well added hereunto, or greater felicity defired in this world? But as the common nature of all men is, in time of profperity and wealth, to forget not only themselves, but alfo God; even fo did this firft man Adam, who having but one commandment at God's hand, namely, that he should not eat of the fruit of knowledge of good and ill, did notwithstanding, moft unmindfully, or rather moft wilfully break it, in forgetting the ftrait charge of his Maker, and giving ear to the crafty fuggeftion of that wicked ferpent the Devil. Whereby it came to pass, that as before he was blessed, so now he was accursed; as before he was loved, fo now he was abhorred; as before he was most beautiful and precious, fo now he was most vile and wretched in the fight of his Lord and Maker: instead of the image of God, he was now become the image of the Devil; instead of the citizen of heaven, he was become the bond-flave of hell, having in himself no one part of his former purity and cleannefs, but being altogether spotted and defiled; infomuch that now he feemed to be nothing elfe but a lump of fin, and therefore by the juft judgment of God was condemned to everlasting death. This fo great and miferable a plague, if it had only rested on Adam, who firft offended, it had been fo much the eafier, and might the better have been borne. But it fell not only on him, but also on his pofterity and children for ever, fo that the whole brood of Adam's flefh fhould fuftain the felf-fame fall and punishment, which their forefather by his offence moft juftly had deferved. St. Paul in the fifth chapter to the Romans faith, By the offence of only Adam, the fault came upon all men to condemnation, and by one man's difobedience many were made finners. By which words we are taught, that as in Adam all men univerfally finned, fo in Adam all men univerfally received the reward of fin; that is to fay, became mortal, and fubject unto death, having in themselves nothing but everlasting damnation both of body and foul. They became, as David faith, corrupt and abominable, they went all out of the way, there was none that did good, no not one. O what a miferable and woeful ftate was this, that the fin of one man fhould deftroy and condemn all men, that nothing in all the world might be looked for, but only pangs of death, and pains of hell! Had it been any marvel if mankind had been utterly driven to defperation, being thus fallen from life to death, from falvation to deftruction, from heaven to hell? But behold the great goodness and tender mercy of God in

this behalf: albeit man's wickedness and finful behaviour was such, that it deferved not in any part to be forgiven; yet to the intent he might not be clean deftitute of all hope and comfort in time to come, he ordained a new covenant, and made a fure promife thereof, namely, that he would fend a Meffias or Mediator into the world, which fhould make interceffion, and put himself as a stay between both parties, to pacify the wrath and indignation conceived againft fin, and to deliver man out of the miferable curfe and curfed mifery, whereinto he was fallen headlong by difobeying the will and commandment of his only Lord and Maker. This covenant and promise was first made unto Adam himself immediately after his fall, as we read in the third of Genefis, where God faid to the ferpent on this wife; I will put enmity between thee and the woman, between thy feed and her feed. He hall break thine head, and thou shalt bruife his heel.

Afterward the felf-fame covenant was alfo more amply and plainly renewed unto Abraham, where God promised him, that in his feed all nations and families of the earth Gen. xii. fhould be blefed. Again, it was continued and confirmed unto Ifaac in the fame form of words as it was before Gen. xxvi. unto his father. And to the intent that mankind might not despair, but always live in hope, Almighty God never ceased to publish, repeat, confirm, and continue the fame, by divers and fundry teftimonies of his Prophets; who, for the better perfuafion of the thing, prophefied the time, the place, the manner, and circumftance of his birth, the afflictions of his life, the kind of his death, the glory of his refurrection, the receiving of his kingdom, the deliverance of his people, with all other circunftances belonging thereunto. Ifaiah prophefied that he should be born of a virgin, and called Emanuel. Micah prophefied that he should be born in Bethlehem, a place of Jewry. Ezekiel prophefied that he should come of the stock and lineage of David. Daniel prophefied that all nations and languages fhould ferve him. Zechariah prophefied that he should come in poverty, riding upon an afs. Malachi prophefied that he fhould fend Elias before him, which was John the Baptift. Jeremiah prophefied that he should be fold for thirty pieces of filver, &c. And all this was done, that the promise and covenant of God, made unto Abraham and his pofterity concerning the redemption of the world, might be credited and fully believed. Now, as the Apostle Paul faith, when the fulness of time was come, that is, the perfection and courfe of years, appointed from the begin

Z 2

ning,

Rom. v.

ning, then God, according to his former covenant and promife, fent a Meffias, otherwife called a Mediator, into the world; not fuch a one as Mofes was, not fuch a one as Joshua, Saul, or David was, but fuch a one as fhould deliver mankind from the bitter curfe of the Law, and make perfect fatisfaction by his death for the fins of all people; namely, he fent his dear and only Son Jefus Chrift, made (as the Apoftle faith) of a woman, and made under the Law, that he might redeem them that were in bondage of the Law, and make them the children of God by adoption. Was not this a wonderful great love towards us that were his profeffed and open enemies, towards us that were by nature the children of wrath, and fire-brands of hell-fire? In this, faith St. John, appeared the great love of God, that he fent his only begotten Son into the world to fave us, when we were his extreme enemies. Herein is love, not that we loved him, but that he loved us, and fent his Son to be a reconciliation for our fins. St. Paul alfo faith, Chrift, when we were yet of no ftrength, died for us being ungodly. Doubtless a man will fearce die for a righteous man. Peradventure Some one durft die for him of whom they have received good. But God fetteth out his love towards us, in that he fent Chrift to die for us, when we were yet void of all goodness. This and fuch other comparisons doth the Apostle ufe, to amplify and fet forth the tender mercy and great goodnefs of God, declared towards mankind, in fending down a Saviour from heaven, even Chrift the Lord. Which one benefit among all other is fo great and wonderful, that neither tongue can well exprefs it, neither heart think it, much lefs give fufficient thanks to God for it. But here is a great controversy between us and the Jews, whether the fame Jefus, which was born of the Virgin Mary, be the true Meffias, and true Saviour of the world, fo long promised and prophefied of before. They, as they are, and have been always, proud and ftiff-necked, would never acknowledge him unto this day, but have looked and waited for another to come. They have this fond imagination in their heads, that Meffias fhall come, not as Chrift did, like a poor pilgrim and meek foul riding upon an afs; but like a valiant and mighty king, in great royalty and honour. Not as Chrift did, with a few fishermen, and men of fmall eftimation in the world; but with a great army of ftrong men, with a great train of wife and noble men, as knights, lords, earls, dukes, princes, and fo forth. Neither do they think that their Meffias fhall flanderously fuffer death, as

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 themselves 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 fumbling-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 hanged. This, I fay, feemed in their eyes ftrange, and moft 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 saved, muft both steadfastly believe, and alfo boldly confefs, that the fame Jefus, which was born of the Virgin Mary, was the true Meffias and Mediator between God and man, promised 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, Whofoever believeth in him fhall never be ashamed nor confounded. Whereto agreeth alfo 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 him.

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 instruct and furnish you with a few places concerning this matter, that ye may be able to ftop the blafphemous mouths of all them that most Jewithly, or rather devilishly, fhall at any time go about to teach or maintain the contrary. First, ye have the witnefs and teftimony of the Angel Gabriel, declared as well to Zachary the high-prieft, as alfo to the bleffed Virgin. Secondly, ye have the witness 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 witness 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 Ghoft, which came down from heaven in manner of a dove, and lighted upon him in time of his baptifm. To thefe

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might

John i.

Phil. ii.

might be added a great number more, namely, the witnefs and teftimony of the wife men that came to Herod, the witness and teftimony of Simeon and Anna, the witnefs and testimony 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 whofe nature and fubftance, because divers and fundry herefies are risen in these our days, through the motion and fuggeftion of Satan; therefore it fhall 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 flesh. God fending his 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 flesh, juftified in fpirit, feen of angels, preached to the Gentiles, lelieved 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 felf-fame thing to be moft true. In that he did hunger and thirst, eat and drink, fleep and wake, in that he preached his Gospel to the people, in that he wept and forrowed for Jerufalem, in that he paid tribute for himself and Peter,