worship God in by or at any image for this is the thing which as I haue prooued before the second commandement forbiddeth And the fact of the Israelites Exod. 32. in worshipping the golden calfe is condemned as flat idolatrie albeit they worshipped not the calfe but God in the calfe for v. 5. Aaron saith Tomorrow shall bee the solemnitie of Iehouah whereby he doth giue vs to vnderstand that the calfe was but a signe of Iehouah whome they worshipped Obiect It seemes the Israelites worshipped the calfe For Aaron saith v. 4. These bee thy Gods O Israel that brought thee out of Egypt Ans. Aarons meaning is nothing else but that the golden calfe was a signe of the presence of the true God And the name of the thing signified is giuen to the signe as vpon a stage he is called a king that represents the king And Augustine saith that images are woont to be called by the names of things whereof they are images as the counterfeit of Samuel is called Samuel And we must not esteeme them all as madde men to thinke that a calfe made of their earings beeing but one or two daies old should bee the God that brought them out of Egypt with a mightie hand many daies before And these are the points of difference touching images wherein we must stand at variance for euer with the Church of Rome For they â—rre in the foundation of religion making indeed an idol of the true God and worshipping another Christ then we doe vnder new tearmes maintaining the idolatrie of the heathen And therefore haue we departed from them and so must we still doe because they are Idolaters as I haue prooued The X. point Of reall presence Our Consent I. We hold and beleeue a presence of Christs bodie and blood in the sacrament of the Lords supper and that no fained but a true and reall presence which must be considered two waies first in respect of the signes secondly in respect of the communicants For the first we hold and teach that Christs bodie and blood are truely present with the bread and wine beeing signes in the Sacrament but how not in respect of place or coexistence but by sacramentall relation on this manner When a word is vttered the sound comes to the eare and at the same instant the thing signified comes to the mind and thus by relation the word and the thing spoken of are both present togither Euen so at the Lords table bread and wine must not be considered barely as subsistaÌ„ces and creatures but as outward signes in relation to the bodie and blood of Christ and this relation arising from the very institution of the Sacrament standes in this that when the elements of bread and wine are present to the hand and to the mouth of the receiuer at the very same time the bodie and blood of Christ are presented to the minde thus and no otherwise is Christ truely present with the signes The second presence is in respect of the communicants to whose beleeuing hearts he is also really present It will bee said what kind of presence is this Ans. Such as the communion in the sacrament is â—uch is the presence and by the communion must we iudge of the presence Nowe the communion is on this manner God the father according to the tenour of the Euangelicall couenant gives Christ in this sacrament as really and truely as any thing can bee giuen to man not by part and peecemeale as wee say but whole Christ God and man on this sort In Christ there be two natures the godheadâ— manhood The godhead is not giuen in regard of substance or essence but only in regard of efficacie merits operatioÌ„ coÌ„ceiued thence to the manhood And further in this sacrament Christs whole manhood is giuen both bodie and soule in this order First of all is giuen the very manhood in respect of substance and that really secondly the merits and benefits thereof as namely the satisfaction performed by and in the manhood to the iustice of God And thus the intire manhood with the benefits thereof are giuen wholly and ioyntly togither For the two dislinct signes of bread and wine signifie not two distinct giuings of the bodie apart and the blood apart but the full and perfect nourishment of our soules Againe the benefits of Christs manhood are diuersly giuen some by imputation which is an action of God accepting that which is done by Christ as done by vs and thus it hath pleased God to giue the passion of Christ and his obedience Some againe are giuen by a kind of propagation which I cannot fitly expresse in tearmes but I resemble it thus As one candle is lighted by another and one torch or candle-light is conueied to twentie candles euen so the inherent righteousnes of euery beleeuer is deriued from the storehouse of righteousnesse which is in the manhood of Christ for the righteousnes of all the members is but the fruit thereof euen as the naturall corruption in all mankinde is but a fruit of that originall sinne which was in Adam Thus we see howe God for his part giues Christ and that really To proceede when God giues Christ he giues withall at the same time the spirit of Christ which spirit creates in the heart of the receiuer the instrument of true faith by which the heart doeth really receiue Christ giuen of God by resting vpon the promise which God hath made that he will giue Christ and his righteousnesse to euery true beleeuer Now then when God giues Christ with his benefits man for his part by faith receiues the same as they are giuen there riseth that vnion which is betweene euery good receiuer and Christ himselfe Which vnioÌ„ is not forged but a reall true and neere coniunction nearer then which none is or can be because it is made by a solemne giuing and receiuing that passeth betweene God and man as also by the bond of one and the same spirit To come then to the point considering there is a reall vnion and consequently a reall communion betweene vs and Christ as I haue prooued there must needes bee such a kind of presence wherein Christ is truely and really present to the heart of him that receiues the sacrament in faith And thus farre doe wee consent with the Romish Church touching reall presence The dissent We differ not touching the presence it selfe but onely in the maner of presence For though we hold a reall presence of Christs bodie and blood in the sacrament yet doe we not take it to be locall bodily or substantiall but spirituall and mysticall to the signes by sacramentall relation and to the communicants by faith alone On the contrarie the Church of Rome maintaines transubstantiation that is a locall bodily and substantiall presence of Christs bodie and blood by a change and conuersion of the bread and wine into the said bodie and blood Our reasons I. This corporall presence ouerturnes sundrie articles
3.14 As Moses lifted vp the serpent in the wildernesse so must the sonne of man be lift vp 15. That who so beleeueth in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life Act. 10.43 To him also giue all the Prephets witnes that through his name all that beleeue in him shall receiue remission of sinnes The ende and vse of the Gospell is first to manifest that righteousnesse in Christ whereby the whole law is fully satisfied saluation attained Secondly it is the instrument and as it were the conduit pipe of the holy ghost to fashion and deriue faith into the soule by which faith they which beleeue doe as with an hand apprehend Christs righteousnes Rom. 1.16 I am not ashamed of the gospell of Christ for it is the power of God to saluation to as many as beleeue to the Iewe first and then to the Grecian 17. For the iustice of God is reuealed by it from faith to faith Ioh. 6. 33. It is the spirit which quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothing the words which I speake are spirit and life 1. Cor. 1.21 It pleased God by the foolinesse of preaching to saue such as beleeue The Gospell preached is in the flourishing estate of Christs Church that ordinarie meanes to beget faith but in the ruinous estate of the same when as by apostasie the foundations thereof are shaken and the cleere light of the word is darkened then this word read or repeated yea the very sound thereof beeing but once heard is by the assistance of Gods spirit extraordinarily effectuall to them whome God will haue called out of that great darkenesse into his exceeding light Rom. 10.14 How shall they call on him in whome they haue not beleeued and how shall they beleeue in him of whome they haue not heard And howe shall they heare without a preacher Act. 11.19 And they which were scattered abroad because of the affliction that arose about Steuen walked throughout till they came to Phenice and Cyprus and Antiochia preaching the worde to no man but to the Iewes onely 30. Nowe some of them were men of Cyprus and of Cyrene which when thâ—y were come into Antiochia spake vnto the Grecians and preached the Lord Iesus 21. And the hand of the Lord was with them so that a great number beleeued and turned vnto the Lord. Ioh. 4. 28. The woman then left her water pot and went her way into the city and said to the men 29. Come and see a man which hath told me all things that euer I did Is not he the Christ then they went out of the citty and came vnto him 39. Now many of the Samaritans beleeued in him for the saying of the woman which testified He hath tolde me all things that euer I did 41. And many moe beleeued because of his own word 42. And they said vnto the woman Nowe we beleeue not because of thy saying for we haue heard him our selues and knowe that this is indeede the Christ the Sauiour of the world Rom. 10.18 I demaunde haue they not heard no doubt their sounde went out through all the earth and their wordes into the endes of the world Thus we may see how many of our forefathers ancestors in the midst of popery obtained eternall life Reuel 12. 17. The dragon was wroth with the woman and went and made warre with the remnant of her seede which kept the commandements of God and haue the testimonie of Iesus Christ. Rom. 11.4 What saith the diuine Oracles I haue reserued to me seuen thousand men which neuer bowed knee to Baal CHAP. 32. Of the Sacraments THus much of the preaching of the word now follow the appendants to the same namely the Sacraments A Sacrament is that whereby Christ and his sauing graces are by certaine externall rites signified exhibited and sealed to a Christian man Rom. 4.11 He receiued the signe of circumcision as the seale of the righteousnesse of the faith which he had when he was circumcised Gen. 7.11 Ye shall circumcise the foreskin of your flesh and it shall bee a signe of the couenant betweene me and you God alone is the author of a Sacrament for the signe cannot confirme any thing at all but by the consent and promise of him at whose handes the benefit promised must be receiued Therefore God it is alone which appointed â—ignes of grace in whose alone power it is to bestowe grace And God did make a Sacrament by the sacramentall word as Augustine witnesseth saying Let the word come to the element and there is made a Sacrament The sacramentall word is the word of institution the which God after a seuerall manner hath set downe in each Sacrament Of the worde there are two parts the commandement and the promise The commandement is by which Christ appointeth the administration of the Sacraments and the receiuing of the same As in Baptisme Goe into the whole world baptizing them in the Name c. In the Lords Supper Take eate drinke doe ye this The promise is the other part of the institution whereby God ordained elements that they might be instruments and seales of his grace As in Baptisme I baptize thee in the name of the father of the sonne and of the holy Ghost In the Supper This is my body giuen for you and This this is my blood of the new Testament Therefore this word in the administration of the Sacrament ought to be pronounced distinctly and aloud yea and as occasion serueth explained also to the ende that all they to whome the commandement and promise appertaineth may knowe and vnderstand the same And hence it is very plaine that the ministers impietie doth not make a nullitie of the Sacrament neither doth it any whit hinder a worthy receiuer no more then the pietie of a good minister can profite an vnworthy receiuer because all the efficacie and worthines therof dependeth onely vpon Gods institution if so be that be obserued The parts of a Sacrament are the Signe and the Thing of the Sacrament The signe is either the matter sensible or the Action conuersant about the same The matter sensible is vsually called the signe The mutation of the signe is not naturall by changing the substance of the thing but respectiue that is onely in regard of the vse For it is seuered from a common to an holy vse Therfore there is not any such either force or efficacie of making vs holy inherent or tied vnto the externall signes as there is naturally in bathes to purifie corrupt diseases but all such efficacie is wholly appropriate to the holy Spirit yet so as it is an inseperable companion of true faith and repentance and to such as turne vnto the Lord is together with the signe exhibited Whence it commeth to passe that by Gods ordinance a certaine fignification of grace and sealing thereof agreeth to the signe The thing of the Sacrament is either Christ his graces which concerne our saluation or the action conuersant about Christ. I
giue his disciples that they must denie themselues and follow him 2. The second thing is the knowledge of Gods will for otherwise howe shall we doe it How can that seruant please his master which cannot tel what he would haue done of him Most men will haue bookes of statutes in their houses and if they be to deale in any great matter they will doe nothing before they haue looked on the statute In like manner men should haue the bible that is the booke of Gods statutes in their houses the lawes of God must be the men of our counsell before euery action we are to search what is the will of God and then to doe it Here then we are taught to vse the meanes and to pray for knowledge 3. Againe wee are here taught to haue a desire in our hearts and an indeauour in our liues in all things to performe obedience to Gods worde in our liues and conuersations and in our particular callings 4. Lastly we desire patience and strength when it shall please God at any time to exercise vs with the crosse as Paul praies for the Colossians That God would strengthen them by the power of his might vnto all patience and long suffering with ioyfulnesse Coloss. 1.12 5. Error confuted THE Church of Rome teacheth that men by nature haue free will to doe good and that men being stirred vp by the holy ghost can of themselues will that which is good But if this were so why might wee not pray Let my will be done So farre forth as the will of man shall agree with Gods will but this cannot be as wee see in the tenour of this petition In earth as it is in heauen 1. The meaning HAuing shewed the meaning of this petition Thy will be done nowe we are to speake of the condition which shewes in what manner we should doe it For the question might be howe we would doe Gods will and the answer is that his will must be done in earth as it is in heauen Heauen By heauen here is meant the soules of faithfull men departed and the elect Angels Psal. 103.20 Praise the Lord ye his angels that excel in streÌ„gth that doe his commandements in obeying the voice of his word Earth By earth is vnderstood nothing but men on earth because all other creatures in their kind obey God onely man he is rebellious and disobedient Then the meaning is Let thy will be done by vs men on earth as the Angels and Saints departed doe thy will in heauen Question Doe wee here desire to doe the will of God in that perfection it is done by Angels must we be as perfect as they Ans. The words here vsed in earth as it c. doe not signifie an equalitie as though our obedience could in this life bee in the same degree of perfection with Angels but a similitude standing in the like manner of obedience Now it may be asked in what manner do the angels obey God Ans. They do the will of God willingly speedily and faithfully and this is signified in that they are said in the scriptures to be winged and to stand continually beholding the face of our heauenly father And this is the manner in which wee desire to performe Gods will 2. The wants to be bewailed VVE are here admonished to bee displeased with our selues for our slacke and imperfect obedience to God for our hypocrisie priuie prid presumption deadnes of spirit and many other wants which breake out when we are in doing Gods will There is no seruant of God but hath wants in his best workes so we must vnderstand Paul when he saith To will is present with me but I finde no meanes to performe that which is good Rom. 7.18 Where he signifies thus much in effect that hee could beginne good things but not perfect them and goe through-stitch as we say When the godly doe good workes as heare speake gods word pray praise God c. they perform things acceptable to God but in these actions they finde matter of mourning namely the imperfection of the worke therefore Dauid praieth Psal. 143.2 Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant And here we may see how farre wide the Church of Rome is that holdeth good works to be any way meritorious that be euery way imperfect If the men of that church had grace they might see that the corruptions of the flesh were as gyues and fetters about their legges that when they would faine runne the waies of Gods commandements they are constrained to halt downe right and to traile their loynes after them 3. Grace to be desired THe grace here to be desired is sinceritie of heart or a readie and constant purpose and indeauour not to sinne in any thing but to doe Gods wil so as we may keepe a good conscience before God men Act. 24. 16. And for this cause I endeuour alwaies to haue a cleare conscience towards God and towards men This must we hunger after and pray for seeing it is not sufficient to abstaine from euill but also to doe good and in doing good striue to come to perfection A conformitie with Angels in this dutie is to be sought for and to be begun in this life that in the life to come we may be like them in glorie Giue vs this day our daily bread 1. The Goberence THus much of the three first petitions which concerne God now follow the other three which concerne our selues In which order we learne to pray for those things which concerne God absolutely and for those things which concerne our selues not absolutely but so farre forth as they shall make for Gods glorie the building of his kingdome and the doing of his will But how depends this petition on the former In the first we were taught to pray that Gods name might be hallowed which is done when God raignes in our hearts his wil is done Now further his will is obeied in three things first by depending on his prouidence for the things of this life secondly by depending on his mercie for the pardon of sinneâ— thirdly by depending on his power and might in resisting temptations And thus Gods will is obeied 2. The meaning BRâ—ad By bread in this place many of the ancient fathers as also the Papists at this day vnderstand the element of bread in the Sacrament the bodie of Christ which is the bread of life But that cannot be for S. Luke calls it bread for the day that is bread sufficient to preserue vs for the present day and by this he makes it manifest that the words of this petition must be vnderstood not of spirituall but of bodily foode and the bread of life is more directly asked in the second or fourth petition As for the opinion of Erasmus who thinkes that in this so heauenly a prayer made to God the Father there should be no mention made of bread that is of earthly things which euen the Gentiles bestow
but spirituall Againe in the supper of the Lord euery beleeuer receiueth whole Christ God and man though not the godhead now by this carnall eating we receiue not whole Christ but onely a part of his manhood and therefore in the sacrament there is no carnall eating and consequently no bodily presence Reason VII The iudgement of the auncient Church Theodoret saith The same Christ who called his naturall bodie foode and bread who also called himselfe a vine he vouchsafed the visible signes the name of his owne bodie not chaunging nature but putting grace to nature whereby he meanes consecration And The mysticall signes after sanctification loose not their proper nature For they remaine in their first nature and keepe their first figure and forme and as before may be touched and seene and that which they are made is vnderstood beleeued adored Gelasius saith Bread and wine passe into the substance of the bodie blood of Christ yet so as the substance or nature of bread and wine ceaseth not And they are turned into the diuine substance yet the bread and wine remaine still in the propertie of their nature Lumbard saith If it be asked what conuersion this is whether formall or substantiall or of an other kind I am not able to define And that the fathers held not transubstantiatioÌ„ I proue it by sundrie reasons First they vsed in former times to burne with fire that which remained after the administration of the Lords supper Secondly by the sacramentall vnion of the bread and wine with the bodie and blood of Christ they vsed to confirme the personall vnion of the manhood of Christ with the godhead against heretickes which argument they would not haue vsed if they had beleeued a popish reall presence Thirdly it was a custome in Constantinople that if many parts of the sacrament remained after the administration thereof was ended that young children should be sent for from the schoole to eate them who neuerthelesse were barred the Lords table And this argues plainely that the Church in those daies tooke the bread after the administration was ended for common bread Againe it was once an order in the Romane Church that the wine should be consecrated by dipping into it bread which had beene consecrated But this order cannot stand with the reall presence in which the bread is turned both into the bodie and blood Nicholaus Cabasilas saith After he hath vsed some speech to the people hee erects their mindes and lifâ—s their thoughts from earth and saith Sursum corda Let vs lift vp our hearts let vs thinke on things aboue and not on things that are vpon the earth They consent say that they lift vp their hearts thither where is their treasure and where Christ sits at the right hand of his father Obiections of Papists I. Their first reason is Ioh. 6.55 My flesh is meat indeede and my blood is drinke indeede therefore say they Christs body must be eaten with the mouth and his blood drunke accordingly Ans. The chapter must beâ— vnderstood of a spirituall eating of Christ his bodie is meate indeed but spirituall meate his blood spirituall drink to be receiued not by the mouth but by faith This is the very point that Christ here intends to prooue namely that to beleeue in him is to eate his flesh and to drinke his blood are all one Againe this chapter must not be vnderstood of that speciall eating of Christ in the sacrament for it is said generally v. 53. Except ye eate the flesh of Christ and drinke his blood ye haue no life in you and if these very wordes which are the substance of the chapter must be vnderstood of a sacramentall eating no man before the coÌ„ming of Christ was saued for none did bodily eate or drinke his bodie or blood considering it was not then existing in nature but onely was present to the beleeuing heart by faith II. Obiect An other argument is taken from the words of the institution This is my bodie Ans. These words must not be vnderstood properly but by a figure his bodie beeing put for the signe and seale of his body It is obiected that when any make their last wills and testaments they speake as plainely as they can now in this supper Christ ratifies his last will and testament therefore he spake plainely without any figure Ans. Christ here speaketh plainely and by a figure also for it hath beene alwaies the vsual manner of the Lord in speaking of the sacraments to giue the name of the thing signified to the signe as Gen. 17. 10. circumcision is called the couenant of God and in the next verse in the way of exposition the signe of the couenant And Exod. 12. 11. the paschall lambe is called the angels passing by or ouer the houses of the Israelites whereas indeede it was but a signe thereof and 1. Cor. 10.4 The rock was Christ. 1. Cor. 5.7 The passeouer was Christ. And the like phrase is to bee founde in the institution of this sacrameÌ„t concerning the cup which the Papists theÌ„selues confesse to be figuratiue when it is said Luk. 22. This cup is the newe testament in my blood that is a signe seale and pledge thereof Againe the time when these words were spoken must be considered and it was before the passion of Christ whereas yet his bodie was not crucified nor his blood shed and consequently neither of them could bee receiued in bodily manner but by faith alone Againe Christ was not onely the author but the minister of this sacrament at the time of institution thereof and if the bread had beene truely turned into his bodie and the wine into his blood Christ with his own hands should haue taken his owne bodie and blood and haue giuen it to his disciples nay which is more he should with his owne hands haue taken his owne flesh and drunken his owne blood and haue eaten himselfe For Christ himselfe did eate the bread and drinke the wine that he might with his owne person consecrate his last supper as he had consecrated baptisme before And if these words should be properly vnderstood euery man should bee a manslaier in his eating of Christ. Lastly by means of popish real presence it comes to passe that our bodies should be nourished by naked qualities without any substance which in all philosophie is false and erronious To help this and the like absurdities some Papists make nine wonders in the sacrament The first that Christs bodie is in the Eucharist in as large a quantitie as he was vpon the crosseâ— and is now in heauen yet excludes not the quantitie of the bread The second that there be accidents without a subiect The third that bread is turned into the body of Christ yet is not the matter of the bodie nor resolued to nothing The fourth that the bodie increaseth not by consecration of many hosts and is not diminished by often
law Answer is made that our daily sinnes are veniall and not against the law but beside the law But this which they say is against the petition for a debt that comes by forfiture is against the bond or obligation Now euery sinne is a debt causing the forfiture of punishment and therefore is not beside but directly against the law 4 In this clause as we forgiue our debters it is taken for graunted that we may certenly know that we are in loue and charitie with men when we make reconciliation why then may not we know certenly that we repent and beleeue and are reconciled to God which all Romane Catholikes denie 5 In the last wordes and lead vs not into temptation we pray not that God should free vs from temptation for it is otherwhiles good to be tempted Psal. 26.1 but that we be not left to the malice of Sathan and held captiue of the temptation for here to be lead into temptation and to be deliuered are opposed Now hence I gather that he which is the child of God truly iustified and sanctified shall neuer fall wholly and finally from the grace of God and I conclude on this manner That which we aske according to the will of God shall be graunted 1. Ioh. 5. but this the child of God asketh that he might neuer be wholly forsaken of his father and left captiue in temptation This therfore shall be graunted 6 This clause Amen signifies a speciall faith touching all the former petitions that they shall be graunted and therefore a speciall faith concerning remission of sinnes which the Romane Church denieth To come to the last place to the Institution of the sacrament of the Lords Supper 1. Cor. 11.23 In which first of all the Reall presence is by many circumstances ouerthrowne Out of the wordes he tooke and brake it is plaine that that which Christ tooke was not his bodie because he can not be saide with his owne hands to haue taken held and broken himselfe but the very bread Againe Christ said not vnder the forme of bread or in bread but This that is bread is my bodie 3. Bread was not giuen for vs but onely the bodie of Christ and in this first institution the bodie of Christ was not really giuen to death 4. The cup is the new testament by a figure why may not the bread be the bodie of Christ by a figure also 5. Christ did eate the supper but not him selfe 6. We are bidden to doe it till he come Christ then is not bodily present 7. Christ biddes the bread to be eaten in a remembrance of him but signes of remembrance are of things absent 8. If the Popish reall presence be granted then the bodie and blood of Christ are either seuered or ioyned together If seuered then Christ is still crucified If ioyned together then the bread is both the bodie and blood of Christ whereas the institution saith the bread is the bodie and the wine is the blood 2 Againe here is condemned the administration of the saâ—ramâ—nt vnder one onely kind For the commandement of Christ is Drinke ye all of this Mat. 26.27 And this commaundement is rehearsed to the Church of Corinth in these wordes Doe this as oft as ye drinke in remembrance of me v. 25. And no power can reuerse this commandement because it was established by the soueraigne head of the Church These fewe lines as also the former treatise I offer to the vew and reading of them that fauour the Romane religion willing them with patience to coÌ„sider this one thing that their religion if it were Catholike and Apostolike as they pretende it could not be contrarie so much as in one point to the groundes of all Catechismes that haue beene vsed in all Churches confessing the name of Christ euer since the Apostles daies And whereas it crosseth the said groundes in sundrie points of doctrine as I haue prooued it is a plaine argument that the present Romane religion is degenerate I write not this despising or hating their persons for their religion but wishing vnfainedly their conuersion in this world and their saluation in the world to come FINIS THE FOVNDATION OF CHRISTIAN RELIgion gathered into sixe Principles And it is to be learned of ignorant people that they may be fit to heare Sermons with profit and to receiue the Lords Supper with comfort Psalme 119. 30. The entrance into thy words sheweth light and giueth vnderstanding to the simple Printed for I.L. and I.P. 1600. To all ignorant people that desire to be instructed POore people your manner is to sooth vp your selues as though yee were in a most happie estate but if the matter come to a iust triall it will fall out farre otherwise For you lead your liues in great ignorance as may appeare by these your common opinions which follow 1 That faith is a mans good meaning and his good seruing of God 2 That God is serued by the rehearsing of the ten Commandements the Lords prayer and the Creede 3 That ye haue beleeued in Christ euer since you could remember 4 That it is pitie he should liue which doth any whit doubt of his saluation 5 That none can tell whether he shall be saued or no certainely 〈◊〉 that all men must be of a good beleefe 6 That howsoeuer a man liue yet if he call vpon God on his death-bed and say Lord haue mercie vpon me and so goe away like a lambe he is certainely saued 7 That if any be strangely visited he is either taken with a Planet or bewitched 8 That a man may lawfully sweare when he speakes nothing but the truth and sweares by nothing but that which is good as by his faith or troth 9 That a Preacher is a good man no longer then he is in the pulpit They thinke all like themselues 10 That a man may repent when he will because the Scripture saith At what time soeuer a sinner doth repent him of his sinne c. 11 That it is an easier thing to please God then to please our neighbour 12 That ye can keepe the commandements as well as God will giue you leaue 13 That it is the safest to doe in Religion as most doe 14 That merrie ballads and books as Scogin Bevis of Southampton c. are good to driue away time and to remooue heart-quames 15 That ye can serue God with all your hearts that ye would be sory els 16 That a man neede not heare so many sermons except he could followe them better 17 That a man which commeth at no sermons may as well beleeue as he which heares all the sermons in the world 18 That ye know all the Preacher can tell you For he can say nothing but that euery man is a sinner that we must loue our neighbours as our selues that euery man must be saued by Christ and all this ye can tell as well as he 19 That it was a good world when the olde Religion was because
Choose the lower roome at a banquet and rather then be troublesome sit as the master of the feast assigneth thee Luk. 14.7 He spake a parable to the guests when he marked howe they chose out the chiefe roomes and said 8. 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 9. And he that bade both him and thee come and say Giue this man roome 10. But goe and sit downe in the lowest roome that when he that bade thee commeth he may say vnto thee Friend sit vp higher Prou. 25.5 StaÌ„d not in the place of great meÌ„ c. IV. Man must eate at due times not at vnseasonable houres Eccl. 10.16 Woe be to thee O land wheÌ„ thy Princes eate in the morning 17. Blessed art thou O land when Princes eate in time V. Man must eate and drinke moderately so that the body may receiue strength thereby the soule be more fresh and liuely to performe the actions of godlines Luk. 21. 34. Take heede to your selues least at any time your hearts be oppressed with surfetting and drunkennesse Prou. 23.29 To whome is woe c. Euen to them that tarry long at wine to them that goe and seeke mixt wine 3. Looke not thou vpon the wine when it is red and when it sheweth his colour in the cup and goeth downe pleasantly c. Prou. 25.16 If thou hast found hony eate that is sufficient for thee least thou be ouer full and vomit Prou. 31.4 It is not for Kings to drinke wine nor for Princes strong drinke 5. Least he drinke and forget the decree and change the iudgement of all the children of affliction VI. We must then especially regard these things when we eate at great mens tables Prou. 23.1 When thou sittest to eate with a ruler consider diligently what is before thee 2. Put the knife to thy throate if thou be a man giuen to thine appetite 3. Be not desirous of his dainty meates for it is a deceiueable meate VII Godly mirth at meate is tollerable Act. 2.46 They did eate their meat togither with gladnes and singlenes of heart VIII Table talke according as occasion of talke is offered must be such as may edifie Such was Christs talke at the Pharises table Luk. 14. from thâ— 1. verse to the 16. verse IX See that after the banquet ended the broken meate be not lost but reserued Iohn 6.12 When they were satisfied he said vnto his Disciples Gather vp the broken meate which remaineth that nothing be lost X. At a feast leaue somwhat Ruth 2.14 Shee did eate and was sufficed and left thereof Chastitie is double one of single life another in wedlocke They that are single must I. with great care keepe their affections and bodies in holinesse Psal. 119. 9. Howe shall a young man purge his waies by directing the same after thy word 1. Ioh. 2. 13. I write vnto you fathers because ye haue knowne him that is from the beginning I write vnto you young men because ye haue ouercome that wicked one 14. I write vnto you babes because ye haue knowne the Father Eccl. 12.1 Remember thy creator in the daies of thy youth whiles the euill daies come not nor the yeares approch wherein thou shalt say I haue no pleasure in them II. They must fast often 1. Cor. 9.27 I beate downe my bodie and bring it into subiection least by any meanes after I haue preached to others I my selfe should be reprooued III. They must take heede they burne not in lust for 1. Cor. 7.9 It is better to marry then to burne Chastitie in wedlocke is when the holy and pure vse of wedlocke is obserued Heb. 13.4 Mariage is honourable among all the bed vndefiled but whoremongers and adulterers God will iudge To preserue puritie in wedlocke these cautions are profitable I. Contracts must be in the Lord and with the faithful onely Malac. 2.11 Iudah hath transgressed and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Ierusalem for Iudah hath defiled the holinesse of the Lord which he loued and hath maried the daughter of a strange god 1. Cor. 7.39 If her husband be dead shee is at libertie to marrie with whome shee will onely in the Lord. II. Both parties must separate themselues in the time of a womans disease and at appointed fasts Ezech. 18.6 1. Cor. 7.5 Defraud not one another except it be with consent for a time that ye may giue your selues to fasting and praier and againe come together that Satan tempt you not for your incontinencie III. Wedlocke must be vsed rather to suppresse then to satisfie that corrupt coÌ„cupiscence of the flesh and especially to enlarge the Church of God Rom. 13.14 Put on the Lord Iesus Christ and take not care of the flesh to satisfie the lusts thereof IV. It must bee vsed with prayer and thanksgiuing 1. Tim. 4.3,4 CHAP. 27. Of the eight Commandement THis coÌ„mandement concerneth the preseruatioÌ„ of our neighbours goods The wordes are these Thou shalt not steale The Resolution Steale To steale is properly to conuey any thing closely from another Gen. 31. â—0 Iaakob stole away the heart of Laban the Aramite In this place it signifieth generally to wish that which is another mans to get it by fraud and any way to impaire his wealth The negatiue part Thou shalt neither be wanting to preserue nor a meanes to hinder or hurt thy neighbours goods In this plâ—ce these sinnes are forbidden I. Inordinate liuing whether it be in no â—et calling or idely wherein by neglecting their duties such persons mispend their time goods and reuenues 2. Thes. 2.11 We heare that there are some among you which walke inordinately and worke not at all but are busie bodies Gen. 3.9 In the sweate of thy browes shalt thou eate thy bread till thou returne to the earth 1. Tim. 5.8 If there be any that prouideth not for his owne especially for them of his houshold he denieth the faith and is worse then an infidel II. Vniust dealing the which is either in heart or deede Vniust dealing in heart is named couetousnesse Matth. 15.19 Out of the heart come euill thoughts murthers adulteries fornications thefts c. Couetousnesse is idolatrie Eph. 5.5 We knowe that no couetous person which is an idolatour shall enter into the kingdome of Christ and of God Yea it is the very roote of all euill 1. Tim. 6. 9. The loue of money is the roote of all euill which whilest some lusted after they erred from the faith and pierced themselues through with many sorrowes Vniust dealing indeede is in bargaining or out of bargaining Vniust dealing in bargaining hath many branches 1. Thes. 4.6 Let no man oppresse or deceiue his neighbour in a bargaine for God is the auenger of such things I. To sell or bargaine for that which is not saleable Of this kind I. Is the gift of the holy Ghost which cannot
say first Christ and then his graces because no man receiueth grace frō Christ vnlesse he be made truely partaker of his very bodie and blood euen as no man can by right reape any fruite of the ground whereof first hee hath no iust title and interest The action about Christ is spirituall and is either the action of God or of Faith The action of God is either the offering or the Application of Christ his graces to the faithfull The action of faith is the consideration desire apprehension and receiuing of Christ in the lawefull vse of the Sacrament Thus much of the parts of a Sacrament nowe followeth the vnion of the parts This sacramentall vnion I. is not naturall according to the place for there is no mutation of the signe into the thing signed neither is the thing signed either included in or fastened vpon the signe But II. it is respectiue because there is a certaine agreement and proportion of the externall things with the internall and of the actions of one with the actions of the other whereby it commeth to passe that the signes as it were certaine visible wordes incurring into the externall senses doe by a certaine proportionable resemblance drawe a Christian mind to the consideration of the things signified to be applied This mutuall and as I may say sacramentall relation is the cause of so many figuratiue speeches and metonymies which are vsed as when one thing in the Sacrament is put for another As I. The signe is vsed for the thing signified Exod. 12. 11. Ye shall eate it namely the Lambe in hast for it is the Lords passeouer Ioh. 6. 52. I am the liuing bread which came downe from heauen if any eate of this breade he shall liue for euer and the bread which I will giue is my flesh which I will giue for the life of the world 1. Cor. 5.7 Christ our Passeouer is sacrificed for vs. 1. Cor. 10.17 We that are many are one bread and one bodie because we are all partakers of one bread II. The name of the thing signified is giuen to the signe as The bread is Christs bodie the cuppe is Christs blood 1. Cor. 11.24 Math. 26.28 III. The effect of the thing signified is giuen to the signe as Circumcision is a couenant Gen. 17. 10. Act. 7.8 The cup is the new Testament in Christs blood Luk. 22.16 Baptisme is the washing of the new birth Tit. 3.5 IV. That which properly belōgeth to the signe is attributed to the thing signified Deut. 10.16 Circumcise the foreskin of your hearts Ioh. 6.53 Vnlesse ye eate the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke his blood ye shall haue no life in you The end why a Sacrament was ordained is I. for the better confirmation of our faith for by it as by certaine pledges giuen God of his great mercie doth as it were binde himselfe vnto vs. Now a Sacrament doth confirme our faith not by any inherēt or proper power it hath in it selfe as hath a soueraigne medecine receiued by a patient the which whether a man sleepe or wake it confirmeth his strength but rather by reasoning and vsing the signes when the holy Ghost shall frame in our hearts such a conclusion as this All such as are conuerted rightly vsing the Sacraments shall receiue Christ and his graces But I am conuerted and either now doe or before haue rightly vsed the Sacraments Therefore I shall receiue Christ and his graces II. That it might be a badge and note of that profession by which the true Church of God is distinguished from other congregations III. That it might be a meane to preserue and spread abroad the doctrine of the Gospel IV. It serueth to binde the faithfull that they doe continue both loyall and gratefull to their Lord God V. It is the bond of mutuall amitie betwixt the faithfull How a Sacrament is necessarie to saluation The couenant of Grace is absolutely necessarie to saluation for it comprehending Christ Iesus the very substance of the Couenant man must necessarily either receiue it or perish eternally but a Sacrament is not absolutely necessarie but onely as it is a prop and stay for faith to leane vpon For it cannot entitle vs into the inheritance of the sonnes of God as the couenant doth but onely by reason of faith going before it doth seale that which before was bestowed vpon vs. As we see in humane contracts the bond ariseth from the mutuall consent of the parties but the instrument or bill and the setting to of the seale they doe not make but rather confirme the bond mutually before made the which mutuall consent remaining firme the contract standeth still in force though the instrument or seale be wanting Therefore the want of a Sacrament doth not condemne but the contempt is that which will condemne a man The want of a Sacrament is when we are iustly hindred from the receiuing of the same as when one is preuented by death or liueth in such a place where he cannot receiue the Sacrament And as for the neglect of a Sacrament albeit it be a very grieuous sinne yet is it such an one as for which he that is heartily penitent for the same may well hope for pardon The holy vse of a Sacrament is when such as are truly conuerted doe vse those rites which God hath prescribed vnto their true ends in the receiuing of a Sacrament Therefore I. the reprobate though God offer the whole Sacrament vnto them yet they receiue the signes alone without the things signified by the signes because the signe without the right vse thereof is not a Sacrament to the receiuer of it So Paul saith Rom. 2. 25. Circumcision verely is profitable if thou keepe the Law but if thou be a transgressour of the Law thy circumcision is made vncircumcision And Augustine hath this saying If thou receiue it carnally yet ceaseth it not to be spirituall though to thee it be not so II. The Elect as yet not conuerted to the Lord doe receiue in like manner the bare signes without the thing signified yet so as that that Sacrament shall in them afterward haue his good effect For the Sacrament receiued before a mans conuersion is afterward to the penitent both ratified and becommeth profitable and that vse of the Sacrament which before was vtterly vnlawfull doth then become very lawfull III. The Elect alreadie conuerted doe to their saluation receiue both the signe and the thing signified together yet so as that for their vnworthie receiuing thereof the which commeth to passe by reason of their manifold infirmities and relapses into sinne they are subiect vnto temporall punishments The difference betwixt a Sacrament and a Sacrifice is in a Sacrament God bestoweth his graces vpon vs but in a sacrifice we returne vnto God faith and obedience There are many differences betwixt the Sacraments of the Old testament and these of the New I. They were many these but few II. They pointed at Christ
6.27 For him hath the Father sealed The second is his blessing of it whereby he by the recitall of the promises and praiers conceiued to that ende doth actually separate the bread and wine receiued from their common vnto an holy vse This doth seale that action of God by which he did in the fulnesse of time send Christ to performe the office of a Mediatour vnto the which he was fore-ordained The third is the breaking of the bread and powring out of the wine this doth seale the passion of Christ by which he verely vpon the crosse was both in soule and bodie bruised for our transgressions The fourth is his distributing of the bread and wine into the hands of the communicants This sealeth the action of God offering Christ vnto all yea to the hypocrites but giuing him indeede vnto the faithful for the daily encrease of their faith and repentance The action of the receiuer is double The first is his taking the bread and wine in his hand This sealeth a spirituall action of the receiuer namely his apprehension of Christ by the hand of faith Ioh. 1. 1â— The second is his eating of the bread and drinking of the wine to the nourishment of his bodie This sealeth his application of Christ by faith that the feeling of his true vnion and communion with Christ may daily be encreased 1. Cor. 11.16 The cuppe of blessing which we blesse is it not the communion of the blood of Christ the bread which we breake is it not the communion of the bodie of Christ That doctrine of Transubstantiation which teacheth that the bread is turned into the very bodie of Christ and the wine into his blood is a very fable the reasons why are these I. In the first institution of the Supper which was before Christ his passion the bodie of Christ was then eaten as alreadie crucified Now how the bodie of Christ crucified should after a corporall manner be eaten he himselfe being not as yet crucified it is impossible to imagine II. The bread after the consecration is distributed into parts but the whole bodie of Christ is receiued of euery singular communicant III. The bread is the communion of Christs bodie therefore not his very bodie IV. By this meanes the bodie of Christ should not onely be made of the substance of the Virgin Marie but also of the bakers bread V. Let the bread wine be kept for a time and the bread will mould and the wine turne to vineger after the consecration by which we may conclude that there did remaine the substaÌ„ce of bread and wine VI. This opinion quite ouerthroweth the sacramentall vnion namely the proportion which is betwixt the signe and the thing signed Thâ— lâ—ke may be said of the Lutherans Consubstantiation whereby they bâ—â—re men in hand that there is a coexistence by which the bodie of Christ is eithâ—â— in or with or about the bread Against this these reasons may suffice I. The â—hoâ—â—â—ction of the Supper is done in remembrance of Christ now what 〈…〉 f the bodie of Christ were really present II. Act. 3.21 Whom the heauens 〈◊〉 containe vntill the time that all things be restored III. This is an essential propertie of euery magnitude and therfore of the bodie of Christ to be in one place and circumscribed or compassed of one place IV. If that Christs bodie were eaten corporally then should the wicked as well as the faithfull be partakers of the flesh of Christ but to eate his flesh is to beleeue in him and to haue eternall life V. It were very absurd to thinke that Christ sitting amongst his Disciples did with his owne hands take his owne bodie and giue it wholly to each of his Disciples Such as will in an holy sort prepare themselues to celebrate the Lords Supper must haue First a knowledge of God and of mans fall and of the promised restauration into the couenant by Christ. 1. Cor. 11.26 So often as ye shall eate this bread and drinke of this cuppe ye shew the death of the Lord till he come 29. and discerne his bodie Secondly true faith in Christ for euery man receiueth so much as he beleeueth he receiueth Heb. 4.2 For vnto vs was the Gospel preached as also vnto them but the word that they heard profited not them because it was not mixed with faith in those that heard it Furthermore true repentance of their sinnes Esai 66.3 He that killeth a bullocke as if he slue a man he that sacrificeth a sheepe as if he cut off a dogges necke he that offereth an oblation as if he offered swines blood he that remembreth incense as if he blessed an idol yea they haue chosen their owne waies and their soule delighteth in their abominations Psal. 26.6 I wash mine hands in innocency O Lord and so come before thine altar Thirdly renued faith and repentance for daily and new sinnes committed vpon infirmitie because euery new sinne requireth a new act both of repentance and faith this renouation must be seene by our reconciliation of our selues to our neighbours for iniuries and wrongs Mat. 5.23 If thou bring thy gift to the altar and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee 24. Leaue thy gift before the altar and goe first be reconciled to thy brother then come and offer thy gift If thou canst come furnished with these things abstaine not from the Lords table by reaâ—â—n of thy many infirmities If being thus prepared thou feelest that thou hast a corrupt and rebellious heart know this that then thou art well disposed to the Lords table wheÌ„ thou art liuely touched with a sense of thy crooked disposition Luk. 4.18 The spirit of the Lord is vpon me because he hath annointed me that I should preach the Gospell to the poore he hath sent me that I should heale the broken hearted that I should preach deliuerance to the captiues and recouering of sight to the blind that I should set at libertie them that are bruised Mat. 15.24 He answered and said I am not sent but to the lost sheepe of the house of Israel The Lords Supper is a medicine to the diseased and languishing soule and therefore men must as well seeke to purifie and heale their hearts in it as to bring pure and sounde hearts vnto it If thou feele in thy selfe some great defect and want of faith pray vnto god earnestly that he will vouchfafe to increase it Mark 9.24 The father of the child crying with teares said Lord I beleeue helpe mine vnbeleefe If thou canst not doe this thy selfe vse the aide of the faithfull which may by their faith carrie thee as men did the sicke of the palsie vpon their sholders and laid him before Christ. Mark 2.3 If thou come not furnished on this maner to the Lords table thou shalt be adiudged guiltie of the bodie and blood of Christ as he is guiltie of high treason who doth counterfeit or clip the Princes coyne 1. Cor. 11.27 He
that eateth this bread and drinketh this cuppe vnworthily shall be guilty of the body and blood of Christ. But such as feele not theÌ„selues penitent they neither can come to the Lords table without repentance least they eate and drink their own damnation neither must they deferre repentance by which they may come least they procure to themselues finall destruction CHAP. 35. Of the degrees of executing Gods decree of Election VVE haue hitherto declared the outward meanes whereby Gods decree is executed Now follow the degrees of executing the same The degrees are in number two The loue of God and the declaration of his loue Eph. 1.6 To the praise of the glory of his grace wherwith he hath made vs accepted in his blood 9. And hath opened vnto vs the mysterie of his will according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in him Gods loue is that whereby God doth freely loue all such as are chosen in Christ Iesus though in themselues altogither corrupt 1. Ioh. 4. 19. Wee loued him because he loued vs first Rom. 5.8 God setteth out his loue towards vs seeing that while we were yet sinners Christ died for vs. 10. For if when wee were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his sonne much more wee beeing reconciled shall be saued by his life The declaration of gods loue is two-fold The first towards infants elected to saluation the second towards men of riper yeares The declaration of Gods loue towards infants is on this manner Infants alreadie elected albeit they in the wombe of their mother before they were borne or presently after depart this life they I say being after a secret and vnspeakable manner by Gods spirit engraffed into Christ obtaine eternall saluation 1. Cor. 12. 13. By one spirit wee are all baptized into one bodie whether Iewes or Grecians bond or free and haue beene all made to drinke into one spirit Luk. 1. 35. The Angell answered and said vnto her The holy Ghost shall come vpon thee and the power of the most High shall ouershadow thee therefore also that holy thing which shall be borne of thee shall be called the sonne of God 41. And it came to passe as Elizabeth heard the salutation of Marie the babe sprang in her bellie and Elizabeth was filled with the holy Ghost 64. And his mouth was opened immediately and his tongue loosed and he spake and praised Godâ— 80. And the child grewe waxed strong in spirit Iere. 1.5 Before I formed thee in the womb I knew thee and before thou camest out of the wombe I sanctified thee I call the manner of infants saluation secret and vnspeakable because I. they want actuall faith to receiue Christ for actuall faith necessarily presupposeth a knowledge of Gods free promise the which he that beleeueth doth applie vnto himselfe but this infants cannot any waies possibly performe And surely if infants should haue faith actually they generally either loâ—e it when they come to mens estate or at least shew no signes thereof both which they could not doe if before they had receiued actuall faith Nay we see that in those of riper yeares there are not so much as the shadowes or sparkes of faith to bee seene before they be called by the preaching of the Gospell II. Infants are said to be regenerated onely in regard of their internall qualities and inclinations not in regard of any motions or actions of the minde will or affections And therefore they want those terrors of conscience which come before repentance as occasions thereof in such as are of riper yeares of discretion Againe they are not troubled with that conflict and combate betwixt the flesh and the spirit wherewith those faithfull ones that are of more yeares are marueilously exercised CHAP. 36. Concerning the first degree of the declaration of Gods loue THe declaration of Gods loue in those of yeres of discretion hath especially foure degrees Rom. 8.30 1. Cor. 1.30 The first degree is an effectuall calling whereby a sinner being seuered froÌ„ the world is entertained into Gods familie Eph. 2.17 And came and preached peace vnto you which were a farre off and to them that were neere 19. Nowe therfore ye are no more strangers and forrainers but citizens with the Saints and of the â—oushold of God Of this there be two parts The first is Election which is a seperation of a sinner from the cursed estate of all mankind Ioh. 15.19 If ye were of the world the world would loue his own but because ye are not of the world but I haue chosen you out of the world therefore the world hateth you The second is the reciprocall donation or free gift of God the Father whereby he bestoweth the sinfull man to be saued vpon Christ and Christ againe actually most effectually vpon that sinfull man so that he may boldly saâ—e this thing namely Christ both God and man is mine and I for my benefit and vse enioy the same The like we see in wedlocke The husband saith this woman is my wife whome her parents haue giuen vnto men so that shee being fully mine I may both haue her and gouerne her Againe the woman may say this man is mine husband who hath bestowed himselfe vpon me doth cherish me as his wife Rom. 8.32 He spared not his owne sonne but gaue him for vs. Esa. 9.6 Vnto vs a child is born vnto vs a son is giuen Ioh. 17.2 Thou hast giuen him power vpon all flesh that he should giue eternall life to all theÌ„ whome thou hast giuen him 6. I haue declared thy name to the men which thou gauest me out of the world thine they were and thou gauest them me and they kept thy worde 7. Nowe they know that all things whatsoeuer thou hast giuen me are of thee Ioh. 10.29 My father which gaue them me is greater then all and none is able to take them out of my fathers hands Hence commeth that admirable vnion or coniunctioÌ„ which is the ingraffing of such as are to be saued into Christ and their growing vp togither with him so that after a peculiar manner Christ is made the head and euery repentant sinner a member of his mysticall bodie Ioh. 17.20 I pray not for these alone but for them also which shall beleeue in me through their word 21. That they all may be one as thou O father art in me and I in thee euen that they may be also one in vs. Eph. 2.20 We are members of his bodie of his flesh and of his bones Ioh. 25.1 I am that true vine and my father is the husbandman 2. Euery branch that beareth not fruit in me he taketh away and euery one that beareth fruite he purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruite Eph. 2. 20. Built vpon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles â—hose corner stone is Iesus Christ himselfe 21. In whoÌ„ all the building coupled togither groweth vnto an holy temple in the Lord. 22.
wherein we must rest as it were for a night as a straunger doth in an Inne and so away but the second house is eternall in the heauens an euerlasting seate of all felicitie and happinesse And therefore our dutie is aboue al things to seeke the kingdome of God and his righteousnesse as Christ himselfe biddeth vs. And if the Lord haue there prepared such a place for vs theÌ„ we must in this world vse all good meanes whereby we may be made worthie the fruition of it and also fitte and readie at the day of death to enter into it which at the day of iudgement we shall fully possesse both in soule and bodie and there raigne eternally in all happinesse with God Almightie our creatour the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost But some may say how shall a man so prepare himselfe that hee may bee fitte for that place Answere This the holy Ghost teacheth vs for speaking of this heauenly Ierusalem he saith There shall enter into it none vncleane thing neither whatsoeuer worketh abomination or lies The meanes then to make our selues fitte is to seeke to bee reconciled to God in Christ for our sinnes past and withall to endeauour to haue an assurance of the free remission and pardon of them all in the blood of Christ. And as touching that part of life which is to come we must remember what Saint Iohn saith Euery one that hath this hope purifieth himselfe meaning that he which hath hope to raigne with Christ in heauen vseth the meanes whereby he may purifie and keepe himselfe from sinne as also he saith after that he which is borne of God keepeth himselfe and the wicked one toucheth him not Signifying that all such persons as are truely iustified and sanctified carrie such a narrowe and straite watch ouer the whole course of their liues and conuersations that the deuill can neuer giue them deadly woundes and wholly ouercome them Nowe the man that iâ— resolued in his conscience of the pardon of his sinne for the time past and hath a steadfast purpose in his heart to keepe himselfe vpright continually to walke in righteousnesse and true holinesse all the daies of his life this man I say is prepared and made fit to enter into the heauenly Ierusalem come death when it will he is readie And howesoeuer he must not looke for heauen here vpon earth yet he is as it were in the suburbes of this heauenly cittie and at the end of this life the king thereof the Lord Iesus will open the gates and receiue him into his kingdome for he is alreadie entred into the kingdome of grace To conclude this point let euery man in the feare of god be mooued hereby to set his heart to prepare himselfe that when God shall call him hence he may be fitte to enter into that glorie Secondly seeing God hath prepared the third heauen for vs it teacheth euery man in this worlde to be content with the estate wherein God hath placed him whether it bee high or lowe rich or poore why so because here he is but a pilgrime and liues in a cottage of clay and in a tent wherein he must abide but a while as a pilgrime doth oftentimes carrying his house about with him and we shall in better sort accept the afflictions which God sendes vs in this life if we remember that there is prepared for vs a place of ioy which must bee our resting place and perfect felicitie for euermore This was the practise of the chidren of God especially of Abraham for when the Lord called him out of his own country he obeyed and by faith abode in the promised land as in a straunge countrie as one that dwelt in tents with Isaac and Iaakob heires with him in the same promise and the reason followeth for he looked for a cittie hauing a foundation whose builder and maker is God They beleeued that these things which the Lord promised were shaddowes of better things and hereon staied themselues beeing well content with that estate whereto God had called them So Paul was coÌ„tented to beare the afflictions which God had laid vpon him and his reason was Because saith he we looke not on things which are seene but on things which are not seene for the things which are seene are temporall but the things which are not seene are eternall And in the next chapter We knowe saith he that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle be destroyed we haue a dwelling giuen vs of God that is an house not made with hands but eternall in the heauens And for this cause his desire was rather to remooue out of this body and to be with the Lord. And thus much concerning heauen Nowe followeth the second part of Gods creation in these wordes And earth Earth signifieth the huge masse or body standing of sea and land on which we liue and all things that be in or vpon the earth whatsoeuer as Paul saith For by him were created all things that are in heauen or in earth c. In other Creeds which were made since this of the Apostles beeing expositioÌ„s of that there is added maker of all things visible and invisible Here we haue occasion to speake of all creatures but that were infinite therefore I will make choice of these two good Angels and Men. I. That Angels had a beginning it is no question for Paul saith that by God all things were created in heauen and earth things visible and inuisible whether thrones principalities or powers And in respect of the creation angels are called the sonnes of God But the time day of their creatioÌ„ cannot be set down further theÌ„ this that they were created in the coÌ„passe of the sixe daies For Moses saith Thus namely in the compasse of the first sixe daies the heauens and the earth were fashioned and all the hâ—ast of them that is all varietie of creatures in heauen and earth seruing for the beauty and glory thereof whereof no doubt the Angels are the principall II. Touching the nature of Angels some haue thought that they are nothing but qualities and motions in the mindes of men as the Sadduces and the Libertines of this time but the truth is that they are spirits that is spirituall and inuisible substances created by God and really subsisting for the Scripture ascribes vnto them such kinde of actions which can not be performed by the creatures saue onely such as be substances as to stande before the throne of God to behold the face of the Father to carie mens soules to heauen c. yet must we not imagine that they are bodily substances consisting of flesh and bone And though they tooke vpon them visible shapes and formes and did eate and drinke in the companie of men and thereupon are called Men in Scripture yet they did this by diuine dispensation for a time that they might the better performe the actions
so we may become bone of his bone flesh of his flesh beeing iustified and sanctified by his obedience death and passion Fifthly man was created that there might be a way prepared wherby God might shew his grace and mercie in the saluation of some and his iustice in the deserued damnation of others for their sinnes and in the creation of man Gods eternall counsell beginnes to come into execution Hereupon it stands vs in hand to make conscience of euery euill way beeing repentant for all our sinnes past and hauing a constant purpose neuer to sinne more as we haue done that by our good conuersation here in this life we may haue assurance that we be eternally chosen to saluation by the Lord himselfe Lastly whereas we haue learned that the soule of man is immortall we are hereby taught to take more care for the soule then for the bodie For it can not be extinguished When it is condemned euen then it is alwaies in dying and can neuer die But alas in this point the case is flat contrarie in the woâ—ld for men labour all their liues long to get for the bodie but for the soule they care little or nothing at all whether it sinke or swimme goe to heauen or to hell they respect not This doth appeare to be true by the practise and behauiour of men on the Lords day for if the number of those which come to heare Gods word were compared with those which runne about their worldly wealth and pleasure I feare me the better sort would be found to be but a little handfull to a huge heape or as a droppe to the Ocean sea in respect of the other But wilt thou goe an hundred myle for the encrease of thy wealth and delight of thy bodie then thinke it not much to goe ten thousand myles if neede were to take any paines for the good of thy soule and to get foode for the same it beeing euerlasting And thus much for the duties Now follow the consolationâ— Although by reason of the fall of man we can haue but little comfort now yet the creation doth confirme the vnspeakable prouidence of God ouer his creatures but especially ouer man in that the Lord created him the sixth day and so before he was made prepared for him a Paradise for his dwelling place and all creatures for his vse and comfort And if he were thus carefull for vs when we were not then no doubt he will be much more carefull for vs at this present in which we liue and haue beeing Nay marke further since the fall man eates and drinkes in quantitie a great deale which in common reason should rather kill him then turne to the strength and nourishment of his bodie yet herein doth the wonderfull power of the Creatour most notably appeare who hath made mans stomacke as a lymbecke or still to digest all meates that are hole-some for his nourishment and preseruation And thus much for the Creation Now in these words maker of heauen and earth is more to be vnderstood then the worke of creation namly Gods prouidence in gouerning all things created as he appointed in his eternall decreeâ— and therefore Saint Peter saith God is a faithfull creatour that is God did not onely make heauen and earth and so leaue them as masons and carpenters leaue houses when they are built but by his prouidence doth most wisely gouerne the same Now therefore let vs come to speake of Gods prouidence And first of all the question offers it selfe to be considered whether there be any prouidence of God or no for the mindes of men are troubled with many doubtings hereof And to make the question out of all doubt I will vse foure arguments to confirme the prouidence of God The first is the testimonie of the Scripture which ascribeth the euent of all particular actions euen such as are in themselues casuall as the casting of lots and such like to the disposition of God which very thing also teacheth that euen men themselues indued with reason and vnderstanding haue neede to be guided in all things and gouerned by God and it serueth to confute those that denie Gods prouidence Why saiest thou O Iacob and speakest O Israel my way is hid from the Lord and my iudgement is past ouer by my God The second argument may be taken from the order which appeareth in the whole course of nature First to begin with families there is to be seene and eutaxie or seemely order in which some rule and some obey and the like is to be found in townes cities countries and kingdomes yea euen in the whole world in which all things are so disposed that one serueth for the good of another Trees and hearbs and grasse of the field serue for beasts and cattell beasts and cattell serue for men the heauens aboue serue for them which are beneath and all the creatures which are aboue and beneath serue for God This argueth that God is most wise and prouident in ordering and disposing all things whatsoeuer The third argument is taken from the conscience specially of malefactours Suppose a man that coÌ„mits a murder so closely that no man knowes thereof and that the partie himselfe is free from all the daunger of law yet shall he haue his owne conscience to accuse vpbraid and condemne him yea euen to fright him out of his witte and to giue him no more rest then he can find vpon the racke or gibbet Now this accusation and terrour of conscience is nothing els but the forerunner of an other most terrible iudgement of God who is Lord of all creatures and iudge of all men And this also prooues the prouidence of God For if the conscience can finde a man out and lay his faults to his charge how much more shall God himselfe the creator of the conscience see and consider all his doings The fourth and last argument is this The prophesies of things to come should be vncerten or false if God gouerned not the world But now â—â—â—sidering things many yeares agoe foretold come to passe in the same maner as they were foretold by the Prophets and Apostles hereby we must certenly conclude that there is a prouidence of God whereby all and euerything is gouerned Against the prouidence of God sundrie things be alleadged The first and speciall is that prouidence and disorder confusion and order can not stande together Now in the world there is nothing but disorder and confusion in seditions treasons conspiracies and subuersions of kingdomes where also sinne and wickednesse preuailes Ans. It is true indeede there hath bin confusion in the world euer since the fall of man and angels and it ariseth not from God but from them alone who as they did at the first transgresse the will of God so they doe what they can to turne all vpside downe Now then coufusion disorder is onely in respect of the deuill and his instruments but in regard of God
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
If any further alleadge that such as walke according to the commandements of God though their obedience be imperfect yet they haue the promises of this life and of the life to come The answer is that they haue so indeede yet not for their works but according to their works which are the fruites of their faith wherby they are ioyned to Christ for whose merits onely they stand righteous and are acceptable before God And whereas it is said by Peter that baptisme saueth vs his meaning is not to signifie that there is any vertue in the water to wash away our sinnes and to sanctifie vs but that it serues visibly to represent and confirme vnto vs the inward washing of our soules by the blood of Christ. It may further be said that others haue beene Sauiours beside Christ as Iosuah the sonne of Nun who for that cause is called by the same name with Christ. Ans. Iosua after the death of Moses was appointed by God to be a guide to the children of Israel which might defend them from their enemies and bring them to the land of Canaan but this deliuerance was onely temporal and that onely of one people Nowe the Sonne of God is called Iesus not because hee deliuereth the people of the Iewes onely or because he saueth the bodies of men onely but because he saueth both body and soule not onely of the Iewes but also of the Gentiles from hell death and damnation And whereas Prophets and ministers of the word are called Sauiours it is because they are the instruments of God to publish the doctrine of saluation which is powerfull in mens hearts not by any vertue of theirs but onely by the operation of the spirit of Christ. Lastly it may bee obiected that the father and the holy Ghost are Sauiours and therefore not onely the sonne Ans. True it is that in the worke of saluation all the three persons must bee ioyned together and in no wise to bee seuered the Father saueth the Sonne saueth the holy Ghost saueth yet must we distinguish them in the manner of sauing the father saueth by the Sonne the Sonne saueth by paying the ransome and price of our saluation the holy Ghost saueth by a particular applying of the ransome vnto men Nowe therefore whereas the sonne paies the price of our redemption and not the Father or the Holy Ghost therefore in this speciall respect he is called in Scriptures and intituled by the name of Iesus and none but he By this which hath beene saide the Papists are faultie two waies First that they giue too much to the name of Iesus for they write in plaine tearmes that the bare name it selfe beeing vsed hath great power and doth driue away deuils though the parties that vse it be void of good affection whereas indeed it hath no more vertue then other titles of God or Christ. Secondly they are faultie that they giue too little to the thing signified For Christ must either be our alone and whole Sauiour or no Sauiour Now they make him but halfe a Sauiour and they ioyne others with him as partners in the worke of saluation when they teach that with Christs merits must be ioyned our workes of grace in the matter of iustification and with Christs satisfaction for the wrath of God our satisfaction for the temporall punishment and when they adde to Christs intercession the intercession and patronage of Saints especially of the Virgin Marie whome they call the Queene of heauen the mother of mercie withall requesting her that by the authoritie of a mother she would commaund her sonne If this doctrine of theirs may stand Christ can not be the onely Sauiour of mankinde but euery man in part shall be Iesus to himselfe But let vs goe on yet further to search the special reason of the name which is notably set downe by the Angel Thou shalt saith he call his name Iesus for he shall saue his people from their sinnes In which words we may consider three points I. Whome the Sonne of God shall saue II. By what III. From what For the first he shall saue his people that is the elect of the Iewes and Gentiles and therefore he is called the Sauiour of his bodie We must not here imagine that Christ is a Sauiour of all and euery man For if that were true then Christ should make satisfaction to Gods iustice for all and euery mans sinnes and Gods iustice beeing fully satisfied he could not in iustice condemne any man nay all men should be blessed because satisfaction for sinne and the pardon of sinne depende one vpon an other inseparably Againe if Christ be an effectuall Sauiour of all and euery particular man why is any man condemned It will be saide because they will not beleeue belike then mans will must ouerrule Gods will whereas the common rule of diuines is that the first cause ordereth the second The meanes of saluation by Christ are two his merit and his efficacie His merit in that by his obedience to the law and by his passion he made a satisfaction for our sinnes freed vs from death and reconciled vs vnto God Some may obiect that the obedience and the passion of Christ beeing long agoe ended can not be able to saue vs now because that which he did 1500. yeares agoe may seeme to be vanished and come to nothing at this day Ans. If Christs obedience be considered as an action and his passion as a bare suffering they are both ended long agoe yet the value and price of thē before God is euerlasting as in Adams fall the action of eating the forbidden fruit is ended but the guilt of his transgression goes ouer all mankind and continues still euen to this houre and shall doe to the end of the world in those which shall be borne hereafter The efficacie of Christ is in that he giues his spirit to mortifie the corruption of our natures that we may die vnto sinne and liue to righteousnesse and haue true comfort in terrours of conscience and in the pangs of death The euils from which we are saued are our owne sinnes in that Christ freeth vs from the guilt and the punishment and fault of them all when wee beleeue Thus much for the meaning of this title Iesus Nowe follow the vses which arise of it First of all whereas we are taught to make confession that the sonn◠of God is Iesus that is a Sauiour hence it must needes followe that wee are lost in our selues And indeed before we can truly acknowledge that Christ is our Sauiour this confession must needes goe before that we are in truth and therewithall doe feele our selues to bee miserable sinners vnder the wrath of God vtterly lost in regard of our selues for Christ came to saue that which was lost And when he talked with the woman of Cannan he checked her said he was not sent but to the lost
to them that are Christs Now then let vs all lay these things to our hearts and extoll the vnspeakable goodnesse of God that hath aduanced vs to the dignitie of kings priests prophets before him and hath giuen vs his spirit vnto vs to inable vs to be so indeede Now follow the duties which are to be learned hence And first whereas all Christians receiue annointing from the holy one Christ Iesus to become prophets in a sort we must doe our endeauours that the word of God may dwell plentifully in vs and for that cause we must search the Scriptures euen as hunters seeke for the game and as men seeke for gold in the very mines of the earth There is nothing more vnbeseeming a man then grosse ignorance a Christian. Therefore the author of the epistle to the Hebrewes reprooues them that whereas for the time they ought to haue bin teachers they had need againe to be taught the first principles of the word of God Againe that portion of knowledge which we haue receiued of God is further to be applied to the benefit and good of others this is that most pretious baulme that on our parts should neuer be wanting to the heads of men And here euery man that is set ouer others must remember within the compasse of his calling and charge to instruct those that be vnder him so far forth as possibly he can Gouernours of families must teach their children and seruants and their whole houshold the doctrine of true religion that they may know the true God and walke in all his waies in doing righteousnes iudgement If housholders would make conscience of this their dutie and in some sort and measure prepare their families against they come to the publike congregation the ministers of the Gospel with greater comfort and farre morâ— ease should performe their dutie and see farre more fruit of their ministerie then now they doe But whereas they neglect their dutie falsly perswading themselues that it doth not belong to them at all to instruct others it is the cause of ignorance both in townes and families in masters themselues in seruants and children and all Lastly by this we are admonished to take all occasions that possibly can be offered mutually to edifie each other in knowledge saying among our selues as it was foretolde of these times Come let vs goe vp to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob and he will teach vs his waies and we will walke in his paths and withall wee should confirme each others as Christ saith to Peter When thou art conuerted confirme thy brethren and be readie at all times to render an account of our faith and religion euen before our enemies when we are iustly called so to do Secondly because we are set apart in Christ to become spirituall priests vnto God we must therefore offer spirituall sacrifices acceptable vnto him and they be in number seuen The first is an affiance whereby we rest vpon God as Dauid saith Offer the sacrifice of righteousnesse and trust in the Lord. The second is wholly to subiect our selues to the ministerie of the Gospel that we may be changed and conuerted by it as Paul saith That he ministreth the Gospel to the Gentiles that the offering vp of them might be acceptable beeing sanctified by the holy Ghost The third is all manner of praiers and supplications made vnto God Let my prayer saith Dauid be directed in thy sight as incense and the lifting vp of mine hands as an euening sacrifice The fourth is praising and thanksgiuing vnto God Let vs by him offer the sacrifice of praise alwaies to God that is the fruit of the lippes which confesse his name And in the Reuelation the golden vials full of odours are the praiers of the Saints The fifth is the reliefe of our poore brethren according to our abilitie as Paul saith I was euen filled after that I had receiued of Epaphroditus that which came from you an odour that smelleth sweete a sacrifice pleasant and acceptable to God The sixth is the deniall of our selues with a contrite and broken heart The seuenth is to resigne our selues bodies and soules wholly to the seruice of God Set your selues saith Paul to God as they that are aliue from the dead and your members as weapons of righteousnesse vnto God In which wordes he alludes to the manner of the olde Testament when a man offred any sacrifice for himselfe he brought the beast into the temple or tabernacle and set it before the altar in token that he did resigne it vnto God and so we for our parts must not giue our bodies soules to become the instruments of sinne and satan but we must haue them alwaies in readâ—nesse freely presenting them vnto God that he may haue the whole disposition of them according to his good pleasure to the honour and glorie of his name Againe in the whole burnt offering all was consumed and turned to smoke no man hauing benefite of it to signifie that wee must giue our selues not in part but wholly to the seruice of God euen to death if neede be If this be so miserable is the practise of such that giue vp their bodies and soules to liue in licentious wantonnesse in the pleasures of their beastly sinnes in idlenes For they offer themselues a sacrifice not to God but to the deuill Thirdly considering we are annointed to be spirituall kings euen in this life we must walke worthie so great a calling That this may be so first of all such as are gouernours set ouer others must rule not according to their wills and pleasures but in the Lord withall doing homage to their head and king Christ Iesus himselfe Secondly we must euery one of vs rule and beare sway euen as kings ouer our owne thoughts wills affections ouer-mastering them as much as we possibly can by Gods word and spirit withall maintaining and proclaiming continuall warre against our corrupt natures the deuill and the world And truly he which can beare rule ouer his owne heart is a right king indeede and hauing receiued some measure of grace to raigne ouer himselfe in this life he shall raigne for euer with Christ in the life to come As for such as are carried away with the swinge of their corruptions hauing blindnes and ignorance to raigne in their minds rebellion in their wils and affections loosenes in their whole liues they may carrie the outward forme and shew of Christians as long as they will but indeede they are no spirituall kings but very bondmen the strong man Satan keepes as yet the hold of their hearts and as Lord and king holds vp his scepter there Lastly seeing Christ is annointed with the most pretious baulme that euer was and that for our sakes he must be sweete and sauourie vnto vs and all other things must be as vnsauorie drosse and
nothing regarded A blinde man neuer seeing the sunne is not brought to wonder at it and earthly minded men neither seeing nor feeling what an excellent thing it is to bee the childe of God cannot bee brought to seeke after it But let all such as feare God enter into a serious consideration of the vnspeakeable goodnesse of God comforting themselues in this that God the father hath vouchsafed by his owne sonne to make them of the vassals of satan to be his owne deere children Nowe followe the duties which are two First we beleeue that Iesus Christ who was to be the Sauiour of mankinde must needs be God what is the reason hereof surely because no creature no not all the creatures in heauen and earth were able to saue one man so vile wretched and miserable is our estate by Adams fall And therefore the sonne of God himselfe pitied our estate and beeing king of heauen and earth was faine to come from heauen and lay downe his crowne and become a seruant and taking vpon him our nature was also faine to take vpon him our case and condition and suffer death for our sinnes which otherwise euery one of vs should haue suffered both in bodie and soule world without ende To make this more plaine let vs suppose that some one hath committed an offence against a prince and the trespasse to be so grieuous that no man can appease the kings wrath saue only the kings onely sonne and which is more the kings sonne himselfe cannot release him vnlesse hee suffer the punishment for him in his owne person which is due vnto the malefactour Nowe what is to be thought of this mans estate surely all men will say that he is in a most miserable taking and that his trespasse is notorious and so it is with euery one of vs by nature whatsoeuer we are No man could saue our soules no not all the angels in heauen vnlesse the king of heauen and earth the onely sonne of God had come down from heauen and suffered for vs bearing our punishment Nowe the consideration of this must humble vs and make vs to cast downe our selues vnder the hand of God for our sinnes and pray continually that the Lord would send some Moses or other which might smite the rockes of our hearts that some teares of sorrowe and repentance might gush out for this our wofull miserie Secondly whereas God the Father of Christ gaue his onley sonne to be our Sauiour as we must be thankefull to God for all things so especially for this great and vnspeakable benefit Common blessings of God as meat drinke health wealth and libertie must at all times mooue vs to be thankeful but this that Christ Iesus the onely sonne of God redeemed vs beeing vtterly lost this I say must be the maine point of all our thankfulnes but alas mens hearts are so frozen in the dreggs of their sinnes that this dutie comes little in practise nowe adaies When our Sauiour Christ clensed ten lepers there was but one of them that returned to giue him thankes and this is as true in the leprosie of the soule for though saluation by Christ be offered vnto vs daily by Gods ministers yet not one of tenne nay scarse one of a thousand giues praise and thankes to God for it because men take no delight in things which concerne the kingdome of heauen they thinke not that they haue neede of saluation neither do they feele any want of a Sauiour But we for our parts must learne to say with Dauid What shall I render vnto the Lord for all his benefits yea we are to practise that which Salomon saith My sonne giue me thy heart for we should giue vnto God both bodie and soule in token of our thankefulnesse for this wonderful blessing that he hath giuen his onely sonne to bee our Sauiour and we are to hold this for trueth that they which are not thankfull for it let them say what they will they haue no soundnes of grace or power of religion at the heart And thus much of the third title The fourth and last title is in these wordes our Lord. Christ Iesus the onely sonne of God is our Lord three waies first by creation in that he made vs of nothing when we were not secondly he is our Lord in the right of redemption In former times the custome hath bin when one is taken prisoner in the field he that paies his raunsome shall becom alwaies after his Lord so Christ when we were bondslaues vnder hell death and condemnation paide the ransome of our redemption and freed vs from the bondage of sinne and satan and therfore in that respect he is our Lord. Thirdly he is the head of the Church as the husband is the wiues head to rule and gouerne the same by his word and spirit And therefore in that respect also Christ is our Lord. And thus much for the meaning Nowe followe the duties And first of al if Christ be our Soueraigne Lord we must performe absolute obedience vnto him that is whatsoeuer he commandes vs that must we doe And I say absolute obedience because Magistrates Masters Rulers and fathers may command and must bee obeyed yet not simply but so farre foorth as that which they command doth agree with the word and commandement of God but Christs will and word is righteousnesse it selfe and therfore it is a rule and direction of all our actions whatsoeuer and for this cause he must be absolutely obeyed Thus he requires the obedience of the morall lawe but why because he is the Lord our god And in Malachie he saith If I be your Lord where is my feare And againe we must resigne both bodie and soule heart mind wil affections and the course of our whole liues to be ruled by the will of Christ. He is Lord not onely of the bodie but of the spirit and soule of man he must therefore haue homage of both As wee adore him by the knee of the bodie so must the thoughts and the affections of our hearts haue their knees also to worship him and to shewe their subiection to his commandements As for such as doe hold him for their Lord in word but in the meane season will not indeauour to shewe their loyaltie in all manner of obedience they are indeede no better then starke rebels Secondly when by the hande of Christ straunge iudgements shall come to passe as it is vsuall in all places continually we must stay ourselues without murmuring or finding fault because he is an absolute Lorde ouer all his creatures all things are in his handes and hee may doe with his owne whatsoeuer he will and therefore wee must rather feare and tremble whensoeuer we see or heare of them so Dauid saith I was dumbe and opened not my mouth because thou didst it And againe My flesh trembleth for feare of thee and I am afraid of thy iudgements Thirdly before wee vse
any of Gods creatures or ordinances wee must sanctifie them by the direction of his word and by praier the reason is this because he is Lord ouer all and therefore from his word we must fetch direction to teach vs whether we may vse them or not and when and how they are to be vsed and secondly we must pray to him that he would giue vs libertie and grace to vse them aright in holy maner Also we are so to vse the creatures and ordinances of God as being alwaies readie to giue an account of our doings at the day of iudgement for we vse that which is the Lords not our owne we are but stewards ouer them and we must come to a reckoning for the stewardship Hast thou learning then imploy it to the glory of God and the good of the Church boast not of it as though it were thine owne Hast thou any other gift or blessing of God be it wisdome strength riches honour fauour or whatsoeuer then looke thou vse it so as thou maist be alwaies readie to make a good account thereof vnto Christ. Lastly euery one must in such manner lead his life in this world that at the day of death hee may with cheerefulnes surrender and giue vp his soule into the handes of his Lord and say with Steuen Lord Iesus receiue my soule For consider this with thy selfe that thy soule is none of thine owne but his who hath bought it with a price and therefore thou must so order and keepe it as that thou maiest in good manner restore it into the hands of god at the ende of thy life If a man should borrowe a thing of his neighbour and afterward hurt it and make a spoile of it he would be ashamed to bring it againe to the owner in that manner and if he doe the owner himselfe will not receiue it Vngodly men in this life doe so staine their soules with sinne that they can neuer be able willingly to giue them vp into the handes of God at the day of death and if they would yet God accepts them not but casts them quite away We must therefore labour so to liue in the world that with a ioyfull heart at the day of death we may commend our soules into the handes of our Lord Christ Iesus who gaue them vnto vs. This is a harde thing to bee done and he that will doe it truely must first be assured of the pardon of his owne sinnes which a man can neuer haue without true vnfained faith and repentance wherefore while we haue time let vs purge and clense our soules and bâ—dies that they may come home againe to God in good plight And here all gouernours must be put in mind that they haue an higher Lord that they may not oppresse or deale hardly with their inferiours This is Paul reason Ye masters saith he doe the same things vnto your seruants putting away threatning and knowe that euen your master is also in heauen neither is there respect of persons with him Inferiours againe must remember to submit themselues to the authoritie of their gouernours especially of magistrates For they are set ouer vs by our soueraigne Lord and king Christ Iesus as Paul saith Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers For there is no power but of God and the powers that be ordained are of God And againe Seruants be obedient to your Masters according to the flesh with feare and trembling in singlenes of your hearts as vnto Christ. The comfort which Gods Church may reape hence is very great for if Christ be the Lord of lords and our Lord especially whome he hath created and redeemed we neede not to feare what the deuil or wicked men can doe vnto vs. If Christ be on our side who can be against vs wee neede not feare them that can destroy the bodie and doe no more but we must cast our feare on him that is Lord of body and soule and can cast both to hell Thus much of the fourth title Nowe followes Christs incarnation in these wordes Conceiued by the holy Ghost borne of the Virgin Marie And they containe in them one of the most principall points of the doctrine of godlines as Paul saith Without controuersie great is the mysterie of godlinesse which is God is made manifest in the flesh iustified in the spirit c. And that we may proceede in order in handling them I will first speake of the incarnation generally and then after come to the parts thereof In generall we are to propound fiue questions the answering whereof will be very needefull to the better vnderstanding of the doctrine following The first question is who was incarnateâ— or made man Answ. The second person in Trinitie the sonne of God alone as it is set downe in this article according to the Scripture S. Iohn saith The Word was made flesh and the angel saith The holy one which shall be borne of thee shall be called the sonne of the most high And Paul saith that Christ Iesus our Lord was made of the seede of Abraham according to the flesh And there be sundrie reasons why the second person should rather be incarnate then any other I. By whom the father created all things and man especially by him man beeing fallen is to be redeemed and as I may say recreated now man was at the first created of the father by the sonne and therefore to be redeemed by him II. It was most conuenient that he which is the essentiall image of the father should take mans nature that he might restore the image of God lost and defaced in man but the second person is the essentiall image of the father and therefore he alone must take mans nature III. It was requisite that that person which was by nature the sonne of God should be made the sonne of man that we which are the sonnes of men yea the sonnes of wrath should againe by grace be made the sonnes of God now the second person alone is the sonne of God by nature not the Father nor the holy Ghost As for the Father he could not be incarnate For to take flesh is to be sent of an other but the Father can not be sent of any person because he is from none Againe if the Father were incarnate he should be father to him which is by nature God and the sonne of a creature namely the virgin Marie which things can not well stand And the holy Ghost could not be incarnateâ— for then there should be more sonnes then one in the Trinitie namely the second person the sonne of the father and the third person the holy Ghost the sonne of the virgin Marie It may be obiected to the contrarie on this manner The whole diuine essence is incarnate euery person in Trinitie is the whole diuine essence therefore euery person is incarnate Ans. The whole Godhead indeede is incarnate yet not
them plentie of his grace but also admits them into his glorious presence so as they may behold his maiestie face to face The fourth and last is that whereby the Godhead of the sonne is present and dwells with and in the manhood giuing vnto it in some part his owne subsistance Wherby it comes to passe that this manhood assumed is proper to the sonne and can not be the manhood of the Father or of the holy Ghost or of any creature whatsoeuer And this is a thing so admirable and so vnspeakable that among all the works of God there can not be found an other example hereof in all the world Hence it follows necessarily that the manhood of Christ consisting of bodie and reasonable soule is a nature onely and not a person because it doth not subsist alone as other men Peter Paul Iohn doe but wholly depends on the person of the word into the vnitie whereof it is receiued The third point is in what order the diuine and humane nature of Christ are vnited togither Ans. The common consent of Diuines is that albeit all the parts of the manhood and the godhead of Christ be vnited at one instant yet in respect of order he vnites vnto himselfe first and immediately the soule and by the soule the bodie And it seemes vnmeete that God beeing a most simple essence should immediately be ioyned to a compound bodie and therefore it may well be saide that he is vnited vnto it by the more simple part of man which is the soule Againe the manhood of Christ is first and immediately ioyned to the person of the sonne himselfe and by the person to the godhead of the sonne The fourth point is whether there remaine any difference or diuersitie of the two natures after that the vnion is made Answ. The two natures concurring make not the person of the sonne to be compounded properly but onely by analogie for as bodie and soule make one man so God and man make one Christ neither are they turned one into an other the godhead into the manhood or the manhood into the godhead as water was turned into wine at Cana in Galile neither are they confused and mingled togither as meates in the stomacke but they now are and so remaine without composition conuersion or confusion really distinct and that in three respects First in regard of essence For the godhead of Christ is the godhead and can not be the manhood and againe the manhood of Christ is the manhood and not the godhead Secondly they are distinguished in proprieties the godhead is most wise iust mercifull omnipotent yea wisdom iustice mercie and power it selfe and so is not the manhood neither can it be Againe Christ as he is God hath his will eternall and vncreated which is all one with the will of the father and the holy Ghost And as he is man he hath another will created in time placed in his reasonable soule this Christ signifieth when he saith Not my will but thy will be done Thirdly they are distinct in their actions or operations which though they goe togither inseparably in the worke of redemption yet they must in no wise be confounded but distinguished as the natures themselues are Christ saith of himselfe I haue power to lay downe my life and I haue power to take it vp againe and hereby he shewes the distinction of operations in his two natures For to lay downe his life is an action of the manhood because the Godhead can not die and to take it vp againe is the worke of the Godhead alone which reunites the soule to the bodie after death The fifth and last point is what ariseth of this vnion Ans. By reason of this hypostatical vnion though the godhead receiue nothing from the manhood yet the manhood it selfe which is assumed is thereby perfected and enriched with vnspeakable dignitie For first of all it is exalted aboue all creatures whatsoeuer euen angels themselues in that it hath subsistance in the second person in Trinitie Secondly togither with the godhead of the Sonne it is adored and worshipped with diuine honour as in like case the honour done to the King himselfe redoundes to the crowne on his head Thirdly by reason of this vnion the godhead of Christ workes all things in the matter of our redemption in and by the manhoode And hereupon the flesh of Christ though it profit nothing of it selfe yet by the vertue which it receiueth from that person to which it is ioyned it is quickning flesh and the bread of life Againe from this vnion of two natures into one person ariseth a kinde of speech or phrase peculiar to the Scriptures called the communication of proprieties when the propertie of one nature is attributed to the whole person or to the other nature as when Paul saith that God shed his blood that the Lord of glorie was crucified And when Christ saith that he talking with Nichodemus was then in heauen The vse of the personall vnion is threefold First it serues to shew the hainousnesse of our sinnes and the greatnesse of our miserie For it had not bene possible to make a satisfaction to Gods iustice in mans nature for the least offence vnlesse the same nature had first of all beene neerely ioyned to the godhead of the sonne that thereby it might be so farre forth supported and sustained that it might ouercome the wrath of God Secondly it sets forth vnto vs the endlesse loue of God to man For whereas by reason of Adams fall we were become the vilest of all creatures except the deuill and his angels by his mysticall coniunction our nature is exalted to such an estate and condition as is farre aboue all creatures euen the angels themselues Thirdly it is as it were the keye of all our comfort for all sound comfort stands in happines all happines is in fellowship with God all fellowship with God is by Christ who for this cause beeing very God became very man that he might reconcile man to God and God to man Thus much of the conception of Christ now followes his birth whereby in the ordinarie time of trauell according to the course of nature he was brought forth into the world by the virgin Marie And it was the will of God that Christ should not onely be conceiued but also borne and that after the manner of men that he might be knowne to be very man indeede In the birth we may consider foure things the time the place the manner the manifestation of it The time was in the last daies toward the end of the 70. weekes of Daniel which are to be accounted from the ende of the captiuitie of Babylon and make in all 490 yeares or more plainly 3900 yeares and more from the beginning of the world and as Paul saith in the fulnesse of time And the Euangelists haue noted of purpose the time to haue beene when Augustus Caesar taxed
whersoeuer was thunder or earthquakes seditions or tumults or any disquietnesse or trouble Christians were accused as the authors thereof Such enemies haue they had in all ages and in these our daies the same is practised and will bee to the worldes ende Nowe when the first witnesses could not agree among theÌ„selues then two other false witnesses came forth which auouched that Christ said I will destroy this temple made with hands within three daies will build another made without handes Indeede Christ said some such wordes for saith he Destroy this temple and within three daies I will build it vp againe But he spake this of the temple of his bodie whereas they malitiously did interpret him to haue spoken of the temple in Ierusalem And againe they change the wordes for Christ said Destroy this temple c. but these witnesses affirme he said I will destroy this temple made with hands c. And thus they change both words and meaning and therefore the Holy Ghost calleth them false witnesses By this we must be aduertised to take heed howe we report mens wordes for if wee change the meaning though in part we retaine the wordes we may soone become slanderers and false witnesses and as this dutie must be performed towards all men so especially towards the ministers of the Gospel and the neglect of this dutie procureth many slaunders to theÌ„ in this our Church whereof indeede the reâ—orters are the cause and not the ministers themselues Now at this false accusation Christ was silent so as Caiphas asked him why he answered nothing Herein we are to consider many things I. why Christ was silent The causes be two first he was to shewe himselfe a patterne of true humilitie patience therfore euen then would he be silent wheÌ„ he was most falsely accused of his aduersaries Secondly he is silent that standing before the iudge to be condemned the sentence might proceed against him and hee might suffer the death appointed which was due vnto vs and so become our redeemer And in Christs example we must note that it is a speciall dutie to knowe when to speake and when to be silent The ordering of the tongue is a rare gift and few attaine vnto it Some will peraduenture aske what rule wee haue to direct vs herein Ans. The general rule for the ordering of the tongne is the lawe of God We are commanded to seeke the glorie of God in the first table and in the second the good of our neighbour when thy speech therefore will serue either for Gods glorie or the good of thy neighbor then thou must speake if it serue for neither then bee silent Againe if thy silence bee either for Gods glorie or the good of thy neighbour then be silent if it wil not then speake And because it is hard for a man to knowe when his speech or silence will serue for these two ends therfore we must praie vnto God that hee will teach and direct vs herein as Dauid doth Set a watch saith he O Lord before my mouth and keepe the doore of my lippes and againe Open thou my lipps O Lord and my mouth shall shewe forth thy praise Thus much for the false witnesses produced Now followeth the third point which is the adiuring of Christ for Caiphas the high priest charged him to tel him whether he were the Christ the sonne of God or no. To adiure a man is to charge and command him in the name of God to declare a trueth not onely because God is witnesse thereof but also because he is a iudge to reuenge if he speake not the trueth Thus Paul adiured the Thessalonians charging them in the Lord that his epistle should be read vnto all the brethren the Saints And the like doth Caiphas to Christ. And heaâ—e is a thing to be wondred at Caiphas the high priest adiureth him in the name of God who is very God euen the Sonne of God And this shewes what a small account hee made of the name of God for hee did it onely to get aduantage on Christs wordes and so do many nowe adaies who for a little profit or gaine make a matter of nothing to abuse the name of God a thousand waies Christ beeing thus adiured though silent before yet nowe in reuerence to Gods maiestieâ— answered and said first Thou hast said it and in Saint Marke I am he In this answer appeares the wonderful prouidence of god For though Caiphas take hence the occasion of condemning Christ yet hath he withall drawne from him a most excellent confession that he is the Sonne of God our alone Sauiour And by this meanes he proceeds to shut heauen against himselfe and to open the same for vs. Thus we haue ended the first inditement of Christ before Caiphas Nowe followeth the second which was before Pontius Pilate in the common hall at Ierusalem The historie of it is set downe at large in all the Euangelists In this second inditemeÌ„t of Christ that we may referre euery matter to his place we are to obserue foure things I the accusation of Christ before Pilate II. his examination III. Pilates pollicie to saue Christ. IV. Pilats absoluing of him and then the condemnation of Christ in both courts Ecclesiasticall and ciuill of these in order In Christs accusation we must consider many points The first is who were his accusers namely the high Priest the Scribes and Pharisies and Elders of the people and the common people all these conspired togither to accuse him The cause that mooued the Pharises and Elders of the people hereunto is noted by Saint Matthew who saith of enuie they deliuered him Enuie is nothing but a sadnesse in a mans heart at the prosperitie of his better And it raigned in the Scribes and Pharises and the occasion was this Christ had taught most heauenly doctrine and confirmed the same by most wonderfull miracles and did greatly exceede them all and was in more account among the people and for this cause the Scribes and Pharises high Priests repined and grudged at him Now their example serues to admonish vs to take heede of this sinne as beeing the mother of many mischiefes And we must rather follow the example of Moses who when Iosua desired him to forbid Eldad and Medad to prophecie answered Enuiest thou for my sake yea I would to God all the lords people were prophets And we must be of the same minde with Iohn Baptist who hearing by his disciples that the people left him and followed Christ said his ioy was fulfilled for Christ must increase and he must decrease And so we must be glad and content when we see the prosperitie of our neighbours any way Now the cause why the common people ioyne with them was because the chiefe Priests and the Scribes Elders had perswaded them to a bad conceit of Christ. Hence it appeares that it is most requisite for any people
of a little worldly pelfe oh how are we grieued but seeing our transgressions are the weapons whereby the sonne of God was crucified let vs I say it againe and againe learne to be grieued for them aboue all things and with bleeding and melting hearts bow and buckle vnder them as vnder the crosse Secondly Christ saith of himselfe as Moses lift vp the serpent in the wildernes so must the sonne of man be lifted vp the comparison is excellent and worthie the marking In the wildernes of Arabia the people of Israel rebelled against God and thereupon he sent fierie serpents among them which stung many of them to death now when they repented Moses was commanded to make a brasen serpent and to set it vpon a pole that as many as were stung might looke vnto it and recouer and if they could but cast a glaunce of the eye on the brasen serpent when they were stung euen to death they were restored to health and life Now euery man that liueth is in the same case with the Israelites Satan hath stung vs at the heart and giuen vs many a deadly wound if we could feele it and Christ who was figured by the brasen serpent was likewise exalted on the crosse to conferre righteousnesse and life eternall to euery one of vs therefore if we will escape eternall death we must renoūce our selues and lift vp the eyes of our faith to Christ crucified and pray for the pardon of our sinnes and then shall our hearts and consciences be healed of the wounds and gripes of the deuill and vntill such time as we haue grace to doe this we shall neuer be cured but still lie wounded with the stings of Satan and bleeding to death euen at the very heart although we feele no paine or griefe at all But some may aske how any man can see him crucified now after his death Ans. Wheresoeuer the word of God is preached there Christ is crucified as Paul saith Oh foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you that ye should not obey the truth to whome before Iesus Christ was described in your sight and among you crucified meaning that he was liuely preached among them We neede not to goe to wodden crosses or to golden crucifixes to seeke for him but where the Gospel is preached thither must we goe and there lift vp our eyes of faith to Christ as he is reuealed vnto vs in the word resting on him and his merits with all our hearts and with a godly sorrow confesse and bewaile our sinnes crauing at his hands mercie and pardon for the same For till such time as we doe this we are grieuously stung by Satan and are euery moment euen at deaths dore And if we can thus behold Christ by faith the benefits which come hereby shall be great for as Paul saith the old man that is the corruption of our nature and the bodie of sinne that raigneth in vs shall be crucified with him for when Christ was nailed on the crosse all our sinnes were laid vpon him therefore if thou dost vnfainedly beleeue all thy sinnes are crucified with him and the corruption of thy nature languisheth and dieth as he languished and died vpon the crosse Thirdly we must learne to imitate Christ as he suffered himselfe to be nayled to the crosse for our sinnes so answerably must euery one of vs learne to crucifie our flesh and the corruption of our nature and the wickednesse of our owne hearts as Paul saith They that are Christs haue crucified the flesh with the lusts and affections thereof And this we shall doe if for our sinnes past we waile and mourne with bitternesse and preuent the sinnes to come into which we may fall by reason of the corruption of our natures by vsing all good meanes as praier and fasting and the word of God preached and by flying all occasions of offence We are not to destroy our bodies or to kill our selues but to kill and crucifie sinne that liueth in vs and to mortifie the corruption of our nature that rebels against the spirit Christianitie stands not in this to heare the word of God and outwardly to professe the same and in the meane season still to liue in our sinnes and to pamper our owne rebellious flesh but it teacheth vs alwaies to haue in readines some speare or other to wound sinne and the sword of the spirit to cut downe corruption in vs that thereby we may shew our selues to be liuely followers of Christ indeede Fourthly by this wee may learne that the wrath of God against sinne is wonderfull great because his owne Sonne bearing our person and beeing in our place was not onely crucified and racked most cruelly but also bare the whole wrath of God in his soule and therefore we must leaue off to make so little account of sinne as commonly we doe Fifthly whereas the person crucified was the sonne of God it sheweth that the loue of God which he bare vnto vs in our redemption is endlesse like a sea without banke or bottome it can not be searched into and if we shall not acknowledge it to be so our condemnation will be the greater Sixtly in this that Christ bare the curse of the law vpon the crosse we learne that those that be the children of God when they suffer any iudgement crosse or calamitie either in bodie or in minde or both doe not beare them as the curses of God but as the chastisments of a louing father For it doth not stand with the iustice of God to punish one fault twise and therefore when any man that putteth his whole confidence in God shall either in his owne person in his good name or in his goods feele the heauie hand of God God doth not as a iudge curse him but as a father correct him Here then is condemned the opinion of the Church of Rome which hold that we by our sufferings doe in some part satisfie the iustice of God but this can not stand because Christ did make a perfect fatisfaction to the iustice of his father for all punishment And therefore satisfaction to God made by man for temporall punishment is needlesse and much derogates from Christs passion In the crucifying of Christ two things specially must be considered The manner of the doing of it and his continuance aliue vpon the crosse Touching the manner the spirit of God hath noted two things The first that Christ was crucified between two theeues the one vpon his left hand the other vpon his right in which action is verefied the saying of the Prophet Esai He was numbred among the wicked and the Iewes for their parts doe hereby testifie that they esteemed him to be not some common wicked man but euen the captaine and ringleader of all theeues and malefactours whatsoeuer Nowe whereas Christ standing vpon the crosse in our roome and stead is reputed the head and prince of all sinners it serueth to teach euery one of vs
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
of the world Secondly all oblations and meate offerings were sprinkled with salt and euery sacrifice of propitiation which was to be burned to ashes was first salted and hereby two things were signified The first that euery one of vs in our selues are loathsome or vile in the sight of God like vnto stinking carrion or raw-flesh kept long vnpoudered A dead and rotten carkeise is loathsome vnto vs but we in our selues are a thousand times more loathsome vnto God The second that we are as it were salted and made sauorie and acceptable to God by the vertue of the sacrifice of Christ vpon the crosse Our dutie then is to labour that we may feele in our selues the biting and sharpnes of the oblation of Christ to wast and consume the superfluities of sinne and the corruptions of our natures And we must withall indeauour that the whole course of our liues and our speech it selfe be gratious and poured with salt least God at length spue vs out of his mouth To this ende hath God appointed his ministers to be the salt of the earth that by their ministerie they might apply the death of Christ and season the people And it hath pleased God to be sprinkle this land with more plentie of this salt then hath beene heretofore But alas small is the number of them that giue any relish of their good seasoning The more lamentable is their case For as flesh that cannot be seasoned with salt putrifies so men that cannot bee sweetned and changed by the sacrifice of Christ doe rot and perish in their sinnes The waters that ishued from vnder the threshold of the Sancturie when they came into the dead sea the waters thereof were holesome but myrie places and marishes which could not be seasoned were made saltpits Now these waters are the preching of the gospel of Chrtst which flowing through all the parts of this I le if it doe not season change our nation it shal make it as places of nettles saltpits at length be an occasion of the eternal curse of god Thirdly Christs priesthood serues to make euery one of vs also to be priests And being priests we must likewise haue our sacrifice and our altar Our sacrifice is the cleane offering which is the lifting vp of pure handes to God without wrath or doubting in our prayers also our bodies and soules our hearts and affections the workes of our liues and the workes of our callings all which must be dedicated to the seruice of god for his glorie and the good of his Church The altar wheron wee must offer our sacrifice is Christ our redeemer both God and man because by the vertue of his death as with sweete odours he perfumes all our obedience and makes it acceptable to God The ministers of the Gospell are also in this manner priests as Paul insinuateth when hee calleth the Gentiles his offering vnto God And the preaching of the word is as it were a sacrificing knife wherby the old Adam must be killed in vs we made an holy acceptable sweete smelling oblation vnto God sanctified by the holy Ghost Therefore euerie one that heareth Gods worde preached and taught must indeauour that by the profitable hearing thereof his sinnes and whole nature may be subdued and killed as the beast was slaine sacrificed vpon the altar by the hand of the Leuite Lastly the exhortation of the holy ghost must here be considered Seeing saith he we haue an high priest which is ouer the house of god let vs draw neere with a true heart in assurance of faith sprinkled in our hearts from an euill conscience and washed in our bodies with pure water the meaning of the wordes is this that if Christ haue offered such a sacrifice of such value and price which procureth pardon of sinne iustification sanctification and redemption then we must labour to be partakers of it to haue our bodies and soules purified and clensed by his blood and sanctified throughout by the holy ghost that thereby we may be made fitte to doe sacrifice acceptable to God in Christ. This is the vse which the Apostle maketh of the doctrine of Christs priesthood in that place which also euery man should apply vnto himselfe for why should we liue in our sinnes and wicked waies euery houre incurring the danger of Gods iudgements seeing Christ hath offered such a sacrifice whereby we may be purged and clensed and at length freed from all woe and miserie Thus much of Christs sacrifice now followes his triumph vpon the crosse That Christ did triumph when he was vpon the crosse it is plainly set downe by the Apostle Paul where he saieth that putting out the hand writing of ordinances that was against vs which was contrarie to vs he euen tooke it out of the way and fastened it vpon the crosse and hath spoiled the principalities and powers and hath made shewe of them openly and hath triumphed ouer â—hem in the same crosse This triumph is set forth by signes and testimonies of two sorts I. By signes of his glorie and maiestie II. By signes of his victorie on the crosse The signes of his glorie and maiestie are principally seuen The first is the title set ouer his head vpon the crosse Iesus of Nazareth king of the Iewes The ende why titles were set ouer the heads of malefactours was that the beholders might knowe the cause of the punishment and bee admonished to take heede of like offences and be stirred vp to a dislike of the parties executed for their offences And therfore no doubt Pilate wrote the title of Christ for the aggrauating of his cause and that with his owne hand Yet marke the straunge euent that followed for when Pilate was about to write the superscription God did so gouerne and ouer-rule both his heart and hand that in stead of noting some crime he sets downe a most glorious and worthie title calling him Iesus of Nazareth king of the Iewes which wordes containe the very summe and pith of the whole gospel of Christ deliuered by the Patriarches and prophets from age to age We must not thinke that Pilate did this of any good minde or vpon any loue or fauour that he bare to Christ but onely as he was guided and ouerruled by the power of God for the aduancement of the honour and glorie of Christ. The like did Caiphas who though a sworne enemie to Christ yet he vttered a prophecy of him saying that it was necessarie that one should die for the people not that he had any intent to prophecy but because the Lord vsed him as an instrument to publish his trueth And when Balaam for the wages of vnrighteousnesse would haue cursed the Lords people for his life he could not nay all his cursings were turned into blessings By this then it appeares that it is not possible for any man doe what he can to stoppe the course of
the souldiours of the Moabites they cast him for hast into the sepulchre of Elisha Nowe the dead man so soone as hee was downe and had touched the bodie of Elisha hee reuiued and stood vpon his feete so let a man that is dead in sinne bee cast into the graue of Christ that is let him by faith but touch Christ dead and buried it will come to passe by the vertue of Christs death and buriall that he shall be raised from death and bondage of sinne to become a newe man Secondly the buriall of Christ serues to be a sweete perfume of all our graues and burials for the graue in it selfe is the house of perdition but Christ by his buriall hath as it were consecrated and perfumed all our graues and in stead of houses of perdition hath made them chambers of rest and sleepe yea beds of downe and therefore howesoeuer to the eie of man the beholding of a funerall is terrible yet if wee could then remember the buriall of Christ and consider howe he thereby hath changed the nature of the graue euen then it would make vs to reioice Lastly wee must imitate Christs buriall in beeing continually occupied in the spirituall buriall of our sinnes Thus much of the buriall Nowe followeth the third and last degree of Christs humiliation He descended into hell It seemes very likely that these words were not placed in the Creede at the first or as some thinke that they crept in by negligence because aboue threescore Creeds of the most ancient counsels and fathers want this clause and among the rest the Nicene Creede But if the auncient and learned fathers assembled in that Counsell had beene perswaded or at the least had imagined that these words had bin set down at the first by the Apostles no doubt they would not in any wise haue left them out And an auncient writer saith directly that these wordes he descended into hell are not found in the Creede of the Romane Church nor vsed in the churches of the East and if they be that then they signifie the buriall of Christ. And it must not seeme straunge to anyâ— that a worde or twaine in processe of time should creepe into the Creed considering that the originall copies of the bookes of the olde and new testament haue in them sundrie varieties of readings and wordes otherwhiles which from the margine haue crept into the text Neuerthelesse considering that this clause hath long continued in the Creede and that by common consent of the Catholike Church of God and â—t may carrie a fitte sense and exposition it is not as some would haue it to bee put forth Therfore that we may come to speake of the meaning of it we must know that it hath foure vsuall expositions which we will rehearse in order and then make choice of that which shall be thought to be the fittest The first is that Christs soule after his passion vpon the crosse did really and locally descend into the place of the damned But this seemes not to be true The reasons are these I. all the Euangelists and among the rest S. Luke intending to make an exact narration of the life and death of Christ haue set downe at large his passion death buriall resurrection and ascension and withall they make rehearsall of small circumstances therefore no doubt they would not haue omitted Christ locall descent into the place of the damned if there had beene any such thing And the ende why they penned this historie was that wee might beleeue that Iesus is Christ the sonne of God and beleeuing wee might haue life euerlasting Nowe there could not haue beene a greater matter for the confirmation of our faith then this that Iesus the sonne of Marie who went downe to the place of the damned returned thence to liue in happines for euer II. If Christ did goe into the place of the damned then either in soule or in bodie or in his godhead But his Godhead could not descend because it is euery where and his bodie was in the graue And as for his soule it went not to hell but presently after his death it went to paradise that is the third heauen a place of ioy and happinesse Luk. 23.43 This day shalt thou bee with me in Paradise which wordes of Christ must be vnderstoode of his manhood or soule and not of his Godhead For they are an answere to a demand and therefore vnto it they must be sutable Nowe the thiefe seeing that Christ was first of all crucified and therefore in all likelihood should first of all die makes his request to this effect Lord thou shalt shortly enter into thy kingdome remember me then to which Christs answere as the very wordes import is thus much I shall enter into paradise this day and there shalt thou bee with me Now there is no entrance but in regard of his soule or manhood For the Godhead which is at all times in all places cannot be said properly to enter into a place Againe when Christ saith thou shalt be with me in Paradise he doth intimate a resemblance which is betweene the first and second Adam The first Adam sinned against God and was presently cast forth out of paradise Christ the second Adam hauing made a satisfaction for sinne must immediately enter into paradise Nowe to say that Christ in soule descended locally into hell is to abolish this anolagie between the first second AdaÌ„ III. Auncient councels in their confessions and Creeds omitting this clause shew that they did not acknowledge any reall descent and that the true meaning of these words he desceÌ„ded was sufficieÌ„tly included in some of the former articles and that may appeare because when they set downe it they omit some of the former as Athanasius in his Creede setting downe these words he descended c. omits the buriall putting them both for one as he expoundes himselfe elsewhere Now let vs see the reasons which may be alleadged to the coÌ„trary Obiect I. Matth. 12.40 The sonne of man shall be three daies and three nights in the heart of the earth that is in hell Ans. I. This exposition is directly against the scope of the place for the Pharises desired to see a signe that is some sensible and manifest miracle and hereunto Christ answers that he will giue them the signe of Ionas which cannot be the descent of his soule into the place of the daÌ„ned because it was insensible but rather his buriall and after it his manifest and glorious resurrection II. The heart of the earth may as well signifie the graue as the center of the earth For thus Tyrus bordering vpon the sea is said to be in the heart of the sea III. This exposition takes it for graunted that hell is seated in the middest of the earth whereas the scriptures reueale vnto vs no more but this that hell is in the lower parts but where these
lower parts should be no man is able to define Obiect II. Act. 2.37 Thou wilt not leaue my soule in hell neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption Answer These words cannot prooue any locall descent of Christs soule For Peters drift in alleadging of them is to prooue the resurrection and he saith expresly that the words must be vnderstood of the resurrection of Christ vers 31. Hee seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ. What namely these wordes his soule was not left in hell c. Nowe there is no resurrection of the soule but of the bodie onely as the soule can not be said to fall but the bodie It will be replied that the worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cannot signifie the bodie and the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the graue Ans. The first worde signifies not onely the spirituall part of a man the soule but also the whole person or the man himselfe Rom. 13.1 1. Cor. 15.41 And the second is as well taken for the graue as for hel Apoc. 20. 14. Death and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are cast into the lake of fire Nowe wee can not say that hell is cast into hell but the graue into hell And the very same word in this text must needes haue this sense For Peter makes an opposition betweene the graue into which Dauid is shut vp and the hell out of which Christ was deliuered vers 29.31 Againe it will be said that in this text there be two distinct partes the first of the soules comming forth of hell in these wordes Thou wilt not leaue my soule in hell The secōd of the bodies rising out of the graue in the next words neither wilt thou suffer my flesh to see corruptiō Ans. It is not so For flesh in this place signifies not the bodie alone but the humane nature of Christ as appeares vers 30. vnlesse we shall say that one and the same word in the same sentence is taken two waies And the words rather carrie this sense Thou wilt not suffer me to continue long in the graue nay which is more in the time of my continuance there thou wilt not suffer me so much as to feele any corruption because I am thy holy one Obiect III. 1. Pet. 3.19 Christ was quickened in spirit by the which spirit he went and preached to the spirits which are in prison Answere The place is not for this purpose For by spirit is not meant the soule of Christ but his godhead which in the ministerie of Noe preached repentance to the olde world And I thinke that Peter in this place alludes to another place in Genesis 6.3 where the Lord saith My spirit shall not alwaies striue with man because he is but flesh And if the spirit doe signifie the soule then Christ was quickned either by his soule or in his soule But neither is true For the first it can not bee said that Christ was quickened by his soule because it did not ioyne it selfe to the bodie but the godhead ioyned them both Neither was he quickened in soule for his soule died not It could not die the first death which belongs to the bodie and it did not die the second death which is a totall separation from God onely it suffered the sorrowes of the second death which is the apprehension of the wrath of God as a man may feele the pangs of the first death and yet not die the first death but liue Againe it is to no ende that Christs soule should goe to hell to preach considering that it was neuer heard of that one soule should preach to another especially in hell where all are condemned and in conscience conuicted of their iust damnation and where there is no hope of repentance or redemption It will be answered that this preaching is onely reall or experimentall because Christ shewes himselfe there to conuince the vnbeleefe of his enemies but this is flatte against reason For when a man is iustly condemned by God and therefore sufficiently conuicted what neede the iudge himselfe come to the place of execution to conuict him And it is flat against the text For the preaching that is spoken of here is that which is performed by men in the ministerie of the word as Peter expounds himselfe 1. Pet. 4.6 To this purpose was the Gospel also preached vnto the dead that they might be condemned according to men in the flesh that they might liue according to God in the spirit Lastly there is no reason why Christ should rather preach and shew himselfe in hell to them that were disobedient in the daies of Noe then to the rest of the damned And this is the first exposition the second follows He descended into hell that is Christ descended into the graue or was buried This exposition is agreeable to the truth yet is it not meete or conuenient For the clause next before he was buried contained this point and therefore if the next wordes following yeelde the same sense there must be a vaine and needlesse repetition of one and the same thing twise which is not in any wise to be allowed in so short a Creede as this If it be said that these words are an exposition of the former the answer is that then they should be more plaine then the former For when one sentence expoundeth an other the latter must alwaies be the plainer but of these two sentences He was buried he descended into hell the first is very plaine and easie but the latter very obscure and hard and therefore it can be no exposition thereof and for this cause this exposition neither is to be receiued Thirdly others there be which expound it thus He descended into hell that is Christ Iesus when he was dying vpon the crosse felt and suffered the pangs of hell and the full wrath of God seazing vpon his soule This exposition hath his warrant in Gods word where hell often signifies the sorrowes and paines of hell as Hanna in her song vnto the Lord saith The Lord killeth and maketh aliue he bringeth downe to hell and raiseth vp that is he maketh men feele woe and miserie in their soules euen the pangs of hell and after restoreth them And Dauid saith The sorrowes of death compassed me and the terrours of hell laid hold on me This is an vsuall exposition receiued of the Church and they which expound this article thus giues this reason thereof The former words was crucified dead and buried doe containe say they the outward sufferings of Christ now because he suffered not onely outwardly in bodie but also inwardly in soule therefore these words he descended into hell doe set forth vnto vs his inward sufferings in soule when he felt vpon the crosse the full wrath of God vpon him This exposition is good and true and whosoeuer will may receiue it Yet neuerthelesse it seemes not so fitly to agree with the order of the former articles For
these words was crucified dead and buried must not be vnderstood of any ordinarie death but of a cursed death in which Christ suffered the full wrath of God euen the pangs of hell both in soule and bodie seeing then this exposition is contained in the former words it cannot fitly stand with the order of this short Creede vnlesse there should be a distinct article of things repeated before But let vs come to the fourth exposition He descended into hell that is when he was dead and buried he was held captiue in the graue and lay in bondage vnder death for the space of three daies This exposition also may be gathered forth of the Scriptures Saint Peter faith God hath raised him vp speaking of Christ and loosed the sorrowes of death because it was vnpossible that he should bee holden of it Where wee may see that betweene the death and resurrection of Christ there is placed a third matter which is not mentioned in any clause of the Apostles Creede saue in this and that is his bondage vnder death which commeth in betweene his death and rising againe And the words themselues doe most fitly beare this sense as the speech of Iacob sheweth I will goe downe into hell vnto my sonne mourning And this exposition doth also best agree with the order of the Creede first he was crucified and died secondly he was buried thirdly laid in the graue was therein held in captiuitie and bondage vnder death And these three degrees of Christs humiliatioÌ„ are most fitly correspondent to the three degrees of his exaltation The first degree of exaltation he rose againe the third day answering to the first degree of his humiliation he died the second degree of his exaltation hee ascended into heauen answering to his going downe into the graue was buried and thirdly his sitting at the right hand of God which is the highest degree of his exaltation answering to the lowest degree of his humiliation he descended into hell These two last expositions are commonly receiued and wee may indifferently make choice of either but the last as I take it is most agreeable to the order and wordes of the Creede Thus much for the meaning of the wordes Nowe followe the vses And first of all Christs descending into hell teacheth euery one of vs that professe the name of Christ that if it shall please God to afflict vs either in bodie or in mind or in both though it be in most grieuous and tedious manner yet must we not thinke it straunge For if Christ vpon the crosse not onely suffered the pangs of hell but after he was dead death takes him and as it were carries him into his denne or cabbinâ— and there triumpheth ouer him holding him in captiuitie and bondage and yet for all this was he the sonne of God and therfore when Gods hand is heauie vpon vs any way we are not to despaire but rather thinke it is the good pleasure of God to frame and fashion vs that we may become like vnto Christ Iesus as good children of God Dauid a man after Gods owne heart was by Samuel annointed King ouer Israel but withall God raised vp Saul to persecute him as the fowler hunteth the partridge in the mountaine in so much that Dauid said there was but one steppe between him and death So likewise Iob a iust man and one that feared God with all his heart yet how heauily did God lay his hand vpon him his goods and cattell were all taken away and his children slaine and his bodie striâ—kâ—n by Satan with loathsome byles from the sole of his foote vnto the crownâ— of his head so as he was faine to take a potsheard and scrape himselfe sitting among the ashes And Ionah the seruant and Prophet of the most high God when he was called to preach to Niniuie because he refused for feare of that great cittie God mette with him and hee must bee cast into the sea and there be swallowed vp of a Whale that so he might chastice him and thus doth hee deale with his owne seruants to make them conformable to Christ. And further when it pleaseth God to lay his hand vpon our soules and make vs haue a troubled and distressed conscience so as we do as it were struggle with gods wrath as for life and death and can finde nothing but his indignation seazing vpon our soules which is the most grieuous and perplexed estate that any man can be in in this case howesoeuer we cannot discerne or see any hope or comfort in our selues wee must not thinke it straunge nor quite despaire of his mercy For the sonne of God himselfe descended into hell and death carried him captiue and triumphed ouer him in the graue and therefore though God seeme to be our vtter enemie yet we must not despaire of his helpe In diuers Psalmes we read how Dauid was not onely persecuted outwardly of his enemies but euen his soule and conscience were perplexed for his sinnes so as his very bones were consumed within him and his moisture was turned into the drought in sommer This caused Iob to crie out that the arrowes of God were within him and the venyme thereof did drinke vp his spirit the terrours of God did fight against him the griefe of his soule was as waightie as the sand of the sea by reason whereof he saith that the Lord did make him a marke and a but to shoote at and therefore when God shall thus afflict vs either in bodie or in soule or in both we must not alwaies thinke that it is the wrathfull hand of the Lord that beginnes to bring vs to vtter condemnation for our sinnes but rather his fatherly work to kill sinne in vs and to make vs growe in humilitie that so we may become like vnto Christ Iesus Secondly whereas Christ for our sakes was thus abased euen vnto the lowest degree of humiliation that can be it is an example for vs to imitate as Christ himselfe prescribeth Learne of me that I am meeke and lowely And that we may the better doe this we must learne to become nothing in our selues that we may bee al in al forth of our selues in Christ we must loath and thinke as basely of our selues as possibly may be in regard of our sinnes Christ Iesus vpon the crosse was content for our sakes to become a worme and no man as Dauid saith which did cheifly appeare in this lowest degree of his humiliation when as death did as it were tread on him in his denne and the same mind must likewise be in vs which was in him The liking that we haue of our selues must be meere nothing but all our loue and liking must be forth of our selues in the death and blood of Christ. And thus much of this clause as also of the state of Christs humiliation Nowe followeth his second estate which is his exaltation into glorie set downe tâ—
a candlesticke Nowe howe much more carefull ought we to be to entertaine God himselfe who is content to come and dwell with vs and therefore we must adorne our bodies and soules with grace that he may lodge and suppe and dine with vs as hee hath promised but on the contrarie if wee defile our bodies with sinne wee banish the Holy Ghost out of our hearts and inuite the deuill to come and dwell with vs. For the more a man defileth his bodie the fitter and cleaner it is for him And to coÌ„clude this point let vs remeÌ„ber that saying which is vsed of some that Christ when he went hence gaue vs his pawne namely his spirit to assure vs that he would come to vs againe and also hee tooke with him our pawne namely his flesh to assure vs further that we should ascend vp to him Thus much for the benefits of Christs ascension Nowe followe the duties whereunto we are mooued and they are two First we must be here admonished to renounce the vbiquitie and the errour of the reall and essentiall presence of the bodie of Christ in the Sacrament of the Lords supper as flatly oppugning this article of Christs ascensioÌ„ into heauen For it is flat against the nature of a true bodie to subsist in many places at once Secondly as the Apostles then did when they sawe Christ ascending vp into heauen so must wee doe also while hee was present with them they gaue him honour but when they saw him ascending they adored him with farre greater reuerence and so must we now for the same cause bowe the knees of our hearts vnto him Thus much of the second degree of the exaltation of Christ. Now followes the third in these words And sitteth at the right hand of God the father almightie In the handling whereof we are first to shewe the meaning of the wordes secondly the comforts and benefits that redound to Gods Church thirdly the duties that we are mooued vnto For the meaning of the words if we speak properly God hath neither right hand nor left neither can he be said to sit or stand for God is not a bodie but a spirit the words therefore containe a borrowed speech from earthly kings and potentates whose manner and custome hath beene to place such persons at their right handes whome they purposed to aduance to any speciall office or dignitie So King Salomon when his mother came to speake with him rose vp from his throne and met het caused a seate to be set at his owne right hand and set her vpon it in token no doubt of honour which he gaue vnto her To the same purpose Dauid saith Vpon thy right hand did stand the Queene in a vesture of gold And the sonnes of Zebedeus made suit to Christ that one of them might sit at his right hand and the other at his left in his kingdome Now their request was to haue the two speciall and principall dignities of his kingdome Thus we see it is manifest that the sitting at the right hand of an earthly prince signifieth aduancement into authoritie and honour and therfore the same phrase of speech applied to Christ signifieth two things First his full and manifest exaltation in dignitie honour and glorie and in this sense it is saide that to him is giuen a name that is aboue all names that at the name of Iesus euery knee shall bowe Secondly it signifieth his full and manifest exaltation into the authoritie and gouernment of his kingdome which spreadeth it selfe ouer heauen and earth So Dauid saith The Lord said vnto my Lord Sit thou at my right hand vntill I make thine enemies thy footstoole Which place beeing alleadged by S. Paul repeating the words but changing the phrase is thus set downe He shall raigne till he haue put all his enemies vnder his feete And to speake in briefe the scope of the wordes is to shewe that Christ God and man after his ascension is aduanced to such an estate in which he hath fulnesse of glorie power maiestie and authoritie in the presence of his father and all the Saints and holy angels Furthermore in the words three circumstances must be obserued The first is the place where Christ is thus aduanced noted in the former article he ascended into heauen and sits namely in heauen at the right hand of God The place then where Christ Iesus in both his natures as he is God and also man doth rule in full glorie power and maiestie is heauen it selfe To which effect Paul saith God raised Christ from the dead and put him at his right hand in the heauenly places And in the Epistle to the Hebrewes it is saide He sitteth at the right hand of the maiestie in highest places This â—oint well considered serues to discouer the ouersight of sundrie Diuines which hold and teach that to sit at the right hand of God is to be euery where in all places and not in heauen onely that they might hereby lay a foundation for the vbiquitie of Christs manhood which neuerthelesse the heauens must containe till the time that all things be restored The second circumstance is the time when Christ began to sit at the right hand of God the father which is to be gathered by the order of the articles For first Christ died and was buried then he rose againe and ascended into heauen and after his ascension he is said to sit at the right hand of his father This order is also noted vnto vs by S. Paul Who shall condemne saith he it is Christ which is dead yea or rather which is risen againe who is also at the right hand of God And S. Marke saith when Christ was risen againe he appeared to his disciples and after he had spoken vnto them he was receiued into heauen and sate at the right hand of God But it may be demanded how this can stand with truth that Christ should not begin to sit at the right hand of his father before the ascension considering he is one God with the father and therfore an absolute and soueraigne King from all eternitie Answ. As Christ is God or the Word of the father he is coequall and coeternall with him in the regiment of his kingdome and hath neither beginning middle or ending thereof yet as Christ is God incarnate and in one person God-man or Man-god he began after his ascention and not before to sit at the right hand of his father as S. Peter saith was made Lord partly because as he was God he did then manifest himselfe to be that which indeede he was before namely God and Lord of heauen and earth and partly because as he was man he receiued dominion or Lordship from the father which he had not before thereby was euen in his manhood exalted to be king of heauen and earth and in this sense Christ saith of himselfe All power
as a closed booke but then it shall be so touched and as it were opened that he shall plainely see and remember all the particular offences which at any time he hath committed and his very conscience shall be as good as a thousand witnesses whereupon he shall accuse and vtterly condemne himselfe The consideration of this ought to terrifie all those that liue in their sins for howsoeuer they may hide couer them from the world yet at the last day God will be sure to reueale them all Now after that mens workes are made manifest they must further be tried whether they be good or euill And that shall be done on this manner They that neuer heard of Christ must be tried by the law of nature which serues to make them inexcusable before God As for those that liue in the Church they shall be tried by the Law and the Gospel as Paul saith As many as haue liued by the law shall be iudged by the law And againe At the day of iudgement God shall iudge the secrets of our hearts according to his Gospell And By faith Noah builded an arke whereby he condemned the old world If this be true then we must in the feare of God heare his word preached and taught with all reuerence make conscience to profit by it For otherwise in the day of iudgement when all our works shall be tried by it the same word of God shall be a bill of inditement and the fearefull sentence of condemnation against vs. Therefore let vs be humbled by the doctrine of the law willingly embrace the sweete promises of the Gospel considering it is the onely touchstone whereby all our words thoughts and works must be examined The sixth point in the proceeding of the last iudgement is the giuing of sentence which is twofold the sentence of absolution and the sentence of condemnation both which are to be obserued diligeÌ„tly that we may receiue profit thereby And first of all Christ shall begin his iudgement with the sentence of absolution which shewes that he is readie to shew mercie slow to wrath In this sentence we are to consider foure points I. a calling of the Elect to the kingdome of heauen II. the reason thereof III. a replie of the Elect IV. the answer of Christ to them againe The calling of the Elect is set downe in these wordes Come yee blessed of my father inherit the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the world And the words are to be obserued one by one Come ye blessed Though Christ nowe sit in glorie and maiestie in iudgement yet he ceaseth not to shew his tender aâ—fection of loue vnto his chosen And this ouerthroweth the opinion of the Church of Rome which would haue vs rather to come vnto Christ by the intercession of saints then by our selues immediatly because he is now exalted in glorie and maiestie But marke when he was here on earth he said Come vnto me all ye that are heauie laden and I will ease you And when he shall be most glorious in maiestie and power at the day of iudgement he will then also say Come ye blessed of my father and therefore we may resolue our selues that it is his will now that we should come vnto him without any intercession of Saints Ye blessed of my father The Elect are here called the blessed of God because their righteousnes saluation and all that they haue springs of the meere blessing of God Nothing therefore must be ascribed to the worke of man Inherit that is receiue as your inheritance therefore the kingdome of heauen is Gods meere gift A father giueth no inheritance vnto his sonne of merit but of his free gift wherupon it followes that no man can merit the kingdom of heauen by his works The kingdome that is the eternall estate of glorie and happines in heauen therefore in this life we must so vse this world as though we vsed it not all that we haue here is but vaine and transitorie and all our studie and endeauour must be to come to the kingdome of heauen Prepared Here note the vnspeakable care of God for the faithful Had he such care to prouide a kingdome for his children before they were then we may assure our selues he wil haue greater care ouer them now when they haue a beeing For you that is for the elect and faithfull Hence it appeares that there is no vniuersall election whereby as some suppose God decrees that all and euery man shall be saued Indeede if he had said Come ye blessed of my father inherit the kingdome prepared for all but receiued of you it had bin something but he saith onely prepared for you and therefore all were not chosen to saluation The reason of this calling is taken from workes as from signes in these words For I was hungrie and ye gaue me meate c. When he saith for I was hungrie he meanes his poore and distressed members vpon earth and thereby he signifies vnto vs that the miseries of his seruants are his owne miseries Thus the Lord saith in Zacharie He which toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye And when Saul was going to persecute them in Damasco and else where that called on the name of Christ he cried from heauen Saul Saul why persecutest thou me And this is a notable comfort to Gods Church and people that they haue an high priest who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities and if he account our miseries his owne miseries then no doubt he will pitie our estate and make vs able to beare the worst And ye gaue me meate Here we note that the principall works of men are those which are done to the poore members of Christ. We are indeede to helpe all in as much as they are our very flesh and the creatures of God but the rule of S. Paul must be remembred Doe good to all but especially to those that are of the houshold of faith Many are of mind that the best works are to build Churches and Monasteries but Christ tells vs here that the best worke of all is to releeue those that be the liuing members of his mysticall bodie The third point is the replie of the Saints to Christ againe in these words Lord when saw we thee an hungred and fedde thee c. They doe not denie that which Christ auouched but doe as I take it standing before the tribunall seat of God humble themselues hauing still an after-consideration of the infirmities and offences of their liues past Here note then that it is a Satanicall practise for a man to bragge of workes and to stand vpon them in the matter of iustification before God And we must rather doe as the Saints of God doe abase our selues in regard of our sinnes past The last point is the answer of Christ to them againe in these words Verily I say vnto you in as much as
of God not only bridling sinne in vs but also mortifying and killing the same Indeed both of them are the good gifts of Gods spirit but yet the mortification of sinne is the chiefest being an effectuall signe of grace and proper to the elect The fifth grace and gift of the holy Ghost is to heare and receiue the word of God with ioy In the parable of the sower one kind of badde ground are they which when they haue heard receiue the worde with ioy And this is that which the authour of the Hebrues calls the the tasting of the good word of God and of the powers of the world to come We knowe that there is great difference betweene tasting of meate and eating of it They that sit down at the table do both tast and eate but they that dresse the meate do onely see and taste thereof so it is at the Lords table Many there be that haue this gift truely both to tast and eate of the bodie and blood of Christ offered in the word and Sacraments and some againe doe onely taste and feele the sweetnesse of them and reioice therein but yet are not indeede partakers thereof Nowe if this be so then all those which heare the word of God must take heede how they heare and labour to finde these two things in themselues by hearing I. that in heart and conscience they be throughly touched and humbled for their sinnes II. that they be certenly assured of the fauour and loue of God in Christ and that the sweete promises of the Gospel doe belong to them and in consideration hereof they must make conscience of all sinne both in thought worde and deed through the whole course of their liues And this kind of hearing bringeth that ioy which vanisheth not away Thus much of the benefits of the holy Ghost common to all men both good and badde nowe followe such as are proper to the elect all which may be reduced vnto one namely the inhabitation of the spirit whereby the elect are the temples of the holy Ghost who is said to dwell in men not in respect of substance for the whole nature of the holy Ghost cannot be comprised in the bodie or soule of man but in respect of a particular operation and this dwelling standes in two things The first that the holy Ghost doth abide in them not for a time onely but for euer for the word dwelling noteth perpetuitie Secondly that the holy Ghost hath the full disposition of the heart as whē a man commeth to dwell in an house whereof he is lord he hath libertie to gouerne it after his owne will Nowe this disposition of the hearts of the faithfull by the holy Ghost stands in fiue special and notable gifts euery one worthie our obseruation The first is a certen knowledge of a mans owne reconciliation to God in Christ. As it is said in Esai By his knowledge my righteous seruant shall iustifie many And Christ saith This is life eternall that they knowe thee to be the onely verie God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. This knowledge is not generall for then the deuils might be saued but it is particular whereby a man knoweth God the father to be his father and Christ the redeemer to bee his redeemer and the holy Ghost to bee his sanctifier and comforter And it is a speciall worke of the holy Ghost as Paul saith The spirit of God beareth witnesse to our spirits that we are the children of God And we haue receiued the spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are giuen vnto vs of God The second gift is regeneration whereby a man of a limme of the deuill is made a member of Christ and of a child of Satan whome euery one of vs by nature doe as liuely resemble as any man doeth his owne parent is made the child of God Except a man saith our Sauiour Christ be borne againe by water and the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdome of heauen Iohn Baptist in saying that Christ baptized with the holy Ghost and fire compares the spirit of god to fire and water To fire for two causes I. as it is the nature of fire to warme the body that is benummed and frozen with colde so when a man is benummed and frozen in sinne yea when he is euen starke dead in sinne it is the property of the Holy Ghost to warme and quicken his heart and to reuiue him II. Fire doth purge and eate out the drosse from the good mettall now there is no drosse nor canker that hath so deepely eaten into any mettall as sinne into the nature of man and therefore the Holy Ghost is as fire to purge and eate out the hidden corruptions of sinne out of the rebellious heart of man Againe the holy Ghost is compared to cleare water for two causes I. man by nature is as drie wood without sappe and the property of the holy Ghost is as water to supple and to put sap of grace into the dead and rotten heart of man II. the propertie of water is to clense and purifie the filth of the bodie euen so the holy Ghost doth spiritually wash away our sinnes which are the filth of our nature and this is the second benefit of the Holy Ghost By this we are taught that he which would enter into the kingdome of God and haue the Holy Ghost to dwell in him must labour to feele the worke of regeneration by the same spirit and if a man would knowe whether hee haue this worke wrought in him or no let him marke what Saint Paul saith They that are of the spirit sauour the things that are of the spirit but they that liue after the flesh sauour the things of the flesh If therefore a man haue his heart continually affected with that which is truely good either more or lesse it is a certaine token that his wicked nature is changed and he regenerate but contrariwise if his heart be alwaies set on the pleasures of sinne and the things of this world hee may iustly suspect himselfe that he is not regenerated As for example if a man haue all his minde set vpon drinking and gulling in of wine and strong drink hauing little delight nor pleasure in any thing els it argues a carnall minde vnregenerate because it affects the things of the flesh and so of the rest And on the contrarie he that hath his minde affected with a desire to doe the will of God in practising the workes of charitie and religion he I say hath a spirituall and a renued heart and is regenerate by the holy Ghost The third worke of the holy Ghost is to gouerne the hearts of the elect this may be called spirituall regiment A man that dwelleth in a house of his owne orders and gouerns it according to his own will euen so the holy ghost gouerns all them in whome he dwelleth as Paul saith
we pollute our soules and bodies with any manner of sinne we make them euen stables and styes for our wretched enemie the deuill to harbour in For when Satan is once cast out if afterward we fall againe to our old sinnes loosenes of life and so defile our bodies they are then most cleane and neat for them to dwell in whereupon he will come and bring seuen other deuills worse then himselfe so a mans last end shall be worse then his beginning Now what a fearefull thing is this that the bodie which should be a temple for the holy Ghost by our sins should be made a stable for the deuil Furthermore S. Paul biddeth vs not to quench the spirit The graces of the holy spirit in this life are like sparkes of fire which may soone be quenched with a little water Now so oft as we sinne we cast water vpon the grace of God and as much as we can put out the same therefore it stands vs in hand to make conscience of euery thing wherein we may offend and displease God And we may assure our selues that so long as we liue and lie in our corruptions and sinnes the holy Ghost will neuer come and dwell with vs. He is a spirit most pure and chast and therefore must haue an vndefiled temple to dwell in Thus we haue heard what is to be beleeued concerning the Father Sonne and holy Ghost Now looke as we beleeue in God distinguished into three persons so we must remember that when we performe diuine worship to him we may distinguish the persons but we are not to seuer them when we pray to the Father we must not omit the Sonne or the holy Ghost but make our prayers to them all for as in nature they are one and in person not deuided but distinguished so in all worship we must neuer confound or seuer the persons but distinguish them and worship the Trinitie in vnitie and vnitie in trinitie one God in three persons and three persons in one God Hitherto we haue intreated of the first part of the Creede concerning God now followes the second part thereof concerning the Church and â—t was added to the former vpon speciall consideration For the right order of a confession did require that after the Trinitie the Church should be mentioned as the house after the owner the temple after God and the citie after the builder Againe the Creede is concluded with points of doctrine concerning the Church because whosoeuer is out of it is also forth of the number of gods children and he can not haue God for his father which hath not the Church for his mother Question is made what the words are which are to be supplied in this article the holy Catholike Church whether I beleeue or I beleeue in and ancient expositours haue sufficiently determined the matter One saith In these words in which is set forth our faith of the godhead it is saide In God the father in the Sonne and in the holy Ghost but in the rest where the speech is not of the Godhead but of creatures aud mysteries the preposition In is not added that it should be in the holy Church but that we should beleeue there is an holy Church not as God but as a companie gathered to God And men should beleeue that there is remission of sinnes not in the remission of sinnes and they should beleeue the resurrection of the bodie not in the resurrection of the bodie therefore by this preposition the Creatour is distinguished from the creatures and things pertaining to God from things pertaining to men Another vpon these words This is the worke of God that ye beleeue in him saith If ye beleeue in him ye beleeue him not if ye beleeue him ye beleeue in him for the deuills beleeued God but did not beleeue in him Againe of the Apostles we may say we beleeue Paul but we doe not beleeue in Paul we beleeue Peter but we beleeue not in Peter For his faith that beleeueth in him which iustifieth the vngodly is imputed to him for righteousnes What is it therefore to beleeue in him by beleeuing to loue and like and as it were to passe into him and to be incorporated into his members Now the reasons which some Papists bring to the contrarie to prooue that we may beleeue in the creatures in the church are of no moment First they alleadge the phrase of Scripture Exod. 14.31 They beleeued in God and in Moses 1. Sam. 27. 12. And Achis beleeued in Dauid 2. Chron. 20.20 Beleeue in the Prophets and prosper Ans. The Hebrewe phrase in which the seruile letter Beth is vsed must not bee translated with a preposition that ruleth an accusatiue or ablatiue case but with a datiue case on this manner Beleeue Moses Dauid the Prophets and it doth not impart any affiance in the creature but onely a giuing of credance by one man to another Secondly they alleadge that ancient fathers read the article on this manner I beleeue in the holy Catholike Church Answ. Indeede some haue done so but by this kind of speech they signified no more but thus much that they beleeued that there was a Catholike Church Thus hauing found what words are to be supplied let vs come to the meaning of the article And that we may proceede in order let vs first of all see what the Church is The Church is a peculiar companie of men predestinate to life euerlasting and made one in Christ. First I say it is a peculiar company of men for Saint Peter saith Ye are a chosen generation a royall priesthood an holy nation and a peculiar people He speakes indeede of the Church of God on earth but his saying may be also extended to the whole Church of God as well in heauen as in earth Nowe because there can be no companie vnlesse it haue a beginning and a cause whereby it is gathered therefore I adde further in the definition predestinate to life euerlasting Noting thereby the ground and cause of the Catholike Church namely Gods eternall predestination to life euerlasting and to this purpose our Sauiour Christ saith Feare not little flocke for it is your fathers will to giue you the kingdome signifying thereby that the first and principall cause of the Church is the good pleasure of God whereby he hath before all workes purposed to aduance his elect to eternall saluation Therefore one saith well onely the elect are the Church of God And further because no companie can continue and abide for euer vnlesse the members thereof be ioyned and coupled together by some bond therefore I adde in the last place made one with Christ. This vnion maketh the Church to be the Church and by it the members thereof whether they be in heauen or in earth are distinguished from all other companies whatsoeuer Now this coniunction betweene Christ and the Church is auouched by Saint Paul when
We are carefull to flie the infection of the bodily plague oh then how carefull should we be to flie the common blindnesse of minde and hardnes of heart which is the very plague of all plagues a thousand fold worse then all the plagues of Egypt And it is so much the more fearefull because the more it takes place the lesse it is perceiued When a malefactour on the day of assise is brought forth of the iayle with great bolts and fetters to come before the iudge as he is going all men pitie him and speake comfortably vnto him but why so because he is now to be arraigned at the barre of an earthly iudge Now the case of all impenitent sinners is farre more miserable then the case of this man for they lie fettered in bondage vnder sinne and Satan and this short life is the way in which they are going euery houre to the barre of Gods iustice who is the King of kings and Lord of lords there to be arraigned and to haue sentence of condemnation giuen against them Now canst thou pitie a man that is before an earthly iudge and wilt thou not be touched with the miserie of thine owne estate who goest euery day forward to the barre of Gods iustice whether thou be sleeping or waking sitting or standing as a man on the sea in a shippe goes continually toward the hauen though he himselfe stirre not his foote Begin now at length to lay this point to your hearts that so long as ye runne on in your blind waies without repentance as much as ye can yee make post hast to hel-ward and so long as you continue in this miserable condition as Peter saith Your iudgement is not farre off and your damnation sleepeth not Thirdly seeing those whom God hath purposed to refuse shall be left vnto themselues and neuer come to repentance we are to loue and embrace the word of God preached taught vnto vs by the ministers of the Gospell withall submitting our selues vnto it and suffering the Lord to humble vs thereby that we may come at length out of the broad way of blindnes of mind and hardnes of heart leading to destruction into the strait way of true repentance and reformation of life which leadeth to saluation For so long as a man liues in this world after the lusts of his owne heart he goes on walking in the very same broad way to hell in which all that are ordained to condemnation walke and what a fearefull thing is it but for a little while to be a companion in the way of destruction with them that perish and therefore I say once againe let vs all in the feare of God lay his word vnto our hearts and heare it with reuerence so as it may be in vs the sword of the spirit to cut downe the sinnes and corruptions of our natures and worke in vs a reformation of life and true repentance The third point concerning the decree of Reprobation is the Iudgement to be giuen of it This iudgement belongeth to God principally and proâ—erly because he knoweth best what he hath determined concerning the estate of euery man and none but he knowes who they be which are ordained to due and deserued damnation And againe he onely knoweth the hearts and wills of men and what grace he hath giuen them what they are and what all their sinnes be and so doth no angel nor creature in the world beside As for men it belongs not to them to giue iudgement of reprobation in themselues or in others vnlesse God reueale his will vnto them and giue them a gift of discerning This gift was bestowed on sundrie of the Prophets in the olde testament and in the newe testament on the Apostles Dauid in many psalmes makes request for the confusion of his enemies not praying onely against their sinnes which we may do but euen against their persons which we may not doe No doubt he was guided by Gods spirit and receiued thence an extraordinarie gift to iudge of the obstinate malice of his aduersaries And Paul praies against the person of Demetrius saying The Lord reward him according to his doings And such kind of praiers were lawful in them because they were carried with pure and vpright zeale and had no doubt a speciall gift whereby they were able to discerne of the finall estate of their enemies Againe God sometimes giues this gift of discerning of some mens finall impenitencie to the Church vpon earth I say not to this or that priuate person but to the bodie of the Church or greater part thereof S. Iohn writing vnto the Churches saith There is a sinne vnto death that is against the holy Ghost I say not that thou shouldest praie for it in which wordes he takes it for graunted that this sinne might be discerned by the Church in those daies And Paul saith If any man beleeue not the Lord Iesus let him be had in execration Mara-natha that is pronounced accursed to euerlasting destruction Whence it appeares that the Church hath power to pronounce men reiected to euerlasting damnation vpon some speciall occasions though I dare not say ordinarily and vsually The primitiue Church with one consent praied against Iulian the Apostata and the praiers made were not in vaine as appeared by the euent of his fearefull ende As for priuate and ordinarie men for the tempering and rectifying of their iudgements in this case they must followe two rules The one is that euery member of the Church is bound to beleeue his owne election It is the commandement of God binding the very conscience that wee should beleeue in Christ. Nowe to beleeue in Christ is not onely to put our affiance in him and to be resolued that we are iustified and sanctified and shall be glorified by him but also that we were elect to saluation in him before the beginning of the worlde which is the foundation of the rest Againe if of things that haue necessarie dependance one vpon another we are to beleeue the one then we are to beleeue the other Nowe election and adoption are things conioined and the one necessarily depends vpon the other For all the elect as Paul saith are predestinate to adoption and wee are to beleeue our owne adoption and therefore also our election The second rule is that concerning the persons of those that be of the Church we must put in practise the iudgement of charitie and that is to esteeme of them as of the elect of God till God make manifest otherwise By vertue of this rule the ministers of Gods worde are to publish and preach the gospel to all without exception It is true indeed there is both wheate and darnell in Gods fielde chaffe and corne in Gods barne fish and drosse in Gods net sheepe and goates in Christs folde but secret iudgements belong vnto god the rule of loue which is to think wish the best of others is to be followed
how shall he not with him giue vs all things also And touching it sundrie points must be considered The first is what is meant by this giuing Ans. It is an action or worke of God the Father by the holy ghost whereby Christ as redeemer in the appointed time is really communicated to al ordained to saluation in such manner that they may truely say that Christ himselfe withall his benefits is theirs both in respect of right thereto and in respect of all fruit redounding thence and that as truely as any man may say that house and land giuen him of his ancetours is his owne both to possesse and to vse The second point is what is the very thing giuen Answ. Whole Christ God and man is giuen because his humanitie without his godhead or the godhead without the humanitie doth not reconcile vs to God Yet in this giuing there must be a diuers consideration had of the two natures of Christâ— for the communication of the godhead is merely energeticall that is onely in respect of operation in that it doth make the manhood personally vnited vnto it to be propitiatorie for our sinnes and meritorious of life eternall And to auouch any communication of the godhead in respect of essence were to bring in the heresie of the Maniches and to maintaine a composition and a commixtion of our natures with the nature of God Againe in the manhood of Christ wee must distinguish betweene the subiect it selfe the substance of body and soule and the blessings in the subiect which tend to our saluation And the communication of the aforsaid manhood is in respect of both without separation for no man can receiue sauing vertue from Christ vnlesse first of all he receiue Christ himselfe as no man can haue the treasure hid in the fielde vnlesse first of all he haue the fielde and no man can be nourished by meate and drinke vnlesse first of all he receiue the substance of both And this is the cause why not onely in the preaching of the worde but also in the institution of the Lords supper expresse mention is made not onely of Christs merit but also of his verie bodie and blood whereby the whole humanitie is signified as appeares by that place where it is said that the Word was made flesh And though the flesh of it selfe profit nothing as S. Iohn saith yet as it is ioyned to the godhead of the sonne and doth subsist in his person it receiueth thence quickening vertue to reuiue and renue all those to whome it shall be giuen Lastly among the blessings that are stored vp in the manhood of Christ for our saluation some are giuen vnto vs by imputation as when wee are iustified by the righteousnesse indeede inherent in his manhoode but imputed vnto vs some by infusion as when holinesse is wrought in our heartes by the spirit as a fruite of that holinesse which is in the manhood of Christ and deriued from it as the light of one candle from another The third point is in what manner Christ is giuen vnto vs. Ans. God the father giueth Christ vnto his Church not in any earthly or bodily manner as when a king bestoweth a gift with his owne hand and putteth it into the hand of his subiect but the manner is altogether celestiall and spirituall partly because it is brought to passe by the meere diuine operation of the holy Ghost partly because in respect of vs this gift is receiued by an instrument which is supernaturall namely faith whereby we lay hold on and applie vnto our selues the Euangelicall promises And this manner of giuing may be conceiued thus A man that neuer stirred foote out of England holds and enioyes land in Turkie but how comes it to be his Thus the Emperour was willing and content to bestow it and the man for his part as willing to accept and receiue it and by this meanes that which at the first was the Emperours by mutuall consent becomes the mans In the same manner God the Father hath made an Euangelicall couenant with his Church in which of his mercie he hath made a graunt of his owne sonne vnto vs with righteousnesse and life euerlasting in him and we againe by his grace accept of this graunt and receiue the same by faith thus by mutuall consent according to the tenour of the couenant any repentant sinner may truly say though I now haue mine aboad vpon earth and Christ in respect of his manhood be locally in heauen yet is he truly mine to haue and to enioy his bodie is mine his blood is mine As for the giuing receiuing of the bodie blood of Christ in bodily manner which the Papists maintaine in auouching the reall transubstantiation of bread and wine in the sacrament into the bodie and blood of Christ and the Lutherans also in teaching that his bodie and blood is substantially either in or with or vnder the bread and wine is an erroneous conceit flat opposite to sundrie points of the Cbristian faith For Christ to this very houre retaineth still the essence and essentiall properties of a true bodie and we beleeue that really and visibly he ascended into heauen and there abides till his second comming to the last iudgement who then hauing but common reason would imagine a communication of the bodie of Christ pent vp in the element of bread and conueyed into our bodies by the mouth and stomacke The third point is whether we are not lords of Christ he being thus giuen vnto vs. Ans. No for this donation is not single but mutuall As Christ is giuen to vs so we againe are giuen to Christ as he himselfe saith Those whome thou hast giuen me Father I haue kept And we are giuen vnto him in that our bodies and soules are made his not onely as he is God but also as he is our redeemer and our sinnes with the guilt thereof are made his by imputation and the punishment thereof is wholly laid vpon him This is all the dowrie which the Church beeing the spouse of Christ hath brought vnto him The fifth point is how any man in particular may know that Christ is giuen vnto him of the Father Ans. When God giues Christ to man he withall giues man grace and power to receiue Christ and to apprehend him with all his benefits and this we doe when we vtterly renounce our selues this world and all things therein bewaile our sinnes past resting on the death of Christ for the pardon of them al and as it were with both the armes of faith catching holde vpon him in all estates both in life and death When the heart of any man is truely disposed and inclined to doe these and the like things wee may truely say that God hath giuen him grace to receiue Christ. The second thing required to make vs one with Christ is the Mysticall vnion which is a Coniunction wherby Christ his Church are actually coupled
die that originall corruption may be vtterly abolished for no man liuing on earth is perfectly sanctified and originall sinne is remaining for speciall causes to the last moment of this life and then it is abolished and not before II. The godly die that by death as by a straight gate they may passe from this vale of miserie to eternall life And thus Christ by his death makes death to be no death and turnes a curse into a blessing And to proceede It is not here said the resurrection of the soule but of the bodie onely what then will some say becommeth of the soule Diuers haue thought that the soules then though they doe not die yet are still kept within the bodie beeing as it were asleepe till the last day But Gods word saith to the contrarie For the soules of the godly lie vnder the altar and crie How long Lord Iesus Diues in soule did suffer the woe and torments of hell and Lazarus had ioy in Abrahams bosome Again some others thinke that mens soules after this life doe passe from one mans bodie to an other and Herod may seeme to haue beene of this opinion for when newes was brought him of Christ he saide that Iohn Baptist beeing beheaded was risen againe thinking that the soule of Iohn Baptist was put into the bodie of some other man And for proofe hereof some alledge the example of Nebuchadnezzar who forsaking the societie of men liued as beasts and did eate grasse like a beast they imagine that his owne soule went out of him and that the soule of a beast entred in the roome thereof But this indeede is a fond conceit for euen then he had the soule of a man when he liued as a beast beeing onely stricken by the hand of God with an exceeding madnesse whereby he was bereft of common reason as doth appeare by that clause in the text where it is said that his vnderstanding or knowledge returned to him againe Again some other thinke that the soule neither dieth nor sleepeth nor passeth out of one bodie into an other but wandereth here on earth among men and oftentimes appeareth to this or that man and this is the opinion of some hereticks and of the common people which think that dead men walke for proofe hereof some alleadge the practise of the witch of Endor who is said to make Samuel to appeare before Saul but the truth is it was not Samuel in deed but onely a counterfait of him For not all the witches in the world nor all the deuils in hell are able to disquiet the soules of the faithfull departed which are in the keeping of the Lord without wandring from place to place For when men die in the faith their soules are immediatly translated into heauen and there abide till the last iudgement and contrariwise if men die in their sinnes their soules go straight to the place of eternall condemnation and there abide as in a prison as Peter saith In a word when the breath goeth out of the bodie the soule of euery man goeth straight either to heauen or hell and there is no third place of aboad mentioned in Scripture To conclude the resurrection of the bodie is expressely mentioned in the Creede to shew that there is no resurrection of the soule which neither dieth nor sleepeth but is a spirituall and inuisible substance liuing and abiding for euer as well forth of the bodie as in the same Thus much of the third prerogatiue or benefit now followeth the fourth and last in these words And life euerlasting To handle this point to the full aâ—d to open the nature of it as it deserueth is not in the power of man For both the prophet Esai and Saint Paul say that the eye hath not seene the eare hath not heard neither came it into mans heart to thinke of those things which God hath prepared for those that loue him Againe Paul when hee was rapt into the third heauen saith that he sawe things not to be vttered Neuertheles we may in some part describe the same so farre forth as God in this case hath reuealed his will vnto vs. Wherefore in this last prerogatiue I consider two things the first is Life it selfe the second is the Continuance of life noted in the worde euerlasting Life it selfe is that whereby any thing acteth liueth and mooueth it selfe and it is twofolde vncreated or created Vncreated life is the very godhead it selfe whereby God liueth absolutely in himselfe from himselfe and by himselfe giuing life and beeing to all things that liue and haue beeing and this life is not meant here because it is not communicable to any creature Created life is a qualitie in the creature and it s againe two-fold naturall spirituall Naturall life is that whereby men in this world liue by meate and drinke and all such meanes as are ministred by Gods prouidence Spirituall life is that most blessed and happie estate in which all the Elect shall raigne with Christ their head in the heauens after this life and after the day of iudgement for euer and euer And this alone is the life which in the Creede we confesse and beleeue and it consisteth in an immediate coniunction and communion or fellowship with God himselfe as Christ in his solemne praier to his father a litle before his death signifieth I pray not for these alone but for them also which shall beleeue in me through thy word that they all may be one as thou O father art in me and I in thee eueÌ„ that they may be one also in vs. And wheÌ„ S. Iohn in the RevelatioÌ„ saith Beholde the tabernacle of God is with men he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himselfe shall be their God with them he sheweth that the very foundation of that happines which god hath prepared for his seruants stands in a societie betweene God and them whereby God shall dwell with them in heauen and they againe shall there enioy his glorious presence Touching this Communion three points must be considered The first is in what order men shall haue fellowship with God Ans. This communion shall be first of all with Christ as he is man and by reason that the manhoode of Christ is personally vnited to the godhead of the sonne it shall also be with Christ as he is God and consequently with the father and the holy Ghost The reason of this order is because Christ though he be the author and the fountaine of eternall life as he is God yet he conueies the same vnto vs onely in and by his flesh or manhood Yet must we not here thinke that life proceedeth froÌ„ the maÌ„hood it selfe as from a cause efficient for the flesh quickeneth not by any vertue froÌ„ it selfe but by the Word to which it is personally vnited it beeing as it were a pipe eternally to conuey life from the godhead vnto vs. The
commandement to pray and then after giues a direction for the keeping of it this he doth to stir vp our dulnes and to allure vs by all meanes to this heauenly exercise of prayer wherefore still I say imploy your selues in praier feruently and continually and if you cannot doe it learne to praie Thus much of the commandement of our Sauiour Christ now follow the words of the praier Our Father which art c. THese wordes containe three partes 1. A preface 2. The praier it selfe containing sixe petitions 3. The testification of faith in the last worde Amen Which although it be short yet it doth not containe the smallest point in the praier It is I say a testification of our faith whereas the petitions that goe before are onely testifications of our desires Nowe of these three partes in order We must consider howe our Sauiour Christ doth not set downe the petitions abruptly but he first begins with a solemne preface Whereby wee are taught this lesson that hee which is to pray vnto God is first to prepare himselfe and not boldly without consideration as it were to rush into the presence of God If a man be to come before an earthly prince hee will order himselfe in apparell gesture and wordes that he may doe all things in seemelinesse and dutifull reuerence how much more are men to order themselues when they are to appeare before the liuing God Eccl. 5.1 Bee not rash with thy mouth and let not thy heart be hastie to vtter a thing before the Lord. And Dauid Psal. 26.6 Washed his hands in innocency before he came to the altar of the Lord to offer sacrifice The meanes whereby men may stirre vp their dull and heauie hearts so prepare themselues to praier are three The first is to read diligently the word of God concerning those matters about which they are to pray what then this will be a meanes not onely to direct him but also to quicken the heart more feruently to deliuer his praier This is euident by a comparison The beames of the sunne descending heat not before they come to the earth or some solide bodie where they may reflect and then by that meanes the earth and aire adioyning is made hot euen so the Lord sends down vnto vs his blessed word euen as beames and the goodly sunshine and thereby he speakes to our hearts now when we make our praiers of that which we haue read Gods word is as it were reâ—â—ected and our hearts are thereby warmed with the comfortable heat of Gods holy spirit to poure out our pâ—aiers to God more feruently The second meanes is to pray to God that hee would strengthen vs with his spirit that we might be able to praie as it is practised Psal. 143.1 The third meanes is the consideration of Gods most glorious maiestie wherein we are to remember first his fatherly goodnes and kindnesse whereby hee is willing and secondly his omnipotencie whereby hee is able to gâ—ant our requests One of these imboldened the leaper to pray Lord if thou wilâ— thou canst make me â—leane Mat. 8.2 Therefore both togither are more effectuall Now let vs come to the preface it selfe Our father which art in heauen It coÌ„taines a description of the true Iehoua to whome we pray and that by two arguments the first is drawne from a relation Our Father the second is taken from the subiect or place Which art in heauen Father 1. The meaning IN the opening of this word or title of God two questions are to be opened 1. Quest. Whether by thit title Father is signified the whole Trinitie or some one person thereof Ans. Otherwhiles this name is attributed to all the persons in Trinitie or any of them Mal. 2. 10. Haue wee not all one father c. Luk. 3.38 Which was the sonne of Adam which was the sâ—nne of God And in Esai 36. Christ is called the Father of eternitie because all that are truely knit to him and borne anew by him they are eternally made the sonnes of God Againe oftentimes it is giuen to the first person in Trinitie as in those places where one person is conferred with another And so in this place principally for some speciall respects this title agrees to the first person For first he is the father of Christ as he is the eternall word of the father and that by nature because he is of the same essence with him Secondly he is the father to Christ in respect of his manhood not by nature or adoption but by personall vnion because the humane nature doth subsist in the person of the word Thirdly he is a father to all the faithfull by adoption in Christ. 2. Quest. Whether are we to praie to the sonne and the holy Ghost as to the Father Ans. Inuocation belongs to al the three persons in Trinitie not only to the Father Act. 7.59 Steuen praieth Lord Iesus receiue my spirit 1. Thâ—s 3.2 Now God our Father and our Lord Iesus Christ guide our iourney vnto you 2. Cor. 13.13 The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ the loue of God and the communion of the holy ghost be with you And men are baptized in the name of the father the sonne and the holy Ghost that is by calling on the name of the Father Sonne and holy Ghost Some may say this praier is a perfect platforme of all praiers yet we are taught to direct our praiers to the Father not to the Sonne or holy spirit I answere the Father Sonne and holy Ghost are three distinct persons yet they are not to be seuered or deuided because they all subsist in one and the same godhead or diuine nature And further in all outward actions as in the creation and preseruation of the world and the saluation of the elect they are not seuered or diuided for they all worke togither onely they are distinguished in the manner of working Nowe if they be not diuided in nature or operation then they are not to be seuered in worship And in this place wee principally direct our praiers to the father because he is the first in order yet so as then we implie the Sonne and holy Ghost For we pray to the Father in the name of the Sonne by the assistance of the holy Ghost And to what person soeuer the praier is directed we must alwaies remember in minde and heart to include the rest 2. The vse TThe vses of this point are manifold 1. First whereas we are taught to come to God as to a father therefore in the name of his Sonne our Sauiour Christ we learne to lay the first ground of all our praiers which is to hold and maintaine the vnion the distinction of the three persons in Trinitie This beeing the lowest and the first foundation of praier it is requisite that all which would pray aright should haue this knowledge rightly to beleeue the Trinitie and to know how the three persons agree and how
mindfull of others For a man that hath wealth is made a steward to distribute his goods to the poore and the good of Gods Church True loue seekes not her owne things the branches of the vine are loden with clusters of grapes not for themselues but for others the candle spends it selfe to giue others light Giue If bread be ours wherefore are we to aske it it may seeme needlesse Answ. Not so for hereby we are taught to waite on God who is the fountaine and the giuer of all blessings Men vsually driuen to any distresse vse euill meanes as robbing deceiuing consulting with wizzards c. 2. Againe here we learne that though a man had all the wealth in the world all is nothing without Gods blessing Question The rich neede not say Giue vs c. for they haue abundance already and what neede they aske that which they haue Answer Let a man be neuer so rich and want nothing that can be desired yet if he want Gods blessing in effect he wants all Wherefore euen Kings and the greatest personages that be are as much bound to vse this petition as the poorest Gods blessing is riches saith Salomon Prou. 10.22 Thou maist eate and not haue enough be clothed and not warme earne wages and put it in a broken bagge Hag. 1. 6. if God doe not blesse thee This blessing of God is called the staffe of bread Esay 3. 1. In bread there bee two things the substance and the vertue thereof proceeding from gods blessing this second that is the power of nourishing is the staffe of bread For take away from an aged man his staffe and he falls and so take away Gods blessing from bread the strength thereof it becomes vnprofitable and ceaseth to nourish Lastly here we see that all labour and toile taken in any kind of calling is nothing and auailes not vnlesse God still giue his blessing Psal. 127.1 3. The wants which are to be bewailed SInnes which we are taught in this petition to bewaile are two especially I. Couetousnesse a vice which is naturally engrafted in euery mans heart it is when a man is not content with his present estate This desire is vnsatiable men that haue enough would still haue more Wherefore he which shall vse this petition must be grieued for this sinne and pray with Dauid Psal. 119. 36. Incline my heart to thy commandements and not to couetousnes And he must sorrowe not so much for the act of this sinne as for the corruption of nature in this behalfe Couetous people will plead that they are free from this vice but marke mens liues and we shall see it is a common disease as Dauid noted Psal. 4.6 where he brings in the people saying who shall shew vs any good This then is a common sinne that we are taught to mourne for 2. The second want is diffidence and distrustfulnes in Gods prouidence touching the things of this life Men also will shift this off and say they would be sorrie to distrust God But if we doe but a little looke into the corruption of our nature we shall see that we are deceiued For beeing in prosperitie wee are not troubled but if once we be pressed with aduersitie then we howle and weepe and as Paul saith 1. Tim. 6.10 Men peirce themselues through with many sorrowes If a man shall loose a part of his goods what then doth he straight hee goes out to the wise man is this to beleeue in God No it is to distrust God and beleeue the deuill 4. Graces to be desired THe grace to be desired is a readines in all estates of life to rest on Gods prouidence whatsoeuer fall out Psal. 37.5 Commit thy way to the Lord trust in him and he shall bring it to passe Prou. 16. 3. Commit or role thy workes vpon the Lord and thy thoughts shall be directed Whereby we are admonished to take paines in our callings to get meate and drinke c. If the Lord blesse not our labour we must be content if he doe we must giue him thankes Now for this cause we are further to pray to God that hee would open our eies and by his spirit teach vs in all his good creatures to see his prouidence and when meanes faile and are contrarie then also to beleeue in the same and to followe Pauls example Phil. 4.12 5. Errours confuted PApists teach that men by workes of grace may merit life eternall and increase of iustification in this life But howe can this be for here we see that euery bit of bread which we eate is the free gift of God without any merit of ours Now if we can not merit a peece of bread what madnes is it to thinke that we can merit life euerlasting 2. They also are deceiued who thinke that any thing comes by meere chance or fortune without Gods prouidence Indeede in respect of men who know not the causes of things many chances there are but so as that they are ordered and come to passe by Gods prouidence Luk. 10.31 By chance there came downe a certaine priest that way Forgiue vs our debts 1. The Coherence THis is the fift petition and the second of those which concerne our selues in the former we craued temporall blessings in this and the next which followeth we craue spirituall blessings Where we may note that seeing there is two petitions which concerne spirituall things and but one for temporall that the care for our soules must be double to the care of our bodies In the world men care for their bodies their hearts are set for wealth and promotion they can be content to heare the word on the Sabbath yet neither then nor in the weeke day doe they lay it vp in their hearts and practise it which argues that they haue little or no care for their soules Question What is the cause that first we craue things for the bodie and in the second place those which concerne the soule Ans. The order of the holy Ghost in these petitions is wonderfull for the Lord considers the dulnes and backwardnes of mens natures and therefore he traines them vp and drawes them on by little euen as a schoolemaster doth his yong schollers propounding vnto them some small elements and principles and so carrying them to higher points For the former petition is a step or degree to these two following The ruler by the healing of the bodie of his child is brought to beleeue in Christ. Ioh. 4.53 He then that will rest on Gods mercie for the pardon of his sinnes must first of all rest on Gods prouidence for this life and he that can not put his affiance in God for the prouision of meate and drinke how shall he trust Gods mercie for the saluation of his soule Here we may see the faith of worldlings they say that God is mercifull and that they beleeue in Christ which can not be true seeing in lesser matters as meate and drinke they
body They obiect that God is omnipotent True indeede but there bee some things the doing of which agreeth not with Gods power as to make contradicentia things contradictorie to be both true of which sort these are For that Christs bodie is a true bodie and that it is in many places at once are flatte contrarie beccause as hath bin shewed it is essential to all magnitudes to be in one place and therefore to a bodie And God cannot take away that which is essentiall to a thing the essence remaining whole 2. Againe transubstantiation maketh the Accidents of bread and wine to remaine without the substance Here also is another contradiction as impossible as the former for it is a common saying in schooles Accident is esse est inesse It is of the essence of an Accident to bee in the substance Now therefore if the Accidents bee there is also the bread and wine and if there bee no substance of bread or wine neither can there be any accidents 3. It holdeth that bread is turned into the bodie of Christ and therfore it must needs holde that Christs bodie is made of bakers bread and yet it holdeth and teacheth that Christs bodie is onely made of the seede of Marie quite ouerthrowing the former Transubstantiation V. It teacheth that a man must alwaies doubt of his saluation and likewise it teacheth that in praying we are to cal GOD father which are things quite contrarie For who can truly call GOD father vnlesse hee haue the spirit of adoption and be assured that he is the child of God For if a man shall call god father yet in his heart doubt whether he be his father or not he playeth the dissembling hypocrite wherefore to doubt of saluation and to say Our father c. in truth are contrarie VI. The Church of Rome maketh praier to bee one of the chiefe meanes to satisfie for sinnes But praier indeede is an asking of pardon for sinne Now asking of pardon satisfaction for sinne are contrarie therfore by the iudgement of the Papists praier which is a satisfaction is no satisfactiō And indeed let vs consider what madnes is contained in this popish diuinitie the poore begger commeth very hungrie to the rich mans doore to craue his almes and straightwaies by his begging he will merit and deserue it The same doeth the papist he prayeth verie poorely for the thing which he wanteth yet he looketh very proudly to merit no lesse then the kingdome of heauen by it VII Doubting of saluation hope cannot agree together for hope maketh a man not to be ashamed that is it neuer disappointeth him of the thing which he looketh for And therefore it is called the anchor of the soule both sure and steadfast which entereth into that which is within the vaile So that true hope and the certaine assurance of saluation goe togither VIII True praier and iustification by works cannot stand togither For hee which prayeth truly must be touched inwardly with a liuely feeling of his owne miserie and of the want of that grace whereof he standes in neede Now this cannot be in the heart of that man that looketh to merit the kingdome of heauen by his workes for he that can doe this may iustly conceiue somewhat of his owne excellencie IX Papists teach that it is great boldnes to come immediately vnto God without the intercession of Saints and therefore they vse to pray to Marie that shee would pray to Christ to helpe them yet on the contrarie when they haue so done they pray to God immediatly that he would receiue the intercession of Marie for them And thus they are become intercessors betweene Marie and God Yea when they offer vp Christ praying God to accept their gifts and sacrifices the humble priest that wil not pray to God but by the mediation of Saints is then a mediator between Christ Iesus God the father X. It holdeth that in the masse the Priest offereth vp Christ to his father an vnbloodie sacrifice This is a thing impossible for if Christ in the masse be sacrificed for sin then he must die his blood must be shed Heb. 9.22 And in the Scriptures these two sayings Christ is dead Christ is offered vp in Sacrifice are all one So then the Papist when he supposeth that there may be an vnbloodie sacrifice in effect he saith thus much There is a sacrifice which is no sacrifice And it is not possible that a bloodie sacrifice should be offered in an vnbloodie manner XI In the Canon of the masse the Church of Rome praieth on this wise We humbly beseech thee most merciful father by Iesus Christ thy sonne and our Lord that that thou wouldest accept these gifts and oblations and these holy Sacrifices which thy Church offer to thee c. where first they offer vp Christ to God the father in the name of Christ and so they make Christ to be his owne mediatour Againe they desire God to blesse and to accept his own sonne for they offer vp Christ. If they say he needeth now the blessing of his father they make Christ a weake and imperfect Christ if he need not the blessing of his father their praier is needelesse Also they desire God to accept not one gift or one sacrifice but in the plurall number these gifts and sacrifices whereas they hold that Christs bodie is one only bodie and therefore but one sacrifice And thus they are at variance with themselues XII Papists in word they say that they beleeue put thei◠trust in God yet whereas they looke to be saued by their workes they set the confidence of their hearts in truth vpon their owne doings XIII They put such holines in matrimonie that they make it one of their 7. Sacraments which conferre grace to the partakers of them yet they forbid their Cleargie to marrie because to liue in marriage is to liue according to the flesh and the Councell of Trent opposeth marriage and chastitie XIV It teacheth that soules kept in purgatorie may be redeemed by Sacrifices and Suffrages Against this is a Canon of their lawe taken out of Saint Hierome we know that in this life we may help one another either by praiers or by good counsell but when we shall come before the iudgement seate of Christ neither Iob nor Daniel nor Noe may intreat for any but euery mā is to beare his own burthen And according to another Canon going vnder the name of Gelasius Bishop of Rome Either there is no Purgatorie or the soules which goe thither shall neuer returne XV. And to conclude the most points of their religion are contrarie to their Canons as by searching may appeare in these examples 1 The dead cannot heare the praiers of them which call vpon him 2 Peter and Paul were two of the chiefe Apostles and it is hard to say which was aboue the other 3 Leo the fourth
faith which I haue in his blood God is not displeased if my body be sicke and subiect to diseases no more is he displeased at the disease and sicknes of the soule A naturall father will not slay the bodie of his child when he is sicke and abhorreth comfortable meates and my heauenly father will not condemne my soule although through the infirmitie of faith and the weaknes of the spirit I commit sinne and often loath his heauenly word the foode of my soule Nay which is a strange thing I know it by experience that God hath turned my filthie sinnes to my great profit and to the amendment of my life like as the good Phisitian of rancke poyson is able to make a soueraigne medecine to preserue life Sathan Well be it so that now thou art in the state of grace yet thou shalt not continue so but shalt before death depart from Christ. Christ. I know I am a member of Christs mysticall bodie I feele in my selfe the heauenly power vertue of my head Christs Iesus for this cause I can not perish but shal cōtinue for euer raigne in heauē after this life with him The conflicts of Sathan with the weake Christian. Sathan Thy minde is full of ignorance and blindnes thy heart is ful of obstinacie rebellion and frowardnes against God thou art wholly vnfit for any good worke wherefore thou hast no faith neither canst thou be iustified and accepted before God Christian. If I haue but one drop of the grace of God and if my faith be no more then a little graine of mustard seede it is sufficient for me God requireth not perfect faith but true faith Sathan Yea but thou hast no faith at all Christian. I haue had faith Sathan Thou neuer hadst true faith for in time past when according to thine opinion thou didst beleeue then thou hadst nothing but a shadow of faith and a foolish imagination which all hypocrites haue Christian. I will put my trust in God for euer and his former mercies shewmed me heretofore strengthen me now in this my weaknes 1 He created me when I was nothing 2 He created me a man when he might haue made me an vgly toad 3 He made me of comely body and of good discretion whereas he might haue made me vgly and deformed franticke and madde 4 I was borne in the daies of knowledge when I might haue bin borne in the time of ignorance and superstition 5 I was borne of Christian parents but God might haue giuen me either Turkes or Iewes or some other sauadge people for my parents 6 I might haue perished in my mothers wombe but he hath preserued me and prouided for me by his prouidence euen vnto this houre 7 Soone after my birth God might haue cast me into hell but contrariwise I was baptized and so receiued the seale of his blessed couenant 8 I haue had by Gods goodnes some sorrow for my sinnes past and haue called on him in hope and confidence that he would heare me 9 God might haue concealed his word from me but I haue heard the plētifull preaching of it I vnderstand it and haue receiued comfort by it 10 Lastly at this time God might powre his full wrath on me which he doth not but mercifully maketh me to feele mine owne wants that I might be humbled and giue all glorie vnto him for his blessings Wherefore there is no cause why I should be disquieted but I will trust still in the Lord and depend on him as I haue done Sathan Thou feelest no grace of the holy Ghost in thee nor any true tokens of faith but thou hast a liuely sense of the rebellion of thy heart and of thy lewd and wretched conuersation therefore thou canst not put any confidence in Christs death and sufferings Christian. Yet I will hope against all hope although according to mine owne sense and feeling I want faith yet I wil beleeue in Iesus Christ and trust to be saued by him Sathan Though the children of God haue bin in many perplexities yet neuer any of them haue beene in this case in which thou art at this present Christian. Herein thou prouest thy selfe to be a lying spirit for the prophet Dauid saith of himselfe that he was foolish and as a beast before God and yet he euen then trusted in God And Paul was so ledde captiue of sinne that he was not able to doe the good he would but did the euill which he hated and so in great pensiuenes of heart desired to be deliuered from this world that he might be disburdened of his corrupt flesh Sathan Thou miserable wretch doest thou feele thy selfe gracelesse and wilt thou beare the face of a Christian and by thy hypocrisie offend God as thou art so shew thy selfe to the world Christian. Auoide Sathan Christ hath vanquished and ouercome thee for my cause that I might also triumph ouer thee I am no hypocrite for whereas I haue had heretofore some testimonie of my faith at this time I am lesse moued though faith seeme to be absent like as a man may seeme to be dead both in his own sense and by the iudgement of the physitian and yet may haue life in him so faith may be though alwaies it doe not appeare Sathan But thou art a man starke dead in sinne God hath now quite forsaken thee he hath left thee vnto me to be ruled he hath giuen me power ouer thee to bring thee to damnation he wil not haue thee to trust in him any longer Christian. Strengthen me good Lord remember thy mercifull promises that thou wilt reuiue the humble and giue life to them that are of a contrite heart Sathan These promises concerne not thee which hast no humble and contrite but a froward a rebellious heart Christian. Good Lord forget not thy former mercies giue an issue to these temptations of mine enemie Sathan And you my brethren which know my estate pray for me that God would turne his fauourable countenance towards me for this I know that the praier of the righteous auaileth much if it be feruent HOW A MAN SHOULD APPLIE ARIGHT the word of God to his owne soule I. EVery Christian containeth in himselfe two natures flatte contrarie one to the other the flesh and the spirit and that he may become a perfect man in Christ Iesus his earnest indeauour must be to tame and subdue the flesh and to strengthen and confirme the spirit II Answerable to these two natures are the two parts of Gods word First the Law because it is the ministerie of death it fitly serueth for the taming and mastering of the rebellious flesh and the Gospell containing the bountifull promises of God in Christ is as oyle to power into our woundes and as the water of life to quench our thirstie soules and it fitly serueth for the strengthening of the spirit III Wel then art thou secure Art thou prone to
not beseeming him a sinne of all other to be detested Reasons I. A blasphemer is viler then the rest of the creatures for they praise God in their kind and shew forth his power goodnesse and wisdome but he dishonoureth God in his wretched speech II. He is as the madde dogge that flieth in his masters face who keepeth him and giueth him bread III. Custome in blasâ—hemies sheweth a man to be the child of the deuill and no child of God as yet A father lying on his death bedde called the three children to him which he kept and told them that one only of them was his owne sonne and that the rest were onely brought vp by him therefore vnto him he gaue all his goods but which of these was his naturall sonne he would not in any wise declare When he was deade euery one of the three children pleaded that he was the sonne and therefore that the goods were his The matter beeing brought before a Iudge could not be ended but the Iudge was constrained to take this course he caused the dead corpes of the father to be set vp against a tree and commaunded the three sonnes to take bowes and arrowes and to shoote against their father and to see who could come neerest the heart The first and second did shoote at their father and did hiâ—â—e him the third was angrie with both the other through naturall affection of a child to a father and refused to shoote This done the Iudge gaue sentence that the two first were no sonnes but the third onely and that he should haue the goods The like triall may be vsed to know who be Gods children Such persons with whome blaspheming is rife are very deuills incarnate and the children of the deuill who rende God in pieces and shoote him through with their darts as it is said of the Egyptian when he blasphemed that he smote or pierced through Gods Name Magistrates and rulers seuerally punish such as shall abuse their names and they doe it iustly how much more then should blasphemers of Gods name escape without great punishment Againe here we must be warned to take heede of that customable swearing and also of periurie It is a very straunge sinne for the periuried person doth not onely sinne himselfe but withall he endeauoureth to intangle God in the same sinne with himselfe Further take heede least thou dost either make or recite the iests which are contriued out of the phrases of Scripture which are very many and very vsually rehearsed in companie The oyle wherewith the tabernacle and the arke of the Testament and the Priests were annointed was holy and therefore no man might put it to any other vses as to annoint his owne flesh therewith or to make the like vnto it Pilate a poore Painym when he heard the name of the Sonne of God was afraid and we much more ought to tremble at the word of God not to make our selues merrie with it And therefore the scoffing of Iulian the Apostata is very fearefull who was wont to reach Christians boxes on the eare and withall bid them turne the other and obey their masters commandement Whosoeuer shall smite thee on the right cheeke turne to him the other also And he denied pay and like reward to his souldiers that were Christians because he said he would make them fit for the kingdome of heauen considering that Christ had said Blessed are the poore in spirit for theirs is the kingdome of heauen Here also men must learne to take heede of all maner of charmes and enchantments which commonly are nothing els but words of Scripture or such like vsed for the curing of paines and diseases both in men and beasts As for example the first words of S. Iohns Gospel In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God c. are vsed to be written in a paper and hung about mens necks to cure agues But the truth is such kind of practises are deuillish Patrons of charmes hold that in such words as are either diuine or barbarous is much efficacie But whence is this efficacie from God from men or from the deuill If it shall be saide from God we must know that the word vsed in holy manner is the instrument of God to conuey vnto vs spirituall blessings as faith regeneration repentance but it doth not serue to bring vnto vs corporall health Well then belike words take vertue from the speaker and are made powerfull by the streÌ„gth of his imagination Indeed of this opinion are some Phisitians as Avicenna and Paracelsus who thinke that phantasie is like to the sunne which worketh on all things to which his beames doe come and the latter that by imagination miracles may be wrought But this opinion is fond and the reasons alledged for it are without weight For imaginations are no things but shadows of things And as an image of a man in a glasse hath no power in it but onely serues to resemble and represent the bodie of a man so it is with the phantasie and conceit of the mind and no otherwise And if imagination haue any force it is onely within the spirits and humours of a mans own bodie but to giue force to worke in the bodies of others it can not no more then the shadow of one bodie can ordinarily cure the bodie of another on which it lighteth Wherefore words vsed in the way of bodily cure be they in themselues neuer so good are no better then the deuills sacraments and when they are vsed of blinde people he it is that comming vnder hand worketh the cure and by turning himselfe into an angel of light deludes theÌ„ But it were better for a man to die a thousand times then to vse such remedies which in curing the bodie destroy the soule Lastly auoide all imprecations and cursings either against men or other creatures for God in iudgement to punish such cursed speaking often brings to passe such imprecations as may appeare in the Iewes who at the arraignment of Christ cried saying His blood be vpon vs and vpon our children which imprecation is verified vpon them till this day At Newburge in Germanie a certaine mother cursed her sonne saying Get thee away I would thou mightest neuer come againe aliue the very same day he went into the water and was drowned Againe a mother brought her child to the Vniuersitie of Wittenberge by reason he was possessed with an vncleane spirit beeing demaunded how it came to passe shee answered in the hearing of many that in her anger shee said The deuill take thee and thereupon presently the child was possessed And in our countrey men often wish the plague the poxe the pestilence to their children their seruants their cattell and often it falls out accordingly In the daies of king Edward certaine English souldiers as I am certenly informed by a witnesse then present being by a tempest cast vpon the sands on the
serueth onely for the offence of some with the delight of others is not tollerable because all speech must edifie and minister grace to the hearers neither doth it agree with Christian grauitie and modestie But two kindes of iesting are tollerable the one is moderate and sparing mirth in the vse of things indifferent in season conuenient without the least scandall of any man and with profit to the hearers The second is that which the Prophets vsed when they iested against wicked persons yet so as withall they sharpely reprooued their sinnes At noone Eliah mocked them and said Crie aloud for hee is a God either he talketh or pursueth his enemies or is in his iourney or it may bee he sleepeth and must be awaked As for laughter it may be vsed otherwise God would neuer haue giuen that power and faculty vnto man but the vse of it must be both moderate and seldome as sorrowe for our sinnes is to be plentifull and often This we may learne in Christs example of whome wee reade that hee wept three times at the destruction of Ierusalem at the raising of Lazarus and in his agonie but we neuer read that he laughed And specially remember the saying of Chrysostome Si risus in Ecclesia diaboli opus est that is to mooue laughter in the Church is the worke of the deuill Fidelitie is constancy in all our lawefull sayings and promises A promise is to be made with this condition if God will and then if a man be preuented by death or by any like meanes he is not to blamed otherwise a mans lawefull word and promise bindeth him according to the will pleasure of him to whome it is made Nowe if afterward it be hurtfull to him that made it hee may craue to bee free from his promise and libertie beeing graunted take it But a promise bound with an oath is to be kept though priuate hinderances followe yet so as the Magistrate may order the matter and proceede in equitie that the dammage may be the lesse The last grace which is to bee vsed in speech is care of our neighbours good name which is farre better to him then great riches Here is condemned the tale bearer which of an euill minde telleth a thing of an other to bring him into hatred or to reuenge himselfe or to get something which otherwise he could not obtaine This tale bearing is of diuers sortes One is when men whisper abroad secretly the fault of another whereas they should rather admonish the partie as Cham when he had seene his fathers nakednes ran straight and tolde his brethreÌ„ The secoÌ„d wheÌ„ they adde to or chaÌ„ge the thing said or done as it serueth for their purpose Some of the witnesses which came against Christ charged him to say I will destroy this temple which is made with handes and in three daies build another without handes Where first they change his meaning for Christ spake of the temple of his bodie Secondly they adde to the words For Christ said not I will destroy this temple but destroy ye this temple Therefore the holy Ghost noteth them with the name of false witnesse bearers The third when men surmisse and tell that which was neuer done When Ieremy was going out of Ierusalem to the land of Beniamin and was in the gate of Beniamin Irijah tooke him and said Thou fliest to Chaldeans Then said Ieremie that is false I flie not to the Chaldeans but hee would not heare him The fourth is the coloured tale-bearing when one speaketh euill of another with fine prefaces preamples faining that he is very sorrie that his neighbour hath done such or such a thing that he speaketh it not of malice but of a good mind that he is constrained to speake that he speaketh not all he could speake that the partie to whome the tale is tolde must keepe it secret Luther writeth of this fault very well This vice saith he whereby wee tell abroad the things which wee heare of others and take them in worse part is very rife and of great force to sowe discords the rather because it often shewes it selfe vnder the pretence and name of counsell and good aduise And it is a notable vizard for a talebearer to transforme himselfe into an angel of light and vnder zeale for Gods glorie to backbite and accuse his neighbour of heresie errour and wicked life Therefore the Prophets meaning is that we should conceale the euils that bee in our neighbour and not speake them to others though hee be an enemie and deserue it at our handes and onely speake of those good things in him which seeme to preserue concord for this we would that men should doe vnto vs. Yea and let vs take heede that we iudge not or condemne any mans saying or doing rashly Augustine saith that this was the care which his mother had towards her enemies To doe this is a notable point of iust dealing but indeede there is no man vtterly without this fault in this life such is our wretched state in this world For though some are of this minde that they desire not to haue other mens wants tolde them and will not take all in worse part yet if they bee tolde and taken in worse part of others they can willingly heare them neither will they checke the teller but suffer bad surmises to take place with them But Gedaliah the sonne of Ahicham excelled in the contrarie vertue who â—hose rather to hazard his life then to suspect euill by Ismael This tale-bearing is the common table talke in England and it is wonderfull to see how those who are otherwise godly are ouertaken with it but men must learn to stand more in awe of Gods coÌ„mandement and also to consider that the same thing a man speaketh of another commeth home againe by his owne doore Such as vse tale-bearing and backbiting are by Gods iust iudgement paid home in the same kind and hereupon Christ saith Iudge not that ye be not iudged for with what iudgement ye iudge ye shall be iudged Wherefore when men shall enter any euill communication of others we are to interrupt it by other talke as not regarding it Here remember that when gouernours and magistrates shall vse hard words not in the way of defamation but for the reproouing of a vice it is not to slaunder as O foolish Galatians O generation of vipers And Christ tearmeth Herod Foxe CHAP. VIII Of the bondes of Truth THus much of grace in speech Now followeth bonds of truth whereby the truth of our talke is testified and confirmed There are three A simple assertion an asseueration an oath A simple assertion is either a simple affirmation as yea yea or a simple negation as nay nay And they are to be vsed onely in our familiar and common talke Let your communication be yea yea nay nay and whatsoeuer is more commeth of euill If the
returne to my place till they acknowledge their fault and seeke me in their affliction will they seeke me diligently And the Israelites say My soule had them many afflictions in remembrance and is humbled in me Example of Manasses And wheÌ„ he was in tribulation he praied to the Lord his God and humbled himselfe greatly And Dauid saith It is good for me that I haue beene afflicted that I might learne thy statutes CHAP. III. Howe Repentance is wrought REpentance is wrought in the heart by certaine steps and degrees First of all a man must haue knowledge of foure things namely of the law of god of sinne against the lawe of the guilt of sinne and of the iudgement of God â—gainst sinne which is the eternall wrath of God Then in the second place must follow the Application of the former knowledge to a mans owne person by the worke of the conscience assisted by the holy Ghost which for that cause is called the spirit of bondage and this application is made in a forme of reasoning called a practical syllogisme on this manner The breaker of the lawe is guiltie of eternall death saith the minde But I am a breaker of the lawe of God saith the conscience as a witnesse and an accuser Therefore I am guilty of eternall death saith the same conscience as a iudge Thirdly from this application thus made ariseth feare and sorrow in respect of Gods iudgements against sinne commonly called the sting of the conscience or penitence and the compunction of heart Now this compunction vnlesse it be delayed by the comforts of the Gospell brings men to desperation and to eternall damnation Therefore he that wil repent to life euerlasting must goe foure steps further First he must haue knowledge of the gospel and enter into a serious consideration of the mercy of God therein reuealed Then must follow the application of the former knowledge by the conscience renewed and assisted by the spirit of adoption on this manner He that is guiltie of eternall death if he denie himselfe and put his affiance on the death of Christ shall haue righteousnesse and life eternall saith the minde enlightned by the knowledge of the Gospell But I beeing guiltie of eternall death denie my selfe and put all my affiance in the death of Christ saith the conscience renued by the spirit of adoption Therefore I shall haue righteousnesse and life euerlasting by Christ. Thirdly after this application there followes ioy and sorrow ioy because a mans sinnes are pardoned in Christ sorrow because a man by his sinnes hath displeased him which hath beene so louing and mercifull a God vnto him Lastly after this godly sorrow â—ollowes Repentance called a Transmentatation or turning of the minde whereby a man determines and râ—solues with himselfe to sinne no more as he hath done but to liue in newnes of life CHAP. IV. Of the parts of Repentance REpentance hath two parts Mortification and Rising to newnes of life MortificatioÌ„ is the first part of repeÌ„tance which coÌ„cerns turning froÌ„ sin Men turne from sinne when they doe not onely abstaine from actuall sin but also vse all meanes wherby they may both weaken and suppresse the corruption of nature Chirurgions when they must cut off any part of the bodie vse to lay plaisters to it to mortifie it that beeing without sense and feeling it may be cut off with lesse paine In the same manner we are to vse all helps remedies prescribed in the worde which serue to weakeÌ„ or kill sinne that in death it may be abolished And it must not seeme strange that I say wee must vse meanes to mortifie our owne sinnes For howesoeuer by nature we can not doe anything acceptable to God yet beeing quickened and mooued by the holy Ghost we stirre and mooue our selues to doe that which is truely good And therefore repentant sinners haue grace in them whereby they mortifie their own sinnes Paul saith I beate downe my bodie and bring it in subiection And they which are Christs haue crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof And Mortifie therefore your earthly members fornication vncleannesse the inordinate affection euil coÌ„cupiscence and couetousnesse And If any man purge himselfe from these he shall be a vessell vnto honour And S. Iohn saith Euery one which hath this hope in him purgeth himselfe euen as he is pure And he which is begotten of God preserueth himselfe and the wicked one toucheth him not Mortification hath three parts A purpose in mind an inclination in will and an indeauour in life and conuersation to leaue all sinne Rising to newnesse of life is the second part of repentance concerning sincere obedience to God And it hath also three parts The two first are a resolution in the mind and an inclination or lust in the will to obey God in all things Barnabas exhorts them of Antiochia that with purpose of heart they would cleane vnto the Lord. Examples of both these are many in Scriptures Of Ioshua If it seeme enill vnto you to serue the Lord choose you thiâ— daie whome you will serue whether the gods which your fathers serued or the gods of the Amorites c. but I my houshold wil serue the Lord. Of Dauid O Lord thou art my portion I haue determined to keep thy commandements And I haue sworne and will performe it that I will keepe thy righteous iudgements And When thou saidst seeke my face mine heart answered vnto thee O Lord I will seeke thy face And I haue applied mine heart to fulfil thy statutes alwaies euen to the end The third part is an indeauour in life and conuersation to obey God Example of Paul And herein I take paines to haue alwaies a cleare conscience towards God and towards men Of Dauid I hauâ— respect to all thy commandements And I haue chosen the waie of trueth and thy iudgements haue I laid before me And I haue cleaued to thy testimonies And direct me in the path of thy commandements for therein is my delight No man must here thinke that a repentant sinner fullfils the lawe in his obedience for their best works are faultie before God And wheras the faithful in scriptures are said to be perfect we must knowe that there be two degrees of perfection perfection in substance and perfection in the highest degree Perfection is substance is when a man doth sincerely endeauour to performe perfect obedience to God not in some but in all his commaundements And this is the onely perfection that any man can haue in this life A Christian mans perfection is to bewaile his imperfection his obedience more consists in the good will then in the worke and is more to be measured by the affection then by the effect CHAP. V. Of the degrees of Repentance REpentance hath two degrees It is either ordinarie or extraordinarie Ordinarie repentance is that which euery christian is to performe euery day for as men
the wages of sinne Rom. 6.22 it is an enemie of Christ 1. Cor. 15. and the curse of the law Hence it seemes to follow that in and by death mē receiue their wages and paiment for their sinnes that the daie of death is the dolefull daie in which the enemie preuailes against vs that he which dieth is cursed Ans. Wee must distinguish of death it must be considered two waies first as it is by it selfe in his owne nature secondly as it is altered and changed by Christ. Now death by it selfe considered is indeed the wages of sinne an enemie of Christ and of all his members and the curse of the law yea the verie suburbs gates of hell yet in the second respect it is not so For by the vertue of the death of Christ it ceaseth to be a plague or punishment of a curse it is made a blessing and is become vnto vs a passage or mid-waie betweene this life and eternall life and as it were a little wicket or doore whereby wee passe out of this worlde and enter into heauen And in this respect the saying of Salomon is most true For in the daie of birth men are borne and brought forth into the vale of miserie but afterward when they goe hence hauing death altered vnto them by the death of Christ they enter into eternall ioy and happines with all the Saints of God for euer The third obiection is taken from the examples of most worthie men who haue made their praiers against death As our Sauiour Christ who praied on this manner Father if it bee thy will let this cuppe passe from mee yet not my will but thy will bee done And Dauid praied Returne O Lord deliuer my soule saue me for thy mercies sake for in death there is no remembrance of thee in the graue who shall praise thee And Ezechiah when the Prophet Esai bad him set his house in order and tolde him that he must die wept sore and that in respect of death Nowe by the examples of these most worthie men yea by the example of the sonne of God himselfe it may seeme that the daie of death is the most terrible and dolefull daie of all Ansvvere When our Sauiour Christ praied thus to his father hee was in his agonie and hee then as our Redeemer stoode in our roome and steade to suffer all things that wee should haue suffered in our owne persons for our sinnes and therefore hee praied not simplie against death but against the cursed death of the crosse and hee feared not death it selfe which is the separation of bodie and soule but the curse of the lawe which went with death namely the vnspeakable wrath and indignation of God The first death troubled him not but the first and second ioyned togither Touching Dauid when hee made the sixt psalme hee was not onely sicke in bodie but also perplexed with the greatest temptation of all in that hee wrestled in conscience with the wrath of God as appeares by the words of the text where he saith Lord rebuke me not in thy wrath And by this wee see that hee praied not simply against death but against death at that instant when hee was in that grieuous temptation For at other times he had no such feare of death as hee himselfe testifieth saying Though I should walke through the valley of the shadowe of death I will feare no euil Therefore he praied against death only as it was ioyned with the apprehension of Gods wrath Lastly Ezechiah praied against death not onely because hee desired to liue and doe seruice to God in his kingdome but vpon a further and more speciall regard because when the prophet brought the message of death hee was without issue and had none of his owne bodie to succeede him in his kingdome It will be said what warrant had Ezechiah to praie against death for this cause Ansvvere His warrant was good for God had made a particular promise to Dauid and his posteritie after him that so long as they feared God and walked in his commandements they should not want issue to sitte vpon the throne of the kingdome after them Nowe Ezechiah at the time of the Prophets message remembering what promise God had made and howe hee for his part had kept the condition thereof in that hee had walked before God with an vpright heart and had done that which was acceptable in his sight hee praied against death not so much because hee feared the danger of it but because he wanted issue This praier God accepted heard and he added fifteene yeares vnto his daies two yeares after gaue him Manasses The fourth obiection is this that those which haue beene reputed to bee of the better sort of men oftentimes haue miserable endes for some end their daies despairing some rauing and blaspheming some strangely tormented it may seeme therefore that the daie of death is the daie of greatest woe and miserie To this I answere first of all generally that we must not iudge of the estate of any man before God by outward things whether they bee blessings or iudgements whether they fall in life or death For as Salomon saith all things come alike to all and the same condition is to the iust and the wicked to the good to the pure to the polluted to him that sacrificeth to him that sacrificeth not as is the good so is the sinner hee that sweareth as hee that feareth a◠oath Secondly I answer the particulars which bee alleadged on this manner And first of all touching despaire it is true that not onely wicked and loose persons despaire in death but also repentant sinners who oftentimes in their sickenesse testifie of themselues that beeing aliue and lying in their beds they feele themselues as it were to be in hell and to apprehend the verie pangs and torments thereof And I doubt not for all this but that the child of God most deare vnto him may through the gulfe of desperation attaine to euerlasting happines This appeares by the manner of Gods dealing in the matter of our saluation All the workes of God are done in and by their contraries In the creation all things were made not of something but of nothing cleane contrarie to the course of nature In the worke of Redemption God giues life not by life but by death and if we consider aright of Christ vpon the crosse wee shall see our paradise out of paradise in the midst of hell For out of his owne cursed death doth he bring vs life and eternall happinesse Likewise in effectuall vocation when it pleaseth God to conuert and turne men vnto him hee doeth it by the meanes of the Gospel preached which in reason should driue all men from God For it is as contrarie to the nature of man as fire to water and light to darkenes and yet for all this though it be thus against the disposition and heart of
and right iudgement of the estate of any man without a particular rehearsall of his sinnes For he which soundly and truly repents of one or some few sinnes repents of all Secondly this confession is ouerturned by the practise of the Prophets Apostles who not onely absolued particular persons but also whol churches without exaction of auricular coÌ„fession WheÌ„ Nathan the Prophet had rebuked Dauid for his two great horrible crimes Dauid touched with remorse said I haue sinned and Nathan presently without further examination declared vnto him in the name of God that his sins were forgiuen him Thirdly it can not be prooued by any good and sufficient proofes that this confession was vsed in the Church of God till after fiue or sixe hundred yeares were expired For the confession which was then in vse was either publicke before the Church or the opening of a publicke fault to some priuate person in secret Therefore to vrge sicke men vnto it lying at the point of death is to lay more burdens on them then euer God appointed And whereas they make it a necessary thing to receiue the Eucharist in the time of sicknes toward death and that priuately of the sicke partie alone they haue no warrant for their practise and opinion For in the want of the sacrament there is no danger but in the contempt and the verie contempt it selfe is a sinne which may be pardoned if we repent And there is no reason why wee should thinke that sicke men should bee depriued of the comfort of the Lords supper if they receiue it not in death because the fruite and efficacy of the Sacrament once receiued is not to bee restrained to the time of receiuing but it extends it selfe to the whole time of mans life afterward Againe the supper of the Lord is no priuate action but meerely Ecclesiasticall and therefore to be celebrated in the meeting and assembly of Gods people as our Sauiour Christ prescribeth when he saith Doe ye this and Paul in saying When ye come togither But it is alleadged that the Israelites did eate the Paschal lambe in their houses when they were in Egypt Answ. The Israelites had then no libertie to make any publike meeting for that end god commanded that the Paschal lambe should be eaten in all the houses of the Isaraelites at one the same instant and that in effect was as much as if it had beene publike Againe they alleadge a Canon of the Council of Nice which decreeth that men beeing about to die must receiue the Eucharist not be depriued of the prouision of food necessarie for their iourney Ans. The Council made no decree touching the administration of the Sacrament to all them that die but to such onely as fall away from the faith in persecution or fell into any other notorious crime and were thereupon excommunicate and so remained till death either then or somewhat before testified their repentance for their offences And the Canon was made for this ende that such persons might bee assured that they were againe receiued into the Church and by this meanes depart with more comfort Thirdly it is obiected that in the primitiue Church part of the Eucharist was carried by a ladde to Serapion an aged man lying sicke in his bedde Ansvv. It was indeede the custome of the auncient Church from the very beginning that the elemeÌ„ts of bread wine should be sent by some of the Deacons to the sicke which were absent from the assembly And yet neuerthelesse here is no footing for priuate communions For the Eucharist was only then sent when the rest of the Church did openly communicate and such as were then absent onely by reason of sickenes and desired to bee partakers of that blessed comâ—union were to be reputed as preâ—ent Lastly it is obiected that it was the manner of men and women in former times to carrie part of the SacrameÌ„t home to their houses and to reserue it till the time of necessitie as the time of sicknes such like Ans. The reseruatioÌ„ of the sacrament was but a superstitious practise though it be ancient For out of the administration that is before it begin and after it is ended the sacrament ceaseth to be a sacrament and the elements to be elements As for the practise of them that vsed to cramme the Eucharist into the mouth of them that were deceased it is not only superstitious but also verie absurd As for the Annoiling of the sicke that is the annointing of the bodie specially the organes or instruments of the senses that the partie may obtaine the remission of his sinnes and comfort against all temptations of the deuill in the houre of death and strength more easily to beare the pangs of sickenesse and the pangs of death and be againe restored to his corporall health if it bee expedient for the saluation of his soule it is but a dotage of mans braine hath not so much as a shewe of reason to iustifie it The fifth of Iames is commonly alleadged to this purpose but the annointing there mentioned is not of the same kinde with this greasie sacrament of the Papists For that annointing of the bodie was a ceremonie vsed by the Apostles and others when they put in practise this miraculous gift of healing which gift is nowe ceased Secondly that annointing had a promise that the partie should recouer his health but this popish annointing hath no such promise because for the most part the persons thus annointed die afterward without recouerie wheras those which were annointed in the primitiue Church alwaies recouered Thirdly the auncient annointing serued onely for the procuring of health but this tendes further to the procuring of remission of sinnes and strength in temptation Thus hauing seene the doctrine of the Papists I come nowe to speake of the true and right manner of making particular preparation before death which containes three sorts of duties one concerning God the other concerning a mans owne selfe the third concerning our neighbour The first concerning God is to seeke to be reconciled vnto him in Christ though wee haue beene long assured of his fauour All other duties must come after in the second place and they are of little or no effect without this Nowe this reconciliation must bee sought for and is obtained by a renewing of our former faith and repentance and they must be renewed on this manner So soone as a man shall feele any manner of sickenesse to seaze vpon his bodie hee must consider with himselfe whence it ariseth and after serious consideration hee shal find that it comes not by chance or fortune but by the special prouidence of God This done he mâ—st goe yet further and consider for what cause the Lord should afflict his bodie with any sickenesse or disease And he shal find by Gods word that sicknesse comes ordinarily and vsually of sinne Wherefore is the liuing man sorrowfull man
whereas it is a farre better course to consider the matter of the disease with the disposition and ripening of it as also the courses and symptomes and crisis thereof This beeing so there is good cause that sicke men should as well be carefull to make choise of meete Physitians to whome they might commend the care of their health as they are carefull to make choise of lawyers for their worldly suits and Diuines for cases of conscience Furthermore all men must here be warned to take heede that they vse not such meanes as haue no warrant Of this kind are all charmes or spels of what wordes soeuer they consist characters and figures either in paper wood or waxe all amulets and ligatures which serue to hang about the necke or other parts of the bodie except they be grounded vpon some good naturall reason as white peonie hung about the necke is good against the falling sicknes and woolfe-dung tied to the bodie is good against the collicke not by any inchantment but by inward vertue Otherwise they are all vaine and superstitious because neither by creation nor by any ordinance in Gods word haue they any power to cure a bodily disease For words can doe no more but signifie and figures can doe no more but represent And yet neuerthelesse these vnlawfull and absurd meanes are more vsed and sought for of common people then good physicke But it standes all men greatly in hand in no wise to seeke forth to inchanters and sorcerers which in deede are but witches and wizzards though they are commonly called cunning men and women It were better for a man to die of his sicknes then to seeke recouery by such wicked persons For if any turne after such as worke with spirits and after soothsaiers to goe an whoring after them the Lord will set his face against them and cut them off from among his people When Achazia was sicke he sent to Baalzebub to the god of Ekron to know whether he should recouer or no as the messengers were going the Prophet Elias met them and said Goe and returne to the King which sent you and say vnto him Thus saith the Lord Is it not because there is no God in Israel that thou sendest to inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron therefore thou shalt not come downe from thy bed on which thou art gone vp but shalt di◠the death Therefore such kind of helpe is so farre from curing any paine of sicknes that it rather doubleth them and fasteneth them vpon vs. Thus much of the meanes of health now followes the manner of vsing the meanes concerning which three rules must be followed First of all he that is to take physicke must not onely prepare his bodie as physitians doe prescribe but he must also prepare his soule by humbling himselfe vnder the hand of God in his sicknes for his sinnes and make earnest praier to God for the pardon of them before any medicine come in his bodie Now that this order ought to be vsed appeares plainely in this that sicknes springs from our sinnes as from a roote which should first of all be stocked vp that the braunches might more easily die And therefore Asa commended for many other things is blamed for this by the holy Ghost that he sought not the Lord but to the physitians and put his trust in them Oftentimes it comes to passe that diseases curable in themselues are made incurable by the sinnes and the impenitencie of the partie and therefore the best way is for them that would haue ease when God begins to correct them by sicknes then also to begin to humble themselues for all their sinnes and turne vnto God The second rule is that when we haue prepared our selues and are about to vse physicke we must sanctifie it by the word of God and praier as we doe our meate and drinke For by the word we must haue our warrant that the medicines prescribed are lawfull and good and by praier we must intreat the Lord for a blessing vpon them in restoring of health if it be the good will of God The third rule is that we must carrie in minde the right and proper end of physicke least we deceiue our selues We must not therefore thinke that physicke serues to preuent old age or death it selfe For that is not possible because God hath set downe that all men shall die and be chaunged And life consists in a temperature and proportion of naturall heat and radical moisture which moysture beeing once consumed by the former heate is by art vnrepairable and therefore death must needes follow But the true ende of physicke is to continue and lengthen the life of man to his naturall period which is when nature that hath beene long preserued by all possible meanes is now wholly spent Now this period though it can not be lengthened by any skill of man yet may it easily be shortned by intemperance in diet by drunkennes and by violent diseases But care must be had to auoid all such euills that the litle lamp of corporall life may burne till it goe out of it selfe For this very space of time is the very day of grace and saluation and whereas God in iustice might haue cut vs off and haue vtterly destroied vs yet in great mercie he giues vs thus much time that we might prepare our selues to his kingdome which time when it is once spent if a man would redeeme it with the price of tenne thousand worlds he can not haue it And to conclude this point touching physicke I will here set downe two especiall duties of the Physitian himselfe The first is that in the want and defect of such as are to put sicke men in mind of their sinnes it is a dutie specially cōcerning him he being a mēber of Christ to aduertise his patients that they must truly humble themselues and pray feruently to God for the pardon of all their sinnes and surely this dutie would be more commonly practised then it is if all physitians did consider that oftentimes they want good successe in their dealings not because there is any want in art or good will but because the partie with whome they deale is impenitent The second dutie is when he sees manifest signes of death in his patient not to depart concealing them but first of all to certifie the patient thereof There may be and is too much nicenesse in such concealements and the plaine trueth in this case knowne is verie profitable For when the partie is certaine of his end it bereaues him of all confidence in earthly things makes him put all his affiance in the meere mercie of God When Ezechias was sicke the prophet speakes plainely vnto him and saith Set thine house in order for thou must die And what good we may reape by knowing certainly that we haue receiued the sentence of death Paul sheweth when he saieth We receiued the sentence of
followed of all though it may be the applying of it as Iob well perceiued is mixed with follie Here it may be alleadged that in the pangs of death men want their senses and conuenient vtterance and that therefore they are vnable to pray Ans. The very sighes sobbes and gâ—ones of a repentant and beleeuing heart are praiers before God euen as effectuall as if they were vttered by the best voice in the world Prayer stands in the affection of the heart the voice is but an outward messenger therof God looks not vpon the speach but vpon the heart Dauid saith God heares the desires of the poore againe that he will fulfill the desires of theÌ„ that feare him yea their very teares are loud and sounding praiers in his eares Againe faith may otherwise be expressed by the Last words which for the most part in theÌ„ that haue truly serued God are very excellent coÌ„fortable and full of grace some choise examples whereof I will rehearse for instructions sake and for imitation The last wordes of Iacob were those whereby as a prophet he foretold blessings and curses vpon his children and the principall among the rest were these The scepter shall not depart from Iudah and the lawgiuer from betweene his feete till Shilo come and O Lord I haue waited for thy saluation The last words of Moses are his most excellent song set downe Deut. 32. and the last words of Dauid were these The spirit of the Lord spake by me and his word was in my tongue the God of Israel spake to me the strength of Israel said Beare rule ouer men c. The wordes of Zacharias the sonne of Iehoida when he was stoned were The Lord looke vpon it and require it The last words of our Sauiour Christ when he was dying vpon the crosse are most admirable and stored with abundance of spirituall grace 1. To his father he saith Father forgiue them they know not what they doe 2. to the thiefe Verily I say vnto thee this night shalt thou be with me in Paradise 3. to his mother Mother behold thy son to Iohn behold thy mother 4. and in his agonie My God my God why hast thou forsaken me 5. and earnestly desiring our saluation I thirst 6. and when he had made perfect satisfaction It is finished 7. and when bodie and soule were parting Father into thy hands I commend my spirit The last words of Steuen were 1. Behold I see the heauens open and the Sonne of man standing at the right hand of God 2. Lord Iesu receiue my spirit 3. Lord lay not this sinâ—e to their charge Of Polycarpe Thou art a true God without lying therefore in all things I praise thee and blesse thee and glorifie thee by the eternall God and high Priest Iesus Christ thine onely beloued sonne by whome and with whome to thee and the holy Spirit be all glorie now and for euer Of Ignatius I care not what kinde of death I die I am the bread of the Lord and must be ground with the teeth of lyons that I may be cleane bread for Christ who is the bread of life for me Of Ambrose I haue not so led my life amoÌ„g you as if I were ashamed to liue neither doe I feare death because we haue a good Lord. Of Augustine 1. He is no great maÌ„ that thinks it a great matter that trees and stones fall and mortall men die 2. Iust art thou O Lord and righteous is thy iudgement Of Bernard 1. An admonitioÌ„ to his brethren that they would ground the anchor of their faith and hope in the safe and sure port of Gods mercie 2. Because saith he as I suppose I can not leaue vnto you any choise example of religion I commend three things to be imitated of you which I remember that I haue obserued in the race which I haue runne as much as possibly I could 1. I gaue lâ—sse heede to mine owne sense and reason then to the sense and reason of other men 2. When I was hurt I sought not reuenge on him that did the hurt 3. I had care to giue offence to no man and if it fell out otherwise I tooke it away as I could Of Zuinglius when in the fielde he was wounded vnder the chinne with a speare O what happe is this goe to they may kill my bodie but my soule they cannot Of Oecolampadius 1. An exhortation to the ministers of the Church to maintaine the puritie of doctrine to shewe forth an example of honest and godly conuersation to bee constant and patient vnder the crosse 2. Of himselfe Whereas I am charged to bee a corrupter of the trueth I weigh it not now I am going to the tribunall of Christ and that with good conscience by the grace of god there it shall be manifest that I haue not seduced the Church Of this my saying and contestation I leaue you as witnesses and I confirme it with this my last breath 3. To his children loue God the father and turning himselfe to his kinsfolkes I haue bound you saith he with this contestation you which they heare and I haue desired shall doe your indeauour that these my childreÌ„ may be godly and peaceable and true 4. To his friend comming vnto him What shall I say vnto you Newes I shal be shortly with Christ my Lord. 5. being asked whether the light did not trouble him touching his breast there is light enough saith hee 6. he rehearsed the whole 51. psalme with deepe sighes from the bottome of his breast 7. a little after Saue me Lord Iesus Of Luther My heauenly father God and father of our Lord Iesus Christ and God of all comfort I giue thee thankâ—s that thou hast reuealed vnto me thy sonne Iesus Christ whome I haue beleeued whome I haue professed whome I haue loued whome I haue praised whome the Bishoppe of Rome and the whole companie of the wicked persecuteth and reuileth I praie thee my Lord Iesus Christ receiue my poore soule my heauenly father though I bee taken from this life and this bodie of mine is to he laid downe yet I knowe certainely that I shall remaine with thee for euer neither shall any be able to pull me out of thy hand Of Hooper O Lord Iesus sonne of Dauid haue mercie on me receiue my soule Of Annas Burgius Forsake me not O Lord least I forsake thee Of MelaÌ„cthon If it be the will of God I am willing to die and I beseech him that he will graunt me a ioyfull departure Of Caluine 1. I held my tongue because thou Lord hast done it 2. I mourned as a doue 3. Lord thou grindest me to powder but 〈◊〉 sufficeth me because it is thine hand Of Peter Martyr that his bodie was weake but his mind was well that he acknowledged no life or saluation but onely in Christ who was giuen of the father to be a redeemer of mankind and
most notable meanes to breede repentance and reformation of life in time to come For when wee begin to thinke that Christ crucified by suffering the first and second death hath procured vnto vs remission of all our sinnes past and freed vs from hellâ— death and damnation then if there be but a sparke of grace in vs we begin to be of another mind and to reason thus with our selues What hath the Lord bin thus mercifull vnto me that am in my selfe but a firebrand of hell as to free me from deserued destruction to receiue me to fauour in Christ yea no doubt he hath his name be blessed therefore I will not therefore sinne any more as I haue done but rather indeauour hereafter to keep my selfe from euery euill way And thus faith purifies both heart and life Thirdly when thou art in any paine of bodie or sickenes thinke how light these are compared to the agonie and bloodie sweat to the crown of thornes and nailes of Christ. When thou art wronged in worde or deede by any man turne thine eie to the crosse consider howe meekely he suffered all abuses for the most part in silence praied for them that crucified him When thou art tempted with pride or vaine-glorie consider how for thy proper sins Christ was despised and mocked and condemned among theeues When anger and desire of reuenge inflame thine heart think how Christ gaue himself to death to saue his enemies euen then when they did most cruelly intreat him shed his blood and by these meditations specially if they be mingled with faith thy minde shall be eased Thus we see how Christ crucified is to be known and hence ariseth a threefold knowledge one of God the second of our neighbours the third of our selues Touching the first if we would know the true God aright and know him to our sahiation we must knowe him only in Christ crucified God in himselfe and his owne maiestie is inuisible not onely to the eies of the bodie but also to the vere minds of men and he is reuealed to vs only in Christ in whom he is to be seene as in a glasse For in Christ he setteth forth and giues his iustice goodnes wisdome and himselfe wholly vnto vs. For this cause he is called the brightnes of the glorie and the ingrauen forme of the person of the father Heb. 1. 3. and the image of the inuisible God Coloss. 1.15 Therfore we must not know god and seeke him any where else but in Christ and whatsoeuer out of Christ comes vnto vs in the name of God is a flat idol of mans braine As for our neighbours those especially that are of Christs Church they are to be known of vs on this manner When we are to doâ— any dutie vnto them we must not barely respect their persons but Christ crucified in them them in Christ. When Paul persecuted such as called on the name of Christ he theÌ„ fâ—om heaueÌ„ cried Saul Saul why persecutest thou me Here then let this be marked that when the poore comes to vs for releefe it is Christ that comes to our dores and saith I am hungrie I am thirstie I am naked and let the bowels of compassion be in vs towards them as towards Christ vnles we wil heare that fearefull sentence in the day of iudgement Go ye cursed into hell c. I was hungrie and ye fed me not I was naked and ye did not cloath me c. Thirdly the right knowledge of our selues ariseth of the knowledge of Christ crucified in whom and by whome we come to know fiue speciall things of our selues The first how grieuous our sinnes are and therefore howe miserable we are in regard of them If we consider our offences in themselues as they are in vs we may soone be deceiued because the conscience being corrupted often erreth in giuing testimonie and by that meanes maketh sinne to appeare lesse then it is indeede But if sinne be considered in the death passion of Christ whereof it was the cause and the vilenes thereof measured by the vnspeakable torments endured by the sonne of God and if the greatnesse of the offence of man be esteemed by the endlesse satisfaction made to the iustice of God the least sinne that is will appeare to bee a sinne indeed and that most grieuous and ougly Therefore Christ crucified must bee vsed of vs as a myrrour or looking glasse in which we may fully take a view of our wretchednes and miserie and what we are by nature For such as the passion of Christ was in the eies of men such is our passion or condition in the eies of God and that which wicked men did to Christ the same doeth sinne and Satan to our very soules The second point is that men beleeuing in Christ are not their owne or lords of themselues but wholly both bodie and soule belong to Christ in that they were giuen to him of God the father and he hath purchased them with his owne blood 1. Cor. 3. Ye are Christs and Christs Gods Hence it commeth to passe which is not to be forgotten that Christ esteemeth all the crosses and afflictions of his people as his own proper afflictions Hence againe we must learne to giue vp our selues both in body and soule to the honour and seruice of Christ whose we are The third is that euery true beleeuer not as he is a man but as hee is a newe man or a Christian hath his being and subsisting from Christ We are members of his bodie of his flesh and of his bone Eph. 5.30 In which words Paul alludes to the speech of Adam Gen. 3. Thou art bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh thereby he teacheth that as Eue was made of a ribbe taken out of the side of Adam so doeth the whole church of God and euery man regenerate spring and arise out of the blood that streamed from the heart and side of Christ crucified The fourth is that all good workes done of vs proceede from the vertue and merit of Christ crucified he is the cause of them in vs and we are the causes of them in and by him Without me saith he ye can do nothing and Euery branch that beareth no fruite in me marke well he saith in me he taketh away Ioh. 15.2 The fift point is that we owe vnto Christ an endles debt For he was crucified onely as our suretie and pledge in the spectacle of his passion we must consider our selues as the chiefe debters and that the very discharge of our debt that is the sinnes which are inherent in vs were the proper cause of all the endles paines and torments that Christ endured that he might set vs most miserable bankrupts at libertie from hell death and damnation For this his vnspeakable goodnes if we doe but once thinke of it seriously we must needs confesse that we owe our selues our soules and bodies and all that we haue as a
shine Psal. 104.15 and God hath put into his creatures infinit varieties of colours sauours tasts and formes to this ende that men might take delight in them Hence it followes that Recreation is lawefull and a part of Christian libertie if it be wel vsed By recreation I vnderstand exercises sports seruing to refresh either the bodie or the minde and that they may be well vsed two rules especially must be remembred The first that lawfull recreation stands onely in the vse of things indifferent For if the things be commanded by god there is no sporting in them or if they bee forbidden there is no vsing of theÌ„ at all Vpon this ground sundrie kinds of recreation are to be neglected As I. the dauncing commonly vsed in these daies in which men and women yong men and maides all mixed togither daunce to the sound of the instrument or voice in time and measure with many wanton gestures and that in solemne meetings after great feasts This exercise cannot be numbred among things indifferent for experience sheweth that it hath beene vsually either a fruite or a follower of great wickednes as idolatrie fornication drunkennesâ—e hereupon one wel compared it to a circle whose center was the deuil Again if we must giue an acount of euery idle worde then also of euery idle gesture and pace and what account can bee giuen of these paces backward forward of caprings iumps gambols turnings with many other frisks of lightnes and vanitie more beseeming goates and apes of whome they are commonly vsed then men Whereas Salomon esteemed laughter as madnesse hee would no doubt haue condemned our common lasciuious dauncing much more for madnesse laughter beeing but the least part of it II. Dicing which is precisely the casting of a lotte not to be vsed at our pleasures but in matters of weight and importance And of this kinde are all gaines the ground whereof are not the sleight of mans witte but lotte alone III. Plaies and enterludes that stand in the representation of the vices and misdemeanour of the world For if it be not lawfull to name vices vnlesse it be in the way of dislike Eph. 5.3 much lesse is it warrantable to gesture and represent vice in the way of recreation and delite The second rule is that recreation must be sparing moderate and lawfull vse of things indifferent according to the rules following The spirituall vse is when we take occasion by the creatures to meditate and speake of heauenly things as vpon the sight of the vine and the branches thereof to consider the mysticall coniunction betweene Christ his church by the sight of the rainebow to thinke of the promise of God of not drowning the world by waters and by any thing that befalls to take occasion to consider in it the wisdome goodnes iustice mercie prouidence of God c. I adde further that things indifferent as bondage outward libertie riches pouertie single estate mariage meate drinke apparell buildings may be vsed freely because they are neither commaÌ„ded by God nor forbidden in themselues considered they may be vsed or not vsed without breach of conscience The right manner of vsing them is to sanctifie them by the word praier 1. Tim. 4.3,4 and not onely some of them but the vse of them all Meat drink and marriage are thus to be sanctified as the place before noted declareth Paul sanctified his iourney on this manner Act. 21.5 And the Iewes were commanded to dedicate their houses at the first entrance Deut. 20.5 By this dedication we may well vnderstand not onely the letting of the house or the prouiding of a tenant but also the sanctifying of it by inuocation of Gods name that by his blessing the place with the roomes thereof might serue for their benefit and comfort And on this manner to blesse our dwelling places when we first enter into them is the best way that can be to preserue them from the casualties of fire within and lightning from heauen and from the annoyance and molestation of euill spirits and other iudgements of God Things indifferent are sanctified by Gods word because it shewes what things we may vse and what things we may not if we may vse them in what manner it is to be done And to this purpose the Scripture afford foure rules The first that all things must be done to Gods glorie 1. Cor. 10.31 Whether ye eat or drink or whatsoeuer ye doe doe all to the glorie of God And that this may be performed things indifferent must be vsed as signes tables in which we may shew forth the graces vertues that God hath wrought in the heart For example we must so make our apparel both for matter and fashion and so weare it that it may in some sort set forth to the beholder our modestie sobrietie frugalitie humilitie c. that hereby he may be occasioned to say behold a graue sober modest person and so of the rest And the common sinne of this time is that meate drinke apparell buildings are vsed as banners displaied to set forth to the world mans riot excesse and pride of heart The second We must suffer our selues lawfully to be limited and restrained in the ouermuch or ouercoÌ„mon vse of things indiffereÌ„t I say the ouercommoÌ„ vse because it is not Gods will vtterly and absolutely to barre vs of the vse of such things Now the restrainers of our vse are two the first is the law of charitie For as charitie giues place to pietie so Christian libertie in the vse of outward things giues place to charitie And the law of charitie is that we should not vse things indifferent to the hurt or offence of our brother 1. Cor. 8.13 Quest. Whether may a man vse his libertie before such as are weake and not yet perswaded of their libertie Ans. Some are weake of simple ignorance or because they haue bin deceiued by the abuse of long custome and yet are willing to be reformed And before such we must abstaine least by example we draw them to sinne by giuing occasion to them of doing that whereof they doubt Againe some are weake vpon affected ignorance or of malice and in the presence of such we neede not abstaine Vpon this ground Paul who circumcised Timothie would not circumcise Titus The second restrainer is the wholesome lawes of men whether Ciuill or Ecclesiasticall For howsoeuer things indifferent after the law is once made of them remaine still indifferent in themselues yet obedience to the law is necessarie and that for conscience sake Act. 15.28 The third We must vse things indifferent so farre forth as they shal further vs in godlines For we ought to doe all things not onely to the edification of others but also of our own selues And therfore it is a flat abuse of ChristiaÌ„ libertie for men so to pamper their bodies with meate and drinke that thereby they disable themselues to heare Gods word to pray to
the foundation of the world but nowe in the ende he hath appeared once to put away sinne by the sacrifice of himselfe and v. 22. without shedding of blood is no remission of sinnes By these words it is plaine that the scripture neuer knewe the twofold manner of sacrificing of Christ. And euery distinction in diuinity not founded in the written word is but a forgerie of mans braine And this distinction be good how shal the reason of the Apostle stand He did not offer himselfe but once because he suffered but once Reason II. The Romish Church holds that the sacrifice in the Lords supper is all one for substance with the sacrifice which hee offered on the crosse if that be so then the sacrifice in the Eucharist must either be a continuance of that sacrifice which was begun on the crosse or els an alteration or repitition of it Now let them choose of these twaine which they will if they say it is a continuance of the sacrifice on the crosse Christ beeing but the beginner and the priest the finisher thereof they make it imperfect for to continue a thing till it be accomplished is to bring perfection vnto it but Christs sacrifice on the crosse was then fully perfected as by his owne testimonie appeares when he saide Consummatum est it is finished Againe if they say it is a repetition of Christs sacrifice thus also they make it imperfect for that is the reason which the holy Ghost vseth to prooue that the sacrifices of the old testament were imperfect because they were repeated Reason III. A reall and outward sacrifice in a sacrament is against the nature of a sacrament and especially the supper of the Lord for one ende thereof is to keepe in memorie the sacrifice of Christ. Now euery remembrance must be of a thing absent past and done and if Christ be daily and really sacrificed the sacrament is no fit memoriall of his sacrifice Againe the principal ende for which the sacrament was ordained is that God might giue and we receiue Christ with his benefits and therefore to giue and take to eate and drinke are here the principall actions Now in a reall sacrifice God doth not giue Christ the priest receiue him of God but coÌ„trariwise he giues offers Christ vnto God and God receiues some thing of vs. To helpe the matter they say that this sacrifice serues not properly to make any satisfaction to God but rather to applie vnto vs the satisfaction of Christ beeing alreadie made But this answer sâ—ill maketh against the nature of a sacrament in which God giues Christ vnto vs whereas in a sacrifice God receiues from man and man giues something to God a sacrifice therefore is no fit meanes to applie any thing vnto vs that is giuen of God Reason IV. Hebr. 7.24,25 The holy Ghost makes a difference betweene Christ the high priest of the new testament and all Leuiticall priests in this that they were many one succeeding another but he is onely one hauing an eternall priesthood which cannot passe from him to any other Now if this difference be good then Christ alone in his owne very person must be the priest of the new testament and no other with or vnder him otherwise in the new testament there should be more priests in number then in the old If they say that the whole action remaines in the person of Christ and that the priest is but an instrument vnder him as they say I say againe it is false because the whole oblation is acted or done by the priest himselfe and he which doth all is more then a bare instrument Reason V. If the priest doe offer to God Christs reall bodie and bloode for the pardon of our sinnes then man is become a mediatour betweene God and Christ. Now the Church of Rome saith that the priest in his masse is a priest properly and his sacrifice a reall sacrifice differing onely in the manner of offering from the sacrifice of Christ vpon the crosse and in the very canon of the masse they insinuate thus much when they request God to accept their gifts and offerings namely Christ himselfe offered as he did the sacâ—ifices of Abel and Noe. Now it is absurd to thinke that any creature should be a mediatour betweene Christ and God Therefore Christ can not possibly be offered by any creature vnto God Reason VI. The iudgement of the auncient Church A certaine Councill held at Toledo in Spaine reprooueth the Ministers that they offered sacrifice often the same day without the holy communion The wordes of the Canon are these Relation is made vnto vs that certaine priests doe not so many times receiue the grace of the holy communion as they offer sacrifices in one day but in one day if they offer many sacrifices to God in all the oblations they suspend themselues from the communion Here marke that the sacrifices in auncient Masses were nothing else but formes of diuine seruice because none did communicate no not the priest himselfe And in an other Councill the name of the Masse is put onely for a forme of praier It hath pleased vs that prayers supplications Masses which shall be allowed in the Councill be vsed Aâ—d in this sense it is taken when speach is vsed of the making or compounding of Masses for the sacrifice propitiatorie of the bodie and blood of Christ admits no composition Abbat Paschasius saith Because we sinne daily Christ is sacrificed for vs mystically and his Passion is giuen in mysterie These his wordes are against the reall sacrifice but yet he expoundes himselfe more plainely cap. 10. The blood is drunke in mysterie spiritually and it is all spirituall which we eate c. 12. The priest distributes to euery one not as much as the outward â—ight giueth but as much as faith receiueth cap. 13. The full similitude is outwardly and the immaculate flesh of the lambe is faith inwardly that the truth be not wanting to the sacrament and it be not ridiculous to Pagans that we drinke the blood of a killed man cap. 6. One eates the flesh of Christ spiritually and drinkes his blood another seemes to receiue not so much as a morsell of bread from the hand of the priest his reason is because they come vnprepared Now then considering in all these places he makes no receiuing but spirituall neither doth he make any sacrifice but spirituall IV. Obiections of Papists I. Gen. 14. v. 18. When Abraham was comming from the slaughter of the Kings Melchizedech mette him and brought forth bread and wine and he was a priest of the most high God Now this bread and wine say they he brought forth to offer for a sacrifice because it is said he was a priest of the most high God and they reason thus Christ was a priest after the order of Melchizedek therefore as Melchizedek offered bread and wine so Christ vnder the formes of bread and wine offers himselfe in sacrifice
is eaten his owne flesh which he was to giue for the life of the worlde and what can be said more of the Lords supper Augustine saith that beleeuers are partakers of the bodie and blood of Christ in baptisme and Hierome to Edibia that in baptisme we eate and drinke the body and blood of Christ. If thus much may be said of baptisme why may it not also be said of the word preached Again Hierom vpon Ecclesiastes saith It is profitable to be filled with the bodie of Christ and drinke his blood not onely in mysterie but in knowledge of holy Scripture Nowe vpon this it followes that seeing the worke done in the word preached conferres not grace neither doth the worke done in the sacrament conferre any grace Reason II. Math. 3.11 I baptize you with water to repentance but he that cōmeth after me is stronger then I hee shall baptize you with the holy Ghost and with fire Hence it is manifest that grace in the sacrament proceedes not from any action in the sacrament for Iohn though he doe not disioyne himselfe his action from Christ and the action of his spirit yet doth he distinguish thē plainely in number persons and effect To this purpose Paul who had said of the Galathians that he trauelled of them and beget them by the Gospell saith of himselfe that he is not any thing not onely as hee was a man but as hee was a faithfull Apostle thereby excluding the whole Euangelicall ministerie wherof the Sacrament is a part from the least part of diuine operation or efficacy in conferring of grace Reason III. The blessed Angels nay the very flesh of the sonne of God hath not any quickning vertue from it selfe but all this efficacie or vertue is in and from the godhead of the sonne who by meanes of the flesh apprehended by faith deriueth heauenly and spirituall life from himselfe to the members Now if there be no efficacie in the flesh of Christ but by reason of the hypostatical vnion how shall bodily actions about bodily elements conferre grace immediatly Reason IV. Paul Rom. 4. stands much vpon this to prooue that iustification by faith is not conferred by the sacraments And from the circumstance of time he gathereth that Abraham was first iustified and then afterward receiued circumcision the signe and seale of his righteousnes Nowe we knowe that the generall condition of all sacraments is one and the same and that baptisme succeeded circumcision And what can be more plaine then the example of Cornelius Act. 10. who before Peter came vnto him had the commendation of the feare of God and was indued with the spirit of praier and afterward when Peter by preaching opened more fully the way of the Lord hee and the rest receiued the holy Ghost And after all this they were baptised Now if they receiued the holy Ghost before baptisme then they receiued remission of sinnes and were iustified before baptisme V. Reason The iudgement of the Church Basil. If there bee any grace in the water it is not from the nature of the water but from the presence of the spirit Hierome saith Man giues water but God giues the holy Ghost Augustine saide Water toucheth the bodie and washeth the heart but he shewes his meaning else where There is one water saith he of the sacrament another of the spirit the water of the Sacrament is visible the water of the spirit inuisible That washeth the bodie and signifieth what is done in the soule By this the soule is purged and healed Obiect Remission of sinnes regeneration and saluation is ascribed to the sacrament of baptisme Act. 22.21 Eph. 5. Gal. 3.27 Tit. 2. Ans. Saluation and remission of sinnes is ascribed to baptisme and the Lords supper as to the word which is the power of God to saluation to all that beleeue and that as they are instruments of the holy ghost to signifie zeale and exhibite to the beleeuing minde the foresaid benefits but indeede the proper instrument whereby saluation is apprehended is faith and sacraments are but proppes of faith furthering saluation two waies first because by their signification they helpe to nourish and preserue faith secondly because they seale grace and saluation to vs yea God giues grace and saluation when we vse them well so be it we beleeue the word of promise made to the sacrament whereof also they are seales And thus we keepe the middle way neither giuing too much nor too little to the sacraments The XX. point Of sauing faith or the way to life Our Consent Conclus I. They teach it to bee the propertie of faith to beleeue the whole whole word of God and especially the redemption of mankind by Christ. Conclus II. They auouch that they beleeue looke to be saued by Christ and by Christ alone and by the meere mercy of God in Christ. Conclus III. Thirdly the most learned among them hold confesse that the obedience of Christ is imputed vnto them for the satisfaction of the lawe and for their reconciliation with God Conclus IV. They auouch that they put their whole trust and confidence in Christ and in the meere mercy of God for their saluation Concl. V. Lastly they hold that euery man must apply the promise of life euerlasting by Christ vnto himselfe and this they grant we are bound to doe And in these fiue points doe they and we agree at least in shewe of wordes By the auouching of the fiue conclusions papists may easily escape the handes of many magistrates And vnlesse the mysterie of popish doctrine bee well known any common man may easily be deceiued take such for good protestants that are but popish priests To this end therefore that we may the better discerne their guile I will shew wherein they faile in each of their conclusions and wherein they differ from vs. The difference Touching the first conclusion they beleeue indeed all the written word of God and more then all for they also beleeue the bookes Apocryphal which antiquitie for many hundred yeares hath excluded from the canon yea they beleeue vnwritten traditions receiued as they say from Councills the writings of the Fathers and the determinations of the Church making them also of equall credit with the written worde of God giuen by inspiration of the spirit Now we for our parts despise not the Apocrypha as namely the books of the Machabees Ecclesiasticus and the rest but wee reuerence them in all conuenient manner preferring them before any other bookes of men in that they haue beene approoued by an vniuersall consent of the Church yet wee thinke them not meete to bee receiued into the Canon of holy scripture and therfore not to be beleeued but as they are cōsenting with the written word And for this our doing we haue directiō from Athanasius Origen Hierom and the Councel of Laodicea As for the vnwriten Traditions they come not within the compasse of our faith neither can
is that euery seruant of God must take heede howe hee trauels into such countries where Popish religion is stablished least hee partakes in the sinnes and punishments thereof Indeede to goe vpon ambassage to any place or to trauell for this end that wee may performe the necessarie duties for our speciall or generall callings is not vnlawefull but to trauell out of the precincts of the chnrch onely for pleasures sake and to see strange fashions hath no warrant And hence it is that many men which goe forth in good order well minded come home with crased consciences The best traueller of all is he that liuing at home or abroad can goe out of himselfe and depart from his owne sinnes and corruptions by true repentance FINIS An aduertisement to all fauourers of the Romane religion shewing that the said religion is against the Catholike principles and grounds of the Catechisme GReat is the number of them that embrace the religion of the present Church of Rome beeing deceiued by the glorious titles of Vniuersalitie Antiquitie Succession And no doubt though some be wilfully blinded yet many deuoted this waie neuer sawe any other trueth Nowe of them and the rest I desire this fauour that they will but weigh and ponder with theÌ„selues this one thing which I will nowe offer to their considerations and that is That the Romane religion now stablished by the councell of Trent is in the principall points thereof against the grounds of the Catechisme that haue beene agreed vpon euer since the daies of the Apostles by all Churches These groundes are foure the first is the Apostles Creed the second is the decalogue or tenne commandements the third is the forme of praier called the Lords praier the fourth is the Institution of the two Sacraments baptisme and the Lords supper 1. Cor. 11.23 That I may in some order manifest this which I say I will begin with the Symbole or Creed And first of all it must bee considered that some of the principall doctrines beleeued in the Church of Rome are that the Pope or Bishop of Rome is the vicar of Christ and the head of the Catholike church that there is a fire of purgatorie after this life that images of God and Saints are to be placed in Churches and worshipped that praier is to bee made to Saints departed their interceffion to be required that there is a propitiatorie sacrifice daily oâ—â—ered in the masse for the sinnes of the quicke the dead These points are of that moment that without them the Romane religion caÌ„not stand and in the councel of Trent the curse Anathema is pronounced vpon all such as denie these or any of them And yet marke the Apostles Creede which hath bin thought to containe all necessarie points in religion to bee beleeued and hath therefore beene called the kay rule of faith this creed I say hath not any of these points nor the Expositions made thereof by the auncient fathers nor any other Creede or confession of faith made by any councel or Church for the space of many hundred yeares This is a plaine proofe to any indifferent man that these be new articles of faith neuer knowne in the Apostolike Church that the fathers councels could not find any such articles of faith in the books of the old and new testament Answer is made that all these points of doctrine are beleeued vnder the article I beleeue the Catholike Church the meaning whereof they wil haue to be this I beleeue all things which the Catholicke church holdeth and teacheth to be beleeued If this bee as they say we must needes beleeue in the Church that is put our confidence in the Church for the manifestation and the certentie of all doctrines necessarie to saluation and thus the eternal trueth of God the Creatour shall depend on the determination of the creature and the written word of God in this respect is made vnsufficient as though it had not plainely reuealed all points of doctrine pertaining to saluation And the ancient Churches haue beene farre ouerseene that did not propound the former points to be beleeued as articles of faith but left them to these latter times 2. In this Creede to beleeue in God and to beleeue the Church are distinguished To beleeue in is pertaining to the Creatour to beleeue to the creature as Ruffinus hath noted when he saith that by this preposition in the Creatour is distinguished from the creature and things pertaining to God from things pertaining to men And Augustine saith It must be knowne that we must beleeue the Church and not beleeue in the Church because the Church is not God but the house of God Hence it followes that we must not beleeue in the Saints nor put our confidence in our workes as the learned Papists teach Therfore Eusebius saith We ought of right to beleeue Peter and Paul but to beleeue in Peter and Paul that is to giue to the seruants the honour of the Lord we ought not And Cyprian saith He doth not beleeue in God which doeth not place in him alone the trust of his whole felicitie 3. The article conceiued by the holy Ghost is ouerturned by the transubstaÌ„tiation of bread and wine in the masse into the bodie and blood of Christ. For here wee are taught to confesse the true and perpetuall incarnation of Christ beginning in his conception and neuer ending afterward and wee acknowledge the trueth of his manhood and that his bodie hath the essentiall properties of a true body standing of flesh bone hauing quaÌ„titie figure dimeÌ„sions namly length breadth thicknes hauing part out of part as head out of feet feet out of head being also circuÌ„scribed visible touchable in a word it hath al things in it which by order of creatioÌ„ beloÌ„g to a body It wil be said that the bodie of Christ may remaine a true bodie yet be altered in respect of some qualities as namely circumscription But I say againe that locall circumscription can no way be seuered from a bodie it remaining a bodie For to be circumscribed in place is an essentiall propertie of euery quantitie and quantitie is the common essence of euery bodie And therefore a bodie in respect of his quantitie must needs be circumscribed in one place This was the iudgement of Leo when hee said The â—odie of Christ is by no meanes out of the trueth of our bodâ—â— And Augustine when he said Onely God in Christ so comes that he doth not departâ—â—o returnes that he doth not leaue vs but man according to bodie is in place and goes out of the same place and when he shall come vnto another place he is not in that place whence he comes To helpe the matter they vse to distinguish thus Christs bodie in respect of the whole essence thereof may be in many places but not in respect of the whole quantitie whereby it is only in one place But as I haue
his woe A. It were so indeede if there were no meanes of deliuerance but GOD hath shewed his mercie in giuing a Sauiour to mankind Q. Howe is this Sauiour called A. Iesus Christ. Q. What is Iesus Christ A. The eternall sonne of God made man in all things euen in his infirmities like other men saue onely in sinne Q. Howe was he made man void of sinne A He was conceiued in the womb of a Virgine and sanctified by the holy Ghost at his conception Q. Why must our Sauiour be both God and man A He must be a man because man hath sinned and therfore a man must die for sinne to appease Gods wrath he must be God to sustaine and vphold the manhood to ouercome and vanquish death Q What be the offices of Christ to make him an al-sufficient Sauiour A He is a priest a prophet a King Q VVhy is he a priest A To worke the meanes of saluation in the behalfe of mankind Q Howe doth he worke the meanes of saluation A First by making satisfaction to his father for the sinne of man Secondly by making intercession Q How doth he make satisfaction A By two meanes and the first is by offering a sacrifice Q VVhat is this sacrifice A Christ himselfe as he is man consisting of body and soule Q VVhat is the Altar A Christ as he is God is the Altar on which he sacrificed himselfe Q VVho was the priest None but Christ and that as he is both God and man Q How oft did he sacrifice himselfe A Neuer but once Q VVhat death did he suffer when he sacrificed himselfe A A death vpon the crosse peculiar to him alone for besides the separation of bodie and soule he felt also the pangâ—s of hell in that the whole wrath of God due to the sinne of man was powred forth vpon him Q. What profit commeth by his Sacrifice A. Gods wrath is appeased by it Q. Could the suffering of Christ which was but for a short time counteruaile euerlasting damnation and so appease Gods wrath A. Yea for seeing Christ suffered God suffered though not in his godhead that is more thaÌ„ if all men in the world had suffered for euer euer Q. Now tell me the other meanes of satisfaction A. It is the perfect fulfilling of the lawe Q. Howe did he fulfill the lawe A. By his perfect righteousnes which consisteth of two parts the first the integritie and purenesse of his humaine nature the other his obedience in performing all that the lawe required Q. You haue shewed how Christ doth make satisfaction tell mee likewise howe he doth make intercession A. He alone doth continually appeare before his father in heauen making the faithfull and all their praiers acceptable vnto him by applying of the merits of his owne perfect satisfaction to them Q. Why is Christ a prophet A. To reueale vnto his Church the waie and meanes of saluation this he doth outwardly by the ministerie of his word and inwardly by the teaching of his holy spirit Q. Why is he also a King A. That he might bountifully bestowe vpon vs and conuey vnto vs all the aforesaid meanes of saluation Q. How doth he shewe himselfe to be a King A. In that beeing dead and buried hee rose from the graue quickened his dead bodie ascended into heauen and nowe sitteth at the right hand of his father with full full power and glory in heauen Q. How else A. In that he doeth continually inspire and direct his seruants by the diuine power of his holy spirit according to his holy word Q. But to whome will this blessed King communicate all these meanes of saluation A. He offereth them to many and they are sufficient to saue all mankind but all shall not be saued thereby because by faith they will not receiue them The fourth principle expounded Q. What is faith A. Faith is a wonderfull grace of God by which a man doth apprehend and apply Christ and all his benefits vnto himselfe Q. Howe doth a man apply Christ vnto himselfe seeing we are on earth and Christ in heauen A. This applying is done by assurance when a man is verely perswaded by the holy spirit of Gods fauour towards himselfe particularly and of the forgiuenes of his owne sinnes Q. How doth God bring men truely to beleeue in Christ A. First he prepareth their hearts that they might bee capable of faith and then he worketh faith in them Q. Howe doth God prepare mens heartes A. By bruising them as if one would breake an hard stone to powder and this is done by hambling them Q. How doth God humble a man A. By working in him a sight of his sinnes and a sorrowe for them Q. How is this sight of sinne wrought A. By the morall lawe the summe whereof is the ten commandements Q. What sinnes may I finde in my selfe by them A. Ten. Q. What is the first A. To make something thy God which is not God by fearing it louing it so trusting in it more then in the true God Q. What is the second A. To worship false Gods or the true God in a false manner Q. What is the third A. To dishonour God in abusing his titles wordes and workes Q. What is the fourth A. To breake the Sabboth in doing the works of their calling and of the flesh and in leauing vndone the workes of the spirit Q. What be the sixe latter A. To doe any thing that may hinder thy neighbours dignitie life chastitie wealth good name though it be but in the secret thoughts and motions of the heart vnto which thou giuest no liking nor consent Q. What is sorrowe for sinne A. It is when a mans conscience is touched with a liuely feeling of Gods displeasure for any of these sinnes in such wise that hee vtterly despaires of saluation in regard of any thing in himselfe acknowledging that he hath deserued shame and confusion eternally Q. Howe doth God worke this sorrowe A. By the terrible curse of the Lawe Q. What is that A. He which breakes but one of the commandements of God though it be but once in all his life time and that onely in one thought is subiect to and in danger of eternall damnation thereby Q. When mens hearts are thus prepared howe doth God ingraft faith in them A. By working certaine inward motions in the heart which are the seedes of faith out of which it breedeth Q. What is the first of them A. When a man humbled vnder the burden of his sinnes doth acknoweledge and feele that he standes in great neede of Christ. Q. What is the second A. An hungring desire and a longing to be made partaker of Christ all his merits Q. What is the third A. A flying to the throne of
Act. 1. 13. a Ezech 16.6 When I passed by thee I saw thee polluted in thine owne blood and I said vnto thee when thou wast in thy blood thou shalt liue Esai 55.1 Hâ— euery one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and ye that haue no siluer come buie and eate comeâ— I say and buie wine and milke without siluer and without money Ioh. 1.12 As many as receiued him to them he gaue this priuiledge that they should become the sonnes of God namely to them which beleeued in his name b Rom. 7.7 I knew not sinne but by the Law for I had not knowne lust except the Law had said Thou shalt not lust c 1. Ioh. 2.27 But the annointing which ye receiued of him dwelleth in you and ye neede not that any man teach you but as the same annointing teacheth you of all things and is true and is not lying and as it is taught you ye shall abide in him d Act. 16.14 A certaine woman named Lydia a seller of purple of the citie of the Tâ—yatirians a worshipper of God heard vs whose heart God opened that shee attended to the things that Paul spake Psalâ— 40. v. 6. Thou art not delighted with sacrifice and burnt offerings but mine eares hast thou opened Ioh. 6.44 No man can come vnto me except the Father which hath sent me draw him and I will raise him vp at the last day Esai 54.6 The Lord hath called thee beeing as a woman forsaken and as a young wife when thou wast refused saith the Lord. a 1. Cor. 15.18 If Christ be not raised they which are asleepe in Christ are perished Act. 7.60 When he had thus spoken he slept b 1. Cor. 15 3â— O foole that which thou sowest is not quickned except it die c Reu. 21.27 There shal enter into it none vnclean thing neither whatsoeuer worketh abomination or lies but they which are written in the Lambs book of life Rom. 7.25 I my selfe in my mind serue the law of God but in my flesh the law of sinne d Luk. 23.42 He saide to Iesus Lord remember me when thou commest into thy kingdome 43. Then Iesus said to him This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Reu. 14.13 Then I heard a voice from heauen saying vnto me Write Blessed are the dead which hereafter die in the Lord. Euen so saith the Spirit for they rest from their labours and their workes follow them a Matth. 24. 29. Immediately after the tribulation of those daies shall the Sunne be darkened and the Moone shall not giue her light the starres shall fall from heauen and the powers of heauen shall be shaken 30. And then shall appeare the signe of the Sonne of man in heauen and then shall all the kinreds of the earth mourne and they shal see the Son of man come in the cloudes of heauen with power and great glorie b Luk. 21. 26. Mens hearts shall faile them for feare and for looking after those things which shall come on the world 28. And when these things beginne to come to passe then looke vp and lift vp your heads for your redemption draweth neare 2. Tim. 4.8 Henceforth is laide vp for me the crowne of righteousnes which the Lord the righteous iudge shall give me at that day and not to me onely but vnto them also that loue his appearing a Matth. chap. 24. vers 31. And he shall sende his Angels with a great sound of a trumpet 1. Thess. chap. 4. vers 16. The Lord himselfe shall descend from heauen with a shout euen with the voice of the Archangel and with the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first b Matth. 24. 30. 1. Thess. 4. 17. Then shall we vvhich liue and remaine be caught vp vvith them also in the cloudes to meete the Lord in the ayre and so shall we euer be with the Lord. a 1. Cor. 15. 52. We shall not all sleepe but we shall be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet 43. b It is sowne in dishonour it is raised in honour it is sowne in weakenes it is raised in power 44. It is sowne a naturall bodie it is raised â— spirituall bodie c. a Ioh. 14. 23. If any man loue me he will keepe my word and my Father will loue him and we will come vnto him and dwell with him 1. Ioh. 4. 15. Whosoeuer confesseth that Iesus Christ is the Sonne of God God dwelleth in him and he in God Reuel 21.3 And I heard a voyce saying Behold the Tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himselfe shall be their God with them 23. And that citie hath no neede of sunne or moone to shine in it for the glorie of God did light it and the Lambe is the light of it Reuel 22.2 In the middes of the streete of it and of either side of the riuer was the tree of life which bare twelue manner of fruits and gaue fruit euery moneth and the leaues of the tree serued to heale the nations with 5. And there shall be no night there and they neede no candle nor light of the sunne for the Lord giueth them light and they shall reigne for euermore 1. Cor. 15.45 Rom. 8.11 If the spirit of him that raised vp Iesus from the dead dwell in you he that raised vp Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodies because that his spirit dwelleth in you Tit. 1.15 Act. 15.10 2. Tim. 4.3 1. Sam. â— 22.26 Psal. 2.12 Prov. 3.9,10 Luk. 2.25 a Socrat. hist. eccl l. 5. c. 10. b August de Temp. ser. 119. d Ambr. ser. 38. Heb. 6. â— 2â—â—â— a â—uâ—fâ—n in expos Symb â—â—erony ad â—am a Paciâ—nâ—s epiâ—t 1. ad Symâ—ro â— Tim. 1.13 Hab. 1â—1 â— Tim. 1.13 b Aug. seâ—m 119. de temp Caâ—sian li. 6. de incâ—râ—t domini a Cyril Catec 1. Mystag Tertull. de resurrect Origen hom 5. in Num. Act. 8.38 Hâ—b â—◠◠〈◊〉 â—1 〈…〉 Luk. 8.23 Act. 8.19 Math. 7.22 2. Cor. 13. â— 1 pâ—â— 3.12 Gal. 5.6 Math. 7.7 Math. 16 16â— Math. 8.10 and 16. â— Ioh. 4.33 â— 2 Rom. 10.10 â— Pet. 3.21 Heb. â— 4 â—ides estâ—oâ—a copulatiua Exod. 3â— Exo. 3.6.14 1. Tim. 1.17 a Psal. 82.6 b Exod. 4.16 c â— Cor. 4.4 â— Cor. 8.4 â—oâ— 17.3 Mark 9.24 â—sal 42.12 2. Chr. 16.12 Rom. 10. â—â— â— Tim. 1.12 â— Pet. 4.19 â— Chr. 34.27 â— Chr. 3â— â— Chr. 20.20 Hebr. 5.7 Psal. â—â— Dan. 6 2â— Psal. 78 21,2â— a Hebr. 1.3 Gal. 4.8 b Specie c Numero Math. 3. 16,17 a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The meaning Math. 23.9 a Heb. 12.9 b Luk. 3.38 c Esa. 9.6 d Esa. 53.10 e Esa. 8.18 Ier. 3.4,19 Matth. 6.4 Iob 17.14 Ioh. 8.44 Prov. 10.1 Math. 12.50 Mal. 1.6 Math. 5.45 Psal. 68.5 Iob 29 1â— â—6 Math. 6.26 Heb. 12â—â— 2.