Christ as man acknowledgeth himselfe to be lesse then his father Iohn 14.18 my father is greater then I But Christ if you consider him in the forme of God filled heauen and earth and so he may bee said to send himselfe as elsewhere to giue himselfe for vs. See Saint Augustine vbi sup in margin Lombard seâ—t lib. 1. dist 15. Thomas part 1. quast 43. art 8. Touching that eternal sending of the holy spirit from the father and the sonne we say that the mysteries of the sacred Trinity being ineffable the words are almost all borowed that are vsed to shew the distinct operations of the same Saint Augustine speaking of the generation of the sonne and proceeding of the holy Ghost ingeniously confessed his want of wit and wordes Inter illam generationem hanc processionem distinguere nescio non valeo non sufficio quid illis â—sta est inefabilis But here the Apostles in proper phrase of speaking sent Peter and Iohn ergo they were subiect to their authority Thirdly whereas they say that there is a twofold sending one which is amoris and another which is impery for an equall or an inferiour may perswade his friend to doe his busines for him a body politike may send their head to the Parliament and a common weale â— their Prince to the warres our answere is ready that an inferiour intreating his friend can not truely say that he sent his peere much lesse his superiour neither can a corporation that is vnder a soueraigne head such as the Church of Rome would haue Peter to be choose him to be their foot to goe for them he may peraduenture goe by his owne consent or desire but hee can not bee sent neither can a common weale thrust their absolute King into the danger of warre Sponte hoc ille faciendums indicat sed ab illis ad bellum gerendum extrudi non potest Lastly we say that Peter here was sent not as a Prince but as a peere for Iohn was ioyned with him in the mission and commission as a copartner in his office so the text they sent Peter and Iohn And Peter being sent into Samaria by his brethren repined not as holding himselfe their gouernour but went his way as their messenger and elsewhere being questioned by the Apostles for going to Cornelius and eating with vncircumcised heathens he forthwith excused himselfe and came to his answere Fourthly wheras they be driuen here to confesse that the Colledge of Apostles comprising Peter was greater then Peter their head alone Wee say this being granted that Peters Popedom was not the â—oueraigne power of Christ neither was Peter head of the Apostles as Christs Vicar for the whole Church comprising Christ the head thereof is not of greater authority then Christ himselfe Againe it is a receiued opinion among moderne Iesuited Papists that the Church is nothing else but the Pope so that the Successor of Peter is now farre greater then Peter himselfe for hee will bee tied neither to Councell nor Canon nor custome more then himselfe liketh Who when they were come downe prayed for them that they might receiue the holy Ghost It is probable that Peter and Iohn did preach as well as pray but S. Luke reporteth onely what new thing happened to Samaria by their comming namely the receiuing of the holy Ghost through imposition of hands and prayer Here S. Augustine Lombard and other obserue that Christ is God in giuing the holy spirit quantus deus est qui dat deum His Apostles did not giue the holy Ghost at Samaria they prayed for them that they might receiue the holy Ghost and they laid thir hands on them and they receiued the holy Ghost euery good gift is from aboue Samaria then had extraordinarie gifts of the spirit By Peter and Iohn not from Peter and Iohn and Simon Magus insinuates so much in his offer of money to to them at the 19. verse giue mee this power that on whomsoeuer I lay the hands hee may receiue the holy Ghost He did not say that I might giue but onely that he may receiue Happily some will obiect that Paul gaue the spirit to the Galathians as it may seeme wher hee saith he that ministreth vnto you the spirit and worketh miracles among you doth hee it through the workes of the law or by the hearing of faith preached Our answere may be gathered out of the text that hee gaue not the spirit by his proper power but onely that they receiued the spirit through his preaching and ministry They were baptized onely in the name of Christ Iesus You must here referre the word onely to baptized and not to the clause following in the name of Christ Iesus It is not the meaning of S. Luke that they were baptized in the name of God the Sonne onely for it is Christs owne Canon Matth. 28.29 That all the three persons of the blessed Trinity must expresly bee named in Baptisme Goe teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Sonne and the holy Ghost See Bellarm. de Baptismo lib. 1. cap. 3. Suarez in Thom. 3. part tom 3. disput 21. Caluin Lorin in act 2.38 So that to bee baptized in the name of Iesus Christ in this and other like place of this booke is to be baptized in the faith of Iesus Christ or in the power of Iesus Christ or according to the prescript of Iesus Christ. Here then a question is moued how the faithfull in Samaria were baptized and yet the holy Ghost was come on none of them Hee that is baptized must acknowledge that Christ is the Lord and no man as Paul telleth vs can say that Iesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost All that are baptized into Christ haue put on Christ and are buried with him in his death that like as Christ was raised vp from the dead by the glory of the Father so they likewise should walke in newnesse of life Answere is made that the Samaritans had already receiued inuisible graces of the sanctifying spirit which are common vnto all such as truly beleeue but as yet Samaria had not any singular and extraordinarie miraculous gifts as in Christs name to cast out diuels and to speake with new tongues and to heale the sicke c. the which in the Primatiue time was conferred vpon certaine persons according to the will of the spirit for the confirmation of the Gospell It is apparant that the Apostles had the sanctifying and illuminating spirit for their guide from the very beginning of their preaching Matth. 10.20 It is not ye that speake but the spirit of your father which speaketh in you Yet wee reade Iohn 7.38 that the holy Ghost was not yet giuen because Iesus was not yet glorified For they receiued not those miraculous gifts of healing and speaking with
〈◊〉 And the 〈◊〉 in ourage who following the 〈◊〉 He 〈◊〉 hold it lâ—â— full to distemble their faith 〈◊〉 the Magistrate As also the Nicodemâ—â—es ashamed of Christ and expâ—â—â—cating 〈◊〉 forswerring their Pâ—ieâ—hood and the Pope their holy father vpon eâ—eâ—y pretended occasion of danger In a word all weather â—ise professors adueâ—tring no more for the glorious Gospell then one â—â—tely did for his horrible blasphemie who being bound to the stake suffered only the lingeing of his beard This open acknowledging of Christ is necessaâ—ieâ— not only 〈◊〉 morris at the point of deâ—h as Liraâ—us or in the daie of persecution as Lombard but at all time and in euery place when occasion is offered lustly â—aith 〈◊〉 Forseeing it is an afâ—â—rmâ—tâ—ue prâ—cept 〈…〉 As Christ in his Gospel expresâ—ely 〈…〉 Whereas 〈…〉 〈…〉 the faith not sufficient vnto 〈…〉 mouth and other â—odâ—◠〈◊〉 as efficient cause concure with it in the 〈…〉 may be taken out of his old Schoole 〈…〉 and Cardinall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth af 〈…〉 confession 〈◊〉 act of faith according to that of the Pâ—â—miâ—â— I 〈…〉 haue I spoken And in his second 〈…〉 this Chapter he that is 〈◊〉 by faith ought to be filled with the fruit of righteousnesse Postquam homo per fide mest instificatus oportet quod eius fides per dilectionem operatur ad consequendam salâ—tem And Cardinall Tolet in plaine termes Oris confessio nâ—s non iustificat à peccato c. sed iustificati tenemur eam palà m profiteri c. Confession of the mouth doth not iustifie vs but being iustified wee are bound publikely to professe it afore we can attaine to saluation Herein agreeing with our Protestant Interpreters affirming that good workes are consequents and effects of a true faith as if Paul should haue said here we are iustified by faith onely but yet this faith is operatiue bringing foorth liuely fruits as the confession of the mouth and the profession of the life for they be necessarie to saluation albeit faith alone be sufficient in the act of iustification as you may see further Epist. Quinquages and Sund. 2. in Lent In the words and beleeue in thine heart that God hath raised him vp from the dead three points are considerable namely Faiths Act Obiect Subiect Faiths act is to beleeue and to beleeue hath these degrees as the Schoole teacheth out of Augustine Credere Deo credere Deum credere in Deum A wicked man and a wretched deuill may so farre proceed in faith as to beleeue there is a God and in grosse to beleeue God but a true Christian endued with a sauing faith ascends higher and beleeueth in God also That is he knowes God as hee hath reuealed himselfe in his word acknowledging him onely for his God and thereupon put his whole trust in him applying to himselfe Gods mercifull promise made to father Abraham and his seed with the heart vnto iustification and confessing the same with the mouth vnto saluation He disclaimes not his part in Christ as the deuils Ab what haue we to doâ— with thee thou Iesus of Nazareth art thou come to torment vs before the time but he challengeth his portion in the bloud of his Sauiour saying with the Church in her loue-song My welbeloued is mine and with Paul Christ is become to vs wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption Hâ—s bodie is in heauen there shall I finde it mine his diuinitie is on earth and heere doe I feele it mine his word is in mine eare to beget him mine his Sacrament is in mine eie to confirme him mine his spirit is in mine heart to assure him mine Angels are mine to fight for mee Prince mine to rule for mee Church mine to pray for me Vniuersitie mine to studie for me Pastour mine to pâ—each for me all mine whether it be Paul or Cephas or the world or life or death whether they be things present or things to come euen all are mine I am Christs and Christ is Gods Faiths obiect is all holy scripture the summe whereof is the Creed and this one point how God raised vp Iesus from the dead is nexus articulorum omnium as it were the bond or tying knot on which all other linkes of our beleefe depend For if it were not true that Christ is risen againe then were it neither true that hee did ascend vp to heauen nor that hee sitteth at the right hand of his father in heauen nor that he sent downe the holy spirit from heauen nor that hee shall come from thence to iudge the quicke and the dead In a word the matter of the whole Creed concerneth either God or the Church his spouse Now the raising of Christ from â—he dead is the worke of God the Father Acts 2.32 of himselfe being God the Sonne Iohn 10 18. of God the holy Ghost also Rom. 1.4 Christ as God only raiseth and is not raised as man he is onely raised and raiseth not as the Sonne of God or second person in the blessed Trinitie both the Father raiseth him and he raiseth himselfe The Father raiseth the Sonne by the Sonne â—nd the Sonne raiseth himselfe by the spirit of holinesse by which he was declared to be the Sonne of God As for the Church our Apostle sheweth elsewhere that Christ died for her sinnes and rose againe for her iustification and that ascending vp on high he bestowed on her gifts as to be Catholike holy knit in a communion and prerogatiues in her soule namely remission of sinnes in the body resurrection of the flesh in both euerlasting life Wherefore Paul here mentioneth only the resurrection of Christ from the dead not exclusiuely but synecdâ—checally because this one article presupposeâ—h all the rest and takes them as granted as if hee rose from the graue then he died and his death is a consequent of his birth Or because this article was and is most doubted in the world for the Iewes and Gentiles acknowledge the death of Iesus whereas the Christians only confesse his resurrection Or because the rest vnlesle Christ had risen againe would haue profited vs little for he triumphed in his resurrection ouer death hell damnation opening the kingdome of heauen to all beleeuers And so the meaning of our text is plaine If thou confesse with thy mouth that Iesus is the Lord that is that Lord of whom all the Prophets inquired as being the desire of all Nations euen the light of the Gentiles and consolation of Israel And if thou beleeue in thine heart that this Iesus whom almightie God hath made both Lord and Christ offered himselfe a sacrifice to purge thy conscience from dead workes and take away thy sinnes putting out and fastening vpon the Crosse the Lawes obligation against vs and that hauing ouercome death and the deuill he
day Againe this sentence Christ is the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles ouerthroweth as Interpreters obserue Marcion and other heretickes affirming that two sundrie disagreeing Gods are Authors of the two Testaments As if one God were preached in the Gospell and another in the Law whereas one and the same Christ is the very center of both at which all the Prophets and Apostles aime principally The builders of Gods house are the Prophets and Apostles and all their lawfull successours the Ministers and Preachers of the word Behold saith the Lord to Ieremie the Prophet I haue put my woreis in thy mouth I haue set thee euer the nations and ouer the kingdomes to plucke vp and to roote out and to destroy and throw downe to build and to plant That is to roote out vice to plant vertue to destroy the dens of Sâ—tan and build vp Gods remple to throw downe the kingdome of Antichrist and to set vp the kingdome of Christ. And so Paul cals himselfe a skilfull Architect or a cunning master builder laiing the foundation and hee faith of other Preachers of the word that they build vpon his foundation gold siluer precious stones c. that is doctrines and exhortations answerable to the foundation and worthie of Christ. In a word that the Pastors are Gods labourers and the people God building 1. Cor. 3 9. it is true that Christ himselfe is the chiefe builder as hee saith in the Gospel vpon this rocke will I build my Church he builds as it is in our text through his holy spirit vers 22. yet hee doth vse Prophets and Apostles and Euangelists and Pastors and Teachers as vnder-workmen for the gathering together of his saints and edification of his Church Ephes. 4. 11.12 The tooles or instruments which Apostles and Preachers vse toward this worke are the Word and the Sacraments especially For so the Lord of these labourers hath appointed Goe teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Sonne and the holy Ghost His word iâ— his power to bring his elect to the foundation and to build them vpon the foundation His Sacraments are fastnings as it were to strengthen and confirme them after they be laid in the building that they fall not away but grow to an holy temple of the Lord. Our doctrine must be according to the analogie of faith our exhortation according to the rules of good life the Bible which is our lanterne and our guide furnisheth vs with both and therefore wee must euer build vpon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Beside these tooles a Minister ought to further Gods building with heartie praiers and good example Bellarmine said of Erasmus falsely that he was but halfe a Christian but it may be said of a lewd Pastour truly that he is but halfe a Preacher he may peraduenture pull downe more building in one weeke with his bad life then he can set vp againe in a whole yeere with his great learning Seneca thought it impossible that any body should at onetime be both a good man and a good captaine but a Clergie man is not a good Pastor vnlesse he be a good paterne God defend me and mine from a mangie Physitian a ragged Alchimist and a dissolute Diuine If thou be a president of godlinesse to thy people pray to the God of all grace that you may so remaine if you sometime were and are now fallen returne if you neuer were repent if you neuer will be perish Nam à Deo separabitur qui à diabolo superabitur Concerning the properties of the Church it is built together in such a due proportion and concinne symmetrie that euery part is content to keepe his ranke and performe his function without any faction It is a body fitly ioined together and compacted by that which euery ioint supplieth c. Ephes. 4.16 See Epistle 2. Sund. after Epiphanie It is built together in respect of her vnion with Christ the head corner stone and coupled together in respect of her communion with the members See Communion of Saints in the Creed And being thus inserted and built on Christ it liueth and groweth from grace to grace till it become an holy Temple to the Lord. The which Interpreters vnderstand of euery singular part so well as of the whole body for euery Christian is an habitation of God If thou be then a consecrated Chappell vnto the Lord how darest thou commit Idolatrie which is against the first table What agreement hath the temple of God with Idols Or how dinest thou commit adulterie which is against the second table Know yee not that your body is the temple of the holy Ghost and that God is to bee glorified in your spirit and in your body will you then take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot God forbid Euery liuing stone that is built vpon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles is holy Lapides in templo sancto non possunt esse non sanctificati The temples of God are holy both in regard of their righteousnesse imputed in that their vnrighteousnesse is forgiuen and Christ himselfe made their holinesse and in regard of sanctification and righteousnesse in herent for that being deliuered out of the hands of all their enemies they serue God in holinesse and righteousnesse all the daies of their life The Gospell IOHN 20.24 Thomas one of the twelue which is called Didymus was not with them when Iesus came c. THis Scripture consists of a Dialogue Thomas one of the twelue c. Epilogue Many other signes truly did Iesus c. The Dialogue is between a weake sinner and a meeke Sauiour And according to these two principall persons it hath also two principall parts one concerning Thomas and another touching Christ. In Thomas obserue his Faults which are two 1. His absence from the meeting of the other Apostles 2. His incredulitie not beleeuing the resurrection of Christ occasioned by that absence Faith My Lord and my God That other part concerning Christ is a relation of his second appearing vnto the blessed Apostles after his rising againe from the dead And heerein is set down 1. What he did After eight daies he came againe c. 2. What he said 1. To the whole companie Peace be to you 2. To Thomas in particular Bring thy finger hither c. 3. In conclusion to him and them and vs and al Blessed are they that haue not seen and yet haue beleeued In that our Euangelist hath set downe the fall of Peter and fault of Thomas wee may learne that euen the most holy men are but imperfectly perfect in this life The Pontificians are true Donatists and as it were the very spawne of the Cathari For is any man so great a Puritan as the Papist highly conceiting that he can obserue all
Christe motus est cadere deorsum ad nihil ad non esse ad preprum voluntatem elongari à Deo alium habet à Christo solicet moueri sursum ad Deum c. In this text appointed fitly for this time Christ is first conferred and then preferred before the Prophets and Angels In the comparison betweene Christ and the Prophets obâ—erue the consent and dissent between the old Testament and the new The consent and agreement is in that one God spake in both in the one by his seruants in the other by his Sonne The same God is author of both and the same Christ is subiect of both in so much that each Testament is in other in the Law there is an hidden Gospell and in the Gospell a reuealed Law So like as the two Cherubins on the mercy seat whose faces looked one to another And like the Seraphims Esay 6.3 one crying to another holy holy holy both hauing one voice saith Augustine Or resembling each other as Iesus and Iames who were so like that they were one anothers glasse God in times past and God in these last daies hath spoken to vs. And whosoeuer hee be to whom this ministry shall bee committed if hee will be numbred with Patriarkes and Prophets Apostles and Pastors and with our Sauiour Christ himselfe whatsoeuer hee speake let him speake as the word of God For this couenant hath God made with his seruants Esay 59.21 My spirit that is vpon thee and my words which I haue put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor out of the mouth of the seed of thy seed from henceforth euen for euer And indeed whose word else should discerne the thoughts of the soule but his onely who is the searcher of the heart and whose word should kill our carnall affections but his onely who giues the sword of the spirit God spake The word God here may be taken either essentially for the whole Trinity because God the sonne being a crier in the wildernesse spake by the Prophets as well as God the Father and God the holy Ghost as well as either of them according to that of S. Peter Prophecie came not in olde time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moued by the holy Ghost Or it may be construed in respect of Christs office personally God that is God the Father spake to the fathers by Prophets and by his owne sonne to vs. The dissent and difference betweene the two Testaments is in regard of the manner for Time sundry times Fashion many waies men Vnto whom vnto the fathers in times past but in these last daies vnto vs. In whom or by whom God spake by the Prophets in the one by his owne sonne in the other The first dissent is in respect of time the times of the Fathers are olde and past but the time of Christs preaching passeth not it is for euer alway continuing rew Iesus Christ yesterday and to day and the same 〈◊〉 for euer The doctrine taught by the Prophets in old time was reuealed multis vicibus as Beza translates at sundry times as our English Bible But that which Christ himselfe deliuered is reuealed but once The which is inâ—inuated heere but expressed else where by this author as in chap. 9. vers 26. But now in the end of the world hath Christ beene once reuealed And in chap. 12. vers 26. Yet once will I strike not the caâ—th onely but also heauen And this it is which Iude saith of the Christian faith that it was once giuen vnto the Saints Once that is perfectly so that wee need not another Gospell Almightie God hath spoken last in his sonne that is in the fulnesse of time so fully that we may not expect hee should vent in time to come any new doctrine For albeit the spirit was giuen after Christs ascension yet the same spirit taught that onely which Christ had taught afore See Gospell 4. Sunday after Easter From hence we may learne boldly to refuse whatsoeuer is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is an after or another doctrine sprung vp since Aâ— the new Gospell of Anabaptists and idolatries of Mahomet and the reuelations of S. Briget and all superstitious positions and expositions of Papists In a word whatsoeuer bastard religion is contrary to Christs once preaching vpon earth which because it was once confutes all after it and abrogates all afore it which had diuersitie of time as our Apostle gathereth in the 12. chapter of this Epistle vers 27. The second difference betweene the two Testaments is that God in the one spake many waies and diuersly either by Angel or by the Cloud or betweene the Cherubins or by visions or by dreames after sundry kindes of speech and diuers kindes of actions but the doctrine of the other is taught after one sort euen by preaching of the Gospell which is the power of God vnto saluation to euery one that beleeueth and it worketh more mightily then all those kinds of reuelations and pierceth into he heart of man more deepely then any manner of perswasion yea though one should rise from the dead and seeke to vs. The third dissent is that God in old time spake only to the Fathers Abraham Isaac Iacob vnto some few men and one nation He shewed his word vnto Iacob his staâ—â—â—es anâ— ordinances vnto Israel hee dealt not so with any people neither had the heathen knowledge of his Lawes But in these last daies he hath spoken vnto vs indefinitely to Iew to Gentile to bond to free to male to female being aâ—one in Christ Iesus hauing all through faith one entrance vnto the throne of grace Heb. 4 16. So that I need not say now Lord remember Dauid or the couenant made with Abraham but in time of need I may go boldly to the throne of grace saying Lord remember me O God be mercifull to me Iesus haue pitie on me For vnto those that are nigh and vnto those that are farre off there is but one couenant in Iesus Christ Eph 2.13.17 The fourth difference betweene the two Testamâ—nts is that God in the one spake by Prophets his seruants in the other by Christ his owne sonne by meere men in times past vnto the fathers but vnto vs hee hath spoken by that eternall word which is God whom hee hath made heire of all things by whom also hee hath made the world c. The maine proposition of this chapter is that Christ who reuealed the Gospell is the sonne of God yea God himselfe Now the first part namely that Christ is he who brought into the world the Gospell is concessum confessum The faithlesse Hebrew complained of it and the faithful Hebrew beleeued it And therfore taking this as
in the world to come when all superfluity shall be cut off vtterly when as wee shall appeare before Gods throne without any spot in our soule or corruption in our body Now the circumcision of Christ heere mentioned is that of the flesh for Almighty God before mans fall and after is fall before the Law vnder the Law and after the Law certified his will vnto man especially by two things an vnderstanding minde and a perceiuing sense When God had created Aâ—â—m hee put him in Paradise giuing him his â—ord as a witnesse of hiâ— will and vnto the word hee did adde a twofold outward signe namely the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and euill After Adâ—â—ous fall he gaue him a promise touching the blessed seede Gen. 3.15 and added thereunto sacrifices as outward signes of his worde When the floud was ouerpast hee made a promise neuer to destroy the world againe with water and hee made the Rainbow a signe of the same Hee promised deliuerance from the bondage of Egypt which hee performed also but he sealed the promise with the Paschal Lambe Exod. 12. To father Abraham hee gaue his promise that his seed should be multiplied and in perpetuall remembrance thereof hee did institute Circumcision Gen 17. At the length in the fulnesse of time he giueth his owne Sonne and by him he promiseth euerlasting life to such as beleeue the which hee confirmes with two Sacraments as seales of his grace Baptisme and the Lords supper Thus the father of mercies in all ages euermore prouided for our weaknesse that wee might as it is in the Psalme taste and see how gratious the Lord is and therefore such as are so spirituall as that they cannot endure significant ceremonies and outward rites in the Church haue runne a violent course quite contrary to the goodnesse of God and meeknesse of his holy spirit who doth instruct the conceiuing minde by the perceiuing sense For the Sacraments as Augustine speakes are visible words and Circumcision in the iudgment of Chrysostome was a Preacher of the righteousnesse of faith I confesse that the Iewish ceremonies are now no more necessarie then a token left in remembrance of a bargaine is necessarie when the bargaine is fulfilled but christian rites ordained by lawful authority for outward comelinesse in the Church ought to be retained as hauing more in weight then in sight In the Câ—râ—â—â—â—tiâ—â—on of â—hâ—â—â—t obâ—â—eâ—ue these â— poâ—nâ—s 1 Theâ—iâ—e when the eâ—ghth day 2 Theâ—â—â—e â—heâ—e implyed here for that Câ—â—â—i but expâ—essed in the first Lesson aâ—â—oâ—â—eâ— for this aâ—â— nin â—â—rayer â—en 17.11 to be the 〈…〉 3 The eâ—â—se â—hy 〈…〉 that is â— in the woâ—dâ— foâ—â—o 〈◊〉 â—â—â—r the Lâ—â—â— When the eighth 〈…〉 Châ—â—e en were circumeâ—sed on the eâ—ghth day foâ—thâ—â— in this tender age they coâ—â—d more eâ—stly bâ—â—re the gâ—â—ese of circumcision or eâ—reâ—meised on the eâ—â—ghâ—h dâ—y hâ—â—â—use thaâ— is the day â—hâ—rein our bleâ—sed Sauiour â—â—ofe â—â—â—m the dead Seuen daie signifie the time oâ— this â—â—efeâ—e worâ—d and the â—â—ghâ—h dâ—y the reâ—â—â—eâ—â—ion when alâ—coâ—uption of the â—eth shall he eâ—â—oâ—â— accordâ—â—g to that oâ— Paulâ— Câ—r 15 5â— Tâ—â—s 〈…〉 〈…〉 For thâ—s end â—he circumciâ—â—on kniâ—e 〈◊〉 mâ—de of 〈◊〉 Exod 4.25 Iâ—â—a 5.2 To siâ—nitiâ—â—hâ—â—â—â—eceâ—e 〈◊〉 Câ—â—cumcâ—â—on is by Chriâ—t the â—ocke â—nd â—hâ—ad coâ—eâ—â—â—enâ— Câ—â—cumciâ—â—on â—â—s placed in the generatiue pâ—â—t for thâ—eereâ—â—on eâ—â—â—â—â—ally First for that it â—as a seâ—â—e of Gâ—â—â—â—â—â—â—e thâ—â— Câ—â—â—â—t hâ—â—â—d â—e â—oâ—ne of Abâ—â—â—â—m◠〈◊〉 Seâ—â—nd â—â—â—eeâ—â—e the propâ—â—â—tion of originalâ—â—â—nne 〈…〉 Thiâ—dly Qâ—â—â—â—â—◠〈…〉 coâ—ciâ—iâ—â—â—◠〈…〉 O◠〈◊〉 oâ—heâ—â—oâ— thaâ— i◠〈◊〉 â—â—â—ne of Gâ—◠〈…〉 the â—â—ent and hâ—â—â—eâ—◠〈◊〉 Gen. 17.7 〈…〉 Thâ—â—â—â—â—â—nsâ— hâ— Câ—â—◠〈◊〉 â—eceiâ—ed and bâ—rne 〈…〉 are â—â—niâ—â—â—â—â— 1 To shew that he was of the seede of Abrahamâ— Heb. â— 16 2 To declare himselfe a member of the Iewish Church in which euery man child was circumcised 3 To demonstrate that hee had true flesh against 〈◊〉 and such a flesh as was not of the same substance with his deitie Co◠〈…〉 corpus against Apolâ—naris or fetched from heauen as Valâ—ntinus imagined hee was I say circumcised to shew that he was made of the seede of 〈◊〉 accorâ—â—â—â— to the 〈◊〉 Rom. 12. 4 For that he was the truth of which Circumcision was a type Vâ—â—â—â—ramiâ—â—â—â—ritas â—â—irâ—â— But the principall reason iâ— inâ—â—nuated in the text for that theiâ— required that eueâ—y man child should be cirâ—â—â—â—s sâ—d He therefore was circumcised to â—â—e â—hiâ— obediâ—nce to the lâ—w Wâ—â—â— the â—alâ—es of ume waâ— come God 〈◊〉 â—â—th his 〈◊〉 mâ—â—e oâ— a â—oman make vnder the Law tâ—at â—e â—â—iâ—â— reâ—â— mâ—tâ—â—m thâ—t were vâ—der the Law As then he â—aâ— borne for â—s Esay 9.6 Puer natus â—st neâ— is And Luk 2.11 Vâ—â—â—s nâ—tuâ—â— Vnto you is borne that iâ— vnto yoâ— a men aâ— an Angeâ—l expounds the Prophet euen fâ—â—â—â— hee â—â—â—â—â—mâ—sed for yâ— hâ—reby giuing a publike â—y â—â—noâ—iâ—â—hâ—â— he would fuâ—fill all the whole Law for vs foâ— eueâ—y 〈◊〉 iâ— circumcâ—sâ—d â—s bâ—â—â—d to keep the whole Lâ—w. Hoâ— the consâ—laâ—orie name Ieâ—â—us inuented by God 〈◊〉 pâ—â—ed bâ— the Angâ—â—l invocated by men is proper to Châ—iâ—t 〈◊〉 Sâ—e Gospell on the Sunday next after 〈◊〉 And how his named aboue all name Epist. 〈…〉 will end here with a diuine 〈…〉 â—ccurate Poet. 〈…〉 〈…〉 of content 〈…〉 rent 〈…〉 pâ—â—ne O take thy crosse and naiâ—es and therewith straine My hearts desire to his full extent That thy â—eaâ—e loue therein may not be â—ent But thoughts man haue free scope thy loue t'explaine Ah new my heart more pâ—uneth then before Because it can receiue and hath no more O filâ— this emptinesse or 〈◊〉 â—â—â—e Now stretch my heart againe and now supply Now I want â—pace now grace to end aâ— smart Since my heart 〈◊〉 not thee hold thou my heart Almighty God which madest thy blessed sonne to he circumcised and obedient to the Law for man granâ— vs the true circumcision of the spirit that our hearts and all our members being mortified from all worldly and carnall lusts may in all things obey thy blessed will through the same thy sonne Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen The Epistle EPHES. 3.1 For this cause I Paul am a prisoner of Iesus Christ for you heathen c. THE maine drift of all this exceeding profound Epistle written vnto the Saints of the Church of Ephesus is to confirme their in the word of truth euen the Gospell of their saluation and faith in the Lord Iesus And this our Apostle doth in the present text by two reasons especially 1. From his owne ministery in respect of the Bonds or disgrace hee suffered of men I Paul am a prisoner c. Boon or grace he receiued of God If yee haue heard of the ministration of the grace of God which is giuen mee to you-ward 2. Fom the Gospels mystery which hee
the gifts of the holy Ghost vnto them in the visible formes of clouen and fierie tongues Acts 2.3 see epist. on Whiâ—sunday 2. Ostension in regard of execution of their office for albeit they had a commission before to preach first vnto the lost sheepe of Israel and then vnto all nations in the world Mat. 28.19 yet they did not execute this commission in gathering together a Church out of both vnto God vntill Christ had ascended farre aboue all heauens to fulfill all things and the reason hereof is rendred in our text because Dauid had so prophesied of him in the 68. Psalme when hee went vp on high he led captiuity captiue and gaue gifts vnto men And in deed it was at this time most fit for him and best also for his to giue gifts it was exceeding fit for himselfe because glorious conquerours in their solemne triumphes vsually lead their chiefe enemies settered either in iron chaines as Paulus Aemilius triumphed ouer Persius or in iron cages as Tamberlane the great vsed proud Batazet king of the Turkes And so leading captiuity captiue they deuided the spoile to their friends and followers as it is in the Psalme Christ ascending on high led captiuity captiue that is the diuell and all his complices hell death and the graue triumphing ouer them openly Giuing also gifts vnto the Church as Apostles and Prophets and Euangelists and Pastors and Teachers who might loose such as Satan bindes and it was at this time 〈◊〉 for his followers as not depending any longer vpon his bodily presence See Gospell 4. Sun after Easter The 3. remarkable point in this Scripture is what he gaue to men vnto euery one is giuen grace according to thâ— measure of the gift of Christ c. He doth vnderstand by grace not liuing grace for that as he shewed in the former â—art of this Chapter is in all the members of the Church one and the same one faith one hope one baptisme c. But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is taken here for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 namely for the diuers gifts of the holy Ghost as interpretation of tongues and discerning of spirits and the gifts of healing propheâ—ie the word of knowledge and the like of which hee disputeth at large 1. Cor. 12. and so Paul expoundeth himselfe in our present text at the 11. verse the same made some Apostles some Prophets some Euangelists c. Apostles were such as he called himselfe either in his state moâ—â—all as the 12. disciples or in his state glorious as Paul Acts 9.15 and Matthias Acts 1.16 to preach his Gospell and to plant his Church in euery nation of the world Prophets were such as interpret the scripture of the Prophets 1. Cor. 14.4 He that propheseth 〈◊〉 the Church and Mat. 23.34 I â—hold I send vnto Prophets that is preachers Or Prophets were such as had marueâ—lous wisdome and could foretell things to come as Agabus Acts 11.28 signified by the spirit that there should be great famine thorough oâ— all the worldâ— which also came to passe vnder Claudus Caesar. Euâ—ngeliâ—ts are so called either of preaching the Gospell and so Paul exhorted Timothie to doe the worke of an Euangelists or else of writing the Gospell and so there â—ee but 4. Euangelists only Mathew Marke Luke Iohn And here we may note the reason why the Church appointed this scripture to be read at this time namely because Saint Marke was an Euangelist Pastours are such as are placed ouer a certaine cure whereas Apostles had the whole Church for their charge So Paul speakes vnto the Elders of the Church at Ephesus take heed to your selues and to all the flocke whereof the holy Ghost hath made you ouer seerâ— And so Bishops in their dioces and Priests in their parishes are Pastors Or as Theophylact Pastors and Doctors are Presbyters and Deacons Or as some late Diuines obserue Pastors are rectors of the whole congregation Doctors are catechists and teachers of the youth and other new comes into Christs schoole Pastors are such as feed Christs sheepe and Doctors are such as feede Christs lambes or as Beza Pastors are they who gouerne the Church and Doctors are they who gouerne the schooles But I rather embrace their opinion who think Pastorâ— Doctors are diuers names of one office euen as feeding and teaching are all one for otherwise Paul as Hierome Lombard Anselmo haue noted vpon the place would haue distinguished them as he did the rest and haue said he gaue some Pastors some Teachers as well as some Apostles some Prophets some Euangelists c. but he ioyneth them together Pastors and Teachers insinuating that Pastors should teach and that as our Church speakes both by their preaching and liuing ensamples in word in conuersation in loue in spirit in faith and purenes 1. Tim. 4 12. Some Diuines obserue that these functions are partly temporall and extraordinary as Apostles Prophets Euangelists and partly continual and ordinary as Pastors and Teachers but herein I tread in the steps of that holy father my most honoured and honorable master Archbishop Whitgift who writing against the schismatickes of his age saith and proueth out of this our present text also that all these degrees of ministers remaine still in some sort vntill the worlds end For first as Nouelists acknowledge Paul in this place maketh a perfite platforme of a Church and a full rehearsall of all offices therein contained and he saith expresly that Christ ascending vp on high gaue them for the gathering together of the Saints and for the worke of the ministry c. tell we all come to the vnity of the faith and knowledge of the sonne of God vnto a perfect man vnto the measure of the full age of Christ. That is as Caluin Zanchius and other vntill wee meet in that other world to come I know there were certaine things in the blessed Apostles which were proper vnto themselues as their immediate calling from God the power of working miracles and their commission to goe into the whole world c. but to preach the Gospell of Christ in places where need requireth although it be not peculiarly committed to them or to gouerne the Churches already planted I see no cause why it should not be perpetuall among the Ministers of the word Likewise the function of an Euangelist if it be taken for the writing of the Gospel it was temporal and hath his ende But if it be taken for preaching to the people plainely and simply as Bullinger thinketh or generally for preaching the Gospell as Musculus supposeth in which sense Paul said vnto Timothie do the worke of an Euangelist or for preaching more zealously then other as Bucer imagineth I make no doubt but that it still remaineth in the Church Moreouer Prophets if they bee taken for
of the filthie Familists had troupes of women euer accompanying him Apelles had Philomene for his mate Montanus had Prisea and Maximilla women of great birth and opulent estate Donatus had Lucilla for his mistresse Arius the Princes owne daughter for his Patronesse as S. Hierome notes in his Epistle to Cresiphon against the Pelagians Postelliu the lesuite had an old beldame called mother Iane and the rest of that ranke as the Quodlibeticall discourse auoweth haue deluded many young gentlewomen and deuoured many widowes houses And this kinde of fishing they learned from Satan himselfe who did first attempt the woman and then tempt the man vsing the wife as a trap to catch her husband And the reason why the deuil and his agents are fishers of women rather then of men is because they be lesse able to resist and more willing to repoâ—â— a new fangled opinion in one word for that their â—its are shorter and their tongues longer Fishers of men not of children as Seruetus absurdâ—y cauillesh Ergo saiâ—â—h he Pâ—eâ—â—hers may not baptise little infants Answer is made by Caluin and other that men heeâ—e signifieâ—h all mankinde of whâ—tsoeuer age or sex Christs commandement is expresse reach all nations baptising them c. and Mark 10.14 suffer the little children to come vnto me There be young Lambes in his fold so well as old sheepe it is not his Fathers will that one of these little ones should perish for of such is the kingdome of heauen See Melancthon loc com tit baptis infant Caluin vbiâ—up in margin Master Iohn Philpots letter concerning this argument apud Fox in his martyrdome Bucan loc com â—it baptis quest 35. Little children must be caught and brought vnto Christ and after these minumes are baptised in the sacred font they must be catechised and further instructed in the principles of holy religion that they may know what a solemne vow they haue made by their godfaâ—hers and godmothers And forasmuch as euery man is a Priest and a Prince in his owne house you must bring vp your childâ—en in instruction and information of the Lord drawing them vnto God while they be young lest afterward being past correction they say with the wicked in the second Psalme Let vs breake their bonds asunder and cast array their cords from vs. Niâ— fundamenta stirpis lâ—cta sint probe Miseroâ— necesse est esse deinceps posteros The draw-net of the Church incloseth all kinde of fish and therefore the Preachers are fishers of all sorts of men None is too good or too bad or too rich or too poore or too young or too old to be brought vnto God I will make you fishers of men indefinitely not of this or that man in particular Andrew must fish for all especially for such as are committed vnto his peculiar charge Acts 20.28 Take heed to your selues and to ak't he flocke whereof the holy Ghost hath made you ouerseers Our principall care must be to reduce such as are vnder our proper cure from the linke and seas of their sin to righteousnesse and holinesse by preaching of the word to draw them out of the shadow of death out of the pit of ignorance to the maruellous light and sunne-shine of the Gospell And that we may performe this it is required on our part that we be painfull either casting our nets into the sea or else mending them in our ship and skilfull also that we may know to cast our nets on the right side of the ship Omnis ignorantia mala Sacerdotis autem pessima The blinde leading the blinde drawes him not out of the puddle but rather hurleth him into the ditch Matth. 15.14 Now the fishers of men for the catching of soules ought to preach and presse two points especially repentance and faith Almightie God himselfe the first fisher of men in his very first draught when the worlds sea was not so tempestuous as it is now stood vpon these two principally First hee rebuked Adam for his sinne that he might repent and then he shewed how Christ is the propitiation for his sinne the seed of the woman shall breake the serpents head that he might beleeue The Patriarkes and Prophets vrged these points vnto the men of their age Iohn Baptist the last of the Prophets and first of Apostles a midling as it were betweene both inculcated often these two repent and behold the lambe of God All the sermons of Christ as our Euangelist reports in the verse before my text consisted of these two likewise from that time Iesus began to preach and say amend your liues for the kingdome of heauen is at hand If any then desire to know whether the fishers of men haue caught him or no let him examine his owne heart whether he be repentant and faithfull If he feele sorrow for his sin and comfort in his Sauiour if he confesse his fault as the Publican O God be mercifull to mee a sinner and confesse his faith as Andrew Wee haue found the Messias if crying with teares hee can vnfainedly say Lord I beleeue helpe mine vnbeleefe it is a manifest argument that the fishers of men haue drawne him out of the dead sea into the land of the liuing out of the darke waters into the glorious light of the Sun of righteousnesse Heere the Gospell and Epistle meet againe Preachers are fishers of men because men are iustified by faith and faith commeth by hearing of the word and the word is brought vnto you by the mouth of the Preachers And therefore you must honour their holy function as Gods ordinance for the gathering together of the Saints and edifying of the body of Christ. Abhorre the positions of Stenckfeldius Anabaptists Familists holding that the word is not taught by the sermons of Peter and Andrew c. but only by the reuelation of the Spirit As also the practises of vncharitable Martinists Barrowists Brownists openly breathing out slander secretly threatning sâ—aughter against the Disciples of the Lord making it their greatest vertue to meddle with the Preachers vice so that whereas Andrew should catch them it is apparant that they labour principally to catch Andrew But the best is in the meane while they lose themselues among themselues hauing almost as many factions as there be fractions in their seuerall inuectiues In isâ—a Babylons sectae dissectae their sects are now so diuers and aduerse that as one said Luigando res non dirâ—mitur sed perimitur The last of all the remarkable circumstances in our text is how Iesus called his Disciples and that is hee saw them and saith vnto thens follow me and I will make you c. that is as Ardens in a short glosse pithily Vidit per electionem vocanit per fidem iussit se sequi per obedientiam pramium promisit per obâ—dientie reminerationem According to that
of Paul whom he did predestinate them he called and whom he called them also hee iustified and whom hee iustified hee also glorified For faith is a consequent of election obedience of faith and remuneration of obedience He called his Apostles here by word only follow me Goe not before me nor beside me but come after me for I am the way the truâ—h and the life Where note the power of his word hee spake and it was done he called and they came immediately But we reade in the 5. of Luke that he called these by working a wonder also for whereas they laboured all night and caught nothing he commanded them to let down their net and they tooke such a multitude of fish that they filled two ships vntill they did sinke Where Diuines obserue that Christ accommodates himselfe euermore to his present auditors as hee called the wise men of the East addicted vnto the studies of Astrologie by a starre and conferring with a woman of Samaria who came to draw water at Iacobs Well hee tooke occasion to speake of the water of life saying Whosoeuer drinketh of the water that I shall giue him shall neuer â—e more a thirst and in the 6. chapter of S. Iohns Gospell hee did instruct the Capernaits who followed him only for loaues by a similitude taken from bread and meat willing them to labour for the true bread of heauen and for the meat that endureth vnto euerlasting life By whose example fishers of men are taught to become as weake to the weake that they may winne the weake being all things to all men that by all means they may saue some Hitherto concerning the calling of Simon Andrew Iames and Iohn Let vs now come to their comming Simon and Andrew straight way lest their nets Iames and Iohn immediately lest their ship and their father and followed him They came straight way without inquisition or delay considering only who called and not disputing why hee called And they came willingly without any grudging or griefe leauing nets and ship and father and all things or the world to follow Iesus whose kingdome was not of this world whose pouertie was so great that hee was borne in another mans house and buried in another mans tombe as not hauing wherein to rest his head They forsooke all that little they had and all the great things they desired to haue They did not abandon vtterly their estate for S. Peter afterward vsed his neâ—s and followed his trade Iohn 21.3 but they so subdued their will vnto Gods will as that they counted all things losse to winne Christ. Apostoli quoth Hierome quantum ad dâ—uâ—â—s nibil quantum ad voluntatem totum mundum pariâ—er reliquerunt Iesus euery day calleth vs vnto him either by the good motions of his spirit or by his word in the mouth of his Preachers or else by strange iudgements or extraordinarie mercies And therefore let vs I beseech you forsake the vaine pompe of the world the carnall desires of the flesh and all other nets and lets whatsoeuer hindering our comming that wee may follow him immediately For if the Disciples heere followed him in his humiliation and pouertie what a sinne yea what a shame will it be not to follow him now sitting at the right hand of God in the heauen of heauens a Lord of Lords higher then the highest a King of glorie rich vnto all that call vpon him able to doe for his followers exceeding abundantly aboue all that they can aske or thinke These followed him in Bodie being conuersant with him and witnesses of all hee did and said Minde for nothing could separate them from the loue of Christ. Life learning of him to bee meeke and mercifull as he was mercifull exhorting their auditors to be followers of them as they were followers of Christ. Death for as he suffred on the Crosse to make their peace so Peter and Andrew were crucified and Iames slaine with the sword in his quarrell and Iohn as wee finde in Ecclesiasticall historie was by the commandement of the tyrant Domitian cast in feruent is olei dolium or as other solium into a vessell or bath of hot boiling oile from which he was notwithstanding by Gods hand deliuered miraculously without any hurt Though happily neuer occasion shall be giuen vs to die for the Lord yet let vs so follow him in our liues and in our loues as that we may die in the Lord. Let vs mortifie our earthly members our feet that we stand not in the way of sinners our eies that wee may not delight in vanities or wantonly behold a woman our hands that we may labour and worke the thing which is good our mouth that it bee not full of cursing and bitternesse our hearts that they be not exercised with auarice that forsaking our selues to follow him only which is our saluation as we suffer with him euen so wee may be glorified together with him Amen Almightie God which didst giue such grace vnto thy holy Apostle S. Andrew that hee readily obeied the calling of thy sonne Iesus Christ and followed him without delay grant vnto vs all that wee being called by thy holy word may foorthwith giue ouer our selues obediently to follow thy holy commandements through the same Iesus Christ our Lord. The Epistle EPHES. 2.19 Now are ye not strangers nor forreiners but citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God c. THis Epistle sets down the most happy condition of all such as truly beleeue 1. Priuatiuely shewing what they are not in the 19. verse Now are yee not strangers nor forreiners 2. Positiuely describing in the rest of the text what they are namely Gods Citie House Temple Of which heauenly building the Materials are liuely stones all Gods elect built together to be an habitation of God Foundation is Iesus Christ himselfe Builders Apostles and Prophets Properties are to be built together c. answering the three properties of the Church in the Creed Holy a temple of the Lord an habitation of God Catholique all the building c. knit in a communion coupled together and built together Now ye are not strangers As Augustine said it is one thing to walke in the law another thing to liue vnder the law so likewise there is difference between being in grace and vnder grace Many men in our time who receiue the Gospell of God in vaine liue vnder grace but not in grace many Prophets and holy Fathers in old time liued in grace but not vnder grace For properly to liue vnder grâ—ce is opposed vnto the state of the law to liue in grace is opposed vnto the state of sinne The men of Ephesus and other Gentiles in time past vnbeleeuing were neither in grace nor vnder grace not in grace for in walking according to the
que creata sâ—nt non pervenires 〈◊〉 pâ—r quem facta sunt omnie For as an Eagle so Iohn remaineth vpon the top of the rocke and tower from thence hâ—e spieth his meate and his eyes behold a farre off He was aptly called the sonne of thunder for in saying in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God hee seemes to speake not words but wonders yea thunders as Ardens excellently filius tontruiest qui loquitur tenitruum est quod loquitur a preamble so strange and stately that some Christians in olde time which had happily zeale but not according to knowledge hung it about their necke as an amulet or as other as a Symbole to distinguish them from Arâ—ans And a certaine Plâ—tonist as Augustine reports in lib. 10. de ciuitate dei cap. 29. reading this one line said it was worthy to be written in letters of gold and to be represented in the most eminent places of all Churches in the world In the text allotted for this day two points are remarkable 1. What Christ is in himselfe God In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God c. Man the same word became flesh and dwelt among vs c. 2. What Christ is vnto vs openly reuealed by the witnesse of Iohn the Baptist and his owne dwelling among vs in the world to be 1. Our Creator ad esse for all things were made by him 2. Our preseruer in esse for he is our life vpholding all things in their being 3. Our Redeemer in bene esse for he gaue power to them that beleeue in his name to bee the sonnes of God In the beginning The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is potestatiuum as well as ordinatiuum in which acception higher powers especially Princes are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so some take this in principio to be nothing else but in principatu because Christ the word hath vpon his garment and vpon his thigh a name written The King of Kings and Lord of Lords Apoc. 19.16 Origen Cyril Augustine Gregor Nyssen and many moe construe it thus in the beginning that is in the Father according to that of the Schoole Pater est principium sine principio silius est principium de principio The Father is of none the Sonne is of the Father alone not made nor created but begotten Beleeue mee saith our blessed Sauiour that I am in the Father and the Father in me Iohn 14.11 I am in the Father as the riuer in the fountaine the Father in me as in his ingraued image Heb. 1.3 God the Sonne then is de principio principium as lumen de lumine lighâ— of light and very God of very God Other expound in the beginning of eternitie for the word being the true Melchisedec is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hauing neither bâ—ginning of daies nor end of life Heb. 7.3 The Lord saith he hath possessed me in the beginning of his way I was before his workes of old when there were no depths I was begotten when he prepared the heauens I was there when he gaue his decree to the sea that the water should not passe his commandement then was I with him c. Insinuating that he was in the beginning without any beginning in a time when there was no measured time Principio rutih cùm nondum luminâ— coeli Et nondum grauides extarent lumina terris I am tum patris er at sanctain venerabile verbum Other vnderstand by beginning the beginning of the world as if our Euangelist had said in the beginning when all things were made the word was and therefore not made but all things on the contrarie were made by it and without it was made nothing that was made The creatures are from the beginning but Christ who made the world was in the beginning before there was a beginning This exposition is agreeable to the plaine words as also most answerable to S. Iohns intent For if hee penned his Gospell as the Fathers haue noted against Eâ—ion and Corinthus he confounds them in one word and that the very first in principio for that had no beginning which was in the beginning Ergo Christ had not his first being from his mother Mary nam quod ante omnia erat semper erat quoth Augustine hee was alwaies who was before all workes Was. It is probable that Saint Iohn in this exordium alludes per antithesin vnto Moses preface Genes 1. In the beginning God created heauen c. hereby shewing the difference betweene the Creator and the creature For whereas Moses wrote in the beginning God made heauen and earth and all that in them is our Euangelist on the contrary saith in the beginning was the word not in the beginning God made the word Insinuating that the word had his being already when other creatures of what sort soeuer had but their beginning And here diuines haue distinguished acutely between fuit and erat affirming that fuit imports a thing that once was and is not now so Scaliger in his Motto suimus Troes whereas erat implyeth eternitie which was and which is and which is to come Apocal. 4.8 Saint Ambrose notes excellently that this one verbe erat is repeated heere foure times in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and that word was God the same was in the beginning c. Erat erat erat erat vbi impius invenit quod non erat The word He saith not in the beginning was the son lest his reader should dreame of a carnaâ— generation but in the beginning was the word Holy Scriptures or speeches of the Prophets and Apostles vttered by Gods appointment for the reuealing of his diuine will towards man are called Gods word but to distinguish God the Son from these words hee is termed after a more eminent sort 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word or that excellent word from whom euery diuine truth issueth and in whom are hid all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge Coloss. 2.3 Christ is not a vocall word verbum eò quod verberato aâ—re plectroque linguae formetur for hee was in the beginning before there was any sound or aire But Christ is the mentall and substantiall word of hiâ— father verbum non sonus auribus strepens sed imago mentibus innotesceus As our Epistle for this day doth vnfold the Gospell the brightnesse of his glory and expresse image of his person 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ipse paterni pectoris essigies lumenque à lumine vero And the word was with God Concerning the diuerse significations of the preposition apud I referre you to Thomas Beauxamis and Maldonat in their commentaries vpon this text It imports here
vexed with all these kindes of cruelties as S. Steuen on this day They gnashed at him with their teeth Act. 7.54 and scourged him with their tongues suborning men which said we haue heard him speake blasphemous words against Moses and God Act. 6.11 They brought him to the Councell and cast him out of the Citie They persecuted him in words disputing against him and in deed despighting him vntill in fine they stoned this holy Prophet sent vnto them In a word they made such hauocke of the Church as that the messengers of God complained out of the bitternesse of their spirit For thy sake are wee killed all the day long and are counted as sheepe appointed to be slaine Sanguine fundata est ecclesia sanguine creuit Sanguine decresâ—it sanguine finis erit Yet for all this let no Preacher or professor discourage himselfe for S. Steuen in the middest of his afflictions as it is recorded in this daies Epistle saw the heauens open and Iesus standing at the right hand of God It is said in the Creed that Christ sitteth at the right hand of God but when his faithfull seruant Steuâ—n was martyred hee was standing Now then if Christ stand with vs who can withstand vs happily we may weepe for a time but all teares shall be wiped away from our eies the Father of mercies and God of all comfort shall assist vs in our tribulation so gratiously that aâ— the sufferings of Christ abound in vs euen so our consolation shall abound through Christ. 2 Cor. â— 3.5 Mystically heretick scourge Catholicks with their venomous tongues by labouring to thrust them out of their holds built vpon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostle into new found habitations raised vpon the sands of humane philosophie what doe they but persecute them as it were from Citie to Citie The Pagans first and the Papists afterward did actually kill and crucifie and scourge and persecute the Saints of God in this Iland as well Abel as Zachary that is the laymen and the Clergie the lowest of the people so well as the highest of the Priests And albeit in our time wee need not happily feare their murthering yet wee still feele their murmuring against vs. And with them are ioyned another generation of Vipers I meane the schismaticall brood whipping vs in their words and scourging vs in their writings according to their will and wit hourely killing the Prophets and stoning such as are sent vnto them For whereas there be two kinds of death one naturall another ciuill If any discredit the good life or discountenance the sound doctrine of his Pastor by raising false tales and suborning false witnesses against him as the Iewes against Steuen what doth hee but ciuilly or rather indeed vnciuilly like a Iew murther his Preacher And such a Minister as patiently beares these wrongs and suffers these dilapidations in his credit is a very Steuen a meere Martyr For as Gregory notes there bee three kinds of martyrdome without any shedding of blood 1. To be patient in our owne misery 2. To bee compassionate in anothers aduersitie 3. To loue our enemies hartily Thus in the second part of our text also touching ingentia peccatae the Iewes and English are parallels That vpon you may come all the righteous blood which hath been shed vpon earth from the blood of the righteous Abel vnto the blood of Zacharias Here two questions are moued First who was this Zacharias Secondly how all the righteous bloud shed vpon earth is required of this generation Concerning the first it is thought by some that this Zacharias is that Zacharie numbred among the twelue lesser Prophets in that his fathers name well agrees with this historie But that opinion is censured as improbable because the Scripture saith not any where that this Prophet was slaine between the Temple and the altar Other affirme that this Zacharias is the father of Iohn the Baptist mentioned Luk. â— 5 of whom it is reported by tradition that the Iewes â—lew him betweene the Temple and the Altar for that as hee was a Priest he did ranke Mary the mother of Christ after she had conceiued and brought forth her sonne with vnspotted Virgins in the Temple But saith Hierom◠〈…〉 de scripturis non habet 〈◊〉 â—oâ—itatem eadem facilitate câ—â—temnitur quâ— probatur Other hold that this Zacharias is that zealou Zacharias the sonne of Iehoâ—ada who for that hee did openly rebuke the Iewes for their abominable Idolatrie was stoned by them in the court of the house of the Lord 2. Chro. 24.21 Neither is their any contradiction between the sonne of Barachâ—as and the sonne of 〈◊〉 seeing Iehoâ—â—â—a might haue two names or else called Barâ—chiâ—â— in the Hebrew signifying blessed of the Lord because 〈◊〉 the Priest had done good in Israel and toward God and his house For mine owne part I coniecture that this Zacharias is hee who was martyred at the beginning of the siege of Ierusalem in the daies of Vespasian the Romane Emperour For the story saith expresly that he was the sonne of Baruch or â—arachias and that hee was slaine by the Iewes in the miâ—â—est of the Temple The clause whom yee 〈◊〉 serueâ— to crosse this exposition a little but it is auoided easily because Christ here speaking prophetically reports that to be done which was yet to come This interpretation of all the rest amplifieth most as well the sinne as the punishment of the Iewes in that all the righteous blood from the first Martyr among them vnto the last euen from 〈◊〉 vnto 〈◊〉 while theâ— City was 〈◊〉 is laid vnto their chaâ—ge Touching the second doubt wee read in holy Bible that there be two generations one good another bad a blessed generation of the faithful eâ—en of such as feare God and a generation of 〈◊〉 as Christ in thiâ— present chapter As then the generation of such as obey their ouerseers and kisse the feet of such as bring glad tidings of peace shall receiue the reward of a Prophet euen so the generation of such as kill the Prophets and â—one such as are sent vnto them if they fulfill the measure of their fathers sinne they shall haue their portion and proportion in their fathers punishment also For albeit the sonne shall not beare the iniquitie of the father neither shall the father beare the iniquitie of the sonne yet if the sonneâ— are partners with their parents in imitation the children of such as murthered the Prophets as the Iewes were the sons of Cain in slaying the righteous Abels If Cain and all the bloudy Iewes aâ— well after as vnder the Law make the same generation vnited in fact and faction it is in God very good iustice that all the righteous bloud shed from the foundation of the world should be required of this generation For he who
of the sunne dasleth our eyes if they gaze too much vpon it euen so the Diuine Maiestie dwelling in the light which no man can approach vnto confoundeth all such as curiously pry too much into it according to that of Salomon in the vulgar latine qus serutator est maiestatis epprsmetur à gloria But God is called here light as expelling all darknesse of sin ignorance being in himselfe pure sinceâ—e righteous in al his waies holy in al his works Our Apostle then argueth against hypocrites and tale gospellers often and openly boasting of their Communion with God à natura Des from the properties of God after this sort God is light Ergo none can haue fellowship with him except they walke in the light If we say we haue communion with him and walke in darknesse we lie and doe not the truth Our wilfull ignorance and sinnes vnrepented are called in holy Scripture darknesse as hauing their beginning from Satan the Prince of darknesse and their end in hell which is the pit of darknesse and therefore though hypocrites out-mouth as it were true Christians in bragging of their familiaritie with God and his Sonne yet the truth is as long as they walke in darknes it is impossible they should be children of God for in him is no darknesse nor so much as a shadow Iam. 1.17 What communion hath light with darknesse or what concord hath Christ with Belial or what fellowship hath righteousnesse with vnrighteousnesse God is without wickednesse himselfe and hateth all manner of wickednesse in other according to that of the Prophet in the fifth Psalme Thou art the God that hath no pleasure in wickednesse neither shall any euill dwell with thee Such as be foolish shall not stand in thy sight for thou hatest all them that worke vanitie Thou shalt destroy them that speake leasing the Lord will abhorre both the bloudthirstie and deceitfull man I conclude this point in the words of our Apostle Little children let no man deceiue you he that doth righteousnesse is righteous It is not sufficient to say that hee is righteous for if wee say we haue fellowship with God and walke in darkenesse we lie and doe not the truth that is we lie to our selues and doe not the truth vnto other because they be missed through our example mentimur commissione ver itatem non facimus omissione If we walke in the light An argument from the effect to the cause for our studiousnesse to walke in the light and to doe good in our caliings is not the cause of our fellowship with God and of the remission of our sinne by the bloud of Iesus Christ his sonne but an effect or consequent It is a signe that we are the sonnes of God if wee bee followers of God as deare children if wee walke in the light euen as he is light It is a seale to my soule that the bloud of Christ hath purged mee from all sinne if I doe but hunger and thirst after righteousnesse if I feele but an vnsained desire to put off the workes of darknesse and to put on Gods armour of light I know that I shall sinne still as long as I carrie this flesh about me for if we say we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues and the truth is not in vs but I am sure so long as I walke in the light that I shall not commit any sinne which is impardonable so long as I haue communion with God I cannot commit the sinne against the holy Ghost as long as I am in Christ his bloud elâ—◠〈◊〉 me from all sinne from all sinne originall and actuall à culp 1 pun 1 from the fault and from the paine due to the same From all sinne not only committed before baptisme but also from all sinne committed of frailtie since baptisme For as Cardinall Caâ—etan notes impiuâ—â— est dâ—mâ— learn â— Deo per are veniam and therefore Poâ—ish satisfactions either by workes done or paines suffered in this life or in purgatorie after this life to purgemen of their sinnes haue no firme ground in Gods holy word they be works of supererogation or if you will happily workes of superarrogation It is not said here the blood of Christ hath cleansed in time past or wâ—â— cleanse in time to come but in the present it cleanseth Hereby signifying that it daily purgeth all the sinnes of all such as truly beleeue who walke in the light and haue felowship with God If we say we haue no sinne Some say let vs continue still in sinne that grace may abound seeing the bloud of Christ cleanseth vs from all sinne let vs walke in darknesse working all vncleannesse euen with greedinesse Other on the contrary side say we haue no sinne whose puritane pride S. Iohn opposeth heere shewing plainly that the Caâ—hari both iniurie God and deceiue themselues in aâ—firming that they he without any sinne they wrong God because so much as in them is they make God a lier and his truth a lie for his word expresly concludeth all vnder sinne Rom. 3.9 Galath 3.22 reporting that all men haue gone astray like lost sheepe Esay 53.6 And that there is none that doth good no not one Psal. 14.2 In many things all offend and who can say mine heart is cleane Prou. 20.9 It is true that our Apostle saith in the third chapter of this Epistle vers 9. Whosoeuer is borne of God sinneth not that is the regenerate man as hee is regenerate sinnes not obstinately with a plenarie consent he suffers not sinne to raigne in him as it is in our text he walkes not in darknesse yet he may stumble yea sometime fall through infirmitie while he walketh in the light and therefore such as auow that they haue no sin giue the lie to God and the truth is not in them that is God who is truth is not in them and the reason hereof is euident because God resisteth the proud Iam. 4.6 and so neither God nor his word is in them as Aquine pithily neither Christ his eternall word nor the Scripture his created word dwelleth in them Againe Puritans who say wee haue no sinne deceiue themselues according to that of Paul If any man seeme to himselfe that he is somewhat when he is nothing he deceiueth himselfe in his imagination or they deceiue themselues because Christ easeth onely such as feele their heauie load and groane vnder the burthen of their sins and therefore the true Christian as our Apostle teacheth here first makes a confession and then he seekes for an absolution In confession obserue these circumstances 1. Who we 2. What sinnes and our sinnes 3. To whom to God If we acknowledge our sins he is faithfull c. 4. How acknowledge and say In absolution 1. Of whom an absolution is to bee got of God for his
Wâ—â—â— thou wast rouâ—â— thou girdeast thy selfe and walke liâ— who here 〈◊〉 That is when thou wast a yâ— angling in faith and diddest gird thy selfe with thine owne strength it was thy follie to thinke that thou couldest 〈◊〉 me whither I went and therefore by denying me thrice thou diddest proue my words to be true Weâ—ther I â—e thou canst not sodow me now but when thou shalt be old thou shalt stretch forth thine hands and another shall gird thee c. that is when thou shalt feele thine owne weaknesse and grow strong in the Lord my other saying also shall be found true Thou shalt follow â—â—ce afterwards I therefore now command thee Peter againe and againe follow mee whither I â—â—â— But Peter as it may seene neglecting this charge concerning himselfe but of a curious humour enquites after the doing and dying of other saying vnto Iesus Lord what shall we here â—â—â— to whom his matter answered And â—â—â— haue him to 〈◊〉 I come what is that to 〈…〉 Teaching vs hereby to follow him in the same calling and in the same way that hee doth appoint It is not said examine others imploiment but see your owne calling 〈◊〉 let euery man abide in the some calling wherein he was called walking in his vocation worthily studying to be quiet and to meddle with his owne businesse 1 Thess. 4.11 The which apostolicall apophthegme being a parallel vnto the words of Christ here what is that to thee follow thou mee may serue to direct vs in all matters of this life Whether they be Theologicall Concerning God Whether they be Ecclesiasticall Concerning The Church Whether they be Politicall Concerning Common-weale Whether they be Morall Concerning Our neighbours friends Whether they be Occonomicall Concerning Our priuate familie Whether they be Monasticall Concerning Our single selues In matters appertayning to God it teacheth vs not bee curious inquisitors after the secrets of his will vnknowne for what is that to thee but to keepe the words of his Law doing his will which is knowne for of this onely Christ speakes here follow thou mee The secret things belong to the Lord our God but the things reuealed belong to vs and to our children for euer In affaires of the Church it sheweth how the good sheepheard should spend his life for the benefit of the flocke committed vnto his charge Peter follow mee forbidding Vzzab to put his hand to the arke of God recalling the Lacke not onely from incroaching vpon the Clergie mans benefice but also from intruding into the Clergie mans office for what is that to thee In businesse of the Common-wealth it correcteth oâ—ercurious Euesdroppers of State for what is that to thee Teaching vs to giue the things of Casar vnto Caesar honour to whom honour custome to whom custome tribute to whom tribute though as Christ Mat. 17.27 wee fish for money for in performing this office like wise Iesus said vnto Peter follow thou mee The soole saith Salomon will euer be medling but hee that iwise will not walke in magris mirabilibus in great affaires and such as are too high and huge for him hee plots not how to dispose of the Scepter but possessing his soule in patience desires the Scepter should rightly dispose of him as being assured that Princes are the ministers of God euen fingers of that great hand that gouerns all the world In morall offices or duties of charity between neighbour and neighbour it inhibits thee to be a busie body or as Peter speakes a busie Bishop in another mans diocesse for what is that to thee aduising on the contrarie to doe good vnto all vnto such as are of the houshold of faith especially For in this respect Christ Iesus our great patrone and patterne speakes vnto all as to Peter here follow me Learne of me to be humble and meeke walking in loue euen as I haue loued you giuing my selfe for you to bean offering and a sacrifice of a sweet smelling sauour to God in all other businesse appertayning either to the priuate house or single selfe the counsell is wholesome res 〈◊〉 age plough in thine owne ground fish in thine owne boat looke to thy selfe ouerlooke not other vnlesse they bee such as are committed vnto thy proper charge For in this exempt case Christ expects not of Peteâ— aâ—tendance to the former clause what is that to thee but obedience to the latter onely follow thou mee Then went this saying among the brethren that that Disciple should not 〈◊〉 Hence wee may leaâ—ne to take good heede how â—ereid and heare holy Scripture For by misconthing the words of our Sauiour many false rumours are spread among the brethren If the Disciples easily were deceiued how much more wee Let vs imbrace therefore those things which are cleare and such things as are spoken darkly let vs conferre with pâ—ainer places alway calling vpon God to giue vs the key of true knowledge that wee may dâ—scerne the thingâ— of his spirit The Disciples here made that an absolute affirmatiue which indeed is but a conditionall proposition If I will haue him to tarry c. not I will haue him to tarry For wee may not reade as the vulgar Latine corruptly sic cum volo manere but si cum volo manere Againe Iesus said not hee shall not die but if I will that hee tarry till I come what is that to thee In this correction of the Disciples errour obserue first S. Iohns ingenuitie who would not suffer a false report to be spread among the brethren though it were for his honour Secondly that it is not alway safe to follow the most in all things one Iohn here is opposite to the rest of his companie one Lot opposite to the rest of his Citie one Luther opposite to the rest of his country one Noah opposite to the whole world Thirdly wee may learne by this example to bee diligent and patient in reuoking all such things as haue been mistaken either in our words or writings Augustine hath his retractations Bellarmine his recognitions Baronius his Emendanda the Disciples here their Errata sic corrige This saying went among the brethren c. yet Iesus said not hee shall not die c. The Disciple whom Iesus loued The word by whom all things were made loues all that he made Yet men more then vnreasonable creatures and his Saints more then other men and his chosen Apostle more then other Saints and Iohn more then other of his Apostle He loued all his Disciple as the Father hath loued mee 〈◊〉 haue I loued you continue in my loue Iohn 15.9 But hâ— loue to Iohn as the schoole speakes was greater â—xtensiue though not intensiue shewing more signes of familiaritie to Iohn then to the rest of his company For whereas Iohn the Baptist held himselfe not worthy to beare
shewes to bee most excellent in regard of Himselfe Vnto mee the least of all Saints is this grace giuen Other God Vnsearchable riches of Christ â—idde in God c. Angels Vnto rulers and powers in heauenly things c. Men to make all mensee what the fellow shippe of the mystery is and that by Christ wee might haue boldnesse c. The summe of all which is seeing I haue receiued so much good and endured so much euill for your sake seeing the great mystery concerning the common saluation as S. Iude speakes in his Epistle was not in times past opened vnto the ionnes of men on earth or to the blessed Angels in heauen as it is now declared by the spirit seeing I say yee may see what is the fellowshippe of the mysterie which euen from the beginning hath 〈◊〉 hid in God I desire you not to faint in your course but to continue stedfast in the profession of this holy faith vnto your liues end For this cause Some Diuines haue troubled themselues and other in examining the context heere but it is among words as among men affinnity which is neerest ought to be dearest and therefore seeing the first words of this chapter agree very well with the last of the former I take the coherence to b◠〈◊〉 â—â—uer preached that you Gentile in 〈…〉 〈…〉 are noâ— citizens with the Saints 〈◊〉 together in Christ the châ—â—â— corner stone to be the 〈…〉 And for th◠〈◊〉 namely for that I have together that you Gentiles are 〈…〉 I 〈◊〉 hated of my countrimen accused in their Synagogue 〈◊〉 â—â— their councels iniured by their offâ—cer◠〈…〉 appeale to Casar I was sent to 〈◊〉 where I am apâ—â—â—â—er as you may reade at large in the fast eight chapâ—â— of the Acts of the Apostles A priâ—â—ner of Iesus Câ—râ—â— He was the prisoner of Caâ—ar but Caesâ— had his authoritie from aboue for there is no power but of God Whoâ—oeuer then is in prison is â—â—â—tâ—s Ieâ—u Christs though otherwise libâ—â—â—â—â—eâ—u Christs suffering by Gods power and permittance â—ho can whâ—n he wâ—ll and will as shall make moâ—t for â—â— glorie proclame libâ—rtie to the captues and oâ—â—niâ—g â—â— the prison vnto them that are â—â—â—â—d Or he was â—â—e priâ—oâ—eâ— Châ—â—â—â— as enduring his â—ond for Christs faith and seruice Vâ—â—â—â—s noâ—â— Chrs to â—eâ—pro Christo. Namely for preaching among the Gentiles the eâ—searchable â—â—hes of Chrâ—st as it is in the S. verse So that whereas two thing especially commend a Maâ—tyr saith in Christ and loâ—e to the Church boâ—h are meâ— in the Apostle Hee suffeâ—ed for the true faith a pâ—iâ—onâ—r of Ieâ—â—s Christ and out of vnfained loue to Godâ— people Fâ—r â—â—u Gentiles as it iâ— in the hitteenâ—h verse â—or your sakeâ— euen for your good and example thaâ— yee likewise may conâ—â—nue conâ—tant in the sincere pâ—â—feâ—â—ion of Christianitie Fâ—â—â—â—â—◠〈…〉 is your glorie that ye hâ—â—e such â—n inâ—truâ—tor as is Christâ—n â—n boâ—d noâ— for any faction of yourâ— or fault of his oâ—ne but â—â—r confeâ—ence toâ—â—â—d God euen for the â—â—â—irâ—â—â—n â—f the grâ—â—e whâ—â—h â—s â—â—â—en â—ee to you-ward See Epistle Sâ—nday 16. after Trinitie Hitherto concerning the griefe which our Apostle suffered in Christs cause for the Gentiles I come now to treate of the grace which he receiued In respect of his knowledge being Certaine By reuelation shewed he the mysterie to me Full euen so perfectly reuealed that in a few words you may read and vnderstand â—y knowledge in the mysterie of Christ. Excellent which in other ages was not made knowne vnto the sonnes of men as it is now declared c. Practise whereof I am made a Minister according to the gift of the grace of God which is giuen vnto me c. If you haue heard of the ministration of the grace The calling of ' aul to be the Doctor of the Gentiles as it was knowne vnto himselfe by reuelation so to them by report If yee haue heard c. As if he should haue said if ye doubt not of my calling ye may be well assured of my doctrine But ye cannot doubt of my calling as hauing often heard how Christ in a vision appeared to me saying Saul Saul why persecutest thou me And when I had answered Lord what wilâ— thou haue mee to doe Iesus told Ananiâ—â—s in another vision Hee is a chosen vessell vnto mee to beare my name before the Gentiles and Kings and the children of Israel And so God separated mee from my mothers wombe and called me by his grace to reueale his sonne among the Gentiles as the Gospell ouer the circumcision was committed to Peter so the Gospell ouer the vncircumcision was committed vnto me being an Apostle not of men or by man Galat. 1.1 Or after man Gal. 1.11 but the ministration of Gods grace was giuen vnto me by the reuelation of Iesus Christ. The word mimstration or dispensation may bee construed either passiuely being a grace giuen and dispensed to Paul or actiuely for that Paul was dispenser of it vnto other 1. Cor 4.1 Let a man so thinke of vs as of the ministers of Christ and disposers if the secrets of God His office then is called a dispensation For that it consisteth in the dispensing of Christs vnsearchable riches And the Gospell is called here Gods grace for that it is faithfully deliuered and fruitfully receiued nor by mans merit but onely through Gods free grace Preaching in the teacher and beleeuing in the hearer are both the faire gifts of God Or the Gospell is called Gods grace because the summe thereof is nothing else but the preaching of Gods exceeding rich mercies in Christ intimating that our iustification is not by the workes of the Law but freely by grace through faith As I wrote afore in few words I finde that some construe this of that which is written in other Epistles vnto other men as to Philemon and other Churches as to that of Colossus and Philippi Marlorat is of opinion that our Apostle wrote another Epistle though it bee not extant vnto the Church of Ephesus Other referre this clause to that which is deliuered in this present Epistle to wit vnto that which is sayd in the two former chapters Or to that in chap. 1. vers 9. or chap. 2. vers 14. He is our peace which hath made of both one and hath broken the step of the partition wall In this little briefe is contained all that great mysterie which in times past was not opened vnto the sonnes of men as it is now declared by the spirit that the Gentiles should bee fellow heires and of the same body and partakers of the same promise in Christ by the Gospell Which mysterie in times past was not opened vnto the sonnes of men This verse cannot easily bee digested as one sayd without a graine of
vnto the sonne of men as it is now declared by the spirit Read ser. 2.4.6 7 of Augustine de Epiphania Dom. And herein appeares the goodnesse and vnsearchable riches of Christ in that he manifested himselfe to the shepheards albeit ignorant and to the Wise-men 〈◊〉 impious In rusâ—â—citate pastorum imperitia praeualet in sacrilâ—gâ— imagorum impietas and yet he who chose the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance appeared vpon Christmas day to shepheards and on this day to wise but wicked Astrologers Vt nullus magnus 〈◊〉 nullu infirmâ—u desperaret as Augustine and Aquine sweetly To Ierusalem As to the Citie of God acquainted with the diuine oracles hauing Moses and the Prophets which witnesse of the Messias And here they did learnâ— that Christ should be borne at Bethlehem in Iurie for 〈◊〉 it is written by the Prophet and thou Bethlehem in the land of Iurie are not the least among the Princes of Iuda for out of thee shall come vnto me the Captaine that shall gouerne my people Israel And so hauing the light of Gods holy word added to the starre they went on their iourney with cheerefulnesse vntill they came to the place where the childe was Or to the Scribes and Pharisies at Ierusalem to condemne their â—â—â—ggishnesse and carnalitie who standing hard by saw not so much as they who came from farre Verâ—â—s ill minat magus insiâ—â—litas obâ—â—â—at magistros Carnales 〈…〉 quod 〈…〉 veâ— 1. quod oftendet vâ—â—tur paginis quarum non ere dis eloquâ—â— In which respect Augustine compared the Iewish Doctors vnto stenes erected in common passages that teach other how to walke in the right way but themselues stand still And he 〈◊〉 vs vpon bowed knees intreat the Father of mercies and God of all grace so to lighten our darke vndeâ—â—â—â—â—ng with his heauenly starâ—e that wee may 〈◊〉 and spiritually discâ—â—ne the things of the Scriptures 〈◊〉 the Lord as Augustine prophecied a great while 〈◊〉 four our 〈…〉 and carnalitie take his word from vs Christians as hee did his kingdome from the Iewes and giue it to such as wee thinke to bee most alien from God and his Gospell Examine the cited passages and passions of that holy Father againe and againe Decies repetita placebunt and then in thy serious meditations apply them vnto the present Romish Synagogue and thou shalt easily find that the Protestants estate in respect of the Papists is very like to this of the Wise men in respect of the Iewes For as the Iewes euer boasted of the Temple so the Papists of the Church as the Iewes and onely the Iewes in times past had Gods Law so the Papists in latter ages and if you will beleeue themselues onely the Papists imbrace the Catholike faith As the Iewes were magnificent in their Ceremonies euen so the Papists exceeding glorious in their ornaments orders outsides of the Church And yet such as are Wise-men and haue wit to count the number of the Beast know that Antichrists seate is the Romane sea Hee whose pencill is not inferiour to many standing in so fit a place as any to take Romes picture portrayeth her thus Roma in Hebrew Signifieth Height Roma in Greeke Signifieth Strength Roma in Latine Signifieth Loue if it bee read backward Roma in English Signifieth Roome or place Foure tongues like trumpets Rome doe sound thy name In Hebrew thou art Height in Greeke a power And Loue in Latine speech-and Place in our Foure squares of hundred yeeres doe sit the same The first in Height exalted Christ his name The next in Strength augmented worldly power The third Gods loue cast Backward on thy flowre The fourth in empty place hath shewed thy shame And now foure waies thou wouldest fall conceale With Scriptures vpper Height and strength of schooles And forme of Zeale and Rome the head of fooles The Height mants ground to reason truth to zeale Sâ—â—ente and Roome cone cyueth 〈◊〉 no grace Thy height of strength is backward loue of place We haue seen his sâ—arre Cardinal Abacus and Albertus haue written that these Wise men endowed with extraordinary skill in Astrologie might foreknow the time when our blessed Sauiour should be borne by the position of starres and constitution of the planets But this assertion is vtterly condemned by S. Augustine and other holy Fathers of the Church as you may finde in Beauxanis Har. Tom. 1. fol. 60.61 Sixt. sinen bibliothec lib. 6. annot 10. It is apparent that this starre was not ordinarie but in many properties especially three differing from all other in the skie to wit In Place for it could not haue shewed the direct way to such as trauelled by it vnlesse it had been in the lowest region of the aire Mouing for it moued not circle wise but went right forward as a guide of the way none otherwise then the cloud and piller of fire went before the people of Israel at their going out of Egypt Brightnesse for whereas other starres appeare to shine by night onely this gaue light euen in the broad day Hac stella quae solis votam Vinest decore ac lmiue Gregorie Nissen and Aquine thinke that it was a new hure created onely for this purpose Theophylact and â—uthymiue that it was an Angel or fome other heauenly power appearing not in the nature but in the figure of a starre S. Augustine saith it was manifica liagaacali the stately tongue of heauen Other coniecture that it was the holy ghost appearing in the likenesse of a starre at Christs birth as in the likenesse of a Doue at Christs baptisme For as Baronius out of the great opinion of his owne reading is bold to write all the Fathers agree that these Magi were lead to Christ here by an inward light of the spirit so well as with an outward light in the skies Agente hoe sine dubio in corum cordibus inspinui we drâ—ina vt costantae vâ—sionis mysterium non laterei quod oculic estendebatur insolitum animis non set obsceromâ— And therefore when they found the babe Iesus in a seely cottage they were not any whit discouraged at his contemptible pouertie but instantly they saw non terra portante sed caelo narrante magnum aliquid in parne latere that this little childe was a great King yet a great God and a great King aboue all Gods And hereapon aâ— followeth in our text They fell doâ—â— slat and worshipped him and opened their treasures and offered vnto him gifts gold frankincense myrrhe That is as Augustine glosseth A dorant corporious honorant mu neribus venerantur officijs oculis hominem vident deum abseguijs consiuentur Christ as being the word in the beginning by whom all things were made bestowed on these Wise-men euery good
they beget children vnto God and not to themselues or Satan and therfore they must bee forward in bringing their children to holy Baptisme as Ioseph and Mary were in presenting Christ consecrating them in their infancie to God that afterward they may serue him in holinesse and righteousnesse all the daies of their life that the ground may bring forth fruit in due time you must haue both a good feedsman and good seed in education of children a good instructor is the seedsman and good discipline the seed For as base sluggishnes corrupts the best nature so liberal instruction is able to correct â—he worst Inuidus iracundus iners vinosius amator Nemo adeo ferus est vt non 〈…〉 Si modo cultarâ— patientem coâ—modit aurem It is reported of Sulpho Megareus a great Philosopher in his age that hee was exceedingly giuen by nature to women and wine but hee so â—amed his vnbridled affections by good discipline vinemo vnquam 〈…〉 Now for as much as children are taught more by patterne then by precept by that they see men doe rather then by that they heare men say parents ought in their priuate families especially to be lights and ensamples in all holinesse and honestie For as it is in the prouerbe 〈…〉 the colt will not amble You desire that your children may haue strength and beautie yet both are suddenly consumed either through ache or age You purchase titles of honour for your posterity yet blood corrupted by treason or felonie cannot bee restored againe by the Kings bare grant without authoritie of Parliament You rise vp early and goe to bed late that you may leaue wealth enough vnto your babes and yet one sparke of fire may deuoure all their houses and one quirke of law carry from them all their lands at a trice Manners onely makes a man if thou shalt afford thy sonne religious and ingenuous education it will euer sticke by him among all the changes and chances of this mortall life no sicknes can blast this beautie no malice blot out this honour no fire consume this tenement no law wrest this inheritance from him It will bee his comfort vntill he die that you brought him vp in instruction and information of the Lord. 〈…〉 his age because they performed onely that kind of deuotion which is without cost as to pray for fashion and to saâ—t out of miserie but they would not afford one halfpenie to the poore So many men in our daies are content to heare Gods holy word read and preached with their elbowes on a cushion and hats on their heades and if need bee they will also make bitter inuectiues against Atheisme and Poperie but if the parish impose but an ordinarie charge toward the repairing of the Church or the Pastour require but accuâ—â—omed offrings for his necessary maintenance you shall haue them as the bulrush in a wet place so drie that an oblation is as hardly got from them as a sword from a souldiour or a new coat from a child Mary did offer according to her estate for whereas the law requireth of the rich a lambe but of the poâ—re two turtles or two young pigeons it is said heere that shee brought the poores offring And therefore the Papists vsually painting her in exceeding rich attire and in making her a great Ladie of stately port feed the peoples eyes with bables their eares with fables for to make theÌ„selues in this case Iudges of themselues it is not our obseruation onely but also their owne collection in their postils and sermons vpon this scripture Nay their famous Iesuite Maldonate doth affirme that all expositors haue this glosse further adding out of his owne coniecture that Marie did not offer two Turtles but two young pigeons quia saâ—lius reperiri quia minore pretio 〈◊〉 potucrum because young Pigeons are prouided more easily both in respect of paines and price Here then is matter of comfort for the poore of feare for the rich of instruction for all Of comfort against pouerty because the Lord of Lords hauing all things at his command vouchsafed to bee borne of a poore Virgin according to that of Paul he being rich for â—â—r sakes became poore that wee through his pouertie might be made rich Of scare for the wealthie because Mary descending of a noble line yea from princely loynes is said heere to bee so beggerly that shee was not able to buy a lambe for her offering It is the fashion of great men as the Prophet complained in his time to lay field to field and to ioyne house to house calling their lands after their owne names entailing their estate to childrens children making â—t as the lawyers speake a perpetuitie But one generation passeth and another generation succeedeth hee that is higher then the highest often puls downe the mighty from his â—eatâ— and exalteth the poore man out of the miâ—e that hee may set him euen with the Princes of his people For in one age you may behold the gentlemans heire serue his owne farmours issue Lastly this affords instruction for all intimating that wee must offer vnto God the sacrifice due to God If we cannot giue much he will accept of a little of the Virgins two pigeons of the widdowes one fasthing Wee may not spend all in our house much lesse in the top-house some thing is to be laid out vpon Gods house for his seruice for his honour if not a lamb yet a paire of Turtle doues or two young pigeons Mystically the blessed Virgin did offer a lambe but it was her owne sonne the Lambe of God Agnus que praesiguratus est ab origine 〈◊〉 blâ—tusest in fine mundâ— and she did offer a young pigeon but it was her owne sonne conceiued of the holy Ghost appearing in the likenesse of a doue Matth. 3.16 And shee did offer a Turtle but it was her owne sonne of whom â—â— is said the voice of the Turtle is heard in our land Our blessed Sauiour being sacerdos sacrificâ—â—â— victor victims the sacrificer and the sacrifice for the sinnes of the whole world was offered first by God his father secondly by the Virgin his mother thirdly by his 〈…〉 God sent him into the world the Virgin present and the legall sacrifice represent him in the Temple but himselfe did offer himselfe actually for our sinnes on the Crosse. And behold there was a man in Hierusalem whose name was Simeon Two things are requisite in a sufficient witnesse vnderstanding to know the truth and honestly to speake what he knoweth Old Simeon in testifying of Christ had both a good vnderstanding as hauing a reuelation giuen him of the holy Ghost that hee should not see death vntill hee first saw the Lord Christ and a great honesty being iust and godly or deuout outwardly to the world iust inwardly
to himselfe godly For his workes he was iust 〈◊〉 dealing with men for his faith he was dexout in the seruice of God These two deuotion and iustice comprehend all the whole law deuotion all the duties of the first table iustice all the duties of the second Deuotion is the mother Iustice the daughter because the true feare of God bringeth forth alwaies vpright cariage toward men It is not reported here that he was so righteous as that he needed not another righteousnesse for he looked for the consolation of Israel acknowledging in his song Christ for his sauiour but that he liued as it is said of Zacharias and Elizabeth in the former Chapter vnblameable before men The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is translated pius religiosius rimoratus one who feared God and this feare was not seruile but siliall Hee did not feare God as a bad seruant fearing the stripes of his great master but as a louing sonne fearing to displease his good father â—â—imâ—bat cumdilectione diligebat cum timore He was in his course so carefull to doe the will of our heauenly father as that he feared with a pious loue and loued with a reuerent feare Solicite pius omnia timens ne non satis pius sit in doing good a iust man in eschewing euill one that feared God And looked for the consolation of Israel Hee was a Iust man in deed giuing euery one his right vnto God as being deuout vnto himselfe as expecting the consolation of Israel vnto other in preaching Christ openly to be both a light to the Gentiles and a glory to the Iewes all the chiefe Christian vertues appeared in him eminently Faith hope loue faith as fearing God hope as looking for the Messias of the world loue as being Iust communicating his gifts of prophecie to the benefit of the the Church in singing his nunc dimittis and in saying mine eyes haue seene thy saluation My corporal eyes thy manhood my spiritual eyes thy Godhead the coniunction of which is Salutare titum thy saluation as giuing it and Salutare â—rism our saluation as receiuing it And this Salutare is not singulare but as Saint Iude tearmeth it a Common saluation and as old Simeon in his Hymne prepared before the face of all people The Epistle ACTS 1.15 In those daies Peter stood vp in the middlest of the Disciples and said c. THis Epistle containeth a short yet a sweet narration how Matthews a Disciple was elected into the traitor Iudas Apostleship and Bishopricke Wherein three things are more principally remarkeable 1. His Conge de leâ—re deliuered in an eloquent speech in which obserue the Time In whose daies Orator Peter stood up Auditorie Disciples and brethren about an hundred and twentie Oration partly hortatorie perswading that one must bee chosen verse 16 17 18 19 20. doctrinall intimating what an one must be chosen vers 21 22. 2. H selection and in it the processe by nomination vers 23. prayer vers 24.25 lots vers 26. success the lot fell on Matthias 3. His installation hee was counted with the eleuen Apostles In those daies To wit in the space betweene Christs assension and his sending of the holy Ghost at that time the Disciples being gathered together at Hierusalem in an vpper parlour they continued with one accord not in supplication onely but in consultation also for the Gospels aduancement Hereby teaching all men especially preachers of the word to spend their houres profitably for the benefit of the Church in supplanting her foes and in supplying the number of her friends Peter stood vp in the middest of the Disciple and said Heere the Papists obserue Peters supreme power ouer the rest of the Disciples and Apostles and so by consequence though inconsequent the Popes absolute command ouer all other Bishops in the whole world But if we will exactly consider and examine his behauiour in this assembly wee shall vnderstand that he caried himselfe not as a Pope but as a peere toward them I. in calling them brethren and frater is fere alter as Lorinus vpon the place 2. for that he standeth vp in the middlest of the Disciples equally referring all things vnto their common consent and free choice terming himselfe a fellow pastour 1. Pet. 5.1 Whereas euery Bishop assembled in the Tridentine Conuenticle tooke a corporall oath that he would not dispute any point to preiudice the Romane sea nay there was nothing determined in that irregular meeting except it was first handled and hammered at Rome by the Pope for then it was ordinarily said in a by-word that the holy Ghost in a bull or Popes breue was sent from Rome to Trent as Chemnitius plainly told Andradius In illo concilio idem actor reâ—â—est 〈◊〉 Our Diuines therefore say that Peter was elected prolocutor of this connocation either by secret reuelation of the holy Ghost or else by expresse iudgement of the congregation or for that hee was vsually more seruent then the rest in such a busines ardentior rebus agendes aptior reliquis extiterat For it became â—im of all the Colâ—edge best as hauing deâ—ied Christ heretofore most He â—tood vp and spake as the mouth of the companie but hee played not the Pope but onely the perswader exercising not a supremacy of authoritie but a primacie of order as Chrysostome and other note See Gospell 1. Sund. after Easter The number of names that were together were about an hundred and twentie The vulgar Latine reading turba hominum answeres not the Greeke so well as our text turba nominum the number of names For in exquisite numbring vsually men are mustred by their seuerall names in Councels especially the names of such as giue voices are full enrolled in a bill or registers table But by names our Euangelist vnderstands men as the holy Ghost elsewhere â—hou hast a few names yet in Sardi which had not defiled their garments A few names that is as â—ullinger and other vpon the place a few persons And it may bee that the sacred spirit in vsing this phrase doth insinuate that they were men of eminent note as Gen. 6.4 The Gyants are called men of renoune that is as Munster translates according to the Hebrew viri nominate men of name Well howsoeuer their names were great their number was but small being about an hundred and twentie By which it doth appeare that the kingdome of heauen is like vnto a graine of mustard seed the which in sowing is indeed the least of all seeds but in growing it is the gâ—eatest among herbs euen a tree so that the birds of heauen come and build in the branches thereof Vnto these 1â—0 The Lord added daily such as should bee saued at one Sermon of Saint Peter Act. 2. The number of brethren was encreased about 3000. soules
his father primarily not for hiding these things from the wise that is wise in their owne eyes or wise men after the flesh endued with a wisedome which is earthly sensuall diuellish Iames. 3.15 but because though he suffer the prince of darkenesse to blind the mindes of the worldly wise yet he doth openly shâ—w the glorious light of the Gospell vnto babes that is vnto such as became fooles that they may be wise wholly renouncing their owne wit and solely submitting themselues vnto Gods will If Iesus reioyced in the spirit and magnified the Lord of heauen and earth for vs O what thankes ought our selues to present vnto God for our selues Praise the Lord O my soule and all that is within me praise his holy name For mine eyes haue seene thy saluation and mine heart hath often endited a good matter and my pen sometimes is the pen of a readie writer O father of mercie whereas these things are yet hid from the Iewes and from the Turkes and from the superstitious Heathen and from carnall Christians I haue to the great refreshing of my soule through thy grace sweet Iesu both heard by the Gospell and imbraced the Gospell and preached the Gospell and in some measure practised also the Gospell O my soule praise the Lord and forget not all his benefits I will sing vnto the Lord as long as I liue I will praise my God while I haue any being Psal. 104.33 The sweetest of honie lieth in the bottome I passe therefore from Christs inuocation to the latter part of his Gospell his inuitation In which obserue the mouer Iesus moued all that labour and are laden motion Come take my yoke vpon you learne of me motiues I will ease you yee shall finde rest vnto your soules for my yoke is easie and my burthen light The person inuiting is Iesus he saith heere come not to mine but to me not to my Saints or Angels or Martyrs or Mother but to my selfe Send not other it is my pleasure that ye come seeke not for helpe from other I will ease you Come vnto me for I am the way the truth and the life The way by which and the tâ—uth in which and the life for which all of you come None can come but by me none finde ease but in me none rest in ease but with me Come therefore for I am the way learne of me for I am the truth and ye shall find rest vnto your soules for I am the life Come to me for I am as you see willing in saying come and able to relieue you for that all things are giuen vnto me So that aske and ye shall haue seeke and ye shall finde knocke and it shall be opened vnto you Whatsoeuer ye shall aske the Father in my name he will giue it you None can come to the Father except it bee by the Sonne for no man knoweth the Father saue the Sonne and he to whomsoeuer the Sonne will open him In saying saue the Sonne he doth not exclude the holy spirit being the third person in Trinitie for it is a good conclusion in Diuinitie dictio exclusiua siue exceptiua addita termino personali in essentialibus non excludit ab altera persona diuina God the Father and God the holy Ghost as being all one with the Sonne are in the words nisi filius included and onely the Creator excluded For none know the Father by nature but by the reuelation of the Sonne Wee speake the wisedome of God in a mystery saith Paul which none of the Princes of this world knew hunc magnus Plato nesciuit eloquens Demosthenes ignorauit It is true that wee may know by the light of humane discourse that there is a God for the Godhead is seene by the creation of the world The heauens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handie woâ—ke Psalm 19.1 Yet none know the Father that is a distinction of the persons in sacred Trinity but by the spirit of him in whom are hid all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge Coloss. 2.3 And 〈◊〉 our reuealed knowledge is but imperfect in this life They who saw most of God obtained onely the sight of his hinder parts And in the kingdome of glory when as we shall enioy the beholding of his fore-parts also seeing him euen face to face our knowledge shall not be comprehensionis cognitio sed apprehensionis an apprehending rather then a comprehending of his infinite Maiesty Wee shall not euen in that day know so much of the Father as the Father knoweth of himselfe Sola quippe trinitas in vnâ—atis diuinitate seipsam nouit In this life we shall attaine by Christs grace to such an vnderstanding 〈◊〉 God as is fit and in the world to come we shall â—aâ—e so much as is full euen so much as any created vessel is able to containe yet none shall euer 〈◊〉 comprehend that incomprehensible Trinitie none can as it selfe know it selfe Hâ—â—herto concerning the party calling I am now to speake of the persoâ—s inuited All ye that labour and are lader He doth exâ—â—â—â— â—one who came to bring all vnto the knowledge of the truth â—â—al that lâ—â—our then all that liue For man borne of a woman is full of troubâ—e Iob 14.1 Come therefore all ye that labour in your actions and are laden in your passions All ye Iewes who labour vnder the yoke of the law and all ye Gentiles oppâ—essed with the burthen of your sinnes All yee â—hat labour where 〈◊〉 and whensoeuer and howsoâ—â—er afflicted or affâ—â—â—â—d 〈◊〉 misery For these two labâ—ur and lâ—dâ—◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—one conceiue simply the â—â—me signâ—fâ—ing all kind â—f â—â—efe sâ—res and sorrow â—hatsoeuer As in the 6. and 9 Psalmes 〈◊〉 weary of my greamâ—g I am weary of my 〈◊〉 c. To speake more distinctly there is a threefold burthen namely the burthen of â—â—ffliction the law 〈…〉 Christ easeth all such as come to him of all these Concerning the sirâ— great trauâ—ile saith the sonne of Sirach is created for all men and a heaâ—ie yoke vpon the sonnes of Adam euen from the day that they goe out of the mothers wombe till the day that they returne to the mother of all things But Christ a refuge in due time of trouble yea a present helpe doth either take away this burthen froÌ„ our shoulders or else giueth vnto such as come to him abundant strength and patience to beare it Art thou crossed in thy goods it is the Lord who giueth and the Lord who taketh away Cast all your care vpon him and hee will so care for you that this burthen shall be made light and this yoke easie Art thou wronged in thy good name say with Dauid it may bee the Lord will looke vpon mine affliction do me good for Shemi his cursing me this
of Remaliahs sonne For albeit they determine to depose thee and to dispose of thy Kingdome purposing to set vp in thy throne the sonne of â—abeal vers 6 Yet thus saith the Lord God their counsell shall not stand neither shall it bee for the head of Aramis Damascus and the head of Damascus is Rezin and within threescore and fiue yeeres Ephraim shall be broken from being a people As if he should say these two kingdomes shall haue their limits and their two Kings must be content with their owne greatnesse they both aspire to the Crown but I haue set them their bounds which they shall not passe Beleeue my words and it shall goe well with you but if ye will not beleeue surely ye shall not bee established vers 9. And therefore that Ahaz and his people might giue credit to this promise the Lord saith our text spake once more to Ahaz Where note Gods long suffering and patience toward an Idolatious and a wicked King who did not vprightly in the sight of the Lord his God 〈◊〉 Dauid his father â— but made his sonne goe thorow the fire after the abominations of the Heathen whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel and offered and burnt incense in the high places and on the hilles and vnder euery greene tree The Lord desired not the death of a sinner but that he may turne from his euill waies and liue speaking to him as heere to Ahaz againe and againe turne you turne you for why will ye die O yee house of Israel He doth inuite to mercie not onely such as are godly men according to the prayer of Dauid Do well O Lord vnto those that be good and true of heart But he maketh his Sunne to rise on the euill and sendeth his raine on the iust and on the vniust Matth. 5.45 Hee is not slacke faith Peter in comming to iudgement as some men count sâ—â—icknesse but is patient toward vs and would haue no man to perish but would all men to come to repentance Wherefore thou whosoeuer thou bee which art in the gall of bitternesse selling thy selfe to worke wickednesse nay giuing thy selfe to wantonnesse to commit all vncleanenesse euen with greedinesse How dost thou thinâ—e thou shalt escape the iudgement of God or despisest thou the riches of his bountifulnesse and patience and long sufferance not knowing that the goodnesse of God leadeth thee to repentance The Lord spake to Ahaz againe yet not onely for his sake nor for the wicked alone but rather to prouide for the weake which had some seeds of Godlinesse For albeit they did offend the Lord very much in their distrust and Idolatrie yet God as being the father of mercies in wrath remembers mercy Habac. 3.2 Compassion and forgiuenesse is in the Lord our God albeit wee haue rebelled against him Dan. 9.9 Require a token of the Lord thy God As if Esay should haue said I perceiue you giue credit to my report entertaining my speech as the words of a meere man and not as the word of God Wherfore to demonstrate that I come not in mine owne name but from the Lord of Hosts Aske a signe not of Idols or of strange gods vnable to helpe thee but of thy God Aske a signe not of me but of the Lord which onely doth wondrous things Aske of him Ahaz and thou shalt vnderstand that it is the Lord who speakes vnto thee God for the confirmation of our faith addeth vnto his promises as proppes of our infirmitie signes and tokens which Augustine calles aptly visible words And these signes are of two sorts extraordinarie whereof the Prophet in our present text and that which was giuen to Hezekiah in the 38. chapter of this prophesie vers 7. Ordinarie in daily vse as Baptisme and the Lords Supper the which are signes and seales of Gods holy couenant with vs. And wee must so ioyne faith vnto the word that wee despise not the Sacraments which Almighty God offereth as helps for the strengthening of of our faith It is a true saying that Iesus Christ came into the world to saue sinners And this saying ought by all meanes to bee receiued and one chiefe meane is the ministration of the Sacraments and therefore the frantick spirits in our time who make no reckoning of Baptisme nor of the blessed Eucharist but esteeme them abces onely for little children are worthily censured by reuerend Caluin to separate those things which God hath ioyned together Whether it be toward the depth beneath or toward the height aboue The Prophet prescribes not what token Ahaz should aske lest happily the truth of the miracle might be suspected but hee leaueth it to the Kings owne free choice whether hee will haue it toward the depth or height that is in earth or heauen Or it may be the word depth is of some deeper signification as if Esay should say God will openly shew thee that his dominion is farre aboue all the world yea that it reacheth euen from the heauen of heauens to the very depth of depthes insomuch as hee can at his good pleasure fetch Angels out of heauen and also raâ—e the very dead out of their graues Here then obserue Gods omnipotencie who can doe whatsoeuer hee will in heauen and in earth and in the sea and in all deepe places Psal. 135.6 O God the great and mighty great in Counsell and mighty in worâ—e Behold thou hast made the heauen and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arme and there is nothing hard vnto thee This doctrine is comfortable to the godly who dwell vnder the defence of the most high and abide vnder the shadow of his wings hauing his spirit for their guide and his Angels for their guard But it is very terrible to the wicked in that all the creatures in heauen in earth and vnder earth attend the Lord of Hosts euenmore readie to fight against such as fight against him noneâ— This argueth his pride rather then humblenesse Or as other his trust in the strength of the King of Ashor rather then his affiance in the King of Kings And yet hee colours his foule contempt hypocritically with a faire pretence saying I will not tempt the Lord alluding doubtlesse to the text Deut. 6.16 ye shall not tempt the Lord your God He forgate the words in the some chapter a little before yee shall not walke after other gods c. and only wrested that clause which he thought would fit his turne wrest I say for to require a signe when God inuiteth and inioyneth vs is not to tempt the Lord but to trust and obey which is better then sacrifice Gedeon is commended for asking signes of the Lord Iudges 6. the Pharities on the contrary condemned euen by Christ himselfe the wicked generation and adulterous seeketh a
signe now the reason hereof is exceeding plaine their actions differed in their endes for whereas Gedeon asketh a signe to bee confirmed in Gods promise the Pharisies required miracles of Christ out of curiositie to betray rather then to be taught of him in this acceptable time of grace we need not aske for new miracles it is sufficient to beleeue those which are recorded in holy Bible The blessed Sacraments are Gods ordinary signes appointed in his word for the strengthening of our faith hee that refuseth them as a superfluous helpe commits the sinne of Ahaz he that vseth them according to Christs ordinance spiritually receiues Christ himselfe as Durandâ—ss pithily verbum andimus motum sentimus modum nescimus praesentiam credimus Heare ye now O house of Dauid For as much as it was an intollerable wickednes to shut the gates against the might and mercies of God vnder colour of honesty and modesty the Prophet is iustly displeased and sharpely rebukes these painted sepulchres and saith heare ye now O house of Dauid c. for albeit it was an honour for them to be held the race of Dauid if they had walked in the steps of Dauid yet notwithstanding he now cals them house of Dauid rather by way of reproach then otherwise And in very deed the contempt and vnthankfulnes in refusing a signe was so much the more hainous because this fauour was reiected by that house out of which the saluation of the whole world should come Note then here the Prophets order and exquisite method in teaching first he begins with doctrine take heed be still and feare not c. then he proceeds to the confirmation of his doctrine 〈…〉 a token of the Lord thy God c. 〈…〉 when he saw 〈◊〉 both his offered sayings and signes vnto King Ahaz were fruitlesse hee comes to reproofe grievously â—â—ding this obstinate man and â—o him â—lone but also all the royall house defiled with this impietie we must in our ministry take the lâ—ke course first beginning with doctrine then proceeding to confirmation and when these two faile we must as our Prophet speakes elsewhere lift our voice like a trumpet sâ—ewing Gods people their transgressions and to the house of Iacob their sinnes after proofe wee must as Esay here come to reproofe◠〈◊〉 lachrimae laudes tuae sint as Hierome doth aduise Nepotian for saith he melius est ex duobus imperfectis rusticitatem sanitam habere quà m eloquentiam peccatricem and Martin Luther that sonne of thunder was wont to say cortes meus esse potest durior sed nucleus mollis dulcis est Is it not enough for you that ye be grieuous vnto men but ye must grieue my God also He doth vse comparisons between God and men not as if the Prophets could in deed be separated from God for they be nothing else but his instruments hauing one common cause with him as long as they discharge their duties according to that of Christ Luke 10.16 He that heareth you heareth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me the Prophet then shapes his speech according to the wicked opinion of Ahaz and his followers imagining that they had to doe with men only as if hee should say though I am a mortall man as you conceiue yet in reiecting the signe which is offered vnto you yee greiue God himselfe for asmuch as the Lord speakes in mee 〈…〉 Luther is our comfort and credite that in de 〈◊〉 Gods errand our tongue is Gods tongue and our 〈…〉 God 's voice hee therefore that despiseth our preaching despiseth not men but God as the Lord said to 〈◊〉 they haue not reiected thee but they haue reiected mee that I should not raigne ouer them and this ought to moue the Prophets and preachers of the word that a wrong done to them in executing their holy sunction is an iniury done to God himselfe and they must grieue not so much in respect of their owne â—ishonour as for that God is grieued according to that of Dauid mine eyes gush ouâ— with water because men keepe not thy law it is well obserued that whereas Esay said before whilest Ahaz rebellion and ingratitude was hidden aske a signe of the Lord thy God he now takes this honour to himselfe saying my God not thy God insinuating that God is on his side and not with these wicked hypocrites and so testifies with what a confidence and conscience hee promised deliuerance to the King as if he should haue said I came not of my selfe but I was sent of the Lord and haue told thee nothing but out of the mouth of my God all preachers of the word should haue the same boldnes not in appearance only but effectually rooted in their hearts as Luther excellently Summa summarum haec est inestimabilis gloria conscientiae nostrae contra omnem contemptum in mundo quod Christus nos praedicatores plane deos creat dicendo qui vos recipit me patremque meum recipit Therefore the Lord shall giue you a signe behold a virgine All orthodoxal interpretours aswel ancient as moderne construe this of Christs admirable natiuity herein being taught by the spirit of truth in the 1. Chapter of Saint Matthews Gospell at the 22. verse all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the Prophet saying behold a virgine shall conceiue c. I know the Iewes haue many cauils against this exposition he that desires to know them as also the Christians answere to them at his opportune leisure may read the Commentaries of Hierom and Caluin vpon this text of Aretius Marlorat Mâ—ldonat in Mat. 1.22 Pet. Galatinus de arcanis cat verit lib. 3. cap. 18. lib. 7 cap. 15. Suarez in 3. Thomae disput 5. sect 2. â—That which here troubleth interpretours most is how this token is a confirmation of Gods promise to King Ahaz examine the circumstances of the place say the Iewes Hierusalem is besieged and the Prophet is to giue them a signe of their deliuerance to what end then is the Messias of the world promised now who should be borne fiue hundred yeares after answere is is made by some that the coherence may be thus O Ahaz thou art exceedingly deceiued in thinking that God is not able to deliuer thee from the furious wrath of Rezin and of Remaliahs sonne for hee will in time to come shew greater arguments of his power vnto thy succeeding posterity for behold a virgine shall conceiue and beare a sonne who shall deliuer his people from more dangerous enemies then the two tailes of these smoaking firebrands he will in the fulnes of time send a Sauiour to deliuer vs from all that hate vs euen our spirituall enemies as sinne death and the deuill he shall be called Emmanuel which is by interpretation God with vs not God against vs but with vs and for vs
Sauiour knoweth whereof ye haue need before ye aske of him Againe if a King appoint a master of Requests he wil not ordinarily receiue petitions from other and therefore seeing the King of Kings is pleased to make Christ our only mediatour and aduocate the sole master of the requests in heauen euer liuing to make intercession for vs it cannot bee but dishonourable to Gods choice and Christs office to substitute any other halfe mediatours either of redemption or intercession as Saint Ambrose com in Rom. 1. Misera vtantur excusatione dicentes per istos posse ire ad Deum sicut per comites peruenitur adregem Yea but although Aue Maria bee not a supplication it may be taken as a thankesgiuing and that is a kind of prayer according to that of Paul I exhort that supplications prayers intercessions and giuing of thanks bee made for all men c. Answere is made that it is not a thankesgiuing and if it were yet should it not bee babled vnto Mary but vttered vnto God as conteining his praise to whom all honour is due king dome power and glory Well Aue Maria notwithstanding all this may be vsed as a salutation our answere is noe for that a salutation is ciuil whereas the Papists appoint this to be said as a religious office 2. Salutations are to persons present but the vergine is absent and therefore the Papists may not nay the Papists indeed cannot vse these words in the same sense they were deliuered by Gabriel and Elizabet that there should bee ten Anemaries to one Pater noster and that 150. Auemaries with fifteene Pater nosters make a Ladies psalter and that after the Pater noster which Christ himselfe taught vs by his owne mouth Aue Maria is the most excellent prayer and that in it we speake with the mother of God as the Queene of heauen and our aduocate is now knowen in the world to be such intollerable soppery that as Hierome said of 〈…〉 heresies a repetition of it is a sufficient refutation I know that reuerend Foxe in his Calender of Saints annexed to his Martyrology cals the blessed Virgin our Lady and the Church of England also tenneth vsually this present feast our Ladies day but herein we doe not as the Papists ascribe to the Virgin any diuine honour making her our Lady as God is our Lord. It is a ciuill vse not a religious office for in a holy seufe to speake properly there is but one Lord and neuer a Ladye one Lord one faith one baptisme or the Virgine is stiled our Lady because she was as Elizabet cals her the mother of our Lord Luke 1.43 Hitherto concerning the wrong done by the Papists in grosse to the haile Mary let vs examine now their iniuting of euery word in particular the first is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which they transtate Aue turning vpside downe the letters of Eua the woman who did occasion the worldes woe was named Eua therefore it was fit that Mary who bare Christ the worlds ioy should be saluted with Aue being opposite in name so well as in nature this playing vpon the word is pretie but not pithie because Aue is latine whereas Eua is Hebrew and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 greeke so that the Fryars wit hath out runne the holy spirits wisedome in this exposition and transposition of Eua and Aue. The Greeke predicant Illephonso Giron obserues in the three letters of Aue the three persons in holy Trinity A altitudo patris V veritas filty E aeternitas spiritus sancti Some Fryers haue profoundly deriued Aue of A priuatiuely taken and ve quasi sine va that is without woe now there is a threefold woe denounced Apocalips 8.13 Vae vae vae ix colis terrae woe woe woe to the inhabitants of the earth and this woe is for sinne in the world as the lust of the flesh the lust of the eâ—es and pride of life Woe to the couetous woe to the luxurious woe to the proud all which Esay sets downe in his 5. Chapter expresly Woe to them that ioyne house to house and field to field till there be no more place for other in the mids of the land c. that is a woe to the couetous Woe to them that rise vp early to follow drunkennesse c. that is a woe to the luxurious woe to them that are wise in their own eyes c. that is a woe to the proud now the Virgin as being poore chast and humble was exempted from all these woes therefore worthily saluted by Gabriel with an Aue or as other popish expositors inhabitants of the earth haue deserued a woe for their originall sin and that is the woe which is in Limbus a woe for their venial sin and that is the woe which is in Purgatory a woe for their mortall sinne and that is the woe which is in hell but Mary the Virgine say they was free from all these kindes of sinne and so consequently free from all these kindes of woe the which assertion is contradictory to the text of holy scripture concluding all vnder sinne Rom. 3.9 Galat. 3.22 Yea but say Suarez and Bellarmine Mary was exempted ex speciali Dei priuilegio let them if they can shew her patent and wee will instantly beleeue it otherwise Gods word is a lanterne to our feet and a guide to our pathes if either man or Angell preach a new Gospell let him be accursed That Mary was a blessed Virgine and the mother of the worlds Sauiour we beleeue because we read so but that she was impeccabilis conceiued without sinne borne without sinne liuing without sinne dying without sinne we doe not beleeue because we do not read it in the Bible nay we reade the contrary for Mary saith in her hymne my spirit reioyceth in God my Sauiour c. If she needed a Sauior vndoubtedly she was a sinner for the whole need not a physitiaÌ„ Mat. 9.12 and therefore the popish annotation of Aue thus applied vnto the virgin is both vnlearned and vntrue The next word is Maria the which is so magnified and extolled by the Romanists as that King Alphonso the sixt would not haue his wife called by that high and venerable name Petrus de Palude whose wit as it should seeme dwelt in a sen hath this muddy conceit the fiue letters of Maria designe the fiue singular priuiledges almightie God granted vnto the Virgine M mater omnia sanctorum A aduocata omnium peccatorum R regula omnium morum virtutuos I interfectrix omnium vitiorum A harmonia spiritus sancti donorum The Portugal Frier and flower Philip Diez approued by Didacus Caro Dominicus Bannes and other great Clearkes of Spaine for an exquisite preacher affirmes that Maria is compounded of the first letters in the names of fiue most illustrious and holy
when he found them vpon conference to be dullards in his schoole he chides them O fooles and slow of heart c. fooles in vnderstanding slow in affecting the truth Arguit eos amentiae in parte cognoscitiua tarditatis in parte affectiâ—a But yet in calling them fooles he brake not his owne law whosoeuer shall say foole to his brother is worthie to be punished with hell fire because this rebuke proceeds out of a spirituall zeale for their good and not out of any carnall hatred for their hurt And such a reproofe is not a reproch it is officium and not conuitium a worke of charity and not a marke of malice So Paul called his Galathians foolish and hee gaue this precept vnto Timothie improue rebuke but with all long suffering and doctrâ—ne for Christ here did not only correct his diâ—ciples â—â—â—our but also direct them in the truth and that by words and deeds By words vrging the truth of his death and resurrection First by reason ought not Christ to haue suffered these things and to enter into his glory 2. From authority hee began at Moses and all the Prophets and interpreted vnto them in all Scriptures which were written of him Here first note the sweet harmonie betweene the two Testaments in that both agree together and meet together in Christ as being alpha and omega the beginning of the Gospell and the end of the Law 2. That the grounds of all our sermons are to be taken out of holy writ the Ministers and messengers of God ought o deliuer the words of God 3. That in our preaching we should vse such scriptures as are most apt and fit for our present occasion as Christ heere cited not all the Scriptures in all the law but onely such as were written of him euen those which euidently proued his death and resurrection He did interpret vnto them in all Scriptures and yet named none that hee might incite vs hereby to the diligent searching and examination of them Secondly Christ instructed his Disciples in this present controueâ—sie with his actions for as it is said at the 19. verse hee was a Prophet mighty in deed and word That is in soundnesse of docâ—rine and sanctity of life First as Theophylaâ—t obserues powerfull in deed and then powerfull in word For he perswadeth vnto vertue most who liueth best As in this place Christ himselfe was knowne by breaking of bread sooner then by preaching of the word Or as other powerfull in his miracles and powerfull in his teaching His actions here mentioned concerning the bread are foure He tooke it and blessed it and brake it and gaue to them Among all which he was onely knowne in breaking of bread for that hee did miraculously breake bread with his hands as other cut it with a knife The which hee did often in his life and so by this easily knowne after his rising from death By this dialogue you may see that Christ is especially knowne in the Scriptures and yet not in the Scriptures except he first open our eyes and breake and giue to each one the bread of life And in the conclusion or epilogue following you may see likewise the fruit of interpreting Scriptures how the ministry of the word maketh the fire of Gods spirit to burne first in our selues and then ofterwards to shine towards other As the two Disciples heere so soone as their eyes were opened to see Christ instantly the same houre they rose vp and returned to Hierusalem and found the eleuen gathered together and they told what things were done in the way and how they knew him in breaâ—ing of bread the circumstance of the time and distance of the place manifestly shew their â—ealous affection in relating these newes vnto the brethren Emmaus as our Euangelist in the 13. verse was about threescore furlongs from Hierusalem eight furlongs make an ordinary mile and so threescore furlongs are about seuen miles and an halfe Some Diuines affirme that it was a iourney of three or foure houres on foot If then it were towards night when Christ vpon their importunity sat at table with them as we read at the 29. verse then it was as we may coniecture probably midnight before they could come to Hierusalem and yet saith our text they went the same houre neither deferring the time nor preferring their priuate businesse before the publike good Howsoeuer they were doubtlesse after trauell wearie and after meate in the night sleepie yet they would not suffer their eyes to sleepe nor their eye lids to slumber nor the temples of 〈◊〉 head to take any rest vntill they had published vnto the brethren how Christ was risen againe from the dead and how they knew him in breaking of bread That we may performe the like diligence toward Gods people as occassion is offered in our seuerall estaâ—es and callings let vs pray with our mother the Church Almighty God which through thy onely begotten sonne Iesus Christ hast ouercome death and opened vnto vs the gate of euerlasting life wee humbly beseech thee that as by thy speciall grace preuenting vs thou doest put in our minds good desires so by thy continuall helpe we may bring the same to good effect through Iesus Christ our Lord c. The Epistle ACTS 13.26 Yee men and brethren children of the generation of Abraham c. THis text is part of that excellent sermon made by the blessed Apostle S. Paul at Antioch a City of Pisidia to the Iewes assembled together in their Synagogue on the Sabbath day The maine scope whereof is that Iesus Christ is the Sauiour of Israel and Messias of the world promised vnto the fathers and exhibited in the fulnesse of time to their children euen vnto vs as being by faith a generation of Abraham and that through him all that feare God and beleeue receiue forgiuenes of their sinnes and are iustified from all things from which they could not be iustified by the law of Moses The whole sermon hath especially two parts Explication from the 16. verse to the 26. intimating that Iesus Christ is the blessed seed promised in old time by the Prophets and preached in these last daies by Iohn the Baptist who was more then a Prophet Application in the words allotted for our present text wherin three points are principally regardable to wit an insinuation ye men and brethren c. preoccupation for the inhabitors of Hierusalem c. commination beware therefore lest that fall vpon you c. The Gospell of Christ is a proclamation in writing common to all and the Preacher is the voice of a cryer euen the mouth of God to giue notice to the people that the contents of the proclamation concerne them and euery one of them As Act. 2.39 The promise is made to you and to your children and to all that are a farre off euen as
should passe from great pleasures in this world to the greatest pleasures in the next vt quis hic ventrem ibi mentem impleat vt de delicys transeat ad delicias And as the same father told Heliodore Delicatus es si his vis gaudere cum seculo postea regnare cum Christo. Here then is comfort for the disconsolate many through lingring diseases as the dead palsie the gout and the like lâ—e bedrid and as it were buried long before their death insomuch as their beds which heretofore were places of rest and ease to them are now couches of teares and misery Yet these men hence haue great comfort if they make good vse of Gods visitation for their bed in their sicknesse on which they suffer so much heauinesse shall on their dying day be to them a Bethanie from which they shall ascend to the kingdome of eternall happinesse Or Bethanie signifies the house of obedience wherfore seeing Christ was obedient vnto God his father in all things vnto the death euen the death of the Crosse therfore God hath exalted him highly Phil. 2.8 Through disobedience we were cast our of Paradise and through obedience wee shall enter in againe sola obedientis accepit palmam inobedientiâ— pâ—nam I passe from the circumstances of place to the circumstances of time When is had spoken these things c. that is as you may reade vers 3. all those things which appertaine to the kingdome of God After hee had blessed them and as it is the Gospell allotted for this day giuen them a large commission to preach adorned with many singular priuiledges and promises assuring them and their posterity that hee would bee present in spirit with them alwaie till the end of the world when hee had spoâ—en all these things he was taken vp on high c. This sheweth euidently that hee is a most induâ—trious and vigilant Pastor of his Church affecting and effecting also the good thereof As the gouerment is on his shoulder so was hee more faithfull in Gods house then Moses was Heb. 3.5.6 He did not ascend and as it were breake vp schoole till hee had instructed his Disciples in all points appertaining to their calling and his kingdome Now looke what care Christ at his ascension had ouer his Church the same must euery Master haue ouer his houshold and euery Minister ouer his cure when it shall please God to take them out of this world A Prophet is sent to King Hezechia to bid him put his house in order for hee must die signifying hereby that it is the dutie of a good Master of a family to haue care not onely for the gouerment of his house whilest he is aliue but also that it may be well ordered when he is dead The same care must in like sort bee practised of Ministers according to the paterne of S. Paul I haue kept nothing backe but haue shewed all the councell of God vnto you take heed therefore c. for I know this that after my departing shall grieuous Wolues enter in among you not sparing the flocke So likewise S. Peter I know that the time is at hand that I must lay downe this my tabernacle I will endeauour therefore alwaies that yee may be able to haue remembrance of these things after my departure If it bee part of thy fidelity that Gods people committed vnto thy particular charge may be well instructed after thy death O how carefull oughtest thou to be for their good in thy life Rapite saith Augustine quos potestis hortando portando rogando disputando c. that is in the words of Paul Preach the word be instant in season and out of season improue rebuke exâ—ort with all long suffering and doctrine The second circumstance of time is while his Apostles beheld c. If any demand why he would not haue the whole nation of the Iewes see him ascend that so they might assuredly know that hee was risen againe from the dead and so beleeue in him Answere is made that it is Gods good pleasure that the mysteries of holy beleefe whereof Christs ascension is one should rather bee learned by hearing then by seeing according to that of Clemens Alexandrinus â—aith is the soules eare Christs owne Disciples indeed were taught his ascension by sight that they might the better teach other who did not see they were witnesses of these things chosen before of God for the same purpose Act. 10.39 41. Whereas therefore Paul had no witnesse of his being taken vp into the third heauen and Eliah one spectator onely who saw him as he went vp in a chariot of fieriâ— horses and a whirle wind into heauen Christ had many beholders of his ascension hee was taken vp on high uidentibus illis in the sight of all his Apostles assembled together He did ascend paulatim as Augustine speaks he was neither suddenly snatched away nor yet secretly stolne away but while they beheld hee was taken vp on high as it followeth in the manner of his ascending to be considered A cloud receiued him out of their sight Now whereas he caused a cloud to come betweene himselfe and their sight it signified vnto them that hereafter they must bee content with that which they had seene and not curiously to seeke to know further what became of him And the same thing is taught vs also wee must content our selues with that Almighty God hath in his holy word reuealed and enquire no further in things appertaining to God His word is a sufficient lanterne to our feet and a guide to our paths a perfect glosse yea glasse of his knowne will in which euery true beleeuer may see so much as hee need to search in this life For the like end in giuing the Law on mount Sinai God appeared in a thicke cloud and when hee did manifest his glory in Salomons Temple a darke cloud filled the same Happily some will obiect how Christ elsewhere promised he would neuer leaue his Church I am alway with you till the end of the world Matth. 28.10 Answere is made that these words are to bee construed of the presence of his Godhead or spirit not of the presence of his manhood and therefore two glorious Angels at the 11. verse chide the Disciples hanging on his bodily presence Why stand yee gazing into heauen It is true that Christ is to be found in heauen yet not with the gazing eyes of flesh but onely with the spirituall eyes of faith It may be further alleaged if the Godhead bee present on earth then the manhood must of necessity be present there because both are vnited together Our Diuines answere this argumeÌ„t that followes not Christs manhood subsists in that person which is euery where ergo his manhood is euery where The reason is plaine saith Aquine because the sonne of God
world their Dioces Euntes in mundum oniner sum praedicate c. Hee being the true Samaritane powred into their wounds oyle and wine first vinum tribulationis and then â—leum consolationis he chasteneth all such as he loueth and he scourgeth euery sonne that he receiueth In Christs commission or grant to his Apostles obserue two things especially 1. Their warrant goe and preach for how shall they preach except they be sent hee that runneth of his owne accord without a calling is a false Prophet Ier. 23.21 See Gospell 1. Sund. after Easter and 8. after Trinitie 2. Theâ—â— worke in respect of their Dioces where they must preach in the whole world to eâ—ery creature Doctrine what they must preach and that is said expresly to be the Gospell Concerning their Dioces it is not the meaning of our blessed Sauiour that his Apostles should preach vnto liuelesse stones or senselesse plants or witlesse beasts but he doth vnderstand by all creatures onely men as being an abridgement of all the creatures Stones haue a being but not a life plants haue both a being and a life but not sense beasts haue being life sense but they want vnderstanding Angels haue being life sense vnderstanding Now man as being a little world and as it were the compendious Index of Gods great booke in folio participates a being with stones life with plants sense with beasts vnderstanding with Angels and therefore fitly called euery creature as hauing the chiefe perfections of euery creature Or man may bee called all creatures as being that excellent câ—eature for whom all other creatures were made Psalm 8.6 Thou makeâ—t him to haue dominion ouer the workes of thine hands and thou hast put all things in subiection vnder his feet Or preach the Gospell vnto all creatures vnderstanding onely such as are capable to receiue the Gospell So Christ elsewhere said all things that I haue heard of my father haue I made knowne vnto you that is all things which are necessary for your saluation and are fit for you to know And Ioh. 12.17 If I were lifâ— vp from the earth I will draw all men vnto mee that is all which are to be drawne So Paul Loue suffereth all things beleeueth all thiâ—gs hopeth all things that is all which are to be suffered and beleeued and hoped Or preach the Gospell vnto all creatures that is all nations for so Saint Marke may be well expounded by S. Matthew who relating this commission saith Euntes ergo docete omnes gentes goe and teach all Nations Hereby repealing a former edict Matth. 10.5 Goe not into the way of the Gentiles and into the Cities of the Samaritans enter ye not That commission is determined now therfore goe into all the world and preach the Gospell vnto all creatures to men of all countries and conditions whatsoeuer This vnlimited extraordinarie commission is expired and hath his end for now the successors of the Apostles as Bishops and Pastors haue their peculiar prouinces and proper Paâ—ishes assigned for their cure yet so â—hat they may preach the Gospell of Christ in other places also where need requireth albeit the same be not particularly committed vnto them And therefore the Church of England enioyneth euery learned Pâ—stor sometime to preach in Chapels and Chuâ—câ—es râ—ioyning neare to his benefice Aâ— for their wâ—â—ke they must employ their time 〈◊〉 in secular actions of the world nor yet in idle speculaâ—ions of the S. hoole but apply themselues vnto preâ—â—hing goe ye into the world and preach And they 〈◊〉 not their owne wisedome but the Gospel it 〈◊〉 man speake let him deliuer oracles of God consenting to the wholesome words of our Lord Iesus Christ and to the doctrine which is according to godlines And for as much as the the Law the Psalmes and the Prophets are nothing else but as it were a preface to the booke of the generation of Iesus Christ I say for as much as Christ is the supplement of the Prophets and end of the Law they must especially preach vnto the world the glad tidings of saluation making this sentence the period of all their Sermons vnto vs a child is borne vnto vs a son is giuen or that of Christ himselfe So God loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten sonne that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life To the preaching of the Gospell administration of the Sacraments is adioyned and enioyned also Matth. 29.19 Go teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Sonne and the holy Ghost The which our Euangelist implieth here when hee saith hee that beleeueth and is baptized shall be saued but he that beleeueth not shall bee damned Concerning Baptismes necessity see Gospell on Trinity Sunday And these tokens shall follow them that beleeue These words are to bee digested with a little salt to bee construed with a great deale of caution otherwise the simple soule will obiect how shall I know that I beleeue seeing I worke no miracles If wee take them as many learned and ancient Diuines haue done mystically then euery true beleeuer in Christs name casteth out of his heart diuels that is euils for euery foule sinne is a foule fiend to man and then his soule being sound his mouth ex abund intia cordis out of the hearts abundance speakes with new tongues His communication heretofore was im â—ious toward God and vncharitable toward his neighbour his throte an open sepulchre his tongue d e ceiuing his lips flattering his mouth full of cursing and bitternesse But now hauing put on the new man he speakes in a new language words of truth and sobernes Acts 16.25 Words of meekenesse and courtesie Titus 3.2 Words agreeable to the wholsome words of our Lord Iesus Christ and to the doctrine which is according to godlines 1. Tim. 6.3 After this compunction in his heart and confession of his mouth if any venemous temptation be suggested he shall haue power to driâ—e away serpents and if he drinke any deadly thing it shall not hurts him although he taste of it a little yet he shall not in any case swallow it downe to his vtter destruction And lastly he shall impose his hands vpon the sicke and they shall recouer that is he shall out of his loue beare the infirmities of his weake brethren and hide a multitude of their sinnes his exhortation and doctrine the Lord worâ—ing with them as it is in the last words of our text shall heale the sicke yea raise the very dead in sinne to newnes of life If we take Christs promise these signes shall follow them that beleeue literally then it must of necessity bee construed with a few limitations and exceptions As first in respect of the time miracles are not necessarie for a Church already planted but only for a Church in planting So Paul