A View of Mans Estate, Tract 1 · Chapter 10
The tenth Chapter.
¶What Chryste is, and in what ſtate he wrought the worke of our ſaluation.
NOwe this hithervnto ſpoken, we hauehave béene thus farre in the fauor of God, and hauehave taſted howe gracious the Lorde is, that we know, euen for the louelove he beareth vntounto vsus, he hath ſent vsus a redéemer whiche ſhall be a reconciliation for vsus, and ſhall quicken vsus lying in the ſhadowe of death, that we might not periſhe, but liue for euer: and who it is that he maketh our redéemer, as by the fleſhe the bleſſed ſéede of Abraham, a true man, and yet the onelyonly begotten ſonne of God, him he hath not ſpared to make a Meſſanger of ſaluation vntounto the worlde, and this we knowe that God hath not giuen him to any other, rather than to vsus, he is our Sauiour, if we be ſo happie as to receiue him, for we being graffed in Chriſte are members of that worlde which God ſo loueth: Nowe adding to this, the knowledge by what meanes Chriſte wrought this reconciliation, how he hath throughlye appeaſed the wrath of the father whiche we ſee was ſo kindled againſt vsus, and vnderſtanding what price he payde for our redemption, then ſhal the louelove of God appeare vntounto vsus by a brighter light, & as it were in a cléere ſunne ſhining. Oure Sauiour ſaythe, my father worketh and I worke, we hauehave ſéene the worke proper to the father, in that he hath ſent the ſonne, and thus farre forwarde we ſée our Sauiour in his worke, as that according to the determinate will of the father, he is come downe into the earthe, and hath debaſed himſelfe to the baſe eſtate of our frayle fleſh, ſo by this, the work of our regeneration is in a goodly forwardneſſe, now doth Adam beginne to moue himſelfe, to waxe warme, and to reuiue with a newe ſpirit: here lyeth the Serpent a bléeding, but by this is not the victorie gotten. Let vsus ſée then howe Chriſte quitteth himſelfe, and reuengeth our quarell. What force? what weapons doth he vſe? far other than man would imagine. He ouercommeth with kindneſſe: his armour is preaching, paynes, pacience, ſhame, rebuke, reproch, harde handling, euill entreatie, tauntes in the teeth, and ſclaunderous reportes, ſcornes and ſcourgings, falſe accuſations, vniuſte iudgement, and in the ende, bitter and bloudye death. This was the maruellous working of God, that oure Sauiour ſhoulde paſſe thoſe harde pykes to ſaue vsus from the ſworde of the enimie. And beholde as ſoone as he entred into the world, he ſtraight gaue the onſet, he felte incontinently of our infirmities: for ſée the Lorde of Dauid, the King of Kings in his byrth howe ſimply he lyeth wrapped in ſwadling cloutes: Thus is it deſcribed in the Goſpell. A ſtable was his beſt houſe, and a cratche his Cradle,Luke. 2. for (ſaythe the Euangeliſt) there was no roume for him in the Inne: whoſe was the earth, and the ſtore thereof, at whoſe commaundemente were the heauens, there was no roume for him to reſte in. Well therefore might that complainte be made to the confuſion of vnkinde & beaſtly man. The Foxes hauehave holes,Math. 8. and the birdes of heauen hauehave neſts, but the ſonne of man howe is he intreated? he hath not whereon to reſte his heade: Neither was he ſuffered to hauehave that litle roume wyth reſte, but he was faine to flée touch, and to auoyde from Bethléem into Egypt, as when Herode in his furie ſent forthe his ſlaughter men, and bloudie butchers, with this cōmaundement, that they ſhould ſlea all the male children that were in Bethléem, and in all the coaſtes thereof, from two yeares old and vnderunder, ſeking thereby (as it was forewarned by the Angell) to murther the childe Ieſus, whom he heard ſhould be borne King of the Iewes. Such a welcome hadde our Sauiour into the world: and afterwarde in proceſſe of time being conuerſant in Hieruſalem, and the countrey about, with what trauell preached he the kingdome of God? & how few receiued that glad tydings? howe many a myracle did he? and what thanks had he? and how ſmall were the number of ſuche as beleeued, and woulde be content to be called the followers of Chryſte, not diſdayning the name of a Chriſtian? Now when he was moſt buſy about the worke of our ſaluation, as when he was moſte occupied in feeding with the worde, and conuerting by miracles, the reporte that many made of him, it was no better, but that his owne helde hym as a ſtraunger, ſome ſayde he was a ſinner,Luke. 7. ſome a ſeducer of the people, ſome a glutton and a drinker of wine, ſome a man ſtarke mad, yea, & ſome gaue him this good word, that he wroughte by the power of Belzebub: Bitter wordes for the ſonne of God: yet this was his paciēce to beare. Of the better ſorte, ſome tooke him for Elias, ſome for Iohn Baptiſt, and ſome were ſo good as to call him a Prophete, but fewe were there found of faithfull Peters, that iudged ſo ryght of hym, as to ſay: Thou art the ſonne of the lyuing God. And wyth whome had our Sauioure his conuerſation here on earthe? he was to be had in ſuche reputation, as of whome the almightie father foreſpake by thys Prophete, euen hym that was bothe a king and a Prophete: I hauehave ſet my king vponupon Sion myne holy mountayne:Pſal. 2. and ſuche a one was he, as Dauid acknowledged to be hys Lorde and ſouereygne: The Lorde ſayde vntounto my Lorde,Pſal. 110. ſitte thou at my right hand. &c. It had bin therfore the parte of Princes to hauehave bin alwayes in hys preſence, and the duetie of Kings to hauehave kept him company, or rather to hauehave attended on hym, as whoſe ſhooe latched they were not worthy to vnlooſe: But true is the Prophet in his ſaying.Pſal. 2. The Kings and Princes of the earth they aſſembled and bente themſelues againſte hym: there was no company nor comfort with them for the méeke King of Sion and the poore Prince of Ieruſalem. For we ſee howe Herode perſecuted and hunted him, as the Foxe the ſhéepe, from Bethléem to Egypt, from one place to another, and it was treaſon to Ceſars perſon to call Chriſt a King, he might not be taken for Ceſars friende that woulde ſpeake on Chriſtes parte to mainteyne hys kyngdome. But oure Sauiours kyngdome was not of thys worlde,Iohn. 19. therefore no maruell though the kings of the earth were ſo cruelly ſet againſte hym: Our Sauioure was alſo the annointed of God, a Prince, and a princely Prieſt for euer, of whoſe body Melchiſedech was the ſhadowe, he was that Doctor admitted and authoriſed to teache, with that heauenly and thundering voyce of the father, this is my beloued ſonne in vvhome I am vvell pleaſed, heare hym: it woulde hauehave beſemed therfore thoſe high prieſts, looked they neuer ſo high, that ruffling garde of Phariſies, thoſe greate Doctors the Scribes, to hauehave had their conuerſation with him, of whome they ſhould receiue their ſaluation: if they had harkened to him then mighte they hauehave reckened themſelues wiſe, if they had followed that good ſhepehearde, then mighte they hauehave gloried truly, as otherwiſe they dyd vainely, that they had bene the leaders of the blinde. But Chriſt was not for their tooth, neyther any méete man for their company, he was a ſtone caſt aſide of thoſe builders, although hée approued hym ſelfe the chiefe corner ſtone: they could not reproue hym, yet they refuſed him: they myghte find no fault with hym, yet he could find no fauour with them, he put them many times to ſilence, and ſtopped their mouthes in reaſoning and argument, yet they ſpared no wordes in miſreporting him: he ſoughte all meanes to winne them, yet they diſdayned him as one vnworthy to hauehave place amongſt them: for when that carnall ſpiritualitie, the high Prieſts and preſumptuous Phariſies ſawe that Chryſte and his doctrine began ſomewhat to be accepted of the people, they thinking that a derogation to their worſhips,Iohn. 7. ſente out theyr officers to take Chriſte as he was teaching in the temple: but theſe officers although they came with full purpoſe to hauehave apprehended our ſauioure, yet ſo were they rauiſhed with hys heauenly preachings and wonderfull wordes flowing from hym ſo plentifully, that they had no power to doe their purpoſe, but retourned agayne making thys anſwere to their maiſters, neuer man ſpake lyke thys man: but ſo was not the malice of thoſe hypocrites ſtayed, and with ſuche wordes they ſtormed and ſtamped againſt him continually, ſaying vntounto thoſe their meſſangers: are ye alſo deceiued? dothe any of the Rulers, and of the Phariſies beleeue in him? but this people which knowe not the law are curſed: So did the Serpēt deceiue them that they did ſtill ſpit their venome againſt that vnſpotted lambe that ſought their ſaluation: they helde hym accurſſed that followed Chriſt: this ſuffered our Sauiour: the high Prieſts could not looke ſo low as to enterteine hym amongſt them: the Phariſies and Scribes in their owne conceit were to wiſe, to holy and to good, to take him into their company, it ſhoulde hauehave ſtayned their good name to be called Chriſtians, it was not for their worſhips to hauehave profeſſed themſelues the diſciples of Chryſte: ſo was our Sauioure an abiecte, an outcaſt, and made of no reputation, he was diſdained bothe of Prieſt and Prince, and this is maruellous in our eyes. But it was the good will of God, ſo to prouide for vsus, that we ſhoulde not periſh: for Chriſte hereby hathe approued himſelfe the true annointed, the ſelfe Sauioure and very Meſſias, and Dauid alſo a true Prophet,Pſal. 118. ſaying: that the head ſtone of the corner ſhoulde be refuſed of the builders: they made no more of Chriſte than a ſtone to ſtumble and to ſpurne at: where then had our Sauioure his conuerſation? he betooke himſelfe (as he diſdained not the name of a phiſition comming to hauehave the ſicke) euen to be amongſt Publicanes and ſinners: there was his company to viſite poore Publicanes, and to ſaue ſimple ſinners that was his comfort. This was the comfortable tydings that he had to ſend Iohn Baptiſt into priſon, The blind ſee, the halt goe, Luke. 7.the leapers are cleanſed, the deafe heare, the dead riſe againe: This was his garde, he was ſtill buſie about theſe, the blinde, the Leaper, the lame, the deafe and the dead: in the meane ſpace where was the rich, the wiſe and the welthy? Nay they would not be taken for Chriſtes ſouldiers: but the poore (ſaythe he) receiue the glad tidings of the Goſpell: and happie it was that all fell not beſides, but that ther ſtoode ſome at receite to receiue the precious ſéede ſowen by our Sauioure: thus we ſée a greate péece of the louelove of God working in his ſonne our Sauioure: for what louelove is this, that the ſonne of God ſhuld ſo humble himſelf to ſet vsus in honor with his heuēly father, but yet ye greateſt péece of louelove, and the chiefe token of gods mercy towards vsus, is yet behind, and that which is vnſpoken is more than all that hertofore hath bin ſpoken: & that doth S. Paule ſet forth after a moſt reuerēt ſort, howbeit no man may vtter it with worthy words: that place which I mean is in the ſeconde to the Philippians whome he exhorteth by the example of Chriſt to humilitie, and wherein for our purpoſe is to be ſéene the louelove of God working in hys only begotten, euē to the vttermoſt point that may be imagined within al the compaſſe of louelove, and in that he procéedeth by degrée, gathering vp in ſhorte ſumme all whiche is ſpoken in our former wordes concerning our Sauioure, that it myghte enter into vsus with a déeper conſideratiō: this is his ſaying: let the ſame minde be in you that was euen in Chriſt Ieſus, who being in the forme of God, thought it no robberie to be equall with God, but he made hymſelfe of no reputation, and tooke vponupon him the forme of a ſeruante, and was made like vntounto men, and vvas founde in ſhape as a man: Here let vsus ſtaye a while, and deuide Paules ſentence, kéeping backe that whiche followeth, vntill we hauehave ſomewhat conſidered this parte of Gods louelove, Chriſte the ſonne of God a verye God, a glorious God equal with the father, (and no wrong neyther) is come downe frō the bright heauens to the bare earthe, is content to be made of mans mettall, taking on him very fleſhe, well pleaſed to be caſt in the mould and ſimple ſhape of man, no whit diſdaining the wombe of a woman, contente to be called the ſeede of Eue, and laying aſide his glory, and as it were hyding his godhead, emptied himſelfe of all honoure, becomming of the ſonne of God the ſonne of man, like vntounto man, a very man, a ſeruant of men, and what elſe but a ſlaue, to ſaue men: if there had here a ſtay bene made, yet might not the louelove of God but ſéeme maruellous towardes man: But that which followeth in Saint Paule, that is muche more maruellous, that cannot but inflame the hearte of the Chriſtian with the louelove of God, & breake the ſtony ſtomack of the infidel. To what may I then compare thoſe wordes following? it is a thunderbolt that me thinkes ſhould ſound through the whole heauens, piercing the clouds and ſhaking the foundations of the earthe, bringing with it a ſmoking fire, by the heate whereof the very mountaines melte lyke waxe, ioyned with a wind that hurleth downe the high Ceders of Libanus: Harken then (O heauen) giuegive eare (O earth) ſée the louelove of the almightie: he (ſaith the Apoſtle) euen that glorious God, beſide that he became man, in his manhoode he humbled himſelfe and became obedient: with what humilitie? howe farre was he obedient? euen to the death: what death? the death of the croſſe. Thys is that ſpeciall louelove, God ſo loueth the world, that he hath giuen his ſonne to be a ſacrifice for our ſinnes, to be ſlayne that we might not periſhe, and to die that we might hauehave euerlaſting life.