A View of Mans Estate, Tract 1 · Chapter 1 – Chapter 3
The firſt Chapter.
¶That many ſeeke the kingdome of God, and that men are directed to the knowledge thereof only by the worde of God.
IN the .xiij. of Mathewe, Chryſte our Sauiour by diuerſe Parables ſetteth forth and preacheth vntounto vsus the euerlaſting Kingdome of his heauenly father: and amongſt other vſeth theſe ſimilitudes, ſaying: The kingdome of heauen is like vntounto a treaſure hidde in the fielde, which when a man hath found, he hideth it, and for ioy therof departeth and ſelleth all that he hath, and buieth that fielde. Againe the kingdome of heauen is like to a merchant mā that ſéeketh good pearles, who hauing found a pearle of great price wente and ſolde all that he had, & bought it. Now I thinke there is none in ſo deſperate a ſtate, or ſo farre fallen out wyth himſelfe, but that he is very fayne of the finding of ſuch a fielde as is here ſpoken of: neyther is there anye ſo vnhappie a merchant but that he would venter farre ſo that he myght come to the purchaſe of ſo precious a pearle, as to hauehave parte in the inheritance of the kingdome of heauen to enioy the reſt of God, and to dwell on his holy hill: yea many will ſay, they wyll be glad to walk & wander forth the vttermoſte compaſſe of the earth, ſo that they might at length track & trie out the fielde where in lyeth hidden ſo great a treaſure: and all men will profeſſe this merchandiſe, not refuſing the paines to trauayle thrugh the whole ſeas, ſo that they might in the end aſſure themſelues to arriue at the heauenly hauen of the kingdome of God: and who is he which ſo farre ſetteth the body before the ſoule, that be he neuer ſo ryche, will not ſell all to purchaſe that glorious iewell of eternall ioy? But (a lamentable caſe) fewe there are of thoſe fayning folke that knowe the right waye whych ſhould leade them to that pleaſant place of eternall reſte: ſo that theyr queſtions are ſuch and the like: Which is the waye? Where lyeth the pathe, that we may walke therein? ſo Chriſt talking of a redéemer and a Sauiour vntounto the blind man:Iohn. 9. he thus queſtioneth: who is the Lord that I may beléeue in him? So Philip ſtanding yet in that doubt ſayde vntounto Chriſt: Maſter, ſhew vsus the father.Iohn. 14. Therfore concerning that queſtion Dauid the annointed of God ſpeaketh by experience: Thy word is a lanterne to my féete,Pſal. 119. and a light vntounto my footeſteps. So Dauid founde the waye euen by the lightſome lanterne of Gods word: wherefore he maketh often and earneſt requeſt that that light might ſhine ſtill before him: thus he ſayth: O that my wayes were directed to keepe thy ſtatutes: open myne eyes that I may ſée the wonders of thy lawe, make me vnderſtande the way of thy precepts, teach me O Lord the way of thy ſtatutes. Directe me in the path of thy commaunments: Theſe were the light and the lanterne, the féete and the footeſteps, the way and the path wherby Dauid was directed and conducted into the field which we are nowe to ſeeke: and euen that commoditie whereof Dauid proteſteth ſo generally that hée founde in the woorde of God, ſhall be proued true in ſpeciall experience, of thoſe, that ſhall diligentlye marke and wyth earneſt zeale ſeeke to vnderſtand this ſhort ſentence ſpoken of our Sauiour, and written by S. Iohn for our learning, God ſo loued the world &c.
The ſecond Chapter.
¶How pleaſantly and playnly one texte of Scripture ſheweth the way to life eternall.
THis is a floure conteyning in it ſuche pleaſant iuice, that who ſo like a diligent Bée, ſhoulde ſucke the ſame for his ſtore and learning, he ſhall ſay with admiration as the Prophet doth: O Lorde how ſwéete are thy words to my mouth? Yea he ſhal find that they are far ſwéeter than the hony or the hony combe: for beholde in theſe wordes is that precious pearle to be found, I meane the promiſe, not to periſhe, héere is that ineſtimable treaſure hidden and cloſed vp, as in theſe wordes, but hauehave life euerlaſting: here is poynted out the fielde of fayth, where we hauehave to fetche that treaſure: héere is alſo a light ſette vp vntounto vsus, that we doe not wander in darkeneſſe, and ſo léeſe our way,Num. 24. Apoc. 22. I meane Chriſt that bright blaſing ſtarre, the true light of the world: finally here is as it were in a plot drawn out, the worke of oure redemption, and in a knot knit vp the whole myſterie of oure ſaluation: and in handling hereof, I thinke it good to vſe that meanes that thoſe do, which when they hauehave an hard knot giuen them to knit the like, ſtraight they vndoe the ſame, and ſo make it vp againe with leſſe adoe: you may ſay then here is a goodly warning, not to periſhe: a large promiſe, a ryche pearle, a worthy treaſure, to hauehave life euerlaſting: but the next queſtion is, howe we may obtayne thoſe promiſes? héere is an ordinarie meanes expreſſed, aunſwering that queſtion, who ſo beleeueth in him. This is the fielde to walke in, the foote we muſte truſt to, euen the fielde and foote of fayth: But whom? in whom ſhall we beléeue? here can we not bee to ſéeke neyther. For Chryſte ſetteth vppe hymſelfe here as a marke for our faythe to ſhoote at: who ſo beleeueth in him. Why ſhoulde we beléeue in him? Here is anſwere to that alſo: bicauſe he is that Prophet ſent of God, the ſonne, the onelyonly begotten ſonne of the father, therefore ought our faithe to worke, and reſt on him. What moued God to ſende that Ambaſſadour, not to ſpare his deare, his onelyonly ſonne? that cauſe alſo is not omitted: God ſo loued the worlde &c. it was his owne louelove, his frée mercy that brought this to paſſe: nowe (I thinke) there are no more queſtions to be made, no more doubtes to be moued: For if all were ſayde and vnderſtoode, whiche concerneth theſe pointes, it were ſufficient to ſaue a ſoule, and to make a perfite man of God. For beleue thou in Chriſt, as ſent of God, as the ſonne of God, conſidering thorowly the louelove of God by him declared, then as truely as Chriſt is the truthe and may not lye, thou ſtandeſt in the ſtate of ſaluation, thou haſt founde the fielde, & poſſeſſeſt that treaſure, not to periſh, but to hauehave life euerlaſting.
The thirde Chapter.
¶That the especiall louelove of God is the chiefe cauſe of mans ſaluation, and that to the right knowledge thereof mans estate must be conſidered.
THus the knot being vndone, let vsus ſeuerally conſider the partes and péeces thereof, that the very bowels of the matter being ſearched, there may a more perfecte vnderſtanding grow thereof: Therfore the firſte ſteppe, the firſte entrie, towarde the worke of oure ſaluation, is the louelove of God: God ſo loued the worlde. And to conſider how this louelove is declared towardes man, therein conſiſteth the whole ſumme of our redemption. And the firſt conſideration herein to be hadde, is this, as whoſe louelove it is we ſpeake of, for it is no vaine or light louelove of man, but an aſſured and ſtedfaſt louelove, the louelove of God:1. Epist. 4. who is (as S. Iohn ſaythe) louelove it ſelfe. Then what louelove it is that is here mentioned. For God declareth his louelove towardes vsus in diuers ſortes, and manye are the benefits of God towardes man, as that by him we liue, we moue, and hauehave our being, he ſatiſfieth the thirſtie ſoule,Pſal. 107. and filleth the hungrye ſoule with good thinges: And the ſeruant of Abraham when he wente a wooing for Iſaac, tolde his tale vntounto Laban the brother of Rebecca in this wife:Gene. 24. I am Abrahams ſeruant, and the Lorde hath bleſſed my maſter wonderfully, that he is becom great: for he hath giuen him ſhéepe and Beeues, and ſiluer and golde, and men ſeruantes and mayde ſeruantes, and Camels and aſſes. This was a bleſſing & a great tokē of Gods louelove, but there was a better bleſſing & a greater louelove, wherwith God embraced Abraham and his poſterity, & that is it whereof S. Iohn ſpeaketh: God ſo loued the worlde. &c. It is a ſpeciall louelove that is héere meant, and it néedeth a ſpeciall conſideration. Therefore that we maye the better acknowledge the goodneſſe of God in this behalfe, it ſhall not be from the purpoſe to remember oure firſt ſtate, howe God did then ſhew himſelfe a louing Lorde towards vsus: then to ſet before vsus our fall, that we mighte vnderſtand what we are, whome God ſo loueth, as S. Iohn here ſpeaketh of louelove, that God ſhoulde ſende his onelyonly begotten ſonne to be a pledge of his louelove: then howe the louelove of God did worke and appeare in him: fynallye howe that louelove might hauehave his full effecte in vsus, by receiuing that worthy Ambaſſadour Chryſte, which is (as S. Iohn ſaithe) by beleeuing in him. Theſe being treated, in whoſe hearts it ſhall happen to take roote, it wil be a ſéede that ſhall ſpring to that floure that withereth not, and fruite that fadeth not, as to hauehave life euerlaſting.