Twenty-Seven Lectures Upon Hebrews, Lectures · Lecture 20
¶ The xx. Lecture, vponupon the 11. 12. and 13. verses.
11 Let vsus studie therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of disobedience.
12 For the word of God is liuely and mightie in operation, & sharper thē any two edged sword, & entreth through, euen vntounto the diuiding a sunder of the soule & the spirit, and of the ioyntes and the marrowe, and is a discerner of the thoughtes and the intents of the heart.
13 Neither is there any creature, which is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and open vntounto his eyes with whome he hath to doe.
IN this eleuenth verse, the Apostle maketh his last proofe of Christe to be our prophet, because y• …ce of this word of God agreed …t but with the maiestie of his person, and so entreth into … description of the vertue & power of this word, making earnest exhortation, that wee would vse the great benefite of it, and therefore hee saith first: Let vsus therfore studie to enter: that is, let vsus labour, let vsus be careful, let vsus giuegive all indeuour, let vsus care & trauell that we may enter: thus shaking off al sluggish dulnesse, & quickening them frō heauinesse of spirite, as vntounto a thing of great weight, he calleth vsus with great care and studie to giuegive our selues vntounto it. And heere, in this word, Let vsus studie, we hauehave a plain interpretation of that he said in the first verse: let vsus feare: for the whole verses, that and this, as you may see, hauehave one and the same meaning: there hee saith: Let vsus feare, lest forsaking the promised rest, we seme to be fr…strate. that is, lest by such vnfaithfulnes as was in them, wee also make the promise to vsus in vaine: here he saith: Let vsus studie to enter into this rest, least wee fall into their example of vnfaithfulnesse: thus the exhortation beeing all one, it is manifest, that this worde, Let vsus feare, which he vsed first, hath the meaning of this word Let vsus studie, which he vseth now: so that this is (as I told you then) y• feare of gods children, a careful studie & in deuour to walk faithfully before God. And an other good lesson we may here learne: sith the Apostle saith, let vsus studie: it is plain we ought not to nourish in vsus (as the manner of the world is) a carelesse securitie, to speake and think of our hope in God with a secure mind, as if we cared not greatlie for it, or longed not much after it: such a carelesse minde is altogether vnmeete for the profession of the gospel of Christ: and it is a thing that we do all vnderstand, none can excuse him selfe by ignorance: we know the fault by the tryall of our owne hart, when we think of God and his heauenly kingdome, what parte and fellowship we hauehave in it, wee can tel how our heartes are then affected: if it bee our ioy, our comforte, our consolation: if it drawe our delight and studie after it, then are we children of that kingdome, then we obey this calling of the Apostle which is here: Let vsus studie to enter into this rest: but if we can think or speake of the kingdome of heauen, as wee would speake of farre countries, for talke sake, to heare what is sayde of them, but without any care whether we see them or no: then we are seduced with the deceit of sinne, and this exhortation of the Apostle is made in vaine vntounto vsus. And let vsus not here deceiue our selues to think, wee hauehave our cares for the life to come, when wee hauehave no care at all for it: our nature is here verie blind, & beleeueth easilie her owne vaine fancie: not onelyonly Scribes and Phariseis, and suche frowarde sinners, doe presume much of their owne righteousnesse, & glorie in them selues, but euē Gods good people are soone beguiled with selfe-louelove: the Corinthians talked much that they were wise, that they were spirituall 1. Cor. 3. ….& holy men, but Saint Paule saith vntounto them: Seeing such contentions, emulations, sectes, are among you, you are yet children and you are carnall. So we (dearly beloued) if we wil say we feare before God, our care, our study, our hart is in the kingdom of God, & yet we laugh when we talke of his iudgmentes, make our ieastes and rymes with his holie woorde: or if we be nothing moued in spirite when wee speake of it, then are we not studious, but carelesse, secure, negligent, & we heare not this exhortation of the Apostle, Let vsus studie to enter into his rest: and thus is this exhortation ended, made out of the woordes of the Prophet: To day if you will heare his voice, harden not your hearts, &c.
It followeth now. For the word of God is liuely & mightie in operation, and sharper then any two edged swoord, and entreth through, euē to the diuiding asunder of the soule & the spirit, and of the ioynts & of the marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughtes and the intents of the heart, neither is there any creature which is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked & open vntounto his eyes, with whom we hauehave to doe. In these wordes, the Apostle setteth out the nature of the worde of God vntounto vsus, vppon what occasion, wee may easily see: he hath taught that Christe is our onelyonly Prophet, and we hauehave no other schoolemaister to teach vsus, and instruct vsus in the wayes of God: he hath also earnestly exhorted vsus to heare his voice, and faithfully to harken vntounto him, lest we fall into the condemnation of others, who hauehave bene despisers afore vsus, and whose iudgement we should not escape: for the word of God woundeth, euen into the soule of the sinner: thus hee commeth to this description of the strength and force of Gods word, as may appeare by his owne woordes going before, lest we fall into the same example of disobedience: thus prouing it y• we cannot escape, because the word is so strong and mightie. And this doctrine of the Apostle, let it this day be our instruction, if we do beleeue: or if we think the Apostle saith true, that the word of God hathe so greate power in it, let vsus regarde it, let vsus giuegive our feare, our reuerence, our obedience vntounto it: for how great a sinne must it needes bee, to despise a thing that is so precious? and howe great peril is there in it, to prouoke a thing against vsus whiche is so strong? If it were but the roaring of a beare or Lion, it would make any of vsus affraid, yet could it but only pearce into our eares: if it be but the voice of thunder, it seemeth to make ye verie earth to shake, yet is it but a bodily sound, and the spirite heareth it not a whitt: what then? When he speaketh whome the marrow within our bones doth heare, how truly saith the prophete of him, his voice shaketh not only the sea, and the drie land, but the verie heauens also? and can we hauehave yet any excuse, Agg. …. …if we heare not him that speaketh so lowde? If we beleue not him, to whom our own hearts beare witne…e of his trueth? or if we heare not his word, whose voice shaketh both heauen and earth? or are we born of God, if so great vertue & power of god hauehave no feeling in vsus? No, no, be not deceiued, God is not mocked, his sheepe heare his voice, we are not borne of him, but we are born of hard rocky mounteins, a stonie generation, nourished and sed of cruel Tygres: if such instruction, such teaching, preuaile not with vsus. Heare then (dearely beloued) heare & learne, that we may be edified: let our harts be softened, that we may hauehave the wordes of God written in them. And seeing wee hauehave so excellent a prophet, let vsus be thankfull scholers, and growe vppe in the knowledge of his doctrine, if at it neuer be imputed vntounto vsus, that wee hauehave hardened our hearts and would not knowe his wayes. And to the end we may take the more heede, let vsus marke these words of the Apostle, in which he setteth out vntounto vsus, the great force of the woorde of God: The woord of God (saith he) is liuely, and sharper then any two edged sworde, &c. This place is well to be weighed of vsus: for of purpose the Apostle speaketh to teache vsus what the worde of God is, and what power it hath, both to quicken the faithfull, and wounde the disobedient vntounto death: wherevnto so euer the Lorde doeth sende it, it shall do his will: no time, no place, no person, can possiblie chaunge it: no creature can breake the force of it: the worke that is appointed for it to do, it wil assuredly bring to passe. Let soule & spirit, ioynts & marow, heart and thoughtes, striue still against it, it will wound all and pearce through as a sharpe sworde: euen as al things are naked, and bare before the eyes of the lord who speaketh: neither let any man euer thinke, whosoeuer he be, that heareth or readeth this worde of God, but that it worketh in him the will of God. Euen all we here present this day, when after this sermō ended, we shal returne to our calings, know it assuredly & think on it, as you are in your way, y• the word spokē is entred into you: if it hauehave quickned your faith, it is ye word of life: if it hauehave kil led your old affectiōs, it is ye seed of your new birth: if it hauehave don you no good, it hath detected your cor ruption, & accuseth you in your own cōscience: for change it you shal not, make it fruitlesse you cannot: there is no defence against the strokes of it, but it pearceth through to the place to which it is sent: if it light in faithful places, it bringeth the power of God vntounto saluation: if it fall where infidelitie is, or disobedience, it maketh the hart as flint, or as an Adamant stone. This is the effecte of the Apostles meaning in these wordes, whiche you hauehave hearde. The prophet Esaie to the same purpose, vseth an apt similitude, who speaketh thus in the name of the Esai. 55. 10.Lord. Surely, as the rayne commeth downe, and the snowe from Heauen, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it to bring forth and budde, that it may giuegive seede to the sower, and bread to him that eateth: so shall my worde be, that goeth out of my mouth: it shal not returne vntounto me in vaine, but it shall accomplish that which I wil, & it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. This Iohn Baptist taught vsus, going before Christ to prepare his way, when hee cryed to the people: EueryEvery Luk. 3. 5.vallie shalbe filled, and eueryevery Mounteine and hill shall bee brought lowe: crooked things shalbe made streight, & the rough wayes shalbe made smoothe, and all flesh shall see the saluation of God: meaning hereby that all offences and stumbling blockes should bee taken away: no power in the worlde should be so greate, which should not giuegive place to this word, whiche is the power of God to saue all that doe beleeue.
The scriptures are ful of suche testimonies of the nature and strength of Gods worde, to teache vsus bothe to feare before it, and to humble our selues, for it wil preuaile: and also to try our heartes, that it may hauehave in vsus, a good and profitable work, rather to renue vsus in the spirit, then to harden vsus in the deceits of sinne: but let vsus now come to ye words of the Apostle, & examine thē in all their proper meaning.
It is said first, The word of God is liuing, which propertie may be atttributed to the worde of God, in diuerse respects: first in respect of vsus, because it quikneth vsus into a spirituall life, and without it we are in darknesse & in the shadow of death: therfore it is a liuing word, and the seede of our new birth. So Sainct 1. Pet. 1. 23.Paul saith to the Corinthians, In Christ Iesu I hauehave begotten you through the gospel. And S. Iohn sayth: Of his 1. Cor. 4. 15.owne wil hath he begotten vsus with the word of life: expreslie calling it the liuing worde, or the worde of life, Iacob. 1. 1….because it quickneth vsus (as I saide) into a spirituall life, wherin without all doubting we are taught assuredlie to know, that if euer we will become the children of GOD, that we shall no more liue our selues, but what Christ may liue in vsus: thus we must be borne and thus we must be made a new: in takeing into vsus the seede of the worde of God, and then as new borne babes desire the sincere milke of it, that 1. Peter. 2. 1we may grow thereby in the fulnesse of our agee in Christe. If the Papistes did well vnderstande this, they should also vnderstand with it, that them selues were bastards & no children, as being borne of mortall seede of fathers, of counsels, of decrees, of Popes, not of the immortall seede whiche is the woorde of God. Another cause why the word is called liuing, is in respect of it selfe, because it is eternall and abideth euer, according to the nature of the liuing God, whose word it is: so Sainct Peter expresly calleth it, where he saith, we be borne of a newe immortall seede, by the word of the liuing God, and abiding for euer: therefore attributing life and immortalitie, vntounto the worde, because it is of the liuing and immortal God: of which we ought to learn, that there is no wisedome, no instruction, no discipline, by whiche we can apprehend eternall life, but only the wisdome and instruction of the worde of God: for what an absurd thing is it, that the wisdom of man, which is vaine, as man is vaine, which is transitorie, earthly, & is abolished, should leade mee into that life which fadeth not, but is eternall in heauen? yea, what an absurd thing (I say) is it, seing we ourselues and all that is in vsus, before the presence of the Lord must needes be changed, so that no man possible cā see him and liue, yet to think, that our wisdome can leade vsus vntounto him, or our reason can approche vntounto the places where his glorie dwelleth. Surely (dearly beloued) this is much more folie, then to seeke to gather grapes of thornes, or figges of brambles: for it is to seeke for light in darkenesse, and for life in death: for out of a corrupt minde & a froward heart we seeke for holie obedience and immortalitie, as many as say, that without the word of God they can please him: the papists do not yet vnderstād this, and therefore they wearie them selues with their owne inuentions, and multiplie ceremonies in their churches, which God will cast out as he hath begon, til their madnesse be made manifest to all nations.
An other cause yet there is, why the worde of God is called, Liuing: and this cause moste agreeable to this place: That is, because it enteret… with power into euerie part of vsus: so that, as our life is dispersed into euerie parte, and we feele it, both in griefe and pleasure: euen so, the vertue of the woord of God pearceth into euerie member, to bruise (as the prophet saith) the verie bones, or to fill them with marrow and fatnesse: this sense is plaine, and agreeable to al the words following, and in this same meaning Solomon calleth it also: A liuing worde: as his words are plaine: The light of the Lord is the breath of man, & it sercheth al the bowels of the bellie: where also Prou. 20. 27he calleth the word, light: because it shineth in mās heart as in a darke place, and trieth out all the secrets of his thoughtes: in this meaning heere, the word is called liuelie, as I tolde you before, the more to stir them vp, not to neglect so high a prophet as the sonne of God, whose worde came with maiestie and power vntounto them.
The second title heere attributed to the worde is, that It is mightie in operation: meaning that it hathe in it, force and vertue able to subdue all enimes, and bringe vsus in obedience vntounto Christe: this vertue of the woorde, Sainct Paule notablie setteth out to the Corinthians, magnifying his Apostleshippe by this means: Our weapons (saith he) are stronge by the power of God, … cast downe holds, wherwith we ouerthrow imaginations, 2. Cor. 10. 4.& euerie high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, & bring into captiuitie, eueryevery thought to the obedience of Christ, & hauehave readie vengeāce against al disobedience: howsoeuer a man magnifie him selfe, or a man exalt himselfe, in whiche arrogancie of spirite he seemeth (as it were) buried in sinne, and his heart hardened against the grace of God, yet let him heare this word, and let it oft fall into his eares, for it is as Iere. 3. 29.the prophet saith, a hammer, which breaketh ye stone in peeces, and is able in the power of God to mollifie his heart: or, if the sinner be suncken downe so deepe, that he will not rise, it will crushe him down deeper, that he may perishe in his sinne: and so God saith to his Prophet Ieremie: I will put my wordes into Iere. 5. 14.thy mouth, and it shalbe as fire, & this people shalbe as wood, and it shal deuour them. And this is it Saint Paule expressely witnesseth, to be the onelyonly meanes to glorifie God, to preache the trueth of his word vntounto all: for so (saith he) we are alwayes a sweete smelling 2. Cor. 2. 16.sauour of Christ vntounto God, as wel in those that perishe, as in those that be saued, to the one a sauour of life vntounto life, to the other, of death vntounto death. I would we that are preachers, could learne and beleeue this, it would make vsus leaue our vain babling & much talke of philosophie and prophane things, and fill our mouthes onelyonly with the worde of the Lorde: for this only is mightie in operation, the other hath at all no strength, no strength at all in this behalfe to glorifie God, or to conuert a sinner: but strong to delude the people with idlo sounds, strong to tickle our eares with fond delight, strong to puffe vsus vp with pride of our wittes, but more weak then water to teach vsus true repentance: for proofe I say, let the sinner come forth, that hath beene conuerted by hearing stories or fables of poets, I am sure there is none: for faith is onelyonly by the worde of God: of let the preacher come forth that vseth such thinges, and doeth it not either to please men, or to boast of his learning: for this he knoweth that the word only, not prophane things, conuerteth the people: and why then doeth he vse them? The Lord saith, by his prophet Ieremie: If they had stand in my counsell, Iere, 23. 22.and had declared my wordes to my people: then they should hauehave turned them from their euill way, & from the wickednesse of their owne inuentions: a plaine testimonie why our preachings are vnprofitable to the people, euen because we speake in our owne fansies, and vse exhortations of our owne heade. And againe, in the prophet Malachie, the Lord declareth what couenant he made with Leuie, and how he promised to blesse his labours in the teaching of his people: The Lawe of truth (saith he) was in his mouth, and there was no iniquitie founde in his lipps: he walked with mee in Mal. 2. 6.peace and equitie, and did turne manie away from their sinnes.
Can any thinge be spoken playner? Hold fast the word of God, committe the fruite of thy work to the strength of it, and thou shalt finde it as is here said, mightie in operation: and thou shalt conuert manie sinners. Let them tell me nowe, all that hauehave eares to heare, what madnesse is it, to fil the peoples eares with vnknowen tales, and sweete wordes, in which is nothing but a deceitfull sound, & leaue the word of God, mightie in working, to conuert their soules?
And, you (dearely beloued) who delight in such vanitie, and make the preacher transgresse for your fansies sake, let me but reason with you, as S. Paule reasoned with the Galathians.
Tel me whether by such tales, or by hearing the word of God, hauehave you receiued the spirite? that is, wherby were you conuerted from your vanitie vntounto the liuing God? was it the worde of truethe, or else Gentile stories that wrought this vertue in you? and are you so foolish, that when you hauehave begun in the spirit, you wil now go forwarde in the flesh? Let vsus leaue then this greate abuse: bothe you, to turne away your eyes to follie, and the preacher to vse the pulpit like a Philosophers chaire. We may alledge sometime a storie or prophane sentēce, I denie it not, but then it is good doing it, when the remembring of the saying bringeth necessarilie into memorie the worde of God also, for which it was alledged, and giueth light vntounto it, for a more cleare declaration of the truth: yet, when the story is told and remembred by it selfe, there is then but a foolish delight of a vaine man, to helpe him in his talke, to multiplie idle woordes: there is no edifying in it at all.
The third title of the word, now following, is this, That It is more sharpe then a two edged sword: and this similitude is often made in the Scripture. The prophet Esaie, preaching the promises of God, hee Esa. 49. ….saith: His mouth is made like a sharp sworde. And Sainct Paule giueing armour to a Christian souldiour, by which he may kil his enimies, he biddeth him Take Ephe. 6. 17.the sworde of the spirit, which is the word of God.
So, in the firste and nineteenth Chapters of the Apocalypse, the sonne of GOD is described Apoca. 1. 16 & 19. 15.with a two edged swoorde proceding out of his mouthe: meaning by these speeches, no other thing, but that by the preaching of y• gospel, Christ should get the victorie, and bring all enemies in subiection vntounto him, euen as the Prophet Esai saith: He shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lippes shall he kill the vngodly: by which we doe learne, that the more wee pray: Thy kingdome come: and the more we wishe the prosperitie of the Churche, the more we must striue to make ye word of God knowen vntounto all: for that is the swoorde and scepter of his kingdome.
The next title heere attributed to the worde, is, That it entreth into the diuisiō of the soule & the spirit, & of the ioynts and the marrow. By soule, heere he meaneth that parte of vsus, in which our affections are, as ioy, sorrowe, louelove, hatred, anger, mildenesse, or any such motion of vsus of good or euill. By spirit, he meaneth, the moste excellent parte of vsus, in which is reason, wisedome, vnderstanding, to consider and meditate of all ye works of God. By ioynts and marrow, he mea…ieth all the members of our body: and thus Sainct Paule vseth these wordes of soule, and spirite, and bodie, where he saith to the Thessalonians, as it is in ye fifth chapter: The God of peace sanctifie you wholie: that your spirit, and soule, and bodie, may be kept blamelesse 1. Thes. 1. 23vntil the comming of Christ: teaching vsus, what is a true Christian, when his minde thinketh, his soule desireth, his body executeth nothing, but what is faultlesse before God and man.
So, when the worde is saide to diuide betweene the soule and the spirit, it noteth the mightie worke of it in the reprobate, to wound all their thoughtes and desires with feare and terrour, and with astonishment of heart: contrarie in the electe, it crucifieth the olde man with al the concupiscences and the desires of it. When it is said to diuide betweene the ioynts and the marrow: it sheweth the worke in all the members of our bodie, to sell them vnderunder sinne, to worke vncleannesse with greedines being hardened: or to sanctifie them in the power of God, that they may be seruaunts of righteousnesse vntounto him, being mollified. To be short, in soule, spirite, ioynts, marrowe, the Apostle meaneth, that the word once heard, the whole man is touched, and al that is with in him, feeleth streight a chaunge: except a heauier iudgement be vponupon him, that he hauehave eares & heare not: wherein yet the worde hath a worke, and maketh him fall deeper in the sleepe of sinne: if we will learne examples are before vsus of good & euil, what to leaue, or what to choose.
The prophet Abacuche, foreseeing the state of Christes church, what daunger should be vntounto it, euen then to be oppressed again, when it was not yet halfe growen vp, he saith: When I heard it, my belly trē bled, Aba. 3. 16.my lippes shooke at the voice: rottennesse entred into my bowels, and I trembled in my selfe that I might rest in the day of trouble: heere we see the worde diuiding betweene the ioynts and the marrow, how it distempered the prophets whole bodie, because of the heauie threatning of the Lorde, and an excellent blessing was vntounto him, for this feare and trembling at the voice of the Lord, in the day of trouble hee had rest. So the Prophet Esay, at Gods threatening against his church, that euen in the dayes of Christe, her peace should be broken off, & her flourishing glo rie shoulde againe be shadowed, hee crieth: my leanesse, my leanesse, wo is me: as if he had said: it consumed Esai. 24. 16.his flesh, and wore away his beautie, to heare the voice of the Lord against his people: if thus wee feare in deede at Gods thretenings, & as his saincts do vnfeignedly reioyce at all his promises, a good worke of his mightie woord is in vsus, and it is his power to our saluation: but if we be despisers, and regarde not the woord that is brought vntounto vsus, a while we may seeme to be in peace, as the sick man in his sleepe feeleth not his paine, but the word will wounde at the last the spirite, and wee shal feele it in our flesh, what we hauehave despised. We reade in Daniel, of Belshazzar, a proud king, in the mids of his Dan. 5. 6.princes and all his roaltie, he sawe a hand writing, and the woorde of the Lorde was before his eyes: streight his countenance was chaunged, and his thoughtes troubled him, so that the ioyntes of his loines were loosed, and his knees smote one against another, such feare and terrour came vpō him, whē the voice of the lord did pronounce his iudgment. And not onelyonly thus, but we see it further, the wicked not onelyonly wounded, but also slaine with the word of God.
When many of the rulers of the people of Israel, led the people to moste shamefull idolatrie, the prophet Ezechiel was sent to preache vntounto them, and when hee prophecied before them, Pelatiah Eze. 11. 13.the Sonne of Benaiah, one of the Princes which seduced the people, he dyed in his presence? A like example is, of Ananias and Sapphira, who at the voice of Peter, did bothe fall downe dead: Acte 5. 1.so true it is that the word is forceable, to deuide and enter betwene our reines, that is, to sley the wicked and to quicken the godlie. Last of all, it is here said, that the word discerneth betwene the thoughts and intents of the heart, meaning, that how so euer the heart of man is prepared, the woord of God directeth it, either more to be hardened with the deceites of sinne, or wholie to bee renewed to the louelove of righteousnesse.
It followeth nowe: Neither is thereany creature which is not manifest in his sight, but all thinges are naked and open vntounto his eyes, with whome we hauehave to doe. These words shewe an excellent proofe, of all the former things spoken of the word: for seeing it is the word of God, how should it not hauehave the power of God: if among men, as eueryevery one hath moste power: so his word is moste feared. how should it not be, but God, who is the searcher of our hearts and reines, and is almightie ouer all, but that his worde should hauehave of his nature, vertue, and power, to make the proude to feare, and to comfort the humbled.
Let vsus therefore now bee wise in time, and let the worde of the Lorde fashion all our heartes: if it doe not, yet it worketh still, and wee shall one day knowe what voice wee hauehave despised: for as it is heere, that all thinges are open vntounto his eyes: so we shall heare his voice, when in all thinges it shall shew his power. It shall speake vntounto all creatures, and they shall heare it: the earth and sea shall bring the bodies which they hauehave consumed: the fire shall yeld againe his ashes, and the ayre her dead; the elementes shall mealt away, and the Heauens shall vanish: the Lorde shall speake, and the deade shall all arise: then shal we too late bewail our madnesse, which hauehave heard before, this voice & regarded it not. And this let vsus learne with it, if such bee the strength of Gods woorde, of it selfe, when yet hee shall multiplie this power, and make it also eternall which is infinite, what shall we say then: but, O Lorde who shall abide it: when hee shall pronounce: Go you cursed into eternall fire: what condemnation shalbe vppon the wicked: surelie (dearelie beloued) as it is greater then our heartes can immagine, so yet in this similitude, we may see, as it were an image of it: for as his worde diuideth betweene soule and spirit marrow & bones, cogitations and intentes: so we knowe that in eueryevery parte of them, the wicked shall feele Gods anger: head and arme, hande and foote, back and side, shall hauehave experience of his anger: all the thoughts of their harts shalbe wounded with death, and so much the more vnspeakable, because their bodyes shall feele and their minde knowe the immortalitie of death, and euerlasting destruction, that is vppon them: whiche extreeme wretchednesse, no horrour of darcknesse, no weeping and gnashinge of teeth, no gnawinge of conscience, no eternall fire, doth fully and inough set out vntounto vsus.
But this we leaue to the reprobate men, who euen to this day hauehave sould their heartes to conceiue mischiefe, and it repenteth them not. Let vsus feare now in the day of health, and better thinges are appointed for vsus. We shall heare an other voice: Come ye blessed into eternall life, possesse the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning, which voice shal enter depe, and into all our members, bring a sensible feeling of the louelove of God, and his greate glorie, when with heart and minde wee shall see and knowe our inheritaunce with God in eternall glorie: wherevnto, if nowe we be raysed vp, and the promises of God beginne with vsus, this vnspeakable and glorious hope, (so that our heartes be fast holden in the louelove of it, neuer to chaunge for worldly vanitie or rather shame, woorse then vanitie: for with what name shall we name it, that is exalted against the Lorde) if, I say, thus the woorde of God bee vntounto vsus, wee hauehave sealed it, that his word is liuing, and entreth into the diuision of the soule, and the spirite: and we hauehave beene fruitfull hearers of all this longe exhortation, which the Apostle hath made, and ended, to stirre vp his brethren, faithfully to heare this prophet of God, his sonne Iesus Christe, and our sauiour, who hath reuealed all his wil vntounto vsus. And thus farre of this former parte of the Epistle, in which we are taught, that Christe is our only prophet: but the time is paste. Now let vsus pray. &c.