Exposition of the Apostles Creed, Text (7 of 13)

Exposition of the Apostles Creed · Text (7 of 13)

p. 254The benefites and comfortes which arise by the death of Christ are specially foure. The first is the change of our naturall death, I say not, the taking of it away, for we must all die; but whereas by nature death is a curse of God upon man for eating the forbidden fruite, by the death of Christ it is changed from a curse into a blessing: and is made as it were a middle way and entrance to conveigh men out of this worlde into the kingdome of glorie in heauen: and therefore it is saide,Heb. 2.15.Heb 2:15 Christ by his death hath delivered them from the feare of death, which all the daies of their lives vvere p. 255subiect to bondage. A man that is to encounter vvith a Scorpion▪ if he knovve that it hath a sting, he may be dismayed: but being assured that the sting is taken away, he need not feare to encounter therewith. Now death in his owne nature considered, is this scorpion armed with a sting: but Christ our Saviour by his death hath pulled out the sting of our death, and on the crosse triumphantly saith, O death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory? 1. Cor. 15.55.1 Cor 15:55& therefore euen thē whē we feele the pāgs of death approch, we should not feare but conceiue hope, considering that our death is altered and changed by the vertue of the death of Christ. Secondly, the death of Christ hath quite taken away the secōd death frō those that are in Christ: as Paul saith, There is no condēnation to them which are in Christ Iesus, Rom. 8.1.Rom 8:1which walke not after the flesh, but after the spirit. Thirdly the death of Christ is a meanes to ratifie his last will and testament: For this cause was Christ the Mediatour of the new testament, that through death (vvhichwhich was for the redemption of the transgressions which were in the former t…stament) they which were called might receive the promise of the eternall inheritance. Heb. 9.15.16.Heb 9:15Heb 9:16For vvhere a testament is, there must be the death of him that made the Testament: for the Testament is confirmed when men are dead: for it is yet of no force, as long as he is alive that made it. And therefore the death of Christ doeth make his last will and testament which is his couenant of grace, authenticall unto us. Fourthly, the death of Christ doth serue to abolish the originall corruption of our sinnefull hearts. As a strong corasive laide to a sore eates out all the rotten and deade flesh, euen so Christs death being applyed to the heart of a penitent sinner by faith, weakens and consumes the sinne that cleaues so fast unto our natures and dwelles within us. Some will say, how can Christes death which now is not, because it is long ago past and ended, kill sinne in vsus now? Ansvver, Indeed if vvee regard the acte of Christs death, it is past, but the vertue and power thereof endureth for euer. And the power of Christes death is nothing els but the power of his godhead, vvhichwhich inabled him in his death to ouercome hell, the graue, death, and condemnation, and to p. 256disburden him selfe of our sinnes. Now when wee hauehave grace to denie our selves, and to put our trust in Christ, and by faith are ioyned to him, then as Christ himselfe by the power of his godhead ouercame death, hell, and damnation in himselfe: so shall wee by the same power of his godhead kill & crucifie sin & corruption in our selues. Therfore seeing we reape such benefite by the death of Christ, if wee will shewe our selues to be Christians, let us reioyce in the death of Christ: and if the question be, what is the chiefest thing wherein we reioyce in this world? we may answere, the very crosse of Christ, and the least droppe of his blood.

The duties to be learned by the death of Christ are two: the first concernes all ignorant and impenitent sinners. Such men whatsoeuer they be, by the death of Christ upon the crosse, must be mooued to turne from their sinnes: and if the consideration hereof will not mooue them, nothing in the world will. By nature eueryevery man is a vassall of sinne, and a bondslaue of Sathan: the deuill raignes and rules in all men by nature, and wee our selues can doe nothing but serue and obey him. Nay (which is more) we lie under the fearefull curse of God for the least sinne. Well now, see the love of the sonne of God, that gaue himselfe willingly to death upon the crosse for thee, that he might free thee from this most fearefull bondage. Wherefore let all those that liue in sinne and ignorance reason thus with thēselues: Hath Christ the Sonne of God done this for us, and shall we yet live still in our sinnes? hath he set open as it were the very gates of hell, and shall we yet lie weitring in out damnable waies and in the shadowe of death? In the feare of God let the death of Christ be a means to turne us to Christ: if it can not moue us, let us be resolued that our case is dangerous. To go yet further in this point, eueryevery one of us is by nature a sicke man, wounded at the very heart by sathan: though we feele it not, yet we are deadly sicke: & beholde, Christ is the good Phisition of the soule, & none in heauen or earth, neither Saint, angell, nor man can heale this our spirituall wound, but he alone: who, though he were equall with the father, yet he came downe from his bosome and became mā, & lived here many yeres in miserie & contēpt: p. 257and when no hearb nor plaister could cure this our deadly wound or desperate sicknes, he was content to make a plaister with his owne blood: the paine hee tooke in making it caused him to sweat water & blood: nay the making of it for us cost him his life, in that he was content by his own death to free us from death: which if it be true, as it is most true, thē wofull & wretched is our case if we will still liue in sinne, & will not use meanes to lay this plaister unto our hearts. And after the plaister is applyed to the soule, we should doe as a man that hath bene grievously sicke, who whē he is on the mending hand gets strength by litle & little. And so should we become new creatures going on frō grace to grace, and shew the same by liuing godlily, righteously, and soberly, that the worlde may see that wee are cured of our spirituall disease. O happy, yea thrise happy are they that hauehave grace from God to do this. The second duty concernes thē which are repentant sinners. Hath Christ giuen himselfe for thee, & is thy conscience setled in this? then thou must answerably beare this minde, that if thy life would serue for the glorie of God & the good of his Church, thou wouldst then giuegive it most willingly if thou be called thereto. Secondly, if Christ for thy good hath giuen his life, then thou must in like manner be content to die for thy brethren in Christ if need be: He (saith S. Iohn) laid down his life for us, 1. Ioh. 3.16.1 John 3:16therfore we ought to lay down our liues for our brethren. Thirdly, if Christ was cōtē … to shed his own hearts blood not for himself, but for the sins of eueryevery one of us, thē we must be thus affected, that rather then by sinning we would willingly offend god, we should be content to hauehave our own blood shed: yea if these two things were put to our choise, either to doe that vvhichwhich might displease God, or els to suffer death, we must rather die then do the same. Of this mind hauehave bene all the martyrs of God, who rather then they would yeild to Idolatrie, were content to suffer most bitter torments & cruell death. Yea, eueryevery good christian is so affected, that hee had rather choose to die then to liue, not moued by impatience in respect of the miseries of this life: but because he would cease to offend so louing a father. To sin is meat & drinke to the world, but to a touched & repētāt hart ther is no tormēt p. 258so grievous as this is, to sinne against God, if once hee be perswaded that Christ died for him.

Thus much for Christs death: novv follovv those things vvhichwhich befell Christ when hee was newly dead; and they are two especially. The first, that his legges were not broken as the legges of the tvvo thieves vvere. Of the first, S. Iohn rendreth a reason, namely that the scripture might be fulfilled,Ioh. 19.36.John 19:36 which saith, not a bone of him shall be broken: which wordes vvere spoken by Moses of the paschall lambe, and are here applyed to Christ,Exo. 12.46.Exod 12:46 as being typically figured therby. And hence we obserue these tvvo things. First, that Christ crucified is the true paschall lambe as S. Paul saieth, Christ our passeover is sacrificed:1. Cor. 5.7. Ioh. 1.29.1 Cor 5:7John 1:29 and S. Iohn saith, Behold the lamb of God, distinguishing him thereby from the typicall lambe. In this that Christ crucified is the true paschall lamb, the childe of God hath vvonderfull matter of comfort. The Israelites did eate the passeouer in Egypt,Exo. 12.23.Exod 12:23 and sprinkled the blood of the lambe on the postes of their dores, that when the Angell of God came to destroy the first borne both of man and beast, and saw the blood upon their houses might passe ouer them, that the plague should not be upon them to destruction. So likewise if thou doest feede on the lambe of God, and by a liuely faith sprinkle the dore of thine heart with his blood, the iudgements of god in this life, and the terrible curse of death, vvith the fearefull sentence of condemnation at the day of iudgement, & all punishments due unto thy sinnes shall passe ouer thee, and not so much as touch thee. And whereas the legges of our Sauiour Christ were not broken by the souldiers, who sought by all meanes possible to worke against him all the mischiefe they could: wee may note, that the enemies of Christ and his Church, let them intende to shewe neuer so much malice against him, they can not goe beyonde that libertie which God giueth them: then Gods will is they can doe no more for their liues. The Medes and Persians are called the Lords sanctified ones:Isai. 13.3. Isai. 46.11.Isa 13:3Isa 46:11 Cyrus is called the man of Gods counsell, because whatsoeuer they intended against the people of God, yet in all their proceedings they p. 259did nothing, but that which God had determined before to be done. And whē Senacherib came against the Iewes as a wild beast out of his denne, the Lord telleth Hezekiah cō cerning Ashur that he will put his hooke in his nostrills, Isai. 37.29.Isa 37:29& his bridle in his lippes, and bring him back againe the same way he came, that is, he will so rule him that he shall not do the lest hurt unto the Iewes, more thē god will. This is a matter of great cōfort to Gods Church oppressed with manifold enimies, Papists, Iewes, Turkes, & all infidels, maliciously bent against it for Christs sake. Now they may intend & practise mischiefe, but more then Gods will and counsell is they cā not doe: for he hath his ring in their nostrills, and his bridle in their lips to rule them as he listeth.

The second thing which fell out immediatly upon the death of Christ is, that the soldiers pearced his side with a speare, & thence issued water & blood. The use which ariseth of this point is twofolde: First, it serves to prooue that Christ died truly, & not in shew, or a fained death: for there is about the heart a filme or skin like unto a purse wherein is contained cleare water to coole the heate of the heart,Columb. de re Anat. l. 7. and therefore when water & blood issued out after the pearcing of the side, it is very likely that that very skin was pearced: for els in reason we can not coniecture whence this water should come. S. Iohn an eye-witnesse of this thing, being about to proue that Iesus the sonne of Mary was the true Messias, bringeth in sixe witnesses: three in heauē, the Father, the Worde, and the Holy Ghost: and three in earth, the Water, the Spirite, and the bloode:1. Ioh. 5.8.1 John 5:8 where no doubt hee alludeth to the water and blood that issued out of the side of Christ▪ by spirit wee may vnderstand the efficacie and operation of Gods spirite making men to bring foorth the fruits of the same, as louelove, peace, ioy, &c. And the second witnes namely water, hath relation to the water that came forth of Christs side, which signifieth the inward washing away of sinne, & the purging of the heart by Christs blood: which also is and was signified by the outwarde washing of the bodie with water in baptisme. The thirde witnesse hee calles blood, alluding to the blood that issued out of Christs side: vvhereby is signified the expiation or satisfaction p. 260made to Gods iustice for mans sinne. The same use had the ceremoniall sprinkling with blood in the old testament, typically signifying the sprinkling of Christs blood. Now these three witnesses are not to be sought for in heauen, but euerie Christian man must search for them in his owne heart and conscience, & there shall hee finde them in some measure. And this water and blood flowing out of the side of Christ being now deade, signifieth that he is our iustification and sanctification euen after his death: & that out of his death springs our life: and therefore as Eve was made of a ribbe taken out of the side of the first Adam: so springs the Church of the blood that flowes out of the side of the second Adam.

Hauing thus intreated of Christs execution, let us nowe come to the last point, namely, the excellencie of Christes passion, consisting in these two points. I. a sacrifice. II. a triumph. For the first, whē Christ died he offered a propitiatorie & reall sacrifice to his father: & herein his death & passiō differeth frō the sufferings & deaths of all men whatsoeuer. In this sacrifice, we must consider 4. things. I. who was the priest. II. what was the sacrifice. III. what vvas the altar. IV. the time wherein this sacrifice was offered. The priest was Christ himselfe, as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrues prooues at large from the third chap. to the 9. and of him we are to consider these 4. points. The first, what is the office of Christs priesthood. Ansvver. The office of Christs priesthood stands in 3. things. I. to teach doctrine, & therefore he is called the high priest of our profession, that is, of the Gospell which we professe,Heb. 3.1.Heb 3:1 because he is the authour and doctour of the same. II. to offer up himselfe unto his father in the behalfe of man, for the appeasing of his wrath for sinne. III. to make request or intercession to God the father, that he would accept the sacrifice which hee offered on the crosse for us. The secōd is according to which nature he was a priest: whether in his manhood, or in his godhead, or both togither? Ans. The office of his priesthood is performed by him according to both his natures: & therfore he is a priest not as the papists would hauehave him, according to his manhood only, but as he is both God & man: for as he is a p. 261mediatour, so is he a priest: but Christ is a mediatour according to both natures: ech nature doing that which is peculiar to it, & conferring somthing to the worke of redemptiō: & therfore he is a priest as he is both God & mā. The third point, after what order is he a priest? Ans. The scripture mē tioneth 2. orders of priests: the order of Levi, & the order of Melchisedeck. Christ was not a priest after the order of Aarō: & yet notwithstāding in that priesthood were many notable rites wherby the priesthood of our Sauiour Christ was resembled, & we may note 5. especially. First in the anointing of the high priests, as of Aaron & his sonnes after him, oile was powred on his head,Exop. 29.7. Psal. 113.2.Ps 113:2 & it ran down to the verie edge of his garments, wherby was signified that Christ the true high priest was annointed with the oile of gladnesse above his fellowes, Psal. 45.7.Ps 45:7that his manhood was filled with the giftes and graces of God, both in measure, nūber, & degree aboue all mē & angels. Secondly the sumptuous & gorgious apparell which the high priest put on when hee came into the sanctuary,Exod. 28.2.Exod 28:2 was a signe of the rich & glorious robe of Christs righteousnes, which is the puritie & integrity of his humane nature & of his life. Thirdly, the speciall parts of the high priests attire were, first the Ephod, the 2. shoulders whereof had 2 onyx stones,Exo. 28.12, 21.Exod 28:12Exod 28:21 vvheron vvere engrauē the names of the 12. tribes of Israel: 6. names on the one stone, & 6. on the other, as stones of remēbrance of the childrē of Israel to god vvard: secondly, the brestplate of iudgement like the work of the Ephod, vvherin were set 12. stones according to the names of the childrē of Israel, grauē as signets eueryevery one after his name. Now by these 2. ornamēts vvere figured two things in Christ: by the first, that he carries all the elect on his shoulders, & supports thē by his spirit so long as they are in this world, against the world, the flesh, & the deuill. By the secōd, that Christ our high priest being now in his sanctuary in heauen, hath in memory al the elect, & their very names are writtē as it vvere in tables of gold before his face, & he hath an especiall louelove & care ouer them. VponUpon this ground the church in the Canticles praies on this maner,Cant. 8.6.Song 8:6 Set me as a seale on thy heart, & as a signet vponupon thy arme. And indeed p. 262this a matter of cōfort to us all, that Christ hath our seueral names writtē in pretious stones before his face, though he be now in heauē & vve on earth: & the particular estate of eueryevery one of us is both knowē & regarded of him. Again, God gaue to Moses the Vrim & Thummim, which was put on the brestplate of the high priest, when he was to aske coūsell frō God of things unknowē, before the mercy seate, whence God gaue answer. What the Vrim & Thummim was it is not known: & it is like it was not made by any arte of mā, but giuē by God; & how it vvas used vve can not tell: but yet the signification of the wordes affordeth matter of meditatiō. Vrim signifies lights, & Thummim signifies perfections. And by this a further matter was prefigured in Christ, vvho hath the perfite Vrim & Thummim in his brest: first, because in him are hidde all the treasures of wisdome and knovvledge:Coloss. 2.3.Col 2:3 secōdly, because he reveiles to his Church out of his word such things as none cā know but the childrē of God: as Dauid saith, The secret of the Lord is reveiled to thē that feare him. Psal. 25.14. Ephe. 1.17. 1. Cor. 2.12.Ps 25:14Eph 1:171 Cor 2:12And for this cause the spirit of Christ is called the spirit of wisdom & revelatiō ; & the spirit of God, whereby we know the things that are giuē unto us of God: as namely, our electiō, vocation, iustificatiō, & sanctificatiō in this life, & our eternall glorificatiō after this life: yea to eueryevery member of Christ vvithin his Church he giues a speciall spirit of revelatiō, vvherby he may knovve that God the father is his father; the son the redeemer, his redeemer; & the H. ghost his sanctifier & cōforter. Lastly the high priest had a plate on his forehead, & therin vvas in grauē the holines of Iehovah: this signified the holines of Christ:Exo. 28.36.Exod 28:36 for as he is God, he is holines it self: & as he is mā, he is most holy, being sanctified by the H. ghost for this end, that he might couer our sins & unrighteousnes, vvith his righteousnes & holy obedience.

The secōd order of priesthood is the order of Melchisedec: of which Christ vvas, as Dauid saith, Thou art a priest for euer after the order of Melchisedeck:Heb. 7.Heb 7 & that in 2. speciall respects. I. Melchisedeck vvas both a priest & a king: so vvas Christ. II. Melchisedeck had neither father nor mother, because his historie is set dovvne vvith mention of neither. So likevvise Christ as hee is God, had no mother, and as hee is p. 263man, he had no father. The Papists auouch Christ to be a Priest of this order in a new respect, in that as Melchisedeck offered bread and wine, when Abraham came from the slaughter of the Kings:Gen. 14.18.Gen 14:18 so (say they) Christ in the last supper did offer his owne bodie and bloode vnderunder the formes of bread and wine. But this is a friuolous deuise of theirs: for if we read Hebr. 7. where this point is handled, there is no comparison at all made of their two sacrifices; but the resemblances before named are onelyonly set downe. Againe, it is not said in Genesis that Melchisedeck offered sacrifice; but that he brought forth bread and wine,Protulit non obtulit. and made a feast to Abraham & his companie. And if Christ should be of the order of Melchisedeck, in regard of the offering of bread & wine, yet would this make much against the papists. For Melchisedeck brought forth true bread & true wine; but in the sacrifice of the masse there is no true breade nor true wine: but (as they say) the reall bodie and blood of Christ vnderunder the forme of bread and wine.

The 4. point is, whether there be any more reall priests of the new Testament beside Christ or no? Ans. In the old testament there were many priests one following an other in continuall succession, but of the new testament there is one onelyonly reall priest, Christ Iesus God & man, & no more: as the author of the Hebr. saith, because he endureth for euer, Heb. 7.24. foreign.Heb 7:24he hath an euerlasting priesthoode: & the word trāslated (euerlasting) signifieth such a priesthood, which cannot passe frō him to any other, as the priesthood of Aaron did. And therfore the priesthood of Christ is so tied to his owne person, that none can hauehave the same but he; neither man nor angel, nor any other creature, no not the father nor the H. Ghost. But the factours of the Church of Rome will say, that Christ may hauehave men to be his deputies in his stead to offer sacrifice. Answ. We must consider Christ 2. waies: I. as he is God: II. as he is mediatour. As he is God with the father & with the holy Ghost, he hath kings & magistrates to be his deputies on earth: and therefore they are called Elohim, that is,Psal. 82.Ps 82 gods. But as he is Mediatour, and so consequently a priest and a King, hee hath neither deputie nor vicegerent; p. 264neither king to rule in his stead over his Church, nor priests to offer sacrifice for him: nay hee hath no prophet to be his deputie, as he is the doctour of the Church. And therefore he saith to his disciples:Mat. 23.10.Matt 23:10 be not called doctours, for one is your doctour. Indeede he hath his ministers to teach men his will: but a deputie to offer sacrifice in his steade he hath not. And therfore we may with good conscience abhorre the massing priesthood of the Church of Rome, as a thing fetched from the bottome of Hell: & their massing priests as instruments of Sathan; holding this for a verie truth, that we hauehave but one only priest euē Christ himselfe god & man. Indeed all Christians are Priests to offer up spirituall sacrifice: but it is the propertie of Christ alone to offer an outward & reall sacrifice unto God now in the new testamēt.

Thus much of the first point who is the priest. The second followeth: what is the sacrifice. Answer, The sacrifice is Christ, as he is man, or the manhood of Christ crucified. As the priest is both God and man: so the sacrifice is man, not aaor the godhead.God. So it is said, we are sanctified by the offering of the bodie of Iesus Christ. Heb. 10.10.Heb 10:10Touching this sacrifice, sundrie questions are to be skanned. The first, what kind of sacrifice it was? Answer, In the olde Testament there were two kinde of sacrifices: one, propitiatorie which serued to satisfie for sinne: the other, eucharisticall for praise and thankesgiuing. Now the sacrifice of Christ was a sacrifice propitiatorie specially prefigured by the typicall sacrifice, called the whole burnt offering;Gen. 8.20. Iob. 1.8.Gen 8:20Job 1:8 the use whereof was from the beginning; for as it was all consumed to ashes upon the altar, and turned into smoke, so the fire of Gods wrath did seaze upon Christ on the crosse, and did consume him as it were to nothing to make us something. Secondly, whē Noe offered an whole burnt offering after the flood, it is saide, God smelled a savour of rest: Gen. 8.21.Gen 8:21not because hee was delighted with the smell of the sacrifice, but because he approued his faith in Christ. And hereby was figured, that Christ upō the crosse was an offering, & a sacrifice of a sweet smelling savour vntounto God: Ephe. 5.2.Eph 5:2because God was well pleased therewith. Nowe whereas Christ was content wholly to offer up himselfe to p. 265appease the wrath of his father for us: it must teach us to giuegive our bodies and soules, as holy, liuing, & acceptable sacrifices, wholly dedicating them to the seruice of God.

The second question is, how oft Christ offered himselfe? Ans. Once only & no more. This must be held as a principle of divinitie: With once offering hath he consecrated for ever, them that are sanctified: & againe,Hebr. 10.14. Heb. 9.28.Heb 10:14Heb 9:28 Christ was once offered to take away the sinnes of many. And it serueth to ouerthrow the abominable sacrifice of the masse, in which the true bodie & blood of Christ is offered under the formes of bread and wine, really & substātially (as they say) for the remissiō of the sinnes of the quicke & the deade, & that continually: but if this vnbloody sacrifice of Christ be good, then it is either the continuing of that which was begun on the crosse by Christ himselfe, or the iteratiō of it by the masse priest. Now let papists choose whether of these 2. they will: if they say it is the continuing of the sacrifice of Christ, then they speake outragious blasphemy: for it is in effect to say, that Christes sacrifice was not perfect, but only begun on the crosse, and must be accomplished by the masse priest to the end of the worlde. If they affirme the second, that it is an iteration of Christs sacrifice, thē also they speake blasphemie: for hereby they make it also an imperfite sacrifice, because it is repeated & iterated: for upō this ground doth the authour to the Hebrues prooue, that the sacrifices of the old testament were imperfit, because they were daily offered. And wheras they say, that there be 2. kinds of sacrifices, one bloody once only offred upō the crosse: the other unbloody, which is daily offred. I answer, that this distinctiō hath no ground out of Gods word: neither was it known to the H. ghost who saith, that without blood there is no remission of sinnss.

The 3. questiō is, what is the fruit of this sacrifice. Answ. Heb. 9▪22.Heb 9:22The whole effect therof is contained in these 4. things. I. the oblation of Christ purgeth the beleeuer frō all his sinnes whether they be originall or actuall: so it is said, If we walk in the light, we hauehave fellowship one with another: 1. Ioh. 1▪7.1 John 1:7& the blood of Iesus Christ his sonne purgeth vsus from all sinne: whether they be of omission in regard of our duties: or of cōmission in doing p. 266euil. II. the oblatiō serueth for the iustifying of a sinner before God,Rom▪ 5.10.Rom 5:10 as Paul saith, We are iustified by his blood, & are reconciled to god by his death. This being here remēbred, that in the passiō of Christ we include his legall obediēce, wherby he fulfilled the law for us. III. the oblatiō of Christ serves to purge mens cōsciences frō dead works; How much more then shall the blood of Christ, Heb. 9▪14.Heb 9:14which through the eternall spirite offred himselfe without spot to God, purge your consciences from dead works to serue the living God. IV. the oblation of Christ procures us liberty to enter to heauen, By the blood of Christ Iesus we may be bold to enter into the holy place, Heb. 10.20.Heb 10:20by the new and living way which he hath prepared for vsus through the vail, that is, his flesh. By our sinnes there is a partition wall made betwene God & vsus: but Christ by offring himselfe upon the crosse, hath beaten down this wall, opened heauen, and as it were, trained the way with his own blood, wherby we may enter into the kingdome of God, and without the which we can not enter in at all.

The last questiō is, how this sacrifice may be applied to vsus. Ans. The meanes of applying the sacrifice be two. I. the hand of God which offreth. II. the hād of the beleeuer that receiveth the sacrifice offred. The hand of God wherby he offereth unto us his benefit, is the preaching of the word, & the administratiō of the sacraments, baptisme, & the Lords supper: & whersoeuer these his holy ordinances are rightly administred & put in practise, there the Lord puts forth his hand unto us, & offereth most freely the vertue & benefit of the death of Christ. And then in the next place cōmeth the hand of the beleeuer which is faith in the heart, which, when God offereth, doth apprehend and receiue the thing offered, and make it ours.

The third thing to be spokē of is the altar wheron Christ offred himselfe. The altar was not the crosse, but rather the godhead of Christ. He was both the priest, the sacrifice, and the altar: the sacrifice, as he is man; the priest, as he is both God & mā; the altar, as he is God. The propertie of an altar is to sanctifie the sacrifice, as Christ saith, Ye fooles & blinde, whether is greater the offering, Mat. 23.9.Matt 23:9or the altar that senctifieth the offering? Now Christ as he is God, sanctifieth himself as he p. 267was man: & therfore (saieth he) for their sakes sanctifie I my selfe, by doing 2. things:Ioh. 17.19.John 17:19 I. by setting a part the manhood to be a sa…rifice unto his father for our sins. II. by giuing to this sacrifice merit or efficacie to deserue at Gods hāds remissiō of our sins: the māhood of Christ without the godhead hath no vertue nor efficacie in it self to be a meritorious sacrifice: & therfore the dignity & excellencie which it hath is deriued thence. As for the chalkie & stony altars of the Church of Rome, they are nothing els but the toyes of mans brain. Christ himselfe is the only reall altar of the new testament. And instead of altars which were under the lawe, wee hauehave now the Lords table vvheron vve celebrate the sacraments of his body and blood, to shew forth his death till he come.

The 4. point is concerning the time of Christs oblation, which he himselfe calleth the acceptable yere of the Lord:Luk. 4.19. Lev. 25.10.Luke 4:19Lev 25:10 alluding unto another yere under the lavve called the yeere Iubile, vvhichwhich was every 50. yere amōg the Iewes, in which at the sound of a trumpet all that had set or sold their possessions receiued them againe: all that were bondmen were then set at libertie. This Iubile was but a figure of that perfect deliverāce which vvas to be attained by Christs passiō, which was no temporarie deliverance for eueryevery 50. yere, but an eternal freedome from the bondage of sinne, hell, death, & condemnation. And the preaching of the worde is the trumpet sounded which proclaimeth unto us freedome frō the kingdome of darkenesse, & invites us to come & dvvell in perfect peace vvith Christ himselfe. Well, if the yeere of perpetuall Iubile be novv come, in what a vvre…ched estate are all our loose & blind people that esteem nothing of that libertie vvhichwhich is offered to them, but choose rather to liue in their sinnes, and so in bondage under Satan & condemnation, then to be at freedome in Christ.

Novv follovv the uses vvhichwhich are to be made of the sacrifice of Christ. The prophet Aggai saith,Aggai. 2.4. that the second temple built by Zorubbabell vvas nothing in beautie unto the first vvhichwhich was built by Salomon: and the reason is plaine, for it vvanted five things vvhichwhich the first temple had. I. the appearing of the presence of God at the merciemercy p. 268seat betweene the two Cherubims. II. The Vrim and Thummim on the breast-plate of the high Priest. III. The inspiration of the holy Ghost vponupon extraordinarie Prophets. IV. The Arke of the Covenant: for that was lost in the captiuitie. V. Fire from heauen to burne the sacrifices. Yet for all this, the Prophet afterward saith, The glorie of the last House, Agg. 2.10.Hag 2:10shall be greater then the first. Now it may be demaunded, how both these sayings can stand together? Answer. We are to know, that the second Temple was standing in the time when Christ was crucified for our sinnes; and it was the sacrifice of Christ which gaue glorie and dignitie to the second temple, though otherwise for building and outward ornaments it was farre inferiour to the first. And by this we are taught, that if we would bring glorie vntounto our owne selues, vntounto our houses and kindred, either before God or before men, we must labour to be partakers of the sacrifice of Christ, and the sprinkling of his blood to purge our hearts. This is the thing that brings renowne both to place and person, how base soeuer we be in the eyes of the world. Secondly, all oblations and meate offerings were sprinkled with salt,Lev. 2.13. Eze. 43.24.Lev 2:13Ezek 43:24 and eueryevery sacrifice of propitiation which was to be burned to ashes, was first salted: and hereby two things were signified. The first, that eueryevery one of vsus in our selues are loathsome or vile in the sight of God;Ezec. 16.4.Ezek 16:4 like vntounto stinking carrion or raw-flesh kept long vnpoudered. A dead and rotten carkeise is loathsome vntounto vsus; but we in our selues are a thousand times more loathsome vntounto God. The second, that we are as it were salted and made sauorie and acceptable to God by the vertue of the sacrifice of Christ vponupon the crosse. Our dutie thē is to labour that we may feele in our selues the biting and sharpnes of the oblation of Christ, to wast & cōsume the superfluities of sinne and the corruptions of our natures. And we must withall indeauour, that the whole course of our liues, and our speach it selfe be gratious and poudred with this salt, least God at length spue vsus out of his mouth. To this end hath God appointed his ministers to be the salt of the earth,Colos. 4 6.Col 4:6 Math. 5.13.Matt 5:13that by their ministerie they might applie the p. 269death of Christ, and season the people. And it hath pleased God to besprinkle this land with more plentie of this salt, then hath beene heretofore. But, alas, small is the number of them that giuegive any rellish of their good seasoning. The more lamentable is their case. For as flesh that can not be seasoned with salt, putrifies: so men, that cannot be sweetned and changed by the sacrifice of Christ, doe rotte and perish in their sinnes. The waters that issued from vnderunder the threshold of the Sanctuarie,Eze. 47.8, 11.Ezek 47:8Ezek 47:11 when they came into aaMare mortuum.the dead sea, the waters thereof were holsome: but myrie places and marishes which could not be seasoned, were made saltpits. Now these waters are the preaching of the Gospell of Christ, which flowing through all the parts of this Ile, if it doe not season and chaunge our nation, it shall make it as places of nettles and salt-pits, and at length be an occasion of the eternall curse of God. Thirdly, Christs priesthoode serues to make eueryevery one of vsus also to be priests. And being priests, we must likewise hauehave our sacrifice and our altar.Mal. 1.11. 1. Tim. 2.8.Mal 1:111 Tim 2:8 Our sacrifice is the cleane offering, which is the lifting vp of pure hands to God without wrath or doubting in our praiers: also our bodies and soules, our hearts and affections, the workes of our liues, and the works of our callings: all which must be dedicated to the seruice of God for his glorie, and the good of his Church. The altar whereon wee must offer our sacrifice, is Christ our redeemer,Rev. 8.3. Heb. 13.10.Rev 8:3Heb 13:10 both God and man, because by the vertue of his death as with sweet odours he perfumes all our obedience, and makes it acceptable to God. The ministers of the Gospell are also in this manner priests, as Paul insinuateth when he calleth the Gentiles his offering vntounto God.Rom. 15.16.Rom 15:16 And the preaching of the word is as it were a sacrificing knife, whereby the old Adam must be killed in vsus; and we made an holy and acceptable sweete smelling oblation vntounto God, sanctified by the holy Ghost. Therefore eueryevery one that heareth Gods worde preached and taught, must endeauour that by the profitable hearing thereof, his sinnes and whole nature may be subdued and killed; as the beast was slaine and sacrificed vponupon the altar by the hand of the Leuite. Lastly, the exhortation p. 270of the holy Ghost must here be considered, Seeing (saith he) we hauehave an high Priest, which is ouer the house of God, Heb. 10.21.Heb 10:21let vsus draw neere with a true heart in assurance of faith, sprinkled in our hearts from an euill conscience, and washed in our bodies with pure water: the meaning of the words is this, that if Christ hauehave offered such a sacrifice of such value and price, which procureth pardon of sinne, iustification, sanctification, and redemption, then we must labour to be partakers of it; to hauehave our bodies and soules purified and clensed by his blood, and sanctified throughout by the holy Ghost, that thereby we may be made fit to doe sacrifice acceptable to God in Christ. This is the vse which the Apostle maketh of the doctrine of Christs priesthood in that place, which also eueryevery man should applie vntounto himselfe: for why should we liue in our sinnes and wicked waies, eueryevery houre incurring the daunger of Gods iudgements, seeing Christ hath offered such a sacrifice whereby we may be purged and clensed, and at length freed from all woe and miserie.

Thus much of Christs sacrifice: now follows his triumph vponupon the crosse. That Christ did triumph when he was vponupon the crosse, it is plainly set downe by the Apostle Paul, where he saith, that putting out the hand writing of ordinances that was against vsus, which was contrarie to vsus, he euen tooke it out of the way, and fastened it vponupon the crosse, and hath spoiled the principalities and powers, Coloss. 2.14, 15.Col 2:14Col 2:15and hath made shew of them openly, and hath triumphed ouer them in the same crosse. This triumph is set forth by signes & testimonies of two sorts. I. By signes of his glorie and maiestie. II. by signes of his victorie on the crosse. The signes of his glorie and maiestie are principally seauen. The first is the title set ouer his head vponupon the crosse, Iesus of Nazareth King of the Iewes. The ende why titles were set ouer the heads of malefactours was, that the beholders might know the cause of the punishment, and be admonished to take heede of like offences, and be stirred vp to a dislike of the parties executed for their offences. And therefore, no doubt, Pilate wrote the title of Christ for the aggrauating of his cause, and that with his owne p. 271hand. Yet marke the strange euent that followed: for when Pilate was about to write the superscription, God did so gouerne and ouerrule both his heart and hand, that instead of noting some crime, he sets downe a most glorious and worthie title, calling him Iesus of Nazareth king of the Iewes: which words containe the very summe and pith of the whole Gospell of Christ, deliuered by the Patriarkes and Prophets from age to age. We must not thinke that Pilate did this of any good minde, or vponupon any louelove or fauour that he bare to Christ: but onelyonly as he was guided and ouerruled by the power of God for the aduancement of the honour and glorie of Christ. The like did Caiphas, who though a sworne enemie to Christ, yet he vttered a prophecie of him, saying, that it was necessarie that one should die for the people: nor that he had any intent to prophecie; but because the Lord vsed him as an instrument to publish his truth. And when Baalam for the wages of vnrighteousnes would hauehave cursed the Lordes people, for his life hee could not; nay all his cursings were turned into blessings. By this then it appeares, that it is not possible for any man, doe what he can, to stoppe the course of the Gospell of Christ: nay (as we see) God can raise vp the wicked sometime to spread abroad and to publish the truth, though they themselues intend the contrarie. Furthermore let vsus marke that when the Iewes did most of all intend to bring disgrace and ignominie vponupon our Sauiour Christ, then did they most of all extoll and magnifie his name: they could not for their liues hauehave giuen him a more renowmed title then this, that he was king of the Iewes. And the same is the case of all the members of Christ: for let a man walke in good conscience before God and man, he shall finde this to be true, that when he is most disgraced in the world, then commonly he is most honoured with God and men.

Further, Pilate wrote this superscription in three languages, Hebrew, Greeke, and Latine. And no doubt the ende thereof in the prouidence of God was, that the passion of Christ, as also the publishing of his kingdome and Gospell might be spread ouer the whole world. This shewes the p. 272malice of the Church of Rome, which will not suffer the word of God to be published but in the latine tongue, least the people should be intangled in errours.

Againe, when Pilate had thus written the superscription, the high priests and Pharisies offended thereat, came to Pilate willing him to chaunge the title, saying, Write not the king of the Iewes, but that he said, I am the king of the Iewes: but Pilat answeared them againe, That which J hauehave written, Ioh. 19.21.John 19:21I hauehave written. Though Pilate had bin ouerruled before to condemne Christ to death, against his owne conscience, yet will he not in any-wise condescend to change the superscription. How comes this to passe? Surely as he was ruled by the hand of God in penning it, so by the same hand of God was he confirmed in not changing it. Hence we learne sundrie instructions. First, that no man in the world, let him endeauour himselfe to the vttermost of his power, is able to stoppe the course of the kingdom of God: it stands firme and sure, and all the world is not able to preuaile against it. Secondly, whereas Pilate being but an heathen man was thus constant, that he will not hauehave his writing chaunged; we may note, how permanent & vnchāgeable the writings of the holy word of God are. They are not the wordes of heathen men, but were spoken by the mouth of the Prophets and Apostles, as God gaue them vtterance. The booke of Scripture therefore is much more immutable, so as no creature shall be able to chaunge the least part of it till it be fulfilled. Thirdly, by Pilates constancie, we learne to be constant in the practise and profession of the religion of Christ: this is a necessarie lesson for these daies, wherein mens professions doe fleete like water, and goe and come with the tyde. Many zealous professours to day, but to morow as cold as water. And the complaint of the Lord touching times past, agrees to our daies: O Ephraim, what shall I say to thee? thy righteousnes is like the morning dewe.Os…. 6.

The second is, the conuersion of the thiefe: a most worthie argument of the Godhead of Christ. For by it when he was vponupon the crosse, and in the very middest of his passion, p. 274he giues vntounto all the world a liuely and notable experience of the vertue and power of his death, so as his very enemies might not onelyonly behold the passion it selfe, but also at the same time acknowledge the admirable efficacie thereof. And therefore with the passion of Christ, we must ioyne the conuersion of the thiefe: which is as it were a crystall glasse wherein we may sensibly behold the endles merit and vertue of the obedience of Christ to his father, euen to the death of the crosse. And therefore I will briefly touch the speciall instructions which are to be learned by it. First let vsus marke that both the thieues in eueryevery respect were equal, both wicked and leud liuers: and for their notorious faults both attached, condemned, & executed both on the crosse at the same time with Christ: yet for all this, the one repenting was saued, the other was not. And in their two exāples we see the state of the whol world, wherof one part is chosen to life eternall, and thereupon attaines to faith and repentance in this life: the rest are reiected in the eternall counsell of God, for iust causes knowne to himselfe, and such being left to thēselues neuer repent at all. Secondly we are taught hereby, that the whole worke of our conuersion and saluation must be ascribed wholly to the meere merciemercy of God: of these two thieues the one was as deepely plunged in wickednes as the other, and yet the one is saued, the other condemned. The like was in Iacob and Esau; both borne at one time, and of the same parents,Rom. 9.13.Rom 9:13 & neither of them had done good nor euill when they were borne: yet one was then loued the other was hated: yea if we regard outward prerogatiues, Esau was the first borne,Gen. 25.23.Gen 25:23 and yet was refused.

Furthermore, the thiefe on the crosse declareth his conversion, by manifest signes and fruites of repentance, as appeares by the words which he spake to his fellowe, Fearest not thou God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation. Though hands and feete were fast nailed to the crosse▪ Luk. 23.40.Luke 23:40yet heart and tongue is at libertie to giuegive some tokens of his true repentance. The people of this our land heare the word, but for the most part are without either profit in p. 274knowledge or amendment of life: yet for all this they perswade themselues that they hauehave good hearts & good meanings, though they cannot beare it a way, and vtter it so wel as others. But, alas, poore soules, they are deluded by satan: for a man that is conuerted, can not but expresse his conuersion, and bring foorth the fruits thereof. And therefore our Sauiour Christ saith, If a man beleeue in me, out of his bellie shal flow riuers of water of life. Ioh. 7▪38.John 7:38The grace (as Elihu saith) of God is like newe wine in a vessell which must hauehave a vent;Iob 32.19.Job 32:19 and therefore he that sheweth no tokens of Gods grace in this life, is not as yet conuerted; let him thinke & say of himselfe what he will. Can a man hauehave life, and neuer mooue nor take breath? and can he that bringeth forth no fruit of his conuersion liue vntounto God? Well, let vsus nowe see what were the fruites of the thiefes repentance. They may be reduced to foure heads. First, he rebukes his fellow for mocking Christ, indeauouring thereby to bring him to the same condition with himselfe, if it were possible: whereby he discouers vntounto vsus the propertie of a true repentant sinner, which is, to labour and striue, so much as in him lieth, to bring all men to the same state that he is in. Thus Dauid hauing tried the great louelove and fauour of God toward himselfe, breaketh foorth, and saith, Come children, hearken vntounto me, Psal. 34.11.Ps 34:11and I will teach you the feare of the Lorde: shewing his desire, that the same benefits which it pleased God to bestow on him, might also in like manner be conveighed to others. Therefore it is a great shame to see men professing religion, carried away with eueryevery companie, and with the vanities and fashions of the world, whereas they should rather draw euen the worst men that be to the fellowship of those graces of God which they hauehave receiued. That which the Lord spake to the Prophet Ieremie, must be applied to all men: Let them returne vntounto thee, but returne not thou vntounto them.Ierem. 15.19.Jer 15:19 In instruments of musicke the string out of tune must be set vp to the rest that be in tune, and not the rest to it.

Againe, in that he checkes his fellowe, it shewes that those which be touched for their owne sinnes, are also p. 275grieued when they see other men sinne and offende God. But to goe further in this point, let vsus diligently and carefully marke the manner of his reproofe, Fearest thou not God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation. In which words he rippes vp his lewdnesse euen to the quicke, and giues him a worthie item, telling him that the cause of all their former wickednesse, had beene the want of the feare of God. And this point must eueryevery one of vsus marke with great diligence. For if we enter into our hearts and make a thorough search, wee shall finde that this is the roote and fountaine of all our offences. We miserable men for the most part hauehave not grace to consider that we are alwaies before God; and to quake and tremble at the consideration of his presence: and this makes vsus so often to offend God in our liues as we doe. Abraham comming before Abimelech, shifting for himselfe said, that Sara was his sister, and beeing demaunded why he did so, answeared, because he thought the feare of God was not in that place: Gen. 20.11.Gen 20:11insinuating that he which wants the feare of God, will not make conscience of any sinne whatsoeuer. VVould wee then euen from the bottome of our hearts turne to God, and become newe creatures, then let vsus learne to feare God: vvhichwhich is nothing else but this, vvhen a man is persvvaded in his ovvne heart and conscience that wheresoeuer he be, he is in the presence and sight of God, and by reason thereof is afraide to sinne. This wee must hauehave fully settled in our hearts, if wee desire to learne but the first lesson of true wisedome. But what reason vseth the thiefe to drawe his fellowe to the feare of God? Thou art (saith he) in the same condemnation, that is, by thy sinnes and manifolde transgressions thou hast deserued death, and it is nowe most iustly inflicted vponupon thee, wilt thou not yet feare God? Where we are taught, that temporall punishments and crosses, ought to be meanes to worke in vsus the feare of God; for that is one ende why they are sent of God. It is good for me (saith Dauid) that I hauehave beene chastised, Psal. 119.7….Ps 119:7that I may learne p. 276thy statutes. 1. Cor. 11.32. Mich. 7.9.1 Cor 11:32Mic 7:9And Paul saith, when we are chastised, we are nurtured of the Lord. And the Iewes are taught by the Prophet Micah to say, I will beare the wrath of the Lord, because I hauehave sinned against him.

The second fruit of his conuersion is, that he condemneth himselfe and his fellow for their sinnes, saying, Indeede we are righteously here, for we receiue things worthie for that we hauehave done, that is, we hauehave wonderfully sinned against Gods maiestie, and against our brethren: and therefore this grieuous punishment which we beare, is most iust and due vntounto vsus. This fruit of repentance springs and growes very thinne among vsus, for fewe there be which doe seriously condemne themselues for their owne sinnes: the manner of men is to condemne others, and to cry out that the world was neuer so badde, but bring them home to themselues, and you shall finde that they hauehave many excuses and defences as plaisterworke to cast ouer their foule and filthie sinnes: and if they be vrged to speake against themselues, the worst will be thus, God helpe vsus, we are all sinners, euen the best of vsus. But certen it is, that he which is thoroughly touched in conscience for his sinnes, both can and will speake more against himselfe for his manifold offences, then all the worlde besides. Thus Paul when he was conuerted,1. Tim▪ 1.15.1 Tim 1:15 calls himselfe the chiefe of all sinners. And the prodigall childe confesseth that he had sinned against heauen and against his father, and was not worthie to be called his childe.

The third fruit of his conuersion is, that he excuseth our Sauiour Christ, and giueth testimonie of his innocencie, saying, But this man hath done nothing amisse. Marke here: Pilate condemned Christ, Herod mocked him, all the learned Scribes and Pharisies condemned him, and the people cry, away with him, let him be crucified: and among his owne disciples Peter denied him, and the rest ranne away: there remains onelyonly this poore sillie wretch vponupon the crosse to giuegive testimonie of Christs innocencie: whereby we learne, that God chuseth the simple ones of this world, to p. 277ouerthrow the wisdome of the wise: and therefore we must take heed that we be not offended at the gospel of Christ, by reason that for the most part simple & mean men in the world imbrace it. Nay marke further, this one thiefe being conuerted, had a better iudgement in matters concerning Gods kingdome, then the whole bodie of the Iewes. And by this all students may learne, that if they desire to hauehave in themselues vpright iudgement in matters of religion, first of all they must become repentant sinners: and though a man hauehave neuer so much learning, yet if he be carried away with his owne blinde affections & lusts, they will corrupt & darken his iudgement. Men which worke in mynes and coale-pits vnderunder the earth, are troubled with nothing so much as with dampes, which make their candle burne darke, & sometimes put it quite out. Now eueryevery mans sinnes are the damps of his heart, which when they take place, do dimme the light of his iudgement, and cast a mist ouer the mind, & darken the vnderstanding & reason: and therefore a needefull thing it is, that men in the first place should prouide for their owne conuersion.

The fourth fruite of his repentance is, that he praieth for merciemercy at Christs hands, Lord (saith he) remember me when thou commest into thy kingdome: in which praier we may see what is the propertie of faith. This thiefe at this instāt heard nothing of Christ but the skornings and mockings of the people, and he saw nothing but a base estate full of ignominie and shame, and the cursed death of the crosse, yet neuerthelesse he now beleeues in Christ, and therfore intreats for saluation at his hande. Hence we learne, that it is one thing to beleeue in Christ, and an other to hauehave feeling and experience: and that euen then when we hauehave no sense or experience, we must beleeue:Heb. 11.1.Heb 11:1 for faith is the subsisting of things which are not seene: and Abraham aboue hope did beleeue vnderunder hope: and Iob saith, though thou kill me, Rom. 4.18.Rom 4:18yet will I beleeue in thee. In Philosophie a man begins by experience, after which commes knowledge and beliefe; as whē a man hath put his hand to the fire, and feeles it to be hoat, he p. 278comes to know thereby that fire burnes: but in Divinitie we must beleeue though we hauehave no feeling: first comes faith, and after comes sense and feeling. And seeing the ground of our religion stands in this, to beleeue thinges neither seene nor felt, to hope aboue all hope, and without hope: in extremitie of affliction to beleeue that God loueth vsus, when he seemeth to be our enemie, and to perseuere in the same to the ende.

The answer which Christ made to his praier was, This night shalt thou be vvith in Paradise. Whereby he testifies in the middest of his sufferings the power which he had ouer the soules of men: and verifies that gratious promise, Aske and ye shall receiue, seeke and ye shall finde, knocke and it shall be opened to you: and withall confutes the popish purgatorie. For if any man should hauehave gone to that forged place of torment, then the thiefe vponupon the crosse, who repenting at the last gaspe wanted time to make satisfaction for the temporall punishment of his sinnes. And by this conuersion of the thiefe we may learne, that if any of vsus would turne to God and repent, we must hauehave three thinges. I. The knowledge of our owne sinnes. II. From the bottome of our heartes wee must confesse and condemne our selues for them, and speake the worst that can be of our selues, in regard of our sinnes. III. We must earnestly craue pardon for them, and call for merciemercy at Gods handes in Christ, withall reforming our liues for the time to come: if we doe, we giuegive tokens of repentance; if not, we may thinke what we will, but we deceiue our selues, and are not truly conuerted. And here wee must be warned to take heede least we abuse, as many doe, the example of the thiefe, to conclude thereby that wee may repent when we will; because the thiefe on the crosse was conuerted at the last gaspe. For there is not a second example like to this in all the whole Bible: it was also extraordinarie. In deede sundrie men are called at the eleuenth houre, but it is a most rare thing to finde the conuersion p. 279of a sinner after the second houre, and at the point of the twelfth. This merciemercy God vouchsafed this one thiefe, that he might be a glasse in which we might behold the efficacie of the death of Christ, but the like is not done to many mē, no not to one of a thousand. Let vsus rather cōsider the estate of the other thiefe, who neither by the dealing of his fellow,Luk. 23▪44. foreign.Luke 23:44 nor by any speach of Christ could be brought to repentance. Let vsus not therefore deferre our repentance to the houre of death: for then we shall hauehave sore enemies against vsus: the world, the flesh, the deuill, and a guiltie conscience: and the best way is beforehand to preuent them. And experience shews that if a man deferre repentance to the last gaspe, often when he would repent he cannot. Let vsus take Salomons counsell: Remember thy creator in the daies of thy youth, before the euill daies come. If we will not heare the Lord when he calleth vsus, he will not heare vsus when we call on him.

The third signe was, the ecclipsing or darkning of the sunne from the sixt houre to the ninth. And this ecclipse was miraculous. For by the course of nature the sunne is neuer ecclipsed, but in the new moone: whereas contrariwise this ecclipse was about the time of the Passeouer which was alwaies kept at the full moone.Luk. 23.44. foreign.Luke 23:44 Question is made touching the largenes of it: some mooued by the words of Luke, who saith that darkenesse was vponupon the whole earth, hath thought that the ecclipse was vniuersall ouer the whole word: but I rather thinke, that Saint Lukes meaning is, that it was ouer the whole region or countrey of Iurie. For if such a wonder had happened ouer the whole world, all historiographers Greeke and Latine and Astronomers, diligent obseruers of all ecclipses, would hauehave made speciall mention thereof. And though some aaEuseb. Chron. Tertull. Apolog. c 21. Ores. l. 7. c▪ 4.writers say that it was ouer the whole earth, and that it was set downe in record both by the Romanes & Grecians, yet all their writings prooue no more but this, that it was ouer Iurie and Galelie and the countries bordering neere vntounto. The vses of this miracle are manifold. I. This darkening of the sunne giues a checke to the Iewes for their crucifying p. 280of Christ: they were not ashamed to apprehend, accuse, and condemne him: yet this glorious creature the sunne pulleth in his beames, beeing as it were ashamed to behold that, which they were not ashamed to doe. II. It serues to signifie the great iudgement of God to come vponupon the Iewes. For as when Christ suffered, darkenes was ouer all the land of Iurie, and all the worlde besides had the light of the sunne,2. Cor. 3.5.2 Cor 3:5 so shortly after blindnes of minde was ouer the whole nation of the Iewes, and all the world besides saw the sonne of righteousnes shining vntounto them in the preaching of the Gospell.Mal. 4.2.Mal 4:2 III. It serues to aduertise vsus that such as carrie themselues towards Christ as the Iewes did, hauehave nothing else in them but darknesse, and that they sit in darkenesse and shadow of death: Isa. 8.20. Luk. 1.79.Isa 8:20Luke 1:79and therefore not able any whit better to see the way that leadeth vntounto life, then he which is cast into a darke dungeon can; who if they thus remaine, shall at length be cast into vtter darkenesse. This beeing the estate of all them that be foorth of Christ: we must labour to be freed from this darknes, that the day-starre may rise in our hearts,2. Pet. 1.1.2 Pet 1:1 and shine vponupon vsus, and put life into vsus. IIII. This miraculous and wonderfull darkening of the sunne doth conuince the Iewes, that Christ whome they crucified was the Lord of glorie, and the Sauiour of the world: and it is very likely that this was the principall end of this miracle. For whereas neither his doctrine, nor his former miracles could mooue them to acknowledge him for the Messias, yet this one worke of God doth as it were strike the naile to the head, and stoppe all their mouthes. V. Besides this, whereas at that very instant when Christ was about to make a satisfaction to the iustice of his father for our sinnes; the sunne was thus darkned: it teacheth vsus first to thinke of the passion of Christ, not as of a light matter, but as of one of the greatest wonders of the worlde, at the sight whereof the very frame of nature was chaunged: secondly, to thinke of our owne sinnes, as the vilest things in the world, and that they deserue the intollerable wrath of God: considering that at the time when they were to be abolished, the p. 281course of nature euen in the very heauens is turned vpside downe.

The fourth signe is, the rending of the vaile of the Temple from the toppe to the bottome.Mat. 27.11.Matt 27:11 The temple was deuided into two parts: the one more inward into which no man might come but the high priest, and that once a yeare; and it was called the holy of holies: the other was that where the people came and offered sacrifices vntounto the Lord. Nowe that which parted the temple into these two parts was called the vaile, and at the time of Christs passion it was re…t from the toppe to the very bottome. This hath diuers vses: I. The holy of holies signified the third heauen,Hebr. 9.8.Heb 9:8 where God sheweth himselfe in glorie and maiestie vntounto his Saints: now the rending of the vaile figureth vntounto vsus, that by the death of Christ heauen which was otherwise shut by our sinnes is nowe set open, and a way made to enter thereto. II. It signifieth,Ioh. ….51. that by the death of Christ we hauehave all without impediment, free accesse to come vntounto God the father by earnest praier in the name of Christ; which is a most vnspeakeable benefit. III. It signifieth, that by Christs death an ende is put to all ceremonies, to ceremoniall worship, and the sacrifices of the old testament: and that therefore in the newe testament there remaineth one onelyonly reall and outward sacrifice, that is, Christ crucified on the crosse: and the whole seruice and worship of God for outwarde ceremonies most simple and plaine. IIII. The Temple was the chiefe and one of the most principall prerogatiues that the Iewes had; it was their glorie that they had such a place wherein they might worship and doe seruice to the true God: and for the Temples sake God often spared them, and therefore Daniel praieth: O Lord, Dan. 9.17.Dan 9:17heare the prayer of thy seruant, and his supplication, and cause thy face to shine vponupon thy Sanctuarie that lieth wast for the Lords sake. Yet for all this, when they beganne to crucifie the Lord of life, their prerogatiues helps thē not, nay they are depriued thereof, and God euen with his owne hand rends the vaile of the temple in sunder, signifying vntounto them, that if they forsake p. 282him, he will also forsake them. And so may we say of the Church of England: No doubt for the Gospels sake we hauehave outward peace and safetie, and many other blessings, and are in account with other nations: yet if we make no conscience to obey the word of God, and if we hauehave no louelove of Christ and his members, God will at length remooue his candlesticke from vsus, and vtterly depriue vsus of this ornament of the Gospell, and make our land as odious vntounto all the world, as the land of the Iewes is at this day. Let vsus therefore vvith all care and diligence shew forth our louelove both to Christ himselfe & to his members, and adorne the Gospell which we professe by bringing foorth fruites worthie of it.

The fifth signe is the earthquake, whereby hard rockes were clouen asunder. And it serues very fitly to signifie further vntounto vsus,Matt. 27.51.Matt 27:51 that the sinne of the Iewes in putting Christ to death was so heauie a burden, that the earth could not beare it, but trembled thereat, though the Iewes themselues made no bones of it. And it is a thing to be wondered at, that the earth doe not often in these daies, tremble and quake at the monstrous blasphemies and fearefull othes by the wounds and blood and heart of Christ, whereby his members are rent asunder, and he traiterously crucified againe. Secondly, the earthquake shewes vntounto vsus the exceeding and wonderfull hardnes of the hearts of the Iewes, and ours also: they crucified Christ and were not touched with any remorse; and we can talke and heare of his death, yea we can say he was crucified for our sinnes: and yet are we nothing affected therewith, our hearts will not rend when as hard rocks cleaue asunder. Thirdly, the mooving of the earth, & the rending of the rocks asunder, may be a signe vntounto vsus of the vertue of the doctrine of the Gospell of Christ: which is nothing els but the publishing of the passion of his death: which being preached, shal shake heauen and earth, sea and land. It shall moue the earthen, hard, and rockie hearts of men;Agg. 2.7.Hag 2:7 and raise vp of meere stones and rocks children vntounto Abraham. But the maine vse and end of this point is, to prooue that he that was crucified, was p. 283the true Messias the sonne of God: and therefore had the power of heauen and earth, and could mooue all things at his pleasure.

The sixt signe of the power of Christ is, that graves did open, and many bodies of the saintes which slept arose, Mat. 27.52.53.Matt 27:52Matt 27:53and came out of their graues after his resurrection, and went into the holy citie, and appeared unto many. The use of this signe is this: it signifies unto us, that Christ by his death upon the crosse did vanquish death in the graue, and opened it, and thereby testified that he was the resurrection, and the life: so that it shall not hauehave euerlasting dominion ouer us: but that he vvill raise us up from death to life, and to euerlasting glorie.

The seuenth signe is the testimonie of the Centurion with his souldiours which stood by to see Christ executed: S. Marke saith, when he saw that Christ thus crying gaue up the ghost, he said, truly this was the sonne of God. Mar. 15.39.Mark 15:39Thus we see it is an easie matter for Christ to defend his own cause: let Iudas betray him, Peter denie him, and all the rest forsake him, yet he can if it so please him make the Centurion that standeth by to see him executed to testifie of his innocencie. But what vvas the occasion that mooued him to giuegive so worthy a testimonie? S. Matthew saith, it was feare,Mat. 27.54.Matt 27:54 and that feare was caused, by hearing the loud crie of Christ, & by seeing the earthquake and thinges which vvere done. And this must put us in minde not to passe by Gods iudgements which daily fall out in the worlde, but take knowledge of them, and as it were, to fix both our eyes on them. For they are notable meanes to strike and astonish the rebellious heart of man, and to bring it in awe and subiectiō to God. After that the two first captaines with their fifties commanding the prophet Elias to come downe to king▪ Achaziah were consumed with fire from heauen: the king sent his third captaine ouer fiftie with his fiftie to fetch him downe: but what doth he? it is said, he fell on his knee before Eliah and besought him saying, O man of God, 2. King. 1.13.2 Kgs 1:13I pray thee, let my life and the lives of these fiftie servants be pretious in thine eyes. But what was the cause why he prayed thus? p. 284Surely he obserued what iudgements of God fell upon his two former fellowe captaines, Beholde, saith hee, there came downe fire from heauen, and devoured the two former captaines with their fifties: therefore let my life be pretious now in thy sight. Thus laying to his owne heart and making use of Gods iudgements, hee humbled himselfe and was spared with his fiftie. And Habbaccuk saith, When I hearde the voice, Habac. 3.16.namely of Gods iudgements, rottennesse entred into my bones, and I trembled in my selfe that I might be safe in the day of the Lorde. Nowe what this feare of the Centurion was, there is a further question, and it is verie like that it was but a sudden motion or a certaine preparatiue to better things. For he was but an heathen man, and had as yet no knowledge of Christ, and whether hee repented or not it is uncerten: and wee must not maruell at this, for there are many sudden motions in shewe verie good, that upon like occasions rise in the heartes of naturall men. When God plagued the land of Egypt, then Pharaoh sent for Moses and confessed that the Lorde was righteous, but he and his people were wicked; and desired Moses to pray to God to take away the plague, who did so: but so soone as the hand of God was stayed,Exod. 9.27. & 34.Exod 9:27Exod 9:34 he returned to his olde rebellion againe. And as a dogge that commeth out of the water shaketh his eares, and yet returneth into it againe: so is the maner of the world: when crosses and calamities befall men, as sicknesse, losse of friends or goods, then with Ahab they outwardly humble them-selues and goe softly: they use to frequent the place where the word is preached and Gods name called upon: but alas, common experience shewes that these things are but fittes arising of uncerten and flittering motions in the heart. For so soone as the crosse is remooued, they returne to their old byas againe, & become as bad & as backwarde as euer they vvere: being like to the tree that lies in the water, which for a while is greene, but afterward withereth. And therefore wee for our partes, when wee hauehave any good motions come into our hearts as the beginnings of further p. 285grace, wee must not quench them but cherish and preserue them, remembring that the kingdome of heauen, is like a graine of mustard seed, which vvhen it is sowne is the least of all seedes: but afterward it groweth up into a tree, that the foules of the heauen may build their neasts in it: & like to this are the first motions of Gods spirite, and therefore they must be cherished and maintained.

And thus much for the 7. signes of the power of Christs godhead. Now follovves the second part of the triumph of Christ, which containeth signes of his victorie upon the crosse, notably expressed by Paul when he saith, And putting out the handwriting of ordinances which was against us, which was contrary to us, he euen tooke it out of the way & fastened it upon the crosse, & hath spoiled the principalities & powers, Col. 2.14, 15.Col 2:14Col 2:15and hath made a shew of them openly, & hath triumphed over them in the same. In vvhichwhich wordes hee alludeth to the manner of heathen triumphs: for it was the custome of heathen princes when they had gotten the victorie over their enimies, first to cause a pillar of stone, or some great oke to be cut down, and set up in the place of victorie, vponupon which either the names of the chiefe enemies vvere set, or their heads vvere hanged, or vvords vvere written in the pillar to testifie the victorie. This being done, there follovved an open shewe, in vvhichwhich first the conquerour prepares for himselfe a chariot of victory wherin he vvas himselfe to ride, and then the chiefe of his enemies bound & pinioned, vvere led openly after him. Novve on the same maner upon the crosse there was a pitcht field; the Emperour on the one side was Christ; his enemies on the other side were the vvorld, the flesh, hell, death, damnation, the deuill, and all his angels: all vvhichwhich, banding themselues against him vvere all subdued by him upon the same crosse: & he himselfe gaue tvvo signes of his triūph, one vvas a monumēt of the victory, the other an opē shevv of his cōquest. Novv the monumēt of Christs victory vvas the crosse it self, vvheron he nailed the obligatiō or bill vvhichwhich vvas against us: vvherby satan might hauehave accused & condēned us before god. For vve must cōsider that god the p. 286father is as a creditour, and vvee all debters unto him: hee hath a bill of our handes vvhichwhich is the lawe, in that it giueth testimonie against us; first by the legall washings, which did shewe and signifie that we vvere altogither defiled & uncleane; secondly by the sacrifices that were daily offred for propitiation for our sinnes. Now Christ was our suretie, and paid eueryevery iotte of the debt vvhichwhich we shoulde hauehave paid, and requiring the acquittance, taketh the ceremoniall law, and the curse of the morall law, and nailes them to the crosse.

Furthermore in the shewe of conquest, the chariot is the crosse likewise: for it was not onelyonly a monument of victory, but also a chariot of triumph. And the captiues bound and pinioned which follow Christ, are principalities and powers, that is, the deuill, and his angells, hell, death, and condemnation: all which are as it were taken prisoners, their armour and weapons are taken from them, and they chained and bound ech to other.

The meditation of this point serueth to admonish vsus to abandon all manner of sinne, and to make conscience of euerie good duety if we will aright professe the gospell of Christ: for vvhen vve sinne, we doe as it vvere pull Christ out of his charriot of triumph, and untie sathans bonds, & giuegive him weapons, and (as much as we can) make him valiant and strong againe. Now for any man to make sathan and sinne valiant and strong against himselfe, whereas Christ hath weakened him, and euen bruised his heade, is no better then to become an enemie of the crosse of Christ.Philip. 3.18.Phil 3:18 Againe, hereby vve are taught to pray unto God that our blind eyes may be opened, that vve may discerne aright of the passion of Christ. It is a wonder to see how men are caried avvay with a liking of vaine shewes, games and enterludes: how they spend euen vvhole daies in beholding thē, and their money also that they may come to the places vvhere they are: oh then how exceedingly ought our harts to be rauished with this mast admirable shevve, in vvhichwhich the sonne of God himselfe rides most gloriously in his chariot of triumph, and leades his and our most cursed enemies p. 287captiue, yea treades them under his foote. This triumph is set forth unto us in the preaching of the Gospell, and may be seene of us all freely without money or money-worth. What wretches then shall we be, if we suffer our heartes to be filled with earthly delights, and in the meane season hauehave little or no desire to beholde with the eyes of our mind this goodly spectacle that is to be seene in the passion of Christ, that serues to reuiue and refresh our soules to life eternall.

Thirdly if Christ when he was most weake and base in the eyes of men, did most of all triumph upon the crosse; then euerie one of us must learne to say with the Apostle Paul, God forbid that I should reioyce in any thing but in the crosse of Christ Iesus our Lord. That we may say this truely,Galat. 6.14.Gal 6:14 first of all we must labour to hauehave the benefite of the crosse of Christ not onelyonly in the remission but also in the mortification of our sinnes: secondly, wee must not be discomforted, but rather reioyce and triumph therein. A Christian man can neuer hauehave greater honour then to suffer for the Gospell of Christ when God calleth him thereunto: and therefore S. Paul setteth forth another most glorious shewe which all those must make that suffer any thing for Gods cause. They must encounter with the world, the flesh,1. Cor. 4.9.1 Cor 4:9 and the deuill, and are placed as it were on a theater: and in this conflict the beholders are men and Angels; yea, the whole hoast of heauen and earth: the umpire or iudge is God himselfe, it will giuegive sentence of victorie on their side, and so they shall ouercome. We must not hereupon thrust our selues into danger: but when it shall please God to call vsus thereunto, wee must thinke our selues highly honoured of him. As when God sendeth losse of friends, of substance, or good name, or any other calamitie, wee must not dispaire, or be ouer grieued: but rather reioyce and addresse our selues then with our sauiour Christ to make a triumph.

Thus much of Christes triumph, and the passion of his crosse. Now followeth the second degree of his humiliation in these words, And buried. Where we must consider these pointes: I. why it was needfull that Christ should be p. 288buried. II. who was the authour of this buriall. III. the maner or preparation to his buriall. IIII. the place and time where and when he was buried. Of these in order. For the first; the causes are many, but especially foure why Christ was to be buried. I. that the truth and certentie of his death might be confirmed unto us, and that no man might so much as imagine that his death was a fantasticall death, or his body a fantasticall bodie: for men use not to bury a liuing but a dead man, or a man in shewe, but a true man. II. that his buriall might be vntounto him a passage frō the estate of humiliation to the estate of exaltation, which began in his resurrection: and he could not hauehave risen againe, if hee had not bene first buried. III. that the outward humiliation in the forme of a seruant, which he tooke upon him, might be continued upon him to the lowest degree of all: and therefore it was not sufficient that hee should be crucified euen to death, but being dead, he must be also buried. IIII. Christ vvas buried, that he might not onelyonly vanquish death on the crosse, but euen after the maner of conquerours subdue him at his owne home, and as it were, plucke him out of his owne cabbin.

The authors of Christs burial were Ioseph of Arimathea, & Nichodemus,Mat. 27. Mar. 15.43. Ioh. 19.38.Matt 27Mark 15:43John 19:38 who came to Iesus by night. Now concerning them & this their fact, there are many things worthy to be considered in this place. First of all they were disciples of Christ, and the difference betweene them and the rest is to be considered. The other disciples though in number they were but few, yet in the feast before his passiō they openly followed him: but when Christ was to be arraigned, & the persecution of the Church of the new Testament began in him, then Iudas betraied him, Peter denied him, & the rest fled away: yet euen at the same instant these two secret disciples of our Sauiour Christ, Ioseph of Arimathea & Nicodemus take courage to themselues, & in time of daunger openly professe themselues to be Christes disciples by an honourable and solemne buriall; God no doubt opening their heartes and inabling them to doe so. The like is to be seene in all ages since the passion of Christ in the Church of God, in which men zealous for the gospell p. 299in peace hauehave beene timerous in persecution, whereas weake ones hauehave stood out against their enimies euen unto death it self. The reason is, because God will hūble those his seruants which are often times indued with great measure of graces, & cōtrariwise exalt & strengthē the weake & feeble: & the same no doubt will be found true among us, if it should please god to send any new triall into the Church of Englād. This serues to teach us to think charitably of those which are as yet but weake amōg us: & with all in our profession to cary a low saile & to think basely of our selues, and in the whole course of our liues creep alow by the ground, running on in feare & trēbling, because the Lord oftētimes humbles those that be strong, & giuegive courage & strength to weake ones boldly to confesse his name. Secondly, vvhereas these tvvo disciples hauehave such care of the buriall of Christ, we learne, that it is our dutie to be carefull also for the honest & solemne buriall of our brethren. The Lorde him selfe hath cōmanded it, Thou art dust, & to dust thou shalt returne. Gen. 3.19.Gen 3:19Also the bodies of men are the good creatures of God, yea the bodies of Gods children are the temples of the Holy ghost, and therefore there is good cause why they should be honestly laide in the earth. And it vvas a curse and iudgement of God upon Iehoiakim that he must not be buried,Ier. 22.19.Jer 22:19 but like a dead asse be dravvn & cast out of the gates of Ierusalem.Amos. 2.1.Amos 2:1 And so the Lorde threatens a curse upon the Moabites because they did not burie the king of Edom, but burnt his bones into lime. And therefore it is a necessarie dutie one neighbour and friend to looke to the honest buriall of another. Hence it followes, that the practise of Spaine and Italy and all popish countries, which is to keepe the parts of mens bodies & such like relikes of saints unburied, that they may be seene of mē & worshipped, hath no warrant: dust they are and to dust they ought to be returned.

Furthermore the properties and vertues of both these men are seuerally to be considered. And first to beginne with Ioseph, hee was a senatour, a man of great account, authoritie, and reputation among the Iewes.Luk. 23.50.Luke 23:50 It may seeme a strange thing that a man of such account would abase him selfe so much as to take downe the body of Christ from p. 290the crosse. It might hauehave bene an hinderance to him and a disgrace to his estate and calling: as we see in these daies, it would be thought a base thing for a knight to come to the place of execution and take dovvne a thiefe from the hand of the hangman to burie him: but this noble Senatour Ioseph for the louelove he bare to Christ, made no account of his state and calling, neither did hee scorne to take upon him so base an office, considering it was for the honor of Christ: where we learne, that if vve truly louelove Christ, and our hearts be set to beleeue in him, we will neuer refuse to perform the basest seruice that may be for his honour, nothing shall hinder vsus. It is further saide, that he was a good man and a iust: Luk. 23.50, 51.Luke 23:50Luke 23:51and also a rich man. And the first appeareth in this, that hee would neither consent to the counsell nor fact of the Iewes in crucifying Christ. It is rare to finde the like man in these dayes. From his example vve learne these lessons. I. that a rich man remaining a rich man may be a seruant of God, and also be saued: for riches are the good blessings of God, and in them selues doe no vvhit hinder a man in comming to Christ. But some will say, Christ himselfe saith, It is easier for a Mat. 19.24.Matt 19:24cable to go through the eye of a needle, as a rich man to enter into the kingdome of heauen. Ans. It is to be understood of a rich man, so long as he swelleth vvith a confidence in his vvealth: but we know, that if a cable be untwisted and drawen into small threeds, it may be drawen through the eye of a needle: so he that is rich let him denie himselfe, abase himselfe, and lay aside all confidence in himselfe, in his riches and honour, and be as it were, made small as a tvvine threede, and vvith this good Senatour Ioseph become the disciple of Christ, hee may enter into the kingdom of heauē. But Christ saith in the parable that riches are thorns, which choke the grace of God. Ansvver: It is true, they are thornes in that subiect or in that man that putteth his trust in them; not in their owne nature, but by reason of the corruption of mans heart, who maketh of them his God. S. Iohn saith further, that Ioseph was a disciple of Christ,Ioh. 19.38.John 19:38 but yet a close disciple for feare of the Ievves. And this sheweth, that Christ is most readie to p. 291receiue them that come unto him, though they come laden with manifold wants. I say not this, that any hereby should take boldnes to liue in their sinnes, but my meaning is, that though men be weake in the faith, yet are they not to be dismayed, but to come to Christ, who refuseth none that come to him. Draw nere to God (saith S. Iames) and hee will draw nere to you. Christ doeth not forsake any,Iam. 4.8.Jas 4:8 till they forsake him first. Lastly the H. ghost saith of him, that hee waited for the kingdome of God, that is, hee did beleeue in the Messias to come, & therfore did waite daily till the time was come, when the Messias by his death & passion should abolish the kingdome of sinne & satan, & establish his own kingdom throughout the whole world. The same is said of Simeon that he was a good man & feared God, & waited for the consolation of Israell. This was the most principall vertue of all that Ioseph had, and the very roote of all his goodnes & righteousnes, that he waited for the kingdome of God. For it is the propertie of faith whereby wee hauehave confidence in the Messias to change our nature, & to purifie the heart, & to make it bring forth works of righteousnesse. There be many among us, that can talke of Christes kingdome, & of redemption by him, & yet make no cōscience of sinne, & hauehave litle care to liue according to the gospell which they professe: and all is, because they doe not soundly beleeue in the Messias, and they waite not for the kingdome of heauen, & therefore there is no chaunge in them: but we must labour to hauehave this affiance in the Messias with Ioseph, and to wait for his second appearance, that thereby wee may be made new creatures, hauing the kingdome of Sathan battered and beaten downe in us, and the kingdome of God erected in our heartes.

Touching Nichodemus S. Iohn saith, that he came to Iesus by night. Many men build upon this example, that it is lawfull to be present at the Masse, so be it in the mean seasō we keepe our heartes to God: and indeede such men are like Nichodemus in that they labour to burie Christ as much as they cā, though now after his resurrectiō he should not be buried againe. But though Nichodemus durst not p. 292openly at the first professe the name of Christ, yet after his death vvhen there is most daunger hee doeth: and by this meanes reformeth his former doing.

Thus much of the persons that buried Christ: The third thing to be obserued is the maner of Christs buriall, which standeth in these 4. points. First they take downe his body from the crosse: secondly, they winde it: thirdly, they lay it in a tombe: fourthly, the tombe is made sure. Of these in order. First, Ioseph taketh downe the body of Christ from the crosse whereon hee was executed, but marke in what maner: he doth it not on his owne head without leaue, but he goeth to Pilate and beggeth the body of Christ, & asketh leaue to take it downe, because the disposing of dead bodies was in Pilates hand, hee being deputie at that time: wherby we learn, that in all our dealings & actiōs (though they hauehave neuer so good an ende) our dutie is to proceede as peaceably with all men as may be: as S. Iames saith: The wisdom that is from aboue is first pure, then peaceable, gē tle,Iam. 3.17.Jas 3:17 &c. Againe, this …eacheth us, that in all things which concerne the authoritie of the Magistrate, and belong unto him by the rule of Gods worde, wee must attempt or doe whatsoeuer we doe by leaue. And here we may see of what courses they take, that beeing priuate men in this our Church, will notwithstanding take upon them to plante Churches without the leaue of the Magistrate being a christian prince. Hauing thus taken the body of Christ downe, they go on to wind it. And Ioseph for his part brought linnen clothes,Ioh. 19 40. Luk. 24.1.John 19:40Luke 24:1 and Nichodemus a mixture of myr…he & aloes to the quantitie of an hundred poundes for the honourable buriall of Christ. His winding was on this manner: they wrapped his bodie hastily in linnen clothes, sweete odours put thereto. Besides all this, in the Iewes burials there was embalming & washing of the body, but Christs body was not aaP. Ram. theol. l. 1. c. 14. Seems to be deceiued in that he puts Christs buriall for his embalming, and his descending into bell for his buriall or his lying in the graue.embalmed or washed, because they had no time to do it, for the preparatiō to the passeouer drew nere. And wheras these 2. mē burie Christ at their own cost & charges, we are taught to be like affected to the liuing mēbers of Christ: when they want we must relieue & comfort them liberally p. 293and freely. It may here be demanded, whether men may not be at cost in making funerals, considering euen Christ himselfe is with much cost buried. Ans. The bodies of all deade men are to be buried in seemely & honest maner, & if they be honorable, they may be buried honorably: yet now ther is no cause why mens bodies should be washed, annointed, & embalmed as the vse was amōg the Iewes: for they used embalming as a pledge & signe of the resurrectiō:1. Cor. 15.29.1 Cor 15:29 but now since Christs comming we hauehave a more certen pledge therof, euen the resurrection of Christ himself, & therfore there is no cause, why we should use embaulming and washing as the Iewes did. And the clause which is specified in Saint Matthew is not to be omitted, that Ioseph wrapped Christs body in a cleane linnen cloth: whereby we learne,Mat. 27.59.Matt 27:59 that howsoeuer the strange fashions fetched from Spaine and Italy are mōstrous & to be abho…red: yet, seing the body of a mā is the creature of God, therefore it must be arayed in cleanly maner, & in holy comelines. Tit. 2.3. 1. Tim. 3.2. foreign. Ioh. 19.42. Mat. 27.60.66.Titus 2:31 Tim 3:2John 19:42Matt 27:60Matt 27:66Paul requires that the minister of the Gospell in all things be seemely or comely: & herein he ought to be a patterne of sobriety unto all men. Thirdly, after they hauehave woūd the body of Christ, they lay it in a tōb, & lastly they make it sure, closing it up with a stone rolled ouer the mouth of it. Also the Iewes request Pilat to seale it that none might presume to open it: besides, they set a band of soldiers to watch the tomb, & to keepe it that his bodie be not stollē away. Many reasons might be alledged of this their dealing, but principally it came to passe by the providence of God, that hereby he might confirme the resurrection of Christ. For whereas the Iewes would neither be mooued by his doctrine nor by his workes & miracles to beleeue, he causeth this to be done, that by the certenty of his resurrection hee might conuince them of hardnesse of heart, and prooue that he was the sonne of God.

Thus much of the maner of his buriall. Now followes the place where Christ was buried. In the place we are to mark 3. things: I. that Christ was laid in Iosephs tomb, wherby we may gather the greatnes of Christs pouertie, in that he had not so much groūd as to make himself a graue in: & this must p. 294be a comfort to the members of Christ that are in pouertie. And it teacheth them, if they hauehave no more but foode and raiment, to be there with content, knowing that Christ their head and king hath cōsecrated this very estate unto them. Secondly the tombe wherein Christ was laide was a newe tomb wherein neuer any man lay before. And it was the speciall appointment of Gods prouidence that it should be so, because if any man had bene buried there aforetime, the malitious Iewes would hauehave pleaded, that it was not Christ that rose againe but some other. Thirdly we must obserue, that this tombe was in a garden, as the fall of man was in a garden,Ioh. 19.41. Gen. 3.8. Ioh. 18.1.John 19:41Gen 3:8John 18:1 & as the apprehension of Christ in a gardē beyond the brooke Cedron. And here we must note the practise of a good man. This garden vvas the place of Iosephs delight & holy recreation wherin he used to solace himselfe in beholding the good creatures of God, yet in the same place doth he make his owne graue long before he dyed: whereby it appeares, that his recreation was ioyned with a meditatiō of his end: and his example must be followed of us. True it is, God hath giuen us his creatures not only for necessity, but also for our lawfull delight, but yet our duty is, to mingle therewith serious meditation and consideration of our last end. It is a brutish part to vse the blessings and creatures of God, and not at all to be bettered in regard of our last end by a further vse thereof.

The time when Christ was buried vvas the euening, wherein the Sabbath vvas to begin according to the maner of the Iewes, which beganne their daies at sunne-setting from euening to euening according to that in Genesis: the evening and the morning was the first day. Luk. 23.54. Mat. 27.57.Luke 23:54Matt 27:57Now Ioseph commeth a litle before euening & beggeth the body of Christ and burieth it: where note, that howsoeuer vve are not bound to keepe the sabbath so strictly as the Iewes were, yet vvhen we hauehave any busines or worke to be done of our ordinarie calling, vve must not take a part of the Lordes sabbath day to do it in, but preuent the time, & doe it either before as Ioseph did, or after the sabbath. This is litle practised in the world. Mē think if they go to church before & p. 291after noone to heare Gods worde, then all the day after they may doe what they list, and spend the rest of the time at their owne pleasure: but the vvhole day is the Lordes, & therefore must be spent wholly in his seruice both by publicke hearing of the word, and also by priuate reading and meditation on the same.

To conclude the doctrine of Christes buriall: Here it may be demanded, how he was alwaies after his incarnation both god and man, considering he was dead & buried, and therefore bodie and soule were sundred, & a dead mā seemes to be no man. Ansvv. A dead man in his kinde is as true a man as a living man: for though bodie and soule be not united by the bond of life, yet are they united by a relation which the one hath to the other in the counsell and good pleasure of God, and that as truly as man and vvoman remaine coupled into one flesh by a couenant of mariage, though afterwarde they be distant a thousand miles asunder: and by vertue of this relation eueryevery soule in the day of iudgement shall be reunited to his owne bodie, & eueryevery bodie to his own soule. But there is yet a more straighter bond betweene the body & soule of Christ in his death & burial.Damasc. For as when he was liuing his soule was a meane or bond to unite his godhead & his bodie togither: so whē hee was deade his verie godhead was a meane or middle bond to unite the bodie and soule: and to say otherwise is to dissolue the hypostaticall union, by vertue wherof Christes body and soule though seuered ech frō other, yet both were still ioyned to the godhead of the sonne.