CHAP. I.

IN the fourth verse of this Chapter, the Apostle setteth downe his Apo­stolicall salutatiō to the seuen Chur­ches, vnto whom he dedicateth & wri­teth [Page 2] this present book, containing a ve­ry large, and yet a very short discourse, & reuelation, vnmasking the secret e­nemies of the Church, & declaring the state therof vnto the end of the world.

In this sal [...]tation foure things are considerable. First, the person saluting Iohn. Secondly, the persons saluted, the seuen Churches which are in Asia.

Thirdly, a wish of grace and peace, of welfare both spirituall and tempo­rall vnto them; that is, of diuine fa­uour, & of all benefits, that flow from it. Fourthly, the persons of whome they are desired, to wit, the Father, the holy Spirit, and the Sonne. The Father is deliuered by the immutabi­litie and eternitie of his nature: the Holy Ghost is pointed at, and painted out by the diuersitie of his gifts, the multiplicitie of his works, and al-suf­ficiencie and most absolute perfection of his operations. The Sonne is des­cribed many waies, in very fit presse & pithie speeches, wherin the Apostle is very plentifull & liberall, as if he were amazed with his greatnes, & rauished [Page 3] with his loue, and not able to bridle himselfe, but was (as it were) enforced for the satisfaction of his affection, and demonstratiō of his loue, to commend him at large, & to make an ample and exact description of him. A part whereof is contained in the wordes of this text, but set forth in forme of a Thanks-giuing. For it seemes the A­postle being smitten with the conside­ration of the singular benefits, which [...]e with the rest of Gods people recei­ued by Christ, could not but expresse that entertainment, which they had found in his heart, by a serious thanks­giuing in his writing.

These words therefore containe in them a Praising of Christ, or a Thank [...]s­giuing made vnto him: or they are a Testification of a thankefull receiuer of his benefits, and of a kind and courte­ous entertainer of his loue. And in them three things are especially to be cōsidered. First, a description of Christ continued by Iohn: Secondly, the sub­stance and the matter of the thanksgi­uing: Thirdly, the testification of [Page 4] faith, or the doubling of his desire, in the word, Amen.

Christ is here described, first by his loue: secondly, by the workes and to­kens of his loue. The consideration and remembrance of which things, no doubt caused this holy man to breake out into this praising of him. His loue is expressed in these words; That hath loued vs. I will first explicate the wordes, and then apply them for our vse.

CHAP. II.

TO him that is, to Iesus Christ. That [...].] The Loue of Christ vnto the creature, is generall or speci­all. His generall loue, is either that [Page 5] whereby he loueth all his creatures, as they are his creatures, and declareth it by continuing their kindes, by preser­uing their natures, and by sauing them from many dangers; and according to this kinde of loue, God is said to be [...]ood to all▪ to be mercifull to the vniust as to the iust, and to be the Sauiour of Ps. 145. 9. Math. 5. 1. [...]. 4. 10. all men: or else that whereby he loued Man-kinde in generally, by taking vp­on him the nature and name of man, and not the nature of Angels, no [...] of any other creature whatsoeuer. His Heb. 2. 16. special loue (vnderstood in this place) is that whereby hee loueth the elect & faithfull people of God, and is so well affected people of God, and is so well affected towards them, as that he is wanting in nothing to them, which is conuenient for them. And in this re­spect hee is called the Sauiour of his (mysticall) body, and is said to loue the Eph. 5. 2 [...]. 25 Church.

Q. But it may be demanded how Christ (who is true God, Rom 9. [...].) can [...]ee truly sayd to loue, seeing [...]oue is properly a passion or affection of the heart. [Page 8] maister to teach vs true wisedome, and to instruct vs to rule our liues by the Line of his word, and to cease gouer­ning them by the Light of corrupt rea­son, or humane directions. And Righ­teousnesse; to make vs reputed righte­ous, through the invaluable merit of his righteousnes. For he hath made him 2. Cor. 5. 21 to be sin for vs, which knewe no sin, that we should be made the righteousnes of God in him. And as by one mans disobedience men Rom. 5. 12.were made sinne [...], so by the obedience of that one (man ch [...]i [...] Iesus imputed to vs by grace, and [...]ued of vs by faith) shall many also be made righteous in Gods account.

Thirdly, he is made vnto vs Sancti­fication, not onely because hee doth mortifie the [...]le [...] by the vertue of his death, and qui [...]en v [...] to holines by the vertue of his res [...]rrection, but also be­cause his sanctification or holinesse is imputed to vs, and serues as a vayle to couer the [...]ption of our natures. And lastly Redemption, to redeeme and deliuer vs by his most meritorious pas­sio [...]s, by the effusion of his sacred [Page 9] blood, and by the dignity of his death Ephe. 1. 7. from all our sins, and from all punish­ments due vnto vs for them. Therfore the Apostle may well and truely say that Christ loued them.

Hath loued] Saint Iohn vseth the time past (hath) to shew that the loue of Christ is not new, and that it was the [...]ountaine and foundation of those two benefits, which are set downe in the words immediatly ensuing. Neither would it haue beene seemly to expresse the effects in words of the time past, and to set forth their cause in a word of the time present, especially in one con­tinued sentence, wherin also it hath prioritie of place as well as of nature. Wherfore we may not from hēce ima­gi [...]e that Christ doth not now, or will not herafter loue his Church, because the Apostle saith, he hath loued. For the l [...] of Christ is [...]nstant & eternal vnto all his member [...], in which respect he is called an euerlasting Father. His Isa. 9. 6. a hole life was loue: and his death was an infallible token of his loue. For by h [...]s death we are deliuered from eternall [Page 10] death. And as by his death he hath sanc­tified our death, so by the vertue of his death he doth slay our sin within vs, the cause of death vnto vs. In his resurrec­tion he hath giuen vs a sufficiēt testimo­nie of his loue. For as he was deliuered to death for our sins, so he rose again for our iustification, that is, that wee Rom. 4. 25. might be assured and assuredly per­suaded that he did ouercome our sins by his death, and made vs acceptable vnto his father. And finally, since his ascension into heauen his loue was ne­uer wanting. But as he entred into hea­uen to appeare now in the sight of God (his Heb. 5. 24. father) for vs, so also he euer liueth to make intercession for vs. And as by his grace Heb. 7. 25. he hath called vs out of the world, and made vs partakers of his grace, and heires apparent of his glory: so by grace hee conserueth vs in the state of grace, that, albeit we liue in the world, yet we are now no lōger of the world, but his, who hath redeemed vs out of the world. As in his loue he hath foun­ded vs vpon himselfe, as vpon a firme Math. 16. 18. and stable rock: so de doth and will in [Page 11] loue, confirme & keep vs, that the gates of hell, the strength of the Diuell, and the kingdome of darknesse shall neuer preuayle against vs. They may batter vs, but they shall not beat vs downe: they may come against vs, but they shall not conquer vs: they may war, Bellare, non debellare. but they shall not win. For Christ (who is both strength and wisdome it selfe) will defend and guard vs: he will not fayle vs, nor forsake vs, but will giue all his sheep, all his seruants eternall life, mangre the malice and malicious Ioh. 10. 28. attempts & wily stratagems of all their enemies; how powerfull, politique, or pestiferous soeuer they may be. It fol­loweth.

Loued Vs] that is, you seuen Chur­ches, and me his Apostle & Embassa­dour. Hee loued them; yet so as he loued all those also besides them, that did beleeue in his name, and do in all Eph. 5. 25. humility of heart wayte for his salua­tion. Therfore Paul saith, that Christ Loueth the Church, and gaue himselfe for it, euen the whole Church, and all the faythfull and true members of it: [Page 12] and her alone (with this speciall loue) Iohn. 17. 9. for he would not vouchsafe to pray for the Reprobates. It is good therfore for men to labour ere it be too late, to be assuerd that their names are written in the booke of life, & that they are (in albo si [...]orum Dei,) in the ranke and register of Gods children. This shall suffice for the opening of the words: the in­structions are now to be propounded.

CHAP. III.

FIrst, seeing Christ hath loued vs, we may see how deepe we are in his debt. For if hee had not loued vs, we should haue bene but abu [...]s & for­lorne Cast-awaies: & had he hated vs, we should haue perished in our sinnes. H [...]s loue is our life, and his mercie is the medicine of our maladies. Christ (as God) with his Father and his Holy Spirit did in loue elect vs vnto life. And in Christ (as G [...]d-man, and Me­diatourEph. 1. 4. [Page 13] betwixt God and Man) we were by God elected vnto glorie. His pittie procureth our pardon: and his grace our glorie. For had not he liued like a man (euen a true man) we which are mere men, had all died, and perish­ed eternally. And had not he died for vs, we should neuer haue liued with him: and but that he did entierly loue vs, he would haue neither liued nor died for vs. Yea finally; his grace is our goodnesse: for his loue, and louing [...]ndnes to vs, made him make vs to be accounted good and glorious in the sight of God. And as we are now iustified by him, preserued, and in part sa [...] ­ [...]ified: so we shalbe hereafter also ho­noured of him, and adorned with per­fect Holines, & perpetuall happines. Loe then (Beloued) as in a mirrour, the wonderfull loue of Christ vnto vs: be­behold the infinite riches of his grace, & the inestimable tokens of his loue. What wilt thou render vnto him for his loue? How canst thou requite his kindnes, and recompence him for his goodnes? All that thou canst doe [Page 14] (which indeed thou shouldest do) is to beleeue in his name, to commend his loue, to acknowledge his grace, to la [...]d his benignitie, to repent of thy sinnes, to loue him againe, and to demonstrate thy loue by Angelicall, that is, by sin­cere, voluntarie, constant, alacrious and diligent obedience performed in all humilitie, and integ [...]itie of faith and loue, vnto all his precepts. For Christ himselfe saith; If ye loue me, keepe my commandements. He that hath my com­mandements, Iohn. 14. 15 21, and keepeth them, is he that loueth me: and hee that loueth me, shalbe loued of my father: and I will loue him, and will shew my selfe vnto him. If any man 23. 24. loue me, he will keepe my word: he that loueth mee not, keepeth not my wordes. By which it plainly appeareth, that those onely loue Christ, that are care­full to keepe his commandements. Those therefore do not loue him, but shew themselues disloyal Rebells, that plucke vp the quick-set of his lawes, that breake downe the pales of his precepts, and trample vnder their feete his commandements, following the [Page 15] swinge of their owne fansies, and go­ing a whoring after their owne lusts; liuing in Atheisme, and Epicurisme, profanenes [...]e, sensualitie, ha [...]ing euen the outward appearance of true pietie, and ouer whelmed in the floods of wic­kednes. But we (Beloued) must prac­tise better things. Let vs neuer Lord Luke. 6. 4, 6. him, nor say we loue him, vnles we la­bour seriously to obey him. For his sheepe heare his voice and follow him: Iohn. 10. and those which are his faithfull and louing friends are obedient to him, and striue to please him. Therefore he saith; Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoe­uer I commād you. Moreouer, loue doth Iohn. 15. 14. not onely make a man in heart affect the thing loued, & labour in all things to please it, and to auoid the doing of those things at all times, which do dis­please and offend it: but it doth also make a man to desire presence and fel­lowship with it, & to rest and content himselfe with it. That we may there­fore declare our loue effectu [...] to him, and gather infallible assuran [...] [...]n our soules, that we doe indeed affect [Page 16] him, we must not onely indeuour to obey him, and feare by sinning to dis­please him, but we must also coue [...] his presence, desire his communion, [...]ffect his companie, expect hi [...] cōming, con­tent our selues with his merits, and rest in his loue; not [...]elling our soules, not betroathing our selues, not wedding our wills, not applying our hearts, nor lending our affections to any other whatsoeuer besides him. His loue to vs is worthy of our whole loue, to be re­turned to him, & doth deserue that all creatures in heauen and in earth what­soeuer, should come so far behind him in our affections, as that they should scarce come to be named with him.

Vndoubtedly, vnlesse we do very singularly loue Christ, who hath and yet doth so singularly loue v [...], and hath declared his loue vnto vs, when we were the slaues of Sathan, the seruants of sin, and the enemies of God, hauing nothing in vs, which might moue him to affect vs, we should shew our selues exceeding vnkind and thankles [...]e.

Seeing therfore he loued, and loueth [Page 17] vs, let vs loue him also, and remonstrate our loue vnto him through the whole course of our liues, by thinking, spea­king and dooing all things, which may Miserum est ngratū esse hominem. Plaut. Ingrato ho­mine terra peius nil creat. Auson. expresse our loue, and set forth his praise & our thankfulnes. For the tree must shew it selfe by the fruits. I [...]gra­titude is a misery, and an vnthankfull person is the worst weed, that the earth doth beare, a very hogge, that swallow­eth vp the m [...]st, but lookes not to the tree from whence it falls.

CHAP. IIII.

SEcondly, seeing Christ hath loued vs, we are taught by his ensample Omnis Christii actio est no­stra instruc­tio. 1. Pet. 2. 27. to loue one anot [...]er. His paterne must be our practise, his actions must be our instructions. As Peter saith con­cerning patience: so it may be as true­ly said of loue, that Christ hath left vs an example, that we should follow his steps: and therfore Paul exhorting vs [Page 18] to lead our liues in loue, saith; Walke in loue, euen as Christ hath loued vs. Imi­tation Eph. 5. 2. is one of the diseases of the English nation; wherefore seeing we will needes imitate, let vs imitate the best. Now we can follow none better then Christ. His patterne is most per­fect, and his foot-steps are most euen; therefore let vs re [...]ble the one, and walke in the other. When Saint Iohn would win the faithfull to mutuall a­mitie, he reasoneth after this sort; Be­loued, 2. Iohn. 4. 11 if God (the Father) so loued vs (as that he gaue his onely sonne for vs) we ought also to loue one another. So I say, seeing Christ hath loued vs, and that exceedingly, we ought also to loue one another. If he loued vs, who was not bound to loue vs, then ought we to loue one another, being bound to do so by the vertue of many bonds. There are many reasons to moue & perswade Ioh. 15. 12. vs. First, besides that example which Christ hath giuen vs, we haue his ex­presse Ioh. 10. 27. commaundement. This is my commandement, that ye loue one an other, as I haue loued you. Now they, that are [Page 19] hi [...] s [...]epe, do hea [...]e (and obey) his voice, and follow him. Therefore to disting [...]ish our selues from Goates, from Rebels, we must giue care vnto his voice; that is, loue one another, as he Ioh. 13. 34. hath loued vs.

Secondly, his Apostles and Embassa­dors doe command and exhort vs to performe this dutie. Paul saith; Be affectioned to loue one another with bro­therly loue. Peter saith; Loue one ano­ther Rom. 12. 10 with a pure heart seru [...]tly. And Iohn inculcateth nothing more, then that all 1. Pet. 2. 22. the godly should lo [...]e one another. But 1. Ihon. 4. 7. and 3. Ih [...]n. v. 5. these were the Lords Pen-men: their pens were ruled by the L [...]rds owne singer. Therefore it were a point of disloyaltie to God, and [...]n a [...]gument of rebellious, and perue [...]se disposition, to reiect or resist them, and to with­stand the Spirit, which speaketh by them.

Thirdly, we haue the example of holy men. Dauid speaking of Ionathan saith; Thy loue to me was wonderfull, pas­sing 2. Sam. 1. 26 Eph. 1. 15. Coll. 1. 4. the loue of women. The Ephesians and Colossians are noted for their loue to all [Page 20] the Saints. And Paul in praying that the Philippians loue might abound, doth Phil. 1. 9. plainelie shew that they were not void of loue. The Thessalonians are said to haue diligent loue, and to testifie the 1. Thes. 1. 3. And. 4. 10. same towards all the brethrē through­out all Macedonia. Philemon was a lo­uer Phil. 5. of all the Saints. Yea Paul was so possessed with the spirit of loue, as that he could euen wish himselfe to be Rom. 9. 3. seuered from Christ for his brethren, that are his kinsmen, according to the flesh. Now as that cloud directed the Israelites in their iourney to Canaan: so the ensamples of these holy men, should further vs in our way to celesti­all Num. 9. Canaan, to heauenly Ierusalem. They haue traced the way before vs by loue, let vs follow their footing, that we may obtaine their ioyes. As euill examples do open a window to wic­kednes, & occasion the wicked to cō ­mit iniquitie: so let the good ensam­ples of the godly, yea of God himselfe, prouoke and excite vs to the works of holinesse, & so we following the light of their lamps, shall in the end be par­takers [Page 21] of the brightnesse of their glo­rie.

Fourthly, wee were all elected by one, we were all created by one, to the glory of one, according to the image of that one: we are all effectually called by one: wee are all redeemed by one blood, and sanctifyed by one Spirit: we are all the children of one father and one mother, and we haue all one elder brother, one iustifier, one iudge: we are all ordeined to one kingdome, to one family, and are ruled by the same lawes: we are all the subiects of one king, the seruants of one Lord, the sheepe of one shepheard, the disciples of one Maister, and the people of one God: we haue all one hope of our cal­ling, one faith, one baptisme, and one body to feed vpen: we are all the Pa­tients of one physitian, the building of one architect, the vessels of one potter, the temple of one Spirit, the field of one husbandman, and the hearers of one gospel: we are all the members of one body, the stones of one building, the branches of one vine, and trauellers in [Page 22] one way to one citie, from Aegypt through the wide wildernesse of this wicked world vnto new Ierusalem, ce­lestiall Canaan, a paradise of perpetuall pleasures. Finally, we are all in grafted into one stock, incorporated into one body, wee receiue sap from one roote, sense from one head, light from one lampe, and water from one fountaine; therfore good r [...]ason is there, that wee should loue and like, affect, fauour, and embrace one another.

Fiftly, it is fearefull and grieuous to hate, or not to loue our brother. For first, it is a breach of Gods commandement, who forbiddeth vs to hate our brother, Leu [...]t. 19. 17 Luke. 22. 39 and commandeth vs to loue him as our selues. Now hee, that keepeth his com­maundements, dwelleth in him, and hee in 1. Ioh. 3. 24. him: but horrible calamity shall befall those, that do without timely repen­tance transgresse and break them: for their worme shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shalbe an abhor­ring Isay. 66. 24. vnto all flesh. Secondly, hee that ha­teth his brother is in darknes, and walketh in darknesse, and knoweth not whether he 1 Ioh. 2. 11. [Page 23] g [...]eth, because that darknesse hath blinded his eyes: he is an vnregenerate person, and is not illumined with the light of Gods Spirit, but walketh like a blinde Bayard, being possessed with the spirit of ignorance, & blinded with the dark­nesse of Aegypt, out of the kingdome of light, of grace, of Christ, and in the kingdome of darknesse, of sinne, and Sathan. Thirdly, Whosoeuer hateth his brother is a man-slayer, and yee knowe that 1. Ioh. 3. 1 [...]. no man-slayer hath eternall life abiding in him, but is is obnoxious to eternall death and destruction. Fourthly, he that loueth not (his neighbour,) knoweth not God. Vndoubtedly, if a man did know 1. Ioh. 4. 8. God truly, that is, if he did acknow­ledge him, and knew him as he hath reuealed himselfe vnto vs in the coue­nant of grace: if he knew him to be his God, his Sauiour, and louing friend and father in his sonne Christ Iesus, he would not, he could not but loue him, and those also, that are his sons and ser­uants elected, created, called, iustified, adopted, santifyed and preserued by him, as well as he himselfe. Fiftly, he [Page 24] that loueth not his neighbour, is not the child of God. For in this are the 1. Ioh. 3. 10 children of God knowne, and the children of the Diuel: whosoeuer doth not righte­ousnes is not of God, neither he, that Lo­ueth Not his brother. Sixtly, he that lo­ueth not his brother, doth euidentlie declare that he loueth not God him­selfe. For how can he, that loueth not his brother, whome he hath seene, loue God, whome he hath not seene? And whosoeuer 1. Iohn. 3. 14 hath this worlds good. & seeth his brother haue need, and shutteth vp his compassion from him, how dwelleth the loue of God in him? Seauenthly, he which loueth not his neighbour, doth shewe that his Rom. 6. 23. heart is hard and [...]lintie, that it was ne­uer mollified with the oyle of grace, that he hath not a good conscience, & faith vnfained, and that he neuer truely tasted of Gods loue, nor of the sweet­nesse of Christs blood, neither that he did euer seriously consider and medi­tate of those bitter pangs, and painefull passions, which hee sustained (whiles he liued, and when he died) as well for his neighbour, as for himselfe. To [Page 25] conclude this first argument; He that 1. Ioh. 3. 4 loueth not his brother, abideth in death. As he abideth in the death of his soule, being dead in sinne, so he re­maineth subiect to the death of his soule and bodie, which is the wages of sinne.

Sixtly, if we would but consider the Rom. 6. 23. excellencie, and the excellent vse and commodities, which come by this god­ly loue, it would make vs all to be in loue with it, and not onely to like it in it selfe, or in others, but in our selues also, [...]ea and to shew it in our liues and dealings.

First, true loue commeth of God, who is loue it selfe, & the very fountaine of all 2. Ioh. 4. 78. Galat. 5. 22 true loue. For euerie good giuing, and euerie perfect gift is from aboue, and com­meth down from the father of lights. And Iam. 1. 17. 1. Cor. 4. 7 in truth, what haue we, that we haue not receiued? Now the glorie of the giuer makes the gift more godly. And who can be more glorious then God the Psal. 2. 4. 10. Math. 6. 13. king of glorie, to whome all glorie doth of due belong?

Secondly, loue is an inseparable com­panion [Page 26] of true [...]aith. For, as Paul shew­eth, 1. Tim. 1. 5. loue comes out of a pure heart, a good conscience, and faith vnsained. And as Gregorie saith; Iuantum credimus, tan­tum diligimus, As we beleeue, so we loue. Euen as light doth accompanie the Sun, so doth loue attend vpon faith. And as there is no fire without heat, so there can be no true faith without loue. Here also is loue againe com­mended, because it flowes from that faith, whereby our hearts are purified, Act. 15. 9. Heb. 11. 6. and without which it is impossible to please God, and commeth not but from a conscience, which is at peace & rest, and doth excuse a man. So then who­soeuer doth loue truely whome he ought, and as hee ought, may assure himselfe that hee doth beleeue truelie, & that his conscience is good before God, and his heart purged by faith, in the blood of Christ.

Thirdly, such a loue of our brethren, is asure signe of our election, vocation, regeneration and adoption. For euery 2. Ioh. 4. 7. one that loueth is borne [...] God, & knoweth God. And Peter exhorting vs to giue [Page 27] diligence to make our calling and elec­tion 2. Pet. 1. 7. 10. sure, sheweth vs, that if among o­ther vertues we haue also brotherly kindnesse and loue, we shall neuer fall, and therfore may assure our selues that we are elected and effectually called.

Fourthly, the loue of our brethren is in Christs account accepted and repu­ted of, as loue shewed vnto himselfe, as appeareth plainely by that speech, which he will vse to his sheepe, when he shall come to iudge them, Math. 25. 40. In as much as ye haue done it (giuen [...]ate, drinke, lodging, clothing,) vnto [...] of the leaft of th [...]se my brethren, ye haue done it vnto me.

Fiftly, the loue of men, is an argu­ment of our loue toward God himself. 1. Iohn. 5. 1 For euery one, that loueth him that did beg [...]t, loueth him also, which is begotten of [...]im. Therefore if we doe not loue the child of God, who is begottē of God, it argueth that wee doe not indeede loue God, that did beget him. Hee that ha­teth the child doth not loue the father: and he that respecteth the maister, will not neglect the seruant. [Page 28] Sixtly, the loue of our brethren is a signe that we are the temples of the holie Ghost, and that God doth inha­bite in vs. If we loue one another (saith 1. Iohn. 4. 12. 16. Iohn) God dwelleth in vs, and his loue is perfest in vs. God is loue, & he that dwel­leth in loue, dwelleth in God, and God in him. Now what an honour is it, and what a singular comfort should it be to vs poore wormes, to haue the God Iob. 25. 6. of heauen and earth to dwell within vs, and to make his mansion in our sin­full soules, in these loamie houses, and dustie cottages? We cannot set forth his praise enough, we cannot rceom­pence his loue.

Seuenthly, our loue, which we beare to the children of God, is an vndoubted token that we are out of the way of 1. Ioh. 3. 14 death, and in the state of life. There­fore the Apostle saith; We knowe that we are translated from death to life, be­cause we loue the brethren. Loue is not the cause of life, nor of the change frō Rom. 6, 23. death to life; for euerlasting life is the free gift of God: but it is a signe thereof. And as fire doth discouer it selfe by [Page 29] his light, so may this change be discer­ned Lumine qui sēper prodi­tur ipse suo. Ouid. by loue.

Eightly, Loue is the ende of the com­maundement. Loue is the fulfilling of the Lawe, and the bond of perfection. The 1. Tim. 1. 5. more perfect our loue is, the more Rom. 13. 10 perfect is our obedience. Yea loue is the onely debt, which we ought to owe Col. 3. 14. to our neighbour. It is a debt, which we must alwaies be in paying off, and must neuer haue done paying. There­fore Paul saith; Owe nothing to any man, but to loue one another: for he that loueth Rom. 13. 8. another, hath fulfilled the law.

Ninthly, knowledge, learning, the faith of miracles, yea and those works, that glister outwardly neuer so glori­ously, and are commended neuer so much of men, yet are they worth no­thing, if they bee not accompanied with true loue. This the Apostle tea­cheth when he saith; Though I speake 1, Cor. 13. 1 with the toongs of men and Angels, and haue not Loue▪ I am as sounding brasse, or a tinkling cimball. And though I had the gift of prophesie, and knewe all secrets, and all knowledge, yea if I had all faith, so that [Page 30] I could remoue moun [...]s, and had not loue, I were nothing. And though I feede 3 the poore with all my goods, and though I giue my bodie that I be bur [...]d, and haue not Loue, i [...] pros [...]th nothing.

Tenthly, Loue is the [...], which letteth out to the benefit of our bre­thrē, the waters of Gods graces, which are in the cisterne of our owne hearts. It is a knife, whereby faith carueth out those duties, which we owe to God & Man. It is a much to giue fire to our hearts, and to kindle them to all good works. It is a fountaine, yea and a pipe also, from which, and in which, many sweet and wholesome waters do slowe and run to water and refresh many. It is the verie hand of faith, whereby it worketh; Which thing Paul plainely testifieth, when he saith, that in Christ, neither Circumcision a [...]l [...]th any thng, nor vncircumcision, but saith which wor­keth by loue. Gal. 5. 6.

Eleauenthly, Loue (saith Chryso­stome) is the Chara [...]er and badge of Christianity. What can better beseem them then loue, that professe that God, [Page 31] who is Loue, that Spirit which wor­keth 1. Ioh. 4. 16. Gal. 5. 22. loue, and that Christ who in loue [...]ide downe his life, that they might attaine to life? Yea, it is an infallible t [...]ken of a true disciple of Christ, and of one of his best proficients; therefore he saith; by this shall all men know, that Ioh. 13. 35. ye are my disciples, if ye loue one another.

Twelfly, loue is more excellent and commodious in some respect, then ei­ther saith by which we are iust [...]fied, or [...] by which we are s [...]ed. This the Gal. [...]. 16▪ Rom. 8. 24 Apostle teacheth, when he saith; now a [...]deth Faith, Hope, and Loue: but the [...]. Cor. 13. 31. [...]st of these, [...]s loue; to wit, as con­cerning vse towards o [...]r neighbour. As loue is the best liuerie, that a Christian man can weare (for it doth expresse his profession liuely, and makes it liuely: it sets forth the nature, and commends the name) so it is the best affection, that he can harbour in his heart, and entertaine within him: for it makes him spend himselfe like a [...]ampe in Gods house, and to powre out and put forth himselfe to the prac­tise and performance of those things, [Page 32] which concerne Gods glory, his owne happinesse, and his neighbours wel­fare.

Moreouer, Loue is very powerfull and plentifull in rare and admirable effects. Paul reckeneth sixteene. [...]. It suffereth long: being voyd of that ha­stinesse, 1. Cor. 13. 4 that is easily offended and ready to reuenge: and also of that dis­position, which thogh it haue no great inclination to reuenge, yet being dis­pleased, is readie to let fall the former affection, ceasing any longer indeede to declare the same. But loue leapeth ouer a wall of offences, and bursteth through a hedge of impediments, to testifie good will to the person loued. 2. Loue is bountifull; readie to plea­sure and benefit the partie loued, ha­uing (as it were) a grace and facilitie therein, and therefore plentifull and abounding in loue-tokens. 3. Loue en­uieth not; for the man that loueth, ta­keth himselfe to be (as it were) one and the same with the partie loued, and therefore after a manner entit [...]led to praises. So that he doth wish his estate [Page 33] to be better then it is; so far is he from enuying of the same.

4. Loue doth not boast it selfe. 5. It is not puffed vp. 6. It doeth no vn­comely 1. Cor. 13. 5. thing; For loue conceiueth so highly of the thing loued, that it thin­keth no seruice to be humble and duti­full inough to such deserts. And there­fore it cannot deale proudly, nor per­uersly, with the partie loued, neither yet vnseemly, but so as the state therof requireth, that is, tenderly & seemely, with the afflicted condition, not disdai­ning him in it, thogh neuer so perplex ed and miserable, neither dealing so roughly & carelesly, as doth litle be seem so pitifull an estate to be dealt withall. 7. Loue seeketh not her owne; but is so imployed about the thing loued, that a man may easily discerne in it a neg­lect of priuate profit and pleasure, of­tentimes in respect of the regard to the thing loued. 8. Loue is not prouo­ked to anger; for being so surely knit vnto the thing loued as indeede it is, it cannot but suffer many wrongs, be­fore it can be prouoked against that, [Page 34] which is so deare and neare vnto it. 9. Loue thinketh no euill; but either will not take knowledge at al of the ill dea­ling of him, whome he loueth: or else will blame some other thing for it, as the cause, that moued him to do it. Loue will not be iniurious in her thoughts. 10. Loue doth not euill vnto his Rom. 13. 10. neighbor; for it is takē vp with the thing loued, & so rauished with delight in it, that it makes a man as back-ward in wronging it, as in hurting himselfe.

11. Loue reioyceth not in iniquitie. 1. Cor. 13. 6

12. But it reioyceth in the truth. It reioyceth neither in the doings of him, that is loued, which be not sincere, sound and holy: neither yet in the dea­lings of himselfe or of others, which are not righteous and good: but on the contrary it delighteth in the iust and true dealing of himselfe, and of o­thers also with the party loued.

1 [...]. Loue suffereth all things. 14. It be­leeueth 1. Cor. 13. 7. all things. 15. It hopeth all things. 16. It endureth all things. Loue couereth a multitude of sins. Loue is ready to for­giue and to forget. It patiently bea­reth [Page 35] aburthen of wants and infirmities in the person loued, beleeuing and ho­ping the best, trusting and expecting to see them redressed. Loue wil pocket vp a world of wrongs, a multitude, a mountaine of defects and of weaknes­ses, it will swallowe them vp, and bury them in the graue of obliuion. It is not quarrellous, but patient: it is not diffident & incredulous, it dispaireth no [...], but hopeth and beleeueth so long as there is any the least reason to moue therevnto.

Finally, that I may shut vp this sixt argument, the excellencie of loue ap­peareth in the perpetuity and constan­cie thereof. For (as Paul teacheth) true 1. Cor. 13. 8. loue doth neuer fall away. It may fall, but not fall away: it may be weakned, but not wasted: it may be crazed, but not conquered: lessened, but not lost: yea both left & lost as touching the might and measure of it in some degrees (and therfore the church of Ephesus is char­ged Reu. 2. 4. to haue left her First Loue,) but it cannot be lost, as touching the sap and substance of it altogether. Life and [Page 36] iuice may be in a tree, when the top therof is naked, and all the leaues fallen of. And so loue will liue, when some signes of life are lost. It will flie with Dedalus, when the loue of hypocrites and worldlings shall fall downe with Icarus. It is like death, which deuou­reth all: & the graue, which swallow­eth Cant. 8. 6. 7. vp all. The waters of sorrow, and the floods of affliction, cannot ouer­whelme and drowne it. It will swim beneath like a fish, and flote aloft, like a ship; yea like N [...]ahs Arke it shall keep vp, when the glorious loue and all the glistering moralities of Pagans, Atheists, and Earth-worms, shall sinke downe and perish. For the gifts of God Rom. [...]. 29. (among which loue is not the least) are giuen without repentance. When God hath once in mercie planted it in the garden of a Christians heart, it shall there abide: no worme shall eate it, no Boare shall euer roote it vp, no sythe mowe it downe, and no Moule shall turne it vp: for God by grace will preserue and keepe it. And as Zerub­babel layde the foundation of the tem­ple, Zach. 4. 9. [Page 37] & did also finish it: so God hauing once begun this good worke of Loue within vs, hauing once cast it in the mould of our hearts, hauing once riui­ted and rooted it in vs, he will not leaue it till he haue brought it to per­fection, and what it wants in this world he will supply in the world to come. The Sun did once stand still, and once Iosh. 10. 13. Is. 38. 8. goe backward ten degrees: it hath suffe­red many Eclipses, & makes many Set­tings: but it still remaineth in the hea­uen, and falleth not down to the earth, nor vanisheth like a comet or blazing star. Euen so true Loue may stand and moue not, it may retyre and run back somtimes, but yet it continueth firmly fixed, (though now and then eclipsed) in the sphaere of the heart: her light is neuer wholly lost, her heat is not quite extinct: and though it set, yet it shall rise again and appeare. And (as Dauid speaketh in effect concerning the Sun, Ps. 19. 5. so say I concerning loue) It shall come forth as a Bridegrome out of his cham­ber, and shall reioyce like a mighty man to run his race. Though hel-gates [Page 38] should open themselues against it, yet it shall continue. Though the Diuell like a ramping and roaring Lion run with open mouth against it, yet it shall not perish. Though he plant all his infernall ordinance against it, yet shall he not supplant, nor beat it downe. He may shake it, but he shall not shi­uer it. Though he work against it like a Moule in the earth, and seek by vn­dermining to subuert it, yet he shall not preuayle. Though he shew himselfe in his colours, labouring to blast it with the stormy winds of his violent temptations, and with the scorching blasts of his breath, and to destroy it by all meanes possible, whcih he can deuise and practise, yet all is in vain, he shall but loose his labour. For God wil defend and succour it. He will not suf­fer this fire to die, hee will not let this lampe goe out, but will releeue it with new matter, and with the fresh oyle of his Spirit. This flower shall neuer fall off: this tree shall neuer bee stubbed vp. God will so hedge it in with the thick & thornie quick-set of his grace, [Page 39] and so compasse it with the walles of his loue, that it shalbe preserued from winde and weather, and from all the e­nemies therof; so, as that they shall ne­uer be able to destroy it. Christ hath said, that his Sheep shall neuer perish, and Ioh. 10. 28 that none shall pluck them out of his hand. But whosoeuer doth plucke this holie affection of Loue, out of the heart of a true Christian, and doth destroy it, hee doth euen destroy one of Christs sheep, & puls him from Christ. For true loue is an vnseparable companion of one of Christs true sheepe, and it is an infalli­ble argument of true faih, which is as it were the quintessence and the verie soule of a true Christian; and without Loue, there is no Faith. For without water there is no fountaine: and with­out light, there is no Sun. And there­fore there can be no sheep, no Christi­an without loue. So then, destroye loue, and destroy a sheepe of Christ: but his sheepe cannot be destroyed; therefore their loue shall alway last. It cannot be lost, it cannot be destroyed. This shall suffice for the sixt motiue, [Page 40] that should moue vs to entertaine and practise this vertue loue, drawne from the consideration of the excellencie thereof, and from the manifolde com­modities, which it doth affoord.

Seauenthly, if a man loue that, which he ought to loue, he is happie Si quis amat quod amare iuuat, felici­ter ardet: Gaudeat, & Vento naui­get ille suo. Ouid. in his loue, he may ioy therein, & ride along in it without striking saile, or feare of foule weather. But he that loues his brethren (as they are the mē ­bers of Christ) doth effect that, which he should affect, and which it is com­fortable, commodious, and delightfull to affect. Therefore his loue is good, hee is happie in his loue, and may con­tinue therein without repentance.

Eightly, true loue is an enemie to vice, and as it links many together, and makes them haue (as it were) one soule in many bodies, so it also doth oppose it selfe to those things, which ingender [...]atred and discord, and are the verie breake-necks of societies. For in true loue there is no losse, no iarres, no woe, no paine: faith, and no false­hood: truth, and no treacherie: kinde­nesse, [Page 41] but no craft: salues, but no sores. It is as water to quench the fi [...]e of dis­cension. It is as fire to eat out the rust of rancour, and the drosse of spleene and enuie. It is as the Sun to dispel the cold­nesse of the affections, to dissolue the frosts of hatred and vncharitablenes, and to melt the y [...]e of churlishnes and malice. It is as a South-wind to driue away all hard weather, to make vs leaue all hard, cruell, and vnconsciona­ble dealing. It is as bellowes to blowe vp and increase courtesie, good-will, fa­miliaritie, modestie, and moderation. It is as a Castle, to beare out and in­dure all aduerse batterie, and to arme a man against all the boults and bullets of discord: and it is also an Engine to disturbe and ouerthrowe the bul­warks of debate, & the muniments of malice: and as a Sword to cut off the head of hatred. Being therefore the pillar of true fellowship, the prop of grace & good will, an enemie to pride, a chaine of gold to tie men fast toge­ther, yea and an eloquent and golden­mouthed Oratour, to plead for peace, [Page 40] and to perswade to iustice; it should inamour al men with it. Al men ought to price it highly, and to pursue it ea­gerly.

Ninthly, he that loued his brother truely, that is, for the sake of Christ, doth plainly shewe that his loue is greater vnto Christ. For he that loues the seruant for his Masters sake, doth much more loue the Master. For the rule is, that that thing, for which any thing doth exist, doth it selfe much more exist. Therefore if I loue my brother because I loue Christ, it fol­loweth that my loue to Christ is grea­ter then my loue to him.

Tenthly, we ought to loue our bre­thren, though we had no other reason to moue vs so to do, but that we know that Christ doth loue them as well as vs, and that the Diuel doth hate them, as he doth our selues.

Lastly, we are commaunded to do all things in loue; therefore we must loue, and haue loue. A Goldsmith can­not trie his gold by a touchstone, ex­cept he haue a touchstone. A Founder [Page 43] cannot cast his mettell in a mould, vn­lesse he both haue and vse his mould: neither can we cast our workes in the mould of loue, vnlesse we both haue and vse it. Againe, We ought to reioyce Rom. 12, 15. 16. with them that reioyce, to weep with them that weep, and to be of like affection one to another. Which we can neuer do, vn­lesse we be possessed with the spirit of Rom. 12. 21 loue. Moreouer, we must not be ouer­come of euil, but must ouercome euill with goodnesse: And we are exhorted to giue Rom. 23. 7 all men their due. Which things we can neuer well performe without loue. Furthermore, all bitternesse, wrath and Eph. 4. 31. 32. malice must be abandoned: and we must be courteous and tender-hearted, freely forgiuing one another, euen as God for Christ his sake did freely forgiue vs. Therefore we must of necessitie be charitably minded & louing. We must Eph. 5. 10. approue that, which is pleasing to the Lord; Therefore we must approue and e­steeme of loue, and ratifie our appro­bation by our practise answerable vn­to it. We ought to haue no fellowship Eph. 5. 11. with the vnfruitful workes of darknes, but [Page 44] euen to reproue them rather. But want of charitie, hatred, and enmitie, are works of darknes, yea and of the Prince of darknesse, & are not onely vnfruitfull, but hurtful. Therfore we must not fol­low, but flie thē: & if we must reproue thē, we must in no wise practise thē, but rather giue ourselues to the cōtrary ver­tues. To cōclude this point; we are bid­den to do, & to thinke on those things, that are honest, pure, vertuous, of good re­port, Col. 4. 8. and worthie praise. Therefore we ought to exercise our selues in loue. Loue must take vp our thoughts in wishing well, and our tongues in spea­king and counselling well, and our handes in doing well. Let vs therefore (Beloued) embrace one another in the armes of amitie. Behold (saith Dauid) Psal. 133. 1. how good and comely a thing it is, brethren to dwell together. And let vs demōstrate Consule, ca­stiga, sola­re, remitte, fe [...], ora: vi­sito, poto, cibo, redi­mo, tego, colligo, [...]ō ­do. the inward affection of the heart, by the visible and apparent tokens there­of in our liues: instructing the igno­rant, comforting the afflicted, pardo­ning the offender, bearing with the weake, visiting the sicke, feeding the [Page 45] hung [...]ie, cloathing the naked, & in do­ing all those duties which may con­firme and testifie our loue, wherewith we do affect our brethren. And be­cause God doth not onely require that our workes be good, but also that they be wel performed; I will briefely shew the manner how we ought to loue.

First, we must loue in faith: that is, we must beleeue that God will accep [...] of our loue, and forgiue the weaknesse of it, for the merites of Christ.

Secondly, we must loue euen with a mind to performe obedience to Gods commandement, who bids vs loue.

Thirdly, we must loue truely and indeed, and not in shew only. Ther­fore Paul saith: let loue be without hy­pocrisie. Rom. 12. 9. 1. Ioh. 3. 18. And Iohn saith: Let vs not loue in word, nor in tongue onely, but in deed and truth. Fourthly, we must be [...]ar­nest & vehement in our loue. There­fore Peter saith; Loue one another with 1. Pet. 1. 22. 1. Pet. 4. 8. a pure heart feruētly. And again; Aboue all things haue feruent loue among you.

Fiftly, wee must loue constantly, without wearinesse. For true loue will [Page 46] not end, while the obiect li [...]eth and Necmodus & requies, nisi mors, reperitur a­moris. Ouid. the subiect is not dead. Therefore their loue is not sound, which flicker about men like flies in the summer of pro­speritie, and flie from them like Swal­lowes in the winter of aduersitie. True Verus amornullum no­uit habere modum, Propert. loue is constant: it knowes neither end nor measure. This shall suffice for the second instruction drawne from the example of Christs loue, which all the members of Christ ought to imitate.

CHAP. V.

THirdly, hath Christ loued vs? The consideration of his loue, must needs minister exceeding com­fort vnto vs. For his loue is the foun­taine, from whence we deriue our life, our loue, our libertie. It is the Sun, which warmeth our frozen hearts, and frost-bitten affections, and cau­seth the light of sauing knowledge to shine within vs. It is a Looking-glasse, [Page 47] wherein we may behold his louely na­ture. And by it we may discerne the sweet consent & harmony of both his wills, of both his natures, how they did with one consent conspire to de­stroy our enemies, and to saue vs, who are by nature very slaues & wretches, Eph. 2. 1. 3. 12. dead in sins, children of wrath, atheists and alients from the commonwealth of Izrael. It is no small ioy for a poore person to enioy the loue of a potent Prince. What are we, but poore, base, and dispiceable catiues, lesse then the least of Gods mercies. Therfore vtter­ly vnworthy the loue of so glorious a Monarch. Seing thē Christ that migh▪ God Isay. 9. 6. and Prince of all the Princes in the world, hath made vs partakers of his loue, we haue great cause to reioyce and to solace our soules. For as his loue is the very life of our soules, and the wel-spring of our happines: so it is in it selfe permanent, and not transient: constant and eternall; like the Izraelites cloathes, which waxed not old all the while they were in in the wildernesse: and not vnlike the Moone, which [Page 48] though sometimes it seemeth verie small, or is not seene at all, yet in her selfe she is alwaies of one size.

Those, whome he loued euer, he loueth for euer. Hony shal sooner be­come Ioh. 13. 1. Dulcia a­mara priùs fiēt, & mol­lia dura. Virgil. Rom. 8. 35. gaull, & the Diamond wax, then his loue shall either turne to hatred, or cease to be. Therefore Paul saith; Who can separate vs from the loue of Christ, wherewith he loueth vs? Now then (beloued) seeing Christ hath loued vs, and doth yet continue stedfast in his loue vnto vs, we must arme our selues with the remembrance of his loue, as with armour of proo [...]e against all the disgraces of the World. Though the wicked detest and deride thee, though they persecut [...] and enuie thee, though they do maliciously traduce thee, yet comfort thy selfe with this, that Christ, who is greater then all, doth loue thee, Ioh. 10. 2. 8. and will let none to take thee out of his hands. If the feare of damnation do s [...]ize vpon thee, if Satan seem to chal­lenge thee for his; make thine answer, comfort thy soule, with Christ hath lo­ued me. Whome he once doth loue, he [Page 49] will not leaue. His loue is like the tree [...]life: those that haue tasted of it shall Genes. 3. 22. neuer die. And though he chasten thine iniquitie with [...]ods, & thy sinne with scourges, yet he will not with­drawe Ps. 89. 32. 33 his louing kindnes from thee. His loue shall last, though thou maist thinke it lost, because he withholdeth the tokens of it from thee. The frow­ning father, the chiding father, yea the [...]ighting father, doth loue his son en­tierly. Ioseph loued his brethren then, when hee spake roughly to them. A shepheard will soubbe his sheepe, and apply sharpe and smarting medicines to them. And whome Christ doth af­fect, he will be sure to correct. Directi­on without correction, is not sufficient Reu. 3. 19. to make good schollers, or good chil­drē. That is not alwaies the best meat, which the sicke person doth most de­sire: nor that the worst phisick, which the Patience doth least affect. Christ is wise, and knoweth what is fittest for vs, that we might not be vnfit for him. Aloes is sometimes more wholesome then hunnie. Therefore wee must [Page 50] not thinke that Christ doth hate vs, or leaue off to loue vs, when he doth se­uerely chasten and afflict vs.

Fourthly, seeing it hath pleased our Lord to loue vs, we may without doubting assure our selues that he will not denie vs earthly things (the silliest signes of his grace) if he see them con­uenient for vs. If he vouchsafe to im­part the greatest, hee wil not denie the least. If he suffer vs, or rather if he mak vs drinke of the fountaine, surely he will not restraine vs from the least of those many streams, which flow from it, if he see them as wholsome to the heart, as they are toothsome to the taste. He that giueth pearles, will not sticke at pebles. But as feruent & true loue wil force the louer to manifest his secret affection by all outward actions he can, which may expresse it: so the loue of Christ vnto vs (being faithfull without feigning, constant without change, and infinite without end) doth make and moue him to do all things, that may declare it, and will not per­mit him to faile in any thing, which [Page 51] serueth either to aduance the glorie of his grace, or to further the felicitie of our soules.

CHAP. VI.

FIftly, in that our Apostle saith; Hee hath loued vs: hee sheweth by this peremptory & certain speech, that he was assured that as Christ loued all the faithfull, so himselfe also. By which we are not onely taught that it is possi­ble for a man to be perswaded of the loue of Christ vnto himselfe in parti­cular, (for a certain perswasion thereof is the life or soule of true faith, and doubting is the daughter of vnbeliefe) Rom. 4 20. but that we ought euerie one of vs also to indeuour, that wee may be able to say of our selues that Christ hath loued vs: Christ hath loued Mee. This Iohn was able to do, and in effect did so: and Gal. 2. 20. so did Paul; Christ hath loued me, and giuen himselfe for me. And (beloued) this [Page 52] assurance is worthie hauing. For first, it is a comfort that followes a man e­uen to his graue. Secondly, the longer a mā hath it, the larger it waxeth, if we be not in the fault; it is not like a bullet, which is no sooner in the mould, but it is made: it growes by degrees like a plant, and gathereth strength by con­tinuance. Thirdly, it makes a man more circumspect ouer his waies, mo [...]e desirous to loue him againe, and verie loath to do that, which may deserue that his loue should be changed into hatred, and his fauour into enmitie. Fourthly, it affoordeth singular com­fort. For what greater good can a man desire or enioy, then to possesse his loue, who is goodnesse it selfe, and to be perswaded of his grace, that is the fountaine of grace, and the author of al true glorie. Fiftly, this assurance is an vndoubted token of true faith, yea in­deed the verie forme and sap thereof. For what else is sauing faith, but a par­ticular & certain perswasion and assu­rance of Christ his loue, and of those benefits which are deriued from it? [Page 53] Now he that hath true faith, may assure himselfe that he is a faithfull man, a Gal. 3. 26. Ioh. 10. 26. childe of God, a sheepe of Christ, posses­sed with the kingdome of grace, and entituled to the kingdome of glorie. Sixtly, this assurance is the more to be respected, because it is appropriated to the Elect. For it is not possible that any of the Reprobates (who are forsa­ken of God, & not beloued of Christ) should in their consciences be truely assured of the loue of Christ. Indeed, as he that is in a dreame, may thinke he hath cloathes on his backe and mo­ny in his purse, though he haue not a­ny, so the Reprobate may be so held with a dreame or possessed with a spi­rituall phrenzie, that he may imagine himselfe to be in the fauour of God, and to partake of Christs loue, albeit indeed he be not so, but is a verie vas­ [...]all of Satan, and a vessell of wrath, or­dained to eternall damnation.

Q. How then (may some man say) shall I come to this assurance?

A. I answer: he that loueth Christ, as Christ hath taught him, may know [Page 54] for certen that Christ loueth him. And a man shall neuer truly loue Christ, till he be persuaded, in some measure, that Christ doth loue him. We loue him, because he loued vs. Secondly, he that is carefull to serue and honour him, may assure himselfe that he is beloued of him. For Christ himselfe saith, that both hee and his Father, do loue those Ioh. 14. 21. that keep his commandements. Ther­fore be thou sure that thou doest obey him, and then thou mayest assure thy selfe of his loue. Thirdly, a man may know that Christ loued him, of he find in him selfe the fruites of the Spirit, which are found in none, but in those whom Christ doth loue. These fruits are peace of conscience, ioy, long suffe­ring, Gal. 5. 22. gentlenes, goodnes, meeknes, temperancy, and brotherly loue. And albeit the Reprobate may haue these fruits in shew, yet he hath them not indeede, as the Godly haue. All is not the Sun, which shineth: neither is all that Gold, which glisters. For if they should be tryed by the touchstone of the word, it would appeare that their [Page 55] mettall were not good golde, but guil­ded copper: and that their vertues were Laruae a [...] si­mulacra vir­tutum, Nā (vt Hie­ron. ait) [...]ine Christo om­nis virtus vi tium est. but masked vices, couered only with the vaile of sanctity; like many apples, which haue red cheekes, but rotten cores. For they come not from Christ, they are not framed vpō the stithy of an honest heart, with the hāmer of Gods word, by the finger of his holy Spirit, Et August: Virtutes ni­si ad Deum referantur, non sunt virtutes. neither are they vsed in that manner & to that end, which God cōmandeth, which God liketh. They be rather na­tures gifts, then Gods graces: naturall moralities, and not morall graces. Fi­nally, if thou woldest yet know further how thou maist attaine to this assurāce, then obserue diligently Gods dealing with thee from time to time: and flie vnto Christ in heauen, with the wings of thy soule, by earnest and incessant supplication: bow downe the knees of thy soule before him, and desire him of his loue to send his holy Spirit into thee, that may teach thee to crie Abba father, and may assure thee of his loue vnto thee. Whatsoeuer thing we aske of him, with confidēce to be heard for [Page 56] his names sake (if it like him) he will without faile bestowe it on vs.

CHAP. VII.

SIxtly, seeing that the Apostle saith, that Christ loued those Churches, in which notwithstanding there were sundry defects, many wrinkles, many moles, many diseases; we may see, that those are too blind and too vncharita­ble, who censure all those as quite [...]allē from grace, and vtterly out of Gods fauour, who do fall into any greeuous sin, or haue the plauge-sores of sin (as it were) running vpon them. A man may haue the Leprosy, and yet liue the life of nature: so a man may through naturall [...]ra [...]ltie haue the leprosie of sin in his soule, & yet liue the life of grace. A man may be a liue, yea and liue, thogh he haue the plague in his body: so may he liue, though he be sick of the [Page 57] plague of sin; for no sin shall quite put out the life of grace in him, that is re­generate, Noah, Lot, Dauid, and Peter, fell gree [...]ously, but yet their falls were not vnto death, though in themselues they were deadly. Paul was not afrayd to call the back-sliding Galathians Bre­thren, Gal. 1. 4. 11 and to say (according to his iudgement of charity) that Christ did giue himselfe for their sinnes. A man may fall, though he fall not quite away. And (as Augustine saith) The righteous­nes Iustitia san­ctorū in hoc mundo, ma­gis peccato­rum remis­sione cōstat, quam per­ [...]ectione vir­tutum. of saints in this world, consisteth rather in the remission of sins, then in the perfecti­on of vertues. Our best perfection is to confesse and labour to correct our im­perfection. A Father may suffer his child to stumble & fall in his presence and yet loue him dearly: and so Christ (whose children and s [...]ed we are) may Heb. 2. 13. Is. 53. 10. suffer vs to fall into sin, and yet con­tinue firme in loue. For he doth it to make vs to distaste our pride, to des­paire These vses men should make of their falls. of our owne strength, to depend vpon him, to ascribe our standing vnto him, to cling the closer about him, to seeke and sue vnto him for his aide, to [Page 58] blush at our selues, to thinke more cha­ritably of other men that fall, to re­nounce Sathan, & their natiue corrup­tions, to wax wise and warie of falling, and to teach other men to looke the better to ther feet, and to shew his grace by helping of them vp againe. Yet ne­uerthelesse we must be verie vigilant, and take heed that we giue not the reignes to sinne. For though Christ may loue a man, that sinneth, so it be of weakenesse: yet he hateth his sinne, & perhaps he wil correct him sharply for it, and carrie himselfe for a time like an enemie. But as for him, that walketh in sinne, and weltereth in his wicked­nes, sinning with full consent of will without remorse of conscience; Christ doth either actually ha [...]e him (as if he be a Reprobate) or at the least he doth not actually reueale his loue vnto him, thogh he be one of Gods Elect: neither can this sinner, whiles he so cōtinueth without repentāce, distinguish himself from a Reprobate. For when Christ declareth his loue actually and effectu­ally to any man, thē he smites his heart [Page 59] with the sword of his S [...]irit, and wor­keth such an alteration in his soule, that thence-forward hee shall die to sinne, and liue to righteousnes.

When Euilmerodach disclosed his Ier. 52. 31. 33. loue to Iehoiakim, he brought him out of prison, and changed his prison gar­ments: so when Christ doth actually reueale his loue vnto a man, then he brings him out of the prison of the di­uell, he vnlooseth the bolts of sinne, he changeth his rayments of wickednes, and doth apparell him with the rich robes of his owne righteousnes. And as that penitent [...]aylour to manifest his good will to Paul and Silas, did not Act. 16. 33. onely fetch them out of the prison, ut also washed their s [...]ipes: so Christ, when he reuealeth his speciall loue vnto any, then doth he wash the wounds of their soules with his blood, and batheth them in the waters of his holy Spirit. He casteth them (as it were) into a furnace, and consumeth the drosse of [...]in with the fire of his grace. Therefore Paul saith, that those, who Gal. 5. 24. are Christs, h [...]e crucified the flesh, with [Page 60] the affections and lusts. And saint Iohn saith, that whosoeuer is borne of God, sin­ [...]eth 1. Ioh. 3. 9. not: meaning, with full consent of heart: he sinneth not vnto death: he liueth not without repentance in his sinnes: he drinketh not iniquitie, as fishes do water: he selleth not himselfe to worke wickednesse, as Ahab did, 1. King. 21 25. Wherefore as wee must not account a man forsaken of Christ, because he is ouertaken with some enormitie: so againe, we must take heed that we do not wilfully giue our selues vnto any manner of sinne, because we heare that his loue is constant, & that sinne can­not make a diuorce betwixt him and vs, and an vtter separation, if once we were in his fauour, and were vnited to him. This were transcendent impietie, and verie horrible ingratitude.

CHAP. VIII.

Seauenthly, in that the Apostle giues the priority of place to Christs loue, seating it before the benefits, which we receiue by him; I gather that his Loue is the scaturidge, and foundation of all those works, which he wrought for vs. His loue was the Anuill, wher­vpon they were all forged: it was the Spring, from whence they sprang, and the Pipe or Chanell through which they ran to vs, who are as Cisternes to re­ceiue them. Therfore we must renoūce and abiu [...]e all opinion of our owne merits, or fore [...]eene preparations. O [...] best merit, which yet is no merit, is to confesse freely that we can merit no­thing, nothing at all that good is. For vnto vs belongeth nothing but op [...] [...]ame, and confusion of face for euer. Dan. 9, 8. It is Gods mere mercie, and his pitie, not our merits or pietie, that we perish not in our sinnes. And if we either w [...] well, or worke well, we must ascribe it solie to Gods good will, who worketh in vs the will and the deed of his good plea­sure. Phil. 2. 13. Hi [...]vell [...] nō [...] substātia volūtatis, sed Why did God honour the World with his onely Sonne? Was it not be­cause [Page 62] he loued the World? So Christ de [...] qualitate ac­cipitūr. Ioh. 3. 16. saith: for God so loued the world, that he hath giuen his onely S [...]nne to all that lay hold vpon him with the hand of a liuely faith. Yea, but was not his loue procured by our loue? Did not our loue of him drawe his loue to vs, as the Load-stone doth yron? Verily no: for herein (saith Iohn) is that loue, not 1. Ioh. 4. 10. 19. that we loued God, but that he loued vs, and sent his sonne (in loue) to be a reconci­liation for our sinnes. We loue him, because he loued vs first.

Why hath God raysed vs from the graue of sinne, and quickened vs in his sonne, and saued vs? Was it not be­cause he loued vs? Paul teacheth vs to thinke so, & no otherwise, and there­ [...]ore saith, But God who is rich in mercie, through [...] great loue, wherwith he loued Eph. 2. 4. 5. [...] when we were dead by sinnes, hath quickened vs together in Christ, by who [...] grace ye are saued. What mooued Christ besides his loue, to giue himselfe to death for vs? Iust nothing in vs: there­fore 1. Ioh. 3. 16. Iohn saith, hereby we haue perceiued loue, that he layed downe his life for vs. By [Page 63] whome (saith Paul) we haue redemption Eph. 1. 7. through his blood, according to his rich Grace. Nothing at all but pure loue made him bestowe himselfe. vpon the Church: it was his grace, and not her goodnesse: not because she was faire and w [...]rthie, but because he was fa­nourable and gracious.

Therfore the Apostle saith; Christ loued the Church, and gaue himselfe for E [...]h. 5. 25. 26. her▪ that hee might sanctifie (or make her [...]e and holy) & clense her by the washing of water through the word. By which we plainly see, that his loue is the forge & fountaine, from whence our holines, our happines, and all spirituall, celesti­all and eternall benefits whatsoeuer do proceede and come.

Thus much concerning the loue of Christ. The workes or tokens of his loue come now to be considered in the next words.

CHAP. I.

THe Apostle hauing affirmed that Christ did loue vs, he doth imme­diatly cōfirme his affirmation, by setting down two notable works, per­formed by him for vs, being vndoub­ted tokens and fruits of his loue vnto vs. The former wherof is expressed in the wordes recited: [His Blood,] that is, the merit and validitie of his [Page 65] blood. And by blood we must vnder­stand his whole passion, the which was accomplished at the effusion of his blood vpon the crosse.

For albeit, as touching the diuine n [...]ure, he cannot properly be saide to haue blood; in that the Deitie is a most pure, simple, perfect, and incompre­hensible Essence, void of composition & alteration;) yet as concerning his hu­manitie, he hath blood, he shed his blood, and died. And for that the hu­mane nature is not a person subsisting by it selfe, but is receiued into the vni­ [...]e of his person, as he is the eternall Sonne of the Father, & a true distinct person existing from al eternitie; ther­fore by a figure that, which is proper to one of his natures, is attributed to his whole person. Whence it is that Paul saith, that God hath purchased the Act. 20. 28. Church by his owne blood; that is, God incarnate, or that person, who is true God. And thus Marie, contrarie to the opinion of Nestorius, may be saide to be the mother of God, to wit, of that person, or of that man, who is God. So [Page 66] we must vse to say that a man hath eies, hands, and legges, and that truely; yet the soule, which is the more excel­lent part of man, hath not any such. For it is an incorporall and spirituall substance.

If it be demanded frō whēce the blood of Christ doth deriue such dignitie and desert, as that it procureth the pardon of sinne, or the clensing of our soules from all corruption; I answere, that it proceedeth from his God head or per­son; because it was the bloud of God, the bloud of that innocent and iust man, that is also truly God, therfore it was of admirable excellencie, and of inexplicable vigour and value, suffici­ent for merit to haue clēsed a thousand thousand worlds of sinnes.

If further it be demanded, how they, that were before Christ, and we, that doe liue since his death, can be truely said to be washed from our sinnes by his bloud, which is not now shed, nor then could be, seeing that hee was not borne.

I answere: Christ is the Lamb of God, Reu. 13. 8. [Page 67] that was slaine from the beginning of the World: to wit, in respect of faith, and of Gods eternall decree and gracious acceptation, so that his bloud is not, nor euer was drie in regard of merit & efficacie: but whosoeuer did receiue and applie it to his heart by faith, was purged from his sinnes, which is signi­fied, when it is said, that He hath washed vs: that is, he hath clensed, purified, absolued, or procured the remission or absolution of sinnes for all the elect & faithfull people of God, wheresoeuer or whatsoeuer. Therefore Iohn saith, 1. Ioh. 2. 2. that he is a Reconcilation for the sinnes of the whole world of the Elect. And the authour to the Hebr [...]wes saith, that hee Heb. 2. 9. tasted death for all men: that is, for the E­lect of all sorts and sexes, and for them onely. And therefore he saith, that his Math. 26. 28. blood was shed for many, and not for all without exception of any. God com­maunded the Arke and the Mercy-seat Ex. 25. 10. 17. to be made of one length and breadth; thereby shewing, that his Mercy in Christ should be extended no farther then the Church. If Christ would not Ioh. 17. 9. [Page 68] safe the reprobate a pra [...]er, we may not think that he would giue thē his blood.

From sinnes] Si [...] (saith Iohn) is the [...] transgression of the Law, euen euery aberration from the Law of God, 1. Ioh. 3. 4. which is the Rule of our obedience, the Touchstone of all our Actions, and (as it were) the Epistle of the Creator, to his creatures. Sin [...] is either origi­nall or actuall. Originall sinne consi­steth in the gui [...] of Adams first trans­gression, and in the want of that puri­ [...]e, wherein we were a [...] first created, and in an inc [...]ination and propensiue to all manner of wickednesse. Actuall [...]inn [...] is any pre [...]rication and breach of the law [...]r will of God, in thought, word, or worke, whether by commis­sion of euill, or omission of good. Now by sinnes in this place, we must vnderstand all, both originall and ac­tuall, euen all transgressions of Gods commandements, whether legall or e [...]angelicall, and the punishments due vnto vs for them; where obserue, that he calleth Sinnes, our Sinnes; for Sinne is our owne, and not Christs. For he 2. Cor. 5. 21. [Page 69] knew no sinne. Neither are they Gods. For he is not the author of that, whereof Non est au­ctor, eius, cuius est vl­tor. Fulgent. he is the reuenger. And Dauid saith; Thou art not a God, th [...]t louest wicked­nesse: neither shall euill dwell with thee: Psal. 5. 4. So then, the meaning of the words is this; Christ hath purchased the p [...]rd [...] of all our sinnes and hath deliuered vs from the guilt & punishment of them all by the merite of his Sacred blood, whereby hee hath appeased his Father, and couered vs from his wrathfull indignation, as with a [...]yle. But yet that wee may attaine to the perfect vnderstanding of these words, two questions had need to be answered.

First, it may be demāded, how Christ can be saide to haue washed vs from our sins, seeing that sin remaineth in vs vnto death.

For our satisfaction herein, we must know, that Christ is [...]de to wash our sinnes away in his blood, because hee hath therby procured their pardon so, as that they shall neuer be imputed to vs vnto condemnation. For sin is wa­shed away two waies. First, when God [Page 70] forgiues it, and layeth it not to our charge; and this he doth in the iustifi­cation of a sinner. Secondly, when he mortifieth it, and repaireth his ruinated image within vs; and this is called the washing of sanctification.

Now the washing of sanctification is properly vnderstood in the text.

Secōdly, it may be demanded wherin the absolution & washing away of sin in Iustification by the blood of Christ differeth from the ablution & purging of it in sanctification by the water and fire of the Holy Ghost, Or, wherin re­mission of sinnes differs from regene­ration, and wherein they iump.

They agree in three respects. First in their efficient cause. For God is the author of both, through the merit of Christ.

Secondly, they haue one commune instrumentall cause, which is faith.

Thirdly, they haue one generall end: to wit, the glory of God, and the sal­uation of our soules. But yet they differ very much in other respects.

First, in their forme or nature. For [Page 71] remission of sins is an action of God, wherby he doth couer our sins in the blood of Christ, not imputing them to vs, but to Christ. Regeneratiō is a work of God, wherby through the effectuall operatiō of his Spirit, he doth alter and change the heart, mortifying the flesh, illuminating the mind, refining the affections, and sanctifying all the parts of the body, and all the powers of the soule.

Secondly, they differ in their subiect. For the minde, the will, and the affec­tions, are the subiects of sanctification, but not of the remission of sins. The obedience of Christ is imputed to vs, and is not inhoerent in vs, as are the graces of regeneration, Remission of sinne is an action of God out of a man: but mortification is within a man.

Thirdly, their obiect is diuerse. For the law is the obiect of sanctification: but remission of sinne respecteth the o­bedience of Christ.

Fourthly, they differ in their effects. For remission of sins makes vs to be accounted no sinner: but so doth not [Page 72] regeneration. The ablu [...]ion of sin in iustification, is our absolution: but the ablution of sin by sanctification, is not our absolution, but a consequēt & signe thereof. Remission of sinne keepes [...]n from condemning vs: but regenerati­on keepes sin onel [...] from tyr [...]nnizing and do [...]ering ouer vs.

Fi [...]ly, Remissi [...]n of sins is p [...]rfect in this life, and acted at one instant by Rom. 8. 1. God, though we come not to the per­fect assurance of it, but by degrees. P [...] Sanctification is imperfect in this life, & not accomplished [...] the li [...] t [...]me. Holines dot [...] not growe vp like Io [...] Ioh. 4. his gourd in one night A ves [...]li with a narrow necke [...]s not filled all at once. The C [...] of God is not at his [...]ull growth th [...] first day of his birth. God [...] not [...]ne stark dead [...]th or [...] did G [...], [...]woūd, [...]s the 1. [...] 1. [...] [...]e. 34. [...]o [...] [...] king [...]. The Mo [...] (we see i [...] at t [...]e [...] first day of [...] increase, [...] wax [...]th by little and [...] is wrought in vs by deg [...]s: no man is fully perfect. For [Page 73] Who can say I am cleane? So long as we Pro. 20. 9. Quamdiu [...]uis, neces­se est pecca­tum e [...]e in m [...]br [...] tuis. August. [...]e, sin shall not die, though it shall not damne vs, because it is forgiuen vs.

Sixtly, remission o [...] sins is a part of iust [...]fication: but sanctification is no part therof, but rather an effect, fruit, [...] argument thereof.

Lastly, the washing away of sin in Iustification, goes in nature before the [...]olution of sanctification, & doth next [...] nature succeede effectuall vocation. For whō God calleth, them he doth in Rom. 8. 30. [...] next place iustifie, & then sanctifie. And I say in nature: not [...] time, if we respect the first degree of sāctification. F [...]r when God doth actually [...] a man his sinnes, when Christ doth actu­ally b [...]h a man in his bloud, and pro­ [...]e the remission of his sins, when God doth apply the merit of Christs bloud vnto a man, then doth he also be­gin to refine and melt him: then doth he cast him into a new mould, and gi­ueth him a new heart. And as that wo­man with a peece of a m [...]stōe did br [...]ak the braine-pan of that vsurping tyrant Iudg. 9. 53. [Page 74] Abimelech: euen so, when God remits sinne, he doth also (as it were) crack the brain-pan thereof, with the milstone of his power, and the strength of his Spi­rit, and so in one article of time he doth dismount that vsurping Tyrannesse from her Throne, he takes the crowne from her head, and her scepter out of her hand, and doth so disarme & wea­ken her, that she can neither damne vs, nor domine [...]e within vs. And this be­ing the sense, let vs see what doctrines follow hereeof.

CHAP. II.

FIrst, in that the Apostle doth attri­bute Doct. 1 bloud vnto Christ, I conclude, that Christ was true man, like other men, sinne onely excepted. This the Hebr. 2. 16. 17. holy scriptures do very plentifully ma­nifest. For hee is that Seede of the wo­man, which should break the Serpents Gen. 3. 15. [Page 75] head. And he is that Son, which a vir­gin Is. 7. 14. should conceiue and bring foorth. He is sayd to be borne, and circumci­sed, to hunger, thirst, die, and rise again: all which do sufficiently proue the truth of his humanity. Now it was requisite that Christ should be a man. First that the prophecies, that went long be­fore of his humane nature, might be truly fulfilled. Secondly, the iustice of God required, that that nature should be punished, which had offēded. Third­ly, it seemed most equall in Gods eye, that satisfaction for the sinne of man should be made, in the nature of man. Fourthly, that he might be a mercifull Heb. 1. 17. high Priest, able to be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. Lastly, that he might be able to suffer and die for vs. For the God head cannot possibly suffer; beeing an impassible, pure, ab­solute, 1. Tim. 6. 16. immortall, & vnchangeable na­ture. Now, as it was fi [...] that he should Iam. 1. 17. bee a man, so it was also necessary that he should be sinlesse and holy. First, that his thoughts, words, and workes, might be holy. Secōdly, that he might [Page 76] make vs holie, and couer the impurity of our nature, with the perfect purity of his. Thirdly, that he might offer vp a pure and spotlesse sacrifice. Fourthly, he was to be a preacher of holines, & a taxer of iniquity; therfore it was fittest that he should be holy, lest his practise should crosse his preaching, and so marre his Ministerie. Lastly, that his humane nature might be a [...]omed into the vnity of the person of the Sonne of God, who is most holie, euen Holinesse it selfe.

If it be damanded why the Sonne should rather become man, then either the Father or the Holy Ghost; I an­swere: it was most beseeming that the world should be redeemed, and that all things should be restored by him, by Ioh. 1. [...]. Col. [...]. 16. H [...]b. 1, 2. whome all things were created. It was most fi [...]ting that he should saue man from death, and procure him life, who did at first vouch safe him life; that as by him we receiued being, so we might also by him rece [...]e our welbeing. Of this doctrine, th [...]se vses may be made.

First, we may behold the loue of Vse. 1 [Page 77] Christ vnto vs, who being the image of Col. 1, 15. 16. God, and the grand Creator of all things in heauen and earth, did neuerthelesse for our good assume, vnto himselfe the nature of man, and not the nature of [...]he Angels, which notwithstanding is far more excellent, far more diuine & Heb. 2. 16. noble.

Secondly, seeing Christ (who is e­ [...]ll Vse. 2 Phil. 2. 6. Re [...]. 1. 5. to God, & Prince of all the kings of the earth,) did so farre debase him­selfe for vs base wretches; as volunta­rily to take vpon him the forme of a Phil. 2. 7. seruant, the shape and nature of man; let vs arme our selues with the same mind, neuer thinking any thing too base for vs to beare or doe, which may serue for his glorie, and the good of his Church. I [...] the Sonne of God did so humble himselfe, why should we be proud and hautie? If God thought not skorne to be made man for vs, why should we thinke much to performe any seruice vnto him for the honour of his name, how base or vile soeuer it ma [...] seeme in the eve of man?

Thirdly, seeing Christ is truly man, Vse. 3 [Page 78] made of the seed of the wo [...]; hence is confuted & ouerthrowne, the errour of Gal. 44. the Ma [...]tch [...]s, wh [...] held that Christs bodie was but imagina [...]ie. A s [...]igned bodie, hath blood no more, then a painted fire hath heate. But Christ had true blood, or else our redemption by his blood is a forged fiction, and vn­true.

The errour of Macedonius and Va­lentinus, who taught that Christ brought with him a celesticall bodie out of heauen. But the Lord promised Abraham, that in his seede all nations should be blessed. Gen. 22. 18

The errour of Apelles, who said that Christs body was of the ayre, and that it passed through the virgin Mary, as water through the pipe or chanell. Whereas notwithstanding Dauid had a promise made him that his son should 2. Sam. 7. 12. 14. sit vpon his throne & reigne for euer. And the language of the scriptures is, that he was conceiued and borne, not that he passed or ran through her. Ra­ther Act. 2. 30. Math. 1. 20. 23. Luk. 2, 7. therefore. Ap [...]lles was the pipe, through which this vayne conceite [Page 79] came into the world, from Satan the fountaine thereof, who is a lyer, & the Ioh. 8. 44. Ioh. 14. 6. father of lies, as he, that is truth it selfe affirmeth.

The errour of Apollinaris, who held that Christ had not a reasonable so [...]le, but that his Deitie is in stead thereof. But this opiniō Christ himself direct­ly Math. 26. 38. crosseth, when he saith: My soule [ [...]] is very heauy vnto death: and the scripture saith: H [...] yeelded vp the Ghost: [ [...].] It is as impossible for a true man to haue no soule, as a liuing tree to haue no sap, or for the sunne to haue no light: or to speake more fitly, a [...] it is impossible for a thing to be this or that, without the forme or for­mall cause, which makes it so to be. As there can be no perfect body without the head, so ther can be no perfect man without a soule.

The errour of Iodochus Harchius a Libertine: who imagined that Christ had a double flesh: one naturall from the virgin Mary, now glorious in the heauens: the other spirituall, intelligi­ble, and made by the power of God, of [Page 80] bread & wine But we read but of one body, one flesh, and one blood, which [...]e [...]ad.

The errour of [...], who taught that the humane nature of Christ was after the vnion endowed with the pro­perties of the Diui [...]tie. Indeed Da­ma [...]cene and Gregory say, that the flesh Greg. N [...]s [...]. of Christ was d [...]ified: but they meane it in respect of the comunction thereof to the diuine nature in one pers [...]n, and in regard of those admirable gifts, by when his humane nature is not abo­lished, but become more excellent then all cr [...]atures.

The errour of the V [...]ries, who attribute to Christs huma [...], the essentiall properties of the D [...]ui­ [...]e, as to bee present euery where. Which ouerthroweth the nature of a true body, which is finite and circum­scrip [...]ble. T [...]ll [...] pro­p [...]tate [...], tol it naturam. For take away the proper­ties of a thing, and thou shalt destroy the nature of it. And albeit his Deitie is in all places without exception, yet it doth not follow that his Humani­tie should be so too, because it is per­sonall [...] [Page 81] v [...]ted to it; no more then that the pearle in the ring should-extend [...]s [...]se as farre as the ring, because it is i [...]yned to it, or fastned in it. Indeed, [...] things are so vnited together, as that one of them reacheth no further then the other, then one of them can be no where, but the other wil be there also. But if one of them extend be­y [...]nd the other, then wheresoeuer the le [...]er is, there the greater is also, but not so on the contrarie. The body of the s [...]nne, and the light thereof are c [...]nioyned, and yet the sunnes body doth not really reach as farre as the [...]ght doth. The eye and the sight are nearely co [...]oyned, and yet the sight reacheth to many things, vnto which the eye doth not extend it selfe. Be­cause therefore Christs manhead is far [...]e exceeded of his Godhead, it can be no where but his Godhead will be Psal. 139. 7. 8. 9. Non sequi­tur, vt quod in Deo est, sit vbique vt Deu [...]. there also, (being infinite so well for place, as it is for time and power) and it cannot bee in euery place, where his Godhead is. It doth not follow (saith Augustine) that that, which is in God, [Page 82] should be euery where as God. And though Christ sit at the right hand of God, yet it doth no more [...]ollow ther­of, that he should be in all places, then that (as man) he should be really be­fore all time. And whereas the Apo­stle saith, that hee ascended to fill all thing [...]; his meaning is not that hee Eph. 4. 10. Immortali­tatē ei [...]edit, naturā non abstulit. August. went vp to fill all thing, with his hu­manitie (which is indeed become im­mortall, but is no [...] depriued of the na­turall properties thereof) but by the distribution of the gifts of his Spirit into the hearts of the elect, in what place soeuer they liue. Or (as Bernard pleaseth to turne and vnderstand it) that hee might [...] (vt adimpleret▪ [...]) all things which were foretold, and which were required to our sal­uation. And so the Greeke word sig­nifieth (Math. 15. 17.) where Christ saith; I came not to destroy, but to fulfill ( [...]) the Law.

Lastly, seeing Christ was a true man, and therefore hath a true body, as other men, all infirmities being now la [...]de aside; it ouerthroweth the [Page 83] op [...]nion of the R [...]mi [...]h Synagogue, [...] teacheth, that his body is cor­ [...]ly, and [...]st [...]lly in the Sa­ [...]nt. We beleeue that his body [...]ade of the purified substance of [...] Vi [...]gin, and no [...] of Bakers bread: [...] that a [...] hath the essentiall proper­ties of a true body, as length, latitude, [...]cknesse, and circumscription: and [...]t it is no [...] both visible in heauen, and invisible vpon earth. And al­though hee promised to be present Math. 28. 20 [...]th his Disciples to the end of the world, yet we must not thence con­clude, that his body was to continue among men vppon earth after his a [...]con [...]ion. For those words are to be vnderstood onely of the presence of Ier. 23. Enter. prae [...]enter. Deus hi [...] & vbique po­tenter. his power, grace, spirite, or godhead, which filleth heauen and earth. In­deed it is true, that as hee hath taken his body with him vp, so he hath left his body behinde him, that is, his Church, vnto whom also he hath gi­uen leaue to consecrate certaine out­ward elements, to be signes and seales of his body and bloud, and which is Eph. 5. Col. 1. [Page 84] by a kinde of figure tearmed his bo­dy and bloud. For the body of Christ is three-fold, Naturall, Mysticall, Sacramentall. But wee speake in this place of his naturall body, to which the soule is vnited to make a true hu­mane nature.

CHAP. III.

A Second doctrine hence ariseth, in that the Apostle saith, that Christ Doct. 2 hath washed vs from our sinnes in his bloud, whēce I cōclude that Christ is (not onely man, but also) God. For there cannot be that vigour, vertue or validity in the bloud of any mere mā, which is able to purge men of their sinnes, and to procure the pardon of them, and to satisfie the infinite iustice of God for them. Therefore our Re­deemer must needs be true God, that his bloud might be meritorious and effectuall with God.

Besides this collection; we haue eui­dent testomonies out of holy writ, and inuincible arguments to confirme this truth. For the first, Isa [...]ah saith, that Christ shalbe called the Mightie God: Is. 9. 6. & I [...]r [...]my saith, that his name shalbe I [...] ­houah, our righteousnes. Ioh: saith, In the Ier. 23. 6. beginning was the Word, & the word was God. By the word, we are to vnderstand Ioh. 1. 1. Christ, who is the substātiall word of his Father, so called, because he is the Inter­preter & Image of his father, euē as our Rom. 9. 3. speec [...] is the interpreter and image of the mind. In like manner Paul calleth Tit. 2. 13. Christ, God ouer all: and the Great God. And Thomas speaking vnto Christ Ioh. 20. 28. saith, My Lord, and my God. Secondly, it is also manifest by reasōs grounded vpon the word, that Christ was true God, and not man onely. I will pro­pound two. First, he is true God, to whome the proper works of God are [...]ightly attributed: but those workes [...]re ascribed rightly vnto Christ, which none can do, but God: as to [...]reate, redeeme, quicken, iudge, to [...]earch the heart, & to put away iniqui­ties: [Page 86] all which the sacred scriptures at­tribute to Christ: therefore he must needs be God. Secondly, di [...]e wor­ship, is performed and ought to be gi­uen Ps. 72. 11. Rom. 15. 12 vnto Christ: therefore [...]e is [...] God and not me [...]e man. Dauid [...]: Blessed [...]y th [...] th [...] in [...]. Christ Ps. 2. 1 [...]. Ioh. 14. 1. himselfe saith: [...]e bel [...]ue G [...], [...] ­leeue in me al [...]o.

And Saint S [...]n praying saith; Lord Iesus rece [...]e my spirit. By which it Act. 7. 59. appeareth, that d [...]ne honour belon­geth to him, and consequently that he is more then a [...].

And it was requ [...]site that Christ should be not onely man but God. First, that he might remoue those e­ [...]ills, wherewith Man-kind was op­pressed; to wit [...] the guilt and punis [...] of [...]nne, th [...] [...]y [...] of the D [...], the infinite and intol [...]le burthen of Gods wrath, which things no [...] could remoue but God. Man ma [...] s [...]s [...]r, but none by suffring was able to ouer­come them, but God alone. It is God (as Paul teacheth vs) that hath purcha­sed Act. 20. 28. the Church with his blood. Secōd­ly. [Page 87] Christ must be God, that he might make vs accompted as righteous in the sight of God, and that defacing sin, [...]e might likwise restore the image of God, consisting in true righteousnes Eph. 4. 24. and holines, which we lost by our fall in Adam. Thirdly, that he might be a [...] Mediator betwixt God and Man, to reconcile and make them one by rea­son of his cognation, affinitie and [...]mi­litude to them both. For in reason he is most meet to reconcile God to man, and to bring man to God, who is him­selfe both God and man.

Now although the trueth doth both Veritas est index sui, [...] obliqu [...]. declare it selfe and shew the contrary, yet because it hath bin so much opposed (euen in this article of our sayth) and for that the weaknes of many is very great, and this point not voyd of all obscurity, I will briefly [...]ake away those cauill [...] that are made against it, [...]ha [...] so our [...]ayth might be further strengthened when the knottiest doubts shalbe d [...] ­solued, and the blocks remoued. It may be thus obiected against the God-head of Christ.

First, that which hath a beginning is not God, for God is Alpha and [...]mega, as well Eternall as Omnipotent. But Christ hath a beginning, therefore Christ is not God. Ans. There is a thre [...]fold beginning; of nature, time, and order. Now that, which hath a beginning of nature, substance, and time, is not God in that respect. But if we consider Christ as he is the Word or Wisdome of the Fa­ther (laying aside his humane nature) he hath no beginning of Essence or Time, hauing one diuine nature with the Fa­ther, existing from all Eternity: but one­ly a beginning in regard of order, or the manner of sub [...]sting. This he testifieth of himselfe, where he sayth; I was [...]et vpPro. 8. 23. 24. 25,from euerlasting, from the beginning, and before the [...]arth, when there were no d [...]p [...] was I begotten: before the mountaines were setled, and before the [...]ls was I begotten.

Secondly, God is of himselfe, Christ is not of himselfe, therfore Christ is not God.

Ans. Christ is God of himselfe, though he be not the Sonne of him­selfe. [...]erson begetteth, & is begottē: but the Essence neither begetteth, no [...] [Page 89] is begotten, but is communicated.

Ob. 3. Thirdly, One and the same thing cannot be said to haue a beginning, and not a beginning: but if Christ bee not onely man but God, he shall both haue a beginning and no beginning.

Ans. One and the same thing can­not both haue a beginning, and yet be without a beginning in one and the same respect: but this may be, if the respect be diuerse. A man may be said to be mortall and immortall; mortall in respect of his body, immortall in re­gard of the soule: dead▪ because he is dissolued, and aliue, because his same doth last, or because his soule doth liue. So Christ may be said to bee without beginning, in respect of his Godhead, and to haue a be [...]inning in regard of his m [...]n head. Thus also he may be said to be before and after [...]: and to be without Father and Mother; without father as man, without mother as God.

Ob. 4. Fourthly, The Mediatour Proposition. betwixt God and Man, is not God, but Christ is Mediatour betwixt God and [Page 90] Man, therefore Christ is not God.

Ans. The proposition is appa­rently false: for by the same reason it may be proued, that he is not a man. But the proposition may be thus con­firmed. God cannot be lesse then him­selfe, or in [...]eriour to himselfe, but the Assumption. Mediatour with God is inferiour vn­to God: therefore he is not God.

Ans. The assumption is true onely in respect of the Mediatourship, in regard whereof Christ is (minor patre) inferiour vnto God, and nothing as concerning his Diuinitie. For the in­equalitie of office doth not proue a­ny inferioritie, or inequalitie of na­ture.

Ob. 5. Fiftly, No man is God, but Christ is a man, therefore Christ is not God.

Ans. No m [...]e man (or no man as man) is God: now Christ is not merely a man, but Ma [...] god, or God­man. Neither doe wee say that the [...]hood of Christ is God, but that Christ, o [...] the man Christ, is God.

Ob. 6. Sixtly, Paul makes a [...]lat di­stinction [Page 91] betwixt God [...] Christ, wh [...] 1. Tim. 5. 21. [...] [...]ait [...] [...] charge thee [...]re God, & the Lord Ie [...]us Christ. Therefore C [...]r [...] not God.

A [...]s. By God, the Apostle vnder­standeth the father: as in [...]. Cor. 1 [...]. 1 [...]. For the word God is vsed somtime essentially, and sometimes also p [...]rso­nally: and so it is taken in that place. Sec [...]ndly, if this reas [...]n were good, the [...] the Holy Ghost should not be Rom. 9. 5. God. Thirdly, Paul else-where affir­meth that Christ is God. But Paul being directed by the speciall and im­mediate assistance of the Spirit, could not possibly contradict himselfe.

Ob. 7. Seuenthly, I [...] Christ be God, [...] there are m [...] Gods the [...] [...]ne. For Christs is not the same with the [...]ther.

A [...]s. Christ [...] di [...] not the same p [...]rson with his father: but he is the Ioh. 10. 30. 1. Ioh. 5. 7. sam [...] God. The distinction betwixt th [...]m is not in r [...]spect of nature ess [...]ce or time, for so they are one: but in re­spect of their manner of subsisting in that one nat [...]re.

Ob. 8. Eightly, Christ is man, and if [Page 92] h [...] be God also▪ [...]f he haue the nature both of God and Man▪ then he is two distinct persons: but this Gods word will not admit, therfore he must needs want one of them.

Ans. Indeed Cerinthus maketh Christ and Iesus two distinct persons: & Nestorius taught, that there are two persons in Christ; but without war­rant from the word. For although Eph. 4. 10. Christ haue two distinct natures, the D [...]itie and the Humanitie, yet is he but one person. For the person of the Son of God, existing a true person from all eternitie, did assume the hu­mane nature being no person of it selfe, into the vnitie of his person, & did ap­propriate it vnto himself, without cō ­founding or defacing the properties of either of the two natures: so that albeit there be two distinct natures, the diuine & humane, [...]et there is but one person, as a man is but one true person, though two distinct natures concurre in him, one of the soule, and the other of the body. It is true (I graunt) that the Word is a person: but I denie that the soule and body of [Page 93] Christ being vnited to make a perfect man, do make a distinct and perfect person. For a persō must not onely be s [...]me particular and singular thing, but it must also subsist and consist by it selfe, and must not be susteined of any other. But Christs humane nature frō the first beginning therof, was sustei­ned by the person of the Word. For it was at once both formed & assumed of the Word, into the vnity of his person, & made proper to the Word: & without this assumption or personal vnion, it nei­ther was, nor had been, nor should be. Plin. Histo▪ nat. lib. 16. c. 44. A resemblance whereof wee finde in the plant called Misselto, which grows not but in a tree of another kinde, and thence receiues his sap. Neither is this any disgrace, but rather an honour to his humanitie, because it doth subsist by the person of the Word. And albeit all the faithfull be vnited to the Word, yet it is onely in a lower degree, to wit, by communication of grace, and not by communication of personall subsi­stence. So thē we see, that though there be two distinct natures in our Lord, yet it doth not followe that he is two [Page 9] distinct persons: because his manhood is not a person (as other men are) but Iohn is a person, but so is not Chr [...]st, as he is man. Vse. 1. a na [...]ur [...]. Thus much for the Doctrine: the vses [...]ollow.

First, the consideration o [...] Christs God-head, teacheth vs to respect and honor him with all diuine worship, in humilitie and sinceritie of heart. He is God, therefore we must honour him as God, and being God, he is omnisci­ent and all-seeing: his [...]ies are a flame of fi [...]e, not more terrible then peircing. All things are n [...]ed before him, and no th [...]g [...] is hid from his vnderstanding. It is not fig-leaues, that can couer vs, nor the hils, that can hide vs from his eye sight.

Secondly, it should terrifie the wic­ked, that dishonour him, that reiect his Vse. 2 lawes, cast off his gouernment, and dis­grace his seruants. For being God, he is able with ease to be reuenged of thē. All creatures in heauen and earth are at his becke. His authoritie is absolute, and his power infinite. All power in heauen and earth is giuen him: and he Is. [...]. 6. Math. 28. 18 shall regine, till he hath put all his ene­ [...] [Page 9] vnder h [...] feet. T [...]ose that will not that he reigne ouer thē, shalbe brought and [...] before him. N [...]preces, [...] [...]m neither price nor praying will perswade him, if once he take in hand to iudge them, to condemne them. It is good for them therefore to take the [...]e, and to repent before it be too late

Thirdly, this doct [...]i [...]e maketh much Vse. 3 for our comfort. For seeing Christ is God, we may assure our selues that he is as wel able as wil [...]ng to do vs good, and to deliuer v [...] from euill, and doth liue euer to defend and protect vs. For beeing God, he is immortall and im­mutable. Therefore we, which are hi [...], may boldly say, I will not fea [...] what m [...] [...] what man can do vnto me. For he [...] is our friend and f [...]uourer is God omnipotent, and he will not leaue vs, n [...]r forsake vs Art thou ass [...]ulted by Satan? f [...]ie to Christ thy God: he can as easily [...]mite him to the ground as D [...]d did Gol [...]ah. Art thou vexed with sinne? then go to him, for he is able to saue thee from it. He can drowne thy sinnes in his bloud, as he drowned the [Page 96] Eg [...]pti [...]s in the sea. Do the terrors of death arrest thee? Do the pangs of hell seaze vpon thee? Be not dismayd; thy Suertie is God, he can take away sinne, which is the sting of death, and can ref [...]e [...]h t [...]y soule with the ioyes of 1. Cor. 15. 56. heauen. Art thou poore, or afflicted with sicknesse? Comfort thy selfe, and faint not. For thy Lord is God, he can either release thee from thine afflictiō, or relieue thee in it, as he did Daniel in the de [...]e of Lyons, and the three children in the fierie furnace, that thou shalt rather receiue good then susteine harme. If he please not to de­liuer thee, yet he can, and will (if thou wilt not [...]linch, but depend vpon him) vouch safe to giue thee fortitude & pa­tiēce to endure it. And for the thorny crowne in this world, he is able to ho­nour thee with a crowne of gold, of golden glorie, & glorious eternitie in the world to come. Finally, doe thine enemies pres [...]e thee, and seeke to de­ [...]oure thee? Feare not. For thy king is God and therefore able to conuert, or sub [...]e [...]t them. He can either destroy [Page 97] them himselfe, or make them to slay one an other, as the enemies of good 2. Chro▪ 20. 23. [...]ehoshaphat sometim [...]s did.

Fourthly, this doctrine serueth to Vse. 4 con [...]ute the opinion of Eunomius, who held that Christ was a mere man: also the errour of the Monothelites, who thought that Christ had one wil only: but seeing that he is not only man bu [...] God, it followeth, that he hath both an [...]umane and a diuine will, according to his two distinct natures, which are not confounded in that one person by reason of the personall vnion, but do truly, [...]separably, and indiuisibly con­tinue without confusion, conuersion, or transmutation. So much for this second doctrine.

CHAP. IIII.

THirdly, in that the Apostle here Doct. 3 saith, that Christ hath washed vs [Page 98] in his Bloud, we see how little reason there is for any to thinke that any of his true members can be cut off from him and vt [...]erly tall away and perish. To omit many inuinc [...]b [...]e arguments there is no li [...]lihood that Christ would sh [...]d his bloud for him, that shall pe­rish [...]n his s [...]ns. It is not probable that he will part from those willingly, for w [...]me he payed so dearly. Therfore Qui nos tā ­to p [...] t [...]o e­mit nō vult per [...]e quos emit, Aug. Setm. 109. Augustine saith; He which bought vs for so great a price, will not haue those to pe­rish, whom he hath bought. And Christ himselfe saith, that he giueth eternall life to those, for whome he layeth downe his life, [...]h. 10. 15. 28. Indeed they, that seeme to be washed in his bloud, but are not, may fall and perish. A f [...]antique man may think himselfe to be as rich as Cr [...]sus, though hee be indeed as poor as Codrus, as Irus. Bed­lams whoop, sing, shout and laugh, as if they were the only happy men, in a [...] the world, when (ala [...]) their case is most pitifull: and so many men may think thēselues c [...]ēsed in the bloud of Christ▪ and clad with his right [...]ousnes, and so [Page 99] ca [...]y themselues a [...] if they were out of a [...] danger of damnation, when as in truth their state is damnable: they ne­ [...]: truly felt the heat of that bloud, t [...]y neuer came in that bath. But he tha [...] is once actually and effectually bathed in it, shall not d [...]e eternally. Christ died, that we might not die: and who can make his death of none ef­fect? What can let or take away the ve [...]tue of his death, and the invaluable merit of his bloud? I am persuaded Rom. 8 38. (sayth Paul) that neither death, nor life, nor Angels, nor Principalities, nor Powers, nor things present, nor things to [...], nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shalbe able to separate vs from [...] loue of God, which is in Christ Iesus [...]ur Lord. And I am verily persuaded also that Christs death cānot be nulli­fied, nor the price of his bloud dimini­shed. Now, if Gods loue, by which we [...]iue do continue constant to vs: and if the bloud of Christ, by which our sins are clensed and couered in the sight of God, remaine in ful force & value, nothing lessened or abated, it cannot [Page 100] be that any of vs who are his chosen, should perish and be damned.

The vse of this doctrine is mani­fold. First, we see a plaine difference Vse. 1 betwixt the Sheep of Christ, and the Goats of Sathan, betweene Gods ser­uants, and the Diuels slaues. These may, these must perish: but those shall not, they cannot perish. For they are Math. 25. 41 Ioh. 10. 28. 1. Pet. 1. 5. kept by the power of God, through fayth, vnto eternall saluation.

Secondly, we see the state of man by Christ the second Adam, to be bet­ter Vse. 2 then it was by creation in the first Adam. For the righteousnes, which we receiued in him was mutable: but the righteousnes, which we receiue in Christ, is immutable. The righteous­nes, which we did receiue in him, we did also through him, loose in him: but the righteousnes, which through Gods imputation we receiue for and from Christ, continueth ours for euer: so as that Peccata semel remissa nunquā rede­ant, et semel iusti, semper iusti habeamur, our sins being once remitted shall ne­uer after come to a reckoning, and be­ing [Page 101] once accounted righteous, we shal so remaine for euer. And for inherent righteousnesse; when grace is once in­grauen vpon the tables of our hearts by the finger of God, it shall neuer wholly be rased out. For we haue now potentia et actum perseuerandi both the power and (his grace therto inspiring vs) a will to perseuere, and the very act of perseuerance. Adam indeed could haue continued righteous, if he had would, but he had not the grace to continue constant, the will to perse­uere for euer.

Thirdly, we see manifest manifest distincti­on betwixt those that are redeemed Vse. 3 by the bloud of Christ, and those that are ransomed by earthly Princes. For those that are redeemed by Christ, continue his for euer. None shall take Ioh. 10. 28. them out of his hand: neither shall they reuolt from him. For he will put his feare in their heartes, that they shall Ier. 32. 40. not depart from him. Neither can they by death be cut off from him, or vanish out of his seruice. For after death they shall serue him more perfectly in their [Page 102] soules, and after their resurrection they shall performe absolute honour for e­uer to him. But they, that are redee­med or deliuered out of captiuitie by Princes, may of subiects become des­perate enemies, per [...]ic [...]ous tra [...]tours, irreconciliable and incorrigible Re­bels. Or if they continue loyall, yet at death their seruice is expired, and in the life to come, he, that was once the subiect and inferiour, may be promo­ted aboue him, that was the Lord.

Fourthl [...], we ought to be thankfull for this benefit. We would thinke our Vse. 4 selues much obliged to a man, that did giue vs a good outward estate, and made it sure vnto vs: how much shall we then thinke our selues indebted vnto Christ, who hath freely procu­red vs a most blessed inward estate, whereof we shall neuer be depriued, but shall enioy for euer? Surely we cannot but confesse our selues to be greatly bound vnto him for this grace: and if we will not be vnthankefull, we ought to set our hearts vpon him, and our hands to his works, forsaking [Page 103] those things which doe any waies dis­please him.

Fiftly, this doctrine ministers excee­ding Vse. 5 solace to the soule. It is no small ioy to a Subiect to hea [...]e that he can­not loose his Princes fauour: and to an h [...]i [...]e, that he cannot loose his in he­ [...]ance. Euen so it cannot but [...]oy the heart of any faythfull man, to consi­der that he cannot be defeated of his in­h [...]r [...]t [...]nce, and that being once iusti­fyed he shall continue so for euer, and shall neuer fall away from God and perish.

Sixtly, the consideration of this one Vse. 6 priuiledge, that belongs to them that are washed from their sins in Christs bloud, should make vs to commend and admire their estate, and should moue vs to labour to be in their num­ber, & to be assur [...]d that we haue been bathed in that bloud. What would n [...]t many men do to haue assurance that they should neuer die the death of the body? What then should we refuse to do, that we might in our conscien­ces be persuaded that we shall escape [Page 104] the death of soule and body. If thou be [...]st but assured that Christ hath clen­sed thee in his bloud from thy sin, which is the cause of death, thē mayest Rom. 6. 23 thou be per [...]ua [...]ed also that thou shal [...] no [...] d [...]. O [...] how maist thou know that Christ hath clensed thee? Surely, if thou canst but truly [...]ay that thou art a She [...]p of Christ, then m [...]st t [...]ou also say that Christ hath washed th [...]e from Ioh. 10. 15 thy s [...]ns. For he hath layed downe hi [...] life and shed his bloud for his sheep, Ephes. 1. 7. that they might be redeemed frō the [...] sins, and might be shrouded from the wrath of God. Now if thou know and acknowledge Christ and his voyce in the sacred scriptures, and in the mini­stery of his Messengers: if thou belieue in his name: if thou doest hear [...] his voyce and subiect thy selfe vnto it: if tho [...] striue to resemble him, and dost labour [...]o follow [...]im▪ walking in h [...]s wa [...]s, and treading in [...]s footsteps, which h [...] h [...]th printed for hee to come after in them, then mayst th [...]u assure thy selfe in truth, that thou art the Ioh. 10. 4. 14. 26. 27. Sheepe of Christ. For Christ himsel [...] [Page 105] doth brand all his sheep with these ve­ry marks. And Paul further affirmeth (Gal. [...]. 24.) that they which are Christs, haue crucified the flesh. So that if thou dyest to sin, and dost mortifie the lusts of thy flesh, and labourest to liue to God in newn [...]sse of l [...]fe, thou mayst safely conclude, that thou dost actually belong to Christ and his fold, and that thou art actually washed from thy sins in his bloud; and consequent­ly, that thou art in the state of grace, and in the number of the faythfull.

Lastly, t [...]is doctrine serueth to ouer­throw Vse. 7 the Papists most vncomforta­ble assertion, who tea [...]h, that a man clensed in Christs bloud and iustifyed, may fall from God, from grace, and perish. For not one dramme, not one drop of Christs bloud can be spilt in va [...]ne; He that is once washed in it, is alwaies cleane. There is no condem­nation Rom. 8. 1. to them that are in Christ Iesus. Thei [...] sinnes may ware with them, but Bellate. non debellare. quater [...], non decutere. Math. 16. 18 they shall not vanquish them. The diuell may shake them, but he shall not shake them downe. Hel▪g [...]tes may [Page 106] open thēselues against them, but they Math. 16. 18. shall not p [...]euayl: against them. The castle of their consciences may be be­sieged, but it shall not bee sacked, it cannot be ransack [...]. For God will not giue them ouer wholly vnto their ene­mies, he will de [...]end their cause, main­taine their quarrell, dispell their ene­mies, preserue his work, and confirme 1. Cer. 1. 8. them vnto the end. Thus much for this third doctrine; a fourth followeth.

CHAP. V.

Fourthly, in that the Apostle saith, Christ hath washed vs in his bloud fr [...] Doct. 4 our sins, his loue is cleared and greatly cōmended to vs. For what is nearer to a man then his life? And what is dearer to him then his bloud, his heart bloud? Christ hath layed downe his life that we might liue: Christ hath parted with his bloud, his heart bloud, to do vs [Page 107] good, to purchase our pardon, to purge Omnes hu­manes san [...]t medicina dolores, Propert▪ vs from our sins. The diseases of the body are cured by naturall medicines: but our sins, which are the diseases of the soule, are clensed only by the bloud of Christ. And that this might be done, he did freely forgoe his life, and loose h [...]s bloud: which argueth is exceeding loue vnto vs. Greater loue then this (saith Ioh. 15. 13. Christ) hath no man, that a man should [...] d [...]wne his life for his friend. It is not possible for a man to manifest his loue more effectually then by giuing his life for another; and therfore our Apostle 1. Ioh. 3. 16 [...]a [...]th, Hereby haue we perceiued loue, that hee layed downe his life for vs. If Luk 7. 38. the woman declareth her loue by wa­shing Christ feet with her teares then great is the loue of Christ, that hath washed vs in his bloud. And his loue appear [...]th [...]et more plainely, insomuch Act. 3. 15. Act. 20. 28. as he, who is the Lord of life, and God of heauen and earth, did lay downe his life for vs wretches, and hath wash­ed vs in his bloud, who by nature are his enemies. If thou hadst a most pesti­lent and strong aduersarie, and hadst [Page 108] also a friend, that did freely lay downe his life to preserue th [...]e from him, were it not [...]n argumen [...] of his inward and h [...]e lo [...] vnto thee? Sinne is thy mortall and implacable enemy, too hard for th [...]e [...]o cōquer by thy selfe, & it is imposs [...]ble for [...]hee to saue thy selfe from that intollerable calamitie, which it brings. Christ thy soules friend hath ouercome it: He [...] hath smote downe great Goliah the Prince of darknes, the friend and father of thy sinnes: He is thy Sampson, that by his death hath slaine the Philistines, euen all thy sins. Hee hath ouerwhelmed Pharaoh and the Egyptians, Satan and all thy sinnes in the red sea of his b [...]ud. His bloud hath su [...]kt out the [...]eart▪ bloud of thine enemies, and hi [...] death h [...]th beene the death of them all; therefore [...]hou cans [...] no [...] chuse but see his adm [...]able l [...]ue vnto thee, seeing he shunned not death, but sp [...]lt his bloud, and hath embrued thee in it to doe thee good. I [...] thou hadst committed some offence against a king, for which without his speciall pardon thou shouldest be condemned [Page 109] to death and executed: and if by all the meanes thou couldst make thou art not able to procure it: if the kings onely sonne and heyre, whome also thou hast dishonoured, should voluntarily without thy suite and against thy de­sert laye downe his life and loose his bloud for thy pardon and absolution, did hee not shew vnspeakeable grace, and giue an vndoubted testimony of his pittie towards thee. Thou canst not but confesse it? Thou [...]ast committed many capitall and grieuous offences a­gainst the Kings of Kings: his owne and onely Son Christ Iesus, whome thou hast oft disgraced, oft abused, hath f [...]ee­ly without thy desert, and when thou hadst no grace of thy selfe to desire him, hath giuen his life for thy life, he hath dyed to preserue thee from eter­nall death, which is the wages of thy Rom. 6. 23 sinne: he hath purged and rinsed thee in his blood, that thy soule might not bleed, his blood hath bought thy par­don; canst thou then deny that he loues thee? Hath he not aboundantly testifi­ed and confirmed his pittie towards [Page 110] thee? Thou canst not but acknowledge it. The consideration of this doctrine Vse. 1 teacheth vs to remonstrate our loue to him. And seeing that be spared not his blood for vs, let vs also be readie to part with ours for him, if he shall re­quire and except it of vs. Dauid saith; Ps. 126. 1. I loue the Lord, because he hath heard my voice: euen so should we loue the Lord Iesus, because he hath bathed vs in his bloud: yea let vs extoll his loue from our hearts, and celebrate his name in worde and worke.

Secondly, it teacheth vs to be bene­ficiall and bountifull in benefits to our Vse. 2 brethren. For we ought to resemble our elder brother. When we receiue a benefit of others, we are by the receit thereof, put in minde to doe good to others. The earth is kind. For as it re­ceiues kindnesse of others, as hea [...]e of the Sun, and raine of the cloudes: it so returnes much kindnes vnto others, as sap to the plants, grasse to the beastes, meate to the Serpent, and many kinde and timely fruites vnto men; yea it is kind to many, that are vnkind vnto it. [Page 111] They which receiue all curtesies, and p [...]rte with none, are like to Cerberus in the fable, that let in all, but would suffer none to returne. But let vs loue one another feruētly, as Christ hath lo­ued vs, & declare the inward affection of our heartes, by the signes thereof in our liues. For this tr [...]e may be discer­ned by her fruits: this grace may be knowne by her works. Some man might say (saith Iames) thou hast faith; shew mee thy faith by thy works. Euen so, thou saist Iam. 2. 18. thou hast loue, shew mee thy loue by thy workes. Can there be life without breath, or fire without heate? so there can be no true loue without some loue­tokens▪ Christ hath demonstrated his loue vnto vs, by giuing vs his blood: so do thou declare thy loue to thy neigh­bour, by giuing or doing those things that argue charitie. Hereby (saith Iohn) [...] perc [...]iued loue, because he layed downe 1 Ioh. 3. 16 [...] life for vs, wherefore we ought to lay downe our liues also for the brethren. Take heede therefore that thou dost not despise, calaumni [...]te, persecute and oppresse them. For this were to shew [Page 112] thy selfe a very Dung-hill, which recei­ueth wholsome ayre, sweet shewers▪ and the pleasant sun-beames, (which will do a garden good) and sendeth nothing out of it selfe, but stinking smels, and filthy vapours.

Thirdly, seeing that Christ did so loue vs, as that he gaue vs his bloud, his Vse. 3 heart-blood, we may assure our selues that he wil not stand with vs for earth­ly things. He will not surely sticke to giue vs the necessaries of this life, that stood not with vs for his blood, but willingly fore-went it for vs; especially considering that he is able to giue vs all things, because he is heire and Lord of all things, & being God, doth know Heb. 12. when they will do vs good, and when harme. This kind of reasoning the A­postle vseth to the Romanes, saying; If God spared not his owne Son, but gaue him for vs all to death; how shall he not with Rom. 8. 32. him giue vs all things also? Euen so say I: If Christ, the [...]te [...]n [...]l son of God, hath not spared his blood, but h [...]t [...] washed vs in it, and hath gi [...]en h [...]mselfe to death freely for vs, what reason haue [Page 113] we to thinke, but [...]ha [...] he will giue vs al other things that are c [...]nue [...]ient for vs. If he giue the dearer, he will neuer d [...]ny the cheaper, if we be fit for to re­ceiue them. So much of the fourth Doctrine.

CHAP. VI.

FIftly, forsomuch as Iohn saith; Christ hath washed vs from our sins; I Doct. 5 conclude, that we are by nature foule, and filthie. For there is no clensing, where there is no corruption: there needes no purging, where there is no pollution. Where there is no soare, there needes no salue, where there is [...]o offence, there needs no pardon, and where there is no drosse, there needs no refining. Therfore in that Christ is saide to wash vs, it must be supposed that we are not cleane. And indeed how can it be otherwise by nature with [Page 114] vs, seeing we haue in vs the spawne of wickednes, and the seedes of all sins, & are by nature dead in trespasses & chil­dren of wrath, hauing all our imaginati­ons Eph. 2. 1. 3. euill from our youth continually, being borne in iniquitie, and conceiued in Gen. 6. 5. 8. 27. sinne, as Dauid doth ingenously con­fesse. And the Apostle Paul saith, that Ps. 51. 5. Rom. 8. 7. the Wisedome of the flesh is Enmitie a­gainst God: thereby shewing that the best desires, the purest inclinations, & the sweetest affections in naturall men are euill, corrupt & filthy; & therefore also th [...] very hearts, which are the fountaines of them, & the forge from whence they come. For if the fruit be naught, the tr [...] be good: if the bran [...]es be by nature rotten, the root cannot be sound: and if the streames be naturally bitter, the spring cannot besweet.

But what is that, which makes vs filthy? Surely sinne, and therefore If 59. 3. Christ is sayed to haue washt vs from our sinnes. Thou hast (saith God) defi­led Ez. 28. 18. thy sanctification by the multitude of thine iniquities, therefore iniquity doth [Page 115] defile. The Israelites are sayed to haue Ez. 36. 17. defiled their land by their owne waies, and by their deeds: and the Lord saith, that their way was before him as the filthi­nes of the menstruous. There is no cloth so white, but the Dyer can make it black: so there is no man so pure, but sinne can pollute him. It is pesti­lent as the plague, and as filthy as the plague-sore. Iobs botches did not more defile his body, then sinne doth defile our soules. It is as myre in our waies, as rottennes in our bones, as a canker in our bodies, and as wormes in our maw. Our sinnes are the biles and botches of our soules, the weedes that choke vs, the moaths that fret vs, and the lees that corrupt the vessels of our hearts. What shoulde this teach vs? What good may wee reape by this doctrine? Surely much. For first, by Vse. 1 the consideration of it, wee are mo­ued to lament our estate by nature, as also the condition of all impenitent and vnconuerted sinners. Because till Christ hath washed vs in his bloud, we are most loathsome and vgly, stained [Page 116] with actuall sinnes innumerable, and ouer whelmed with originall corrup­tion, which (like a leprosie running from the crowne of the head to the sole of the foote) hath polluted all the pow­ers of our soules.

Secondly, wee are taught to detest and abhorre sinne. A dead carion doth Vse. 2 not stinke so ill in the nose of man, as sinne doth in the nostrils of the Lord. It is like a dampe, that suffocates the spirits: like an open sepulcre, that cor­rupts the avre: and as dead flies, which Eccle. 10. 1. doe putrifie the oyntment of the Apo­thecarie. It is not onely filthy in it selfe, but it makes the sinner also foule (vntil he be washed frō [...]t) & filthy, like a mā full of running sores, or leprous spots.

Thirdly, it sheweth the madnesse of many men, that welter in wickednesse Vse. 3 and please themselues in their sinnes, as pride, couetousnesse, drunkennesse, idlenesse, fornication, hatred, epicu­risme. What doth this argue in them, but either grosse ignorance as palpa­ble as the darkenes of Aegipt, or else a swinish disposition and deadnes of spi­rit, [Page 117] whereby they delight in tum­bling in the mire, being beso [...]ted and in [...]atuated with their owne lusts, and drunken with their owne sinnes? It is strange to see how feare full men are of the plague of the body, and yet feare not the plague of the soule, which is sinne. It is a wonder to see, how care­fully men will a [...]oide a pest-house, or a place infected, and yet care not to runne vnto the harboures of beastly drunkennes, and filthy lust, the very schooles of the diuell, and stewes of vncleannes, infected with the plague of vngodlinesse, as dangerous to his soule that with delight frequēts them, as is a house infected with the pesti­ence to the body. As we are careful to shun the dirt in our wayes, and to keep our apparell cleane, and our bodyes free from diseases: so wee ought (vn­lesse like mad-men wee feare no dan­ger) to labour that our soules may be free from the loathsome and mortall disease of sinne, and that we be not de­filed with the d [...]t of iniquitie, nor be­myred in the puddle of wickednes, but [Page 118] that we may be cleane and pure. Vse. 4

Lastly, therefore wee are taught to pray with Dauid, Wash mee throughly Psal. 5. 12. from mine iniquitie and clense mee from my sinne. And indeede we shall not be cleane, vnlesse the Lord doe purge vs throughly; our sinne doth hang so fast about vs and inui [...]on vs. It doth not onely besmeare and grime vs on the out-side, but it tainteth the in-side also. It doth not onely cleaue (as it were) to the skin, as Iuy to the rind of an oake: but it lyeth in the bones, it is got into the pyth, and lurketh in the heart, as a Fox in his hole, a Lyon in his den, or as the plague doth in the body. Let vs therefore labour to be deliuered of it: Desire God to bathe thee in his Ez. 36. 25. sonnes bloud, and to power cleane wa­ter, euen the clensing water of his spi­rit vpon thee. If our clothes be spot­ted we are careful to rub out the spots, and shall we neglect to get out the fil­thy spots of sinne out of our soules? If a man were weather-beaten vpon the Sea, he would wish that he were vpon the shore: or if he were in some loath­some [Page 119] and stinking dungeon, he would gladly be out of it. Beloued, there is no sea so dangerous, no dungeon so foule and stinking, as our sinnes: let vs ther­fore labour to be deliuered from them, let vs desire God to lay the tempest, and with the prosperous gale of his grace, to bring vs safe to the shore, and by his hand to draw vs out of this dunge­on. And as Dauid prayeth; Bring my Psal. 142. 7 soule out of prison, that I may praise thy name. So let vs pray him to bring vs out of the prison of sinne, and to take from vs the bolts of wickednes, and to clense and dresse vs, and to strip vs of our prison garments, that beeing set at libertie we may serue him freely, and glorifie his name, for his kindnesse to vs.

CHAP. VII.

SIxtly, seeing the Apostle saith, that Doct. 6 Christ hath washed vs from our sins in his blood; I gather that Christ is our Heb. 9. 11. 12. onely High-priest, who by his owne blood hath purchased the pardon of our sins, & satisfied the iustice of God for them, and so remoued their guilt & punishment from vs. He hath washed vs, therefore now we are cleane. He Is. 53. 4. [...]5. was wounded for our transgressions, the [...]ment of our peace was vpon him, and by his s [...]rip [...] we are healed. Surely he hath [...], and caryed our so­ [...]. And Paul expressely saith, that Eph. 1. 7. by [...] two haue redemption, to wit, the remissi [...] of [...]ins. By his owne blood (saith the Holy Ghost) he entred in once into the holy place, & obtained eternall redemp­tion for vs. And to deliuer vs from the Gal. 3. [Page 119] curse of the Law, he was made a curse. All which testimonies of holy writ, doe serue fulficiently to proue remission of sins by his blood. Now, whē we heare that sin is forgottē, we must also know t [...]a the punishment is taken away. For common reason sheweth (eius, quod [...] est, nullam esse poenam) that ther is no punishment d [...]e for that, which is not. But sin is not, whē [...]t is once forgiuen: For the Lambe of God hath taken it away. And indeed ther is [...]o great affi­ [...] betweene sinne and the punish­ment thereof, that the Hebrewes were wont to call them by one name: by Gen. 4. 7. Leuit. 20. 17. 19. which the Scriptures signifie, that sinnes are then punished, and neuer but then, when the fault is not forgiuē. And i [...] t [...]s be true that God retaineth the punishment, when he doth not remit the fault: then by the law of contraries it followeth, that God doth not retaine the punishment, when he doth remit the fault. But by the merit of Christs blood, [...] fault is forgiuen, therefore the punish­ment also, which followeth the fault in respect of desert (vt vmbrasequit [...]r [Page 122] corpus) as the shaddow doth the body, and as light the Sun. Furthermore, see­ing those, that looked vpon the bra­zen serpent, were cured both of their stingings, and of the paines that ensu­ed; why may wee not say that they, which looke vpon Christ with the eye of saith, are not only deliuered of their sinnes, and biting of the serpent Satan, but also of al paines and punishments, which by desert at least doe followe them. 2. Augustine sayeth: That Christ De Ver. Dei Ier. 37. tooke away both the fault and the pu­nishment. And Tertullian saith (Exemp­to reatu, eximitur et poena) that, when the De Bapt. guilt is taken away, the punishment is re­moued. By which it is euident, that both fault and punishment are forgiuen vs through the bloud of Christ.

Qu. It may be thē demāded how god can be saied to forgiue sinne freely, se­ing Christ hath merited the pardon of it by his blood.

An. I answere, in two respects. First, because we by our selues haue not pro­cured the pardon, but Christ for vs of his mere good will. Secondly, because [Page 123] God did freely of his owne benignitie send his sonne to bee our ransome, as Christ himselfe doth witnesse; God so loued the world, that he gaue his onely be­gotten Ioh. 3. 16. sonne, that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish, but haue euerlasting life. By which we see plainly, that gods loue is the primary cause of our re­demption by Christ. Neither must the iustice of God be called into question for laying our sins vpō him, that knew no sin, and for punishing the innocent for the offenders. For the righteous may suffer for the vnrighteous, Christ may without the breach of Iustice bleed for vs, & purchase pardō by his blood, if these fiue conditions do concur [...]e in his passion. First, his blood-shed must be voluntarie without compulsion.

Secondly, it must be perfectly pro­pitiatory, able to satisfie him to the full, that is offended.

Thirdly, he must be of the same na­ture, for whome he suffereth.

Fourthly, he must be able to pre­serue himselfe from perishing in his paines, and (eluctari) to wrastle out of [Page 124] them, and surpasse them.

Fiftly, he must be able to sanctifie the offender, & so to keepe him, as that he shal not after his ablution & conuer­sion offend This word noteth not the matter of the sinne, but the man­ner of sin­ning. as he did afore. All which conditions are kept in Christ, & there­fore the splendor of Gods iustice is not eclipsed.

Neither may we think it strange, that the shedding of Christs blood, which continued not verie long, should be a­ble to procure the pardon of so many sinnes, & of euerlasting punishments due vnto vs for them. For his blood was the blood of that person, who is true God, and therefore his blood is more meritorious then the blood of all creatures, & his moment [...]nie passions were of greater price and vertue, then eternall sufferings of all creatures in the world whatsoeuer can be. The va­liditie and merit of his blood ariseth from the dignitie of his person, & not from it owne nature, nor frō the time of his passion. The doctrine then re­maineth firme and sure, to wit, that Christ hath purchased the pardon of [Page 125] our sinnes by his blood, and hath satis­fied the iustice of God for them to the full.

But it may be thus obiected to the contrarie.

Ob. First, that sentence of Salomon seemeth to ascribe the pardon of sins to other things besides the blood of the Messias; for he saith, that by mercy and Pro. 16. 6. and truth sinnes shalbe forgiuen.

Ans. His meaning is, that mercy and Sol. trueth are infallible signes thereof. He that is mercifull and iust shall neuer haue his sinnes laied vnto his charge. Seeing one Spirit ruled al the spirits of the holy writers, we must not make 2. Pet. 1. 27 2. Tim. 3, 16 one of them to contradict an other. But the Scriptures else-where ascribe the remission of sinnes to the blood of E [...]h. 1. 7. Col. 1. 14 Eph. 2. 8. Tim. 3. 5. Christ, & exclude the works of righte­ousnes, & such as are wrought after we are regenerated. Shall we say that any of our good works or vertues can me­rit any thing at the hands of God? Are they not all imperfect? Perfect indeed they are, as they proceed from the Ho­ly Spirit their proper fountaine: but [Page 126] imperfect and polluted, insomuch as they passe through the corrupt con­duit-pipes, and dirty channels of our wills and hearts. And are they not all the gifts of God, so farre forth as there is any goodnesse in them? For what 1. Cor. 4. 7. hast thou, that thou hast not receiued of him? Now shall we thinke that those things can merit pardon, which by reason of their imperfection had need be pardoned themselues? And shall we stoppe Gods mouth with his owne gifts, & hope to pacifie his wrath with his owne works, which his owne fin­ger hath wrought within vs? Or shuld we not rather confesse (as Christ adui­seth) whē we haue done all things that are commaunded vs, that we are vn­profitable seruants: for we haue done but our d [...]t [...]e, which we are bound to doe Luk. 17. 10. by vertue of many b [...]ndes.

Secondly, the speech of the Pro­phet Deu 4, 24. to Nebuchadnezzar is obiected: Break off thy sins by righteousnes, and thine iniquities by mercy towards the poore.

Ans. The Prophet speaketh not of satisfaction for sin, but onely of the [Page 127] manifestation of repentance by the Non causa venioe, sed modus con­uersionis il­lic descrip­bitur. fruits therof; as if he should say: sur­cease from thy tyranny, leaue thy cru­el [...]ie, abandon thy sins, and manifest thy repentance of them by the works of iustice, and by shewing mercy to the poore, whome thou hast oppres­sed.

Ob. 3. Yea but Christ sayth; Giue [...]lmes, and all things are cleane vnto you; therefore (it seemes) Alms-deeds make Luk 11. 4. 8. men cleane, and satisfie for offen­ces.

Ans. This place speaketh not one syllable of satisfaction for sins, but she­weth that to them, which giue almes aright (to wit, in sayth, loue, and sin­glenesse of heart) all thing; are cleane without any such superstitious cere­mony of washing, as the Pharisees had inuented for the purification and clen­sing of Gods creatures.

Ob. 4. Yea but loue, which linck­eth Col. 3. 14. the soule to the thing loued, and locketh vp the heart fast therin, and is Pet 4 8. the bond of perfection, Loue shall pre­vayle, it shall procure the pardon. It [Page 128] shal couer a multitude of sins. And Christ sayth; Many sins are forgiuen her, because Luk. 7. 47. she loued much. Therfore our loue de­serueth a pardon.

Ans. No pardon: it had rather need to be pardoned: it is so cold, so weak. Indeed if our loue were perfect, we need no pardon at all. For hee, that lo­ueth perfectly, fulfils the law perfectly. For perfect lo [...]e is the perfect fulfil­ling of Gods will, who requireth no­thing of vs, but that we should loue him with all our heart, minde, & soule, and our Neighbour as our selues. And dare we say that the weake performāce of a duty, whervnto God doth bind vs, is [...]able to merit a pa [...]on for vs. of those things, which we are not bou [...]d Rom. 13. 10 Math. 22. 28 to do, but vnder a curse for bidden? And as for that place of Peter, it is plane by his exhortation to mu [...]uall loue, tha [...] his meaning is, that true loue is a pre­sentmedicine against malice, and our (Mnesi-cakian) reuengeful memory of by-past iniu [...]ies, and makes vs ready to forget & forgiue the wrongs that are done vnto vs. And this Salomon plain­ly [Page 129] reacheth, when hee sayth; Hatred [...]reth vp contentions, but loue couer [...]th Pro. 10. 12. [...]spasses. Here is not a worde of a­ny satisfaction for si [...]ne in the sight of God, but onely a commendation of brotherly loue, drawen from a notable effect, which it hath among men, to make them for beare to reuenge and to beare with one an others infirmities. And as for that speech of Christ, we must know that it makes not her loue an impulsiue cause to moue God to pardon her sins, but onely a signe that God had already forgiuen them, and [...] she had tasted deepely of his loue for the forgiuenesse of many sinnes: [...] our Lord had said; Many sinnes are [...] her, therefore shee hath loued [...]. For the particle (because) is not Particula (hoti) nō est causalis, sed illatiua vel [...]ationalis: & argumētum est ab effec­ta ad causam [...] but [...]llatiue, reasoning from the effect to the caus [...], as the words ensu­ing in that text doe shew. To whome [...] is forgiuen, he loueth a little. The like spee [...] vsed in Iohn. 8. 44. where our Sauiour saith, that the diuell abode n [...]t in the truth, because there is no truth in him. So we vse to say, that a tree is Luke. 7. 47. [Page 130] good, because the fruite is good: and yet the tree makes the fruit good, and not the fruite the [...].

Ob. 2. Fiftly, wee are iustified by Faith, therefore our sins are forgiuen Gal. 2. 16. by faith: For pardon of sin is a part of iustification. Therfore our sinnes are not washed away by the bloud of Christ.

Ans. In that Iustification is ascri­bed Per non propter. to fayth, it is because fayth is an instrument receiuing it, and not be­cause it doth deserue it.

Therefore the Scripture sayth, that we are iustifyed by faith, and not for faith. For the bloud of Christ and his obedience doth only iustifie: and ther­fore Eph. 1, 7. 1. coa. 1. 30. Paul saith, that we haue remissio of sins by his bloud, and that he is made vnto vs of God, righteousnes & redemp­tion. The meaning therefore of the Apostle is, that we are iustified by the righteousnes and bloud of Christ, ap­prehended Fides nō vt virtus in praedicamē ­to qualitatis, sed in prae­dicamanto relationis cōsiderata iustificat propter Christum. Si formali­ter & pro­priè loqua­mur, nec fi­de, nec cha­ritate nostra iustifica­mur, sed v­nà Dei in Christo iu­stitia, vna Christo no­bis commu­nicatà iusti­tia. and applyed by faith. For faith doth not iustifie, as it is a vertue, or qualitie, but as it hath respect to Christ her obiect, for whom our sinnes [Page 131] are pardoned, and we are accounted righteous. And therefore Pighius saith; If we speake formally and properly, we are iustified neither by our faith nor charitie, but by the onely iustice of God in Christ, by the onely righteousnesse of Christ com­municated (or imputed) to vs. By all which it doth clearely appeare, that the pardon of sinne is procured by the bloud of Christ alone. And least any man should imagine (as many doe) that Christ hath merited that our workes should be meritorious, and sa­tifactory with the Lord, let him know that his imagination hath no footing in the word of God, but commeth frō the forge of his owne braine, and is coyned vpon the Anuill of corrupted reason. For first, if Christ did merit that man might satisfie, then he ma­keth euery beleeuer to bee his owne Sauiour in part, and so makes him a Iesus and a Redeemer with him, which no one syllable of holy writ will ap­proue. For Christs Priesthood is in­communicable, and looked vp in his owne person: and therfore Peter saith, 1. Pet. 2. 24. [Page 132] that hee himselfe bare our sinnes in his 1. Pet. 2. 24. body vpon the crosse. With whom a­grees the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrewes, when he saith, that Christ hath purged our sinnes by himselfe. Secondly, if that conceit be true, then Heb. 1. 3. Christ merited, that polluted and im­perfect workes should merit: for such are ours, as they come from vs. Pure wine cannot come forth of inustie ves­sels, no [...] cleane water from a muddie fountaine. Thirdly, at Christ hath me­rited that our workes should make a­ny kinde of satisfaction, then God was not onely in Christ, but in Vs also, re­conciling the world vnto himselfe, and that he was not onely made sinne for vs, but also in vs. But Paul knew none of this learning, as himselfe doth shew. 2. Cor. 5. 18. 19. 21. Lastly, if Christ by the merit of his bloud giue man power to satisfie, then as man doth in his owne person satisfie by Christ, so Christ besides his owne satisfaction vpon the crosse, doth daily satisfie in men to the ende of the world. In membris suis patitur non placat. But this cannot be. For Christ vpon the crosse, when death seazed vpon [Page 133] him, said: It is finished: that is, I haue ful­ly satisfied for the sinnes of all my peo­ple. For his resurrection serued not to sati [...]fie, but to confirme and declare it, and to shewe his conquest ouer death and all our deadly enemies.

Finally, that I may conclude this doctrine, [...]t may be imagined (as many haue) that Christ hath by his bloud re­moued the e [...]ernall punishment of our sinnes, but ye [...] w [...] must satisfie for their temporall. I answer [...]: though this co [...] ­ceit may as easily be denied, as [...]is con­ceiued, yet that all scruple may be ta­ken away, and that the weakenesse thereof may be discerned, it will not be am [...]sse to discusse it briefely, and by the word of God to detect and quell [...]t.

First, Saint Paul saith, that we are Rom. 3. 24. 28. justified freely by Grace. Now free iu­stification is flat contrary to personall satisfaction: and (as Bernard saith) Nou erat quò gratia i [...]tte, vbi meritū oc­cupa [...]. Ser. 67. in cant. Math. 6. 11. 12. there is no roome for graee, where merit doth occupy the place. Mans merit and Gods grace cannot harbour vnder one roofe.

Secondly, Christ teacheth vs to [Page 134] pray for our bread, and for the forgiue­nes of our sinnes. Now shall we, that cannot merit a morsel of bread, think that we can satisfie the infinite iustice of God for any sinne, or for the smallest punishment of the smallest sinne? Are we, that are lesse then the least of all Gods mercies, able to merit any mer­cy of him, that is Iustice itselfe, though it be but freedome from the meanest misery? And what need we to begge pardon vpon the knees of our soules, what need we to trouble the Lord with our suites, if we can satisfie his iustice by our selues? To aske forgiue­nesse, and to make satisfaction in our owne persons by our selues, can not stand together. Thirdly, the satisfa­ction of Christ is perfect and absolute, and to say the contrary, is intollerable blasphemy. But personall satisfacti­on, doe derogate from the perfection of his satisfaction, and the invaluable value of his sacrifice, by which Gods iustice is fully satisfied, and his wrath appeased.

Lastly, if Christ haue satisfied for [Page 135] the greater, for the greatest of all, what reason haue we to think, that he meant to leaue the smaller to bee satisfied for of vs, whome hee knew to be vnfit, vnfurnisht, weake, and vnworthy to attempt so great a work, much more to effect it, howsoeuer we might perhaps affect it? And if without him we can doe nothing, as hee himselfe doth tell vs, Ioh. 15. 5. vndoubtedly, without him wee can make no satisfaction for our sinnes to God. And it hath beene already pro­ued, that hee doth not inable vs to satisfie, or make vs merit. There­fore wee must ascribe the remission of sinnes, and of their temporall and eternall punnishments to the merit of Christs bloud, and to the inestimable price of his death. And so much for this sixt doctrine.

CHAP. VIII.

SEuenthly, seeing the Apostle saith, that Christ hath washed vs from our sinnes in his blood, and not from Doct. 7 some of them onely; I gather, that Christ by the merit of his blood, hath procu­red the pardon of them All, of what nature, name, time, or kind soeuer: whether they be originall or actuall, of omission or commission, of ignorance or knowledge, whether committed before conuersion, or admitted after­wards, wheresoeuer, or howsoeuer. He bare (saith Esay) the sinne of many: by vsing a wo [...]d of the singular number, the Prophet would shew that Christ [...]s. 53. 12. was punished for all our sinnes. And Iohn saith, that his blood clenseth vs from All sinne, not from a part. And 1. Ioh. 1. 7. indeed how could God so make him to be sinne for vs, that we might be 2. Cor. 5. 21. [Page 137] made the righteousnes of God in him, except hee tooke away all our sinnes, whereby we were [...]? Ther­fore Haimo saith a right, that Christ In cap. 5. ad Rom. Chri­stus non so­lum pecca­tum origi­nale, sed eti­am omnia actu [...]a ab [...]. hath taken away not onely originall corrup­tion, but all actuall transgressions also in [...] that are elected. The speech which Paul vseth (in Rom. [...]. [...]) is not ex­clusiue: but by it [...]e [...]l [...]e with that God hath not onely pardoned, and that Christ hath not onely satisfied for th [...]se sinnes, which wee admit of in­firmitie after that we [...] called, but euen for those [...], which we did with full consent of will commit before, then when we were the enemies of God; and [...] teacheth Titus, that Christ hath gi [...]en Tit. 2. 24. h [...]mselfe [...] vs, that he [...] vs from All [...]tis. [...] demanded, [...] Christ [...] all our sinnes, [...] corporall and spiri [...] [...] and eternall, [...] that men die, [...] afflictions in this [...]?

Ans. Their crosses are [...] [Page 138] and their afflictions (if they be regene­rated) are not punishments inflicted of God as a dreadfull Iudge, but his fa­therly corrections and tryalls, where­with he visiteth his children, to hum­ble, exercise, instruct, admonish, re­fine, and try them. When we are iudged, we are chastened of the Lord (saith Paul) because we should not be condēned with the 1. Cor. 11, 32 world. And (as Chryso. saith) when we are corrected or rebuked of the lord, it is rather for our admonition then cōdemnation: it is Hom. 28. in 1. Cor. rather to heale vs, then torment vs, and to mend vs, rather then to punish vs. For as the Scripture speaketh; He chasteneth quum cor­ripimur a Domino, magis est ad­monitionis, quam dam­nationis: medicinae, quam sup­plicii: cor­rectionis, quam poena Heb. 12. 10, 11. Aug. de Poenae. et confess. vs for our profit, that we might be parta­kers of his holinesse: and his chastening bringeth with it the quiet fruit of righte­ousnes, to them which are exercised there­by. And of this opinion was Augustine, as appeareth when he saith, that Crosses and sorrowes before the pardon of sinne, are (Supplicia peccatorum) the punishments of sinnes, but after pardon (Certamina ex­ercitationesque iustorum) the exercises of the righteous.

And as for death, we doe not die to [Page 139] satisfie the iustice of God for any sin, or for any penaltie deserued duely by sinne, for Christ hath performed all this himselfe, Who appeared to take away 1. Ioh. 3. 5. our sinnes, hath carried all our sorrowes, and by his death hath altered the con­dition Is. 53. 4. of our death. But we die for o­ther causes. As first, that we may learne to detest our sinne, which was the ori­ginarie cause of our dissolution. Se­condly, that we may learne to be out of loue with the world, and to looke after that citie, which remaineth for e­euer.

Thirdly, to teach vs true lowlines of minde, and neither to insult ouer o­thers, nor to pranke and plume vp our selues like Peacocks. He is a verie strange man, that being a Tenant at his Land-lords pleasure, will bestow more cost then needs vpon a rotten house, which cannot stand long before it fall, and out of which he may be tur­ned this night before to morrow. Fourthly, that we shuld seriously con­sider of that great downefall, which we tooke in Adam. Fiftly, that we might [Page 140] not feele or see those arrowes of ven­gance, which the Lord draweth out of 2. King. 22. 20. Is. 57. 1. the quiuer of his iustice, and shooteth them out of his bow of wrath, and doth oftentimes sheath them in the sides of the wicked, among whome we liue. Sixtly, that we might be deliuered wholly from the body of sinne. For Death endeth the battell betweene the flesh & the spirit, and striketh off that Tyrants head. And here we see the admirable prouidence of God, and his vnrecompensable kindnesse to vs, in ordaining the daughter to deuour and eate vp the mother. For Sinne ingen­dred Death, & Death by diuine dispen­sation is now become the death of sin; like a worme that eates the fruit wher­of it was bred, beeing the death of that which gaue life to it. Seauenthly, we must die, that we may feele the power of Christ, for the raysing vp of our dead bodies, and for the revniting of our soules vnto them. Eightly, God doth sometime [...] cal vs vnto death, that we might in speciall manner glorifie his Name by dying, and that by mar­tyrdome [Page 141] we might remonstrate our loue to Christ, who refused not to die, that we might liue, and not die. Lastly, we die, that we might be translated out of a World of wickednes, and out of the vale of miserie into the habitacle of perfect holines, & vnspeakable hap­pinesse: and that being dead in our bo­die, we might be transported as con­cerning our soules, into the hauen of eternall peace and true tranquillitie, o­uer and out of the raging and rustling seas of all worldly troubles. For (as Cyprian saith) death vnto the godly is Ianua vitae, the doore of life: and our Egressus departure forth of the world, is our Ingressus, entrance into the hea­uens. We goe from men to God, from earth to heauen, out of the Wildernes into Canaan, celestiall Canaan, heauen­ly Ierusalem, the land of righteousnesse, the paradise of God, and the temple of his holinesse.

The last doctrine now followeth.

CHAP. IX.

IN that the Apostle saith, Christ hath Doct. 8 washed Vs (& not some of vs;) whēce I cōclude, that his blood hath clensed all the faithfull whatsoeuer, noble and ignoble, lea [...]ned and vnlearned, rich & poore, of what sex or sort, of what con­dition or countrey soeuer. For Iohn thus speaketh of himselfe, and of all the faithfull in those seauen Churches, and wheresoeuer, both Pastours and peo­ple, male and female, young and old, high and low, maryed and single. The Lord (saith Esay) hath layed vpon him the iniquitie of vs All. He spared not his owne Sonne (saith Paul) but gaue him for vs All to death. Therefore in his epistle to Is. 53. 6. the Ephesians he is bold to call him the Rom. 8. 32. Sauiour of his bodie, that is, of the ca­tholique Church, and not of a part on­ly. And Saint Iohn saith, that the blood [Page 143] of Christ doth appease his father for the sinnes of the Whole World of the 1. Ioh. 2. 2. Elect. And therefore the name of Iesus was giuen him: because he was by God ordeined to saue his people (euen Math. 1. 21 all his people) from all their sinnes. And this hath beene the doctrine of the Church in former ages. Gregorie saith; The author of life layed downe his life, Pro electo­rum vita, vsq. ad mor­tem se tra­didit author 2. Num. in Ez. li. 1. In Leuit. lib 17. c. 2. that they might liue, which are elected vn­to life. Eusebius saith, that Christ suffe­red for the saluation (Mundi Saluan­dorum) of all those that should be saued. Hist. l. 4. c. 15. And Radulphus peremp­torily affirmeth, that the blood of our High-priest Christ, was the expia [...]ion (Omnium credentium) or atonement of All beleeuers. And no maruell, for beeing the blood of God, it must needs be of more worth with God then the blood of all men, the life of all Angels, and the being of all creatures, though they were as many more as they are, haue beene, or shalbe euer, yea then if all men and Angels should haue suffe­red eternally.

Thus we haue seene that remission of [Page 144] All the sinnes of All the Elect, and of All punishments d [...]e vnto thē for their sinnes, is procured only by the bloud [...] Christ, who in his owne person by him­selfe hath fully satisfyed the iustice of his Father for vs, and as (Augustine saith) hath made our sins his sinnes, that he might Nostra del [...] ­cta sua deli­cta fecit vt suam [...] nostrā iust nam fa­c [...]et Gen. 27. 15. 27. make his righteousnes our righteousnes, wherewith we being [...], as Iacob was with his brother [...] garments, we do receiue the blessing of God, as he re­ceiued [...].

Now that we may not prize the pardon of our sins at too [...] a price, [...] Christ [...] [...] not be [...] to [...] seri­ously the woo [...]th and comfort of it. As first, [...] was not procured, as pardōs vse to be, by wordly [...], but by the bloud of God. Therefore Peter saith, Dei, non Deitatis, of God, not of the God. head. that we were not redeemed with cor­ruptible things, as with siluer and golde, but with the pretious bloud of Christ, as of a Lambe vndefiled and without spot. And therefore Paul may truly say, that 1. Pet. 1. 13. 19. 1. Cor. 6. 20. [...], 23. wee are bought for a price, euen for the [...] price, that any one could pay. [Page 145] For what can bee more costly then bloud, or what more deare then life? Now a pardon so dearely payed for, should not [...] regarded.

Secondly, remission of sinnes, is an irreuocable act of God. Sinnes being once nayled to the crosse of Christ, shal neuer be taken down aliue: and beeing once buried in his graue, they shall neuer rise againe to con­demne vs.

Riches remaine not alway, nor the crowne from generation to generation. Fa­uour Pro. 27. 24. is deceiptfull, and beauty is vanitie. Pro. 31. 30. Strength wil decay, and pleasures will passe away. And what is your life? It is euen a vapour, that appeareth for a time, Iam. 4. 14. and afterwards vanisheth out of his sight? For all flesh is grasse, and all the glorie of 1. Pet. 1. 24. man is as the flower of grasse: the grasse wi­thereth, and the flower falleth away. But the pardon of sinne endureth for euer: and this is the pardon, which is prea­ched among you, and is by Christ procured for you.

Thirdly, when Christ doth actually wash vs from our sinnes, then he doth [Page 148] also begin to reforme and sine vs. And as by meriting the remission of sinne, he keepes it from condemning vs, so by sanctifying of vs, he stayes it from ru­ling in vs. So that when Christ hath once washed vs in his bloud, sinne may be truely said to be in part consumed in vs, and wee no sinners at all in Gods account.

Fourthly, the prayers of the wicked, are abominable to the Lord: but when God hath pardoned our sinnes, wee may boldely pray with assurance to be heard. For it is iniquitie which makes the separation betwixt vs and God. Your sinnes (saith Isaiah) haue hid his face from you, that he will not heare. There­fore his eares are opened, when sinnes Is. 59 2. are pardoned, [...] satisfied, and his wrath appeased.

Fiftly, when mens sinnes are remit­ted then their minde [...] are setled, their Rom. 5. 1. [...] consciences are [...]. For sinne, which is the fire-brand of contention, and a make­b [...]te, betwixt vs and God, is taken frō vs so, as that it shall not bee impu [...]d to [Page 149] vs. When the Sea-men had cast Ionah frō thē into the sea, the sea ceased from Ion. 1. 15. her aging: so when God shall cast our sinnes from vs behinde his backe, and shall diue them and vs into the bloude of that [...] Lambe Christ Ie­sus, the fire of his wrath shall be quen­ched, all the windes and waues of our soules shal be calmed, and our troubled consciences shal [...] be pacified, as that without danger of drowning, wee may flo [...]t with [...] sayle with the pleasant gale of his grace, vpon the troublesome [...] as of this world, in true tranquilitie, [...] our Pilot Christ doe bring vs safely to the Hauen of our Hope, and land vs where wee shall [...]. On the contrary, wicked and vngodly wret­ches haue no true peace at all: but are either without sense, like stockes: or else feele the flas [...]ngs of [...]-fire with­ [...] their soules, being gnawed with the worme of an accusing conscience and are like the raging sea that cannot rest, Is. 57. 10. whose waters cast vp mire and dirt.

Sixtly, The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord: Yea his very Pro. 15. [...]6. Pr [...]. 21. 27. [Page 148] sacrifice is abominable. But when our sinnes are forgiuen, the defectes in all our good workes are couered. Yea then, and not till then, doe we worke any thing well, and pleasing in the sight of God. Therefore Salomon saith; The sacrifice of the wicked (who hath not beene washed in the bloud of Christ) is abomination to the Lord, but the prayer Pro. 15. 8. of the righteous, (which no man can be said to be before his sinnes be forgi­uen) is acceptable vnto him. And Au­gustine truly saith, that good workes do not goe before iustification, but follow Bona opera sequūter iu­stificatum, non praece­dunt iustifi­candum. after. There must first be a spring, be­fore there can bee a Riuer: First, there must be a fire, before there can be bur­ning. Indeede good workes may be seene sooner then the pardon of sinne, as light is vsually seene before the Sun appeareth: and a man doth often see the light of a candle before hee see the can­dle it selfe, though in nature they doe not goe before, but follow. And so good workes in nature follow the par­don of our sinne.

Seau [...]uthly, those whose sinnes are [Page 149] forgiuen, are inuested likewise in the righteousnes of Christ, and shall die the death of the righteous, which [...] wished. Peace shall come, they shall Num. 23. 10 rest in their beds. Their ende is peace. Their death is as life: they die to li [...]e. Is. 57. 2. For whom God doth iustifie, that is, whose sinnes hee doth remit, & whose P [...]al. 37. 37. persons he doth account as righteou [...], Rom. 8. 30. those hee doth glorifie, that is, adorne with grace in this worlde, and enrich with glorie, in the world to come. Gratia est [...] gloria, & gloria est consumma­ta gratia.

For grace is the beginning of glorie: and glorie, is the consummation of grace.

Eightly, when we are clensed from our sins in the bloud of Christ, we may lawfully vse the creatures of God. For vnto the pure, all things are pure: but vnto them, that are defiled and vnbeleeuing, Tit. 1. 15. as all men are till Christ haue washt them) is nothing pure, but euen their mindes and consciences are defiled.

Lastly, the remission of sinnes by the bloud of Christ is the more excellent, because it is one of the Royalties and royal Prerogatiues of Gods Elect. For [Page 152] howsoeuer his bloud was sufficient in [...] selfe for all, without exception of a­ny, [...] as Innocentius [...] (pro solis prae­destinatis effusus est quantum ad efficien­tiam) Lib. 4. de Myst. Mis. cap 4. it was effectuall onely for those, who are praedesti [...]ated vnto life Therefore Ambrose saith; If thou dost not beleeue, then Christ did not descend for thee, he did not suffer for thee. But faith Si [...]ō credi [...], non descēdit [...] Chri­stus, [...] pas­sus [...] De side ad Gra­tianum. 2. Thes. 3 2 Tit. [...]. is not common to all: and therefore Paul [...] it the Faith of the Elect. And this the Scripture cleareth [...]. For Christ gaue himselfe to purge vnto himselfe a Peculiar people, and therfore surely he did not die for all, for Iudas as for Peter. And what reason haue we to think that Christ would wash those Tit. 2. 14. in his bloud, which hee neuer did ac­knowledge for his owne? But there are Mat. 7. 23. some whome Christ did neuer know for his. Paul and Augustine were of this o­pinion: and therefore [...] in his epi­sll to the Romanes, that God gaue his Rom. 8. 32. sonne for vs. Pro quibus Nobis, for what [...] (saith Augustine) Pro prescitis, prae­ [...]estinatis, iustificatis, glorificatis, Euen In Ioh Tract. 45. for vs that are foreknowen, predestinated, [Page 153] iustified, and glorified. For vndoubtedly if we respect either Gods ordination, or Christs [...], his blood was Math. 26. 28. [...] for Many, for the remission of sinnes: and Esay saith, he bore the sinne of Ma­ny: many, not All. For he was to be the Sauio [...]r of his owne people onely; and therefore Lumbard saith truely that he Lib. 3. Dist. 22. wrought saluation Onely for those that were predestinated. And Augustine ha­uing made a distinction of Worlds saith, that this World, which God doth reconcile vnto himselfe in Christ, and which is saued by Christ, (Et cui per In Iohn. Lib. 3. c. 3. Christum peccatum omne condonatur De Mundo Electus est inimico, damnato, con­taminato) and vnto which euery sinne through Christ is pardoned, is Elected out of the Maligning, damned, and de­filed World. By all which it plainely appeareth, that those onely haue their sinnes forgiuen, which are elected vn­to life. And thus we see the excellencie of this benefit. Which notwithstan­ding we shall never respect as we ought to doe, vnlesse first we doe seri­ously set before our eyes the infinite [Page 152] maiestie and iustice of God, before which nothing can stand, but that, which is perfectly pure And secondly, vnlesse we consider duly how imper­fect and poore our owne perfectiō is, and how grieuous & innumerable our faults and fraylties are. And so beeing cast downe & humbled with the sense of our owne sinnes, & the serious con­sideration of our miserie, we shalbe fit­ted to looke abroad for a Sauiour, and when we haue once tasted of his good­nesse, & felt the sweetnes of his blood, we shal them remembrace & like [...], and the more highly prize his bene­fits.

And so much for these three last doctrines. It remaineth now to pro­pound their vses, which I haue refer­red to this place, because the grounds, whereon they be founded, be rather three branches of one doctrine, one of them nearely ioyned to the other, then three distinct doctrines without any likenes and affinitie.

CHAP. X.

FIrst, we may hence plainely see, that the condition of the Godly (how miserable soeuer in the Worl [...] ac­count) is verie comfortable and hap­pie. For Blessed are they whose iniquity is forgiuen, and whose sinnes are couered. Rom. 4. 7. Ps. 32. 2. Blessed is the man, vnto whome the Lord imputeth not iniquitie. But the blood of Christ hath couered the sinnes of the faithfull, & hath obtained of God that they shall neuer be imputed to them: therefore their state is blessed. The malefactour thinkes himselfe a happi­man, when the King hath giuen him the pardon of his fault: and the child is glad when the father hath forgiuen his offence; and may nor we reioyce and account our selues as happie, see­ing [Page 156] God the king of kings, and our heauenly father hath granted vs the pardon of all our sinnes for the blood of his sonne, and hath reconciled vs vnto himselfe? And that we may in­deed reioyce, we ought euery one to la­bour that we may be perswaded of it in our hearts. For shal men striue to be assured of those earthly things, which are supposed and said to be theirs? And would an Offender be for his further comfort, out of doubt perswaded that his offence is pardoned, as the report doth goe? And shall not we seeke by all meanes possible to be assured that we are clensed from our sinnes, as we are sayed to be, and that we are parta­kers of the blood of Christ? If we walke in the light (saith Iohn) the blood of Iesus 1. Ioh. 1. 7. Christ doth clense vs from all sinne. And S. Paul saith, that there is no cōdemnati­on Rom. 8. 1. to those, that walke not after the flesh, but after the Spirit: and therefore their sinnes are pardoned, which are the causes of damnation. So then, if we repent of our sinnes, if we followe not the commaund of our flesh, if we [Page 157] walke in the waies of God, and sub­ [...] our selues to the regiment of his Spirit, we may assuredly conclude in our soules, that as our bodies are be­spri [...]ked with water in Baptisme, so we are washed by the blo [...]d of Christ from all our sinnes, the fi [...]thines of our soules, and [...] from all punish­ments temporall and eternal [...] by them.

Secondly, seeing Christ hath wash­ed Vse. 2 all the faithful [...] o [...] what [...] or state [...], it [...] that Christ is no ac­ceptour o [...] per [...]o [...]s. Therefore as we should [...] no man for [...]n out­ward want or blemish, because Christ did not for that [...] him: so we must take heede that we be not ourselues discouraged for any outward de [...]ect in our persons, or estates, as pou [...]tie, con [...]umely, weakenes age, deformiti [...] For Christ hath our [...] to wash v [...] because of them. Most of his Apostles ( [...]f not all) were poore: and the dea­ [...]est children of God are subiect to gre [...]u [...]us crosses, and haue beene in all Act. 16. 31. ages. Beleeue in the Lord Iesus, and thou [Page 156] shalt be loued. Returne from All thy sinnes, and do that which is right, and thou shalt surely liue and not die; how Ez. 18. 21. poore, base or vile so euer thou maiest be. Yea further, thogh thou beest wic­ked, and by thy sinnes an enemie to God, yet dispaire not, but beleeue and repent. For Christ doth not die for vs, because we are holy: he doth not wash vs, because we are cleane: out by wash­ing vs he makes vs cleane. Christ did not die for the righteous, but for the Vngodly, and for the Vniust: and there­fore Paul saith; God setteth out his loue Rom. 5. 6. 1. Pet. 3. 18. towards vs, seeing that while we were yet Sinners, Christ dyed for vs. Be [...]eue ther­fore and repent, leaue sinne & liue vp­rightly, & assure thy selfe of the blood Rom. 5. 8. of Christ for the remission of thy sins. His merit [...]s greater then thy miserie: Rom. 4. 5. Rom. 3. 22. and a salu [...] made of his blood is able to cure all the sores of thy soule.

Thirdly, seeing the bloud of that one man Christ Iesus hath clensed vs all Vse. 3 from all our sinnes, we are admonished to loue one another. Some of vs are not washed in the bloud of one, and the [Page 157] rest in the bloud of another, but we are all washed in the bloud of one, and one hath washed vs al: & therfore we ought al, as if we were but one, to loue & agree one with an other. This kind of argu­ment is vsed by the prophet Malachy, Mal. 2. 10. when he saith; Haue we not all one father? Hath not one God made vs? Why doe wee transgresse euery one against his brother? And the Apostle exhorting the Ephe­sians Eph. 4. 3. 4. to keepe the vnitie of the spirit in the bond of peace, vseth this as a rea­son to perswade them too it; because there is one body, one spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptisme, one God and Father of all. Euen so say I: Forasmuch as one man, one God Christ Iesus, who is both God and man, hath washed vs all from our sinnes, by the merit of his most pretious bloud, why should wee transgresse one against another, as wee vse to doe? And why doe wee not ra­ther affect and embrace on an other? Doe we not all come out of his loines? Eph. 5. 30. Are wee not all flesh of his flesh, and bones of his bones? Hath not be washt vs all for himselfe? Doe wee not all [Page 160] spring frō that water, from that bloud, which sprang [...] him, when he han­ged on the cross [...]? I no [...]e that bread of life, which we all eate off, that well, that water of life, which we all drinke off, that meane, or that wish to liue? Doe wee all breath by him? [...]aue we all the [...] emission of all our sinne [...] by his bloud? Hath hee communicated his bloud to vs all? And shall we disgrace, abuse, contemne, and oppresse one an other? We should rather be kind, cour­teous, & louing, folowing [...] [...]hings which concerne peace and amitie, and Rom. 14. 19. wherewith one may edifie an other.

Fourthly, seeing our sin [...] cost Christ his bloud, we may as in a glasse behold Vse. 4 the rigour and seuetitie of Gods abso­lute iustice, who would be pacified on­ly by the bloud of his owne Sonne.

By which, we see, that he is not altoge­ther mercy, as many foolish and pre­sumptuous Totus Deus est miserie or­dia, non to taliter. persons d [...]e imagine. It is true indeede, that God is mercifull, and so [...]iche in mercie, as that hee sent his Sonne to saue vs: but yet with [...]ll he is so iust, that rather then sin should scape [Page 161] vnpunished, hee hath made his Sonne to be [...]re the punishment of it. And as for those tha [...] will not by fayth receiue h [...]s sonne, and will not reforme their liues, but goe on in sinne without re­pentance, hee hath for the manifesta­tion of his iustice, reserued to eternall [...]orments. And the [...]efore Iob saith; The Iob. 21. 30. wicked is kept vnto the day of destructi­on, and they shalbe brought foorth to the day of wrath. And the Psalmist saith accordingly; In the hand of the Lorde there is a cup, and the wine is red: it is sul Psal. 75. 8. mixt: and he powreth out of the same: sure­ly all the wicked of the earth shall wring out, and drinke the dregs thereof. We see therfore that his mercy doth not shoul­der out his iustice. Let no man there­fore sinne in hope of pardon. For our God is euen a consuming fire, to con­sume vp all impenitent sinners: and it Heb. 12. 29. Deut. 4. 24. Heb. 10. 31. is a fearefull thing to fall into his hands.

Fiftly, we may see the heynousnes of sinne. For we must not thinke that Vse. 5 small, which cost so great a price, and made the bloud of God be shed for the pardon of it. Let vs therfore detest our [Page 160] sins, & account thē greuous & not smal. They displease God, they deserue his iudgemēts, they prouoke his anger, they hinder his bles [...]ings, they trouble our peace, and procure our death. Like the Ier. 5. 25. worme they eat the wood, wherin it was bred: they destroy the soule, wherin they we eingendred. Plinie wri [...]eth that the Vipers kill their damme at their cōming f [...]or [...]h. Euen so the by [...]th of sin is in de­sert Hist. nat. lib. [...] cap. 62. the death of the sinner. Our sinnes crucified the Lord of life: they were the nayles that pierced him, the thornes that pricked him, and the speare that was thrust through him. He for our sinnes laid downe his life, and spilt his bloud. They made him grone and sigh: they made him sweat water and bloud: they tormented his soule, and made it heauy vnto death: yea they made him cry out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken mee? The consideration of these things Math. 27. 46 should moue vs, vnlesse like mountains we wll not be moued, to relinquish and abhorre our sins. When Peter had told the Iewes, that they had crucified the Lord, they were strucken as with a thū ­der-bolt [Page 161] from heauen, and beeing pric­ked in heart, they cryed [...] Men and brethren, what shall wee doe? Thy sinnes Act. 2. 37. haue crucified the Lord of glory, they nayled him fast vnto the crosse, they would not die till he was dead, hee was faine to make a Bath of his bloud, of his best bloud, his Heart-bloud, to clense & wash thee from them. Repent there­fore and relent, condemne and accurse them, forsake and hate them. Wilt thou liue in thē, that made Christ to die? wilt thou delight in them, that made Christ to mourne? Canst not thou mourne for them, that made him to bleed? Indeed Pro. 14. 9. the Foole maketh but a mocke of sinne. But wilt thou needs be that foole? Is Pro. 26. 3. not a rod prepared for the fooles back? Doest thou not know that the foolish Ps. 5. 5. shall not stand in Gods sight, and that he hateth all them that worke iniquitie? Vpon the wicked he shall raine snares, fire, Ps. 11. 6. and brimstone, and stormy tempest, this is the portion of their cup. But Life is in the way of righteousnesse, & in that path there Pro. 12. 28. is no death. What shall we then thinke of those, that delight in wickednes, and that draw iniquitie with cordes of vani­tie, Is. 5. 18. [Page 162] & sin as it were with cartropes? What shal we say of those, that make a trade of vsury, a life of drunkennes, an occu­pation of swearing, swaggering, lying, deceiuing, oppressing, which euē plow vpō the faces of pore mē, & come their money vpō their skins; which notwith­standing al admonitions and instructi­ons to the contrary, go forward in their irregular, vnnaturall, and irrelgious courses, with out [...]; like Pha­roahs ill fauoured and leane-fleshed kine, which thought [...] had eaten vp Gen. 41. 21. seauen fat kine, [...] yet as ill-fauou­red as they were before. Surely it argu­eth that as yet they are not washed frō their sinnes. For they, that are washed from sinne, make conscience of sinne. A dying vnto sin is begunne in them, to whome the death of Christ is actu­ally applied, which he sustained for them. It argueth that sinne is not onely in them, but that they also are in sinne; like an house, that hath not onely fire in it, but which is also in the fire, readie to be consumed in it. It argueth that they are as yet in the power of the Di­uell, [Page 163] who leades them captiue, like Beares by the lips, to do his will. Final­ly, it argueth horrible securitie, in that they neither regard the iustice of God, and his seueritie against sinne, nor weigh that sacred blood, which was shed for sinne. For questionlesse if men did seriously consider those ma­nifold and inextricable dangers, in which they were by sinne, and that no­thing would satisfie God for sinne, but the blood of his owne and onely Sonne, it would daunt them much, and make them to hate and leaue them, though there were but one sparke of sauing grace within them. A man (we see) cannot indure the sight of that sword, wherewith his father was put to death. Christ is our Father: and we are his Seed & Children. His soule was pow­red Is. 9. 6. Heb. 2, 13. Is. 53. 10. Is. 53. 12. out vnto death for our sinnes. He was both wounded & slaine for them. They were (as I may say) the sword that slew him. Let vs therfore loath & leaue them. Let not them be our ioy, which were the causes of his sorrowes. Make not that thy myrth which was [Page 164] the cause of his mourning, and had made thee mourne, had not he mour­ned for thee. Is it seemely for thee, that art washed from sinne, like a So [...] to pollute thy selfe with sinnes? Did not Christ die, that we should liue to him, 2. Cor. 5. 15. that dyed for vs? And did he not giue himselfe for a people, that should be Tit. 2. 14. zealous of good works? He bare our sins (saith Peter) in his body on the tree, that [...] being dead to sinne, should liue in 1. Pet. 2. 24. righteousnes. Let vs therefore renounce our sins, forsake our enormities (which are indeed our chiefest deformities) and let vs giue our selues to the workes of holinesse. Yee are not your owne. For ye 1. Cor. 6. 19. [...]. are brought for a price. Christ hath giuen his bloud for you. Therefore glorifie God in your body, and in your spirit. They be Gods, they be Christs: he hath bought thē dearely. Be not the seruants of men: be not the seruants of sinne. Turne vnto me, (saith the Lord) for I haue redeemed 1. Cor. 7. 23 thee: so I say, turne vnto Christ: for he hath redeemed thee, he hath washed Is. 44. 22. thee from all thy sinnes in his blood. And beeing made free from sinne, ye are Rom. 6. 18. [Page 165] made the seruants of righteousnes. There­fore as ye haue giuen your members ser­uants to vncleannes and iniquitie, to com­mit iniquitie, so now giue your members Rom. 6, 19. seruants vnto righeousnes in holinesse. For (as Peter saith) it is sufficient for vs, that 1. Pet. 4. 3. we haue spent the time past of the life after the lust of the Gentiles, walking in wanton­nes, lusts, drunkennes, gluttony, drinkings: and in abominable idolatries.

Sixtly, seeing Christ is said to haue Vse 6 washed vs from our sinnes, wee see that Christ in his owne person did put away sinne, and so abolish death. For z. Tim. 1. 10 we are not only washed in his bloud, but also washt by him. And thus we see, first that Christ shed his bloud free­ly. For hee washt vs (as it were) with his owne hands, and besides we know that his God-head, which giueth dig­nitie to his bloud, is free from all con­straint. Secondly, wee see that we are not onely washed by the father and by the Holy Ghost, but by the Sonne al­so. For those workes of the Trinitie, Opera Tri­nitatis ad extra sunt indiuisa. which are wrought vpon the creature, are common to all the persons, diffe­ring [Page 166] onely in their manner of working. The Father washeth vs from sin: be­cause he hath of his grace sent his Son to take away our sin, & for that he for­giueth sin for the sacrifice of his Sonne. The Sonne is said to wash vs from sin, because hee doth in his owne person pay the price of sin, & by the merit of his bloud, which he shed, procure the pardon of it. And the holy Ghost, also may be said to wash vs; because hee worketh faith in our hearts, whereby we do apprehend the bloud of Christ, and apply it to our selues in special and because hee sealeth the pardon to our soules, and giues vs the assurance ther­of in our Consciences.

Seuenthly, seeing that wee haue the remission of our sinnes for the bloud of Vse. 7 Christ, we are taught to know that the sacrifices vsed before his comming were onely typicall, and not properly satisfactorie. It is impossible, (saith the Apostle) that the bloud of bulles and goates should take away sinnes. They were Heb. 10. 4. onely [...]ipes or figures shadowing out that absolute, and all-sufficient sa­crifice [Page 167] of Christ, euen the sacrifice of his soule and bodie, which he beeing our High-priest as God incarnate, did offer vnto his father vpon the altar of his God-head, for the expiation of our sinnes. And therefore a I such ce­remonies are to be adiudged dead, see­ing Christ the substance of them hath performed that, which they did sha­dow forth.

Eightly, seeing our sinnes are pur­ged Vse. 8 by the bloud of Christ, wee may perceiue a differēce betwixt his bloud and the bloud of Martyrs. For though (Sanguis Martyrum sit semen Ecclesiae) God so blesse the death of his Mar­tyrs, and make their bloud so fertill, that (like seede cast into the ground) it may seeme to reuiue, and send forth many moe to professe that truth, for which it was split vpon the ground, yet it is in it selfe but the bloud of those, which are no more then men, though more holy then most men: and it is not shed for the pardon of sinne, but for the testimonie of the trueth, the mani­festation of a good conscience, the de­claration [Page 168] of a strong faith, and for the remonstrance of their loue of Christ. On the contrarie, the bloud of Christ is his bloud, who is essentially God, and it is also the ransome of our sins. And therefore it is no wonder that some of the Martyrs haue suffered their bloud to be shed more quietly in appearance, then he did his. For they suffer not for sinne, but feele God re­conciled to them. But he suffered for the sinnes of all the Elect: their whole burthen lay vpon his backe. And he did not onely suffer a bodily dissoluti­on, but euen the very pangues of hell also. [...] sorrowes of death did com­passe [...]im [...]bout, and the torments of hell did seize vpon him. Hee felt the wrath of God, in his soule and bodie, and (as [...] speaketh) the worde [...] quiet, and assisted not, nor deliuered Lib. 3. ad­uers. Hoer. the [...] manhood, vntill a sufficient [...] as finished and fulfilled. Now many Martirs feele the fauour of God exceedingly, and somtimes also (when they suffer) in an vnvsuall and extraor­dinarie manner. For their passions are [Page 169] not (as his was) punishments for sins, but corrections and tryalls, appointed by God, for the confusion of his ene­mies, the confirmation of his truth, and the testification of those noble ver­tues, wherewith hee did adorne them. And to dispatch this point; Christ spilt his bloud, so as that neuerthelesse he was to rise againe to life, in a short time after. But when Martyrs shed their bloud, and lay downe their liues, they continue dead till they be raysed vp by Christ their head at the last re­surrection.

Ninthly, seeing our sinnes are pur­ged by the bloud of Christ, we see the Vse. 9 ouerthrow of their opinion, who think that the soule of Christ descended into Hell, whiles his body were in the tombe, to suffer there for the soules of men. But what neede that, seeing his bloud did merit the pardon of all our sinnes, and seeing hee bare our sinnes (as Peter teacheth) in his bodie vpon the crosse. Considering also that hee 1. Pet. 2. 24. suffered in his soule, most greeuous tortures, whiles he liued, as appeared [Page 170] by his bloudy sweat, & terrible out-cry, My God my God, why hast thou forsaken Luk. 22. 44. Mat. 27. 46. Mat. 26. 38. 39. Vse. 10. mee? To draw to an end. Seeing Christ hath procured the pardon of our sins by his bloude, wee are taught to re­nounce all opinion of humane satisfa­ctions. Some thinke to pacifie God by pattering ouer the Pater-noster, the Creede, and the ten commandements. Some thinke to stop the mouth of his iustice with their good works, and la­mentable out-cries. But the truth is, we are iustified and saued by Christ alone. Hee is our onely Mediatour and Ad­uocate. His bloud is our onely Purga­torie. His mercie is our onely merit. His death is our life. His sacrifice is our satisfaction. For (as Paul sheweth) wee are al iustified freely by grace, through Rom. 3. 24. the redemption, that is in Christ. And (as Basil saith) there is (vna expiatio) one In cap. 1. Is. satisfactorie sacrifice, or expiation of sin, to wit, that bloud, which was shed for the saluation of the world; Therefore Au­gustine saith; All my hope is in the death of my Lord. Shall wee thinke to satis­fie Manuall. cap. 32. our sinnes by prayer? Then may a [Page 171] beggar by craning his almes deserue them, and a debtour by requesting the pardon of his debt, may be said to dis­charge it. Or shall wee thinke to pro­cure the pardon of our sinnes by good deedes: Then a man by paying of one debt may discharge an other. For we are bound to doe good deeds. W [...]e were created in Christ to good workes, which Eph. 2. 10. God hath ordained for vs to walke in. And we were borne to doe good, and not to liue to our selues, or to follow the desires of our flesh. Yea (saith Augustine) Nihil boni fe [...]isti, thou hast Praesatin Psal. 31. done nothing, that good is, and yet remissi­on of sinnes is giuen thee. And Paul saith, that God iustifieth the vngodly, therefore all our good deeds, doe follow the re­mission Rom. 4. 5. of our sinnes, which is a part of our iustification, and therefore can be no causes meriting it. Let vs then lay the foundation of our redemption in the bloud of Christ. It is a sound foundation, and not sa [...]die, firme and not false. Whatsoeuer is founded rightly vpon it, shall neuer be con­founded. Let vs therefore beware of [Page 172] the Church of Rome, concerning hu­mane satisfactions, by praying, fast­ing, Martyrdome, contrition, &c.

Touch not the fringe of her garment, least thou receiue of her poison. Say with Iohn, that Christ hath washed vs from our sinnes in his bloud.

Conclude with Augustine, that there is one mundation, one purgation of the vnrighteous, to wit, the purging bloud Iniquorum vna munda­tio est, san­guis Iusti, De Trin. li. 4. c. 2. of Christ that iust one. For as Plinic saith of the hearbe [...] that it driueth away all poison of serpents: euen soe the bloud of Christ doth chase away our sinnes, which are the po [...]son of the Serpent Satan, and doth fully recon­cile Hist. na. lib. 22. cap. 20. vs vnto God.

CHAP. XI.

LAstly, seeing Christ hath washed Vse. 11 vs all from All our sinnes in his blood, we plainely see that it is full of strength and vertue, most meritori­ous and excellent. It is a strong medi­cine, that ouermaisters sinne, the bane, the pest and poyson of the soule. A small shewer will not lay a mightie wind: and a smal mater cannot satisfie a king for a thousand traytours. So if the blood of Christ were not excee­ding vertuous & meritorious, it could not possible calme the raging wind of Gods wrath for sinne, it could not pos­sible satisfie his Maiestie for our sins, which are innumerable, and procure his royal pardon for vs, that are so ma­ny. God shewed no small power in [Page 174] bringing the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage, and in confounding Pharoah & the rest of the Aegyptians their enemies, which pur­sued them. So Christ hath shewed great power to be in his bloud and bloudy death, seeing by it he hath deli­uered all true Israelites from thraldome vnder sin and Satan, and hath cut the throate of all their enemies. He must needs be a very mighty prince, that is a­ble to preserue al his subiects frō al their enemies, so as that there shall not any of them perish. So the blood of Christ, which saueth all his [...]oyall Subiects from all their mortall enemies, cannot but be full of might and ver [...]ue. It is a good blade, which will cut asunder a barre of iron; therfore surely the blood of Christ is powerfull, seeing it hath c [...]ackt in s [...]nder the iron ba [...]res of our sinnes, & hath consumed them to pow­der. That water must needs be verie vertuous for qual [...]tie (if it be but of smal quantity) which is able to quench a mountaine of fire: Christs blood for measure was not much, therefore we [Page 175] m [...]st needs confesse it to be full of me­rit, full of vertue, seeing it both quen­ched the fiery mountain of gods wrath, and dissolued the mountanie masse of mans sinne. Death considered, as it is an effect and punishment of sinne, is as it were Hells mouth, & like the man, that turnes the ladder, whereon the Malefactour readie to be executed standeth. Now the blood of Christ hath not onely taken away the second death, but hath also changed the na­ture of that first. It hath made it a Key to open the doore & let vs loose from al our sinnes: it hath made it an Axe to strike off the head of our flesh: it hath made it an Ariadnes threed, to bring vs out of the labyrinch of all earthly mise­ries: and as a Boate to transport vs vnto the hauen of [...]ternall happinesse; and therefore we m [...]st needs cōlesse it is of [...]nclesse merit, & of admirable ver [...]ue. Let vs therefore (Beloued) not with Thomas put our hands in [...]o his side, but let vs plunge our selues wholy both Ioh. 20. 27 soule and bodie into his blood.

For he is that Pelican, that feeds vs to [Page 176] eternall life by his blood. His blood is that Hyssope, by which we are clen­sed, and the Balme of Gilead, whereby Ps. 51. 7. Leuit 24. 7. our soules are cured. Whē Elisha went about to restore to life the Shunamites sonne, he lay vpon him; and put his 2. King 4. 34. mouth vpon the childes mouth, his own hands, vpō his hands, his eyes vp­on his eyes, & stretched himselfe vpon him. Euen, so if thou desirest to be recei­ued to euerlasting life, set thy selfe by faith vpō the crosse of Christ, apply thy hands to his hands, thy feete to his feet, thy mouth to his mouth, thine eyes to his eyes, thy sinful hart, to his bleeding hart, and bath thy selfe by faith in his blood. For euen as the Israelites, which were stung to death by the fierie Ser­pents, Num. 22. 9. were cured, if they looked vp to the brazen Serpent: so if we, which are stung to death of that old Serpent by sinne, which is his poy soned tooth and venomous sting, will looke vp to Christ our brazen Serpent, hanging vpon the crosse with the eye of faith, Ioh. 3. 14. 15 we shalbe deliuered from all our sins: his blood is a counterpoyson, effectu­all [Page 177] against them all. The [...] [...] Plinie writeth) hath a propertie to fru­strate Hist. nat. lib 37. c. 4. the malicious effects of poyson, and to expell vaine feare [...]t at posse [...]e the mind. So the blood of Christ is a­ble to preserue vs from the mortall ef­fects of sinne, which is more deadly then the deadliest poyson, and being applyed to the heart by the hand of faith, it will expell the feare of damna­tion, and fill the soule with ioy. When the corps of the dead souldier beeing tumbled into Elishaes graue had tou­ched his bones, he presently reuined: 2. King 13. 21. euen so shall wee by a spirituall tou­ching of Christ dead & buried, be deli­uered from finne the life of death, and shalbe quickened to eternall life. And as the woman, which had the bloodie Math. 9. 20. issue was cured by touching the hem of his garment: so shall we (though we did exceed in number the Stars of heauen, & the sands on the Sea-shore) we (I say) should haue all the bleeding wounds of our soules healed, if we will touch his blood with the finger of a Act. 10. 43. true faith. For vnto him giue all the [Page 178] Prophets witnesse, that through his Name All that beleeue in him shall receiue re­mission of sinnes. His Name hath made vs noble: his death is our deliuerance: his humiliation is our exaltation: his shame is our glorie, and his blood the price of our pardō. Which things not­withstand [...]ng we possesse by faith, and by faith [...] do receiue, and not without it. For as the branch or science recei­ueth no sap from the roote, vnlesse it be ioyned to it: and as the parts of the bo­die haue neither sense, nor motion, ex­cept they cohere with the head and be conioyned to it: so we, that are bran­ches of that noble Vine Christ Iesus, & the members of his bodie, haue neither life nor motion, we receiue not the Ioh. 15. pardon of our sinnes, nor partake of any of his benefits, vnlesse we be vni­ted to him, and be knit vp together with him. Now we are not vnited, if we haue not faith. For vs the vniō is made by the Spirit in respect of God, so it is made by faith in respect of vs.

But that I may presse this point a a little further: If thou hadst a mortall [Page 179] and inexo [...]able enemie, and knewest a safe course, whereby thou mightest be deliuered from him: thou wert thine owne enemie, if thou didst refuse to take it; especially if there were no o­ther way, but that. Sathan is thine irre­conciliable enemie: Sinne, which is his M [...]nion, is thy deadly foe. For as Plinie recordeth of the Flower-de-lis, that it Hist. nat. l. 11. c. 2. prouoketh sleepe, but consumeth na­ture: so though sinne may seeme to sa­tisfie a carnall & corrupt affection by giuing it a kind of contentment and rest, yet in truth it is an vtter enemie to the spirit, and (like Iuy) it sucke [...]h out the verie sap of the soule. Now the blood of Christ is onely able to quell these thine enemies, & to redeeme thee from that cursed condition, to which thou art obnoxious by them. Labour therefore to be partaker of it: thou art thine owne enemie, if thou do [...]st neg­lect it. Plinic saith, that men were wont to carie Polium about them to chase a­way Lib. 21. cap. 20. Serpēts. But the most soueraigne amulet or preseruatiue, which men can haue against Satan and their sinnes, is [Page 180] the blood of Christ applyed by faith vnto their hearts. The sicke do seeke vnto the Phisitian, that their bodies Admedicam dubius cōfu­git aeger o­pem, Ould. might be preferned from temporarie death; and shall not we seeke to Christ that great Phisitian of the soule, that washing vs in his blood we might be preserued from that eternall death of soule and bodie? So soone as he had touched the Leaper, he tooke away his leprosie: euen so if he please to touch vs with his vertuous touch, the touch Luke 5. 13 vs with his vertuous touch, the touch of his woundes, we shalbe deliuered from our sinnes. His blood is as well a­ble to take away our sinnes, & to make them vanish out of Gods eye like smoke as that great invndation of wa­ter; was to drowne the world, or as the fire was to burne vp Sodome. Dost thou thinke that thou hast no need of him? Thou art as wel able to discharge thee of thy sinnes, as to remoue a moun­taine, or to draine the sea. If the bodie be out of temper, there is vse of the Phisitian. Thou art distempered both in soule & bodie by reason of thy sins, in which thou art by nature not onely [Page 181] sicke, but dead: and Christ can onely cure thee, therefore she vnto him. And say thy sinnes be smal, yet are they ma­ny, and mortall all. Many little flint­stones will [...] ship, as well a few mil-stones. But thou art by thy [...] a Rebell, thou hast committed high [...]reason against God, and without [...] pardon, which cannot be proc [...]ed but by the mediation of Christ, [...] is not possible for thee to escape dam­nation; Therefore make hast to Christ, before the degree come forth, and before the fierce wrath of the Lord do come vpon thee, and thou be as chasse before the wind. Whē Christ liued vpon the earth, the people pe [...] ­ceiuing his admirable power, and wil­lingnesse also to cure the diseases of the bodie, they brought their diseased to him from euery place and he healed them. Beloued, he is a [...]able to cure the diseases of the soule: therefore seeke vnto him: seeke with fa [...]th from the bottome of [...] and he will not [...]epell the. To him, that thirsteth he Reu [...] 21. [Page 182] will be-sprinkle him in his bloud frankely. They were carefull for the bodie, and shall we be carelesse both of soule and bodie? They were carefull for others, let not vs then be carelesse of our selues. They went to him, when he liued in disgrace, and in the shape of a seruant, plagued and not regarded, humbled of God, reiected of men, Is. 53. 3 [...]. knowne of many, but acknowledged of few: mournfull and not mery, seene to weepe, but neuer said to laugh. But now he is in great glory & maiestie, far exceeding all earthly Monarches, and therefore we neede not be ashamed to seeke vnto him. Wherefore let nothing hinder thee, but as they, that brought Luk. 5. 19. the palsie man vnto him, let him downe to him through the tyles of the house, when they could not come neare him for the prease of the people: euen so do thou breake through all impediments: [...] not thy purpose, but proue euery way, leaue no stone vnrolled, proceed constantly, and test not till thou beest come vnto him. Leaue him not, till Nullam nō moue lapi­dem. with Iacob thou hast obteined a bles­sing, [Page 183] till he haue washed thy soule in his bloud, as he did his Disciples feet in Ioh. 13. 5. Math. 15 28. the water. The Cananitish woman would not leaue him, till she had got­ten him to driue the Diuell out of her daughter, so do thou neuer giue him o­uer, til he haue cast him out of the hold of thy heart, & released thee of thy sins, which do possesse thee, which will de­stroy thee without his hand of grace. And as Esay exhorteth those that are mindfull of the Lord, to giue him no Is. 62. 7. rest, till he repaire, and set vp Ierusalem the praise of the world: euen so giue Christ thy Lord no rest, leaue him not, take no nay, till he haue redeemed thee from thy sinnes, till he haue restored thee into grace with God, and haue set thee vp as high, as thou wast fallen low before. Shall the allurements of the world, or the pleasures of sinne, re­straine or inueigle thee? Know yee not (saith Iames) that the amitie of the World Iam. 4. 4. is the Enmitie of God? Whosoeuer there­fore wil be a friend of the world, maketh himselfe the enemie of God. Did not Mo­ses that man of Gods owne moulding, [Page 184] [...] [Page 185] vs therfore be his Patients, & put our selues into his hāds. There is noone na­tural medicine able to heale all kinds of Et quoniam variant mor bi, variamus & artes. Mille mali species, mil­le salutis e­runt, Ouid. [...]ore; & sicknesses. And therfore diuerse sores haue diuerse salues: & seueral ma­ladies haue seueral medicines oftētims. But the bloud of Christ is a present re­medie against all the maladies of our soules: the merit thereof being once appyed to vs, remoues them all. They are all to it as dust before a Whirl­wind, or as flax before a flame of fire. The leprosie is a fearefull disease, but the leprosie of the soule is more feare­full. Now as Naamans leprosie was 2. King. 5. 14. clensed in the riuer Iordon: so is origi­nall sinne the leprosie of our soules, and all other sinnes, that spring there­of, washed cleane away from vs in the bloud of Christ. Though our sinnes were as crimsin, though they had dou­ble died our soules, & had taken neuer to deepe roote in our ha [...]ts: though they were red as scarlet, neuer so blou­dy neuer so grieuous; yet his bloud can [...] them out, it can vncolour vs, and make vs white as snowe. Behold a crow, [Page 186] which is blacke, through a red glasse, and she will seeme red, like the glasse. The bloud of Christ is beautifull and precious, sweet and louely in the sight of God: and therefore if God behold vs through it, we shall (notwithstan­ding all the blacknesse of our sinnes) appeare bright and beautiful, faire and amiable in his eyes. Albeit by our sins we deserue nothing but wrath, yet e­uen as the propitiatory couered the Ark and Decalogue, and as the cloudes do Ez. 25. 21. shroud vs from the scorching heate of the Sunne, so doth Christ couer our sinnes with his bloud, and preserue vs from the fire of his fathers wrath, and wrathful indignatiō. If it were so that a man had a medicine to preserue men frō the bodily death, all the world wold flock after him, so sweet a thing is life and shall we take no paines to come to Christ, to possesse Christ, who by his bloud can make the graue a bed, & death a sleepe, a pleasant sleepe, a wel­come sleepe, a ioy full night of ease, and also saue the soule, both soule & bodie from endlesse death and dolefull deso­lation? [Page 187] For euen as those which be­sprinkled Ex. 12. 7. 13 the posts of their doores with the bloud of the Paschall Lamb, esca­ped the destroyer: so those shall neuer be destroyed, whose hearts are washed, who are besprinkled with the bloud of Christ, that true Paschall Lamb, which Ioh. 1. 29. taketh away the sinnes of the world, & hath abolished death, and brought life and im­mortality 2. Tim. 1. 10. vnto light, through the Gospel. For what can hinder life, and procure death but sinne? But sinne, yea all the bandes and bolts of sinnes are no more with Christ, then those greene cordes were in the hands of Sampson, which hee brake as a threed of Towe, when it fee­leth Iudg. 16. 9. fire. He can as easily remoue the gates of hell with their hinges, and ca­rie them away, as Sampson did the gates Iud. 16. 3. of Azzah, which he tooke away, posts and all, and layed them vpon his shoul­ders, Non est in Medico semper re­leuetur vt aeger: Inter­dum docta plus valet arte malum. Ouid. and caryed them vp to the top of a mountane. Indeede there are some bodily diseases, which no naturall me­dicine can remoue, if they be permitted to continue long without looking to them. In some cases the best Physitians [Page 188] are at a stand, and altogether vnable to cure their distressed pat [...]ents. But the bloud of Christ is vnresistable: it is of such infinite vertue & validitie, that the long continuance and growthe of our soule-sicknesse [...] cannot hinder our re­couery and redemption from them, if he please to [...] in it. Let vs therfore admyre the wonderfull vigour of it, & thirst after it as Sampson did for water. Iud. 15. 18 Ioh. 5. 2. And as many came to the poole Bethes­da, to be healed of their diseases: so let vs with speed betake our selues to Christ, that being washed in his bloud, we may be clensed of our sinnes. Delayes are dangerous: there is not so warme a Sū ­mer, but there is as cold a winter. The It is good to make hay [...], vvhiles the Sun shi­neth and the vveather is faire. Tyde [...]arryeth for no [...] man. Ther [...]fore now seeing wee haue winde and Tyde with vs, let vs way a [...]ker, hoyse vp our sayles and away. We are by nature vn­worthie enough thereof, though wee should not make our selues more vn­worthie by neglecting or deferring to seeke to be partakers of it. And when wee haue once begun to seeke it: as the Church neuer left looking him, till she Cant. 3. [Page 189] found him; so let vs neuer cease see­king, till we enioy it, till we feele the sweetnes of it. For without it there is no life, but death: no weale, but woe: no light, but night: no fel [...]city, but ex­treme miserie. It is truely said of Bap­tisme, that not the want thereof, but the contempt doth damne a man: but for the bloud of Christ, a man that wants it shall be damned, though hee neuer did contemne it. For there is no saluation Act. 4. 12. but by Christ. Let vs therfore without delay, labour to be partakers of him: let vs neuer be a [...] rest, til we be perswa­ded in our hearts that our sins are for­giuen, and couered in his bloud frō the sight of God. But doe men thus? Nay doe they not the contrarie? Beholde the multitude, consider the studies, and the practises of the most.

Many seek after fame & honor. Ma­ny [...]unt after pleasures & vain delights, which the Diuell vseth as a Glasse and a Feather, to drawe men within the reache of his net. Many search after ri­ches, and seeke for euery greene thing, Iob. 39. 11. [Page 188] like the wilde Asse, as if all religion were pinned vpon the sl [...]eue of Mam­mon. But fewe seeke after the bloud of Christ, as their liues do testifie to their faces. And yet it doth as farre surpasse those other, as the richest gemme doth the poorest peble. The tallest Cedar doth not so much ouertop the poorest shrubbe: the highest Oake doth not so much outreach the shortest hearb: the heauens are not so far aboue the earth, as that Sacred Bloud is aboue all earthly things. If thou wert as olde as Methu­salem, as wise as Salomon, as strong as Samson, as rich as Croesus, & as renow­med as Alexander, yet all were nothing, if thou wantest but this one thing.

For without Christ, without his bloud, they would not, they could not stand before the throne of God. Thy wise­dome without Christ is folly. Thy gor­geous & braue attyre without his righ­teousnes is filthy nakednes. Thy birth is basenes vnlesse hee begat thee. And thy bloud is tainted, vnlesse thou hast beene bathed in his bloud. In a word, [Page 189] without it, thou art loathsome & vglie, a fire-brand of hell, and a vassall of the Diuell. Stirre vp thy selfe therefore, shake off thy drowsines, awake, and a­rise, get thee to Christ, call for his bloud, sue for it, mourne for it. Knocke at the gates of grace, leaue not till thou hast obtained thy sute, cease not vntill thou feele the vertue of it. It is full of in­fluence, full of vigour, full of health, full of saluation; therefore labour to pos­sesse it, striue to enioy it. Shal one with Haman hunt after honour? Shall an o­ther with Foelix gape for a bribe? Shall some with Balak & Saul run after wiz­zards? Shall many with Naaman seeke after bodily health? And shall not we make haste to Christ, and seeke for his Bloud, which is the fountaine of health, the foundation of honour, a Castle of comfort, a bath for thy soule, a shielde of defence, the poyson of sinne, the bane of iniquitie, and as a canopie to couer vs from the wrath of God? As wee therefore either respect that, or de­sire our owne peace and welfare, let vs [Page 192] make conscience of this dutie.

And thus much for the first worke or benefite, wherby Christ doth demon­strate & confirme his loue vnto vs. The second comes now to be discussed, set downe in the words ensuing.

CHAP. I.

IN these wordes is contained the se­cond signe and action, wherby Christ [...] hath declared his loue vnto vs: and in them fiue things are worthie obser­uation.

First, the Agent, Christ. Secondly, the Subiect, vpon whome the worke is wrought, Wee. Thirdly, the Act it selfe, hee hath made vs kings and priests. Fourthly, the Time when, he hath made. Fiftly, for whose or glory, or [...]o whom we are made, euen to God his Father.

First for the Agent.

For somuch as Christ hath thus ad­uanced vs, wee are taught to be thank­full to him. If a man did freely pro­cure his neighbor a farme or lord-ship, it deserued a thankfull acceptāce; But if he did also giue him true title to a king­dome, & made him heire to a crowne, his obligation shuld be of a far higher nature. Beloued, Christ hath made vs kings and heires to a crowne, not of ru­sting gold, but of eternall glorie, not won by tyranny, but got by righte­ousnes, 1. Pet. 5. 7. euen by that perfect obedience, which he performed for vs, and is im­puted 2. Tim. 4. 5. to vs. L [...]t vs therefore be thank­full to him, & seek to please him. And because it is he that hath made vs Priests, let vs (like Priests) present him with the Calues of our lips, let vs offer vp vnto him the sacrifice of a thankful hart testified in a thankeful tongue, and expressed by our religious, righteous and sober conuersations. Vnthankful­nes is a poysoned ro [...]te of wickednes, and a fruitfull mother of mischiefe: whereof we cannot but be deepely guiltie, if we shal either wilfully disho­nour, [Page 199] or not care to honour him, who hath so royally honoured vs.

Secondly, seeing it was Christ, that [...]ath brought vs to this honour, we see that we come not to it by our birth or bloud, by nature or inheritance from our parents, and therefore we must not ascribe it to our selues: but when like kings we get the conquest in any con­flict ouer any [...]inne, and as Priests do of [...]er vp vnto God any sacrifice, which is accepted, we must attribute al to the grace of God in Christ, that of his mere good will & merit hath made vs both kings and Preists. It is God, that worketh in vs both the will and the Phil. 2. 13. Certum est nos velle, cum v [...]lu­mus; sed il­le facit vt ve limus, qui operatur i [...] nobis velle, Aug lib. de lib. A [...]b. c. 2. deed. Indeede we will, but it is by him. And if he did not make vs worke, as he maketh vs will to worke, the work could not be wrought. We may as well say that death can create life, and that darknesse may make light, as that we can of our selues either make or truely shew our selues to be spirituall kings and priests.

Thirdly, in that Christ hath made vs kings and priests, it argueth that he [Page 200] is not without power and authoritie. For to create a king, and to make a priest, are workes of authoritie and power. Esay calls him the mighty God, Is. 9. 6. and the Scriptures shew that we were all redeemed by him, & that the whole Is. 53. 5. 6. Eph. 1. 7. Ioh. 13. World was created by him; and there­fore he must needs befull of strength and maiestie. The consideratiō where­of should strike a terrour into the wic­ked, which are his enemies, and moue them to forsake their rebellions, least he cr [...]sh the [...] with his iron scepter, and breake them in peeces like a Potters vessell. And it ought to moue all the kings and potentates of the world to vaile their bonnets, to bend their scep­t [...]rs, and to cast downe their crownes before him. For he is the Prince of the Kings of the earth, and is as able to dis­mount a king as to make a king. And Reu. 15. secondly, it should teach vs to seeke vnto him for his grace, and to depend vpon him in a [...]o [...]r troubles. Blessed are all (saith Dauid) that trust in him. Ps. 2. 12.

Fourthly, seing it is Christ, that hath thus promoted vs, we are taught to e­steeme [Page 201] highly of this worke and bene­fit. The excellencie of the work-man doth often commend the worke and make it more regarded; The dignitie of the giuer doth moue the receiuer to account more dearely of the gift. He that wrought this worke for vs, is the Lord of life, the father of eter [...]ie, the Is. 9. 6. King of glorie, the Sonne of God, [...]nd Iudge of the world He that bestowed this benefit vpō vs, is Iesus Christ that Reu. 1. 5. faithfull witnesse, and the first-borne of the dead. If thy King, or thy faith­full and t [...]st [...]e friend, did gi [...]e thee a costly iewell, thou wouldest like it somewhat better, and wouldest not easily be draw [...]n to part from it. Christ our King, and friend, so faithful as that he spent his bloud to saue vs, hath giuen vs this ( [...]) r [...]y­all gift, he hath aduanced vs to this kingly condi [...]on: let vs therefore highly p [...]iz [...] i [...], and by no meanes ha­zard the p [...]r [...]ing from it.

Fiftly, seeing Christ hath [...] ho­nored his seruants, let all men feare to dishonour them. Thou darest not dis­grace [Page 102] him, whom thy king doth grace; and durst thou dishonour him, whome Christ thy king, that mightie God, doth grace and honour? Shall [...]e e­scape the wrath of a king, that scornes a man, because he hath honored him? And shall we thinke, that Christ that heauenly Monarch and Lion of the tribe of Iudah, wil put vp those scornful wrongs, that are offered by many wic­ked wretches vnto his Seruants, be­cause he doth grace them, and by his grace doth make them flie those sins, which they wrth a brazen face and browes of marble commit, and blush not at? Verily, he that dishonours a mā because Christ doth honour him, doth dishonour Christ himselfe, and carieth a curse about him vnder seale, and without serious and timely repentance (which is not vsuall in such obdured hearts) he shall not escape it.

Sixtly, seeing Christ doth make men kings and priests, we that are de­sirous of this dignitie, are taught to sue to him. Wouldst thou b [...]aking to subdue the rebellious corruptions, [Page 103] which lurke like t [...]aytours in thy heart? Wouldest thou be a priest to offer vp vnto God the sacrifices of righteous­nesse? then flie to Christ: he is the Spring, from whence these benefits do flow: it is he that makes vs kings and priests.

Yet here withal remember, that nei­ther the Father nor the Holy Ghost must be excluded from this worke. For they haue all their hands in wor­king of it. The Father makes vs by his Sonne & by [...]is Spirit. It was his loue that Christ was sent vnto vs, and that the Holy Ghost doth come into vs. The Sonne makes vs by his merit and vertue. And the Holy Ghost makes vs, by working faith in our hearts, whereby we lay hold vpon Christ (who hath procured this dignitie for vs,) and doth apply vnto vs his obedi­ence, whereby we become acceptable to God, and his blood, whereby all our sinnes are washed; & the vertue of his death and resurrection, whereby we die to sinne and rise to righteousnesse. For all the works of God wrought [Page 204] vpon the creature are common to the three persons, which in euerie operati­on do cooperate, how be it in a distinct manner, as Basil sheweth, when he saith; The Father begins the worke: the Lib. de spir. san. c. 16. Sonne workes it in his owne person: and the Holy Ghost doth finish it.

CHAP. II.

ANd so from the Agent we come vnto the Subiect, vpon whom this [...] worke is wrought; to wit, all the children of God, all that Christ hath loued, all that he hath washed in his bloud from their sinnes, of what sex or sort, of what race or ranke soeuer, and they alone.

So that first we may herby learne to know whether our sins are actually clē ­sed frō vs or no. For if Christ hath wa­shed thee from them, he hath also made thee a king and a priest. Therefore if thou warre with sinne like a prince of [Page 205] spirit, and d [...]est conquer the corrupti­on of thine heart, and offer vp vnto God such oblations, as are pleasing vn­to him, then maist thou conclu [...]e that Christ hath purged thee. For, whome he washeth, them he thus honoreth with this grace: to them he conferres this dignitie.

Secondly, seeing he hath made vs kings and priests, who are mo [...]all and m [...]serable, and by nature the seruants of sinne, the children of wrath, and his ver [...]e enemies: We may behold as in a mirrour; First, his admirable loue in scatte [...]ing the bright beames of his grace vpon such a loathsome Dung­hill, as we are all by reason of the rot­tēnes of our natures. Secondly, we may behold his exceeding commiseration in shewing so great mercy to such des­picable and vile wretches. Thirdly, we ma [...] see his wonderful power in quick­ning vs, that are by nature starke dead in sin, & making vs to liue like spiritu­al kings, masl [...]cring the enemies of our soules within vs, and as holy preists sa­crificing our selues vnto God. Fourth­ly, [Page 206] we see that pou [...]rtie, penurie, crosses, calamities, & such like, do not restraine him from bestowing his preferments. Fiftly, we see his integri [...]e; expr [...]es­sing his words by works, & his p [...]each­ing by his practise. For hee comman­deth vs to loue our enemies: and we see Math. 5. 44. how well he hath affected vs, in pro­moting vs so high, that were his ene­mies. And by this we see that in con­ferring his benefits he is far from the fashion of the world. Many men do neuer shew any tokens of loue to thē that haue offended them or reuoulted from them: but vsually they seeke to be reuenged of them, either openly or vnder-hand. But Christ hath caried no such spleene to vs, but hath highly ho­noured vs, who haue iniustly disho­noured him, and many wa [...]es displea­sed both him and his father.

The consideration of his loue should persuade vs to reloue him. His mercy should keepe vs from dispaire. His power teacheth vs to cōfesse his diuini­tie. His practise should moue vs to do our selues as we exhort others to do, as [Page 207] also to break the common custome of the world, and to shew the fruits of loue to those, that shew nothing lesse to vs. For in so doing we shall heap coales of fire vpon their heads.

Thirdly, wee are all taught to reue­rence one another. Let not the rich con­temne the poore: let not the young des­pise the olde: let not the noble disdaine the simple: let not the learned politi­tian vilipend the man of meaner vnder­standing. For if we be Christs, we are All of vs spiritually Kings and Priests, one as truely as another: wee are all the Lords annointed. He, that aduanced one, hath aduaunced the rest; the poore as well as the rich, the meane man, as well as the mighty Monarch.

And though here in this world God himselfe hath made vs subiects, & com­mands our obedience to his Lieutenāts here on earth, whom to disobey, is to rebell against God himselfe, yet when we come to take possession of our hea­uenly kingdome, in the day of our spi­tuall Coronation, all outward circum­stances shalbe layde downe: and if in [Page 208] this world the poore man haue excee­ded the rich in the growth of grace, be shall in the world [...]o come excell him [...]n the greatnes of glory. For as we haue husbanded the talents of Gods graces committed to vs in this life, so God in mercy will reward vs with his glory in the life to come.

Fourthly, seeing Christ doth make those kings and priests, whom hee wa­sheth in his bloud, it should stirre vs vp to labour by all meanes to be partakers of it. As wee desire this true nobilitie, & to possesse this great aduancement, so let vs be carefull of the other, that in all assurance wee may enioy it. For these benefites are inseparable. Hee that enioyes not that Bloud, hath not this honour.

Fi [...]ly, seeing all the faithfull of all callings and conditions are thus ad­uanced, we are taught not to iudge of a mans finall estate, or of the qualitie of [...] [...]nward condition by his outward successe. For the dearest children of God in this world (as Iob, Dauid, Paul) are vsually afflicted, and some­times [Page 209] so crossed, as that to ca [...]nall men which spend their daies in wealth, & their Iob. 27. 13. yeares in pleasures) they seeme accur­sed, and to be the onely miserable men, that liue vpō the earth: and yet [...] thelesse their inward estate before God is very glorious: wherefore the Psalmist saith, The kings daughter is all Psal. 45. 13. glorious within: her cloathing is of broy­dred gold. Christ doth loue her, Christ hath washt her, Christ hath clad her, with the golden garment of his righte­ousnes, & hath made her a royal priest­hood. Now as the Church our mother is, so are all those that are her faithfull & true children, according as God hath measured out his grace vnto vs. For Christ hath made vs all kings & priests, yea and prophets also, and hath ador­ned the temple of our heartes with the manifolde graces of his Spirit. Our case in this world is not vnlike the cur­taines of the Tabernacle, which were course without, but finely wrought within. Therefore they, which deeme men forsaken of God, because the world doth frowne vppon them, are [Page 210] much deceiued. They may as well conclude that a weather-beaten shippe hath no riches in her, or that a homely coate can haue no learning. For (as Sa­lomoa reacheth,) no mans inward estate Ec. 9. 1. can be discerned by outward euents, seeing they bee common to both iust and vniust. I haue seene (saith Dauid the Ps. 37. 35. wicked strong, and spreading himselfe like a greene Baye tree: & yet for all that they Ver. 20. shall perish and be consumed as the fatte of Lambs. They are f [...]d for the slaughter: God hath mad [...] them for the day of e­uill. Pro. 16. 4. And though they seeme to haue the world at command, yet the Lord Pro. 15. 29. Pro. 15, 26. is far from them, and their very thoughts are an abomination vnto him. And what though a man enioy the world, if he enioy [...]ot God that made the world?

As it is therfore fol [...]y to iudge a man happy for his worldly prosperitie, so is it want of charity to iudge one mis [...] ­rable for his outward aduersitie. For spirituall misery stands not in outward aduersitie: neither doth true felicitie consist in worldly prosperitie. Iob was much afflicted, insomuch that he saith, [Page 211] that God did beat him, and set him as a marke to shoote at. And Hezekiah in Iob. 16. 12. h [...]s affliction sayd, that God brake all his bones like a Lyon, and that hee chatte­ed Is. 37. 13. 14. like a Crane, and mourned as a Doue: and no doubt his affliction was gree­u [...]s, and yet we know that they were both the children of God, and deare vnto him. Therefore no certaine sen­sence can be pronounced, no iudge­ment must be giuen by the outward e­state of any man. The thatched ba [...]e is full of corne, and the fay rest outside of the bodie, hath not alway the fay­rest inside of the soule, neither are the richest men alwaies the mostreligious. Therefore Paul saith; You see your cal­ling, how that not many wise men after the 1. Cor. 1. 26 27. 28. 29. flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world, to confound the wise, and the weake things to confound the migh­ty: and vile things of the worlde, and things, which are despised hath God cho­sen: and things, which are not, to bring to nought things, which are, that no flesh should reioyce in his presence, and that it [Page 212] might be seene that God doth not re­spect those things, which men so much affect, and so m [...]hadmire.

Lastly, wee see how [...]arre wide the world is from Christ in fixing her affections. For Christ (wee see) [...]o­ueth and aduanceth vs: but the world ha [...]eth & contem [...]eth vs. Paul and his companions were beloued of Christ, & highly graced, and yet they were ac­counted (as it is the lot of the godly in many place [...] in this doting age of the world) euen as fil [...]h & offskowring. The 1. Cor. 4. 13 Pro. 29. 27. Ps. 37. 12. vpright man (saith Salomon) is an Abo­mination to the wicked: they lo [...]de him with reproaches, they practise against him, and wonder at him, as bi [...]des doe at an Owle. And yet God delighteth in him, Christ doth honour him. And what is the reason why the world doth thus? Surely one reason is, because she is ignorant of God and his wayes [...]and therefore Christ saith; All these things (hate, persecute, &c.) will they do vnto you for my Names sake, because they haue not Ioh. 15. 27. knowne him that sent mee. Secondly, it is so likewise, because they are not of the [Page 213] world, but redeemed and called out of the world: which thing Christ also sheweth also in his speech to his Disci­ples, saying; If y [...] were of the world, the Ioh. 15. 19 world would loue his owne: but because ye are not of the world, but I haue chosen you out of the world: therfore the world hateth you. Thirdly, the wo [...]ld thus dealeth, because shee is strongly managed and ruled by Sathan the God of the wor [...]d, 2. Cor. 4. 4. who is their mortall & irreconciliable aduersarie, & takes delight in their dis­grace and ign [...]miny. Lastly, because their vertues doe crosse the worlds vi­ces; therefore as Iohn saith, that Cain 1. Ioh. 3. 12 slewe his brother because his owne works were euill, and his brothers good: euen so the wicked abhorte the godly (though loued and aduanced of Christ) because they liue religiously (shewing thēselues Vid. Wisd. 2. 12. to be kings and priests to God) & loue not such vices, as they do foster and will not part from. Therfore beware of the world: take [...]eede of h [...]r steps: trust not to her iudgement. For the world is blind, her eyes are out, her iudg [...]mēt is corrupt: and if thou wilt bee led by [Page 214] her, thou art likely with her to fall into the ditch.

And thus much for the Subiect.

CHAP. III.

THe third thing to be considered is the Act or Benefit. He hath made [...] vs Kings and Priests. Moses was commanded to te [...] people of Israel, that, if they would heare the voice of God indeed, and keepe his couenant, they should [...]e vnto him a kingdome of [...]x. 19. 5. 6. Priests, an holy nation, and his chie [...]e treasure aboue all people, though all the earth be his. But Peter expresly 1. Pet. 2. 9. tells vs, that we are a chosen generati­on, a royall Priesthood, and an holy na­tion. And saint Iohn saith, that Christ hath made vs kings and priests. So thē we are as a kingly Priesthood, and a priestly Kingdome, kingly Priests, and priestlike Kings, and a peculiar peo­ple selected and consecrated vnto him [Page 215] for his glorie, and by him to receiue glorie. And that I may here also dis­patch the fourth point, which is the Time when; the Apostle directly sheweth, that we are thus dignified e­uen in this life. For he saith: he hath made vs. He doth n [...]t say that he will make vs. As in the entrance into an earthly kingdome, first title is giuen vnto it, and after wards possession: euen so we in this life, haue title giuen vs to the kingdome of heauen: we are heires apparant to it: and we haue possessi­on of it also in part. For whosoeuer be­leeueth in the Sonne of God, hath euer­lasting Ioh. 3. 36. life. But we come not to the [...]ull fruition thereof till the life to come. And so likewise we are Priests in this world, but our sacrifices are [...]ot spot­lesse and absolute vntill the world to come.

But here by the way we must re­member two things.

First, that we do not take the Sword out of the hands of Princes, nor denie obedience vnto Magistrates, nor ima­gine ciuill Authoritie to be needlesse [Page 216] or vnlawful among Christians, for that they are made Kings and set at libertie by Christ their King. For this were to cons [...]ire with the Anabaptists, Donatists an [...] Libertines, against the ordinance of God; considering that there is no Po­werbut Rom. 13. 1 of God: & the Powers, that are, are ordeined of God. Therefore we are com­manded to feare the King, and to be P [...]o 24. 21. Rom. 13. 1. [...]. Tim. 2. 2. subiect to the higher Powers, yea and to Pray for kings, and for All, that are in au­thoritie. Our libertie procured by Christ consisteth not in an anarchy, not in lawlesnesse, nor in freedome from the authoritie of Magistrates, who are the Lords Leiu-tenants vpon earth (for Christ himselfe inioynes vs to Giue vn­to Math. 22. 21 Caesar the things which are Caesars,) but in deliuerance frō the tyrannie and terrour of Sin and Satan, as also from the rigour and curse of the Law, & from those legall rites and ceremonies, which did not die till [...]e was dead. And the Princehood or Regalitie spoken of in this place, is not externall, temporal or terrestriall, but internall, spirituall, celestial and eternal, and ouerthrowes [Page 217] not the calling or office of secular Prin­ces, nor of any inferiour Magistrates or Gouernours in Church or Common­wealth; to whome subiection, honour, Rō. 13. 1. 7 1. Tim. 5. 17 Heb [...]3. 17. 1. Pet 8. 2. 13. 17. obedience, feare, fealty, and whatsoe­uer els is due vnto them, must of Eue­rie Soule within their realmes and re­giments, and vnder their power and authoritie, be performed of conscience, and for the Lord.

Secondly, we may not from hence dispute, that there are now Priests a­mong vs, that offer vp to God any re­conciliatorie, redemptorie, or exp [...]ato­rie sacrifice, whereby his pardon may be procured, his iustice satisfied, and his anger pacified. For the Scriptures ac­knowledge no such Priest, but Christ 1. Pet. 2. 25. our High-priest, the Sheep-heard and Heb 9. 28. Bishop of our soules, who was once offe­red to take away the sinnes of many, and Heb. 10. 14. with one offering hath made perfect for e­uer Sacerdotem si requiras, super caelos est, v [...]i inter­pe [...]at pro te qui in terra mortuus est [...]ro te. them, that were sanctified. Therefore Augustine truely affirm [...]th, that i [...] we require a Priest, he is aboue the hea­uens, where he maketh intercession for for vs, hauing died for vs before vpon [Page 218] the earth. And Ambrose saith, that in Christ was once offered a sacrifice power­full vnto eternall saluation, In Epist, ad Hebr. cap. 10. Neither may we hence conclude, that any Christian man may vpon his owne priuate motion with­out ecclesiasticall ordination, or the testimonie of a lawful vocation (which is a fond and false conceit of the Ana­baptists) presume to teach in the church, as if he were ordeined Minister. No mā may thrust his sickle i [...] to his neigh­bours corne, nor labour in his house or vineyard without his leaue. No man may execute a priestly function, or of­fice Heb. 5. 4. of a Minister, without a sufficient calling. For no man taketh this honour vpon him, but hee that is called of God, as Aaron was. And al are not called. Christ appointed some to be Pastours, and not All. Titus was left in Crete to ordaine Eph. 4. 11. T [...]t 1. 5. Rom. 10. 14 Elders. And how shall they preach, vnlesse they be sent? The office of teaching is double, ecclesiasticall or publique, and domesticall or priuate. The former pertaines to them onely, that haue a warrantable calling in the Church: [Page 219] which no man hath without speciall licence and authoritie, either immedi­ately from God, (which is not vsuall) or mediately from the Church. And this text in hand speakes not of any corporall or externall Priesthood, nor yet of any ecclesiastical order or func­tion in the Church, but onely of the spirituall Priesthood of all Beleeuers, who for their spirituall sacrifices are tearmed Priests; of which we shall more largely treate heareafter. And this we haue [...]aied by the way.

Now that we may more clearely perceiue the excellencie of this bene­fit, it will not be a misse to consider it yet a little more. And for our Prince­hood first. We may be saied to be Kings in three respects. First, because Christ hath inthro [...]ized vs into the king­dome of grace, and hath made vs Con­querours of S [...]tan, sinne, death, bell, and the World. Secondly, because be hath purchased for vs the kingdome of glo­rie, vnto which in this li [...]e we are through him in [...]ituled: the which by our faith we apprehend, and by hope [Page 220] wee wait for. For Christ is that hand, whereby the Dei [...] reacheth vs all good things: and through him a through a pipe or conduit they run all vnto vs. His iustice imputed to vs hath made vs accounted iust, and accepted to eternall life. He was fastened to the crosse without law, that we might be loosed from the curse deserued by law. He ware a crowne of thornes, that we might we are a crown of glory. He held a reed in his hand, and wore a scarlet robe in mockerie, that we might be clad with robes of glorie, and that like kings we might haue scepters indeed, but not of gold (for that is too base) for such a kingdome, but of eternal glory. And as the Sunne went backe ten de­grees that Hazekiah might receiue as­surance Is. 38. 5. 7. 8. of longer life: so Christ the Sunne of righteousnesse (vnder who [...]e Mal. 4. 2, wings is health) [...]ath gone backe ma­ny degrees, and abased himselfe to the dust, that we might be lifted vp, and set like Princes in th [...]ones of maiestie, and might receiue assurance of eternal life.

Thirdly, we may be sayed to be [Page 221] kings, because by Christ we are made Lordes of all the creatures of God, ex­cepting good Angels & Gods church which hath no head but Christ.

For in Adam, we lost our Lordship, and Eph. 5. 23. it is not restored to vs, but by the second Adam Christ Iesus, in whome we do re­ceiue it, in parte in this world, and shall perfectly possesse it in the world to come, when as the diuell and all the re­probate shalbe as dust vnder the soles of our feete, being turned out of al their possessions, which they were but plaine vsurpers of in the sight of god, & shalbe fearefully tormented in endlesse, ea [...]e­lesse, and remedy lesse tortures.

But that we may yet be better acquain­ted with the condition of our king­dome, wee must knowe first, that our kingdome is constant, and shall endure for euer, and what it wanteth on earth, it shall be supplyed in heauen, where God shall be all in all, in all his Elect. 1. Cor. 15. 2 [...]. Whereas all worldly kingdoms shalbe dissolued with the world. And in the meane time they are subiect to manie changes: and therefore Salomon saith; [Page 222] the Crowne continueth not from generati­on to generation. Pro. 27. 24.

This we see verified by the fall of the four mighty Monarchies of the world, and by continuall alterations in States to this day.

Secondly, in earthly kingdomes there is one the King, and the rest are his subiects: but in this kingdome all are Kings, and God alone is King of all. Neither doeth this anie wh [...]t diminish our glorie; For euen his seruice is per­fect libertie, yea the more perfect our seruice is to him, the farther we are from bondage, and the more absolute is our spirituall reg [...]l [...]tie.

Thirdly, the affaires of earthly Prin­ces are [...]iefly bodi [...]y and outward: but ours are spirituall and inward.

Fourthly, kings of this world (if they should prooue worldly minded, as the most are, and vse to bee,) may become Tyrants, and irreconciliable enemies one vnto another, labouring with all their powers to deturbe and ouer throw each other: But so i [...] falleth not out with those whome Christ hath made kings: [Page 223] For he so ruleth them by his Spirit, and with the Scepter of his word, that they shall neuer clime to that height of wic­kendesse, as of despite and purpose to seeke the destruction of one anothers soule, and to depriue them of their crownes.

Fiftly, earthly kings may be plagued of God to the losse of their soules, and therfore Esay saith, that Tophet (or hell) Is. 30. 33. is prepared for the King, euen for all wic­ked Princes whatsoeuer, which rebell against the King of Kings. But these kings shall neuer perish: For Christ giueth them eternall life: and it is their Ioh. 10. 28. Luk. 12. 32. Fathers pleasure to giue them the king­dome of heauen.

Lastly, earthly Kings come to their kingdomes, either by conquest, or by their bloud, or else by voyces, and ele­ction. But we obtaine this kingdome, neyther by the conquest of our owne workes, nor by the suffrages & electi­on of other men, neither come we by it through the commendation or digni­tie of flesh or bloud, but by the alone propitious grace of God, and propitia­tory [Page 224] merits of Iesus Christ, who by suf­fering death, and fulfilling the lawe for vs, hath redeemed vs from hell, and procured heauen, and this our heauen­ly honour. Therefore the Apostle saith: The wages of sinne is death, but the 1. Pet. 2. 5. free gift of God is eternall life, through Ie­sus Christ our Lord. So much for our Prince-hood.

Now as concerning our Priest-hood, Saint Peter who tells vs that wee are an Rom. 12. 1. holy Priest-hood, tells vs also the ende of this our Priest-hood euen to offer vp spi­rituall Sacrifices acceptable vnto God, by Iesus Christ.

Wherein then doe we differ from the Priestsvnder the lawe, and from Christ the High-Priest of all his people? I answere: we differ from the priests of the old Testament; First, because their sacrifices were types of Christ, but so are not ours. Secondly, they offe­ [...]ed the bodies of other things: wee offer our owne. Thirdly, their offrings were merely corporall: ours properly are spirituall.

Fourthly, they offered vp [...]aine sa­crifices [Page 225] and dead: but we are comman­ded to offer vp our bodies a liuing sa­crifice: Rom 12. 1. and we offer vp our selues aliue. Fiftly, they were Priests for others: but we are Priests for no men proper­ly, as they were.

Sixtly, their Altar was material and earthly: but ours is aliue, and heauen­ly: to wit, Christ Iesus. Seuenthly, their priesthood had an end, but ours is e­ternall. Eightly, theirs went from one to another by succession, but so doth not ours. Ninthly, amongst them some were seperiours: but there is no such diuersitie of degrees among vs beeing simply considered as we are Priestes. Indeed there is diuersity of graces, and there shal be inequality of glory, thogh there shalbe no want, but fulnesse in all. Tenthly, many of them were wicked, and some professed enemies of Christ & his religion: But they which Christ hath made Priests, are holy, chosen, and a 1. Pet. z. 9. people set at liberty, & such as shal not dy, but liue. Lastly, they were all of them males of one nation, and of one kinred of that nation, and they to be without [Page 226] any bodily defect or blemish: but a­mōgst Eeuit. 21. 18 vs there are both men & women, of all tribes & nations, and though ma­ny of them want not outward defects, either by nature or by accident, yet Christ respecteth not the outward e­state of any man in working for vs this honour.

Now as concerning Christ and his Priesthood; he was the Substance or Truth of all those Sacrifices and sha­dowes: at his death their date went out, whereas contrariwise our Priest-hood then began; So that wee are but vas­salls to that great [...]igh Priest.

Secondly, hee is an externall Priest of the New Testament, but we are spi­rituall Priests, and not outward.

Thirdly, his principall sacrifice was himselfe: but we haue other sacrifices Heb. 9. 11. to offer besides our selues, & our selues no way acceptable in our selues, but in him. Fourthly, his sacrifice was of re­conciliation, to satisfie the iustice of God for vs; But ours is of thanksgi­uing to God: not satisfactory, but decla­ratory: to shew our selues mindfull of [Page 227] that expiatory sacrifice which Christ offered, and to testifie our loue vnto him for it, and how gratefully we do receiue it.

Fifthly, his was offered once for all, but ours must be offered daily vpon all occasions. Sixtly, he as Preist, was God and Man: but we are meere men, simple and silly creatures.

Seauenthly, his Altar was his God­head, but our Altar is his Godhead and Manhead, also vnited in one person.

Eightly, his Sacrifice was voluntary; hee did not owe it to vs: but ours are debts, which are for many causes to be performed duely of vs.

Ninthly, if wee had not sinned, his sa­crifice had bene spared: but some of ours should haue bin performed of vs, though we had not sinned.

Tenthly, the goodnesse of his sacri­fice came from himselfe: but if ours haue any goodnesse, so farre sorth as they be good, it is from his holy Spirit, which worketh in vs.

Lastly, Christs sacrifice was perfect of it selfe, being his, who is perfect [Page 228] man, and perfect God: but ours are in this life maymed and imperfect: and their imperfection is couered by the perfection of his. And thus we see the glorious estate of all the faythfull, that euen as Christ their Head is a king and Priest, so are all they kings and priests also, yea a kingdome of priests, a regall and holy priesthood; although it be with great difference. For they receiue this honour by him, and not he through them. He is a king by nature, but they by grace. Hee is an absolute Prince ouer all creatures whatsoeuer, and ouer the very conscience: but so are not they. He is now in the full possessi­on of his kingdome: so are not we: but we wayt in our mortall bodies of this earthly thraldome, for the hope of that mortall and regall liberty of the sonnes of God in the heauens.

CHAP. IIII.

HAuing now declared the nature of this benefit, it remaineth for me to gather the Instructions: which may from hence be reaped. And these are of two sorts. Of the first kind are they that arise from the consideration of these two states together: and they are in number foure.

First, we are taught to take heed of all staine of sinne. For though it be dis­honorable in all, yet in those speciallie Omne ani­mi vitium, tanto con­spectius in se crimen habet, quan­tò maior, qui peccat, habetur, Iuuen. Fecisse principis, quasi praeci­pisse est. which are in any eminencie aboue o­thers. Euery vice of the minde hath in it selfe a fault more apparant, and so much more pernicious & discommendable, by howe much more hee is accounted grea­ter, which offendeth. Blacke spots are soonest seene in the whitest cloth. And the falls of Gods childrē are most obserued and soonest espied. The bare practise of a King, is as a precept to the [Page 230] people: and wicked priests are by their very examples occasions of much euill.

And if wee, that would perswade the world by our outward profession that wee are as kings and priests vnto God, shall break forth into open enormities, we shall not onely disgrace our calling, but we shall cause many other to stum­ble and fall by our example. Men are by nature like Towe: and leaude ensam­ples are as Matches to set them on fire, and to make them rage in sinning like wild-fire.

Secondly, seeing we are so highly graced by Christ, we should arme our selues with comfort against all our e­nemies, and against the bitternes of all afflictions. What though man disho­nour thee, yet Christ doth honour thee? What if thou beest poore, yet thou shalt be rich, yea thou art rich; For (as the Apostle sheweth) all things are 1. Cor. 3. 21. 22. yours. Whether it be Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death: whether they be things present, or things to come, euen all are yours. And shall we thinke that he, which hath thus highly [Page 231] promoted vs, will suffer vs to want those things, which in his wisedome he knoweth to be fit for vs? There is no reason for vs thus to thinke. Therefore Dauid saith; Feare the Lord: for nothing Ps. 34. 9. 10. is wanting to them, that feare him. The Lions do lacke, & suffer hunger, but they, which seeke the Lord, shall want nothing that is good. And he saith in his owne experience; I haue beene young and now Ps. 37. 25. am old: yet I neuer saw the righteous for sa­ken, nor his seed begging bread. For the Lord forsaketh not his Saints (his kings and priests) they shalbe preserued for e­uer. Yea but the world doth disgrace and deride thee. It is no maruell. For she did as much for Christ before thee. And shall the seruant thinke to fare better then his maister? Canst thou beare no disgrace for him, that suffe­red so much for thee, and hath brought thee into grace with God, and highly honoured [...]hee? And though the world repute basely of thee, yet are thou ac­counted of God a king, and priest, e­uen one of his Annointed. For all, that Christ hath thus dignified are an­nointed [Page 232] with the oyle of gladnesse, the Ps. 45. 7. oyle of grace. The oyle, which was powred on Arons head, ran downe vp­on 1. Ioh. 2. 20 Ps. 133. 2. his beard, and to the border of his garmēts. Euen so the oyle of our Aron was not shut vp wholly in himselfe, but (as the Holy Ghost saith) of his fulnes haue we receiued, and grace for grace. Of Ioh. 1. 16. his blazing Torch haue we light al our candles. Now doest thou not think that God will defend his annointed? Dost thou thinke that Christ will forsake those, whome he hath so graced? Yea, God will defend them: Christ will not leaue them. They, which touch them, Zach. 2. 8. touch the apple of his eie. And though the wicked haue drawne their sword, and Ps. 37. 14. haue bent their bow to cast downe (those whome Christ hath exalted) the poore and needie, and to slay such, as be of vp­right conuersation, as they are, whom he hath made kings and priests: yet is it bootlesse to them. For the Lord shall laugh them to skorne: their sword shall en­ter 13. 15. into their owne hart (God wil sheath it in their owne bowels) and their bowes shalbe broken, though they were of 37. [Page 233] steele. But marke the vpright man, and behold the iust. For the end of that man is peace. Finally, doth death a [...]rest thee? Or doth the feare thereof oppresse thee? Be not dismayed: for peace shall Is. 57. 2. come: they shall rest in their beds, euery one that walketh before him. Thou art a Priest: thou art cla [...] with righteous­nes, and thou shalt be cloathed with saluation. Thou art a King, and thou shalt enioy thy kingdome, and shall be set in a chaire of state: and the s [...]oner thou doest die, the sooner thou shalt come to thy crowne.

Thirdly, seeing our calling is so great, & our place so high, it behoueth vs to be carefull of our companions. It beseemes not the maiestie of a king, nor the grauitie of a priest, to conuerse with eueryrif-raffe person. We are spi­rituall kings and priests: wicked and profane persons are verie Naballs, that is, base & vile, euen the Gally-slaues of Pro. 10. 23. 1. Pet. 2. 9. the diuel, which row in the ful sea of ini quit [...]e, & make it a pastime to do wickedly.

Therfore we ought to shun their company. We are a royall Priesthood [Page 234] and an holy nation to shew forth the ver­tues of him, that hath called vs out of darkenesse into his maruellous light, and not to defile our selues with wickednes, nor to disgrace our selues or him by frequenting the companie of the vn­godly, and filthy enemies of goodnes. Is it seemely for a kings sonne, to be a companion with rebells, traytors, and those, which are enemies to his fa­ther? Are not we the sonnes of God, the king of kings, nay are we not kings our selues? And are not profane and wicked persons our fathers ene­mies, and enemies to his crowne and dignitie? Shall we then delight in their fellowship? Can a man take fire in his Pro. 6. 27. 28. bosome, and his clothes not be burnt? Can a man goe vpon coales and his feet not be burnt? Can a man be in the water, and not be wet? And is it possible for a man to conuerse with Athists, and to delight in the company of the wicked, and yet not be corrupted? Birds of one feather will flie together: and if thy companions be wicked, it is verie like that thy heart is not right, whatsoeuer [Page 235] thy profession is. Tainted barrels cor­ [...]upt good wine: and euill companie corrupts good manners. But kings & priests of all others should be most mannarly, that their ensamples might be as paterns for the people to resem­ble. They be good bookes for lay-men, for all men to looke vpon, and good glasses for thē to see how to dresse their soules withall. Let vs therfore abandon the companie of all euil liuers. Keep not Pro. 23. 20. company with drunkards nor with glut­tons. Make no friendship with an angry Pro. 22. 24. 25. man, neither go with the furious man, least thou learne his waies, and receiue destruc­tion to thy soule. Follow the practise of Dauid, who was both a temporall and a spirituall King likewise. He haunted not with vaine persons, neither kept com­panie Ps. 26. 4. 5. with dissemblers. I haue (quoth he) hated the assembly of the euill, and haue not companied with the wicked. I am a Ps. 119. 16. companion of all them that feare thee, and keepe thy precepts. It cannot but be an encouragement to the wicked, a dis­grace to our calling, a reproach to our persons, a scandall to the weake, an [Page 236] offence to God, a dishonour to Christ, a griefe to the godly, and a breach of our owne peace, when we that are thus dignified by Christ, & so seuered from the multitude of the world by our holy profession, shal delight in their fellow­ship, that liue in all sensualitie and profanesse. Let vs therfore be circum­spect, and make speciall choyce of our companie.

And lastly, prudence and prouidence doe well beseeme Priests and Princes. We should therefore be wise, not onely to preuent and auoyde dangers and e­uils, but also to forecast for, & procure those thinges that become our Priest­hood and Royaltie, and concerne the wealth & welfare of the Soule, which is as much to bee preferred before the body, as the sword before the scabberd, or as the hand before the Pen, wherwith it writes, or the knife, with which it cuts. And so much for the common instruc­tions.

CHAP. V.

THose of the second sort, be such as arise out of the consideration of these two titles or callings, apart by themselues, one of them beeing di­stinctly considered by it selfe from the other. And for the former first.

First, forsomuch as wee are kings, we ought to acquainte our selues with our owne Kingdomes, and not to be good States-men abroad, and (foris sapere) to be wise in other mens affayres, and to be ignorant of, and inconsiderate, or rechlesse of our owne. It is not the least Principis est virtus maxi­ma, nosse su­os, Martiall. praise of a Prince to know his subiects. And for as much as the kingdome of our heartes hath no small number of traytors and enemies to our Crowne, lurcking in secret corners, readie like Wolues at the least aduantage to work a mischiefe, to make an vprore, or an o­pen rebellion in vs: it is requisite that [Page 238] wee labour to knowe that faithfull Io­nathans, and what faithlesse Iudasses, we haue within vs; For as ther is no earth­ly kingdome, but hath some enemies to it: euen so there is no spirituall king a­mong vs, which hath not enemies to his crowne and kingdome. Yea wee haue within our own courts many, that would (if they could) pull the crowne from our heads, and thrust vs from our thrones.

Secondly, seeing wee are Kings, wee ought to keepe ccontinuall watch and ward, contending by all good means to defend our selues and states. For wise kings haue their guardes, and are dili­gent to preuent all mischiefes that may befall them. Nehemiah faith (chap. 7.) that after the walles of the Citie were built, he appointed wardes: euē so, see­ing God hath giuen vs a kingdome, & hath in part repaired the ruines of his i­mage in vs, let vs ward, that wee be not depriued of our crowne, and frustrated of our hopes: and that not without our weapons to defend our selues, and of­fend our enemies, which are for num­ber [Page 239] many, and for power mighty. And that wee may proue good watch-men, and not be surprized before wee be a­ware, let vs first commend our selues and estates vnto God. For except the Ps. 127. 2. Lord doe keepe the Citie, the keeper wat­cheth but in vaine. Vnlesse the Lord doe watche for vs: vnlesse the Lord do protect vs with the shield of his grace, & couer vs with the wings of his mer­cie, we lye exposed to our enemies, ea­sie to be taken of them. Secondly, let vs haue a watch-full eye to the Phili­stines abroade, to the tentations of the Diuell, & the allurements of the world. For Satan is subtill. When hee can­not oppresse vs with violence like a Li­on, then hee begins to play the Fox, transforming himselfe into an Angell of light, and so seeking (like a Wolfe in a sheepes skin,) to seduce and kill vs. And what are the sweet intisements of the world, but pleasant enchantments to be witch vs, and as the Fishermans bayte, which hath an hooke inclosed in it to catch the fish by the iawes? Third­ly, look narrowly to the Cananite with­in [Page 240] doore, that is, to the corruption of thine heart, that cruell Abimelech, that false-hearted Delilah, and ambitious Absalom, which beeing but a bramble, would faine be king, and ouertop the vine of Gods graces in vs, seeking by fraude and force to depose vs from our kingdomes. Remember the counsell of the holy [...]host, who saith; keep thine Pro. 4. 23. heart with all diligence: for thereout com­meth life. To this ende doe these three things. First, let Gods word dwell plenteously in thee, and meditate vp­on good things: turne thine eyes from beholding vanities, and inure thy feet to right pathes. Dauid saith; I kept thy Ps. 119. 89. word in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Secondly, haue warrant from the word of God for all thy thoughts and actions, and let it be the key to locke vp & to open the doore of thy lips. Salomon saith: establish thy Pro. 20. 18. thoughts by counsell. And Dauid saith; thy testimonies are my delight and counsel­lers. Ps. 119, 24.

Thirdly, be sure to vse all those things, which may cherish the spirit, [Page 241] and weaken the flesh. Hear the word: be frequent in prayer: foster good mo­tions: meditate of the death of Christ: apply the vertue of his resurrection vnto thee by thy faith: and greeue not Eph. 4. 30. the holy Spirit of God by whom ye are sea­led vnto the day of redemption.

Thirdly, seeing we are kings, we ought to be valorous, constant, and couragious. An effeminate and time­rous disposition is a disgrace to a Prince. But it is the royaltie and grea­test commendation of a king to be he­roicall and valiant, and to beare all things, that may betide him, with a Regiū hoc ipsum reor, aduersa ca­pere, Sen. magnanimious, noble, and vndaunted spirit. Kings ought to be Eagles for their wisdome: Doues for their inno­cencie, but yet withall, Lions for their fortitude: and so should we be also, that are things in Christ.

Fourthly, let vs beware of illiberall and base mindes, that wee solder not our affections to the earth.

An abiect & vassall-like minded king is a very skoffe among men, and a very Monster in nature. It would amaze [Page 242] thee to see a king neglect his robes, and embase himselfe in begg [...]rs wo [...]des. When we giue our selues to the world, we lay downe our crownes (as it were) & strip our selues of our p [...]i [...]cely [...]obes. For as Christ said of his kingdome, so shuld al [...] Christiās say & think of their Ioh. 18. 39. kingdome, that it is not of this world; a d [...]h [...]refore let vs so vse this world, as that it may app [...]re that w [...] are but t [...]a­uello [...]s [...]e [...]e, and way-f [...]ring men, and that wee make no account of abyding here, but look daily to be sent for home into our owne [...]rey; whereon (in this time of our ( [...]journing,) our heart must be so fixed, as if wee esteemed all thinges but losse in compar [...]son of the crowne prepared for vs in the heauens, where our kingdome is. If ye be risen Col. 3. 1. 2. with Christ, (as all spirituall kings are) seeke those things which are aboue, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. Set your affections on things which are a­boue, and not on thinges, which are on the earth. The Sunne scatters his beames downe to the earth: but wee should send the beames of our thoughtes vp­ward [Page 243] to the heauen. A stoole is an ease to a weary man to sit on: but if it be set vpon his head, it will offend him. And water is a great helpe to the sailing of a ship, but if it leake much into her, it will goe neare to sinck her.

Euen so the world beeing rightly v­sed, may further vs in the race of godli­nes, and ease vs in our trauell: but if the loue thereof doe leake into vs, if the world, which should be vnder our feet, be set vpon our heads, & take vp all our thoughtes, shee will hinder our course, endanger our soules, and be so great a burthen to vs, that we shall not be able to clime vp Iacobs ladder to heauen, and to go vp that mountaine, which is so steep: and so we shalbe kept from that Crowne, which wee seeme to coue [...], and from that goodly Kingdome, which, if wee could discerne it with our eyes, would make vs crie out with Peter, It Math. 17. 4. is good beeing heere.

Lastly, seeing that wee are all of vs Kings, let vs like valiant Princes wage warre with Sathan and all our sinnes, which are our enemies, & labour our [Page 244] eternall ouerthrowe.

For if wee be kings in the kingdome of light, wee ought to be enemies to those that belong to the kingdome of darknes. They are enemies of our gra­ces, and to our glorie; therefore let vs pu [...]sue them with irrecōciliable hatred. Let vs make no leag [...]e, no peace, [...]o truce, no [...] couenant with them, but fight against them to the ende, with all the forces of our soules. A wise King scat­tereth Pro. 20. 26. the wicked, and causeth the wheele to turne ouer them. So if we would shew our selues wise princes, wee ought to scatter & put to death our sinnes. Mor­tifie therefore (like good Princes,) your Col. 3. 5. members, which are on earth, fornication, vncleannesse, the inordinate affection, euil concupiscence, and couetousnesse, which is Pro 16. 32. idolatrie. For hee that ruleth his owne mind, is better then he that winneth a Cit­tie. A King is not worthy of his name, vnlesse hee be able to rule himselfe.

Though a man were king of all the earth, yet were he but a weake and mi­serable king, if hee gaue the reignes to his flesh, and did not gouerne himselfe. [Page 245] But though a man were as poore as Iob Tun com­maiure te­nebis, cum poteris rex esse tui, Claud. Nec regna [...]oci­ [...]m ferre, nec te dae sci unt, Sen. in his greatest miserie, and had not one foote of ground, yet if he rule himselfe and bridle his appetite, hee were a rich king, and a mightie Prince. Lordship and Loue, can brooke no fellowes. Wee are kings (here then is Lordship) let not sin reigne together with vs, but labour to suppresse it, least it tyrannize ouer vs. The Scripture saith that when Asa had 2. Chro. 14. 5 taken away the high places, and the i­mages, his kingdome was quiet before him: euen so shall wee enioy the true peace of conscience, and shall haue much quietnesse in our mindes if wee subdue our lusts, & cast away our cor­rupt affections. And although we can­not fully doe it, yet let vs doe our inde­uour. A will is commendable to affect Vt desiat vires, tamen est laudan­da voluntas, Ouid. it, thogh there want power to effect it. And (Si quod vis, non potes, Deus factum computat, Aug.) if thou canst not doe that which thou hast a desire to do (from thy heart) God doth account it as done. A couragious and wise king wil vse all meanes to suppresse rebells and tray­tours, though hee cannot vtterly per­forme [Page 246] his purpose: euen so labour by all means possible to suppresse & roote out thy sinnes, which take vp armes a­gainst thee, and doe not onely striue to [...]ot out Gods graces, which hee hath planted in thee, but will if they be per­mitted, destroy [...]hee quite, and depriue thee of thy kingdome.

Hee is a worthie Souldier that figh­teth fiercely against his sinnes.

It is an holy ambition to striue to win the scepter from sin & Sathan, the king and queene of the kindome of darknes, and to labour to cast them quite o [...]t of their th [...]o [...]es. It is a religious fast to abstaine from fleshly lusts, which fight, 2. Pet. 2. 11. against the soule; and to loose the bondes of wickednes. It is a lawfull couetousnes Is. 58. 6. to get, what may be got, from the Di­uell. It is no superstitious pilgrimage nor idle trauelling, to take our iourney from the Diuell, and to trauell from our own corruptions to God, to Christ, to the land of promise, celestial Canaan. It is a lawfull rebellion to take vp armes against the prince of darkenes. that rebellious Tyrant. It is an holy [Page 247] war, and honorable to fight against the Diuel And it is no fra [...]d at al to de­ceiue this fraudulent & perfidious ad [...]uersarie, but wisedome to discerne and defeate hi [...]sleights and stratagems. It Indice me, fraus est cō ­cessa repel­lere fraudē: Armá (que), in armatos su­mere iura si­nunt. Ouid. stands with right & reason that kings should wisely frustrate the purposes of their wi [...]y enemies, and a [...]me them­selues against them, that arme them­selues to worke their ruine. Let vs therefore sight against our sinnes, and resist Sathan who walketh about like a 1. Pet. 5. 8. 9. roaring lion (strong & hung [...]ie) seeking whome he may deuoure.

It is no tyrannie to tyrannize ouer them: but it is a prudent and godly crueltie to kill them all, head and tayle, damme and cubb, and to smite them hip and thigh with a mightie destruc­tion, as Samson did the Philistines. For Iudg. 15. 8. Ps. 137. 9. (as the Psalmist saith concerning Ba­bel) blessed shall he be that taketh and da­sheth her children against the stones: euen so blessed is that man that putteth his sinnes to the sword, & that mortifieth his corruptions, dashing them as it were to the ground. Is it posible that [Page 249] any men should be so sauadge as to Amos 1. 23 rip vp women with childe, to enlarge their borders: & shall not we seeke the death of our sinnes, that would [...]ip vp our soules and vtterly consume vs, if Gods mercy did not hinder. The wicked wat­cheth [...]s. 37. 32. the righteous, & seeketh to slay him: and shall not we marke our vnrighte­ous affections, and labour to kil them? Shall they practise against the godly, and shall we do nothing against vngodli­nesse? Ps. 37. 12. kings cannot indure to be thwar­ted and ouer topt in their owne king­domes. Wee are kings, wherefore then should we suffer our sins to braue vs, and to vaunt themselues within vs? Here we may lawfully resemble Dio­trephes 3. Ioh. 9. Math. 23. 6. and the Pharisees, who hunted after preeminence and the highest roomes; We may lawfully challenge the primacy ouer sinne, and it is wis­dome, and worthy our labour to seeke for a seate aboue sinne. It is neither maiestie nor modestie (but sordide and seruile humilitie, or negligence) for a king to suffer a slaue or obiect to sit about him. And thus far also we [Page 250] may be like Caesar, who could brooke no superiour, & Agamemnon and Pom­pey, Nec quen­quam iam ferre potest, Cesarue priorem, Pompeius ve parem, Lucan. who could endure neither superi­our, nor equall. Yea we ought to stand vpon our dignitie against sinne, and to tread it downe. When Pharoah saw the Israelites increase, & fearing least they should growe too mightie for him, he said vnto his people; Come, let vs worke Ex. 1. 10. 11. wisely with them, least they multiply: and therevpon they set task masters ouer them, to keepe them vnder with bur­dēs: so should we deale wisely with our sinnes, that they multiplie not in vs, nor wax too mightie: we should beate downe our bodies, & labour to subdue them to vs. Neither must we only re­presse and keepe them vnder, but la­bour also to subuert and kill them vt­terly. And to this end we ought to put on the whole armour of God, that we may be able to resist & conquer them. Stand therefore, with your loynes girded Eph. [...]. 14. 5. about with veritie, & hauing on the brest­plate of righteousnesse, and your [...]eet shod with the preparation of the gospell of peace. And aboue all, take the Shield of faith, [Page 250] wherewith ye may quench All the fierie darts of the wicked: and take the helmet of saluation, & the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, (where with ye may strike of the head of sin) & pray alway. When tydings were brought that the Ammonites and Moabites were com­ming against I [...]hoshaphat to battell; that 2. Chro. 20. 2. 3. 6. good king set himselfe to seeke the Lord, & prayed vnto him for his assistance. And as he confessed that he and his people were not able to encounter with so great a multitude, so also he shewed h [...]s confidence and hope in God: Our eyes (saith he) are towards thee. And the Lord gaue him an admi­rable victorie. So when S [...]tan and our owne corruptions conspire together to worke our ouerthrow, we ought to flie to God by prayer for his grace that our faith may not faile, but that we may abide the brunt, and obtaine a vic­torie ouer them. And as Dauid prayed; Ps. 145. 1. Hide not thy face from mee. Deliuer me [...]o Lord) from mine enemies. And for thy mercy slay mine enemies, & destroy all thē that oppresse my soule. Cast forth the Ps. 144. 6. [Page 251] lightning, & scatter thē. So do thou de­sire him, to shi [...]ld thee with the buckler of his grace, to dispell thine ignorance with the light of his Spirit, to cōfound the Diuel, and al thy sinnes, which op­pres [...]e thy soule, and to defend and de­liuer thee from all thy spirituall ene­mies, which are too mightie [...] hee. For it is God, that giueth deliuerance to Ps. 144. 10. kings (both temporall and spirituall.) He is able to destroy the mightiest, and to releeue the weakest. For great is Ps. 147. 5. our Lord, and great is his power: his wise­dome is infinite. His greatnesse (if he shew it) is able to daunt the greatest. His power and his wisedome (if he list to vse it) is able to frustrate the deuises of the wisest, & r [...]t [...]rt them v [...] on their owne heads. Let vs therefore in a [...]l our conflicts with sinne, & in all our com­bats with the diuel, commit our selues vnto him. No victorie can be look [...] for without him. And thus much for our Prince-hood.

CHAP. VI.

IT remaineth nowe to deliuer those instructions, which may be gathered frō the consideration of our priest-hood.

First, forsomuch as wee are Priests, it is our dutie to labour for true spiritu­all knowledge, that we may execute our our office faithfullie and discreetly.

The legall Priestes were to bee men of Mal. 2. 7. knowledge: (for the Priests lips saith the Lord, shall preserue knowledge:) and I see no reason, wherefore wee, that are Euangelicall or spiritual priests, should [Page 209] be voyd of vnderstanding & ignorant. The oxe knoweth his owner, and the asse his masters crib, and shall wee be ignorant Is. 1. 3. of God, that owneth vs, and of Christ, that is our Lord and master? Peter ex­horteth vs to growe in the knowledge of 2. Pet. 3. 18. Christ; therefore we ought to haue the knowledge of him. For as a man can­not increase in wealth, vnlesse he haue some wealth: so no man can growe in knowledge, except hee haue know­ledge. A thing must bee before it can be bigger. Those therefore, that like the wicked coloured out by Iob desire not the knoowledge of Gods wayes, but are Iob. 21. 14. Plin. nat. hist. l. 9. c. 32. content to liue without eyes, like Sea­winckles, and are by reason of their pee­uishnesse as vnteacheable as Swallowes, which (as Plinie writeth,) cannot be Hist. nat. l. brought to learne: those (I say,) doe plainly shewe, that they are not as yet called home to God, but are in thral­dom vnder the God of this world, who hath blinded their mindes, and leadeth them captiue at his will. Surely they can be no good Priests, no good men. A very Pagan, led onely by the light of [Page 254] nature, was able to say that it was a sin to be ignorant of those things that doe quod magis ad nos per­ [...]net, & n [...] ­ [...]ci [...]e malum est: et quae sit natura boni. Hor. most concerne vs, and not to know the nature of that which i [...] good.

God commanded that Aaron the Priest should weare a plate, whereon was graued Holynes vnto the Lord, and that vpon his brest-plate should be the Vrim and the Thummim: euen so wee, that are Priests by Christ our Priest, shuld not onely professe holynesse vn­to the Lord in our liues, and haue the Thummim of perfection or sincerity in our hearts, but the Vrim also of diuine & wholsome knowledge in our heads, which i [...] the light of the soule, and as it were the true rudder of our zeale, & as comfortable as the Sun-shine in a darke house, or as a Candle is in a deepe dun­geon. Be not (therefore) like an Horse, or like a M [...]le, which vnderstand not: but Ps. 32. 9. labour for true knowledge and vnder­standing. Thou art a Priest: let thy lips therefore preserue knowledge.

Secondly, Priests were to teache the people: so let vs, if not all able to in­strict, yet bee all willing to set forward [Page 255] one another, keeping our selues soberly within [...]he limits of our callings. Let pa­rents and masters teach their childrē, & seruants and let vs exhort one an other, and be ready to say with those foretold of by the Prophet. Come and let vs goe Isa. 3. vp to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Iacob, and he will teach vs his wayes, & we will walke in his pathes. Then would religion flourish, and profanesse would not be so rise: then should our light breake forth, as the morning, and the glory of the Lord shall embrace vs. Prouided alwayes that we truely teach our selues, as wee labour to instruct o­thers. For otherwise, wee shalbe but like the Sumpter-horse, that carieth ri­ches for others, but none for himselfe.

Thirdly, like Priests wee ought to pray for others, and delight in blessing, and take [...]eed of cursing. The Priests had a speciall commandement to blesse the people with these wordes, saying; The Lord blesse thee, and keepe thee: the Num. 5. 24. 25. 26. Lord make his face to shine vpon thee, and be mercifull vnto thee [...] the Lord lift vp his countenance vpon thee, & giue thee peace. [Page 256] And it were commendable in vs, that are spirituall Priests, thus to pray for our brethren, nor for our brethren on­ly: Eph. 6. 18. [...] for Christ commandes vs, to blesse, Math. 5. 44. euen those, that curse vs, and to pray for them, that hate vs. Let vs therefore (like spirituall Priests) walke in the Spi­rit; Gal. 5. 16. Eph. 4. 31. 32. Let all bitternes, and anger, and wrath, crying, and euill speaking, be put away from you, with all maliciousnes: and be courteous one to another, as Priests should bee, not rendring euill for euill, neither rebuke for 1. Pet. 3. 9. rebuke: but contrariwise, Blesse; knowing that ye are therevnto called, that ye should be heyres of blessing. For wee should be patternes of pietie and patience, and as pictures of Christianitie, that they, 1. Pet. 2. 12 which speak of vs as of euil doers, may by our good workes, which they shall see, glorifie God in the day of their visi­ta [...]ion, when God also shall shew mer­cie to them, and conuert them.

Fourthly, as the Priests vnder the Leuit. 6. 13. Law, kept the fire on the Altar, & ne­uer let it goe out, but fed it continual­ly: so let vs neuer let the fire of Gods graces, goe out vpon the altar of our [Page 257] hearts, but let vs continually feede them by hearing and reading the worde, by receiuing the Lords Supper, by pray­er, meditations and godly conference, that so wee may grow in grace, as Peter 2. Pet. 2. 18. doth exhort vs, and proceede in pietie to the glory of him, that hath thus gra­ced vs, to the comfort of our brethren, and to the solace of our owne soules.

Fiftly, seeing wee are Priests, let vs like Priests offer vp Sacrifices vnto God. For (as Peter sheweth) wee are 2. Pet. 2. 5. an holy Priest-hood, to offer vp spiri­tuall sacrifices vnto God. And that we may take a good course in performing this dutie, I will shew, First, the sacri­fices, which wee ought to offer. Se­condly, the Altar, whereon they must be layed. Thirdly, the time when they should be offered. Fourthly, our prepa­ration before wee offer them. Fiftly, the manner how wee ought to offer them. And sixtly, to what ende.

For the first; our sacrifices are ma­nie. The first is prayer. I will therfore (saith Paul) that the men pray, euery where 1. Tim. 2. 8. lifting vp pure hand [...]s, without wrath or [Page 258] doubting. This is that incense and pure offering, which the Lord said shalbe of­fered Mal. 1. 11. to him in euery place. A pithy prayer is (M [...]dullatū sacrificium) a mar­ [...]owish or fat sacrifice, and (as it were) a cord, wherwith we bind Gods hands, when hee is readie to finite vs for our sinnes. And yet as the Psalmist saith: If I regard wickednesse in my heart, the Lord will not heare mee. The second is Ps. 66. 18. praysing and thanks-giuing. And ther­fore Asaph saith, Offer vnto God prayse, & Ps. 50. 14. paye thy vowes vnto the most High. Hoseah willeth the people to goe to God in prayer, and say; Receiue vs graciously: so wil we render the calues of our lips. Which the Authour of the Epistle to the He­brewes, Hos. 14. 3. seemeth to explaine, when hee saith: Let vs therefore by him offer the Heb. 13. 15. sacrifice of prayse alwayes vnto God: that is, the fruit of the lips, which cōfesse his Name. Dauid also saith, I wil offer to thee a sacri­fice of praise, and will call vpon the Name of the Lord.

The third, is a sorowfull, humble, and contrite heart. For the sacrifices of God Ps. 51. are a contrite spirit: a contrite and a bro­ken [Page 259] heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

The fourth is almes-deedes, and the reliefe of the afflicted. Therefore the holy Ghost saith; To doe good and to di­stribute Heb. 13. 16 forget not. For with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Paul saith, I was euē fil­led, Placent non placant. Phil. 4. 18. after that I had receiued of Epaphrodi­tus that (reliefe) which came from you, an odour, which smelleth sweet, a Sacrifice ac­ceptable vnto God.

The fift, is the sacrifice of our blood: when we are content to seale the truth with our bloud, which we cōfesse with our tongues, and professe in our liues. Paul saith: though I be offered vp vpon the Phil. 2. 17. sacrifice & seruice of your [...]aith, I am glad, and reioyce with you all. And to his na­turall sonne Timothy he saith: I am ready 1. Tim. 1. 2. to be offered, or powred out as a drinke 2. Tim. 2. 6. offering by martyrdome.

The sixt is, when Parents doe dedi­cate their children vnto God, either to serue him in the generall calling of Christianity, or in some speciall calling, which approacheth nearest to him, as Hannah did her sonne Samuel. Could 1. Sam. 1. any be so deuout in their superstitions, [Page 260] as to sacrifice their children vnto Ido [...], vnto Diuels, and shall not Christians consecrate their childrē vnto God, that gaue them: vnto Christ, that bought them: and vnto the Spirit, which doth renew them?

The seauenth is the Lords Supper: which may be called a sacrifice, not be­cause any corporall, propitiatory, or applicatory sacrifice is offered vnto God in it, but because at the celebra­tion 4. And it is a momoriall of Christs [...]a [...]rifice. therof, we offer vp our prayse, our selues and seruice vnto God, in testimo­nie of our thankfulnesse to God for the death of Christ, set forth and signified in that sacrament. And therefore it is called the Eucharist, or Thansgiuing. And because also they did in the church vse at the receiuing of this sacrament to offer their gifts for the reliefe of the poore, in witnesse of their thankfull hearts vnto God. Which custome is yet religiously continued in some pla­ces.

Fightly, Gods Ministers in his church haue a speciall kind of sacrifice, in offering vp those whome they do [Page 261] couuert vnto God; The Minister bee­ing as the priest; the word of God preached, as the sacrificing knife; and the conuert is the sacrifice. So Paul of­fered Rom. 15. 16 the Gentiles to God as a sacrifice.

A ninth sacrifice is, when we offer vp vnto God & his honour, our selues, soule and bodie. Paul saith; Giue your selues vnto God, and giue your mem­bers Rom. 6. 23. as weapons of righteousnesse vnto God. And againe he saith; I be seech you, Brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye Rom. 12. [...] giue vp your bodies a liuing sacrifice, holy, acceptable vnto God, which is your reaso­nable seruing of God. We ought to offer vp our whole bodies and our whole soules. For as euery sonne oweth ho­nour vnto his Father: as euery subiect oweth homage vnto his prince: and as euerie seruāt oweth obedience vnto his Master: euen so euerie soule, and euerie bodie, euerie power of the soule, and euerie part of the bodie, oweth honour and seruice vnto God, who is the Lord, the king, the father, and preseruer of it. And we offer vp our bodies to God as a sacrifice: first, when we make them [Page 262] the instruments of our soules to exe­cute the works of holinesse vnto God, of righteousnesse to our neighbours, and of temperance & sobrietie towards our s [...]lues.

Secondly, when we morifie & sup­presse the sinnes of the bodie, as anger, bitternesse, wantonesse, sloth, & drun­kennes. When we sacrifice our sinnes, as Iosiah did the I [...]olatrous Priestes of 2. King. 23. 20. the high places, then do we performe a notable sacrifice well beseeming our Priesthood. Now these beeing our sa­crifices, The second thing to be consi­dered is the Altar, whereō we ought to lay them; and that is Christ Iesus, as he is God and Man. For he is our Media­tour, he maketh vs and all our sacrifices acceptable vnto his father. For he co­uereth all their imperfections with his blood, and v [...] with his righteousnes. Whatsoever [...] the sanctified al­tar Ex 27. 37. Math. 23. 19. was holy: euen so whatso [...]uer sa­ctifice we offer vpon this Altar shal be accepted. The Altar did sanctifie the offering, [...]uen so Christ our Altar doth sanctifie & commend al our offerings, [Page 263] which in themselues are verie lame and faultie. But he remoueth their blerni­shes, and makes them sound, and as Salt he sea so [...]eth them all, and makes them sauour and realish well in his fathers tast.

The third thing is the time when they should be offered: and that is con­tinually vpon all occasions, from the morning of ou [...] age, euen to the eue­ning thereof. They were commanded Leu. 2. 14. in the time of the Law to offer vp eares of come dried by the fire, and wheate beaten out of the greene eares: euen so we should offer vnto God the Prim­rose of our life, & our tender and greene yeares. Salomon aduiseth young men to Ecc. 11. 10. &. 12. 1. cause eutll to depart from their flesh, and to remember their Crcator in the dates of their youth. Abel offred to the Lord the Gen. 4. 4. first fruits of his sheepe, and of the fat of them: so let vs offer vnto God the first fruites of our age, & the fat of our life. The lame and the torne will not go for curran: Shall we giue the Diuell the Mal. r. 13. strength of our daies, and offer God our old bones? May he not in iustice [Page 264] repell vs, and re [...]ect our offerings? And as we must beginne betimes to shew our selues Priests vnto God, so must we continue constant vnto the end. [...]. Thes. 5. 17 Therefore Paul saith; Práy continually. And againe: Let vs offer vp the sacrifice Heb. 13. 15.of praise alwaies vnto God. The Law Et. 29. 36. 38. appointed certain sacrifices to be offe­red day by day continually: so we haue some sacrifices, which we should daily and humbly offer vp vnto God, as a contrite heart, prayer, praysing of his name, workes of charitie, and such o­thers. We must not be wearie of well doing, but perseuere in the cōstant ex­ecuting of our office. And i [...] any thing trouble vs we must repell it, as Abra­ham Gen. 15. 11. did the birdes, which hindred him in his businesse. Constancie is an argu­ment of fortitude and sinceritie.

The fourth thing to be considered is our preparation: which consisteth in two things. First, in repenting of sinne, and clensing the heart and life of wic­kednesse. Ps. 26. 6. Therefore Dauid saith; I will wash mine hands in i [...]nocencie (O Lord) and then will I compasse thine altar. Whē [Page 265] Iosehp was to appeare before the king of Aegypt, he shaued him, and changed his garments, & came to h [...]m: so when Gen. 14. 14. thou a [...]t to appeare before the king of heauē and earth with any gift or sacri­fice, change thy rayment of wickednes, shaue away thy superfluous & corrupt affections, wash thine heart and thine hands in innocencie, and then lay thy sacrifice vpon the altar, and offer it.

They which send presents vnto great men, will looke that they bee as pure and good as may bee, so wee, that are to present our selues vnto the great God, should labour to be inwardly neat and holy. The Prophet saith, that Is. 66. 3. hee that killeth a bullock is as hee that slue a man: and he that sacrificeth a sheepe, is as he that cut off a dogges head; meaning, that their sacrifices were abominable in Gods sight, because they offere their bullockes, but not themselues, but de­lighted in their owne wicked wayes. But let vs by repentance, first sacrifice and slay our sins, and then sacrifice and offer vp our selues. Salomon saith: take P 10. 25. 4. the drosse from the siluer, & there shall pro­ceede [Page 266] a vessell for the Finer: euen so say I, purifie thine heart, and purge out the drosse of sinne from the mettall of thy soule, and there wilbe a gift, which the Lord will like of.

Secondly, pray to God, that he would accept of thy sacrifice, and pardon all the blemishes in it. Dauid saith, O Lord I beseech thee accept the free offe­rings Ps. 119. 108. Ma [...]. 3. 3. of my mouth. Malachy saith that Christ shall refine the sonnes of Leui, & purifie them as golde, that they may bring offerings vnto the Lord in righ­teousnes. Wee are as the sons of Leui, Priests I meane, but spirituall: let vs pray vnto Christ, that hee would refine [...]z. 36. 25. vs, and power the cleane water of his Spirit vpon vs, that we may be cleane from our filthinesse, that so wee might sacrifice vnto the Lord in righteousnes. For as hee requireth the sac [...]ifices of righteousnesse, so hee looketh that they Ps. 4. 5. should be offered in righteousnes, that is, after a righteous and holy manner.

The fif [...]thing to be considered, is the manner how all our sacrifices should be offered.

First, wee must offer them in faith. For whatsoeuer is not of saith is sinne. We Rō. 14. 23. must bee assured of our offe [...]ings, that God will accept them. By faith Abel of­fered H [...]b. 11. 4. vnto God a greater sacrifice thē Cain. A sacrifice without faith, is as a bodie w [...]hout a s [...]ule, & a tree without pyth, and therefore the sacrifice of the wic­ked, who are destitute of true faith, and not within the cou [...]nant, is as Salomon Pro. 15. 8. teacheth) an abomination to the Lord.

Secondly, we must of [...]er vp all our sa­crifices, sincerely with an honest heart, and in cons [...]ence of Gods c [...]mande­ment. For God tryeth the hear [...] and the Ps. 9. r [...]ines: and counterfet sanct [...]ty is dou­ble iniquitie. When wee giue almes, which is one sacrifice, the left hād shuld not knowe what the right hand doth. And when wee pray to God, which is another sacrifice, we must not des [...] to Math. 6. be seene of men, but ought to goe into our closets. By which our Sau [...] mea­neth, that we should performe the [...]e du­t [...]es sincerely without hypocri [...]. For the hypocrite shall not come before God: but Iob. 13. 16. Pro. 1. 20. those, whtch are vpright in their way, are [Page 268] his delight. And therefore must our sa­crifice bee entierly offered, as Dauids was, when he said: I will praise thee O Lord my God, with All mine heart. Ps. [...]6. 12.

The Law appointed a sacrifice in Leu. 1. 8. 9. which all the members were offered; And the meate offering, which the [...]euit 6. 23. Priestes offered, was burnt altogether, and no part therof was reserued. So we, that are made Priestes by Christ our High-priest; should offer vnto God an entire sacrifice, our whole heart, all the members of our bodie, and all the faculties of our soule. For he made them all: and he will either haue them all, or none: he wil not part stakes with the Diuell.

Thirdly, we must offer vp our sa­crifices willingly, chearefully, & with delight. Therefore the Psalm [...]st saith; Let them offer sacrifices of praise, and de­clare Ps. 107. 22. his workes with re [...]oycing. God lo­ueth free-will offerings, and a cheere­full giuer. Siracides saith; In all thy gifts 2. Co [...]. 9 7. Eccle. 35. 9. 10. shem a toyfull countenance, and looke what th [...]ne hand is able, giue with a cheerefull eye. Giue the Lord his honour with a libe­rall [Page 269] eye. For he that soweth liberally, shall reapalso liberally. Dauid and his people 2. Cor. 9. 6. offered willingly, & with a perfect heart 1. Chron. 90. 9. 14. vnto the Lord, for the building of a temple [...]d his name: euen so should we offer vp all our sacrifices willingly and with alacrity for the glory of his name.

Fourthly, we must offer vp all our sacrifices beeing in charitie with our This also must be ob­lerued in the prepa­uation. Math. 5. 23. 24. neighbours. Christ saith; If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee: leaue there thine offering before the altar, and go thy way: first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come, and offer thy gift. Our sacrifices must not be mixed with wrongs. But whatsoeuer gooddutie we do to God, let vs be in charitie with our brother. For how can we thinke that he will accept [...]t, if we hate our bro­ther, whome he hath made? And what­soeuer good worke we do to man, let vs do it in loue vnto him.

For (as Paul sheweth) though we 1. Cor. 13. 3. should giue al our goods to the poore, and haue not loue, it would profit no­thing.

Fiftly, we m [...]st offer vp all our sa­crifices in the name o [...] Christ Whatso­euer ye do, in word or de [...]d, do all in the Col. 3. 17. Name of the Lord Iesus gi [...]ing thankes to God euen the father by him. The Apostle Heb. 13. 15. exhorteth vs to offer the sacrifice of praise vnto God by him. For if we would haue our offerings accepted, we must not trust to their owne dignitie, which deserueth nothing, but rely on­ly vpon his merits and most meritori­ous intercession. And therefore Peter 1. Pet. 2. 5. saith, our sacrifices are acceptable to God by Iesus Christ.

And so much of the manner.

The end followeth: and it is either su­preme or subordinate, greater or lesser. The maine ende of all our sacrifices, is the glory of God, which ought of all men in their actions to be sought for, a­boue all thing, else; and therfore Paul saith: whether ye cate or drinke, or what­soeuer 1. Cor. 10. 31. ye doe, doe all to the glorie of God. The subordinate & inferiour ends are, 1. That men might beholde our faith: 2. commende our profession: 3. and glorifie our heauenly Father for vs: [Page 271] 4. that wee may adorne our calling: 5. and allure others to the liking both of it and vs: 6. that wee may edisie and excite our brethren, by our good exam­ple: 7. that we may stop the mouthes of Atheists, papists, & Pagans: 8. and that wee may gather certaine assurance of our election and effectuall vocation, and at length attaine to the ende of our faith, the saluation of our soules.

And this shall suffice for the foure first generall points.

CHAP. VII.

THe fist and last, is the Person to whome wee are made Kings and Priests: and that is to God, the Fa­ther of Christ, and in him also ours.

The word God in the Scriptures, is taken two wayes, properly, & impro­perly. Properly, either for the nature or God-head, as where it is said, God is Ioh. 4. 24. a Spirit. Or for any of the three per­sons [Page 272] subsisting in that nature or God­ [...]ead. And so it is taken in this place for the Father. Improperly this word God is giuen to Angels, and to Magi­strates, Ps. 8. 5. Heb. 2. 7. Ps. 82. [...]. vnto Idols, & to the Diuel him­selfe.

Now the father is called God, not because he is more God, then the Son and Holy Ghost. For they are equal to him. But because he is first in order, & from him the Godhead is communica­ted to the Sonne and holy Ghost.

He is called the father of Christ, nor by the grace of creation, as he was the father of the Angels, and of Adam be­fore [...]ob. [...]. 6. Luke. 3, 38. his fall: nor by the grace of Adop­tion, as Eunomius and the Bonosians did imagine: but by Nature, (though the Marcellians say otherwise.)

The Father, from all eternity, com­municating his whole God-head vnto him, and yet not depriuing himselfe of it. Hence wee l [...]arne:

First, that as there is a God, (contra­ [...]ie to the opinion of Diagoras Milesias, Plu [...]. de Plac. Phil, Theodorus Cyrenaeus, Eumenes Tegeates, and al Atheists whatsoeuer: so that this [Page 273] one God is not one in person, as [...]e i [...] one in nature, but distinguished. For Esse [...] est est [...] sanc [...]um. the Son is not the father, the father not the holy Ghost, but they are distin­guished by their incommunic [...]ble pro­perties. The father is God begetting; the Sonne is God begotten of the [...]a­ther, and the Holy Ghost is God pro­ceeding from them both.

For they haue all one nature, will, Esse pat [...]is est esse [...] & [...]p [...]titus sancti. and naturall power, which is common to them all, and not begotten: but they differ in their manner of subsisting in that one nature by their personall pro­prieties, which are not common to them all, as the [...]a [...]re is, but appro­priated to each of them Secondly, that Christ is the substantiall Sonne of God, equall for time and essence vnto his father, and therfore to be honoured as well as the father: and beware of the opinion of Arrius, who b [...]ld that Christ was not coeternall, coequall, and of the same substance with the father.

Lastly, seeing we are made kings and Preists to God, we must let him h [...]ue [Page 274] all the glory of our kingdome and priesthood. For to him and for his honour and seruice are we thus especi­ally promoted. We are not thus honou­red to liue as we list, but to set forth Gods glory, and his prayse, who hath so highly graced vs. Therfore all those a [...]e to be condemned, who giue them­selues to the works of darknesse, sacri­ficing to Venus by vnclea [...]nes, to Bac­chus by d [...]unkenn [...]s, to Mammon by worldlinesse. All these sacrifice to the Diuell and to their owne flesh, which is the seed of the Diuel, and not to God, to whome we ought to liue, that as we liue by him in this world, so we may also liue with him in the world to come. And thus much of the description of Christ, which is the first thing to be considered in this Thanksgiui [...]g.

CHAP. VIII.

THe second thing is the substance, or matter of it, conteined in these wordes; To him be glory and domini­on for euermore. In which words the Apostle [...]scribeth all ho [...]o [...]r, p [...]a [...]se maiesty, rule and Lordship to Christ for louing of vs, and declaring his loue vnto vs by washing vs from our sinnes in his bloud, and making vs k [...]ngs and priests vnto his father. Which pra­ctise of his, teacheth vs to shew all thankfulnesse to him for these his fa­uours, by doing all things, which may set forth his glory, & manifest our obe­dience to his authority and great­nesse.

The third and last thing to be consi­dered, is the testification of the Apostles sayth or seruent desire of Christs glo­ry, in the word Amen: which signisieth [Page 276] certenily, so be it, or it shalbe so. As if he [...]ould say, thou shalt haue all glory [...]d mi [...]ion ascribed to thee: or, [...]t it be so, let glory, dominion and [...] giue [...]or ascribed to him [...]or these inestimable benefits. And thus [...] bles his desire, and sheweth how earnestly he d [...]h wish that Christ may haue all glor [...] and dominion ascribed to him, as it doth indeed of right be­ [...]n [...] vnto him. For he is the king of [...]ry, the redeemer of the world, the h [...]e of all [...]ngs, the m [...]ghty God, t [...]e prince of pea [...]e, the gou [...]rnour of [...] 1. 2. [...] [...]ath. 28. 18 the Church, and to him all power is giuen in heauen and in earth. And this e [...]s [...]mple o [...] Iohn should proucke vs [...] [...]e [...]ent, and not to freeze in our desires of his pr [...]yse and g [...]o [...]y. And as we ought to be vehement in desyring [...] we should be as eager and pr [...]mpt [...] do all things whatsoeuer, whi [...]h may de [...]re it among men, and ar [...]ue [...]e ard [...]cy [...]nd integrity of our in­ [...]rd [...]ffection. And so doing we shall [...] com [...] to our selues, and d [...]mon­st [...]a [...]e [...]ur th [...]nkfulnesse to him; vnto [Page 277] whom with the father and the Holy Spirit, three persons, but one true, eternall and wise God, be rendered all honour, prayse, and glory, both now and euer,