The Amendment of Life, Book 4 · Chapter 1
The firſt cauſe why we ſhould Amend, is taken of the authoritie of Ieſus Chriſt to command vsus. Chapter. 1.
THe onelyonly and ſole commaundement of Ieſus Chriſt the Sonne of God, who ſaith, Amend your liues, Mat. 4.17.ought to induce vsus to yeald vntounto him all ready and voluntarye obedience: For that hee is of authoritie to commaund vsus, his very names and tytles doe ſufficiently declare. As therefore Kinges, Princes, and other Magiſtrates, doe ſet down their names & tytles in the beginnings of their Proclamations, as well to authoriſe them, as to binde their ſubiectes to obey them: ſo before we enter into the reaſon which Ieſus Chriſt, to induce vsus to this amendement of life, namely, becauſe the kingdome of heauen is at hand, doth alleadge: we will lay downe ſome of the names and tytles of him that commaundeth vsus to amend,Exod. 20.2. whereby we may the better vnderſtand as well his authoritie to commaund, as our dutie to obey.
2 Firſt, he is the ſonne of God: who in the preface of the law, executing euen then the office of a Prophet, a King,Exod. 3.14. and a leader of his people, ſpeaking ſaith: I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egipt, out of the houſe of bondage. Act. 17.28.Theſe titles in the beginning of the law doe declare that he hath double authoritye to commaund vsus, and that we likewiſe are double bound to yealde to him our obedience. Firſt he calleth himſelfe The Lord, and vſeth this worde Iehoua, which ſignifieth Eſſence, or him that is,Col. 1.16.17. wherein he teacheth, that it is in him and by him (as S. Paul alſo affirmeth) that we are, that we liue, and that we hauehave our mouing. And therfore in another place ſpeaking of Ieſus Chriſt, he ſaith: All things were created by him and for him, and in him all thinges conſist. What a monſtrous matter were it, if we ſhould not conſecrate our whole life to the ſeruice and obedience of him, without whole power we can neither liue, neither be, neither ſubſiſt one onelyonly houre: But this name Iehoua is to be drawen yet further,Exod. 6.3. namely to the effect of his promiſes: becauſe it is he who giueth as it were eſſence vntounto them, and by his fulfilling, a new being to his creatures. Himſelfe hath taught vsus, ſaying: I appeared to Abraham, Iſaac and Iacob in my name Schaddei, that is to ſay, God Almighty: yet did they not know me by my name Iehoua, Exod. 20.2.for by this name Iehoua he meaneth his Eſſence, whereby he hath with efficacy and effect made the truth of his promiſes long ſince promiſed to the Fathers, to be: giuing as it were a new being to their children, at the bringing of thē forth of Egipt: and therefore he addeth, Thy God, thereby to ſignifie that it was his people, whom he had redeemed and ſo dedicated and conſecrated to himſelfe. Then doth hee remember them of th… deliuerye out of the bondage of Egipt, which was to them as a reſurrection & reeſtabliſhment vntounto life. He then that gaue the law, being the ſame God that commanded vsus to amend, by liuing according to the rule of the ſame, hath declared by his titles and names, ſet down in this preface, that he hath duble right & authority to commaund vsus, and therefore that it is a two-fold, and monſtrous ingratitude, not to obey him,Exod. 13.2. who commaunding vsus by the right both of our creation and of our redemption, doth ſufficiently declare that we cānot ſubſiſt in life either of body or ſoule, without his power and grace.
Exod. 13.2. Exod. 12.29.3 God in olde time ordained that eueryevery male that opened the wombe, ſhould be conſecrated to the Lord: for at ſuch time as for the bringing forth of his people, he ſlewe all the firſt borne of Egipt, he willed that the firſt born of the Iewes ſhould be giuen and dedicated to him, as being his owne: And the more euidentlye to declare vntounto them this dutie to be conſecrated vntounto him, he took the Leuites in ſtead of the firſt borne of all the other tribes,Num. 3.44. to employ them wholy in his ſeruice: yet did he alſo ordein that all that were aboue twentye yeeres olde,Exod. 30.12. ſhould paye eueryevery man halfe a ſhekle, to be employed in the ſeruice of the tabernacle of the congregation, to be a memoriall before the Lord of the redemption of their perſons, and that being freede from the yoake of Pharaoh, and made a nation ſubiect vntounto God, who had redeemed and deliuered them, they might giuegive themſelues wholy to ſerue and obey him, and altogither to liue to him. The fulfilling of theſe figures and ordenances we hauehave in Ieſus Chriſt, who beſides that he is our creator, as is aforeſaid, hath alſo reuealed himſelfe in the fleſhe to be our redeemer and ſauiour: he it is that hath ſaued and brought vsus forth, not of the bondage of Pharaoh, but from the tirannye of the deuill:Col. 1.15. neither by ſmiting the firſt borne of Egipt, but by giuing himſelfe, euen the firſt borne of eueryevery creature, to death for vsus. It were therfore a two-folde rebellion, not to amend our liues, and ſo to obey him, who being as S. Paul ſaith, the ſauiour of all men,1. Tim. 4.10. as concerning the bodily life, but eſpecially of the faithful, in reſpect of eternall ſaluation, hath a two-folde right and authoritye to command vsus. And the premiſes doth S. Auguſtine confirme by an excellent confeſsion and praier that hee maketh to God, ſaying: I know,Aug. in his Medita. c. 39. O Lord, that I owe to thee my ſelf, becauſe thou haſt created me: yea more then my ſelfe, becauſe that being made man for me, thou haſt redeemed me, euen ſo much the rather, as thou … greater then he, for whom thou haſt giuen thy ſelfe. But in as much as I hauehave nothing more then my ſelfe, alſo that I cannot giuegive to thee that which I hauehave, without thy ſelfe: take me and draw me vntounto thee, that I may be thine in following and louing thee, as I am thine in being created and redeemed by thee.
4 Moreouer, in tha… in our beleefe we doe confeſſe that we doe beleeue in Ieſus Chriſt our Lord, wee doe alſo by that tytle acknowledge in him a two-folde authoritie to commaund vsus, and conſequently, in our ſelues a twofolde obligation to obey him: For as beeing both God and man: in reſpect of his diuinitie hee is Lord ouer all creatures: ſo hauing redeemed vsus by his death, hee is our Lord, and wee that doo beleeue in him are his peculyar people and ſeruantes. And therefore it were a double diſobedience in vsus, if we, as his creatures, ſhoulde not obey the Lorde of all, and as his peculyar people and proper purchaſe, bee wholy ſubiect to him that is more particularly Lorde ouer vsus. Ieſus Chriſt is alſo called King of Kings, and conſequently, king of the whole world, yet is hee alſo particularly king ouer his Church. And in deed,1. Tim. 6.15 Pſalm 2 as wee reade that the yron ſcepter is giuen to him to raigne and rule ouer all nations and kingdomes of the earth, ſo is hee particularly eſtabliſhed king ouer … heere a twofolde authoritie in Chriſt, which doth doubly binde vsus to amend by obeying of him, who beeing Lord of the whole world, is particularly and more excellently king ouer the Burgeſes of Sion, and the members of his Church.
5 All th…ſe names and titles, Iehoua, Creator, Redeemer, Sauiour, Lord, and king, attributed to him that commaundeth to amend, being well conſidered, as is afore ſhewed, doth teach vsus what authoritie hee hath to commaund vsus, and how deeplie wee are bounde to obey him, as his creatures, children, ſubiectes, and ſeruantes, and wholy to conſecrate vntounto him all, whatſoeuer wee are, hauehave, knowe, or can doo, in his ſeruice, wythout whome we: neyther hauehave, neyther are, neyther doo or knowe anie thing. Let vsus therefore acknowledge that wee are not in our owne power, to liue at our owne pleaſures, but doo appertaine vntounto Ieſus Chriſt, and muſt practiſe the ſame which the Apoſtle Saint Paul ſayth of himſelfe, I liue, yet not I, but Ieſus Chriſt liueth in mee. Galat. 2, 20 1. Cor. 6.19Let vsus remember what the ſame Apoſtle ſayth, You are not your owne, for yee are bought with a price, therfore glorifie God in your bodies, and in your ſpirites, for they are Gods. We are therefore bound, as our ſauiour Ieſus Chriſt admoniſeth vsus, to denie our ſelues, that is to ſaie, our owne ſenſe and wiſedome, and to followe his: alſo our owne will,Math 16.24 Luke 9.23 Rom. 12.2 that wee may will that which hee willeth. And heereto alſo doeth Saint Paul exhort vsus, ſaying: Bee ye changed by the renuing of your minde, that ye may proue what is the good wil of God, and acceptable and perfect.
6 There bee two ſorts of ſeruants and bondmen: the one borne at their maſters houſes, the others purchaſed by their maſters. Neither of theſe may liue after his owne will, ſenſe, or vnderſtanding, but as it ſhall pleaſe theyr maſter and Lord. Now are we borne the ſeruants of Chriſt, for he created vsus all, and beſides, he hath alſo redeemed and purchaſed vsus, that wee may belong more particularly to him. As the maſter therefore of thoſe ſeruantes that are borne in his houſe, or whome he purchaſeth, doo pretend that they doo him wrong, when they ſpend anie time either to theyr owne particular profite, or in the ſeruice of others: ſo maye Ieſus Chriſt, and much more iuſtly complaine of vsus, that are his two folde ſeruants, namely, by birth and by purchaſe, if wee imploy euen neuer ſo lyttle of our liues to ſerue and pleaſe our ſelues, the world, or the deuill, our enemies: and this muſt needes redounde to a double ſacriledge and twofolde prophanation of that which by double reaſon ought to bee dedicated and conſecrated to him, who with double authoritie doth command vsus to amend.