IT IS BOTH TRV­lyCicero his sentence of mans soule. De finibu [...] liber. 1. & Tus. quest. li. 1. &. 3. &. 5. and excellently vvrit­ten by Cicero, not onely the best Orator, but the best Philosopher amōgst the Latin vvriters: If vve vvere borne & brought foorth into this vvorlde suche persons that vve could vewe Nature, vve should neede neither learning nor instructions, because nature her selfe should abundantly suf­fice vs. But nowe there are lefte vnto vs certayne sedes or sparkes of vertue, which we ouer hastely quenche with corrupte conditions, and peruers opinions, that the light of Nature can not any vvhereNature yel deth to cor­rupt affec­tions. shevve it selfe: For veritie giueth place to vanitie, and nature eftsoones yeeldeth to corrupt and preiudicate opinions. In the which wordes the Diuine writer (taught by experience, reason, and learning) sig­nifieth that nature hath yet left in man­kinde some small power and operation, [Page] whiche he nameth sparkes or seedes of vertue, meaning no doubt, the sinceri­tie of the harte and conscience, and the light of the will & vnderstanding, which by corruption of nature are so blotted and shadovved in vs, that vvee can not beholde our Creator, neither yet suffici­ently see what is conuenient and honest in a morall life, vvhich the second Table proposeth vnto vs.

Before the fall of our Parentes, whenMans na­ture before his fall. nature was innocent & vncorrupted, this light of vvisedome, and intelligence of things diuine and humaine, did shyne brightly in man: neither had he thē only sparks & sedes, but a plentiful storehouse & flowing fountaine of all vertue: which the same author seemeth to haue sene in a glimmes, whiles that he speaketh after this maner: Mannes mynde beeing dery­ued Cic. tus. 1. &. 4. from the Diuine minde, may not be com­pared vvith any other thing (if I may pre­sume to saye so) but with God him selfe. Which Minde if it be so instructed, and as it vvere cured, that it be not seduced with er­ror, then is it a perfect minde, that is to say, absolute reason, whiche is all one with vertue. [Page 2] Cicero seemeth to haue receyued thisCicero hys speeche con­sonant to y^• scripture. opinion from the auncient writers: For in that he sayth our minds are taken out of the heauenly Minde, it is that which the scripture vttereth: And God inspired into man a liuing Soule. And vvheras he sayeth, that it maye in some sorte bee compared vnto God him selfe, he mea­neth that vvhiche the Scripture sayth: And God created manne after his owne si­militude. And vvhereas he sayeth, that yf it vvere instructed and cured in suche sorte, that it mighte not be blin­ded vvith the darkenesse of Errors: he meaneth, if mā had not so filthely fallen, it should haue bene a perfect minde, and an absolute reason, that is, a sincere and vncorrupt nature. But the same Wry­ter speaketh more playnely hereof in annother place, after thys manner:

What is there (J vvyll not saye in Man, Cicero lib. de legibus. but thoroughoute Heauen and Earth) more Diuine then Reason? Which vvhen it com­meth to perfection, it is very apte [...]y named Wysedome. Seeinge then that Reason re­steth bothe in God, and Manne, and that there is nothing more diuine then the same: it [Page] followeth that through reason onely there is a communion or partaking betwene God & m [...]n: and amongest vvhom reason is common, right reason is also common. Whereof it followeth that those onely doo knowe God, vvho vnder­stande and consider their origine and of spring. By these and suche other like sentences we may see hovve the Philosophers in­treating of the excellencie of mans na­ture, did gesse, (and as it vvere dreame) of the diuine qualities and operations of Mans soule in the state of Innocencie: Which they named a good capitayne &Mans soule in the state of innocency a good cap­tayne or guide to liue well. guyde to liue vvell and blessedly, admo­nishing vs that we should not extinguish and obscure the same vvith corrupt opi­nions, and peruers maners: but rather stirre vp and perfectly confirme the same vvith laudable exercises, and wholsome instructions and documents.

But lest any man shoulde say that I discourse such great & weightie matters, proper vnto the diuines, vvith the autho­rities of Ethnicks and heathen Philoso­phers: let him also consider that S. Paul, that elect vessell of saluation, to haue ex­pressed the excellēcie of mans first estate [Page 3] notably, yea and almoste sensibly, after this maner: For vvhen the Gentiles vvhich Rom. 2. haue not the lawe, doo of nature the thinges conteyned in the lawe, then they hauing not the lawe, are a lawe vnto them selues, vvhich shew the deedes of the lawe written in their hartes: vvhiles their conscience beareth vvitnesse vnto them, and also their thoughts accusing one ano­ther, or excusing them. In the vvhich vvordsMan in the state of innocency a suf­ficiētschole­master to him selfe. the Apostle playnly declareth, hovv that God in the creation of man planted, and as it vvere ingraffed a kinde of diuine na­ture, and perfect povver: wherby vvith­out further helpe of externall doctors or doctrine, he vvas both able to fulfil gods cōmaundements, and also to be a suffi­cient lawe and scholemaster to himselfe, whiles that his ovvne thoughts and pro­per conscience giueth true verdites, and pronounceth iuste iudgement vnto him in all his accions and cogitations.

This excellent estate and perfect ver­tue inspired into man by God in creatiō, which novve (more is the pitie) is loste and extinguished, maye the better bee knowen by the nature & disposition of brute beastes, vnto whom with indigna­tion [Page] the holy scripture oftētimes remit­teth vs. For that wise and omnipotent Creator hath expressed his heauenly wis­domeA plaine ex­plication of the premis­ses, by a cō ­pa [...]son of the nature of brute [...]eastes. in al his works, as Cicero right wel sayth, and hath giuen to all liuing crea­tures both abilitie and instrumentes to execute their operations and functions. And although the power of brute beasts together with the nature and efficacie of all naturall thinges, by meanes of mans rebellion agaynst his God, are vvonder­fully impaired, yet wee may see also by comparison from them, the steppes and print of diuine qualities in mannes na­ture: whereof Tullie according to hisCic. tus. 5. manner speaketh as followeth: From whence may we more aptly take our begin­ning then from nature her selfe the common Parent of vs all? Who not onely in all liuing Nature the common pa­rent of all thing. creatures, but also in Trees, Plantes, and Herbes, hath in euery of their kindes wrou­ght perfection. And therefore aswell Trees and Vines, as also those thinges vvhiche are more base and lower; haue their conueniencie, for some are alwayes freshe and greene, and some beeing bare in the vvinter, in the spring time beeing comforted, and as it vvere re­uiued [Page 4] vvith the heate of the sunne, doo shoote foorth their blossomes agayne. Neither is there any thing so mute and closely created, but that sometyme it geueth foorth a shewe of his nature, and beareth eyther flowres, or fruite, or beries, or sheweth some one thinge or other, vvhereby his propertie and qualitie maye bee knowen. But if vvee proceede fur­ther, to beholde the nature of beastes, albe­it bruite and vnreasonable, yet because they haue sence in them, their powers and opera­tions may bee more easily considered. For Na­ture Nature hath giuen to dyuers beastes dy­uers incli­nations. hath appoynted some beastes to liue in the vvater, some to flye at pleasure in the wide ayre, some to creepe vppon the grounde, some to vvalke, some to vvander by them selues, some vvilde, some tame: and finally other some to lye hidde couered in the earth. Nowe euery one of these, for that they can not vsurpe the trade and condition of other kindes, do conteine them selues within the inclosiers of their owne Natures. And as euery beast hath his seue­rall and proper, eyther inclination or condi­tion, and reteyneth the same: so hath man his nature muche more diuine and excellent, if we may call those thinges excellent that are so by comparison.

We see then by the vewe and contem­plation of brute beastes, that they had in the beginning, and yet retayne that in­clination vvhiche is apt and conuenient to their natures, in procreating, in cheri­shing, and in defending them selues andA speciall disposition of some particuler li­uing crea­tures. their young ones. The oxe, the sheepe, the henne, vvith many other beastes and birdes, doo knovve their peculier foster and frend: they make nestes and dennes for them selues and their issue. And if we beholde the nature, or rather the cōmon wealth of Emets and Bees, we shall with­out any great difficultie perceyue that god hath inspired into them a farre moreMan in­structed by a considera­tion of the nature of brute bea­stes. Jere. 1. excellent nature. All vvhich thinges the Scripture oftentimes incultateth to our confusion & shame, sending vs to them, that vve may the rather knovv our cor­ruption and rebellion. The Oxe (sayth the Prophet) knovveth his ovvner, and the Asse his masters cribbe, but my peo­ple hath not knovven mee. And agayne: The Storke and the Svvalovve haue kno­wen their tyme, and goo thou sluggard vnto the Emmet. By the comparison then of very brute beastes, vnto vvhom [Page 5] God hath giuen in eche of their kindes an apte conueniencie to execute those qualities miraculously infused vnto thē by God: we may in some part perceyue the heauenly and diuine nature of Man, to bee muche more noble and excellent,The excel­lencie of mans na­ture. vnto whom the mighty God gaue power and dominion ouer all earthly creatures, and made him lorde and ruler ouer the workes of his hands, breathing into him a reasonable soule, and fashioning him after his ovvne similitude and likenes.

These blessings so plentifully povvred vpon man by almightie god, hath caused men vveerie of this vvorlde, and greedie gaping after heauenly thinges, to breake out into these vvordes: Examine (I har­tily Melan. de anima & in locis com. pray you) vvhat is that image of God in Man. It is Gods good pleasure that mans mind should be as it vvere a glasse vvherein vve may beholde him. His vvill is that man should bee like bookes, vvherein he vvould vvrite his wis­dome vvith his owne fingers. These vvonder­full thinges vve learne and consider in the con­sideration of mans mind. Neither is there any eloquence, eyther of men or of Angels, that is able condingly to expresse that great honor and [Page] dignity, wherwith God hath adorned & beau­tified vs, in imparting to vs his owne simili­tude and likenesse. Whereby he had powerMans po­wer before his fall. to thinke and vvill of all thinges, especi­ally of his creator, which gods pleasure was to haue him vvill & thinke, hauing as Tertullian writeth, the same senses &Tert. con­tra Mar­cionem. motions which god himself had: which things vvere so naturall in our firste pa­rents, as mans eye doth see & behold ob­iects. In the vvhich vvords albeit fewe &Luthe. in Genesim. short, vve haue an euident and plaine description of perfitte nature, vvhereof the philosophers did rather diuine and dreame, then knovve any thing effectu­ally, to vvitte, that it vvas the sincere eye of the soule, alvvayes fixed vppon, ne­uer dazeled or dimmed vvith errors, but poynting vnto man alvvayes, as it vvere vvith a finger, both the maiestie of god, and persvvading him to followe his precepts and commaundements.The neces­sity of this doctrine.

The doctrine therfore of the image of god in mā is very needfull in the church of god: both because it proposeth vnto vs euident testimonies of gods fauour & loue tovvarde mankinde, and declareth [Page 6] the excellent estate of mā before his fall, in the which god did as it were stampe & imprint the radiant beames of his wise­dome, rectitude and liberty of will, that man might be his mancion place and temple: Vnto vvhom as he purposed to cōmunicate blessednesse and felicitie, so he required at his hands againe to be re­uerenced and vvorshipped. Moreouer it doth not onely describe the estate & cō ­ditiō Col. 1. 2. Co. 4. Heb. 1. of the first mā, but it doth also ex­presse the abominablenes of sin, how the image of god was corrupt in mans na­ture, & therwithall sheweth holsome re­medies by the son of god, who is the very perfect & substantiall image of god the father, restoring to those that be regene­rate through the holy ghost, the created Image of god blemished in thē. Of the which image of god created, I meane to write some thing at this present, if not so much as the mater requireth, yet so farre forth as in this imbecility of our nature, we may by the helpe of gods spirit select out of the holy scriptures. And for that through ignorance of words, as Aristotle saith, men often times erre in the truth [Page] of matters, I vvill first examine the pro­pertie of the vvorde, that my Treatise may be lesse intricate for my Reader to conceyue, and more facile for my selfe to prosecute.

[...], Imago, in Englishe an Image, sig­nifiethOf y^• word Image or [...]imilitude. generally a representation or pur­trature of any thing which is made ey­ther by creation or cogitation, or gene­ration, or propagatiō, eyther in paynting or grauing, or by any other meanes ex­pressed after the example of an otherGene. 1. matter. Moses sayth that man was made after the image and similitude of God. Almightie God then is the liuely exam­ple after whom man vvas created, that he might in certayne properties of hys whole substance expresse him. The sonne of God vvas not made after the image of his father, as the auncient Fathers haue right well obserued, but he was begotten of God the father, and is the coessentiall & the eternall Image of the euerlasting father. The Hebrewes vse the worde Ze­lem for an Image, and Demuth for a simi­litude, the whiche the Grecians expresse in eikona kai omoiosin. But the lerned Di­uines [Page 7] doo vse these vvordes indifferent­ly. For in the same text where this workeCalu. Inst. lib. 1. Gene. 1. of God is repeated, Moses speaketh af­ter this maner: And God created man af­ter. &c. And agayne he vseth onely one of the words, God created man after hisGene. 5. ovvne similitude. By this repetition of one and the selfe same thing, whiche is expressed onely in one vvorde: one and the selfe same thing is described.

Notvvithstanding I will not hide fromA differēce betweene i­mage & si­militude. my louing Reader the difference whiche certayne notable and famous expositors of the holy Scriptures haue put betwene the vvordes Image, and similitude. Saint Augustine sayth: The Soule is like vnto God, Ex Augu. de quanti­t [...]te anim [...] for it is made immortall and indissoluble. The worde Image therefore apperteyneth vnto the forme, and similitude vnto nature. And an excellent man of our time: An Image is Pet. Mar. in cap. 1. Gene. an outworde bodely forme or fashion, expressing or representing any man: but a similitude is a qualitie of the minde whiche we imitate and followe. And that famous clarke Luther vvriteth thus: Albeit almost all the lear­nedLuth. su­per. 5. Ge. doo take the wordes Image & simi­litude for one thing, yet in reading of [Page] things I haue noted some difference be­tvveene those vvordes. For Zelim signi­fieth properly an image or figure: As vvhen the scripture sayth, destroy the aul­ters of your images. In that place the word signifieth nothing els then pictures and images, which were set vp. But Demuth vvhich is a similitude, is the perfection of the image: as for example. When vve speake of a deade image stamped in coyne or money, vve saye this is the i­mage of the king or queene: But that i­mage hathe not the similitude, neither doth it shew the liniaments and propor­tions. In that Moses sayth therfore, that man was made after Gods similitude, he she­vveth, that man doth not onely repre­sent god, in that he hath reason and vn­derstanding, but also that he hath suche intelligence and vvill, vvhereby he both perfectly knevv god, and also had a will to execute gods commaundement. O­ther some there be that saye, that gods image resteth in mans substance, and the similitude in the accidentes. Let euery mā enioy his ovvne cogitations, I am of this opiniō, that bicause Moses describing [Page 8] this notable vvorke of god somtime vsed one vvord sometime another, that both these wordes are vsed for better decla­ration, playnely to expresse one thing.Two sig­nifications of y^• image of God.

This one thing I thinke more conue­nient to be considered in the entry of this matter, that the image of god in the holy scripture is attributed both to the onely begotten sonne of god, Iesus Christ, and to godly men, his sonnes by adoption: But in diuerse consideratiōs. It is vvritten of the onely begotten sonColo. 1. of god: Who is the image of the inuisible god, the first begotten before all creatures. And in2. Co. 4. another place, Christ is the image of God. In these places Christ is called the image of God, in respect of his heauenly father.Ioh. 14. And therfore he sayth: Philip, he that hath seene me, hath seene the father, shevving that his father is knovven, in and onelyeNow christ is y^• image of God, & how [...] is the image of God. through him. Our sauiour Iesus Christ then is the totall, and coessentiall image of God his father, of lyke maiestie and glory: For so he pronounceth of hym selfe, saying, I and the father am one: & the Apostle: who is the brightnesse of his glory, and the image of hys substaunce, bearing [Page] all thinges vvith the vvorde of his power. But vvhen man is named the Image of God, it is not ment that he is all one vvith theGene. 1. Colos. 3. 1. Cor. 11. sonne of God, but that he is his Image create, Gratuite by grace or adoption, muche inferior to the naturall image Ie­sus Christe. And yet it is not to be accōp­ted any smal prerogatiue that man and Angels seuerally, aboue all other crea­tures, haue this title and dignitie giuen vnto them, that they haue and beare the similitude and image of the liuing God, of the which seconde Image, I vvill only write at this present.

What this Image of God is in man, there are diuers opinions amongest the auncient vvriters. Theodoretus citethTheodret. quest. 20. in Gene. what this Image of God in man is sundry of them in his questions vppon Genesis. First, some sayd that the Image of God is that vvhich is inuisible in the soule. Secondly, some sayd that mannes body is that Image: whiche opinion he ascribeth to one Milito. Thirdly, some sayde that whole man vvas the Image of God, because he is placed as it were in the middle betvveene all creatures com­pact of body and soule. Fourthly, some [Page 9] affirmed the image of God in man, to be nothing els but that power & autho­ritie which he hath ouer al worldly crea­tures. And finally he cōcludeth, that this image of god is in the reasonable soule,Aug. li. 14 detrinitate ca. 8. Pet. Mar. in. 1. cap. gen. et. in locis com. lo. xij. fol. 101. Cal. lib. 1. inst. Luth. in. gen. ca. 1. vanderstanding, iudging, and executing things iustly. Saint Augustine sometime taketh this Image of God to be the ve­ry substance of the soule, minde, and wil, sometime the qualities of the same. Cal­uine acknowlegeth the image of God moste cleerely to shine in mannes soule, and yet to shew it selfe in the whole bo­dy, and in all powers of the same. Luther that excellent writer, defineth, or rather describeth this image after this maner: The image of god, after the which Adam was created, was a matter most noble & excellent: For as yet no leprosie of sinne had infected ei­ther whether man is the image of God in re­spect of his soule or bo­dye, or of both. the minde or will. But all the interior and exterior senses were pure and cleane. For the vnderstanding was most pure, memorie prompt and ready, the will sincere, resting in a diuine securitie, without pensiue thought or dreadfull feare of death. Herevnto was annexed a no­table beauty and comelinesse of all the externall members of the body, wherein man passed and [Page] surmounted all other inferior Creatures.

And albeit hee vvryteth that theArabian heresie. Image of God is in the vvhole manne, both in bodye and soule: yet he vvas farre, asvvell from the Arabyan heresie, vvhich vvas Anno Dom. 230. as from the Anthropomorphites, and other MonkesAnthropo­morphites. of Aegypt, who affyrmed this image to be onely in the body, because the scrip­ture oftentimes maketh mention of the face, eyes, eares, nose, handes, and feete of God. Whiche phrases the Scripture vndoubtedly vseth onely for our capa­citie, and better vnderstanding: for tou­ching Goddes substance, our Sauiour Chryste playnely affyrmeth him to bee a spirite: And I knovve that some ve­ryeIoh. 4. learned Writers haue acquited the Anthropomorphites from suche grosse opinions, and that they had a farre o­ther sence in those phrases.

The reason that maketh many men ab­horre,Doubtes answered & resolued touching this mat­ter. yea & detest this positiō of Luthers, that the image of God in man consisteth both in the body & soule, is this: God is not any corporall substance: therfore no part of his image cā be in any corporall substance. But we [Page 10] must consider that whole man cōsisting of body & soule, was fashioned after the Image & likenes of God. Moreouer the perfection of mans corporal substance, & the proportion or apt cōueniency ther­of with the soule, which was appoynted to expresse his powers to the organical or external instruments of the body: and Immortalitie vvhiche vvas also giuen to this corporal matter, did clerly expres & represēt some portion of gods image. Albeit therfore it can not be denied, but that the cheefe & principall degrees of this diuine Image is in mans soule, as in the most noble and excellent part: yet the body so diuinely vnited vnto the soule, and indued with such notable or­namentes, is not to be defrauded of that which of right ought to be yeelded vnto it. So that as those doo offende in ex­cesse, that ascribe this image of God to mans body onely: so doo they also erre in defect, that place it only in the mind. For that the holy scripture eftsones repe­teth, that God made not onely mannes Soule, but whole man after his owne si­militude and likenes.

It vvas the vvil and pleasure of almigh­tieThe duetie of man in y^• considera­tiō of these things. God, that through this his Image tranfused into man, he might both re­present and expresse his maker, and be obedient vnto him: appoynting man (as I sayde before) to be as a glasse, wherin he woulde shine and be seene, and as a booke vvherein vvith his ovvne finger he would vvrite his vvisdome. Teaching vs in this image vvhat God is, to vvitte, an eternall and euerlasting minde: and what maner of God he is, namely, vvise and true, louing chastistie and iustice, of a free povver, embracing men vvith a fatherly affection, he beeing the creator, and they his creatures: requiring of vs that our minde and vvill should accorde vvith his vvill and commaundement. And this is that vvonderfull vvisdome, iustice, goodnes, and povver of his: which his pleasure vvas to be read and knowen in the consideration and contemplation of man, vvhom he made of suche excel­lencie that he vvas capable of his Image, that in his soule and body, and in all his interior and exterior povvers and acci­ons he might shevve foorth some like­nesse [Page 11] of God, but fynyte, and suche as vvas conuenient for a creature.

This Image of God in man gratuite or create, had before his fall many ex­cellent qualities. First, in respect of the Minde, Will, and Harte, vvherein vvas a maruellous diuine Harmonie and consente. Sainct Augustine vvente a­boutAugu. lib. 14. de Tr. cap. 8. too shevve the difference of the three persons in Trinitie, by the consi­deration of this Image of god in man: Jn manne (sayth he) there bee three prin­cipall The excel­lent quali­ties of man before hys fall. thinges, The Minde begetting or bree­ding the Cogitation. And the cogitation, vvhich is the Jmage of the thing cogitated: And the Will, vvherein there is both ioy and loue. These three things he applieth after this maner: The eternall Father signifieth the Minde begetting in Cogitation the eternall word, the second person in Trinitie. The Jmage formed in cogitation, signifieth the sonne of God: And the Will shadoweth the holye Ghoste. This collation muste needes bee pleasaunt to humble Mindes: For therein vvee see that man is appoyn­ted to bee a testimonie of God, name­ly, that hee is an Essence intelligible [Page] and mouing him selfe. And although sainct Augustine doo vnderstande the image of God in manne, of the sub­staunce of the Soule, Minde, and Will: yet all the learned menne almoste doo comprehende the gyftes together vvith the substaunce, or as they vsually speake, the vertues of perfect Nature in eche parte of the Soule, agreeing vvith the diuine Mynde. For so sainct Paule in the vvorde Image vnderstoode not onely mans substaunce, but the gyftes or po­vvers vvherein suche vertues doo shine as are consonante vvith the minde di­uine: whiche giftes were distinct and se­parable from the substaunce it selfe, as it is manyfest by mans fall, vvherein these excellent proprieties vvere loste, the substaunce of the Minde, Wyll, and Harte, vnto thys day abyding and re­mayning.

But to returne to these excellent pro­pertiesThe excel­lencie of mans mind of the soule before mans fall: There shyned a cleare light in mannes Minde, to vvitte, a perfecte knovvledge of God, and a communication of his di­uine wisdome, whereby he knewe both [Page 12] Gods substance and will: And also that man was to this ende created, that not only this knowlege might shine in him: but also that he shoulde with a grateful willing mind shew obediēce to his crea­tor. Besides this knowledge of all diuine things which were nedeful to man in the seruice of God, and toward the attayne­ment of eternal life: the Lorde endewed him with a right excellent knowlege of matters Morall and Natural, that he was able to conceiue the qualities and incli­nations of all liuing thinges. So that as soone as he sawe Eua, he sayd by and by, This is bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh: and she shall be called Virago, because she was taken of the Man. He vvas profound­ly seene in Philosophie, as it appeareth by the Historie of Creation: vvherein we reade hovve he gaue names to eue­ry liuing creature according to their na­tures and qualities.

In mans will there was a conuersion toMans wil. god, that is to say, an vniuersal obediēce to his lavve, hauing an ardent loue of God, and all vertues: flagrante, bent, and directe to that ende, that the firste [Page] example might be knovven and honou­red: & therwith was annexed a libertie in all accions, that he might both shewe vnto god willing obedience, and also a­uoyde all thinges vvith iudgement that were displeasant to his Creator.

In the hart all affections and appeti­tions [...] hart and affec­tions, did obey his minde & will, neither was there dissétion in any thing. So that there vvas a Diuine harmonie of the minde, will, and harte. For as the minde did rightly knovve god and his wyll: so the hart & the wil did thinke one thing, he loued god earnestly, neither was there any thing in mans nature which was not pure, holy, & sincere. And euery orgaine parte and instrument of mans substance had facultie and readinesse infused into them by god, that they vvere both vvil­ling and hable to doo the thinges requi­red by god at their hands, which god ac­cording to the law of obedience had imprinted, and as it were stamped in Rea­sonable natures.

There was also in this image of god inMan had a lordship o­uer al wiling creatures. man, a preheminencie & superioritie a­boue all other inferior creatures, whom he excelled many wayes, both in reason [Page 13] and quicknes of senses, aswell in forme and stature of body vpright & looking towarde heauen, as also in agilitie and mobilitie of accions, and especially in that soueraigne power and dominion which he had ouer all inferior creatures, as it were an Emperour ouer his subiects. For as God is the vniuersall Lorde, king, and gouernour ouerall creatures: euen so it pleased him to collate vnto man a certayn dominion particular & limited, vnto whom they would haue yeelded o­bedience gladly, & haue reputed him for gods Lieuetenant, if he had reteined the image of god in him sincere and vncor­rupted: which dominion albeit by our ruine it be exceedingly impaired in mā ­kind, yet it is somwhat restored by faith. Thou shalt treade vpon the Adder and Coca­trice. Psal. 91. Great bea­stes ruled by little children. Daniell was cast to the Lions: The Lord prayeth with the wild beastes in the wildernes: Paule was not hurt of the Vi­per: Sāson & Dauid ouercame lions: and we may daily see litle childrē with a sticke to rule huge & mighty bodied beastes, through the maiesty of gods image, whi­che yet after a sort shineth in man, and is very fearfull and terrible vnto them.

Herevnto vve may adde mans authori­tieMans be­ginning & ende. & preheminence in consideration of his beginning, coueniencie, and ende: For as god is the beginning of all things in creation, so is Adam the beginning of all men by generation: And as god hath a conueniency with all thinges, and all thinges ought to looke vpon God: So is man microcosmos, that is to say, a little vvorld, and a lord in respecte of inferior creatures, that they all should reuerence and honor him. And as God is the ende of all thinges: So is man the ende of all inferior creatures, they beeing made for mans sake, that he might be a ruler ouerSap. 2. thē. And according to the wise mās say­ing, moderate & gouerne the round worlde in equity & iustice.

Finally this image had an assured hopeMans im­mortality. of immortality, that his life shoulde be blessed & eternall, not subiect to death. For the diuinity it self is immortal, afterGen. 3. 5. the which as the scripture saith, man was created. If therfore mā had not fallen into sin, this nature & blessed estate in creati­on had indured for euer, it should neuer haue ben we [...]ke or old, it shuld not haue ben cōsumed with heauines or diseases: But yet liuing in Paradise, shoulde haue [Page 14] ben thēce translated into the celestial & spirituall life. And vnto this image God added ouer & besides the blessings afore mencioned, a certen & especiall kinde ofIf m [...] had not sin­ned he sho­u [...]de haue b [...]ne tran­slated [...]ute et Para­dise into heauen. worshipping of god, exacting an obedi­ence vnto the same, in proposing vnto him that law of the tree of knowledge of good & euill: In the which he gaue vnto man, formed after his image, as it were a remēbrance that he should be both obe­dient & thākfull vnto him for his bles­sings: and that he would afterward tran­slate him vnto the place of endlesse ioy & felicity, where he might cōtinually be­holde the very essentiall image of God most brightly shining in his son our sa­uiour Iesus Christe. So that immortality being annexed in the tre of life, did bothImmorta­lity annex­ed to y^• out­ward Sa­crament. admonish mā inhabiting this elimentall regiō: and being endued vvith profoūde knovvledge of things diuine & humaine that he should vse that tree as a remedy against sicknes, diseases, & mortality it self: and thervvithal that he should have a manifest assurāce of a better life: Into the vvhich godly men shoulde be remo­ued, out of and aboue all elimentall re­gions, vvherin he might behold god face to face, inioying infinite blessednesse, [Page] where Gods maiestie shalbe all in all, to his glory and our endlesse comfort. And these be the proprieties of the image of God, imprinted and ingraffed in mans substaunce, at suche time as he breathed into him the beames of hys lighte: Whereof it is requisite that our mindes should be well informed and instructed, when we ponder and examine vvith our selues, what manner of image that vvas which Adam had, howe it was spoyled & defaced in mans fall, after what manner it is repaired in vs by the holy ghost, and of the glorious perfection thereof in the world to come.

SECONDARELY LETHow man loste Gods Image. vs consider howe this image of God was destroyed in mās fall: In so muche that there scarce remaine any remnants of that no­table [Page 15] monunent and building of mans best estate: For when man, who was left in the hands of his owne counsaile, & in the liberty of his will, did eat of the fruit which was forbidden him, and shaking off all feare of God (vnto whom all crea­tures owe obedience) did transgresse his iust and good lawe: And being seduced with the Dragons voyce, turned him selfe ftom God, casting away all pietie, reuerence and feare, whiche was due to the eternall maiestie: He then lost theThe dead­ly wounds which man receiued by transgres­sion. image of god, and death seazed vppon man, according to the commination of god before vttered, & became the image of the diuell: and so losing the holy ghoste, hee fell into the horrible wrath of god, and euen then tasted cer­ten beginnings of the same: he sawe the miseries of minde, will, and harte, and death euerlasting, threatned in the lavv: For being infected with the poyson of sinne, he coulde not reteyne any longer the image of iustice, wisedome and lyfe, which was stamped in him: But whole man vvas miserably deformed, corrup­ted, and lost all his ornamentes and qua­lities, [Page] in so much that he who was before in his vvhole substance, qualities & pow­ers, a bright glasse of iustice and holines: became the maske and dounghill of the filthy dragon of hell, and the childe of vvrath and euerlasting death.

And to deale somewhat in perticulari­ties, the good thinges and ornamentesBonauen­tura. vvhich our firste parentes, and all their progeny loste in this heauy fall and la­mentable shipwracke, vvere partly natu­rall, partly gratuite (and as Bonauenture saith) Man was vtterly spoyled of his gratuit gyftes, and wounded in th [...]naturals: For in his minde he loste the perfit knovvledge of his God: So that alvvayes after it was full of darkenes, ignorance, folishnesse, and rebellion againste God: And in ex­ternall and corporall thinges also, that light is exceeding shadovved and obscu­red. For who is novve able to discernewoundes in mannes mind. and vevve the nature of lyuing crea­tures but halfe so well, as vvas out father Adam before his fall.

The vvill of man also quite turned a­vvaywoundes in mannes will. from God, loste all good inclina­tion & habilitie to obey him, so that we [Page 16] feele our selues a very conspiracy & open rebellion against his maiesty: as S. Paule dolefully deploreth, saying: I feele in my members another law, fighting against the lawe of God: O miserable man that I am, who shall deliuer me from the death of this body. &c. In mans hart the loue of god is vtterly ex­tinct, and flames of raging affections doe burne, vvhereof almighty god complai­neth in this vvise: The lumpe or masse of Gen. 6. mans harte is euill from his mothers wombe.

This destruction of Gods image inwoundes in his whole nature. mans nature, and the putting on of the filthie forme of Satan, is plainely set foorth in the accions of Adam, streight after his fall, as vvell in him selfe, as in all his posteritie: When as he beeing pricked vvith the sting of a guilty cōsci­ence, did both runne avvay from God, and savve his miserable nakednesse, whereof he vvas ashamed. For the very nakednesse, vvhiche man did see in him selfe most euidently: doth not onely sig­nifie the outwarde, but also the inwarde deformitie both of body and soule. By meanes therefore of Adams fall the image of God vvas destroyed in mans [Page] nature, all his povvers and faculties were either depraued or vtterly loste. He vvas spoyled of all his gyftes, in minde, will, & hart: And the vvhole masse or lumpe of man, was with gods vvrath, with the ty­ranny of the diuell, vvith all sicknesse & sorowes of body & mind corrupt: wher by we to our great grief feele the burthē of sinne, the biting and gnawing of a wounded conscience, pityfull passions of the soule, and finally in this vvorlde, the destruction and dissolution of oure bo­dies into dust of the earth.

These euils and greuous woundes A­damAdam felte y^• greuous sores and smartes of these woū ­des. savve and felte after he had entred into league and society vvith the diuell: And therwithall tasted of gods horrible vvrath, the pauors and torments of e­ternall death, and the strength of the lavve, vvhereof the Apostle speaketh: By the law commeth knowledge of sinne, and the law worketh wrath: Through the bitter­nesse and vveight of these greate dolors and torments, he must needes haue pre­sently perished, and incurred eternall damnation, if the mercifull Lorde had not taken pitty on the miserie of man, [Page 17] by the supplicatiō of his sonne Christ, inHowe Adā in these mi­series was comforted. respect of whom he vttered the promise of the gospel, made ioyful mentiō of the blessed seede of the woman: and turning away his angry countenance, loked vpon man with the eyes of his mercy.

Besides al these things, Adam sawe theAdan sawe some effects of hys sinne in his chil­dren. Cayne. fruite of his fal, and the detestablenes of his offence, not without great sorow and heauines of hart. For his first begotten sonne Cayne that Parriside, bathing his hāds in his brothers blood, did abūdātly declare the calamitie of nature corrup­ted, the crueltie of sinne, blindnes bred naturally in his brest, the prauitie of his vvill, and wickednes of his hart.

Almightie god him selfe lamēteth thisGod him­selfe lamen­teth mans fall. soule fall of man in Paradise, & appoin­teth condigne punishmēts for the same: and therwithall protesteth that himselfe was not the author of this corruption of creatures, whiche was created by him, in his sonne, in iustice & holynes of truth: wherin he taught mankinde that sinne and all the effects therof had his origin of the diuell, and of man: as it is written,Gene. [...]. It irketh me that euer I made man. Agayne, [Page] He that committeth sinne, is of the Diuell. For the diuell sinned from the beginning. And al­so, By one man sinne entered into the worlde, and through sinne death.

Now albeit man receyued so greeuous a wound in his body and minde, vvhere­vvith not onely the image of god in him vvas defiled and destroyed, but also his povvers and ornamentes euerye vvaye vvere maruelously decayed: besides the remouing of immortalitie, whereof by worde & sacrament god assured him be­fore his transgression: and in place therof a subiection to sicknesses & death it selfe. Yet the secōd death did not out of handThe second death came not by and by after mans fall. sease vpon Adam, but God left him like a Pylgreme or banished man out of Pa­radise many yeeres, in this animall or corporall lyfe, after the acte and decree was published, that god of his immence and infinite mercy woulde repayre his Image blotted & defaced: and his good pleasure was, that man passing his time,Man lefte as a pyl­grime or exiled man vpon the earth. & running his race prefixed here in this vvorld, should in his body (whiche vvas made so subiect and seruile vnto sinne) be resolued into dust and earth: but in [Page 18] soule he appoynted him to be immortal, because the same was breathed into him by god: whiche he also ordeyned to be a daily testimonie & remēbrance vnto mā aswel of his estate before his fall, as of his glorification after the day of iudgement.

Which bodily death al the children ofAll the chil­dren of A­dam subiect to death. Adam are subiect vnto, by meanes of sinne abounding, yea and raigning in them, beeing nothing but dust poyso­ned, which must returne into dust: after which the second death, to wit, eternall condemnation both of body and soule, followeth, and is assuredly to be looked for of all those that doo contemne the sonne of God, mans mediator and aduo­cate: and doo not seeke to bee deliue­red from Gods wrath and indignation by the effusion of hys moste precious blood, vvhiche onely is able to purifie and vvashe men cleane from all their sinnes.

And to thende that this great ruineA do [...]eful & lamentable [...] of mans [...] by certayne auncient fa­thers. and decay of man after hys fall maye bee more euidently perceyued, I vvyll put dovvne the lamentable complayn­tes of diuers Writers concerning this [Page] matter, vvhereby at the firste vevve the matter will moste playnely appeare and shewe it selfe.

And first, that is a notable & memora­bleAug. cōtra Iulianū. li. 4. cap. 14. repetit ex lib. 3. Cic. de repub. saying of Cicero, repeted by S. Augu. touching the corruption of mans na­ture: Man is brought foorth, and as it vvere expelled into this world by nature, beeing ra­ther his stepdame then a louing mother. In bo­dy naked, frayle, and infyrme: and in minde, carefull in sorowes, abashed in feare, vveake in labors, prone to pleasure, hauing in him notwithstanding certayne sparkes and seedes of a di­uine nature. Wherin as sainct Augustine sayth, he rightly deplored and bevvay­led our miserable and pitifull case, and savve the horrible euent: Yet vvas he ignoraunt of the cause, neither dyd he perceyue that a heauy yoke vvas layde vpon all the children of Adam, from the time of their byrth vntill their death, by meanes of originall sinne, wherwith they are infected and corrupted.

Sainct Augustine him selfe writethDe Ciuita. [...] dei. lib▪ 22. ca. 22 after this manner: I doo omitte howe God created Man righte: But touching our discente from our firste Parentes, that wee [Page 19] are thereby a generation forlorne, and caste a­waye, this very life of ours (if it be to be cal­led a life vvhich is so full of deadly miseries) doth moste playne [...]y declare. For what other thing can vve gather of that horrible and depe ignoraunce (vvhereof all Error proceedeth) vvhich possesseth and deteyneth the children of Adam in profounde darknes so violently, that a man can not ridde him selfe thereof vvithout great labar, sorrowe, and feare? What other thing doth that loue of vayne and deceitfull things import, and therwithall such consuming cares, perturbations, sorrowes, feares, disceitfull ioyes, discordes, adulteries, fornications, incests, rapes, and vncleane commixtions agaynst na­ture, vvhich may not bee vvell named: and therewithall heresies, blasphemies, periuries, oppressions of Innocentes, slaunders, false wit­nesses, vniust iudgements, and other suche like mischeefes, vvhich we see incident to mans na­ture? And to conclude, as Viues writing in the same place sayth: There vvoulde Ludouicus Viues in 22 August▪ de Ciui. ca. 22 be founde no beast more sauage and vnbrideled then man, if he vvere not chastised and a­mended vvith discipline and good education: for if he might runne his owne race, he would conuert all his force and power to satisfie his [Page] filthy lustes and appetites: neither vvere it possible to finde any brute beastes more fierce and vvylde then manne.

And sainct Barnarde writeth very plea­santlyBarnar. in sermone 1. paruorum sermonū. of this matter in this sorte: That blessed and eternall Trinitie, the Father, the Sonne, and the holy Ghost, one God of cheefe power, wisedome, and goodnes, did create ano­ther trinitie after his image and similitude, vvhiche had certayne resembla [...]nces of that eternall Trinitie: I meane the reasonable Soule vvhiche consisteth of Reason, memorie, & vvill. And he created the same in such sort, that by participation of him he might be bless­sed: and beeing a [...]erted from him, shoulde be most miserable. And this created Trinitie did rather bende it selfe to followe the motion of his owne vvill, then to stande in that liber­tie vvhiche vvas giuen vnto it. And therfore it sell through suggestion, delectation, and con­sent frō that fayre & beautifull trinitie, that is to say▪ frō power, wisdome, & puritie, into a con­trarie and filthy trinitie: verily into infirmitie, bundnesse, and vnclennesse. For Memorie is become impotent and infirme, Reason improui­dent and darke, and the vvill impure. More­ [...]er Memorie falling as it were vpon harde [Page 20] Rockes, was broken and rent into three partes, namely into affectionate, heauie, and idle cogi­tations. I call those affections, vvherewithall man is encombred about cares of things neces­sarie, as in eating, drinking, and suche like. And those are to be accompted heauy, vvhich we spende about the exercise of externall and harde busines. And those are vayne and feeble vvherewith mans minde is neyther affected nor greatly molested, and yet notwithstan­ding is drawen from the contemplation of hea­uenly thinges: as to spende his time in behol­ding how byrdes doo flye, or dogges doo runne. The light of Reason also hath three manner of vvayes fallen into ruine. For vvhereas it vvas his propertie to discerne betweene good and euill, truth and falshood, profite & dispro­fite: It is nowe couered with such darknes, that it is caried most cōmonly into a peruers iudge­ment, receyuing euill for good, falshood for truth, incōmoditie for commoditie. Wherein it coulde neuer haue erred so miserably, if it had not bene depriued of that light which it had in the first creation. Whereby it is nowe commen to passe, that man hath lefte that vsuall and ne­cessarie instrumēt to vnderstand wisdome, that is to say, Ethicke, Logike, &, Phisike: which we [Page] may otherwise call the science Morall, Con­templatiue, and Naturall. For by Ethicke good thinges are elected, and euill thinges re­fused: by Logicke vve discerne truth from vn­truth: by Phisicke vve distinguishe betweene thinges profitable and vnprofitable. After this followeth mans vvill, vvhiche hathe had a triple ruyne. For vvhereas it vvas the propertie of vvill to cleaue faste to vertue and Innocencie, and entierly to loue the su­preme maiestie: through selfewill and pryde it is fallen from heauen to earth, and tho­rough concupiscence of the eyes, luste of the fleshe, and pride of lyfe, dothe nowe loue and embrace vvorldly thinges. Nowe vvhat can bee more vnhappie then this fall and ruine of mannes estate, vvhereby his memorie▪ reason, and vvill, are so pitifully em­payred, and vvhole man so mi­serably corrupted? (▿)

BECAVSE THE CON­siderationwhat is reteyned in mans na­ture of gods image of contraries doe moste plainely explicate all thinges, therefore I vvill as briefely as I can shevv by col­lation of Antitheses, vvhat is reteyned in mans nature of the image of God: For that vve haue susteyned a great losse, and an horrible shipwracke of heauenly in­duments & qualities, it hath bene plain­ly and euidently declared. As for theThe Gen­tiles & Ethnicks are ignorant of the fall of man. Ethnicks and Gentiles, they are altoge­ther ignorant of Adams transgression, and doe suppose that throughe malici­ous nature, mankinde hath bene subiect to thraldome and miseries, euen from the beginning.

Man hath lost that excellent vvise­dome and knovvledge vvhich he had in diuine and spirituall matters: Especiallywhat know ledge remaineth in man touching y^• first table. touching the essence and vvorshipping of God, properly apperteyning to the first table. And hath left in him onely [Page] certen sparkes and seedes of the same [...] his hart, to wit, That there is a God, & that he is to be worshipped: that he is a sincere and iust power, rewarding vertue, & punishing vice. Whiche knowledge although it be ob­scure: yet is it a pricke or stinge in the conscience, vexing the hart in heynous offences, and breeding terrible terrors of Gods wrath & indignation: Hereof arise those notable sentences of the cōscience in the wrytinges of the Heathen. This smal knowledge is maruelous obscure in man forlorne, & is oftentimes euen bu­ried, and vtterly blotted out by mans wilfull obstinacie: whereof the Phalmist speaketh, The foolish body hath sayde in his hart, there is no God. And againe: All his co­gitations are that there is no God, God doth not see it. Muche like to the Cyclops, wherof the Poet maketh mention: I force not for the threates of the Goddes.

Man hath also almoste loste perfectewhat kno­wledge he hath lefte vnto him in the se­cond table. wisdome in the seconde table, that is to say, of mundayne & worldly things: But he hath left vnto him a certen wisdome in externall accions and vertues apper­teining to the second table, that is to say, [Page 22] a power to discerne betweene things honest and vnhonest, and to vnderstand the grounds of liberall artes, of good lawes, & of ho­nest accions. This knowledge of reason, as the Philosophers call it, was not alto­ther extinct in mans ruyne. For it vvas Gods good pleasure, that there shoulde yet be some difference betweene reaso­nable man and brute beastes. And surely they differ in nothing so much as by rea­son, [...] differēce betweene mā & brute beastes. that light vvhich yet in some sort thineth in mans hart, conteining a certen rule or paterne of all artes and accions. And although the Psalmist seemeth to▪ take away this difference, Man beeing in Psal. 49. honor, indured not, but became like the beastes of the fielde: yet wee muste call to minde that similitudes doo holde but in some respecte. For in this place man is compared to bruite Beastes, because he is no lesse subiect to death then they bee: Euen as Sainct Augustine do theAugust. de peccat. ori. contr [...] Pe­lagia [...]. vvell expounde it, saying, he is com­pared in corruption, and not in vvhole nature vnto brute beasts. This remnāt of vvisdome & knowlege, albeit vnperfect, is called the lawe of nature, or naturall lawe: [Page] and is set out by saint Paule, with excel­lentRom. 1. 2. termes and speeches, as that it is the doctrine of God, & the worke of the law writ­ten in mans hart. Hereof commeth the knowledge of manuarie and liberall sci­ences, so needefull for mans life: hence all ciuill lavves haue their origen, toge­ther with discipline & societie betwene man and man, the desire of praise, the a­uoyding of dispraise, the honor of ver­tue, and the punishment of vices.

That knowledge which was so notableMannes knowledge in the pro­perties of things altogether lost. in our first parentes, touching the pro­perty of thinges, is altogether loste, and what so euer we haue, we haue it by ob­seruation and experience. For our eyes do behold the course of the planets: and reason deuiseth instruments to take the altitude, longitude, and latitude of thē. Againe with our eyes vve looke vppon herbes: but reason searcheth oute the strength, vse, & application: And so with our senses vve comprehende liuing crea­tures: But mans industrie by vse and ex­perience, vnderstandeth their proper­tiesAdam be­fore his fall an excellent Philoso­pher. and natures. But Adam before his fall, was an excellent Diuine, an excellēt [Page 23] Lawyer, and an excellent Philosopher.Man hath loste all ho­lines of bo­dy & soule.

Man hath also vtterly lost all sanctity, iustice, and purity, both of body and of soule, by meanes of that filthy plague or leprosie, which hath inuaded and infe­cted all our substance: so that Iob cryed out not without cause, Who can make him cleane, that is borne of vncleane. And saintIob. 14. Reg. 3. Paul, All men haue sinned: And there re­maineth but novv in him a certen car­nall appetition of iustice, comming from the lavve of nature and precepts of ma­ners. This is only an externall discipline or honesty of lyfe, which is very weake and faint, as we al by experience are for­ced to confesse: For novve the malice ofWhat in­stice y^• Eth­nicks haue. our nature doth wonderfully preuaile, and hindereth good diuices and ende­uours: Wherefore in all places of scrip­ture vvhere vve finde iustice attributed vnto the Gentiles: We must vnderstand thereby externall iustice, or the iustice of the fleshe. Man hath lost that fre facul­tieMans po­wer and fa­culty in spi­ritual thin­ges lost. 1. Cor. [...]. and power of his strength & mem­bers in these things, which are spirituall and appertayne to the true worshipping of God. And besides that, his powers or [Page] facultie eyther to desire, or to deteste thinges carnall and earthly, is wonder­fully impaired, vexed, and troubled, yea and oftentimes peruerse. As Medea rightly saide,

Video meliora, probo (que), deteriora sequor. Medaea.

He hath yet left vnto him some vnder­stādingMan hath yet left som vnderstan­ding in worldly things. in worldly things subiect to rea­son. For if man were without this also, he should then differ nothing at al frō brute beasts: and without this no discipline, no iudgement, nor no punishmēt could be exercised amōgst the Infidels. And here­of cōmeth that distinctiō betwene things that worke woluntarily & naturally: and in like maner betvveene things wrought reasonably and brutishly.

In that therfore mā somtime cōsultethAll mans vnderstan­ding in worldly things is a portion of gods image yet remay­uing. and determineth happily in ciuill & ex­ternal things, it is a portion of the image of God: although most cōmonly cernal affections, & leude perturbations of the mind, do carie reason & wil, quite out of the right way. But yet those powers of man, hovve feeble or faynt soeuer they be, whether they be of the minde, of the vvill, of the hart, or of any other mem­ber [Page 24] of man, if they bee good affec­tions, they are certayne remnauntes of Gods image.

Man hath also almost lost that notableMans po­wer & do­minia oncr liuing crea­tures much impayred. wisdome, and absolute authoritie of rule and dominion ouer liuing creatures: For albeit there remayneth in him vnto this day some povver ouer them, yet the same is ioyned vvith greate perill and greefe, not vvanting tyrannie and cru­eltie. For the horse vvyll not obey man vvithoute bytte and brydle: neyther vvyll the Oxe dravve the Plough vvith­out he bee yoked. The sheepe will not yeelde wooll and milke, vnlesse she be bounde: Byrdes are taken vvith polli­cie and cunning: And fishes vvith the hooke, net, & other instrumentes. As for Tygres, Lyons, Beares, Woolfes, Pan­thers, and suche like, they are not onely not obedient, but extreme aduersaries to mankinde.

Nowe if any man aske vvhye God made vvilde beastes so disobedient and hurtful to man? It is to be answered, that this is commen to passe, That disobedient children might be corrected. For man vvell [Page] deserued suche a scourge after his trans­gression: And therefore by meanes of sinne, our seruants are armed against vs, & wild beasts suffred to tormēt & afflict vs: for so the scripture saith: I wil sende a­mongst Eze. 5. you famine and wilde beastes: When man was in the state of innocency, they were all tame and obedient vnto him:A duble cō ­modity. And novve thoughe they rebell, yet by Gods mercy, fewe doe perishe by them: And if anye miscarie, there ariseth therof a double commodity: First an ex­ample of gods seueritie, as in the Samari­tanes, who were killed of Lyons. In the2. Reg. 17. 1. Reg. 13. 2. Reg. 2. children that for scorning at Elizeus, were destroyed of Beares, and in the dis­obedient prophet, who perished with the Lyon. Secondly gods maiesty herein, shevveth it selfe mightely, in that he is a­ble to cause the wilde and cruell beastes to reuenge his cause against disobedient persons. And finally herein we may also consider gods great goodnesse tovvarde vs, in secluding & shutting them vp out of mennes societie, into desertes & wil­dernesses, appoynting them the night to walke in, and to seeke their pray, whiles [Page 25] morning when man goeth about his bu­sines, they all auoyd his sight & presence, and lie hid in their dennes with trem­bling and feare.

Man hath also lost eternall felicitie andMan hath lost eternall felicitie▪ and blessednesse. blessednesse, and hath onely lefte vnto him in steede thereof, this worldly and earthly lyfe: which is short, miserable, & painefull, and is subiect to daungerous death euery moment. For cruell deathDeath the possessor of all men, and the cause therof. seasoneth vppon all men that are borne of corrupt parents, assone as they are fa­shioned in their mothers wombe, be­cause they are infected with sinne: And therfore all the dayes of their lyfe, death is (as it were) mans hangman and tormē ­tor. First the imbecillity of mans sub­stanceThe sting [...] of death. and strength, is the bitte of Satan: Then the shortnes of mans lyfe, the pe­rils & dangers in the same, the cruell di­seases, the vntimely, soden, & vnnatural deathes, & the resolution of our bodies into dust & ashes, do euidently expresse his force and malice against mankinde. Whiche thinges I willingly note, to ad­monishe men deepely to consider their miserable and wretched estate. For man [Page] is not only a bubble of water, during but a short time, & sodenly vanishing away: but he is a thing much more miserable, wherby it is most apparant, that man is not now any longer the excellent image of God, but the bondslaue of the diuell: then the whiche there can bee nothing more lamentable or miserable.

But the vse of that which we haue vtte­redThe vse of this doc­trine. alreadie touching the remnantes of Gods image in man, is to put vs in re­membrance of those great things which we haue lost by sinne, and those rem­nants are much like the rubble of a faire and beautifull citie destroyed, And such as they be they ought not to be cōtem­ned: beeing as it were notes & remem­braunces that god will in eternall life re­new & restore his image to man, accor­ding to his holy worde. Prouided always that by meanes of this doctrine no po­wer at all be ascribed to man in spirituall matters before regeneration, and not o­uer much neither in carnall and earthly things. For both these excesses are cul­pable. Let vs therefore bewayle this great losse of ours; and agayne let vs not [Page 26] forget to geue thanks, that it hath plea­sed him to leaue in vs some print of his image: and cheefly let vs reioyce that by Christe wee are regenerate and re­conciled to God in this life, and that his Image shall be perfectly restored vnto vs in the life to come.

And before I conclude this parte,Errors co­trary to this doc­trine. I thinke it not amisse to admonishe my Reader of certayne detestable and grosse Errors, quite contrarie to this do­ctrine. First certayne Athistes and Epi­cures hold, that there is nothing corrupt in man, after his first creation and con­dition: vvhich opynion the Manichees doo also mayntayne. And this Error seemeth too springe of meere Igno­raunce of mannes creation and fall. The Pelagians and certayne Schole­men dreamed mannes nature to bee syncere and vncorrupte after hys Na­tiuitie, euen as Adam vvas before his fall. But that furor is directly agaynst the vvorde of God: Beholde I am con­ceyued Psal. 51. in iniquitie. And agayne, The Rom. 8. sence of the fleshe is Enimitie agaynste the spirite. And some also nowe a dayes [Page] vvrite that there is some povver in manSynergistae before regeneration, euen in spirituall thinges: and that man is a cooperator or worker vvith God, and that it is in mans power to take, to folow, to assent (albeit faintly) with God in spirituall thinges: which is meere cōtrary to the holy scrip­ture: for the Apostle saith: The naturall 1. Cor. 2. man perceiueth not thinges whiche be of Gods spirite, for they are folishnesse vnto him, spea­king of man not regenerate.

Finally this extremitie is to be repre­hended, that there is no porcion at all of gods image left in man. And that there is left vnto man no knovvledge of God at al, & that he hath no principles of arts or accions: but that hee is muche like a cleane sheete of paper ot table, into the vvhiche vvith education and study, hee maye write thinges. But saint Paule saith: That the worke of the lawe is written in Rom. 2. the Gentiles hartes. And euen by the law of nature those that be not yet regenerate, haue some knovvledge, albeit obscure, that there is a God, and that he is a iuste God. Albeit they vnderstande nothing [Page 27] of his essence, and of his perfect wil, con­teyned in the lavve and gospell.

OVT OF WHAT EXCEL­lent dignitie and honor, man vvas deposed and caste, by meanes of his transgression, and vtterly drovvned in a deepe sea of all euill, it hath bene already briefely and plainely declared: It now remay­neth that vve haue some due conside­ration of Gods greate mercy, povver,Gods mighty mercy. and goodnesse in the renouation, and regeneration of the olde manne. For after the fall of Adam, God could not doe any thing eyther more mightely or mercifully, then to sende his onely be­gotten sonne to take our nature vppon him, to vvashe vs from our sinnes vvith his precious blood, and to redeeme and deliuer vs from Satan. For this inestima­ble [Page] benefite, let vs continually vppon our knees geue moste hartie and ear­nest thankes vnto oure God euer and euer.

And although this great vvorke ofEthnickes [...] at [...] of re­generation. God, with many other things spirituall, seeme ridiculous to the carnall man, and humaine sence: and prophane Nations accompt it but a deuise of phanaticall persons, yet all those that are vnder the Insigne of Christ, ought thākfully to ac­knowledge, & highly to esteme this hol­some worke & benefite of God: This do­ctrine issueth out of the places of Repen­tance, of Iustification, and of Baptisme. For Regeneration conioyneth and lyn­keth all these thinges together.

Regeneratiō signifieth not in this placeThe signi­fication of the worde regenera­tion. to returne corporally into our mothērs womb, & to be borne againe, as Nicode­mus supposed, but a spiritual renewing: and the similitude is taken frō the cor­porall natiuitie. For as man is conceiued & borne of his natural mother in sinne: euen so in this spiritual natiuitie, by the efficacie of gods worde and sacramentes, externall instrumentes, he is regenerate [Page 28] and spiritually made cleane from sinne, that is to say, he receyueth remission of sinnes, he is made the sonne of God, the temple of the holy ghost, and an heire of eternall life, albeit the spottes of Ori­ginallIoh. 1. &. 3 Tit. 3. 1. Pet. 1. 2. sinne doo yet remayne in this bo­dy of his. And vnder this generall worde Regeneration, mans conuersion vnto God, his iustification, and the effectes thereof, are comprehended and con­teyned.

Regeneration of Christians in GodsThe defi­nition of re­generation. inuisible accion, plainly expressed by his holy worde and sacramentes annexed vnto the same: whereby our mercifull God doth spiritually forme and fashion of a carnall man, a newe, iust, and holy manne, ingraffing him into his king­dome, remouing from hym his sinnes cōmitted, his wrath & indignation, and imparteth vnto him his iustice & grace: deliuereth him also from the power and kingdome of the Diuell, and gi­ueth him the holye ghost, the earnest pledge of eternall lyfe: and fynallye kindleth in him newe strength to begin newnes of life, acceptable and pleasaunt [Page] vnto God in this world. The groundes this definition are the words of the holy scripture: Go teach all nations, baptising thē Math. 28. [...]ar. 16. Iohn. 3. Tit. 3. in the name of the father, the sonne, and the ho­ly ghost: and he that beleeueth and is bapti­sed, shall bee saued. This Renouation, as I sayde before, is a matter of the greatest moment, and an especiall signe of Gods loue and mercy toward man. For when godlesse man put vpon him the image of the diuell, and was therby more then op­pressed with many miseries, and had cast away al hope of releefe: the louing Lord vsed a wonderfull temperature of iustice and mercy, and ministred medicines to man, his sonne euen then beeing a Sol­liciter and intercessor for vs.

This sonne of the eternall father ourThe work of regeneration appointed frō the beginning. Lorde Iesus Christ, was from the begin­ning appoynted to descend & take mans nature vpon him, and was subiect to all humaine infirmities, sinne excepted. He appeared to destroy the works of the di­uell, to seeke the lost grote, wherin Gods image vvas stamped, to bring home the lost sheepe to the folde of eternall life, to thende that he might florishe for euer [Page 29] there vvith al heauenly companies, bee­ing here regenerated, and there accor­ding to Gods image perfectly renevved. For when man kinde had receiued most greeuous vvoundes, and vvas bounde in strong chaynes, not able to be brokē by mans strength: this bruser of the Ser­pentes head, came & professed him selfe (when the fulnesse of time should come) to be our tender and faythfull Phisition, to geue his flesh for the life of the world; and that he woulde suffer suche punishe­ments, that by his stripes and vvoundes we should be healed: and that through death he shoulde be destroyed that had povver of death, to vvit, the diuell, that craftie serpent & cruell dragen, the ene­mie of man from the beginning.

This regeneration of mankinde vvas [...]eparatiō of man by Iesus Christ. then done by none other but by Iesus Christ, our Priest, and euerlasting king: who collecteth & preserueth his church by the sound of his Gospell, vvherein is written the decree of our recōciliation: Which Gospell (he beeing the eternall worde of the eternall father) reueleth vnto vs: Shevving the chearefull coun­tenance [Page] of his father, and powring the holy ghost into our harts, that with per­fect loue and heauenly ioy, we might in obedience be vnited to our God. Which propertie of his office, & speciall priuile­ges, he hath made most manifest by his resurrection, & by the sending downe of the holy ghost vpon the Apostles, that thereby vve might the better consider the inestimable price of that benefite. The sonne of God, together with theExhortati­ons to re­pentaunce. Prophets & Apostles, do exhort vs to re­pentance, that we might be renued and clothed with that newe image, and rege­nerate to a celestiall wisdome & iustice. And to thende that we might know the deformitie of the olde Adam: and be ex­cited to seeke gods image in Christ, who is the newe and heauenly Adam, we must vse both the lavve and the Gospell. The Lavve (I saye) that vvee stricken vvith feare and dread in respect of our sinnes, might be enforced to seke after the true and perfect Phisition, who is Christ, whō the Gospell affyrmeth to be made vnto vs, vvisedome, redemption, iustice, and sanctification.

But wee muste also vnderstande, thatwhat kinde of iustice [...]s restored in regenera­tion. not onely that iustice which was gotten by Christes blood, is transferred vnto vs through gods wōderfull grace & mercy: but in this regeneration there is a redeli­uerie or restitution of certen powers or strengthes in mā, out of the which certen accions issue & flowe. And yet this resti­tution is not so perfect, as that vve are a­ble eyther to fulfill the Lawe, or to be ac­compted iust before God: but it is the fruite of Iustice Imputatiue (as they call it) albeit in some places & other respect it haue the name of Iustice: as, That I Phil. 2. may be founde in him not hauing mine owne iustice, which is of the lawe, but that whiche is of fayth in Christ. I vvill therfore write somvvhat particularly of the powers re­stored to the godly in regeneration, and aftervvarde I will speake of their accions and vvorkes.

And first of al mans mind hath certenOf y^• minde renewed. powers or habilities restored by the ho­ly ghost, and a kinde of light kindled in thinges spirituall and diuine. Be yee re­newed Ephe. 4. (sayth the Apostle) in the spirite of your mindes. And, Renewe the newe man in Colos. 3. [Page] the knowledge of God. And agayne: We all 2. Cor. 3. vvith face reueled, beholding the glory of the Lodre, are transformed into the same image, from brightnes to brightnes, as it were by the spirite of the Lorde. There is then restored some power & abilitie vnto mans mind, somewhat to vnderstand the diuine and heauenly mysteries: and a certayne light to discerne the doctrine of God, accor­ding to the rule of his worde, from false doctrine and heresie. For it hath vsually come to passe in all ages, that Errors springing vp, haue bene paynted vvith goodly colours, vvhereby manye haue bene sedused and deceyued.

But ignorance and blindnesse bred inMuche ig­norance and blindnesse yet remay­ning in mās minde. man naturally, is not altogether remo­ued out of his minde: The reason therof is, because in this life mans restitution is not perfected, but attempted only: and the disease of originall sinne remayneth after this spirituall Regeneration. The olde nature, or olde man remayneth, albeit some mortification be begon. For so the Apostle sayth: We knowe in part, we 1. Cor. 13. prophesie in part: but vvhen that vvhiche is perfect is come, that vvhich is vnperfect shal be [Page 31] done away. And heereof it commeth to passe, that ignorances of God and spiri­tuall thinges (not knovven vnto vs by nature) do oftentimes exceedingly en­comber and vnquiet euen the man rege­nerate: So that lighte and darknes in mans minde, doo contende and striue one with another, as the Apostle moste grauely teacheth in these vvordes: The Gal. 5. fleshe coueteth agaynst the spirite, and the spi­rite agaynst the fleshe: these are contrarie one to another. And nowe and then the igno­rance & darknes of the minde doth ex­tinguish the small light kindled, eyther vvith grosse securitie, or curious philoso­phie, or carnall reason, as vve knowe it came to passe in Aaron, Salomon, and Hieroboam, vvho vvilfully shooke of this diuine light: and gaue them selues to the vvorshipping of Idols.

Let vs not maruell therfore, that there is yet remayning suche great imbecilitie in those that be regenerate: neither yet because some excellent men, accomptedwhy excel­lent lightes of Christes Church [...]o e [...] [...] [...]all. lightes of the Church, doo often times erre & fall very grossely, seeing the cause thereof is so apparant: to vvitte, first the [Page] sicknes of originall sinne remayning yet in the posteritie of Adam: and secondly, the craft, furor, and power of the diuell, vvho vvithout gods especiall & vvōder­full grace is able to doo muche agaynst seely and vveake man.

As the minde hath receyued certayneOf the will renued af­ter regene­ration. seedes or nourishments of regeneratiō in this life by gods grace: euen so vvill is partaker of some povver and abilitie to apprehende diuine and spiritual things, to couet after them, & assent vnto them: which promptnes & facultie it had not before regeneration, as the Apostle most excellently vvriteth after this maner: It Phil. 2. is God that worketh in vs the vvill and the deede, according to his good will. And else­where he freely confesseth that he hathRom. 7. will in diuine thinges, and as a spirituall man to be delighted with gods law. But yet the vvill is not perfectly restored in this life. For the filth & dregges of ori­ginall sinne (albeit they are forgiuen by Christe) are yet abyding in vs, and can not wholly bee rooted out of this our Nature: First therefore let vs consider the vveakenes of Will, euen in those that [Page 32] be regenerate, vvithout Gods speciall and peculiar assistance, as vve see dayly in the confessions, afflictions, and dea­thesThe weaknes of the godly in the houre of death, and the cause thereof. of the godly. Secondly, our vvyll is by our ovvne malice, and the subtiltie of Sathan, bothe letted, deformed, and ouercommen. Whiche imbecilitie and vveakenes, so deepely and daungerou­sly fastened vnto vs, the godly doo both taste and feele, and also bevvayle and la­ment: praying still vvith earnest gro­ning, that they may bee ridde oute of this thraldome, into blisse and peace euerlasting. The voyce of the Apostle is vvorthy to bee hearde, which sayth: Wyll is ready vnto mee, but I am not able Rom. 7. to doo it. For I doo not that good thinge vvhiche I vvoulde doo, but that euill which I vvould not, that I doo. If I doo that which I vvoulde not, it is not nowe I, but sinne dwelling in mee. And a little after: I see annother Lawe in my members, resisting the lawe of my Minde, and leading mee captiue vnder the lawe of sinne, vvhiche is in my members. O vnhappie man that I am, who shall deliuer mee from the body of this death? I geue God thankes throughe Iesus [Page] Christe our Lorde. Therefore in my minde I serue the lawe of God, but in my fleshe the lawe of sinne. In the vvhich vvords the Apo­stle affyrmeth, that he had a good will stirred vp by the holy ghost: But he ad­deth that the old Adam sticking in him, did alwayes plucke him avvay to sinne and wickednes. He further shevveth the author of regeneration in this life, and the perfecter therof in the life to come: euē Iesus Christ our sauiour & redemer.

And yet God hath vvith his spirite of strength and fortitude assisted many thousandes of his martyres, in giuing te­stimonieThe principal cause of the patience and strēgth of martyrs [...]n their [...]assions. to the truth vvith vvonderfull patience and boldnesse: vvhiche is the proper and peculiar worke of the holy ghost, vvho is thereof called a Comfor­ter. And that voice of the Apostle is most sweete and delectable: God is faythfull, who 1. Cor. 10. vvill not suffer you to be tempted aboue that ye are able to beare: but in the middle of your temptation he will prouide that you shallbe able to beare it. God is always present with his seruants in their agonies, and doth most gratiously and plentifully giue them co­rage & strength in cruell torments, that [Page 33] they become victors and conquerors.

In thinges externall conioyned vvithThe pow­er of will regenerate in temporal thinges. vertue and honesty, mannes will after regeneration is vvithout all doubt more pliable then it was before. For the man regenerate hath the light of Gods word shining in his minde, wherby he percei­ueth and embraceth more readily both things diuine and humaine. It is a great vertue in Scipio, that hee conteyneth him selfe frō Endibilis: But it was with­outWhat men not regene­rat cheefly respect in their acci­ons. the light of the liuing god, his vvyll vvas therefore vntovvarde in spirituall thinges, he was an idolator, and in his accions onely respected externall hone­sty, that hee might not doe any thing a­gainst comelynes. But in Ioseph refusing vnlawfull company with his maistersIoseph his accions and the ground thereof. wife, there shineth a more excellent and diuine vertue. For he had the knowledge of the lyuing god, and a vvil regenerate, whereby hee did more commodiouslyA great [...] diuersity of mans wyll both in those that be regenerate and not re­generate. practise things externall, he had the ho­ly ghost his guide and leader, hee feared God, and was loth to deface his honor & glory, hee assuredly beleeued that God vvould be with him and comfort him in [Page] perilles and daungers.

There is also a greate difference be­tweene those that be not regenerate in thinges external, for one excelleth ano­ther in vertue, in discipline, & in exerci­ses. Moreouer there is often tymes seene great imbecilitie in the godly, vvho doe horribly deforme thēselues in externall vices: the cause is the sinne yet remay­ning in their nature, which is no smal or light euill: Wherevnto the diuill addeth his poyson and malice, especially a­gainst the godly. Whereby it commeth to passe that no man (Christe excepted) be he neuer so learned or godly, is pureThe spots in the godly and cleane from foule spottes and of­fences. And hereof come so many offen­ces and faults of the best & most excel­lent men in the church of God in their externall accions, as Loth, vvho defiledLoth. Dauid. Hely. him selfe with dronkennesse and incest: Dauid with adultery and murder. Hely with negligence in the education of his children, &c. So that many are choked, &The thor­nes of thys world. oppressed with the thornes of this world, and very fewe ridde them selues oute of the same. All godly men ought to ac­knowledge [Page 34] this their great infirmitie, and to pray continually, that God of his mercy woulde vouchsafe to gouerne our pathes and steppes in this slippery way of the worlde, that eyther we may not fall at all into foule offences, or at the least that we may not be drowned, & vtterly perish in the same.

The newnes of mās hart regenerat, is alOf the hart of man re­generate. so such, that some diuine motiōs are lightened (and as it were) kyndled: So there beginneth both a certen harmony of af­fections in the harte, and also a certaine consent of the mynde, will, and harte. And so it conceyueth by the ayde of the holy ghoste (and not of it selfe), some sparkes and seedes of a reuerende and childish feare of god, a loue of God and godly thinges, a wonderfull tollerancy and patience in afflictions, and a loth­some detestation of sinne and vvicked­nesse. It beginneth to restraine & brydle raging affections, and embraceth hys [...]auen Christiā with loue and charity. Al­beit not so perfectly as the lawe requi­reth.Perfect nature onely perfectly fulfilleth y^• lawe. Thou shalt loue the Lord thy god with­all thy harte, & thy neighbour as thy selfe. For [Page] the perfect & exact fulfilling of the law, belongeth to perfect & incorrupt nature.

There remayneth therfore in the harts of men regenerate, not onely a greate in­firmitie,Greate in­firmityes remayne in mans hart after rege­neration. coldnes, & dulnesse to all good motions: but the same motions are con­founded & tumbled together as it were with a certaine whyrlewind. And moste commonly corrupt affections beare rule, and burst out with great shame and in­famie, as flames of lust, desire of reuenge­ment, malice & hatred, either too much or preposterous feare, or loue of exter­nall and temporall thinges: And many in these stormes and tempests, are vtterlyThe effects of raging affections. caste oute of Christes shippe: and other some with muche adoe aryue in the ha­uen in a bote all to rent and torne, as ex­perience in all ages maketh manifest. The hart therefore is muche lyke a ro­ring sea of furious affections, subiect toThe harte is muche lyke a troubled sea of raging af­fections. diuerse stormes and tempestes, which if it be not made calme and quiet with the holy ghoste: it will make greater ship­wrackes in sinne, then saylers do in Scyl­la and Charibdis. The fountaine & ori­gine of these stormes & tempestes is ori­ginall [Page 35] sin (as I haue often already repea­ted) so deepely rooted in oure nature: Which the foule feend with his craft, fu­ror, and power ouer miserable men, mer­uelously augmenteth and increaseth. And therefore Dauid beeing regenerate prayeth after this maner: Create in me, O God, a cleane harte, and renewe a right spirite within me. He felt, no doubt, in him selfe these raging fluddes of the hart, where­withall hee vvas tost and almost oppres­sed diuersly, and with great daunger, nei­ther was he able to resist the same with­oute the ayde and assistance of the holy ghost.

The man regenerate then by GodsOf the good acci­ons & work of men re­generate. grace, beginneth nevv obedience, inter­nall and externall, whiche is acceptable to god through Iesus Christ, who sayeth vnto vs: I am the vine, & you are the braun­ches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, that man bringeth forth much fruite, for without me ye are able to doe nothing. When wee are therefore ingraffed in Christe by rege­neration, and made good, vve may doe good vvorkes, as the Apostle euidently declareth: We are his vvorkmanshippe, crea­ted [Page] by Christ Iesus in good workes, which God The good workes of man regenerate, are vn perfect in this lyfe. hath prepared that we should walke in. But we muste alwayes remember that the good workes of men regenerate are not per­fect in this lyfe, according to the decla­ration of the law, Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God, with all thy hart, with all thy soule, & with all thy strength, and thy neighbour as thy selfe. And therefore man regenerate hath not remission of sinnes, and inheritance of eternall lyfe, by meanes of his ovvne iustice, which is vnperfect, but onely byThe com­fort of men regenerate. iustice imputatiue, which is deriued vnto him by the iustice of Christe: yet the mā regenerate hath this solace and com­fort, that his newe obedience is accepta­ble and pleasant vnto God: Because he is reconciled to God by faith in Christ, and all his vvorkes, accions, and obedi­ence, springeth of fayth. And moreouer almighty God of his greate and abun­dant mercie, doth recompence and crovvne this nevve obedience, both in this lyfe and in the life to come.

This punnishment continueth allOf the do­minion of man regenerate ouer o­ther liuing creatures. the dayes of mannes lyfe in this vvorlde, that the greate dignity, authoritie, and [Page 36] rule, which our parentes had before the fall ouer other liuing creatures, is not re­stored vnto him againe. The pleasure of God is that some signes of our cor­ruption and transgression shoulde al­vvayes be obiect vnto our eyes: That we might the rather thereby feare and o­bey his maiestie. And yet we may also see Gods blessing, in making many bea­stes not onely tame, but also as it were familiar and domesticall seruantes vnto vs: and that more willingly and prospe­rouslye they serue vs, then they serue the wicked and vngodly. And in lyke maner the fertilitie of the earth, is notOf the frut fulnes of y^• earth. perfectly restored in this lyfe to man re­generate: and yet by the blessing of god all liuing creatures are fed, & as the Psal­mist saith, There is no scarsitie to those that Psal. 3. 4. feare him.

There yet remaineth also in the mari­ageThe mari­age of men regenerate. of man regenerate, certen signes and admonitions of his transgression, as in that childrē are borne with paine & pe­ril of their parent, & are all by nature the sons of wrath. And yet notwithstanding God is present with his seruants in theirEphe. 2. [Page] mariages, and mitigateth the karkes & cares thereof, but also conserueth & pro­uideth peace, & sendeth some Halcions dayes: And often tymes for one good mans sake, he blesseth whole regions and countries: as the examples of Ioseph, Danyell, and many others, do sufficient­ly declare. The godly also haue this pre­rogatiue,Ioseph. Da [...]ell. that because they be true and lyuely members of Christes church: they onely may assure them selues, that they bring forth seedes and plants of the hea­uenly Ierusalem, and are as it were Nur­ceries bringing foorth (as Plato calledPlato. them) worshippers of the diuine power and maiestie

The tyranny and furor of the diuyllOf the ty­ranny of y^• Deuil. againste menne Regenerate, ceasseth not in thys lyfe, because sinne remay­neth yet in oure nature. And Gods will also is that the enemie of mankinde shoulde bee perfectly knovven, that both the greate benefites of Christe, mighte more clearely shyne, and shevve them selues, and also that the ex­cercyse of fayth and confession, might be more frequent and common a­mongst [Page 37] his faythfull seruantes, and lo­uing children. For albeit the prince of this world be iudged already, and hys power and weapons made dull and bro­ken: yet he is not altogether remoued out of this vvorld, & separated from the Sainctes: for that shall not be absolued and finished before the last day.

And because mention hath oftentimes bene made of men regenerate, and not regenerate, to [...]ende their differences may be more manyfest, I vvil put downe certayne Autithises, vvhereby the diuer­sitieAutitheses or certen differences betweene man rege­nerate and not rege­nerate betweene Alexander and Dauid, Plato and Paule, and other suche excel­lent wightes, vvill more manifestly ap­peare. The Ethnickes haue onely a car­nall natiuitie: The Regenerate are borne of God spiritually. The Ethnickes want the true knovvledge of God, they doubt of his essence and will: although they o­therwise excell in vvisdome, vertue, and good demerites: The Regenerate haue a sure, certayne, and euident knowledge of God. The Ethnickes want all Iu­stice imputatiue: The Regenerate are beautified vvith Christes iustice, vvhiche [Page] he hath purchased with his blood. The Ethnickes haue onely the externall dis­cipline of the seconde Table: The Re­generate haue not onely the vvorkes of externall discipline, but the internall vvorkes of the firste Table. The Eth­nickes dooing good vvorkes vvithout Christe, are not able too persvvade them selues that their seruice plea­seth God: seeing that saincte Paule sayeth, What soeuer is not of fayth, is sinne, and the vvorkes of the Eth­nickes proceedeth not of fayth: The Regenerate grounde their good vvor­kes vppon fayth in Christe, and d [...] certaynely knovve, that albeit the same bee vnperfecte in thys lyfe, yet that throughe Christe they are acceptable and pleasaunt to God.

The Ethnickes doo onely follovve the direction of their carnall Reason, and haue some little portion of the lavve of Nature: but they are altogether ig­noraunte of those thinges that bee of God: The Regenerate haue Gods in­fallible vvoorde reueled by hys sonne Christe. The Ethnickes can not call [Page 38] vppon God, nor offer acceptable pa­tience in their miseries and calamities: The Regenerate are able to call vppon the liuing God, for they knovve that there is a God, vvhat he is, and that he is mercifull vnto them, throughe Christe, and that he vvyll geue vnto them blessinges spirituall and tempo­rall. In their afflictions they knovve the fountayne of grace, they knovve the perfect remedie agaynst sinne, they knovve Gods promises, they referre the euent of thinges vnto God, and submitte them selues vvhollye to hys good vvyll and pleasure. The Ethnic­kes can not haue firme and stable peace in their consciences, vvhen they are in agonies and greefes, because they are ignoraunt of God, of the Media­tor, and of the vvoorde of promyse: and therefore they are carryed into moste abhominable and stinking san­des of dispayre: The Regenerate, beyng vexed vvith calamities, vvyth the lavve, and stynges of the Diuell in theyr consciences: by meanes of [Page] Christe, vvho is their mediator and sa­uiour: they haue sure & certayne peace, they haue the vvorde of God, and the seales of the same, they haue the holy ghoste, as an earnest penie or pledge of their saluation. The Ethnickes after the Resurrection, because they beleeued not in Christ, shall be in hell vvythe the riche glotton: For Christe sayth, They that beleene not shall not haue eternall life, but Gods wrath remayneth vpon them: The Re­generate perseuering in the true faith of Christ, shall be vvith God in ioy and dig­nitie, hauing the fruition of Gods face and countenaunce, and the svveete so­cietie of all the blessed company in hea­uen, as the worde of God promiseth.

The Ethnickes therefore beeing moste renowmed in vvorldly things, are much inferiour to the meanest man that is Regenerate.

But some man vvill happily saye, ifWhy the vertues & noble actes of the Gen­tiles are esteemed. their vertues & noble actes, their inuen­tions and explications of artes, their fluent and svveete eloquence, be of no more value: why doo men esteeme them so muche? I ansvvere, that they doo it [Page 39] but in degrees and respectes. And for that these woorkes are so excellent as mannes Reason can attayne vnto: they are so farre soorth to be alovved, as they agree vvith the lavve of nature, or true principles of thinges ingraffed in man naturally. Wherein vve ought to haue al­so in remembraunce, that the Ethnickes haue receyued many thinges of the Fa­thers of Gods Church, which they haue through their carnall vvisdome maruei­lously corrupted. Moreouer, because Artes, eloquence, and other such things are needefull onely to this carnall life, vvee vse them onely for the same. And as concerning Diuinitie, that is to say, the knowledge of diuine and heauenly thin­ges, together with a true and perfect ex­plication of good vvorkes, and examples of vertues, vvhiche vvere neuer to bee found in the Gentiles: vve deriue (I say) and dravve all these thinges out of the holy scripture. And thende vvhy theseThe cōmo­ditie of this doctrine. diuersities betweene Ethnickes & Chri­stians are here recited by me, and vvor­thy to be noted of others, are first, that vvee doo not ascribe ouer muche to the [Page] Ethnickes, for their externall actes and deedes. Secondarily, that the excelencie and dignitie of man regenerate may be knowen. Thirdly, that vve might be mo­ued to giue god thankes for the same, & to pray vnto him, that as he hath begon a good worke in vs, so he would conti­nue and perfite the same, vnto the daye of Iesus Christe.

I might seeme to haue spoken suffici­entlyErrors cō ­trarie to this true doctrine. of man regenerate: and so haue I in deede, but that certen olde and newe Errors in this matter are worthy the a­nimaduersion, to thende that the godly and zelous Reader beeing admonished, might the better bevvare and auoyde the same. The Papistes error is contra­rieThe Pa­pistes. to the promise, which teacheth vs to doubt whether vvee be in the fayth, or not: whiche is a doctrine leading men into desperation.

The Saducees holde, that there is noSaduces. Regeneration, nor lyfe after thys.

The Libertines also svvarue from thisLibertines doctrine, holding that Regeneration is nothing but a libertie to follovve sen­suall lustes and desires. Contrarie vn­to [Page 40] that vveightie sentence of Saincte Paule: Brethren, you are called into liber­tie, Gala. 5. onely let not your libertie bee an occasion to the fleshe.

The Gnostickes, Catharickes, and someGnosticks, Anabap. &c. Anabaptistes, are to bee noted also, who dreame, that men Regenerate, are per­fectly iuste in their nevvnesse of lyfe in this vvoorlde. Whiche position is di­rectlye agaynst the Scripture, and day­ly experience. For Christe doth teache vs to pray: Forgeue vs our trespasses. Re­generation dothe not altogether take avvay the disease of sinne, but the im­putation, that it bee not layde to our charge.

IF the fayth and hope of men Re­generate, did extende no further then this present life, they were of all other creatures most miserable. Their [Page] onely and cheefe comforte therefore is the certayne and assured expectation of consummate glorye in the vvorlde to come. And although silence might seme more conueniente, then a fevve bare vvordes in so vveightie a matter: yet to thende that our hope may be the better comforted and strengthened, and the heauenlye ioyes beeing apparantly set before our eyes, might be the more co­ueted and desired on our partes, I vvyll also say somewhat of this matter. ForThende of all thinges is at hande. the time is euen at hande, when as all these vvorldly things, of vvhat moment soeuer they seeme to be, shall haue their ende: and the Regenerate perseuering in a constant fayth, shall possesse ioy and endlesse blisse. On thother side, the wic­ked and vngodly persons, shall bee caste downe into euerlasting paynes and tor­mentes. And this doctrine is setled vp­pon these groundes or places of scrip­ture: Of the Gospell, of Iustification, of the rewardes of newe obedience, of the resurrection, and of eternall life.

The glorification of man in the life e­ternall, is Gods accion & vvorke, wher­in [Page 41] hee restoreth vnto all beleeuers after their resurrection his image perfectly, that is to saye, he will purifie and clense whole man, as well in body as in soule, from sinne: And beautifying him with al integritie, wisedome, & iustice, will tran­slate him into his kingdome, to be a fe­lowe and companion of the angels and blessed spirites throughout all eternitie. For we learne by Gods vvord, that when the godly are remoued hence by corpo­ral death, they lay aside al their vveights and burdens of sinne (which now so gre­uously preasseth them in this worlde, to the ende that man should not be mole­sted therewith after his resurrection. For there is not onely a dissolution of the body and soule but the dregges & rem­nants of sinne, are also swallowed vp out of our nature: In so much that this tem­porall death is an effectuall remedy a­gainst that puysant and mighty enemy, which so dayly and violently assaulteth vs in this corruption & mortality. When our bodies therfore are laid in the graue they reste in sure and certen hope of the glorious resurrectiō, neither are they re­teyned [Page] there to ignomie and shame, butOf the qualities & pro­perties or glorified bodies. Ex Pet. Mart. in 2. Re. 4. that they may rise and spring vp againe with excellent properties and qualities: Whereof P. Martyr that excellent light of our tyme hath vvritten largely and learnedly, out of whome I vvill borrow so much as seemeth conuenient for this discourse.

The schoole mē (saith he) do call those properties, conditions, or indumentes, neither can I mislyke those whiche they number, because I see that they drawe them out of the holy scripture. Albeit I thinke they haue not collected all, nei­ther can any man doe that, because vve cannot see or perceiue exactly in this life the heauenly glory of the celestiall com­pany. But the first qualitie or indumentThe firste conditiō of glorified bodies is un­mortality. accompted of them, is immortalitie. And in deed whersoeuer any mention is made in the scripture of the lyfe to come, the same is said to be eternall and euerlasting. The Apostle sayth: This mor­tall 1. Cor. 15. must put on immortalitie, and this corrup­tible must put on incorruption. And for that both rewardes and punishments which [Page 42] shall be geuen, according to the propor­tion of vvorkes, are eternall, the subiect or nature vvhich shall susteyne the same, must needes be also eternall. Moreouer seeing Christe hath ouercome sinne and death, it must of necessitie folovve, that the lyfe of holy menne shall be immor­tall. The Apostle also speaketh after this manner: Christ rysing frō the deade, dieth not Rom. 6. any more, neither hath death power ouer him any more: And agayne, Fleshe and blood shall 1. Cor. 15. not possesse the kingdome of God: Whiche vvordes are not to be misconstrued of the very nature and substance of fleshe and blood: For those that shall rise to glorie, shall be clothed vvith them. But the Apostle meaneth of corruption, vvherevnto flesh and blood are subiect in this lyfe. And therefore it folovveth there: And this corruption shall put on in­corruption. &c.

Of this qualitie aryseth another,Glorified bodies need no sustentation of cor­poral food. vvhiche is that the glorified menne shall not neede meate, drinke, or a­nye other corporall sustentation in the lyfe to comme. Christe hym­selfe hathe taughte vs, that they [Page] shalbe lyke angels. For whereas mention is often tymes made in the scripture of eating and drinking in heauen, as: I will Luk. 22. prepare for you, as my father hath prepared for me, a kingdome, that yee may eate and drinke vppon my table in my kingdome: This, and suche lyke speeches are nothing els but metaphors or translations, whereby the holy ghost admonisheth rude and simple men of the ioyes and pleasures of ano­ther lyfe. In the lyfe immortall then, there shalbe no neede, neither of foode, nor of procreation of children: Which thinges serue onely the vse of this mor­tal life. The reason of this is, because bo­dely substances are not then worne or consumed, there shall be no neede of re­paration by meate and drinke. And be­cause there shalbe no mortality, mariage shall not be then needefull by new pro­creation, to preserue and continue na­tures and substances.

Shining brightnes is also ascribed byGlorified bodies in­dued with shining brightnes. Phi. 3. the schoole men to glorified bodyes: wherof the Apostle speaketh thus: Christ shall chaunge our vile bodies, and make them like to his glorious body. &c. Some signe & [Page 43] token hereof was giuen by Christ in hys transfiguration, when his face did shine like the sun: & the Euangelist saith: The Dan. 12. wise. 3. 4. 5. iust shall shine as the sunne in the sight of God. Whereof the prophet Daniell also ma­keth mention. They ascribe also to glo­rified bodies nimblenes and agility: ForGlorified bodies in­dued with agility. the body and all the members shall be subiecte to the soule. And hereof it is written in the booke of wisdome, of the sainctes: That they shall be like sparkes, wised. 4. running amongst the stubble: And the Apo­stle, We that shall be found alyue, and the dead who shall be raysed, shalbe rapt to meete Christ in the ayre. The body of Christe walking vppon the watér was indued vvith this a­gility, vvhiche he lent also for a tyme to Peter to do the same. The force or effi­cacy of this agility (as I sayde before) is, that the soule shall haue absolute domi­nion ouer the body: in so much that the weight and burden of the flesh shall not in any wise hinder or lette the operation thereof. And also for that this qualitie apperteyneth to locall motion, it ma­kethVbiquistae. many men to meruell, why the V­biquaries are content to guyse this pro­perty in bodyes glorified, and yet will [Page] not graunt any place at all vnto them, as thoughe there coulde be a motion from place to place, without any place at all.

The glorified bodyes also are impassi­ble,Glorified bodyes im­passible. that is to say, they shall not be cor­rupt or diminished with any passions, dolors, or diseases: according as the A­postle writeth, It is sowen in corruption, it 1. Cor 15. Passions of two sor­ [...]s. riseth againe in incorruption. And for that I haue sayde, that the glorified bodies shal not be molested with passions, we must consider that passions are of two sortes. For some are noysome and hurtefull to nature, afflicting and consuming the body: as hunger, thirst, sickenesse, paine, and such like. From these kindes of pas­sions, the saintes shall be deliuered. A­gaine, there are some other passions,What kind of passions y^• glorified bodies shal haue. which rather helpe and perfect nature, then hurt the same: Such are the notices of the senses. The eye is not hurt with beholding of fayre colours, nor the eare with sweete harmony and musike: Nor yet is smelling hurt with good odours. These and suche like good passions shall not be wanting to our bodyes glorified, [Page 44] vvhē vve shal rest in our desired coūtrey.Glorified bodies thin and subtill.

They adde also subtilty to glorified bodyes, vvhiche is not so to be taken as though these bodies shoulde be turned into spirites & become ayery, much like the winde pearcing all thinges: But this subtilty is rather to be referred to the exquisite and perfect power of the sen­ses. Wherevnto may also be added af­fections, vvhich shall not be grosse and earthly, molesting the minde. In this sense spake the Apostle: It is sowen a na­turall body, but it riseth agayne a spirituall bo­dy. A naturall body, and a spirituall body. 1. Cor. 15. In the vvhich vvordes he ment not that our bodyes shoulde be chaunged into spirites: But that they should come as neere the propertie of spirites as pos­sibly they might (in respect of their No­tices, and affections) reteyning still their corporall nature and substance. These notable properties are collected by the schoole men out of Gods vvord: manyEsa. 6. 4. 1. Cor. [...]. others there be omitted, for it is truely sayd, The eye hath not seene, the eare hath not harde, those thinges which God hath prepared for those that loue him.

It is not vnmete to be obserued in this [Page] place, that neither the holy scriptures,Agaynst v­biquitie. nor auncient Fathers, nor Scholasticall writers, haue in any place ascribed either to the bodies of Sainctes glorified, or to Christes body vbiquitie, to be in no place, or in euery place. It is, & that not with­out cause wondred at, that some writers of our time doo so obstinatly mainteine that opinion without any good ground at all. And it is to be noted▪ that many of the Scholemen: and amongst others Thomas Aquinas, in consideration that the bodies of blessed men shall come moste neere vnto celestiall qualities: He inferreth vpon the same, that their ha­bitation shall be aboue all elementes in the supreme and high heauen.

They dispute also of the age of men inOf what age bo [...]ies shal be in y^e resurrec­tion. their resurrection, and their opinion is, that the same shal be freshe, strong, and lustie: inforcing that of the Apostle to the prouing therof: vntill we growe in the vnitie of fayth, into the knowledge of the sonne Ephe. 4. of God, into a perfect man, into the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ. But by their patience the vvords of the Apostle tend to no suche ende: For he speaketh not there of the reformation of bodies, but [Page 45] of the renouatio of myndes, as the words going before, do most euidētly declare. And yet I agree with them in the perfe­ctiō of glorified bodyes: but in some o­ther sort. For when god first created mā, he made him no infant, no decrepit, de­ [...]med or vnperfit person. And seing the resurrectiō is a certen new kind of refor­mation, it must needes be lyke and cor­respondent vnto the first: As therfore all was very good, that is to saye, perfect in their kindes, vvhich god created: so shal mens bodies in the resurrection in their kindes be absolute and perfect.

And these are the properties which the schoole men attribute to the bodyes of saintes in the resurrection: Nowe if any mā will be inquisitiue of the qualities & conditions in the bodyes of vvicked mē, when they shall arise to condemnation: Let him vnderstande that they also shall haue immortality. But as for those otherThe quali­ties of wic­ked mens bodies in the resur­rection. ornaments of glorified bodies, they shal haue none at all: but rather shalbe disfi­gured with the cōtrary deformities. For they shall haue no brightnes nor light, but as Christ hath taught, shalbe cast in­to vtter darkenesse. Neither shall they be [Page] impassible, for they shal be afflicted with dolor & paine without any intermission. There shal be weeping and gnashing of t [...]th. Their worme shal not dye, & their fire shal not go out. They shall haue no nimblenes nor agilitie, for being bound hād & foote, they shal be cast into helfire. They shal wāt such sub­tilty & purenes in affections, as I spake of before, because they shall wepe & wayle, & be vexed with grosse affections, & ve­hement desires: as we may see by the E­uangelical narration of Lazarus and the rich mā. But in al these things that haue bin spoken hertofore in this matter, this is always to be had in memory, that not­withāding these varieties of qualities, yet the selfsame substance of our bodies shal not be altred. For the selfsame fleshe and body that we beare and carie about with vs nowe, shal be raysed vp agayne at the laste day. Hitherto Peter Martyr.

The glorification of blessed men (ouer & besides those things which I haue spo­ken of the body) cōsisteth in these things folowing. First in iustice imputatiue inIustice imp [...]tatiue. christ: whereby those shal please god euer­lastingly, that are iustified by fayth, and translated into the heauenly Ierusalē. So [Page 46] the prophet Daniel calleth that Iustice which is gotten by the death of Christe, sempiternall. For this iustice vvhiche is so dearely bought by the sonne of God, is not onely a merite for the which eternal life is giuen vnto men: but it is also their euerlasting possession, and the very wed­dingMath. 22. garment, vvherewith men beeing clothed, may boldly sitte downe at the banquet of their Lorde.

It cōsisteth also in notable & excellent wisdom, far passing that which euer any mundaine creature was indued withall. It hath also annexed vnto it, sanctitie, puritie, & a restitution of all powers, as­wel of the body, as of the soule. These glorified natures shal haue a notable preeminence ouer all mundaine creatures, whiche shall bee in the newe vvorlde, as some suppose, according to the good vvill and pleasure of almightie God. For the Apostle Sainct Peter sayth: Wee 2. Pet. [...]. Esai. 65. looke for a newe heauen and a newe earthe, according too hys promise, vvherein Iustice dwelleth. But touching the manner or order of these thynges, vvee [...]ught to referre them to Gods vvyll and plea­sure. He him selfe knoweth best howe he [Page] will doo them: and vve of the sequeles & consequences, shal knowe the workes of god, which I the rather add bicause some may happily wonder at this doctrine.

This immutation or restitution of man being thus cōplet & finished, & the image of god being perfectly restored vnto mā,Translati­on into the kingdome of heauen. he shal at the last be translated into reall possessiō of the heauēly kingdom, which he had by faith & hope only in this life, as Christ hath promised, that himself wil giue sentēce in this forme: Come ye blessed children of my father, possesse the kingdome pre­pared for you from the beginning of the worlde. Mortal mē therfore shalbe remoued, not into any earthly, but into an heauenly Ierusalē, according to the words of christ spoken to the thiefe: This day thou shalt be Luke. 23. with me in paradise. Now in the possession of this kingdom the godly shal haue end­les ioy, wherwithal they shalbe crowned in steed of misery, afflictiō, & persecutiō which they suffred for Christes sake in this mortal life: vvhich do so farre excelRom. 8. those miseries, that there can be no iust cōparison betwene thē: which the same2. Tim. 4. 1. Pet. 1. and▪ 5. Apostle calleth the crown of Iustice: and S. Peter a crowne of glory vvhiche neuer [Page 47] fadeth avvay. For first the Saincts shal see god, & shal come to perfection in knovv­lege: We see now in a glasse, & in a dark spech, 1. Cor. 13. but then we shall see face to face. And what thing can there be more pleasant or ac­ceptable, thē to cōmon personally with our Redeemer, & to heare him discour­sing heauenly things: vvhere is in deede the best Scholehouse, & notablest Vni­uersitie of all sapience & vvisdome. We shal haue societie & familiaritie with the Angels, Archangels, & al other heauenly povvers: thē with the Patriarks, Prophets & Apostles: and with al those that frō the beginning of the world, haue bene soul­diers vnder the banner of Iesus Christ. For as al damned persons shalbe tormē ­ted vvith the diuel & his angels, in that lake that burneth with fire & brimstone: So shall the godly enioy endles felicitie in that most florishing kingdome, vvith the good & iust angels eternally: where­vntoPerfect [...] ­bedience in men glori­fied. shal be adioyned a vvilling obedi­ence & seruice of god, with al our harts, with al our minds, with al our willes, and with all our strength. Then the which o­bedience toward god our creator, redee­mer & sauiour, there cānot be any thing [Page] more pleasant & delectable. There shall be no delight in carnal pleasure, in pro­pagation of children, in mariages▪ in worldly regimentes. All whiche thinges shall cease: but we shal be busied about things farre more excellēt, vvhich we see in a glymmis & a farre of in this life, but shall knowe them perfectly in the life to come. And after al these things shal fol­lowe a blessed life, and that without en­ding, wherin shal be no dolor, sicknesse, or miserie: nor yet shall death haue any povver there, according to the promise of our fauiour Christ, He that beleeueth in John. 3. me shall haue eternall life.

This their glorificatiō will be more ap­parantThe tor­ments of hell. vnto vs now and, then also, if we on th [...]ther side cōsider the woe & misery which damned persons shall abide eter­nally: for vnto the great ioyes of the godly, there are correspondent so many tormentes of the vngodly. And fyrste, those miserable men shall want the sight or vision of God: the want of which is called of late Diuines, P [...]na damni, payne The payne of losse. of losse: Whiche is so greeuous a thing by the opinion of Chrysostome, and S. Augustine, that it were better to be in [Page 48] hell enioying that vision, then to be in any place vvithout it. Vnto the whiche payne of losse, there is added intolerable torments of fyre & brimstone: and many other infinit agonies & vexations, which the Diuines call Penam sensus, the payne of Payne of sence. sence, or feling. The which two paynes are neuer without despe [...]ate houling, wee­ping, & gnashing of teeth. What should I here speake of the sun dry and diuers kinds of torments, vvherwithall damned persons vexe one another in hell: which are so vgglie & horrible that we tremble and quake, when we do but once thinke vpon them: and are so muche more gre­nous, because all releefe and ende ther­of, are vtterly dispayred and distrusted. And the same are not a litle augmented, when damned men shall caste vp their eyes into heauen, and beholde thoseSap [...]. [...]. 4, vvhom they had in this worlde in deri­sion: novve on the contrarie parte to rest in peace, and to reigne in all glory, honor, and blessednesse.

There are two questions vsually de­maunded [...]f y^• eq [...] ­litie or ine­qualitie of [...]oyes in [...] ­ternall life. touching the state of glorifica­tiō: first, whether the glory of the Elect be cōmon to all, without any differēce of [Page] mens accions or vocations in this pre­sent life: or vvhether there be any diuer­sitie at all. Secondly, whether in the state of glorification, men shall knowe such as were their acquaintance & frends in this life. Of the vvhich two questions, albeit not impartinent to this discourse, I vvill write nothing at this time: both because the discussing of these questions (in my iudgement) breede rather pleasure then profit: & also bicause the same are hand­ledRog. Al­laeus ex Pe. Mart. in 1. Cor. 14. The sicke­mans salue learnedly in our English tong, by two of our countrey men, M. Allie, and M. Beacon, (albeit one of them borowed his tractation of this matter almost verba­tim out of P. Martyr) vnto thē therfore I remitte the Reader desitous to knovve further of this matter. I thinke it ratherDrigans & the Ch [...]lia­s [...]s error touching y^• saluation of all men. expediēt to admonish my reader in this part, of the heresie of the Chiliastes, vvho supposed, that both al mē & diuels shuld be saued at the last day. Of the vvhich o­pinion vvas Origen: who also helde that the benefite of Christ should extende it selfe as largely as the offence of Adam. But there is playne & euident mention made in the holy scripture of the paynes of damned men. Their worme shall neuer [Page 49] dye. Nether is it expressed in the scripture that Christes binefite shuld be extēded as ample as the fall of Adā. And albeit some mainteining that proposition to helpe thēselues, do affirme that Christes benefit extendeth it selfe to so many in nūber, in respect that by his meanes al men are partakers of the resurrectiō: vnto this it may be inferred, that as the resurrectiō is a be­nefit to the godly, so is it a punishment to the vngodly. For the resurrectiō of the wicked is vnto thē partly an execution of gods seueritie and wrath. And if the lord pronounced of Iudas, that it had bin better for him neuer to haue bin borne: why may notIt were better for y^• wicked ne­uer to rise a gayne. the same be spoken of the wicked, It were better for them not to rise agayne. Moreouer albeit they seme to haue foūd some refuge in respect of the resurrectiō, bicause Chri­stes benefit is spred to as many in number as Adams transgression, what would they answer, if they shuld be vrged with an ar­gument of Adams offence, & Christes iu­stice: Will they say that all haue bin so iu­stified in Christe, as they haue sinned in Adam? Surely to this they can not an­answere. For not so many by much shal be iustified by Christe, as shall be damned in [Page] Adam. And this is the minde of P. Martyr Pe. Mar. in. 1. Cor. 15. in this matter: and the Apostle him selfe seemeth to restrayne Christes benefits, to those that haue receiued the abundāce of grace, & gyft of righteousnes. For if by the Rom. 5. sinne of one, death raigned by the meanes of one: much more they whiche receiue abundaunce of grace, & the gift of righteousnes, shall reigne in lyfe, by the meanes of one, [...]esus Christ.

And albeit I yeeld willingly to the for­merThe state of man glo­rified, excel­leth y^• firste state of man after his creatiō. opinion touching the extending of Christes benefites to the fewer nūber: yet it is to be added, that the effects of the be­nefites & gifts of christ are more ample & notable to that number, which are parta­kers of the same in the state of glorifica­tion. The dignitie of the image of god af­ter his creation, was no doubt notable & excellent, & did brightly shew foorth the loue of the creator toward the creature: but that image of god which shalbe resto­red after the resurrection, to al those that beleue in Christ, shal be much more excellent. For we shal be colored and clensed with the precious blood of Christ. And this restitution shal be perpetuall & vn­changeable, wheras in the first state of mā it was changeable, & indured for a short time. And as the heauenly life vvyth [Page 50] Christ dothe farre excell the earthly lyfe with Adam befere his fall: euen so no doubt the image of god perfectly restored by Christ in glorification, shal much excel the first donatiō: but bicause the curious sifting of these matters passe the cōpasse of mans capacitie, and smal is the smacke that we haue of these things, vvhiles our foules are clogged with earthly vessels: let vs besech Christ to hasten his cōming, that we may take possession of that heauenly heritage, where we shal beholde all those things, euen with these eyes of ours, and enioy the same in our bodies and soules.

This excellēt restitution of the faythful,Glorifica­tion is pro­perly the worke and gift of Christ. may not be ascribed to their owne works (albeit god in his mercy promiseth to re­ward & crown the same) but onely to the mercy of God in his sonne Christ. For as the resurrection from the dead, is neither the work of man, nor of angels, but of god alone: euen so al those things vvhich ap­perteine to mans eternall glorification, proceede only of the power & goodnes of god, in exhibiting his sonne to finish this vvorke. As the Apostle sayth, We are recon­ciled Rom. 5. to god by the death of his sonne. Agayne, Receyuing abundance of grace and iustice: they [Page] shall reigne in life by one man, Iesus Christ. And also, He rose agayne for our iustification. AndRom. 4. hereof it cōmeth to passe that our sauiour Christ is oftē times in the scripture called our life; I am the way, the truth, and the life. Joh. 14. 10 [...]heworke of redemp­ [...]ion is only Christes. And, I came that they mighte haue life. Euen so is the donation of eternall life ascribed vnto him: And the reason is, because he is our Mediator & Redemer. For albeit theJoh. 14. father and the sonne are one, yet will the father be knowen in his sonne only: and it is the sonne only that demeriteth & sen­deth the holy ghost into the harts of be­leeuers.Jo. 16. 7 [...]. The vvordes of Athanasius are worthy the obseruation in this matter: It Athanasi­us. was requisite that the sonne should assume mans nature, that by meanes of the essentiall Image of god, man being the create image, might be resto­red. Wherof Origen also writeth excel­lently:Origines. Mā brought the maligne image throgh sinne, therfore Christ came in the likenes of mā, to reforme vs according to his image.

Novv that vvee all may be partakers of this glorification, it behoueth vs to begin new obedience in this life, which is acceptable to god, through Christ: and as the Apostle doth exhort vs: Let vs put on the Ephe. 4. new man, which after God is formed in righte­ousnesse [Page 51] and holynes of truth. Let vs alvvayes haue in remēbrance, that this life of ours is nothing els but a pilgrimage, through the vvhich vvee must trauell into eternall life. Let vs forget those things that are be­hinde our backes, and desire those things that are before our faces: Let vs ame to the marke, euen to the garland of eternal life, through Iesus Christ: Let vs be certē ­ly perswaded (as the truth is in dede) that there can be no greater plague, then to be separate from God by sinne: & in place of eternal ioy, to abide eternal misery, & for swete life, to receiue bitter death. Let the consideration of Gods image imparted vnto mankinde, moue vs to haue alvvayes in remēbrance gods great loue tovvarde vs, & our dutie to him againe: Wherof S.August. libe. de s [...] ­lut. doc. cap. 3. Augustine writeth excellently after this maner: Vnderstand (O man) by thy honor in thy first estate, how much thou are bound to thy creator: which digniti [...] he ad [...]aunced thee vnto, that thou should so much the more loue him as he The effect and fruite which sho­ulde spring by the con­sideration of these thing [...]. hath pref [...]rred thee in honor before all mundaine creatures. For by the counsayle of the holy trini­tie, thou wast not onely excellently created: but created after the similitude & image of the crea­tor, which was not collated to any other creature [Page] but to man only. By this and such like consi­deratiōs, it shal come to passe, by the aide of Gods grace, that we shal defie & treade down earthly things, & couet celestial & heauenly things: We shal say with the A­postle, I desire to be losed, & to be with Christ: Phi. 1. So shal we dye blessedly, and rest frō all labors: R [...]u. 14. Phi. 3. so shall we arise agayne to immortalitie, and our bodies shal be conformed vnto the body of christ. And so we shal haue perfect felicitie, bee­ing ioyned to god the perfect goodnes, in perfect loue: and the image of God, after the which we be first created, shalbe more perfectly absolued in vs. In the whiche I­mage there shal shine perfect iustice, per­fect holynes, perfect libertie, perfect vvis­dom, perfect clearnes & glory, wherof the Prophet speaketh, saying: I shal be satisfied, when I shall awake according to thy similitude. Whervnto Salomon also alludeth, saying, The eye is not satisfied with seeing, neither is the Ecclsi. 1. eare filled with hearing. In whiche sentenceGodly men are satisfied onely in the fruition of heauenly thinges. the Wiseman signifieth, that nothing can suffise man, before he come to god, & rest in him. For there is in man such a desire of diuine things, that nothing can sufficiētly cōtent him, but that which is the chiefest: which when he obteineth, then he resteth [Page 52] in the same as in the cheefe felicitie. And therfore his perfit estate must nedes be in eternal blessednes which we begin here in this life, & absolue perfectly in the life to come: vvherof Prosper speaketh: The life to come, is beleeued to be blessed sempiternally, & sempiternally blessed where there is perfect loue, & no feare. The state of this blessednes was offred to S. Iohn in a vision: He sawe the Reu. 21. holy citie Ierusalem prepared like a spouse for her husbande Christ: in the which there was neither mourning, neither clamor, nor death: but ioye, peace, quietnes, & euerlasting life. Whose walles A certen description of the ioyes of heauen out of y^e ho­ly scripture were of precious stone, And the citie was pure golde like vnto cleare glasse: and the foundations of the wall of the citie were garnished with all maner of precious stones. The twelue gates were twelue pearles, euery gate was of one pearle, and the streete of the citie was pure gold, as it were shining glasse. And I sawe no temple therein, for the Lord god almightie, & the Lambe, are the temple of it. And the Citie had no neede of the sunne, neither of the moone, to lighten it, for the glory of God, & the lambe is the light of it. And the nacions of them which are saued, shal walke in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glorie and honor vnto it. And the gates of it shal not be shut at all by day: for there [Page] shall be no night. And they shall bring the glory and honor of the gentiles vnto it. And there shall in no wise enter into it any vncleane thing, nei­ther what soeuer worketh abhomination, or ma­keth lyes: but they onely which are vvritten in the lambes booke of life. The image of true felicitie which we couet & desire, is after a sort represented vnto vs in this desc [...]ip­tion: which albeit it doth not, nor can not liuely & perfectly expresse the same: yet it is proposed both to stirre vs vp to an earnest desire thereof, and to kindle in vs an ardent loue of pietie and all other heauenly vertues: vntill vve haue runne out our race in this life, & do come vn­to the goale or garland of promised feli­citie, vvhich is so incomprehensible to all humaine speeche, penne, and cogitation, that the Apostle in the declaration ther­of, findeth in him selfe some defecte and vvante: and therefore repeteth oute of the Prophet, The eye hath not seene, the eare Esa. 64. 1. Cor. 2. hath not heard, neither hath the hart of man conceyued those Ioyes, vvhiche God hath prepared for those that loue him.