A Sermon of Christ Crucified, Sermon 2

A Sermon of Christ Crucified · Sermon 2

The second part of the Sermon.

IN the former part of thys good fridayes Sermon, ye heard (louing audience) according to my weake abilitie, vttered vntounto you the ioyfull message of Gods reconciled fauour and grace recouered againe, which we had once lost through our iust desertes, and were vnderunder wrath in great daūger perpetually to be cast away both bodyes and soules. But so it pleased the gracious goodnesse of our mercifull God, mercifully to receaue vsus againe to louelove, & to become now of à terrible Iusticer à tender father toward vsus. Not that there is any chaunge or alteration in his nature,Mercy and iustice ioyned together for mans saluatiō. but that mercy and iustice striuing together, mercy gotte the vpperhand: or rather that mercy and iustice ioyning together for our redemption, hath brought to passe, that vppon mercifull causes going before, the iust effect of Gods wrath (which the law before did worke) by good iustice must needes geue place, and reconciliation come in: because that iustice alwayes standing vppon iust causes, it must nedes follow, that y^e cause being altered & remoued away, the effect also must nedes cease. So long as we were vnderunder the law and sinne,Sublata causa tollitur effectus. so long we were vnderunder wrath, that is, vnderunder Gods iust punishment for sinne. For y^e law (as S. Paule saith) worketh wrath. But after that mercy and iustice ioyning both together hauehave vāquished the law, that is, the curse of the law, now then by good order of Iustice followeth reconciliation: p. 30and yet no nature in God chaunged,Gods wrath turned to fauour, and yet no alteration in God. but his marueilous wisedome excellently declared.

Now what causes these were, and how they wrought, and how mercy & iustice together conioyned in putting away the law and sinne: consequently here remaineth in the second and latter parcell of this my text to be opened (by Christes helpe) vntounto you. Now therefore let vsus read out the wordes of the Apostle, which followe.

The text. For him that knew no sinne, God made to be sinne for vsus,2. Cor. 5.2 Cor 5 that we might be made the righteousnesse of God by him. &c.

Here now cōmeth the preaching of Christ Iesus crucified. Of whō you hauehave often heard, and yet neuer heard inough: of whom many hauehave preached,The breadth, length, and profunditie of Christes Crosse, vnsearchable. and yet neuer preacher able to search or reach the length, breadth, and profunditie of hys Crosse. In which Crosse I finde two things most contrary to concurre together, the vilest death that euer was, and the most glorious person that euer suffered. What thing so miserable as death? what thing so happy as life? Againe, what death so vile as y^e death of y^e Crosse? what person so glorious as y^e onelyonly begotten sonne of y^e liuing God? Which two thinges being so contrary, meete together in one tree, according as we read in Prudētius himne: Mors & vita mirando cōflixere duello. Such an hard matter it was, and such an high price, to repaire againe y^e reconcilement betwene God and vsus. Touching the tractation of which matter, as entring now into à new sermon and à new diuision, three principall thinges we hauehave in this letter for you to consider, & me to speake of.

The second diuision.1. The first is, the great Innocencie that was in Christ, which we hauehave to note in these wordes: For him that knew no sinne. &c.

2. Secondly, the gréeuous passion and punishment layde vponupon Christ for our sinne, which followeth in these wordes: he made him to be sinne for vsus. &c.

3. The third is, the triumphe of Christ, with other effectes which followed after his passiō, expressed in these words: that we might be made the righteousnesse of God by him. &c.

First of the Innocencie of Christ, the Scriptures in sundry places geue witnesse by many waies,Gene. 6. & 7.Gen 6 The innocencie of Christ.as wel by Propheticall types & shadowes, as also by other euident demonstrations. Noah the perfect man & righteous preacher in the first age of the world,Iust Noah a figure of Christ. in whose righteousnesse and in whose Arke the remnant of all earthly creatures were saued from the floud, what doth he preach vntounto vsus besides the true history, but this iust and innocent Iesus Sauiour of the world? The typicall Lambe called the Passeouer,The Easter Lambe a figure of Christes innocencie. which prefigured the heauenly Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world, was commaunded to be à male of à yeare olde, immaculate, without spot or blemishe. Also all other burnt offeringes were commaunded in the old law to be pure and vnspotted, for no other cause, but onelyonly to signifie that Christ, whereof they were figures and shadowes, should be the true innocēt sacrifice which should make and hath made satisfaction for all our sinnes. Esay prophecying of the innocencie of p. 31this spotlesse sacrifice crucified for vsus, expresseth that which S. Paul here teacheth, & sayth in plaine wordes, that he neuer knew iniquitie, Esay. 53.Isa 53nor that any fraude was found in his mouth. And againe, the same Prophet describing the flower rising out of the roote of Iesse, replenished with Gods holy spirite, addeth moreouer:Esay. 11.Isa 11 And righteousnesse (sayth he) shall be his girdle about his loynes. &c. Ieremy calleth hys name, Germen iustitiae, & Dominus iustus noster. i. Iere. 33.Jer 33The bud of righteousnesse, and our righteous Lord. &c. In Daniel he is called, Sanctus Sanctorū. i. Dani. 9.The holy one of all holy. Dan. 9. Zacharias likewise prophecying of this righteous prince:Zach. 9.Zech 9 Behold (sayth he) thy king shall come to thee, righteous, & a Sauiour, being humble, and sitting vpō a poore Asse. &c. Zach. 9. Many other places there be in holy scripture, which testifie of y^e righteousnesse, holinesse, & innocencie of this immaculate person, of whom it is written: Which of you can rebuke me of sinne? Against whom also we read, that the prince of the world came, and found in him nothing, Iohn. 14.John 14as writeth S. Iohn, meaning therby his innocencie to be such and perfection of his life so absolute, that no creature could staine or charge him with blot or blemish. So absolutely he performed the law & eueryevery iote therof, both the first table, & the second, in louing God aboue all thinges, and hys neighbor as him self, that neither was there lacking in him any thing y^t the law required, nor any thing forbidden in y^e law, that in him was found: nor yet any els found able to accomplish the same law, besides him self alone. For so it behoued him, which should die for all, to be holy and innocent alone, and none but he, according as we read and sing in the hymne of Ambrose: Ambrosius in hymno.Tu solus sanctus. i. Thou onelyonly art holy. &c. And so he was, and is, and none els holy and innocent in all y^e world but he.

And therfore false is the doctrine of these vntrue catholickes, who disputing of keeping y^e law of God, seeme to extoll integra naturalia of man so farre as though it were in mans posse and esse, to satisfie the performance therof. In which number is Lombardus, Tho. Aquinas, Anselmus, Bonauentura, Alexander de Hales. Albeit these, as they doe not fully agree in all places with them selues: so because they would seeme somwhat to start from the errour of Pelagius, they adde moreouer some addition of Gods grace to helpe free will, and so flying frō one errour, fall into an other, teaching that à man in this life, being once iustified, may fulfill Gods law and auoyde all sinne. After these commeth Ioan. Scotus, who reasoning vponupon these wordes of S. Austen, August. contra Pelagianos.that à mā without grace can not eschew all sinne. &c. seemeth to resolue y^e question thus:Ioan. Scotus Lib. 2. dist. 28. that à man by free will without grace can not eschew or ceasse from all sinne, but seuerally may eschew this sinne or that sinne, and so eueryevery particular sinne one after an other, & bringeth this similitude of one being in à vessell full of riftes or holes, in which although he can stoppe one hole after an other, yet can not stoppe thē all, for while he stoppeth one (sayth he) an other is open.Tho. Aquinas. &c. Tho. Aquine likewise reciting y^e sentence of the schole men, sayth, that the power of mans will of it selfe is able to do thinges both good and p. 32bad without grace: howbeit can not make the worke that is good to merite, but by the helpe of grace. &c. So that hereby appeareth the opinion of these catholickes to be, that albeit mans free power without grace suffiseth not to eschew all sinne, nor to make his good workes to be meritorious: yet being assisted with grace, is able in this life to auoyde all & eueryevery kind of sinne, and to fulfill the righteousnesse of Gods law: In somuch that Scotus in an other place thus reasoneth,Scot. Lib. 4. dist. 17. artic. 3. sub finem. that it is not vncredible but that many such be in the Church, which liue y^e whole yeare without mortall sinne: yea & by God grace many are which much longer time keepe them selues from deadly sinne, and exercise moreouer many workes of perfection, of whose merites riseth y^e Treasurehouse of the Church. &c. Scot. lib. 4. dist. 17.

Furthermore, after these followed other of latter yeares, as Eckius, Pighius, Hosius, and others: vppon whose vntydie reasons and argumentes, certaine of our Englishe Papistes also grounding their vaine opinion, doe likewise teach now in these our dayes,Whether it lyeth in possibilitie for man in this life to keepe the whole lawe? that it lyeth in possibilitie here in thys life for à man after he be iustified, to fulfill the righteousnesse of the law by grace, and to auoide all mortall sinne: that is to meane, that such aboundance of grace and power is geuen of God here in this life to them that be baptised in Christ, and call for Gods grace, that although for venial sinnes they may say in humilitie and in truth:Ex Concil. Trident. cap. 11. forgeue vsus our trespasses. &c. yet as touching mortall sinnes, they may so liue, calling for y^e grace, that they neede not except they will,Vide defensionem Iudoci Tilitani contra Kemnitiū. in cap. 11. to fall into deadly sinne, but may satisfie the law of God fully & perfectly, in such sort as the same law of God can not hauehave wherein to cōdemne or accuse any worke of theirs. &c. For these be their owne very wordes.

First, for confirmation of their doctrine they alleage the testimonies of Austen, August. sermo 60. de tempore.where he sayth: that God neither could cōmaund thinges that were impossible, because he is iust: nor would condemne man for that he could not auoyde. &c. and addeth in an other place, saying:August. de natura & gratia. that God would neuer cōdemne the slouthfull seruaunt, if he had commaunded that he could not atchiue. Also in hys booke de natura et grat. August. de natura & gratia cap. 69.We firmely beleue (saith he) that God, who is iust & good, could neuer commaund thinges that were impossible to be done. &c.

Hierom. to. 4. in expositio. Symboli ad Damas.Secondly, out of Hierome they alleage thys place, where he saith: We detest their blasphemy, which say, that God hath commaunded any thing impossible to be done. &c.

Thirdly, they alleage farther the wordes of our Sauiour:Math. 11.Matt 11 Take my yoke vppon you, for my yoke is sweete, and my burden light. &c.

Fourthly, also for example they inferre Zacharie and Elizabeth, who in scripture are said to be iust before God, walking in all the commaundementes and iustifications of the Lord without blame. &c. Luke. 1.Luke. 1.Luke 1

Whereunto briefly I aunswere, and first as touching S. Austen, albeit I could well aunswere him by his owne retractations, where as he better aduising him selfe, as may appeare, hath these wordes:August. Lib. 1. retract. cap. 19. All the commaundementes (sayth he) are accounted to be done, when that is pardoned which is p. 33not done. &c. And likewise might I expound Hierome by Hierome, Hieroni. contra Pelagianos Lib. 1.whereas he in an other place speaking of the cōmaundementes to be possible, though he doth not denye it to be true, yet asketh he quomodo, how that saying is to be vnderstanded: meaning, that although the commaundementes be possible to vsus after à certaine maner, yet absolutely and simply he doth not so affirme. Well, and what if this were graunted,Impossibilitie of the law importeth no derogation to Gods iustice. that God hath geuē à law to man which mā can not keepe: what great thing were here to be detested, or what preiudice hereby shold ensue either to Gods iustice or goodnesse in geuing à law impossible for vsus perfectly to be kept, more then in geuing vsus the Sunne, y^e brightnesse wherof it is impossible for vsus to beholde, and yet to walke in the light therof, eueryevery man as he may? If à cunning phisition should come with an excellent potion to hys pacient greuously sicke, and say: either ye must drinke this, or ye can not liue, and if the weake stomacke of the party can not brooke it, yet is the phisition nothing to blame, but keepeth the true order of phisicke.Ex Plutar. in Apopht. Scilurus Scytha when he gaue his children eueryevery one à fagot, cōmaunding them to breake it, knew right well before,Thinges impossible may well be commaunded for causes necessary. that they were not able to do it, and yet in so doing did he both fatherly and wisely, to the intent hys childrē might learne therby to see their owne weaknesse, and not to trust to their owne priuate strength to much.

But to let this hold go,Obiection of the aduersaries. let vsus come more nere to close with our aduersaries in this matter, and examine their obiection with all the partes therof more attently.

If we by grace helping vsus (say they) be not able to performe fully & perfectly the righteousnesse of the law, then were God vniust in cōmaunding thinges impossible, & vnmercifull in condemning the seruaunt for that which he can not auoyde.

But that were detestable blasphemy to say:

Ergo, say they, it must needes be concluded, that it is not vnpossible for à iustified man, by Gods grace, to performe the perfect fulfilling of the lawe.

Aunswere to the obiection.Whereunto I aunswere by the Scriptures, that if God had geuen such à lawe to be fulfilled of man which no man could fulfill, and that all men for not fulfilling the same, should be condemned, then might they with some reason obiect thys blasphemy vntounto vsus. But now we confesse and say, that God hath geuē à law to be fulfilled of man, and that he commaundeth nothing vnpossible: yea and furthermore with the Scriptures confesse, that man hath fulfilled thys lawe actually, really, and thorowly in all pointes: and yet all this being cōfessed, neither is it true which they inferre, that the iustified mā therfore is able, by grace, to fulfill the reall perfection of the law, neither is it true, that he which fulfilleth it not, shall therfore be condemned, neither that in God is any vnrighteousnesse or vnmercifulnesse in all this to be inferred, but he remaineth still most iust and mercifull: yea & to say truth, hys mercy and iustice could not otherwise both stand & appeare p. 34together, but onelyonly by thys way aboue confessed. And how is all this proued?

First, that God hath geuen à lawe to be fulfilled, we all confesse.

Secondly, that Christ from the beginning,Christ appointed to fulfill the lawe, before the lawe was geuen. before the lawe was geuen, was preordinate to be incarnate and to take our nature, no man can deny.

Thirdly,How the law is not vnpossible to man, and how it is fully aunswered by man. that the same Christ in the same our nature hath vtterly fulfilled and discharged the law, it is manifest. And how then is that to be accounted vnpossible to man, which mā so clerely hath accomplished?

Fourthly, that in the same nature and humanitie of Christ, the sonne of God and the sonne of man, the whole nature of mankinde is included, the Scripture teacheth:Christ the second Adam. and therfore is he called the second Adam. For as all we were included in the nature of Adam which first disobeyed, and by hym condemned: so are we likewise generally included in y^e humane nature of this second Adam which first obeyed, and by him saued. So that we being now in Christ, that is to say, God beholding our whole nature in y^e nature of hys owne sonne, hys fulfilling is our fulfilling, and what he doth, that we doe, especially in all such pointes as properly belong to hys humane working: and therfore is he denominated in Scripture to be Iusticia nostra. For as thys proposition is true:Christus iusticia nostra. Christus pro omnibus mortuus est. i. Christ dyed for all men: so is this proposition true also:Christ onelyonly innocent for all men. Christus pro omnibus innocens factus est. i. Christ was made innocent for vsus all. So that what he hath fulfilled, we also hauehave fulfilled, although not after the same maner, yet in as good effect as if it had bene after the same maner done: He for vsus, we by hym: he actually performed, we by imputation: he by vertue and merite, we by gift & grace. And thys is the perfect grace that we hauehave, to fulfil the perfection of the law. Other grace then thys God neuer gaue,God neuer geueth grace absolutely to performe the lawe, but onelyonly to his owne sonne. nor euer will geue to any iustified person really and absolutely to satisfie the perfect righteousnesse of the law. Neither doth it stand with the glory of Christ, that any such perfect grace should be geuen vsus.2. Cor. 12.2 Cor 12 For if by our infirmitie, the strength of Christ be made perfect, It stādeth not with the glory of Christ, that any in this life should absolutely fulfill the lawe.as Christ him selfe answereth to S. Paule, so contrariwise, by our perfection y^e vertue of Christes crosse is lessened: not that there is any such perfection in vsus in deede, whose righteousnesse, as S. Austen sayth, magis remissione peccatorū constet, August. de Ciuit. Dei. Lib. 19. cap. 27.quàm perfectione virtutum: but such is the blindnesse of many, that standing in à vaine persuasion of their perfectiō when they are vnperfect, falsly flatter them selues to be something, whē in dede they are starke nothing: and after the example of the Laodicians imagine them selues to be riche and gay, when in deede they be vtterly emptie and naked. Apoc. 3.Apoc. 3.Rev 3

Fiftly, and though it be so (as it is in deede) that no such grace is geuen to vsus from aboue to attaine to the high perfection of the law:Our obedience to the lawe neither perfect, nor yet our imperfect disobedience condemned. yet notwithstanding, by the grace of God, we bring to the law such obedience, as we may. And though we bring not perfectionē illam, quae remissione non p. 35eget, yet we bring studium illud virtutis, quod Deus propter fidem comprobat & coronat in nobis: that is, though we bring not that perfection of fulfilling the law, which needeth no remission, yet we bring that endeuor of well doing, which y^e Lorde for faythes sake both accepteth in vsus, & also crowneth. And as for that imperfection which remaineth, God imputeth not for his Christ, who hath purchased for vsus perpetuall reconciliation and remission of sinnes.

Sixtly, by these hetherto declared,No derogation to Gods mercy, in geuing the law which we cā not performe, but cōmendation of his mercy in sauing vsus notwithstanding we be not able to performe the same. it appeareth that although we for our partes neither by nature, nor by grace can possibly satisfie the full innocencie of the law: yet neither is it true, which our aduersaries do inferre (speaking absolutely) that God hath commaunded thinges vnpossible to man. Forsomuch as man hath vtterly discharged what soeuer God hath cōmaunded, how thē can y^e cōmaundements be said to be impossible to man, which man hath fulfilled? And though we for our partes speaking particularly, can not performe the same, yet that argueth neither blasphemie to be in vsus to say, we can not fulfill the commaundementes, nor any vnrighteousnesse or vnmercifulnesse in God, in geuing that which we can not performe. For as we acknowledge God to be iust in geuing the lawe, to declare thereby what we should be: so double wise we hauehave to acknowledge and thanke his mercy, first for geuing such à person vntounto vsus which hath satisfied y^e law for vsus: and also in not condemning vsus for our partes, not fulfilling it our selues: but hath set in the Church à perpetuall remedy,Remission of sinnes left to the Church for a perpetuall remedy of mans fragilitie. which is Remissio peccatorum, remission of sinnes, to helpe & supply that lacketh in vsus. Whereby as our aduersaries may see that neither is any vnmercifulnesse in God, nor blasphemy in vsus: so we may see in this their doctrine to be no truth.

Ex. Concil. Trident. cap. 11.Seuenthly and lastly, forsomuch as the Coūcell of Trident, and all our aduersaryes stand so much vponupon this argumēt: that the law is not impossible to be performed of vsus,A note concerning the lawe, how it first entred, and by whom. because y^t God hath geuen it vntounto vsus, who of hys iustice can not commaund thinges impossible: here therfore is to be noted out of y^e Scriptures, that they seeme not sufficiently hetherto to hauehave considered y^e first originall & entring of the law: which law, I meane the law of nature imprinted in the soule & conscience of eueryevery mortall man (for as touching y^e law of Moses writtē in outward tables, which is but à renuing of the law wrought in man before, we speake not) entred first into y^e world, not so much by y^e voluntary purpose & will of God (speaking of the ordinary will of God reueled in y^e scriptures) as it was procured & inforced by man him selfe,The lawe of God imprinted in nature, not so much enforced by God, as sought by man him selfe. against Gods will and warning. For when man in Paradise was in state of innocencie, he was not obediently content with that felicitie wherin he was, but disobediently would needes extend his hand to the tree of knowledge of good & euill: and albeit almighty God gaue hym sufficient warning before what daunger would follow,Gene. 3.Gen 3 yet he of wilfull presumptiō would nedes taste of the fruite forbidden. Which being done, then began p. 36hys eyes to be open: then did he see, then did he know, and then began he to couer. Now, if the law of nature did not first enter with this knowledge into the world, let y^e aduersaries thē selues tell me when it began to enter. If it did: then let them aunswere how the law frist was geuē, whether by Gods owne free motion and mere doing, or els by mans owne seeking and procurement. To conclude therefore, if man procured the lawe vponupon hys owne head, which when he had done, he was not able to performe, then let vsus not say that God gaue à law to man, which man coulde not fulfill: but let vsus say, that mans ōwne wilfulnesse procured à law to him self, which afterward was not in his possibilitie to accomplishe. But of this inough. The rest I referre to the exercised spirituall Christian to muse more vponupon.

Furthermore, as touching their allegation of Christes wordes: Take my yoke vponupon you, for my yoke is sweete, and my burden is light: &c. by which wordes they argue the commaundementes of God to be easie & possible to be kept: I aūswere,What is ment by the wordes of Christ: My yoke is light, my burden is easie. that these wordes of Christ meane not the law of Moses, but are to be vnderstand of the receauing of Christ to be our Messias & Sauiour, and that we shoulde become subiectes vnderunder hys kingdome, that is, to beleue in him, and to be hys Disciples: who in so doing shall finde hys yoke and our subiection vnderunder hym, to be pleasaunt & sweete. For there shall we hauehave remissiō of all our sinnes, shall ouercome the deuill and the world, shall be free from death, shall be eased from ceremonies, shall be raised in the resurrection to euerlasting life, and in the meane time shall tast the sweete comfortes of the holy Ghost in our hartes. &c.

Againe, where they alleage the example of Zachary and Elizabeth, whom the Scripture commendeth, to be both iust before God, & to walke in all the cōmaundementes & iustifications of the Lord. &c. Luk. 1. Luke. 1.Luke 1to this I could aūswere thus: that if Zachary and Elizabeth were both iust before God, it was not because God could not, but because he would not finde fault with them. But to let mine own aunswere go, I will set S. Hierome to aūswere hereunto, where he declareth ij. maner of perfections to be in holy Scriptures. One which is agreable to y^e vertues of God, & is voyde of all sinne, & immutable.Hieroni. contra Pelagianos Lib. 2. And this (saith he) is appropriate onelyonly vntounto God, and was here declared in Christ. The other, which agreeth to our fragilitie, and is not pure frō all sinne, & is called perfect, not by comparison to Gods iustice, but so accompted in the knowledge of God, who seeth the good endeuour of the fraile creature, & accepteth the same: and in y^e same place produceth this example both of Zachary and Elizabeth, and also of Iob. The like aunswere also may be gathered out of S. Austen, who speaking of the worthinesse which is in iuste men here,August. contra duas Epist. Pelag. Lib. 3. cap. 7. sayth that it may be called perfect, so farre as they both truely acknowledge, and humbly confesse their owne imperfection going withall. &c. so that of the righteousnesse of Zachary we may say as S. Paule sayd by the righteousnesse of Abraham: Rom. 4.Rom 4that if he hauehave any thing to glory, p. 37he hath to glory with men, but not with God. In whose iudgement (sayth Dauid) no fleshe shall be iustified. Psal. 142.Ps 142&c. onelyonly the fleshe of the sonne of God excepted, who onelyonly being iust, dyed for the vniust, 1. Pet. 3.1 Pet 3as S. Peter witnesseth. Wherupon I ground this reason.

Argument. Christ died for the vniust:

Zachary and Elizabeth were not vniust before God,Zachary and Elizabeth how they are counted to be iust in scripture, and how not iust. as they say:

Ergo, Christ died not for them.

Which is absurde to graunt: so that rather this argument is to be holden a sensu contrario.

Argument. Christ died for the vniust:

Christ died for Zachary and Elizabeth:

Ergo, Zachary and Elizabeth were vniust. &c.

Argument. Againe. They that doe the commaundementes, doe liue therein:Leuit. 18.Lev 18

Zachary and Elizabeth liued not in the commaundementes, but died:

Ergo, Zachary and Elizabeth did not all the cōmaundementes so iustly as they should.

Thus then the righteousnesse and innocencie of man being ouerthrowen, as ye hauehave heard, let vsus now repare to our matter agayne, and seeke true innocencie where it is to be found, that is, in Christ onelyonly, and in no fleshe els,No fleshe innocent but Christ alone. whether he be iustified or vniustified: whether before Baptisme, or after Baptisme: whether by grace with nature, or by nature without grace. For neither that nature is geuen, nor that grace dispensed to any man liuing in this flesh, to be found innocent by the law, saue onelyonly to him of whom it is written: Non dat illi spiritum Deus secundum mensurā. Iohn. 3.John 3i. God geueth not to him the spirite after measure. &c. Let hys innocencie therfore stand alone, that he may be as he is, solus sanctus, Solus sanctus.not onelyonly exceeding vsus by comparison of maius and minus, but vtterly confounding vsus for our vnrighteousnesse, knowing what is written of vsus:Psal. 14.Ps 14 There is none that doth good, no not one. &c. And here let also the title of the holy father called Sanctissimus, fall downe for shame.No goodnesse nor holinesse properly in man. Of hys fulnesse then let vsus receaue, not as men hauing somewhat, but as vtterly empty of all goodnesse. Let vsus humble our selues with cōfession of humilitie, so ascribing all righteousnesse vntounto him, that we forget not what God speaketh of our righteousnesse by hys Prophet, saying: Omnes iusticiae nostrae sicut pannus menstruatae. Esay. 64.Isa 64i. All our righteousnesse is like a beggarly patched peece of a defiled cloth. Such be our workes, not speaking onelyonly of our workes before iustification, but also euen they that follow after iustification, if God should looke vponupon them in iudgement without Christ, are no better.

The innocency of Christ, one of the principall causes of our redemption.Of this innocency of Christ Iesu, the immaculate Lambe of God, I preach y^e more effectuously, and stand the longer, because in y^e same consisteth one of the principall effectes of our redemption, ioyned with the effusion of hys bloud. For as hys perfect innocency without the shedding of hys bloud could not serue our turne: so neither the death of his body, without hys innocent life could redeeme vsus. For so it behoued innocencie to redeeme iniquitie, the iust to die for the vniust.

Wherin appeareth the wondrous wisedome p. 38of Gods almighty Maiestie in working our redemption.Gods admirable wisedome shewed in our redemption. Who seing the generation of mankind fallen from so happy à state, wherein he was first created, into such à miserable decay and destruction both of body and soule, and all through hys owne wilfull presumption, in procuring the necessitie of y^e law vponupon his owne head, the strength whereof he could neither accomplishe nor auoyde the penalty, being subiect thereby to the power of death and tyranny of Sathan, wrapped in ignorance, drowned in darknesse, running headlong to all Idolatry & vanitie, voyde of all regard and care of hys creator, whom neither counsell could reforme nor any earthly helpe restore, not only being past recouery, but almost past all possibilitie, but that nothing is impossible vntounto God: he (I say) of hys wisedome beholding, and of hys mercy pitying thys misery of man, found à singular way for mā. What was that? He would not (saith Theodoretus) foreign, of hys absolute power worke our deliuerance,Theodoret. foreign. Serm. 10. foreign, to vse hys owne wordes. That is in Englishe: Neither would he arme his mercy alone, to set vsus out of the thraldome of him, which had y^e nature of mā in captiuitie. No, no, mercy alone in this case could not wel serue, his iustice could not beare it. And why?Man saued, not by mere absolute power, nor by mere mercy alone. The cause Theodoret sheweth: foreign: that is: lest if Gods mercy had saued some & not all, y^e enemy which had bene trāsgressor also him selfe with all the wicked, might hauehave quarelled, y^t this mercy of God had not ben indifferent, but parciall to some, & not equall to all sinners: and therfore y^e high prouidence of almighty God wrought another way,God clothed in man, fighteth for man against the Deuill. which was both full of mercy, & no lesse defensed with iustice: so that by this way both his mercy is declared, his iustice salued, Sathā with the wicked & reprobate iustly condēned, the godly repentant though they be sinners, saued, & all this done by true iustice: and yet God not parcial, & the same also merciful. And what way was this? Almighty God seing our nature ouercome by à subtill serpent, to weake to encounter with that enemy, vnited ij. natures in one person, his nature & ours together, and so clothing God in mā, sent forth his persō to encoūter with y^e deuil, & by pure innocencie of his māhode, to recouer that for mā, which mā before had lost.

Thus then cōmeth Christ our Lord to vsus, and for vsus to be incarnate,The incarnation of Christ. and was borne of à virgine hys mother after à miraculous maner, at whose byrth the Angels began to sing, and nature it self to be astonied. After thys came the eight day, in which he was circumcised according to the law,Christ circumcised. that by fulfilling the lawe, he might redeeme vsus from the bondage of the law. Not long after being pursued of Herode, he was sent out of Iewry into Aegypt, Christ slying into Egypt.where he remained while they were dead that sought his life, to aunswere the type of Moses, who before he should deliuer the people, fled into the land of Madian frō the hādes of Pharao, where he remained till aunswere came from God,Moses a figure of Christ. that he should returne againe into Egypt, for they are all dead (sayd he) that sought thy life. &c. Exod. 4. p. 39Exod. 4.Exod 4After this being of xij. yeares he came to y^e Temple,Luke. 2.Luke 2 and there three daies disputed with the Doctors, who then were busie no doubt, about the question of Messias: where he first began to shew some little sparcle of his diuinitie, being occupied in the worke of hys father. At length growing vp in yeares, he came to y^e age of xxx. or much about: when God began to reuele hys sonne more manifestly to the world in sending the holy spirite in visible similitude of à doue vppon him,Christ baptised, and reueled of his father. declaring moreouer in audible voice, the same to be his welbeloued sonne, whom we must heare. Luke. 3.Luke. 3.Luke 3

Thus Iesus being Baptised to fulfill all righteousnesse, reueled by his father, replenished with the holy Ghost, and testified by Iohn Baptiste, frō thence was had immediatly into the desert,Christ fasting in the desert. as to à stage, there to try hand to hand with the deuill. Where after he had fasted xl. dayes, & xl. nightes (to fulfill the type of Moses fast, who was so long in y^e mount with God, without meate or drinke) the enemy not ignoraunt what was testified of hym before, and yet seing him outwardly but as à weake man,Christ trieth with the Deuill in the desert. and also now to waxe hungry after the infirmitie of flesh, was the more bold to set vponupon hym. And as he first threw downe Adam in Paradise by eating, so thinking likewise to supplant thys second Adam by eating, tempted him to turne stones to bread, and so after an vnlawfull maner to eate. When thys would not be, he inuaded hym with other sundry and greuous assaultes: but in the end he could not preuaile.Christ tempted in the desert. Innocencie helde by obedience, Obedience helde by the word,Christ is tempted and ouercōmeth. Christ ouercame, Man had the victory, the Deuill had y^e foyle, the Angels bare witnesse, and the poore body of Iesus was refreshed.

Thys done & finished, Christ to declare his diuine power here in earth, to the end that men might know their Messias, cōming from thence abroad began to worke wonderfull miracles, turning water into wine, feeding with fewe loanes thousandes of men & children in the wildernesse, helping the lame, curing of cripples, cleansing the lepers, restoring y^e blind to their sight, the deaffe to their hearing, the dūme to their tounges, healing all diseases amongest y^e people, calming the seas, ceassing y^e windes, walking on the waters, comforting the afflicted, expelling out deuills by hys worde, opening the graues, raising the dead, with other innumerable signes and wōnders.

The second part of the diuision.All which great and passing miracles notwithstanding, the cruel Iewes yet ceassed not to enuy and maligne hym, and at last brought hym to the tormentes of death, which he with all pacience sustained. Wherin commeth now the second member of my diuision, to entreate of the bitter paines of Christes passion, which he for vsus suffered, for his own part most willingly, for their part most iniustly, for our saluation most happely, albeit for the maner of the handling, to all good hartes most lamētably. Touching the maner and handling wherof, forsomuch as it is sufficiently recorded in the history of the fower Euangelistes, I shall the lesse neede to stand long in repeating those thinges, which to no Christian mā ought to p. 40be vnknowen. First how the malicious Priestes and Phariseis, after they had taken counsell together,Iohn. 18.John 18 and had sent with Iudas their officers and catchpoles with clubbes and staues to apprehend Iesus: he seing them, asked whom they sought.The history of Christes passion. They sayd, Iesus of Nazareth. Twise he asked. Twise they fell backward: and twise he suffered thē to rise. Wherby appeareth what Christ could hauehave done in sauing him selfe, if he would. For power in hym there lacked not. Cause for hym to die there was not. As his life was innocent, so was there no law to condemne hym. No neither his father, saluing hys iustice, could lawfully enforce him. OnelyOnly hys owne good will, and obedience to hys fathers will, it was, and none other. Wherof we heare what the father him selfe speaketh by hys Prophet, saying: If he will lay downe his life for sinne, he shall see a long lasting seede come after him. &c. Esay. 53. Esay. 53.Isa 53Againe in the same Prophet we read: Oblatus est quia ipse voluit. i. Esay. ibid.He was offered, because he him selfe so would. &c.

Then they tooke and bound him,Christ brought before Anna…. and brought him first to Annas father in law to Cayphas: who asking hym of his doctrine and of hys Disciples: he aūswered, that he neuer taught in corners, but openly in the sinagoge and in the temple, and therefore willed him to aske them that heard him. Whereat one of the Bishops seruantes, à parasite, à caitife, à swashbuckler, à rakehell, gaue hym à blow on the blessed cheeke, asking if he aunswered the Byshop so. To whom Christ againe mildly and coldly aunswered, saying: If I hauehave spoken ill beare witnesse of the ill: but if I hauehave spoken well, why smitest thou me? Frō Annas he was sent bound to Cayphas, Christ brought before Cayphas.where lying witnesse was brought against hym, that he should speake against the temple. Whereunto Christ helde hys peace. Then was he asked and adiured to tell thē true, whether he were Christ. To thys he spake: If I aunswere you, neither will ye credite me, neither if I aske you, ye will aunswere, nor yet let me goe. But this I tell you, ye shall see the sonne of man sitting on the right hand of the power of God. &c. VponUpon thys, after that the wretches had scorned, reuiled, and beaten hym about the head and face, & blindfolded hym, bidding hym prophecie who dyd smite him, they brought hym then ad brachium seculare, Christ committed to the secular power.that is, to Pilate the temporall iudge, in the Guildhall. Where were …de many accusations against him & neuer one true, that he was à seducer of the people, à teacher of new doctrine, and forbad tribute to be payde to Caesar, & made him selfe à king. Pilate then after certaine questions, hearing that he was of Galile, sent hym ouer to Herode: who thinking to heare some newes, or to see some straunge miracle, was glad to hauehave him. But when Christ would geue hym no aunswere, in derision he put hym in à long white robe, and sent hym againe vntounto Pilate.

Math. 27.Matt 27Then the Priestes and Seniours of the people gathered them selues againe in à great route to accuse hym before Pilate. False accusations against Christ.To whose accusations our blessed Sauiour holding his peace, gaue no word to aunswere. Pilate marueiling at hys silence, and perceauing no cause in hym worthy of p. 41death, & that all thys proceeded of wilfull malice, and also being admonished of hys wife to hauehave nothing adoe with him,Pilate sought meanes to deliuer Christ. sought meanes what he might, to deliuer hym. And forsomuch as the maner was for the iudge to geue the Iewes one of the prisoners toward the feast of Easter, he asked whether they would hauehave Iesus, or Barrabas the murderer.Barrabas taken and Iesus refused. They required Barrabas to be deliuered, crying, crucifige, crucifige, vponupon Iesus y^e sonne of y^e liuing God. And whē Pilate asked thē what he should do with their king, declaring y^t he found no cause of death in hym: they sayd, they would no king but Caesar, and if he let Iesus go, he was not Caesars frend. Whereupon Pilate for feare, seing he could no other do, called for water to wash hys handes, and so gaue Iesus to the will of the Iewes. Who then tooke Iesus,Christes blessed body scourged. and when they first had scourged hys blessed body, with as many stripes, ye may be sure, as y^e law would geue, which were xl. lacking one, then they tooke off hys coate, and put vponupon hym à scarlet paule, platting à sharpe crowne of thornes vponupon hys tender head, that the bloud came trickling downe, and put à roede in hys hand in stead of à scepter. Thē beganne the cursed Iewes againe, some to smite hym vponupon the head with à reede, some to spit vponupon hym, some to mocke & deride him, with scornfull kneeling and blasphemous rebukes,Sampson a figure of Christ. iesting and scoffing at him, as y^e Philistines did at Sampson the same day when hee whelmed the whole house vppon their heades, and slew them all:Iudic. 16.Judg 16 to fulfill the wordes of y^e Prophet Esay, which saith: VponUpon whom hauehave ye made your scornes and mockes, vponupon whom hauehave ye opened your blasphemous mouthes, and bleared out your tounges, you adulterous and sinnefull generation? Esay. 57.Esay. 57.Isa 57

Thus when the malicious multitude of the caitifes had takē their pleasure vponupon hym within the Yeldhall court, the soldiours then put off his purple attiere, and araying hym againe with his owne coate, led hym through the Citie with his Crosse on hys backe, toward the mount of Caluarie, till by the way hys body fainting vnderunder the burdē, they pressed one Symon of Cyrene, to helpe him with y^e crosse vp the hill: and so comming to the place of Caluarie, Christ crucified in Caluary.called Golgotha, after they had nailed hym hand and foote fast to the crosse, they lift hym vp betwene two theeues, one of the right hand, à blessed confessor, whose name we know not, we may call him saint theefe: the other on the left hand, à blasphemous wretch:

When they had all this done, which the good counsell of the Lord had preordeined, yet the cankered Iewes left hym not, but still continued in their furious malice, staring at him and rayling vppon him with all kinde of scornefull and opprobrious blasphemies, nodding their heads, and bidding him, now come downe from the crosse and saue thy selfe, thou that wouldest destroy the Temple of God, and in three dayes build it againe.Scorners of Christ. &c. thus spake they to fulfill the wordes of the Psalme, saying: All they stared vponupon me, and mocked me, Psal. 22.Ps 22they spake with their lippes, and nodded their heades. And what spake they with their lippes? p. 42He trusted (sayd they) in the Lord, Psal. 22.Ps 22now let him come and deliuer him: let him now come and saue him, if he do louelove him, and will hauehave him. &c. for so spake the Princes of the Priestes and Seniours of the people, saying: Others he saued, but him selfe he cā not saue. Math. 27.Matt 27If he be the king of Israel, let him now come downe from the Crosse and we will beleue in him. While the Iewes and the Priestes thus were scorning him, in the meane time y^e soldiours which crucified him, drew lottes for his coate, because it was seamelesse, and could not well be diuided, to fulfill y^e rest of the Psalme that followed, saying:Psal. 22.Ps 22 They parted my garmentes amongest them, and vponupon my coate they drew lottes. &c.

The paines & tormentes which this innocent Lambe of God sustained vponupon the Crosse were great, the rebukes and scornes which he abidde, were greater: but especially that which he suffered in spirite & soule was greatest of all, when as he not onelyonly in body decaying for weaknesse and bleeding,The greatest paine that Christ felt, was in his soule. but also in soule fainting with anguishe and discomfort, began to cry with à loude voyce: My God, my God, why hast thou forsakē me? seeming by these wordes to be in such à case, as happeneth to Gods childrē somtimes,Christ in discomfort of spirite. thinking with thēselues that God hath vtterly left and forsakē them: not that God did euer forsake his sonne Christ, but this was the voyce of his humanitie, teaching vsus not to thinke it straunge,Dispayring mindes may comfort them selues by the example of Christ. though our feeble hart do faint sometimes through dispayre or lacke of present comfort, as happeneth many times euen to the elect children of God.

After all this done, yet one thing lacked more to the fulfilling of the Scriptures & finishing of hys Martyrdome, which in y^e lxviij. Psalme was also prophecied of him in these wordes:Psal. 68.Ps 68 They gaue me galle for my meate, and whē I was dry, they gaue me vineger to drinke. &c. Which here happened also. For as Christ our Sauiour approching now to hys death, began to languishe in body, and to call for drinke,Math. 27. Iohn. 19.Matt 27John 19 saying: Sitio, there was à vessell of vineger not farre off, wherwith they filled à sponge, and so putting it vponupon à reede,Vinegar geuē to Christ to drinke. set it to his mouth to drinke. So little curtisie did Christ our Lord finde in his owne countrey among the Iewes, for all his so great miracles and benefites bestowed vponupon them, that in his thirst he could not obteine à cup of sweete water of them. So thirsty were they of his bloud, who was so thirsty of their saluation. Which bloudy cruelty of theirs cost them afterward full deare: as in the story of their destruction notoriously to all y^e world did appeare. Thus after the vineger was offered him, and he tasted à little therof, perceauing now all thinges to be finished, he sayd: Consummatū est: all now (said he) is finished,All thinges finished, that the Scriptures spake of Christes suffering. & so it was. For whatsoeuer was prefigured or prophecied in the Scriptures before of his suffering, was now accomplished. First that he should be solde to y^e hands of his enemies. For as Ioseph was sold by Iudas to y^e Aegyptians: so was he to y^e Phariseis. Dauid was persecuted of his own children and seruantes: so was Christ. As Dauid said Surgitae, eamus hinc: the same wordes spake Christ in y^e garden. That he should come sitting vponupon an Asse poore & humble: p. 43so did he. That his frends should all forsake him: so did his Disciples. That he should be falsely accused: so was he. That he should be scourged and wounded for our iniquities: it came to passe. The slaying of y^e Easter Lābe declared that he should die an innocent at Easter: and so did he. The rosting of the Lambe declared y^e hote iudgement of God vponupon him for our sinnes: he felt no lesse. Sampson was scorned & derided of his enemies: but what followed? Sampson being thus derided, ouerthrew the house, and did more hurt to them, and profite to his people by his death, then by all his life before: euen so did Christ. In Esay it was prophecied of his beating about the face & chekes: so it came to passe. In the Psalmes it was foreshewed of goring hys handes and his feete, of telling all his bones, of nodding their heades, of their opprobrious mockes, of diuiding hys garment, of geuing him bitter vineger. In Zachary it was prophecied, that the day also should be darkned vntill euening: and so it was. All these things being now complete, which belonged to y^e paines of his bitter passion, and that Christ our heauenly Sauiour perceaued now nothing to lacke more to the fulfilling of our redemption, immediatly vponupon the same, commended his spirite to his fathers handes with à mighty cry, and so letting downe his head, gaue vp the ghost.

But before I come to this finall closing vp of his life, let vsus first heare and see, how Christ thus hanging and silent vponupon the Crosse, beginneth hys victory, to cast out the prince of thys worlde, and what he sayth vntounto him, though not in open speach, yet in effect of spirite, and power of hys passion. For this we must vnderstand, that y^e drift and purpose of Christes death was not to fight with man,Christ came not to wrastle with man, but against the deuill for man. nor to wrastle against flesh and bloud. No, no, rather he fought for man, and prayed for thē that crucified him, saying: Father forgeue them, they know not what they do. Luke. 23.Luke 23His comming and wrastling was against an other sort, against them that were stronger then man, against the principates and potestates, and rulers of darknesse of thys world, against the spirituall subtill Serpent, the old Dragon the deuill. Who when he had done and ended his vtmost tyranny & violence against him: then Christ y^e puissant Conqueror, where the deuill and the world had finished, there beginneth now to worke, reasoning with the deuill in this effect of wordes:

Prosopopoia.Now art thou taken (thou foule feend) and fastened in thine owne snares. Thou proud Goliath, The Oration of Christ hanging vponupon the Crosse, to the Deuill.which thoughtest no man in all Israell able to match thee, now hast thou found in Israell à man after fleshe able not onelyonly to match thee, but also to ouermatch thee, who with thine owne sword shall strike off thine owne head. Thou hast digged à pitte, and hast fallen into it thy self, and that worthily. See whether thy wilinesse ioyned with crueltie hath brought thee? So long hast thou raged and raigned (thou foule spirite) in the world, which hath bene long vnderunder thy tyrāny, in most miserable thraldome, not for any iust impery thou hadst of thy selfe ouer them, but for their p. 44wretched sinnes which deserued such à cruell tyranne to be set ouer thē.The sinne of man, made the deuill strong. Their wickednesse made thee strōg, not thy worthinesse. Seing they were not content at the first beginning to be gouerned by their creator which made them, he iustly gaue thē such à gouernour as they deserued, to scourge & plague thē, for their vniust rebellion. And now, because thou hast had such dominion & vsed such tyranny ouer thē at thy pleasure, & none able hetherto to resiste thee: thou thoughtest therfore to practise y^e like violence & tyranny vponupon my poore flesh also, & hast done what thou canst against me.

First, after my byrth thou diddest set Herode to persecute me: thou temptedst me in the desert. What meanes afterward diddest thou seeke to trippe and snare me? Yet my time was not come. At length when the hower came of darknesse, thou diddest take and binde me, and set thy bandogges to baire me; false witnesses to accuse me, vniust iudges to condemne me, thy ministers to scourge me, thy soldiours with thys sharpe garland to crowne me, thy sycophantes to scorne me, and after thou laydest thys heauy crosse vponupon my shoulders, yet not content with that, thou hast strayned also my poore body vponupon the same, and nailed me fast both hand and foote.The crueltie of Sathan against Christ. In these my tormentes & bleeding paines I was dry, requiring à little drinke, and thou gauest me vinegar. All this I take to be thy doing, and no mans els. For thys people are but thy instrumentes, and workmen. Thou art he that settest thē on. Thou art the master of these reuels, the ringleader of this daunce, the captaine of this crew. And as thou art the Archenemye to all mankinde, so because thou seest me come in similitude of sinnefull flesh, thou art mine enemy also, and hast wrought me all this villany, bringing me to this crosse, and making me à spectacle here to all the world: and yet not satisfied with all this, after thou hast thus hayled and nailed me to this contumelious gibbet, now to make amendes, in mockery thou biddest me come downe if I can, and saue me selfe. Yes Sathan, I can come downe, and will come down, and saue me selfe. For that power hauehave I, both to lay downe my selfe, and to take it againe, and therfore I will saue me selfe, but so as I may also saue all mankinde with me: and not at thy pleasure I will doe it, but in such order as the Scriptures require. For I come therfore, to fulfill the Scriptures.

And seing all this is now fulfilled that belongeth to my passion, and that thou hast done what thy vttermost malice can, now where thou doest end, there will I beginne to shewe what I will and cā do. And forsomuch as thou hast thus fastned my body to this crosse, I aske thee now Sathan, what hauehave I offended, or what cause haddest thou to do this vntounto me? Behold this body, with all the members therof: here is my mouth, what guile or blasphemye did euer passe these lippes?Non est dolus in ore eius. Esa. 53.Isa 53 My tounge, as it hath bene euer talking of heauenly thinges, and preaching the will and message of my heauenly father, ready to instruct and exhort all men, so what idle or angry worde p. 45did it euer vtter, when did it euer speake euill of any, or defame any creature, or flatter with the truth at any time? What cōcupiscence came euer in these eyes of mine, or lust into my hart? My handes, which hauehave alwaies bene stretched forth to doe all mē good, thou hast here stretched vponupon the tree:Christ in all partes of his body and soule Innocent. and what hauehave these handes euer committed? though I hauehave bene stricken, when did they euer offer to strike any? They hauehave washed poore mens feete, they hauehave touched and healed foule Lepers. What harme hauehave they done to any, either man or childe? Whose goods did they euer spoyle? what bribe or bribes came euer within these fingers? My weary feete likewise thou hast nailed to the crosse, which neuer stept to any euill, nor walked in any wicked way, but alwayes hauehave bene occupied, trauailing in my fathers arrant, & in my appointed vocation, ready to runne and goe both day and night to succour my neighbours, sparing no trauaile, frō place to place, from citie to citie, to set forth Gods glory, and to call all men to the kingdome of life, continually laboring à foote without easemēt either of horse or mule, saue onelyonly à little before my passion (to fulfill y^e Scriptures) I vsed the helpe of à sely Asse, to ease me into the citie. Frō my feete go to my head, which thou hast so sharply pearced with à crowne of thorne. What hath this head committed or deuised that might turne either to the dishonour of God, or disprofite of my neighbour? Briefly, from toppe to toe what part findest thou in all my body that deserued thus to be handled? From my bodily partes, goe further to the inward motions & affections of the minde: search me both within and without. What pride, disdaine, hate, enuie, malice, hypocrisie, vaineglory, selfeloue, did euer sturre in me? did I not humble and debase my selfe alwayes vnderunder all men? Examine my whole life to the precise lawe of God, and search me body and soule, if I hauehave not in body and some, honoured my Lorde my God with body and soule, with all my hart, and my whole strength, if I hauehave taken his name in vaine, if I hauehave not sanctified the Sabbath day, if I hauehave not honoured my father and my mother,Obediens vsus{que} ad mortem, mortem autem crucis. Phil. 2.Phil 2 obeying my father to the death, euen to the death of the crosse, if I hauehave not euer loued my neighbour as my selfe, yea better then my selfe, if I euer lusted after my neighbours house, his wife, his Oxe, Asse, or any thing he hath, if I hauehave not euer done to others as I woulde be done to my selfe. &c.

When thou temptedst me in the desert, did I euer yelde to thy suggestiōs? HaueHave not I alwaies resisted thee? Come, search (I say) and ransacke my whole life, summon à Parlament of all thy wicked spirites, call also thy Scribes & Pharaseis vntounto thee, try & spy all my workes, thoughtes, cogitations,Quis ex vobis arguit me de peccato… Ioan. 8.John 8 wordes, and doinges. This I say to thee and to eueryevery of them: which of you all can charge me with any sinne? Which if thou cāst do, then mayest thou iustly bring me to this cōfusion, and holde me in this death: for the reward of sinners, by the law, is death. But if thou canst finde p. 46no such thing in me (as thou canst not) wherin to charge me, either to do that was against y^e lawe,Venit princeps mundi huius & in me non habet quicquam. Ioan. 14.John 14 or Gods law to commaund any iote that I hauehave not fully obserued: then is it no right, neither will I suffer either thee or death to holde that, which belongeth not to you, but iustly will deliuer me selfe out of the thraldome of death, & not onelyonly me self, but also wil deliuer thē out of prison of death,Vt educas de carcere vinctum, de domo carceris sedentes in tenebris. Esa. 42.Isa 42 whom thou hast hetherto captiued, and letting thē out, thee onelyonly will I chaine vp in death and darknesse, as à transgressour of Gods holy lawe, because the law of God iustly cōmitteth to death them that be transgressors. The law sayth:Exod. 20. and 21. Math. 5.Exod 20Matt 5 Thou shalt not kill. and he that striketh and killeth, shall be giltie of iudgement. &c. And here thou hast persecuted, and laide handes vpō me, which am giltlesse, and most vniustly hast shedde innocent bloud. See, Sathan, whether thy greedinesse hath brought thee. So greedy wast thou to deuoure all men, that now thou hast swallowed one bone or morsell that shall choke thee, and make thee picke vp againe all that euer thou hast eaten before.

Remēbrest thou not how Adam our old progenitor,Presumption of Adam. Presumgtion of Sathan.hauing all the fruite and the whole orchard of Paradise at his will, was not therwith content, but nedes would reach his hand to the tree, which onelyonly was forbidden: and by that one lost all the other, and deserued death for his disobedience? No lesse was it forbiddē thee by iustice, finding no cause in me, to murder me vponupon this tree, which is ordained for the giltie, and not the innocent. And therfore for thy vnlawfull greedinesse shalt thou be rewarded with the same price as he was.If Adam were expelled Paradise for tasting the tree of life, much more is Sathan to be expelled from his possession, for murdering the author of life. For it is no reason, that he which was seduced by thee, should be punished: and thou which was both the author of his falling, & now found giltie of the like transgression thy selfe shouldest escape vnpunished. As Adam therfore being Lord of Paradise, lost all he had for presuming vpō one fruite forbidden, so because thou hauing authoritie geuen vponupon all sinners, hast now likewise presumed vponupon one that is no sinner, hast forfeited ipso facto, to me all thine authoritie which thou haddest before: so that henceforth I discharge all wretched sinners from thy iurisdiction, and the power of death, whosoeuer come to me.

The prince of this world shall be cast out. Iohn. 12.John 12Auoyde therfore, thou cruell murderer: surrender thy holde out of thy possession: let go thy captiues: yeld from thee the bill of debt, wherewith thou hast them indebted to my father & condemned vntounto death:Princeps mundi huius iam indicatus est. Ioan. 16.John 16 whō now I here discharge, and receaue for my people, and set them free for euer. And lest thou shouldest thinke me herein to doe thee any wrong, or to doe more then I may, I would therfore thou shouldest well know, sathā, that neither I will here procede with thee by my absolute power (as I might by reason of my diuine nature, which I hauehave vnited here to my humanitie: for that were but to ouercome thee by me selfe, for me selfe): neither yet by mere mercy will saue sinners from thee, but by plaine iustice and order of law I will proceede with thee, and in my manhode I will conquere thee, not for me selfe, but for man, because in my manhode I hauehave p. 47satisfied the debt of all mākinde. Which being discharged, then good right it is y^t the bookes should be cancelled, so y^t thou shalt hauehave no more claime nor title to them, neither thou, nor y^e law neither. For this cause I tooke this nature of man vppon me, & came in similitude of sinfull flesh,Christ in his manhode payeth all the debtes of man to the law. suffering thee all this while to worke thy extremitie against me, not that I needed for mine owne part to hauehave fallen into thy hand, except I would: but for their sake, because I would cleare them out of all debt, whom thou haddest in durance.

Now therfore, whatsoeuer it is that they owe to my father, or to his lawe, here I offer me selfe bound, to aunswere by the law the vttermost farthing for them. If their bodies hauehave offended almighty God, my body here maketh amendes: if their soules be vnpure, my soule maketh à recompense: if the lawe require life for life, bloud for bloud, head for head, eye for eye, tooth for tooth,Math. 5. Leuit. 24. Deut. 19. Exod. 21.Matt 5Lev 24Deut 19Exod 21 hand for hand, foote for foote, I set my life, my bloud, my head, eye, tooth, hart, hand, foote, and eueryevery member of my body for theirs. For what member in all my body is it, that thou hast not tormented? And though thou hast iustly condemned them, and death deseruedly hath slaine them, yet I being wrongfully cōdemned of thee, do here abandon thy iust condemnation. And because their deserued death also shall be dissolued,Death destroyed by death. as I hauehave payed all other debtes, so will I also pay the debt of death and lay downe my life for them. Which being done, neither shalt thou, nor death, nor the law hauehave any more interest vponupon them. For as by disobedience of one, all his posteritie comming after him were worthily condemned to death:Rom. 5.Rom 5 so by the same iustice it is conuenient, that by my obedience all my posteritie, that is, all they which ishue out of me, by spirituall regeneration of fayth and Baptisme, should be partakers of my life.

After this effect of speach whē Iesus had spoken to the deuill, speaking likewise vntounto death, he sayth to him:An other Oration of Christ, hanging vponupon the Crosse, to death. And thou terrible tyranne, thou dreadfull death, armed with the iustice of God, the mortall enemy to all flesh, whom no mā was euer yet able to resiste, & which art so ready here and so sawcy, set vp by Sathan, to secke my life, neither shalt thou escape my handes. For as thou art the destruction of all other, so wil I be thy destruction,I will be thy death, O death. Ose. 13.Hos 13 thy death O death, thy sting O hell: And as I hauehave ouerthrowen the deuill, thy master, and expulsed him from his kingdome, and spoyled him of all hys munitions:From death I will redeeme them. Ose. 13.Hos 13 so will I also swallow thee vp in victory, & throw thee downe headlong for euer. And albeit I nede not to suffer thy force vnlesse I liste,He shall ouerthrow death for euer. Esa. 25.Isa 25 for mine owne part, because thou hast no power vponupon me, and might therefore saue me selfe frō thy cruell daunger if I would: yet for my louelove to mākinde, because their life shall not perishe whom my death may saue, and because I will not saue me selfe without thē, but will deliuer them out of thy handes, for their sakes, to pay their debt, and that by my crosse vndeserued I may crosse them out of the booke of death, which hauehave deserued death I am content: p. 48come death therefore, and do thine office, I willingly here yelde my life to thee. And yet neither will I yelde it to thy handes, nor geue it ouer at thy pleasure. And although thou come here with thine iron coulter or brasen maull to breake my bones, as thou doest to these here by me,Exod. 12.Exod 12 yet will I not suffer thee so to do to me, neither shalt thou breake one bone of me. To fulfill the Scripture, I geue ouer my life: yet not at thy will, but at mine owne pleasure. For be it knowen to thee, O death, that I hauehave power to lay downe my life,Iohn. 10.John 10 and to resume it againe at mine owne will. And thus Iesus speaking, bowed down hys head, and gaue vp hys spirite to the handes of hys father, and so departed.

And now, lest ye should thinke these wordes of Christ aboue recited to be inuented of me, per fictionem rhetoricam, and not confirmed rather, per Scripturam authenticam, ye shall heare what the Lord Iesus himself speaketh out of the Prophetes and out of the Euangelistes and hys holy Apostles, and what the vertue of hys passion dayly speaketh in our hartes by hys holy spirite. First ye read in S. Iohn, what Christ our Sauiour speaking of Sathan, sayth:Iohn. 14.John 14 The prince of this world commeth, and in me he hath nothing. &c. meaning that Sathan was comming to lay handes vponupon hym and had no lawfull cause so to do. And therefore because he without lawfull cause would presume to set vponupon him, we read what followeth after in the same Euangelist:Iohn. 16.John 16 Now (sayth the Lord) is the prince of this world iudged. &c. And in an other place: Now (sayth Christ) is the iudgement of this world, Iohn. 12.John 12now the prince of this world shall be cast out. &c. Also in an other place:Iohn. 12.John 12 Whē the sonne of man (sayth our Sauiour) shall be lifted vp, I will drawe all thinges to me selfe. Luke. 11.Luke 11&c. And in S. Luke he sayth: Whē a strong armed man watcheth his house, all is in peace which he possesseth: but when a stronger then he commeth and ouercommeth him, he taketh from him his munition wherein he trusted, and diuideth his goods. &c. In the third of Genesis we read also,Gene. 3.Gen 3 that the seede of the woman should breake the Serpentes head. Furthermore, when we read the wordes of Moses to Pharao, Exod. 8.9. and 10.Exod 8:9Exod 8:10although it be in other persons, yet therein is represented and shadowed to vsus the very proceeding and working of Christ our spirituall deliuerer, against the spirituall Pharao, the great prince of thys world the Deuill.

And here an end of Christes sorrowful paines. After whose death,Christes hart pearced with a speare. the cruell tormentors setting à sharpe speare to his side, thrust it to hys tender hart,Bloud & water issuing out of Christes side. frō which eftsones streamed out bloud and water, to fill vp y^e full raūsome of our redemptiō. And thus hauehave ye the whose course of Christes blessed passion briefly runne ouer, with the principall partes and circumstaunces thereof. Wherin hath bene noted to you his selling, his binding and handling, his hailing and tossing to and fro, first to Annas, then to Cayphas, then to Pilate, frō Pilate to Herode, from Herode to Pilate againe, from Pilate to the Guildhall, from the Hall to the barre, where he was falsely accused, from the barre to the post and piller, where he was cruelly p. 49scourged, from the piller through the Citie, from the Citie to the mount, from the mount vp to the racke of the Crosse, where no drop of bloud was left in all hys body. What tormentes of death were lacking? what misery could be added more then that he in his passion sustained? Here were whippes and scourges, prickes & thornes,A briefe sūme of Christes tormentes described. cordes and ropes, buffet & blowes, mockes and mowes, railing and reuiling, hammer and nailes, crosse and gibbet, thirst & vinegar, reed and speare, with such like tortures and other panges of hys Innocent passion, foreign, to vse the wordes of Nazianzene: these were the instrumentes of our redemptiō. All these he most paciently for our sakes suffered in hys blessed body. Which though they be now past in him, yet is it good for vsus euer to hauehave thē still in fresh minde and memory, not onelyonly thys good friday,The memory of Christes passion necessary for eueryevery Christen man. but eueryevery day, both dayly and hourely: Wherby we may learne dayly to suppresse this proud fleshe of ours, and so to crucifie with him our croked affections. For what fleshe now can well be proude, beholding our Lord and Sauiour so poore on y^e crosse? or who will set by the world, that seeth the world to be such an extreme enemye to the sonne of God our redemer? and not onelyonly to him, but also to all his members to hym belonging? Or what soule hauing any sparke of grace, can now geue him selfe ouer to sinne, considering thys terrible iudgement and seueritie of God vponupon hys owne naturall and onelyonly begottē sonne, for our sinnes, which sinnes otherwise could not be cleared, but by such à deare price, that is, by the hart bloud of such à glorious person. But of this inough, which rather would be mused vponupon in your hartes, then amplified in wordes.

Hauing thus past ouer the paines and punishmentes of Christ,The third part. to procede now to the third and last part of my text, it remaineth further to entreate next of the glorious triumph of our Sauiour,The triumph of Christ beginneth. which consequently folowed after his death. Touching which death of hys, many thinges are singularly therein to be considered,Christes death wonderfull aboue the course of nature. or rather to be wondred at, which passe the course of all nature and example of all other. For to all other men so commonly it happeneth, be they neuer so victorious conquerours in thys life, that when death commeth, it conquereth them, and maketh an end of all their triumphes. Who leaue all behind thē, and cary nothing with them, but are caried them selues to nothing: but in this death of Christ all is contrary.Difference betwene y^e death of Christ, and of all other persons. For here death is turned to life, extreme contempt to aeternall glory, pouerty to riches, misery to felicitie, life endeth, & yet life beginneth: death conquereth, and is conquered: that which is wont to be the end to all other, is to him à new beginning. Where other men leaue the world, there beginneth he his raigne and kingdome: that which casteth other men down, setteth him in hys triumphe. Such à glorious thing was death to him, which is so miserable to all other: and not to him alone glorious, but by hym also glorious to vsus all: so that of one death riseth à double victory, à double triumph. He ouercommeth, p. 50and we ouercome: he triumpheth,In Christes death a double victory conteined. & we triumph: he by him selfe, & we by him. And though he ouercommeth alone, yet he ouercommeth not for him selfe alone, but for vsus. For in his victory consisteth our victory: in his righteousnesse standeth out righteousnesse, according to the wordes of S. Paule: 2. Cor. 5.2 Cor 5That we might be made the righteousnesse of God by him. &c.

Of thys glorious victory of Christ after hys death, the Scripture in many places recordeth, as in the Gospell of S. Luke: Luke. 24.Luke 24So it behoued (sayth he) that Christ should suffer, and afterward to enter into his glory. &c. And what glory this is, S. Paule to the Philippians sheweth: where after he had first set forth the great humilitie of his obediēce: to death, & to the death of the Crosse, proceeding then further & wondering at his exaltation, sayth: Wherefore God hath exalted him, Phil. 2.Phil 2and geuen him a name aboue all names, The exaltation of Christ after his death.that in the name of IESVS should eueryevery knee bowe, both of thinges in heauen, and thinges in earth, and thinges vnderunder the earth, and that all tounges should confesse, that Iesus Christ is the Lord, vntounto the glory of God the father. &c.

Of hys kingdome also and of his power,The kingdome of Christ. following after his passion, thus we read in the Euangelistes:Math. 3.Matt 3 Repent and amend (sayth Iohn Baptist) for the kingdome of heauen draweth nere. &c. And in the x. of S. Mathew, & in the x. of S. Luke, where Christ speaking to hys Disciples, biddeth them go forth and preach, saying:Math. 10. Luke. 10.Matt 10Luke 10 The kingdome of heauen draweth nere. &c. Againe, speaking to his disciples, he telleth thē that he would not drinke of that vinegrape, Math. 26.Matt 26till he dranke again with them in the kingdome of his father. &c. Math. 26. Or while the kingdome of God were come. Luk. 22. Luke. 22.Luke 22Which kingdome first began at y^e crosse.

The power of Christ after his death.Likewise speaking of power geuē to him, that is, to his humanitie, he sayth: All power is geuē to me in heauen & earth. Math. 28.Matt 28&c. Againe: All thinges be geuen to me of my father. Luke. 10.Luke 10&c. Againe, in an other place he confesseth, that the father hath geuē all iudgement to his sonne. Ioh. 5. Iohn. 5.John 5Also, that his father had geuen vntounto him power of all fleshe. Ioh. 17. Iohn. 17.John 17And I will draw all thinges to my selfe. &c. Ioh. 12. Iohn. 12.John 12All which places are to be vnderstand, not absolutely in respect of his diuinitie, but of his humanitie, not as he is foreign: but as he is foreign, God and man, or God in man, God clothed with man, ij. natures in one person vnited, so is this power geuen him. Wherby who soeuer now will be saued,The person of Christ is he in whom now standeth all saluation. must come to him: Who soeuer will come to the father must come by him who not onelyonly is the way to life, but is both the way and life. As there was no corne to be had in all the countreyes about Aegypt, Comparison betwene Ioseph & Christ, the brasē Serpent & Christ, the Temple, and the body of Christ.but onelyonly by the handes of Ioseph, who after long affliction was so highly exalted: so is there no grace, nor life, no remission, no holy Ghost now to be looked for, but at the handes of this our crucified Ioseph. He is the brasen Serpent, which onelyonly healeth y^e Serpentes woundes. He is that holy temple, where God onelyonly is to be found and worshipped, and no where els.No helping nor hearing God without Christ. Without him there is no hearing God, no helping God, no God for vsus at all. He that seeketh and searcheth any naked God without this God clothed in man, wadeth as in the p. 51Occean Sea where he findeth no bottome. This I speake for causes. Some such I see, which seeme to professe à certaine forme of Religion, sed non secundū Christū Iesum, or as S. Paul saith, non tenentes caput, that is, not holding the head. And although nothing be more intolerable to mans nature, then God in his naked, vnmensurable, and incomprehensible maiestie,Vide Luther. in Epistolam ad Galat. as Mart. Luther truely sayth: yet some such there be phantastically spirited, which setting Christ à side, & walking in their mirabilibus super…, wander in their speculatiue contemplations they can not tell whether, thinking to finde out à God to saue thē by their owne workes and seruice, which they shall neuer finde. So the Iew thinketh to be saued by the lawe of Moses the Turke by his Alcoran the Papist by his good deedes: The Monke & Feier by his workes of perfection. Wherin they are all deceaued. So farre is it off that there is any sauing God without Christ,An horrible thing once to thinke of God without Christ. that it is an horrible thing (to vse the wordes of Luther) to thinke of God w^tout Christ.

Whosoeuer therefore hath to deale with God for his iustification, saluation, remission of sinnes, and life euerlasting, let him straine his braine no further with climing speculations, but humbly seeke & come to this incarnate God, Christ Iesus crucified, God dwelling in man, clothed with mā, Mediator betwene God & man, the naturall sonne of God, & naturall sonne of à virgine, done of our bones, & flesh of our fleshe, and there begin hys saluation (as Luther well teacheth) where Christ beginneth his incarnation, and fall down at the manger,Vide Luther. in Epistol. ad Galat. fol. 27. & at the lappe of the virgin, where thys childe lieth, & there behold this blessed sonne, geuen to vsus, borne for vsus, sucking, growing, conuersant here in middle earth, teaching, preaching, bleeding, dying, rising againe, ascending aboue all heauens, hauing full power aboue all thinges. And no doubt but this child shall beare him our, and bring him at length where he shall see face to face. In the meane season; let vsus anker here in this hauen, where we shall find rest and safe harborow, and beware we … no further nor lower, but onelyonly to this crucified person, except we go in his name, and be sure to take him with vsus where soeuer we go. If he be our king, whether then cā the subiect go further then to his liege prince and soueraigne? If he be our shepheard, whether can the wādering sheepe seeke but to his pastor? Whether should the desolate conscience flie but to hys owne Bishop: Who is the glory to the wife, but the husband? Where can the member looke for succour, but at the head? Or what is it that we can lacke, either in heauen or earth, but this our head, our husband, our Bishop, our pastor, our prince and king is able to supply?No flying but only to Christ. When the people of Aegypt fainted for hunger, and sought for corne, yet when they had all done, at length they were all sent to Ioseph to be serued.Coloss 2.Col 2 In illo estis cōpleti. i. In him ye are all complete, sayth S. Paule, as though he would say:All fulnesse in Christ to supply our necessities. there is nothing in all the world lacking to your necessities, but in him ye hauehave it fully & perfectly. If ye would hauehave grace, peace, mercy, quietnesse of cōscience, forgeuenesse p. 52of sinnes, spirituall comfort, giftes of the holy Ghost, resurrection, the fauour of God, reconciliation, heauen, & life euerlasting, he hath it in hys owne handes to geue you:Coloss. 1.Col 1 Quia in ipso cōplacuit omnem plenitudinem inhabitare. i. For in him it hath pleased God that all fulnesse should dwell, fayth S. Paule. And thus briefly ye hauehave heard to what power and glory Christ our Sauiour is now aduaunced, after his death and ignominious passion.

Now of his victory & triumph à worde or two.The triumph of Christ after his death. Albeit I am somwhat wery, and hauehave made you wery also I feare with long standing: yet were it pitie that such heauenly matter comming now to hand, should passe vntouched. In worldly victories and great triumphes, when any famous act is done, or prowes atchiued, y^e Captaine is wont to bring ante currum triumphalem, some notable spoyle, or certaine of hys principall enemies subdued by him for à spectacle to the people. So Iudith brought y^e head of Holofernes, Comparison betwene the triumphe of Christ, and of other conquerours.Dauid brought the head and sworde of Goliath into Hierusalem. Augustus brought signa parthica into the Citie of Rome. Sapores king of Persia brought Valerian the Emperour in à golden cage. Of diuers other famous and triumphant victories we read in stories: as of Alexander in subduing the Barbarrians, Themistocles in repelling the Persians, Emilius the Macedonians, Scipio the sonne of Emilius against Anniball, & the Numantians, Pompeius against the Armenians and Asians, Caesar against Pompeius, Lucullus against Mithridates, Marcellus against the Scicilians and Carthaginians, with diuers mo. But amongest all victorious stratagemes, & triumphes, neuer was nor neuer shall be any to be compared with this glorious conquest of Christ our Sauiour, which excedeth all triumphes that euer were, so farre as the enemies whom he subdued, were exceding in strength aboue all enemies that mā either did or euer could ouercome. For y^e enemies whom those valiant warriers by violence and force of soldiours oppressed, though they were able in armes, yet were they but men, and such as might be ouercome by mē. But these ouer whom this our conquerer triumphed, were such aduersaries,The triumph of Christ against the deuill and death. as conquered euen the conquerers them selues, yea all conquerers that euer were: whom no flesh could withstand, no sword represse, no policie auoyde. And these hath he vanquished, not by ayde of any creature, but onelyonly by him selfe fighting alone.

Of the which aduersaries, the first was y^e spirituall great Goliath the deuill, the mighty Monarch of this world: the other was death the capitall enemy to all flesh & bloud. Of whose most happy ouerthrow, partly I hauehave touched before.

Besides these & with these commeth an other great enemy, or rather greater then they, which being called in Scripture, Inimicitia, or Ira dei, Gods heauy wrath or hatred,Gods wrath ceassed by the death of Christ. was à sore and intolerable aduersary to man: whom thys worthy captaine likewise put to flight & slew. And how? By his Crosse, that is, in being slaine him selfe. Wherof we read in Scripture thus:Ephe. 2.Eph 2 Per crucem reconciliauit nos deo, interficiens inimicitias in semetipso. p. 53i. By his Crosse he hath reconciled vsus to God, killing enmitie or wrath in him selfe.

With this wrath,The triumph of Christ against Sinne, or rather before this wrath and hatred of God, cōmeth an other strong enemie called sinne, with à cruell company of deadly aduersaries waiting vponupon him, as Hell,Hell, Damnation,Damnation, desperation,Desperation, destructiō, expulsion,Expulsion, the worme of conscience, thraldome, captiuitie,Captiuitie, malediction,Malediction. of which malediction, first we read in Genesis: Cursed be the earth for thy sake. Gene. 3.Gen 3With toyle & great labour thou shalt feede thereof, and get thy bread with the sweate of thy face, till thou returne to the earth againe frō whence thou camest, for earth thou art, and to earth thou shalt. &c. Againe, of thys malediction we read: Deut 28. Deut. 28.Deut 28Cursed be thou in the Citie, cursed in the field, cursed be all that thou hast and possessest. Cursed be thou, The manifolde maledictions belonging to man in this life.and all thine ofspring. &c. with à number of other miserable calamities, which not onelyonly we may read in that chapter pronounced against vsus, but dayly may feele by experience working in vsus. Wherof ensue all these hard distresses and heapes of infinite miseries, slauery, oppression vnderunder tyrānous persecutors, plagues, murders, warres, daungers by land, daungers by water, daungers by all elementes, seruitude, penury, prisonmentes, casualties, ruines, aduersities, iniuries, feares, cares, hartbreakinges, hartburninges, cruell handlinges, painfull sufferinges, sighes and sorrowes, losses, greuaunces, afflictions of body, afflictions of spirit: and who is able to recite all the effectes of Gods malediction layde vponupon man for sinne? All which heapes and multitudes of wofull malediction, the death of this our Lorde and soueraigne hath dissolued and dispatched, triumphing by him selfe ouer them all: according to the wordes of S. Paule: Gal. 3. Galat. 3.Gal 3Christ to redeeme vsus from the curse of the law, was made for vsus accursed, that the blessing of Abrahā might come vponupon the Gentiles, through Christ Iesus. &c.

Besides these triumphes & valiant conquestes of Christ our Sauiour aboue specified, remaineth an other triumph, as glorious as all the rest, against à mighty, à sore & à stoute enemy, of whom all our enemies toke their force. This enemy was of so great effect, & diuine authoritie, that so long as he raigned ouer vsus, neither could we be safe for him: nor yet was it in our power by any meanes to auoyde him from vsus. But before I beginne to speake of this enemy, I will first here play Ioseph ab Arimathea, and reuerendly take down the body of our Lorde from the Crosse and lay him in his sepulchre,Christ taken downe and buried. till ye shall heare of hym within these iij. dayes more againe.

And here now hauing taken down the crucified body of Iesus frō the Crosse, to occupy your eyes, and to delite your mindes, I entend, by the grace of Christ crucified,A new Crucifixe set vp at Paules Crosse. to set vp here in Paules Crosse, or rather in Christes Crosse, an other Crucifixe, à new Crucifixe, à new Roode vntounto you, à Crucifixe that may do all Christen hartes good to behold.The strength of the Law. This Crucifixe is he that crucified all mākinde, and hath brought many à man to the gallowes, to the Crosse, to the gibbet, and at last crucified Christ our Sauiour also. So seuere was p. 54he, that he spared none: so strong, being armed with Gods iustice & iudgement, that none could escape him. And now shall ye see him hanged vp,The triumph of Christ ouer the law. and crucified him self: the meryest and most happiest sight, that euer came to man. Lift vp your heades therefore (O ye faythfull of y^e Lord) with ioyfull thankes vntounto God: and as ye lamented euē now in beholding the innocent sonne of God wrongfully crucified, and sore tormented vpō the Crosse: so now reioyce as much in beholding this new Crucifixe, which before was à crucifier and à iudge, but now both iudged and crucified him selfe, to all your comfortes. Ye muse peraduēture and maruell what great Crucifixe this should be: and no doubt à great Crucifixe it is, and therfore required à great crucifier, & so he had: both great cōquerours, and both them selues crucified, howbeit not of like greatnesse, nor of like cōdition:The Sonne of God: The Law of God, both crucified. the one our Sauiour, the other our condemner: the one for à few houres crucified, the other for euer: the one wrōgfully, the other iustly put to y^e crosse: the one of hys owne mere will, the other of mere force & by conquest. Of the one I hauehave preached vntounto you already, which is Christ Iesus crucified: Of the other S. Paule now shall tell you.

His name is the law of cōmaundementes: called otherwise foreign: wherof ye shall heare what S. Paul speaketh both in the Epistle to y^e Ephes. and also the Coloss. cap. 2. Ephe 2. Coloss. 2.Eph 2Col 2This law (sayth he) of cōmaundementes, or Gods handwriting that was against vsus in decrees, he hath made voide, Crucifyinge of the Law.abolished, and hath affixed to his crosse, & spoyling principates and potestates, hath made an open shew of thē, triumphing ouer them openly in him selfe. Col. 2. And thus hauehave ye vponupon one Crosse ii.Two Crucifixed vponupon one Crosse. Crucifixes, ij. most excellent potentates that euer were, the sonne of God, and the law of God, wrastling together about mans saluation, both cast down and both slaine vpō one Crosse, howbeit not after like sort. First the sonne of God was ouerthrowen, and tooke the fall, not for any weaknesse in him selfe, but was cōtented to take the foyle for our victory. By thys fall, the law of God in casting him down, was cast in his owne trippe and forgot him selfe. For where the law sayth: he that doth the commaundementes shall liue in them, Christ kept the law and yet contrary to the law, liued not in it. Therefore as it was against all order of Iustice and law,The lawe a transgressor in the condemnatiō of Christ. that he should be cōdemned, which neuer knew any sinne: so stoode it with good iustice, that the law which offended in condemning the innocent, shoulde forfeite hys right to him whom he wrongfully had offended. Wherupon in conclusion it folowed, that the law which before was holy, profitable, immaculate, & necessary, being now found à transgressor, must needes geue place to à holier person, which neuer transgressed,The law crucified to the Crosse of Christ. and so rightly was taken as giltie and culpable, and fast nailed hand and foote vntounto the Crosse: according as we read in S. Paules wordes: The lawe condemnatory which was written against vsus in commaundementes, he cancelled, and affixed to his Crosse, triumphing in him selfe. &c. Coloss. 2.Coloss. 2.Col 2

Where is to be vnderstand in crucifying thys lawe of God, not that the commaundementes of p. 55God are now crucified and abolished, so that they are now not to be obeyed or practised of vsus any more. S. Paul sayth not, that y^e commaundements of Gods law be crucified, but the handwriting that was against vsus in commaundements to be crucified. &c. meaning therby the curse, malediction, or cōdemnation of the law to be extinguished: so that the cōmaundements of God though they teach what is to be done, yet they condemne not them that be in Christ Iesu: and though they beare rule in the body so long as it liueth here: yet they rule not ouer the conscience to condemnation. For therefore was Christ made accursed for vsus, to redeme vsus frō the curse of the law &c. Gal. 3. Galat. 3.Gal 3So that Christ, & the law in à true Christen conscience are contrary & incompatible, as the scholemen terme it: or as we may say in plaine Englishe, are ij. thinges which can not stand together: but either Christ must geue place,Christ and the malediction of the law cā not both dwell in one conscience together. and the law stand: or els the law (the condemnation of the lawe I meane) must end, and Christ reigne in the conscience of the Christian penitent. For both these, Christ & the law, Grace & malediction, cā not gouerne together. But Christ y^e sonne of God which once dyed, cā dye no more, but must reigne for euer. Wherfore y^e law with his strēgth,The kingdome of Christ beginneth, and the kingdome of the law endeth, both vponupon one Crosse. sting, & curse, must surceasse and hauehave an end, so that as Christes kingdome first beginneth vppon the Crosse: euen so the kingdome of the law vponupon the same Crosse, and at the same time expireth.

And here commeth in that, which in Scripture is called, Libertas Christiana, Christē libertie.Christ on libertie. Of which libertie S. Paul thus writeth to y^e Galat: Christ was made vnderunder the law, Galat. 4.Gal 4that he might redeme thē which were vnderunder the law in bondage. &c. And againe: In the libertie (sayth he) wherin Christ hath set you, stand fast, and come no more vnderunder the yoke of bondage. &c. By which libertie is ment, not the libertie of flesh, for vsus to runne at large, & do what we list (as many there be now à daies, which abuse Christiā libertie to carnall licence) but the libertie belonging onelyonly to the inward conscience of à iustified Christian,Against the abusers of Christian libertie. which once was in bondage of the law, not onelyonly to obey it, but also in daunger of perpetuall death and malediction by disobeying the same. From thys daūger Christ now hath vtterly cleared all true penitent and trembling consciences, setting them at libertie,The malediction not the vse of the law taken away. not from the vse and exercise of the law, but from the dominion and authoritie iudiciall of the law.

And that is it, which S. Paul here speaketh and meaneth,Coloss. 2.Col 2 saying: He hath dispatched the obligation or handwriting that was against vsus in decrees, and hath crucified it fast to the crosse. &c. Wherein the phrase of S. Paules speach would be noted. If he had but said, that Christ had pluckt vsus out from the daunger of the law: or that he had stayed y^e sentence of iudgement against vsus, or had repriued vsus frō the condemnation of the law, it had bene much, & à ioyfull matter (no doubt) of singular comfort vntounto vsus. For what more comfort can be to à giltie person, cast by the law, then to heare the peremptory sentence of iudgement against him, stayed, reuoked, or turned away? And yet in thys comfort, some feare remaineth withall, so long as the authoritie p. 56of the Iudge endureth, and as the lawe still standeth, whom he offended.

But now marke (O ye faithfull of the Lorde, especially you, that labour & be laden in cōscience) and expend well y^e heauenly message of this worthy Apostle, what he speaketh of y^e law, and how he speaketh.Affixit illud cruci suae. &c. He saith not that y^e sentence of iudgement is stayed, & that we are pardoned, nor sayth that the action is fallen, and we repriued. No, no, he goeth further, & telleth vsus plainly, that the law which was against vsus, our accuser & condemner, is slaine, killed, crucified, & nailed fast both hand and foote, & so crucified, not as Christ was, to rise againe the third day, neither hath the lawe such power to rise againe as the sonne of God did, but remaineth slaine and abolished for euer, neuer to rise againe nor to hauehave any more power against them that be in Christ Iesu.The condemnation of the law not stayed but killed to all true Christians. Whereby the case of our saluation standeth firme & substantiall, without all feare of iudgement and condemnation. For if there be no accusing nor condemning but by the law, then to kill the law, which killeth vsus, what is it els, but to discharge vsus from condemnation for euer? He that deliuereth his frend for à time out of his enemies hand, doth him à pleasure: but he that killeth the enemy, and riddeth him quite out of the way, geueth perpetuall safetie. So remission of sinnes by Christ, if it were for sometimes, and not for all times, for some sinnes, and not for all sinnes, then the law had liued still.The killing of the law importeth our safetie to be perpetuall. But now the killing and crucifying of the lawe importeth full remission to be absolute and our safetie to be perpetuall. Wherby cōmeth now the saying of the Apostle to be true:Rom. 8.Rom 8 That there is no condemnation now to thē that be in Christ Iesu, which walke not after the fleshe, but after the spirite. &c. And why is there no more condemnation? For the law being slaine, which was the accuser, who shall now lay accusation against the elect? It is God that iustifieth, and who is he then, or where is he that shall condemne? Where is he? If ye will nedes know where he is, S. Paul will tell you. There he is (sayth he) vponupon the tree, vponupon the Crosse of Christ fast crucified. A dead man (sayth our prouerbe) can do no hurt. Euen so no trembling conscience needeth now to feare y^e power of y^e law, that is in Christ. Neither is there to hym now any lawe to condemne hym, as the said Apostle most comfortably teacheth vsus, saying:Rom. 6.Rom 6 Sinne shall not preuaile ouer you. And why? Because y^e law,1. Cor. 15.1 Cor 15 which is the power of sinne, is now dead to vsus. So that like as if à woman be discharged from her first husband being dead,The law compared to the first husband, Christ to the second. and hath maryed an other man, the first husbād hath no more power ouer her: euen so we now being espoused vntounto Christ our second husband, are freed vtterly from our first husband the law, and as S. Paul in the same place sayth,Rom. 6.Rom 6 are no more vnderunder the law, that is, vnderunder the dominion & malediction of the law, but vnderunder grace, that is, vnderunder perpetuall remission of sinnes, committed not onelyonly before our Iustification, but as well also after, and during all our life long:Gods great grace ought to be no encouragement to sinne. Adding this lesson withall (as foloweth in the same place) not that sinners now should sinne the more therfore, because they are vnderunder grace: p. 57but that weake infirmitie might be relieued, broken consciences comforted, and repēting sinners holpen from desperation, to the prayse of Gods glory. For as God forgeueth not sinners because they should sinne: so neither doth infirmitie of falling diminishe the grace of Christ, where fayth with repentaunce worketh.

These things standing so, seing y^t our first husbād y^e law is now deceassed (as S. Paul telleth vsus) let vsus weigh our state with y^e Scriptures, & yoke our selues no more vnderunder subiectiō of the law,Antipophora. frō whom we are deliuered. I speake not here with Aetius, Eunomius, or with y^e Anomean heretikes against y^e due obedience of Gods holy law (as our aduersaries falsely belye vsus) but I speake with S. Paul against y^e malediction & condemnatiō of the law,Christians set free from condemnation of the law. vnderunder whose iurisdiction all we were once cōteined, as the wife vnderunder y^e law of her husband. To hym first we were by nature coupled, being to vsus à sharpe and à bitter husband, & rather à tyranne or an austere warder & scholemaster, then à husband, & could in no case be diuorced from him,The law dead to man: And man to the lawe. but onelyonly by death. And now S. Paul here bringeth vsus worde, that he is dead to vsus, & we to hym: By the body of Christ, Rom. 7.Rom 7that we may lawfully now mary an other husband, euen him that is risen againe from the dead, to fructifie vntounto God, through obedience of good life.

And thus much touching the triumph of this glorious prince. Wherein you hauehave heard, what mighty & perilous enemies he hath subdued, and all by him selfe, and yet not for him selfe, but for vsus. For somuch as the debt was not his but ours, which he for vsus did acquite. For we had forfeited to y^e deuill our soule, to death our bodies, our conscience to the law. He then taking our quarell in hand, trode vponupon y^e Serpētes head, threw down the deuil, destroied death, captiued captiuitie, and crucified the law. So that y^e labour was his: the victory is ours, he had the paines, we had y^e profite, according as we read in S. Iohn, cap. 4: Other (sayth he) hauehave laboured, Iohn. 4.John 4and you hauehave entred into their labours. &c. Also in the same place: One (sayth he) soweth the ground, and an other reapeth the fruite. &c.

Now, what fruite it is that we doe reape by this blessed sowing of Christ (who not onelyonly was the sower, but also the seede sowen) it is shewed now in the end of our text and message, in these wordes of the Apostle: The text. That we might be made the righteousnesse of God by him.2. Cor. 5.2 Cor 5 &c.

In which fewe wordes is briefly compact all the felicitie that euer can come to mankinde. For as sinne was the spring originall of all the miseries & mischiefes that euer happened to man before:The fruite and effect of Christes passion. so now righteousnesse likewise is y^e originall cause that bringeth life and all goodnesse to man. Here then is righteousnesse set against sinne: two contraryes fighting, one to counterpease with the other: both of equall force to contrary effectes. For as sinne and wickednesse was perfect in vsus,Perfect sinne, and perfect righteousnesse striuing together in man. which brought death and condemnation to man: so pari foreign againe that righteousnesse which bringeth life and aeternall saluatiō, must likewise be perfect in man. Which because it can not be p. 58found in our own actions, it must be sought in the actions of an other, & imputed to vsus as our own, which may stand effectuall. And that is it, which y^e Apostle here sayth:2. Cor. 5.2 Cor 5 That we might be made the righteousnesse of God by him. &c. as much to say: that we might be accounted righteous before God, with that righteousnes, not which is in vsus & is imperfect, but which is in Christ & by him is imputed to vsus through fayth, which iustifieth vsus before God.

Wherefore we must remember here to make à distinctiō of Iustitia, of righteousnesse,Two sortes of righteousnesse in Scripture to be noted. by y^e Scripture, which after the doctrine of S. Paule is taken ij. maner of waies. One kinde of righteousnesse is that which is called Iustitia Dei, or Iustitia fidei, that is, y^e righteousnesse of God, or righteousnesse of fayth, and the same also may be called Iustitia passiua. The other kinde of righteousnesse is that, which is called Iustitia propria, or Iustitia operum, Our owne righteousnesse, or righteousnesse of workes. Which also in vsus is called Iustitia actiua. And thys distinction is necessary to be marked.Distinction of righteousnesse necessary. Or els we shall be greatly deceaued, and wander blindfeld in the doctrine of saluation.

Of these two sortes of righteousnesse, the first, which is y^e righteousnesse of faith, is it which onelyonly standeth before God and none other, & therfore is called of S. Paule, the righteousnesse of God, Righteousnesse of God.because it hath so pleased God by his promise to accept and impute this righteousnesse standing by faith in hys sonne to euerlasting saluation. Wherupon S. Paule to the Philippians writing of y^e difference betwene these two sortes of righteousnesse, refuseth the righteousnesse of the law,Iusticia Dei, called Iusticia fidei, Iusticia passiua. that he might be found in Christ, hauing not his own righteousnesse, but the righteousnesse of Christ, which is of faith. Phil. 3. Againe, the sayd Apostle writing of the Iewes, which sought for righteousnesse & found it not:Iusticia nostra. Iusticia operum. Iusticia actiua. and also of y^e Gentiles, which sought not for righteousnesse and yet found it, sheweth the reason why: Because (sayth he) the one sought it as by workes and the law, and came not to it: Rom. 9.Rom 9who not knowing the righteousnesse of God, and seeking to set vp their owne righteousnesse, did not submit thēselues to the righteousnesse which is of God. Difference betwene righteousnesse of fayth and righteousnesse of workes.The other, who were the Gētiles, sought not for it, & yet obteined righteousnesse, that righteousnesse, which is of faith. &c. Rom. 9. Also in the 3. chap. of y^e same Epistle S. Paul writing of thys righteousnesse which riseth by faith in Christ,Righteousnesse of God in Scripture, what it is. calleth it Gods righteousnesse, cōming not by our workes, but by hys promised imputation, in these wordes: Whom God (saith he) hath set vp for a propitiation by fayth in his bloud, thereby to make manifest his owne righteousnesse, Rom. 3.Rom 3in tolerating our sinnes. &c. Rom. 3. Againe in the same chapt. his wordes be plaine & manifest: The righteousnesse of God (sayth he) is by fayth in Iesus Christ, in all and vponupon all that doe beleue. Rom. 3. And likewise where he writeth in the first chapt. in this wise: For the righteousnesse of God by it is reueled from fayth to fayth. &c. Rom. 1.Rom. 1.Rom 1

Gods righteousnesse. Mans righteousnesse.And thus hauehave ye heard of Gods righteousnesse through fayth, cōming not by our workes, but by Gods grace & imputation, how S. Paul cōmendeth it, & how God alloweth it to iustificatiō. Now as touching y^e other kinde of righteousnesse which is called our righteousnesse, & commeth by p. 59mans working, & not onelyonly by imputatiō, ye shall heare what y^e Scripture reporteth:Esay. 64.Isa 64 All our righteousnesse (saith Esay) is like the stained cloute of a defiled womā. Esay. 64. When ye hauehave done all ye can, say (sayth our Sauiour) that ye are but vnprofitable seruauntes. Luk. 17. Luke. 17.Luke 17Likewise S. Paul, Phil. 3. speaking of the righteousnesse which cōmeth by y^e law, & weighing the same with the other righteousnesse which standeth by fayth in Christ, so greatly abhorreth that sort of righteousnesse of hys owne, y^t he hath accounted, and doth still account all those things which he thought before to be excellent vantage, now to be losse, & filthy doung,Phil. 3.Phil 3 that he might winne Christ, and be found in him, not hauing his owne righteousnesse by the law, but that righteousnesse which commeth of God through fayth. &c. And thus ye see y^e true righteousnesse which standeth before God,Iusticia Actiua. Iusticia Passiua. not to procede of the law, but of fayth: not to be ours, but Gods righteousnesse: not to be actiue, but mere passiue, that is,The righteousnesse of a Christian is not Actiue, but mere Passiue. not that we be y^e agentes or doers therof, but onelyonly receauers of it at the handes of God, according as the phrase of this our text doth rightly purport. For the Apostle sayth not actiuely, vt nos efficeremus iusticiam Dei, that we should make or worke the righteousnesse of God: but passiuely, vt efficeremur iusticia Dei, Vt efficeremur Iusticia Dei.that we should be made the righteousnesse of God, by whom? Not by our selues, lest we should glory in our selues: but by an other, that is, by him that was made sinne for vsus, & suffered his passiō for vsus; to whō be glory for euer. Amē.

Per Illum.

Wherfore whosoeuer studieth to be foūd righteous in Gods sight, let him learne diligently by the doctrine of S. Paule, to make à separation, as farre as is frō heauen & earth, betwene these two, that is, betwen the righteousnesse of workes, and righteousnesse of fayth, and in any wise beware he bring none other meanes for hys iustification, but onelyonly thys which the Apostle here speaketh, of perillum, by him, that is, but onelyonly fayth apprehending y^e body or persō of Christ Iesus crucified.

This pronown [per illū] aboue al other things ought most principally to be alwaies in our eyes, and especially in our hartes. As the eyes of the old Israelites were willed to looke to the brasen Serpent for their bodily health: so hauehave we, for our spirituall saluatiō no other obiect set before y^e eyes of our fayth to beholde, but this [per illum] which is as the Church is wont to say: Per Christum Dominū nostrū. And therfore S. Paul concluding thys matter, doth wel adde in the latter end this same [per illum] forasmuch as thys pronowne maketh vp all our religiō, & excludeth al other pronownes [per illos or per illas] and not only pronownes, but all other nownes also, both proper, & vnproper, it debarreth both Mary, Iames, Iohn, Paul, & Peter to, as Peter him self loking vponupon this pronowne [per illum] will tell vsus flatly: Non est aliud nomen sub coelo, there is no other name nor nowne vnderunder heauē, sayth he. &c. but onelyonly this Apostolical pronowne Demonstratiue [per illum]. I call it Apostolical, because y^e Apostles neuer taught no other pronown to saluation, but this. I call it Demonstratiue, because y^t all true Apostolicall preachers p. 60now likewise ought to demōstrate to the people, & to lead them by none other pronowne but onelyonly [per illū] and must take singular heede, they turne not [per] to [praeter]. They which bring in y^e testament of S. Frances, the rule of S. Benet, the order of Dominike, or merites of any other patrones, hold not the right demonstratiue [per illum] but [praeter illū] doe shoote, as S. Paule sayth, to à wrong marke.

Let vsus therefore, that be right Christians,A briefe repetition of the fruites that come to vsus by Christes passion. and thinke to winne, marke well our marcke, & looke well to thys crucified pronowne, thys person I meane [per illum] for by hym, as S. Paule sayth, we are made the righteousnesse of God. 2. Cor. 5. By whose passion all our enemies be subdued, all gotten, all is cleared & discharged, all finished and consūmate. By y^e bloud of whose Crosse al things are pacified both in heauen and in earth. Coloss. 1. Coloss. 1.Col 1By y^e body of whose flesh, we are recōciled. Col. 1. Ibidem.By whose bloud we hauehave redemption, and remission of our sinnes. Ephes. 1. Ephe. 1.Eph 1And we that once were farre of, are made nere vntounto God. Ephes. 2. Ephe. 2.Eph 2By whose stripes we are made whole. Esa. 53. Esay. 53.Isa 53By whose death, death is destroyed, and life brought to light. 2. Tim. 1. 2. Tim. 1.2 Tim 1And he also destroyed, which had y^e power of death, that is, the deuill, & they deliuered which liued vnderunder feare of death all their life in bondage. Heb. 2. Heb. 2.Heb 2By whose flesh is taken away the diuision and separation betwene God and vsus. Ephes. 2. Ephe. 2.Eph 2Ibidem.In whose one body both Iewes and Gentiles are vnited to one God. Ephes. 2. By whose obedience we are made iust. Rom. 5. Rom. 5.Rom 5By whose righteousnesse we are iustified to life.Rom. 5.Rom 5 Ibid. By whose curse we are blessed from malediction of the law. Gal. 3. Galat. 3.Gal 3By whose pouerty we are rich. 2. Cor. 8. 2. Cor. 8.2 Cor 8Who is our peace. Ephes. 2. Ephe. 2.Eph 2Who is our Aduocate with the father, and y^e propitiation for our sinnes. 1. Ioh. 2. 1. Iohn. 2.1 John 2Who was made of God for vsus our wisedome, righteousnesse, sanctification, and redemption. 1. Cor. 1. 1. Cor. 1.1 Cor 1Who saueth his people frō all their sinnes. Mat. 1. Math. 1.Matt 1Who taketh away the sinnes of the world. Iohn. 1. Iohn. 1.John 1Who hath torne à peeces the obligation against vsus. Col. 2. Coloss. 2.Col 2Who iustifieth the wicked by fayth. Rom. 4. Rom. 4.Rom 4By whom we are at peace with God. Rom. 5. Rom. 5.Rom 5By whom we hauehave boldnesse to enter with all confidence through fayth in him. Ephes. 3. Ephe. 3.Eph 3In whom we are made full and complete. Col. 2. Coloss. 2.Col 2Ionas was not so soone cast out of the ship into the Sea, but y^e tempestuous windes ceassed by and by,Ionas cast into the Sea, a figure of Christ. et stetit mare a feruore suo. Ionas. 1. Ionas. 1.Jonah 1The Paschall LambeThe Paschall Lambe. was no sooner slaine, and hys bloud vponupon the postes, but the people euen the same night were deliuered out of Pharaos thraldome. Exod. 12.Exod. 12.Exod 12

Infinite it were to expresse, and ioyfull to behold in y^e Scriptures all the admirable treasures and riches contained in this principall pronowne of all pronownes [perillum]: which hauehave no end in them. But because the Sermon must hauehave an end, wherwith I hauehave wearied you inough, and my self more: therfore not to ouerweary you with more prolixitie, I thinke good to ceasse: after I shall adde a worde or two to shew you to whom, and by what meanes these excellent benefites of p. 61Christes passion are to be applied. Wherof nedefull it is somewhat to be sayd. For as all we Christians agree in thys, that Christ is our redemer, and that he dyed for the sinnes of the world: so all we agree not in this, by what meanes the merits of Christes passion are to be applyed vntounto vsus.

Our aduersaries, which hold with the Church of Rome, and persecute vsus for holding with the Gospell, say that the meane cause,The meane cause wherby the merites of Christes passion be applied to vsus. or instrumental cause or condition whereby the passion of Christ is made auayleable and effectuous to vsus, is not onelyonly our fayth in Christ, but diuers and sundry other helpes they ioyne besides: as auricular confession, contrition sufficient, & satisfaction, propiciatory sacrifice of the Masse, pardons and indulgences of the Pope the storehouse of the Church;Errour of the Papistes in applying the merites of Christes passion by wrong meanes. merites and Inuocation of saintes, to beleue the Church of Rome, and to be subiect to the Bishop therof. And these they take as necessary matters to saluatiō, which vnlesse à mā do annexe withall as tyme and occasion serueth, the death of Christ can not be applied (say they) as meritorious alone to saluation. Other concurrentes also they adde besides these aboue named, which albeit they touch not so nere the necessitie of saluation, yet they helpe well forward, & augment the working and merites of Christes passion, to our saluation. And these they count to be merites of supererogation, Councells, workes of perfection, building of Monasteries, geuing to Churches, hearing of Masses, entring to Religiō, austeritie of life, keeping of vowes, wilfull pouerty, and such like.

Promise of iustification hath no condition annexed but fayth alone.Contrary to thys doctrine, we affirme with the worde of God, that as the bloud of our Sauiour is the onelyonly materiall cause, and the promise of God in his word the formall cause, of our saluation: so agayne we say, that the same promise of God in his word, standeth free and firme, without any condition at all, as of necessitie annexed to iustification, saue onelyonly one, which is fayth in Christ.Doctrine of promise, Doctrine of the lawe, are diuers. For although workes of mercy and charitie be also required in Scripture, yet that is not, because the doctrine of promise requireth them as conditions to the act of iustifying, but because the doctrine of the law requireth them, as necessary duties to the institution of life. Of this promise being free and absolute without all other conditions, S. Paul thus plainly testifieth and teacheth: Therfore by fayth (sayth he) commeth the inheritaunce, Rom. 4.Rom 4as after grace, because the promise might be firme and sure to all the seede. Promise of inheritance standeth firme by S. Paule. Ergo, it standeth not by workes.&c. In which wordes ye see no conditions required to promise, but onelyonly fayth: And why other conditions be excluded ye beare the cause also: for that the promise (sayth he) might be sure, And why sure? for els if it should depend vppon workes & merites of men, it were alwayes vnsure and vncertayne. For who euer knoweth when he hath done & deserued enough? And therfore it is, that we say, fayth onelyonly Iustifieth: because the Scripture teacheth, vsus to be saued by promise, which promise were no promise if it stode vponupon conditions. A gift that standeth vponupon conditiōs, can not be called à free gift.Galat. 3.Gal 3 And if the inheritance come by the law, then it commeth not of promise. p. 62Now life euerlasting, sayth the Scripture, is the gift of God, and commeth not of workes.

When the womans seede was first promised to Adam, what had he deserued?Gene. 3.Gen 3 God promised to Abrahā à seede wherin all nations should be blessed, of free gift,Gene. 12.Gen 12 without all conditions before he came out of his countrey, to folow the Lord. The same Abraham had Isaac hys sonne by Sara hys wife: Also Isaac had Iacob by Rebecca, Gene. 21.Gen 21Gene. 25.Gen 25but yet both Abraham and Isaac, with their wiues, were past all strength to hauehave childrē,Example of Gods promise to be free. before God kept hys promise. What deserued the tribes of Iraell, when God deliuered them from the bondage of Pharao? In the third of Exodus, Exod. 3.Exod 3God promised to Moses to geue the people à land of milke & hony: yet we read of no condition annexed to that promise, and though their desertes in the desert were very simple, yet God kept hys promise. What made Iacob loued, & Esau hated? the sonne of the freewoman to be receaued, and the sonne of the bondwoman to be cast out? not deseruing, but election: not the law of workes, but the promise of God. How was the throne of Dauid established for euer, & the throne of Saul refused? not by weighing their merites, but by election of promise without conditions. Euen so it hath pleased God through Christ his sonne to geue to his litle flocke à kingdome, which kingdome because he hath promised onelyonly to fayth, and hath no other conditions annexed, therfore we holding vponupon the free promise, say: that faith onelyonly iustifieth vsus, not denying many thinges els to be required to the action of life:To the Action of life many thinges required. To the Act of Iustifying onelyonly fayth required. but excluding them as conditions in the acte of iustifying, which office of iustifying goeth only with fayth in Scripture, & hath none other condition, or meane annexed to it.

Now, to define what this faith is that iustifyeth, here is to be vnderstand, that the true faith wherupon dependeth the whole condition of our iustifying,True fayth what it is, examined. must euer looke to hys right obiect, which is the body of Christ the sonne of God crucified. For els many kindes there be of fayth: as eueryevery thing that is true may be beleued, but not the beleuing of eueryevery true thing doth iustifie. He that beleueth there is but one God, which created all thinges of naught, beleueth truely. And of thys fayth speaketh S. Iames: Tu credis quòd vnus est Deus. &c. Iac. 2. Iacob. 2.yet thys fayth without the obiect of Christ crucified,Of what sayth S. Iames speaketh. iustifieth not. Likewise he that beleueth God to be iust, omnipotent, mercifull,Fayth which iustifieth must euer holde his obiect. & that he is true of promise, beleueth wel, and holdeth the truth. So he that beleueth that God hath hys election frō the beginning, and so perswadeth him selfe to be one of the same electe and predestinate, hath à good beliefe and is well perswaded. But yet y^e same perswasion, vnlesse it apprehend the right obiect withall, serueth not to saluatiō.Diuers sortes of fayth. The Iew though he say, that he beleueth in one God maker of heauen and earth, and perswadeth him selfe that God hath elected the seede of Abraham, and be neuer so deuoute in hys prayers, charitable in hys almes, or precise in keeping the law, & beleueth neuer so stedfastly, that God is true of promise, yet is he neuer the nerer to saluation p. 63for all this. No more is the Turke in doing and beleuing all the same. Briefly, what soeuer Religion, rule, sect, profession, perswasion, or speculation, be it neuer so contemplatiue, or what soeuer fayth or beliefe it be, that is not ioyned with thys obiect, and grounded vponupon this head corner stone: that fayth may goe with à certaine truth, but goeth not with true iustification.

OnelyOnly the fayth which to iustification auayleth,What fayth iustifieth. is that fayth whose obiect is the body & passion of Iesus Christ crucified.Christ crucified, onelyonly the obiect of faith. Like as in y^e act of healing, the eyes of the Israelites and the body of the brasen Serpēt went together: so in the act of Iustifying these ij, fayth and Christ, hauehave à mutuall relation, and must alwayes concurre, faith as the action which apprehendeth: Christ as the obiect which is apprehended. So that neither the passion of Christ saueth without fayth, neither fayth helpeth, vnlesse it be in Christ his obiect.

Of this obiect we read in many places of the Scripture:Math. 11.Matt 11 Come to me all ye that labour and be heauie laden. &c. Who so beleueth in me, Math. 9.Matt 9I will raise him vp in the last day. &c. Ye beleue in God, beleue also in me. Iohn. 14.John 14He that beleueth in me hath euerlasting life. &c.Iohn. 14.John 14 Without me ye cā do nothing. &c. Whosoeuer beleueth in him, shall not perish, Iohn. 15.John 15but hauehave euerlasting life &c. He that is in me. &c.Iohn. 3.John 3 He that loueth me. &c. He that heareth me. &c. He that abideth in me. &c. He that receaueth me. &c. Except ye eate my fleshe, Iohn. 15.John 15& drinke my bloud. &c. Iohn. 6.John 6That they may receaue remissiō of sinnes through their fayth in me. &c. Act. 26.Acts 26To him all the Prophets geue witnesse, to hauehave remissiō of sinnes, Act. 10.Acts 10whosoeuer beleueth in his name. &c. He that beleueth & is baptised. &c. Math. 28.Matt 28He that beleueth in me, Iohn. 14.John 14shall doe the workes that I doe, and greater then these. &c. Of such like places y^e Scripture is full: wherein appeareth the verbe of beleuing neuer to go without his pronown, nor faith without hys obiect.

Furthermore, as thys Iustifying fayth goeth euer with his obiect,Fayth in wordes onelyonly professed deceaueth men. Faith inwardly sturring by workes iustifieth before God. so to the same faith also must be required, that it stand not onelyonly in outward profession, in wordes, in toung & talke, as swimming onelyonly in the lippes, nor in outward formes, in shewes and gestures onelyonly, which is but à dead and idle fayth, making an hypocrite before men, rather then à iustified man before God: but must enter further into the inward hart: and as the sustenance of the soule, must inwardly be receaued & digested. For as sustenance of bread and drinke,Similitude betwene the bread and the body of Christ. being holden onelyonly in the hand, or gased vponupon with the eye nourisheth not, except the same be inwardly receaued, and conueyed into the stomacke: and yet neither againe the receauing of eueryevery thing susteineth mans body, except it be meate and drinke, which hauehave their condition properly to nourishe: in like sort is it with faith. For as beleuing of eueryevery truth, or fayth of eueryevery obiect saueth not, but that faith only which is in Christes bloud:Faith the onelyonly which receaueth the body of Christ. so neither againe doth the same bloud of Christ profite vsus, except by fayth it be inwardly receaued. And as the Sunne, fountaine of all light, shineth not but onelyonly to such; which hauehave eyes to see, nor yet to thē vnlesse they open their eyes to receaue light: so the body of Christ Crucified being the materiall sustenaunce p. 64onelyonly of our soules, it followeth that the skine sustenance must be receaued by fayth into our inward hartes, or els it is not effectuall. And therfore Christ tooke bread, and called it by the name of hys body, to be eaten and receaued.

VponUpon which premisses thus discussed, now I come to y^e definition of Iustifying faith,Iustifying fayth defined. which by the doctrine of S. Paul is this: An inward apprehending in hart, of Christ Iesus y^e sonne of God, beleuing by hys death freely to be purged frō all our sinnes, & to be iustified by his resurrection.

And thys fayth,Faith onelyonly iustifieth, and the reason why. because it is the onelyonly condition which y^e promise of God requireth in Scripture to our iustification, and none other: therfore we with the Scripture say, that fayth onelyonly of all actions, qualities, giftes, motions, or sciences in man, doth onelyonly iustifie: not excluding thereby good workes frō Christen life, but onelyonly from the office of iustifying: not separating fayth from works, but distinguishing their endes:Good workes the effectes of fayth: not causes of iustification. cōcluding thus, that good workes be effectes of Christen fayth, not causes of iustificatiō. But this doctrine as it hath many aduersaries, & great obiections: so it requireth à more copious tractation. In the meane time briefly to shew how good workes be the effectes of fayth, ye shall heare what S. Paule sayth in the matter: whereby marke I pray you the genealogie of good workes. Fayth (sayth he) which worketh by louelove. &c. Galat. 5. Galat. 5.Gal 5Where ye see first how fayth gendreth louelove:The genealogie of good workes. louelove begetteth good works: LoueLove foloweth fayth, good works follow louelove, faith goeth before as mother to them both. And this is the right and naturall genealogie of good workes. LoueLove in man commonly neuer beginneth vnlesse it be prouoked by some commoditie: and how then shall à man hartily beginne to louelove God, except he first see his louelove and benefites in Christ his sonne toward him? Or how shall à man worke liuely, except first he louelove hartily? And therfore in y^e doctrine of y^e Church of Rome, which of late hath so darkned these mercies of God in Christ, I maruell how either à man could louelove well, or liue well.

But of this enough, and here an end: not for lacke of matter,The peroration. but for very werynes. I hauehave ouerspent the time, I see, & my voyce likewise, and almost me selfe also. In standing vponupon these matters I hauehave stand so long as I am wery of standing. Wherfore I shall desire you: looke for no solēne peroratiō of me. OnelyOnly in stede of a repetitiō, I wil conclude w^t a litle short exhortatiō, as wery as I am: praying you, as I first began, according to the wordes of my message: Rogamus pro Christo, I pray you for Cristes louelove, and not I alone, but all the ministers & messengers of Christ in all Englād with me, do pray you with S. Paul, & with all the Apostles of Christ, and not we onelyonly, yea God him selfe by all his Apostles, ministers, and messengers, we all do pray and entreate you, not as messengers of men, nor of any Bishop, no nor of the Bishop of Rome. The Bishop of Rome if he be a true Bishop, is but a messenger him selfe, and that onelyonly in his owne Dioces where he is Bishop. In Christes name we pray you, that you, p. 65what or where soeuer ye be that hauehave ben hetherto straungers, vnacquainted, or enemyes vntounto God, now ye will draw nere, and be reconciled & be frendes, not with the Bishop, whom we call Pope of Rome, who as I vnderstand of late hath sent hys proctors & messengers to reconcile you to him. Alack he is no God, nor yet good mā, his reconciliation can doe vsus no good, and is not worth à rush. Our message is,Gods frendship freely offred. that ye will be recōciled vntounto y^e liuing God. And as you hauehave long tasted of his wrath, so now begin to tast his frēdship. A better frend ye cā not hauehave. Yea, to say the truth, no other frend ye lacke but him. Whō if ye hauehave your frend, no enemy can do you hurt. If he be your enemy, no frend cā do you good. His frēdship if ye desire, ye nede not seeke it farre, it is here offered vntounto you for taking. But then ye must take it while it is offered.2. Cor. 6.2 Cor 6 Behold now the acceptable yeare: yet is y^e good time: the golden time: yet is the day of saluation: yet to day lasteth, & the gate yet is open,Math. 25.Matt 25 wherin y^e wise virgines may enter: but if it be once shut againe, the foolishe virgines shall neuer hauehave it open any more. Ye that be rich, remember your cosin Diues, the rich mā in hell. Who because in his life time, when he might hauehave whole fountaines of fauour & refused, afterward would hauehave had one drop of water, & coūld not. Take therfore while it is offered. Refuse not,Gods frendship not to be refused. lest ye be refused. Craue and hauehave. Come & spare not. Be bolde and feare not. For what should let you to be bolde, hauing such à patrone to make your way for you? if Gods wrath do feare you, he hath killed it. If ye dread the law, he hath hanged it. If your hart condemne you, he is greater then your hart. If ye be sicke, he came therfore, to play the Phisition. If ye be hūgry, he is the bread of life. If ye be poore, he was made poore for you, to make you rich. If Gods curse lye vponupon you, he was made accursed for you. If ye be sinnefull, he was made sinne for you, that you might be made the righteousnesse of God by him. What can we hauehave more of him, or what can he do more for vsus then this, which is all? For he that hath bestowed his own sonne vponupon vsus, how can it be, but he will geue with him Omnia, all thinges to vsus? Omnia vestra sunt. i. 1. Cor. 3.1 Cor 3All thinges be yours, sayth the Lorde to vsus, by his Apostle.

Which being so, seing then he hath done so much for you, remember your duties againe, and say with the Psalme:Psal. 116.Ps 116 Quid retribuam Domino pro omnibus quae retribuit mihi? Calicem salutaris accipiam. &c. i. What shall I render vntounto the Lorde for all his benefites towardes me? I will take the cup of saluation, and call vponupon the name of the Lord. Psal. 116. Dearely beloued brethren and countrey men, how dearly he hath loued you ye see: requite hys louelove with louelove againe. He hath called you to fauour and grace: vse it, abuse it not. Yesterday ye were sicke and weake: this day with his bloud he hath recouered you, with his woundes he hath cured you.EueryEvery day is good Friday to eueryevery good Christen man. This day I call eueryevery day, whēsoeuer à sinner repenteth hys sinne and turneth to Christ. Yesterday ye were sinners: this day he hath purged you and made you righteous. Remember p. 66what ye were, and keepe you as ye are, & sinne no more. Yesterday thou wast à pitious Chananite, Luke. 13.Luke 13stouping and shrinking downe with thy backe to the groūd xviii. yeares together. Luk. 13: this day the death of Christ hath loosed thee of thy bādes, and set thee straight, go vpright now and crooke downe to y^e death no more. Yesterday thou wast pitiously arayed with y^e sely womā which hauing the bloudy issue xij. yeares,Luke. 8.Luke 8 & hauing spent all her substance vponupon the Phisitions, came and touched hys coate and stole health from him:God send vsus moe such theeues. thys day not the coate, but the bloud of Christ hath cured thy bloudinesse, now fal into such bloudy diseases no more. Thou wast yesterday à lame creple, frō xxxviij. yeares, lying by the water poole,Iohn. 5.John 5 & haddest no mā to cast thee into the poole. Iohn. 5: now is one come, not to throw thee into y^e water, but to throw water vponupon thee euen from his own hart: wherfore being now made whole, go thy wayes & cary away thy bed, let thy long bed of laysinesse cary thee no more. With what à mighty voyce cried Christ to Lazarus? So loud he cried, that the dead heard hym, & came out of hys graue. Lazarus was dead but iiij. daies.Iohn. 11.John 11 Thou hast layne stinking in thy sepulcher so many yeares. Now commeth one, and saith: Come out Lazarus. Come out therfore and cast away thy headcloth & winding sheete frō thee, and be no more like them that goe downe to the pitte. Yesterday thou wast à foule leper:Math. 8.Matt 8 to day thou art made cleane, take heede of the like scabbe hereafter.Luke. 6.Luke 6 Yesterday thy hand was dryed & benummed by an old disease called foreign, pinching tenacitie: now commeth one, and biddeth thee hold out thy hand, and geueth thee à plaster. A soueraine plaster for such à drye hand, is this: Dispersit, dedit pauperibus, Iustitia eius manet in saeculū seculi. i. He hath distributed and geuen to the poore, his righteousnesse remaineth for euer. Psal. 111.Psal. 111.Ps 111

A petition for the pouertie of London.And here hauehave I à sute to my Lord Maior, before forgotten, but now remembred. God geue it may speede, so shall his honour with all this florishing Citie, I trust, spede the better. My sute is for the poore: not for one poore man or two, but for all the whole pouertie in general of this Citie. Forsomuch as I well vnderstand such à way to be deuised by Gods good prouidence, for the succour of all the poore inhabitantes of thys Citie, so that there shall hereafter nede neither begging in the streetes, nor yet in Pulpits any more, and the same deuise to lacke but à little setting forward through authoritie: my humble petition therfore is euen for his sake which was made poore for vsus all, that my Lord Maior that now is, or that shal hereafter succede, with y^e sage Senatours of this Citie, grauely perpending the case, if they shall finde the same deuise neither hurtfull to the hospitals, nor chargefull to the Citie in alluring beggars, but rather à meanes necessary to auoyde idle counterfets, and profitable for the sustentation of the true needy, especially in thys time of plague, and now in time of sommer, before winter approcheth: then that they ioyning their consent and authoritie, with the approbation of their reuerend Ordinary and learned Bishop of thys p. 67sea, who with his graue Archdeacons do all well allow of y^e same, will geue their furtherance herein, and put that in vre, or at least in probation of time, which yet lieth in forme,An exhortation to Londoners. and tarieth but onelyonly the happy consent of their authoritie. Thus much I thought by y^e way to begge of you in this Sermō, because there should neede no more begging in other Sermons hereafter. And I pray God this may be the last, if it be his will. If this Citie of London through diligence of good preachers be now planted in such ripe doctrine, as God be thanked it is, and hath the name thereof aboue all Cities and quarters of England besides, how requisite is it then, with this your forwardnesse of good doctrine, to be ioyned like readinesse of good working?

Let it not be seene nor sayd in London, that here is great talking of the Gospell, & little walking after the Gospell. And if your preachers doe rightly teach you that by fayth onelyonly in Christ, you are iustified, now let not the Papistes then falsely outface you, that your preachers teach you no good workes: neither let them vpbrayde your Christian knowledge, for lacke of Christian conuersation: but rather by good liuing stoppe their mouthes, that either by your workes ye may winne them to glorifie your father which is in heauen, or at least they may hauehave no occasion to cauill, which would carpe your fayth.

Truth is,How fayth is alone, and not alone. that by fayth alone (in respect of other workes of the law) ye are iustified, as your preachers teach. And yet the same fayth being alone, she is not alone. In her office alone, in practise not alone. The Queene, though in her state and office she be alone, yet she goeth not without her maides of honour after her. The office of the eye alone is in the head to see, yet the eye is not without other members of the body, which hauehave also their offices to them appropriate,Faith alone in his office. Let eueryevery thing stand in hys proper charge and office: yet must eueryevery thing nede in some respect the societie of an other. The roote sucketh of the ground, the body receaueth of y^e roote, the branch taketh of the body, the fruite shooteth out of the branch. These successiuely go together. So faith groūdeth vponupon Christes passion, faith geueth y^e sappe of louelove, louelove blossometh forth in good workes.Order in doctrine. In fayth therfore be cōstant, in louelove feruent, in workes diligēt, and in doctrine kepe order. Let not the effect presume before the cause, nor the daughter go before the mother.Exhortation to good workes. Worke well, not for iustification, but for louelove. LoueLove not because God should louelove you, but because he hath loued you, and hath iustified you: therfore being now iustified, louelove him, and for his louelove obey him.

And thus keeping à right order, let vsus ioyne as spirituall men, these spirituall matters together, & play the right ioyners, ioyning not as many do now à dayes, house to house, land to land, lordship to lordship, office to office, bagge to bagge, benefice to benefice, personage to vicarage, prebend to prebend, with à deanry for à vantage, liuing to liuing, an other liuing to that, and for all that, yet neuer contented, so long as we liue. How thys p. 68deuilishe**That is, vnsatiable greedinesse, neuer contented. foreign cōmeth into the heades of some Christiā ministers, I cānot but muse. These ioynings be naught. If we will be true Gospellers, we must learne an other ioyning, à better ioining then thys, which is crescere de virtute in virtutem, de fide in fidē, to ioyne workes to workes, fayth to faith, faith to workes, & good workes to fayth, as did Paule & Iames, & so to ioyne S. Paule & S. Iames together. There hath bene à long contention and much adoe in y^e Church, how to ioyne & reconcile these two Apostles together. And though in preaching much hauehave ben sayd & learning shewed,How to reconcile Paule and Iames together. yet when all is sayd, there is none cā ioyne these two together better, then you your selues, to whō we preach. And how is that? Ioyne y^e liuely fayth of S. Paul, with y^e good workes of S. Iames, and bring both these into one life: and then hast thou reconciled thē both, & so shalt thou be sure to be iustified, both before God by Paules fayth, & before man by S. Iames workes. And this is à perfect & à naturall coniunction, when faith goeth with workes,Ioyning of fayth and workes. life with doctrine, practise with knowledge, zeale with science, expressing with professing, keeping with hearing, deedes with wordes, which be tanquā comites indiuidui, and in à Christen mans life would not be sundred one from the other. Fayth without workes, maketh but à carnall Gospeller. Workes without fayth make but à Pharisaicall hypocrite. But then they must goe in their right order together, the handmaide not before the mistresse. In case of Iustification, and peace of conscience, fayth stādeth alone which doth all.

The right order how fayth and workes be occupied, and how they dwell together.For fayth hath winges, and flyeth vp to heauen, and there holdeth the promise, and wrastleth with y^e law, with Gods iudgement, and with the conscience of mā for euerlasting life. Charitie and workes hauehave no winges, but tary belowe, and are occupied betwene neighbour and neighbour, and are as busie in earth, as fayth is in heauen: so that neither be idle, but both labouring. And though they be diuersly occupied in sundry functions, yet are they both dwelling, as Martha & Mary, in one house, that is, in the life of eueryevery true Christian, linked & coupled as sisters with à true Christiā copulatiue together. Of this coniunction copulatiueConiunction copulatiue. Christ our Sauiour thus speaketh: Blessed bee they (sayth he) which heare the worde of God. Luke. 8.Luke 8Here is fayth: marke now the copulatiue Et, and which keepeth the same. &c. Likewise S. Paule vsing the same copulatiue sayth:1. Tim. 1.1 Tim 1 Habens fidem, & bonam conscientiā. i. Hauing fayth, and a good conscience. &c.

This Christian copulatiue I besech you (Christiā brethren) practise now in your liues, so y^t you abounding in fayth, may abound also in good workes: and as ye abound in workes that be good, so ye will abstaine from all that is contrary, ioyning with this copulatiue of good workes, the negatiue also of euill workes, mentioned in the Epistle of S. Paul to Titus: where he exhorteth vsus,Titus. 2.Titus 2 that we denying or renoūcing impietie & our worldly desires, will liue soberly, iustly, and godly in this present life. &c. To conclude here with this exhortation of S. Paul, I besech you with hym, that you being the deare & reconciled children now of God, will p. 69shake off, and renoūce your former impieties and appetites of this world. I say, not this impietie or that impietie, this sinne or that sinne. I say not here, as other are wont to preach vntounto you, to leaue your vsury, your oppression, your bribing, your deceitfull artes, with other such like. No, no, I go further then so. This I say: leaue & cast away the whole worlde from you: which is nothing els but à great heape, or à chaos,This world a Chaos or confusion of all iniquitie. or à cōfusiō of all abhominatiōs packt, as in one fardel together. This world I say, cast cleane away, with all his appertenances frō you. For what hauehave we to do that be Christians, with this damned & execrable world? Christ hath conquered it, hath redemed you from it. The deuill possessteh it, & will you possesse it also with hym? Hath Christ taken such paines for you, to bring you out of Aegypt, & yet you will not come? To be in the world, to liue in y^e world, & to occupy y^e world, I say not against it: neither do I meane in casting away y^e world, that you should cast away your riches, your possessions, your offices, promotions and dignities: but that you should cast away your affections frō them. Vse them, but abuse them not: hauehave them, but as triffes, & as though ye had thē not: make of them, but make not your God of thē. Neither be you conformed (sayth S. Paule) after y^e shape of this world,Galat. 6.Gal 6 but with S. Paule be you crucified to the world, and let the world be crucified to you. Now what phantasie, what vanitie, what brauery, and bribery, what proyling and tormoyling is amongest you in this world for worldly thinges, for golde & siluer, that is, for red earth and white earth, as though Christ had neuer come to redeme you vntounto an other world then this? What meane you my brethrē and countrey men of England: heauen is yours, both heauen and earth is yours: Christ hath recōciled you, his bloud hath purged you, his fayth doth iustifie you, his appearing will glorifie you. God is yours, all is yours, all shall be yours. And what should moue you then to passe for this world so much, which passeth away, and as you shall see I trust, shortly shall perishe before your eyes. Come quickly Lord Iesu we beseech thee. The spirite of Christ Iesus our Sauiour, and the might of his Maiestie, which was crucified for your sinnes, preserue you from this sinnefull world, and from the corruption therof, to the day of his glorious comming. Come quickly Lord Iesu for thy glory, to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be glory for euer. Amen.