IN this parcel of Scripture here is brought vnto you (Christiā audience) an high message from an high and mighty prince, of an high matter, and of weighty im­portaunce. Concerning the which message three thin­ges I haue principally to notifie vnto you, by order of the letter as it lyeth▪

• 1.
  The first di­uision.
  FIrst beginning with him who is the sender of this message.
• 2. Secondly, to speake of them, which be the messengers.
• 3. Thirdly, to shew, what is the message it selfe here sent vnto vs.

As touching the first, S. Paule,The sender of the message. to prepare and stirre vp the mindes of the Corinthians to more attention, expresseth first the person and authour of this message, in whose name he commeth, say­ing: In the name of Christ we come as Ambassadors &c. [Page] In the name (sayth he) of Christ. Wherin we see the wordes of Christ our Sauiour rightly accompli­shed: wherin he prophecying before of this his A­postle and messenger, speaketh to Ananias in this wise, saying: Vade, quoniam vas est mihi electionis, &c. Goe to him, for he is an elect vessell to me, to beare my name before the Gentiles and Kinges, and before the chil­dren of Israell. Actes. 9. Actes. ix.

The Apostles doe all thinges in the name of Christ.In like maner the other Apostles also when soeuer they come, either shewing whose seruants they be, or to teach any doctrine, or to worke mi­racles, euer they beare the name of Christ before them. With him they begin, and with him they end. Now, if messengers or ambassadors which come from earthly princes and potestates in this world, are commonly estemed and reputed accor­ding to the estate of them which send them, and especially if the matter bring with it any face of temporall commoditie, men are wont right glad­ly to receaue thē. How much more then ought we to be moued with this heauenly and most ioyfull legation directed vnto vs, not from any terrene Prince or Lord, but frō the King of Kinges, and Prince of all Princes, especially touching such à benefite here sent and offered vnto vs by him, of such speciall & singular effect, that without it no earthly thing in all y^e world can make vs happy, and hauing it nothing can make vs miserable.

Let me tell you à story, which I remēber was done about y^e beginning of Quene Maries raigne, an. 1554. There was à certain message sent, not from heauen, but from Rome: not from God, but frō the Pope: not by any Apostle, but by à certain [Page 2] Cardinal, who was called Cardinal Poole, The Popes Legacie into England. Lega­tus a latere, Legatus natus, à Legate frō the Popes owne white side, send hether into England.Card. Poole the Popes Legate.

This Cardinall Legate first comming to Do­uer, was honorably receiued & brought to Grene­wich: where he againe being more honorably re­ceaued by Lordes of high estate, and of the priuy Counsell (of whom some are yet aliue) was con­ducted frō thence to y^e priuy staires of the Quenes Court at Westminster, no lesse person then King Philip him selfe waiting vpon him and receauing him, and so was brought to the Queenes great chāber, she then being, or els pretending, not to be well at ease.Ste. Gardiner B. of Wine. Steuen Gardiner the Bishop of Win­chester, & Lord Chaūcellor of England, receiuing this noble Legate in the King and the Queenes behalfe, to cōmend and set forth the authoritie of this Legate, the greatnesse of his message, & the supreme maiesty of the sender, before the publicke audience of the whole Parlament at that time assembled, there [...]enly protested with great so­lemnitie of word [...] what à mighty message & of what great importaunce was then brought into the Realme, euen the greatest message (sayd he) that euer came into Englād: and therfore desired them to geue attentiue & inclinable eares to such à famous legation, sent from so high authoritie.

Well, and what message was this? Forsooth, that the Realme of England should be reconciled againe vnto their father the Pope: that is to say, that the Queene with all her nobilitie and sage Counsell, with so many learned Prelates, discrete Lawyers, worthy commons, and y^t whole body [Page] of the Realme of England, should captiue thē sel­ues, and become vnderlings to an Italian straun­ger, and frierly Priest sitting in Rome, which ne­uer knew England, neuer was here, neuer did or shal do Englād good.Ste. Gardiners mighty mes­sage sent to England frō Rome. And this forsooth (said Gar­diner) was the greatest ambassage, the weigh­tiest Legacie that euer came to England: forget­ting belike either this message of God sent here by his Apostles vnto vs: or els because he saw it made not so much for his purpose as did y^e other, he made the lesse accompt thereof.

Well then, & will we see what à weighty mes­sage this was that Gardiner so exquisitely cōmen­deth? First, the sender is gone, the messenger is gone, the Queene is gone, and the message gone, and yet England standeth not à rushe the better. Of which message I thus say, answering againe to Gardiner, per inuersionē rhetoricam, that as he sayth, it was the greatest, so I say againe, it was the lightest legacie, the most ridiculous trifle, and most miserablest message, of al other y^t euer came, or euer shall come to England, none excepted, for vs to be recōciled to an outlandish priest, & to sub­mit our neckes vnder à forrein yoke. What haue we to do more with him, then with y^e great Caly­pha of Damascus. If recōciliation ought to folow, where offences haue risen: the Pope hath offen­ded vs more then his cofers are able to make vs amendes. We neuer offended him. But let the Pope with his reconciliation and Legates goe, as they are already gone (God be thāked) and I beseech God so they may be gone, that they neuer come here again. Englād neuer fared better then [Page 3] when y^e Pope did most curse it. And yet I heare whispering of certaine priuy reconcilers,The Popes priuy reconci­lers secretly creeping in corners. sent of late by y^e Pope, which secretly creepe in corners. But this I leaue to thē that haue to do withall. Let vs againe returne to our matter.

We then hauing this Legation sent to vs, not frō the Pope, but euē from our Lord & God: not by any Cardinall of Rome, but by the elect vessell of Christ, the Apostle S. Paule and other Apostles: let vs attend with reuerence, first to him that sen­deth, then to the messengers y^t be sent vnto vs, re­membring how Raab the harlot receaued y^e mes­sengers of Moses and was preserued:Iosue. xxvj. remembring also the wordes of our Sauior: He that heareth you, Luke. x. heareth me: and he that despiseth you, despiseth me. &c.

Wherefore, considering with our selues (good Christian audience) the high maiestie of this our supreme prince the sender of this message, being not onely our head & king annointed, but which also of loue gaue his life and bloud as this day to be spent for our redemption: let vs for our partes, if we be his subiectes, marke what our prince re­quireth: let the flocke heare what the Pastor tea­cheth: the body what y^e head speaketh: the spou­sesse, what the spouse sendeth. And thus much touching the sender of the message.

Now what these messengers be,The messen­gers. and who they are: the Apostle proceding further in the letter, thus inferreth: We (saith he) be sent as messengers. &c. speaking not of him self alone, nor of Peter alone, nor of any Apostle one more then an other, but iointly ioyning thē all in one office & calling toge­ther, without difference of degree or singularitie [Page] of person, he saith: We be sent as messengers or Apostles: For so signifieth y^e name of Apostolus, Apostolus, what it signi­fieth. as much to meane as à messenger or à Legate sent. Where is to be noted by the way, y^t this nominatiue [Nos] in the pluratiue nūber is not here to be expoūded after y^e stile of Rome: Stylus Roma­nae Curiae. For Stylus Romanae Curiae, or rather [...] Romanae Curiae, the swelling stile of the court of Rome, vseth commonly when any Mandate, Breefe, or Sentence is geuen, thus to say: Nos Willielmus pro tribunali sedētes. &c. Nos Edmundus, Roberto Cluney literato. &c.

So y^e Bishop of Rome directing forth his pre­ceptes or Buls, neuer speaketh in other nūber, but Mandamus, The Pope will needes be singular, & yet disdaineth to speake in the singular num­ber. Statuimus, Ordinamus, & Volumus. And although he be but one singular person that speaketh, and such as will needes be singular a­lone aboue all others: yet disdaineth he to speake in the singular nūber, but alwayes vseth the plu­rall, to expresse belike, his Regale sacerdotiū. Who because he feeth great Kinges & Emperours fre­quent this trope of writing and speaking, least he should seeme in any point inferior to them, or not to speake as bigge as they for their liues, vseth therefore the same regall or imperiall phrase of speach,Os loquens grandia. with his Mandamus, & volumus. &c. when as Christ in the Gospell is content to say: Manda­tum nouum do vobis: not damus vobis. &c. But if the Pope will not follow the humilitie of Christ in the Gospell, let him beware he followe not the swelling Tode in Aesopes Fables: who seing the great Oxe, and disdaining, that y^e Oxe should be bigger then he, swelled him selfe so bigge, that at length he swelled him self out of his own skinne. [Page 4] But let the Popes courtly stile passe, which as it is à thing but puft vp with the winde of pride, so let it vanishe away with the winde also.

This is certaine, that S. Paule in these wordes, We come as messengers. &c. meaneth no such matter: to signifie either him selfe alone, or Peter alone,No singulari­tie among the Apostles. or any other of the Apostles singularly: but ioyntly cōprehendeth the whole fellowship of the blessed Apostles together, and declareth, that they all to­gether ioyned in one commission, are sent in the behalfe and name of Christ, as Legates or mes­sengers, and not onely to these Corinthians, to whom here he writeth, but inclusitiuely to all o­ther wheresoeuer either collected or dispersed in the whole world, according as it was enioyned them by the Lordes owne speciall cōmission, say­ing: Goe into the whole worlde, Mark. xvj. and preach this Gospell or glad message to euery creature. Whosoeuer beleueth and is baptised, shall be saued.

Well, and what shall we then say? Did this message of the Apostles cease with the end of the Apostles? or did the preaching thereof extend no farther, but during the cōtinuance of their time? Yes verily: for he which then set them on worke, and sent thē in this message,Posuit in no­bis sermonem reconciliatio­nis. putting in their mouth the word of reconcilement, is the same Lord which li­ueth still, and ceaseth not to send messengers in­to his Church frō time to time: Some Apostles, some Prophets, some Euangelistes, some teachers and instructers, Ephe. iiij. some with one gift, some with an other,Christ neuer ceaseth sending messengers to the edifying of his Church. and all for the edifying of his people, to haue the message of his Gospell continued in the world, which still shall be continued, so long as his Church shall en­dure: [Page] for he can not, nor will not totally & finally forsake his Church, which is his kingdome.

False messen­gers.But as it then happened in the Apostles time, there crept in with them certaine Pseudolegati, false Apostles, & sinister teachers, which confoū­ding together the lawe with the Gospell: Moses with Christ: mans merites with mercy: confi­dence in workes with Gods free grace and pro­mises, laboured to peruert the course of this bles­sed message sent to vs by the mouth of the Apo­stles: so hath there not lacked since that time in the Church, some Pseudocatholici and false tea­chers, not sent of God to do his message, but cre­ping in craftily to lead à loytring life, some impu­dent, some negligent, some ignoraunt and blinde, hauing a zeale of God, Rom. x. but not after knowledge, as S. Paul saith, some preaching them selues, some preaching for benefices and promotions, some teaching be­fore they haue learned, some speaking that they know not, nor hauing experience whereof they speake, some also plaine enemies to the crosse of Christ, and subuerters of his heauenly message: of which sort we haue had heretofore to much expe­rience of late yeares when the Pope had the lea­ding of this Church of England.

But blessed be the God of all consolation, & fa­ther of our Lord Iesus, who hath visited vs frō an high with such mercy and grace, and hath rai­sed vp such ministers and messengers of his holy grace and Gospell to his Church, which so con­stantly accord and tune in one string together, to set forth the liuely message and truth of Christes Gospell vnto you. Which you dayly doe heare. [Page 5] Which as it doth me good to see, so doe I most hartily reioyce from the bottome of my hart and soule, and prayse God with my harty thankes therfore. And yet neuerthelesse, to speake the sim­ple truth touching the present state of this our ministery, if I should say y^t nothing therein were à misse, I should in deede blaunch and flatter to much. For who seeth not that many this day en­ter into y^e ministery, not as Gods messengers sent vpon any message frō him, but winding in them selues by hooke or crooke, or by some compound way,The ministery not cleare from abuses. parting halfe stakes as it were betwene their patrons & them, and hauing either no arte to finde thē, or no minde to labour, make à trade of liuing of the ministery, more to liue at ease, then to labour in Gods message.

Many other abuses might be here recited, but I am not at this time to complaine of any: but onely to preach Christ Iesus crucified vnto you. And if there be any thing in them further to be complained of, I leaue it either to the ministers thēselues, or to their patrons that receaue them, or to their Bishops which induct them, to looke vpon it. But to our purpose: they that will be the true messengers of God, let them well consider what their office is, whose messengers they are, and do their message faythfully.

The office of ministers was wont in the time of barbarous Popery, to be counted Orare, The office of ministers. Predi­care, Sacrificare, to pray, to preach, and to sacrifice. But they which allotted those offices to the mi­nistery, thought be like to bring in the Aaronicall, [Page] or Leuiticall priesthoode againe, with their pray­ing for the sinnes of y^e people, & offring continuall sacrifice for the same. As for prayer which they call [Orare] Orare. I take that office as common to all Christen men, & not onely appropriate to the mi­nistery, to pray I meane for sinnes. And as tou­ching [Sacrificare] Sacrificare. if they meane therby to sacri­fice Christes body for sinne: that office onely ap­pertaineth to Christ, and to none other. But we which are entred now into the new Testament, and are past from shadowes to the body, from le­gall significations, to spirite and truth, following the direction of Christes commission in his Gos­pell,Praedicare. do say with S. Paule, that the principall office of the ministers of the new Testamēt is, laborare in verbo & doctrina, j. Tim. v. that is, by worde and doctrine to do Gods message, and to preach to the people, sermonem quem posuit in illis, vel quem proposuit illis Deus, the word which God hath put in their mouthes, or which he hath left vnto them by his Apostles. Although beside this,Diuers thin­ges incident to the office of ministers. diuers other duties are incidēt to the order of ministers, as to minister y^e Sacramētes, to pray, to offer thankesgeuing, to reproue, to cō­fort, to lay on handes, to excommunicate. &c. yet the principall end which chiefly concerneth the ministers of the new Testament, is, by preaching repentaunce and the glad message of the Gospell, to bring all mē to the obedience of Christes fayth, for remission of sinnes.

And thus much cōcerning the function of mi­nisters, whose office is (as you haue heard) to be messengers or Ambassadours of Christ, in dispen­sing [Page 6] the mysteries of his worde. Now,The message sent, what it is. touching the message that is sent by them vnto vs, let vs consider what followeth by the text. The wordes be these: ‘Euen as God desiring you by vs, we pray you, for Christes sake, or in Christes behalfe, that you will be reconciled vnto God. &c.’

Here now cōmeth in the ioyfull message and glad tidinges of the Gospell, which S. Paule cal­leth Sermonem reconciliationis, Sermo recon­ciliationis. the worde of recōcile­ment. Wherein is to be explaned vnto you in or­der and distinctly, first what this reconcilement is, betwene whō it is, by whō it cōmeth, with all such things as wel going before, as which folow after it. But first, for somuch as the preaching of reconciliation importeth à variaunce or diuision betwene God and vs going before: let vs some­thing entreate of the same, & put you in remem­braunce of that miserable thraldome wherewith we were once oppressed, lying vnder the greuous wrath of God (which in my minde is much nede­full of all Christen mē throughly to be cōsidered) and compare y^e same to y^e state which we are now called vnto.Variaunce be­twene God and man, con­sidered. For els how shal we reioyce at Gods grace, if we feele not before his iudgement? or what thankes can they geue for the gift, which neuer vnderstand what lacke they had? what passeth he for heauē, which feeleth no hel? or who careth for the Phisition, but he that is sicke?

And though I know there be à good sort of godly mourning soules in Sion, which lye gro­ning [Page] vnder the feare of Gods heauy indignatiō,Preaching of Gods feare necessary in these dayes. and neede rather with boldnesse to be refreshed, then with more feare to be deiected: yet notwith­standing for somuch as the greater sort common­ly haue their cogitations otherwise occupied, some not touched with any sorrow, some not exa­mining their cōsciences nor feeling their wound, some not tasting any hell, some not caring for any God, to helpe therfore such senselesse soules, and to rouse them à little out of their carelesse sleepe of securitie, let vs enter into some consideration of our damnable and cursed state,The miserable state of man without Christ. wherin all we once did & yet do stand by nature, all such (I say) as are not yet recōciled in Christ. For what cā be more greuous and horrible then the creature to be sundred and parted from the grace and good will of his creator & maker? to lacke his protecti­on? to sustaine his wrath? to be outlawed from our owne countrey of Paradise, where we were first created? to be cut from him, without whom nothing can do vs good, & we good for nothing? For if all goodnesse be in him, what cā be without him but that is euill? If life leaue vs, what remai­neth but death? If God forsake vs, what recea­ueth vs but the deuill, author of all mischiefe and fountaine of all calamitie? Of whose miserable dominion ouer vs, we haue felt and tasted to much already.

Man in his most felicitie in this world, is but a mise­rable thing.Now take à man in all his abundance of ri­ches, treasures, & pleasures, florishing in hys most felicitie, brauery, and prosperitie: let him be, if ye will, an other Polycrates of this world, what is he [Page 7] of him self but à carcas, à caitife, à subiect of sathā, à pray to death, reioysing and laughing in thys world, but yet as one y^t laugheth in his dreame, & waketh in sorrow, fraught full of feares & cares of minde, blinde in soule, not knowing to day what will happē to morrow, voyde of all inward rest and peace of conscience, mortall, mutable, mi­serable, wrapt in wretchednesse, prone to all wic­kednesse, whose beginning is in trauaile, his stā­ding vncertaine, his end is corruption: briefly as one liuing in death, & dead being aliue. For how is he aliue, that is dead to God?Math. vij. Let the dead (saith our Sauiour) goe bury the dead. &c. speaking of thē which liued, and yet to God were dead. And how cā we be els but dead to God, except we be brought and reconciled by Christ to God?

And yet for all this, such is our dulnesse that ei­ther we feele not what it is to lacke the Lorde, or our wilfulnesse such, that we care not for that we lacke. But how soeuer it be, that either we will not or cā not see, the end of all thinges declareth what à miserable thing it is the creature to be di­uided from his creator.Mā cast away from God. In whom as euery thing hath his being: so not to be in him is to be in dede nothing: whom once we had, afterward loste him, and in losing him, haue loste with him all thinges. By creation first we had him, by trans­gression afterward we lost him, and all through the meanes of our great [...] Adam: who by his disobedient presumption brought this wofull diuision betwene God and vs.Diuision be­twene God and man by Adam the first man. Whereupon hath ensued all this rufull ruine of the whole creature [Page] and nature of man, being secluded from Gods fauour and protection, and geuen ouer to death and to him that hath power of death, that is, to Sathan, which euer since hath had dominion ouer vs.

And thus may you see (good Christian audi­ence) the sorrowfull state and condition of man­kinde, fallen from his originall felicitie, wherin he was first planted, not into à pecke of troubles, but into à hell full of all miseries, into vtter deso­lation,Originall sinne. and destruction, death & damnation, and all through y^e transgression of one. Out of whose roote first springeth this publike infection of our nature which we call originall sinne, prone to all corruption, destitute of grace and righteous­nesse, and voide of all goodnesse: which originall cancker hanging in our fleshe, draweth vs from God and all goodnesse. Wherof S. Paule in hys letter to the Romanes, complaineth thus and sayth: That he knoweth and feeleth that in him, that is to say, in his flesh there is no goodnesse dwelling. &c. And againe, where he sayth: I see an other law in my mem­bers rebelling against the lawe of my minde, captiuing me. &c. Rom. 7. Rom. vij. Rom. vij. And this originall sinne is called Pec­catum in nobis inhabitans, sinne dwelling or lurking in vs. &c. Wherby we haue to vnderstand, that be­side our outward actions which burst out into opē sinne, there lurketh also inwardly in the bot­tome of our nature à priuy fomes, à breeder of sinne, an originall infection, or (as we may call it) à priuy sparcle of the Serpentes seede, infecting our nature, and drawing vs from all heauenly [Page 8] disposition, to all earthly concupiscence.

Which lurking infection in vs,The Papistes extenuate ori­ginall sinne. although it seeme but à small matter to many, and espe­cially to the Papistes, who vse to much to exte­nuate it, and to make light thereof: yet we must vnderstand that in Gods sight it appeareth à mighty matter, passing all other sinnes:Originall sinne no small matter in Gods sight. who not onely looketh vpon our outward and manifest transgressions which we dayly committe against his lawe, but also considereth the person especial­ly, and the crooked nature inwardly infected within vs (out of which issue forth these outward transgressions) and so punisheth the same with no lesse penalty then the outward sinnes against the law committed.Similitude. Like as if à mighty hunter chasing the wilde Wolfe, and happening vppon the Wolfes denne, findeth there the yoūg Wolfe­linges which as yet neuer did no rauen: yet because of the same nature lurking in them, he vseth them no otherwise then he doth the olde: Euen so let euery man repute him selfe as tou­ching hys first byrth and outward man, as he originally descendeth of Adam, to be execrable vnto God, and not onely hys outward euill do­inges,The nature of man odible to God before he begin to sinne, but also hys inward nature and very per­son before he beginne to worke, to be odious vn­to hym.

Which being well expended and weyed in our mindes, let vs then cast with our selues in what à miserable perplexitie and wretched case we sin­full creatures were & yet are, so many as be not yet reconciled againe in Christ. For what can be [Page] more miserable then man to be vnder the heauy wrath and displeasure of hys God (as I sayd) the creature to be diuided from hys creator, the pot or vessell to be displeasaunt or in hatred with the potter? For what are we els, but as earthen pots in the handes of our God, which formed and cre­ated vs?

Variaunce a daungerous thing in all states, but be­twene God and man most greuous.Now if variaunce and debate breede such daungers and mischiefes amōgest the creatures themselues wheresoeuer it commeth: what is to be thought of that discorde which is betwene the sely creature and the creator him selfe? In à com­mon wealth we see what à wofull state there is, where the Prince with his nobles,Discorde de­cayeth all thinges. or the nobles with the commons can not agree. What à hell is in that house, where the husband and wife liue to­gether in continuall iarre? or who can abide to liue in that Citie, where the Citizens through ci­uill dissentiō are disseuered in sides among them selues, one fighting against an other? The con­sent of Musicke may teach vs, what an amiable thing to nature it is to tune in one agreement of concorde, and how contrary to nature discorde soundeth.Life standeth in concorde. In the body both of man and beast, where the elementall qualities and humors doe not concorde together in due proportion and con­ueniencie, life there can not consist. Briefly, if the wrath of à terrene King in thys earth,The wrath of God, and the wrath of a king cōpared. be death (as the wise King speaketh in the Scripture): what is it then to be vnder the wrath of the al­mighty King of all Kinges, and God of all creatures?

And vnder this wrath of our Lorde and God, all we mortall wretches for sinne in vs (which God created not, but hateth in vs) were wofully wrapped (and as the Scripture speaketh) Era­mus natura filij irae: We were by nature the children of wrath. &c. enemies to God, diuided and sundred from hym, and so continued à long time, euer since thys sinnefull nature first tooke place in vs. For sinne by nature gendreth wrath,Sinne y^e roote of all misery belonging to man. and prouo­keth iudgement: Iudgement by law ministreth death and damnation: with death entred the deuil, and with him heapes of infinite miseries and calamities. And in thys pickle lyeth man by nature, that is, all we that be Adams children. Let no man flatter him selfe, or thinke better of him selfe; that is, of hys owne originall nature, then is here declared. Neither is here declared any o­ther thing, then the Scripture it self concludeth, which concludeth vs altogether to be vnder sinne. All thinges concluded vn­der sinne. All our mouthes are stopped, and we destitute of the glory of God, standing all at his mercy and grace. Rom. 3. We haue all gone astray (sayth the Prophet Esay) euery man in his owne wicked way. Esay. 53.Esay. 53. Luke. 17.And are all vnprofitable seruantes (sayth Christ) yea, when we haue done the best we can. And if our best doinges be vnprofitable in the sight of God to saluation, where then shall our e­uill deedes become?

These premisses thus considered and conclu­ded by the Scriptures, as you haue heard: what shall we say (good Christian audience and belo­ued brethrē?) Shall we now dispayre, or is there no remedy, no hope nor helpe to be had? no true­ly [Page] in our selues, in our selues (I say) none, none at all. For the iust iudgemēt of God must needes haue hys course. Gods sentence once pronounced must needes procede. And as none of vs all was euer borne (Christ onely excepted) or is now li­uing, that carieth not y^e wound of originall sinne about hym: so is there none of vs all that possibly in him selfe can auoyde the sentence of Gods ter­rible iustice:Man by na­ture vnder malediction. but death and condemnation will needes procede agaynst vs, vnder which sentence and malediction we all, euery mothers sonne, as touching our selues, should haue perpetually con­tinued, had not à certaine deare good frend of ours, our singular good Lord and onely patrone, à mighty capitaine stept in betwene, who to kepe off the blowe from vs, bare the stroke of Gods heauy wrath on hys backe, and so deliuered vs frō death, being for vs slaine him selfe, and therby slewe all enmitie betwene God and vs, How benedic­tion and grace commeth in. pacifying by the bloud of his crosse, all thinges both in heauen and earth, and so hath purchased this blessed and happy re­conciliation betwene his heauenly father and vs earthly creatures.Ephe. 2. Colloss. 1.

The message of grace be­ginneth.And as he hath purchased it: so hath he sent ti­dinges of the same here by hys Apostle S. Paule, and by all hys other Apostles, all about, through­out the whole world, to euery creature. Where­of Esay thus speaketh, marueiling and reioysing at the comming of these messengers:Esay. 52. How faire (sayth he) be the feete vpon the mountaines, of him that bringeth tidinges, and preacheth peace, bringeth tidinges of good thinges, & preacheth saluation, saying to Sion: Thy [Page 10] God shall raigne. &c. Esay. 52. Which prophecy you see here verified by the preaching of these Apo­stles: and not onely by them, but by other also, whom Christ our Sauiour ceaseth not con­tinually from time to time to stirre vp in hys Church to be his messengers and Legates Apo­stolicall:Gods message to Londoners. who now comming to you also Londo­ners, as S. Paule dyd to the Corinthians, with the same wordes doe speake also to you saying: We pray you for Christes sake, that ye will be reconciled vn­to God. &c.

Whereby all mourning soules, where soeuer you are, or what soeuer you be, that labour and be burdened, may note for your comfort, how not onely the Lorde offreth himselfe ready to be re­cōciled, to you if you be willing:God offreth him selfe to be recōciled to vs. but also louing­ly and most gently sendeth forth hys seruantes to entreate you to be reconciled vnto him. As who would say: In God there is no let, but you may boldly come and be reconciled, whosoeuer desi­reth to be at peace with him: onely let there be no stay in you. Be you willing to be reconciled, and you shall speede: come and you shall be receaued, holde out your hand to take what he will geue, and you shall haue. What more can you desire? And yet moreouer to encourage you to come to hym, not onely he offreth him selfe ready at your sutes to be entreated, but also sendeth abroad hys messengers to entreate you, to come and be re­conciled to him.

And further, lest ye shoulde thinke those mes­sengers to come in their owne name, and so re­gard [Page] them the lesse, marke what S. Paule addeth moreouer,The Apostle adiureth vs in Christes name to be recōciled. how he not onely prayeth them, but al­so in à maner adiuring thē. We pray you (sayth he) pro Christo, for Christes sake, as though he woulde say: as you loue Christ, and will do any thing for hys cause which hath so dearely bought you, we pray you, not for our selues, but in the name of hym, that you will be reconciled vnto God.

And yet neither is thys also inough, which notwithstanding is so much as may make vs all to maruell at hys mercies. But marke moreouer the speach of the holy Ghost, and consider the ex­ceding tendernesse of y^e vnspeakeable benignitie of our God. We were the offenders, and he the partie that was offended: we his creatures, and he our maker: we the first breakers frō him, and yet all thys notwithstanding, such is the passing and more then fatherly richnesse of his grace, that he not onely offreth and sendeth vnto vs,God offereth, sendeth, inui­teth, yea pray­eth vs him self to be agreed with him. yea ad­iureth vs in hys owne sonnes name: but also, which is more then all that can be most, euen the same God prayeth vs, euen him selfe, euen vs I say, such misers and damnable wretches, that we will come and be agreed with hym: for so the tenour of our text in plaine wordes purporteth, where he sayth: Euen as God him selfe praying you by vs, we pray you for Christes sake, that you will be re­conciled vnto God. &c. Here is offending, and yet here is praying and praying againe. O gentle­nesse, O kindnesse. Man first began the diuisi­on: and God beginneth first the reconciliation. God prayeth, Christ prayeth, and the Apostle [Page 11] prayeth. Man offendeth and hath forfeited hys soule to the deuill, and yet is prayed. He that shoulde pray to be forgeuen, is prayed to be con­tent to be forgeuen. What shoulde we here say or thinke (welbeloued Corinthians here of Lon­don) but cry out with the wordes of Nazianzene: [...]:Nazianzen: [...]. that is: O the readinesse of Gods gracious loue: O the easinesse of hys exorable reconcile­ment. &c.

Although it be not in my vtterance,Gods graci­ous tendernesse to vs, conside­red. nor in no mortall tounge to expresse the fulnesse of these deepe & profound mysteries of spirituall thinges: yet by that as I could declare, somewhat you heard, and more may conceaue with your selues, first of the horrible wrath of God, and his district seueritie against sinne, with all such penalties, plagues, and punishmentes, due for the same, de­clared vnto you. After y^t you haue heard againe of the singular and superabundant greatnesse of his fatherly tendernesse toward vs, who so willing­ly, so kindly, not onely offreth his reconciliation, but also inuiteth vs, yea prayeth vs to be reconci­led to hym.

Now, what thys reconciliation is, and what great thinges come thereof, it followeth likewise to be considered. Which albeit can not so amply be described to you as it is in it selfe, yet by simili­tudes and examples partly it may be conceaued. For as we see in à worldly gouernment,Similitude. when any subiect is vnder the indignation and displea­sure of his prince, his state is miserable, his minde [Page] vnquiet, fraught full of feare, and dread, hys hart out of comfort, in hys life no safety, but he liuing like à dead man: briefly no calamitie lacketh, where the wrath of à Prince hangeth. But if the trespasse be pardoned, and displeasure remoued, then feare departeth, hope reuiueth, comfort com­meth, and life beginneth to looke vp. Euen so, or rather much more then so, it is betwene God and man. For so long as we were vnder wrath, there was nothing in man but death, dread, damna­tion, hell, malediction, the tyranny of Sathan, vnquietnesse: in summe, all the miseries of hell were heaped vpon the poore soule of man. But after it pleased the goodnesse of our God to turne from vs hys wrath,Gods reconci­liation cause of all mans feli­citie. and to receaue vs againe to fauour: now all is turned, our feare to hope: death to life: damnatiō to saluation: hell to hea­uen: malediction to blesse: the power of Sathā dissolued: care to comfort: and in summe, all the felicities, so many as Paradise can holde, do now belong to man.

But what should I set forth the high ampli­tude of thys heauenly reconciliation of our Lord by earthly similitudes, which by no comparison of man can be expressed? For in mans agreement, though the prince be recōciled neuer so well with the subiect, yet it may happen that the agreement may breake off againe shortly after. Againe, the reconcilement that is betwene man and man, is commonly but for that one trespasse which bred the variance: which being forgeuen, agreement cōmeth. So is it not betwene God and vs. Nei­ther [Page 12] is hys reconciliation so variable or incōstant as altereth by dayes or times:Reconciliation of God, what it is. but is the recea­uing of mankinde into the aeternall fauour and mercy of God, euen the same fauour which Esay the Prophet, Chapt. 54. speaketh of in these wordes, saying:Esay. 54. For a little moment of time I haue left thee, but in great mercies I will gather thee. In a moment of my indignation, I haue hid my face a while from thee: but in my euerlasting mercy, I haue pitied thee, sayth the redemer thy Lord. &c.

This reconciliation now to be defined,Reconciliation defined. is y^e re­ceauing againe of mā into the perpetuall fauour of God, purchased by Christ to all them, that by fayth and repentance come vnto hym. Which ae­ternall fauour of God, as we shewed before to be freely offred vnto vs: so now remaineth further to be explaned, what fauour this is, how it is per­petuall, by what cause it commeth, and to whom it belongeth. Touching the first,The fauour of God, what it is, and how it is perpetuall. to declare what fauour this is whereunto we are receaued, here is to be vnderstand by the meaning of S. Paule, thys fauour to bee that which is contrary to the wrath and malediction which went before for sinne. For as that malediction did threaten vnto vs aeternall reiection, vnder which we were and should perpetually haue cōtinued had it not bene stopped: so is thys reconcilement à receauing a­gaine into aeternall acceptation, which perpe­tually doth and shall continue for Christes sake, to all faythfull beleuers in hym. And this fauour I call perpetuall in respect of time: for that God promiseth neuer to remember, nor to impute our [Page] sinnes any more for Christes sake. Ieremy. 31. Ierem. 31. And hereof springeth the foūtaine of perpetuall remis­sion, promised in the xiij. chapter of the Prophet Zachary: Zach. 13. where he sayth: In that day shall be open to the house of Dauid, and to the dwellers of Ierusalem, a foū­taine to the clensing away of sinne, & menstrui. &c.

Where note how the Prophet sayth: In that day. &c. assigning not diuers and sundry dayes whē Christes body should be offred for sinne: but signifying that one day should come, when that Lambe and sacrifice which was slaine from the beginning of the world in Gods determination, and afterward was offered actually once and no more, should suffise to purge the sinnes and filthi­nesse of all the dwellers in Ierusalem, that is, of all such as retaine to him by faith.Christes body once offred for sinne, and no more. And thus haue you the cause of remission of sinnes to be onely the sacrifice of Christes body offred vp to God, not euery day, but in one appointed day, which we call good friday: for the which sacrifice sake God hath assured his promise to all & singular persons that shall come or seeke to hys sonne by fayth, to geue them free forgeuenesse, and neuer to remem­ber, nor impute their sinnes to them any more.

And herein standeth the difference betwene the Popes doctrine and ours. For he holdeth that the sacrifice of Christes body not one day, but euery day is to be offred for sinne. Contra­ry,Difference betwene the Popes doc­trine and the Scripture. we with the Scriptures affirme, remission of sinnes to be the effect onely of one cause, that is, of Christes bloud our Sauiour, sacrificed once on good friday vpon the Crosse (and neuer [Page 13] els) to take away all malediction of sinne for euer, as well for them that were before his passion, as them that should follow after. And that is it that the Scripture sayth:The Lambe slaine from the beginning, what it mea­neth. The Lambe to be slaine from the beginning of the world (and so is he slaine to the lat­ter end): meaning therby the vertue and power of that sacrifice to extend vniuersally to all times, to all men, and to all kinde of sinnes, from the be­ginning to the end of the world for euer: So that on Christes part,The cause of remission of sinnes on Christes part. the cause onely which worketh reconciliation and remission of sinnes, is hys one­ly death and bloudshedding once sacrificed actu­ally (and neuer els) vpon good friday.The cause of remission of sinnes on mans part. On our partes the cause onely y^t worketh thys reconcilia­tion and remission, and is of vs required, is not to offer vp thys body againe for à dayly sacrifice to God: but onely to beleue faythfully & obediently vpon him that was sacrificed for vs, & so by fayth to apply the merites of hys passion to vs. And to thys fayth God hath promised perpetuall remissi­on of our sinnes, according to the manifest testi­mony of the Scripture, where it is in y^e Actes of the Apostles thus expressed:Act. 10. That to him all the Pro­phets beare witnesse, all mē to receaue remission of sinnes by him, whosoeuer beleue in his name. &c. Againe, Acte. 16. Beleue in the Lord Iesus and thou shalt be saued, Act. 16. and thy whole house. &c. Peter & Paul say not: Offer Christes body for à dayly sacrifice to God: but, onely be­leue in him & thou shalt be saued. And thus much hetherto cōcerning recōciliation, what it is, how it is perpetuall, what is the onely cause thereof, and to whom it belongeth: wherof more shall be [Page] sayd (Christ willing) in further processe hereof.

Gods reconci­liation inclu­deth not onely remission of our sinnes, but also acceptati­on of the person of man.Now as touching thys reconciliation and fa­uour of God aforesayd, as it reacheth to the free remission of all men and to all tymes, as well be­fore as after: so moreouer this is to be added, and worthy to be noted, that not onely it reacheth to our sinnes, but extendeth to the acceptation of the nature and person also of man: so that through this reconcilement, not onely our sinnes are done away: but also y^e person of mā, which before was execrable vnto God, is now accepted, which before was odious, is now beloued, which be­fore was vnpure and vncleane, is now purified, regenerated, and chaunged as into an other per­son, and as ye would say, made à new man in the sight of God: not because the new life of à man maketh the man new in Gods sight: but because the man being first made new, and regenerated by reconciliation, bringeth forth afterward à new life.

And here commeth in that which we call re­generation,Regeneration. or new birth, not in being altered in­to any new bodily substance from that we were: but in being turned by reconciliation into à new state of fauour & grace, as who before were dead to God, damnable creatures, & children of wrath: but now are accepted, purged, and iustified from the malediction as well of originall sinne as actu­all: [...]an restored to the same fa­uour of God, which Adam had before his fall in paradise. which before times were separated frō God, but now restored againe to grace & fauour, euen the same fauour of God, wherein Adam stoode before hys fall in Paradise, and more to.

Of this regeneration we read in many places of the Scripture, which Scripture geueth vs to vnderstand thys our new regenerate byrth to be referred not so much to the outward actes of life, as chiefly to y^e person & nature of mā, altered and chaunged into à new state of grace & fauour with God by spirituall reconciliation, yea before he be­ginne to worke any good action. Whereupon af­terward follow the fruites of new life, which we call good workes, & are called good, not so much for the worthinesse of y^e action done, as for y^e wor­thinesse of the person the doer thereof, which is à faithful Christiā reconciled in Christ to God. And therof take good workes their goodnesse,Good workes why they are called good. being not onely accepted for good, but also imputed in Scripture sometimes to merite: as where Christ our Sauiour sayth: I was hungry and ye fedde me, I was in prison, and ye visited me: Come therefore and pos­sesse the kingdome. &c. Math. 25. Math. 25. Not that the va­lew of the worke deserueth that imputation, but that the worke is so imputed for the fayth of the person: for els let an infidell do the same,To the pure all thing is pure: But to the infidell all is sinne that he doth. or more to, and all is sinne that he doth. But let the Chri­stian do, be the thing neuer so simple, if it be good it is accepted, and if it be otherwise, yet is it re­mitted, so that in a briefe summe, the order of all thys standeth thus.Christ. Fayth. Reconciliati­on, or Iustifi­cation. First commeth Christ cruci­fied and offred for vs: with hym commeth fayth apprehending hym: with fayth ensueth reconci­liation or iustification, through y^e promise: wher­by man being reconciled vnto God (which be­fore was reiected) is made now à new creature, [Page] because he is set now in à new stocke: and this is called regeneration.Regeneration. After regeneratiō of the per­son (which is accepted for his fayth) foloweth thē the fruites of new obedience,New obedi­ence. which be accepted for the faythfull person:Acceptation of good workes. but because our new obe­dience is alwayes and in all men imperfect, and falleth many tymes into disobedience through frailty of flesh, for à remedy thereof followeth re­mission of sinnes.Remission of sinnes. And thus haue you the golden chaine of our saluation: First beginning with Christ:The golden chaine of salua­tion. then commeth fayth: fayth bringeth re­conciliation, or iustification: with it commeth regeneration: after which ensueth new obedi­ence, or mortification, with acception of good workes: Last of all commeth remission of sinnes and maketh all sure.

Touching which remission of sinnes,Remission of sinnes. here is further to be noted: First that thys remission is not onely of such sinnes as goe before Baptisme or regeneration, but also of all such which à man repenteth hym of with fayth, from the begin­ning till the end of hys life. Secondly is to be vnderstand, that thys remission is not onely for all actuall sinnes which man committeth, but also for originall sinne which nature bringeth. Thirdly, neither must we thinke thys remissi­on of the new Testament to be like to the remis­sion of sinnes practised in the olde law, which stoode by sacrifices. Wherin this difference there is: First that remission which was by sacri­fices, serued not for all sinnes, nor for such as were to come, but onely for such sinnes as were [Page 15] before the sacrifice: so that whensoeuer any new sinne followed, new sacrifices were required.Difference be­twene remissi­on of sinnes in the new Te­stament and in the olde. Secondly, that remission stoode onely for actu­all sinne, and not for originall. Thirdly, in that Legall or temporall remission is moreouer to be noted, that sacrifice for sinne was then but à thyng typicall, so that albeit the crime for which the sacrifice was offered was done away, yet the person notwithstanding remained still vnder death and the penalty of originall sinne pronoun­ced agaynst Adam and all hys posterity. Briefly in one word to conclude, betwene this remission of the new Testament and that of the olde, so much difference there is, as is betwene temporall thinges and aeternall. Of which difference let vs heare what the Prophet Iereme teacheth vs, say­ing: Behold the dayes shall come, saith the Lord, & I shall make a new couenaunt with the house of Israell, and the house of Iuda, not after the couenaunt which I made with their fathers whē I brought them out of Egypt with strong hand, and they transgressed my couenaunt, but this shall be the couenant that I will make with the house of Israell Af­ter those dayes, sayth the Lorde, I will geue my law within them, and in their hart I will write it, and I will be their God, and they my people &c. For I will haue mercy of their iniquities, and their sinnes I will neuer more remēber. &c. Ieremy. 31. Iere. 31.

By these wordes of y^e Prophet, if they be well marked, we haue to learne à manifest difference betwene the olde couenaunt, and the new: and what the grace is of the new Testament, especi­ally cōcerning remission of sinnes: which sinnes [Page] he saith shall neuer more be remembred, meaning that the day should come when God will set such à sacrifice for sinne, which shall geue à perpetu­all remedy for euer: so y^e although sinne shall nede dayly to be helped, yet no more sacrifices shoulde neede to be offered, but that one should serue and suffice for euer. Wherby we see remission of sinnes to stand otherwise now then it did then. For in the olde law although sinnes were purged after à sort, by sacrifices and bloud of beastes: yet that remission lasted not for euer, but for certaine tymes, so that new sinnes euer required new sacrifices.

Wherin apperaeth the pernitious abuse of the daily sacrifice of the Popes Masse,The sacrifice of the Popishe Masse consu­med. most false and contrary to all Scripture, vtterly subuerting the truth of Gods couenaunt and Testament. For if sinne shoulde neede dayly purgation by dayly sa­crificing, as it did before, what difference then make we betwene the new Testament and the olde, betwene the Christians and the Iewes? Or if Christes body once sacrificed for sinne can not serue except it bee dayly sacrificed for purgation therof, where is then this euerlasting reconcilia­tion taught by the Apostles? or where is thys ne­uer remēbring of our sinnes any more, promised by the Prophets? how is that wounde cured for euer, which euery day needeth à new plaster? Briefly,Heb. 10. how hath he made thē perfect with one oblatiō for euer which be sanctified, if Christ once offered suffice not, but euery day must be offered à fresh? what perfectiō is in that which euery day [Page 16] is new to begin? If sinne (malediction of sinne I meane) be not once taken away for euer, how thē hath Christ made vs perfect for euer? Heb. 10. Heb. 10. or how hath he found out aeternall redemption by once offering him selfe for vs? Heb. 9. For what is aeternall redemption els, but aeternall remissi­on of sinnes? Now, where remission of sinnes is, and y^e same remission aeternall, what nedeth any more hostes or oblations for sinne? as the Apostle plainly testifieth, saying: Vbi peccatorū est remis­sio, iam non est amplius oblatio pro peccato. i. Where remission of sinnes is, there is no more oblatiō for sinne. &c.

Let vs reason now then with these sacrificing Priestes of the Popes law, after their owne di­stinctions. A cōtinuall or dayly sacrifice, say they, must euer remaine in the Church. For what pur­pose, I aske? For remission of sinnes, say they. So had the Iewes in the olde law continuall and dai­ly sacrifices for remission of sinne remayning a­mongest them also. What difference is now be­twene the new Testament & the olde, if the daun­ger of sinne remaine in both Testamentes alike, to be done away by continuall reiteration of sa­crifices? Or if there must nedes be à differēce,The cause of doing away sinne discussed. let them shew what difference it is, or wherin it con­sisteth els but onely in y^e cause of remission: which in the new Testament standeth one for euer, in the old Testamēt it is dayly repeated by renuing of sacrifices. Of the which cause the Apostle to the Hebrues, speaking of Christ Iesus crucified, and consummated, specifieth moreouer, & sayth: factus omnibus obtēperātibus sibi, Heb. 5. causa aeternae salu­tis. [Page] &c. i. Was made to all which obey him, the cause of eter­nall saluation. &c. Heb. 5. By the which wordes we are taught the cause of remission of sinnes to be the onely body of Christ offered for vs, & the same body to be once offered and neuer more, as in the same Epistle followeth in these wordes declared: Nunc autem semel in instante consummatione. &c. i. Now hath he once appeared in this latter consummatiō of the worlde, to the destruction of sinne by his owne oblation. &c. Heb. 9. Heb. 9. Wherby we haue to note, that as the once appearing of Christ is the onely cause of de­struction of sinne, and remission not to be sought at any other cause but that alone: so is their doc­trine vayne which require any more appea­ringes of Christ to remitte sinne, then onely the same. And thus appeareth the true difference be­twene remission in the olde law, and in the new: wherof the one which stoode by renuing of sacri­fices was temporall, the other is perfect and per­petuall, perfect I meane as touching the cause of putting away sinne, which once done standeth for euer.

But here come they with à blinde distinc­tion of [bloudy and vnbloudy] and say, that in the Iewes law they offered y^e bloud of Goates and Calues,Distinction of the Papistes. and of other diuers sortes of beastes: but in the new lawe they offer continually one sa­crifice and no moe, which is the body of Christ, and that after an vnbloudy sort. Whereunto I aunswere: first if they haue the body of Christ, let them offer it. But they which doe well consi­der the Scriptures, do see & know that Christes [Page 17] body is not here to be offered:How the Pa­pistes do sacri­fice Christes body euery day with bloud. Vnlesse they meane the members of hys mysticall body here in earth, which they sacrifice euery day with such store of bloud, as is pitifull to see: but els the true body of Christ in deede y^e Scripture placeth to be in hea­uen, and not in earth. Once it was in the handes of sinners and was offered of them, but now he is out of their handes, and past all mens reach to be offered any more. Wherefore, where they say, they offer the body of Christ, that is but à phanta­sie. For as the presence of the body here ceaseth, so ceaseth the offering therof also.

Now, although his bodily presence were here: yet is he not to be offered to appease Gods wrath for sinne any more. For first, none can offer the body of Christ for sinne to hys father, but him self: because in the new Testament to offer for sinne, requireth à Priest which is immaculate, impol­luted, and segregated from sinners, as we read. Heb. 7. Heb. 7. Talis enim decebat vt nobis esset pontifex, sanctus, innocens. &c i. For so it behoued, that our Bishop for vs should be holy, innocent. &c. And againe: Sermo autem iurisiurandi, qui post legem esset. &c. that is: But the word of the othe which followeth after the old law, appointed his sonne to be our perfecte Priest for euer. &c. Heb. 7. Secondly, by the types of the olde lawe Christ can not be offered for sinne but it must be without the tentes by the law, or els hys sacrifice cā not answere to the law. Thirdly, when soeuer Christ is offered for the pacifying of Gods wrath for sinne, it must be vppon the crosse. For so we read. Coloss. 1. Coloss. 1. Pacifying all thinges by the bloud of his [Page] crosse, all thinges both in heauē & in earth. &c. Fourth­ly, it must be also with bloud, for by y^e Scripture, Without effusion of bloud there is no remissiō. &c. Heb. 9. Fiftly, where they say, they offer no moe sacri­fices but one, which is the body of Christ: that is not inough,One oblation and one time of offering for sinne in the new Testa­ment. forasmuch as the Scripture requi­reth not onely the hoaste to be one, but the time also to be one. For probation whereof we haue the plaine wordes of Scripture. Heb. 7. where the Apostle speaketh of offering for y^e sinnes of the people: For that (sayth he) he hath done once, offering him selfe. &c. Heb. 7. Heb. 7. Also chapt. 9. where the same Apostle comparing Christ entring with hys sa­crifice with the high Priest in the olde lawe, en­tring into the secrete tabernacle once à yeare, at last concludeth and sayth: Sic & Christus semel oblatus est ad multorū tollenda peccata. &c. i. So also Christ (sayth he) was once offered for the doing away the sinnes of many &c. Againe, in the same chapter, ex­cluding all offeringes of Christ sauing one, he sayth: Not that he should offer him selfe at times as the high Priest did: but once for the doing away of sinne he ap­peared by his owne oblation. &c. Heb. 9. Heb. 9. Sixtly, where they pretend to offer the body of Christ dayly: I aske, to whom? They will say to y^e father. Wher­fore? To pacifie hys iudgement for sinne. Wher­unto I aunswere with the Gospell: that needeth not, forsomuch as the Gospell witnesseth, that the father now iudgeth no man any more, but hath geuen all iudgement to his crucified Christ. Ioh. 5. Iohn. 5. Item, hath geuē to him power of all fleshe. Ioh. 17. Iohn. 17. Item, hath geuē to him all power both in heauen and earth. Math. 28. Math. 28. Item, [Page 18] Christ now draweth all things to him self. Ioh. 12. Iohn. 12. Item, he hath appointed him iudge both of the quicke and of the dead. Act. 10. Act. 10. Now if they say, they offer Christes body to Christ him self for remission of sinne, that is absurde and vaine.

And thus much I thought necessary, hauing here to entreate of reconciliatiō, to speake against the sacrifice of y^e Masse, forsomuch as these two cā not consist together, but one must needes destroy the other. For if the reconciliatiō of Gods fauour purchased by Christ once for vs be perfecte & per­petuall, then this dayly sacrifycing for sinne, is su­perfluous.Reconciliati­on, and the daily sacrifice of the Masse, can not stand together. And if the same must needes be conti­nued in the Church as à necessary remedy for ap­peasing Gods wrath, and for expiation of sinne frō time to time, then must the sacrifice of Christes Priesthode be vnperfect, being of no more power and vertue to reconcile vs vnto God, then y^e year­ly and daily sacrifices of the Iewes, which euer re­quired new sacrifices to be done for sinne. And where is then the killing of Gods wrath by the bloud of Christ, spoken of? Colos. 1. Where is the pacifying of all thinges both in heauē and earth? Where is y^e difference betwene the old couenaunt and the new? or where is the neuer remembring of our sinnes any more? Where be then y^e goodly feete vpon the mountaines of them that bring vs message of peace, of good tidinges, and of saluati­on? Esay. 52. Esay. 52. Where is the day, or what day of Christ was it which Abraham saw and reioyced? or where is the one oblation, & that once offered, which bringeth aeternall redemption? Heb. 9.10. [Page] Where is thē captiuity led away captiue? Ephe. 4. Ephe 4. Where is the breaking of the Serpentes head?Gene. 3. the ouerthrow of death?Esay. 35. the victory of hell? the hanging vp of the handwriting? Where is the vele broken which separated vs from God? the euerlasting myrth vpon the heades of them that be in Sion? or the confident dwelling of them in Ierusalem, promised in Iere. 23. Iere. 23. Ezech. 34. Ezech. 34. Zach. 14? Zach. 14. or where is the aeternall righteousnesse brought in by the Prophet Daniel, chapt. 9. if this reconci­liation be not aeternall?Dani. 9.

Briefly, to bring in any other sacrifices for sin, but onely the oblation of Christes bloud, and that once offered, taketh away the glad message and power of the Gospell,Daily sacrifice in the new Te­stament for sinne, dissol­ueth the har­mony of the whole Scrip­ture. casteth mens mindes into à doubtfull wauering of their saluation, and fi­nally dissolueth the whole harmony of the Scrip­tures both Propheticall & Apostolicall. For if the Propheticall Lambe in the olde lawe once slaine on the 14. day of the first moneth, and hys bloud sprinckled,Exod. 12. loosed the whole congregation out of the thraldome of Aegypt, so that they were neuer brought into the same againe: so the bloud of Christes crosse (to speake with the wordes of S. Paule) once offered likewise on the 14. day of the sayd first moneth, dischargeth his whole vniuer­sall Church out of the bandes of hell and of the Deuill, and that perpetually, neuer to be reduced thether againe. And yet notwithstanding, as the Israelites being brought out of Aegypt, when they sinned against God, were punished in the desert, and yet the promise of the plentifull land neuer­thelesse [Page 19] still went forward: euen so the elect mem­bers of Christes Church after their deliueraunce, when they sinne against God by fragility of weake flesh, their sinnes be punished with tempo­rall scourges in this world, but yet the truth of Gods euerlasting fauour standeth for euer to all them that repent by fayth.

As touching therefore the dayly sacrificing of Christes body, as I proued before, so I repeate a­gaine & in one word conclude, that no sacrifice of Christes body can serue for sinne, but where Christ him selfe is the Priest.The scripture admitteth no sacrifice for sinne, but where Christ is the offerer, where bloud is, and where the hoaste is consumed without the tentes. Neither doth the Scrip­ture admitte any sacrifice propitiatory for sinne, but were bloud is, and where the suffering goeth withall, and where the hoast is consumed with­out the tentes by the fier of Gods iudgement.

These thinges thus discoursed and proued by the Scriptures, to procede now in our text, se­ing almighty God so gently offereth vnto vs, (as ye haue heard good audience) let vs take that he geueth: seing he calleth so graciously, let vs come to him: yea seing he prayeth so entirely, let vs graunt his request: and seing so fatherly he sprea­deth to vs the armes of his reconciliation, let vs with the lost sonne returne home agayne to our father: briefly seing on his part there is nothing lacking that we can desire, let vs now for our partes do that he desireth of vs. What is that? Vt reconciliemini Deo, that ye will for your partes be recon­ciled vnto God. &c. How should we be reconciled vnto God? Come to Christ, submit your selues, and beleue in him with a true fayth, and thus [Page] you are reconciled to the father. For so we read: If any man serue me, him will my father honour. Ioh. 12. Iohn. 12. And if ye haue not found this sonne,Repentaunce seeketh Christ. Fayth findeth. Obedience holdeth. seeke for him by repentaunce. Seeke (sayth he) and ye shall finde. Repentaunce seeketh, fayth findeth, & if ye haue found him, hold him. And how should ye hold him? Obey him, so ye shall hold him, for fayth re­quireth obedience. Of this obedience we read, Heb. 5. Heb. 5. He is made to all men that obey him, cause of eter­nall saluation. &c. By him God is reconciled to vs, though we offended. Now being reconciled, let vs obey & offend no more, lest his wrath agayne be kindled agaynst vs.

A question.What shall we say then? May we loose againe this reconciliation? And how then standeth this fauour of God perpetuall which I spake of be­fore,Whether mans reconci­liation with God may be lost or not. if it may be lost? Truth is, the fauour of God is perpetuall to them, whom he receaueth to re­conciliation: and yet albeit this fauour be perpe­tuall, we must not thinke therefore, that God cea­seth now to be angry with sinne, & that we may liue now as we list. For these thinges, sayth S. Paule, commeth the anger of God vpon the children of disobedi­ence. &c. Ephes. 5. Ephe. 5. And yet neither agayne must we make such a fickle and vnstable thing of this re­conciliation of God, as though who soeuer sin­neth, by and by were cancelled out of the booke of Gods reconcilement. For how should then the elect be saued, which fall some times as the repro­bate do, and yet are not forsaken? Whom the Lord loueth (sayth the Scripture) he loueth to the end: and whom hee receaueth likewise he receaueth to the [Page 20] end. Or where were then remission of sinnes per­petually promised to the reconciled, if frayltie of sinning do breake the league of reconciliation? Sinne (sayth S. Paule) shal not preuaile ouer you. Rom. 6. Rom. 6. Also S. Iohn sayth: And if you do sinne, yet ye haue an aduocate with the father, and he is the propitiation for all our sinnes. &c. 1. Iohn. 2. 1. Iohn. 2.

Here therefore we must make à distinction of sinners.Aunswere by a distinction. Of whom some be repentant and vpry­sing sinners, some be vnrepentant.Difference be­twene the pe­nitent and vn­penitent. The repen­tant sinner I call him, who when he slideth, doth it with à repugnance of will going before, & with à repentaunce of hart folowing after. The vn­penitent sinner, as he maketh no resistance before sinne, so is he touched w^t no remorse after folow­ing, but taketh a delyte in that whereof he should lament. The penitent sinner sayth, I haue sin­ned, but by Gods grace I will amende, and com­mit no more: the other sayth, I haue sinned, I do sinne, and I will sinne, who soeuer sayth nay. The voyce of the one is: That good that I would do, Rom. 7. that I do not: the voyce of the other is: the euill that I would do, that do I performe. In the flesh of the one sinne dwelleth, which S. Paul calleth pec­catum inhabitans: but in the hart of the other sinne raigneth, and beareth the whole rule.

The difference of these two sinners considered, I aunswere now to the doubt, making thys di­stinction also of reconciliation, that as there be ij. sortes of iustification: one before God, an other before man: so be there two sortes of reconciliati­on: the one is effectuall with God, which S. Paul [Page] calleth secundum propositum: the other is appa­rent onely before man. Now then as touching the repentant sinner, I say, that sinne in him absolutely breaketh not reconciliation betwene God and man. For els where were remission of sinnes left to the Church for a remedy to keepe thys attonement perpetuall, if sinne did breake reconciliation? He that by vehemence of tentati­on and infirmity of flesh is fallen, or rather cast downe willing to do better, but not able to do what he would, the infirmity of this Christen pe­nitent obtaineth remission, breaketh not reconci­liation, neither loseth grace, but rather doth illu­strate grace, as Christ him selfe resoluing thys question, aunswereth to S. Paul: My grace, sayth he, is enough for thee, for in thy infirmity my power is more de­clared. &c. 2. Cor. 12. 2. Cor. 12. And againe, the Apostle sayth: Where sinne aboūdeth, Rom. 5. there superaboūdeth grace. Rom. 5. meaning that sinne, which is ioyned with re­pentaunce. But contrariwise, they which pre­sumptuously and ostinatly without remorse or re­gard of him whō they offend, take à pleasure and make à custome of sinne, and haue not (to vse S. Paules wordes) sinne dwelling in them, but they rather dwell in sinne, and not onely do not resist the temptations of Sathan, but rather are temp­ters & Sathans to other to follow their sinfull appetite: to such wilfull men, whom I account no men, but rather monsters of men, I say not that they in thus doing do lose the reconcilement of God, which they had: but that they neuer had this effectuall reconcilement with God, to lose, [Page 21] nor neuer shall, vnlesse they through earnest re­pentaunce, seeke to the sonne of God by fayth for remission of their sinnes, and be truely reconciled vnto God by faythfull obedience.

By this ye see that such as be sinners,Sinne abso­lutely doth not breake recōciliation. not wil­full but penitent sinners, though by infirmity they sinne, yet do they not lose the gift of reconciliati­on. And why? For although they fall, yet they fall not vnder the law, but vnder grace, that is to say,Rom. 6. though the office of the law is naturally to work wrath: yet forsomuch as the person of the sinner is not vnder the lawe, therefore is he not vnder wrath, but in stead of wrath standeth reconsiliation, in stead of the law raigneth grace.

Seing therefore such a loue day (louing bre­thren) is made betwen God and you through the mediation of Christes Crosse,Reconcilie­mini Deo. be ye now reconci­led vnto God, as he is to you. And as ye see his fatherly kindnes in offering his reconciliation, you being in all the blame:Vt diligatis inuicem. do you likewise ex­presse the like gentlenes in reconciling your selues for his sake, neighbour to neighbour, one toward an other. Let all bitternes & wrath be farre from you, and let not the sunne go downe vpon your anger. When ye were offenders to God,Reconciliati­on betwene man and man necessary. what he hath done & doth, ye se. So if your neighbours, e­quals, or inferours haue offended you, or you thē: stand not so much in your reputation to disdayne to abase your selues, but either come, or send forth your messengers of peace, not onely to byd him good morow or good euen, but thus say: Neigh­bour, I haue offended you & you me. Come there­fore, [Page] let vs be reconciled, and liue in loue and cha­ritie like brethren in Christ, as Christ hath recon­ciled vs both vnto his father.

And thus as ye see God hath geuen hys owne sonne to death to reconcile you vnto him: let it not be greuous to you, to geue and forgeue small matters to your neighbour, to nourish amity and agreement betwene him and you, without which agreement I see not how mans lyfe can consist First for so much as in this fragility of mans na­ture, it can not be auoyded but where society is, offenses will either be geuen or taken: some cause of grudge and variaunce will rise betwene man and man, man and wife, frend and frend, yea bro­ther and brother, that shall set them à sunder.

Sowers of dissention the deuills mes­sengers.Then besides this, commeth in such à multi­tude of makbates, of flatterers, whisperers, claw backs, backbiters, talecariers, sycophants, and sclaundring tounges, sent out as Sathans mes­sengers, to cary and recary misreportes and false lyes, to sow the seede of dissensiō betwixt one and an other, so that take away reconciliation, and it shall not be for any to liue together one with an other in this world.

Three sortes of men to blame in a cō­mon wealth. Light hearing of tales. Light credite to false tales. Light beleuing the first talke, not hearing the second.Some there be which vse to geue light eare to such whisperers & flatterers, and these are much to blame. Others there be as light of credit, that whatsoeuer they heare tolde that they beleue, and so beleue the first tale, that they will not be­leue the second, and these one eared men be worse thē the first, worthy to haue but one eare on their head, which will not heare with both. But the [Page 22] third sort is worst of all, who being inflamed by sinister reportes, after they haue once conceaued an inward grudge against their frend or neigh­bour, are so stiffe, so wayward, & so crabbed, that hardly or neuer they will be reconciled after. Such stoicall stomackes & vnsociable natures, which neither liue here like Angels, nor yet remē­ber them selues to be but men amongest men, are to be sent ad rempublicam Platonis, or to M. Mores Vtopia, either there to liue with themselues, or els where as none may liue to offend them.Luke. 6. With what measure ye meate to other, the same shall be mette againe to you, sayth the voyce of iustice. But here speaketh the voyce of mercy and desireth you, that as God hath measured vnto you, so ye will measure to o­ther. He is reconciled as you see vnto you, be you reconciled now one to an other. And if hys recon­cilement be aeternall, and in great matters, and for great offences, little can ye do, if in little trifles one of you will not beare with an other.

Obiection. But peraduenture some will obiect and say: Syr, you preach much of recōciliation and agree­ment to be betwene God and vs, and that he hath receaued vs to his perpetuall loue & fauour. But what reconciliation this is you speake of, I can not tell: thys I know,The manifolde miseries of this life. that I finde here mi­sery and sorrow inough, I sweate, I trauaile, I carke and care. Of the sower bread of heauinesse, and bitter drinke of aduersity I lacke no store, tormoyled in troubles, pinched with pouerty, af­flicted in conscience, burdened with sinnes, vex­ed with temptations, Sathan assaulteth me, hell [Page] feareth me, Gods iudgement accuseth me, sicke­nesse oppresseth me, and at last death consumeth me to dust and nothing: and where then is thys fauour and loue of God toward me, when I fele nothing here but the wrath of God vpon me?

Aunswere to the obiection.To aunswere hereunto, I graunt (welbelo­ued) that thys is à sore obiection in deede to flesh and bloud, being not yet perfectly instructed in the knowledge & consideration of Christes king­dome.Two remedies against weake fayth, and dis­cōfort of weake consciences. Wherein you haue neede of two maner of helpes: wherof the one is in your preachers, the other is in your selues. First and especially your preachers had neede here to helpe in setting forth the promises & glory of Christes kingdome:The first re­medy. wher­by your hearers may bee established in the fayth of his worde,Exhortation to preachers, to preach forth the glad message of the Gospell. and assured in hope of thinges to come. For els great and manifolde be the causes of discomfort dayly rising, inough to beate down à mans hart frō hope of heauenly thinges: et sen­sus contrariorum (ye know) fortis est et caro in no­bis infirma, the sense of contrary thinges is strong in this world, and fleshe in vs is feble. Besides this, the deuill ceaseth not, hell gapeth, death ra­geth, conscience accuseth, the lawe threatneth, Gods iustice terrifieth, hys punishmentes and roddes walke still from one to an other: euery day lightly bringeth some example, some spectacle or other of Gods terrible iudgementes before our faces. Here now the hart of man lyeth in great perplexitie, comfortlesse, and distressed on euery side, scarse able to take any breath of comfort, nor knowing welnere whether to turne hym, vnlesse [Page 23] you which be preachers and spirituall phisitions of the soule, minister to the weake conscience of man some confortatiue, or some cordiall restora­tiue out of Gods mighty promises and heauenly message of Christes holy Gospell. Helpe therefore I beseech you, in opening to the people the pro­mises of grace, the worde of life, the glorious trea­sures and abundant riches, not of this present world here, but layd vp for vs hereafter in Christ to come: so that the fayth of the people being grounded vpon the sure rocke of Gods word and promises, may stand firme & vnmoueable against all blastes of worldly temptations, waiting with hope for thinges, not here seene, but onely hoped for, and shall be seene hereafter. And thus much for the ministers of Christes Gospell.

Againe, for you that be the hearers,The second remedy. it is also your part no lesse to geue diligent hearing vnto your preachers, and harken to the word of God, whereby you may learne to know the difference betwene thinges here present, & thinges to come: betwene thys worlde which here standeth, and the worlde which hereafter followeth: betwene the kingdome of thys world, and the kingdome of Christ. Many there be which beholding the course of things here present, and setting all their delite & study therein, haue their cyes fixed vpon nothing els, being either so blinde that they see not, or els so wilfull that they passe not for things that be to come,Admonition to Atheistes and Epicures. but say either with the foolish A­theist in the Psalme, non est Deus: or els with the fleshly Epicure, say as they were wont in the time [Page] of Nazianzen: Nazianzen. in orat. de baptismo. [...]. i. Geue me that is here present, and let God alone with that is to come. &c. These wretched persons are both deceaued.

But they that be true Christians and haue re­gard to their soules, must learne by their prea­chers, and vnderstand by the Scriptures, that besides this life, besides this worlde, thys king­dome, these thinges here present, there be other thinges and much greater thinges, an other life, an other kingdome, an other, world to be looked for. Which two worldes or kingdomes, as they are contrary in effecte and working, so the times of them must be distincted. For as the lawe hath hys time, so hath grace his time also: and as death hath his time to raigne here: so hath life his time to raigne likewise: and as wrath hath hys working yet à while: so reconciliation shall haue his time to worke hereafter: so that in this world remaineth troubles,Distinction ne­cessary to be considered be­twene this pre­sent world, and the world to come. vexations, toyle, labour, misery, calamity, afflictions inward, afflictions outward, the body subiect to sicknesse, the soule to temptations, the flesh to death, the law yet stan­ding in his force, the same penalty of sinne pro­nounced against Adam, still taketh hold vpon vs. Briefly, the nature of euery thing in the same or­der, & vnder the same malediction wherein Adam left it, still continueth and shall continue tou­ching this outward body, so song as our olde Adam liueth: looke for none other in this world, so perswading your selues, that as there hath ben none heretofore, so is there none of you all here [Page 24] present but away he shall, die he shall, and shall tast corruption.

And yet all thys notwithstanding, the Chri­sten mā, albeit hys case in this body be miserable, vnder wrath and punishment,Man is both vnder death, and vnder life, vnder wrath, and vnder grace. death and male­diction, yet is it true, that as he is vnder death, so is he also vnder life: as he is vnder wrath, so is he also vnder reconciliation: both vnder y^e law and vnder grace, vnder misery and yet in felicity. And this distinction of tymes is good for euery Chri­sten man to consider, which distinction is thys: The wrath of God for sinne toward hys elect cō­tinueth but a time,Time of pu­nishment la­steth to the end of this life, promises be­long to the life to come. his fauour and reconciliation remaineth for euer, his punishments here be tem­porall, his promises be aeternall. Ouer night com­meth mourning, but in morning riseth myrth: Our going out is with teares, but our returne again into Sion is with euerlasting ioy vpon our be [...]des. Esay. 35. Esay. 35. Sinne here raigneth, conscience accuseth, the law condemneth, death executeth, the deuill ca­geth. Thus the state of man here is miserable:The time of the law limi­ted. but the time of this misery lasteth not, but is limited and barred.

Thys barre that cutteth off the time of these miseries is y^e Passion of Christ our Sauiour, who hath purchased for vs à new life after this,Omnia noua facta funt. à new world after thys world, à new kingdome, à new countrey, new possessions, new mansions, and all thinges new, not as they were before, but after à much better sort. Wherefore we hauing and hol­ding these promises of God,2. Cor. 5. and hope of thinges to come, may comfort our soules, and reioyce in [Page] Gods fauour, not passing for this world, whether it geue prosperitie or aduersitie. If aduersitie come, let faith hold hope, let hope worke pacience. With thys hope Christ suffred y^e crosse, and so en­tred into his glory. With thys hope S. Paule with all the Apostles susteined tribulations, and reioy­sed in afflictions.Mans Passe­ouer. Through the same hope so ma­ny holy Martyrs endured tormētes of death: and thys may be called mans Passeouer. Euen so let vs also passe ouer the rough waues of this world, neither being deiected by aduersitie,Aduersitie and prosperitie all one with a true Christiā. nor yet puft vp with prosperitie, as men whom neither the euils of the world cā make worse, nor the goods of the world can make better. Whatsoeuer there­fore shall betyde vs in thys worlde, and though we be corrected here for our sinnes (as happeneth most cōmonly to the elect) let vs not measure the state of our election thereby, nor thinke therefore to be cast out of fauour, or the league of our recō­cilement to cease, remembring what the Scrip­ture foretelleth vs,Psal. 88. saying: If they shall transgresse my preceptes, with roddes and scourges I will visite their iniquities: but my mercy I will neuer remoue away from thē. &c. So long as we cary this old Adam about, the penaltie of Adam followeth vs, that is, we re­maine vnder wretchednesse, sinne, curse, of y^e law, death, and vnder the dominion of Sathan. But yet all this notwithstanding,Where Sa­than endeth, there Christ beginneth. we haue an helper aboue them all, who when these haue done all they can, and the worst they can, when sinne hath accused, the law hath cōdemned, death hath stric­ken vs down, our granes haue swalowed vs, and [Page 25] the deuill hath shewed his vtmost malice against vs, then cōmeth he, and where these haue ended,Where this world endeth, there Christes kingdome be­ginneth. there he beginneth to worke and shew forth the power of his kingdome, to iustifie the sinner, to discharge the law, to reuiue the dead, to vanquish the deuill, to wipe all teares away, turning death to life, mortalitie to immortalitie, darknesse to light, mourning to myrth, sadnesse to solace: briefly, to make all thinges newe of nothing, According to the operatiō of his power, Phil. 3. wherwith he is able to subdue all thinges to him selfe. Phil. 3.

Thus therefore pondering well the diffe­rence betwene this present world and the worlde that is hid in Christ,Let vs not esteeme what we are, but what we shall be. let vs not regard so much what we are, but what we shall be: not what we haue here, but what we shall haue: conside­ring with our selues that the thinges which we looke for, are yet to come, and all that Christ died for, is yet to come, and belongeth not to thys world. For the end of Christes passions was not to make vs rich in thys earth, that we should be­come Lordes, Ladies, or Princes here: that we should be made honourable men, noblemen, wor­shipfull, or gentlemen, or that we should abound in wealth and pleasures of this world. Which of vs all either here present, or absent,All yet to come that Christ dyed for. that beleue in the passion of Christ, doth florishe thereby any whit more in worldly prosperitie, or is aduaun­ced in worldly glory, is richer in substance, stron­ger in body, more beautifull of person, more wit­ty in policie, more prudent in this generation, or hath à peny more of possessions for all the blessed [Page] passion of Christ our Sauiour. No, no, the mat­ters that he dyed for are to come: they are not here. My kingdome (sayth Christ) is not of this world. Where is it then? It is in the world to come. There is our kingdome, our countrey and Citie, our occupying, all our shocke and store lieth there. This world here present,The world transitory. which we make so much of, is none of ours nor worthy to be made of. Mundus transit (sayth the louing Apostle) cum cō­cupiscentia eius. 1. Iohn. 2. i. The world passeth away with all his concupiscence. Also S. Paule, though not in the same wordes, yet agreeing in the same sense, sayth: The figure of this world passeth or vanisheth away, 1. Cor. 7. &c. mea­ning by this figure,The figure of this world. the pompe, pride, and glory of the world, the vanitie, wealth, felicitie, brauery, and iollity in this earth and in earthly thinges, with daliaunce, pastime, eating, drinking, and all other sensuall delites and desires seruing to carnall appetite, riches, hie titles, prefermentes, authoritie, actiuitie, policie, worldly giftes and ornamentes, beauty, strength, long life, with such other like thinges, which carnall reason of man so highly estemeth and magnifieth in this world. All which thinges as S. Paule here calleth tran­sitory, so in an other place writing to the sayd Corinthians he accounteth them as olde thinges, as though we would call it à world quondam, The world quondam. not as now vading and fading away, but as à thing past away already, cleane gone, and dispatched. Vetera praeterierunt, 2. Cor. 5. ecce noua facta sunt omnia. &c. i. The old thinges are past & dispatched, behold (saith he) all thinges are made new. 2. Cor. 5. And what new [Page 26] thinges be these? New heauen, new earth,Esay. 65. à new world, new life, new bodies, new mindes, new possessions, new mansions, new treasures, and all thinges new, brand new: such as neither eye hath seene, nor eare hath euer heard of before. And all these he sayth not, shall be made new, but that they are made new already: although not yet visibly reueled to our outward sight, yet are they manifestly apparant to the spirituall eyes of our fayth in the scriptures and promises of God:Our flesh hath entred possessi­on of heauen already. and though we do not yet corporally possesse them, as we shall hereafter: yet are they so sure, as if they were in our handes already. Or rather, why may I not say that we haue them, and haue entred corporall possession,Our succor in heauen. seing our Agent and Factor is there and hath taken possession for vs? And if our head be there already, how can it be, but the body must follow after?There is ne­uer a first, but there is also a second. And if Christ be [...], the first borne of y^e dead, where euer was there à first, but there must needes be à second? Christ is first risen from the dead, so sure is it that we shall rise also.

And thus by occasion touching the times and difference of these two worldes and kingdomes, which belongeth to euery Christian man necessa­ry to consider, to the entent that no man either be to much discouraged with the perturbations of this life if aduersitie come: nor yet to much puffed vp with these vaine and transitory trifles if he liue in prosperity. Which be two perilous rockes,Great prospe­ritie, and great aduersitie, two perilous rockes. and many make shipwracke thereat. For so com­monly it fareth with the most sort of men, that if [Page] any scourge of Gods hand do fall vpon vs, we weepe & waile, as though there were none other hell. And if we florishe à while in any wealth, we laugh & sing as though there were no other hea­uen, yea and almost care for no other life. But we that be Christians are taught by the Scriptures an other lesson, whether we be in weale or woe, to turne our mindes from the consideration of thinges here present, and to cheare vp our hartes with the expectation of higher thinges, of better thinges, of aeternall thinges, of thinges to come, and therin to occupy our studies, and exercise our senses, not passing for the olde and dead thinges of this world, which, as S. Paule sayth, are past al­ready. Thinges past, not to be passed vpon. And what should mē passe then for thinges that be past? what should we care for things that be conquered! Care ye not, sayth Christ: be bolde, I haue ouercome the world. &c. or what should we re­gard things that be none of ours? For what haue we to do with the world, which are redemed out of the world! These thinges therfore of the world let vs leaue to the Turkes, Iewes, Infidels & Pa­gans, and if ye will also to the proude Pope and cruell persecutors, which be of the world. This world is none of ours, let them haue it to whom it belongeth. Our kingdome is there where our king is: our countrey where our head is: our Ci­tie where our freedome standeth.This world our desert. Seing therfore we be here but straūgers, let vs passe forward as straungers through the desert of thys desolate world. What should we trauailers take long rest in our Innes? And though it should chaūce vnto [Page 27] vs, as it happened to y^e Israelites, to lay our bones here, as they did in the desert, yet let vs holde the hope fast of the promised land in the generation to come, which I trust in Christ, welbeloued, doth approch apace. And though as yet we haue not bodily entred into it,With the eyes of fayth we see the land of pro­misse a far off. yet with the eyes of our fayth let vs looke about vs, & see vpward quae sur­sum sunt, and beholde the glory of them, at least à farre off. So shall we lightly shake of the loue and lust of this transitory and conquered desert.

And herein the better to helpe you to some sight therof, let me desire you, with Moses à little to clime vp the hill of Nebo mentioned in the 34. Deut. 34. of Deuter. There may ye take à vew of thys your spirituall countrey, & glorious kingdome where­of I preach vnto you. There shall ye see your Fac­tor and Agent aboue mentioned, Christ Iesus taking possession for you in heauē, yea and which is more then all that can be most, passing all ad­miration, there shall ye see this our owne fleshe, our owne very fleshe sitting at the right hand of the almighty maiestie of God.Fayth taking a vewe of the promised king­dome. There shall you see our noble and triumphāt Capitaine Iosue, our Sauiour Iesus, with his Priestes and Leuites, and hys people following him, seuen times going about the great Citie Iericho, with trumpets of Iubely in their handes. And I doubt not but he hath gone sixe times about already.Iericho the type of this world blowen downe with the trumpets of Iosue. And when the seuenth blast shall come, then beware great Iericho. Then shall ye see y^e walles of thys world fall downe: then shall ye see the rich men of thys world, with their bagges of gold and siluer come [Page] tumbling downe. There shall ye behold the stout Giantes of thys earth, the sonnes of Enachim brought full low: their gay houses, their princely pallaces come ratling downe: the tall trees of Libanus, Esay. 2. the mighty okes of Basan, the hye turrets with their defensed munitions, the faire shippes of Tharsis, and whatsoeuer is beautifull & comely in the sight of thys worlde: adde to these also the outgrowen Hose of England come tumbling ouer and ouer:Esay. 40. euery heigh moūtaine brought downe, and lowe valleyes exalted.

Moreouer, there shall ye see the roaring Lion, the venemous Serpent and olde Dragon the Deuill, which hath kept such à sturre here so long, with all hys hellishe rable of bloudy perse­cutors:Calypha of Damascus is the great Pope of the Turkes, as our Pope is ouer the Chri­stians. also with the great Turke and great Caly­pha of Damascus, with the great Calypha also of Vetus Roma, and all other cruell tyrannes & po­tentates of thys world, which haue abused their sword to the destruction of Christes Saintes, fall headlong into the perpetuall pitte of perdition. The law shal cease, death shal be destroyed, sinne, hell, malediction, with all other enemies which wrought vs woe before, shal be vāquished. Briefly there shall ye see the whole worlde with all hys pompe & pride, with adulterers, fornicators, vsu­rers, and couetous persons dwelling in sinnefull Iericho, with all their force and puissance broken downe to dust:Raab preser­ued. onely the house of Raab standing safe, that is, those penitent sinners, which receaue Gods message, and repent their sinnes, shall be preserued from the ruine.

Ouer and besides all this, yet one other sight I will declare to you which will do you good to behold.The fall of this world in the latter day, described. For there ye shall see the proude druncken whoore of Babylon, the triplecrowned Bishop euen y^e great Antichrist & the false horned lambe, which hath so exalted him selfe aboue God & his sonne, with his high moūting Castle of S. Angelo, also with his whole Colledge of Babylonicall strū­pets & stately Prelates of Romish Iericho drunc­ken with the bloud of persecution, blowen down with y^e blast of Iosues trumpets, & with the breath of his mouth euen frō y^e toppe of Capitolium, vs{que} ad infernum. And there shall both the Dragon, the beast, and the false Prophet altogether be tūbled into the lake of fire,Apoc. 14. and 20. that as they haue kindled vp the fire of persecution here in this world to burne vp the bodies of Christes people, so they shall haue fire & brimstone their bellies full, where y^e smoke of their tormentes shall rise vp in saecula seculorū.

And as these thinges shall fall vpon Christes enemies contemners of his Gospell, in such sort as y^e Sunne & Moone shal stand still,Iosue. 12. while Iosue our valiant Captaine shall vanquishe xxxj. kinges with all the glory of their worldly kingdomes: so on the contrary side, ye shall see the true Christen Israelites diuide amongest them great spoyles of all their landes and possessions. There shall ye see new Hierusalem the heauēly and Metropolitane Citie of God all garnished with glory,Apoc. 21. like à spou­sesse prepared for her spouse,New Hieru­salem. with glorious mansi­ons, and pleasant tabernacles in it prepared rea­dy to receaue you: euen such tabernacles, as Peter [Page] wished in the mount Thabor to be made, when he was rapt with glory, in such sort as he coulde not tell where he was, nor what he spake. Luke. 9. Luke. 9. Briefly in that mount Nebo ye shall see, that eye yet neuer sawe,The glory of new Hierusa­lem vnspeake­able. Paradise without any Serpent to tempt any more, riches without measure, glory without comparison, life without death, day without night, libertie without thraldome, solace without ceassing, ioye without ending, à land flowing with milke and hony. And here to make an end of speaking of those thinges which be endlesse, loking in this mount well about you, ye shall see with your spirituall eye, that Daniell with hys Propheticall eye did see so long before, that the kingdome, Dani. 7. the power, and magnitude of his king­dome, that is or shall be vnder heauen, shall be geuen to the people of the highest, which kingdome shall destroy all o­ther kingdomes, and this kingdome shall be euerlasting. To the which kingdome, the aeternall God and father of our Lord Iesus Christ, which is true in his promises, and glorious in all his workes, both happily and speedily conduct vs, through the me­rites of Christ Iesus hys sonne and our euerla­sting Sauiour. Amen.

And here an end of the first part of thys my text which I haue read to you out of S. Paule. Wherein hath bene declared vnto you the graci­ous and ioyfull message sent of God, in the name of Christ, by his Apostles, messengers, and mini­sters vnto you. By the which message ye haue heard how almighty God not onely is reconciled to you, but also how louingly he entreateth you [Page 29] to be reconciled vnto him. Further what this re­conciliation of God is, how firme it standeth and perpetuall, what went before it, what variaunce there was betwene him and vs, and how thys variance was reconciled, and Gods wrath paci­fied by one oblation once done for euer: moreouer what thinges followe after this reconciliation, with the golden chaine, and principall pointes of our saluation depending vpon the same, and fi­nally how farre the time of the law and of wrath lasteth, and when the time of grace beginneth, what difference is betwene these two times, and how à Christian is both vnder wrath and also vnder reconciliation in diuers respectes, of y^e out­ward mā first, and then of the inward man, with other thinges not vnworthy to be mused vppon, partly is set forth in this former part vnto you.

Now let vs pray, as we first began, making our earnest inuocation to almighty God, for the vniuersall state of Christes Church and all other estates, and degrees in or­der particular, as cu­stome and also du­tie requireth. &c.

IN the former part of thys good fri­dayes Sermon, ye heard (louing au­dience) according to my weake abili­tie, vttered vnto you the ioyfull mes­sage of Gods reconciled fauour and grace recouered againe, which we had once lost through our iust desertes, and were vnder wrath in great daūger perpetually to be cast away both bodyes and soules. But so it pleased the gracious goodnesse of our mercifull God, mercifully to re­ceaue vs againe to loue, & to become now of à ter­rible Iusticer à tender father toward vs. Not that there is any chaunge or alteration in his na­ture,Mercy and iustice ioyned together for mans saluatiō. but that mercy and iustice striuing together, mercy gotte the vpperhand: or rather that mer­cy and iustice ioyning together for our redemp­tion, hath brought to passe, that vppon mercifull causes going before, the iust effect of Gods wrath (which the law before did worke) by good iustice must needes geue place, and reconciliation come in: because that iustice alwayes standing vppon iust causes, it must nedes follow, that y^e cause be­ing altered & remoued away, the effect also must nedes cease. So long as we were vnder the law and sinne,Sublata causa tollitur effec­tus. so long we were vnder wrath, that is, vnder Gods iust punishment for sinne. For y^e law (as S. Paule saith) worketh wrath. But after that mercy and iustice ioyning both together haue vā­quished the law, that is, the curse of the law, now then by good order of Iustice followeth reconci­liation: [Page 30] and yet no nature in God chaunged,Gods wrath turned to fa­uour, and yet no alteration in God. but his marueilous wisedome excellently declared.

Now what causes these were, and how they wrought, and how mercy & iustice together con­ioyned in putting away the law and sinne: conse­quently here remaineth in the second and latter parcell of this my text to be opened (by Christes helpe) vnto you. Now therefore let vs read out the wordes of the Apostle, which followe.

Here now cōmeth the preaching of Christ Ie­sus crucified. Of whō you haue often heard, and yet neuer heard inough: of whom many haue preached,The breadth, length, and profunditie of Christes Crosse, vn­searchable. and yet neuer preacher able to search or reach the length, breadth, and profunditie of hys Crosse. In which Crosse I finde two things most contrary to concurre together, the vilest death that euer was, and the most glorious person that euer suffered. What thing so miserable as death? what thing so happy as life? Againe, what death so vile as y^e death of y^e Crosse? what person so glo­rious as y^e onely begotten sonne of y^e liuing God? Which two thinges being so contrary, meete to­gether in one tree, according as we read in Prudē­tius himne: Mors & vita mirando cōflixere duello. Such an hard matter it was, and such an high price, to repaire againe y^e reconcilement betwene God and vs. Touching the tractation of which matter, as entring now into à new sermon and à [Page] new diuision, three principall thinges we haue in this letter for you to consider, & me to speake of.

• The second diuision.
  1. The first is, the great Innocencie that was in Christ, which we haue to note in these wordes: For him that knew no sinne. &c.
• 2. Secondly, the gréeuous passion and punishment layde vpon Christ for our sinne, which followeth in these wordes: he made him to be sinne for vs. &c.
• 3. The third is, the triumphe of Christ, with other effectes which followed after his passiō, expressed in these words: that we might be made the righteousnesse of God by him. &c.

First of the Innocencie of Christ, the Scrip­tures in sundry places geue witnesse by many waies,Gene. 6. & 7. The innocen­cie of Christ. as wel by Propheticall types & shadowes, as also by other euident demonstrations. Noah the perfect man & righteous preacher in the first age of the world,Iust Noah a figure of Christ. in whose righteousnesse and in whose Arke the remnant of all earthly creatures were saued from the floud, what doth he preach vnto vs besides the true history, but this iust and innocent Iesus Sauiour of the world? The ty­picall Lambe called the Passeouer,The Easter Lambe a figure of Christes innocencie. which prefi­gured the heauenly Lambe of God that taketh a­way the sinnes of the world, was commaunded to be à male of à yeare olde, immaculate, without spot or blemishe. Also all other burnt offeringes were commaunded in the old law to be pure and vnspotted, for no other cause, but onely to signifie that Christ, whereof they were figures and sha­dowes, should be the true innocēt sacrifice which should make and hath made satisfaction for all our sinnes. Esay prophecying of the innocencie of [Page 31] this spotlesse sacrifice crucified for vs, expresseth that which S. Paul here teacheth, & sayth in plaine wordes, that he neuer knew iniquitie, Esay. 53. nor that any fraude was found in his mouth. And againe, the same Prophet describing the flower rising out of the roote of Iesse, replenished with Gods holy spirite, addeth moreouer:Esay. 11. And righteousnesse (sayth he) shall be his girdle about his loynes. &c. Ieremy calleth hys name, Germen iustitiae, & Dominus iustus noster. i. Iere. 33. The bud of righteousnesse, and our righteous Lord. &c. In Daniel he is called, Sanctus Sanctorū. i. Dani. 9. The holy one of all holy. Dan. 9. Zacharias likewise prophecying of this righteous prince:Zach. 9. Behold (sayth he) thy king shall come to thee, righteous, & a Sauiour, being humble, and sit­ting vpō a poore Asse. &c. Zach. 9. Many other places there be in holy scripture, which testifie of y^e righ­teousnesse, holinesse, & innocencie of this immacu­late person, of whom it is written: Which of you can rebuke me of sinne? Against whom also we read, that the prince of the world came, and found in him nothing, Iohn. 14. as writeth S. Iohn, meaning therby his innocen­cie to be such and perfection of his life so absolute, that no creature could staine or charge him with blot or blemish. So absolutely he performed the law & euery iote therof, both the first table, & the second, in louing God aboue all thinges, and hys neighbor as him self, that neither was there lack­ing in him any thing y^t the law required, nor any thing forbidden in y^e law, that in him was found: nor yet any els found able to accomplish the same law, besides him self alone. For so it behoued him, which should die for all, to be holy and innocent [Page] alone, and none but he, according as we read and sing in the hymne of Ambrose: Ambrosius in hymno. Tu solus sanctus. i. Thou onely art holy. &c. And so he was, and is, and none els holy and innocent in all y^e world but he.

And therfore false is the doctrine of these vn­true catholickes, who disputing of keeping y^e law of God, seeme to extoll integra naturalia of man so farre as though it were in mans posse and esse, to satisfie the performance therof. In which number is Lombardus, Tho. Aquinas, Anselmus, Bonauen­tura, Alexander de Hales. Albeit these, as they doe not fully agree in all places with them selues: so because they would seeme somwhat to start from the errour of Pelagius, they adde moreouer some addition of Gods grace to helpe free will, and so flying frō one errour, fall into an other, teaching that à man in this life, being once iustified, may fulfill Gods law and auoyde all sinne. After these commeth Ioan. Scotus, who reasoning vpon these wordes of S. Austen, August. contra Pelagianos. that à mā without grace can not eschew all sinne. &c. seemeth to resolue y^e que­stion thus:Ioan. Scotus Lib. 2. dist. 28. that à man by free will without grace can not eschew or ceasse from all sinne, but seue­rally may eschew this sinne or that sinne, and so euery particular sinne one after an other, & bring­eth this similitude of one being in à vessell full of riftes or holes, in which although he can stoppe one hole after an other, yet can not stoppe thē all, for while he stoppeth one (sayth he) an other is open.Tho. Aqui­nas. &c. Tho. Aquine likewise reciting y^e sentence of the schole men, sayth, that the power of mans will of it selfe is able to do thinges both good and [Page 32] bad without grace: howbeit can not make the worke that is good to merite, but by the helpe of grace. &c. So that hereby appeareth the opinion of these catholickes to be, that albeit mans free power without grace suffiseth not to eschew all sinne, nor to make his good workes to be merito­rious: yet being assisted with grace, is able in this life to auoyde all & euery kind of sinne, and to ful­fill the righteousnesse of Gods law: In somuch that Scotus in an other place thus reasoneth,Scot. Lib. 4. dist. 17. artic. 3. sub finem. that it is not vncredible but that many such be in the Church, which liue y^e whole yeare without mor­tall sinne: yea & by God grace many are which much longer time keepe them selues from deadly sinne, and exercise moreouer many workes of per­fection, of whose merites riseth y^e Treasurehouse of the Church. &c. Scot. lib. 4. dist. 17.

Furthermore, after these followed other of lat­ter yeares, as Eckius, Pighius, Hosius, and others: vppon whose vntydie reasons and argumentes, certaine of our Englishe Papistes also grounding their vaine opinion, doe likewise teach now in these our dayes,Whether it ly­eth in possibili­tie for man in this life to keepe the whole lawe? that it lyeth in possibilitie here in thys life for à man after he be iustified, to fulfill the righteousnesse of the law by grace, and to a­uoide all mortall sinne: that is to meane, that such aboundance of grace and power is geuen of God here in this life to them that be baptised in Christ, and call for Gods grace, that although for venial sinnes they may say in humilitie and in truth:Ex Concil. Trident. cap. 11. for­geue vs our trespasses. &c. yet as touching mortall sinnes, they may so liue, calling for y^e grace, that [Page] they neede not except they will,Vide defensi­onem Iudoci Tilitani con­tra Kemnitiū. in cap. 11. to fall into deadly sinne, but may satisfie the law of God fully & per­fectly, in such sort as the same law of God can not haue wherein to cōdemne or accuse any worke of theirs. &c. For these be their owne very wordes.

First, for confirmation of their doctrine they alleage the testimonies of Austen, August. sermo 60. de tem­pore. where he sayth: that God neither could cōmaund thinges that were impossi­ble, because he is iust: nor would condemne man for that he could not auoyde. &c. and addeth in an other place, saying:August. de na­tura & gratia. that God would neuer cōdemne the slouthfull ser­uaunt, if he had commaunded that he could not atchiue. Also in hys booke de natura et grat. August. de na­tura & gratia cap. 69. We firmely beleue (saith he) that God, who is iust & good, could neuer com­maund thinges that were impossible to be done. &c.

Hierom. to. 4. in expositio. Symboli ad Damas.Secondly, out of Hierome they alleage thys place, where he saith: We detest their blasphemy, which say, that God hath commaunded any thing impossible to be done. &c.

Thirdly, they alleage farther the wordes of our Sauiour:Math. 11. Take my yoke vppon you, for my yoke is sweete, and my burden light. &c.

Fourthly, also for example they inferre Zacha­rie and Elizabeth, who in scripture are said to be iust before God, walking in all the commaundementes and iusti­fications of the Lord without blame. &c. Luke. 1. Luke. 1.

Whereunto briefly I aunswere, and first as touching S. Austen, albeit I could well aun­swere him by his owne retractations, where as he better aduising him selfe, as may appeare, hath these wordes:August. Lib. 1. retract. cap. 19. All the commaundementes (sayth he) are accounted to be done, when that is pardoned which is [Page 33] not done. &c. And likewise might I expound Hie­rome by Hierome, Hieroni. con­tra Pelagianos Lib. 1. whereas he in an other place speaking of the cōmaundementes to be possible, though he doth not denye it to be true, yet asketh he quomodo, how that saying is to be vnderstan­ded: meaning, that although the commaunde­mentes be possible to vs after à certaine maner, yet absolutely and simply he doth not so affirme. Well, and what if this were graunted,Impossibilitie of the law im­porteth no de­rogation to Gods iustice. that God hath geuē à law to man which mā can not keepe: what great thing were here to be detested, or what preiudice hereby shold ensue either to Gods iustice or goodnesse in geuing à law impossible for vs perfectly to be kept, more then in geuing vs the Sunne, y^e brightnesse wherof it is impossible for vs to beholde, and yet to walke in the light therof, euery man as he may? If à cunning phisi­tion should come with an excellent potion to hys pacient greuously sicke, and say: either ye must drinke this, or ye can not liue, and if the weake stomacke of the party can not brooke it, yet is the phisition nothing to blame, but keepeth the true order of phisicke.Ex Plutar. in Apopht. Scilurus Scytha when he gaue his children euery one à fagot, cōmaunding them to breake it, knew right well before,Thinges im­possible may well be com­maunded for causes neces­sary. that they were not able to do it, and yet in so doing did he both fatherly and wisely, to the intent hys childrē might learne therby to see their owne weaknesse, and not to trust to their owne priuate strength to much.

But to let this hold go,Obiection of the aduersa­ries. let vs come more nere to close with our aduersaries in this matter, and [Page] examine their obiection with all the partes ther­of more attently.

If we by grace helping vs (say they) be not a­ble to performe fully & perfectly the righteousnesse of the law, then were God vniust in cōmaunding thinges impossible, & vnmercifull in condemning the seruaunt for that which he can not auoyde.

But that were detestable blasphemy to say:

Ergo, say they, it must needes be concluded, that it is not vnpossible for à iustified man, by Gods grace, to performe the perfect fulfilling of the lawe.

Aunswere to the obiection.Whereunto I aunswere by the Scriptures, that if God had geuen such à lawe to be fulfilled of man which no man could fulfill, and that all men for not fulfilling the same, should be con­demned, then might they with some reason ob­iect thys blasphemy vnto vs. But now we con­fesse and say, that God hath geuē à law to be ful­filled of man, and that he commaundeth nothing vnpossible: yea and furthermore with the Scrip­tures confesse, that man hath fulfilled thys lawe actually, really, and thorowly in all pointes: and yet all this being cōfessed, neither is it true which they inferre, that the iustified mā therfore is able, by grace, to fulfill the reall perfection of the law, neither is it true, that he which fulfilleth it not, shall therfore be condemned, neither that in God is any vnrighteousnesse or vnmercifulnesse in all this to be inferred, but he remaineth still most iust and mercifull: yea & to say truth, hys mercy and iustice could not otherwise both stand & appeare [Page 34] together, but onely by thys way aboue confessed. And how is all this proued?

First, that God hath geuen à lawe to be ful­filled, we all confesse.

Secondly, that Christ from the beginning,Christ appoin­ted to fulfill the lawe, be­fore the lawe was geuen. before the lawe was geuen, was preordinate to be incarnate and to take our nature, no man can deny.

Thirdly,How the law is not vnpossi­ble to man, and how it is fully aunswered by man. that the same Christ in the same our nature hath vtterly fulfilled and discharged the law, it is manifest. And how then is that to be accounted vnpossible to man, which mā so clere­ly hath accomplished?

Fourthly, that in the same nature and huma­nitie of Christ, the sonne of God and the sonne of man, the whole nature of mankinde is included, the Scripture teacheth:Christ the se­cond Adam. and therfore is he called the second Adam. For as all we were included in the nature of Adam which first disobeyed, and by hym condemned: so are we likewise generally in­cluded in y^e humane nature of this second Adam which first obeyed, and by him saued. So that we being now in Christ, that is to say, God beholding our whole nature in y^e nature of hys owne sonne, hys fulfilling is our fulfilling, and what he doth, that we doe, especially in all such pointes as pro­perly belong to hys humane working: and ther­fore is he denominated in Scripture to be Iusticia nostra. For as thys proposition is true:Christus iusti­cia nostra. Christus pro omnibus mortuus est. i. Christ dyed for all men: so is this proposition true also:Christ onely innocent for all men. Christus pro omnibus innocens factus est. i. Christ was made [Page] innocent for vs all. So that what he hath fulfil­led, we also haue fulfilled, although not after the same maner, yet in as good effect as if it had bene after the same maner done: He for vs, we by hym: he actually performed, we by imputation: he by vertue and merite, we by gift & grace. And thys is the perfect grace that we haue, to fulfil the per­fection of the law. Other grace then thys God neuer gaue,God neuer ge­ueth grace ab­solutely to per­forme the lawe, but onely to his owne sonne. nor euer will geue to any iustified person really and absolutely to satisfie the perfect righteousnesse of the law. Neither doth it stand with the glory of Christ, that any such perfect grace should be geuen vs.2. Cor. 12. For if by our infirmitie, the strength of Christ be made perfect, It stādeth not with the glory of Christ, that any in this life should abso­lutely fulfill the lawe. as Christ him selfe answereth to S. Paule, so contrariwise, by our per­fection y^e vertue of Christes crosse is lessened: not that there is any such perfection in vs in deede, whose righteousnesse, as S. Austen sayth, magis re­missione peccatorū constet, August. de Ci­uit. Dei. Lib. 19. cap. 27. quàm perfectione virtu­tum: but such is the blindnesse of many, that stan­ding in à vaine persuasion of their perfectiō when they are vnperfect, falsly flatter them selues to be something, whē in dede they are starke nothing: and after the example of the Laodicians imagine them selues to be riche and gay, when in deede they be vtterly emptie and naked. Apoc. 3. Apoc. 3.

Fiftly, and though it be so (as it is in deede) that no such grace is geuen to vs from aboue to attaine to the high perfection of the law:Our obedience to the lawe nei­ther perfect, nor yet our im­perfect disobe­dience condem­ned. yet not­withstanding, by the grace of God, we bring to the law such obedience, as we may. And though we bring not perfectionē illam, quae remissione non [Page 35] eget, yet we bring studium illud virtutis, quod Deus propter fidem comprobat & coronat in nobis: that is, though we bring not that perfection of fulfil­ling the law, which needeth no remission, yet we bring that endeuor of well doing, which y^e Lorde for faythes sake both accepteth in vs, & also crow­neth. And as for that imperfection which remai­neth, God imputeth not for his Christ, who hath purchased for vs perpetuall reconciliation and re­mission of sinnes.

Sixtly, by these hetherto declared,No derogation to Gods mer­cy, in geuing the law which we cā not per­forme, but cō­mendation of his mercy in sauing vs not­withstanding we be not able to performe the same. it appea­reth that although we for our partes neither by nature, nor by grace can possibly satisfie the full innocencie of the law: yet neither is it true, which our aduersaries do inferre (speaking absolutely) that God hath commaunded thinges vnpossible to man. Forsomuch as man hath vtterly dischar­ged what soeuer God hath cōmaunded, how thē can y^e cōmaundements be said to be impossible to man, which man hath fulfilled? And though we for our partes speaking particularly, can not per­forme the same, yet that argueth neither blasphe­mie to be in vs to say, we can not fulfill the com­maundementes, nor any vnrighteousnesse or vn­mercifulnesse in God, in geuing that which we can not performe. For as we acknowledge God to be iust in geuing the lawe, to declare thereby what we should be: so double wise we haue to ac­knowledge and thanke his mercy, first for geuing such à person vnto vs which hath satisfied y^e law for vs: and also in not condemning vs for our partes, not fulfilling it our selues: but hath set in [Page] the Church à perpetuall remedy,Remission of sinnes left to the Church for a perpetu­all remedy of mans fragi­litie. which is Remis­sio peccatorum, remission of sinnes, to helpe & sup­ply that lacketh in vs. Whereby as our aduersa­ries may see that neither is any vnmercifulnesse in God, nor blasphemy in vs: so we may see in this their doctrine to be no truth.

Ex. Concil. Trident. cap. 11.Seuenthly and lastly, forsomuch as the Coū­cell of Trident, and all our aduersaryes stand so much vpon this argumēt: that the law is not im­possible to be performed of vs,A note concer­ning the lawe, how it first en­tred, and by whom. because y^t God hath geuen it vnto vs, who of hys iustice can not com­maund thinges impossible: here therfore is to be noted out of y^e Scriptures, that they seeme not sufficiently hetherto to haue considered y^e first ori­ginall & entring of the law: which law, I meane the law of nature imprinted in the soule & consci­ence of euery mortall man (for as touching y^e law of Moses writtē in outward tables, which is but à renuing of the law wrought in man before, we speake not) entred first into y^e world, not so much by y^e voluntary purpose & will of God (speaking of the ordinary will of God reueled in y^e scriptures) as it was procured & inforced by man him selfe,The lawe of God imprin­ted in nature, not so much enforced by God, as sought by man him selfe. against Gods will and warning. For when man in Paradise was in state of innocencie, he was not obediently content with that felicitie wherin he was, but disobediently would needes extend his hand to the tree of knowledge of good & euill: and albeit almighty God gaue hym sufficient warning before what daunger would follow,Gene. 3. yet he of wilfull presumptiō would nedes taste of the fruite forbidden. Which being done, then began [Page 36] hys eyes to be open: then did he see, then did he know, and then began he to couer. Now, if the law of nature did not first enter with this know­ledge into the world, let y^e aduersaries thē selues tell me when it began to enter. If it did: then let them aunswere how the law frist was geuē, whe­ther by Gods owne free motion and mere doing, or els by mans owne seeking and procurement. To conclude therefore, if man procured the lawe vpon hys owne head, which when he had done, he was not able to performe, then let vs not say that God gaue à law to man, which man coulde not fulfill: but let vs say, that mans ōwne wilful­nesse procured à law to him self, which afterward was not in his possibilitie to accomplishe. But of this inough. The rest I referre to the exercised spirituall Christian to muse more vpon.

Furthermore, as touching their allegation of Christes wordes: Take my yoke vpon you, for my yoke is sweete, and my burden is light: &c. by which wordes they argue the commaundementes of God to be easie & possible to be kept: I aūswere,What is ment by the wordes of Christ: My yoke is light, my bur­den is easie. that these wordes of Christ meane not the law of Moses, but are to be vnderstand of the receauing of Christ to be our Messias & Sauiour, and that we shoulde become subiectes vnder hys kingdome, that is, to beleue in him, and to be hys Disciples: who in so doing shall finde hys yoke and our subiection vn­der hym, to be pleasaunt & sweete. For there shall we haue remissiō of all our sinnes, shall ouercome the deuill and the world, shall be free from death, shall be eased from ceremonies, shall be raised in [Page] the resurrection to euerlasting life, and in the meane time shall tast the sweete comfortes of the holy Ghost in our hartes. &c.

Againe, where they alleage the example of Za­chary and Elizabeth, whom the Scripture com­mendeth, to be both iust before God, & to walke in all the cōmaundementes & iustifications of the Lord. &c. Luk. 1. Luke. 1. to this I could aūswere thus: that if Zachary and Elizabeth were both iust before God, it was not because God could not, but because he would not finde fault with them. But to let mine own aun­swere go, I will set S. Hierome to aūswere here­unto, where he declareth ij. maner of perfections to be in holy Scriptures. One which is agreable to y^e vertues of God, & is voyde of all sinne, & im­mutable.Hieroni. con­tra Pelagianos Lib. 2. And this (saith he) is appropriate onely vnto God, and was here declared in Christ. The other, which agreeth to our fragilitie, and is not pure frō all sinne, & is called perfect, not by com­parison to Gods iustice, but so accompted in the knowledge of God, who seeth the good ende­uour of the fraile creature, & accepteth the same: and in y^e same place produceth this example both of Zachary and Elizabeth, and also of Iob. The like aunswere also may be gathered out of S. Austen, who speaking of the worthinesse which is in iuste men here,August. contra duas Epist. Pe­lag. Lib. 3. cap. 7. sayth that it may be called perfect, so farre as they both truely acknowledge, and humbly confesse their owne imperfection going withall. &c. so that of the righteousnesse of Za­chary we may say as S. Paule sayd by the righte­ousnesse of Abraham: Rom. 4. that if he haue any thing to glo­ry, [Page 37] he hath to glory with men, but not with God. In whose iudgement (sayth Dauid) no fleshe shall be iustified. Psal. 142. &c. onely the fleshe of the sonne of God excepted, who onely being iust, dyed for the vniust, 1. Pet. 3. as S. Peter witnes­seth. Wherupon I ground this reason.

Which is absurde to graunt: so that rather this argument is to be holden a sensu contrario.

Thus then the righteousnesse and innocencie of man being ouerthrowen, as ye haue heard, let vs now repare to our matter agayne, and seeke true innocencie where it is to be found, that is, in Christ onely, and in no fleshe els,No fleshe in­nocent but Christ alone. whether he be iustified or vniustified: whether before Baptisme, or after Baptisme: whether by grace with na­ture, or by nature without grace. For neither that nature is geuen, nor that grace dispensed to any man liuing in this flesh, to be found innocent by the law, saue onely to him of whom it is writ­ten: Non dat illi spiritum Deus secundum mensurā. Iohn. 3. [Page] i. God geueth not to him the spirite after measure. &c. Let hys innocencie therfore stand alone, that he may be as he is, solus sanctus, Solus sanctus. not onely exceeding vs by comparison of maius and minus, but vtterly confounding vs for our vnrighteousnesse, know­ing what is written of vs:Psal. 14. There is none that doth good, no not one. &c. And here let also the title of the holy father called Sanctissimus, fall downe for shame.No goodnesse nor holinesse properly in man. Of hys fulnesse then let vs receaue, not as men hauing somewhat, but as vtterly empty of all goodnesse. Let vs humble our selues with cō­fession of humilitie, so ascribing all righteousnesse vnto him, that we forget not what God speaketh of our righteousnesse by hys Prophet, saying: Omnes iusticiae nostrae sicut pannus menstruatae. Esay. 64. i. All our righteousnesse is like a beggarly patched peece of a defi­led cloth. Such be our workes, not speaking onely of our workes before iustification, but also euen they that follow after iustification, if God should looke vpon them in iudgement without Christ, are no better.

The innocency of Christ, one of the princi­pall causes of our redempti­on.Of this innocency of Christ Iesu, the immacu­late Lambe of God, I preach y^e more effectuously, and stand the longer, because in y^e same consisteth one of the principall effectes of our redemption, ioyned with the effusion of hys bloud. For as hys perfect innocency without the shedding of hys bloud could not serue our turne: so neither the death of his body, without hys innocent life could redeeme vs. For so it behoued innocencie to re­deeme iniquitie, the iust to die for the vniust.

Wherin appeareth the wondrous wisedome [Page 38] of Gods almighty Maiestie in working our re­demption.Gods admira­ble wisedome shewed in our redemption. Who seing the generation of mankind fallen from so happy à state, wherein he was first created, into such à miserable decay and destruc­tion both of body and soule, and all through hys owne wilfull presumption, in procuring the ne­cessitie of y^e law vpon his owne head, the strength whereof he could neither accomplishe nor auoyde the penalty, being subiect thereby to the power of death and tyranny of Sathan, wrapped in igno­rance, drowned in darknesse, running headlong to all Idolatry & vanitie, voyde of all regard and care of hys creator, whom neither counsell could reforme nor any earthly helpe restore, not only be­ing past recouery, but almost past all possibilitie, but that nothing is impossible vnto God: he (I say) of hys wisedome beholding, and of hys mer­cy pitying thys misery of man, found à singular way for mā. What was that? He would not (saith Theodoretus) [...], of hys absolute power worke our deliuerance,Theodoret. [...]. Serm. 10. [...], to vse hys owne wordes. That is in Englishe: Neither would he arme his mercy alone, to set vs out of the thral­dome of him, which had y^e nature of mā in captiui­tie. No, no, mercy alone in this case could not wel serue, his iustice could not beare it. And why?Man saued, not by mere absolute pow­er, nor by mere mercy alone. The cause Theodoret sheweth: [...]: that is: lest if Gods mercy had saued some & not all, y^e enemy which had bene trāsgres­sor also him selfe with all the wicked, might haue quarelled, y^t this mercy of God had not ben indif­ferent, [Page] but parciall to some, & not equall to all sin­ners: and therfore y^e high prouidence of almighty God wrought another way,God clothed in man, fighteth for man against the Deuill. which was both full of mercy, & no lesse defensed with iustice: so that by this way both his mercy is declared, his iustice salued, Sathā with the wicked & reprobate iust­ly condēned, the godly repentant though they be sinners, saued, & all this done by true iustice: and yet God not parcial, & the same also merciful. And what way was this? Almighty God seing our nature ouercome by à subtill serpent, to weake to encounter with that enemy, vnited ij. natures in one person, his nature & ours together, and so clo­thing God in mā, sent forth his persō to encoūter with y^e deuil, & by pure innocencie of his māhode, to recouer that for mā, which mā before had lost.

Thus then cōmeth Christ our Lord to vs, and for vs to be incarnate,The incarna­tion of Christ. and was borne of à virgine hys mother after à miraculous maner, at whose byrth the Angels began to sing, and nature it self to be astonied. After thys came the eight day, in which he was circumcised according to the law,Christ circum­cised. that by fulfilling the lawe, he might redeeme vs from the bondage of the law. Not long after be­ing pursued of Herode, he was sent out of Iewry into Aegypt, Christ slying into Egypt. where he remained while they were dead that sought his life, to aunswere the type of Moses, who before he should deliuer the people, fled into the land of Madian frō the hādes of Pha­rao, where he remained till aunswere came from God,Moses a fi­gure of Christ. that he should returne againe into Egypt, for they are all dead (sayd he) that sought thy life. &c. Exod. 4. Exod. 4. [Page 39] After this being of xij. yeares he came to y^e Tem­ple,Luke. 2. and there three daies disputed with the Doc­tors, who then were busie no doubt, about the question of Messias: where he first began to shew some little sparcle of his diuinitie, being occupied in the worke of hys father. At length growing vp in yeares, he came to y^e age of xxx. or much about: when God began to reuele hys sonne more mani­festly to the world in sending the holy spirite in visible similitude of à doue vppon him,Christ bapti­sed, and reue­led of his fa­ther. declaring moreouer in audible voice, the same to be his welbelo­ued sonne, whom we must heare. Luke. 3. Luke. 3.

Thus Iesus being Baptised to fulfill all righ­teousnesse, reueled by his father, replenished with the holy Ghost, and testified by Iohn Baptiste, frō thence was had immediatly into the desert,Christ fasting in the desert. as to à stage, there to try hand to hand with the deuill. Where after he had fasted xl. dayes, & xl. nightes (to fulfill the type of Moses fast, who was so long in y^e mount with God, without meate or drinke) the enemy not ignoraunt what was testified of hym before, and yet seing him outwardly but as à weake man,Christ trieth with the De­uill in the de­sert. and also now to waxe hungry af­ter the infirmitie of flesh, was the more bold to set vpon hym. And as he first threw downe Adam in Paradise by eating, so thinking likewise to sup­plant thys second Adam by eating, tempted him to turne stones to bread, and so after an vnlaw­full maner to eate. When thys would not be, he inuaded hym with other sundry and greuous as­saultes: but in the end he could not preuaile.Christ temp­ted in the de­sert. In­nocencie helde by obedience, Obedience helde by [Page] the word,Christ is tempted and ouercōmeth. Christ ouercame, Man had the victory, the Deuill had y^e foyle, the Angels bare witnesse, and the poore body of Iesus was refreshed.

Thys done & finished, Christ to declare his di­uine power here in earth, to the end that men might know their Messias, cōming from thence abroad began to worke wonderfull miracles, tur­ning water into wine, feeding with fewe loanes thousandes of men & children in the wildernesse, helping the lame, curing of cripples, cleansing the lepers, restoring y^e blind to their sight, the deaffe to their hearing, the dūme to their tounges, hea­ling all diseases amongest y^e people, calming the seas, ceassing y^e windes, walking on the waters, comforting the afflicted, expelling out deuills by hys worde, opening the graues, raising the dead, with other innumerable signes and wōnders.

The second part of the di­uision.All which great and passing miracles not­withstanding, the cruel Iewes yet ceassed not to enuy and maligne hym, and at last brought hym to the tormentes of death, which he with all paci­ence sustained. Wherin commeth now the second member of my diuision, to entreate of the bitter paines of Christes passion, which he for vs suffe­red, for his own part most willingly, for their part most iniustly, for our saluation most happely, al­beit for the maner of the handling, to all good hartes most lamētably. Touching the maner and handling wherof, forsomuch as it is sufficiently recorded in the history of the fower Euangelistes, I shall the lesse neede to stand long in repeating those thinges, which to no Christian mā ought to [Page 40] be vnknowen. First how the malicious Priestes and Phariseis, after they had taken counsell toge­ther,Iohn. 18. and had sent with Iudas their officers and catchpoles with clubbes and staues to apprehend Iesus: he seing them, asked whom they sought.The history of Christes passi­on. They sayd, Iesus of Nazareth. Twise he asked. Twise they fell backward: and twise he suffered thē to rise. Wherby appeareth what Christ could haue done in sauing him selfe, if he would. For power in hym there lacked not. Cause for hym to die there was not. As his life was innocent, so was there no law to condemne hym. No neither his father, saluing hys iustice, could lawfully en­force him. Onely hys owne good will, and obedi­ence to hys fathers will, it was, and none other. Wherof we heare what the father him selfe spea­keth by hys Prophet, saying: If he will lay downe his life for sinne, he shall see a long lasting seede come after him. &c. Esay. 53. Esay. 53. Againe in the same Prophet we read: Oblatus est quia ipse voluit. i. Esay. ibid. He was offe­red, because he him selfe so would. &c.

Then they tooke and bound him,Christ brought before Anna [...]. and brought him first to Annas father in law to Cayphas: who asking hym of his doctrine and of hys Disciples: he aūswered, that he neuer taught in corners, but open­ly in the sinagoge and in the temple, and therefore willed him to aske them that heard him. Whereat one of the Bishops seruantes, à parasite, à caitife, à swash­buckler, à rakehell, gaue hym à blow on the bles­sed cheeke, asking if he aunswered the Byshop so. To whom Christ againe mildly and coldly aunswered, saying: If I haue spoken ill beare witnesse of [Page] the ill: but if I haue spoken well, why smitest thou me? Frō Annas he was sent bound to Cayphas, Christ brought before Cay­phas. where lying witnesse was brought against hym, that he should speake against the temple. Whereunto Christ helde hys peace. Then was he asked and adiured to tell thē true, whether he were Christ. To thys he spake: If I aunswere you, neither will ye cre­dite me, neither if I aske you, ye will aunswere, nor yet let me goe. But this I tell you, ye shall see the sonne of man sit­ting on the right hand of the power of God. &c. Vpon thys, after that the wretches had scorned, reuiled, and beaten hym about the head and face, & blind­folded hym, bidding hym prophecie who dyd smite him, they brought hym then ad brachium se­culare, Christ com­mitted to the secular power. that is, to Pilate the temporall iudge, in the Guildhall. Where were [...]de many accusations against him & neuer one true, that he was à sedu­cer of the people, à teacher of new doctrine, and forbad tribute to be payde to Caesar, & made him selfe à king. Pilate then after certaine questions, hearing that he was of Galile, sent hym ouer to Herode: who thinking to heare some newes, or to see some straunge miracle, was glad to haue him. But when Christ would geue hym no aunswere, in derision he put hym in à long white robe, and sent hym againe vnto Pilate.

Math. 27.Then the Priestes and Seniours of the peo­ple gathered them selues againe in à great route to accuse hym before Pilate. False accusati­ons against Christ. To whose accusati­ons our blessed Sauiour holding his peace, gaue no word to aunswere. Pilate marueiling at hys si­lence, and perceauing no cause in hym worthy of [Page 41] death, & that all thys proceeded of wilfull malice, and also being admonished of hys wife to haue nothing adoe with him,Pilate sought meanes to de­liuer Christ. sought meanes what he might, to deliuer hym. And forsomuch as the ma­ner was for the iudge to geue the Iewes one of the prisoners toward the feast of Easter, he asked whether they would haue Iesus, or Barrabas the murderer.Barrabas ta­ken and Iesus refused. They required Barrabas to be deliue­red, crying, crucifige, crucifige, vpon Iesus y^e sonne of y^e liuing God. And whē Pilate asked thē what he should do with their king, declaring y^t he found no cause of death in hym: they sayd, they would no king but Caesar, and if he let Iesus go, he was not Caesars frend. Whereupon Pilate for feare, se­ing he could no other do, called for water to wash hys handes, and so gaue Iesus to the will of the Iewes. Who then tooke Iesus,Christes bles­sed body scour­ged. and when they first had scourged hys blessed body, with as ma­ny stripes, ye may be sure, as y^e law would geue, which were xl. lacking one, then they tooke off hys coate, and put vpon hym à scarlet paule, plat­ting à sharpe crowne of thornes vpon hys tender head, that the bloud came trickling downe, and put à roede in hys hand in stead of à scepter. Thē beganne the cursed Iewes againe, some to smite hym vpon the head with à reede, some to spit vp­on hym, some to mocke & deride him, with scorn­full kneeling and blasphemous rebukes,Sampson a figure of Christ. iesting and scoffing at him, as y^e Philistines did at Samp­son the same day when hee whelmed the whole house vppon their heades, and slew them all:Iudic. 16. to fulfill the wordes of y^e Prophet Esay, which saith: [Page] Vpon whom haue ye made your scornes and mockes, vpon whom haue ye opened your blasphemous mouthes, and blea­red out your tounges, you adulterous and sinnefull genera­tion? Esay. 57. Esay. 57.

Thus when the malicious multitude of the caitifes had takē their pleasure vpon hym within the Yeldhall court, the soldiours then put off his purple attiere, and araying hym againe with his owne coate, led hym through the Citie with his Crosse on hys backe, toward the mount of Calua­rie, till by the way hys body fainting vnder the burdē, they pressed one Symon of Cyrene, to helpe him with y^e crosse vp the hill: and so comming to the place of Caluarie, Christ cruci­fied in Cal­uary. called Golgotha, after they had nailed hym hand and foote fast to the crosse, they lift hym vp betwene two theeues, one of the right hand, à blessed confessor, whose name we know not, we may call him saint theefe: the other on the left hand, à blasphemous wretch:

When they had all this done, which the good counsell of the Lord had preordeined, yet the can­kered Iewes left hym not, but still continued in their furious malice, staring at him and rayling vppon him with all kinde of scornefull and op­probrious blasphemies, nodding their heads, and bidding him, now come downe from the crosse and saue thy selfe, thou that wouldest destroy the Temple of God, and in three dayes build it a­gaine.Scorners of Christ. &c. thus spake they to fulfill the wordes of the Psalme, saying: All they stared vpon me, and mocked me, Psal. 22. they spake with their lippes, and nodded their heades. And what spake they with their lippes? [Page 42] He trusted (sayd they) in the Lord, Psal. 22. now let him come and deliuer him: let him now come and saue him, if he do loue him, and will haue him. &c. for so spake the Princes of the Priestes and Seniours of the people, say­ing: Others he saued, but him selfe he cā not saue. Math. 27. If he be the king of Israel, let him now come downe from the Crosse and we will beleue in him. While the Iewes and the Priestes thus were scorning him, in the meane time y^e soldiours which crucified him, drew lottes for his coate, because it was seamelesse, and could not well be diuided, to fulfill y^e rest of the Psalme that followed, saying:Psal. 22. They parted my garmentes a­mongest them, and vpon my coate they drew lottes. &c.

The paines & tormentes which this innocent Lambe of God sustained vpon the Crosse were great, the rebukes and scornes which he abidde, were greater: but especially that which he suffe­red in spirite & soule was greatest of all, when as he not onely in body decaying for weaknesse and bleeding,The greatest paine that Christ felt, was in his soule. but also in soule fainting with anguishe and discomfort, began to cry with à loude voyce: My God, my God, why hast thou forsakē me? seeming by these wordes to be in such à case, as happeneth to Gods childrē somtimes,Christ in dis­comfort of spirite. thinking with thēselues that God hath vtterly left and forsakē them: not that God did euer forsake his sonne Christ, but this was the voyce of his humanitie, teaching vs not to thinke it straunge,Dispayring mindes may comfort them selues by the example of Christ. though our feeble hart do faint sometimes through dispayre or lacke of present comfort, as happeneth many times euen to the elect children of God.

After all this done, yet one thing lacked more [Page] to the fulfilling of the Scriptures & finishing of hys Martyrdome, which in y^e lxviij. Psalme was also prophecied of him in these wordes:Psal. 68. They gaue me galle for my meate, and whē I was dry, they gaue me vi­neger to drinke. &c. Which here happened also. For as Christ our Sauiour approching now to hys death, began to languishe in body, and to call for drinke,Math. 27. Iohn. 19. saying: Sitio, there was à vessell of vine­ger not farre off, wherwith they filled à sponge, and so putting it vpon à reede,Vinegar geuē to Christ to drinke. set it to his mouth to drinke. So little curtisie did Christ our Lord finde in his owne countrey among the Iewes, for all his so great miracles and benefites bestowed vpon them, that in his thirst he could not obteine à cup of sweete water of them. So thirsty were they of his bloud, who was so thirsty of their sal­uation. Which bloudy cruelty of theirs cost them afterward full deare: as in the story of their de­struction notoriously to all y^e world did appeare. Thus after the vineger was offered him, and he tasted à little therof, perceauing now all thinges to be finished, he sayd: Consummatū est: all now (said he) is finished,All thinges fi­nished, that the Scriptures spake of Christes suffering. & so it was. For whatsoeuer was prefigured or prophecied in the Scriptures before of his suffering, was now accomplished. First that he should be solde to y^e hands of his ene­mies. For as Ioseph was sold by Iudas to y^e Aegyp­tians: so was he to y^e Phariseis. Dauid was perse­cuted of his own children and seruantes: so was Christ. As Dauid said Surgitae, eamus hinc: the same wordes spake Christ in y^e garden. That he should come sitting vpon an Asse poore & humble: [Page 43] so did he. That his frends should all forsake him: so did his Disciples. That he should be falsely ac­cused: so was he. That he should be scourged and wounded for our iniquities: it came to passe. The slaying of y^e Easter Lābe declared that he should die an innocent at Easter: and so did he. The rosting of the Lambe declared y^e hote iudgement of God vpon him for our sinnes: he felt no lesse. Sampson was scorned & derided of his enemies: but what followed? Sampson being thus derided, ouerthrew the house, and did more hurt to them, and profite to his people by his death, then by all his life before: euen so did Christ. In Esay it was prophecied of his beating about the face & chekes: so it came to passe. In the Psalmes it was fore­shewed of goring hys handes and his feete, of tel­ling all his bones, of nodding their heades, of their opprobrious mockes, of diuiding hys gar­ment, of geuing him bitter vineger. In Zachary it was prophecied, that the day also should be dark­ned vntill euening: and so it was. All these things being now complete, which belonged to y^e paines of his bitter passion, and that Christ our heauenly Sauiour perceaued now nothing to lacke more to the fulfilling of our redemption, immediatly vpon the same, commended his spirite to his fa­thers handes with à mighty cry, and so letting downe his head, gaue vp the ghost.

But before I come to this finall closing vp of his life, let vs first heare and see, how Christ thus hanging and silent vpon the Crosse, beginneth hys victory, to cast out the prince of thys worlde, [Page] and what he sayth vnto him, though not in open speach, yet in effect of spirite, and power of hys passion. For this we must vnderstand, that y^e drift and purpose of Christes death was not to fight with man,Christ came not to wrastle with man, but against the de­uill for man. nor to wrastle against flesh and bloud. No, no, rather he fought for man, and prayed for thē that crucified him, saying: Father forgeue them, they know not what they do. Luke. 23. His comming and wrast­ling was against an other sort, against them that were stronger then man, against the principates and potestates, and rulers of darknesse of thys world, against the spirituall subtill Serpent, the old Dragon the deuill. Who when he had done and ended his vtmost tyranny & violence against him: then Christ y^e puissant Conqueror, where the deuill and the world had finished, there begin­neth now to worke, reasoning with the deuill in this effect of wordes:

Prosopopoia.Now art thou taken (thou foule feend) and fastened in thine owne snares. ‘Thou proud Go­liath, The Oration of Christ han­ging vpon the Crosse, to the Deuill. which thoughtest no man in all Israell able to match thee, now hast thou found in Israell à man after fleshe able not onely to match thee, but also to ouermatch thee, who with thine owne sword shall strike off thine owne head. Thou hast digged à pitte, and hast fallen into it thy self, and that worthily. See whether thy wilinesse ioyned with crueltie hath brought thee? So long hast thou raged and raigned (thou foule spirite) in the world, which hath bene long vnder thy tyrāny, in most miserable thraldome, not for any iust impe­ry thou hadst of thy selfe ouer them, but for their [Page 44] wretched sinnes which deserued such à cruell ty­ranne to be set ouer thē.The sinne of man, made the deuill strong. Their wickednesse made thee strōg, not thy worthinesse. Seing they were not content at the first beginning to be gouerned by their creator which made them, he iustly gaue thē such à gouernour as they deserued, to scourge & plague thē, for their vniust rebellion. And now, because thou hast had such dominion & vsed such tyranny ouer thē at thy pleasure, & none able he­therto to resiste thee: thou thoughtest therfore to practise y^e like violence & tyranny vpon my poore flesh also, & hast done what thou canst against me.’

And now, lest ye should thinke these wordes of Christ aboue recited to be inuented of me, per fictionem rhetoricam, and not confirmed rather, per Scripturam authenticam, ye shall heare what the Lord Iesus himself speaketh out of the Pro­phetes and out of the Euangelistes and hys ho­ly Apostles, and what the vertue of hys passion dayly speaketh in our hartes by hys holy spirite. First ye read in S. Iohn, what Christ our Sauiour speaking of Sathan, sayth:Iohn. 14. The prince of this world commeth, and in me he hath nothing. &c. meaning that Sathan was comming to lay handes vpon hym and had no lawfull cause so to do. And therefore because he without lawfull cause would presume to set vpon him, we read what followeth after in the same Euangelist:Iohn. 16. Now (sayth the Lord) is the prince of this world iudged. &c. And in an other place: [Page] Now (sayth Christ) is the iudgement of this world, Iohn. 12. now the prince of this world shall be cast out. &c. Also in an o­ther place:Iohn. 12. Whē the sonne of man (sayth our Saui­our) shall be lifted vp, I will drawe all thinges to me selfe. Luke. 11. &c. And in S. Luke he sayth: Whē a strong armed man watcheth his house, all is in peace which he possesseth: but when a stronger then he commeth and ouercommeth him, he taketh from him his munition wherein he trusted, and diuideth his goods. &c. In the third of Genesis we read also,Gene. 3. that the seede of the woman should breake the Serpentes head. Furthermore, when we read the wordes of Moses to Pharao, Exod. 8.9. and 10. although it be in o­ther persons, yet therein is represented and sha­dowed to vs the very proceeding and working of Christ our spirituall deliuerer, against the spi­rituall Pharao, the great prince of thys world the Deuill.

And here an end of Christes sorrowful paines. After whose death,Christes hart pearced with a speare. the cruell tormentors setting à sharpe speare to his side, thrust it to hys tender hart,Bloud & water issuing out of Christes side. frō which eftsones streamed out bloud and water, to fill vp y^e full raūsome of our redemptiō. And thus haue ye the whose course of Christes blessed passion briefly runne ouer, with the princi­pall partes and circumstaunces thereof. Wher­in hath bene noted to you his selling, his bind­ing and handling, his hailing and tossing to and fro, first to Annas, then to Cayphas, then to Pilate, frō Pilate to Herode, from Herode to Pilate againe, from Pilate to the Guildhall, from the Hall to the barre, where he was falsely accused, from the barre to the post and piller, where he was cruelly [Page 49] scourged, from the piller through the Citie, from the Citie to the mount, from the mount vp to the racke of the Crosse, where no drop of bloud was left in all hys body. What tormentes of death were lacking? what misery could be added more then that he in his passion sustained? Here were whippes and scourges, prickes & thornes,A briefe sūme of Christes tormentes described. cordes and ropes, buffet & blowes, mockes and mowes, railing and reuiling, hammer and nailes, crosse and gibbet, thirst & vinegar, reed and speare, with such like tortures and other panges of hys In­nocent passion, [...], to vse the wordes of Nazianzene: these were the instrumentes of our redemptiō. All these he most paciently for our sakes suffered in hys blessed bo­dy. Which though they be now past in him, yet is it good for vs euer to haue thē still in fresh minde and memory, not onely thys good friday,The memory of Christes passion necessary for euery Christen man. but eue­ry day, both dayly and hourely: Wherby we may learne dayly to suppresse this proud fleshe of ours, and so to crucifie with him our croked affections. For what fleshe now can well be proude, behol­ding our Lord and Sauiour so poore on y^e crosse? or who will set by the world, that seeth the world to be such an extreme enemye to the sonne of God our redemer? and not onely to him, but also to all his members to hym belonging? Or what soule hauing any sparke of grace, can now geue him selfe ouer to sinne, considering thys terrible iudgement and seueritie of God vpon hys owne naturall and onely begottē sonne, for our sinnes, which sinnes otherwise could not be cleared, but [Page] by such à deare price, that is, by the hart bloud of such à glorious person. But of this inough, which rather would be mused vpon in your hartes, then amplified in wordes.

Hauing thus past ouer the paines and punish­mentes of Christ,The third part. to procede now to the third and last part of my text, it remaineth further to en­treate next of the glorious triumph of our Saui­our,The triumph of Christ be­ginneth. which consequently folowed after his death. Touching which death of hys, many thinges are singularly therein to be considered,Christes death wonderfull a­boue the course of nature. or rather to be wondred at, which passe the course of all nature and example of all other. For to all other men so commonly it happeneth, be they neuer so victori­ous conquerours in thys life, that when death commeth, it conquereth them, and maketh an end of all their triumphes. Who leaue all behind thē, and cary nothing with them, but are caried them selues to nothing: but in this death of Christ all is contrary.Difference be­twene y^e death of Christ, and of all other persons. For here death is turned to life, ex­treme contempt to aeternall glory, pouerty to ri­ches, misery to felicitie, life endeth, & yet life begin­neth: death conquereth, and is conquered: that which is wont to be the end to all other, is to him à new beginning. Where other men leaue the world, there beginneth he his raigne and king­dome: that which casteth other men down, set­teth him in hys triumphe. Such à glorious thing was death to him, which is so miserable to all o­ther: and not to him alone glorious, but by hym also glorious to vs all: so that of one death riseth à double victory, à double triumph. He ouercom­meth, [Page 50] and we ouercome: he triumpheth,In Christes death a dou­ble victory conteined. & we tri­umph: he by him selfe, & we by him. And though he ouercommeth alone, yet he ouercommeth not for him selfe alone, but for vs. For in his victory consisteth our victory: in his righteousnesse stan­deth out righteousnesse, according to the wordes of S. Paule: 2. Cor. 5. That we might be made the righteousnesse of God by him. &c.

Of thys glorious victory of Christ after hys death, the Scripture in many places recordeth, as in the Gospell of S. Luke: Luke. 24. So it behoued (sayth he) that Christ should suffer, and afterward to enter into his glory. &c. And what glory this is, S. Paule to the Philippians sheweth: where after he had first set forth the great humilitie of his obediēce: to death, & to the death of the Crosse, proceeding then fur­ther & wondering at his exaltation, sayth: Where­fore God hath exalted him, Phil. 2. and geuen him a name aboue all names, The exaltation of Christ after his death. that in the name of IESVS should euery knee bowe, both of thinges in heauen, and thinges in earth, and thinges vnder the earth, and that all tounges should con­fesse, that Iesus Christ is the Lord, vnto the glory of God the father. &c.

Of hys kingdome also and of his power,The kingdome of Christ. fol­lowing after his passion, thus we read in the E­uangelistes:Math. 3. Repent and amend (sayth Iohn Baptist) for the kingdome of heauen draweth nere. &c. And in the x. of S. Mathew, & in the x. of S. Luke, where Christ speaking to hys Disciples, biddeth them go forth and preach, saying:Math. 10. Luke. 10. The kingdome of heauen draweth nere. &c. Againe, speaking to his disciples, he tel­leth thē that he would not drinke of that vinegrape, Math. 26. till [Page] he dranke again with them in the kingdome of his father. &c. Math. 26. Or while the kingdome of God were come. Luk. 22. Luke. 22. Which kingdome first began at y^e crosse.

The power of Christ after his death.Likewise speaking of power geuē to him, that is, to his humanitie, he sayth: All power is geuē to me in heauen & earth. Math. 28. &c. Againe: All thinges be geuen to me of my father. Luke. 10. &c. Againe, in an other place he confesseth, that the father hath geuē all iudgement to his sonne. Ioh. 5. Iohn. 5. Also, that his father had geuen vnto him power of all fleshe. Ioh. 17. Iohn. 17. And I will draw all thinges to my selfe. &c. Ioh. 12. Iohn. 12. All which places are to be vn­derstand, not absolutely in respect of his diuinitie, but of his humanitie, not as he is [...]: but as he is [...], God and man, or God in man, God clothed with man, ij. natures in one person vnited, so is this power geuen him. Wherby who soeuer now will be saued,The person of Christ is he in whom now standeth all saluation. must come to him: Who soeuer will come to the father must come by him who not onely is the way to life, but is both the way and life. As there was no corne to be had in all the countreyes about Aegypt, Comparison betwene Io­seph & Christ, the brasē Ser­pent & Christ, the Temple, and the body of Christ. but onely by the handes of Ioseph, who after long affliction was so highly exalted: so is there no grace, nor life, no remission, no holy Ghost now to be looked for, but at the handes of this our crucified Ioseph. He is the brasen Serpent, which onely healeth y^e Ser­pentes woundes. He is that holy temple, where God onely is to be found and worshipped, and no where els.No helping nor hearing God without Christ. Without him there is no hearing God, no helping God, no God for vs at all. He that seeketh and searcheth any naked God with­out this God clothed in man, wadeth as in the [Page 51] Occean Sea where he findeth no bottome. This I speake for causes. Some such I see, which seeme to professe à certaine forme of Religion, sed non secundū Christū Iesum, or as S. Paul saith, non tenentes caput, that is, not holding the head. And al­though nothing be more intolerable to mans na­ture, then God in his naked, vnmensurable, and incomprehensible maiestie,Vide Luther. in Epistolam ad Galat. as Mart. Luther truely sayth: yet some such there be phantastically spiri­ted, which setting Christ à side, & walking in their mirabilibus super [...], wander in their speculatiue contemplations they can not tell whether, think­ing to finde out à God to saue thē by their owne workes and seruice, which they shall neuer finde. So the Iew thinketh to be saued by the lawe of Moses the Turke by his Alcoran the Papist by his good deedes: The Monke & Feier by his workes of perfection. Wherin they are all deceaued. So farre is it off that there is any sauing God with­out Christ,An horrible thing once to thinke of God without Christ. that it is an horrible thing (to vse the wordes of Luther) to thinke of God w^tout Christ.

Whosoeuer therefore hath to deale with God for his iustification, saluation, remission of sinnes, and life euerlasting, let him straine his braine no further with climing speculations, but humbly seeke & come to this incarnate God, Christ Iesus crucified, God dwelling in man, clothed with mā, Mediator betwene God & man, the naturall sonne of God, & naturall sonne of à virgine, done of our bones, & flesh of our fleshe, and there begin hys saluation (as Luther well teacheth) where Christ beginneth his incarnation, and fall down [Page] at the manger,Vide Luther. in Epistol. ad Galat. fol. 27. & at the lappe of the virgin, where thys childe lieth, & there behold this blessed sonne, geuen to vs, borne for vs, sucking, growing, con­uersant here in middle earth, teaching, preaching, bleeding, dying, rising againe, ascending aboue all heauens, hauing full power aboue all thinges. And no doubt but this child shall beare him our, and bring him at length where he shall see face to face. In the meane season; let vs anker here in this hauen, where we shall find rest and safe har­borow, and beware we [...] no further nor lower, but onely to this crucified person, except we go in his name, and be sure to take him with vs where soeuer we go. If he be our king, whether then cā the subiect go further then to his liege prince and soueraigne? If he be our shepheard, whether can the wādering sheepe seeke but to his pastor? Whe­ther should the desolate conscience flie but to hys owne Bishop: Who is the glory to the wife, but the husband? Where can the member looke for succour, but at the head? Or what is it that we can lacke, either in heauen or earth, but this our head, our husband, our Bishop, our pastor, our prince and king is able to supply?No flying but only to Christ. When the peo­ple of Aegypt fainted for hunger, and sought for corne, yet when they had all done, at length they were all sent to Ioseph to be serued.Coloss 2. In illo estis cō­pleti. i. In him ye are all complete, sayth S. Paule, as though he would say:All fulnesse in Christ to sup­ply our neces­sities. there is nothing in all the world lacking to your necessities, but in him ye haue it fully & perfectly. If ye would haue grace, peace, mercy, quietnesse of cōscience, forgeuenesse [Page 52] of sinnes, spirituall comfort, giftes of the holy Ghost, resurrection, the fauour of God, reconcili­ation, heauen, & life euerlasting, he hath it in hys owne handes to geue you:Coloss. 1. Quia in ipso cōplacuit omnem plenitudinem inhabitare. i. For in him it hath pleased God that all fulnesse should dwell, fayth S. Paule. And thus briefly ye haue heard to what power and glory Christ our Sauiour is now aduaun­ced, after his death and ignominious passion.

Now of his victory & triumph à worde or two.The triumph of Christ after his death. Albeit I am somwhat wery, and haue made you wery also I feare with long standing: yet were it pitie that such heauenly matter comming now to hand, should passe vntouched. In worldly victo­ries and great triumphes, when any famous act is done, or prowes atchiued, y^e Captaine is wont to bring ante currum triumphalem, some notable spoyle, or certaine of hys principall enemies sub­dued by him for à spectacle to the people. So Iu­dith brought y^e head of Holofernes, Comparison betwene the triumphe of Christ, and of other con­querours. Dauid brought the head and sworde of Goliath into Hierusalem. Augustus brought signa parthica into the Citie of Rome. Sapores king of Persia brought Valerian the Emperour in à golden cage. Of diuers other fa­mous and triumphant victories we read in sto­ries: as of Alexander in subduing the Barbarrians, Themistocles in repelling the Persians, Emilius the Macedonians, Scipio the sonne of Emilius against Anniball, & the Numantians, Pompeius against the Armenians and Asians, Caesar against Pompei­us, Lucullus against Mithridates, Marcellus against the Scicilians and Carthaginians, with diuers mo. [Page] But amongest all victorious stratagemes, & tri­umphes, neuer was nor neuer shall be any to be compared with this glorious conquest of Christ our Sauiour, which excedeth all triumphes that euer were, so farre as the enemies whom he sub­dued, were exceding in strength aboue all ene­mies that mā either did or euer could ouercome. For y^e enemies whom those valiant warriers by violence and force of soldiours oppressed, though they were able in armes, yet were they but men, and such as might be ouercome by mē. But these ouer whom this our conquerer triumphed, were such aduersaries,The triumph of Christ a­gainst the de­uill and death. as conquered euen the conque­rers them selues, yea all conquerers that euer were: whom no flesh could withstand, no sword represse, no policie auoyde. And these hath he van­quished, not by ayde of any creature, but onely by him selfe fighting alone.

Of the which aduersaries, the first was y^e spi­rituall great Goliath the deuill, the mighty Mo­narch of this world: the other was death the ca­pitall enemy to all flesh & bloud. Of whose most happy ouerthrow, partly I haue touched before.

Besides these & with these commeth an other great enemy, or rather greater then they, which being called in Scripture, Inimicitia, or Ira dei, Gods heauy wrath or hatred,Gods wrath ceassed by the death of Christ. was à sore and in­tolerable aduersary to man: whom thys worthy captaine likewise put to flight & slew. And how? By his Crosse, that is, in being slaine him selfe. Wherof we read in Scripture thus:Ephe. 2. Per crucem reconciliauit nos deo, interficiens inimicitias in se­metipso. [Page 53] i. By his Crosse he hath reconciled vs to God, kil­ling enmitie or wrath in him selfe.

With this wrath,The triumph of Christ against Sinne, or rather before this wrath and hatred of God, cōmeth an other strong ene­mie called sinne, with à cruell company of deadly aduersaries waiting vpon him, as Hell,Hell, Damna­tion,Damnation, desperation,Desperation, destructiō, expulsion,Expulsion, the worme of conscience, thraldome, captiuitie,Captiuitie, malediction,Malediction. of which malediction, first we read in Genesis: Cursed be the earth for thy sake. Gene. 3. With toyle & great labour thou shalt feede thereof, and get thy bread with the sweate of thy face, till thou returne to the earth againe frō whence thou camest, for earth thou art, and to earth thou shalt. &c. Againe, of thys malediction we read: Deut 28. Deut. 28. Cursed be thou in the Citie, cursed in the field, cursed be all that thou hast and possessest. Cursed be thou, The manifolde maledictions belonging to man in this life. and all thine ofspring. &c. with à number of other miserable ca­lamities, which not onely we may read in that chapter pronounced against vs, but dayly may feele by experience working in vs. Wherof ensue all these hard distresses and heapes of infinite miseries, slauery, oppression vnder tyrānous per­secutors, plagues, murders, warres, daungers by land, daungers by water, daungers by all ele­mentes, seruitude, penury, prisonmentes, casu­alties, ruines, aduersities, iniuries, feares, cares, hartbreakinges, hartburninges, cruell hand­linges, painfull sufferinges, sighes and sorrowes, losses, greuaunces, afflictions of body, afflictions of spirit: and who is able to recite all the effectes of Gods malediction layde vpon man for sinne? All which heapes and multitudes of wofull ma­lediction, [Page] the death of this our Lorde and soue­raigne hath dissolued and dispatched, triumph­ing by him selfe ouer them all: according to the wordes of S. Paule: Gal. 3. Galat. 3. Christ to redeeme vs from the curse of the law, was made for vs accursed, that the blessing of Abrahā might come vpon the Gentiles, through Christ Iesus. &c.

Besides these triumphes & valiant conquestes of Christ our Sauiour aboue specified, remaineth an other triumph, as glorious as all the rest, a­gainst à mighty, à sore & à stoute enemy, of whom all our enemies toke their force. This enemy was of so great effect, & diuine authoritie, that so long as he raigned ouer vs, neither could we be safe for him: nor yet was it in our power by any meanes to auoyde him from vs. But before I be­ginne to speake of this enemy, I will first here play Ioseph ab Arimathea, and reuerendly take down the body of our Lorde from the Crosse and lay him in his sepulchre,Christ taken downe and buried. till ye shall heare of hym within these iij. dayes more againe.

And here now hauing taken down the cruci­fied body of Iesus frō the Crosse, to occupy your eyes, and to delite your mindes, I entend, by the grace of Christ crucified,A new Cruci­fixe set vp at Paules Crosse. to set vp here in Paules Crosse, or rather in Christes Crosse, an other Cru­cifixe, à new Crucifixe, à new Roode vnto you, à Crucifixe that may do all Christen hartes good to behold.The strength of the Law. This Crucifixe is he that crucified all mā­kinde, and hath brought many à man to the gal­lowes, to the Crosse, to the gibbet, and at last cru­cified Christ our Sauiour also. So seuere was [Page 54] he, that he spared none: so strong, being armed with Gods iustice & iudgement, that none could escape him. And now shall ye see him hanged vp,The triumph of Christ ouer the law. and crucified him self: the meryest and most hap­piest sight, that euer came to man. Lift vp your heades therefore (O ye faythfull of y^e Lord) with ioyfull thankes vnto God: and as ye lamented euē now in beholding the innocent sonne of God wrongfully crucified, and sore tormented vpō the Crosse: so now reioyce as much in beholding this new Crucifixe, which before was à crucifier and à iudge, but now both iudged and crucified him selfe, to all your comfortes. Ye muse peraduēture and maruell what great Crucifixe this should be: and no doubt à great Crucifixe it is, and therfore required à great crucifier, & so he had: both great cōquerours, and both them selues crucified, how­beit not of like greatnesse, nor of like cōdition:The Sonne of God: The Law of God, both crucified. the one our Sauiour, the other our condemner: the one for à few houres crucified, the other for euer: the one wrōgfully, the other iustly put to y^e crosse: the one of hys owne mere will, the other of mere force & by conquest. Of the one I haue preached vnto you already, which is Christ Iesus crucifi­ed: Of the other S. Paule now shall tell you.

His name is the law of cōmaundementes: cal­led otherwise [...]: wher­of ye shall heare what S. Paul speaketh both in the Epistle to y^e Ephes. and also the Coloss. cap. 2. Ephe 2. Coloss. 2. This law (sayth he) of cōmaundementes, or Gods handwriting that was against vs in decrees, he hath made voide, Crucifyinge of the Law. aboli­shed, and hath affixed to his crosse, & spoyling principates [Page] and potestates, hath made an open shew of thē, triumphing ouer them openly in him selfe. Col. 2. And thus haue ye vpon one Crosse ii.Two Cruci­fixed vpon one Crosse. Crucifixes, ij. most excellent potentates that euer were, the sonne of God, and the law of God, wrastling together about mans saluation, both cast down and both slaine vpō one Crosse, howbeit not after like sort. First the sonne of God was ouerthrowen, and tooke the fall, not for any weaknesse in him selfe, but was cōtented to take the foyle for our victory. By thys fall, the law of God in casting him down, was cast in his owne trippe and forgot him selfe. For where the law sayth: he that doth the commaundementes shall liue in them, Christ kept the law and yet contrary to the law, liued not in it. Therefore as it was a­gainst all order of Iustice and law,The lawe a transgressor in the condemna­tiō of Christ. that he should be cōdemned, which neuer knew any sinne: so stoode it with good iustice, that the law which offended in condemning the innocent, shoulde forfeite hys right to him whom he wrongfully had offended. Wherupon in conclusion it folowed, that the law which before was holy, profitable, immaculate, & necessary, being now found à transgressor, must needes geue place to à holier person, which neuer transgressed,The law cru­cified to the Crosse of Christ. and so rightly was taken as giltie and culpable, and fast nailed hand and foote vn­to the Crosse: according as we read in S. Paules wordes: The lawe condemnatory which was written a­gainst vs in commaundementes, he cancelled, and affixed to his Crosse, triumphing in him selfe. &c. Coloss. 2. Coloss. 2.

Where is to be vnderstand in crucifying thys lawe of God, not that the commaundementes of [Page 55] God are now crucified and abolished, so that they are now not to be obeyed or practised of vs any more. S. Paul sayth not, that y^e commaundements of Gods law be crucified, but the handwriting that was against vs in commaundements to be crucified. &c. meaning therby the curse, malediction, or cōdem­nation of the law to be extinguished: so that the cōmaundements of God though they teach what is to be done, yet they condemne not them that be in Christ Iesu: and though they beare rule in the body so long as it liueth here: yet they rule not o­uer the conscience to condemnation. For therefore was Christ made accursed for vs, to redeme vs frō the curse of the law &c. Gal. 3. Galat. 3. So that Christ, & the law in à true Christen conscience are contrary & incompa­tible, as the scholemen terme it: or as we may say in plaine Englishe, are ij. thinges which can not stand together: but either Christ must geue place,Christ and the malediction of the law cā not both dwell in one conscience together. and the law stand: or els the law (the condemna­tion of the lawe I meane) must end, and Christ reigne in the conscience of the Christian penitent. For both these, Christ & the law, Grace & maledic­tion, cā not gouerne together. But Christ y^e sonne of God which once dyed, cā dye no more, but must reigne for euer. Wherfore y^e law with his strēgth,The kingdome of Christ be­ginneth, and the kingdome of the law en­deth, both vp­on one Crosse. sting, & curse, must surceasse and haue an end, so that as Christes kingdome first beginneth vppon the Crosse: euen so the kingdome of the law vpon the same Crosse, and at the same time expireth.

And here commeth in that, which in Scrip­ture is called, Libertas Christiana, Christē libertie.Christ on li­bertie. Of which libertie S. Paul thus writeth to y^e Galat: [Page] Christ was made vnder the law, Galat. 4. that he might redeme thē which were vnder the law in bondage. &c. And againe: In the libertie (sayth he) wherin Christ hath set you, stand fast, and come no more vnder the yoke of bondage. &c. By which libertie is ment, not the libertie of flesh, for vs to runne at large, & do what we list (as many there be now à daies, which abuse Christiā liber­tie to carnall licence) but the libertie belonging onely to the inward conscience of à iustified Chri­stian,Against the a­busers of Chri­stian libertie. which once was in bondage of the law, not onely to obey it, but also in daunger of perpetuall death and malediction by disobeying the same. From thys daūger Christ now hath vtterly clea­red all true penitent and trembling consciences, setting them at libertie,The maledic­tion not the vse of the law ta­ken away. not from the vse and ex­ercise of the law, but from the dominion and au­thoritie iudiciall of the law.

And that is it, which S. Paul here speaketh and meaneth,Coloss. 2. saying: He hath dispatched the obligation or handwriting that was against vs in decrees, and hath cru­cified it fast to the crosse. &c. Wherein the phrase of S. Paules speach would be noted. If he had but said, that Christ had pluckt vs out from the daunger of the law: or that he had stayed y^e sentence of iudge­ment against vs, or had repriued vs frō the con­demnation of the law, it had bene much, & à ioy­full matter (no doubt) of singular comfort vnto vs. For what more comfort can be to à giltie per­son, cast by the law, then to heare the peremptory sentence of iudgement against him, stayed, reuo­ked, or turned away? And yet in thys comfort, some feare remaineth withall, so long as the au­thoritie [Page 56] of the Iudge endureth, and as the lawe still standeth, whom he offended.

But now marke (O ye faithfull of the Lorde, especially you, that labour & be laden in cōscience) and expend well y^e heauenly message of this wor­thy Apostle, what he speaketh of y^e law, and how he speaketh.Affixit illud cruci suae. &c. He saith not that y^e sentence of iudge­ment is stayed, & that we are pardoned, nor sayth that the action is fallen, and we repriued. No, no, he goeth further, & telleth vs plainly, that the law which was against vs, our accuser & condemner, is slaine, killed, crucified, & nailed fast both hand and foote, & so crucified, not as Christ was, to rise againe the third day, neither hath the lawe such power to rise againe as the sonne of God did, but remaineth slaine and abolished for euer, neuer to rise againe nor to haue any more power against them that be in Christ Iesu.The condem­nation of the law not stayed but killed to all true Christians. Whereby the case of our saluation standeth firme & substantiall, with­out all feare of iudgement and condemnation. For if there be no accusing nor condemning but by the law, then to kill the law, which killeth vs, what is it els, but to discharge vs from condem­nation for euer? He that deliuereth his frend for à time out of his enemies hand, doth him à plea­sure: but he that killeth the enemy, and riddeth him quite out of the way, geueth perpetuall safe­tie. So remission of sinnes by Christ, if it were for sometimes, and not for all times, for some sinnes, and not for all sinnes, then the law had liued still.The killing of the law impor­teth our safetie to be perpetu­all. But now the killing and crucifying of the lawe importeth full remission to be absolute and our [Page] safetie to be perpetuall. Wherby cōmeth now the saying of the Apostle to be true:Rom. 8. That there is no con­demnation now to thē that be in Christ Iesu, which walke not after the fleshe, but after the spirite. &c. And why is there no more condemnation? For the law be­ing slaine, which was the accuser, who shall now lay accusation against the elect? It is God that iustifieth, and who is he then, or where is he that shall condemne? Where is he? If ye will nedes know where he is, S. Paul will tell you. There he is (sayth he) vpon the tree, vpon the Crosse of Christ fast crucified. A dead man (sayth our prouerbe) can do no hurt. Euen so no trembling conscience needeth now to feare y^e power of y^e law, that is in Christ. Neither is there to hym now any lawe to condemne hym, as the said Apostle most comfortably teacheth vs, saying:Rom. 6. Sinne shall not preuaile ouer you. And why? Be­cause y^e law,1. Cor. 15. which is the power of sinne, is now dead to vs. So that like as if à woman be discharged from her first husband being dead,The law com­pared to the first husband, Christ to the second. and hath ma­ryed an other man, the first husbād hath no more power ouer her: euen so we now being espoused vnto Christ our second husband, are freed vtterly from our first husband the law, and as S. Paul in the same place sayth,Rom. 6. are no more vnder the law, that is, vnder the dominion & malediction of the law, but vnder grace, that is, vnder perpetuall remission of sinnes, committed not onely before our Iustifica­tion, but as well also after, and during all our life long:Gods great grace ought to be no encou­ragement to sinne. Adding this lesson withall (as foloweth in the same place) not that sinners now should sinne the more therfore, because they are vnder grace: [Page 57] but that weake infirmitie might be relieued, bro­ken consciences comforted, and repēting sinners holpen from desperation, to the prayse of Gods glory. For as God forgeueth not sinners because they should sinne: so neither doth infirmitie of fal­ling diminishe the grace of Christ, where fayth with repentaunce worketh.

These things standing so, seing y^t our first hus­bād y^e law is now deceassed (as S. Paul telleth vs) let vs weigh our state with y^e Scriptures, & yoke our selues no more vnder subiectiō of the law,Antipophora. frō whom we are deliuered. I speake not here with Aetius, Eunomius, or with y^e Anomean heretikes a­gainst y^e due obedience of Gods holy law (as our aduersaries falsely belye vs) but I speake with S. Paul against y^e malediction & condemnatiō of the law,Christians set free from con­demnation of the law. vnder whose iurisdiction all we were once cōteined, as the wife vnder y^e law of her husband. To hym first we were by nature coupled, being to vs à sharpe and à bitter husband, & rather à ty­ranne or an austere warder & scholemaster, then à husband, & could in no case be diuorced from him,The law dead to man: And man to the lawe. but onely by death. And now S. Paul here bring­eth vs worde, that he is dead to vs, & we to hym: By the body of Christ, Rom. 7. that we may lawfully now mary an o­ther husband, euen him that is risen againe from the dead, to fructifie vnto God, through obedience of good life.

And thus much touching the triumph of this glorious prince. Wherein you haue heard, what mighty & perilous enemies he hath subdued, and all by him selfe, and yet not for him selfe, but for vs. For somuch as the debt was not his but ours, [Page] which he for vs did acquite. For we had forfeited to y^e deuill our soule, to death our bodies, our con­science to the law. He then taking our quarell in hand, trode vpon y^e Serpētes head, threw down the deuil, destroied death, captiued captiuitie, and crucified the law. So that y^e labour was his: the victory is ours, he had the paines, we had y^e pro­fite, according as we read in S. Iohn, cap. 4: Other (sayth he) haue laboured, Iohn. 4. and you haue entred into their labours. &c. Also in the same place: One (sayth he) soweth the ground, and an other reapeth the fruite. &c.

Now, what fruite it is that we doe reape by this blessed sowing of Christ (who not onely was the sower, but also the seede sowen) it is shewed now in the end of our text and message, in these wordes of the Apostle: ‘The text. That we might be made the righteousnesse of God by him.2. Cor. 5. &c.’

In which fewe wordes is briefly compact all the felicitie that euer can come to mankinde. For as sinne was the spring originall of all the mise­ries & mischiefes that euer happened to man be­fore:The fruite and effect of Chri­stes passion. so now righteousnesse likewise is y^e originall cause that bringeth life and all goodnesse to man. Here then is righteousnesse set against sinne: two contraryes fighting, one to counterpease with the other: both of equall force to contrary effectes. For as sinne and wickednesse was perfect in vs,Perfect sinne, and perfect righteousnesse striuing toge­ther in man. which brought death and condemnation to man: so pari [...] againe that righteousnesse which bringeth life and aeternall saluatiō, must likewise be perfect in man. Which because it can not be [Page 58] found in our own actions, it must be sought in the actions of an other, & imputed to vs as our own, which may stand effectuall. And that is it, which y^e Apostle here sayth:2. Cor. 5. That we might be made the righ­teousnesse of God by him. &c. as much to say: that we might be accounted righteous before God, with that righteousnes, not which is in vs & is imper­fect, but which is in Christ & by him is imputed to vs through fayth, which iustifieth vs before God.

Wherefore we must remember here to make à distinctiō of Iustitia, of righteousnesse,Two sortes of righteousnesse in Scripture to be noted. by y^e Scrip­ture, which after the doctrine of S. Paule is taken ij. maner of waies. One kinde of righteousnesse is that which is called Iustitia Dei, or Iustitia fidei, that is, y^e righteousnesse of God, or righteousnesse of fayth, and the same also may be called Iustitia passiua. The other kinde of righteousnesse is that, which is called Iustitia propria, or Iustitia operum, Our owne righteousnesse, or righteousnesse of workes. Which also in vs is called Iustitia actiua. And thys distinction is necessary to be marked.Distinction of righteousnesse necessary. Or els we shall be greatly deceaued, and wander blindfeld in the doctrine of saluation.

Of these two sortes of righteousnesse, the first, which is y^e righteousnesse of faith, is it which one­ly standeth before God and none other, & therfore is called of S. Paule, the righteousnesse of God, Righteousnesse of God. because it hath so pleased God by his promise to accept and impute this righteousnesse standing by faith in hys sonne to euerlasting saluation. Wherupon S. Paule to the Philippians writing of y^e difference betwene these two sortes of righteousnesse, refu­seth [Page] the righteousnesse of the law,Iusticia Dei, called Iusticia fidei, Iusticia passiua. that he might be found in Christ, hauing not his own righteousnesse, but the righteousnesse of Christ, which is of faith. Phil. 3. Againe, the sayd Apostle writing of the Iewes, which sought for righteousnesse & found it not:Iusticia no­stra. Iusticia ope­rum. Iusticia actiua. and also of y^e Gentiles, which sought not for righteousnesse and yet found it, sheweth the reason why: Because (sayth he) the one sought it as by workes and the law, and came not to it: Rom. 9. who not knowing the righteousnesse of God, and seeking to set vp their owne righteousnesse, did not sub­mit thēselues to the righteousnesse which is of God. Difference be­twene righte­ousnesse of fayth and righ­teousnesse of workes. The o­ther, who were the Gētiles, sought not for it, & yet obteined righteousnesse, that righteousnesse, which is of faith. &c. Rom. 9. Also in the 3. chap. of y^e same Epistle S. Paul writing of thys righteousnesse which riseth by faith in Christ,Righteousnesse of God in Scripture, what it is. calleth it Gods righteousnesse, cōming not by our workes, but by hys promised imputa­tion, in these wordes: Whom God (saith he) hath set vp for a propitiation by fayth in his bloud, thereby to make manifest his owne righteousnesse, Rom. 3. in tolerating our sinnes. &c. Rom. 3. Againe in the same chapt. his wordes be plaine & manifest: The righteousnesse of God (sayth he) is by fayth in Iesus Christ, in all and vpon all that doe beleue. Rom. 3. And likewise where he writeth in the first chapt. in this wise: For the righteousnesse of God by it is reueled from fayth to fayth. &c. Rom. 1. Rom. 1.

Gods righte­ousnesse. Mans righte­ousnesse.And thus haue ye heard of Gods righteous­nesse through fayth, cōming not by our workes, but by Gods grace & imputation, how S. Paul cō­mendeth it, & how God alloweth it to iustificatiō. Now as touching y^e other kinde of righteousnesse which is called our righteousnesse, & commeth by [Page 59] mans working, & not onely by imputatiō, ye shall heare what y^e Scripture reporteth:Esay. 64. All our righte­ousnesse (saith Esay) is like the stained cloute of a defiled womā. Esay. 64. When ye haue done all ye can, say (sayth our Sauiour) that ye are but vnprofitable seruauntes. Luk. 17. Luke. 17. Likewise S. Paul, Phil. 3. speaking of the righteousnesse which cōmeth by y^e law, & weigh­ing the same with the other righteousnesse which standeth by fayth in Christ, so greatly abhorreth that sort of righteousnesse of hys owne, y^t he hath accounted, and doth still account all those things which he thought before to be excellent vantage, now to be losse, & filthy doung,Phil. 3. that he might winne Christ, and be found in him, not hauing his owne righteous­nesse by the law, but that righteousnesse which commeth of God through fayth. &c. And thus ye see y^e true righ­teousnesse which standeth before God,Iusticia Actiua. Iusticia Passiua. not to pro­cede of the law, but of fayth: not to be ours, but Gods righteousnesse: not to be actiue, but mere passiue, that is,The righte­ousnesse of a Christian is not Actiue, but mere Passiue. not that we be y^e agentes or doers therof, but onely receauers of it at the handes of God, according as the phrase of this our text doth rightly purport. For the Apostle sayth not actiue­ly, vt nos efficeremus iusticiam Dei, that we should make or worke the righteousnesse of God: but passiuely, vt efficeremur iusticia Dei, Vt efficeremur Iusticia Dei. that we should be made the righteousnesse of God, by whom? Not by our selues, lest we should glory in our selues: but by an other, that is, by him that was made sinne for vs, & suf­fered his passiō for vs; to whō be glory for euer. Amē.

Per Illum.

Wherfore whosoeuer studieth to be foūd righ­teous [Page] in Gods sight, let him learne diligently by the doctrine of S. Paule, to make à separation, as farre as is frō heauen & earth, betwene these two, that is, betwen the righteousnesse of workes, and righteousnesse of fayth, and in any wise beware he bring none other meanes for hys iustification, but onely thys which the Apostle here speaketh, of perillum, by him, that is, but onely fayth appre­hending y^e body or persō of Christ Iesus crucified.

This pronown [per illū] aboue al other things ought most principally to be alwaies in our eyes, and especially in our hartes. As the eyes of the old Israelites were willed to looke to the brasen Ser­pent for their bodily health: so haue we, for our spirituall saluatiō no other obiect set before y^e eyes of our fayth to beholde, but this [per illum] which is as the Church is wont to say: Per Christum Do­minū nostrū. And therfore S. Paul concluding thys matter, doth wel adde in the latter end this same [per illum] forasmuch as thys pronowne maketh vp all our religiō, & excludeth al other pronownes [per illos or per illas] and not only pronownes, but all other nownes also, both proper, & vnproper, it debarreth both Mary, Iames, Iohn, Paul, & Peter to, as Peter him self loking vpon this pronowne [per illum] will tell vs flatly: Non est aliud nomen sub coelo, there is no other name nor nowne vnder heauē, sayth he. &c. but onely this Apostolical pro­nowne Demonstratiue [per illum]. I call it Apo­stolical, because y^e Apostles neuer taught no other pronown to saluation, but this. I call it Demon­stratiue, because y^t all true Apostolicall preachers [Page 60] now likewise ought to demōstrate to the people, & to lead them by none other pronowne but onely [per illū] and must take singular heede, they turne not [per] to [praeter]. They which bring in y^e testa­ment of S. Frances, the rule of S. Benet, the order of Dominike, or merites of any other patrones, hold not the right demonstratiue [per illum] but [prae­ter illū] doe shoote, as S. Paule sayth, to à wrong marke.

Let vs therefore, that be right Christians,A briefe repe­tition of the fruites that come to vs by Christes passion. and thinke to winne, marke well our marcke, & looke well to thys crucified pronowne, thys person I meane [per illum] for by hym, as S. Paule sayth, we are made the righteousnesse of God. 2. Cor. 5. By whose passion all our enemies be subdued, all gotten, all is cleared & discharged, all finished and consūmate. By y^e bloud of whose Crosse al things are pacified both in heauen and in earth. Coloss. 1. Coloss. 1. By y^e body of whose flesh, we are recōciled. Col. 1. Ibidem. By whose bloud we haue redemption, and remis­sion of our sinnes. Ephes. 1. Ephe. 1. And we that once were farre of, are made nere vnto God. Ephes. 2. Ephe. 2. By whose stripes we are made whole. Esa. 53. Esay. 53. By whose death, death is destroyed, and life brought to light. 2. Tim. 1. 2. Tim. 1. And he also destroyed, which had y^e power of death, that is, the deuill, & they de­liuered which liued vnder feare of death all their life in bondage. Heb. 2. Heb. 2. By whose flesh is taken away the diuision and separation betwene God and vs. Ephes. 2. Ephe. 2. Ibidem. In whose one body both Iewes and Gentiles are vnited to one God. Ephes. 2. By whose obedience we are made iust. Rom. 5. Rom. 5. By [Page] whose righteousnesse we are iustified to life.Rom. 5. Ibid. By whose curse we are blessed from malediction of the law. Gal. 3. Galat. 3. By whose pouerty we are rich. 2. Cor. 8. 2. Cor. 8. Who is our peace. Ephes. 2. Ephe. 2. Who is our Aduocate with the father, and y^e propitiation for our sinnes. 1. Ioh. 2. 1. Iohn. 2. Who was made of God for vs our wisedome, righteousnesse, sanctification, and redemption. 1. Cor. 1. 1. Cor. 1. Who saueth his people frō all their sinnes. Mat. 1. Math. 1. Who taketh away the sinnes of the world. Iohn. 1. Iohn. 1. Who hath torne à peeces the obligation against vs. Col. 2. Coloss. 2. Who iu­stifieth the wicked by fayth. Rom. 4. Rom. 4. By whom we are at peace with God. Rom. 5. Rom. 5. By whom we haue boldnesse to enter with all confidence through fayth in him. Ephes. 3. Ephe. 3. In whom we are made full and complete. Col. 2. Coloss. 2. Ionas was not so soone cast out of the ship into the Sea, but y^e tem­pestuous windes ceassed by and by,Ionas cast in­to the Sea, a figure of Christ. et stetit mare a feruore suo. Ionas. 1. Ionas. 1. The Paschall LambeThe Paschall Lambe. was no sooner slaine, and hys bloud vpon the postes, but the people euen the same night were deliue­red out of Pharaos thraldome. Exod. 12. Exod. 12.

Infinite it were to expresse, and ioyfull to be­hold in y^e Scriptures all the admirable treasures and riches contained in this principall pronowne of all pronownes [perillum]: which haue no end in them. But because the Sermon must haue an end, wherwith I haue wearied you inough, and my self more: therfore not to ouerweary you with more prolixitie, I thinke good to ceasse: after I shall adde a worde or two to shew you to whom, and by what meanes these excellent benefites of [Page 61] Christes passion are to be applied. Wherof nede­full it is somewhat to be sayd. For as all we Chri­stians agree in thys, that Christ is our redemer, and that he dyed for the sinnes of the world: so all we agree not in this, by what meanes the merits of Christes passion are to be applyed vnto vs.

Our aduersaries, which hold with the Church of Rome, and persecute vs for holding with the Gospell, say that the meane cause,The meane cause wherby the merites of Christes pas­sion be applied to vs. or instrumental cause or condition whereby the passion of Christ is made auayleable and effectuous to vs, is not onely our fayth in Christ, but diuers and sundry other helpes they ioyne besides: as auricular con­fession, contrition sufficient, & satisfaction, propi­ciatory sacrifice of the Masse, pardons and indul­gences of the Pope the storehouse of the Church;Errour of the Papistes in applying the merites of Christes passi­on by wrong meanes. merites and Inuocation of saintes, to beleue the Church of Rome, and to be subiect to the Bishop therof. And these they take as necessary matters to saluatiō, which vnlesse à mā do annexe withall as tyme and occasion serueth, the death of Christ can not be applied (say they) as meritorious alone to saluation. Other concurrentes also they adde besides these aboue named, which albeit they touch not so nere the necessitie of saluation, yet they helpe well forward, & augment the working and merites of Christes passion, to our saluation. And these they count to be merites of supereroga­tion, Councells, workes of perfection, building of Monasteries, geuing to Churches, hearing of Masses, entring to Religiō, austeritie of life, kee­ping of vowes, wilfull pouerty, and such like.

Promise of iu­stification hath no condition annexed but fayth alone.Contrary to thys doctrine, we affirme with the worde of God, that as the bloud of our Sa­uiour is the onely materiall cause, and the promise of God in his word the formall cause, of our sal­uation: so agayne we say, that the same promise of God in his word, standeth free and firme, with­out any condition at all, as of necessitie annexed to iustification, saue onely one, which is fayth in Christ.Doctrine of promise, Doctrine of the lawe, are diuers. For although workes of mercy and chari­tie be also required in Scripture, yet that is not, because the doctrine of promise requireth them as conditions to the act of iustifying, but because the doctrine of the law requireth them, as necessary duties to the institution of life. Of this promise being free and absolute without all other condi­tions, S. Paul thus plainly testifieth and teacheth: Therfore by fayth (sayth he) commeth the inheritaunce, Rom. 4. as after grace, because the promise might be firme and sure to all the seede. Promise of in­heritance stan­deth firme by S. Paule. Ergo, it stan­deth not by workes. &c. In which wordes ye see no con­ditions required to promise, but onely fayth: And why other conditions be excluded ye beare the cause also: for that the promise (sayth he) might be sure, And why sure? for els if it should depend vppon workes & merites of men, it were alwayes vnsure and vncertayne. For who euer knoweth when he hath done & deserued enough? And therfore it is, that we say, fayth onely Iustifieth: because the Scripture teacheth, vs to be saued by promise, which promise were no promise if it stode vpon conditions. A gift that standeth vpon conditiōs, can not be called à free gift.Galat. 3. And if the inheritance come by the law, then it commeth not of promise. [Page 62] Now life euerlasting, sayth the Scripture, is the gift of God, and commeth not of workes.

When the womans seede was first promised to Adam, what had he deserued?Gene. 3. God promised to Abrahā à seede wherin all nations should be bles­sed, of free gift,Gene. 12. without all conditions before he came out of his countrey, to folow the Lord. The same Abraham had Isaac hys sonne by Sara hys wife: Also Isaac had Iacob by Rebecca, Gene. 21. Gene. 25. but yet both Abraham and Isaac, with their wiues, were past all strength to haue childrē,Example of Gods promise to be free. before God kept hys promise. What deserued the tribes of Iraell, when God deliuered them from the bondage of Pharao? In the third of Exodus, Exod. 3. God promised to Moses to geue the people à land of milke & ho­ny: yet we read of no condition annexed to that promise, and though their desertes in the desert were very simple, yet God kept hys promise. What made Iacob loued, & Esau hated? the sonne of the freewoman to be receaued, and the sonne of the bondwoman to be cast out? not deseruing, but election: not the law of workes, but the pro­mise of God. How was the throne of Dauid esta­blished for euer, & the throne of Saul refused? not by weighing their merites, but by election of pro­mise without conditions. Euen so it hath pleased God through Christ his sonne to geue to his litle flocke à kingdome, which kingdome because he hath promised onely to fayth, and hath no other conditions annexed, therfore we holding vpon the free promise, say: that faith onely iustifieth vs, not denying many thinges els to be required to [Page] the action of life:To the Action of life many thinges requi­red. To the Act of Iustifying onely fayth required. but excluding them as conditi­ons in the acte of iustifying, which office of iusti­fying goeth only with fayth in Scripture, & hath none other condition, or meane annexed to it.

Now, to define what this faith is that iusti­fyeth, here is to be vnderstand, that the true faith wherupon dependeth the whole condition of our iustifying,True fayth what it is, examined. must euer looke to hys right obiect, which is the body of Christ the sonne of God cru­cified. For els many kindes there be of fayth: as euery thing that is true may be beleued, but not the beleuing of euery true thing doth iustifie. He that beleueth there is but one God, which crea­ted all thinges of naught, beleueth truely. And of thys fayth speaketh S. Iames: Tu credis quòd vnus est Deus. &c. Iac. 2. Iacob. 2. yet thys fayth without the ob­iect of Christ crucified,Of what sayth S. Iames speaketh. iustifieth not. Likewise he that beleueth God to be iust, omnipotent, merci­full,Fayth which iustifieth must euer holde his obiect. & that he is true of promise, beleueth wel, and holdeth the truth. So he that beleueth that God hath hys election frō the beginning, and so per­swadeth him selfe to be one of the same electe and predestinate, hath à good beliefe and is well per­swaded. But yet y^e same perswasion, vnlesse it ap­prehend the right obiect withall, serueth not to saluatiō.Diuers sortes of fayth. The Iew though he say, that he beleueth in one God maker of heauen and earth, and per­swadeth him selfe that God hath elected the seede of Abraham, and be neuer so deuoute in hys pray­ers, charitable in hys almes, or precise in keeping the law, & beleueth neuer so stedfastly, that God is true of promise, yet is he neuer the nerer to sal­uation [Page 63] for all this. No more is the Turke in doing and beleuing all the same. Briefly, what soeuer Religion, rule, sect, profession, perswasion, or spe­culation, be it neuer so contemplatiue, or what so­euer fayth or beliefe it be, that is not ioyned with thys obiect, and grounded vpon this head corner stone: that fayth may goe with à certaine truth, but goeth not with true iustification.

Onely the fayth which to iustification auay­leth,What fayth iustifieth. is that fayth whose obiect is the body & passi­on of Iesus Christ crucified.Christ crucifi­ed, onely the obiect of faith. Like as in y^e act of hea­ling, the eyes of the Israelites and the body of the brasen Serpēt went together: so in the act of Iu­stifying these ij, fayth and Christ, haue à mutuall relation, and must alwayes concurre, faith as the action which apprehendeth: Christ as the obiect which is apprehended. So that neither the passi­on of Christ saueth without fayth, neither fayth helpeth, vnlesse it be in Christ his obiect.

Of this obiect we read in many places of the Scripture:Math. 11. Come to me all ye that labour and be heauie laden. &c. Who so beleueth in me, Math. 9. I will raise him vp in the last day. &c. Ye beleue in God, beleue also in me. Iohn. 14. He that beleueth in me hath euerlasting life. &c.Iohn. 14.Without me ye cā do nothing. &c. Whosoeuer beleueth in him, shall not perish, Iohn. 15. but haue euerlasting life &c. He that is in me. &c.Iohn. 3.He that loueth me. &c. He that heareth me. &c. He that abideth in me. &c. He that receaueth me. &c. Except ye eate my fleshe, Iohn. 15. & drinke my bloud. &c. Iohn. 6. That they may receaue remissiō of sinnes through their fayth in me. &c. Act. 26. To him all the Pro­phets geue witnesse, to haue remissiō of sinnes, Act. 10. whosoeuer be­leueth in his name. &c. He that beleueth & is baptised. &c. Math. 28. [Page] He that beleueth in me, Iohn. 14. shall doe the workes that I doe, and greater then these. &c. Of such like places y^e Scrip­ture is full: wherein appeareth the verbe of bele­uing neuer to go without his pronown, nor faith without hys obiect.

Furthermore, as thys Iustifying fayth goeth euer with his obiect,Fayth in wordes onely professed de­ceaueth men. Faith inward­ly sturring by workes iusti­fieth before God. so to the same faith also must be required, that it stand not onely in outward profession, in wordes, in toung & talke, as swim­ming onely in the lippes, nor in outward formes, in shewes and gestures onely, which is but à dead and idle fayth, making an hypocrite be­fore men, rather then à iustified man before God: but must enter further into the inward hart: and as the sustenance of the soule, must inwardly be receaued & digested. For as sustenance of bread and drinke,Similitude betwene the bread and the body of Christ. being holden onely in the hand, or ga­sed vpon with the eye nourisheth not, except the same be inwardly receaued, and conueyed into the stomacke: and yet neither againe the recea­uing of euery thing susteineth mans body, except it be meate and drinke, which haue their conditi­on properly to nourishe: in like sort is it with faith. For as beleuing of euery truth, or fayth of euery obiect saueth not, but that faith only which is in Christes bloud:Faith the onely which recea­ueth the body of Christ. so neither againe doth the same bloud of Christ profite vs, except by fayth it be inwardly receaued. And as the Sunne, foun­taine of all light, shineth not but onely to such; which haue eyes to see, nor yet to thē vnlesse they open their eyes to receaue light: so the body of Christ Crucified being the materiall sustenaunce [Page 64] onely of our soules, it followeth that the skine su­stenance must be receaued by fayth into our in­ward hartes, or els it is not effectuall. And ther­fore Christ tooke bread, and called it by the name of hys body, to be eaten and receaued.

Vpon which premisses thus discussed, now I come to y^e definition of Iustifying faith,Iustifying fayth defined. which by the doctrine of S. Paul is this: ‘An inward appre­hending in hart, of Christ Iesus y^e sonne of God, beleuing by hys death freely to be purged frō all our sinnes, & to be iustified by his resurrection.’

And thys fayth,Faith onely iustifieth, and the reason why. because it is the onely condi­tion which y^e promise of God requireth in Scrip­ture to our iustification, and none other: therfore we with the Scripture say, that fayth onely of all actions, qualities, giftes, motions, or sciences in man, doth onely iustifie: not excluding thereby good workes frō Christen life, but onely from the office of iustifying: not separating fayth from works, but distinguishing their endes:Good workes the effectes of fayth: not causes of iusti­fication. cōcluding thus, that good workes be effectes of Christen fayth, not causes of iustificatiō. But this doctrine as it hath many aduersaries, & great obiections: so it requireth à more copious tractation. In the meane time briefly to shew how good workes be the effectes of fayth, ye shall heare what S. Paule sayth in the matter: whereby marke I pray you the genealogie of good workes. Fayth (sayth he) which worketh by loue. &c. Galat. 5. Galat. 5. Where ye see first how fayth gendreth loue:The genealo­gie of good workes. loue begetteth good works: Loue foloweth fayth, good works follow loue, faith goeth before as mother to them both. [Page] And this is the right and naturall genealogie of good workes. Loue in man commonly neuer be­ginneth vnlesse it be prouoked by some commodi­tie: and how then shall à man hartily beginne to loue God, except he first see his loue and benefites in Christ his sonne toward him? Or how shall à man worke liuely, except first he loue hartily? And therfore in y^e doctrine of y^e Church of Rome, which of late hath so darkned these mercies of God in Christ, I maruell how either à man could loue well, or liue well.

But of this enough, and here an end: not for lacke of matter,The perora­tion. but for very werynes. I haue o­uerspent the time, I see, & my voyce likewise, and almost me selfe also. In standing vpon these mat­ters I haue stand so long as I am wery of stan­ding. Wherfore I shall desire you: looke for no so­lēne peroratiō of me. Onely in stede of a repetitiō, I wil conclude w^t a litle short exhortatiō, as wery as I am: praying you, as I first began, according to the wordes of my message: Rogamus pro Chri­sto, I pray you for Cristes loue, and not I alone, but all the ministers & messengers of Christ in all Englād with me, do pray you with S. Paul, & with all the Apostles of Christ, and not we onely, yea God him selfe by all his Apostles, ministers, and messengers, we all do pray and entreate you, not as messengers of men, nor of any Bishop, no nor of the Bishop of Rome. The Bishop of Rome if he be a true Bishop, is but a messenger him selfe, and that onely in his owne Dioces where he is Bishop. In Christes name we pray you, that you, [Page 65] what or where soeuer ye be that haue ben hether­to straungers, vnacquainted, or enemyes vn­to God, now ye will draw nere, and be reconci­led & be frendes, not with the Bishop, whom we call Pope of Rome, who as I vnderstand of late hath sent hys proctors & messengers to reconcile you to him. Alack he is no God, nor yet good mā, his reconciliation can doe vs no good, and is not worth à rush. Our message is,Gods frend­ship freely offred. that ye will be re­cōciled vnto y^e liuing God. And as you haue long tasted of his wrath, so now begin to tast his frēd­ship. A better frend ye cā not haue. Yea, to say the truth, no other frend ye lacke but him. Whō if ye haue your frend, no enemy can do you hurt. If he be your enemy, no frend cā do you good. His frēd­ship if ye desire, ye nede not seeke it farre, it is here offered vnto you for taking. But then ye must take it while it is offered.2. Cor. 6. Behold now the accep­table yeare: yet is y^e good time: the golden time: yet is the day of saluation: yet to day lasteth, & the gate yet is open,Math. 25. wherin y^e wise virgines may en­ter: but if it be once shut againe, the foolishe vir­gines shall neuer haue it open any more. Ye that be rich, remember your cosin Diues, the rich mā in hell. Who because in his life time, when he might haue whole fountaines of fauour & refused, after­ward would haue had one drop of water, & coūld not. Take therfore while it is offered. Refuse not,Gods frend­ship not to be refused. lest ye be refused. Craue and haue. Come & spare not. Be bolde and feare not. For what should let you to be bolde, hauing such à patrone to make your way for you? if Gods wrath do feare you, he [Page] hath killed it. If ye dread the law, he hath han­ged it. If your hart condemne you, he is greater then your hart. If ye be sicke, he came therfore, to play the Phisition. If ye be hūgry, he is the bread of life. If ye be poore, he was made poore for you, to make you rich. If Gods curse lye vpon you, he was made accursed for you. If ye be sinnefull, he was made sinne for you, that you might be made the righteousnesse of God by him. What can we haue more of him, or what can he do more for vs then this, which is all? For he that hath bestowed his own sonne vpon vs, how can it be, but he will geue with him Omnia, all thinges to vs? Omnia vestra sunt. i. 1. Cor. 3. All thinges be yours, sayth the Lorde to vs, by his Apostle.

Which being so, seing then he hath done so much for you, remember your duties againe, and say with the Psalme:Psal. 116. Quid retribuam Domino pro omnibus quae retribuit mihi? Calicem salutaris acci­piam. &c. i. What shall I render vnto the Lorde for all his benefites towardes me? I will take the cup of saluation, and call vpon the name of the Lord. Psal. 116. Dearely be­loued brethren and countrey men, how dearly he hath loued you ye see: requite hys loue with loue againe. He hath called you to fauour and grace: vse it, abuse it not. Yesterday ye were sicke and weake: this day with his bloud he hath recouered you, with his woundes he hath cured you.Euery day is good Friday to euery good Christen man. This day I call euery day, whēsoeuer à sin­ner repenteth hys sinne and turneth to Christ. Yesterday ye were sinners: this day he hath pur­ged you and made you righteous. Remember [Page 66] what ye were, and keepe you as ye are, & sinne no more. Yesterday thou wast à pitious Chananite, Luke. 13. stouping and shrinking downe with thy backe to the groūd xviii. yeares together. Luk. 13: this day the death of Christ hath loosed thee of thy bādes, and set thee straight, go vpright now and crooke downe to y^e death no more. Yesterday thou wast pitiously arayed with y^e sely womā which hauing the bloudy issue xij. yeares,Luke. 8. & hauing spent all her substance vpon the Phisitions, came and touched hys coate and stole health from him:God send vs moe such theeues. thys day not the coate, but the bloud of Christ hath cured thy bloudinesse, now fal into such bloudy diseases no more. Thou wast yesterday à lame creple, frō xxxviij. yeares, lying by the water poole,Iohn. 5. & haddest no mā to cast thee into the poole. Iohn. 5: now is one come, not to throw thee into y^e water, but to throw water vpon thee euen from his own hart: wherfore being now made whole, go thy wayes & cary away thy bed, let thy long bed of laysinesse cary thee no more. With what à mighty voyce cried Christ to Lazarus? So loud he cried, that the dead heard hym, & came out of hys graue. Laza­rus was dead but iiij. daies.Iohn. 11. Thou hast layne stin­king in thy sepulcher so many yeares. Now com­meth one, and saith: Come out Lazarus. Come out therfore and cast away thy headcloth & winding sheete frō thee, and be no more like them that goe downe to the pitte. Yesterday thou wast à foule leper:Math. 8. to day thou art made cleane, take heede of the like scabbe hereafter.Luke. 6. Yesterday thy hand was dryed & benummed by an old disease called [...], pin­ching [Page] tenacitie: now commeth one, and biddeth thee hold out thy hand, and geueth thee à plaster. A soueraine plaster for such à drye hand, is this: Dispersit, dedit pauperibus, Iustitia eius manet in sae­culū seculi. i. He hath distributed and geuen to the poore, his righteousnesse remaineth for euer. Psal. 111. Psal. 111.

A petition for the pouertie of London.And here haue I à sute to my Lord Maior, before forgotten, but now remembred. God geue it may speede, so shall his honour with all this flo­rishing Citie, I trust, spede the better. My sute is for the poore: not for one poore man or two, but for all the whole pouertie in general of this Citie. Forsomuch as I well vnderstand such à way to be deuised by Gods good prouidence, for the suc­cour of all the poore inhabitantes of thys Citie, so that there shall hereafter nede neither begging in the streetes, nor yet in Pulpits any more, and the same deuise to lacke but à little setting forward through authoritie: my humble petition therfore is euen for his sake which was made poore for vs all, that my Lord Maior that now is, or that shal hereafter succede, with y^e sage Senatours of this Citie, grauely perpending the case, if they shall finde the same deuise neither hurtfull to the hospi­tals, nor chargefull to the Citie in alluring beg­gars, but rather à meanes necessary to auoyde idle counterfets, and profitable for the sustenta­tion of the true needy, especially in thys time of plague, and now in time of sommer, before win­ter approcheth: then that they ioyning their con­sent and authoritie, with the approbation of their reuerend Ordinary and learned Bishop of thys [Page 67] sea, who with his graue Archdeacons do all well allow of y^e same, will geue their furtherance here­in, and put that in vre, or at least in probation of time, which yet lieth in forme,An exhorta­tion to Lon­doners. and tarieth but onely the happy consent of their authoritie. Thus much I thought by y^e way to begge of you in this Sermō, because there should neede no more beg­ging in other Sermons hereafter. And I pray God this may be the last, if it be his will. If this Citie of London through diligence of good prea­chers be now planted in such ripe doctrine, as God be thanked it is, and hath the name thereof aboue all Cities and quarters of England besides, how requisite is it then, with this your forward­nesse of good doctrine, to be ioyned like readinesse of good working?

Let it not be seene nor sayd in London, that here is great talking of the Gospell, & little wal­king after the Gospell. And if your preachers doe rightly teach you that by fayth onely in Christ, you are iustified, now let not the Papistes then falsely outface you, that your preachers teach you no good workes: neither let them vpbrayde your Christian knowledge, for lacke of Christian con­uersation: but rather by good liuing stoppe their mouthes, that either by your workes ye may winne them to glorifie your father which is in heauen, or at least they may haue no occasion to cauill, which would carpe your fayth.

Truth is,How fayth is alone, and not alone. that by fayth alone (in respect of o­ther workes of the law) ye are iustified, as your preachers teach. And yet the same fayth being a­lone, [Page] she is not alone. In her office alone, in prac­tise not alone. The Queene, though in her state and office she be alone, yet she goeth not without her maides of honour after her. The office of the eye alone is in the head to see, yet the eye is not without other members of the body, which haue also their offices to them appropriate,Faith alone in his office. Let euery thing stand in hys proper charge and office: yet must euery thing nede in some respect the societie of an other. The roote sucketh of the ground, the body receaueth of y^e roote, the branch taketh of the body, the fruite shooteth out of the branch. These successiuely go together. So faith groūdeth vpon Christes passion, faith geueth y^e sappe of loue, loue blossometh forth in good workes.Order in doctrine. In fayth ther­fore be cōstant, in loue feruent, in workes diligēt, and in doctrine kepe order. Let not the effect pre­sume before the cause, nor the daughter go before the mother.Exhortation to good workes. Worke well, not for iustification, but for loue. Loue not because God should loue you, but because he hath loued you, and hath iustified you: therfore being now iustified, loue him, and for his loue obey him.

And thus keeping à right order, let vs ioyne as spirituall men, these spirituall matters together, & play the right ioyners, ioyning not as many do now à dayes, house to house, land to land, lordship to lordship, office to office, bagge to bagge, bene­fice to benefice, personage to vicarage, prebend to prebend, with à deanry for à vantage, liuing to liuing, an other liuing to that, and for all that, yet neuer contented, so long as we liue. How thys [Page 68] deuilisheThat is, vn­satiable greedi­nesse, neuer contented. [...] cōmeth into the heades of some Christiā ministers, I cānot but muse. These ioy­nings be naught. If we will be true Gospellers, we must learne an other ioyning, à better ioining then thys, which is crescere de virtute in virtutem, de fide in fidē, to ioyne workes to workes, fayth to faith, faith to workes, & good workes to fayth, as did Paule & Iames, & so to ioyne S. Paule & S. Iames together. There hath bene à long contention and much adoe in y^e Church, how to ioyne & reconcile these two Apostles together. And though in prea­ching much haue ben sayd & learning shewed,How to recon­cile Paule and Iames toge­ther. yet when all is sayd, there is none cā ioyne these two together better, then you your selues, to whō we preach. And how is that? Ioyne y^e liuely fayth of S. Paul, with y^e good workes of S. Iames, and bring both these into one life: and then hast thou recon­ciled thē both, & so shalt thou be sure to be iustifi­ed, both before God by Paules fayth, & before man by S. Iames workes. And this is à perfect & à natu­rall coniunction, when faith goeth with workes,Ioyning of fayth and workes. life with doctrine, practise with knowledge, zeale with science, expressing with professing, keeping with hearing, deedes with wordes, which be tan­quā comites indiuidui, and in à Christen mans life would not be sundred one from the other. Fayth without workes, maketh but à carnall Gospel­ler. Workes without fayth make but à Phari­saicall hypocrite. But then they must goe in their right order together, the handmaide not before the mistresse. In case of Iustification, and peace of conscience, fayth stādeth alone which doth all.

The right or­der how fayth and workes be occupied, and how they dwell together.For fayth hath winges, and flyeth vp to hea­uen, and there holdeth the promise, and wrastleth with y^e law, with Gods iudgement, and with the conscience of mā for euerlasting life. Charitie and workes haue no winges, but tary belowe, and are occupied betwene neighbour and neighbour, and are as busie in earth, as fayth is in heauen: so that neither be idle, but both labouring. And though they be diuersly occupied in sundry functi­ons, yet are they both dwelling, as Martha & Ma­ry, in one house, that is, in the life of euery true Christian, linked & coupled as sisters with à true Christiā copulatiue together. Of this coniunction copulatiueConiunction copulatiue. Christ our Sauiour thus speaketh: Blessed bee they (sayth he) which heare the worde of God. Luke. 8. Here is fayth: marke now the copulatiue Et, and which keepeth the same. &c. Likewise S. Paule vsing the same copulatiue sayth:1. Tim. 1. Habens fidem, & bonam conscientiā. i. Hauing fayth, and a good conscience. &c.

This Christian copulatiue I besech you (Chri­stiā brethren) practise now in your liues, so y^t you abounding in fayth, may abound also in good workes: and as ye abound in workes that be good, so ye will abstaine from all that is contra­ry, ioyning with this copulatiue of good workes, the negatiue also of euill workes, mentioned in the Epistle of S. Paul to Titus: where he exhorteth vs,Titus. 2. that we denying or renoūcing impietie & our world­ly desires, will liue soberly, iustly, and godly in this present life. &c. To conclude here with this exhortation of S. Paul, I besech you with hym, that you being the deare & reconciled children now of God, will [Page 69] shake off, and renoūce your former impieties and appetites of this world. I say, not this impietie or that impietie, this sinne or that sinne. I say not here, as other are wont to preach vnto you, to leaue your vsury, your oppression, your bribing, your deceitfull artes, with other such like. No, no, I go further then so. This I say: leaue & cast a­way the whole worlde from you: which is no­thing els but à great heape, or à chaos,This world a Chaos or con­fusion of all iniquitie. or à cōfu­siō of all abhominatiōs packt, as in one fardel to­gether. This world I say, cast cleane away, with all his appertenances frō you. For what haue we to do that be Christians, with this damned & exe­crable world? Christ hath conquered it, hath re­demed you from it. The deuill possessteh it, & will you possesse it also with hym? Hath Christ taken such paines for you, to bring you out of Aegypt, & yet you will not come? To be in the world, to liue in y^e world, & to occupy y^e world, I say not against it: neither do I meane in casting away y^e world, that you should cast away your riches, your pos­sessions, your offices, promotions and dignities: but that you should cast away your affections frō them. Vse them, but abuse them not: haue them, but as triffes, & as though ye had thē not: make of them, but make not your God of thē. Neither be you conformed (sayth S. Paule) after y^e shape of this world,Galat. 6. but with S. Paule be you crucified to the world, and let the world be crucified to you. Now what phantasie, what vanitie, what braue­ry, and bribery, what proyling and tormoyling is amongest you in this world for worldly thinges, [Page] for golde & siluer, that is, for red earth and white earth, as though Christ had neuer come to re­deme you vnto an other world then this? What meane you my brethrē and countrey men of Eng­land: heauen is yours, both heauen and earth is yours: Christ hath recōciled you, his bloud hath purged you, his fayth doth iustifie you, his ap­pearing will glorifie you. God is yours, all is yours, all shall be yours. And what should moue you then to passe for this world so much, which passeth away, and as you shall see I trust, shortly shall perishe before your eyes. Come quickly Lord Iesu we beseech thee. The spirite of Christ Iesus our Sauiour, and the might of his Maiestie, which was crucified for your sinnes, pre­serue you from this sinnefull world, and from the corruption therof, to the day of his glorious comming. Come quickly Lord Iesu for thy glo­ry, to whom with the Fa­ther and the Holy Ghost be glory for euer. Amen.