IN these wordes (welbeloued in our Lorde and Sauiour) the holy Euangelist Saint Iohn hath set down the summe and effect of a famous sermon made by Christ himselfe, the verie conside­ration whereof, ought both to stirre vppe me to open the same the more reuerently, [Page 2]and also to prooue you, to listen thereunto the more religiously and attentiuely. Here­in, The me­thod. the method that he hath followed, and that therefore likewise I must, is this; First, hee noteth certaine circumstan­ces thereof, then the substance of the sermon it selfe. The circumstances hee expresseth in these wordes, Nowe in the last and greate day of the feast, Iesus stood and cryed saying: and the sermon in the rest: and that in this order. First he no­teth to whom he directed it, and his speech therein, saying that he beganne it thus, If any man thirst: then in the rest, what it was that he spake vnto such: Nowe the summe of his speeches (as he hath heere recorded it) consisted of two pointes: first of a commaundement that he gaue to them to whome he spake, and then of a promise that he made them, obeying that commaundement of his. The commaun­dement the Euangelist saith, was this, Let him come to me and drinke: and the promise was this, hee that beleeueth in mee as saith the scripture, out of his belly shall flowe ri­uers of waters of life. So that he com­maunded two thinges: first a comming vnto him, and then a drinking of him: and forasmuch as the promise was thus [Page 3]deliuered in a figuratiue and metaphoricall kinde of phrase, the Euangelist directed by the spiritte of God, of a care he had to leade men to the right vnderstanding of Christes meaning therein, and to pre­serue them from mistaking of the same, telleth vs plainely, that by the riuers of waters of life, that Christ spake of in this promise of his, he vnderstoode, the spi­ritte which they that beleeued in him, shoulde receiue, adding withall, that that was not in such measure yet powred vp­pon such, as it shoulde be afterward, for that Iesus was not yet glorified; for so his wordes, the holie Ghost was not yet, must be vnderstoode as I shall shewe, The circū ­stances. when I come vnto them. Wherefore nowe to prosecute these thinges in order as they lie, as they shall offer themselues vnto vs in the text. First we haue to consider what he hath saide concerning the cir­circumstances of this sermon. Touching which, nowe in the last and greate daie of the feast, Iesus stoode and cryed (saith the Euangelist:) for the better vnderstanding of which wordes, if we peruse the former part of this Chapter, it will euidentlie appeare vnto vs, that when Christ made this sermon, he was at Hierusalem, and [Page 4]in the temple there, by occasion of the feast of tabernacles, which then there they kept & solemnized; where and when the Iewes sought to take him, and therfore pur­posely the pharisies, and high priestes sent officers thither, and that to the end that so he being taken, they might kill him, whereof Christ was not ignorant. For there before this, at this verie feast, teaching o­penly out of the scriptures, to the astonish­ment of all his enemies, that heard him, he saith slatly vnto them, vers. 19. Why goe yee about to kill me? Nowe the last day of this feast as we may see. Leuit. 23. vers. 36 was the eight day when by Gods ordināce they were to haue an holie conuocation, and a solemne assemblie: vpon which daie Iesus stoode vp, and made this sermon, with a lowde and crying voyce, that so the better he might be hearde through­out that great assemblie and concourse of people. All these thinges therefore laid together, shew vs plainely thus much, that Iesus was the preacher of the sermon, and where, when, and in what manner it was preached by him: namely, that it was preached at Hierusalem, euen in the tem­ple, at and in the feast of tabernacles, and vpon the last and most solemne day therof, [Page 5]and that in the middest of most bloody, and malitious enemies; most confidently, stout­ly, and boldly, for he vttered it standing and crying, thereby shewing that he was neither afraide to be heard nor seene: yea, thereby making it most manifest, that he desired nothing more, then that they shoulde thorowly both see and knowe his person, and vnderstand and beleeue his doctrine. And yet for all this, howe desi­rous soeuer his enemies were, then to haue taken him, yet no man had power to lay handes on him, as it is noted: Verse. 44. yea they that were sent to that ende, returned, and gaue this reason of their not touching him, that neuer man spake as he did, vers. 46. The noting thus of these circumstances, by the Euangelist, wee must not thinke was needlesse, but to very good purpose: yea, we ought alwaies to assure our selues, howsoeuer in humane writings and speeches, there may often be found many idle and superfluous wordes, that it is neuor so in the Canonicall scrip­tures. For they beeing as they are, all en­spired of God, 2. Tim. 3. vers. 16, and the holy writers thereof, speaking and wri­ting therein onely, as they were mooued by the holie Ghost, as Peter testifieth of [Page 6]them, 2. Pet. vers. 21. we may be sure they haue not vttered or set downe any word in vaine therein. And if we doe but a little weigh and consider of those circumstan­ces, thus set downe heere by saint Iohn how sleight soeuer the vse thereof seeme to vs at the first we shall soone perceiue, that there is both much and very good vse to be made thereof. For first notwith­standing the corruptions of those times, in that Christ would come to Hierusalem, to the feast of tabernacles, we may learne, not onely Christes obedience to Gods ce­remoniall lawe, as then yet standing in force and not abrogated, to teach vs al­waies to be obedient to his perpetuall lawes: But also, that it is not lawfull, scis­maticallie (as Anabaptistes, Brownistes, and they of the familie of loue and others doe) to shunne publike assemblies, and the exercises of true religion therein, for euery small corruption and superstitious fashion, either but seeming to such so to bee, or in­deede which are so to be found therein. Be­cause that then both in the priestes and in their additions and detractions from the lawe of God, the corruptions were many, grosse and euident, as the Euangelistes and stories of those times, make it most ma­nifest, [Page 7]and yet as we may see by this, Christ shunned not the temple and their assem­blies there. And in that Christ there a­mong the greatest and spitefullest ene­mies that he had, preached and taught thus boldlie: Further there by his ex­ample he hath giuen vs to learne, that hauing a lawfull calling, and a good cause as he had, neither daungerousnesse of the time, place, or persons, that we hau [...] to deale withall, ought to make vs shrink from execution and vrging of the same. His choise of this day rather then an o­ther to make this sermon in, his stan­ding to vtter it, and his vttering it, cry­ing, argue that he had a care, and an earnest desire, that it both might be heard of as manie as might bee, and also be well vnderstoode and caryed awaye, for then was it likelie the audience was the greatest, and that which they hearde last (as Chrisostome verie well obserueth vp­pon this place in his fiftith Homilie of Sainte Iohn,) especiallie vttered in this sorte, was also likelie best to be regar­ded and marked of them: which may verie well teach vs in all our actions and deedes, both wiselie to make a choise of our time, to doe them, when [Page 8]there is most likelihood to doe good there­by to most, and also in the businesse of the Lord to deale faithfully and confidentlie, and in no case boldlie, but zealously and earnestly. And the better to encourage vs therein, to followe our Lorde and Sa­uiour, it is worthie the noting, that for all his thus dealing, and the set purpose of his enemies then to take him, that yet he departed thence safe, without any trou­ble; for vntill the time appointed of our heauenly father be come; wee may see by this, we may and shall safely proceed on, in the discharging the dueties of our vo­cation, what dangers soeuer otherwise in the meane time, seeme to lie in the way to stop vs, or to cut vs off. And lastly this earnestnesse of Christ about the deliuerie of this doctrine, shewed both in his standing and vttering of it, crying, may teach vs that he saw of the one side, the matter was worth the hearing, & of the other side, that there was in his hearers such dulnesse, notwithstā ­ding to listen as they should thereunto, that al this would be little inough: the considera­tion whereof ought to mooue you, that be hearers, to rowse vp your spirittes, to li­sten thereunto more attentiuely: and straightlie it vrgeth me to be as ear­nest [Page 9]and vehement as I can, in the opening the same vnto you: and so consequentlie may and ought to stand in steade of a most forcible place, both to me and you, to bid vs, both in speaking and hearing hereof, e­uerie way, to behaue our selues righteously.

Wherefore thus by these circumstances and the vse thereof, we being (I hope) prepared to doe: let vs now go on as it fol­loweth. Yf any man thirst, saith Christ, To whom he spake. whereby it appeareth, that he directeth his speech, although to al that thirsted, without exception, whatsoeuer they had beene be­fore, yet to none but to such, for he knewe well inough that none but such would ey­ther regarde his commaundement or had any right vnto, or portion in, the promise that he mēt to make. In the very same sense saith Esay, in the person of God. Cap. 55.1. Ho, euery one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, &c. and the same prophet, Cap. 44. verse. 2. & 3. bringeth in the Lord, saying, Feare not ô Iacob my seruant, and thou righ­teous whom I haue chosen: for I will powre water vpon the thirstie, and floudes vpon the drie ground, &c. Likewise of the same kind of men spake Christ, Math. 5.6. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousnesse, for they shall be filled. And in the chapter [Page 10]going before this, whence I haue my text, where Christ teacheth, that, He is the bread of life, and that his flesh is meate indeed, and his bloode drinke indeede, he sayeth, hee that commeth vnto him shall neuer hunger, and he that beleeueth in him, shal neuer thirst. vers. 35. By all which places laid together we may see that it is an vsuall thing with the Lord, by thirstinesse to describe them, to whome with any hope to doe good he speaketh, and to whome he vseth to make his gracious promises: and that though sometimes he name thirstinesse onely, that yet he sometimes also requireth both hun­ger and thirst expressely; thereby teach­ing vs, that when the one is onely na­med to vnderstand the other also. Nowe for as much as the meate and drinke talked of in any of these places, to satisfie the hun­grie and thirsty, is neither earthly nor such as we vse to take in by the mouth and o­ther instrumentes of the bodie, but alto­gither heauenly, and such as must be ea­ten & drunken by the mouth of our soules: therefore we may be sure that herein there is a metaphor vsed, and that in this phrase and speech, by a similitude betwixt the hunger and thirst of the bodie and the af­fections of the soule, by those termes the [Page 11]Lord meaneth, the like passions and affe­ctions of the soule afore towards the meare and drinke prepared therefore, as is founde in the bodie after meate and drinke mee [...]e and fit for it. What it is to thirst. Seeing then that the ground and foundation of such metaphors is al­waies the analogie and resemblance be­twixt the metaphoricall wordes, and the thinges for the expressing whereof they are vsed, we shal the better vnderstande what is ment heereby by the hunger and thirst of the soule, if we doe but consider that bo­dily hunger is an earnest longing after meat for the body proceeding from a sensible feeling of emptines and want thereof: and that bodily thirst, is an earnest longing af­ter moysture to remooue the heate and drinesse that for lacke therof troubleth the bodye, for what is this spirituall hunger and thirst else, but an earnest longing for saluation onely in Christ Iesus, pro­ceeding from an effectuall feeling of no­thing but damnation to be due vnto vs, in respecte of our selues? And therefore the soule that is inwardlie tor­mented, vexed, troubled and disquie­ted with a due sighte and feeling of the owne emptinesse, to iustifie or saue it selfe: yea, that naturallie findeth [Page 12]it selfe promised with nothing else, but with the scorching heate of sinne, and drought of all goodnesse, doubtlesse will so hunger and thirst, that is, so earnestly and vnfamedly long and desire to be deliue­red from this state and condition, that in trueth, without all hypocrisie it will be readie to say with Daeuid, that as the Hart brareth after the riuers of matters, so it doth after the liuing God. Psal. 42. verse. 1. & 2. But to put it out of all doubt, that here by the hungrie and thirstie, are ment onely such: compare here with the very like speech of Christ, Math. 11. vers. 28. where he said: Come vnto me, all ye that are wearie and laden, and I will case you. For euen there as heere, he first describeth them, to whom he spake, secondly he telleth them what he would haue them to doe, and lastly, hee giueth them a sweete promise, which they should enioy if they would so doe. So that though there be some difference betwixt the wordes of Christ there and heere, in sound, yet little or none is there in sense: wherefore in steede of the hungry and thir­stie here in this place, he there placeth the wearie and laden: whereby he vnderstan­deth them, that being heauy laden with sin, (as we are all) are growne also to be wearie [Page 13]thereof, which no man may or can thinke himselfe to be, as long as he continueth se­curely, in going on in sinne, so adding sin to sin. For he that is weary of his burthen, hath a desire to be eased therof, and in the meane time, vntill he can get quite to be dischar­ged of it, he himselfe rather daily seeketh to lessen it, then to increase it. The bro­ken and contrite heart therefore vnder the burthen of sinne, and that groneth, and is inwardly disquieted in his verie soule, with the feeling and smarte thereof, is the man that will hunger and thirst after Christ, that so in him, and by him, he may be ea­sed and deliuered: and theresore such are the onely men to whom Christ heere spea­keth. At this pointe was Dauid Psalm. 6. when he wrote, vers. 2. & 3. Haue mercie vpon me (O Lord) for I am weake, O Lord) heale me, for my bones are vexed, and my soule is also soretroubled, &c. But being a­gaine in the same case, (as it appeareth, Psa. 51.) he comforteth himself with this, ver. 17 That the sacrifices of God were a contritespi­rit, and that a contrite spirit and broken hart, he would not despise. And good reason hath euerie man to be of his mind. For Esay. 61 1.2.3. (for so Christ himselfe hath taught vs to apply it) it is said of Christ, that the [Page 14]spiritte of the Lorde was vppon him, and that therefore he had annointed him, and sent him to preach good tidinges vnto the poore, to binde vppe the broken hearted, to preach libertie to the captiues, and to them that are bounde, the openinge of the pri­son, &c. And therefore after in the per­son of GOD, saith the prophet: to him will I looke, euen to him that is poore, and of a contrite spiritte, and trembleth at my wordes, wherefore heare the worde of the Lorde, yee that tremble at his wordes, Esay. 66. verse. 6. and euen to this Christ had an eye, Matth. 5.3.4.5. saying, Blessed are the poore in spiritte, for theirs is the kingdome of heauen. Bles­sed are they that mourne, for they shal be comforted. Blessed are the meeke, for they shall inherite the earth, &c.

And hence came it, that the proude pharisie puft vppe with a conceite of his owne righteousnesse, wente home vn­iustified, and the poore publican throwne downe and humbled before GOD, in the sight of his owne sinnes, and there­fore crying, Lorde be mercifull vnto me a sinner, wente home more iustified, Luke. 18.9. &c. for as Christ said, Mat. 9.12.13. so it is most true, the whole neede [Page 15]not the phisition, but they that are sicke, and he came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. And alwaies it hath beene the Lordes fashion, to resist the proud, and to giue grace vnto the humble, 1. Pet. 5.5. And therefore the blessed virgin obserueth that, in her song, that as he scattered the proude, in the imagination of their heartes, and put the mightie downe from their seates, and sendeth away the rich emptie, so he ex­alteth them of lowe degree, and filleth the hungrie with good thinges, Luke. 151. &c. This was the verie reason why Christ was so curteous to publicans and sinners, Matth. 9.10. and so bitter to the scribes and pharisies as he was, Matth. 23. vers. 11. &c. And this made him say to the chiefe priestes and elders of the Iewes, verilie, verilie, the publicans and harlotes goe before you into the kingdome of God. Matth. 21.31.13. And hereunto (I take it) he had an eye, when he said, the kingdome of heauen suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For whereas they that are not broken and contrite hearted for their sinnes, but eyther liue in them in secu­ritie, or are puft vp with a swelling con­ceite of their owne merittes, make no haste to Christ, they that are throughlie [Page 16]and duely humbled in and vnder their sins, are glad to heare of him, and to presse withall hast vnto him, for forgiuenesse of them. And this we see most clearely in the examples of Zacheus, and Marie Magda­len: whereof the one (as we reade in Luke. 19.) Ranne vp into a wild fig tree, that he might satisfie himselfe with seeing Christ, and no sooner hearde Christ say vnto him, Come downe at once, but he came downe hastelie, and receiued him ioyfully. vers. 5. & 6. And the other, hearing of Christ, to testifie her vnfained sorrowe for her sinnes, and her loue to Christ, for that she hoped by him to haue them forgiuen her, (as the same euangelist sheweth, Cap. 7.37.38. pressed after Christ, into a Phari­fies house, as he sat at meat, bringing with her a boxe of oyntment, to bestow vpon him: whi­ther when she came, she stoode at his feete, behinde him weeping, and washt his feete with teares, and wiped them with the heire of her heade, and kissed his feete, and annoyn­ted them with oyle. In all the storie of the new testament, where haue we more hear­tie affection and earnest hunger, and thirst after Christ shewed, then in these two greate sinners, when once the Lorde had made them to feele their sinnes, and to be [Page 17]wearie of them. Nay this I dare and doe boldlie affirme, that if we peruse the whole booke of God thorow we shall neuer find that eyther God the Father, or Christ his onely sonne, euer comforted any before they were discomforted, or healed anie eyther of bodily or spiritual disease before they sawe their disease, felt it, were weary of it; and therefore sued for helpe and de­liuerance. For why should pearles be cast before swine, or health be offered to those that finde not wante of it, or meate and drink be set before those that neither hun­ger nor thirst? Out of al question therefore we must thus first hunger and thirst, be­fore we can be of the number of those, to whome Christ will offer himselfe eyther to be meate or drinke: and vnlesse we feele our spirituall sicknesse of sinne, and the danger thereof without him, he will be no phisition of ours, and vnlesse we haue good stomacks and appetites to and after the no­table cheere, that alreadie is prepared for vs, in the marriage of the Kinges sonne, (wherof [...] we reade, Matth. 22.1. [...]. it is but in vaine to haue bidders sent vnto vs, to bidde vs come, for let them doe what they can, eyther we will not come at all, or else we will make light of com­ming, [Page 18]or come to the purpose. This our most mercifull and wife God foreseeing as he hath in his sonne Christ Iesus, prouided both meate indeede, and drinke indeede, for our hungrye and thirstie soules suffici­entlie to feede vpon to eternall life, with­out which he knoweth we can no more liue before him at all, then we see by expe­rience this life can long be maintained and continued without meate and drinke fit for it; so hath he left vnto vs most notable and effectuall meanes to breede in vs the hun­ger and thirst, that is meete to be had after this foode of the soule, for he is not onely like a liberall housekeeper, that when he hath prouided good cheere for his friends, would haue them bring good stomackes with them, that they might wel feed ther­on, but also least his prouision shoulde be lost, or ill bestowed vppon such as care little for it, hee prouideth for all those that he will allowe for his guestes, waies and meanes to procure them before they come hunger and thirst indeede after his dainties. Waies and meanes to driue vs to Christ. And these waies and meanes of his are these, his lawe, his iudgements threatned, and his iudgements executed vpon others, and especially on the person of our sauiour. For by the lawe rightly vn­derstoode, [Page 19] commeth the knowledge of sinner Rom. 7. vers. 7. yea, thereby as most nota­blie the Apostle sheweth in that place, the power and tyranny of sinne ouer vs, is most plainely described: in respect of which of­fice of the law, the law is said to be our school­master vnto Christ, Gal. 3.24. for whiles it maketh vs see our selues to be sinners, and that great and dangerous sinners, it causeth vs to despaire of heauen at all, by our own merits, yea, it driueth vs eyther to make no other reckoning, but to goe to hell, whether by our sinnes we haue de­scrued to goe, or else to seeke out of our selues quite, by faith in Christ Iesus, to be iustified, and so to come to heauen by him. But this it cannot doe, vnlesse we muse and meditate thereon aright, and vnlesse we vnderstand it aright: for though it be set before vs of the Lord as a glasse to disco­uer and lay before vs on the one side, what we owe vnto him, & had beene abie to pay him, if we had continued in the state wherin he created vs; & of the other side to shewe vs that now by our ownfal we are become such bankrupts, that whē we ow gold we are not able to pay copper, yea, where we owe him thousands we are not able to answere him one of a thousād, yet vnles the lord open [Page 20]our eyes rightlie to vnderstand this his law, it cannot nor wil not stande vs in this steed; for as the best glasse beeing looked into without light, directeth vs nothing, but when by the light it is looked vpon, it doth the office, euen so is it in this case. And therefore to this purpose we are to vnder­stand with Dauid, that the lawe of God is perfect, and in that respect (as gold is tried seauen times in the fire,) Psal. 19.7. &c. Wherefore we may be sure it stretcheth, (rightly vnderstoode) to the condemna­tion of all sinne whatsoeuer, and to the commendation of all vertue likewise what­soeuer; Insomuch as it contayneth an ab­solute and most perfect rule of righteous­nesse, and holinesse: from which as oft as we decline, eyther to the right hand, or to the left, in heart, worde, deede, or coun­tenance, eyther in omitting thinges therein commaunded, or in cōmitting things therin forbidden, so oft it pronounceth vs to be transgressours thereof. Whereupon con­sequentlie it must needes be true, that if we iudge our owne selues but according to the lawe, we shall finde it as impossible for vs to number our sinnes, as eyther it is to number the starres of heauen, or the sand of the sea shore; the consideration wherof, [Page 21]seeing that the promise of the lawe is onely this, Doe this and liue, Leuit. 18.13. and he that faileth in one poynt is guilty of al. Iam. 2.10. may first make vs see that heauen beeing the Lordes, and therefore none be­ing worthie, but he to set the price thereof, or couenant with man vpon what conditi­on he shall haue it, that it is set at a price, and offered vpon condition of such perfection in workes as infinitely passeth our reach: and therefore that way none but they that eyther vnderstande not the lawe, or are so foolish, that they thinke they can haue heauen at their owne price, or that God will measure the price thereof, not according to the worthinesse thereof, but according to mens purses: will euer seeke to get heauen. And further seeing that the lawe is the lawe of God, who for that, he made vs able at the first to keepe it, may by good right still call for the kee­ping of it at our handes; though before he call for it, he knoweth now that such is our corruption of the one side, and the per­fection of it of the other side, that we can not keepe it, thereby we are to learne to fall downe before him, and with the teares of our soules to confesse our debt, that ther­in he demaundeth indeede to be due debt [Page 22]vnto him, in regard of the state wherein he created vs, but that by our owne fault we are growne now vtterly vnable to pay it, and therefore that there is nowe no other way for vs to escape the danger of his infi­nite iustice, but by flying to the throne of his mercy in his sonne Christ Iesus. O if we would, breake vp the fallowe landes of our heartes, (as we are counselled to doe, Iere. 4.4.) by causing this sharpe plowe of the law to make deepe forrowes in it. For then so much good feede of the gospell, as is, woulde not daily be spilt and lost vpon vs, for that our heartes for lacke heereof, are either like the high way, or like to stony or thorny ground. But fin­ding that the hardnesse of our hearts is such that this plough alone wil not pearce deep inough to breake them vp, let vs adde thereunto the weight of Gods threatned iudgementes against the transgressours of the lawe. Entering into which meditati­on, we shall finde, first generally Gods curse denounced against all those that doe not obserue and keepe all the words of the law, Deut. 27.26. And to goe no further, then to that Chapter and the next in par­ticular, we shall finde so manie most fearefull iudgementes threatened to all [Page 23]transgressours of the lawe, as that thereby wee may easelie perceiue, that to all transgressours thereof, the Lorde would haue vs to vnderstande, that infinite and most intollerable are the plagues both in this life and that which is to come, that be threatned and due. And in verie reason we must needes see it must bee so, for sinne or transgression of the lawe beeing as it is, an offence against the almightie, and so a meanes direct­lie to deserue the seueritie of his iustice, to be shewed against the same, who is so simple but he must needes see, that all miseries in this life, and eternall death and damnation in the life to come, are but iusty threatned against all that breake the law? Nowe these thinges thus beeing, may we thinke that those beeing both due and threatned, that the infinite iustice of GOD is such that it will not inflict or execute the same, when or vpon whome he list? To what end tende all the fearefull examples of Gods vengeance executed vppon men, that wee reade of in the scriptures and in other bookes, and daily seeby expe­rience, but to teach vs that God is not a bare threatner, but that he both can and [Page 24]wilbe as seuere as his threatnings come vn­to, if there be not a iust and sufficient stop to stay the fiercenesse of his iust wrath from breaking out against all the generation of mankind? Yf al this will not serue to make vs haue broken and contrite heartes for our sinnes, and so to hunger and thirst after Christ, let vs further yet behold the vglinesse of our sinnes, and the extreeme danger that we were in, by the meanes of them; in this that God hath not spared his onely begotten sonne, to giue him to vs, to be borne and to liue and die for vs, as he did. For heerein, as the loue and bounti­fulnesse of our God towardes man, hath most gloriously appeared, (as Paule noteth, Titus 3.4.) so therein, and thereof we may say with the Psalmist, that mercy and iustice haue most notably mette and kist each other, Psal. 85.10. for doubtlesse such was the loue of the father towardes the sonne, that if in his wisedome any other phisition, or any other meanes, could or woulde haue serued to haue recouered and cured vs of our sinnes, he woulde neuer haue so farre debased his sonne, as beeing God, to ap­point him to become man, and in his man­hoode to haue endured, liuing, and dying for vs, that which he did. O then in that [Page 25]the office of a sauiour was committed vnto him, in that he taking vppon him to goe through therewith as he did, beeing as he was in person, not man onely, but God also, yet found it so heauie and difficult a thing; we haue most iust cause to see and beholde, that it is a thing of the greatest dif­ficulty that may be, to satisfie the iust wrath of God for sinne; In him (we knowe) there was no sinne, and in his mouth there was no guile, Esay. 53.9. 1. Pet. 2.22. for such an high priest, it became vs to haue, that was seperate from sumers, and needed not as the priestes of the olde Testament, first to offer for his owne sinnes, and then for the peoples. Hebr. 7.26.27. And yet in that, he bare our infirmities, he was surely driuen to car­rie our sorrowes, insomuch that he was de­based as he was, and wounded and broken as he was, for our transgressions and iniqui­ties, Esay 53.3.4.5. In that therefore his pure and holy manhoode, though it had personally vnited vnto it a Godhead, to en­able it to goe thorow with that which it had to doe and suffer, going vnder the bur­then, but of our sinnes, was driuen into those bloodie sweates and agonies, that it was in the garden, Luke. 22:44. and both there and after vpon the crosse, [Page 26]before he coulde say, all is finished, Iohn 19.30. to say Father if it be possible let this cup passe from me, my soule is heauie vnto death, Math. 26.39. and 38. and my God my God why hast thou forsaken mee. Mathewe 27.40. it was made manifest vnto the whole worlde, that infinite is the seueritie of Gods iustice against fin, & that none but such an one was euer able to haue borne the burden there­of, and to haue gotte from vnder it againe, to triumphe ouer it, as he hath proued that he did, by his most glorious and comfortable resurrecti­on and ascention into heauen after his death and passion when thus the iustice of GOD and his wrath against sinne was manifested in his suffering, tho­rowe astonishmente thereat, from the sixte howre vnto the ninthe, there was darknesse ouer the whole earth, the vaile of the temple rente, from the toppe to the bottome, the earth did quake and the stones were clouen and the graues did open themselues Math 27 45.51, 52. if these then and all the former laide togither will not or cannot so astonishe or amaze vs, at the sight of our sinnes, and of all Gods wrath due vnto vs, [Page 27]and most surely ready we cannot tell how soone, to destroy vs, if it be not stay­ed by this our mediatour Iesus Christ, as that hereby our heartes breake and rente a sunder for sorrowe, we make euident demonstration, that we are more blockish and sencelesse, than these sencelesse crea­tures, & so we shal proue that we are none of those to whome Christ here speaketh. But if here by as Ioel hath taught vs Cap. 2. ver. 13. we take occasion to rent our hearts and not our garments, and so to hunger and thirst aright for comforte from Christ, then whatsoeuer we haue beene before, of Christ it hath beene said vnto vs, both for good direction herein, and euerlasting comforte, A brused reed shall he not breake, and smoking flaxe shall he not quench, Esaie 42.3. when the Lorde therefore by reading or preaching of his worde, or by any other meanes that it shal please him to vse to that purpose, bringeth all these, or any of these, to our remembrance, then we are to make our reckoning, that of his good grace & fauor therby he giues vs iust occasion so to see our sins, that in the sight & feeling of the burthen therof, we should thus hunger & thirst after him, that through him we might be deliuered from them. [Page 28]And the more and better we dwell vpon the mediation of these fower thinges, the Lord withall opening our eyes and heartes rightlie to vnderstand them, and the vse thereof to this ende, the more forcible we shall finde them to worke this effect. But the trueth is, through our originall sin, we haue brought with vs into the world, such a generall forwardnesse to all euill, and backwardnesse to all good, ioyned with such grosse blindnesse in thinges spirituall, and by actuall sinnes daily flowing from this bitter fountaine in vs, we haue al of vs, so hardned our owne heartes, that though the Lord by sounding these thinges out­wardlie in our eares, may make vs without all excuse, if hereby we take no occasion thus to be humbled before him, yet most certaine is it that the hearing of these things neuer so often outwardlie beaten vpon, will neuer prooue forcible and effectual inward­ly to breede in vs, this true spiritual hunger and thirst, vntill the Lorde himselfe of his speciall fauoure and grace, both open the eyes of our mindes, and mollifie and sof­ten our hard heartes, and so indeede him­selfe by his owne hand and power, heereby worke this in vs. This taught Moses the Iewes, saying, yet the Lord hath not giuen [Page 29]you an heart to perceiue, and eies to see, and eares to heare vnto this day. Deut. 29.4. And yet this is in deede the Lordes speci­all worke, he sheweth the same people a­gaine by his prophet Ezechiell, saying, I will put a newe spirit within their bowels, I wil take away the stonie heart out of their bodies, and will giue them an heart of flesh. Cap. 11.19. when therefore we finde that neither the meditation of the lawe, nor yet of the iudgementes threatned, nor executed a­gainst the breakers thereof, nor the hea­ring nor thinking of Christes passion, with the cause thereof, can breede or prouoke this to be in our harts, we crie vnto God with Ephraim, Ier. 31.18. Conuert thou me & I shalbe conuerted, for thou art the Lord my God: and with Dauid, Psal. 119.18. open mine eies that I may see the wunders of thy lawe. And so in his good time, if we be his, doubtlesse we shall finde all these so worke together, to the breaking of our hard hearts, with remorse for our sinnes, that e­uen in respect thereof, we may say with him also, Haue mercy vpon me O Lord, for I am weake, O Lord heale me, for my bones are vex­ed, my soule is sore troubled, I fainted in my mourning, I cause my bedde euerie night to swimme, and water my couch with my tears, [Page 30]Psalm: 6.2. &c. yea with a good consci­ence, without all dissembling, we shall be able to say with him, as the hearte brayeth for the riuers of water, so panteth my soule after thee O God, euen for the liuing God. Psal. 42.1.16.2. For when we haue the due sence and feeling in deed of our sinnes, that we ought to haue before euer we will seek after Christ as we should; we will and must (as I haue shewed before) be vndoubtedly wearie thereof, and desi­rous to be easd of the most heauie burden of them. And let vs not thinke, that it is i­nough, thus to be once in al our life, namely­when first we come to Christ, and turne vn­to him aright. For though then it be most necessarie, in respect both of our originall and actuall sinnes wherein perhaps we haue liued a long while before (thus to be affected) when we seeke first pardon and remision thereof in him: yet for as much as after we be come vnto him, and haue put him on though thenceforth sin shall reigne no more in our mortall bodies, it will yet, doe what we can, be found so cleauing vnto vs & dwelling in vs, that if we should say we haue no sinne, we should deceaue our selues 1. Ihon 1.8. For that when by experience, we are [Page 31]enforced, the best of vs, with Iames. 3.2. to confeste, that in many thinges we sinne all: we are still from time to time, as long as we liue, so to looke into the glasse of the lawe, and to meditate vpon the rest, as that thereby, we may take occasion, continu­ally to nourish earnest hunger and thirst af­ter Christ, that for our newe and daily sinnes we may more and more seeke vnto him, and applie him dayly afresh vnto vs. For both Dauid and Paule long before they wrote, the one, the 51. Psalme, the other the 7. to the Romaines, were in the state of grace, and the fauour of God, the former by faith in the messias to come, the other by faith in him alrea­die come, and yet as it is euident in both those places, both these conferring the pure and spirituall lawe of God with their owne liues, take occasion thereby, not onely to see and confesse their owne sinnes but also in a spirituall manner to hunger and thirst after forgiuenesse thereof, and therefore to fly to God in the person and mediation of Christ Iesus, for that they were perswaded, that if he tooke in hād the washing of them in his precious bloodshed, they shoud be whiter then snow, & be clean­deliuered frō the sinful body of the flesh. [Page 32]Let vs therefore first and last, and when so­uer we would come vnto Christ, which we shall haue neede to doe continually as long as we liue here, this way that I haue shew­ed you, both seeke to beginne and still to continue this spirituall hunger and thirst in vs after him.

Sathan our malitious olde and subtile e­nemie knoweth full well all this to be most true, Sathans deuises take vs from thir­sting. First shewed and then con­futed. and therfore whereas he was too weak to stay God, from prouiding vs thus in his sonne meate and drinke to satisfie our hun­grie and thirstie soules withall, and to seed on to saluation, we may be sure yet that he will doe what he can to keepe vs from this hunger and thirst, proceeding from a deepe and due feeling of our sinnes, and the grie­uousnesse thereof; that so eyther lothing this heauenly foode, or not sufficiently fin­ding our neede and want thereof, through our owne fault, we may be neuer the better for it. And the meanes whereby he most preuaileth heerein, be, ignorance, security, and errour. By ignorance, hee preuaileth with all those, be they Iewes, Turkes, Pa­pistes, or whatsoeuer, whom by any cun­ning he can keepe in ignorance, eyther of the lawe, person, or office of Christ, of which sort wonderfull manie be. By secu­ritie [Page 33]he preuaileth, not onely also with the former, but likewise shamfully with the carnall gospellers, beguiling their heartes being as yet indeed, for all their faire out­ward shewe in words, quite voyde of al true loue and delight, either in the law or gos­pell, through the deceitfulnes of sinne, and by teaching of them to turne the grace of God into wantonnes, and most lewdly to abuse the mercies of God in Christ, by presuming therby to haue their sinnes for­giuen them, when and howe they liste: though they as longe as they list continue therein. By errour also he preuaileth migh­tilie with verie many, and nowe a daies wonderfully amongst the papistes. For as though directly they had conspired with fathan to keepe men from euerhauing that hunger and thirst after Christ that I haue proued to be most necessary (notwithstan­ding the great light that shineth in the world and discouereth and detecteth their dealing herin to be too too bad) they haue set abroach, and defend a number of opi­nions, which can lead to no better, or other end, but toblunt and to dull the edge (very greatly at the least), of alsuch hungring and thirsting after Christ. For to what other, or better end serueth, either their refusing [Page 34]to ioyne with vs, or their teaching as they doe, in the doctrines of original sinne, and mans free will in things spirituall and good? with vs they will not holde, that originall sinne, is such an vniuersall inbred and in­borne corruption, and priuitie in man where by, not onely it is euident that Adams sin, is imputed vnto him, and that the guiltines thereof therefore is his, withall the other bad fruites, and consequentes thereof, but also amongst all other, this, that naturally, euen by the force and power thereof he is altogether in al the powers both of his body and soule corrupted and prone to all euill, and backward, to euery thing that is good: but to the full constitution of the nature thereof, they hold, that it is inough to say it is either a want of originall righteousnesse, which, ought to be in vs, or an habituall a­uersion from God, which they hold to be but such, as that therewith may and doth in some yet stand, mans free will to good, & that it is so quite taken away and abolished in the baptisme of euery one, that thence­forth there remaines not, (though concu­piscence remaine still) anie reliques there­of at all, or cause why man should be grie­ued either at or with the feeling therof as at, or with sin. And such frewil is it which they [Page 35]hold man hath after his fall, euen to and in that which is spirituall & good, as that man in his first conuersion to God, hauing but the outward means thereof sufficiently of­fred vnto him, that euen that grace is suffi­cient to conuert him, if he would himselfe, which they holde he might, if he list: and being once conuerted, that is (as they take it) the outward meanes being once so fully and effectually proferred him, as where­by he taketh occasion rightly to vse his fre­will, in accepting of grace so offered: then they holde by the meanes of grace ther vpon bestowed vpon him (which they count and call the habit of charitie) he can will freely, and worke any good thing. Whereas wee (as we haue often shewed) enforced both by the scriptures, fathers, reason, and all experience, confesse and teach, that by the fall of Adam, our freewill to and in that which is good in­deed, is so lost as that, what good meanes so euer, at any time be outwardly presen­ted vnto vs, yet thereby we shall ne­uer be able to will well, by any power left in vs, nor euer shall indeede vnlesse GOD inwardlie, by his spirite withall, first create and frame in euerie one of vs a new heart and will, to choose that which [Page 36]is good, and then alwaies after assist, stren­then and guide the same therein. Who may not therefore, euen hereby plainlie see, that fathan mightily preuaileth by their doctrine to holde men backe from hungring and thirstinge after Christe, as they shoulde? For if originall sinne bring no deeper nor vniuersaller corruption with it then they teache it doth, into the nature of man, and may and is so quickely and vtterly abolished out of the same againe by baptisme, and man hath in him selfe remaining such a free will to good, that before his conuersi­on, vpon the offering of the outward means thereof sufficiently he may be conuerted, if he wil himselfe, and that after he needs no daily or further supplie of the spirit to leade his wil alwaies therevnto, but that which he receiued in his first conuersion, to worke together with the natiue or hereditarie free will that was before in man: then sure­ly what is there left, either by the cōsi­deration of our originall sinne, or by the viewe of our lacke of free will to good, an inseperable companion thereof, to make vs to long and to thirst after Christ? For by their doctrine, if we bee but baptized, we are quite rid and freede [Page 37]from the former, and as for the latter we haue it naturallie so, as yet it is not quite taken from vs by Adams fall, but onely by our sinnes originall and actu­all, so settred and hindred that either vpon sufficient meanes, but outward­ly offered, we may vse it againe, euen to the accepting thereof, to our con­uersion, or after, but by vertue of grace receiued at once in our conuersion, for euer then vse and shewe it free to the working out of our owne saluation. Af­ter baptisme then you see, they hold it needlesse for a man to trouble: his conscience with originall sinne, or any parte thereof, and to deliuer the other out of captiuitie, where into it is brought by sinne, that so (as some of them speake) they may goe with the owne foote thereof, and flie with the owne winges and feathers thereof, which it had before, though it coulde not vse them; there is no more in effect to doe, but to haue the outwarde meanes suffi­cientlie profered, for that euen therevpon, if man wil vse his free will, (as they say he may doe, if he will) all the rest touching the full freedome there of, wil follow. Their doctrine also of satisfying for our sinnes, [Page 38]by our selues and others, of the force and validitie of indulgences masses, and such like thinges purchased for vs, like­wise either by our selues, or others, ei­ther whiles we are aliue or dead, and their conceptes of purgatory, and the re­leefe of soules there, by a number of things, which they seeke to make men beleeue, will serue well, to that end, of the ouer­plus merits, and satisfactions of others to be communicated to such as lacke, either through the common force of the com­munion of saintes, or by the speciall intention of the doer and sufferrer of them, or of the ordinarie disposer thereof at his plea­sure (which they hold to be the pope) and of their mediation and intercession of saints and Angels, for their deuout worshippers and callers vpon: are as it were so manie strong cables, to holde men backe either altogether, or in great parte, from long­ing and thirsting at all after Christ. Lastlie their doctrine hath been and is such, to blunt the edge and force of the law, which God hath left, as I haue shewed, righthe vnderstood, to driue men herunto, that in verie deed they haue left it, as it is and must bee vnderstood, by their gloses and additions, and detractions about the same, [Page 39]without any force at all in effect, to this purpose. For first at their pleasure they leaue out the second commaundemente, and to make yet vp the number of 10. they deuide the last into two:: secondly though Dauid neuer so much magnifie the per­fection thereof as we haue heard, Psal: 19.7. yet it shall be so imperfect with them, as that there are 5. commandements more, which they call the commaun lements of the church, beside infinite other traditions, for the obseruing whereof often times, they make the commandements of God of noe effect, as the pharises did for theirs, which must needs be obserued, say they, or else a man cannot lead such a holy christian life, as he should: thirdly they are so con­fident & resolute, that it is possible for man to keepe the lawe of God, that they haue cursed al that hold the contrarie, they teach a man may doe that & more also, and that God were a very tirant, if man coulde not keep & fulfil his law. Yea herm they haue gon so far as that not onely they hold, that a man may in euery point so exactly keep it, that he can neither be charged with trāsgressiō of a­ny commādment therin contayned, nor yet in iustice be debarred from the wages & re­warde of saluation which by perfect kee­ping [Page 40]thereof, he hath merited and deser­ued. Which whiles they teach and doe, first they make some negligent and care­lesse, in studying and meditating of the lawe to the purpose aforesaid, seeing by them they are occasioned, to thinke that man may adde therevnto, and take from thence at his pleasure, and so by this means the law stands these in no steed, to this end: and secondly by their last kind of doctrine hereof, whereas both the nature of the law it selfe, and all the circumstances vsed by God in the first promulgation thereof, plainly shew, that by Gods ordinance it was and is appointed to make man to tremble and quake, at the sight of his manifold & greate sins & imperfections therby made known vnto him, that so therby he might take oc­casion, the sooner and the more earnestlie to seeke to be made righteous by Christ, and to haue that vnrighteousness of his owne, pardoned & couered, they haue quite trās­formed & altered the vse therof, as though it were giuē of God of purpose strongly to lead man, to a strong conceit of his own ablenes to keep & fulfil the same, & so consequently therby to an opiniō, that either Christ is not very much to be thirsted for at al, or else, that one may very quickly haue done with [Page 41]him. Their rule, [...], borrowed from Plutarch, that is, lawes must be made according to mans ability to keepe them, will not beare out and iu­stifie this their opinion of mans ablenesse nowe to keepe the lawe. For it is suffici­ent for clearing of God of all blame herein, as I haue shewed before, that man as he created him at the first, was able to keepe this lawe, which now both plaine and plen­tifull experience, and the expresse scrip­ture it selfe, saith it is impossible for him to doe, through the weaknesse of the flesh, Rom. 8.3. For what reason is there, seeing man is fallen from his abilitie, by his owne follie, eyther that God therefore shoulde fall, or alter in his rule of righteousnesse, or that he may not challenge that at his handes, that in respect of his creation, and otherwise he owes him, though he know well inough before hand, that he is not a­ble to pay him one of a thousand? Espe­cially, seeing man may make this most no­table and profitable vse thereof, euen ther­by to take occasion to see from what he is fallen, and to what, that so he may giue ouer, euer trusting to come to heauen, by keeping of the law, whereof he is so great a breaker, that he may seeke and trust only [Page 42]to come thither, by beleeuing the gospell of Iesus Christ. To maintaine yet the fan­sie of mans abilitie and possibilitie to keep the law, they haue deuised a number of shiftes, all which also tende to the quench­ing of spirituall hunger and thirst after Christ. For to this end some of them haue taught, that the precise, full, and perfect sence of the law, is not for vs heere in the way to our country, but when we come there, and that here we may be saide to haue kept it, though in an inferiour and im­perfecter sence: other some thinke, and haue written, that man may be saide to be a keeper and fulfiller of the law, when for the most part he doth so, but others misli­king of both these, as not pregnant inough to aduance mans abilitie, and the facility or easines of the law, teach plainly that the iustified man, or man in the state of grace findeth the lawe of GOD, in his most perfecte sence, an easie yooke for him to beare and to vndergoe, for that by grace his is enabled perfectly to keepe and fulfill it all, in euery pointe, euen here. And yet in deede these lustie lads, for all this, for that by experience they finde that saying of Iames. In many things we sinne all. Cha. 3.2. verified in them, euen [Page 43]when they thinke themselues to be in that state, and for that they finde like­wise, that Sainte Paul in that state in deede, yet complaineth of concupi­scence, which he founde in himselfe, by comparing himselfe with the lawe, that was & is spirituall, holye, and good, and sheweth that most gladly he woulde be rid thereof. Romaines 7.7. &c. Are faine to helpe out this their position, with this, that those sinnes whereof Iames speakes, and others, of men in that case, are but veniall sinnes, and that the first motions to sinne, or concu­piscence founde in the regenerate after baptisme, are not sinne. And the bet­ter yet to make this vntempered morter to cleaue, though Christe haue toulde vs, that an account is to bee giuen for e­uery idle worde. Math. 12.36. Yet these veniall sinnes of theirs a­mongst which I am sure they bring idle wordes, must be pardonable, euen for the littlenes thereof, must not be accoun­ted contra legem, that is contrary to the law, but only praeter legem, that is to saye, besides the lawe, and such as may be washt and doone away, by knoc­king of the breaste, by holye water by [Page 44]saying the Lordes prayer, by fasting a day, by an almes giuing, by generall confessi­on of sinnes, or by a Bishops blessing, yea, as one saith, though these be done with­out any inward good motion at all: Yea, if all these will not serue, their great Bel­larmine will not yet be put, or driuen from this position, of the ablenesse of man to keepe the lawe: For after he had tried, with other of his fellowes, what these coulde doe, to wipe away the obiections made against the same, pressing Paules ex­perience to the contrarie. Rom. 7. though it be there neuer so plaine, that by the law euen then he found himself a breaker of the lawe, and therefore no perfect keeper ther­of, yet for that Paule there, to comfort him selfe with all, confesseth that in his mind, or inward man he delighted in the lawe, al­lowed of that which was good, and con­demned the contrarie, he sayeth that in so saying Paule prooues and shewes, that he was, for all the lawe in his members, which likewise he saith rebelled against the lawe of his minde, and led him captiue vnto the lawe of sinne, a perfect keeper euen then of the lawe. For the lawe saith he, is not giuen to the sence or flesh, but to the minde and spirit of man, wherein Paule [Page 45]kept the lawe, though in the other respect he had such cause to complaine. And whereas he knewe that such as they counte no veniall, but deadly sinnes haue beene found, and may be againe, euen in the re­generate, yet such he will defend, may be counted perfect keepers of the lawe, when they haue risen againe by repentance, and haue had those their sinnes forgiuen in Christ. Yea though he be enforced by a place out of Saint Augustines first booke of his retractions, Cap. 19. to confesse, that there is aduouched by him, some imper­fection in the best mens keeping of the lawe, yet to doe the best that he coulde, to couer and cure the wounde that, that saying had giuen his cause, he would make his reader beleeue, that the imperfection that he findes therein, is but Carentia per­fectionis, the want of perfection, and not the transgression of any one commaunde­ment, which he resembled to the omit­ting of one letter, in writing of much. If this be learnedlie to defende a positi­on, or the maintenance thereof not one­lie to fall into so manie absurdities, as these be, and then besides to be driuen to vse such a sort of friuolous, and fruitles shiftes as these be, what position can pos­sible [Page 46]to be foolish, and false, but that a man of any wit may defende it? And who can be so simple and blinde, but he must needs perceiue, that in all this geare, whether they see it or not, that Sathan directly by their mouthes and pens, laboreth and sweateth most egerly, and directly, to make men so drunken and full with a conceite of their owne perfection, or at least small imperfection, that they hunger nor thirst after Christ, as they haue cause in deede to doe, Who but men bewitched with an opinion, that whatsoeuer their Romain prelates alow for currant and found do­ctrine, how contrary so euer it be in deede to scriptures, fathers, reason, and all, would euer hold, either al or any of these? For most plentifully, by all these, a number of times wee haue shewed them, their vanitie and folly, in all of these, and to this daie they neither haue, nor euer will be able to an­swere vs to the purpose herein. And as­sure thyselfe that herein I haue charged them with nothing, but with that, which I finde, in the best and most famous writers of their side, as namely in Andra­dius, Osorious, Canisius Vega, Fransciscus de victoria, the censure of Colen, their Rhemish notes of the new testament, and [Page 47]in Bellarmine. But, howsoeuer, therfore they may stand ressolute herein, yet I hope euen the bare recitall hereof, maketh thee Christian reader, to see the verie grosse absurditie thereof also. If there were noe more to cause thee to see it, but this, that the rest of all these their doctrines plaine­lye tendes and is, as I haue shewed, to driue man either to thinke his soules sicknes through sinne, not to be so daun­gerous and grieuous as it is indeede, and therefore as we teach it to bee, or for his recouery thereof to trust to other phisick or Phisitions, then to the onely phisition of our soules Christ Iesus euen that sure­lye were and is sufficient. For how can that doctrine be any way found or good, that naturally bringeth forth or breedeth eyther of these cursed fruites, so dain­gerous to mans saluation, or so iniurious to the honour and glorie of Christ Iesus? Yet that thou maist not be without thy particular counterpoyson in a readi­nes, against euery one of these their poi­sons, to Iustifie our doctrine, and to confute theirs: touching original sin & free will, remember that with vs, against them it is written touching the former thus; The imagination of mans hart is only cuil, euen [Page 48]from youth. Gen. 6.5. & 8.21. the natu­rall man perceiueth not the thinges of the spiritte of God, neither can he knowe them. 1. Cor. 2.4. Yea that before our conuersi­on, we are said to haue hard and stonie heartes, Ezech. 11.19. Rom. 2.5. but also to be darknesse. Ephes. 5.8. and dead by sinne. Ephes. 2.5. and that touching the o­ther, Paule hath most plainely taught the Saintes at Phillippis, that it was God that wrought in them, both the will and the worke, and that of his owne good pleasure, Cap. 2.13. and that Christ himselfe most plainely hath said, that no man can come vnto him but whom the father draweth. Ioh. 6.44. and that without him we can doe no­thing. Iohn. 15.5. And their next three are sufficiently confuted, euen in that we read, and we knowe it is most certaine that our Christ is able perfectly to saue al them that come vnto God by him, seeing he euer li­ueth to make intercession for them. Heb. 7.25. and hath offered himselfe once for all to take away the sinnes of many, Cap. 9.28 yea with that one offering, hath consecra­ted for euer them that are sanctified, 10.14. especially it beeing also most plainely writ­ten as it is, that as there is but one God, so there is but one mediatour betwixt God [Page 49]and man the man Christ Iesus, 1. Tim. 2.5. and that there is no other allowed doore, whereby at all to enter into Gods sheepe­folde, but onely the same Christ Iesus, Iohn. 10.1.9. &c. For these places are most pregnant to cut the throte for euer of all those deuises, and may satisfie, and will anie, that are not wilfullie dispo­sed to wrastle, for the aduauncing of the creature and his owne founde de­uise, though to the darkening and ob­scuring of the creator, our blessed God and sauiour for euer. Nowe lasthe, in as fewe wordes as I can, to arme thee, that thou take no harme by that which they teach touching the lawe, and the keeping thereof. First to ouerthrow their maine grounde therein, remember and marke well that Peter in the first famouse councell at Hierusalem speaking of the lawe, openlie and confidentlie pronoun­ces it to be a burthen, which neyther they nor their forefathers were able to beare. Act. 15.10. and that the refore Paule hath proued that no man can be iustified, by his keeping of the lawe, because it is written, cursed is euerie one that continueth not in all thinges, which are written in the booke of the law, [Page 50]to doe them, Gal. 3.16. For these pla­ces will stande in force, for all Bellar­mines, and his fellowes cauilling, and seeking by their Romish sophistrie to wipe away the same, to the full and direct confutation of this their opinion, that it is possible, and also found true by ex­perience (for otherwise they say nothing, for we dispute not, as Augustine saide in this case, Lib. 2. cap. 6. de pec­tatorum meritis. what God can doe, but what he doth) that a regenerate man, shoulde perfectly keepe the lawe. For neither was the question that they had in hand in that councell, onely of the keeping of the ce­remoniall and iudiciall lawe of Mo­ses, but of keeping therewith also the whole lawe, as it appeares by the setting downe of the same, and the circum­stances thereof, Vers. 5. neyther was the lawe, nor is it, anie other waie a yooke or burthen, which neyther they nor their fathers were able to beare, but as therein especially is comprised the lawe morall, which rightly vnderstoode, mans weakenesse considered, is infinite har­der to keepe for man, then both the o­ther. And for Paule in the other place, to haue graunted onely this, that no man by his owne strength without [Page 51]faith and grace can keepe the whole law, would not, nor coulde not, haue serned his turne, to any purpose to confute those that he dealt withal. For neither were the false Apostles so foolish to teach, or the Gala­thians once so sillie or simple, as to be but in daunger to beleeue, that any such works of the lawe, so done, were at all to be trusted vnto, to erne or merit their salua­tion by. And therefore as it cannot be denied, but that he speaketh there of the lawe in generall (as his wordes, continu­eth not in all thinges, which are written in the booke of the lawe, doe shewe) so may it not, nor cannot, without wilfull cauilling, that the proposition, that he as­sumeth, as granted, and such as might not be denied was this, that certaine it is, no man continueth in all the thinges that are written in the lawe, to doe them, whoso­euer he bee. For thereupon it must and doth onely follow, that such as these were that he reasoned against, that put trust and confidence in the works of the law, which they did after faith, and in grace, coulde not be iustified thereby: because the lawe found them yet in some thinges breakers thereof, and therefore was so farre of from iustifying of them, for keeping [Page 52]it in parte, that he pronounced them ac­cursed for not keeping it, in whole and in enery point. And yet Bellarmine seemes to perswade himself, that he hath clenlie shilted of the former place, by telling vs that Peter so spoke of the lawe, in re­spect of the ceremonies thereof, and the iudicialles thereunto appertayning onelie, and that also he hath quite ridde his handes of the other, by assuming a propo­sition about such workes of the lawe, as were yet neuer in question there, betwixt him and anie of his aduersaries. Thus then the piller of theirs throwne downe and laide in the dust, with it are all the rest that depend thereon, ouerthrowne also. Notwithstanding, briefely let vs take a view of them, the better to vnderstand the vanitie and impiety therein set downe. That the perfect and exact sense of the law is rather for men in heauen then in earth, how can it be, seeing most of the com­maundementes are such, as concerne onely this life? our Sabaoth is perpetuall, and not one day in the seauen, and what distinction of degrees amongst vs are to be imagined there, that we should reade the fifth commaundement? Yea what neede shall then be there to haue any of the other [Page 27]prescribed vs, where there is no danger at all, or feare to be had of losse of life, hone­stie, goods, or name? As for the next glose wherbysom would haue men to be coūted keepers & fulfillers of the law, for keeping it in the most part, Iames hath most planily taught, saying, whosoeuer shall keep the whole law, and yet faileth in one point, he is guilty of all. Cap. 2. Ver. 10. Now other of them say that grace makes the whole easie to be kept, it is easier saide, then any way proued to be so, for that all experience of such as haue had grace, in as good measure, as any againe can hope to haue it, hath beene euer yet most flat to the contrary. Yet we easily graunt, that to men in grace, it is far easier then to any other, yea and that it is easie to them in this respect, that they vn­fainedly studying and endeauouring to keep it, though somtimes they faile & com short thereof, yet thereby taking occasion to repent, and so by faith, to seeke to the fountaine of grace, Christ Iesus, for pardon, they finde him most able and willing to ac­count their purpose and care to haue kepte it, euen insteede of the fulfilling therof in­deede, to pardon & purge them of all their a berrations from the same. But where is all this, to proue man any time, to be so [Page 54]full and perfect a keeper thereof, that he neyther may be charged with the trans­gression of any one commaundement, nor in iustice debarred from the wages of hea­uen which he hath merited and deserued thereby? And yet thus farre they goe in this pointe, though quite without war­rent or ground. For though this were gran­ted them, that after regeneration, some thus coulde and did keepe the lawe, yet where finde they that God hath bounde himselfe by any promise, to giue heauen to any for keeping his lawe, onely in some part, or for some peece of his life. Doubt­lesse the promise that God hath made of life, or reward to the keepers of his law, is, if they, during their whole life whol­ly, obserue the same, otherwise hee hath promised them nothing, but a curse, as we haue heard before. But to let this passe, and to proceede, their next helpes and re­fuges are, that which they holde of veniall sinnes, and of concupiscence, and of the first motions to sinne not consented vnto: wherein they ere many waies. For first it is great boldnesse in them to say where Iames or any other say, in mancy thinges we sin al, that there they meane only their veniall sinnes: Where experience told dai­lie [Page 55]shewes and prooues that very many of those also very great & grosse sins, and that oftentimes haue ouertaken, & yet doe the better sort of men & they themselues, holde veniall sins, not to be sins simplie, but impro­perlie. Wherupon it should follow by their construction, that Iames should speake, but in this sense, in many thinges we sinne all, not simplie but improperlie. And counting such a number of sins veniall as they do, I won­der they are not ashamed yet to bolde, that they are not contrary to the law, but besi [...]s it. For what perfectiō were there in the rule of righteousnesse prescribed therein, if it left such a number of sins vncheckt, and in­countred? That they all should be but at the omitting of a letter in writing of much, or as some others haue said, but as a few small motes in a faire garment, and therfore to be pardoned, either for their own littlenes, or to be wiped clean away by such trifling means, as they to that end, say wil serue it is strange that any that haue any knowledge of God, or his iustice, or of his written word, should either so say or thinke. For who knowes not, that God requires the whole heart, & soule of man, and that al the faculties and powers, both of body and soule, shoulde whol­lie serue him, and that as hee himselfe [Page 56]is puritie it selfe, so his iustice is so infinite pure, that it can abide nothing, that hath anye imputitie in it? And who can read Christes exposition, but of these two commaundementes thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery, and of that parte of the third, thou shalt not forsweare thyself. Mat. 5.12. &c. but he shall euen therby plainely perceiue, that Christ there, hath taught vs that a number of those which they count their veniall sinnes, are grieuous sins before God, directly forbidden in his law, and such, as if the Lord should but enter into iudgement with vs for, we were ne­uer able to abide it. For there to be angry vnaduisedly, to say to another [...]aca, to call one foole, to looke on a woman to lust after her, to sweare vainely at all, by the smallest thing that is, are there expresselye forbidden by Christ as contrary to these lawes, and as sinners euerie one of them worthy of grieuous and heauy punishmēt. And yet many of these, if not all, they must needes confesse, be such as they count but veniall smnes. Let not any man therefore, liften vnto these men, thus seeking to ex­tenuate the vilenes and heauines of any sin, how small soeuer: but rather let euery one learne of Christ to account the smalest sin [Page 57]that he falleth into, in thought, word, or countenaunce, damnable inough of it own nature, if God lay it to the charge of the committer thereof. That concupiscence or the first motions to sinne, arising in our minde, are not sinne, may, I woulde thinke, appeare sufficiently to be false, in that Paule so complaineth thereof, as he doth, and woulde so saine be rid of it, as we reade Romans. 7.7.17.24. and that expresly it is forbid in the last com­maundement [...] thou shalt not lust after, or desior any thinge that is thy neighbours. Which to be so by this it is enident, that by Christes owne oxposition (as we haue heard) lust confented vnto but secretly in thought, is condemned and forbid in the former commandementes. For there is no probabilitie, that the Lorde of pur­pose setting downe the summe of his law, so breeflie as he doth in these 10 com­maundementes of his, and distinguishing it into 10. expresly, as he doth, Deut: 4.10. that either he would forbid one thing often, or confounde one commaunde­ment, and the matter thereof with an o­other, which of necessitie must be gran­ted yet to be so, vnlesse for the distinction of this last commandement from the for­mer [Page 58]we say, that therein bare and naked vnlawfullust or concupiscence, though not consented vnto, is expresly condemned, and in the other, the same yealded and consen­ted vnto. And thus it seemeth, Paule tooke it, and vnderstood it, in sayinge he had not knowne lust, (meaning that it is sinne) but that the law saith, thou shalt not lust: Romains 7.7. and there vpon doubtlesse he is driuen to acknowledge as he doth there, the lawe to be spirituall, and himselfe vnable to answere in his flesh the perfection thereof. And God requi­ring, as I said before, and as we are taught by the summe an abridgement of the law, often repeated in the scriptures, that we shoulde loue him with our whole heart, and our neighbour as our selfe, howe can our heartes be wholie his, when there are but these first filthie motions to sinne, neuer so little a while flying vp and downe there. Wherefore if sinne be as Iohn hath defined it, the transgression of the law, 3.4. and hereby the verie life of the lawe and the substance thereof be bro­ken, as doubtlesse it is, howe can it be, but that bare lust, and the first euill moti­ons to sinne, though by and by resisted, are sinne, and that simplie and properlie▪ [Page 59]Nowe as for the last fillie shiftes of Beller­mine, to say that the law was not giuen to the sence, but to the minde, and therfore that Paule obeying the lawe in his mind, was no breaker thereof, though he found that in his members which led him to the contrarie, what is it else, but to say, so we serue God in our minde, it makes no mat­ter, howe we behaue our selues in our bodies or flesh, as though the same God, that created the soule, created not the bo­die also, and therefore required not as well that the one parte of man, as the o­ther, (though first he would haue the soule) shoulde serue him. Who therefore of any wisedom or learning, would haue thought that such a beggerly and fond answere as this, would haue serued, to haue clean dasht & answered, such an inuincible argument, as he takes vpon him to answere herewith? And as for his other 2. they are verie ridi­culous. For what is it to proue, that the keeping of the lawe, is possible to the re­generate, to say, that if thay fall into any mortall sinne, repenting therof, and hauing the same forgiuen, then they are counted still as keepers therof? For this is not by their meritte and perfect keeping of the law, but by the grace of the gospel, which offereth [Page 60]pardon to these that repent, though they haue trasgressed the lawe. And as forthe last, which as his answere to Augustines place 1. retract. Cap. 19. that thereby in­deed is confessed a want of perfection in mans keeping of the lawe, and not a trans­gression of any commandement, how can it stand, seeing, as it is cleare in deed in Augustine, and he himselfe is therefore enforced to confesse it; that his answere is there, that the perfection required by the lawe cannot be found in man in this life, otherwise, then whiles all thinges therein commaunded, are accounted as doone, when whatsoeuer is not done, is pardo­ned? And as in deed, in other poore la­hours of mine already in print, I haue shewed, the ancient fathers are most plaine and pregnant in this, to show, that the per­fection of our righteousnes, lyeth rather in the sight of our own manifolde vnrigh­teousnes, to vrge vs to thirst after the making of vs righteous, through the righ­teousnes of Christ Iesus, thē in any finding at any time, of any perfect inherent righ­teousnesse, in our selues. Wherefore these thinges considered, I trust you will rather vse the meanes before laide before you by mee, according to Gods worde, to breede [Page 61]in you true hunger and thirst after Christ, thē that you wil end any eare at al, to these subtilties of Sathan, to holde you there from such therefore, hopping that by those meanes, either God hath heretofore made you, or at this present hath or wil, let vs proceed.

The next thing beere to be considered of, The com­mande ment. which containes 2. things. b. what it is to come vnto Christ. is the commandementes here giuen by Christ, vnto such as I haue spoken of and haue laboured to make all you where­in as I saide in the beginning, he requireth of all such, two thinges, namely that they shoulde come vnto him and then drinke of him, where by comming vnto him, we haue not, as Augustine hath noted in his 26. and 32 tractes vpon Iohn, to vnder­stand a comming vnto him by the feete of the bodie. For so manie came vnto him, touched him, and througed him, and yet were neuer the better. Mat. 5.31. but a comming vnto him, by the direction of the eies of the soule, by the feete of sound knowledge of him, what he is in person, and what he is in office. When this worde is vsed alone as Mat: 11.28. in those wordes of his, come vnto me, all ye that be wearie and heauie laden, and I will ease you, then thereby doubtlesse we [Page 62]haue not onely to vnderstand, thus much, but that therby further is required of vs, faith in him, grounded vpon this our knowledge of him, as vpon the foundation thereof. But wher it is coupled with other wordes, that either expresly, or in effect call for faith, as it is here, then thus as I haue said, it is to be taken, as Iohn. 6.40. compared with this place makes it euident. For there in­steed of comming vnto him, he saith he that seeth the sonne, not vnderstanding there­by, the seeing of him, with bodily eies, but with spirituall: and then he goeth on, saying, and beleeueth in him, shall haue euerlasting life. Wherefore, vntill by the light of the gospell, men haue so profited, through the inward working of Gods holy spirite in them, that they knowe and acknowledge Christ aright, both in person and office they haue nei­ther eies not feete in Christes sence, here, to come vnto him by or withall. Pray we therefore for this light, and the countenance thereof amongst vs. For certainely the naturall man perceiues not the thinges of God, neither can he, be­cause they are spirituall. 1. Cor. 2.11.14. &c. But they that haue the light of the gospell shinning amongst them, though [Page 63]before they sat in darknesse, and in the sha­dowe of death, yet (if the faulte be not in them selues), they may see a greate light, and life is risen vp to them, in this behalfe. Mat. 4.16. Peter by this light directing him and shinning vnto him, shewed that with these feet he was come to Christ Mathew. 16.16. confessing Christ to be the sonne of the liuing God, and therefore to his greate comforte, and to encourage others so to come vnto him also, Christ answered him and said. Blessed arte thou Simon the sonne of Ionas, for flesh and bloode hath not reuealled this vnto thee, but my father which is in heauen. Mat: 16.17. Surely we here in England, Gods name be blessed for it, haue had nowe this greate while the light clearely shining amongst vs, to direct vs in our comming to Christ, to make streight steps vnto our feet, least that which is halting be turned out of the way, as we are councelled, Heb. 12 13. And yet I feare there is such bad and smale cōming to Christ, sound amongst vs, that he in respect of most of vs, hath too too iust cause to say vnto vs, as he did to the Iewes in his time, This is the condēnation, that light is come in­to the world, & men loue darknes better then light because their deeds are euil. Io. 3.19. wher [Page 64]for we haue cause to thinke, that also, which in an other place, he said vnto some of them, euen to be spoken of vs all: yet a little while, is the light with you: walke whiles ye haue light least the darknesse come vpon you, for he that walketh in the darke knoweth not whither he goeth, and there­fore while ye haue light, beleeue in the light, that ye may be the children of the light. Iohn. 12.31.36. But that this his aduise and counsell may be in time, and that effectually taken to heart, and follow­ed of vs, in this case in walking aright vn­to Christ by the direction of this light, whiles it shines amongst vs, we are see­ing our owne vnablenesse other wise so to doe at all to be as it is, to pray him accor­ding to his promise made to his disciples, that he woulde also praie his father to bestow vpon vs euen the spirite of trueth, to teach vs all thinges. Iohn. 14.16.17.26. and to leade vs vnto all truthe. 16.13. For if euer we attaine by this light, to the sound and perfect knowledge of Iesus Christ, wherein euen the wisedome of God in a mysterie, as Paule speaketh, is contained. 1. Cor: 2.7. doubtlesse we shall haue cause with him to say further, as he doth there also Ver: 10.11. God then hath renealed [Page 65]it vnto vs by his spirite, for that searcheth all things, even the deep thinges of God. For what man knoweth the thinges of a man saue the spirit of man, which is in him? euen so the thinges of God knoweth no man, but the spirite of God.

Seeing then that Christ commaundeth vs here to come vnto him and to come vnto him is nothing else, but according to the light of the gospell, directing vs therein, by his spirite to be enabled, rightly to knowe him, acknowledge and confesse him, it stan deth vs vpon diligently to marke and to consider, howe therein he is described and set forth vnto vs. Which if we doe, we shall soone finde, What Christ is in person. that the summe and substance of all set before vs therein tendeth, ether to set out what he is in person, or in office: let vs therefore before we proceed any further, the better to teach vs and to enable vs to doe, as Christ here biddeth vs, a little consi­der what in these two respects it hath taught vs. Touching the former, what he is in person, therein thus much we may learne, that whereas most certaine it is, as our catholike saith teacheth vs, and the whole course of the scriptures, proueth, that there is but one eternal, true and almightie God, the maker and gouenour of all the [Page 66]world, and yet in the vnity of Godhead, that there are 3. distinct persons, the father, the son, and the holy ghost, coequal & coeter­nall: the light of the gospell makes it most cleare & euident, that the 2. persons in this trinitie, hauing been frō euerlasting, & then also being true & very God, when the ful­nes of time was come, he tooke vnto him selfe the full and whole nature of man in the wombe of the blessed virgine Marie, that by the power of the holy ghost shadowing her, she both conceiued and bare a son, (remaining stil a virgine) that was & is very God and man also, & yet not two persons bur one. The historie of this his incarnati­on, conception, and birth, most agreeably to all ancient prophesies giuen before of the comming of the Messiah in respect of all the circumstances thereof, of whom he should descend according to the flesh, at what time he should come, wher he should be borne, and in what manner, is set forth most plainly by Mat. 10. and by Luke, 1. & 2. In which also, so much as I hauesaid, touching his person, is taught, for therin we finde him termed the son of the almighty & Emanuel, that is, God with vs: & to proue that he was conceiued & born of the virgin his mother, a very man, there his petegree [Page 67]is deriued euen down from Adam to Abra­ham, Isaac, Iacob, Dauid & the rest, wherby also it appeare th, that he is indeed that seed of the woman and of those descended that should tread down the serpents head & in whom al the natiōs of the world should be blessed. And yet in this history he is stil spo­kē of, neither as of one, by the cōmixtion or coniunctiō of two natures, made a third, nor yet by the consociation or associatiō of two natures, remaining stil two persōs, but as he became, & so stil remaineth one onely per­son consisting of these two natures, so ther­in is he set before vs. This mystery also is most notably, in my opiniō opened vnto vs by saint Paule, Phillip: 2. vers. 5.6.7. and 8. in these words, let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Iesus, who being in the forme of God, thought it no robery to be equal with god, but he made himself of no reputatiō, & took on him the form of a seruāt, & was made like vn­to men, & was found in shap as a man. For her in if the wordes be wel markt he hath most profoūdly, set down, what he was before his incarnation, and what he became then: what he was before, he sheeweth in these, being in the forme of God, he thought it no roberie to be equall with God: and what he became after in the rest, [Page 68]and euen these fewe wordes shew first tha­before his incarnation, he was one that had a true being and existence, to confute Ebion and Ceri [...], and all their folowers, who hold that he tooke all his being & existence of the virgin, and that therefore he was onely man: and Seruetus also hereby is confuted, who fant astically & blasphemously taught, that the word was nothing before, that had a being and existence, but that it was but the decree in Gods minde of the making and creating of this man, and of reple­nishing him with his godhead. For he is said to haue beene [...] that is, one existing and being in the forme of God: and after it is added, that euen this same tooke vnto himself the forme of a seruant. To this same purpose saith Iohn, in the beginning was the word, Io: 1.1. and Christ him selfe said, before Abraham was I am, Io. 8.58. and Paule he himselfe tooke the seed of Abraham. Heb: 2.16. Secondly by forme of God vnderstan­ding here the nature of God, as after the forme of a seruant we must vnderstand the very nature of man, as al sound interpreters both olde & newe euer haue done, in that it is said that he was [...], that is, being in the the forme of God, & further that being in the forme he thought it no [Page 69]robery to be equal with god, al these things be further taught, that this being of his which he had before, was the being of a very true God, & that yet he was a distinct person in the Godhead from the father, though equal to & with the father. For as his being in the forme of man, proued, that he was a verie man, & yet a distinct person in that nature from other men, equal with them in the common nature: so his being in the forme of God, and his iust and lawfull thinking (which doubtles it was, or else it coulde not haue been incident to such an one) that it was no wrong, or robery to be equal with God, proues most substantially, that he was before his incarnation by nature very God, & equal to his father as touching his God­head, though a distinct person from his fa­ther. For who can be in the forme of God, but verie God, & who can think it no robe­ry & that rightly, to be equall to God, but he that indeed is coequal to & with God, & yet how can these things be said, and said truely, as certainly they be here, of the son of God, but they must needs proue, that though father, son, & holy ghost, be all but one God, and haue but one essence, & that most perfectly one, that yet the same is a di­stinct person from the person of the father? [Page 70]For one & self same person cannot be said to be equal to it self: he therfore that thinketh it no robery to be equal, must needs be one person, & he to whom he accounts himselfe equal, an other. So that with this one short sentence, & with these verie fewe wordes, as it were with one blow, all these heretiques, Arrius, Photinus, Carpocrates, Seruetus, Sabellius, Praxeas, the Tritheits, and Gentilis, & their scholers, are laid for dead, and therefore are meet for euer to be buri­ed in the graues of infamous, and blasphe­mous heretiques. For Arrius, though he granted that Christ had a being before his incarnation, yet he could neuer be brought to confesse, that in that being, he was God, from euerlasting, coeternal, and coessentiall with the father. Photinus and Seruetus, with their crue, held he was God, and the sonne of God, and so might be called, but not by nature, but by grace, and office. Car­pocrates likewise acknowledged in Christ, besides his manhoode a celestiall and di­uine nature, but yet he would not yeelde that it was of the same essence that his fa­thers was. Sabellius & Praxeas would haue there to bee but one person, named with three names, & the Tritheits & gentilis contēded for the destinctiō of the 3. persons, [Page 71]that they would haue thē to haue 3 distinct essences, & so consequētly, to be 3 Gods. These here sies of Arrius, Photinus, Sernetus & Carpocrates, haue all their deathswound, in that expresly, he is said to haue bin in the form of God, it being most certain that ther by God the father, is ment & by his form no accidentall form, for that God the father hath none such, but his very essence, & sub­stance. And this his being in the same forme with his father, likewise cuts the throte of Gentilis, & of al Tritheites, for it most strōg­ly sheweth one form or essence to be one & self same, most perfectly, to distinct persons therin: & lastly the cōparisō & equality, be­twixt him & his father, set down in the other words (for asmuch as such comparisō could not be, if he & his father were but one per­sō, named onely by diuers names) is as preg­nant, for euer to confounde, Sabellius and Praxeas. But the lordes name be blessed & praised for it, if these words wernot plain inough to proue this doctrine of the son of God, to be most cleare against these here­tiques, we haue else where in the scriptures, the same most plentifully and plainelie taught. For what can be plainer to this pur­pose, then these words of Iohn? Cap. 1.1. and 2. In the beginning, was the worde, and the [Page 72]word was with God, and the word was God: For the first clause shewes his existence, and being from euerlasting, the second his di­stinct existence, and being in person, from his fathers, and that last his vnitie in essence with him. Plaine also to this ende is that which we read, Heb. 1.2.3. For there the Apostle cals him the sonne of God, whom his heauenlie father hath made heire of all things, and by whome he made the world, and he termeth him the brightnes of his glorie, and the ingraued forme of his per­son, bearing vp all thinges by his mighty worde. For herein, his being before the world was, the distinctiō his of person from his fathers, and yet the vnitie of effence be­twixt them, in most forceable words is ad­uouched: let these therefore be sufficiente for this pointe.

Now if we would know what he became, and is by his incarnation, in person further, as I said before, the rest of the wordes of faint Paule before alleadged out of his 2. Chapter to the Philliplans, most notablie lay that also down before vs. For the Apostles purpose being to shew the Phillippians, how Christ humbled and abased himselfe, for the good of his Church, that he doth in shewing them how first he did it, by taking [Page 73]vpon him the forme of a seruant, and by beeing made like vnto men, and by beeing found in shape of a man, so setting down the misterie of his incarnation; and after by telling them howe beeing so become man, he humbled himselfe to be obedient euen vnto the death for them, to purchase their redemption. Note therefore dili­gentlie (welbeloued) and marke reli­giouslie, the wordes of the Apostle be­fore alleadged, to expresse the myste­rie of his incarnation. First he faith, [...], which we english, but he a­based himselfe, and made himselfe of no reputation: which wordes teach vs, that though it be moste true that we haue heard of him before, that voluntarily yet to shewe his obedience to the will of his father, and his loue towards his Church, when the time appointed of his father was come, he was content, though not to cease to be that, which he had alwaies beene before which was impossible, yet so to haue the glorie and shining brightnesse wherein alwaies thither vnto he had beene in with his father, for a time darkned, ob­scured and hid, as that in comparison there­of, he might be said and thought, euen much to haue abased himselfe, yea to haue [Page 74]made himselfe of no reputation. Nowe to shewe vs more particularly and speciallie wherein this abasing of himselfe, laie, and how he did it, the Apostle sayeth he did thus, euen himselfe abase himselfe, by ta­king the forme of a seruant, &c. thereby vnderstanding, the verie nature of man, withall the properties and naturall infirmi­ties thereof, sinne onely excepted, as we are taught to vnderstand it, Heb. 2.17. & 7.26. where the Apostle most plainelie teacheth that in all things, he in his man­hood was made like vnto his brethren, but that he was without sinne. And these three wordes forme, shape, and similitude, vsed by the Apostle heere himselfe, make it euident, that he had a purpose as substanti­ally as might bee, to expresse as much. Yea the word seruant shews further that volun­tarily also he became amongst men, to de­liuer men from seruitude, euen the cōmon seruant of men to serue vnder the burthen of their sins, as one in whom there was nei­ther forme nor beauty, & who was reiected and despised of men, as in that respect, the prophet Isayah discribs him, 53.2.3.54. The Apostles meaning is therefore heereby to teach, that Christ being frō euerlasting very God with his father, though a distinct per­son [Page 75]from his father, that at he was not thus a­based against his wil, for that beeing so, he thoght it no robery to be equal to his father but that he himself most freely & willingly was cōtent thus to strip himself, or to empty himself, of that glory & equality which he had naturally with his father, in taking vnto himselfe, as he was & is in the second person in the trinity, the whole nature of man with all the sinles, harmles, and naturall proper­ties therof, both in body & soule, and in v­niting the same immediately in the creation thereof, yea in the very same instant and moment, with himselfe, as he was the sonne of God, personally, that so, as he was before in that he was the sonne of God, almighty, infinite, incomprehensible, and eternall, so he might bee, as he was the soune of man, weake, finite, comprehended, and mortall. The better yet once againe to make you see, that the Apostles meaning in these his wordes, stretch thus farre, be­sides that which I haue noted already ther­in, obserue and marke further, that he saith not the forme of God, eyther abased it selfe, tooke the forme of a seruant or was made in the likelihoode or similitude of men, but he the which was in the forme, he made himself of no reputatiō, & was made [Page 76]so, and found also in the shape of a man, to teach vs, if we will speake like the Apo­stle, and so accordingly beleeue, we must not say nor beleeue that nature tooke na­ture, but the person of the sonne tooke vnto himselfe the nature of man, and so, that as he was created, so it was immediately vni­ted vnto that person to haue togither, with that person, a personall vnion, and neuer to haue first any existence or beeing a part, by, or in it selfe. For then the Apostle would haue said aswell that the thing assu­med, was he that was in the forme of a seruant, as he had said that the assumer was he that was and had a beeing in the forme of God, which he doth not. The assumer thefore was the second person in the trinity the sonne of God, and neyther father, nor holie Ghost, nor yet the bare essence of God but as in it this second person had his existence and being; and the assumed, was not a person of a man first beeing and ex­isting a part, but the nature with all the assentiall and inseparable harmelesse pro­perties thereof, of a true and verie man both in respect of his body and soule. That by this forme of a seruant, he ment not any other created nature, but the nature of man, he sufficiently she weth, by adding that he [Page 77]was made in the similitude of man, and in shape found as a man. For Marcion and o­ther heretiques heere upon gathering, that he assumed not the verie nature of man, but the showe and phantasme of a man, they doe most wilfullie but cauill, and foo­lishlie seek to darken a most manifest truth. For besides that all the story of his concep­tion, birth, life, and death, and most plaine speeches and phrases continually vsed of him in the scriptures, prooue that he was a verie true and perfect man, both in bodie and soule, these wordes giue them no ground to build any such conclusion vpon. For Adam is said to haue begot Seth ac­cording to his owne image or likenesse, Gen. 5.3. and yet we might iustly counte them verie fond, that therefore woulde in­ferre, that Seth had not the verie nature of a man, that Adam had, but a bare sha­dow or similitude thereof. The woordes [...], et [...] commonly englished, taking and made, well vnderstood, made it most cleare, that the second person tooke vnto it selfe personally, the nature of man so that he vnited so verilie and personally with him selfe, as he was the sonne of God, and the second person in the trinitie, that nature of man that he assumed, that Iohn might [Page 78]iustlie say, the word was made flesh, Cap. 1.14 and that we may most safely beleeue that he that before subsisted onely in the forme of God, now also subsistes in the forme of a seruant, and that as in respect of the one nature he is the verie sonne of God, equall to his father; so also in respect of the other, he is the verie sonne of his mother, and ve­rie man, and so lesser and inferiour to his father. In the olde testament, we reade he appeared in diuerse formes vnto men, but yet we neuer can say that then he made him selfe of no reputation by taking such forms vpon him, neyther therefore was he made the thinges he appeared to bee, because he neuer assumed thē so to himself, that he personally vnited himselfe vnto them. And heereby also we may further learne, in that the assumer, and thing assumed, are thus both described heere, the one to be that, that had his beeing in the forme of God before, and in this worke remained still himselfe: and the other to be the forme of a seruant, accompanied or inuested with the likenesse & shape of a seruant: that both these, notwithstanding this personall vnion, are entire and perfect in their owne nature, without any abolishing of eyther nature, or confounding of other in themselues, or [Page 79]in the properties with the other in Christ. Lastly these wordes are plaine and forci­ble to make vs see, that notwithstanding the assumer of the forme of a seruant vnto himselfe, thereby is made in the likenesse of a man, and found in shape as a man, that yet he is but one person nowe subsisting, both in the true forme of God, and in the verie nature or forme of man. For as of one person, after the finishing of this his incar­nation, both heere and else where alwaies the gospel speaketh of him. Dreame there­fore we may not, that this vnion of the na­ture of man personally with the son of God is either in the commixtion of the two na­tures, or by the inhabitation of the one, in the other, or by the adioining of the one vnto the other, or by the assisting of one the other, neither yet by the real cōmunication of the properties of the one with the other so, as that the one nature, may simply & properly be said, to be of the same properties, that the other is. For though water & wine be mixed in one cup, the spirit of God dwel in the seruants of God, & God adioyn him self vnto thē & assist thē most aparātly euery where, yet cānot wine, the spirit, or God, be said to haue so taken vnto thēselues water, the harts of men, or the seruāts of God, that [Page 80]therefore wine is made water, the spirit of God, or God, the heartes of men, or the seruants of God themselues; as we heere see him that hath beene alwaies in the forme of God, said to haue beene made in the forme of man, by his taking vnto himselfe the forme of a seruant. And though most certaine it be, and therefore most vsuall in the scriptures also (the bet­ter to note the true, reall, essentiall, and per­sonall vnion, betwixt the sonne of God, and the nature of man) to heare those things that properly appertaine to the manhood to be affirmed of our blessed God and Sa­uiour, and also those things that properlie belong vnto him onely as he is God, spoken of the man Christ: yet to make it euident, that as it is heretical, to confound the one nature with the other, that so it is also, and hath beene euer so accounted of all those who by the motion of Gods spirit, and not of their owne, haue written the scriptures to cōmunicate properly the special proper­ties of the one vnto the other, they haue ne­uer so spoken or writ, but speaking of these two natures in the concrete, that is, as the wordes vsed to signifie the same not the person subsisting in the essence and neuer speaking thereof in the abstract, as the [Page 81]schoolemen speake, that is, as the words v­sed, note the naked and simple essence in it selfe. And therefore for this true essentiall, and personall vnion of the sonne of God, with the forme of a seruant, we say accor­ding to the trueth, and to the scriptures, that Christ is God and man, but we vse not to say, he is Godhead and manheade, and we say, they crucified the Lorde of glorie, so noting that person that was and is the Lord of glorie, and vnderstanding this of his person, not in respect of that nature whereby he was so the Lord of glory, but in respect of the other nature personally v­nited thereunto, wherein he was passible and might be crucified. And so likewise speaking of his person in respect of the o­ther nature, we may say, and say truely, the man Christ is almightie, euerie where and infinite, because he is so in that respect, that he is the sonne of God, but we may not say that his manhoode is so. For we must vnderstand and alwaies remember, that whensoeuer any thing is affirmed of Christ, in respect of the one nature that properly belonges vnto a [...]ther, that the meaning thereof neuer is to inuest the one nature, with the properties that are pecu­liar to the other, but that so we speake, to [Page 82]shewe the personall vnion of both in one person. Wee may see a prettie good i­mage heereof in a man, as he consistes of bodie and soule: for, because of the con­curring but of those two natures together, to the constitution of a man as they doe, though infinitely it come short of the rea­ching to the excellencie of this mysterie that we now speake of, may truely be said in diuerse respectes, to be a heauenly cre­ature, and an earthly; mortall and immor­tall: heauenly and immortall, in respect of his soule, and earthlie & mortall, in re­gard of his bodie: and diuerse thinges that are proper to the bodie, are yet saide of the soule, and contrarie they which are speciall to the soule, are affirmed of the bodie; as for example, we say somtimes the soule of man awaketh or sleepeth, which are properly saide of the bodie, and we say the bodie heareth, seeth, or vn­derstandeth, when as in deede, the body can doe none of these, but by the soule: and yet as wee thinke they destroy the nature of man, that eyther for the vni­on or coupling of these two together, to make a man, or for any of these phrases, woulde eyther turne the one of these in­to the other, confounde one of these with [Page 83]the other, or inuest the one nature reallie with the properties that be speciall and pe­culiar vnto the other, so holde we it most firmely in this case, that it is, plainely he­reticall to doe the like. These things ther­fore thus weied and considered, we haue iust cause to say and thinke with the Apo­stle, That great is the mysterie of Godlines, namely euen this, that God is manifested in the flesh, and yet iustifyed in the spirit, seene of Angels, preached vnto gen­tiles, beleeued on in the worlde, and re­ceiued vp into glorie, 1. Tim. 3.16. And by these thinges we may so clearely see our Christ in person to be verie God, and verie man, and yet for all that, but one person, as that both with the Apostle Paul, we may call him, The mightie and blessed God for euer. 2. Tim. 2.13. and the man Christ Iesus, 1.2.5 and yet still speake of him, as but of the one person, as hee doth in both these places. And to con­clude this pointe, heereby also euen suf­ficientlie, we may see and heare all the heretiques, and their heresies confuted, that euer yet haue sette themselues a­gainst anie pointe or parte of the trueth of this doctrine of his person. For heereby againste Ebion Cerinthus, [Page 84]and Photinus, denying his Godheade that hath beene a duouched, and against Mar­cion confessing that, and denying the truth of his manhoode, that hath beene like­wise plainely prooued: and consequently Arrius that held rightly of neyther, af­firming that in respect of the one, he was but a created spirit, and in regard of the o­ther, a bodie onely, without any other soule then his created Godhead, and Apollinaris that denied that he had the minde or reaso­nable soule of a man, howsoeuer he gran­ted him the sensitiue and growing soule, are confounded also; especially remem­bring further, that Christ himselfe, as plainely to teach them by his wordes that he had a verie soule of a man, as by experi­ence they sawe and found he had the very body of a man, said not onely, that his soule was heauy vnto death, Math. 26.38. but dy­ing, as Luke reporteth 23.46. cryed with a lowde voyce, Father, into thy handes I com­mend my spirit. And Nestorius that helde the two natures in him only to be vnited by consociation and assistance, and that there­fore he had stil a Godhead and a manhood, not onely distinct in their natures, but also so, that in him the sonne of God was one, and the sonne of the virgin an other, as he [Page 85]was condemned in the counsel of Ephesus, for one that was led by the spirit of Anti­christ, for his so loosing or dissoluing of Ie­sus, so hath the Apostle directly confuted him in this place to the Phillipians, and Iohn also as I haue shewed, in setting downe plainely, that he that was in the forme of God, whome Iohn called the worde, so tooke vnto himselfe the forme of a seruant, that he was made very man, or flesh. Euti­ches also, who to ouerthrowe Nestorius, taught that the two naturs are so vnited, af­ter the incarnation, that howsoeuer they were two before, after they are but one, can­not stand with the apparant distinction that Paule hath made betwixt the assumer, and assumed nature, both before, in, and after the assuming of the one by the other vnto himselfe. And whereas, if this opinion of his were true, it should thereupon follow that then eyther the Godhead shoulde be turned into the manhoode, or the man­hoode into the Godhead, for that of the commixtion of both, a third thing should growe. Euerie one of these absurd con­sequentes, Paule hath refelled also, by teaching vs both to remayne, without eyther turning of the one into the other, or confounding one of them, by anie [Page 86]commixtion or otherwise, one with an other, as we haue hearde. And con­sequentlie heereby both the Luthe­rans and Papistes, who for the main­tenance of their grosse reall presence, and mouth eating of Christ, both God and man doe most eagerlie striue and contende, to entitle the manhoode of Christ, with the peculiar properties of the Godheade, as to be muisible, incircumscriptible &c. are most plain­ly prooued, to teach heerein here­ticall and damned doctrine, for that thus confounding the properties, with Eutiches in deede, and trueth, they confounde the natures themselues, and therefore let them (as they may iust­ly) take the condemnation of Eutiches, in the councell of Calcedon, to bee also directly their condemnation. Vnder this same condemnation come the heretiques, [...], so called, because Euti­ches being condemned, they durst not say whom they followed, though with him they hold but one nature after the incarna­tion to remaine, and the [...], that thought the diuine nature was turned into the humaine, and that therfore they might say, that it suffered, and the [...] also, [Page 87]which holding that there was nothing lefte but the diuine nature, and that the other was absorpte of that, yet helde that that nature was ignoraunte of manie thinges, and the Aphterdoxitae, who helde that the humaine nature was im­passible, for the coniunxion that it had with the diuine, and also the Mo­nothelites, who therefore taught, that there was but onelie will in the per­son of Christ. For all these stumbled and fell with Eutiches in vrging so the vnion, of the two natures, that they in effecte, one waie or other, ere they had done, eyther by confoun­ding the natures or the properties left but one in effecte. Let vs therefore, whatsoeuer heretiques, eyther olde or newe, haue thought, or doe, or shall thinke to the contrarie, moste constantlie holde this, as the verie rocke and foundation, whereupon if we bee builte and stande faste, the verie gates of hell shall neuer preuaile against vs, that Christe Iesus in person, is verie GOD, the seconde person in the tri­nitie, and also verie man the sonne of the blessed virgine Marie, and therefore, that both these two are so [Page 88]personally vnited in him, that he is one per­son, and that without any conuersion of the one nature into the other, or confusion eyther of the natures themselues, or of the seuerall and speciall properties, the one with the other. For most necessarie it is that in euery respect he shoulde be such an one, or else he neyther can be an able, nor fit person, to be our Iesus. For though the sinne of man, there being growne of Gods parte such iust cause of enimitie against man, of mans, such ali­enation and auersion of minde from God; as there is, it was first most meete, that he that should be the attonement-maker twixt these, shoulde first in himselfe haue the two natures at vnity and one. And then seeing the order of Gods iustice required, that as man had offended it, man againe shoulde appease it, by vndergoing the burthen of the sinnes of man, to satisfie fullie the same for them, as it was ne­cessarie, that he that woulde be mans sa­uiour, shoulde therefore be a verie man: so likewise because no nature but that which is of power infinite, and therefore none but very God, coulde euer haue beene able to haue enabled the nature of man to vndertake, and effectuallie [Page 89]to go through with this most greate and hard worke, to satisfie fully the infinite iu­stice of God for the sinnes of the world, it was as needfull, that he shoulde be true and very God. Yea for these causes it was most requisite that these two, verie God and the nature of man, shoulde be so vnited, as that thereof shoulde consist but onely one person, as I haue said, that so the passible nature might beare, as Esay spea­keth, the chastisment of our peace. Esay, 53.5. and that the other which is impassible, by the power and dignitie thereof, hauing it so personally, subsisting in and with it selfe, might fit it for that purpose, not onely con­tributing vnto it power and strength, suf­ficient therefore, but also, communi­cating vnto the thinges done and suffered to that end, by that nature, though in number, and for the time of the accom­plishing the same fruite, an infinite dig­nity and worthynesse, to satisfie the in­finite iustice of God, for the purchassing and compassing of mans saluation. For otherwise, if that nature, by this means had not been the manhode of one that was and is very God also, it might well haue entred into this worke, but doubt­lesse in wrastling vnder the burthen of our [Page 90]sinnes, against hell, death, and deuil, to sa­tisfie the infinite iustice and wrath of God for the same, it might well haue been swal­lowed vp of death, and of the sorrows of hel but it neither shoulde nor coulde euer haue valiently and triumphantly ouercome all these, and nailed as it were out sins, and the hand writing that was against vs for the same, to his crosse (as Paule speaketh Co­los. 2.14.10. Begote vs againe vnto a liue­lie hope, that is, to assure vs, that he had gone through the worke, that he tooke in hand, as nowe through the power there­of, by rising againe, the third day from death to life, and by ascending visibly as a conqueror into heauen fourty daies after, and by sitting euer since at the right hand of his father, in the heauenly places) most euidently he hath. For it is the spirite that, quickneth, and without that so vnited vnto it as it was, His flesh could haue profi­ted nothing. Io: 6.63. Therefore verse di­uinely saith the apostle, that by his eternall spirite it was (thereby vnderstanding plain­ly his Godhead) that he offered himselfe without spot to God, to purge our consciences from dead workes, to serue the liuing God. Heb. 9.14. And hence is it, as the former saying of Christ sheweth plainlie inough, [Page 91]that he saith, my flesh, is meat indeed: and my bloode is drincke indeed: Ioh. 6.55. and againe 53.54. except yee eate the flesh of the sonne of man, and drincke his blood, yee haue no life in you: but whoso­euer eateth my fleshe, and drinketh my blood, hath eternall life, and I will raise him vp at the last day. For howe can it be o­therwise, but that he being as he is God and man in one person, by the meanes of this most high vnion of his Godhead with his manhoode, but that from the same Godhead, there must needes proceed and flowe throgh his manhoode, infinite power to quicken and saue all those, that be partakers thereof? And how can it be possible, but that the heauenlie father, must needs account this his welbeloued sonne, in whome he is well pleased, a fit and most sufficient meanes to make him also to be well pleased, with all these, that confesse and acknowledge him to be in person as he is, and confi­dently repose their redemption, and saluation. Whatsoeuer therefore others haue done, or yet doe, let vs learne by thus knowing and acknowledging Christ to be in person, to come vn­to him.

Nowe concerning his office, the same light of the gospell will most clearely di­rect vs what also to holde and to beleeue touching that, What Christ is in office. and first in generall. both in generall, and in particulare. In generall, it sets him before vs to be the Christ, the Messiah, the saui­our of the world. And this it doth also in such sorte, as that it teacheth as solie and wholy, sullie and freely, to account him so to bee. For most plainly we read, (as we cannot heare too ofte, that saint Peter most confidently to the faces of his stow­test enimies, hath aduouched, that there is noe saluation in any other, for amongest men there is giuen no other name vnder hea­uen, whereby saluation commeth but his, Act: 4.12. And therefore in this respect he is called, The author and finisher of our faith, Heb: 12.2. and ∝ and [...]. the beginning and the ending. Reue. 1.8. Besides he him­selfe, that best knewe himselfe what he was and is, tels vs plainly to this purpose, that he is the way, the trueth, and the life. Io. 14.6. yea that he is so the dore of the sheepfold, that whosoeuer he be that climmeth vp and seeketh to get in by anie other way, he is a theefe and a murtherer, Ioh: 10. vers. 1. and 7. againe Mat. 22. comparing the kingdome of heauen to a mariage that a [Page 93]king made vnto his sonne, and the true ministers of God to the bidders, vnto that mariage, he shewes that his heauenlie fa­ther, to illure his guestes to come therevn­to, hath willed them to say vnto them, all thinges are prepared already, vers. 4. ther­by shewing that in that, that this mariage is so consummat betwixt him the sonne of the heauenly king, and our nature, as by the personall vnion thereof, we haue heard it is, we may be sure, that if nowe we will come, and feed of the heauenly cheare, that in and by this mariage is prouided for vs, that euen therein we shall finde all thinges necessarie to feed vs to eternall life so sufficiently prouided for vs before hand already, that we need speake no further. And this he had an eie vnto when he said to the woman of Samaria, Ioh: 4.14. whosoeuer drincketh of the wa­ter that I shall giue him, shall be no more a thirst, but it shall be in him a well of water that springeth vp to eternall life. It is good listining therefore to Esays proclamation in this respect, to euerie one that thirsteth come yee to the waters, yea, yee that haue no sil­uer come buie and eate, I say buy wine and milke without siluer and without money. 55.1. For doubtlesse they that hereby will [Page 94]learne to come vnto him by faith, for the foode of their soules, and so giue ouer laying out their siluer or labouring for that which will not proue bread to satisfie them (which al they doe which are at neuer so much paines and cost by any other meanes to satisfie their hungrie and thirsty soules) they as they are further taught there, though they be vtterly vn­able of them selues to giue any recom­pence vnto him, for the same, yet in him they shall finde both meate and drinke sufficient, not onely to refresh their soules, but euen to delight them with fatnesse. When people therefore, for all this will not trust onely to this all sufficient sauiour of their soules, but besides him, deuise vnto themselues o­ther persons and thinges in that re­spect to be trusted vnto: what doe they else but giue GOD occasion to complaine of them, as Ieremie he did of the Iewes, and therefore to say: O yee heauens be astonied at this, be a­fraide, and vtterlie confounded saith the Lorde. For my people haue committed two euils, they haue forsaken the foun­taine of liuing waters, to dig them pits, euen broken pittes, that can holde no wa­ter. [Page 95]Iere: 2.12.13. And yet as plaine as these thinges bee, the Church of Rome hath, doth and will still most grossly and openly commit these 2. great euils, what­soeuer either God or man can say to, the contrarie, as we shall see most plainly ere I haue done, howsoeuer, let them doe thus as longe as they list, let vs onely seek and trust vnto the fountaine of liuing wa­ters, Christ Iesus our Lorde and saui­our.

Howe be it the better and the more, Thē more particular ly, that by him we haue full remissiō of our sinnes. to occasion vs soe to doe indeede, as wee ought from pointe to pointe, and in all respectes let vs see more parti­cularly howe this office of our saui­our is set sorth in the Gospell vnto vs. For it contenteth not it selfe with this summarilye telling vs, that hee is the full and perfecte sauiour of the worlde but because hee that is such an one indeede muste first then pur­chase for vs full remission of our sinne, for which otherwise all Gods curses and iudgmentes both in this life and in that which is to come, must come vpon vs, and also he must prouide for vs (we neuer ha­uing nor euer beeing able to haue any such of our owne) a perfect righteousnes [Page 96]answerable euen to Gods most perfect rule of righteousnesse, whereby we may be made righteous before him, and haue iust and right title to the kingdome of heauen, into which being as it is the throne of the most pure God, no impure and vncleane thing or person can or may enter. Yea because to the full compassing of this for vs, and to the making vs indeed partakers and possessors hereof, which is our Sauiours office to doe, it is necessarie that he shoulde then be a king, to conquer our enimies and to gouerne and keep vs, a prophet to teach and guide vs by his worde, and a priest to redeeme vs, and to make continuall intercession for vs, the gospell most notably doth in all these re­spects describe Christ vnto vs to be such an one, as the sauiour of the worlde should bee, and as we haue neede of. But first let vs heare what it saith touching the two former, and after we will come to the view also of the other. Touching the first of which, that is, full remission of our sinnes, as it was promised at the first by God to Adam and Eue. Gen: 3.15. That he shoulde tread downe the serpents heade: and after was more plainly reueiled to Da­niel, that when Messiah the prince shoulde [Page 97]come he shoulde confirme the couenant, and not onely cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease, but also finish the wickednesse of his people, seale vp their sinnes, and reconcile their iniquitie. 9.27. and 24. and there­fore by Isaiah plainlie foretolde, that he shoulde be so wounded for our transgressions, and broken for our iniquities that the chastis­ment of our peace shoulde be vpon him, and that by his stripes we shoulde be healed: 53.5. so in the newe testament we reade, that an Angell from heauen tolde Ioseph most plainlie, shortlie after his concepti­on, That his name shoulde be called Ihesus, because he shoulde saue his people from their sinnes. Mat: 1.21. And therfore ere yet he was borne olde father Zacharie by the inspiration of the holy ghost prophe­sied that his sonne Iohn shoulde goe be­fore his face to prepare his waies, and to giuē knowledge vnto his people of their saluation, by the remission of their sinnes. Luke: 1.16.77. which after Iohn faithfully performed saying of him in the presence of a great multitude he being then there also, Beholde the Lambe of God which taketh away the sins of the world. Io. 1.16. His apostles also most plainlie bear witnes to his point, according to their commission, Luke. 24.47. For we [Page 98]read. Act: 10.45. that Peter most confi­dently in presence of a great companie, said and testified, that to him all the prophets witnes, that through his name al that beleeue in him shoulde haue remission of their sinnes. And therefore in his first epistle. Cap. 2 24. he applieth so that before aleadged testi­mony of Esay to this purpose, that he saith, in his owne body vpon the tree, he so bare our sinnes, that we being deliuered there from hauing by his stripes our selues healed, we should liue in righteousnes. And Iohn he is as plaine saying, If any man sin we haue an ad­uocate with the father Iesus Christ the iust, & he is the reconciliation of our sins, and not for our sins onely, but for the sinnes of the whole world. 1. Epist. Cap 1.12. And what can be more plaine and pregnant to this end then that sweet saying of saint Paule this is a true saying & worthie of al men to be receiued, that Iesus Christ came into the world to saue sin­ners, whereof in great humility and feeling of his sins, he acknowledgeth himselfe cheese. 1. Timo: 1.15. yea to shew vs that he tooke this remission of sinnes that he lookt for through Christ to be ful and perfect, not onely to discharge vs of all the eternall pu­nishmentes due vnto vs, for our sinnes in the worlde to come, but also, of the whole [Page 99]curse of the law, within the compasse wher­of are all kinde of temporary punishments in this life, as we may see, Deu: 27. & 28, as he saith, ther is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Iesus. Rom. 1.8. so Galathians the third the 13. also he writeth that he became accursed for vs, to deliuer vs from the curse of the law. And if the forgiuenes of our sinnes that we looke for at Gods hand stretch not thus far, how could they be said to be made, as white as snowe or woole, Isay: 1.18. when they are forgiuen: or how could it be said of God when he forgiues thē, that he would remember them no more, as it is 31.34. Heb. 10.17. Yea that then he castes them al into the bottom of the sea, as he pro­miseth he wil, Math: 7.19? And yet as neces­sarie, comfortable, and certaine as you see this doctrine to be, the papists can not find in their harts, to let vs goe away with it thus wholie and freely. For first they directly hold that sins falne into after baptisme, haue a number of fountaines of water to wash them in, and meanes to purge the owners thereof, besides Christ Iesus and his merits. Their sacrament of pennance which they holde to consiste of contri­tion, confession and satisfaction: and the priestes absolution thereupon, in this case [Page 100]must serue vs as a second planke after ship­wracke to fly vnto, and to escape the dan­ger of the tempestuous seas of Gods wrath by: and if this will not serue, then Mas­ses, satisfactorie workes done by mans owne selfe and others extraine vnction, and lastly the enduring of the paines of purgatory, and the mediation of Saints and Angels, all laid together, shal help them quite to be discharged from those sinnes, and the punishments yet by them to be suffered for them, from which they durst not for all this euidence that I haue brought, looke fully to be deliuered by the precious blood of Christ Iesus. And yet they cannot be ignorant, that as in the in­stitution of the sacrament of his body and blood, he calde the cup the newe testament in his blood, which shoulde be shed for the remission of sinnes. Mat. 26.28. that so when it was shed to that end, and therefore he euen readie to die: that to shewe that by that death of his all meritorious suffering & satisfying for sinne had an end, he said consummatum est, that is, it is finished, Io: 19.30. And that ther­fore in the epistle to the Hebrwes, the abso­lute sufficiencie of the sacrifice offered by Christ to purchasse vs full and perfect [Page 101]redemption and saluation by the remi­ssion of our sinnes, once for all by his owne person, is so aduouched as though, the holie Ghost therein of purpose direc­ted the writer to preuent and to con­fute all these deuises, who may not see? The stone that they woulde seeme espe­cially to stumble at, and whereby to fall into these conceites, is that which we reade 2. Sam. 12. that notwithstanding vpon Danids repentance he tolde him, that God had forgiuen him his sinne and put it away, verse: 13. yet he not onelie denounceth a iudgment against him vpon occasion of that his sinne, but also it after followeth and is shewed, howe it was in deed executed vpon him. For here vpon, when other shiftes faile them, to counte­nance their antichristian ecclipsing and de­facing the full and stee remission of sinnes, ye of all our sinnes, originall and actuall, before baptisme and after, that any way are remissible, they imagine yet they may hold thisfast, that howsoeuer by and in him, we may haue remission of the sins them selues, and release of the eternall punishmentes due therefore, that yet there may and doeth remaine some temporary to be abid or satis­fied for, by our selues, or other of our good [Page 102]friendes, either here in this life, or in pur­gatory in the life to come. But alas who seeth not, that the ground which they haue from hence is to weake and sandy, to build such a huge heape of satisfactory workes and sufferings vpon, as here v­pon to rob Christ, and to aduatire and enrich them selues, they woulde faine builde? For though this and the like dealing of GOD with his seruantes, proue that God may and doth for iust causes known vnto himselfe, take occa­sion by their sinnes, to chastise them and to correct them for the same though he haue before forgiuen them their sinnes, and neuer meane that they shall there­fore be condemned, yet neither this, nor all the like examples euer can proue, that by the enduring of, or satisfying for these any way or by any bodie, Gods mea­ning euer was, that they shoulde per­fect the worke of the remission of their sinnes. For doubtlesse his sonne hauing vndertaken the purchasing of this for vs at his handes, and there lacking in him neither skill nor power nor affection, to go through with the worke which he had taken in hand, without doing of him to manifest and open wrong, in robbing of [Page 103]him, in taking from him that which is his due, we must fully be persuaded that for our sinnes he hath so fully satisfied his hea­uenly father, that he will thinke we doe him greate iniurie, and much staine his iu­stice, if by any other doing or suffering we shoulde offer him any other price or pai­ment againe therefore. Such punishments therefore either threatned by God or af­flicted vpon his children after in Christ their sinnes are forgiuen them, they are his fatherly chastisments, to teach them the better to see the vilenesse and grie­uousnesse of sinne, and serue both them and other as Gods sanctified meanes to warne them to take more heed of sinne thereafter, and to mortifie them there­vnto: but in no sort must wee be so foo­lish as with these kinde of men to imagine, that they must either be endured, or o­therwise bought out by our owne satis­factions or of others, to make perfect or to consummate the full remission of our sinnes. By these deuises they set their priests and prelats a loft in the consciences of men, as though they could absolue them, and dis­charge them from that, from which all the blood shed of Christ Iesus though neuer so well beleeued in, hath not yet quitte [Page 104]them, and so by their deuise of purgatorie, and their manner of releeuing of soules there by their pardons, masses and dirges &c: and by doing of these, and by their absolution, extraine vnction, and their taking vpon them to offer Christ againe to his father for them, as though his owne offering of him selfe coulde not serue the turne, they haue wonder­fully enriched themselues. What other reasons soeuer they may pretend hereof, if these were not the reasons indeede that set them and helde them in this way, they had long agoe, or would quic­ly be glad with vs, to preach and to be­leeue, ful remission of all sinnes, both in respect of the guiltinesse and punishment also, by and thorow the onely sufferings and satisfaction done by Christ. For what reason in the worlde can cause them but once to thinke that Christ hath borne the burthen of our sins, but so in his owne bodie vpon the tree, that he should, when he had done, returne the same againe vpon vs in some forte to beare and to suffer for? Or if they woulde needes holde this to be thus, howe can they tell howe much Christ hath suffered and howe much he hath left to be suffe­red [Page 105]by vs, or when they haue suffered all that eyther for quantitie or quality, is meete to make the remission plenarie, com­plet and full. But thus in the iust iudge­ment of God it is fit, that they should en­tangle themselues with grosse and intricate absurdities, that leaue the onely true way to heauen, Christ Iesus, and thus seeke out biepathes of their owne inuention to bring them thither. Let vs therefore (good brethren) giue no care vnto them, but as we haue beene most plainely taught out of the canonicall scriptures, be fullie perswa­ded that there is full and absolute remission of all our sinnes vnto vs if we repent ther­of aright and beleeue in Christ Iesus.

And as plainely doubtlesse doe the same scriptures, And a derfect righ­teousnesse by impu­tation. and the gospell therein contai­ned, shew vs that in the same Christ Iesus we are by faith to seeke to be made righte­ous, not by any righteousnesse of our owne doing, but by a righteousnesse in Christ Ie­sus. And yet I am not ignorant, that the papistes are at such opposition also to this, that their learned diuines of Louan most impudently and shamefully haue written, that it is as absurde to say that we can be made righteous by the imputation of Christes righteousnes, as it is for a man to [Page 106]be counted an asse by the imputating vnto him the forme of an asse; the rather there­fore and the more diligentlie let vs marke what therin we are taught of this point also; Paule doubtlesse so speaking of that rightiousnesse, whereof to this ende GOD is an allower and a liker, saith flatlie, That it is on all, and vppon all that beleeue in him. Rom. 3.22. For he is made vnto vs of God, not onely our wisedom, sanctification and redemption, but also our righteousnesse, as the same Apostle writeth, 1. Cor. 1.30. And lest with the papistes we shoulde thinke, that this righteousnesse, is that inchoated inhe­rent righteousnesse, which is founde in the regenerate, taught them by the law, and wrought in them by the spirit of God, receiued by beleeuing the Gospell, which indeede the scriptures call sanctification, and the fruites of the spiritte in such, he saith in the first to the Romanes. 17. That this righteousnesse of God, is reuealed by the Gospell, from faith to faith: and that as he addeth, without the lawe. Rom. 3.21. which may well and truely be saide of the righteousnesse that is most perfect and ab­solute in Christ Iesus, to the knowledge whereof we come by the Gospell, and not [Page 107]by the lawe, and whereof more and more according to the increasinges of our faith, we find our selues possessed. For this righteousnesse of God, is by the faith of Iesus Christ, vnto all and vpon all that be­leeue, as he speaketh in the verie next verse: but this we cannot say of the foresaid inhe­rent righteousnesse in any of our selues: for the lawe rightlie vnderstoode, re­ueales vnto vs a perfect rule of holines and righteousnesse, yea perfecter, then through the weakenesse of the fleshe, it is possible for vs to answere and keepe, as long as we liue heere. Rom. 8.3. and therefore, because without such a righteousnesse as is perfect in the eies of GOD himselfe, we can haue no entrance into the most righteous king­dome of God, he hath, as there we are taught, sent his sonne in the similitude of sinfull flesh, to condemne sinne in the flesh, That wee that walke not after the flesh, but after the spiritte, in him, yet might haue the righteousnesse of the lawe fulfilled in vs. 3. & 4. vers. For Christ is the ende of the lawe for righteousnesse to euery one that beleeueth. Rom. 10.4. And therefore this same Paule, Gallat. 2.16. (though I dare be bolde to say he [Page 108]had then as much inherent righteousnesse of his own, as euer had any merit-munger in the world, writeth thus. We that are Iewes by nature, and not sinners of the Gen­tiles, knowe that a man is not iustified by the workes of the lawe, but by faith of Iesus Christ: euen we I say haue beleeued in Iesus Christ, that we might be iustified by faith in Christ, and not by the workes of the law, because by the workes of the lawe no flesh shall be iustified. And yet more plainelie to shewe that he made no reckoning of anie inherent righteousnesse of his owne, eyther before his conuersion or after to iustifie himselfe by before God at all, but onely to this purpose, of Christes righte­ousnesse to be imputed vnto the beleeuer in him, most notablie (to the shame and iust consutation and confusion of all that will not submitte themselues to this righ­teousnesse of God, but through a blinde and an ignorant zeale, will still seeke to establish their owne righteousnesse, for all the fearefull warning that they haue of the reiection of the Iewes, euen for this verie fault, as most cleerely they are taught, Rom. 10.2.3.) in this Epistle to the Philippians, Cap. 3, vers. 7.8.9. he hath set downe these wordes: The thinges [Page 109]that were vantage vnto mee I counted losse, for Christes sake, yea doubtlesse I thinke all thinges but losse, for the excellent knowledge sake of Iesus Christ my Lord. For whome I haue counted all thinges but losse, and doe iudge them to be dunge, that I might winne Christ, and might be found in him, not ha­ning mine owne righteousnesse which is of the lawe, but that which is through the faith of Christ, euen the righteousnesse which is of God through faith. Whose example here­in, he there also setteth before al that min­ded to be perfect to follow, vers. 14.15. &c. If notwithstanding any should be sound that would not, he hath tolde them most confidentlie that whey mighte trust to. Gal. 5.4. saying, yee are abolished from Christ, whosoeuer is iustified by the law, yee are falne from grace. All which proofes laide together make it most cleare, that Iesus Christ in office is so the sauiour of the world, that he is so, so wholie and solie, fullie and freelie, that without sacrilegious robbing of him of that honour and glorie that is due vnto him alone, and that most iustlie, in that high office of sauing mens soules, as the meritorious cause thereof, he may neyther haue Saint nor Angell in heauen, nor man, merit nor any thing else [Page 110]in earth ioyned or coupled with him at all.

Let not the papistes therefore once thinke that their newe founde distinction of former and latter iustification or that their telling vs that by the workes of the lawe, Paule vnderstoode the workes on­ly done before grace, by the bare lighte of the letter of the lawe, or that in this ar­ticle when he so oft teacheth vs that we are iustified by grace, he ment thereby the in­fused grace or habite of charitie, or that their going about to hide and shadow their robbing of Christ of iustifying the belee­uer in him, thorowlie in and by his owne selfe, in teaching their latter iustification to be by mans own merits and satisfactions, not so much for the worthinesse of the thinges done or suffered by men, as for that, they are done of men formally iu­stified before with God by the infused grace of charity, and that they are therefore growne to that efficacie, by the bloode and merits of Christ, for which beleeued but on, as they teach, God hath iustified them, by infusing the gift of charitie into their soules and mindes: let them not once thinke or dreame, I say, that any or all of these their sophisticall and cunning sleights or shiftes, eyther can or shall, once darken or [Page 111]blemish the plaine euidence and cleare light of this doctrine of iustification, redempti­on and full saluation, freely and effectually by faith in Christ Iesus. For as for the first of these, they cannot be ignorant, that whensoeuer the question is in hande, how and wherby man is to be iustified before God, the scriptures throughout, as plaine­ly teach vs, that there is but one iustifica­tion or waie thereunto, as they teach vs that there is but one God. Indeede they shewe sometimes, that there is a proceeding and growing forward [...]eerein, from vertue to vertue, from faith to faith, and so from strength to strength, in applying vnto vs, (according to the increasings of our know­ledge more and more of our owne wantes, and of Christes person and office, and ac­cording to our proceeding in the strength, vertue, & power of our faith grounded ther­upon) Christ Iesus & his merits: and some­times they speak of iustification in a larger or in another signification, & therfore then they may and doe vrge him that is iustified to be yet more iustified, but heereupon to builde, that therefore there are two distinct kindes of iustification of man before the tribunall seate of GOD, is both to builde without grounde and foundation [Page 110] [...] [Page 111] [...] [Page 112]and wilfullie in a most serious cause, to play, and seeke by dallying with ambi­guitie of wordes, to deceiue the simple. Now as for their second shift, the vanity & falshoode therof, will soone appeare to any that with any indifferencie wil but consider Paules wordes, when in handling of this point he shutteth out workes of the lawe from hauing any thing to doe in the office of iustifying. For writing as he did alwaies when he handled this question, not to Iewes, that indeede thorowe ignorance both of Christ and of the true meaning and vse of the lawe, vsed to seeke by the workes of the lawe, in their sence, that is, by workes taught by the lawe and done before grace, to be iustified, but to conuerted and beleeuing Gentiles: to what purpose had it beene to labour so often and so earnestlie to driue them from seeking iustification by such workes of the lawe, whereof they coulde neuer make anie such reckoning, in that before their conuersion, they were not so much as once acquainted with the lawe. If ther­fore we must thinke, (as we are bounde) that Paule wrote and spoke to the purpose, and aptlie to those that he had to deale withall, out of all question we must needs [Page 113]be of that iudgement, that he taught euen the conuerted and beleeuing gentiles, in what measure soeuer the spirit of grace en­abled them to haue, and to performe, ne­uer so manie good workes of the lawe, yet when they were neuer so full of them to trust perfectly, freely to be iustified by the grace of God, through the redemption that is in Christ Iesus, and not at all by the workes of the lawe. Alas who is so simple as to thinke, that the false Apo­stles sought to perswade the Galathians, whome Paule had left setled in seeking their iustification freely by faith in Christ, to seeke manie so to be iustified in part, or in whole, by workes of the lawe done without or before grace? and yet if this popish glose must stand, Paule in his Epi­stle written of purpose to perswade the Galathians, not to listen to these, teach­ing them to seeke any way to be iustified before God by the workes of the lawe, therein eyther disputes to no purpose, and fightes but with his owne shadowe, or else it must be granted that these were the workes of the lawe, that they were taught by them to put some trust and confidence in, which to imagine were most grosse and absurde, for there is no likelihoode [Page 114]therein at all. His reasons that he vsed to shut out the workes of the lawe, from the office of iustifying, are these, for by the lawe, commeth the knowledge of sinne. Rom. 3.20. For that our reioycing is in this case excluded not by the lawe of works, but by the lawe of faith, vers. 27. For that if Abraham were iustified by workes he hath wherein to reioyce, but not with God, for that the wages is counted to him that worketh, not of fauour (as he taketh it for graunted it was to Abraham and must be to all the children of Abraham, in this case) but of debt, which likewise he assumeth as graunted to be in this point absurde. Rom. 4.2.4. For if they which are of the lawe be heires, faith is made voyde and the promise is of none effect. For the lawe causeth wrath. 14.15. therefore it is by faith, that it might come by grace, and the promise might be sure to all the seeds. 16. As mante as are of the workes of the lawe are vnder the curse. For it is written, cursed is euery one that continueth not in all thinges which are written in the booke of the lawe to doe them: No man is iustified by the lawe in the sight of God it is euident, for the iust shall liue by faith: and to Abraham and his seede were the promises made: he saith not, and to thy seedes, as speaking of [Page 115]manie but and to thy seede, as of one which is Christ. Gal. 3.10.11.16. Euerie and all of which argumentes, make and serue strongly, not onely to debarre woorks done before grace, according to the out­ward letter of the lawe, from all office and power to iustifie, but also all workes done after grace, effectually if mans owne free will in such sort concurre to the working of them as they teach. For euen therein and when they are done, the lawe findeth such imperfection in the doer, as we may see by Paules owne confession. Rom. 7.24. that he hath cause to crie: O wretched man that I am, who shall deliuer mee from this bo­die of sinne and death, and to acknow­ledge euen in such a one as then he him­selfe was (who doubtlesse was then in the state of grace, that the lawe is such a re­uealer of sin yet to be in him, and therfore also of wrath, that he is so farre off from ha­uing any cause by his own works done after grace, to thinke that he deserueth to be iu­stified or saued in any respect, that thereby he may iustly with him take occasion to confesse, that though the law be spiritual yet he is carnal, & so sold vnder sinne, that in his flesh there dwelleth no good thing, for though to will is present with him, & that he allowe not [Page 116]the euill he doth, because in his inner man he consenteth vnto the lawe that it is holie and good, yet he doth sometimes the euill that he hateth and findeth no meanes, as he shoulde, to performe that which is good, Vers. 14. &c. And by workes done after grace, flowing (as they say) from our owne freewill in great part, if iustification should come at all, how then could we be excluded from all reioyeing in that respect in our selues? how coulde our iustification come freely and of sauour, and not at all of debt, as Paule teacheth it must? how could it be but in some sorte we shoulde be heires by the lawe, and not onely by faith and the vertue of the promise, neyther of which can be sure and certaine, if they rested vpon the condition of the workes that we at any time can doe, which we can neuer be sure that we haue attained vnto, eyther in that mea­sure or manner (as they themselues are dri­uen to confesse) as is required of vs. Yea if thereby at all, our iustification coulde come, why then was not the promise made vnto vs in the plurall number, in seedes, and not in seede, to warrant vs, as especially to looke for the benefitte thereof by the merites of the seede of the woman, of Abraham, Isaac, and [Page 117] Iacob, so partly and secondarily at least, by our selues, and our owne merits or workes ioyned with his? But to ende this point, what can be more cleare to put vs out of all doubt, that Paule shuts not from this office of iustifying, onely workes of the lawe done before grace, but also the best workes done in grace, then that he himselfe in the third of the Philippians (as we heard before) in this respect, doth not onely in the time past disable his own good workes done according to the lawe before his conuersion vnreproueable, but also in the verie present time when he wrote that Epistle, which was not long before his death, his workes or righteousness which he then had, as dung, that so he might be iustified by another righteousnesse, to be founde and attained vnto, by faith in Christ. In that also, 1. Cor. 4.4. First he confesseth, that he knew nothing by himselfe, (speaking then of himselfe as he was in the state of grace) and then by and by he addeth, that he was not thereby iustified, he plainely shewed that though he had liued so in the execution of his Apostleship, that his conscience accused him not of trans­gression therein any way (within the compasse whereof laye moste of the [Page 118]workes that he had done in grace) yet he thought not thereby to be iustified at all. Wherefore from whom soeuer these our aduersaries haue sucked or learned this glose or interpretation of Paules wordes, euidentlie heereby it appeareth, that it is a cursed glose, for that it so directly cor­rupteth the text, and therefore vpon whom soeuer they would father it, to put the en­uie and shame thereof from themselues, both of them must giue vs leaue, rather to forsake them heerein, then the plaine e­uidence of the scriptures themselues, which I am fullie perswaded though they hardlie or neuer will be brought vnto, they ha [...]e so vowed themselues obstinate­ly to resist the trueth, that yet the anci­ent writers in whose writinges sometimes they finde something that soundeth too much this way, if eyther they were in these times, or when they liued had heard but halfe so much, as they haue to the contra­rie, they would most readily and willing­ly haue retracted and recanted the same. For so we finde they were willing to doe, when eyther by their owne further rea­ding or learning, or by the information of others, they had cause giuen them to see, wherein for lacke of further aduise, [Page 119]they haue erred: and neuer did any of these by farre thus interpret Paules wordes to aduance mans merits, and to darken and obscure the glorie of Christ, as they doe, yea if they coulde haue but foreseene that euer after any woulde haue come af­ter them, thus to abuse their wordes, to driue men from seeking at all to be iustifi­ed by the imputation of Christes righte­ousnesse to the beleeuer in him, that then they might trust to their owne righteous­nesse inherent in themselues, inhabit, as to the formall cause of their iustification, and in worke wrought, as to the merito­rious cause of another iustification, euen of saluation it selfe: I dare be bolde to say they woulde neuer by any meanes haue beene drawen, to haue left one sillable be­hinde them in their writinges sounding that way. And this sufficientlie may appeare to any that hath but red their workes, therein they are elsewhere so plaine, full and pregnant, to aduouch iustification freely by faith in Christ, through the imputation of his merits and righteousnesse vnto men, as in sundrie places of an answere of mine in printe to Iohn de Albïne, I haue at large shewed, whereunto I there­fore nowe referre the Christian Reader. [Page 120]And whereas by grace, whereby Pauls faith we are iustified, they woulde beare men in hand, that there by grace is not to be vnderstood the free sauour of God to­wardes man in Christ Iesus, but that spe­ciall gift of that grace, the habit of chari­tie infused or powred into them that be­leeue, all the reasons and places vsed to confute the former shift of theirs, serue also as pregnantly to ouerthrow this. And here­of also, as of the other, their onely ground is sophistrie, taking aduantage by the di­uerse acceptions and significations of the worde grace, here to teach men to vnder­stand thereby an effect of grace, whereas in deede the verie fountaine it selfe of all these effectes, which is the free fauour of God towardes man in Christ, is meant in deede. To discerne their iugling and trea­cherie herein, let a man but in steede of grace, vsed by the Apostle in this argu­ment in these fewe places following, place but the habitte of charitie, and then a­gaine weye what a violence thereby is offered, both to his woordes and sense. We are iustified freely by his grace, that is, by his infused habit of charitie, through the redemption that is in Christ Iesus: Rom. 3.24. By grace are you [Page 121]saued through faith, that is, by the habite of charitie infused, through saith, and not of your selues, it is the gift of God, not of workes, least any man should bost him selfe. Eph. 2.8.9. to the praise of the glo­rie of his grace wherewith he made vs accepted in his beloued, that is, to the praise of the glorie of his infused habitte of charitie &c. who seeth not both the absurdnes and ridiculousnesse of this inter­plation of grace? and withall perceiueth not indeed nothing else in these places can be vnderstood by grace, but the free fauour of God, had towards his elect in Christ Iesus, before the foundations of the worlde were laid? Which grace as it was grounded before all times, onely v­pon the person and office of the sonne of God our fauiour, so to shewe vs, that in the reuealing of the same vnto vs, and communicating the same, vnto his, he re­spects not any desert or merit of man, but onely the deserts and merits of his said sonne, by faith through imputation, made to the beleeuers therein, the Apostle saith, as he doth, not onely that we are iustified by grace, but also addeth free­ly, not of our selues, it is the gift of God, not of workes, least any man should boast [Page 122]himselfe. How it is possible if God should haue studied of purpose, to crosse and to preuent for euer all these popish gloses and trickes, that he shoulde haue spoken more plainely or pregnantly to aduouch iu­stification freely and only by faith in Christ Iesus, and not for the worthinesse or merit of any thing in our selues first or last? And who be so simple, that hath any thing had his spirit, exercised in the word of God and knowledge of Christ Iesus, as by any means to be brought to thinke, that Christ comming to be the meritorious and satis­factorie cause of mans saluation, as he did, that yet so farre off is it, that he hath gone quite thorowe with this worke, in, and by himselfe, that in verie deede by the things accomplished in his owne person, he hath enabled and dignified thinges to be founde in man, and to be done and suffered him, at the least to finish vp and perfect by the meritorious and satisfactorie cause of mans saluation? For this were not onely to leaue the worke of mans iustification and saluation to be vnperfect, for all that hath beene done by him in his owne per­son, but also most vncertaine, whether euer it shoulde be finished or no, be­cause if the matter be thus to be deui­ded [Page 123]betwixt Christ and mans owne selfe, howsoeuer man might be sure that Christ hath done his part, he coulde neuer be sure that he hath or shall hit in iust manner and measure of all that is left for him to doe, to perfect the same. Yea if this were thus, that amongst otherendes that Christ had in his merits and sufferinges, he had this, thereby so to die our doings and suf­ferings therewith, that they nowe shall be meritorious of, and satisfactorie for our owne saluation, (though by thus saying they would seeme to attribute vnto Christs merits more then we doe, in that we de­nie them this effect) in deede and trueth in thus dealing, they with Iudas giue him faire wordes, saying vnto him, haile mai­ster, when in secret cunninglie, they most vnkindlie and wickedlie seeke to betraye him. Heeretofore when they taught this doctrine of mans merits, bluntly, and flatly without this new colour of their so doing, we iustly charged themselues to be the sa­crilegious robbers of Christ, of that chiefe and speciall honour that appertaines vnto him: but now whiles they haue sought, to a­uoyd & to put frō themselues the grieuous­nes of this charge, by this their new deuise, in steed of making Christ some restitution and [Page 124]amendes for the wrong they did him, they nowe are flatly come to this, obstinately to continue in the doing of him the same old wrong still, but nowe they will no longer be the onely doers thereof them selues, but he himselfe must bee, if not the plaine and full principall, yet at the least an open and notorious accessary, and helper forward of them, in this their rob­bing of him. But whatsoeuer they say or doe herein, let vs with the apostle be­leeue, that he is able perfectly to saue them that come vnto God by him, seeing he euer liueth to make intercession for them, and hath an euerlasting priesthoode. Heb. 7.24.25. For as we haue often heard before, an other of them writeth, his owne selfe bare our finnes in his body vpon the tree, and so, that thereby we are both deliue­red from sinne, and so healed thereof, that thenceforth we shoulde liue in righteous­nesse. 1. Pet: 1.2.4. And with all our heartes let vs shunne and detest all these their popish demses, tending as we see all more or lesse, to the robbing of Christ of this speciall honour, to be a full and a perfect sauiour in, That he is King Friest & Prophet of, and by him selfe.

To proceed therefore, as thus in these two pointes particularly, you haue heard, [Page 125]howe the gospell sheweth you this to be his office, so for the rest before mentio­ned, if we looke into it, it will teach vs, that in this his office, he is our Christ, that is, our annointed and appointed kinge, priest, and prophet, in and for his Church King to rule, gouerne, and to protect it, from all the enimies and dangers there of: priest, to redeeme it, and to make full and perfect atonement and reconsiliation tho­rowe his eternall intercession, betwixt God and it: and prophet to teach and instruct it, by his worde from time to time. So that he hath of his Church a priestly kingdome, which he hath purchased, not with gold or siluer, but with his owne pre­ticus blood, as Peter speaketh. 1. epist: 1.19. which he gouerneth and ordereth by the scepter of his worde, and perfecteth by the powre of his spirit. Of the title and right of his kingrick, Paule Heb. 4.8. vnder­standeth that, Psal: 45.6. and 7. as spo­ken of Dauid, thorow the spirit: thy throne is for euer and euer, the scepter of thy king­dome is a scepter of righteousnesse, thou hast loued righteousnesse and hated iniquitie, wher­fore cuen God thy God, hath annointed thee with the oyle of gladnes, aboue thy fel­lowes. And touching his priesthoode to [Page 126]proue him to be a farre more excellent priest then euer was any, of the tribe of Leui. Cap. 7.12. he saith that he was made priest with an oath, by him that said vnto him, as it is written. Psal. 110.4. The Lord hath sworne and will not repente, thou art a priest for euer, according to the order of Mel­chizedech. And lastly concerning his office of a prophet and teacher of his Church, Mathew sheweth vs, that when he was transfigured in the mount, this voyce was heard from heauen vttered of him, (doubtlesse by his heauenlie father) to establish him heerein: This is my welbe­loued sonne, in whome I am well pleased, heare him. Cap. 17.5. And to teach vs that all doctors & teachers must alwaies stoupe to him, and learne that first of him, which they teach others, he saith, be not called doctors, for one is your doctor, euen Christ. Math. 23.10. thereby not forbid­ding the title, but the abuse thereof, which is, when any dare take vpon them as doc­tors and teachers onely of trueth, to vrge that for trueth vpon the Church, or to Gods people, which they cannot warrant so to be, by the vndoubted voyce and word of Christ. His kingdom is not of this world: for so he himselfe told Pilate. Iohn. 18.36. [Page 127]and yet he is such a king, as that he is king of kings, and Lord of Lords, Reue. 19.16. And as king he is lawgiuer vnto his people in whose power it is to saue and destroy. Iam. 4.12. As king he gouerneth and gui­deth his Church, both heere and in heauen, as the head thereof, Ephe. 1.22. As king he liberally bestoweth thereupon from time to time, those rich graces and giftes, which as priest he hath obtained for it, Ephe. 4.8. And as king he defendeth and protecteth it from all the enemies thereof, Luke. 1.17 78. And of this kingdome of his there is no end, Luke. 1.33. Now as he is priest, he hath offered once for all, such a sacrifice for the re­demption of his Church, that he needeth not any other priest to succeed him, either to offer any other, or that againe: & thus hauing ob­tained for vs eternall redemption, and ascen­ding into the heauens, there he sits at the right hand of the father, and appearing continually in his sight, he maketh such continual intercessiō for vs, that he is able perfectly to sane those that come vnto God by him. Heb. 7.23.25. & 10. vers. 12. & 9.24. Finally as prophet and teacher of his Church: Whatsoeuer be hath heard of his father, cōming from his bo­som, he hath declared vnto vs, Ioh. 1, 18.8.26. And this hath he done most sufficiently (as [Page 128]we haue often in our writings alreadie in print most plentifully proued, in directing by his spirit, as he hath done, the writers of the canonicall scriptures, therein to set downe al necessarie doctrine for our salua­tion. And therefore besides, or contrarie to that, nothing is to be vrged vpon his Church, or to be receiued thereby, as necessarie to saluation. All these thinges now rightlie vnderstoode, and according­ly confessed and acknowledged to be true of Christ, and thus to appertaine vnto him, then and not before is he come vnto, as heere in my text is required and comman­ded. This doctrine of the person and of­fice of Christ, is the verie rocke and foun­dation whereupon the Church of Christ is built, and whereupon it beeing built, the gates of hell shall neuer preuaile against it, Math. 16.18. An other foundation can no man lay, but euen this, Iesus Christ, 1. Cor. 3.11. Yea this Iesus Christ, is the foundation of the Apostles and prophets (namely which they laide) and the chiefe corner stone, in whome al the building coupled togither, grow­eth vnto an holie temple in the Lord, as Paul speaketh to the Ephesians, Cap. 2.20.21. Heereby then it is euident, that not onely Turkes, and Iewes, and all such as are [Page 129]open enimies to Christ, & to this doctrine of him, but also all those that would seeme to receiue him, & yet wil not thus in tertain him in their heartes and iudgementes, as yet stand aloofe from him, and dare not so much as come vnto him. Amongst which latter sort we must needes muster our do­mesticall and next aduersaries the papistes. For not onely as I haue alreadie shewed, for the maintenance of their owne deuises, haue they bene iustly found guilty, & ther­fore condēned, of crossing the doctrin both of Christs person and office, both general­ly and particularly in all the former bran­ches thereof, but also in the three last spo­ken of, may they likewise be charged and adiudged, and that most iustly. For there is neyther his kingricke, priesthood, nor prophetship, that they can finde in their hearts to leaue whole and entire vnto him. For to the lawes and orders appointed by him as king, for the good gouernment of his Church, they adde, detract and alter at their pleasures, so that a man might easily make a huge and large booke of nothing else but a bare recitall of their additions thereunto, takinges therefrom, and al­terations thereof, as any man by compa­ring the recordes of the scriptures, wherein [Page 130]his are set downe, with their doctrine and practise, may easily and soone perceiue. And what can they worse abide, then to al­low Christ to be such a priest of the newe Testament, as the gospell hath before des­cribed heere to bee. For then their shauen priesthood & the offering of Christ againe to his father, as a propitiatorie sacrifice for the sins of quicke and dead, and for what purpose soeuer they for their gaine list to intend it, and their inuocation & mediation of Saints and Angels, shoulde all lie in the dust, whereby they chiefly maintaine both their credit and wealth. And their writing many treatises and large bookes to argue the canonicall scriptures of obscuritie (to discourage the simple from reading of them or caring to haue them red) and of insuf­ficiencie (to establish their vnwritten word of their owne traditions, as the vn­doubted word of God,) to what ende else tendes it, then most openly to thrust Christ from his office of beeing the doctor & pro­phet of his Church, by opening his mouth so plentifully therein, as he hath, for the suf­ficient direction thereof: that they taking that office vpon them, vnder the title of the Churches practise and tradition, may war­rant all their fooleries and errours, for the [Page 131]which the best of them sometimes haue confessed, their chiefe ground comes from thence. You may therefore most plainly see that howsoeuer in words they would seeme to giue him his due titles of God, and man, Christ, Messiah, Iesus, Sauiour of the world, King, Priest, and Prophet, by their deedes in their ordinarie doctrine and practise, they pull from him the force and power of the same againe. For such a God and man he must be to serue their turne, as vnder their hoste can and will lie hidde so quietlie, that euery receiuer may eate him with his mouth, how sinfull and faith­lesse soeuer he be: and such an one in his office for all his titles they giue him, he must be content to bee, as will suffer all the things & persons which they haue ima­gined will serue to that purpose, to ioyne with him in that high & glorious worke of meriting and deseruing, procuring and per­fecting the worke of our saluation: let him tell them neuer so plainely, that his name is the Lord, and that he is as his name is, and that therefore he will not giue his honour, ey­ther to any other person or thing. Isa. 42.8. Doubtlesse if any of the thinges they talk of in this case, might ioyne with him & his merits, in this great and high worke of [Page 132]meriting or deseruing for man the kingdom of heauen, good and holie workes done in grace and faith, are most likely to be they that might partake with him therein. But so farre off euen their great champion Bel­larmine found it to be, doe what he could, to intitle these heereunto, that when he had striuen with all the cunning and pow­er he had to the end, and so woulde faine shewe howe man to that purpose might thereupon ground his trust & confidence, he is driuen to confesse, when all comes to all, that the confidence that man can haue, eyther by meanes of them or any way else of his saluation, is but humane, morall and coniecturall, and no way such as certainty of faith requireth, but as may and will haue with it, still feare, least it deceiue them in the end. Yea after he hath a little wrestled with our obiection against iustifi­cation and comming to saluation by an in­herent righteousnesse of our owne, how­soeuer before he seemed to himselfe to run away with it, as a matter most cleare, that that might be trusted to, to worke and to procure these effectes: he is so cooled, that he concludes the matter but thus, that he allowes confidence to be put in good works indeed, so that pride therein be auoy­ded: [Page 133]but yet for that, that pride is so hardly auoided in this case as it is, & we are alwaies so vncertaine as we must needes bee, whe­ther we haue attained to that measure and manner of righteousnesse, that to this pur­pose is necessary, he thinketh it most safe, when we haue done all the good works we haue or can, that yet we put all our trust and confidence, in the onely mercy and good­nesse of God. Which what is it else, but whē he hath done his worst, against the imputa­tion of Christs righteousnesse, to make the beleeuer in him righteous by, for the esta­blishing of this their own inherent righte­ousnes in the romphe therof, euen then to cast vs the bucklets, and for shame to take his heeles, and to run away from his cause, and to leaue vs both the field & the victory. But alwaies great is the trueth, and it will preuaile. Wherfore howsoeuer they thinke of themselues, we may plainely inough see, that their case is pitifull and lamentable, in their striuing thus, to darkē & to obscure the glorie of Christ, for the maintenance and setting vp of themselues and their owne de­uises in his romphe, and yet when all comes to all, to be enforced thus in effect to con­fesse, that all the while they haue but kic­ked against the prickts, and for that, wher­vnto [Page 134]they dare not trust in conclusion. God of his mercy make them to see their grosse errours heerein, and in the meane time let vs runne by the light of the gospell, this way be Christ, by acknowledging him, both in person and office to be such an one as I haue thereby proued and manifested him to bee: which when we haue done, then we haue made a good beginning to obey Christes commaundement heere, but yet the chefe is behinde, for he further ad­deth, and drinke.

By this drinking, Christe must be caten and drunken and there fore there must be had a true cōmunion with him. he doubtlesse vnder­stoode drinking of himselfe, thereby im­plying eating of himselfe also: for as he said in the former chapter, Except yee drinke his blood, so withall he saith, except ye eate the flesh of the sonne of man, yee haue no life in you, and whosoeuer eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternall life, and I wil raise him vp at the last day, vers. 53. & 54. By which figuratiue & metaphorical kinde of speach, he would teach vs, that as it is not inough for him that is hungry and thirsty to come where meate and drinke is, to see and behold them, yea perfectly to knowe them, and be able to say what euery thing is, and to what vse it serueth, but if he would haue his hunger and thirst satisfied, he must [Page 135]thereof both eate and drinke: euen so is it in this case. For it is not inough to come vnto Christ, though we come from point to point as I haue shewed, vnlesse that done, we goe further, yea so farre as that we as surely and verily take him vnto vs, and into vs, and so make him as certainely our own, as meate & drinke receiued in and wel di­gested, may be said to be our owne. Wher­by it most clearely appeareth, that as no benefite can arise to the maintenance of this present life by meat and drinke, vnlesse they be eaten vpon & drunken, and as ney­ther the sap, and iuice that is in the meate, nor the power nor force of the drinke can be made ours to nourish & strengthen our bodies, vnlesse we eate & drinke the meat and drinke themselues, wherein they are lodged & contained: euen so is it betwixt Christ & vs. And therefore, Though he be the bread of life, & his flesh meat indeed, & his blood drink indeed, as we are plainly taught by him they are in the former chap. ver. 53 55. yet we can be neuer the nearer therby, to the maintenāce of our spiritual life before God, vnles by an eating & drinking of him, fit for that purpose, we feed vpon him, & cat & drink himself, & so cōsequētly by making him wholly God & man our very own, and [Page 136]so growing into vnion & communion with him, we attaine vnto all those good things, that are prepared for vs in him. And to put vs out of al doubt hereof, Saint Iohn in his first Epistle, Cap. 1.3. sheweth vs that the whole scope of his ministrie and of his fellow A­postles was, that there by this communion and fellowship with Christ might be attai­ned, saying, That which wee haue seene and heard, declare wee vnto you, that ye may also haue fellowship with vs, and that our fel­lowship may be with the father, and with his sonne Iesus Christ. Againe most plaine it is to this purpose, that he writeth, Cap. 5. of that Epistle, vers. 11.12. where he saith That God hath giuen vs eternall life, he that hath the sonne, hath life, and he that hath not the sonne, hath not life. For heerby most plainely, first we are taught that the chiefe vse that we are to make of the mini­strie, is, thereby to attaine to haue com­munion with Christ, and then as clearely he shewes vs (the better to prouoke vs to striue to make that vse thereof indeede) that God in his mercy hauing prouided e­ternall life for vs, which we by the fall of Adam and our owne sinnes had lost, in his sonne Christ Iesus, that yet he would haue the case so stande with vs in respect [Page 137]thereof, that we can neuer haue that, vn­lesse we haue the sonne himselfe, in whom it is treasured & coffered vp for vs. Wherby questionlesse the Lorde in his wisedome, euen of loue towardes vs, hath so ordered the matter, for our verie best. For when Adam and Eue had life in their owne handes in paradice, we haue found by ex­perience they very quickly lost it. God ther­fore hauing so costlie and dearely compas­sed it againe for vs, by the death and pas­sion of his owne welbe loued sonne, he sawe it in his wisedome neither good nor safe for vs, liuing in this dangerous world, to trust it any more in our owne handes: and therefore he that is the author and pur­chaser thereof for vs, as he hath the best right therunto, by his appointment, hath it still lodged for vs in himselfe, and that so surely and inseparably, that none euer shal or can be partaker thereof, but by the communication of his verie selfe first, and so once beeing sure of him, then also he may withall be assured of the other. For these two now by Gods ordinance goe al­waies so togither, that where Christ is had, there the partie in him is sure of euer­lasting life, and where he is not had, there can be no assurance thereof. The blessed [Page 138]sacrament of the bodie and blood of Christ was Instituted by him, euen of purpose, not onely to keepe still fresh in our remem­brance his precious death, with all the fruites thereof, both generally and parti­cularly, but also without all doubt, to of­fer to deliuer and to feale the doliuery, to as many as rightly as they should receiue the same, a most certaine vnion and commu­nion with whole and full Christ himselfe. And to teach vs plainly so much, Paule saith 1. Cor. 10.16. The cup of blessing which we blesse, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? the breade which we breake is it not the communion of the bodie of Christ? As cer­tainely therefore as by bodily eating and drinking, in that sacrament, or elsewhere, the eater and drinker of bread and wine, makes himselfe partaker of all the force and goodnesse therein, by making them­selues first his owne, to the chearing and strengthening of this life in the bodie: so by such eating and drinking of the bodie broken, and blood shed for him of Christ (which are the thinges in this sacrament signified and offered vnto him) as is fit to make such foode his owne by, as verily the worthy and right receiuer in soule feedeth vpon, and is nourished to eternall life, with [Page 139]the broken bodie, and bloodshed of Christ Iesus. And to assure al such of this by Christ, the bread is faid to be his body broken, and the wine his blood shed, for the remission of their fins: and both so termed and called by his ordinance broken and powred forth, are particularly to be giuen to euery such communicant, and they are likewise to re­ceiue them: and therefore doubtlesse thereby taught, not only by that which they see and he are in the administration herof; with thankfull and penitent hearts to re­member his death, (and sonowe therein, his bodie was broken, and his blood shed and seuered from his body, and that there­fore these so handled, are the heauenly and spirituall foode prepared for the main­tenance of their spirituall life before God,) but also by that which further is deliuered, and they receiue, that they are to assure themselues, euerie one in particular, that Christ died for them, and therefore shall nourish and feede them to eternall life, by vniting him­selfe most certainely vnto them, to that ende and purpose. Further yet to teach vs, that this moste certaine and reall vnion with Christe is for the whole Church, and for the saluation thereof, most [Page 140]necessary, those other metaphors also serue; whereby be is compated to the heade and husband of the Church, as of his bodie and wife, Ephes. 1.12. & Cap. 5.32. or to the vine stocke, whereinto his heauenly fa­ther engrasteth all those branches, that e­uer shall being forth much fruite, that he may be glorified, Io. 15.5.6.7.8. For here­by we are taught, that as it is with these, heade, husband, and stocke, in respect of the bodie, wife, and branches, so is it be­twixt Christ, and all those that shall be saued. As therefore vnlesse the head, really growe and be vnited to the bodie, yea though there can but a haire goe betwixt the one and the other, the bodie can haue no life from the head: and as mariage bee­ing consummate, it maketh them that were strangers before, one bodie, one flesh, yea one selfe fame. Ephes. 5.28.29. and that otherwise vnperfected, it hath no such effect: and lastly, as it is not inough for the braunches to touch the vine stocke, yea nothing to haue life from thence, vn­lesse they so growe therin, that it and they be as it were one: euen so is it in this case, betwixt Christ and all those that would be saued by him. And therefore to expresse as much, Paule saith, That such as are his [Page 141]they are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. Ephe. 5.30. yea, 1. Cor. 1.13. he maketh the Church and Christ but as one perfect man, whereof Christ is the heade, and the Church his bodie: in so much as, Ephes. 1.23. he calleth the Church his fulnesse: to shew that such loue there is betwixt Christ and his Church, and that there is also such a perfect vnion betwixt them, that though he be he that filleth all thinges, and is the perfection thereof, that he accounteth himselfe as a heade without a bodie, without the true vnion and con­nexion of the Church with him. And ther­fore, Iohn. 17.23. he was an earnest suter vnto his father, that he might be in his, as he his father was in him, that so they might be made perfect in one, and heerein he knew he was so heard, that he accounteth the affliction of any sound member of his Church as the persecution of his owne self, and therefore when Saule persecuted such, he said vnto him, Saul Saul why persecu­test thou mee. Act. 6.4. And yet better to assure them thereof, he also reckoneth his owne ioyes to be theirs as well as their sorrowes to be his that will open vnto him, and be his, and therefore to encourage such so to doe and bee, he said vnto them. [Page 142] Reue. 3.22. that to such he would giue to sit with him, vpon his throne, and that he woulde sup with them, and that they likewise should sup with him. The cuidence of this doctrine beeing most strong and apparant as you he are, and the papistes themselues, not seeming to doubt thereof at all, (but that theiudgements of God are vnsearch­able, and that they haue deserued for their wilfull seeking to darken the light of the gospel, will they nill they shining amongst them, to be made drunke and so quite to be caried away, in the most just iudgement of God, by a strong dilusion of the enchanted cup, ful of formications profered vnto them & vged vpon them, by the garish whore of Babilon) it is a wonder that withal they are not enforced, to see & to perceiue the most of the absurdities & heresies they hold, tou ching the article of iustificatiō & saluation. For how can it otherwise bee, but that they that are thus vnited to Christ & he to them must needs most certenly, & as it were sensi bly vnderstād it so to bee, by the wonderful alteration that therupon thorowout both in body & soule wil grow in thē, by the in­separable graces of the spirit, alwaies accō ­panying his vnion with his? And therfore in him there being also, as alwaies there is, full [Page 143]and certain remission of sins prepared for al them that be so nilie his, & he neuer going without his perfect righteousnes; & being as he is the very fountaine of al Gods fauours & mercies towards man, how is it possible that he should be a mans owne, & he know it also, but that he may and must, without a­ny wauering or doubting thereof, fully and firmly be assured, that his sins are forgiuen him, that his righteousnes is his, & that ther­fore he may haue a most speciall assurance and confidence of the mercy of God, to his most perfect faluation? For these gra­ces and fauours of God are neuer seuered frō the person of Christ, & therfore wheras he is once really & truely possest, there also the possessour may be assured that with him he possesseth all those things also. And yet these men, no not their Bellarmine can a­bide any of these: but it shall be inough with them & him also, to beleeue there is remission of sins, accompanying baptisme, & to be had by him, & in him in the Church, that there is such a mercy of God, that is a­ble to saue, and that the righteousnesse of Christ, may be as he is our head, ours in such a sort, that it may be the efficient cause of an inherent righteousnes in our selves, a­ble to earne heauen by: but particularlie, [Page 144]especially for vs to beleeue that we shall without all doubt haue all our sinnes forgi­uen vs, that we are sure of this mercie, and haue this righteousnesse of his imputed vnto vs as our owne, whereby we shall and may be righteous before God, at no hand they can abide. As though he that sticketh not to giue vs his sonne God and man to be our verie owne, so that we are his, and he ours, would not, or could not together with him giue vs these things also? Yea how can he withold them, giuing vs his sonne, seeing these and he goe alway to­gither.

But to proceede, This vniō is not car­nall, but spirituall. this vnion of ours and cōmunion with Christ, though it must be certain, reall, & true, in refpect of the things to be vnited, yet in regard of the manner of vniting them, we must not imagine it to be any grosse or earthly commixtion or cō ­iunction with him, such as is with vs, the mingling or ioyning togither of any crea­tures that in themselues are diuerse, but that it is altogither, in respect of the manner, spirituall, and supernaturall, and yet neuer­thelesse true and certaine, though it be both vnsearchable and vnutterable. For let a man fearch all the scriptures thorow, and an other communion and fellowship with [Page 145]Christ, whereupon saluation commeth, then that which is spirituall, he shall nether finde eyther promised, expected, or per­formed. In deede it was both promised, and thereupon expected, and performed, that Godhead and manhood shoulde be vnited togither in one person, that so man (who by sinne had lost his vnion, communion, and fellowship with God) might recouer the same againe in and by that person, and by that which he should accomplish in those two natures for him. But as the personall vnion of these two natures in one Christ, (as by our Catholicke faith we are perswaded) is reall, certaine and sure, so we finde it, yet by hu­maine sense and reason, incomprehensible, and yet by the power of the eternall spirite, by the same faith, we are taught vndoubted­ly to beleeue, it was so verily effected, for our euerlasting good. A communicating of the merits of this Christ, God and man, vnto those that belezue in him, by imputati­on there is, we knowe: For the righteousnes of God is on all, and vpon all that beleene in him. Rom. 3.22. which is a righteousnes that such attaine vnto by faith in him, not made manifest by the lawe (as the inherent righ­teousnesse of our owne merits, if there were any such, as men knowe is) as both in that [Page 146]verse, and that which goeth before, is shew­ed. But without the inhabitation of the spi­rit of God proceeding both from the Fa­ther and the Sonne (the worke whereof faith is. Iohn. 6.29. & Gal. 5.22.) we cannot attaine heereunto. Howbeit heere we talke not eyther of the vnion of the two natures in the person of one Christ, nor yet of his communicating of his merits vnto vs by im­putation, nor of his dwelling in vs by his spi­rit: but of his owne vniting and communi­cating of himselfe both God and man vnto vs. For consisting of those two natures, heere in my text he biddeth vs to come vnto him, and as I haue shewed, to drinke of him: which if once we duelie performe, then we withal euen thereby, are sure of all the bene­fits necessary to our saluation, that by any of these we may looke for. Now Paule when he spoke most plainely of this, saying, We are members of his body, of his flesh, & of his bones, Ephes. 5.30. to assure vs that it is reall and es­sentiall, yea and most certaine in respect of the thinges to be vnited, Christ & his mem­bers: yet within two verses after he con­fesseth and saith, that it is a great mystery that he speaketh of, thereby also shewing, that in respect of the manner of vniting of them, it is supernaturall and vnsearchable [Page 147]by humaine sen̄se and reason: howbe­it this is our comfort, that though we cannot conceiue it whiles we are heere; and our knowledge is vnperfect; that yet Christ our sauiour to our vnspeakeable consolation hath tolde vs, that the day shall come when his shall knowe, By the spi­rit it is obtained. That he is to the father, they in him, and he in them. Io. 14.20. In the meane time thus much it hath pleased him to reueale vnto vs by the worde, that it is the holie Ghost the vertie spirit of God, with­out which this cannot be, and by the means whereof this vnion and communion is made betwixt Christ and vs. For it is written, as vttered by Christ himselfe. Io. 3.5. Except a man be borne againe of water and the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdome of God. And Paule most plainelie saieth Rom. 8.9. If any man haue not the spi­rit of Christ, the same is none of his. And likewise Saint Iohn. 1. Epist. cap. 4. vers. 13. writeth, that by this we knowe that Christ is in vs, by his spirit that he hath gi­uen vs. Paule also to this purpose verie notablie saith, by one spirite, we are all baptized into one bodie, and haue beene all made to drinke into one spirite. 1. Cor. 12.13. And therefore vpon verie good [Page 148]ground hath the ancient father Irenaeus (who liued in the next age to the Apostles) in his third booke and 19. chapter against the he­resies of the Valentinians and others, written most sweetely and profoundlie: Sicut de a­rido tritico massa vna fierinon potest, ne (que) vnus panis; ita nec nos multi, vnum fieri in Christo Iesu poteramus, sine aqua, qnae de coelo est: & sicut arida terra, si non percipiat humorem non fruclificat; sic & nos lignum aridum existen­tes primùm, nunquam fructificaremus vitam sine superna voluntaria pluuia: that is, As of drie wheate, neyther one lumpe of dowe, nor one loafe can be made; so neyther we beeing many, could euer haue beene made one in Christ Iesu, without water from hea­uen: and as the drie earth fructifieth not without moysture, so we being first but dry wood, could neuer haue had our fruit to be eternall life without voluntarie raine from aboue. Which in the same place he interpre­teth to be the spirit of God, which God be­stoweth vpon his. Which Chrisosiom in his Homilie at Pentecost of the holy spirit, cal­leth the coupling or band of the vnion be­twixt Christ and his. Further, to proone this our vnion with Christ to be spirituall, & not any grosse or carnal mingling or conioyning of him and vs togither, it verie well serueth, [Page 149]that Christ him selfe in the fixt of Iohn, hath both absolutely, and most confidently saide, verily verily I say vnto you, except yee eate the flesh of the sonne of man, and drinke his bloode, yee haue noe life in you. vers. 53. And also a little after, that he is the breade of life that came downe from heauen, and his flesh is meate indeede, and his bloode is drinke indeede, whereof whosoeuer eateth and drinketh, hath eternall life. Verse. 51.54.55.56. For this being thus, he might wel say to all that would be saued, from the beginning of the worlde, to the ende ther­of, as we reade he saide to his. Ioh. 15.4.5.6. Abide in me, and I in you: as the branch cannot beare fruite of it selfe, except it abide in the vine, no more can yee, except yee abide in me. I am the vine, yee are the branches: he that abideth in mee and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me can yee doenothing. &c. For as it hath from the beginning beene a most certaine truth, that to the beginning of the being and life of man, and to the continu­ance of the same, his bodie and soule must be vnited togeather, so hath it alwayes beene, is, and euer willbee, to make whole man to haue any acceptable being before God, or life in his sight, that he must haue [Page 150]a true vnion and communion with Christ both God and man. For as there is but one God, so the Apostle hath taught vs, There is but one mediator betweene God and man, the man Christ Iesus. 1. Tim. 2.5. neither is there saluation in any other: for amongst men, there is giuen no other name vnder heauen, whereby we must be saued: as Peter most stoutly aduouch­eth. Act. 4.12. Whereupon it must needs fol­low, that eyther there was none saued before Christ was God and man, which was not be­fore the world was 4000. yeare old & more (which once to imagine were most absurd, and notoriously iniurious to all the godly Patriarkes, Prophets and others that liued in the time of the old Testament) or else that it is most certaine & true that Paul hath taught (as it is indeed of such) that they did all not onely eat sacramental bread, & drinke sacra­mental drinke as we doe: but that they did eate the same spiritual meat & drink the same spi­ritual drink which was Christ, that we do. 1. Cor. 10.3.4. &c. Christ therefore than hauing no manhood really, but only in the purpose and promise of God, it could not bee, that other­wise then by the worke & meanes of the spi­rit of God they fed vpon him, & were vnited vnto him God & man, which yet then was necessary for their saluatiō. Though therfore now he be come & gone againe, in his man­hood [Page 151]hoode out of the worlde vnto his father, in the highest heauens, which also shal containe him vnto the restitution of al things, as Peter hath taught vs, Act. 3.21. yet we know also that he is of that almighty power, that as his hauing not then yet takē mans nature, could not then stop the godly Patriarkes, and Pro­phets from their necessary vnion & commu­nion with him God & man: so much lesse, he hauing taken it now, and hauing finished the worke of our redemption, being risen againe ascended & set at the right hand of his father, can the distance of place betwixt heauen and earth, hinder or let the grouth of this vnion betwixt him & his. For we see the distance of place betwixt man and wife, or father and child, doth not loose the knot, or impeach the vnion, that by mariage & nature was before betwixt them. And we see & find by experi­ence, that though the head in situation and place be much aboue the feet, that yet by the means that but nature hath to vnite them to­gither there is such an vniō betwixt them, that frō the head life is conueied down euē to the soales of the feet: likewise in the mistical body of Christ, though the mēbers be neuer so farre disioyned & seuered in place, yet that so little hindreth the cōmuniō of Saints, that Paul hath said, we that are many, are one bread & one body, bicause we al are partakers of one bread, 1. Co. 10.17

Seing therefore, by that which I haue said it sufficiently appeareth, that it is the wil & pleasure of God, that there shoulde bee a true and certaine vnion betwixt Christ and his Church, he being as he is almightie, and therefore perfectly able to doe whatsoeuer he will; let not the difficultie any way, or the incomprehensiblenes of the bringing of it to passe, at all make vs to doubte of the truth of the thing. For (alas) so shorte is our reach in comprehending the wonderful workes of God, that though we be neuer so sure that we haue soules euery one of vs vnited to our bodies, yet the manner how, we cannot conceiue therefore it being now made clere and apparant, that Christ here by saying drinke, hath taught vs to make him our very owne, and that this must bee, though most truly, yet after a spirituall manner; to proceede, it is necessary now to learne, how thus we may eate him and drinke him, and so make him our owne. To eat and drinke Christ, is to beleeue in him a­right.

And for this, we neede not seeke farre: for whereas, if Christ should haue continued the manner of phrase that he began with all, he both easily could, would, and shoulde haue saide in the next verse, he that drink­eth of mee: of purpose doubtlesse to shewe vs, that to drinke him or of him, is nothing [Page 153]else indeede but rightly to beleeue in him he saith, he that beleeueth in mee as saith the scripture, &c. And the verie same & like course, hath he taken. Vers. 35. of the former chapter. For hauing saide, he that commeth vnto me shall not hunger by and by in steade of saying, he that drinketh of mee, he addeth he that beleeueth in mee. And to the same ende it may well be noted, that in that chapter, the very same things, that are promised to the eater of his flesh, and drinker of his blood, are also promised to the beleeuer in him: and likewise, ther, the same things that are threatned against the one, are threatned against the other, as if you compare the 45. verse with the 39. and the 53. with the 64. yee shall soone per­ceiue. Yea if one marke diligently Christs discourse in that chapter, he shall easilye finde, that there, to assure vs that to eate his flesh and to drinke his blood is to be­leeue in him, he hath of set purpose stoode, both vpon the proposition, and assumption, whereupon necessarilie, by the rules of right reasoning, that must follow for the conclusi­on. For first, there he dwelleth vpon this, that to eate the breade of life, is to beleeue in him, for that he is the breade of life Vers. 35. &c. and then he discendeth to this, but [Page 154]he that eateth the flesh of the son of man & drinketh his blood, eateth the breade of life, vers. 54. for he shal haue eternal life: wheru­pon what can else follow but this, there­fore to eate the flesh of the son of man & to drinke his blood, is to beleeue in him? But whom these things yet cānotperswade to be of this minde, let them further remēber that Iohn hauing said, as many as receiue Christ are made the sons of God, cap. 1.12. that immedi­ately, lest we should not cōceiue aright, what it is to receiue him he addeth, that is, euen they that beleeue in him. And let them also cōsider that Paule praying that Christ might dwel in the hearts of the Ephesians, addeth streight, to shew vs how that might bee, by saith. cap. 3.17. For but these two places well laid togither, pregnātly prooue that Christ is both got & kept, receiued of vs & continued in vs by faith. And let not any mā think, either that this is new doctrine of late deuised by vs, or that true faith is too weake thus to reach Christ, & to make him ours. For first it is cer­taine that Tertulian, who liued within 200. yeares after Christs birth, in his booke de re­surrectione carnis, cap. 29. most plainely hath said: Christus est auditu deuorandus, & intel­lecturuminandus, fide digerendus: that is, Christ is to be deuoured by hearing, to be chewed by vnderstanding, to be digested by [Page 155]faith. And Augustine, who florished about the 400. yeare, is both most plaine & plentiful in this point. For in his 25. tract vpon Iohn, he saith. Quidparas dentem & ventrē? crede & manducasti: Why preparest thou thy teeth & belly? beleeue & thou hast eaten. And in the next, he writeth much to that purpose; for he saith there, Ad Christū non ambulandocur­rimus sed credendo, non motu carnis sed volun­tate cordis, that is, we runne to Christ, not by walking but by beleeuing, not by the motiō of the flesh, but by the wil of the heart. Yea in plain tearms there also he saith, Credere in eū, est manducare panē vinū, to beleeue in him is to eat the bread of life. But in my opiniō most notably he writeth to this end vpon occasion of the Centurions cōming to Christ in his 33. booke against Faustus the Manichee, cap. 8. saying. Accedant ad Iesum, nō carne sed corde; non corporis praesentia sed fidei potentia: Let thē come to Iesus, not with or in flesh, but with or in heart, not by bodily presence, but by the power of faith. Now teaching the other point also, that faith is not too weake thus to appre­hend Christ, it is as plaine that he hath saide in his 50. tract vpon Iohn. Quomodo in coelum manū mittam, vt ibi sedentem teneam? fidem mitte & tenuisti; parentes tui tenuerunt carne, tu tene corde, quoniam Christus absens etiam praesens est; nisi praesens esset, à nobis teneri [Page 156]non posset, &c. that is, How shal I stretch my hand into heauen, that I may holde him sit­ting there? Send thy faith, and thou hast hold of him; the fathers held him in the flesh, hold thou him in heart: for Christ absent is also present: for vnlesse he were present, he could not be held of vs. And how this shall be, he plainely sheweth, saying, He is gone, and yet he is heere, for he caried his body into heauen, but his maiestie he hath not taken from the worlde. Chrisostome also, an other ancient father, who liued much what about Augu­stines time, in his second Homilie vpon these wordes of Esay, Vidi Dominum, I haue seene the Lord, sheweth that though we cannot flie vp to heauen in bodie, that yet in minde and cogitation we may. For God (saith he) hath giuen that such winges that nothing can let or stop it, if it will flie to heauen; & farre more pearcing eies, God hath giuen it (saith he) then the body. And in his 24. Homilie vpon the first to the Corinthians, re­membring there that saying of Christ, Mat. 24.28. Where the carion is, thither will the Eagles resort, thereupon he inferreth, that the Lordes table is not for Iayes or Crowes, that feede belowe, but for Eagles that take their meate aloft: & he saith, that by hat speach, Christhath taught them that [Page 157]would come vnto his body to flie aloft, and not to creepe vpon the earth, nor yet to haue any dealing therewith. It is worthy the re­membring also, that the same Father no­teth, touching the power and force of faith, vpon Paules telling the Galathians, That Christ was euen crucified amongst them. Cap. 3.1. For he plainely sheweth that the Apo­stle in so saying, shewed them that the strength of faith was such, that it is able to see thinges though farre off, and so by the eies of faith in the ministrie of the worde and sacraments which had beene amongst those Galathians, Christes death was or might haue beene as clearely seene and more clear­ly, then it was of many that were present at it. And vnto Bernards time, who liued a­boue 1100 yeares after Christ, it seemeth that this was the currant and receiued do­ctrine of the Church, touching our commu­nion to be had and attained vnto with Christ by faith. For in his 28. Homilie vpon the Canticles he most plainely sheweth, that though Christ be ascended, that yet he both may and will be touched, Sed affectu, non manu, voto non oculo, fide non sensibus, but then (saith he) it must be by affection, and not by hand, by desire and not by eye, by faith and not by the senses. And againe in [Page 158]his 76. sermon vpō the Canticles, most notable is it that he writeth to this purpose, saying, Though Christ be set at the right hand of his Father, goe to yet, follow him, seeke him, and let neyther his inaccessable brightnesse, nor his height discourage thee from seeking, or once cause thee to dispaire of finding him, if thou canst beleeue; all things are possible to the beleeuer, the word is neare to my mouth and heart: Crede & inuenisti, nam credere inuenisse est, that is, Beleeue and thou hast found him, for to beleeue is to haue found him. This admirable power of faith doubt­lesse is excellently aduouched Heb. 11.1. whiles there it is defined to be the ground of things which are hoped for, and the euidence of things which are not seene. Wherefore let vs not once doubt, but where Christ is soundly and rightly beleeued in, there by that faith the owner thereof eateth his flesh, and drinketh his blood to his or her eternall saluation. Euerye kinde of faith will not serue heere: yea none but that which is accor­ding to the scriptures.

Yet then great need and care is to be ta­ken, that this faith of ours be sound & right. For neither can euery faith, a dead faith, or an erroneous and wrong faith, stand vs in anie steede in this case: and therefore marke, it followeth in my text, as saith the scrip­ture: which wordes, if we referre (as they [Page 159]may well, and some interpreters haue) vnto that which went before, then they serue most plainely, to teach vs that it is no other faith that eyther can or will serue our turne in this case, but only that which is taught vs, & war­ranted to be sound & right in the canonicall scriptures. For they are the scriptures onely without all question, that heere are spoken of. But whether these words, as saith the scrip­ture, here were added and vsed to this end, or rather as some others take them as referred to the wordes following, to teach vs to vn­derstand the promise that followeth, most certaine it is that the true Christiā faith, wher­by we must feede vpon Christ and make him with all his merits and graces our owne, hath these canonicall scriptures of the olde and new Testament for the grounde and sufficient rule thereof. For they onely are able to make a man wise to saluarion thorow the faith which is in Christ Iesus, and are giuen by inspiration of God, and are profitable to teach, to conuince, to correct and to instruct in righteousnesse, that the man of God may be absolute beeing made perfect vnto all good workes, 2. Tim. 3.15.16.17. And therefore for the right framing and setling vs in this faith, these are to be studied and search­ed and most diligentlie to be mused [Page 160]and meditated vpon, and heard, red, and preached, by euery one that hath any care of his saluation, as we may learne, Deut. 17.18.19. Iosua. 1.8. Psal. 1.1. Io. 5.39. Act. 17.11. 2. Tim. 3.15. in that in these places, we shall finde men of all sorts taught, eyther by plaine precept, reason, or example thus to occupie themselues heerein. And this hath beene the ancient and sound iudgement with one consent of the Fathers, for manie hundred yeares after Christ. And therefore, though Augustine confesse with the Euan­gelist, that Christ said and did manie things which are not written, yet (saith he) those things are chosen out to be written, which seemed to be sufficient for the saluation of them that beleeue, Tract. 49. vpon Iohn. and Cap. 11. And in his 19. booke of the citie of God. cap. 18. to this purpose he writeth, that the citie of God beleeueth the scriptures both olde and new which we cal Canonical, Vnde fides ipsa concepta est, ex qna iustus vi­uit, From whence that faith whereby the iust liueth, is conceiued: yea none of vs can bee or is plainer in this point then hee. For in his booke of christian doctrine, Lib. 2. cap. 9. he saith there, in those thinges, quae aperte posita sunt in scriptura, that is, which plainely are set downe in the scriptures, all those [Page 161]things are found which conteineth faith, & manners of liuing, as namely hope, and charitie. And heerein he was so confi­dent, that in his third booke and sixt chap­ter against Petilean, most boldly and plain­ly he saith, if any either of Christ, or of his Church or of any other thing whatsoe­uer that appertaineth to faith and life, I wil not say wee, but as Paule said, if an Angel from heauen should tell you any thing, which you haue not receiued in the scrip­tures of the lawe and the Gospell, accur­sed be hee. And he was not alone of this minde: for Athanasius before him in an oration of his against Idolaters, had most plainely written, that the holy scriptures enspired of God Sufficiunt ad omnem in­structionem veritatis, that is, are sufficient to teach all trueth. And Tertullian in his booke against Hermogenes sheweth that he was so resolute in this that he saith there, that he did euē adore the sufficiencie of the scriptures. Basilius also in his sermon of the confession of faith saith that it is a plaine falling from the faith and the verie sin of pride, either to refuse any thing heerein written, or to bring in ouer and aboue any thing. For Christs sheepe heare his voice, & a strangers they fly. And in his Morais, [Page 160] [...] [Page 161] [...] [Page 162]definition 72. he saith, that the verie hearers must be learned in the scriptures, that so they may try those things which are deliuered thē by their teachers; that so they may receiue those things that are consonant to the scrip­tures, & reiect those that are not: yea in the 80. definitiō, he concludeth whatsoeuer is without the scripture, because it cānot be of faith, (which must come by the hearing of that which is taught in the scriptures, as be­fore he had proued) must needs be sinne. Cyrill, Lib. [...]2. in Ioannem. cap. 69. with Au­gustine saith, that though all things be not written that Christ did, yet those thinges were writtē which the writers thought suf­ficient both for faith and manners. Hierome also saith vppon the 23. of Mathew, that which hath not authority frō the scriptures, is as easily contemned, as allowed. And ther­fore Origine vpon the third of the Romains hath verie wel noted, that the Apostle there giues other teachers in the Church an example that those thinges which they propounde to the people, they should streng then and confirme, not with their owne presumptions, but with testimo­nies of the scripture. For as he saith, if such an Apostle thought that the au­thoritie of his sayinges was not suffi­cient, [Page 163]vnlesse he shewed them to be writ­ten in the law and the Prophets, how much more ought wee to think so of ours? Hilarie also vpon the 118. Psalme notes it as a tricke of infidels and the irreligious, to say that the scriptures want perfection of do­ctrine. Seeing therefore it is most certaine and true, that Irenaeus writeth in his third booke and first chapter, that what the Apo­stles first preached, after by the will of God they set downe in their writinges to be the ground and pillar of our faith, and that in the canonicall scriptures of the olde and newe Testament we haue, as Chrisostome aduoucheth vpon the se­cond to the Corinthes, Homilie 13. a most perfect and exact rule to followe, set downe; therefore with him and in his wordes immediately thereupon in­ferred, I pray you all that you leaue that which seemeth good to this man or that, Et de his Scripturis omma inquirite, and of these Scriptures enquire all things; that so we may all conclude with Da­mascene in this point, in his first booke and first chapter de fide orthodoxa of sound faith, all thinges that are deliue­red by the lawe, Prophets, Apostles, and Euangelistes, Cognoscimus, veneramur, [Page 164]nihil vltrà perquirentes, that is, we ac­knowledge and reuerence, seeking no fur­ther. These things I haue the rather thus largely noted vnto you, because notwith­standing the plain euidence of this vndoub­ted and ancient trueth, our aduersaries the papistes are so farre off from yealding vnto the same, that to discourage men from making this vse of the holy scriptures, (that so they may at their pleasures teach vs to build such a faith, as seemeth good vnto them, vpon their vnwritten word of God, which they hold to be the traditions of their Church, yea nothing else in effect but their Popes pleasures,) the best learned amongst them are not ashamed to bestow great paines, to accuse the scriptures of such insufficiencie and obscuritie to this purpose, as that without the helpe of these their traditions, the doctrine of faith and good manners could neither certainelie nor sufficientlie be learned at a [...]l. Yea here­in they haue some of them, as to their per­petuall and euerlasting shame it is well knowen, Andridius Ecchius: Lindan. Hosius, Canisius Censura Colon. gone so farre in their writings, as that they haue not blusht to set it downe as a catholicke trueth, that the greatest part is left to be determined by their tra­ditions, that the scriptures were left rather [Page 165]to be vnder the Church, then to haue au­thoritie ouer her, that it were a pittiful thing if the Church should be tied to the Cano­nicall scriptures in euerie thing to be ru­led and oueruled thereby, eye that it can­not noreuer will be well with the Church as long as the lay people are suffered to read them, or to heare them red: for they are so obscure, and their sense is so flexible and heard to be found (say they) that thence all heresies are suckt, and that their sense is as but a leaden rule or a nose of waxe vnlesse it be stifned, streighted and kept euen by the helpe of their traditions. Wherein most ex­presly they resemble the heretikes that Ire­naeus describes in his third booke and se­cond chapter, who for traditions thus defa­ced the scriptures. What greater blasphe­mies can be vttered against the maiestie of God the author of these scriptures? For he hauing left them vnto his Church, in his good prouidence by his penmen for hir better direction to know his will, and then to beleeue and liue accordingly, (as out of all doubt he haith) how may we thinke without doing of him the greatest wrong that may be, that he hath left it therein no perfecter a rule then they hold, to this end? [Page 166]For were not this in effect to say, that ey­ther he could not for lacke of power, skill, and wisedome, or that else he would not for lacke of loue and care towardes it, make it any sufficienter and certamer? For what reason else can there be that he should vndertake, begin & goe forward as he hath with such a rule for the direction therof, and yet leaue it when he hath done, so maimed and so vnprofitable as they would make it? Now to haue but eyther of these conceites of God, were it not most absurde and iniu­rious vnto him? For how can we spoile him either of infinite wisedome, or of infinite and most perfect loue & care to wardes his Church, but withall we plainely denie him to be the true God? Wherfore let vs, what­foeuer these men say to the cōtrary, learne to beleeue as onely the canonical scriptures of God teach vs; & to that end & purpose, let vs now as briefly as we cā, take a view what they do teach vs in this respect & behalfe.

Concerning this point, What faith the scrip­ture heere requireth. first it is out of doubt, whatsoeuer the Lord hath taught or told for trueth in these canonicall scrip­tures, we are most firmely by faith to aslent vnto, to be so, and therefore hereof, howso­euer to discredit vs withall the papistes would seeme to the contrary, we neither [Page 167]make nor moue any cōtrouersie with them. Yea we most heartily wish and pray, that as they define faith to be a firme assent to the whole reuealed wil of God by his word, that once it would please God to giue them but this faith, to assent in deed without wa­uering to that which he hath taught in his written word in the canonicall scriptures: for then all the controuersies betwixt them & vs would streight be at an end. But alas they enforce such a sense vpō these scriptures & so equal their vnwrittē word of traditions herwith, that as long as they take this course there is no hope that euer they either can or wil haue this grace: wherfore to leaue them a while, grounded farre more vpō their own vnwritten traditions, then vpon the canoni­cal scriptures for the substāce of their faith, the next thing that we are to vnderstand touching faith is, that when it is spoken of, as it is here in my text, it importeth more then this general assent to al trueth taught in the canonical scriptures. For that brings one no further then credere Deo, Deum, & de Deo, that is, to beleeue or credit God, & to beleeue that he is, & what he is, wheras here in my text expresly Christ saith, he that be­leeueth in me, thereby requiring that we should not thinke it inough to beleeue him as a speaker alwaies of trueth, or to beleeue [Page 168]that he is such a one in person & office, as I haue shewed him to be, (for both these he hath already sufficiently called for at our hands in bidding of vs come vnto him) but that it is necessarie for vs, if we would haue him to be our meat & drinke indeed, to goe yet further, that is, to beleue in him. Which is indeed (the former lessons being wel taken out) therupon as vpon a most sound founda­tion, to ground a most certaine trust & con­fidence, that in, for, through, and by him, whollie and solie, freely & sullie we shalbe iustified heere, and saued heere after. To all the former degrees of faith, the reprobate and such as are destitute fo the graces of re­generation & sanctification yea the verie diuels may come, namely to yeald that eue­ry thing is as God hath said it to be in his written word, to credit him bicause he is trueth it self, & to beleue that he is, & that he is also such a one as he therin sets forth him­self to bee, & this may therfore make them to tremble, as Iames saith, 2.19. But this is not the faith of Gods elect, that Paule speakes of, to Titus cap. 1. nor that, which he saith worketh by charitie. Gal. 5.6. nor that which is said, purifieth the heart. Act. 15.9. nor that whereof it is so often and so vniuersally said, Whosoeuer beleeueth in him, shall not perish, but hane eternall [Page 169]life. Io. 3.15. &c. Necessary it is that Gods elect haue all these degrees and branches of faith, and the beleeuing thus farre is alwaies found in them before they can be­leeue in Iesus Christ so as that through him they can haue any assurance of their saluation: but if they will haue such a faith whereby in Christ Iesus they shall be iusti­ed, then they must nor stay in these gene­ralities, but they must set Christ with all his graces necessarie for either their iustifi­cation or saluation before them, and by imbracing and applying him particularly vnto them, & all that euer he did for mans saluation, as euen done particularly & most certainly forthē; in him and by him so made theirs, they are to be assured that God hath freely iustified thē, & vndoubtedly also will saue them. For though euery trueth taught by God in his word be the general obiect of faith, yet the proper obiect therof, by appre­hensiō where of it is so oft said in the scrip­tures to iustifie, is onely Christ Iesus, whō it is not inough for faith with her inward eies to know and cōfesse to be as he is in person and office as you haue before heard, but as you may sufficiently perceiue by Christes setting of himselfe before the faithfull as the meate and drinke of their soules, and [Page 170]by his requiring, that they should hunger and thirst after him, yea eate him & drinke him, & then by his plaine expounding that eating & drinking of him to be beleeuing in him, he is by faith to be taken & appro­priated to euery right beleeuer in him. And to put it out of doubt, that the iustifying faith or faith in Christ Iesus, must haue and indeed hath this effect, Paule after he had willed the Corinthians to proue & try them­selues whether they were in the faith, hee streight addeth, And examine your selues, know you not your own selues that Iesus Christ is in you, vnlesse you be reprobates? 2. Co. 13.5. when faith thus apprehendeth Christ, & so possesseth her owner of him, as that he him­self may know that Christ is in him, how cā it be then but he that hath by faith so found and got Christ, hath also in him & by him a special assurance that his sins are forgiuen him, & that vndoubtedly he shall for that Christs sake be saued? when it doth all this we denie not, but most willingly we con­fesse that there it bringeth forth by the po­wer of the spirit of sanctification, good works plentifully in her owner; but yet we dare not say that it iustifieth either for the worthinesse of it selfe, or for the worthines of all the noble traine of good works inse­perablie [Page 171]alwaies in good measure accō ­panying it, but onely for the worthines of Iesus Christ, whom it apprehendeth. But that vndoubtedly faith findeth in Christ Ie­sus full and sufficient cause and matter, for which most certainely God will both iu­stifie & saue all those that thereby haue put him on, as Paule speaketh, Rom. 13.14. all the places of scripture before produced to proue him to be in, and of himselfe, a full and most perfect Sauiour, most pregnantly and forceably scrue. Seeing therefore brethren (as thereby sufficiently hath appeared) by the blood of Iesus, We may be bold to enter into the holy place, by the new and liuing way which he hath prepared for vs through the vaile that is his flesh, and seeing we haue an high priest which is ouer the house of God, let vs draw neere with a true heart in assurance of faith, & sprinkled in our hearts frō an euill conscience, and washed in our bodies with pure water, let vs keep the professiō of our hope with­out wauering, for he is faithful that promised. Heb. 10.19. For faith is the ground of things hoped for, & the euidence of things which are not seene. Heb. 11.1. Let vs aske thē therfore in faith of our good & gracious God, and wauer not, as Iames coūselleth vs, for he that wauereth is like the waters of the sea, tost of [Page 172]the winde, and caried away, neither let that man thinke that he shall obtaine any thing of the Lord: Iam. 2.19. And let vs confident­ly conclude with Saint Paule, that beeing iustified by faith, we haue peace with God, through Iesus Christ, by whom also we haue accesse through faith vnto his grace, wherein we stand and reioyce vnder the hope of the glory of God, yea with that hope, that shall neuer shame or confound vs. Rom. 5.1. &c. For whatsoeuer our aduersaries say or feele to the contrary in themselues, we that can finde once by faith, that we haue put on Christ, that we haue eaten his flesh and drunke his blood, yea that he is euen in vs, and therefore haue first Gods promises of­ten declared and made vnto vs, and then the same particularly, outwardly in the sa­craments, and inwardly in our soules by his spirit thus sealed and applied vnto vs, dare boldly with Saint Iohn say, that we know we are translated from death to life. 1. Epist. 3.14. and with Saint Paule, that we are perswaded that nothing shall euer sepe­rate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus. For seeing he hath not spared to bestow his owne sonne vpon vs, how shall he not with him giue vs all things else. Rom. 8.13.39. yea we are sure it is no presumption [Page 173]to beleeue God without any wauering, thus many waies testifying his effectuall mercy & loue to appertaine euen vnto vs: eye we know it were wickedly to call the trueth and faithfulnesse of God into que­stion, once to doubt when he so many waies hath sought to put vs out of al doubt. No maruel though the papistes can attaine vnto no such ioy and peace or assurance in their consciences of saluation by their faith. For first they build as much of their faith vpon the sandie foundation of their owne traditions, as vpon the rocke of the canonicall scriptures: secondly the faith that they talke on, leades them no further then to a generall astent to all trueth reuea­led by God vnto man in his word, where­of in particular they neyther thinke the knowledge of all that trueth necessary, nor yet the speciall application of the promises to any, contenting themselues with belee­uing in generall, that there is in the Church remission of sinnes purchased by Christ, &c. And thirdly they hold there is no such faith whereby, in, & for Christ the owner therof can come to any such assurāce of the mercy of God, of the forgiuenes of his sins, and of life euerlasting: yea that that is rather a presumption, & a mere fiction and inuenti­on, [Page 174]then any faith allowed of God, vnlesse God giue a man a speciall reuelation, as it were telling him by name in particular, that he shall haue these in deed for Christs sake: and that therefore it is inough for to beleeue that their are these things in deede by Christ purchased. And therfore lastly they holde that faith may be in the re­probate, and that it is said to iustifie one­ly bicause it is one of the first dispositions to iustification, and that it iustifieth not so much for apprenending Christ the iustifier, as for that it obtaineth that Christ shoulde formally iustify her owner, by powring into him the grace of charity, whereby he may after be able more to iustifie himself, and to merite the kingdome of heauen by good works. So that in effect they hold & teach, that it iustifieth not for Christ apprehended & applied to her owner, but for charitie and other good works that Christ by his grace, for the worthinesse therof, bestoweth vpon him quite contrary to the scriptures; which as we haue heard, shut workes quite out from this office of iustifying and purchasing of saluation for man. Whereas they know further that the same scriptures put a mani­fest difference betwixt this righteousnesse of the law that lies in doing, and that which [Page 175]we haue to make vs righteous by, by saith in Christ Iesus. Rom. 10.5. &c. and Gal. 3.12. And yet euen their great Doctor Bel­larmine neither is nor will be ashamed of any of this their doctrine of faith, and in this last point, though he be enforced to graunt that we are first iustified freely with­out workes in Christ Iesus, and that hea­uen also is Gods childrens by adoption and inheritance: yet the formall cause of our iustification must be with him the infused habite of charitie, and good workes af­ter done must make vs to haue a second right vnto the kingdome of heauen, and so to further degrees of glory there, by the way of wages and iust debt. Though for all this, when he hath done his best for the maintenance of this second title and right thereunto, he dare not teach any with any special assurance & confidence that cannot deceiue them, to trust thereunto. Nay these things thus being most certainly held and taught by thē touching the nature of faith quite contrary to the scriptures, I can neuer maruaile that by their faith there is bred no certainner hope or confidence in them of Gods mercie, or of the forgiuenesse of their sinnes, or of anie thing else that appertaines to saluation, then as [Page 174] [...] [Page 175] [...] [Page 176]when they are at the best, may finally de­ceiue them, and in the meane time with much feare and doubting of their estate trouble them: yea I rather wonder, that in the iust iudgement of God they are not in continuall horrour and terrour of consci­ence and as it were compassed about eue­ry houre with the verie tormentes of hell, for that they will not be brought to seeke to come to the father onely by him, but by whom, as he himselfe hath taught vs, none can euer come vnto him. Io. 14.6. For whiles thus they pleade and stand vpon a wrong title, and would also beare men in hand that a speciall ende and vse of Christes comming was, not to procure them sufficient title and right to the king­dome of heauen, in, and by himselfe and thinges done and suffered by and in his owne person, but to inable them by these meanes to make themselues to haue a se­cond, a better & further title thereunto, they are most worthy to loose al the com­fort that they might haue, if they would stand to the right and onely good title, by and for Iesus Christes sake alone. And doubtlesse as I haue shewed before, if they repent not, they will one day all the packe of them, finde, though too [Page 177]late that Paule hath pronounced sentence of them, in the like case of the Galathians Cap. 5.4. saying, Yee are abolished from Christ, whosoeuer are iustified by the lawe, yee are falne from grace. God of his mer­cie therefore, if it be his holy will, open their eies in time, that they may repent of all these their most dangerous errours, and come with vs once, to be content to be­leeue in Christ Iesus, as the Scriptures in­deede teach vs. In the meane time, let this that I haue said, be a sufficient warning to vs, as the adopted sonnes of God tho­row faith in Christ, Ioh. 1.12. to looke for heauen as an inheritance prepared for vs by our heauenly father before the foundations of the world were made. Matt. 25.34. and now reserued for vs, which are kept by the power of God thorow faith vnto saluation. Pet. 1.4. & 5. that so heauen may be to vs as it is said to be indeed, the free gift of God ( Rom. 6.23.) through Iesus Christ our Lord. And let vs let thes hireling and mercenarie minded men alone, that disdaine to haue heauen of Gods free almes, and therefore will haue it eyther by their owne earninge and deseruing of it, or else they will goe without it, which they are most like to [Page 178]doe, bicause they will haue it otherwise then God himselfe the owner therof, hath couenanted and appointed that euer anie shall come by it. I know they haue their colours and sophistical deuises to giue yet such a glosse and faire shewe to this their dealing, as though for all this all were very well of their sides: but all they can gaine therby is this, that so much the more they proue their religion to be aptlie and wor­thily tearmed by the Apostle, the mistrie of iniquitie. 2. Thess. 2.7. and that the proud and pompeous whore of Babylon shoulde haue that worde Mysterie, set for her very brand and marke in her forehead, and that she should yet carie al her abhominations and fornications, wherewith she shoulde make the inhabitantes of the world drun­ken, in a golden cup, the sooner to entise them to drinke deepely thereof. For in­deede and trueth as I haue shewed before and elsewhere, they can stand them in no better steede eyther before God or before any that are wise, than Adam and Eues fig leaues did them to hide their nakednes from the eies of God. For how can they be so sillie and simple, as to imagine indeede that in this great light any can & wil be so [Page 179]foolish as hearing what they doe, so plaine­lie and plentifully set downe euerie where in the doctrine of the gospell, that Christ went thorow effectually in his owne per­son with the worke of our redemption and saluation, as once to be drawne by their sophisticall perswasions, that yet what he hath done, serueth especially but to merit that chantie first should be bestowed vpon vs: and then that thereunto, & to our good workes proceeding therefrom, should be conuaied from his merits a dignitie and power, first formally to iustifie vs by the one, which we could not bee by the appli­cation of him and his merites vnto vs thorow faith, and then after to earne and merite more surelie for vs by the other, the kingdom of heauen, then he had done? For they may prate and brag, that whiles they thus say and teach, they attribute more to the merits of Christ than we doe, that both for our iustification and sal­uation trust onelie thereunto; but eue­rie man for all that, vnder these fayre wordes may plainely see, that in ve­rie deede they heereby most grosselie woulde make him, as I saide before, the verie principall in the robbing of him­selfe of that speciall honor that is his, to be [Page 180]a full and a perfect Sauiour in and by him­selfe. This faith is wrought by the spi­rite. But inoug his said of this point How­beit this further touching this faith, where­by we eate and drinke Christ and make him our owne (welbeloued) I would haue you to vnderstand, that it is not to be at­tained vnto by any power or strength of flesh and blood, but it is the speciall worke and fruite of the Spirit of God. For imme­diately after Iohn had tolde vs, that they that beleeue in Christ at they that receiue him, whereby they are made the sonnes of God, he saith that such are borne not of bloode, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God, Iohn 1.12. & 13. And Christ hath most plainely said, Iohn. 3.5.6. Verely verely I say vnto thee, except a man be borne of water and the Spirit, he can­not enter into the kingdome of God that which is borne of the flesh is flesh, and that which is borne of the Spirit is Spirit. And yet more plainely to assure vs of the trueth of this point, Paule in expresse words hath taught vs, that faith is the fruite of the Spirit, Gal. 5.22. Ordinarily the worde preached. But yet we must not thinke, though the Spirit can extraordinarily worke this faith without meanes immediately where, when, and in whom it listeth, that yet not­withstanding, ordinarily it doth it by the [Page 181]ministrie of the word, and that preached: For so Paule concludeth, saying, Rom. 10.17. Then faith is by hearing, and hearing by the worde of God. And therefore accor­dingly, 1. Cor. 1.17. he writeth, That seeing the world by wisedome knew not God, in the wisedome of God it please him, by the foo­lishnesse of preaching to saue those that be­leeue. And therefore also he notes, it is an especial fruit and effect of Christes ascensi­on. Ephes. 4.10.11. &c. that he gaue and bestowed sundrie ministries there mentio­ned, vpon his Church for the repairing of the Saintes, for the worke of the mini­strie and for the edification of the bodie of Christ. Till we all meete togither, in the vnitie of faith and the acknowledging of the sonne of God, vnto a perfect man, and vnto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ, that we henceforth be no more, chil­dren, wauering and caried away with euerie winde of doctrine by the deceit of men, and craftinesse whereby they lay in waite to de­ceiue. Saint Peter also agreable heereunto in his first Epistle, Cap. 1.22.23. &c. noteth that our souls are purified in obeying the truth, thorow the spirit, being borre again not of mor­tall seed but of immortal, by the word of God, which after there he saith endureth for euer, [Page 182]and is that which is preached amongst them. Whereupon therefore in the next chapter he exhorteth them to lay aside all maliti­ousnes, all guile, dissunulation, enuie, and euill speaking, and as new borne babes to de­sire the sincere milke of the worde, that they may grow vp thereby, if it be so they had ta­sted how bountifull the Lord was. Vers. 1.2.3. Whereunto we had as much neede to li­st [...]n as euer they had. For these are the daies wherein we liue, wherin that prophe­cie of Christ is fulfilled, Mat. 34. touch­ing the danger that should be by false prophets and teachers, able if it were possi­ble to seduce the verie elect. Verse 24. and wherein he may behold multitudes for lacke of foode and faithfull preachers and teachers, as sheepe hauing no sheep­heard dispersed and scattered; and therefor in respect wherof he may also say, Surely the haruest is great, but the labourers are few. And by the admi­nistration of Sacra­ments. I woulde to God therefore we coulde and woulde euerie one of vs ac­cording to his counsell there, Praie the Lord of the haruest to thrust out labou­rers into his haruest, Matth. 9.3.6. &c. Besides the bare preaching of the worde as it is well knowne and confessed of all, for the better both breading and nou­rishing [Page 183]of this our faith as an outward good meanes, for the spirite to worke that effect in vs by, our most gratious and louing GOD, knowing howe slowe to beleeue we woulde bee, hath left and giuen vnto vs visible and palpable Sacra­mentes, thereby as it were to seale and more particularly to apply vnto vs all the good promises of saluation in Christ Iesus: as namelie nowe, baptisme and the supper of the Lorde to vs of the newe Testament. The first whereof of­fereth vnto vs and sealeth the deliue­rie to the right receiuer thereof, of his regeneration, teaching him to looke for it at the handes of God the Father, through God the Sonne, by the mightie working of the holie Ghost onelie, in that onelie he is baptized in water in their names. And the other is a Sacra­ment of his continuall nourishment to eternall life, in and by the broken bo­die, and bloodeshed of Christ Iesus. And therefore as to be a man, it is ne­cessarie but once to be borne, but yet after often to bee sedde: so is it most necessarie for those that woulde euer growe to bee perfect men in Christ Iesus but once to bee baptized, [Page 184]but often to receiue the other Sacrament. And it must be remembred alwaies that both these offer and set before vs one and selfe same Christ: the one, that he may by his blood wash vs cleane from our sinnes, and regenerate vs that we may beginne to lead a newe and a holy life: the other, that by his body broken and his bloode shed for vs, he may be both meate and drinke and sufficient spirituall foode and nourish­ment vnto our hungrie and thirstie soules but then withall we may vnderstand, that the same Christe to the same endes is offered still vnto vs when his Gospell is preached vnto vs: onely this is the diffe­rence, as I said before, that the worde of­fers and sets him before vs in generall, and these in particuler and speciall manner leade vs vnto him. And whereas the word to breede or nourish faith in vs, stricketh onely the sense of our hearing; these duely ministred doe not onely the better to pro­uoke and strengthen the same, mooue and strike that, but also our sight, smelling, tast and feeling. And therefore as it was noted by Paule. He [...]. 2. that the cause why the worde which the Iewes heard in the wildernesse profited them not, because it was not mixed with faith in those that [Page 185]heard it: so is it most certaine that these shall not profit vs, though outwardly we be partakers thereof neu [...]r so much, if we haue not faith to pearse further than to the outward elementes: and if it be a fault so to harden our heartes, when the worde is but preached, that we take not occasion thereby to beleeue, it must needes be a farre greater fault, if these added therun­to we be still vnfaithfull. And therefore, as in respect of hearing of the word the Apo­stle said, Heb. 3.5. So long as it is said, to day harden not your heartes, as in the prouo­cation: for some when they heard, prouo­ked him to anger, so say I vnto you, in re­spect of both much more. To this ende neuer forget the examples of Simon Ma­gus and of Iudas, whereof though the one was baptized, as we read he was, Act. 8.18. and the other was with Christ at the institution of the other Sacrament as it ap­peareth, Luke. 22.21. yet as it appeares in both those chapters, for that they neither of them had any sound or true faith, they were neuer the better, but the worse, for that to their other sinnes they added in the receiuing of these, the prophaning, as much as lay in them of both thes. If when the word is preached, therwith the Spirit [Page 186]of God so to worke in your heartes, that the eies of your soules be opened aright to see and knowe Christ, and your hearts framed accordingly to beleeue in him, vn­doubtedly euen then according to Christs commaundement heere in my text you come vnto him and drinke him, yea you eate his flesh and drinke his bloode to e­ternall life. Wherefore (deare brethren) when you come but to heare, I say vnto euerie one of you with the wise man, Ec­clesiastes 4.17. Take heede to thy foote when thou entrest into the house of God, that so thou maist follow his counsel in that which fol­loweth, that is, to be more neare to heare, thā to offer the sacrifice of fooles. And according to the aduise of Ieremy, (by the strong plow of repentance & faith) breake vp the fallow ground of your hearts when you come to heare, that we sow not the good seede of the worde amongst thornes. Cap. 4.4. For as you may most plainly learne by the parable, Mat. 13.4. &c. though the Lord send neuer so good seedsmē amongst you, & they sow the good seed neuer so faithfully, yet if your hearts be either like the high way, or like thornie or stony ground, you shal neuer bring forth a­ny good haruest to the Lord. For onely the good & honest heart furnished with patiēce [Page 187]shall doe that, as there we are taught: and therefore labour to bring such hearts. But alas when all comes to all, most true it is that Christ saith, none can come vnto him, but whom the father draweth, Io. 6.44. Paul may plant, and Apollo water, and yet all to no purpose, vnlesse God giue the increase, 1. Cor. 3.3. And yet I say for all this, despise not prophecying, if you woulde take out the former lesson quench not the spirit. 1. Thes. 5.19.20. For by the outwarde ministrie of men, the Lord inwardlie by his spirite worketh in you a knowledge and loue of Christ, and so draweth you vnto him. And that hath Christ himselfe taught im­mediatly saying, Ioh. 6.45. It is written in the Prophets, they shall be all taught of God. Euerie man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the father commeth vnto me. Whereupon very well Augustine in his 26. tract vpon Iohn noteth saying, videte quo­modo trahit pater, docendo delectat, non ne­cessitatem imponendo: that is, behold how the father draweth, by teaching he deligh­teth, not by imposing necessitie or en­forcing. And to the same purpose v­pon the foresaide wordes hee moste sweetely obserueth that it being founde true in these earthly delightes, that [Page 188]euerie one is drawne or caried with his delight, that much rather Christ by teach­ing beeing manifested vnto vs, by his Fa­ther will draw vs vnto him. Yet most cer­taine it is, that onely God it is that first o­peneth and enlightneth our mindes to see Christ, by his ministrie set before vs; and who then creates in vs a newe, a will to delight in him and to imbrace him, which the same Father acknowledgeth al­so saying; that we will well, he worketh of himselfe without vs, and when we so will that we doe, he worketh togither with vs: De gratia & libero arbitrto, Cap. 17.

And yet though all this be most true, Of Sacra­mentes in generall. are not the sacramentes and the vse and me­ditation thereof needlesse and superfluous vnto vs to this purpose. For as the worde written in the canouical Scriptures is as the written will of our heauenly Father, which we publish vnto you when we read them, and by preaching open them vnto you: so the Sacramentes are as the great and au­ten tike seales of the Lord annexed there­unto, for the more and better assuring vs of the certainetie of those heauenly lega­ces that therein are bequeathed vs. Indeed God for his part is so stedfast, constant and true in all his sayings, that though onelie [Page 189]by bare speech he should reueale his will vnto vs, it were our dueties most stedfastly to beleeueit. But he that made vs, know­eth what is in vs, and by experience we finde how necessarie so euer it be for vs to beleeue the word of God, that yet though we haue it (as in the goodnesse of God to­wardes vs we haue) both written, and thus sealed and confirmed by his Sacraments, that all this is little inough to make vs be­leeue it as we should. Wherefore seeing it hath pleased God to stoupe so lowe vnto vs, & thus to apply himself to our capacity, let vs in the name of God praise him ther­fore, and most thankfully take vse of all the meanes that he hath left vs to get vnto his sonne by. And therefore giue me leaue heere to enlarge my selfe a little vnto you, that there be nothing wanting in mee to shew you, or to helpe you forward, by the helpe of these Sacramentes, that I speake of, through the working of Gods spirite in your heartes withall, more and more to come vnto Christ, and to be v­nited vnto him to your euerlasting saluati­on. And the rather because I know as the right vnderstanding of the nature thereof may by Gods blessing mightilie helpe you or ward therein; so eyther the ignorance [Page 190]thereof, or an erroneous conceite of them may verie much hinder you in the same. Sacraments I call them, according to the ancient vse, and phrase of the Church: which name I take was at the first bor­rowed from an ancient fashion of making a solemne vow and couenant betwixt the Emperour and his souldiers, whereby he was bound to them to goe in and out be­fore them as an Emperour, & they bound themselves vnto him againe to be faith­full and obedient souldiers. And therefore because in these sacred rites it was obser­ued, that likewise there passeth a solemne couenant betwixt God and the worthie receiuers thereof, it was thought that not vnfitly they might be called Sacraments. And in verie deede, whether we consider Baptisme or that other of the bodie and blood of Christ, we shall easily finde that thereby this is done. For in Baptisme, the minister in the name of GOD offereth by baptising in water, in the name of the Father, the Sonne, and the holie Ghost, vnto the partie baptized not onelie a figure & representation of the washing away of his sinnes and of his re­generation in the bloode of Christ, but also a visible and sensible seale thereof, [Page 191]whereby God bindeth himselfe to doe all this for the partie, if the let and stoppe thereof be not in himselfe: and he likewise by receiuing this Sacrament maketh o­pen profession, that he will liue and be­leeue accordingly. And in the other when breade and wine, called as they be, are de­liuered vnto the communicant, in like ma­ner then God offereth to feede that partie to eternall life, with the bodie broken and blood shed of his son: and he, by taking of them, makes open confession that he so beleeueth and therefore will so shew it in his life therafter: and of this mutuall coue­nant the sacrament deliuered and receiued is a most certaine pledge and seale be­twixt them. It standes therefore euery one in hand, that receiue these Sacraments to haue a greate care, not onelie to beleeue that GOD for his parte will performe that which thereby he bindeth himselfe vnto: but also for their partes to fulfill that, whereunto they tie themselues: o­therwise sure they are no better than dis­semblers before men, and hypocrites be­fore GOD. If the Etimologie of this worde Sacrament, be but considered, it might teach vs in an [...]e case to deale with these alwayes, Sacra mente, [Page 192]that is, with a sacred and a holy minde. The worde is taken and vsëd so generally often, that euery outward thing by Gods ordinance signifying a further grace or be­nefite, hath beene called a Sacrament. And therfore Iohn Chapp [...]s in his Cōmen­tary vpon Raymunds summe of the Sacra­ments tract. 1. thought he had found in Hu­go de sancto victore in his sixt booke of Sa­craments, a verie perfect definition of a Sa­crament, when he found that he defined it to be, Naturale elementum extrinsecùs o­culis suppositum, ex institutione figurans, ex similitudine repraesentans, & ex sanctificati­one aliquam gratiam inuisibilem conferens: that is, A naturall element set outwardly before the eyes, by institution figuring, by similitude representing, and by sancti­fication conferring some inuisible grace. And in verie deede, it somewhat well restraineth the ouerlarge vse of the word: and there is nothinge therein but it is true of Sacraments properly taken as I take them now. But to make it fully to expresse the nature of a sacrament thus taken, and noe more, I woulde thereunto adde, (and I am sure it ought to be so) that the insti­tutor must bee God himselfe; that some­time the outward partis not onely one ele­ment [Page 193]to be seene with the eies, but more then one: and that it is not enough that by sanctification it conferre any visible grace whatsoeuer, but that that grace be euen Christ himselfe with such graces as in him re prouided for our saluation. And therfore I define a Sacrament, as nowe I speake thereof, to be A visible signe or signes, or­dained by Christ, to be ministred in his Church to thē that be his, not only to figure & represent himselfe and what he hath done for their saluation; but also whereby to offer himselfe with grace necessarie to saluation, and to deli­uer himselfe with the same, and to seale the communication and deliuerie thereof, to euery worthy receiuer of the outward element or ele­mentes, according to his institution. And such we finde no more now in the newe Testament, but Baptisme and the Lordes Supper. The other fiue vrged as Sacra­ment by the Romanists of our daies, how­soeuer in some generall & improper sense they maybe so called, in this they can­not. For some one or other necessary thing mentioned in this definition is wanting in euery one of them. And yet there is nothing in this definition that can be omitted, if we minde so to define or describe a Sacrament as that indeed truely, and fully, we meane [Page 194]to expresse the nature thereof as it is com­mon but to these two, Baptisme and the Supper. To the constitution therefore of a Sacrament by this we may see that it is first necessarie, that Chrst be the author and institutor thereof. Secondly, that there haue a commandement passed from him to administer it in his Church. Thirdlie, that it consist of such outward visible element or elementes, as he hath chosen and ap­pointed for that purpose. And fourthly, that according to his ordinance they be ta­ken as meanes to put him on by, and to make him ours, with all such graces as in him are prouided for our saluation. So that asto the making of a perfect mā there must concurre bodie and soule in one; and to the being of our Christ to be a fit person to be our Messias and Sauiour, Godhead & man­hood: so to the full beeing of a Sacrament according to Christs ordinance, an outward element or elements, and Christ himselfe and his grace fit and needfull for our sal­uation are necessary. And therefore as neither bodie & soule in man, nor God­head & manhood in Christ without falling into a grosse errour there about, can or may be said or thought to be eyther confoun­ded with the other, or annihilated or ab­sorpted [Page 195]sorpted of the other: so neyther may we say or thinke of these two partes in a Sacra­ment. When therefore we come to receiue any Sacrament; as outwardly we receiue the outward element, so inwardly we must seeke to receiue also the heauenly thing thereby offered vnto vs: or else by our de­fault we seuere those thinges which we should coupple, and as much as lyeth in vs, ouerthrowe the nature and vse of the Sa­crament.

Nowe to descend from the considerati­on of a Sacrament thus in generall, Of Bap­tisme. to these two particuler Sacramentes: In Baptisme which is the first, we haue Christes ordi­nance for it, and commaundement also for the ministring of it. Math. 28.19. where Christ said vnto his disciples; Goe and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, the Sonne, and the holy Ghost. And thereby also the worde baptise sig­nifying, as it doth, to dippe in water or therewith to sprinkle, we may see the out­ward element to be water. Which is also cōfirmed by al the practise of the Churches in the Apostles times: as appeares both in the storie of their Actes written by Saint Luke, and elsewhere. And that the thing therby signified, offered, & deliuered [Page 196]is Christ himselfe, and so in him remis­sion of sinnes, regeneration and dying to sinne, and liuing againe vnto righte­ouspesse, it sufficiently appeareth in these places of the Scriptures. Knowe ye not that all we which haue beene baptised into Christ, haue beene baptised into his death? we are then buried with him by Baptisme into his death, that like as Christ was raysed vp from the dead to the glory of the Father, so we also should walke in newnes of life. Rom. 6.3.4. All ye that are baptised into Christ haue put on Christ. Gal. 3.27. Be bap­tised euery one of you in the name of Iesus Christ for the remission of sinnes, Act. 2.38. Christ loued the Church, and gaue himselfe for it, that he might sanctifie it and cleanse it, by the washing of water through the word &c. Ephe. 5.25.26. According to his mercie he saued vs, by the washing of the new birth, and renewing of the holy Ghost, Tit. 3.5. Bap­tisme that now is, saueth vs by the resurrecti­on of Iesus Christ. 1. Pet. 3.21. They there­fore that are desirous not onely to be ac­counted baptised with the outward Bap­tisme of water, must as you see accor­ding to Paules counsell, Rom. 13.14. put on the Lord Iesus Christ himselfe, and take no thought for the flesh to fulfill the lustes of it. [Page 197]For if they be partakers of the other part thereof, in the blood of Christ, they are washed and cleansed: and so must, and are bound to liue as men dead to sinne and aliue to righteousnesse. Baptisme ther­fore Is a Sacrament of the new Testament, wherein by beeing dipped in, or sprinkled vpon with water, in the name of the Father, the Sonne, and the holy Ghost, we are as­sured that God the Father can and will in the blood, and by the blood of his Sonne, by the mighty working of the holy Ghost, wash away our sins, and so receiue vs and incorporate vs into his Church, that we shal be his new borne children and inabled to be holy, because he is holy. We administer it to infants because it succeedeth Circumcision: which was by Gods ordinance appointed to be ministred to the infants of the Iewes, when they were but eight daies old, Ge. 17.12. because Christ said, Suffer little children to come vnto me, for of such is the kingdom of heauen. Mat. 19.13. because we read that the Apostles baptised whole households, as Act. 16.33. amongest which sometimes it is most likelie there were some infantes: and lastly, because we finde that God promised not onelie to be the God of Abraham, but also of his feede after him. Gen. 17.7. and that [Page 198]Saint Paule most plainely teacheth, that if one of the parents be beleeuing, then is the seede holy. 1. Cor. 7.14. And therefore it beeing administred to such, and in wa­ter, and in that manner that it is by Christs ordinance, the nature of water beeing as we knowe it to bee; we may and ought to learne all these lessons, that we are all borne and conceiued in sinne, and there­with so defiled that we stand need of wash­ing: that this washing and cleanseing is to be had at God the Fathers hands, through Iesus Christ, by the working of the holie Ghost, and no where else: that God both can and will thus wash and cleanse vs, and that therefore this Trinitie in vnitie is one­ly to be beleeued in and trusted vnto for the matter of our saluation, and to be ho­noured in all thankfulnesse for the same, by our ceasing from sinne and doing of that which is good. Whereupon we see, that they that would lead vs after we haue once beene thus baptised, to put our faith and confidence for any part of our forgiuenes of sinnes or saluation eyther in any o­ther person or thing as the cōmon fashion is amongst papistes, doubtlesse they would haue vs to reuolt from that faith wherein we were baptised, and whereunto therby [Page 199]we haue most solemnly bound our selues. Heereby also we may perceiue that though Baptisme it selfe be but once to be ministred for the reason before shewed: yet as oft as euer eyther we finde our sinnes rea­die to shake our faith, or otherwise to trouble vs, by meditation thereof we are thus to haue our recourse againe vn­to it, to the strengthening both of our faith, and to the weakning of the power of sinne, (howsoeuer the papistes would perswade vs, that it serueth onely to assure vs of re­mission of sinnes before;) because we may be sure that God is alwaies readie, if we can beleeue in him, to performe vnto vs whatsoeuer he hath offered vnto vs therein. Which doubtlesse is the remission of all our sinnes before or after, we beleeuing and repenting thereof. Or else if onely thereby were offered forgiuenesse of sinnes before it; then surely the Church would haue de­ferred it to the last, or later then eyther it hath or yet doth.

And as for the other Sacrament, Of the o­ther Sa­crament. if we doe with any diligence but consider that which we finde set downe thereof. Mat. 26.26. &c. Mar. 14.22. &c. Luk. 22.19. &c. 1. Cor. 11.23. &c. we shall there finde, what­soeuer appertaineth eyther generally to a [Page 200]Sacrament, or particularly vnto it most plainely and effectually expressed. For there it is euident that Christ instituted it, and commanded his ministers to administer it vntill his comming againe: that he ordai­ned very bread and wine to be the outward visible elements: and his bodie broken for his, and his blood shed for the remission of their sinnes, to be the things by the o­ther figured, signified and represented; yea, thereby both offered and truely deli­uered and communicated to the right and worthy receiuer: And therefore to assure thē of as much, he called the bread broken & distributed, his body broken: & the wine powred forth & giuen thē in the cup, his blood of the new Testament, shed for ma­ny to the remission of their sins. We there­fore by warrant from hence do define this: To be a Sacrament of the new Testament, in­stituted by Christ, and to administred by his ordinance, and to be receiued according to the same of his faithfull people, consisting not one­ly of bread broken & wine powred out into the cup, to be distributed & receiued of al wor­thy commers thereunto in remembrance of his death and passion; and as vndoubted to­kens by his institution (though not of their own nature) both that his body was broken, and his [Page 201]blood shed for all his in general, and also parti­cularly for the full redemption and saluation of euery right receiuer hereof: but also of the very broken body and bloodshed of Christ, for our saluation therewith all as certainely offred to be fed on to eternall life, and fed on indeed by euery worthy communicant (though by spi­rituall meanes) as the other are offered vnto them, taken and fed on by the instruments of the bodie. Whereupon most earnestly we exhort euery one that would worthily come vnto this table, and so be partakers indeed to their comfort of this Sacrament, with Saint Paule in any case to trie and examine themselues first, and to iudge themselues, least for want of so doing they be heere iudged of the Lord by ea­ting of this breade and drinking of this cup vnworthily to haue made themselues guiltie of his bodie and bloode, and so to eate and drinke their own damnation. For though we holde breade and wine heere­in still to retaine their former sub­stance and essence; because euen by the expresse wordes of the institution in the places before quoated so much is euident, and the common nature of a Sacrament requireth the continuance of the out­warde element in his former nature that [Page 202]so it may carrie the better and apterresem­blance of the thing whose name it beareth: yet we know and most willingly confesse with all antiquitie, that thereof heere by vertue of Christes institution, (which doth and shal remaine in force stil to the worlds end alwaies to effect the same in bread and wine according to his ordinance set aside and vsed to this purpose) there is a verie great change and alteration. But that is but in name, vse, and estimation. For whereas before they were but called bread and wine, and serued but to the com­mon vse of the nourishing and cheering of the bodie, and therefore so onely were to be esteemed: heerein they beare the names of the verie bodie and bloode of Christ, and they serue as the Lordes good meanes to lead and strengthen our faith to feede therupon indeed to our saluation: The vse thereof. and therefore we esteeme of them herein, not as they are of their owne nature, but as they are by his institution, sacred signes, sim­bols, representations, similitudes, pledges, and seales of those thinges whose names they beare. And therefore we call vpon you most earnestly, whensoeuer you re­ceiue, in the feare of God reuerently so to take them: and so by marking what is said [Page 203]of them and done with them, to take occa­sion, first to call effectually to your re­membrance how Christs body was broken with sorrowes and tormentes, and his pre­tious blood shed and seuered in his passion from his body to satisfie the iustice of God his heauenly father for mans sinnes, yea euen for euery one of your sinnes; and therefore withall heartily to sorrowe for your sinnes that put him to al these paines, and yet vnsainedlie also with thankefull heartes to reioyce, that he woulde take such paines for them that were so vn­worthy thereof. Which you are notably occasioned to doe, when in the administration of this Sacrament you first see the bread broken and the wine powred forth, and both particularly offered vnto euerie one of you, seuered and apart the one after the other, yet bearing the names of his bodie broken, and bloode shed for you. Secondly, knowing the na­tures of bread and wine as you doe, and to what vse they setue touching this life; they bearing heere the names of the bodie bro­ken, and blood shed of Christ as they doe, we assure you that thereby most iustlie we are occasioned to beleue, that in the bodie broken and blood shed of Christ, both [Page 204]the breade and drinke, that is, all the foode that is necessary for the maintenance of our spirituall life for euer before God, lieth; and that therfore there it is only to be sought. And in that these further thus called and vsed, are giuen vnto euery one of you that come vnto the Lordes boarde, and you take them, thereby the Lord by vs his ministers particularly offers his bodie broken and his blood shedde vnto cue­ry one of you, to feede and nourish you to euerlasting life: and you by taking of them in outward shew, answere both him and vs, that you doe most firmly and sted­fastly euery one of you particularly beleue, that he will doe so indeede. Wherefore in any case when you streach forth your hands and open your mouthes to take breade and wine, thus called, at our hands; take Christes so calling of them to be a most follemne promise to his, to assure you that if indeede then you beleeue that his body was once broken for you, and his blood shedde for the remission of your sins, as the story of his passion and this Sacrament, which is a visible commemoration therof; shewe, that then vndoubtedly without all question, you doe not, nor cannot more ceratinly by those instrumentes of your [Page 205]bodies, take the breade and wine & feede thereof then by this faith of yours, the very mouth of your soule in this case, you feede vpon his broken bodie and bloode shedde: But then I say once againe, faile not but when your hands and mouthes are occupied about the taking & feeding vpon the outward elements, let this faith of yours, which is in steede of both to your soule, be feruently occupied in beleeuing that by the broken body & bloodshed of Christ Iesus your saluation was & is fully purchased. These three vses thus made & ta­ken in the receite of this Sacrament; in that you finde by experience, & knowe it to be most certaine, that by the force & ordinary worke of nature, bread and wine receiued in, & disgested are conuerted to fit foode for our nature, & so there growes an vnion betwixt our nature and them: so this Sacra­ment thus receiued is and ought to be vn­to vs, as a sealed couenant of Christ Iesus by the mightie working of his Spirite, to assure vs that he will finde the means most certainlye to vnite himselfe vnto vs, to nourish and to feed vs so with himselfe, that in him we shall growe to be perfect men in his house. And lastly, as this Sacra­ment serues first to these ends, & so no­tably [Page 206]to strengthen our faith in Iesus Christ crucified: so serues it also as a most notable meane, outwardly both before God and men, to make confession of the same our faith by; to distinguish vs as by our recog­nisance from others that are not of that fayth; to prouoke vs continually to offer vnto God the sacrifice of thankesgiuing for this most sweete sacrifice of his sonne heerein brought fresh still to our remem­brance, and so beleeued in and vpon; and to be a bond of loue and vnitie amongest all the receiuers thereof. For as Paule saith, We that are many are one bread and one bodie, because we are all partakers of one bread. 1. Cor. 10.17. So that by the re­ceite heereof as first, our vnion and com­munion with Christ is sealed vnto vs; so al­so is it the seale and bond of the communi­on that the Saintes of God haue amongst themselues. Wherefore as it straitely bin­deth vs hauing receiued it, vnlesse we would haue it appeare that we receiued it vnworthily, afterwardes to liue as they that liue in, and by Christ: so it bindeth vs also all that receiue, as members knit together in one bodie vnder one head to liue toge­ther in perfect peace and vnity. Worthilie therefore, all these thinges considered, may [Page 207]we say of it as Augustine did in his time: O Sacramentum pietatis! ô signum vnitatis! ô vinculum charitatis! that is, O Sacra­ment of pietie! O signe of vnitie! O bond of charitie! tract. 26. vpon Iohn. Who should come vnto it, & how. And if these thinges were well remembred as they ought, neyther should ministers, as they doe in most places without any due preparation of their people before, admit them tag and rag one and other to this sacred table: neyther would the people so rudely, ignorantly, and prophanely presse thereunto for a fashion onely as to too commonly they doe. For if at any time that commaundement of Christ binde vs ministers, as doubtlesse it doth or else Christ woulde neuer haue giuen it vs, Giue ye not that which is holie vnto dogges, neyther cast ye your pearles before swine. Math. 7.6. it most directly bindeth vs heere, to doe what lyeth in vs to know that they be neyther dogges nor swine to whome we offer this blessed sacrament, be­fore we so doe. For heerein we see Christ Iesus that is the true bread of life, whose flesh is meate indeede and whose bloode is drinke indeede; as he himselfe hath assured vs Iohn. 6.35.51.55. is offered to the right commers thereunto, & therefore here that [Page 208]saying of Christ is most true, it is not good to take the childrens breade, and to cast it to whelpes, Math, 15.16. In the ould Testa­ment the Lord hath set downe an expresse Lawe, that none that were vncircumcised should be admitted to the eating of the Pas­ouer, Exod. 12.48. Yea, Numb. 9.6. &c. we reade that God by his expresse Oracle shewed Moses, that they that were but ce­remonially vncleane were worthily kept backe; and that all such alwayes after, should a moneth after the rest eate the Passcouer, and not before, that in the mean time they might purifie themselues. Likewise, Leuit. 7.20. the Lord saith, If any doe eate of the flesh of the Peace offerings that appertaine vnto the Lord, hauing his vncleannes vpon him, the same person shalbe cut off from his people. And therefore the godly priest Iehoiada had such a care that these lawes should be obscrued, that to his commendation for euer it is recorded of him, 2. Chro. 23.19. that he set Porters by the gates of the house of the Lord, that none that was vncleane in any thing should enter in. And when this is not done the Lord complaineth saying, VVho is there among you that would shut the dores? &c. Mal. 10. Seing then here by it is e­uident [Page 209]that in the olde Testament God was thus carefull to haue none vnfit ad­mitted to the Sacramentes thereof, we may be well assured that he hath as greate care for the Sacraments of the new. Our warrāt to admit childrē to the other, is, that they be borne and descended of such pa­rentes as professe faith in Christ; and ther­fore to whome and their seede God hath made Couenant to be their God: and the other reasons before alleadged to that pur­pose incourage vs withall to the same: but in that Saint Paule, as we heard already, woulde haue euery one before he eate of this bread, and drinke of this cup in this Sacrament, to trie, examine, and iudge himselfe, we may plainely learne that none but such as haue discretion and know­ledge so to doe, and so doe indeede, are fit to be admitted to this. Most christianly therefore it is prouided that none shoulde presume heere in England, to present him­selfe to the Lordes table, before notice thereof giuen to his minister, that he may try whether he can answer his Catethisme; or otherwise if he know him to be out of charitie, or guiltie of any notorious crime, he may put him off, vntill he can answere it, and vntill he haue satisfied the congre­gation [Page 210]by the testifying of his repentance, and be reconciled vnto the partie whom he hath wronged. And not without great and vrgent cause is Christostome so earnest as we may read he was in his 83. Homilie v­pon Mathew, to perswade the ministers of his time in no case willingly to admit any wicked person to this table, willing them that if they durst not or coulde not keepe backe such, to tell him: for he would die rather then he woulde admit eyther Consull, Duke, or King for any feare, that he knew to be vnfit. I would to God ther­fore that generally all we of the Ministerie would take better care of this, then hither­to too many of vs haue done. Otherwise doubtlesse we shall not onely before the Lord be guiltie of the monstrous sinne of prophaning his holy misteries, in prostitu­ting of them to prophane and filthie per­sons: but also both to the peril of our owne soules and our peoples, we shall willingly (or carelesly and negligently at the least) let them runne apparantly to eate and drinke their owne damnation, whose sal­uation we are bounde to tender and to further what we may as our owne. And therefore that complainte of the Lordes vsed in the like case. Mal. 1.6.7. will [Page 211]he take vp and vrge against vs, saying vn­to all such carelesse and negligent mini­sters, O Priestes that despise my name; and ye say, wherein? ye offer vncleane breade vpon mine aultar; and ye say, wherein haue we polluted thee? In that yee say the table of the Lorde is not to be regarded. Which after he prooues indeede and effect they did, whatsoeuer their wordes were, in that contrarie to the lawe they offered the blinde, lame, and sicke for sacrifice. For into this verie fault we runne when we ad­mit, as too commonly we doe, vnto the receiuing of this Sacrament any whome we before knowe not to be fit both for knowledge and life to receiue the same worthilie. Howsoeuer (welbeloued) let the nature and vse of this Sacrament per­swade you that be the people, in no case to offer your selues vnto this Sacrament, before you finde in your selues an heartie hunger and thirst after Christ Iesus ther­in offered vnto you, as you haue heard: and so true repentance for your sinnes past; and then a liuely faith grounded vpon Gods promises in him: and lastly both these testified vnto your owne soules and consciences by the true fruits of both, dying euerie day more and more [Page 212]to sinne, and liuing to righteousnesse, to be without all hypocrisie and dissimulation. For of these quarters and partes must the wedding garment be made, which he must bring with him and haue vpon his backe that, when the maister of this feast comes in to view his guestes, would be approued of him. Otherwise let him come neuer so rea­dily with the other guestes heerewith ap­parrelled indeede, and then handle the matter neuer so cunningly to cause all them to take him to be as worthy a guest as any of themselues; yet when this suruey your comes that searches the hearts and reynes, he shall quickly be confounded and not able to an­swere one word for his defence in cōming so irreuerently, & so shall heare that fear­full sentence, which, will he nill he, he must vndergoe, pronounced on him; Take him, and binde him hande and foote, and let him haue his place in vtter darknesse, where is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Math. 22.12.13. O therefore (deare brethren) before we come bither, let vs deuoutly religiously and reuerently consider who we are, who it is that hath called vs, whither we are cal­led, before whom we shall appeare, and to what end; that if not these single, yet these ioyntly and together may moue vs to come [Page 213]in that worthy sort that is meete. If we had but to intertaine our Landlord, a man of worship, or noble man, we would haue a care to put on our best apparell, to decke cur houses in the best manner, and in any case to prouide that no fluttish corner be found therein where he should come to offend him, or when we are in his presence that any irreuerent or vnseemely worde or deede should passe from vs: how much more ought we to haue this care heere, where by our comming we make a shew; that we meane to intertaine and receiue in, Christ Iesus himselfe our Lorde and Sauiour for euer to dwell in vs, that all thinges within vs then be prepared accor­dingly? Saint Paule hath tolde vs, and we may trust him, that we may not take the mē ­bers of Christ, and make them the members of of an harlot [...] 1. Cor. 6.15. that we cannot drinke the cup of the Lord, and the cup of Deuils, be partakers of the table of the Lord and the table of De [...]i [...], 1. Cor. 10.20. and that as righteousnesse hath no fellowship with vnrighteousnesse or light with darknesse: so Christ hath no concord with Beliall, or the vnbeleeuer, part with the beleeuer, 2. Cor. 6.14.15. And we finde by lamentable ex­perience in Iudas, that he bringing vnto [Page 214]this table, though neuer so much shew of pietie, knowledge, honestie, and goodnes; yet for that he came as an hollow hearted hypocrite, in a purpose to goe on with the treason that for wages he had vndertaken, the Deuill immediately vpon his beeing there entred into him, and so he neuer cea­sed vntill he had accomplished his wicked purpose, and after by desperate murde­ring of himselfe had shewed himselfe to be the childe of perdition, as we may read most plainely in the storie of the Gospell, Iohn. 13.27. &c. Howe therefore with a­nie reason may we thinke that we can come vnto the Lordes table, there by re­ceiuing of this Sacrament to growe in vnion and communion with Christ, and yet be in such palpable ignorance and darkenesse, and in such loue with errour and iniquitie as very many that come thi­ther both by their liues before & after shew themselues to be? If the sonne and heire of our Prince at any time, though but in his swathing cloathes should be offered vn­to vs to holde in our armes, whatsoeuer we had in our handes, we woulde rea­dilie let fall to doe that seruice, and so to be honoured: how much more to put on the Lord Iesus the onely begotten Sonne [Page 215]of God, the King of all kinges, yea to re­ceiue him into our verie selues to be one with vs, should we hastily cast away and lay aside the world, the flesh, and the de­uill, and all the wicked lustes and fruites of these? If Dauid therefore, Psal. 24.9. in spirite foreseeing, that the Arke, which was but a signe and figure of Gods presence amongst the Iewes, shoulde one day be brought in by the doores of the Tem­ple to be placed therein, before the Tem­ple beganne to be built did crie as he did, Lift vp your heades ye gates, and lift vp your selues ye euerlasting doers, and the king of glorie shall come in: let me vpon iuster and greater occasion cry and call vpon euerie one that woulde that Christ shoulde enter into them receiuing this Sacrament, lift vp your heartes, and be lift vp your selues from all the fruites of the fleshe, that this King of glorie may enter in indeede. Paule for the sectes and factions, and namely for their eating and drinking in the Idoll Tem­ples of meate sacrificed vnto them, howsoeuer otherwise they seemed to de­test idolatrie, and for their lacke of loue that they shewed towardes the poore in their loue-feastes in not tarrying for them: [Page 216]gaue the Corinthians to vnderstand, that they did so vnworthily eate of this bread and drinke of this cup, that they made themselues guiltie of the bodie and blood of Christ, are and dranke their owne dam­nation, and that many slept and were weake amongst them, as by conference of the tenth and eleuenth chapters toge­ther of the first Epistle written vnto them, it appeareth. How can we then but trem­ble at the consideration of Gods iudge­mentes due vnto vs for our vnworthie par­taking hereof; there beeing such con­tentions and varieties of opinions amongst some of vs as there bee; and besides such a number of other farre grosser sinnes amongst vs then these of the Co­rinthians were? Let vs therefore take Paules remedie, that is, iudge our selues for this (and doe no more so) that so we may escape the iudgement of the Lorde, 1. Cor. 11.31.32.

Yet I would not haue you take me so, It is oft to be recei­ued. as though my drift or meaning here­in were eyther quite to discourage you from comming, or at least to driue you not to come but verie seldome for feare of vnworthy comming. For I am not ig­norant that Paules saying, As often as ye [Page 217]shall eate this breade and drinke this cup, ye shewe the Lordes death vntill he come. 1. Cor. 11.26. sheweth that it standes very well with the will and pleasure of God, that men should often be partakers thereof. And therefore it is well knowne it was the fashion of the Primitiue Church vsually euerie Sabbaoth day to communicate. And there are great reasons which he that would be accounted a Christian indeede, and so to haue faith and knowledge fit for this businesse, should not dare to refuse to receiue when he may. For to be inui­ted vnto this table [...]o be bid to the mari­age of the Kings Sonne: the refusall to come whereunto vpon what minde or pre­tence soeuer, we finde so dangerous Math. 22. that both destruction heere, and perpe­tuall exclusion on shutting from the mari­age feast is threatned them, Vers. 7. &c. And euerie one may see, it is to refuse a most no­table meanes to strengthen our faith, wher­of the strongest in faith stand neede, or at least it is plainely to bewray our selues to be such, as for want of charitie or for some o­ther grieuous sinne that we know by our selues, we think not our selues fit to come. So to see our sinnes and to iudge our selues for the same is not altogether to be con­demned. [Page 218]But yet (dearely beloued) you must vnderstand that if withall we be hear­tilie sorie for these our sinnes, and pur­pose vnfainedly amendment, and are wil­ling according to the nature and qualitie of our sinnes to giue vnfained testimonie thereof, eyther particularly and priuately if that be enough, or more publikly, if the case so require, that is no sufficient reason to keepe vs from this table. For the more we see our wants and imperfections, yea our faultes and sinnes, if withall we rightly re­pent therof hauing knowledge & faith in Christ Iesus right & sound, though weake and imperfect; yet it is verie fit and neces­sarie that we come to this table, so to grow on in all these. For it is prepared for hun­grie and thirstie soules after Christ, and not for proud Pharisies that are puft vp with a conceit of their owne righteousnesse and worthinesse. The impe­nitent and vnbelee­ners eate not, nor drinke the bodie and blood of Christ at al Indeede they that are desti­tute of all sound knowledge and faith, and shew it by their continuing and going on in errour and impietie, and hypocrites that haue none of the things they should haue but in shew, are simplie vnworthie to be ad­mitted; and they whensoeuer they come, make themselues guiltie of the bodie and blood of Christ, for refusing it, or not hauing [Page 219]wherewith or whereby totake it, and so eate the bread, & drinke of the cup to their damnation. And my speach tendes there­fore eyther to prouoke such to be repentant and to become new creatures in Christ Ie­sus: or else, vntill indeed and trueth by examining of themselues they finde them­selues to be in the faith, & so therby in Christ Iesus, lamenting their miserable state and condition there whiles to abstaine. For as the couenant belongs not to such whiles they are such; so no more doth the feale of the couenant. For them therefore by comming to snatch at the seale, hauing nothing to doe with the couenant, they as much as in them lies prophane the co­uenant and the author thereof. As there­fore we see him worthily condemned of disloyally to the Prince her selfe, that of­fers a manifest abusage to her coyne, to her Seale, Scepter, crowne, seate royall, robes of estate, or picture: so we may be sure, much more is he to be accounted guiltie of the bodie and blood of Christ, and so worthie of damnation, that not dis­cerning aright that bread and wine are the Sacraments of the body & blood of Christ, with prophane handes mouth and heart re­ceiues the same. The foolish sonnes of [Page 220] Ely, and the armie of the Israelites abused but the Arke, which was a testimonie and signe of God amongst his people, by fetch­ing it into the campe when they fought a­gainst the Philistines — and we reade the wrath of the Lord bro [...] at both against them and the whole armie to their shame­full ouerthrow and destruction. 1. Sam. 4.4. &c. And so likewise when the Philistines prophaned it and abused it by setting it, af­ter they had taken it, in the house of Dagon, euen therefore, 1. Sam. 5.2. &c. not onely in the wrath of the Lord their idoll Dagon fell downe and brake his necke, and the inhabitantes of Ashdod and of al the coastes thereof were miserably thereupon smit­ten with Emerods, but also they coulde haue no rest or ease vntill they restored it home againe to the people to whom it did appertaine. Yea when it was come home againe, what else was the cause why the Lord with sudden death smote fiftie thou­sand men of Bethshemesh as we reade he did, 1. Sam. 6.19. but that they to whom it did not appertaine to doe so, looked into it? And why did God manifest vnto Da­uid his dislike of that fact of his, for the manner thereof, by striking of Vzza with sudden death for laying his hande to the [Page 221]Arke to stay it because the oxen did shake it; though otherwise Dauid and Vzza had neuer so good meanings, the one in brin­ging of it home, and the other in so stay­ing it, but because it was carted home, whereas the Leuites should haue brought it, and he touched it that should not? 2. Sam. 6.7. Wherefore once againe I say, not to driue you from the Lordes table but of a desire that when you come you may come to your comfort, examine your selues be­fore you come, as Paule hath bidden you 1. Cor. 13. whether you be in the faith or no, and whether Christ be in you or no. For vntill you be in him you are as dead men before God. For he is, The way, the trueth and the life, Iohn. 14.6. so that whosoeuer liueth indeede before God, with Paule he may & must say; I liue, yet not I any more, but Christ liueth in me. Gal. 2.20. and our life is hid with Christ in God, and therefore, when Christ which is our life shall appeare, then shall we also appeare with him in glory. Collof. 3.2.4. Whereupon it followeth, as to eat and drinke for the sustenance and mainte­nance of this bodie of ours, be actions of one aliue that hath alreadie bodie & soule conioyned and vnited: so none indeed can eate the flesh of the sonne of man, & drinke [Page 222]his blood, but he that already liueth by faith in him as Paule speaketh, Gal. 2.20. & so alreadie hath Christ dwelling in him. And therefore plainly toteach vs thus much, saith Christ: Except ye eate the flesh of the Sonne of man, and drinke his bloode, ye haue no life in you: and then thereupon imme­diately addeth; whosoeuer eateth my flesh, and drinketh my bloode hath eternall life, and a little after, hee that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me & I in him, Iohn. 6. Whereupon most plainly Saint Au­gustine in his 26. tract vpon Iohn, inferreth thus: Hoc est ergo manducare illam escam, & illum biberepotum, &c. that is, This therfore is to eate that meate, & to drink that drink, to abide in Christ, and to haue Christ abide in thee. And by this (saith he) he that abi­deth not in Christ, & in whom Christ abi­deth not, without all doubt neither doth he spiritually eate his flesh nor drink his blood, though carnally and visibly, Premat denti­bus Sacramentū corporis & sanguinis Chri­sti, He presse with his teeth the Sacrament of the bodie and blood of Christ: but rather he eateth and drinketh the Sacrament of so great a thing to his iudgement, because beeing vncleane he presumed to come to the Sacramentes of Christ. And there­fore [Page 223]also most learnedly sundrie times there in that tract he shewes, that Aliud est Sa­eramentum, aliud virtus Sacramenti, One thing is the Sacrament, and an other thing is the vertue therof: that it is he, that Christ saith shal not die but liue, that eateth of his flesh; that pertaines to the vertue of the Sa­crament, and not to the visible Sacrament; which eates within and not without, which eates in heart not he whtch presseth with teeth. For he is most resolute there also, that Resipsa, cuius est Sacramentum, est omni ho­mini ad vitam, nulli ad exitium, qui eius par­ticeps fuerit, &c. that is, That the thing of the Sacrament is to euery man that is parta­ker therof to life, & to none to destruction: whereas immediately before he had yet written, that the Sacrament therof, De mē ­sa dominica quibusdā sumitur ad vitam, qui­busdam ad exitium: that is, That the Sacra­ment thereof might of some from the ta­ble of the Lord be receiued to life, and of some to destruction. And most certaine is all this, howsoeuer some would darken all this cleare light, and wipe away all this cleare euidence, by saying that none else but the faithfull indeede can worthily eate the flesh of Christ and drinke his bloode, which are the thinges of this Sacrament: [Page 224]but yet vnworthily they may. For though we read, 1. Cor. 11.27. of an vnworthy ea­ting of the bread and drinking of the cup, that maketh them guiltie of the bodie and bloode of the Lord, as we haue heard: yet we neuer reade nor shall in all the Scrip­tures, of an vnworthy eating of his bodie and drinking of his bloode. For if there had beene any such, Christ neyther could nor would haue said so simplie absolutely and confidently as he hath, Iohn. 6.54. and as we haue alreadie heard he did, Who­soeuer eateth my flesh, & drinketh my blood, hath eternall life, and I will raise him vp at the last day. No no, it is not the taking or feeding therupon that can hurtany, but the not doing so, that bringeth the daunger; especially then when yet we would make a showe to doe both, and yet indeede doe nothing lesse. Christ is fed on, both God and man. But all this while I vrging the right commumcant in the vse of this Sacrament, to seeke inwardly by faith to feede vpon the body broken and bloode shed of Christ Iesus himselfe when out­wardly he feedeth vpon bread and wine, I would not be so taken as though my mea­ning were to teach, that faith heere were to reach no further then to the vniting of Christes bare bodie and bloode, and the [Page 225]right communicant togither. For as he both in bodie and soule standeth neede of him to be his Sauiour, so it is certaine, as Christ both God and man perfecte God and perfecte man in one person is the head and husband of his Church and the redeemer and Sauiour thereof: so here faith is to feed so vpon his body broken & blood shed, as that withall it must stedfastly con­ceiue and beleeue that it was & is the body and blood of such an one as was and is both very God and man, and yet but one person. For thence it cōmeth that the things done for vs by his broken bodie and blood shed, though in number and time wherein they were done they were finite, are in the sight of the heauenly Father of infinite value and dignitie (as once I said before) to worke our perfect redemption and saluation, that they were done by such a man that had not onely a perfect bodie and soule of a man, and in them both was such an one as it be­came vs to haue, that was seperate from sinners, Heb. 7.27. but also was and re­maineth for euer a true & euerlasting God and therefore was able thus to dignifie the workes done for vs in his manhood. And to this end it is most heauenly and diuinely noted. Heb. 9. that the force that the offring [Page 226]that Christ made of himselfe vpon the crosse for vs, to purge our consciences from dead workes to serue the liuing God, commeth and riseth from hence, that then by his e­ternall Spirit, he offered himselfe without fault to God for vs. And though I am not ignorant that Chrisostome to very good purpose in his 46. Homilie vpon Iohn, in­terpreting those wordes of Christ, Iohn. 6.63. It is the spirit that quickneth, the flesh profiteth nothing; the wordes that I speake vn­to you are spirit and life: notes that they were spoken by Christ not to disable his flesh altogether from being profitable, because so to thinke is absurd; but to warne vs that carnally we vnderstand not his wordes, which by his interpretation there we doe if we take his wordes simplie as they sound & thinke no otherwise of them: for that as he saith, all misteries are to be considered with inward eies, that is, spiri­tually: yet I cannot but thinke with others also, that in so saying Christ meante not onely to teach vs that his wordes were not grosly and camally to betaken, that he had spoken of the eating of his flesh and drinking of his bloode, (as the Capernaits and such of his hearers that beleeued not, then tooke them) but spiritually (as his be­leeuing [Page 227]disciples, who notwithstanding them, taried with him when the other mur­mured or departed by occasion thereof) but that therin he had this further meaning and purpose to shew them that if his flesh and blood were as they tooke them but the flesh and bloode of a man, then they could not be indeed such foode for their soules, as he had taught them to be; but beeing, as they were, the flesh and blood of such an one as withall was a spirit, and that an eternall creating Spirit euen very God, thence they might be sure that they, rightly fed on by faith and the spirite, both could and would bring life. Thus there­fore we teach and exhort all men in the vse of this Sacrament, to feede vpon the bodie broken and blood shed of our Christ and Sauiour. And yet thus we speake with Christ, and according to the phrase vsed in the institution therof; because as by Christ God and man, as by our onely me­diatour we come to the Father; so it hath pleased God in his word to reueale him vn­to vs, that by his manhood and the workes done therin, we should grow on to faith in his Godhead vnited thereunto and so shi­ning & manifesting it selfe vnto vs therin.

Thus then I hope by this time, euen by [Page 228]this plaine and short declaration onely of our faith and iudgement concerning the doctrine and nature of this Sacrament, The con­clusion of this our doctrine. you may most clearely see and perceiue that we are wonderfully wronged and slan­dered, and that so also are all the Churches of our profession, by our aduersaries; whiles to discredit vs withal, they would make men belecue that we make it but a naked Supper of bread and wine, and so seeke to feede our people therein but with bare signes and figures. For you may see and heare that most plainely and earnestly we vrge our hearers therein to seeke to feed to their e­ternall saluation, of Christ Iesus himselfe both God and man: and so many other no­table vses thereof as you heare we teach, that euen in respect thereof all the names and titles that any sound antiquitie hath honoured this Sacrament withal, may most iustly be giuen vnto it as it is ministred and vsed by vs. We finde it hath beene cal­led the Supper of the Lord, the Table of the Lord, the Sacrament of his bodie and bloode, the Eucharist, a Sacrifice, and Synaxis, and vsually with vs it is called the Cōmuniō. And which of these is it not with vs? It is the supper of the Lord because as we teach, at the last supper he instuted it and [Page 229]it is his Table because therin he feedeth his with himself: it is the Sacrament of his body & blood, because to his it is a sacred meanes of the Lord to nourish, strengthen, and ex­ercise their faith therein: it is the Eucharist because thereby we are so directly & force­ably occasioned as we are, to yeeld all hear­tie thankes vnto God for the death and pas­sion of Christ lesus, whereof it is so nota­ble a memorial; and a Sacrifice euen ther­fore also it may be tearmed: & also Synax­is it is, because it is an excellent bond of our assemblies and meetings together to re­ceiue it and lastly, worthily we may and doe call it the Communion, be cause it is a seale first of our communion with Christ, and then of one of vs with an other in him. And yet for all this, though this most cer­tainely be the generall doctrine held with one consent by all the Churches that pro­fesse the Gospell with vs; except of a fewe peeuish and wilfull Lutherans our aduersa­ries, nor these neither will not be satisfied, but when we haue said and done what we can, all is nothing with them that in this case we say or doe, vnlesse we will with them by vertue of Christes wordes spoken by him in the institution heere of, hold such a real presence of Christes bodie and blood [Page 230]in this Sacrament, as that by the mouthes of all commers thereunto and receiuers thereof, haue they true faith or no, his ve­rie bodie and blood really be taken in and sed vpon. Which beeing a doctrine so di­rectly contrarie to that which lutherto I haue taught you rouching our vnion and communion with Christ by faith and his spirit onely, especially, seeing also it is to be feared that a number haue bene so nous­led therein that the conceite they haue yet of the trueth thereof will hinder them, if it be not the better confuted, from taking any great good by al I haue said hitherto: though otherwise heere I might well haue ended this matter and would, yet I must craue leaue of you to take some further paines for the better backing of that which I haue said, to lay before you that which I thinke sufficient for the iust confutati­on of this grosse moutheating of Christ Iesus by all communicantes whatsoe­uer. The things that Lu­therans & papistes hold in co­mon, for their grosse reall presence, confuted.

Heerein I shall haue to deale with two sortes of aduersaries: the one sort where of are the Lutherans which I late spok of, who to that end interprete Christes words spo­ken of the bread and wine, so, as that there­vpon they inferre such a Consubstantiati­on, [Page 231]that is, such a beeing together of the verie bodie and blood of Christ with bread and wine in the vse of this Sacrament, that whosoeuerreceiues the one with his mouth, receiues the other: and the other sort are our common aduersaries the Papistes, who interprete the wordes of Christ so, as that by the force thereof they teach the bread and wine to be transubstantiated, that is, to be turned into the bodie and bloode of Christ, as some of them haue held; or at least thereby, as now most of them hold, so to be conueyed away that there remaines nothing but the accidents thereof, vnder which and together with which the bodie and bloode of Christ really are so certainly present, that euery receiuer thereof takes into his mouth the verie bodie and bloode of Christ. Otherwise these two are at dead­ly warre one with another, and the former in most of the groundes and principles of Christian Religion hold with vs foundly against the other, and yet in this and for the maintenance of this their carnall and grosse presence, they are as vehement and bitter against vs for the denying & oppug­ning thereof, as the other. Orderly there­fore todeale with them both, whereas there are some thinges in this case common to [Page 232]them both, wherein they both holde alike against vs; set vs consider of them & of the groundes thereof first, and afterwardes we will take a viewe of those thinges and of their groundes also wherein they differ both betwixt themselues and also from vs: least otherwise we should be driuen tedi­ously to repeate one thing often. By their bookes that they haue written & daily doe about this matter, it is cuident that they both holde a reall presence of Christes bo­die and blood together with the outward elements in the vse of this Sacrament: and likewise, that they both therfore teach, that together with the same euery receiuer, haue he a right faith or no, receiues in by his mouth the verie real & true bodie & blood of Christ. And both of them ground both these their opinions, first of Christes words vttered of the bread and wine; then of his almightinesse: and lastly of the state now of his glorified bodie. In and about the outward elements when they come to be taken of the mouth of the receiuer, what they be and how long this their reall pre­sence of bodie and blood with them con­tinues, they could neuer yet agree. For the maintainers of Consubstantiation plainely with vs, notwithstanding Christes wordes [Page 233]and all their other grounds for their man­ner of his reall presence, holde and teach that they remaine substantially bread and wine still, and so are taken and eaten: and the other will haue after those wordes are once pronounced, the substances of breade and wine to be gone quite, (though vnto this day they coulde neuer agree to tell what was become of them) and the onely accidentes thereof to supplie the roome al­waies after of the outward part of this Sa­crament. The other hold their reall pre­sence continueth no longer, or at least is tyed no longer to bread and wine, nor to any more of it then is receiued, and the ministerie thereof lasteth. For Extra vsum, (as they speake) that is, besides the vse, they hold neither the bread nor the wine that remaines, to be the bodie and bloode of Christ: whereas the other stiflie main­taine that all the hostes that they con­secrate are euery one of them the bodie of Christ, and therefore they hang them vp, which they leaue, in a Pixe vnder a Cano­pie and honour and worship them as the verie bodies of their Sauiour. And for the wine they take careful order for that, bicause they cannot tell howe so well to preserue and keepe that belike sweete as the other; [Page 234]to consecrate no more then their priest may quite and cleane sup vp at that verie time. But to let these their disagreeings alone, the things wherein they agree herein are nowe to be considered of: wherein, their manner of reall presence of Christ offers it selfe first. Touching the which to begin withall, this I dare be bolde to say, for I knowe it to be most true how drunken so­euer they be with a conceit to the contra­rie; it is contrarie to all doctrine taught vs in the Scriptures, or in any ancient Father or Councell for six hundred yeeres after Christ at the least. For with one consent all these when they speake of Christes pre­sence in this Sacrament, it is reall pre­sence to the beleeuing communicant, for whom indeed he gaue his bodie and blood, that they speake for, and that they speake of: as for any such reall prefence of his, eyther with or vnder bread and wine or vnder the accidentes thereof, as these men now plead for, neuer eyther any writer of any of the Canonical Scriptures, nor any sound Father or Councel euer once drea­med off. And this reall & true presence of Christ to the right receiuer we do not de­nie, but we vrge & teach more plainlie and comfortablie than anic of them doc. And [Page 235]this is it that bringeth inseperablie with it eternal life & saluation in Christ; & as for this of theirs, the verie force of trueth & flat experience haue driuen them to confesse may be, and yet the receiuer thereby ne­uer the better but the worse. What a vaine thing then is it for men to keepe such a sturre to the vexing and disturbing of all Christendome for a thing so fruitlesse? Alas who is so simple but that he knoweth or may soone knowe that Christes bodie was broken and his bloode shed for vs men, and not for breade and wine; and therefore that neyther bread nor wine, are the thinges that haue to doe with his presence nor yet their accidents, but onely we men: and then that we may haue it sufficiently to our saluation, who seeth not that it is the vainest thing in the world to striue for it, for bread and wine and their ac­cidentes? Further, seeing both of these doe confesse this to be a Sacrament wher­of we now intreate, & neither of them yet could shew or euer went about it, that in any other Sacrament either of the olde or new Testament there was euer any such real coniunction of the inward and spiritu­al part thereof with the outward, and yet al men know for all that, they were and are [Page 236]effectuall Sacramentes and seales of the deliuerie thereof to the right receiuer; what reason in the world can they haue why they should not thinke that this likewise may be and also is a full and effectuall Sacrament to participate the bodie and bloode of Christ without any such coupling of them and the outward elements therof, as for the defence of this their real presence here they vrge? If that were heere necessarie, it should be so eyther by the generall right of all Sacramentes, or by some speciall right that may be shewed this hath therunto. But neither of these can they or shall they euer be able indeed to shew in this case. Further Christs owne sitting visibly seuered in place without any altering of his forme, or mo­uing of his place hauing vttered the words of the institution, they being doubtlesse as powrefull then as euer they were since or shalbe, to make him really to be present to and with the outward elements, doth most clearely ouerthrow this conceite. And for the next of hauing him so really heerewith present and conioyned that the receiuers thereof though they haue neyther faith nor good manners, yet receiue him also ther­with, as I haue alreadie sufficiently proued, it is both against Scripture and sound an­tiquitie: [Page 237]and the former beeing so ab­surd, whereupon it followeth and is built, as I haue nowe shewed it is, that must also therewith fall downe and be ouerthrowne. Yet for the further mabling of thee (wel­beloued) to see yet more not onely the vanitie and impietie thereof, vnderstand that such a kinde of presence of Christ shakes all the articles touching the man­hood of Christ, and in verie deed leades men most strongly so to spoyle him of all the true properties of his manhood, that in effect it leadeth them and most forceably teacheth them to denie him indeede to be come into the flesh, and to be the seede of the woman, of Abraham, Isaac, and Iacob, of Iuda, Iesse, and Dauid, accor­ding to the ancient prophesies that are of the Messiah. And so for a bootlesse eating of him and fruitlesse, as they themselues must needes confesse this mouth-eating of him to be, (for that they graunt, ouen to the worst sort of men that receiue the out­ward elements,) in the end they will leaue vs no true Christ at all, eyther for vnbelee­uers or beleeuers to feede vpon. I knowe their refuge and shift is to auoide this withall, to say that it is by miracle as they teach, and yet Christes manhood and all [Page 238]the articles touching the same, true, sound, and whole. Indeede any man may see that eyther they must say so, or else they can say nothing: and that in trueth and of ab­solute necessitie it must be graunted to be the greatest miracle that euer was wrought, if it be as they say, and yet all these things be vpheld sound according to the true & ancient catholicke faith. For of both these it must needs follow that Christ at one and selfe same time hath a bodie visible and in­uisible, palpable and impalpable, compas­sed in place and vncompassed; yea that he hath but one bodie, and yet many bodies, or that one multiplied into many; vnlesse contrary to manifest Scripture they wilde­nie him in the heauens ( Which shall con­taine him, as Peter saith, vntill the restitu­tion of al thinges. Act. 3.21.) to haue, though a glorified bodie yet a true bodie; the con­trarie whereof all the ancient Fathers, as they know well enough, with vs against them haue taught. And they know though sundrie of these Fathers of purpose haue written of the miracles of the Scripture, that yet they haue not once reckoned vp this of theirs amongst them. Neither haue they any reason why to thinke that there is heere any such. A mysterie and great my­stery [Page 239]we willingly acknowledg it to be, that in the right vse of this Sacrament, Christ by his Spirit by the meanes of the faith of his, verily vnites himself vnto his: but yet no mi­racle we count it, or cal it, because it is Gods ordinary work in other Sacraments so to cō ­municate himselfe to those that rightly vse them: and because when he worketh a miracle there is some straunge thing done beyond nature, that the verie senses can iudge of; which we finde not heere. For they all with one consent iudge them in respect of their substances, to be verie bread and wine still in the mouthes of all receiuers. O but (say they) neyther sense nor reason are to be consulted withall in this case. Indeed I graunt they neuer are against any trueth certainely taught and warranted by the Scriptures; but when their iudgement concurres and consents therewith, then it is verie lawfull and good to listen thereunto: and so alwaies haue the godlie learned in all ages thought and taught. And therefore seeing both sense and reason striue against this their de­uise, for the maintenance of Christes true manhoode, and the right sense of all the articles of our faith touching the same with vs; euen thereby their cause [Page 240]hath a greater wound than they are euer able to cure againe. Besides all this, whiles they thus teach without all warrant from Christ or hir word; they are compelled, least otherwise they shoulde be inforced; most absurdly to say that the wicked eate the bodie and blood of Christ to saluation; to seperate Christ and his sauing graces the one from the other, whereas they can­not be seuered. For that must alwaies re­maine an absolute trueth, Whosoeuer eateth his flesh and drinketh his bloode, hath eter­nall life. Iohn. 6.54. and so that also, he that hath the Sonne hath life, and he that hath not the sonne hath not life. Iohn. 5.12: A spirituall vnion and communion with him they shall both finde oft promised and spoken of, as I haue at large alreadie shewed: but a beeing of his bodie and bloode in the verie mouthes of all recei­uers as they talke of, otherwise then Sacra­mentally, that is, when the outward sacra­mentes or signes therof are there, they shall neuer finde so much as once spoken for in the scriptures, or in any sound and an­cient writer indeed. I cannot denie but that indeed the Capernaits, Iohn. 6. by mis­conceiuing of Christes speeches there had of the eating of his flesh and drinking of [Page 241]his blood, began to dreame that he meant some such thing: but we haue heard that Chrisostome plainely sheweth by the an­swere that he made them, that he had no such meaning; his wordes were spiritually to be vnderstood, and so should giuelife and not otherwise. And Athanasius vpon these wordes, Whosoeuer speaketh a worde against the Sonne of man, writeth that withall then Christ put them in minde of his ascension, as indeed he did Iohn. 6.62. to draw them from corporall and fleshly vnderstanding of his wordes. And therefore verie excel­lently hath Augustine, to preuent all such conceits or murmuring, by occasion of that doctrine of Christ, written of those words of his whereat they so stumbled; in his third booke of christian doctrine, Chap. 16. saying thus, That saying of Christ, except ye eate the flesh of the Sonne of man & drinke his bloode, ye haue no life, &c. seemeth to commend an heinous thing and a wicked: and therefore it is a figure commaunding vs to be partakers of Christes passion, and to keepe in our mindes to our great com­fort and profit that his flesh was crucified and wounded for vs. But I am not igno­rant that these men would seeme to mis­like the Capernaits opinion as much as we; [Page 242]and that therefore they labour to put an infinite difference betwixt their fansie of eating his flesh and drinking his bloode, and this of theirs. For they imagined (say they) that then they should feede vpon them visiblie, and by piece-meale as they did of other their vsuall meat and drinke: whereas they purpose them to be fed on inuisibly and wholly. But alas what a poore difference is this, as though it were not as much against the lawe of God the law of all nations and nature al­so, knowing it, to eate and drinke mans flesh and bloode vnseene as seene, all at a morsell or at a sup, as by many morsels and suppes? If yet they will needes vrge this their reall presence and their mouth­eating really of Christ, how will they a­uoyde the daunger then, that that generall and vniuersall proposition of Christ will bringe them vnto, saying as we reade he did Mat. 15.17: What soeuer entreth into the mouth goeth into the bellie, & is cast out into the draught, &c? Euen this hath caused many both as learned as any of them and farre more ancient, to vnderstand the eating of Christ to be by the mouth of the soule, faith; and not by the very mouth of the bo­die. And they know, with one consent the [Page 243]ancient Fathers teach that the wicked and vnbeleeuing whiles they remain such, can­not eate the bodie and bloode of Christ: which they neither could nor would haue done, if they had knowne that there was any such reall presence, eyther by Transubstan­tiation or Consubstantiation, as nowe these men teach. For eyther of these beeing graunted, the other how absurd soeuer it be must follow thereupon. And therefore is it, because they know that the Consequent being absurd the Antecedent frō whence it floweth must needs be so also, that these men are thus eager to defend this to be no absurditie, that all that communicate, though they be neuer so bad and faithlesse, eate the bodie and drinke the bloode of Christ really: for otherwise they know they cannot defend any longer their reall pre­sence as they do. For Isee no cause else why they should make so much a doe for per­sons so vnworthie to haue such care and paines taken for them.

But yet so wedded are these men vnto their groundes that they haue builded this their fancie vpon mentioned before, Christes wordes proue not their pur­pose. that vnlesse we can driue them frō thence, not­withstanding all yet said against it, it is to be feared that they wil think that they both [Page 244]may and ought to holde it still. Where­fore, whereas first they seeme to thinke that the wordes of Christ are plaine and preg­nant to prooue their kind of reall presence, and mouth-eating consequently of his bo­die and bloode; doubtlesse if with a single eie and without any preiudicate opinion we consider thereof, we shall soone see that it is nothing but peeuishnesse & wilfulnesse that makes them eyther so to say or thinke. That the wordes of Christ are most certaine and true in the sense that he meant them when he vttered them, we neuer denied nor will; no nor yet we neuer gaue leaue vnto our selues so much as once to doubt thereof. Wherefore if any of them per­swade any man otherwise of vs, they doe vs open and manifest wrong. Neither can we thinke so vncharitablie of them, but that we are perswaded that they so likewise thinke of them. Heerein then is the diffe­rence and controuersie betwixt them and vs, whether we or they hit of the right sense thereof. Which beeing the question indeed as it is; for the determining herof euery rea­sonable man must needes confesse, that whose interpretation agrees best with the nature of the thing in hand, with the ana­logie of faith and good manners, with the [Page 245]rest of the Scriptures and sound antiqui­tie, that is to be taken best to agree with Christes meaning, and therefore is the fense to be followed and preferred before all others. Nowe we interprete the wordes of Christ as spoken by a Metonymie, that is, by a figure of speech whereby one thing beares the name of the other; as heere bread and wine we say doe, of the bodie broken and blood shed of Christ; because the one both signifies and representes the other vnto vs, and also assures vs rightlie receiuing the one, that we are and shalbe partakers also of the other. These men crie and vrge that the wordes are plaine and without any such figure, and yet how­soeuer they therefore agree that they im­port a reall presence to the outward cle­mentes, and to the mouth of euerie recei­uer (as we haue heard;) yet the one sorte would haue them expounded to that end to inferre Consubstantiation, and the other a Transubstantiation. Iudge therefore now I beseech you by the foresaid rules, whe­ther theirs or ours be likest to be Christes meaning. The matter in hande, when those wordes were first vttered by him, was a Sacrament: and they know as wel as we, that in all other Sacramentes when [Page 246]eyther they were instituted by God, or af­terwards spoken of by him; though the very like Phrases for all the world were v­sed of them, that are here by Christ of these: that yet vnto this day neuer any of them­selues or others expounded them eyther as they doe these heere, or otherwise then we doe these. Circumcision is called the Co­uenant, Gen. 17.10. the Lamb the Passeouer, Exod. 12.21. the rocke that the people of Is­rael dranke the water of in the wildernesse Christ. 1. Cor 10.4. the blood of their sacri­fices, the blood of the Couenant, Exod. 24.8. the Arke, the King of glorie and Iehouah. Psal. 24.8.10. and Baptisme is called the la­uer or washing of our new birth, Tit. 3.5. And yet who euer expounded these phrases eyther by Transubstantiation or Consub­stantiation, thereby really to make alwaies present to euery of these outward elements the spirituall matter thereby signified and resembled? yea, who euer vnderstoode these otherwise, then to be as the wordes import, onely by signification & represen­tation, and for the assurance of the right vsers of them, of the presence to them of the thinges therby signified and repre­sented spiritually? Why therfore should Christ either speake otherwise in the in­stituting of this, then had beene vsed in [Page 247]all other Sacraments; or speaking but euen so, what reasō is there why his speach should otherwise be vnderstood heere then in all the rest? To say that this hath a special and essentiall difference from all other Sacra­ments, and therefore though these phrases be so to be taken in all other, yet they can­not so be in this: though when they say so they thinke they haue said much to the pur­pose, yet indeed they haue said nothing. For who knoweth not that a man hath an essential difference to distinguish him from all other creatures vnder the same General that he is? And yet that letteth not but that whatsoeuer belongs to the nature of the Ge­neral is cōmon to him with al the rest? For else he should not be defined by his Gene­ral. So if that which appertains to the nature of a Sacramēt in general, of which sort this is that now we talk of, were not cōmon vn­to this with the rest, it could not with thē be said, to be a Sacramēt as it is. If therfore the outward elements bearing the names of the inward graces, neither inforce or impart any such thing in any of the other, no reason is there why it should in this. And surely the disciples beeing so well acquainted with such kind of phrases in al the sacramēts of the old Testament, therby were prepared quietly to heare Christ to vse the like in this, [Page 248]and readily & rightly they vnderstood him as in the other: & therfore neuer once were offended or amased at his speach, or made any questioning with him eyther then or af­terwards about the sense therof. Whereas if they had taken them in any such sense, and had thought that they did import any such matter as eyther of these sortes of men imagine they did; they beeing so bold with him at other times alwaies in matters of farre lesse importance and difficulty as to inquire his meaning, they woulde also doubtlesse so haue done in this. Which thing in some sort, and that with some fur­ther matter verie fit to crosse these mens conceit, Chrisostome in his 83. Homilie vpon Mathew hath noted saying, euen spea­king of the wordes of the institution now in question: Quomodo non turbati erant, cum hoc audissent? quia multa & magna de hoc antea disseruit, &c. that is, how came it to passe that they were not troubled (meaning his disciples) when they heard this? because many & weightie things he had discoursed of this before vnto them. And a little after he noteth, that he himselfe drunke thereof, least hearing those wordes they shoulde haue said; what then doe we drinke blood and eate his flesh? and therefore shoulde [Page 249]haue beene troubled. For when he first spoke hereof (saith he) many were offen­ded onely for his wordes: least therefore heereby that also now should haue chaun­ced, he did this first himself that so he might with a quiet minde induce them to the par­ticipation of these mysteries. Now as for the second rule to examine our exposition of these wordes by, that which I haue said alreadie is both sufficient to iustifie ours, and to condemne theirs. For in nothing ours can be said to be contrarie, or but to carie any shew of contrarietie eyther to the doctrine of good manners or to the analo­gie of faith (if you shoulde examine from point to point our iudgement hereof and of the nature and vse of the whole Sacra­ment as I haue expressed it;) and theirs, as I lately shewed in the confutation of their reall presence, both in shewe and in trueth most directly crosseth & contrarieth both. For hath not euen nature a loathing to the taking in by mouth and so swallowing of a whole man, flesh, bloode, and bones at one morsell? And a man that can be so taken in and eaten of so many communi­cantes as be in worlde at one time, who can be perswaded that he hath the true nature indeed of a man? And come to the third, [Page 250]that is, by the Scriptures themselues to trie this matter by, and quickly we shal find by them our exposition warranted, and this of theirs and the consequents thereof confu­ted. For first, whereas they would counte­nance theirs against ours, by saying that Christes words are plaine & without figure; looke but a little vpon thē, and you shalbe inforced to confesse, & so they also wil they nil they, that he hath vsed in the institutiō of this Sacrament, in his words sundry figures. For first he saith of the one that it was his body giuen for thē, as Luke saith, or brokē for them, as Paule speaketh: & then of the o­ther, that it was his blood shed for them, as Mathew, Marke & Luke report his words; so speaking of that which yet then was not done, as it is wel known, as though thē it had bene done, by an vsual figure in the Scrip­tures, vsing the time past or present for the time to come. Againe concerning the latter elemēt, Mathew saith that he said it was his blood of the new Testament, and so doth Mark: Luke sets down his words thus, This cup is the new Testament in my bloode; & so also doth Paule: wherin & wherby any man may see, that wilfully will not make himself blind, two figuratiue kind of speeches be­sids this that we striue for. For here is the cup [Page 251]cōtaining, put for that which was therin cō ­tained: & whatsoeuer they would haue that to be, wine or his very blood; I am sure they neither yet can or wil say that either the one or the other is the new Testamēt it selfe. Se­ing then it might stand with the nature of this Sacrament & Christs care & desire to be therin vnderstood to vse the figurs; what letteth but that we may as lawfully thinke that he vsed the vsual Metonymie vsed in all other Sacraments, in giuing the names of body & blood to bread & wine, that were but representatiōs & seales of our cōmunion with his body & blood, to our euerlasting nourishment? This variety in these, in repea­ting & setting down the words of the insti­tution as may be sene by this that I haue al­ready noted, argues that they were not so superstitiously tied to a set sort & number of words as these men imagine: yea that they, so they kept his very sense, thought that it was lawful for them thus to ad or change a word or two tending onely to explaine the same, hereby it is euident. For Pauls word Broken in steed of Lukes Giuen, shews how his body should be giuen euen to be broken with sor­rows, with whippings, crowning with thorn & nailing as it was to the crosse: & these two added by thē, not vsed by Mat. or Mar. serue [Page 252]to shew vs what bodie of his it is, I meane in respect of what state thereof it is, that heere by this Sacrament we are occasio­ned to thinke vpon it, and to feede on it: and by the other chaunge of their phrase, for Blood of the new Testament, saying, it was the newe Testament in his bloode, most plainly we are taught, that therefore called heit the blood of the new Testament because the new Testament was ratified and so standeth by the shedding of that bloode to all beleeuers in him. But indeed though they would seeme to be men that make wonderfull great conscience of the letter and wordes, as though it were sacri­ledge to goe one iot from the sound there­of: yet any man that lookes but with halfe an eye vpon either of their interpretations which they stand vpon to grounde their kinde of reall presence by, shall soone per­ceiue that they are nothing the men they make shewe for. For is it all one eyther to say, together with this is my bodie and bloode, or vnder the accidentes heereof is my bodie and blood, and to say This is my bodie and bloode? And yet thus, when al is done, Christes wordes must sounde or else neither will there or can there be either the Lutherans Consubstantiation, or the [Page 253]popish Transubstantiation brought in ther­by to vphold their fond reall presence by. Sure I am neyther any Dictionarie or Grammer in the worlde will allow them thus to expounde this worde Is. Were it not better for them with vs to retaine the word, and also with vs so to expound it or vnderstand it as not onelie vsually alwaies it is in all other Sacramentall phrases, but also commonly alwaies when it is placed betweene two thinges of so diuers natures as bread and wine, and bodie and bloode be? The rather yet to prouoke them so to doe, let them but consider whether their newe found sense therof, or this of ours vn­derstanding it as placed for (it signifieth representeth and sealeth vnto you my bo­die broken and blood shed to be yours to eternall life) stand better but with these wordes of Christ, Doe this in remembrance of me. Luke 22.19. 1. Cor. 11.24. especi­ally so taken as it is cleare Paule tooke them, when thereof he inferreth, 1. Cor. 11.26. as oft as ye shall eate this bread and drinke this cup, ye shew the Lords death till he come? For according to our doctrine, by these words thus vnderstood Christ would teach vs that this Sacrament was instituted by him of purpose to keepe in our memories his death [Page 254]and passion, and by the vse whereof wee might, vntill his comming againe to iudg­ment, professe and nourish our faith in his body then broken and blood shed for vs. Here is nothing sounding in the meane time towardes any corporall presence of his to the outward elements or mouthes of the receiuers whosoeuer: but these words In remembrance of me, and Till he come againe sounde plainly to the cotrarie. For what need a thing to be done in remem­brance of one bodily present; or how can a thing with any good sence be said to be done but till one come, that yet he being verily present in body is done? We read Act. 1.11. that shortly after the institution of this Sacrament he visibly ascended into heauen, the Apostles seing him so to doe with their eyes: and there we read also that the Angels told them, that even so like­wise he shoulde come againe when he comes from thence: reading also as we doe and haue alreadie noted once or twise, that the heauens must containe him vntill the re­stitution of all things. Act. 3.21. and that his comming from thence is plainely cal­led his second cōming, Heb. 9.28. how can we but thinke that Christ as well meant to [Page 255]forwarne vs of these fellowes, that by their Consubstantiation or Transubstantiation say vnto vs, lo heere is Christ with this piece of bread, or vnder the accidents therof, loe take him into thy verie mouth: as of those that point vnto vs wrong Christes heere or there, when he said, if any should say vnto you (speaking of such as should so doe after he had left the world, & was gone vnto his Father) Loe heere is Christ, or there is Christ, beleeue him not? And how is it possible that we should beleeue these places of Scripture to be true, and hold stil them notwithstan­ding, that Christ is really and in his full bo­die present in euery communicants mouth? May we thinke with Peter, that the heauens doe and shall containe him still, and that yet vpon this occasion he is al­waies thus heere? And that beeing so, how can it be that his comming from thence at the last daie, shall be but his second com­ming, or that it is true when he comes from thence he shall come visibly, no such thing hauing euer beene seene heere. I knowe they will say, all these places are to be vnderstood of his visible body, and that they speake of his inuisible bodie. Yea but then we replie, where euer learned they [Page 256]either in Scripture, or in any ancient Father, that euer he had any such inuisible bodie: or howe can they euer make it sinke into any mans head that hath rightlie learned in the Scriptures to know Christes manhood, that at one and selfe same time he shoulde haue a visible bodie and an inuisible, yea one in the heauens to come inuisiblie againe when he pleaseth; and yet the same both there and this heere also multiplied into so many inuisible bodies as there be recei­uers mouthes? If this be not with the olde rotten doting and long agoe con­demned Marcion to make a meere phan­tasme of the bodie of Christ, let any man iudge. But once for all by this sworde of the Spirit, to pierce this monstrous con­ceipt of theirs to the verie heart and so to leaue it for dead: seeing they stande so much vpon the letter and wordes of the text, I would haue them once againe to marke and remember that Saint Paule, that saith therein That which he receiued of the Lord he deliuered, hath vpon his credite told vs that the Lord speaking of the bread called it not simplie and nakedly his bodie, but his bodie broken; and they all agree in one that he called the other his blood shed. If therefore they will sticke [Page 257]to the wordes of the text, and yet haue a reall presence as they teach, of his verie bodie and blood by vertue of the wordes thereof; they see most plainely then it must be of his bodie broken and of his blood shed. Vnlesse therefore nowe they can finde vs an inuisible bodie broken and blood inuisible shed of his, for the mouth of euerie receiuer, they neither say or doe any thing to the purpose according to the text. But I hope they are not so farre gone, but they know that it is now a thousand and fiue hundred yeares agoe and more, since he had eyther his bodie broken or blood shed; and that when they were so, he died so that he dies no more, as we reade. Rom. 6.9. And therefore e­uen heereby the most simple may see that though they could shew that his bodie a­liue or glorified could be inuisible, infinite, and so multipliable as their doctrine im­portes, which yet they can neuer doe; that yet all this were nothing to the reall presence of the bodie and blood of Christ in respect of that estate of his, when the one was broken, and the other shed for the re­mission of our sinnes. And yet heereby it is most euident that the bodie and bloode of Christ, in respect of this their estate [Page 258]and condition, are the bodie and blood of his, that expresly by the words of the insti­tution we are heere to seeke for and to feede vpon. How can this then be other­wise but as we teach, by calling heereby to our remembrance, that once most cer­tainely they were thus handled for vs; and by beleeuing that therby our saluation was wrought: which as oft as we doe, we are fed and nourished therewith to eternall life. Thus then you see, the matter in hand, the Analogie of faith and good manners, and not onely other Scriptures, but the ve­rie words of the institution lead strongly to the maintenāce of our expositiō of Christs words in the institution of this Sacrament, and to the vtter ouerthrow of theirs. And truely the ancient Fathers, as we haue a thousand times shewed thē, are wholly al­so of our side, against them. It were infinite to bring al that might be found in them to this purpose, as by large volumes written and published by vs about this matter we haue made it euident. Howbeit, somwhat yet now againe let vs heare what some of the chiefe of them haue said. Christ tooke bread which comforteth mans heart, that he might therby represent the trueth of his body, saith Hierome vpon the 26. of Ma­thew. [Page 259]Christ in his last supper, (saith Cyprian in his sermon de vnctione Chrismatis) with his owne hands, at his table, gaue his Apo­stles bread & wine; but vpon the crosse, he gaue his body to be woūded by the hands of the souldiers, that sincere trueth more se­cretly imprinted in the Apostles, & the true sincerity might expound vnto the nations, how bread & wine was the body & blood, and after what sort the causes and their ef­fects agreed, and diuers names and kindes should be reduced to one essence, and the things signifying and the things signified were called with one & selfe same names. And Ambrose in his 4. booke & 4. chapter of Sacraments writeth; that as in Baptisme we receiue the similitude of death, so in this sacramēt we drink the similitude of Christs blood. And Chrysostome most plainly saith in his 11. Homily vpō Mathew, that Christ his body it selfe is not in the holy vessels, but the mysterie & Sacrament therof. Au­gustine in his 57. question vpon Leuiticus, prescribeth for a rule, that the thing that signifieth is wont to beare the name of the thing which it singifieth, as Paule said (saith he) the rock was Christ, & not ti signified Christ, but euē as it had bene indeed; which neuerthelesse, was not Christ by substance, [Page 260]but by signification. And in his 23. Epi­stle he saith, that the similitude betwixt the signe and thing signified is the verie cause why the one beareth the name of the other in Sacramentes: and therefore in his third booke of Christian doctrine he saith, it is a miserable slauerie of the soule to take the signes for the thinges signified, Cap. 5. Christ honored the signes and representa­tions which are seene, with the names of his bodie and blood, saith Theodoret in his second dialogue. Gelasius against Eutiches affirmeth the image & similitude of the bo­dy and blood to be celebrated in these my­steries. Bede vpon Luke. 22. writeth that because bread doth comfort mans heart, and wine doth make good blood in his bodie; therefore the breade is mystically compared to Christs bodie, and the wine to his blood. And who hath not heard vs an hundred times tell them, that Tertulli­an in his fourth booke against Marcion, interpreteth This is my body, saying that it is to say, this is a figure of my bodie: and that likewise Augustine against Adimantus the Manichee writeth, that Christ doub­ted not to say, This is my body when he gaue a signe of his bodie: and vpon the third Psalme that he saith that Christ ad­mitted [Page 261] Iudas to a banquet, where he com­mended a figure of his bodie to his disci­ples? And what can be plainer then these eyther against them, or for vs? All these thinges considered therefore, we may boldlie conclude that they haue no ground from Christes wordes for their grosse reall presence.

And surely as little haue they eyther from his omnipotencie, Neither his omni­potency, nor glorifi­ed body will helpe them. or from the state of his glorified bodie. For he will not shew his omnipotencie in whatsoeuer we list, but in effecting whatsoeuer himselfe pleaseth: and therefore they failing in the proofe as they haue, that it is his pleasure to haue it as they would; it is in vaine for them to thinke that this can or will helpe them out. But indeed and trueth howso­euer they would seeme to grounde much vpon his almightinesse, & to haue a strong faith therein, and seeke to discredit our faith in the same: yet in this verie point lot theirs and ours be but a little indifferentlie compared togither, and ours soone will prooue farre the stronger. For I woulde haue them tell me in good sadnesse whe­ther the Centurion Math. 8.8. that pro­fessed that he beleeued that though Christ came no nearer his house then he was in [Page 262]respect of his bodilie presence, that yet he was perswaded that if he but spake the word, his scruant should be healed; or Iai­rus, that said come and lay thy handes on my daughter, and she shall liue, Math. 9.19. shewed themselues to be better per­swaded of Christes omnipotencie. Sure I am, both reason and Christes magnifying of the Centurions faith ought to leade them and all men to giue the preeminence to the Centurion aboue the other many de­grees. Why should they not then see and confesse, that we shewe our selues more strongly perswaded of his omnipotencie then they, in that we shew by our do­ctrine, that we firmly beleeue that he can & wil, euen remaining stil in heauen, feed vs with his body brokē & blood shed, though that were so with them, so long agoe, as it hath; or they, that by theirs, seeme to be perswaded, that this cannot be, vnlesse ac­cording to their fancy, to the shaking and crossing needlesly of so many groūds both of good māners & faith as we haue heard; he conuey himself into our mouthes? And to what purpose is it, for the maintenāce of this their opinion, for thē to labour as they do, to put infinite difference betwixt his bo­dy vnglorified & glorified, and to seeke to [Page 263]perswade men, that it may be as they say in respect of his body now glorified, though not in respect therof before; seing it is most certaine, that when Christ instituted this Sacrament, his body was not glorified, and by his words expresly, as I lately shewed, he instituted this to be a Sacrament of his body broken and bloode shed? For who doth not, or at least may not heereby per­ceiue, that we haue not here any otherwise to deale with his estate glorified, thē therby now the more strōgly to be perswaded that indeed he is able to feede vs with his bro­ken body & blood shed once to our eter­nall saluation? For, that falling out sence, and succeeding the institutiō of this Sacra­ment, (wherin both by audible word, and visible action, in breaking bread & powring forth of wine & calling them, as he did, he promised vs that) proues vnto vs inuincibly that whatsoeuer here he offred & promised vs, either by word or deed, that he hath gone through with for vs and so now, that he by his resurrection, ascention, & sitting at the right hand of his Father, hath begot vs a­gaine to a liuely hope. But vnles we would haue Christ otherwise now to be present to vs and our mouthes, then he was when he himself ministred it to the disciples, and [Page 264]their mouthes in the state and time of his passible and vnglorified bodie: let them neuer talke more of the state of his glorifi­ed bodie. His wordes shew that this was and is a Sacrament of him dying for vs, and so a memoriall of his death and abase­ment that he vndertooke, to merit our sal­uation by: and not of his glorie and of the life that he now hath therein, and there­fore is able to bestow vpon his and to ap­ply vnto them whatsoeuer in his former estate he deserued. The bread called his bodie broken, and the wine called his bloode shed, as I haue said are both heere set before vs, seuered the one from the other, and by his commaundement we are bound to take as wel the one as the other, and yet the one after the other, the more forceably thereby to leade vs to the medi­tation of his death and passion, and to feede vpon his bodie and bloode so hand­led for vs. And as his hauing not yet so suffered, letted not the Apostles when he first did institute it, from yet taking oc­casion thereby and by his administring of it vnto them, by faith from feeding vpon his broken bodie and blood to the confir­ming of their communion with him: so no more doth his hauing had his [Page 265]bodie broken and bloode shed nowe aboue a thousand and fiue hundred yeares agoe and neuer since, hinder vs from fee­ding vpon the same by faith through the mightie working of his Spirit. For the same Christ that then coulde make that which was not yet done, as verelie done to their faith, and so to bee fed vpon as done: the same nowe doubtlesse is able as easily to make that which was done so long agoe, present to our faith to nourish vs to eternall life. By this then you see both their reall presence that they talke of, to be fonde and to too grosse, and the groundes that they hold in common for the same to be as bad. The speci­all groūds of the Lu­therans confuted.

And to goe on now to scan and examine likewise what they holde seuerally in this case against vs: it is notoriously knowne, the one sorte (the fond imitators of Lu­ther I meane) would maintaine their reall presence of his body and blood together with bread and wine in this Sacrament, when these common groundes of theirs that they haue with the papistes as they feare will not serue their turne, by the force and strength of the trueth of the personall vnion of the two natures in Christ. Whereupon as it appeares by their [Page 266]bookes extant and confidently published about this matter, (I speake it with griefe and cōpassion towards thē, because other­wise in the chiefest points of Christian faith we account them our brethren, and fellow souldiers against the Antichristian Syna­gogue of Rome) they boldly vrge, ad­uouch, & teach, that immediatly vpon this vnion consummate in the Virgins wombe, the natures & properties of his Godhead were & are so vnited vnto his manhood, that as the Godhead is eueriwhere, almighty & of infinite maiesty &c. so is the manhood, and therfore in this Sacramēt, as they teach. Especially they insist vpon the being euery where of his manhood, as his Godhead is, to this purpose. Suppose the antecedent were graunted them, yet they could neuer thereupon inferre their consequent. For when will they be able to prooue that his Godhead is so present heere with bread & wine, that the receiuer of thē, by his mouth alwaies receiues the other? But indeede their antecedent is vntrue, absurd, & verie hetetical: & but that I know, it is a most fearful thing before God, to haue our faith in respect of persons, contrary to the rule of the holy Ghost, Iam. 2.1. and that the Lord will therefore most seuerely punish [Page 267]it, especially when wilfully men will set themselues to defende that which they haue but receiued from some person or persons whom they haue in admiration, against a clearer trueth crossing the same; I should neuer make an end of wondring, that men, otherwise of such learning and iudgement as some of these bee, euer should dare, in these daies of so great light and after so often and manifest solemne sentences of condemnation giuen of this their conceit in the auncient and primi­tiue Churches of Christ, set abroach such an assertion. The vntrueth thereof appears enough, euen by that the Angels saying when he was risen, He is risen and is not heere. Math. 28.6. For seeing that cannot be vnderstood of his Godhead, which is euery where, and alwaies was; it must of necessitie be vnderstood of his manhood. But besides that, we haue his owne say­ing: The poore ye haue alwaies with you, but me ye shall not haue alwaies, Iohn. 12.8. to backe the speach of his Angels: which as they knowe well inough, all the auncient Fathers conferring with that of Math. 28.20. also, so vnderstand; that by this, the presence of his manhood, they shewe, we may not looke for heere, [Page 268]in the earth vntill his second comming, af­ter once he had left the world and gone to his father, as he said he would. Iohn. 16, 28. & by the other yet to our comfort they shew heere we inioy his Godhead. Let any man but read Fulgentius his second Booke to King Trasimund, Vigilius his fourth Booke against Eutiches, Chap. 4. and Augustines 57. Epistle; and there he shall find, notwithstanding they were as sound­ly and truely perswaded of the vnion of the two natures in Christ as any of these men be, the veritie, localitie, and circum­scriptiblenes of Christes manhoode by these and otherplaces and argumentes so vrged, that any man may perceiue this their position was counted verie false in those daies. The absurditie thereof ap­peares in that heerein they take that to be the cause sufficient of his beeing euerie where in his manhood, that can be no cause thereof indeed. For see we not naturally and inseperably the Sunne and light and heat to be conioyned; and yet who findes not daily by experience that the globe of the bodie of the Sunne remaining still in heauen, yet we heere in earth inioy both the other? Yea, many other thinges there are, which though they be vnited together, [Page 269]yet whereof one streacheth and reacheth further then the other: as the sight of the eye reacheth further then the eye it selfe, & the conceites & cogitations of the mind & soule of man further then eyther the soule or bodie themselues. What an absurd kind of reasoning is it then for to say, Christes Godheade and manhoode are vnited, therefore wheresoeuer the Godheade is, there must the manhoode be also. And the hereticalnesse thereof is monstrous and intollerable. For not onely with Marcion, it transformes Christes true manhood into a meere phantasme or imagination of such a thing: but also in thus confounding the properties of the two natures, it con­foundes the natures themselues, and so eyther makes Christes Godhead or man­hoode with Eutiches to swallowe vp the one the other; or which is as absurd, makes Christes person to haue in it one estentiall and true Godhead, and an other commu­nicated vnto his manhood beginning when the personall vnion of these two natures begonne, which sauours strongly towardes Arianisme. Besides all this, if this were true that they say, that streight vpon this vnion of the two natures his manhood had the properties of the God­head, [Page 270]communicated vnto it; then not one­ly to the shaking, but to the quite subuer­ting of all the Articles of our faith touch­ing his manhood, we must hold, that assone as this vnion was consummate in his mo­thers wombe, so soone he was there and euerie where else; and whiles he liued, he was not onely where he was seepe and heard, but also euery where: and the like we must hold to be true, when he died, was buried, descended into hell, rose againe, ascended, sitteth at the right hand of the Father, and when he shall come againe to iudgement: that is, that in his verie man­hood, at one & self same time, he was vpon the crosse and not vpon the crosse, in his graue and not in his graue, that he des­cended into hell and that yet he was not in hell, that he rose againe out of his graue and did not, ascended vp into heauen and yet tarried still below in the earth, that he sits at the right hand of his Father in hea­uen and yet is elsewhere, and that he shall come from thence to iudgement and yet was neuer gone from hence: because at all these times, his Godhead was, is, and shall be euery where, and therefore his man­hoode. Yea, we must hold, that he was at one & selfe same time compassed in place, [Page 271]and yet filled euery place; that he was pas­sible and impassible; infinite, and finite; vi­sible and inuible, in respect of his man­hood; the one through the naturall condi­tion thereof, and the other through a com­municated Godhead therunto. All which eyther quite raise these Articles before touched, out of the Creed, or at least they inforce vs to conceiue them in such a fond sense, as neither the Scriptures nor any auncient writer lead vs vnto, or incourage vs in. Heereupon it comes that in plaine tearmes, because the Article of the ascen­tion is most vrged against them that they are not ashamed, some of the greatest of them; to interprete that, to be no chaunging at all of his place, but a be­comming inuisible, whereas before he was visible. By which new kinde of Diui­nitie, we may say, that he that was seene be­fore in a romth is gone out of it, he that was below is gone vp into & vpper romth, if he haue but hid himselfe behinde the curteines. And seeing by the same reason they must be driuen to inteprete the rest in like manner, hereupon also it will followe, that his leauing his mothers wombe, and his rising out of the graue, and therefore his not beeing founde [Page 272]there in his bodie, was but a deceiuing of the senses of his mother, and of those that sought him in his graue and could not finde him: for he was there stil though she thought that she was quite deliuered of him, and they could not finde him there. So also by this when he was dying vpon the crosse visibly in all other places, he was inuisibly in his verie same manhood aliue, and not toucht by his enemies. O what a ridiculous, monstrous and foolish asserti­on is this, whereupon all these most grosse absurdities both against reason and all re­ligion follow! Who can once enter but into the view thereof whose heart withall will not tremble and quake, and for the horrour thereof be extre emely amazed and astonied? The Lordes name there­fore for euer be blessed that hitherto hath kept these our Churches from the infecti­on of the poyson heereof; and I beseech him for his Christes sake, that for euer he would vouchsafe so to doe still. Luther neuer sought to defend his Consubstantia­tion with this: yea his best friendes that he had, and amongst them that famous lear­ned man Phillip Melancton plainely re­porte, that yet he was brought to see his errour therein ere he died, though he liued [Page 273]not to rase it out of his bookes. Since his preposterous followers of a wilful eagernes to maintaine that which once heerein they had vndertooke, beeing driuen to see the weaknesse of the former groundes that they had before common with the papists haue as with the furious tempest of conten­tion thus runne themselues vpon this rocke. The Lond in his mercy graunt them in time to see their folly, that they may beartily repent heereof, and of the destruction of the Churches of Christ; whereof by this meanes they haue beene perilous authors. Amen. Amen. The spe­cial groūds & fruits of the popish real pre­sence, viewed & confuted.

Now thus to leaue these and to come to the Papistes, to viewe what speciall groundes and conceites they haue for the and intenance of their reall presence, and so whither they are growne thorowe the good liking that they haue of their opini­on truely I see I shall enter into the rauing of surely a rotten dunghil, the fauour wher­of may iustly offende both God and man. For by occasion of this their opinion of reall presence by retue of Transubstanti­ation, they haue transformed this Sacra­ment into a Masse which they may wor­thily so call, it consisteth of such a masse of errours and impieties. For thereby, [Page 274]whereas by Christes institution it is a Sacrament, As first their ma­king of it a propitia­torie sacri­fice. wherein GOD offereth and giueth to vs his Sonnes broken bodie and bloode shed to feede on, they [...]rne it into a sacrifice whereby man shoulde offer vp againe the Sonne to the Father: and whereas the vse of it, as Christ hath left it vnto vs, leadeth vs to the onely sacrifice that Christ hath offered once for all in his owne person, thereupon by faith to feede to our perfect and euerlasting saluation, they in this their Masse leade vs to a propitiatorie sacrifice which they saye their priestes therein offer both for the quicke and dead, as though quite contrarie to the doctrine of the Apostle to the Hebrewes, Christ were such a Priest as needed successors, as Aaron, to offer often sacrifice, for that the once offering of it himselfe should no more make the commers thereunto perfect, then the sacrifices that the priefies af­ter the order of Aaron offered. Heb. 7.24. &c. If they say that that which they offer is another than that which Christ himselfe offered: then why and nowe shoulde it be saide, That hee by his owne bloode entered once into the holy [Page 275]place, and hath obtaynedeternall redemp­tion for vs. Heb. 9.12. And to say that it is the same onely repeated againe by them, what neede that, seeing by this by himselfe once offered as we reade, Hebre. 7.27.9.26. & 10.10. hee hath done it sufficiently for our redemption? Whether therefore they woulde make it the same or an other, which they say their priestes offer, they cannot escape but that they must imuriously goe about both to robbe Christ and his sacrifice of that honour and prerogatiue that is due vnto them. Paule takes it for graun­ted that if Christ himselfe shoulde of­fer himselfe often, then he must often die, Hebre. 9.26. and that thereupon it came that his offering of himselfe once for all, was sufficient to proc [...] vs that by him so offered, (which he calles the newe and liuing way, Cap [...]o [...] 20. [...]eeke to come to heauen; first that he was a man without sin. Heb. 7.26. and such a man as liueth for euer, and so hath a presthoode that cannot passe from one to an other, 24. and then that hee offered himselfe without faulte to GOD by the Aeternall spirite. What an absurde thing then were i [...] [Page 276]to imagine that a popish sinfull Priest, that hath no such eternall spirit in him to dignifie his offering, can offer Christ againe, or can without attempting to pull Christ out of beauen to the crosse againe take vpon him to offer him to his Father. I know they say their sacrificing or offering of him is vnbloodie, and so they thinke they can auoyde these absurdities as long as they leaue onely to Christ the offering of the bloody. But this will not serue their turne one whit. For if Christes bloo­die sacrifice of it selfe be sufficient, as these places most strengly prooue it is, what neede is there of this vnbloodie sacrifice of theirs? For where perfect remission of sinnes and iniquities is such that God ac­cording to his conenant will remember them no more, there is no more offering for sinne (saith Paule, Heb. 10.17.18.) and in confessing theirs to be vnbloodie, they must confesse that, howsoeuer they haue picked the purses of men both aliue and deade with the contrarie perswasion, it is utterly vnauailable to put away the sinnes eyther of the aliue or deade. For without shedding of blood is no remissi­on, Heb. 9.22. A sacrifice sometimes the Fathers call is, because it is the commemo­ration [Page 277]of Christes sacrifice, and so that which occasioneth vs to offer vnto God the sacrifice of thankesgiuing; in regard whereof they call it also the Eucharist: but a reall offering againe of Christ to his Fa­ther for the sinnes of others aliue or dead, visible or inuisible, bloodie or vnbloodie, neuer any of them thought or taught i [...] to bee. We haue to offer our selues bodies and soules a liuing sacrifice to God; which we doe in seruing of him according to his word. Rom. 12.1. An acceptable sacrifice to God is a broken and con­trite heart, Psal. 51.17. and we are willed, Heb. 13. to offer the sacrifice of praise al­waies to God, that is, the fruit of our lip [...] which confesse his name (mamely in pow­ring forth our prayers & pralses vnto him;) & to do good & to distribute we are there also commaunded, for that with such sacri­fices God is pleased Other sacrifices then this we are not taught to offer, and offering these well we may boldly trust to the most perfect and absolute sacrifice that Christ made once for all, which for euer remains fresh and new in the sight of the heauenlie Father to make vs acceptable vnto him in his beloued. Hoc facite, doe this, though Virgill helpe them with his phrase, Cum fa­ciam [Page 278]vitula, when I sacrifice Calues, is too caluish a reason or grounde to make them thus proude and saucie to take v­pon them any way to offer Christ againe to his Father for the sinnes of men. But whither will not foolish man runne when once he hath left the beaten way of the Lord in his word, to follow his owne de­uise and conceite? Christes offering of himselfe, by himselfe, doubtlesse was neuer applied to the good of any that whiles they were aliue tooke not hold of it: and yet such is the impudencie of these men, that nowe they hold the intention of their Priest in saying of his Masse, shall carie the benefit of this sa­crifice whether he list, to liue or dead. Yea heereby seeing their credit growe as it hath, and their gaines come row­ling in, they haue not beene ashamed not yet are in this greate light, to make their sacrifice in the Masse a salue for all sores, and phisicke for all disea­ses both of man and beast. Well yet this is not all the mischiefe that their conceit of reall presence by transubstantiation hath brought them vnto. For besides this, heereupon they are growne euen to ho­nour and worshippe their hoastes once [Page 279]consecrated, euen as Christ himselfe; and therefore whereas Christ comman­ded that which he eate, brake, and gaue, to be eaten streight, they hoyst it vp ouer their heades, that all the people may gaze vpon it, adore and worshippe it for their Christ and Sauiour: and then when they haue plaide with it their fill, for the most part they eate vp all themselues alone, that be the massing priestes, and if they leaue anie them they hang vp in a Pixe ouer the Altar, to serue them an other time; which all commers into the Church in the meane time must adore and reuerence, though so hanged vp and hidden from their eyes. Wherein doubtlesse they com­mitte most grosse idolatrie. For first they themselues manie of them holde that the priest must haue an intention to consecrate; or else though he vtter the wordes, there followes no transub­stantiation thereupon: and therefore wisedome woulde if they had anye care to auoyde Idolatrie, that they shoulde be sure of the priestes in­tention, before they fell to wor­shippinge of the hoaste, or rather be­cause they can neuer bee sure of [Page 280]that because no man can know a mans thought but himselfe, and euery one can and often doth dissemble and make show to thinke that which he doth not, they should and would, if there were any feare of God in them, vtterlie abstaine there­from. Againe vnto this day they can­not agree amongest themselues of the wordes and meanes of consecration: their Schoolemen I am sure Scotus, Petrus de A­liaco, Occam, Thomas Aquinas, Durand, and others wonderfully haue iarred about this matter, and as yet I cannot finde they are fully agreed. In the meane time ther­fore whiles they be, they should in all rea­son be better aduised what they doe. But to let these reasons alone, who can or may thinke that it can stand with Christes say­ing, Iohn. 4.24. God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and trueth, that they should nowe thus worship a wafer cake in shew and tast for verie Christ? I am truely perswaded that there hath beene no one thing that hath more hardned the hearts eyther of Turkes or Iewes from becomming Christians, then to heare and see as they doe, these men thus to worship these wafer Chrisies of theirs; who yet would be accounted [Page 281]the onely good Christians. And it is cer­taine euen for this the heathen Philo­sooner and Phisition Auerois, (though he by trauelling and reading was acquain­ted with wonderfull many foolish & fond kindes of Idolatrie) liuing and florishing about the yeare of Christ noo. iudged Christians to be the most foolish Idolaters in the world. And without all doubt this hath beene averie God Manzim, that is, of power and riches to them. For the people beeing perswaded that their priests can turne so quickly a poore wafer into Christ their Sauiour, and that they can at their pleasure offer him vnto his Father for their soules health both whiles they are aliue and when they are dead they haue not cared what honour and riches they haue bestowed vpon them. And there­fore not vnfitlie may that of Daniell be as well verified of them euen for this, as of them of whome he spoke most properlie and litterally, That they honour the God Mauzim, a God whom their Fathers knew not, Dan. 11.38. And yet behold if we goe on but a little further, more iniquitie and impietie in their Maste then all these. For therein they haue quite contrarie to Christes institution, by absurdlie taking [Page 282]it to be a sacrament of Christes life, That they minister it but in one kinde. and so of his bodie and bloode now togither in his manhood in heauē, (wheras he left it to be a sacrament of his death, and so of the sundring therby of the one from the other, as I haue shewed,) and by a new deuise of Concomitance, that is of the going of his bodie & blood now alwaies together, robd the common people of the one half of the Sacrament, denying thē the cup, & telling them that in taking the hoast, they take al; for his body & blood are & goe now togi­ther. But if it were thus, why do they them­selues take both; or would they haue vs to think it needful for thē to eat him once vn­der the form of bread, & after to drink him againe vnder the forme of wine, & that the one is inough for the people? Euident it is in the words of the institution, and by the practise therof in Pauls time, 1. Cor. 11. that al were as expresly cōmanded to drinke of the cup, as to eate of the other. But Christ be­ing the wisedome of the Father, had not so much wisdom & forecast as these men belike, to foresee that his body & blood go togither, & therfore for lacke of foresight he ordained a superfluous thing. What an intollerable pride and presumption is this that dust and ashes, and sinnefull man [Page 283]shall thus vndertake to alter & to controule the ordinance of our Lord and sauiour? Before the Councel of Constance, which was in the yeare, 1414. we finde not the administring of this Sacrament vnder both kindes, generally and publiklie for­bid the common communicant. And in the councell of Basil about some 16. years after, for all that, it was permitted to the Boemians againe. De consecratione dist. 2. Gratian alleages a decree of Gelasius a Bishop of Rome a thousand yeares agoe, to binde all men to receiue in both kinds, saying; either let him that receiueth re­ceiue both, or neither, because the diuisi­on of one misterie cannot be without sa­criledge. By this let them that hold their Popes solmne sentences for Oracles, learne what manner of persons now their Popes and priestes in this point are become, that now openly professe and practise the con­trary hereunto. That their priests take it alone. And because they haue also in their Masses (as they say) so often consecration, and yet none receiue but the priest himselfe for the most parte: what shift will they make with that, that we find in the same distinction Cap. Peracta: allead­ged there, as the solemne sentence of Pope Calixt (in the yeare 223. or there­aboute, [Page 282] [...] [Page 283] [...] [Page 284]consecration being done (saith he) all that will not be shut from the Church should communicate; for so the Apostles taught, and the fashion of the Romane Church was. Loe heere is both a Popes decree, and that grounded both vpon the Apostles practise and the ancient Romane Churches also, flatly against the practise of the Romane Church that now is. And in verie deed no man can reade that which Saint Paule hath written of this matter 1. Cor. 11. but he must needs most plainly see that it was then the Apostles practise not onely to administer it in both kindes, but also openly in the assemblies, and to al that could and would trie and examine them­selues: and this man beeing Bishoppe of Rome was not ignorant what the fashion of the ancient Romane Church had bene. Wherefore as in many other thinges so in this it appeares for all their great bragges and countenance of antiquitie, that the Romane Church that now is, Lastly their Cō ­substanti­ation is confuted. is become an Apostata and runnagate from the anci­ent Apostolique Romane Church indeed. Al these abhominations & a number moe in their Masse, which here without too to much tediousnesse I cannot stande vpon they are so manie, arise & grow from their [Page 285]speciall minion and paragon Transubstan­tration: and therefore vntill her braines be dasht out there will neuer be any hoe of their foolishnesse and madnesse in this masse and Chaos of confusion of theirs. They would beare the world in hand that she is most ancient and yet indeede and trueth how long soeuer before they were in conceiuing of her, yet she was neuer growne ripe to the birth or borne before Innocent the thirdes time. For neuer be­fore the Laterane councell, which was in his time and in the yeere 1211. (as I haue said before,) was this decreed to be a Ca­tholike trueth amongst themselues. And this their owne greate Doctor and Bishop Tonstall in a booke of his written of this matter confesseth adding, that perhaps it had beene better to haue less the manner how Christ becommeth present in this Sa­crament, as it was before that councell. Now before this, the Greeke Church was departed from the Church of Rome, and therefore this was rather the decree of a priuate and particular conuenticle then of the vniuersall Church of God; and there­fore not onely wee, but still vnto this day the Greekes reiect both this councell and decree, though I know much tempering [Page 286]hath beene with them since to the con­trary. Scotus is not onelie of the same minde with Tonstall, but if you reade him, dist. 11, quaest. 3. vpon the 48. booke of Sentences, you shall not only finde, that he bringeth a number of obiections against this, which he neuer answereth to anie purpose but also that in the end, he setting downe his sole determination for it, that yet most plainely he confesseth, that the principall ground of interpreting Christes wordes by transubstantiation, is this, that de sacramentis tenendum est sicat tenet sancta Ecclesia Romana: of sa­craments, we must hold as the holy Ro­maine Church holdeth. For the which axiome, or rule, in so weightie a matter, in his next wordes he shewes, that the best grounde he had, was an Extraua­gant, de haereticis, Cap. ad abolendam, wherein some such things be determi­ned, by a sauorite of the same. Which is as good ouidence, as if we shoulde aske a theoues follow, whether he be a theife, if not worse. Gabriell Biell an­other great Doctor of theirs, writing vpon the Canon of the Masse, confesseth that it is not expressed in the Canon of the Bible, whether by transubstantiation, [Page 287]or consubstantiation, the bodie of Christ be there. And Iohn Fisher a bishop and martyr of theirs, as they count him, writ­ing against Luthers booke of the capti­uitie of Babilon, thinketh that euerye man vnderstandeth that the certaintie of that matter dependes not so much of the Gospell, as it doth vpon the vse, tradition, and custome of the Church. And more truely and easilye in show, if it had pleased the Church might those wordes of Christ otherwise haue beene expounded, (saith Scotus in the fore­faide place). These things saide togither and conferred with that saying of Christ, They worshippe me in vaine, reaching for doctrines mens praecepts Math. 15.9. and with Peser. 1. Epist. [...]. Cap. 14. Ʋers. 18. where he telles all them, to whome he wrote that generall B­pistle, that Christ had redeemed them from the vaine conuersation which they had receiued by the traditions of the Fa­thers: we shall soone see that it is noe rocke whereupon they builde this their transubstantiation, but a very sand and a rotten foundation. Yet because they are so confident in this matter as they are, I will not leaue them thus. Will [Page 288]you then know the first author that gaue them any inkling or grounde of inuention heere of. Truely it was not Marke the E­uangelist nor any such; but yet vnlesse I be much deceiued, one Marke markt them out the way the first of all others to finde it out. This Marke that I speake of, was a samous Magition and a damnable filthie heretique of the brood of Ʋalenti­lians, a verie ancient one (I must needs con­fesse.) For I finde that he liued in the time of the Emperor Antarinus Pius which was but 150. yeares after Christ. Of this wretch writeth Epiphanius in his 34. heresie, pro­uing that which he saith out of Irenaus his 9. chapter against the heresies of the Va­lentinians, where indeed it is so testified of him, that when by his enchantment or ink­ling he had caused a cup of white wine to beare the colour of blood, that thē he made his fellowe beleeue that by his inuocation ouer it, it was so transubstantiated into blood, that so by his meanes it might be thought that the grace that is super vniuer­sa that is, oner all, had instilled sanguinem suum in illud poculum, his bloode unto that cup: by which meanes when he had made them in admiration of him and so desi­rous to drinke there of, he gaue them (as it [Page 289]is there noted) with greate solemnitie of wordes, and so wonderfully bewitched many. And the rather was I led and am thus to thinke, because the same Irenaeus in the 8. chapter of the said booke (secretly directed as I take it by the spirit of prophe­cie) said that he was verè pracursor Anti­christi, that is, truely Antichristes forerun­ner. If therefore the former nouitie of their transubstantiation please them not, let them hence fetch the petigree therof, and so let Marcus be the first conceiuer of it, and Innocentius he that bore and brought it forth. Or if this be not to their mindes, I will confesse that it may be that they learned it of the heathen, who as they imagined with certaine words & gestures could call downe their Hecate, Iupiter, and Elicius as oft as they list. For neuer made or at this day maketh any heathen man more adoe then they about this businesse, about the most idolatrous toy of su­perstition that euer they went about. For the wordes must be pronounced with one breath, and they vse such crossing such bending and bowing, breathing and haling of the wordes to the elementes, as they make themselues verie ridiculous to any that are wise that see them & marke [Page 290]their doings. No iugler nor sycophant vpon a stage are more full of fond and tri­fling actions and gestures then a Priest at Masse, and all to effect this their tran­substantiation. Who can be perswaded that the Lord of heauen and earth that de­lighteth in no vanitie, but altogether in sinceritie and simplicitie, can take delight in this geare? Whiles they haue beene so busie to establish the credite of this their deuise by fonde tales of diuerse mi­racles showed heere and there, and I cannot tell where, it had beene more needefull for them to haue laboured first to agree amongest themselues about the matter, and to cleare the doubtes that they haue moued themselues by occasion thereof. But this hitherto they haue founde so combersome a thing to doe, that I dare be bolde to say by that which I haue red and coulde set downe there­of, the varieties of their opinions and in­tricate doubtes heereupon moued by themselues, and vnanswered and vnsatis­fied as yet, would require a longer time than I haue yet spent since I began to talke of this Sacrament, to set them downe in. Yea though they vse and like the word Transubstantiation neuer so well, yet [Page 291]though they know that both by the words of the institution, and by Saint Paules speaches had thereof, 1. Cor. 10.11. and by the testimonies with one consent of all the ancient Fathers, as we haue often shewed them, Christ called vndoubted­ly the bread which he brake and gaue, his bodie broken; and the wine in the cup his bloodshed, they cannot yet be brought to tell vs or to agree amongst themselues, what it is that should be or is heere tran­substantiated and conuerted into his body. Nay in trueth they dare not say that eyther bread or wine or any thing else are the thinges: and yet we must yealde to a tran­substantiation though no man yet could or would tell vs, and stand to it when he hath done, whereof it is. Howsoeuer, eyther they must say it is of some thing, or not: if of any thing, then they know that therupon it will follow that of that thing, whatsoeuer it be, here Christs bodie is made; which is absurd they themselues seeme to thinke; & to say nothing is turned or transubstantiated into it, is quite to loose their cause. In very deed they are inforced to see, that if they should once by the demōstratiue particle This that Christ vsed, vnderstand the bread & wine, that then it would most cleerly follow that [Page 292]there is a Trope or figure in the speech of Christ, or that else they must confesse bread and wine to be turned into the bodie and bloode of Christ, and therefore to shune both these straites they cannot tell what to vnderstand by it, and so are at their wittes end. By that which they say and doc they yet are resolute that they cō ­uey and bannish away the substances of bread and wine, and leaue nothing but the bare accidents thereof, vnder which they hold lustilie Christ to be flesh, blood & bone. And therefore they sing merilie in their Hymne or Carrol vpon Corpus Christi day, Sub diuersis speciebus, signis tantùm & non rebus, latent res eximiae, caro, ci­bus, sangnis, potus, manet homo Christus totus, sub vtraque specie: a sumente non concisus, non confractus, nec diuisus integer accipitur, &c. that is, Vnder diuerse kinds, signes onely and not thinges, most excel­lent thinges lie hid, flesh, meate, bloode, drinke, yea whole Christ abideth vnder eyther kinde: of the taker not bruised not broken, nor deuided but whole is he taken. But for all this their sturre it should seeme yet that nowe they are perswaded they haue him rather by bannishing of bread and wine (though they cannot tell [Page 293]eyther how, whither, or into what,) then by transubstantiation of breade and wine thereinto or of anything else. Howso­euer it were or bee, that there should re­maine nothing but the bare accidentes or out ward formes of bread and wine that is inough vtterly to ouerthrow the nature of the Sacrament. For in Sacramentes al­waies there must bee an Analogie betwixt the signes and the thinges signified, which cannot be betwixt bare accidents of bread and wine, (for that they alone feede not at all) and the bodie and blood of Christ which are our foode to eternall life: and therfore to abolish or abandon by what meanes soeuer bread & wine, is to destroy quite the nature of the Sacrament. That the verie substances thereof remaine for all their prating, when they haue vsed all their art & the trickes therof they can, both Scripture, Fathers, and reason make it most euident. For in the wordes of the in­stitution, scanne and marke them wel who list, it is most cleare that Christ tooke verie bread and wine, and that he both gaue that which he tooke and that they tooke the same and no other, though by his in­stitution now chaunged in name, vse, and estimation as I haue said. And therefore [Page 294] Paule retaineth the name of the bread and cup still, euen when they come to be ea­ten and drunken vpon, 1. Cor. 11.26. and Christ calles it the fruite of the vine tree, and that after he had deliuered it, and they had drunken therof. Mar. 14.25. And in all other Sacramentes as we haue hearde, though the like phrase of speach haue bene vsed, yet alwaies haue they beene fulland forcible Sacramentes to offer, to deliuer, and to seale the deliuerie of the inwarde grace thereby intended to the right recei­uers, without any such abolishing or tran­substantiating of the outwarde elements thereinto, as is heere imagined. And if Christ had had anie such purpose, it had sure beene as easie a matter with him to haue vttered his minde in and by wordes sounding plainely that he ment to effect some such thing (as by saying, this is turned into my bodie, or let this be transubstantiated thereinto, or let the substance of this cease, and in the romph thereof let my bodie come and bee) as onely to haue saide affirmatiuelie that it was his bodie. But hauing but saide so, it is most certaine it was some certaine thing that he affirmed to be so: for he would neuer call bare nothing or an indi­uiduum [Page 295]vagum, an vncertaine thing, (as Gardiner holds he ment by This) his bodie. And therefore wil they nil they, by Christs words interpreted as they doe, eyther we must haue Christes bodie, which once was of the nature of the Virgin his Mother (that so he might be that seede of the wo­man to treade downe the serpentes head, and in whome all the nations of the world shoulde be blessed) whensoeuer any of their priestes therby intend to consecrate (as they speake) made of a wafer againe; or at least now growne to be such an one as that it can lie hid vnder the forme ther­of, the substance of breade beeing gone to giue it romph. But once againe I must tel them that the words of Christ are so farre from sounding any such thing, as that if they should be taken litterally as they sound, they rather shew that his bo­die and blood were become bread & wine or turned thereinto, then the contrary. For when Moses rod was turned into a serpent, or when Lots wife was turned into a pillar of salt, if one shoulde haue saide of the one that it was Moses rod, or of the other that it was Lots wife, woulde anie thereby haue vnderstoode that he mente that the scrpent was transubstantiated into the [Page 296]rod or the pillar of salt into Lots wife, nay would not the verie sounde of the wordes most plainly lead any man rather to vnder­stand that his meaning was to shew Mo­ses rod was turned into the serpent, and Lots wife into the pillar of salt? Where­fore they haue not onely no ground in the Scriptures for this their opinion, but not onely other scriptures but the verie words of the institution are directly against them. And the ancient Fathers are plaine that though Christ called breade and wine his bodie broken and his blood shed, that yet neyther by transubstantion nor anie way else the substances thereof are gone. The­odoret both in his first Dialogue & second also, though most plainely (as I haue noted alreadie) he confesse that Christ honored bread and wine with the names of his bo­die and blood, most flatly saith that yet he changed not their natures but added grace to nature, and that the mysticall signes af­ter sanctification (as he pleaseth to speake) goe not from their nature, figure or forme. And Gelasius against Eutiches writeth di­rectly that in the Eucharist the nature of bread and wine cease not. Ambrose also, as Gratian alledgeth him De consecr. dist. 2. cap. p [...]nis, writing de sacramentis of the [Page 297]Sacraments, noteth that in this Sacrament the word of Christ is so powerfull, vt sint quae erant, & in aliud commutentur, that they remaine that which they were before, and yet are turned into another thing. And if we would know in what sense and sort they are chaunged into another thing remai­ning also still the same that they were be­fore, the same Gratian a little before in the chapter quia corpus, teacheth vs to learne that of our selues by the chaunge that we finde in our selues by regenerati­on, and that out of Eusebius Emissenus; which as he noteth and we all know is true not at all in respect of outward substance (for that is the same in vs when we are re­generate that it was before) but onelie of inward grace and qualitie, which is that which I call heere in this Sacrament an al­teration of the outward elementes in name vse and estimation. Bertram in a set trea­tise written of this matter as it is thought in Carolus Calunus time, by manie argu­mentes proues bread and wine still to re­maine. And Elfricke about the yeare 996. (as Fox noteth) in two Saxon Epistles, which to that ende he recordes, therein taught bread and wine heere no otherwise to be the bodie and bloode of Christ, [Page 298]then Manna and the water of the rocke in the wildernes were Christ, which all men knowe they were but by representa­tion and signification, and not really; for that then Christ was not become man. And the same man, as maister Fox no­teth, translated a sermon out of Latine into the Saxon tongue (which he insertes wholly in his story also) by him then ap­pointed to be red on Easter day to the Saxons inhabiting then this land; which who so readeth shal finde that it contains much direct matter & proofe, both against transubstantiation, and grosse reall pre­sence built thereupon. In Bedes time also, who died about the yeare 734. the same doctrine was continued heere and elsewhere, as it appeareth by that which he hath written vpon the instituti­on, as it is set downe by Luke 22. where he shewes (as I haue noted before) not onely the likelyhoode of the vse of bread and wine in nourishing and cheering our bodies, to be the cause they beare the names of the bodie and blood of Christ, which semblablie nourish and feede our soules: but also he so speaketh and writeth thereof, that yet he shewes he tooke them to be bread and wine still. And as by this [Page 299]you may see then that both Scriptures and Fathers are against them herein, so questi­onles is all sound reason, most stronglye: which as long as it is not controwled or crost, either by the doctrine of faith, or good manners taught in the Scriptures, is worth the listening vnto. Now reason and all our sences, and the experience that we haue had and may haue of the sowre­ing of the wine, of the mouling and cor­rupting of the hoasts, so that wormes may and haue bred thereof, and that Dogges, Battes, Rattes, and Mise, and so not onely vnbeleeuers can feede thereof, are most sure euidence vnto vs, that for all their great brags to the contrary, with all their crossing, whispering, breathing, becking and doucking, and demure pronuncing of the words, they cānot neither once remoue the substances of bread and wine away, nor bring Christes bodie or blood into the romphs thereof. For neither can these things that I haue spoken of, all or any of thē be incident to bare accidents, neither yet to the most precious body & blood of Christ Iesus God and man. For who know­eth not that bare accidents are not, nor can be subiectes of such ac­cidents as these bee? Neither can [Page 300]they be matter to nourish and feed eyther man or beast withal, or to breede any such thinges vpon. And howsoeuer these men can finde in their heartes to grant that the bodie of the Christ whom they serue may be subiect to all these thinges, sure I am the bodie of the true Christ (that the say­ing of the Psalmist might be verified ther­of, Thou wilt not suffer thy holie one to see corruption, Psal. 16.10.) could not possi­blie be helde of death vntill it rotte: and therefore much lesse will the heauenly Fa­ther now that it is glorified, let it be eyther meat for such filthie vermin or for the mouthes of wicked men, or to be subiect to putrefaction that wormes shal breede ther­on. But I knowe though some of them haue not beene ashamed to saie that he can and may be eaten of such beastes as well as of such men (whereof none of them now doubt;) yet generally they say when such thinges fall out with the out­ward elements as I haue spoken of, then Christ by his almightie power conueyeth himselfe away, and lets the olde substances come againe and ioyne themselues with their accidentes. In the meane time then I would the best studied of them in this point could eyther tell vs what was be­comde [Page 301]in the meane time of the substan­ces, or how their accidentes were kept or vnderpropt without substances, and so sub­iectes to be in. And if it were granted then that Christ to exempt and to preserue his bodie from these inconueniences re­moues it away before any of these can fal out vnto it, yet then they graunt that the best shift that their popish Christ hath in this case is to runne away or to giue place. Such a Christ may become such kinde of Christians; but surely the wise hearted Christians would be loth to trust to such a Christ for their saluation whose best shift is thus to flie that a Mouse eate him not; and I would aduise them not to trust them­selues too much to such a dastardly Christ. I would thinke that they should & would rather hold that he driues all these away, then that indeede he should be driuen a­way of any of them: and that therefore when any such thing seemeth to fall out otherwise, eyther the priest consecrated not well, and so failed and came short of transubstantiation, or that the sences are deceiued in thinking any such thing in haue happened. But seeing they like better to prouide for their Christ by his suddaine departure, I would haue them to tell mee, [Page 302]whether they worke a greater miracle in transubstantiating breade and wine into him, or these kinde of cattell in trasubstan­tiating him againe into the old bread and wine; And I would be glad once to here a substantiall reason, why Christs wordes should not, or did not proue as power­full to driue the accidents away as the sub­stance, or why they beleeuing, notwithstan­ding Christs plaine wordes, that accidents of bread and wine remaine, because the senses telles them so, they should not, or will not beleeue the same senses, as plain­ly assuring them that the substances them­selues also remaine, that therefore they are there also. But what should I trouble my selfe by reason and sense to confute them, which as it should seeme haue here­in, for the maintenance of their owne wil­ful conceit, pride, pompe & cōmoditie, lost both sense, reason, and religion. Notwith­standing to all such as haue these, I trust I haue said sufficient, to make not onely the verity of our owne doctrine, touching this Sacrament, sufficiently to appeare, but also to the full displaying & disgrasing for e­uer with such of the vanity of both these our aduersaries herein. Wherefore to re­turne to my text, and so to goe on againe [Page 303]therewith, I hope yet by this that I haue saide of this matter, you now plainly per­ceiue, that notwithstanding the doctrine and vse of this Sacrament, the vnion and communion that we must seeke to haue with Christ, though it be true & reall in respect of him and vs, the persons & things to be vnited; that yet it is not grosse & car­nall, to be attained vnto by the instruments or members of our bodie at all, as these our aduersaries teach: but that by the worde & Sacraments, God offers him vnto vs, and by his Spirit communicateth him vnto vs, after a spirituall and misticall manner, and that we by faith wrought and nourished in vs by this his Spirit and meanes, feed vpon to our euerlasting saluation.

Touching which faith, Conclusion of the com­mandement. which thus I haue made as it were the hand & mouth of our soule to take Christ offered vnto vs in the word & Sacraments withall, at the hand of God hsi spirit; let it be remembred once againe, that Christ here in my text, calling for it, to drinke him by, saith not simply, he that beleeueth in mee, but with this aditi­on, as saith the Scripture. Wherby let vs, to conclude this point withall, learne that in this case, it is not inough to beleeue as we list, nor as this man or that, this company or that teach vs alwayes: Yea that we neuer [Page 304]beleeue aright to this purpose vntill we be­leeue in Christ as the canonicall Scriptures teach vs. All which (as I haue before suf­ficiently shewed) lay him still before vs to be beleeued in as our sole and onely meri­torious cause of our saluation; with whom we may neither ioyne any other person or thing. And so stedfast also our confidence of saluation these teach vs ought to be in him, that thereby we may say, We haue peace with God through him, and such accesse to Gods grace, as that we stand therin and re­ioyce vnder hope which shall neuer be con­founded. Rom. 5. vers. 1.2.3. &c. In so much that hauing reckoned vp all thinges that are most likely to doe it, yet with Paule all that haue this faith may boldly and tri­umphantly say, That nothing shall seperate them from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus. In any case therefore by the meanes that he hath appointed for that purpose (which I haue now also laide before you) let vs striue to attaine to this faith and to nourish it when we haue once got it. For this is it that ioyneth Christ and vs togi­ther, and so fully possesseth vs of him and all the treasured graces and mercies of God prouided for mens saluation in him, that therefore it bringeth vnto vs the peace [Page 305]that passeth all vnderstanding, Phil. 4.7. and the ioy that none can euer take from vs. Iohn. 16.22. We haue the word of God and that written, outwardly sealed in the Sacramentes, and thereby, by his spirit al­so inwardly offering to seale & sealing the same vnto our heartes & consciences, that God the Father in and by his sonne Christ Iesus, by the mightie working of the holie Ghost both can and will saue vs. Whatso­euer therefore papistes prate to the con­trarie, let vs most firmly and constantlie thus beleeue, and not once dare call the trueth of God, thus many waies confirmed vnto vs, once into question. But then let vs neuer for get that golden saying of Cyprian, De duplicimartirio. Non credit in Deum, qui non in eo solo collocat totius suae salut is fiducia: that is, He beleeues not in God at all, that placeth not the whole confidence of his saluation in him alone. And the rather for that thus to doe our Creedes, our Baptisme and all the scriptures teach vs. Let vs not therefore by the example or doctrine of Papistes, be drawne from hence to put our confidence, as they doe, both in a number of persons and things that are not God. For that were vndoubtedly (howsoeuer they would perswade men to the contrary) no [Page 306]better than to become plaine reuolters and apostares from the ancient found Catho­licke faith, which all these most plainely teach and binde vs vnto, and in deede to fet vp vnto our selues a new Christ of our owne deuising, with whom none of these euer acquainted vs. Wherefore as in these respectes I would wish that we tooke heed of the seauen of the popish faith, as of the verie baine & poyson of our soules; so also beware we of their kinde of faith in the vse of the Sacrament of the body & bloode of Christ. For as you may perceiue by that which I haue said already of that matter, the faith that they most call for in that busi­nes is, a beleeuing that Christes very body & blood are really there vnder the formes of bread & wine, & so be taken in & by the bodily mouth of euery receiuer, quite con­trarie both to the true sence of the Scrip­turs in that behalf, & to the nature of Christ. These things thus finished and concluded, it remaineth now that we proceede in our text: wherein we haue yet to consider of the promise therin made by Christ to all those and to none but to those that by right knowing him, and beleeuing in him, come vnto him, and drinke of him.

This promise he vtters and expresses in these wordes as you haue hearde, The pro­mise. out of his bellie shall flowe riuers of water of life, whereunto if we referre these wordes, as saith the Scripture, (as many interpreters both olde and newe doe,) then they teach vs to vnderstand this promise, as the Scripture teacheth vs ellewhere, and not otherwise. And seeing Christ hath vttered the promise in such a metaphoricall phrase as hee hath, it may verie well be that of very purpose he placed those wordes as he did, not onely to teach vs as we haue heard alreadie, that we come vnto him and drinke of him, by sound knowledge and right faith as the Scriptures shew vs; but also plainelie to instruct vs, that in so doing we must looke to haue the wordes of this promise fulfilled vnto vs, not in any grosse or literall sence, but onelie in such spirituall manner and sorte, as the Scriptures themselues in other places declare. Heereby then to beginne withall, Christ hath giuen vs this moste notable and pro­fitable rule, that it is a moste sounde way, rightile to expounde Scriptures, and so rightlie to vnderstande them, to [Page 308]conferre Scripture with Scripture, and to admit no sence of figuratiue and darke phrases and speaches in the same, but that which may & doth stand with other more plaine places, which in Gods wisedom and prouidence euen of purpose elsewhere are set downe therein, that they may be as a key to let vs into the right sence of the harde: than which rule (howso­euer nowe a daies our aduersaries would perswade they haue founde a better, namely to make the current practise of their Church; which when they haue braued of Doctors and Councelles ne­uer so much, is indeede onely the verie pleasure & mutable fansie of their Popes) the ancient Fathers haue esteemed and followed this as the best and saifest. As it is euident in Augustine, De doctrina Christiana, Lib. 3.2.6. where he defi­neth that to be alwaies the sence of the harde place, which is taught in plainer; and that no sence is to be receiued to be the sence of any, which cannot be proued so to be out of other places. Of the same minde Hierome showes himselfe to haue beene in his 19. Homilie vpon Esay, noting that therefore it is the fashion of the scrip­tures after hard things to ioyne other that [Page 309]be plaine. Origen also in his first Homilie of Hierimie, and Chrysostome in diuers pla­ces, namely writing of the holy Ghost, and in his 12. Homtlie vpon Genesis, are most pregnant in this point; the one re­iecting all sences and interpretations as of no credit without warrant from other scriptures, and the other affirming plaine­ly that the scriptures so expounde them­selues that they suffer not the Reader to erre. Whereupon no man, no not amongst vs, is more earnest to vrge all sortes of men to read the scriptures, than Chrysostome, as any man may see in his 9. Homilie vpon the Collossians, & in his third vpon Matthew. Let vs therefore in this case take triall of this rule, that so we may learne what we are to vnderstande by these riuers of water, heere spoken of and promised. And for as much as when these wordes were first vttered by Christ, then the Canonicall scriptures onely of the olde Testament were written, it shalbe most fit to looke into them for this purpose. Wherein to this end verie pertinent it is, that the bles­sed man (which doubtlesse he is that commeth vnto Christ, and drinketh of him aright) is described in the first Psalme to be like a tree planted by the riuers [Page 310]of waters that will bring forth his fruite in due season, and whose leafe shall not fade, but whatsoeuer he doth it shall prosper, Vers. 3. But that in the fiue and fiftie of the prophesie of Esay. vers. 1. &c. in my iudgement, and in my opinion best a­greeth with this and appertaineth here­unto. For there, after that the thirsty are solemnly (as it were) by way of procla­mation, called and allured to come to the waters, and so freely, being come, to drinke wine and to cate milke and that which was fatte and good; a promise is made them if they would so do, that they should liue and enioy the sure mercies of Dauid. That also, Esay. 59.20.21. may well be as a Commentarie vpon this, where after that it is said that the redeemer shall come vnto Sion, it is saide, that this couenant shalbe made with them that turne from iniquitie in Iacob, that his spirite and word shoulde neuer departe from them, nor from their seede after them: which couenante or promise is more fully opened, Iere­mie. 31.33.34. vnto which time of the comming of the Messiah, and the performance of this promise then, Ioell hauing an eye, he bringeth in GOD promising then, that he woulde poure [Page 311]out his spirite vpon all sortes, olde and yong, men and women, Cap. 2. vers. 28. where­unto in my opinion it seemeth that Iohn thought that Christ had relation in this promise-making heere, in that in plaine termes he telleth vs that this he spake of the Spirite, which they should receiue that beleeued in him: for (saith he) the holy Ghost was not yet, bycause that Iesus was not yet glorified. This therefore is euen sufficient to teach vs in what sence the scripture woulde haue vs to vnderstand, that riuers of waters of life shall flowe out of the bellies of such as will come vn­to him, drinke of him and beleeue in him, as we haue heard; namely euen of the plentifull giftes and graces of the spirite, that vndoubtedly he woulde be­stowe and continue in such. And let it not seeme strange vnto any man thus to heare the spirite of God watering and moystening the house of God, and wash­ing and softning the heartes of those that be in neede therof compared vnto waters for it is very vsuall in the scriptures. For not onely, Psal. 1.3. & Esay. 55.1. &c. as I haue noted before, by riuers of water & waters we cā vnderstād nothing so fitly as the most plentifull & rich graces of God in Christ: [Page 312]but also elsewhere often, both in the olde Testament and in the new, the same or like speeches are vsed, whereby we can vnderstand nothing else. For after that God, to perswade Iacob not to feare, had said, I will powre water vpon the thirstie, and floudes vpon the drie ground, to make it plaine that he vnderstoode nothing else thereby, immmediatly he addeth, I will powre out my spirite vpon thy seede and my blessing vpon thy buddes, and they shall growe as amongest the grasse, and as the willowes by the riuers of waters: Esay. 44.2.3.4. And what else could or did Ezechiell vnderstande, Cap. 47.1. &c. by the vision of waters flowing out of the Lordes house, in such a plentifull manner that they were first ancle deepe, then thigh deepe, then vnpassageable: on euerie side whereof growe all fruitfull trees, whose leafe shoulde not fall, and that monethly should bring forth fruite, and that wholesome and medicinable? And we beleeuing as we doe, that the holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father and the Sonne (as both the scriptures and all sound confessions of the Catholicke and Chri­stian faith teach) what can we more fitly vnderstand, by that pure riuer of water of [Page 313]life, cleare as chryst all, that Iohn saw procee­ding out of the throne of God, & the Lambe &c. Reuel. 22. Vers. 1. than the holy Ghost proceeding and flowing from the father and the sonne, to cheere and to make fruitful the Citizens of the heauenly Hierusalem. And by that water of life, which Christ taught the woman of Samaria to aske of him, & whereof if a man drinke, he saide he should neuer thirst againe, for that it should be in him, a well of water, springing vp to euerlasting life, noe doubt of it, he vnderstoode nothing else but the Spirit, which he would bestow v­pon all his, to regenerate and sanctifie them effectually withall. Hereby then you may see, not only this interpretation iustified, that by riuers of water of life flowing out of the bellies of such as come vnto Christ, and rightly make him their owne by drinking of him, we are to vn­derstand the Spirit of God and the plen­tifull graces thereof, promised to the faith­full; but also that this is a Metaphore ve­ry fit & apt to expresse the same, or else that God woulde neuer haue so much de­lighted therein, as thus by the often vsing it he sheweth he hath done. Howbeit be­fore we proceede any further to confi­der [Page 314]of the ground, why this Metaphor should be counted so apt, and so much to this purpose delighted in; we are first to vn­derst and that by the belly, frō whence these riuers of water of life shoulde flowe, is meant the soule, heart, and good consci­ence by faith purified, in the beleeuers, Actes 15. Ver. 9. For the end of the com­maundement, and so the shew of all the good fruites of the Spirit in Gods children, commeth from a pure conscience, and both them from faith vnfained, as Paule testi­fieth 1. Tim. 1. Ver. 5. The bellie and bow­els are no seate or fountaine, from whence such things issue or flowe. Then where­as Iohn saith, the holy Ghost was not yet, whereof he telleth vs we are to vnder­stande Christes promises; we must take heede that we vnderstand not that, as spo­ken of the essence or being of the holy Ghost, least we fall into the herisie of the Nacedonians, who denied the God­heade of the holy Ghost: for so he hath beene from euerlasting, according to our catholike faith, God coetarnall and coe­quall with the Father and the Sonne. And therefore the Psalmist, speakeing so ther­of, saith, by the word of God were the hea­nens made, and by the spirit of his mouth [Page 315]all the powers thereof. Psal. 33. Vers. 6. And therefore our Creede & Baptisme binde vs aswell to beleeue in the holy Ghost, as in GOD the Father, or in GOD the Sonne. And when Christ was baptized, as Math. testifieth that there was a voice hearde from Heauen from the Father, This is my welbeloued Sonne, in whome I am well pleased; so hee saith, that Iohn Baptist saw the Spirite of GOD descending like a Doue and lighting vpon him. Math. 3. Vers. 16. & 17. Iohn therefore must be vnderstood to speake thus, not of the essence or being of the holic Ghost, but of the giftes and graces thereof, in some fur­ther measure, than as yet, when Christ made this promise, they had beene or­dinarily giuen vnto them that belee­ued in him. And I saide aduisedly and of purpose thus: for it is most cleare and euident that before this, all the Saintes and seruantes of GOD, that beleeued in GOD, feared him and beleeued in him, had the Spirit of God and the giftes and graces thereof, in good measure, without which they could not haue done so as they did, so to do; [Page 316]being, as it is, the speciall worke of the ho­ly Ghost, as it is knowne well inough to be. And of Simeon doe we not reade in plaine tearmes, before this, that the holy Ghost was vpon him, and that a reuelation was giuen him of the holy Ghost, that hee should not see death before he had seene the Lord Christ, and that he came by the moti­on of the spirit into the Temple, &c. Luke 2.25. &c? And in deede, by yeelding his reason of his speach as he doth, say­ing for Iesus was not yet glorified, he giueth vs to vnderstand, that his speach is to be but vnderstood by way of compa­rison, and not simply. And thus both Au­gust in his 32. Tract vpon Iohn and Chry­sostome in his 50. Homile vpon this place before me expound it. For Augustine there, after that he had shewed that Christes wordes can neither be vnderstood of the essence of the holy Ghost, which hath beene with the Father from euerlast­ing, nor yet simply of the giftes thereof, for that many both in the old Testament and new, as there he declareth, had good measure thereof; his determination is, that modus futurus erat dationis huius qui emnino antea non apparuerat, that is, that yet there should be a manner of giuing [Page 317]thereof, which was ueuer seene before, whereof this is spoken, saith hee. And the other in the foresaide place of his, most plainly expoundeth, the Riuers of water of life, largiorem spiritus gratiam, more large grace of the Spirit than was giuen before. And therefore also, both of them there shewe that by the Belly we are to vn­derstand, the heart and conscience of the inward man, answerable to the inwarde drinke and thirst spoken of here by Christ. And so often in the olde Testament, the Prophets hauing an eye to the wonderfull measure of Gods grace and plentifulnes of Gods spirit, that should be powredour, vpon the Church the Messias being come, though in very deede they speake but by comparison, and so of necessitie must be vnderstoode (for elsewhere very plain­ly they shewe that the spirit of God was in good measure vpon them selues and vpon others then) yet they vtter the pro­mises of God touching his powring out of his Spirit then, as though it were a new thing, that hee had neuer done before: as you may see and beholde in the 44. of E­say, and in the 2. of Ioell in the places before alleaged. And thus also must Christes owne saying, Iohn 16.7. of ne­cessitie [Page 318]be vnderstoode, it is expedient for you that I goe away: for if I goe not away, the Comforter will not come vnto you; but if I depart I will send him vnto you: for before that, it appeareth they beleeued in him to whome he so spake Iohn. 6.69. For there Peter in all their names saith, we beleeue and know that thou art the Sonne of the liuing God, which is a fruite of the Spirit. Gal. 5.22. And before his ascention and glorification it was, that he breathed vpon them and saide, receiue yee the holie Ghost. Iohn. 20.22: wherefore, before in some measure the Comforter was giuen them. Indeede after his ascention, as we may see, he shewed himselfe mindfull of his promise to the full, Act. 2. in furnishing them so vpon the sudden, with all giftes meete for their calling, as that they were filled with the holy Ghost, and Spake with other tongues as the Spirit gaue them vtterance. If any be now desirous to know why this plentifull and most pow­refull furnishing of his with such giftes & graces from aboue, was reserued to follow as a fruite, effect, and consequent of his as­cention, and glorification; let him vnder­stand, that in the infinite wisdome and prouidence of GOD it was, that so it [Page 319]might be made manifest vnto his Church, to begette in the same a stronge and liue­ly hope; that as by his humiliation and abasemente he had obtained and purcha­sed for it eternall redemption, so now by his exaltation and aduancemente, he was so setled at the right hande of his Father, that he was able to poure downe vpon the same, all giftes and graces ne­cessarie to the effectuall applying and sealing the same thereunto. So that thenceforth none neede doubte but that he hath gone through with the worke of our redemption and saluation, and that as heade and husband ouer his Church, he can and will guide, decke, and sur­nish the same with all the rich treasures of the graces of GOD, which dwell and rest in him as in the fountaine be­yonde all measure, that of his ouer­flowing and infinite fullnes, euery mem­ber thereof might receiue inough, to bring it to perfection in him; as most notably Paule teacheth, Ephes. 4. Vers. 9. &c. But yet neither Christ, nor Iohn heere are so to bee vnder­stoode, as though this promise of Christ heere were limited and to bee ex­tended noe further than to those, [Page 320]vpon whom after his assention in that ex­traordinary manner he bestowed his spi­rite & the giftes thereof, though I can­not but thinke they had an especiall and first eye vnto them, as vnto the first fruites of all the rest that shoulde follow. For doubtles as Christ requireth all, that he spake of before, that thirst to come vnto him to drinke and to beleeue in him, as saith the Scripture, and therefore lookes for all this at the handes of euery true member of his mysticall bodie the church: so the thing promised appertaineth and is common to them all, though according to the diuersitie of places that they hold in that bodie, one and the selfe ame Spi­rit is diuersly bestowed vpon them, as we are taught 1. Cor. 12. Ver. 4. &c. So that the Spirit and the giftes and gra­ces of God, are here so promised to them all, and shalbe and are performed, as that aptly they may be called riuers of wa­ter of life flowring out of their bellies. But yet then some may maruaile, comparing the spirit and giftes thereof seene in ma­ny of the faithfull, since Christ was glo­rified, with the Spirit and giftes thereof founde in sundry, as in the Patriarches and Prophets and other famous holy men in [Page 321]the olde Testament, and finding them in show to be but equall, or rather inferiour to some of theirs, why Iohn shoulde ey­ther simply or by waie of comparison, thus signifie vnto vs that the Spirite had not beene giuen in such measure before, as nowe Christ beeing glorified it should. Whereunto though I might answere that Iohn might well say so, in that then the partition wall betwixt Iew and Gentile shoulde be pulled downe, and so the borders & compasse of the Church should wonderfully be enlarged, in compari­son they were before: yet more fullie to aunswere this obiection, though in respect of those times wherein the Pa­triarches and Prophets and holie men of GOD liued, in the time of the olde Testament, their faith and other fruites of the Spirite that appeared and were founde in them, were verie commenda­ble, yet in many respectes Iohn might preferre the Spirite and the giftes there­of giuen to beleeuers in the newe Te­stament so before them in the olde, that in comparison thereof, the Spirite might be saide not to haue beene before. For first, though then the mysteries of religion were sufficientlie reuealed for [Page 322]those times; yet were they not opened so clearely and lightsomely then, as now since the comming of Christ: and the Spirit that, he beeing ascended, he promiseth to his, leadeth them to all trueth and teach­eth them all thinges, Iohn. 14.26. In so much that the beleeuing Christian nowe can speake by direction therof, more plain­ly of the Trinitie, of Christes person and of­fice, and of many other mysteries of Chri­stian religion, than any of them had done or could. In respect and regard whereof, Christ saith of Iohn Baptist, verily verily amongst them that are begotten of a wo­man, arose there not a greater: and yet notwithstāding he that is least in the king­dome of God is greater than he. For he preached Christ, and pointed him present, and none of them sawe him or spake of him but a farre off; and yet after Christ had gone thorow with that which he came for, and was ascended; by his Spirite he so enlighteneth the heartes of the mea­nest sounde members of his Church, that they can say more of him than Iohn coulde. And in this respect Christ saide, that manie Kings and Prophets had desired to see and heare those thinges which his Apostles and followers sawe, [Page 323]and yet did not, Luke. 10.24. Then who also knoweth not that the ministrie and reuelation of the will of God was then verie darke, it lay so much in types and fi­gures, in compasson that it is now, Christ being come and ascended, at whom those did but aime and poynte at a farre off; and that therefore in that respect, Paule might truely and iustly say, that the night was past and the day come, Rom. 13.12. and also magnifie the mini­sterie of the newe Testament, as farre more glorious than that of the olde, as most notablie he doth, 2. Cor. 3.6. &c? For then they had but the light of the moone and the starres to direct them, where­as we nowe haue the brightnesse of the shining sonne; and theirs in comparison was but of the letter and of death, and ours is of the spirite & of life, as Paule shew­eth there. And therefore how can it be otherwise, but that the effectes and fruits of the Spirite beeing conformable in some good measure to the ministry wherby it worketh, but that now since his comming and glorification they shoulde be in his as riuers of water of life, flowing out of their bellies; whereas before they were in comparison but like vnto the little [Page 324]and soft running water from out of the fountaine of Siloah at the foote of the mount Syon. And somewhat it maketh the better to make vs vnderstande both what Christ saide and did, as Iohn heere hath set it down, that Tremelius noteth vpō this place. For he telleth vs that the Iewes in their Talmud in the tract of the feast of Tabernacles Chapter Chal. shewe that the last day of that feast was the greatest, be­cause as they say, their ancient Doctors taught them that whereas the other daies thereof, they shoulde in ioy onely once circuit the Altar carrying boughes and palmes in their handes, and crying Hosannah, that is, saue I pray, this last day by tradition, as they tooke it from Haggai and Zachariah, they were so to doe seauen times, crying both Hosannah and Hatzlicannah, (that is, saue vs I pray thee, and make vs to prosper) oftentimes with a lowde voyce: and further he re­porteth that there it is set downe as the fashion of that people receiued by the tra­dition (as they tooke it) from the same Prophets, that that day they vsed with greate ioy to drawe water out of the foun­taine of Syloach, and to carry it to the Priestes, that they might powre it vpon [Page 325]the Altar with the drinke offering of wine, hauing in the meane time that songe cheerefully & alowde, which we read, Esay. 12.3. You shall drawe waters with ioy out of the fountaine of saluation: which whiles they did, they thought they serued God highly, and prouoked him to bestow the Spirit of prophesie vpon them, as su­perstitiously they dreamed that he did v­pon Ionas whiles he was so occupied. Whereupon (as he thinketh) it might well be that Iesus tooke occasion, as that day standing (whereas otherwise when he taught, he vsed to sit and to speake but in an ordinarie voyce) to cry vnto them, that so the better, for all that noyse and stirre, he might be heard of them, If any man thirst, let him come vnto me and drinke: he that beleeueth in me (as saith the scripture) out of his belly shall flowe riuers of water of life: so to draw them from that supersti­tious fashion, indeede to drawe water of life out of him, the fountaine of liuing wa­ters, as he is termed, Iere. 2.3. All these things therefore now thus laide and con­sidered togither, I hope you vnderstand both Christ and Iohn in these wordes of my text, and perceiue what other occasion soeuer he had, he had heerein a purpose to [Page 326]promise them that directly come vnto him, by drinking of him to satisfie their thir­stie soules, and that leauing running to all other rotten cesternes that could holde no water, they should finde him no drie fountaine, but a fountaine to fill them, so that they shoulde runne ouer againe therwith to the watering of others: and besides you see that the Lord hath al­waies taken a delight thus to speake of the spirite and giftes thereof, that they shoulde receiue that would onelie seeke to come to the Father by him.

Wherefore seeing the ground of such metaphoricall speeches is alwaies the si­militude and resemblance (as once I haue said alreadie) betwixt the metaphore and the thinges metaphorized; The right vse and ap­plication of the promise. let vs see and viewe what likelihoode there is be­twixt riuers of waterof life flowing out of ones bellie, and the giftes and gra­ces of Gods spirite promised to them that thus come vnto Christ and beleeue in him. Marke therefore amongest ma­nie other properties that water hath, it hath these soure; that is, first to wash and make cleane; then to soften and molli­fie; and next to make fruitfull that which otherwise would be barren; and lastly to [Page 327]quench and coole. For as you knowe cloathes and other thinges a number, are washed and made cleane thereby: the earth that otherwise woulde be as Brasse and Iron vnder vs, is softened and there­by, it falling vpon it in due season and manner, it is made fruitefull also; and thereby likewise we see fire quenched, and heate much cooled and abated. Wherefore in that Christ promiseth his spirite vnto those that thus come vnto him, and make him theirs by belee­uing in him, vnder the name of waters; thus much, to beginne withall (vnlesse we might thinke that he coulde not tell howe to speake aptly, which but to i­magine were absurd,) euen hereby we are taught, that the spirite of God in such must and will be as water, and there­fore of power to wash and make them cleane of the soule errours and sinnes, wherewith before they were defiled: and so also of power to soften their stonie and harde heartes, that the seede of the worde may sinke deepe inough therein, and to make them bring forth fruite alwaies in due sea­son, and finally likewise it will shew it selfe of force to quench in them the fire [Page 328]of concupiscence and to abate the heate of all other sinne. Let not any man there­fore flatter himselfe, and thinke he hath done what heere Christ commaunded, vnlesse he can approoue it by the bee­ing and dwelling of the spirite in him, in that sorte and measure, that it may worthilie beare the name of water in all these respectes. For Christ was and is of infinite power and wisedome, and therefore we may be sure he hath made heere no other promise, but that which he both can and will performe. Ney­ther lacke of abilitie to be as good as his worde, nor rashnesse or vnaduisednesse in passing of it at any time, was euer found in him: wherefore let vs not be behind in performing the commaundement, and nothing is more certaine than that he will not be behinde with vs in performing of his promise. If therefore we finde our hearts and liues still delighted with our old filthie errours and sinnes, stonie and slinty that the worde can take no roote in, or that cannot tremble at the judgementes of God, barren of all goodnesse, and bur­ning still with lust, and on heate with, and after other sinnes: then whatsoeuer we can prate or talke of Christ, or faith in him [Page 329]as yet we are meere strangers from them both. Without figure or Metaphor that you may see the plaine euidence thereof, marke (I beseech you) but amongst infinite o­ther places, these most plame testimo­nies of Scripture concerning this point. The fruite of the stirit it in al goodnes, righte­ousnes and truth Ephes 5. Ver. 9. They that are in Christ, and so partakers of his death and resurrection, they must be, and are ther­by and by the power of his spirit, deade to sinne & aliue to righteousnes, Rom. 6. Ver. 3. &c. Collos. 2. Ver. 11. & 12. They that are Christes haue crucified the flesh with the affections & lustes thereof, Gal. 5. Ver. 24. And with such, old thinges are pas­sed away, and all things are become newe, and therefore they must be new creatures, 2. Cor. 5. Ver. 17. For by him we are deliue­red from the handes of our enemies, to serue him in holines and righteousnes all the daies of our liues: & that before him, and as in his sight without feare. Luk. 1.74.75. And therefore we must not walke after the flesh but after the spirit, Rom. 8.1. &c. and so put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousnes and true holines, be­ing renewed in the spirit of our minde, and casting off the conuersation, that was in times [Page 330]Past & the olde man: Ephe. 4. Vers. 22. &c. yea we may not dare call him Father, vnles we passe the time of our dwelling here in feare, in being holy, as he is holy. 1. Pet. 1. Vers. 16.17. and if we say we haue fellowship with him and walke in darknes, Saint Iohn will plainely tell vs we lie, and doe not the truth, Epist. 1. Chap. 1. Ver. 6. Whereby it is most euident, whatsoeuer we haue beene before, when once we are come to Christ and haue pur on him, the case must be so quite changed and altered with vs, that then though Paule may say of vs, you were once such and such, yet now he may haue cause to say, as he saide in the like case of the Corinthians; but yee are washed, but yee are sanctified, but yee are iustified, in the name of the Lord Iesus, and by the spirit of our God. For Dauid can say, hauing an eie to Christ then far off, purge me with Hisop, and I shall be cleane, wash me and I shall be whi­ter than snow, Psal. 51. Vers. 7. How then may we doe that dishonour vnto Christ being come, as either to think that we are washed in his bloode and so iustified, and yet remaine still foule & filthie, or hauing seemed to be clensed and escaped from the filthines of the world, through the know­ledge of our Lord & Sauiour Iesus Christ, [Page 331]to suffer our selues to be tangled and ouer­come therewith againe? If we should thus doe, we doe him the greatest dishonour & discredit that we can. For what cleanly lan­dresse would not take it to be a shame vn­to hir, to be said or thought to haue washt her clothes, they remaining still as foule & filthy as euer they were? And most certaine it is, if hauing put our hand to the plow, we looke back againe, we are, by Christs owne sentence alreadie pronounced vpon vs, not meete for the kindom of heauen, Luk. 9.62. and if we be backsliders and reuolters, Saint Peter hath told vs what we may trust to, namely that then our latter end shal be worse than our beginning; yea that we are no better than dogs, turned to our vomit, or than sowes, after they are washt, retur­ning to the wallowing in the mire, 2. Epist. Cap. 3.20. And most seareful is that which we read, Heb. 6.4. &c. & 10.26. &c. touch­ing apostataes & reuolters from the faith: for there such are told that it is impossible that they should be renewed againe by re­pentance, that there is no more sacrifice to be offred for their sins, that there is nothing left for them but a fearefull expectation of irreuocable iudgment and condemna­tion. Now doubtles the verie waye [Page 332]and means to come to this dreadfull estate is, for them that haue seemed to stand by professing once the sounde faith, to be carelesse in maintaining and preseruing conscience in their liues and conuersation; and therefore to teach vs asmuch Paul. calles vpon his Timothie, to maintaine and nourish togither, faith and a good consci­ence, for that whiles some (as namely Hymineus and Alexander) haue made no carefull reckoning of the one, they haue made shipwracke of the other. 1. Tim. 1.19. & 20. Let him therefore that see­meth to stande, take heede he fall not. 1. Cor. 10.12. and in anie case also let him that would seeme to be in deede in Christ Iesus, be a new creature. 2. Cor. 5.17. for such haue crucified the flesh with the affections and lustes thereof. Gal. 5.24. they walke not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, (as ye haue heard) Rom. 1. and they are a people zealous of good workes. Tit. 2.14. Wherefore let vs ne­uer once thinke that our sinnes are in Christ Iesus couered, vnlesse we finde our selues cured thereof; or that for his sake they are pardoned, vnlesse we in truth perceiue our bodies and soules pur­ged at the least thereof, that sinne raigne [Page 333]not in our mortall bodies Rom. 6.12. For they that so are of God, Iohn saith flatly, they cannot sinne (meaning, so as that sinne raigne in them) for that they are borne of God, and his seede remai­neth in them. 3.9. Howsoeuer there­fore Hypocrites, and such as haue but a temporarie faith, may and often doe fall headlong into obeying sinne with their full and whole consent as their lawfull king, in whose obedience willingly they take delight, and so such worthily quite lease those giftes and good graces, which they seamed to haue before and con­sequently by their so falling away, as the same Iohn teacheth in the former Chapter Cap. 2. Ver. 10. make it euident, that they were neuer of the number indeede, that by a liuelie faith were in Christ Ie­sus; for then as he saith, they would still haue continued with such: yet so it is neither finally, nor at any time after, with those that once haue vnfainedly and right­ly indeede put on Christ. For as Paul teacheth most euidently and forciblie Rom. 6. throughout, and Col. 1.2. such haue so put him on and are in him, that as he once for all died and was buried to put away their sinne, and rose againe, as­cended [Page 334]into heauen, and sitteth there at the right hand of the father, to confer & bestowe vpon them a perfect righteousnes & iustifica­tion; so by the power and efficacie of Christ dwelling in them, they are deade to sinne, and aliue to righteousnes: and therefore, how­soeuer, will they nill they, they may, by some reliques of sinne remaining in them to hum­ble them and to wrastle against, be inforced with the same Apostle in the next chapter, cōplaining of the tyranny of sinne, to cry out, I do not that good I would, but that which I hate that doe I, yet all such with a good con­science, may comfort themselues againe with him, and say, if I doe that I would not doe, and hate, it is not I that doe it, but sinne that dwel­leth in mee, Cap. 6.15. & 20. And in the end they may be sure, that the spirit that dwelleth in them, will so strenthen them against the flesh, that they shall get in the end of the battle, the victorie, and that in the meane time, the flesh shall neuer be able vtterly to preuaile: as they may reade, Gal. 5.17. &. 24. For that Spirit being once com into thefield, though old Adā muster all his beaten & woū ­ded souldiers neuer so oft; yet that man in whose hart the field is once pitched & fought, may assure him selfe, that it is as absurd for him to think that either in the end or at any [Page 335]time, the flesh shall preuaile to driue that spirit out of the field; as it is to thinke that a base creature can ouercome God the Crea­tor. And to assure all such hereof, Christ hath promised when he sends once this Spirit of his vnto them, that it shal be their cōmforter, & that it shal abide with thē for euer. Iohn 14.16. & that he would beg of his father, that he shoulde so doe. And therfore they may be sure, that he hath done it, & hath also obtai­ned his sute; for he is truth it selfe. Iohn 14.6. & therfore true in his promise, & besids he tels vs, that he knew his father alwaies heard him. Iohn 11.42. Let not that wrong therfor be of­ferred either to Christ, or to his Spirit, that any should but once think that either of these can be driuen out of possession, after once they haue taken it in theirs, either by Sathan, the world, or the flesh: they may be busy to grieue & trouble them, but neuer shal they preuaile: for they are alwayes the strōgerin finitely, and their loue & care to keep & preserue theirs is like them selues, that is eternal & most con­stant: & indeed, in that Christ here in our text promiseth his spirite not only in & vnder the name of water, but of riuers of waters, & that of life, flowing out of their bellies, that should doe, as before he cōmanded; al this being to be vnderstood of the giftes & graces of the spirit, which he would bestow vpon all such [Page 336](as we haue heard;) as thereby we are taught that he will giue them to such, not in a scant, but in a very plentious manner and measure, for that he is a liberall giuer, Iames 1.5, so by calling them Ri­uers of the water of life, he teacheth vs and assureth vs that they will neuer alto­gither die, or be dried vp: for his giftes giuen to such, are without repentance Rom. 1.29. They shew also by the other addi­tion, of flowing out of their bollies, that they will not be smothered and kept in within the bellies of the beleeuers owne selfe, whatsoeuer the state of the time be wherein hee liues. For they must flow out of their bellies; and therefore such must let their light shine be fore men, to the glo­rie of God, and good example and pro­fit of others, as Christ hath taught them Math. 5.16. Wherefore let the first of these lessons occasion euery one that is desirous to haue any comfortable assu­rance that this promise is made to him & appertaineth vnto him, to striue by al law­full and good meanes, to haue the sancti­fying giftes of the spirit, in such plentifull and abundant measure in him, that he may feele, and others finde by experience, that they may worthily be compared to [Page 337]riuers of water. And by the second let eue­ry such one also learne for the better certi­fying of his owne heart, that he is such an one indeed, that he must perseuere vnto the end, Math. 10.22. euermore brin­ging forth more fruite in hir age, as the tree planted in the house of God whereunto such are compared, Psal. 92.13.14. vseth to doe. For to the vnspeakable comfort of all such, the giftes and graces of the ho­ly spirit vndoubtedly accompanying their right comming vnto Christ, and belee­uing in him, are heere resembled vnto ri­uers of waters of life, not onely for that they come from the true fountaine of life, and will leade and guide the owner therof therunto, but also for that in such in whom they are once founde, they will neuer ey­ther wholly or finally faile or drie vp. As therefore such may be sure that the foun­dation of God remaineth sure, The Lorde knoweth who are his, 2. Tim. 2.19. so they may be by these fruites of the Spirit with­out hypocrifie founde in them, most cer­taine that according to Saint Peters coun­sell they haue ioyned vertue to their faith, and so consequently haue made their own election so sure vnto themselues (which [Page 338]alwaies before was sure with God) as that they shall neuer fall. For this is the indissoluble chaine of God, whereof one linke can neuer at all be seuered or sun­dred from an other after that but once the first two be coupled, whom he knewe be­fore and predestinated to be like to the image of his Sonne, and so elected in him before the foundations of the world, those he first calleth, then iustifieth, then sancti­fieth, and lastly glorifieth, Rom. 8.29.30. Ephe. 1.4. Whom therfore indeed we finde once by these riuers of waters of life sancti­fied, we may be out of doubt that thē God hath elected, called, and iustified, and that also them he wil glorifie. For this sanctify­ing spirit beareth witnes with their spirits, that they are the children of God, and so imboldneth them to cal vpon him saying, Abba Father, Rom. 8.15.16. and it is the holy Spirite of promise that sealeth them and is the earnest of their inheritance and redemption in Christ Iesus, Ephe. 1.13.14. Though therefore such to their own sence and feeling, and perhaps also in the conceit of others, may haue not onely these graces of the Spirite more eclipsed at one time than at another, yea may thinke that they [Page 339]are quite dried vp and vanished: yet foras­much as whom God once loues, (as doub­tlesse he doth all them whom once truely he doth thus qualifie he) loues to the end Iohn. 13.1; let all such be most firmelie re­solued that this is but the better to humble them, and to prouoke them, when they finde these graces reuiued in them againe, to worke out their owne saluation with the more trembling and feare, because he that hath begunne this good work in them, will neuer giue it ouer vntill he haue brought it to perfection; and he it is that will worke in them both the will and the deede of his good pleasure. Phil. 1.6. & 2.12.13. For such haue the infal­lible markes of Christes elect and cho­sen sheepe, whereof he himselfe most plainelie teacheth, that it is impossible that any shoulde eyther take them out of his handes, or that any of them should finallie perish. Matth. 24.24. and Iohn. 10.28. The reason is, that they are kept by the power of God through faith, to saluation. 1. Peter. 1.5. In­deede meete it is and verie needefull, that such that once haue attained to the graces & giftes of the Spirit, to be as riuers [Page 340]of waters of life in them that they should doe what they may possiblie to nou­rish and increase the same, and they are to knowe that if they doe fayle in doing of their duetie in this behalfe, that they are worthilie caused to see and feele to the greate griefe of their soules, the decaye thereof; yea that they haue done as much as lies in them, vtterly to lease them and to prouoke GOD to be their enemie: and therefore they are most earnestlie to repente their negligence and carelesnesse in this pointe. But yet the force of this Metaphore, these places and a number moe in the Scrip­tures, that are as pregnant to this pur­pose, most plainely showe that when thus it falles out with such, that yet in the goodnesse of GOD towardes them this their sence, feeling, and the iudge­ment of others prooue no stronglier that these giftes of the Spirite are quite gone in them indeede, than the eclipsing or hiding away of the sunne from our eies by foggie mistes or cloudes at noone daies, the raking vp of the fire when there is store thereof in the ashes, the not stirring of a liue and strong childe [Page 341]in the mothers wombe at all times a like, or the not appearing of leaues and fruite vpon quicke trees in an orcharde in the deepe of winter, proue that there is no Sunne in the firmament, no fyre on the harth, no childe in the wombe, or that then there is no sappe in the roote of the trees. As therefore when neyther the moone, fogges, nor cloudes are betwixt vs and the Sunne, it will appeare and shine againe; as when the ashes are remoued, and the coles hid thereunder are blowne againe, ther­of may growe as greate a fire as euer before; as when the childe stirreth againe, though it haue life without motion a greate while before, the mother con­ceiueth as certaine hope that she is with childe as euer before; and as when the spring time commeth, there will be both leaues and fruite vpon the trees in the orchard that seemed deade be­fore in the winter: so is it in this case, when GOD shall remooue the lettes and causes (as most certainelie he will aswell in this, as in these o­ther we see naturallie and common­lie they are) then the brightnesse, heat, [Page 342]motion and liuelinesse of his Spirite, shall and will in his appeare againe.

But then the better and the more easilie that they may finde this to be thus, lastly I woulde haue all such to remember that it is not inough that to their owne sence, and in their owne con­ceites they haue these giftes of the Spi­rit as riuers of waters of life: but that if they be such indeede as heere are pro­mised, and therfore are performed to all that come vnto Christ and beleeue in him, that they must flowe out of their bellies. Where by their bellies, we are to vnderstand, as Augustine hath well noted in his 32. tract vpon Iohn, the bellie of the inner man, which, as he there telles vs, is the cōscience of the heart. And as there also he saith, this flowing of riuers of water out of the bellie of the inner man Beneuolentia eius est qua vult consulere proximo: si enim pu­tet quia quod bibit soli ipsi debet suffice­re, non fluit aqua viua de ventre eius; si autem proximo festinet consulere, ideo non siccat quia manat: that is, Is his bountifulnesse wherewith he will pro­uide for the good of his neighbour: for [Page 343]if he thinke that that which hee hath drunke must but serue himselfe, the water of life flowes not out of his bel­lie; but if he make hast to doe good to his neighbour, it drieth not vp, and that because it floweth. For as Christ hath taught vs by the parable of the Talents, Matth. 25.4. &c. in no case we may conceale or hide the Talentes that he bestowes vpon vs, but vse them we must to his best aduantage; for otherwise they shall bee quite taken from vs: whereas if we laye them forth, and vse them to the gaine of him that bestowed them, they shall not onelie be increased, but in the ende we shall haue a moste comfor­table rewarde. Pseudonicodemits then, whatsoeuer the time and place bee where and when we liue, wee may at no hande bee: that is, for feare of the Iewes or Pharisies, we may not be such as dare with Nichode­mus come stealinge to Christ by night onelie, Iohn. 3.1. For Christ moste plainelie hath tolde vs, Mark. 8.38. That whosoeuer he bee that will be ashamed of him and of his [Page 344]wordes amongest an adulterous and sinne­full generation, he will be ashamed of him in the glorie of his Father. As therfore we beleeue with the heart to righteous­nesse, so Saint Paule teacheth vs, that we must confesse with our mouthes to sal­uation, Rom. 10.10. For where true and liuelie faith is indeede, there it wil make her owner to be at the same pointe that the Psalmist was, whatsoeuer come of it, when he saide, I beleeued, and therefore haue I spoken, Psal. 116.10. And likewise where true faith is, as it worketh immediatelie with GOD in heauen, for the iustification of her ow­ner, through Christ Iesus, so streight also, and so thenceforth it setteth the heart of her owner so on fire with loue both towardes God, that in his Christ hath so tenderly loued him, and towardes man for his sake, that thence he is most carefull that such workes and wordes may flowe as both shall and may giue a liuelie testimonie thereof both to God & man. For all such haue with Saint Paule learned, that by Christ they are redeemed from all iniquitie, and purged to be a peculi­er people vnto himselfe, zealous of good [Page 345]workes. Tit. 2.14. Thus if these riuers of waters of life flow out of our bellies, then, and not else, we may be sure we are come vnto Christ, and haue drunke of him to eternall life. Whiles then we teach thus (as no otherwise wee doe,) doe we set open any gappe of libertie or licenti­ousnes to our hearers, or are we in our doctrine any way enimies to good works, as our aduersaries slander vs? Nay doe we not as earnestly and vehemently, as they can for their liues, vrge men to doe them? Indeede we dare not teach them, when they haue done neuer so manie of them, in any case to make any peece of a sauiour, eyther of any thing they doe or suffer: because, as you haue heard, we learned out of the Scriptures, that that office so intirely and wholly is to be referred to Christ, that it may not be imparted or communicated, without an­tichristian robbing of him of that speci­all honour that belongs vnto him, to a­nie thing or person else. But yet not­withstanding, as now you heare, we most plainely teach, that none can haue any certaintie in himselfe (without which our faith is but a fruiteles wauering con­ceite [Page 346]that as yet he is in Christ and shall be saued vndoubtedlie for his sake, vn­till the power of him dwelling in him, truelie appeare by these fruites of the spi­rite, that are heere for their puritie, multi­plicitie, vtilitie, and continuance called ri­uers of water of life flowing out of the bellies of such. And therefore though we dare not with our aduersaries teach men, nor encourage men to doe good workes, either in part or in whole to earne, deserue, or merit heauen by, (which vnlesse we would say with them, we say nothing to this purpose) yet most cleare and eui­dent it is, that to that end we vse and vrge all the arguments that the Scriptures haue taught vs. For we beseech them by the mercies of God with Paule. Rom. 12.1. to giue vp their bodies a liuing sacrifice, holy and acceptable vnto God, in seruing him ac­cording to his word, and not according to the fashions of the world. For that by these ten­der mercies of God towardes vs in Christ Iesus, we that beleeue aright in him, are deliuered out of the hands of all our enemies, that we should serue him without feare, all the daies of our life, in holinesse and righte­ousnesse before him. Luke. 1.74.75. For in [Page 347]that this grace of God, that bringeth salua­tion vnto all men, hath appeared, it teacheth vs that we should denie vngodlines & worldly lusts, & that we should liue soberly, & righte­ously & godly in this present world. Tit. 2.11.12. Yea hauing rightlie laid hold of this grace, we say againe with the same Paule, That we are Gods workemanship created in Christ Ie­sus vnto good workes, which he hath ordained that we shoulde walke in Ephes. 2.10. Againe with Christ to this ende we say vnto all, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good workes and glorifie your Father which is in heauen. Matth. 5.16. and loue one another, as he hath loued vs: for by this shall all men knowe, that yee are his Disciples, Iohn. 13.34.36. And with Peter, we exhorte all men to ioyne vertue to their faith, to their vertue knowledge, to their know­ledge temperance, to their temperance, patience, to their patience godlinesse, and to that botherlie kindenesse and loue, so to make their election sure, 2. Peter. 1.5. & 6. With Iames also we crie and call vpon euerie one that maketh confession of faith, to shewe his faith by his workes, which if hee doe not, [Page 348]we as plainely tell him with the same Iames, that his faith is deade in himselfe. Iam. 2.17. &c. For the faith that auai­leth in Christ Iesus, as Paul hath taught vs, worketh by loue, not that loue is in the forme of faith (for how can one distinct vertue be the forme of an other) but that it is the inseperable companion of a liuely and sound faith. Neither are we negli­gent in often laying before our people Gods law and the true meaning there­of, both to teach them what good workes are, and to incite them to doe the same. Wherein we dare be bould to say we goe beyond our aduersaries, in leading men aright to good workes. For we vrge and shewe the lawe of GOD to be so perfect and absolute a rule of good workes, that it reacheth to the condemning of the first motions a­rising in our mindes to sinne, though they be not at all yeelded vnto and liked of, for that it calleth for the whole heart to be occupied onely in the things that please GOD, and that all sinne is condem­ned therein, and all vertue commended: whereas our aduersaries the papistes, holde the lawe to be so imperfect, that [Page 349]it condemneth not these first motions to sinne, and that there are a number of good workes, and as meritorious, that haue for their grounde but the traditi­ons and commandements of men, as ma­nie that are expresly commaunded by the law of GOD: forgetting belike that the law is so spirituall, that it made Paule to crie out of himselfe, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliuer mee from this bodie of sinne and death? Rom. 7.24. and that Christ most flatly hath said, that they worship him in vaine that teach for doctrines mens preceptes. Math. 15.9. We vse often to terrifie our hearers from ill workes, and from omitting of good, by making it manifest vnto them, by the iudgements of GOD therefore threat­ned and executed, that so to doe, is so daingerous, as that thereby they deserue all Gods heauie iudgments to be execu­ted vpon them both in this life, and in the life to come: and that vndoubtedlye they shall, if they repent not. Wherein also we goe further than these our aduer­saries: for they teach that a number of sinnes, euen for the littlenes thereof, are not deadly, or such as deserue damnation, [Page 350]which may easily be satisfied for and put away. Lastly we forget not to teach them what promises of reward God hath made to such as will carefully walke before him in holinesse and righteousnesse, both con­cerning this life, and that which to come; assuring them with Paule, That godlinesse is profitable vnto all thinges, and hath the promise hoth of this life present, and of that which is to come. 1. Tim. 4.8. wherein we goe so farre that also with Christ we con­fidently tell them, that they shall not lease their rewarde in heauen, no not of a cup of colde water bestowed aright in his name vpon any of his. Mat. 10.42. For though all that we doe or can doe, be infinitelie lesse than we owe to God and are bound to doe, ( for in many things we sinne all, Iam. 3.2.) yet all that approue themselues to be in Christ by walking not after the flesh but after the spirite in bringing forth the right fruites thereof, as Paule teacheth Rom. 8.12.13. &c. vndoubtedly for Gods promises sake in Christ Iesus, shall both heere and in heauen finde themselues and their workes so liberally rewarded, that they shal haue no cause to complaine, but rather to wonder at Gods most boun­tifull [Page 351]crowning of his owne blessinges and graces with further both heere and there. Thus then you see that though, when the question is in hande why men shall be saued, we dare sende them to no other meritorious cause thereof but one­lie to Christ, and the thinges done by himselfe for vs, because we know that his name is the one lie name whereby commeth saluation, Act. 4.12; yet when it is de­maunded who they are, which for Christes sake shall indeede be saued and so rest in Gods tabernacle, and for euer dwell vpon his holy hill, we are boulde to teach that none but they that, according to the time and occasion they haue after they be in him, proue themselues to be such by the riuers of water of life flowing out of their bellies, as you haue heard, and therefore are such as are described to that ende, Psalm. 15.2. &c. And beeing such, we counte it no presumption, but most com­mendable faith in them to be fully per­swaded (because they haue not one­lie Gods worde and promise generally offered vnto them, and particularly sealed in the administration of the worde and Sacramentes outwardlie; [Page 352]but also most effectually inwardly testifi­ed vnto their spirites by Gods owne Spirit by these newe fruites thereof, to ap­pertaine particularly vnto them, to ground this their perswation vpon) that for Christes sake vndoubtedly they shal be saued. These arguments therefore, we doubt not, will bee sufficient to moue and to perswade all that vnfainedly be the Lordes, euen of loue and thanke­fulnes towardes him for his vnspeak­able loue and mercies towardes them, to striue both day and night, by all pos­sible meanes, so to stirre vp the graces of the spirit in them, that indeede wor­thylie they may bee counted as Riuers of waters of life flowing out of their bellies.

Thus then at last (welbeloued in the Lorde) we haue hearde first, the cir­cumstances of a notable sermon made by Christ our Sauiour himselfe, as where, when, vpon what occasion, and in what manner he made it; name­lie at Hierusalem, in the temple, in and vpon the last and most solemne day of the feast of Tabernacles, to draw them that were there, from their owne vaine [Page 353]superstitions that led them from him to himselfe, vttered by him standing, and that with a crying voice. Secondly you haue heard that he spoke therein to all that be thirstie, and to none else, that is to all that are truely broken and contrite hearted vnder the burthen of their sinnes, and so earnestly long for redemption and deliue­rance from the same. Thirdly you haue heard that he commaunded such, what, to ease them of this their spirituall thirst, they shoulde doe; and that that was, and is, first to come vnto him, that is to know and acknowledge him what he is in person and office, and then to drinke of him, that is, rightlie to beleeue in him, and so thereby to make him, with all the mercies of God prouided for mans saluation in him, their owne: which they hauing done, lastly you haue heard that he promiseth all such that his Spirit in them all should be as ri­uers of water of life flowing out of their bellies, which was not, nor had not beene as yet then; because when Christ made this sermon, hee was not yet glorified. And in handling of all these, withall you haue beene shew­ed what we are to learne euerie one of [Page 354]vs thereby, both ministers and people, which haue beene such and such and so manie good thinges, as that if we haue heard as we ought to doe, we haue all of vs (I hope) euen sufficiently to our saluation, learned both howe to beleeue and how to liue to be saued. For first we haue beene taught howe by the lawe we are to be humbled and throwne downe, that we may be fit patients for Christ Ie­sus secondly we haue heard by the Gos­pell, how we are to rise againe and to recouer a better standing than euer we had in the first Adam, by knowledge and faith of the second, Christ Iesus our Lord and Sauiour. For we haue beene shewed how the Spirit of God by the mi­nistrie of the worde and Sacramentes through this faith of ours, grounded v­pon sounde knowledge, vnites Christ Iesus himselfe and vs togither, though after a spirituall manner, yet most truelie and effectually to our saluation, and the contrarie doctrine hath at large bene con­futed. And by the way it hath most plainely beene laide before vs, howe we ought to be qualified both in faith and manners, both in hearing of the [Page 355]worde and in the vse of the Sacraments, that thereby still we may growe vp in the house of GOD in Christ Iesus to be perfect men, and acceptable in the sight of his heauenlie father. Lastlie, by the viewe of the promise we haue beene (I trust) thorowlie taught what manner of liues we ought to leade, as long as we liue, after that once we bee got to be in Christ Iesus indeede, in all true holinesse and righteousnesse. God therefore of his infinite mercie for our Sauiour Christ Iesus sake giue vs grace so to imprint all these thinges in our harts, that to his owne glorie to the edifying of all others, amongest whom wee shall liue, and to the euerlasting com­fort of our owne soules we may euerie one of vs that haue nowe hearde these thinges, both vnfainedlie beleeue and liue alwaies accordinglie. Nowe God the Father, God the Sonne, and God the holie Ghost, three persons and one GOD, to whome be ascribed all ho­nour, praise, and glorie nowe and for euer, be with all our soules and bodies, to blesse, preserue and keepe vs so in [Page 356]both this way, that wee all of vs li­uing and dying may keepe a steddie and streight course therein vntill hee vouchsafe to take vs all hence to be heires of his eternall and euerlasting kingdome. Amen. Amen.