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Chrift did; but that he fhall ftoutly conquer and manfully fubdue all his enemies, and finally obtain fuch a kingdom on earth, as never was feen from the beginning. While they feign unto themfelves after this fort a Melfias of their own brain, they deceive themselves, and account Chrift as an abject and fcorn of the world. Therefore Chrift crucified, as St. Paul faith, is unto the Jews a Humbling-block, and to the Gentiles foolishness, because they think it an abfurd thing, and contrary to all reafon, that a Redeemer and Saviour of the whole world should be handled after fuch a fort as he was; namely, fcorned, reviled, fcourged, condemned, and laft of all cruelly banged. This, I fay, feemed in their eyes ftrange, and most abfurd, and therefore neither they would at that time, neither will they as yet, acknowledge Chrift to be their Meffias and Saviour. But we, dearly beloved, that hope and look to be faved, muft both steadfastly believe, and alfo boldly confess, that the fame Jefus, which was born of the Virgin Mary, was the true Meffias and Mediator between God and man, promifed and prophefied of fo long before. For as the Apoftle writeth, With the heart man believeth unto righ- Rom, x. teoufnefs, and with the mouth confeffion is made unto falvation. Again in the fame place, Whosoever believeth in him fball never be afbamed nor confounded. Whereto allo agreeth the teftimony of St. John, written in the fourth chapter of his first general Epiftle, on this wife: Whofoever confeffeth that Jefus is the Son of God, he dwelleth in God, and God in bim.

There is no doubt, but in this point all Chriftian men are fully and perfectly perfuaded. Yet fhall it not be a loft labour to inftruct and furnish you with a few places concerning this matter, that ye may be able to stop the blafphemous mouths of all them that most Jewishly, or rather devilishly, fhall at any time go about to teach or maintain the contrary. First, ye have the witness and teftimony of the Angel Gabriel, declared as well to Zachary the high-prieft, as alfo to the bleffed Virgin. Secondly, ye have the witnefs and teftimony of John the Baptift, pointing unto Chrift, and faying, Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the fins of the world. Thirdly, ye have the witnefs and teftimony of God the Father, who thundered from heaven, and faid, This is my dearly beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed; hear him. Fourthly, ye have the witnefs and teftimony of the Holy Ghost, which came down from heaven in manner of a dove, and lighted upon him in time of his baptifm. To thefe

Z 3

might

John i.

Phil. ii.

might be added a great number more, namely, the witnefs and testimony of the wife men that came to Herod, the witness and teftimony of Simeon and Anna, the witnefs and teftimony of Andrew and Philip, Nathaniel and Peter, Nicodemus and Martha, with divers other: but it were too long to repeat all, and a few places are fufficient in fo plain a matter, fpecially among them that are already perfuaded. Therefore, if the privy imps of Antichrift, and crafty inftruments of the Devil, fhall attempt or go about to withdraw you from this true Meffias, and perfuade you to look for another that is not yet come; let them not in any cafe feduce you, but confirm yourfelves with these and fuch other teftimonies of holy Scripture, which are fo fure and certain, that all the Devils in hell fhall never be able to withstand them. For as truly as God liveth, fo truly was Jefus Chrift the true Meffias and Saviour of the world, even the fame Jefus, which, as this day, was born of the Virgin Mary, without all help of man, only by the power and operation of the Holy Ghoft.

Concerning whose nature and fubftance, because divers and fundry herefies are rifen in these our days, through the motion and fuggeftion of Satan; therefore it shall be needful and profitable for your inftruction, to speak a word or two alfo of this part. We are evidently taught in the Scripture, that our Lord and Saviour Chrift confifteth of two feveral natures, of his manhood, being thereby perfect man, and of his Godhead, being thereby perfect God. It is written, The Word, that is to fay, the Rom. viii. fecond Perfon in Trinity, became flefb. God fending bis own Son in the fimilitude of finful flesh, fulfilled those things which the Law could not. Chrift being in form of God, took on him the form of a fervant, and was made like unto man, 1 Tim. iii. being found in shape as a man. God was fhewed in fleb, juftified in fpirit, feen of angels, preached to the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up in glory. Alfo in another place: There is one God, and one Mediator between God and man, even the man Jefus Chrift. These be plain places for the proof and declaration of both natures, united and knit together in one Chrift. Let us diligently confider and weigh the works that he did whilft he lived on earth, and we fhall thereby alfo perceive the self-fame thing to be moft true. In that he did hunger and thirft, eat and drink, fleep and wake, in that he preached his Gofpel to the people, in that he wept and forrowed for Jerufalem, in that he paid tribute for himself and Peter,

in that he died and fuffered death; what other thing did he elfe declare, but only this, that he was perfect man as we are? For which caufe he is called in holy Scripture fometime the Son of David, fometime the Son of man, fometime the Son of Mary, fometime the Son of Jofeph, and fo forth. Now in that he forgave fins, in that he wrought miracles, in that he did caft out devils, in that he healed men with his only word, in that he knew the thoughts of men's hearts, in that he had the feas at his commandment, in that he walked on the water, in that he rose from death to life, in that he afcended into heaven, and fo forth; what other thing did he fhew therein, but only that he was perfect God, coequal with the Father as touching his Deity? Therefore he faith, The Father and I are all one, which is to be understood of his Godhead. For as touching his manhood, he faith, The Father is greater than I am. Where are now those Marcionites, that deny Chrift to have been born in the flesh, or to have been perfect man? Where are now thofe Arians, which deny Chrift to have been perfect God, of equal fubftance with the Father? If there be any fuch, we may easily reprove them with thefe teftimonies of God's word, and fuch other. Whereunto I am most fure they fhall never be able to anfwer. For the neceffity of our falvation did require fuch a Mediator and Saviour, as under one perfon fhould be a partaker of both natures: it was requifite he fhould be man, it was also requifite he fhould be God. For as the tranfgreffion came by man, fo was it meet the fatisfaction fhould be made by man. And because death, according to St. Paul, is the juft ftipend and reward of fin, therefore to appease the wrath of God, and to fatisfy his juftice, it was expedient that our Mediator fhould be fuch a one, as might take upon him the fins of mankind, and fuftain the due punishment thereof, namely death. Moreover, he came in flesh, and in the felf-fame fleth afcended into heaven, to declare and teftify unto us, that all faithful people which fleadfaftly believe in him fhall likewife come unto the fame manfion-place, whereunto he, being our chief Captain, is gone before. Laft of all, he became man, that we thereby might receive the greater comfort, as well in our prayers, as alfo in our adverfity, confidering with ourfelves, that we have a Mediator that is true man as we are, who alfo is touched with our infirmities, and was tempted even in like fort as we are. For thefe and fun

dry other causes, it was moft needful he should come, as he did in the flesh.

But because no creature, in that he is only a creature, hath or may have power to deftroy death, and give life; to overcome hell, and purchafe heaven; to remit fins, and give righteoufnefs; therefore it was needful that our Meffias, whofe proper duty and office that was, fhould be not only full and perfect man, but also full and perfect God, to the intent he might more fully and perfectly Matt. iii. make fatisfaction for mankind. God faith, This is my well-beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed. By which place we learn, that Chrift appeafed and quenched the wrath of his Father, not in that he was only the Son of man; but much more in that he was the Son of God.

Thus ye have heard declared out of the Scriptures, that Jefus Chrift was the true Meffias and Saviour of the world, that he was by nature and fubftance perfect God and perfect man, and for what cause it was expedient it fhould be fo. Now that we may be the more mindful and thankful unto God in this behalf, let us briefly confider, and call to mind the manifold and great benefits that we have received by the nativity and birth of this our Meffias and Saviour.

Before Chrift's coming into the world, all men univerfally in Adam were nothing elfe but a wicked and crooked generation, rotten and corrupt trees, ftony ground, full of brambles and briers, loft fheep, prodigal fons, naughty unprofitable fervants, unrighteous ftewards, workers of iniquity, the brood of adders, blind guides, fitting in darknefs and in the fhadow of death; to be fhort, nothing elfe but children of perdition, and inheritors of hell-fire. To this doth St. Paul bear witness in divers places of his Epiftles, and Christ also himself in fundry places of his Gospel. But after he was once come down from heaven, and had taken our frail nature upon him, he made all them that would receive him truly, and believe his word, good trees, and good ground, fruitful and pleafant branches, children of light, citizens of heaven, theep of his fold, members of his body, heirs of his kingdom, his true friends and brethren, fweet and lively bread, the elect and chofen people of God. For as St. Peter faith in his firft Epiftle and fecond chapter, He bare our fins in his body upon the cross; he healed us, and made us whole by his ftripes: and whereas before we were Sheep going aftray, be by his coming brought us home again to

the

the true Shepherd and Bishop of our fouls, making us a chofen generation, a royal prieftbeod, an boly nation, à parti cular people of God, in that he died for our offences, and rofe for our juflification. St. Paul to Timothy, the third chap ter; We were, faith he, in times paft, unwife, disobedient, deceived, ferving divers lufts and pleasures, living in hatred, enry, malicioufness, and fo forth.

But after the loving kindness of God our Saviour ap peared towards mankind, not according to the righteoufnefs that we had done, but according to his great mercy, he faved us by the fountain of the new birth, and by the renewing of the Holy Ghoft, which he poured upon us abundantly, through Jefus Chrift our Saviour, that we, being once juftified by his grace, fhould be heirs of eternal life, through hope and faith in his blood.

Luke iv.

John xii.

In thefe and fuch other places is fet out before our eyes, as it were in a glafs, the abundant grace of God, received in Chrift Jefus, which is fo much the more wonderful, because it came not of any defert of ours, but Matt. ii. of his mere and tender mercy, even then when we were Matt. v. his extreme enemies. But for the better understanding John xviii. and confideration of this thing, let us behold the end of John viii. his coming, fo fhall we perceive what great commodity Matt. ix. and profit his nativity hath brought unto us miferable Matt. xi. and finful creatures. The end of his coming was to Coloff. i. fave and deliver his people, to fulfil the law for us, to Heb. x. bear witness unto the truth, to teach and preach the Rom. iii. words of his Father, to give light unto the world, to call finners to repentance, to refresh them that labour and be heavy laden, to caft out the prince of this world, to reconcile us in the body of his flesh, to diffolve the works of the Devil; laft of all, to become a propitiation for our fins, and not for ours only, but alfo for the fins of the whole world.

Thefe were the chief ends wherefore Chrift became man, not for any profit that should come to himself thereby, but only for our fakes, that we might understand the will of God, be partakers of his heavenly light, be delivered out of the Devil's claws, releafed from the burden of fin, juftified through faith in his blood, and finally received up into everlafting glory, there to reign with him for ever. Was not this a great and fingular love of Chrift towards mankind, that, being the exprefs and lively image of God, he would notwithstanding humble himself, and take upon him the form of a fervant, and that only to fave and redeem us? O how much

are

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