the whore now they haue begun to withdraw themselues and make her desolate as the king of Bohemia Denmarke Germanie England Scotland and other parts therefore this distinction is also friuolous They further alleadge that the whore of Babylon is drunke with the blood of the Saints and Martyrs chap. 17.6 shedde not in Rome but in Ierusalem where the Lord was crucified and the two prophets beeing slaine lie there in the streets Reuelat. 11.8 But this place is not meant of Hierusalem as Hierome hath fully taught but it may well be vnderstood of Rome Christ was crucified there either because the authoritie whereby he was crucified was from the Romane Empire or els because Christ in his members was and is there daily crucified though locally in his owne person he was crucified at Ierusalem And thus notwithstanding all which hath beene saide we must here by the whore vnderstand the state and Empire of Rome not so much vnder the heathen Emperours as vnder the head thereof the Pope which exposition besides the authoritie of the text hath the fauour and defence of auncient and learned men Bernard saith They are the ministers of Christ but they serue Antichrist Againe The beast spoken of in the Apocalyps to which a mouth is giuen to speake blasphemies and to make warre with the Saints of God is now gotten into Peters chaire as a lyon prepared to his pray It will be said that Bernard speakes these latter words of one that came to the Popedome by intrusion or vsurpation It is true indeede but wherefore was he an vsurper He rendreth a reason thereof in the same place because the Antipope called Innocentius was chosen by the kings of Almaine France England Scotland Spaine Hierusalem with consent of the whole Cleargie and people in these nations and the other was not And thus Bernard hath giuen his verdict that not onely this vsurper but all the Popes for this many yeares are the beast in the Apocalyps because now they are onely chosen by the colledge of Cardinalls To this agreeth the decree of Pope Nicolas the second ann 1059. that the Pope shall afterward be created by the suffrages of the Cardinall Bishops of Rome with the consent of the rest of the cleargie and people and the Emperour himselfe and all Popes are excommunicate and accursed as Antichrists that enter otherwise as all now doe Ioachimus Abbas saith Antichrist was long since borne in Rome shall be yet aduanced higher in the Apostolicke