A View of Mans Estate, Tract 1 · Chapter 9
The ninth Chapter.
¶That Chryste from the beginning hath bene, is, and ſhall be the only ſtaye and comforte of all ſortes of men.
BVt thou ſonne of man ſtaye thée a whyle in pacience, doe not ſo gyue ouer thy ſoule, as to ſaye thy ſinne is greater than it may be forgiuen: humble thy ſelfe, acknowledge thy rebellion, but deſpaire not, caſt not thy ſelfe headlong into Hell: is there no remedie to be found on earth? then lifte vp thyne eyes to heauen: there is a comfort, there is a comfort cōming, there is a ſauing healthe in hande: thy wounde is great indeede, but there is a ſtrong medicine a tempering: thy fall was grieuous, but thy ryſing vp ſhall be as wonderfull: many and mightie are thine enimies, but there is one that ſhall fight for thée, whoſe name is the Lorde of Hoſtes, and he ſhall ſubdue all power. Beholde thy creator hath not vtterly caſt thée off, thou haſt found fauor in his ſight. S. Iohn ſaith, God loueth the world, yea, ſuche ſtore of merciemercy there is with God, that although we were his enimies, yet he is become our God againe,Gene. 8. and wyll ſtand an enimie againſt our enimies, and although he ſeeth that the imagination of mans heart is euill euen from his youth, yet he doth not vtterly caſt vsus off: Goe to then Lorde we beſéech thée, we hauehave ſéene thy iudgements how terrible they are, we are full fedde with the gall of thy bitter vengeance, now if it be thy good pleaſure, turne thy face from our ſinnes, and blot out our offences, create in vsus a new hart, renew a right ſpirit in our bowels, ſhewe thy ſelfe once againe a mercyfull God, we knowe we are not worthy to be called thy children, we hauehave ſinned againſte heauen and againſt earth, they bare part of our curſe: againſte thée, againſte thée hauehave we ſinned: but if it be thy good pleaſure, turne thy louing countenaunce towardes vsus. Surely there is merciemercy wyth God, he hath heard the gronings and afflictions of his people, he is moued wyth compaſſion and pitie towardes vsus: beholde we that were ſhattered in pieces, lying ſtill in the ſounde of ſinne and buried vp in death, the Lorde of his infinite goodneſſe, goth about togather vsus vp and to ſet vsus vpright agayne, he intendeth to caſt Adam in a newe mould, and to make him a newe creature, not of earth earthly, but of heauen heauenly. For there is a Lambe a killing, whoſe bloud ſhall waſhe awaye our ſinnes, there is a ſtone framing, it ſhall be layde in Sion, it ſhal fall vponupon our enimie, it ſhal grinde his heade and cruſhe it in pieces, we are but héele hurted, but he ſhall be wounded on the head. And it ſhall be thine owne childe (Adam) thyne owne ſéede (Eue) that ſhall thus ſubdue the Serpent. So good and gracious is the Lorde, he promiſeth a victorie, his owne mouth hath ſpoken it, and wyth his mightie hande hath he brought it to paſſe: for God ſo loueth the worlde that he hath ſente: what hath he ſente? euen that ſauing ſéede, that innocent Lambe prouided from the beginning, he hath ſent his onelyonly begotten ſonne bringing with him that pearle, not to periſhe, with that heauenly treaſure, to hauehave lyfe euerlaſting: héere then maye we caſte anchor, all other remedies failing vsus, this is it we muſte truſt vntounto, this is the ſure pledge of Gods fauor towardes vsus, without this comforte we had bene altogither comfortleſſe, but nowe is our ioy full and plenteous. This is that ioyfull tydings ſent from heauen, brought by the Angell, belonging to all, as well as to thoſe ioyful ſhepherdes:Luke. 2. be not afrayd (ſaith the angel) for beholde I bring you tidings of greate ioy, that ſhall be to all the people, that vntounto you this day is borne a Sauiour in the citie of Dauid, which is Chriſte. O glorious daye, wherein ſhineth ſuche a ſunne, the verye ſun of God, the bright ſunne of righteouſneſſe: in that day ſo bright were the beames of the ſunne, that they ſhyned euē into the dim eyes of Abraham:Iohn. 8. this was the glorious day which he ſaw with ſuch ioy. Nowe by this is God truely become the God of Abraham, Iſaack, and Iacob: here is the performance of the heauenly promiſe and bleſſed bargaine made for him & vsus all betwixt Abraham and his God: for when it might ſéeme a hope againſt hope, that aged Abraham ſhould hauehave any ſuche ſéede, & the Lorde knew that Sara would laugh and wonder at his worde, yet the Lorde of his louelove wherewith he loued the worlde, eſtabliſhed his couenaunt wyth them, that in them ſholude all nations be bleſſed, (yea, we of England & Irelande, hauehave our parte in this bleſſing) and of Sara Kings alſo ſhould come. And to cōfirme vsus in opinion that this is the very true promiſed ſeede by the whiche Abraham ſhould become a bleſſed father, and we his happie Children: and by the which Adam ſhould ſubdue the Serpent, S. Paule proueth vntounto vsus arguing of the forme of the promiſe, he ſayth,Gala. 3. not to the ſeedes (as ſpeaking of many) but, and to thy ſeede, as of one, as thoughe he hadde ſayde: of all the Kings comming of Sara, yet was there but one by whome we ſhall obtaine the kingdome of heauen, of all the ſeede of Abraham whyche was innumerable as the ſtarres of the heauen, and the ſande of the Sea ſhore, yet was there but one ſéede whyche brought this bleſſing with it, and that was as he there ſayth, onelyonly Chryſte, and as S. Iohn here ſpeaketh, the onelyonly begotten ſonne of God: for it was not that earthly Iſaack, that fleſhely ſonne of Sara: but it is this heauenly Iſaack, the onelyonly begotten ſonne of God, that bringeth his bleſſing on his backe, neyther was it that Iacob the begotten of Iſaack, but the onelyonly begotten of God in whome the promiſe was performed: this is that wiſe warie Iacob, that ſupplanteth and vndermineth all enuious Eſaus: this is the mightie and ſturdie Iſraell, that ſubdueth all powers, to whom al knées (be they neuer ſo ſtiffe) ſhal crouch here beneath and aboue in earth, in hell, and in heauen: this is the very ſéede out of which ſpringeth all bleſſing, all that are bleſſed among the begotten of men, it is by this begotten of God, this ſeede bleſſeth both the begetting and begotten, the ſonne and the father, the firſt as Alpha, and the laſte as Omega: Alpha. Omega.without this heauenly Iacob, had that bene but a deteſted Eſau, and not a beloued Iacob: without this Iſaack, had that other bene in worſe caſe than wilde Iſmael, and in this Iſaack ſtoode the chiefe ioy of Abraham, yea before Abraham was, this Iſaack was: for but in reſpecte of him had bleſſed Shem bene an accurſed Ham: it is written that Noah foūd grace in the ſight of the Lord:Gene. 6. had it not bene for this gracious Lord, he had not founde ſuche grace, for it was the hope of this grace giuen by Chryſte that bore the Arke, and ſaued him from thoſe roaring floudes. And this Iſaack ſtoode by Abell ſhadowing him with his bleſſing, while Caine was curſed: and this is the ſelfe ſeede that ſaueth Adam from the ſerpent. And that bleſſed among women the mother of our Sauioure, wherein ſtoode hir bleſſedneſſe but in that the Angel ſaid: Thou haſt found fauor with God, for loe, thou ſhalte conceiue in thy womb & beare a ſonne, and ſhalt cal his name Ieſus:Luke. 1. and ſhe of hir ſelfe: from henceforth ſhall all nations call me bleſſed. From that tyme when God had ſo ſhewed his fauour, as that ſhe was ouerſhadowed by the power of the higheſt, and had conceiued that fruit of the wombe, then from that time became ſhe bleſſed, and not ſhe onelyonly, but all thoſe nations calling hir bliſſed hauehave part with hir in the bliſſed ſéede, in the conceiued fruite Ieſus. This therefore is the louelove, wherewith God ſo loueth vsus, that he ſending his onelyonly begotten ſonne, his dearely beloued Chryſte, we ſtand in poſſibilitie to become the bleſſed ſonnes of bleſſed Abraham: let vsus therefore the children with our father reioyce in this daye, whereof the Aungell ſpeaketh, and wherof the Lorde himſelfe ſayth: Thou art my ſonne,Pſal. 2. this daye hauehave I begotten thee: This day was ſuch, as many Kings and Prophets deſired to ſée, yea happy were they that were ſo happie as to hope for this day: for all the bleſſed among the fathers reſted in this hope? This was the comfort of Iacobs féeble ſpirite nowe entring into ye graue, for thus he gloryed before his ſon Ioſeph viſiting him in Egypt in his ſickneſſe, and to him was it ioyfull tydings to hear that ſaying at his fathers mouth:Gene. 48. God almightie appeared vntounto me at Luze in the lande of Canaan and bleſſed me, in the which bliſſing was cōteined the promiſe of the hoped and performed ſauiour: and a litle before his laſt breath, he declareth his hope by theſe words: O Lord I hauehave waited for thy ſaluation:Gene. 49. and this was the comfort wherewith the prophetes comforted themſelues and the people of God: declaring it in ſuche ſorte as though the inſenſible creatures, the heauens and the earth, the mountaines and the valleyes ſhould be refreſhed withall: ſuch was the prophecie of Eſaye.Cap. 49. Reioyce O heauens, and be ioyfull O earth, burſt forth into prayſe O mountaines, for God hath comforted his people, and will hauehave merciemercy on his afflicted. And by the prophet Zacharie thus ſaid the Lord: Reioyce with great ioy O daughter Sion,Cap. 5. ſhoute for ioye O daughter Ieruſalem, behold thy King commeth vntounto thée, And by Micheas: And thou Bethléem in the land of Iuda art not the leaſt among the Princes of Iuda, for out of thée ſhall come the gouernour that ſhall féede my people Iſraell: and to the comforte of the gentiles thus he ſaith, ſpeking as it were to his Chryſte: Beholde thou ſhalt call a nation that thou knoweſt not,Eſay. 55. and a nation that knewe not thée ſhall runne vntounto thée, bicauſe of the Lord thy God, and the holy one of Iſraell: thus was Chryſte alwayes a comforte for the hope of the fathers to reſt vponupon, and by him was their hope full with ioy: So did God louelove them his choſen of Iſraell, that he hath ſent thē the gouernor that ſhould féede his people, he hath ſent them the good ſhepeherd that ſhould ſaue the loſt ſhepe. But this louelove is ſuche that it reſteth not in the compaſſe of Ieruſalem, for S. Iohn ſaith, it is the louelove wherewyth God loued the worlde. God hath ſent his ſonne and he hath ſent him, as well for the light and ioye of the Gentile, as for the glory of the Iewe: and we that knew not God may now know him: and nowe if fayth fayle not, it ſhall pleaſe God as well to be called the God of Englande as the God of Iſraell: for he hath ſent the promiſed ſeede of Abraham, that ſhall bleſſe the one nation as well as the other, and he hath ſente his ſonne to beſtowe his louelove vponupon all partes of the worlde, that in him all people ſhoulde be bleſſed.