Confutation of Monstrous and Horrible Heresies, Article 5
H.N. The fift Article.
We beleeue that the God of Abraham hatha.Matth. 28. a marke. 16. a Luke. 24. a b. c. Actes. 1.2.3.4. rayſed vp this his ſonne Ieſus from the dead, and that hee euen ſo the third day roſe againe from the dead: and appeared or made manifeſt himſelfe vntounto hisb.Iohn. 20.21. Acts. 10. e. 13. d. e. 1. Cor 15. a friends which loued him, ſhewing vntounto them, through his ſuffering and death of the Croſſe, thec.Rom. 6. a. b. c. 1. Cor. 15. f. victorie ouer the ſinne, death, deuill, hell, the fleſh, and the worlde.
Anſwere. The reſurrection of H.N. his Chriſt, anſwereth vntounto that doctrine, which he hath deliuered before touching his death. For as that was nothing but a paſſing out of the fleſh or letter of the law, (which is a condition common to the Nouices and yong ones in H.N. his ſchoole:) ſo this is the reſurrection, when a man is come into the ſpirit, or that eſtate of perfection, which his illuminate elders are pertakers of. That which hath beene ſpoken of before, may ſufficiently ſatiſfie vsus touching H.N. his opinion, that thus he thinketh and not otherwiſe of the reſurrection: yet ſhall it not be amiſſe to adde one teſtimonie out of his Euangelie, where of purpoſe he handleth the reſurrection of Chriſt: it is in the. 22. Chapter, where he ſpeaketh thus: Now whē Ieſu Chriſt was foūd faithful in the death of his croſſe, til vntounto his burial, to a true Paſſeouer out of the fleſh, into the making aliue according to the ſpirit, & was alſo through the power of God his father, raiſed vp frō the death, and made aliue againe: and that he had ſhewed himſelfe in his making aliue, vntounto his diſciples, for that they ſhould ſtedfaſtly beleeue, ſo was he then wholy taken vp from the eyes of their fleſhe, and he ſet himſelfe according to the ſpirite, at the right hande of God his father in the heauenly being: and entred euen ſo, as the true high Prieſt (when as the ſeruice had perfectly ended his courſe, according to the true being in the holy) into the moſt holy, his diſciples therefore were mindful of all this, and what he had ſaid vntounto them, & remained within Ieruſalem, wayting concordably with ſupplication and praier for the promiſes of the father, vntil that Chriſt after the ſpirite, appeared vntounto them out of the heauenly being, the moſt holy in the holy, in ſpirituall and heauenly powers, like as hee after the Spirite, and according to the trueth of the heauenly Godhead, is an euerlaſting and true Chriſt of GOD. He is plaine as you heare in this point, that Chriſt his reſurrection and making aliue, was according to the ſpirite, for he ſayth that Ieſus Chriſt was founde faythfull in his death of the croſſe,According to the doctrine of H.N. Chriſt ſicteth not in our nature (that is in the flesh) at the right hand of his father, but onelyonly in Spirit. to a true Paſſouer out of the fleſh, into the making aliue according to the ſpirit. He is likewiſe as plaine in this, that his ſitting at the right hand of God, is in ſpirit & ſpiritual. For thoſe are his very words (as you hauehave heard) he ſet himſelfe according to the ſpirit, at the right hād of god his father (in the heauēly being.) More ouer, he is of opinion, that he is not a true Chriſt, but (as he ſpeaketh & imagineth of him) that is according to the ſpirit. For touching this point, theſe are his words, He after the ſpirit, and according to the trueth of the heauenly Godhed, is an euerlaſting and true Chriſt of God. And that in this abſurd doctrine, heauē & earth might come togither, and a mingle mangle made of all things, hee ſhameth not to affirme that Chriſt is the holy ghoſt, and that the doctrine which is deliuered in the 2. of the Actes of the Apoſtles touching the holy ghoſt appearing in clouen tongues like fire: was nothing elſe, but ye appearing of this his Chriſt after the ſpirit. Theſe are his wordes touching this matter:The holy Ghoſt is Chriſt. His diſciples therefore were mindfull of all this, and what he had ſaid vntounto thē, & remained within Ieruſalē, waiting cōcordably with ſupplication & praier for the promiſes of the father, vntil that chriſt after the ſpirit appeared vntounto them out of the heauenly being. The ſubtiltie of that ancient enimie vntounto mankind, may here euidently be ſeene, for albeit heauē be not further diſtant frō the earth, then the meaning of H.N. is from the truth of the doctrine ſet forth in this cōmon Creede & theſe articles of our belief: yet to colour his craft withall, he keepeth him to the ſame words which the church vſeth: profeſſing ye chriſt roſe the third day frō the dead, ſaue that he interlaceth ſome odde words, which cannot wel be diſcerned, but by thē that are well acquainted with his bookes, vnderunder the which he conueyeth all his corrupt doctrine. Here hee ſayeth that the God of Abrahā hath rayſed vp [this his ſonne Ieſus] hauing relation in theſe wordes [this his ſonne] vntounto that Chriſt which he deſcribeth. And likewiſe when he affirmeth that Chriſt roſe euen ſo the thirde day from the dead: by this ſpeach [euen ſo] hee caryeth vsus from the reſurrection in the fleſhe, vntounto the riſing in the ſpirite, according as himſelfe hath imagined of the matter, and yet is hee content to make mencion of the thirde day, as if there were no ill meaning in the man, when as indeede, this riſing the thirde day, muſt bee euen ſo as hee meaneth, that is nothing ſo as the truth is. Where the ſcripture affirmeth, that Chriſt appeared in the fleſh after his reſurrection, vntounto his diſciples,Iohn. 20.20. and ſhewed vntounto them his handes and his ſide: and that hee willed Thomas, (who had affirmed he woulde neuer beleeue his reſurrection, vnleſſe hee ſhoulde put his finger into the print of the nayles, and his hande into his ſide) to put his finger where the nayles had beene, and his hande into his ſide:Iohn. 20.27. H.N. to mainteine his doctrine of the reſurrection in the ſpirite, affirmeth that he ſhewed vntounto his diſciples, nothing elſe but the victorie ouer ſinne, death, deuil, and hell: as if he had declared vntounto them, howe by his ſuffering & paſſion, he came by the victorie ouer ſin, death, the deuil and hell: to the ende they might follow him in the ſame footeſteppes, and ſo become partakers of the like victorie with him. Which thing in plaine woordes hee profeſſeth in the next Section. Heere he ſetteth foorth the matter not altogither ſo plainely, and yet clearely enough, to him that is anie thing acquainted with his ſubtile writing, and craftie manner of ſpeaking. Theſe bee his woordes in this place: Hee appeared or made manifeſt him ſelfe to his friendes, which loued him, ſhewing vntounto them thorowe his ſuffering and death of the Croſſe, the victorie ouer the ſinne, death, deuill, hell, the fleſhe, and the worlde. What plainer proofe can be brought, not onelyonly that Chriſt did riſe in the fleſhe, but alſo that he roſe in the ſame fleſh wherein he ſuffered, then this euen now alledged out of the Goſpel after ſaint Iohn: for the Apoſtles ſee his handes and his ſide, Thomas putteth his finger into the place, where the nayles had beene, and his hande into his ſide, which thing H. N. ſhall neuer bee able to wipe away, by any myſtical interpretation whatſoeuer, inaſmuch as our Sauiour Chriſt reproouing the want of fayth in Thomas, and that he was ſo hardly led to beleeue his reſurrection, before his ſenſes were ſatiſfied: ſayth vntounto him:Iohn. 20.29. Thomas, becauſe thou haſt ſeene me, thou beleeueſt: bleſſed are they that hauehave not ſeene, and hauehave beleeued. In the ſecond of the Actes, ſaint Peter proueth that Chriſt muſt be raiſed vp concerning the fleſh, and bee ſet vponupon the throne of his father, and that he ſhould not bee left in the graue, neither ſhould his fleſh ſee corruption, and yt Dauid long before, as he was a prophet, did both foreſee & foretel this: therfore ſeeing he was a prophet & knew that God had ſworne with an othe to him, that of the fruit of his loines, he wold raiſe vp chriſt cōcerning the fleſh, Actes. 2.30.32.to ſet him vpō his throne, he knowing this before, ſpake of the reſurrection of Chriſt, that his ſoule ſhould not be left in graue, neither his fleſh ſhuld ſee corruptiō. This teſtimony of the apoſtle, cannot agree with H. N. his Chriſt. For his fleſh muſt neceſſarily bee left in the graue, and ſee corruption,The flesh of H. N. his Chriſt is left in the graue and ſeeth corruption. becauſe when his Chriſt after the fleſhe is dead, hee neuer reſumeth or taketh vntounto him againe that eſtate: but as hauing for euer done with it, riſeth vp in the ſpirite, and continueth in the ſame, being for euer after an illuminate elder, who neither can erre in iudgement, nor offend anie more in conuerſation. So that death or the graue, do ſtill keepe that poſſeſſion or power which once they had of his fleſh, neither will he, that they yeelde it vntounto him anie more againe. As for the true Chriſt, it was impoſſible for death, to keepe and continue that holde,Actes. 2.24. which once it had of him, as appeareth in the Actes. The Lord (if it be his good will) giuegive this Familie to ſee, what a Chriſt H. N. hath brought vntounto them, that they refuſe no longer the true Chriſt and onelyonly comfort of all Chriſtians: for this miſerable Chriſt, whome the graue hath cloſed vp, and holdeth all that euer it had of him. For their Chriſt after the ſpirite was neuer in the graue, and their Chriſt after the fleſhe, by H. N. his owne teſtimonie, doeth neuer ariſe after that once he hath beene in the graue. How ſhall theſe men bee euer able to gette out at the doores of death, when their Chriſt and Captaine, is yet groping, and to this day hath not founde the gate that leadeth out of the graue?