Exposition of the Apostles Creed, Exposition · Part 2 · Section 10
Deade.
Testimonies out of the Prophetes and Apoſtles.
IT came to paſse neither by chaunce nor at aduenture that Chriſt died, but ſo it was foretolde of God: Geneſis 3. The ſeede of the woman ſhall bruiſe the ſerpentes heade, and thou ſhalt bite his heele. To this agreeth the place of the Hebrewes chapter 2. For as much then as children are partakers of fleſhe and bloode, he alſo himſelfe likewiſe tooke parte with them, that hee might deſtroye through death, him that had the power of death, that is the diuel. The ſacrifices of the olde Teſtament for ſinne, were ſhadowes, of the ſacrifice to come, of which thing it is ſo written in the 10. to the Hebrewes, and alſo the propheſie out of the 40. Pſalme is expounded. The lawe obtayning a ſhadowe of good thinges to come, and not the verie image of thinges, can neuer with theſe ſacrifices which they offer yeare by yeare continually, ſanctifie the commers vntounto it. And a little after: Wherefore entring into worlde hee ſaith, (Pſalme 41.) ſacrifice and offering thou wouldeſt not: but a bodie hast thou ordeined mee. Burnt offeringes and ſacrifice for ſinne thou hast not allowed. Then ſaide I, Loe I am preſent (In the beginninge of the booke it is writien of mee) that I ſhoulde doe thy will, O GOD (which hee ſo expoundeth there of the voluntarie death of Christe) through the which will wee are ſanctified by the offering vp of the bodie of Ieſus Christ once made for all.
The ſacrifice of Abel, was acceptable to God, and in the ſacrifice of Noah it is ſaid that God ſmelled a ſweete ſmelling ſauour. Geneſis 9. And whie? becauſe they were figures of the ſacrifice of the Meſſiah. To which place of the 9. of Gene. Paul had regarde in the 5. to the Epheſians, when he ſaith, Christe gaue himſelfe for vsus an oblation and offering to God, of a ſweete ſmelling ſauour: The Paſchall lambe contayned a manifest and as it were a viſible propheſie of the death of Chriſt, as Iohn the Euangeliſt… teacheth in the 19. Chapter, that that propheſie was fulfilled by the wonderfull prouidence of God, There ſhall not a bone of his be broken. Which albeit it was ſpoken of the boanes of the Paſchall lambe, Exodus 12. yet notwithstanding he ſaith that it was truely fulfilled in the death of Chriſt, ſaying, that when hee was deade, his legges were not broken, as were the theeues. Where alſo Iohn teacheth that an other propheſie which is written in the 12. of Zacharie was fulfilled, They ſhall ſee whome they hauehave pearced, when one of the ſouldiers, had pearced Chriſtes ſide, and by and by there iſsued out water and bloode. Of the Paſſeouer alſo, thou hast in the 1. Cor. 5. Our paſſeouer is ſacrificed for vsus, euen Christ. Alſo that ſame dailie ſacrifice, did ſet before our eyes, the ſacrifice of Chriſt to come. Euerie daye morning and Euening a lambe was offered vp. Hitherto belong thoſe ſame places. Iohn 1. verſe. 36 and the 1. Pet. verſ. 19. Iſay 5.3. He was cut of, from the land of the liuing, For the tranſgreſſion of my people, hee was wounded. To this agreeth that of the 9. of Daniel, The Meſſias ſhall be cut off, and this muſt be fulfilled before Ieruſalem be destroyed. Againe, Iſay 5.3. When hee ſhall hauehave laide downe his ſoule for a ſacrifice for ſinne, hee ſhall ſee a ſeede that ſhall prolong his dayes. And by the knowledge of himſelfe my righteous ſeruaunt ſhall iuſtifie many, and hee himſelfe ſhall beare their iniquities. Zacharie 9. Thou alſo ſhalt bee ſaued by the bloode of thy couenaunt. I hauehave ſent out thy bond ones, out of the ceſterne wherein there is no water.
Christ the heade of all the Prophetes foreſheweth his death in the 12. of Iohn: Verilie, verilie I ſay vntounto you, except a grain of corne falling into the earth be deade, it remaineth alone: but if it be deade it bringeth much fruite. And in the 10. chapter 15.16.17.18. verſes. And Matth 20.28. See alſo a wonderfull propheſie by the mouth of Caiphas. Io. 11. verſ. 49.50.51.52. 1. Cor. 15. I hauehave deliuered vntounto you firſt of all that which I receaued: to wit, that Chriſte dyed for our ſinnes according to the ſcriptures. Dauid in the 114. Pſalme propheſieth of the ſtone refuſed by the builders, & Christ teacheth that that propheſie had an accompliſhment in his death, Matth. 21. in that parable of the ſonne, the heir of the vineyarde, ſlaine of thoſe ſame husbandmen of the vineyarde. verſes 38.39. For ſo he ſaith, hauehave yee not reade in the ſcriptures, The stone which the builders reiected, the ſame is made the chiefe corner ſtone? This is done of the Lorde, and it is wonderfull in our eyes, &c. And when the chiefe of the Prieſtes and Phariſees had hearde his parables, they kneewe thoſe thinges to bee ſpoken concerning them. Herevnto belongeth that ſame excellent power which ſhewed it ſelfe in the 4. of the Actes, of that reicted stone (by death.) When they had placed them meaning the Apoſtles in the middeſt of them: By what power, or in whoſe name doe you this? Then Peter full of the holy Ghost ſaith vntounto them: O ye chiefe of the people, and elders of Iſrael, foraſmuch as the queſtion is this day, of the benefite bestowed vppon the ſicke man, to wit howe this man is ſaued; be it knowen vntounto you all, and to all the people: that through the name of Ieſus Chriſt of Nazareth, whome you hauehave crucified, whome GOD hath raiſed vp from death, by this I ſay, doeth this man ſtande whole and ſounde in your ſight. This is that stone that was eſteemed as nothing of you builders, which is made the chiefe corner ſtone. Neither is there ſaluation in anie other. And a litle after, They ſeeing him ſtande with thoſe that were healed, they coulde ſay nothing against it.
Why Chriſt died.
THE ende of Chriſtes death, was to ſatisfie the righteouſnes and wrath of God for our ſinnes, and ſo by dying to deſtroye and aboliſh ſinne, in which all the power of ſathan conſiſted. For in as much as ſinne by the iuſt iudgement of God raged vppon mankinde, his wrath was appeaſed, and ſatisfied for ſinne, and all power taken frō it, that it might not raigne in the beleeuers. 1. Ioh. 3. To this ende was the ſonne of God manifeſted, that hee might diſſolue the workes of the Diuel: both which the Apoſtle plainly ioyneth together 2. Cor. 5.15. and Rom. 5.18.21. and Rom. 6.7.8. 2 Tim. 1.10.
Of the fruites, whereof we are made partakers by the death of Chriſt.
THE firſt fruite is, that the obedience of Chriſt is our righteouſnes before God. For in the death of Chriſt faith ſpecially looketh vponupon that ſame voluntarie, and ſpeciall obedience of the ſonne, whereby he was made obediente to the father, euen to the death, and to the death of the croſſe: Philip. 2.8. Hebr. 5.8. And therefore euen as by the diſobedience of one man, manie were made ſinners, ſo by the obedience of one righteous, many are made righteous. Rom. 5. And becauſe by his death he iuſtifieth vsus from our ſinnes, through which the diuell gotte the power of death, the ſcripture ſaith that the ſonne of God through death aboliſhed him, that had the power of death, that is the diuel, & ſet free, as manie as through the feare of death through all their life were ſubiect to bondage. Heb. 2. Therefore in this article, there is contayned this promiſe, which I take by faith, that Chriſt died for my ſinnes, the iuſt for the vniuſt, that I clothed through faith with this obedience, might be eſteemed righteous before God. And ſurely when Iſay in the 53. chap. had largely ſet forth that ſame willing obedience of the death of Chriſt, as a lambe not opening his mouth, after wardes he expreſſely ſetteth foorth in the ſame being laid hold on by faith, our iuſtification in theſe wordes: My righteous ſeruaunt by his knowledge ſhall iuſtifie manie, becauſe he ſhall beare their ſinnes. Certainly it muſt needes be, that the voluntarie paſſion and death of the ſon of God be an excellent thing, ſeeing that there are not ſo many & ſo euident propheſies of any thing, as of that, ſo that there was no day paſſed, but the ſame in a figure, as in a viſible propheſie, to wit, in that continuall ſacrifice morning and euening, was ſet before the eyes; and ſeeing without the ſhedding of bloode there coulde be no remiſſion, it muſt of neceſſitie be a moſt precious thing; and ſeeing S. Peter ſaith, that the Prophets hauehave enquired and ſearched, when or what time, that ſame forewitnes, which was yt ſame ſpirit of Chriſt in them, ſhould declare the ſufferinges that ſhould come vntounto Chriſt, and the glorie that ſhoulde followe. 1. Pet. 1.11.19.20. Nowe the worthines of this obedience euen to the death, hangeth vppon the worthines of the perſon, for that ſo great a perſon, to wit, as the ſonne of God, who was in the forme of God, was made ſo far foorth obedient in his humaine nature, that hee refuſed not to vndergoe that ſame curſſed death vponupon the croſſe. By theſe it is plaine that this is the firſt fruit of the death of Chriſt, that hee might be our righteouſnes before God, and vnleſſe that thing be vndoubtedly determined of vsus, wee doe not worthily enough eſteeme the precious death of the ſonne of God.
Of the ſecond fruite of the death of Chriſt.
THe ſeconde fruite is the mortifying, or killing of ſinne. For he hath not only through his death ſatisfied the iudgement of God for ſinne, but alſo hath broken the power of the infection of it, which by the iuſt iudgement of God it had ouer vsus. This I open thus: in that Chriſt died, he died once, and that for ſin. And that he died for ſinne, I vnderſtand thus, that he not onelyonly ſatisfied for it, by his death: but alſo ſo brake the power of ſinne, which was altogether & wholy comprehēded in ye iuſt iudgemēt of God, by making a perfect ſatisfaction, that nowe it cannot any longer, as before, creepe & rage in the bodie of Chriſt, which is ye church, but muſt by little and little decay. Heb. 9.14. 2. Tim. 1. ver. 10. For euen as when the hearte of a man hath receaued a deadly wounde, he is as one for dead, becauſe he cannot eſcape death: euen ſo ſinne hath receaued a deadly wounde in Chriſt, ſo as we are ſaide to be dead in Chriſt. Rom 6. And ſo the Lord ſpeaketh in Hoſee the Prophet cap. 13. I will redeeme them from the power of hell, o death, I will be thy death, ſaith he, euen I Iehouah will be thy death, O death; Therfore Chriſt who is God, or Iehouah manifeſt in ye fleſh, by hearing & ouercōming death, was the death of death & ſin, yt is to ſay, by ſatiſfying for ſinne, that it ſhoulde not be laide to our charge, and by breaking the force of ſinne, (which is the ſting of death) that is the power of infection, which the iuſt wrath of God had gotten ouer vsus, to wit the wrath of God being appeaſed. 1. Corinthians 15. Therefore Iohn ſaith, The ſonne of God was manifeſted to this end, to diſſolue the workes of the diuel. Therefore the ſonne of God, which is the true Iehouah, Iere. 23. dyed, not onelyonly that he might ſatisfie for ſinne: but alſo that by ſatiſſatisfying, he might deſtroy ſinne as the worke of the diuel. For in ſatisfying hee both tooke away the curſſe, and alſo that might & ſtrength of growing further from ſinne, all which was conteyned in ye iuſt iudgement of God, to which he fully ſatisfied: and this fauour he alſo obtayned for vsus, that hee by his ſpirite might kill ſinne in vsus, who grewe vp together by one ſpirite into one bodie together with him. 1. Corinthians. 12.