A SERMON PREACHED AT Cheanies the 14. of September, 1585. at the burial of the right Honourable the Earl of BEDFORDE, by THOMAS SPARK Doctor of Divinity.  
Newly perused and corrected the Author.  
AT OXFORD, Printed by joseph Barnes Printer to the University.  
1594.   

TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE, ARTHUR LORD GREY OF WILTON, KNIGHT OF THE NOBLE order of the Garter, his very good Lord and Patron: Thomas Spark wisheth the increase of all good spiritual graces, with health, wealth, and true honours to God's glory, and his own full contentation and comfort.  
SInce the preaching of this funeral sermon following (right Honourable) I have been earnestly urged, & entreated both by words and letters of good brethren to commit the same to writing, and so to the print. And in deed their dealing with me therein hath been so effectual, that, though I had rather preach ten sermons, than pen one, and have always hitherto been very hard, considering the multitudes of books already published, to be entreated to publish any of my poor labours, yet in this, lo, I am overcomed. And truly amongst divers other reasons moving me to yield hereunto, this hath not been one of the wekest, that thereby not only they which heard me preach it might for that present have so noble an example both of sincere religion, and holy life sounded in their ears, but also both they and others at their pleasure might have the same laid down before their eyes, to the stirring up and provoking them, the rather by consideration of the doctrine set down in this sermon, to imitate and follow the same. For seeing it hath pleased our God (no doubt of great mercy to him) thus, as he hath, to take him in peace from us, that we cannot any longer enjoy him living amongst us as he hath done, yet by this and such like means after a sort (I hope) to the good of many he shall live still. Nay I am out of doubt of it, that as his death was precious in the eyes of the Lord, so he shallbe had in everlasting remembrance, & his name shall never be put out. In the mean time it is greatly to be wished, that we, whom he hath left behind, would take occasion by this his taking from us, to learn that, which even thereby we have just occasion given us by the Lord to learn, which is; to fear that the Lord is in preparing some great scourge for us for our great unthankfulness after so many benefits both heavenly and earthly a long time bestowed upon us, in that he beginneth thus to glean from us (lest they should see to their grief the evils to come) such dear servants of his: and thereby also to take occasion to repent, and to turn unto the Lord unfeignedly, that so he may turn the deserved evil day from us. For in the 2, of Esay. 3. for the like sins and transgressions of the people, as are amongst us, the Lord threateneth, that even therefore he would take away the honourable and wise counsellor. And yet notwithstanding this plain warning afterward the Prophet complaineth thus. The righteous perish, and no man considereth it in his heart: and merciful men are taken awate, and no man understandeth that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come, Chap. 57.1. And I fear though the Lord hath not barely threatened, but in deed hath taken away from us an Honourable and wise Counsellor, in that this worthy Earl of Bedforde is now dead and buried, that yet most justly the Prophet's complaint may be renewed amongst us. God of his mercy therefore give us grace better to consider thereof every one of us, that we may find out the lords counsel therein: and so take occasion, by an effectual and universal turning unto the Lord to prevent the evil thereby, and by such other like examples threatened to come upon us. It may be that the envious and malicious Papist (who always gathereth poison thence, from whence he should and might, if he had the grace, gather honey) will not stick to think and say also, that God hath taken him away, as he hath, & his three sons with him in his anger and displeasure towards him and his house. But whosoever considereth the doctrine set down in this sermon, they all living & dying in the Lord, and in her majesties loyal and faithful obedience, as they did, he shall be enforced to confess, that (by what means, or by what kind of sickness so ever they parted hence) they died in the favour of God: & who so weigheth further, that it is the Lords property to begin even at his own house, thereby to work a greater terror in others, and withal foreseeth what heavy plagues and miserable days our sins daily cry and call for, he cannot choose but see, that the Lord herein hath showed a marvelous great mercy to him, and to those of his house. Truly by occasion hereof rather (to the astonishment of all papists, who obey not the gospel of God) we may say with Pet. 1. Epi. 4.17. The time is come that judgement must begin at the house of God. If it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them, that obey not the gospel of god? But (to leave this noble Earl & his sons in the hands of the Lord in blessed test & peace, and these malicious papists to themselves as men in whom then sin of spiritual whoredom with the garish & babylonical harlot is grown to such rottenness in their bones, that there is small hope, or rather none at all of their recovery, such is the judgement of God upon them, because light is come into the world, and yet they love darkness more than light) concerning this sermon following (right Honourable) it may be in perusing of it you will find some difference in it, from that which you heard. In words it cannot be but there is, because I had taken but short notes before, and it is impossible for me to call to remembrance the very words, wherein I uttered it. But as for matter I am sure you will perceive it is all one with the other, and in words too, as near as memory could well serve to call them to mind. In deed because then when I preached it in divers points I was enforced (as I think you might well perceive) through the shortness of time left and allotted me, but summarily to touch many things, that more at large I had purposed to have prosecuted, and therefore perhaps then was the obscurer; I have hear in this according to my full purpose and premeditation than set them down, whereby it groweth to be somewhat longer now, than it was then. The hardness and unpleasantness of the stile I must desire your Honour, and all others to bear withal. For (as you know) my manner is not at any time to study for words, but for matter. Which so I deliver in such words as I may be understood of them that hear me, I care for no more. For the thing only that I always seek, is to edify them that hear me with as good and necessary doctrine as I can. As for gloriousness of words & pleasant and delicate speech I think it becometh the philosopher's chair, but not the pulpit. For I find, that Paul hath written, that he was not sent to Preach the Gospel with wisdom of words, lest the Cross of Christ should be made of none effect, 1. Corinth. 1.17. And therefore when he came among them he saith he came not with excellency of words, or of wisdom, showing unto them the testimony of God. For he esteemed not to know any thing among them, save only jesus Christ and him crucified, 1. Corinth. 2.1.2. Sometimes there are some sentences of the Doctors and ancient fathers interlaced, but they are not by me at any time alleged as though their testimony or judgement were a sufficient argument to ground a truth upon. For all truth must have and hath his sufficient warrant from the canonical Scriptures; and having so, it is a truth though all the Doctors and Fathers should gainsay it. I only therefore bring them in as witnesses of the truth in their times received, partly to show the Popish vain brag of antiquity in these points, and partly to beat them from their errors with their own weapons. Howbeit herein I have been very sparing, though indeed I might have been in the citing of them very plentiful, they are so full of excellent sentences to the same ends and purposes, for the which these few out of them were alleged. Now my reasons that move me to be so bold, as to make this Sermon appear again after this sort under your lordships protection, making my choice of you to dedicate it unto, are these: First I am persuaded that you were a principal means, that I was occasioned first to conceive and preach it. Secondly, you are the man, to whom among all other and above all other I am most bound for your manifold kindnesses diversly showed unto me: and therefore he that may most justly challenge all dutifulness, and tokens of thankfulness, which lie in my poor power to show: amongst which I beseech you accept this as one, though it be but a small one. thirdly I know such is your sincere affection to the truth of Doctrine therein contained, and such was your unfeigned love and affection towards him, whose memorial it still reviveth: that as you took pleasure in hearing of it once, so you will delight yourself in reading & perusing of it often. Which reasons considered I hope you will bear with my boldness herein, and others I trust, whosoever they be, will approve of this my so doing. And therefore beseeching the Lord of his mercy long to preserve you, & your virtuous and good wife my very good Lady with all your children in health, all true honour and prosperity, I cease from any farther troubling of your Honour at this time. At Bletchley the 25. of December, 1585.  
Your honours always to command, THOMAS SPARK.   
Text. Apocal. 14.13. I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, writ: Blessed are they that die in the Lord thenceforth: even so saith the spirit that they rest from their labours, and their works accompany them. 

The certainty of the truth in this scripture contained noted to breed attention & obedience thereto.  THis present occasion considered (right honourable & dearly beloved in our Lord and Saviour jesus) this portion of Scripture offereth most fit & necessary matter, both to me to speak of, & to you to he are. For (as you may well perceive) herein is set down, what the state and condition of all those is, that die in the Lord, yea immediately upon that their death. Of which number (I hope) all you here present are fully persuaded, this honourable person, whose funeral day here this is, was one. And the more reverently both to move me to speak thereof, and to provoke you all the more attentively to listen to that which is therein avouched, we are to weigh that that which herein is set down is a proposition or assertion not first devised, uttered, and recorded by the will & wit of man, but which came down from heaven, left in writing thus unto us by express and special commandment from thence, confirmed also to be most true by the assent and approbation of the holy Ghost. For john the beloved disciple of jesus Christ, & a faithful witness testifieth unto us, that he heard a voice from heaven commanding him to write it, & also he telleth us, that this heavenly voice had no sooner told him, that the thing which he should write was this, Blessed are they that die in the Lord thenceforth, but that the Spirit said yea unto it, adding further, that such rest from their labours, and that the works of such accompany them. Wherefore in the fear of God, we are all of us so to consider of the matter taught us in this proposition, as of matter most weighty, most certain & true. For if john himself had left it in writing but by the ordinary direction of his apostolic spirit, we ought not at all to have doubted, either of the necessariness, or certainty thereof. For even thereby both he and all the rest of his fellows, writers of the Canonical Scriptures, were ever preserved in their writings both from all erring in their writings, and also from committing unto writing any needless or unprofit able thing. How much less, it being (as you have heard) most earnestly affirmed, and by most invincible authority confirmed and strengthened, may we doubt of any thing taught us in this heavenly oracle: Out of all doubt even hereby we are (to begin with all) all of us fast bound, most readily to believe every thing to be most certainly true, which herein is taught, whatsoever we have taught heretofore, or flesh and blood can say to the contrary hereafter otherwise most gracelessely we should call into question, whether there be truth or no in a most vehement asseveration of the almighty, which once to do were blasphemy.  

The scope occasion and other circumstances thereof.  The scope and drift, that our most wise and loving GOD had in causing these words to be registered, and recorded in this book after this sort, to the eternal consolation of his, considered, we shall even thereby perceive, that it was not without very great cause, why even thus they were set down. For it appeareth in certain chapters before this, whereof these words are a part, that it was revealed unto john, how Antichrist should come, grow, and flourish in his kingdom to the eclipsing of the truth marvelously. Wherefore in this Chapter (as our very adversaries are compelled to confess) to his comfort, and the farther consolation of the Church, the Lord vouchsafeth to reveal unto him the fall of Antichrist, and the manner how in this sort, first in causing him to see an Angel fly in the midst of heaven, having an everlasting Gospel to preach unto them, that dwell on the earth, to every Nation, Kindred, Tongue and People, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, & give glory to him, for the hour of his judgement is come, worship him that made heaven and earth, the Sea & the fountains of waters: and then in causing him to see another Angel following, saying, It is fallen, it is fallen, Babylon the great city. For she made all nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication: and thirdly in causing him to see and hear a third Angel following the other two, saying with a loud voice: If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, yea of the pure wine, which is powered into the cup of his wrath, and he shall be tormented in fire and brimstone before the holy Angels, and before the Lamb, and the smoke of their torment shall ascend evermore: and they shall have no rest day nor night which worship the beast, and his image, and whosoever receiveth the Print of his name. Wherein in effect is showed (as it is also written 2. Thes. 2.) that after Antichrist shall have showed himself in his full, then yet, when God shall see it time, that he would by the spirit of his mouth, that is, by the effectual preaching again of the Gospel (which Antichrist had smothered) bring him to a desperate consumption. Which once being brought to pass of the great mercy of the Lord towards his church, by this light them so come into the world & shining therein, the Lord teacheth here by the voice of the 3. Angel, that as many as be desirous to escape eternal damnation should in any case so separate themselves from Antichrist & his religion, that neither in forehead nor hand they bear his mark, that is, that neither openly nor secretly they be any longer favourers of him and his abominations. And this more plainly after chap. 18. upon occasion of a revelation like unto this, which he had of the fall of the kingdom of Antichrist, he doth warn us of by a voice from heaven, saying, Go out of her my people, that ye be not partakers in her sins, & that ye receive not of her plagues. Which admonition john by the spirit of prophesy foreseeing would take place in a number, & that thereupon Antichrist and his confederates would take occasion of great grief & anger seeing so their kingdoms to decay, he bursteth out into these words saying, Here is the patience of the Saints, here are they that keep the commandments of God & the faith of jesus. As who should say, I foresee that when these things should come to pass, which the Lord hath foreshowed by the voices of these three Angels shall; then they that leave Antichrist to cleave to Christ, and forsake his abominable superstition to embrace the sincerity of the Gospel, shall marvelously be assaulted by Antichrist and his, to reclaim them again by all means both fair and foul, sweet and subtle, sour and violent, insomuch that they then shall stand need of perfect patience. For if it were possible (the devices and means which he will use to repair his kingdom again withal will be such) that the very elect should be seduced, as Christ hath foretold Mat. 24.24. Whereupon the words of my text follow, where incoragement is given to all men that shall live to see Antichrist and his treachery by the preaching again of the gospel thus detected & brought to his consumption, to embrace the doctrine of the Gospel, and to leave his, yea and constantly to persevere both in the profession of their hatred and defiance of his abominations (though never so universally liked before, yet & still (the better to deceive) offered in a golden cup) and also in their love & liking of the sincerity of the truth of the gospel, though never so much slandered by his to be a new doctrine & heresy, and persecuted also. For so far off shall it be, that ye shall lose any thing (saith the Lord unto such in my text) if you take this course quite to forsake Antichrist and lean only unto and upon Christ, that when he hath done his worst (which is, but to kill your bodies, and so to cause your souls to flit the sooner out of them) that I assure you without all doubt you shall immediately thenceforth be blessed, in that all manner of woe and pain shall be ended to you, and besides your sincere profession & holy conversation must be rewarded with joy & unspeakable felicity in heaven, Be therefore of good courage, the light shining amongst you again, embrace it and walk in it, have no longer, either secretly or openly any further fellowship with the works of darkness: if you have, you have heard the third Angel tell you, that then therefore ye shall be everlastingly accursed and condemned. But if you have refused them and will live and die in the sincere profession, and belief of the truth of the Gospel, whatsoever means Antichrist shall use to draw you back again unto him, I say unto you (and I say it most earnestly) you shallbe for ever blessed and happy, My text therefore cometh in, as a preoccupation, to take away from all such as should fall from Antichrist to Christ by the preaching of the Gospel, all objections whatsoever can or may arise in their minds to make them waver or go back again unto him. And for as much as the Lord saw that these would be many, yea and that in show so forcible to a man consulting with flesh & blood, that he should even therewith be often amazed, you see (right honourable) as I have said, that not without very great cause is this proposition, tending to their comforce and strengthening, uttered and recorded in such sort and manner as you have heard, Wherefore whensoever there ariseth any reason or motion in our minds to draw us back from the sincerity of the Gospel, to take again the mark of the beast either in our forehead or hand, then to strengthen ourselves to withstand all such, let us make our recourse unto this place, and well weigh this point, that here is damnation flatly denounced to all such, as after the sound of the gospel again revolt to Antichrist: and that there is most certainly salvation and bliss promised to those that refuse to do it, and choose rather to lose their lives.  

The division.  Now in the proportion itself thus & upon this occasion uttered we have to consider two things principally, that is, who they be, of whom the Lord therein speaketh, & what it is, that he speaketh of such. The first is expressed in these words, They that die in the Lord: the later in these, Are blessed thenceforth: even so saith the spirit that they rest from their labours, & their works accompany them. Whereof orderly now I am to speak as the text offereth occasion, & as the time will permit me. Though this particle (all) nor any like, he not prefixed, yet (no doubt) it is necessarily to be understood. 
●he proposition is ●iuersall.  For the proposition being indefinite, & the latter part thereof so undoubtedly & unseparably belonging to the former, as it doth, it must needs be equivalent to an universal proposition, & therefore all one in effect with this. All they that die in the Lord are blessed thenceforth: besides the usual manner of the scripture, which is to set down universal propositions indefinitely, confirmeth the same, as joh. 3.6. & 18. 
By the Lord is meant Christ.  And by the Lord we have here to understand our Lord & saviour jesus, whose usual title in the scripture this is, as Ro. 1.3. 1. Co. 1.2. 2. Cor. 1.3. & y● worthily, both for that he is our creator, & also redeemer, 
What it is to die in the Lord.  it is confessed of all, & denied of none. But what it is to die in the lord here in this place all interpreters be not of one mind. Some understand it generally of all those which die in the state of grace, & tavour of the Lord through a sound and right christian faith in him: other some take it, that only hereby Martyrs are meant, & therefore these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, with word for word sound, in the Lord, they translate for the Lord, or for the Lords cause. Which later interpretation the papists best like of, as appeareth in the Rhem. notes upon this place. For the place so taken (say they) it maketh not at all against our doctrine of purgatory. For we never taught, the martyrs went thither, but have always confessed, that such are immediately after their death blessed. Of whom with Aug. sermone de verb. Apost. 17. Cap. 1. we (say they) have always said, that he doth injury to a martyr, that prayeth for a martyr. Wherefore it shallbe very necessary to consider whether of these interpretations is the rather in this place to be followed. They that follow the later urge this as the only reason of their so doing, that the circumstances of the place leads them to take it as spoken only to the comfort of those that through the tyranny of Antichrist shall lose their lives for the profession of the pure doctrine of Christ. That it is spoken to the comfort of such, yea and especially to the comfort of such, I will easily grant: but only to the comfort of such, and therefore only of such, I cannot in any case think. For (no doubt of it) the Lord having foreshowed unto john. the fall of Antichrist's kingdom, and the manner how, and consequently having let him in spirit foresee, how he would free and chafe against all those, that being admonished by the Gospel should fully separate themselves from him, to rest only in and upon Christ: as he did thereupon foresee, that he would raise cruel persecution against them, that through the fear thereof he mihgt reclaim them; so he (without all peradventure) in spirit foresaw, that no fair means, or subtle persuasions would be omitted, to heal up the wound of the beast again withal: & that the saints of god should find is as hard a matter to stand steadfast in Christ unto their lives end against those assaults, as against the other, that is his cruel persecution. For daily experience teacheth, that this way he prevaileth more a great deal, than by the other. And therefore if there were cause why these words of my text should be uttered & recorded to animate & encourage men in the time of persecution to stand steadfast in the truth against Antichrist, there was as good cause, why they should be so also to the strengthening of men to live & die in the same truth, what fair allurements, subtle devices, or cunning persuasions soever were used to draw them from the same. So that as well he is told here, that he is blessed, that dieth in his bed a right & sound Christian faith (notwithstanding these means used to him before to seduce him) as he that dieth in the fire for the profession of the same faith. And yet though they have it granted them that the words especially concern Martyrs, yet understanding the words generally, they serve aswell to the comfort of them, & rather better, than if they were true only in them. For this argument followeth strongly, whosoever dieth in the Lord, that is in a right & sound christian faith, he is thenceforth immediately blessed, & therefore martyrs, who not only die in the faith, but for that faith. Further, who knoweth not, that it is an usual thing in the scriptures, & in all other good learning, to prove particulars by generals? And therefore what reason is there to the contrary, but that here to the comforting of them that die for the Lord, the blessed state generally of all that die in the Lord, should be set forth, wherein they might see themselves of all other undoubtedly included? Hereby than it appeareth, that their reason of restraining the words to them only that die for the Lord, is taken away, & therefore also the consequent, which they would infer thereupon falleth to the ground. Besides this, diverse reasons I have, which enforce me to understand the words generally of all that die in the Lord, when and wheresoever, and they are these, first it is somewhat hard to translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is, in the Lord, for the Lord. Secondly, when the circumstance & coherence of the text will well suffer (as in this place) that it carry a sense to the general comfort of God's Church then unnecessarily to restrain it to some sort of members thereof only, cannot be but a fault. For it is, as it were a needless shrinking up of the sinews, and pulling in of the arms of the holy scripture. And lastly in the interpreting of scripture it is a rule greatly to be commended, If the question of the sense arise upon a phrase of speech (as here it doth) to consider the use of the same or like phrase in other places of scripture, and to take it in that sense, that best agreeth with the use thereof in other places of scripture, Now in this case we neither find, that to live in the Lord, or to die in the Lord are taken in any other place for to live or die for the lords sake: but to die in the Lord to be taken in this general se● se●, to departed this life in a sound and right Christian faith, we find elsewhere in the Scripture. For 1. Thessaly 4.. (where it is evident that the Apostle speaketh generally of all those that shall have a joyful resurrection) he calleth them first those that sleep in jesus. vers. 14. after those that be dead in Christ verse. 16. where it were absurd to restrain these phrases to those only that die for Christ's cause. For it were to restrain the comfort of the general resurrection only to such. These and some other such like reasons (as it should seem) have enforced our Rhemists upon this place (though they plainly show, that they would very gladly have the words restrained only to Martyrs, that so easily they might shift off the place when it is alleged against their purgatory) to confess that yet it may be taken as spoken generally of all that depart in the state of grace. Wherefore seeing this general sense most fully and strongly answereth the circumstances of the text, best agreeth with the letter thereof, offereth more general comfort to God's children, accordeth best with the use of the same, and other the like phrases in other places of the Scripture (in so much that our very adversaries, against whom most that sensr maketh, have in print confessed that, that may be the sense) we may safely conclude, that they which are here spoken of, are all generally, that depart this life in Christ jesus our Lord, whether they lived or died before Christ, or since, or shall hereafter; and children dying within God's election and covenant. 
The necessity of perseverance.   
This thus concluded & determined, it is worthy to be marked, that it is said, which die in the Lord. For thereby we learn, that unless we persevere unto our end in refusing the beasts mark both in forehead & hand, that is, any way to be favourers of the abominations and superstitions of Antichrist (what means soever he use to seduce us) and continue also in a constant and sincere profession of Christ's truth unto our death, that here is no comfort at all offered unto us: but our portion is set down before by the voice of the 3. Angel, to drink of the cup of God's wrath, and to be tormented evermore. Wherefore let every one of us not only take warning by the light of the gospel shining now amongst us, to separate ourselves quite from Antichrist and his religion, and to be no favourers of him or his opinions, either secretly, or openly, but let us also embrace the sincere religion of jesus Christ, offered unto us by the gospel, and persevere in the zealous profession thereof, what means soever fraudulent or violent he shall use to shake us: and so doing we may be sure we are of the number here spoken of, else not. For it is written, He that persevereth to the end shall be saved, Mat. 10.22. Be faithful unto the end & I will give thee the crown of life. Apo. 2.10. & on the other side: No man that putteth his hand to the plough & looketh hack is meet for the kingdom of God, Luk. 9.62. & most fearfully is the judgement of God denounced against all apostates, and revolters from a known truth, Heb. 6.4.5.6. & 10.26.27.. and in the 2. epistle of Pet. 2.20.21.22. By this therefore that we have heard already we see, that neither Turks, jews, Pagans, nor Atheists can be of the number hear spoken of, that die in the Lord; because they do not acknowledge jesus Christ so much as to be a Lord; yea, and that it is not enough for a time never so well to acknowledge him to be Lord and king, and profess faith in him; unless we persevere in our so doing unto our death, let antichrist do what he can against us therefore: and that so all backsliders from the sincere religion of jesus Christ, are also shut out from this number of them that die in the Lord.  

The necessity of spiritual union with Christ.  Further yet we are to weigh the force of this phrase (in the lord) for it is of great importance, in that evidently thereby is taught us, that there is a very nigh conjunction and union necessarily required to be betwixt the Lord and them, that ever would be of the number of them that die in the Lord. It is not enough therefore for such to know the Lord, what he is in nature, and what he is in office, and to be able and willing to utter their knowledge, unless therewithal they proceed even to be in the Lord. For the former is but to come nigh him, which is nothing, except we get into him. The necessity of this union betwixt us and our Lord and Saviour jesus (or else we cannot be saved) ariseth of this, that whereas our salvation lieth in an atonement and union betwixt god and us, and there is no other means in the wisdom of God found out and appointed to us men, having by our sins made a division betwixt him and us, to recover this union again with God, but by, becoming one with Christ jesus our Lord, in whose person for our sakes, Godhead and manhood be united; so that thereupon it must needs thus stand with us, that until we be in Christ, and so one with him, we remain still dead in our sins and trespasses, at enmity with God, and indeed without life before him. But when it is once come to pass, that we are in him, engrafted and growing in him, than our heavenly father, being well pleased in him, becometh to be so also in us for his sake. Whereupon it must needs be, that our sins are forgiven, and that we are at one again with God, and live in deed in his sight, in that Christ liveth in us and we in him. So that as necessary as the union of the soul and body of man be to cause this temporal life: so needful is the union of Christ spiritually, to every man to cause him to live before God. For as the body is dead when the soul is sundered from it; so whole man, though otherwise in respect of this common life he be never so lively, is stark dead spiritually, whiles Christ and he be severed. For as we read 1. joh. 5.11. that this is a most certain truth, that God hath given unto us eternal life: so this is as certain (as it there followeth) that this life is in his son. Whereupon (as he saith in the next verse) thus the case standeth, that he that hath the son hath life, and he that hath not the son hath not life. For confirmation of this doctrine of the necessity of our spiritual and mystical union with Christ it serveth, that he is called the head, and all that shall be saved, his Church and body, Colos. 1.18. Eph. 1.22.23. and that he is compared by himself (joh. 15.5.) to a vine whereinto his heavenly father, so ingrafteth all those, as branches, that shall be saved, that they grow in him, and that also joh. 6.55. where he compareth his flesh to meat indeed, and his blood to drink indeed, in the eating and drinking whereof lieth salvation, and in the not eating and drinking whereof lieth damnation as there he sayeth expressly verse 53.54, For by these metaphors it is evident (especially seeing the ground of them is the similitude between the metaphor and the thing metaphorised) even in this point, that as the body receiveth life from the head, and is dead without it: as the branch though it be never so near the vine stock, yet if it abide not in it, and grow not in it, hath no life there from, and therefore withereth, and if it abide in it, than it liketh and fructifieth: and as the hungry & thirsty have not the benefit of meat and drink to live by, by coming where it is seeing it, and knowing it, but by eating and drinking thereof, and digesting it, so that by the force of nature there may grow an union betwixt them & their meat: even so it is as necessary, that the Church be united to her head Christ, engrafted into him, and grow in him, and that every one that would be saved eat him and drink him, and that so effectually, as that he may be their spiritual food. For if it be thus they shall live for ever by him, otherwise they remain in death, whither, and must perish. And therefore Christ (john. 15, 5.) saith, He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. And in the next verse he addeth, If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, & withereth, & men gather them & cast them in the fire, & they burn. What a comfort is it then to all those that be the Lords to read, how Christ (whose prayer we may be sure was heard) hath prayed unto his heavenly father, joh. 17.23, that he might be in them, & his father in him, that so they may be made perfect in one?  
And hereby we may be assured, that he will find the means so to marry himself in spirit unto all the elect, that they shallbe sure to be united unto him, and made one in him, and he in them, It hath pleased the father, that in him should all fullness dwell, Colos. 1.16. and yet such is his goodness towards his Church (in that he hath taken upon him to be the redeemer thereof) that he accounteth himself as it were imperfect without his body the Church, & therefore it is said to be his fullness, Ephes. 1.23. Whereupon it is, that he and his Church joined together by spiritual bonds appointed for that purpose as the head and body of a man be by natural and bodily means, are accounted in the sight of God as one perfect man, whereof he is the head, and the Church his body, as it is evident to the diligent reader, Ephes. 4.13.15.16. 1. Cor. 12.12. &. Gal. 3.16.  
These things thus considered may breed in us all here present (and I hope they have) an earnest desire to know how to get unto this union and conjunction with Christ, whereby we may be in him, and so to be the readier, when it shall please the Lord to call us hence, to die in him. And this is the thing that now next we have to Consider of. Concerning which we are to understand, that on God's part offering this blessed union and fellowship unto us, his outward means is the whole ministery of his word and Sacraments. For we read, Ephes. 4. that he hath appointed it namely to this end, to gather together his Saints, for the edification of the body of Christ, till we all meet together unto a perfect man, & unto the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ, in the unity of the faith, and knowledge of the son of god, by whom all the body being coupled and knit together by every joint for the furniture thereof (according to the effectual power, which is in the measure of every part) receiveth increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love, verse 12.13.16. And Saint john. 1. Epist. 1.3. plainly confesseth, that the end of his ministry and his fellows the Apostles was this, saying. That which we have heard and seen, declare we unto you, that ye may also have fellowship with us, and that our fellowship also may be with the father, and with the son jesus Christ. By the word preached generally the doctrine of this union is laid open to our ears: in the administration of the sacraments it is also, the better to make us to embrace it, not only set before our eyes, but confirmed, particularly offered, and ratified unto us. God's inward means, whereby he maketh this outward effectual unto us, is the effectual operation of his spirit in our hearts. For it was he that opened Lydias heart to attend unto the things that Paul spoke to her salvation, Act. 16.14.15. And Paul may plant and Apollo water, but it is GOD, that must give the increase, or else the other will be to no purpose, 1. Cor. 3.6.7. Now the means on our part, whereby by the foresaid means we are enabled to take & apprehend this union offered, is a sound and a right faith in Christ jesus. I say sound, because it must be unfeigned: and right, because it must not be erroneous, nor heretical: in Christ jesus, because to the apprehension of this fellowship with Christ, and consequently to all the mercies of GOD laid up for us in him, it is not enough to believe either that he is, or what he is, unless we believe also rightly in him being such a one. But in this I speak but of them of sufficient age and discretion. For, as for children borne in the Church, dying in their infancy, and others borne and dying idiots in the same, borne of such parents, as the covenant (Gen. 17. I will be thy GOD, and the GOD of thy seed after thee) belongeth unto, no doubt of it the Lord can and doth by the force of this election and other extraordinary means unite unto his son. And therefore we are to hope, that such die in the Lord. Understand therefore, that I herein have spoken, and in that, which followeth, mean to speak only of those, to whom the Lord giveth years and discretion, so that if the fault be not in themselves, they are capable of the doctrine of faith.  

That by faith this union is attained.  Now to prove, that faith hath this office appointed unto it of God, to apprehend Christ, & to make him our own by the former means offered unto us, the scripture is most clear and evident. For we read john. 1.12. that as many as received him, to them he gave power to be made the sons of God. For explanation whereof it followeth immediately, even to them that believe in his name. And Ephes. 3.17. Paul prayeth, that Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith. And in the 4. chapter of that epistle 13. ye have heard that by the unity of faith and knowledge of the son of God we all meet together unto a perfect man in Christ.  
And who so duly considereth, what is written in the 6, of john, from the 27. verse unto the 57 of the same, he shall there plainly find the premises, whereupon this conclusion is directly to be inferred, ergo to eat the flesh of the son of man and to drink his blood, is nothing else but to believe in him, plainly & at large handled. For first there this proposition is handled, that to eat the bread of life is to do nothing else, but to believe in the son: & then this, but to eat the flesh of the son of man & to drink his blood is nothing else, but to eat the bread of life: whereupon it directly followeth, that therefore it is nothing else to eat the flesh of the son of man & to drink his blood, but to believe in him. Which also is evident, in that you shall find in that chapter within the compass of the foresaid verses, the same things both promised to the eaters and drinkers of Christ's flesh and blood, and to the believers in him, and also the same things threatened to the not eaters and drinkers thereof, which are to the not believers in him. Which argueth that they are both one, especially seeing the one is put for the other in the Chapter following, verse. 37.38. In the former whereof we read thus, Now in the last and great day of the feast, jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me & drink: but in the latter (whereas if he had continued the metaphorical speech, wherein he began, he should have said, he that cometh unto me and drinketh of me) changing his phrase, and yet retaining his former meaning, to show us that to drink him is nothing else, but to believe in him, he saith in the steed thereof, He that believeth in me, as saith the Scripture, out of his belly shall flow rivers of waters of life. And therefore not without good ground said Augustine, Crede & manducasti, Believe and thou hast eaten. Tract. 25. upon john. And Tertullian de resurrectione carnis 29.: writeth, that Christ is auditu devorandus, & ruminandus intellectu, & fide digerendus, that is, to be devoured by hearing, to be chewed on by understanding, and to be digested by faith. So that by all these proofs laid together we see that Christ is received by faith, that we grow in him by faith, yea to a perfect man in God's sight, and lastly that he is as surely apprehended of us by faith to our spiritual maintenance in the word preached, and sacraments ministered (which are the dishes wherein one and the self-same Christ is offered unto us) as meat and drink being set before us is taken in by eating or drinking thereof to our temporal nourishment, Whereof the Sacrament of Christ's body and blood is a most effectual ratification, and particular confirmation to every right receiver thereof by faith. If it were otherwise that we could not get to be in Christ, and he in us by faith in him, but to accomplish this it were necessary bodily to take him into us by the mouth of our bodies, than (forasmuch as there were never any that died that could be blessed, that died not in him) all the good patriarchs, Prophets, and other servants of GOD that died before he had an human body, must be condemned. But the contrary thereof is evident, in that Abraham is placed in state of salvation by Christ, Luk. 16.24. etc. Yea and with Abraham; Isaac, and jacob, in the kingdom of heaven, Luk. 13.28.29. And therefore Paul is bold 1. Cor. 10.3.4. to say of them that were before Christ, that they all ate one spiritual meat, and drank the same spiritual drink, that we do, Christ, which could not be otherwise effectually, but by believing aright in CHRIST, to come. Let us therefore labour by diligent use of the means, that GOD hath appointed us for that purpose, to attain to a right and sound faith in Christ, and to nourish it still by the use of the same means, seeing thereby we see it cometh to pass, that we put on Christ and be united unto him, so that we may be said (according to the usual phrase of the Scripture) to be in him, and consequently always found ready to die in him. Of which number I count as well them that died before Christ in a right faith in him to come, as since in him already come.  

But not by every kind of faith.  But now (lest we deceive ourselves in thinking we have attained unto this faith, and so are in Christ, when it is nothing so) we are diligently to consider what manner of faith that is, and of what nature it is, that worketh this great and glorious effect. And the rather are we diligently to consider hereof because this word Faith is not always taken in one and the self-same signification in the Scriptures: for there are divers sorts and kinds of faith. 
Not by the miraculous faith.  Understand therefore (Right Honourable and well-beloved in our Saviour jesus Christ) that it is not fides miraculosa, a faith to work miracles by, that is, a resolution by some extraordinary means of Gods will to work a wonder, and therefore thereupon to attempt it in his name, and to bring it to pass, that maketh us have this fellowship with Christ. For of such as have this faith we read thus, Mat. 7.22.23. Many will say unto me in that day (saith Christ) Lord, Lord, have we not in thy name prophesied? And by thy name cast out Devils? And done many great works? And then will I profess to them, 
Not by the historical faith.  I never knew you, depart from me you workers of iniquity. Neither is it an historical faith only, whereby we assent to the truth of those things that are written in the Scripture. For (no doubt of it) the very devils of hell are enforced to yield thus much to their smart and woe. And therefore we read James. 2.19, The devils believe and tremble. 
Not by the temporary saith.  Neither is it a temporary faith, fleeting in the conceit of man not firmly settled and rooted in his heart. For such as have that kind of faith only are compared by our saviour Christ Mat. 13. to the thorny and stony ground, wherein though for a time the good seed of the word seemed to make fair promise of a plentiful harvest, yet ere due time of harvest came, either through the cares and pleasures of this life it was so choked and over grown, or through the scorching heat of persecution so burnt up that it came to no good. And therefore you have heard that it is said hear not without cause, Which die in the Lord, to show us that it must be a continuing and persevering faith unto the end (howsoever in the mean time it be assaulted) that must serve the turn in this case to make us such, as of whom the LORD here speaketh. 
Not by the dead faith.  I say further, that a faith though seeming to be never so lively in words, yet if it be fruitless in good works, it is not the faith that can make us to be in Christ. For both immediately before the words of my text, and in the end thereof it is evident, that a faith accompanied with good works is here required. For before you read, that john set down these words, here is the patience of saints, here are they that keep the commandments of GOD and the faith of jesus. And my text concludeth, that the works of such accompany them, as die in the Lord. For the true faith purifieth the heart, Acts. 15.9. and it is of that nature, that it worketh by love, Galat. 5.6. And therefore as, though a man have never so charitable and courteous words, yet if he have no deeds answering thereunto, his charity is vain, jam. 2.15, 16. ●0● 〈◊〉 if it have no works is dead in itself, and cannot not save a man, verse 17. etc. Howbeit this I say, and thus I teach with james, not that I would have you to think, that faith saveth, or justifieth any for the worthiness of these works that follow it, and accompany it. For so far off am I, and we all aught to be from that, that we may not once imagine, that faith itself saveth or justifieth any for the worthiness of itself, but only for and through the worthiness of Christ the object thereof, whom it apprehendeth and apply withal his merits to her owner, and so thereby he is justified. But this I say and constantly affirm, that that faith that justifieth a man indeed is two ways lively and effectual, namely in heaven before GOD about her object Christ, first in apprehending and applying lit to the justification of the owner: and then in earth amongst men in puryf●yng her subject, that is, the person in whom it is, to bring forth fruits beseeming a justified person. So that always he that hath the justifying faith, hath therewith the sanctifying spirit, whereby he is able (according to Saint Peter's counsel to join virtue to his faith, 2. Peter. 1.5 and according to Saint james request, to show his faith by his works, Chapter. 2.18. for the ●ounde and right faith in jesus 〈…〉 into the heart of the owner, by the operation of the spirit, such abundance of love to wards GOD for and in consideration of his infinite love and goodness found out and apprehended thereby, that it replenisheth the heart wherein it is withal thankfulness and dutifulness towards him in obeying his commandments with all his power cheerfully and willingly: in somuch that as it is impossible to separate fire and heat, sun and light: so is it to find a iustifling faith without good works. And therefore though we take the office of justifying from good works generally without distinction, and leave it solely and wholly to faith, as Paul doth, Romans. 3.28. where he sayeth, Therefore we conclude, that a man is justified by faith without the works of the law: yet we say and hold also with Saint james, that a man is justified of works, and not of faith only, james 2.24. For though by warrant from Paul we hold that only faith justifieth before GOD, because the works of the jaw, that is, works commanded by the Law, which (if any other thing might be joined with faith in this office) are most worthy, are shut out quite from intermeddling therein: yet we hold also, that this faith, which is sola, that is, alone in doing this office, yet is not solitaria, that is, alone in her owner, when she doth perform it.  
Faith therefore alone (with Paul) justifieth before God, and works proceeding from faith justify, that is, declare who is justified, with James. For that appeareth to be his sense by his saying, She we me thy faith out of thy works. Neither is his phrase strange in saying that works do justify, which do but declare who is justified. For we say commonly, white hairs make in old man, and yet our meaning only is, that they declare him to be an old man. And for further proof yet of this point, that it is not a faith in the sips, but in the heart, not a woroy, but a worthy faith, that knitteth us unto Christ, we are to call to our remembrance, that Christ expressly (john. 15.5.) saith, He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. And that as Saint Paul saith, there is no condemnation to those that be in Christ, to he addeth, which walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit, Rom. 8.1. yea that he saith, that they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the lusts thereof, Galat. 5.24. and that with with, old things are passed away, and all things are become new, 2. Cor. 5.17. Either therefore never pretend, that thou hast a sound are a right faith, or else set thy life and conversation be such, as God may be glorified in justifying such an one. David could say) seeing Christ but a far off in respect of that purgation and cleansed, that he hoped for by him, Psa. 51.7. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean, wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. And therefore said john very flacly 1. epist. 1.6.7, If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not truly: but if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of jesus Christ cleanseth us from all our sins. Wherefore let us assure ourselves, either that we are not purged at all by Christ's death or washed by his blood, or else chat we are clean and white. For (no doubt of it) where God for his sake pardoneth sin, there he purgeth it: and where he covereth it, there he cureth it: and therefore to all that believe in him the spirit is promised, john. 7.38. to be in that measure, that it shallbe as rivers of water of life flowing over the banks, for the force it shall have in all such effectually to wash them, to soften them, to make them fruitful, and to quench in them the flames and heat of sin. Unless therefore we find the spirit in us to have this operation, we are without warrant in ourselves to prove, that we have a sound and right faith in Christ. By this than you mate see (dearly beloved in jesus Christ) seeing this is the general doctrine of us all, that profess the Gospel with knowledge, how much we are wronged by our adversaries the papists, who (this not withstanding) charge our doctrine to be a doctrine of liberty, and licentiousness. For hereby, evidently you may see, we shut out all those from the number of them that die in the Lord which be carnal, and worldly minded men, whatsoever they say; and all carnal and profane Gospelers, which turn the grace of God into wantonness, what fair show soever they can make of faith in words. And therefore here is no comfort at all for any, that yet remain in their sins, having them reigning in their mortal bodies, for Epicures, Libertines, or for any lewd & licentious wretch whatsoever he be. For such do not live in the Lord, and therefore are not slkely to die in the Lord. For commonly qualis vita, finis ita, such life such death, & in the just judgement of God it so falleth out For he that living and in health will not remember God, it is but right that God should forget him sick and dying.  

Not by the popish faith.  howbeit as yet (will some say) for any thing that you have said, both Papist and Protestant may seem to be such as die in the Lord. For both profess faith in Christ, and labour to show their faith by their works. I grant it may seem so, to a simple man that seethe not the difference betwixt them to be such. as that the one holdeth the foundation, the other not. For though there were a difference otherwise as great, as there is betwixt gold & silver, precious stones and wood, hay and stubble; yet if both held the foundation, though the builders thereupon of wood, hay & stubble, should in time, by a more clear day of understanding, shining unto them, through the fire of God's spirit kindled in them, be caused to see their folly in building no better matter, upon so good a foundation, with grief, sorrow, and some shame for their so doing: Yet we learn by S. Paul, that even they also 1. Cor. 3.11.12, 13.14. and 15. shall be saved for holding the foundation. And therefore that such, notwithstanding their wood, hay, & stubble, that is, their fond and vain opinions not overthrowing the foundation, may die in the Lord, and so be partakers of the comfort set down in this place. But the truth is (right honourable) that the Popish faith what good show soever it maketh, hath forsaken the foundation, which is in this case, but one, even Christ jesus; 
Because it holdeth not the foundation.  besides whom no other foundation can any man lay, as there, ver. 11. Paul most excellently affirmeth.  
For better understanding of which point to be most true, as this would be remembered, which we have heard S. Paul tell us, 1. Co. 3.11. that other foundation can no man lay, than that which is laid, which is Christ jesus, so we are diligently to consider the ground of that metaphor, that is the reason why Christ is said to be the only foundation of his Church, whereupon all the true members thereof, as living stones, must be built, 1. Pet. 2.5. that in him the whole building being coupled together, may grow unto a holy temple in the Lord, Ephes. 2.21. No doubt of it, the ground and reason of the mecaphore is the similitude, that is betwixt the foundation of an house, and the house, and Christ and his Church; which is this, that as the whole frame of the house standeth and resteth upon the foundation, and so thereby is borne up and upholden: so every one, that would stand up, and be upholden, as any part of God's spiritual house, must wholly stand and rest upon Christ, and by him alone be borne up, and upholden. Let a house stand but halfling upon the foundation, it cannot stand: it will fall: so in this case they that would surely stand before the Lord, they must fully be settled, and rest upon the only foundation Christ. Whereupon it must needs follow, that the popish Church is not God's spiritual house, because neither the whole house generally, nor any member thereof particularly, taketh itself only to stand, and to be upholden upon, and by Christ alone. For it is currant doctrine with them yet, that Christ by his sufferings hath not so satisfied the justice of his heavenly father, as that he will not require further satisfaction at the hands of him, that believeth in him. For they plainly teach, that though to such, their sins be forgiven, yet concerning the penalty due therefore, this is only done, that by the merits of Christ, whereas it should be everlasting misery, now for his merit's God will be content to accept of a temporary satisfaction; and so partly for that and partly for his sons satisfaction he will acquit them. And here it is worthy to be noted, that the Lord hath so strooken that generation in his just judgement with blockish sottishness, for this their robbing of his dear son of his glory which is due unto him, that whereas in this their doctrine they join other means & helps, to deliver men from their sins, to the salve, and plaster which Christ hath made, as though his were either not broad enough to cover the sore, or not good enough to cure it, the means that they devise are so childish and so unfit to be mingled with the precious blood of Christ, as that they make themselves ridiculous, in attributing deliverance from sin unto them. As for example, they attribute the power to deliver from sin to their holy water, holy oil, holy salt, holy cream, holy bread, holy palms, holy cross; yea and to what toy soever, if it be but a grain, or a bead hollowed of the Pope; as their service books, which yet they use, and too too gross experience, have taught us. Sin is so small a matter with them, that some sins must needs of their own nature be venial, and therefore our learned Rhemists in their notes upon the 10. of Mat. hold that a bishops blessing will wipe them out; going on pilgrimage, offering of Candles to stocks & stones, and such like deeds of devotion enjoined by a Ghostly Father in way of penance; yea saying of five ave Maries, three Pater nosters, and three Creeds are counted of them good means of satisfactions to deliver the believer from that which the precious & bloody satisfaction of Christ hath not delivered him from. And which is of all the rest most absurd, a number of them (as it is too well known by their attempts, & practices both in England and else where), are grown to be of this opinion, that traitorously and treacherously to murder their natural Prince, for that he or she favoureth not the Popish faith, is become now a means to merit and to obtain plenary remission of all sin, to the party that will hazard his life to do it, and yet this they will not grant that the believer in jesus Christ can have, by Christ's dying a most bitter death.  
O horrible blasphemy, and yet their daily practice putteth us out of doubt, that this is their opinion, and their covering and shrouding their manifold treasons under the pretence of their religion confirmeth the same. And whereas to salvation two things are necessary, first quite to be delivered from sin and from the danger thereof, which otherwise would sink us down to hell: and then a perfect righteousness, that can not but be so accounted in the righteous and just judgement of God. Whereby a right claim and title may be had to heaven, and both these are fully provided and prepared for all right believers, in the Messiah, as after you shall hear. As they will not seek for the former in his satisfactions alone, but partly also in their own: so concerning the latter, they even with the blind and pharisaical Jews Rom. 10.3. are so ignorant of the righteousness whirh God in Christ hath prepared to make men righteous by, that they seek to that end still to establish their own righteousness. For at no hand they can abide, that men should believe that the righteousness of Christ should be imputed unto the believer in Christ for righteousness. This they count absurd, and therefore in their Tridentine Conventicle accurse it as an heresy. In the mean time holding, that the works which they themselves do after faith, is the formal righteousness, whereby they deserve to be accounted righteous before God. In which point (because their own consciences tell them, that their doctrine soundeth greatly to the derogation of Christ's glory) to colour the Antichristianity thereof as well yet as may be, they have now found out this devise to say, that their own works are not so of their own worthiness, & absoluteness, but through the worthiness of the merits of Christ. Which in effect, in plainer terms is to say, that Christ came not perfectly to save by himself, & to be a full saviour in his own person, but to merit: that men might by their own works be their own saviours: as though Christ died to be our saviour, to post over either part, or the whole of that his office to any thing wrought by man. And as their doctrine is, so is their faith. For to take it at the best (as now they have fined it) thereby they seek in Christ but their former justification: which they accounted nothing else, but the first translation from the state of mere natural men, to the state of grace & favour of God. And yet even hereunto they hold, that men may have works of preparation of their own common ability, left unto them of nature: but as for sins done after this former justification attained, they believe they must fly to a second refuge, which they call the sacrament of Penance, for them: and so they believe they must either in this life by themselves, or after in Purgatory, satisfy for these sins, partly by their own sufferings, and partly by deeds done for them by others, after they be dead. And for the second justification, which is the consummation and perfection of the former, they believe that that must be made up, and finished by their own merits, maden able to merice their salvation by the merits of Christ. And that this is their faith and their docerine even now, I could make it evident from point to point out of the Tridentine council, the Censurer of cooled, Canisius Catechism, the Romish Catechism, and our of our own coun●rimens writings, which are counted not the meanest of the Jesuits. But I need not it ●●ble you with any further proof thereof. For they themselves will not deny it. And ye hereby it cannot dye but you plaively see, that Christ is not the only foundation to them, whereupon, as upon their only foundation, they stand and test. For you see they trust to stand before the Lord partly by his satisfactions, pa●●y by their owns, partly by his merits, and p●●tly ●y their own and others: and therefore they are built but halfling at the most upon him, & halfling upon themselves & others. For whatsoever he hath done for them; yet unless their own satisfactions be full & their merits such, as for which they may even in the justice of God clasme heaven, they can be at no rest, nor peace in their consciences. And therefore because they can never but doubt, whether their satisfactions be full, & their merries perfect, they hold, that they may never have an assured trust and confidence, that they shall be saved; but that lawfully they may always be in some doubt thereof. O what an vucomfortable doctrine of desperation is this? And ye so far off are they from being ashamed of this (which is the just judgement of God upon them for leaving to rest upon Christ, the only & most steadfast foundation) that they are not ashamed that their doctrine be intitiled. A doctrine of doubtfulness: Yea they count that their doubtfulness, humility: & the assurance, that true faith breedeth, presumption. Even the bare opening unto you thus, what the popish faith is (I hope) sufficiently proveth unto you, that they that die in such a faith, cannot be said to die in the Lord jesus, because that out of the Lord jesus (you see) in themselves and others, they seek a great part of their salvation. Howbeit, because it is a point of great importance and weight, and wherein as yet great multitudes will not be so easily resolved, let us see how from point to point this their faith and religion is opposite and contrary to Gods revealed will in his word. 
The former doctrine and faith confuted first generally.   
They hold (as you have heard) generally this, that Christ in his own person, by that which he hath done himself, hath not already done, whatsoever is necessary for man to be iustifled & saved by. And therefore they add thereunto their own satisfactions & merits, by his doings & this together, to make up their justification, & salvation. But the scripture saith. Heb. 7.25. he is able perfectly to save those, that come unto God by him: Heb. 10.10. by the will of God we are sanctified by the offering of the body of jesus Christ once made; & a little after verse 14. with one offering hath he consecrated for ever them that are sanctified. And Christ himself that knew best to give an infallible note of his own body the Church, telleth us Matth. 22.1. that the sound and earhand of the true Messengers therein is this. All things are already prepared (namely in the marriage of the king's son) come unto the marriage. Whereby it is most clear the the word setteth forth Christ unto us as one that of himself, & by himself hath already done what soever we are to look to be saved by or for. 
Then particularly in three points.  To leave now the general ground of their faith, and to come to the particulars thereof, first you hear that they hold, that Christ hath not clean purged by himself, and by that which he hath done in his own person, those that believe in him, both from their sins, & from the penalty due for the same; and that therefore, God requireth to the satisfying of his justice, fully some further satisfaction at their own hands. But we reane to the contrary in the Scriptures. For there it is thus written. The blood of the son of God doth cleanse us from all sin, john. 1.7. and lest this should be taken as spoken only of sins before faith, john addeth, and putteth himself in the number, and yet long before that be had faith; If we say, we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, & the truth is not in us: If we acknowledge our sins he is faithful & just, to forgive us our sins, & to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If they reply, that all this proveth but remissionem omnis culpae, that is forgiveness of the fault or guilt only, of all our sins, and not also of the punishment, I proceed and ask them, whether the curse of the law and damnation be not punishments due for sin, and then whether these be not the greatest, and include not the rest. They cannot deny, but these are punishments due for sin, & that the greatest also including all other. If therefore the Scripture teach us, that Christ hath freed us from these, than it is evident, that he hath freed us from all. Wherefore mark that it is thus written, Rom. 8.1. There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ: & Gal, 3.13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, when he was made a curse for us. If it were not thus, that they that believe in Christ were assured, that Christ had freed them both from all their sins, and also from their penalty due therefore, how could it be true that we read: Rom. 5.1.2. that they that are justified by faith have peace with God through Christ, & access to his grace, wherein they stand & re●olce? And if there were not yet enough done to satisfy the justice of God, why did Christ say giving up the ghost cosummatum est, it is finished? joh. 19.30. And why is the promise to all God's children uttered in these words, jerem. 31.34. I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sins no more? Yea how can it stand with God's justice, that having for-given to the believer all his sins, he yet should punish him for them, and cause him to satisfy for them: Will God punish and drive to satisfaction, where the cause is already taken away? & when he hath been satisfied at once already to the uttermost farthing, as it is evident he hath been in Chryst for all that believe in him? For other wise Christ having taken upon him to satisfy the justice of his heavenly Father should not, nor could not have risen again, ascended into heaven, and sit at the right hand of his father. Thereby it is evident, that by his abasement, he hath fully satisfied his father & gone through with the work he took in hand, & is now able to apply the same to those the be his. Yea but all this letteth not (will they say) but that we may hold still, that by our satisfactions God in part is satisfied, seeing we grant that they are made available satisfactions by Christ's satisfaction. Yea but that were yet to say, that Christ purgeth his from their sins not by himself, but by the help and sufferings of others: the plain contrary whereof we read, Heb. 1.3. in these words, He hath by himself, purged our sins. How say you then to manifold afflictions, and in the end to death, laid upon them, that believe, say they? I answer, that these are no satisfactions to God for sins already committed, but they are his fatherly chastisements, to admonish us to repent us of sins paste, and to take heed of sin hereafter. And they are both occasions to them to exercise their virtues, and to those that are without instructions to take heed of going on in wickedness, seeing the Lord so chastiseth his own house. And as for death, the sting thereof is taken away in respect of such; soy howsoever it be & remain the reward of sin to the unbeliever, yet to them the believe, it is but the last struck of the battle, & as the door thorough which they pass from this world full of misery to the next full of joy and felicity. It is a pitiful thing, that of these they cannot tell what to make, unless they make them means to derogate from the most sufficient and infinite satisfaction made by Christ. If the glory of Christ were dear unto them, as it ought, & they were persuaded, as they should, that he was both able & willing to go thorough with the work which he took in hand; that is, to be a perfect and a full Saviour in himself, and by himself, whatsoever they thought of them, they would not once dare to cause them to encroach thus upon his office. Alas it is lighter than vanity itself for them to say, that by the virtue of Christ there is deserved for them that believe in him, that eternal punishments due to them, should be turned into temporal, & y for his sake God will content himself with these. For first it is a mere devise of their own head, utterly without warrant from Gods revealed will in his word: secondly how can it stand with any reason, that he the for Christ's sake will forgive the greater, will stick at the less, that he that will forgive the eternal punishment, will not for-give the temporary: And lastly what a toy is it to imagine, that Christ took so much pains to satisfy the justice of his heavenly father, to leave the accomplishment thereof to the uncertainty of men's satisfactions?  
And truly as you see by this that I have said, their vanity & contrariety to the word writrens in this particular point of their faith concerning remission of sins, so if you will listen but a while, you shall find their fault as great in the next, concerning their justifying up, or making of themselves righteous by their own righteousness done after faith. Concerning which point you are to understand (dearly beloned) that the quistyon between us and them therein is not (as they would make the world believe) whether Chryst be of power in them that believe aftertually to cause them to die to sin & live to righteousness For (as you have before heard) I have already betermyned, that unless it be a faith arc●●panyed with that power, it is a dead, and 〈◊〉 faith. And therefore we as earnestly 〈◊〉 them that believe to bring forth fruits worthy of forth; as they can do for their lives. But herein lieth the question, whether faith justify for the work it bringeth forth, or for Christ's 〈◊〉 whom it apprehendeth: and so whether we may trust to these good fruits, when we have brought them forth, as that thereby we may think and believe we are justified before God, & 〈◊〉 ma●ited to be sailed. We say, we may not account other wise of them then as of fruit as and ●●●rctes, of out full justification apprehended in Christ, serving to the glory of God, Mit. 5.16. and to testify, both to our se●●●● and others, that salvation is pr●p●●●d for us in Christ in heaven. john. 13.35.2 Pe●. 1.5. And in no case ●ar● we make them any cause, either of our justification or salvation. But we say with Saint Barnard ser. 1 de ann●●●●●tione Mari●, that thou canst not deserve et ●●●all life by any works, 〈…〉 merit's are not such that ●rer●all life 〈…〉, as that God should do man wrong if therefore he should not given it; for our good works are God's gifts, and so for them we are indebted to him, and not he to us. They account of them as of a meritorious cause of their salvation, and as of the formal cause of their justification, and therefore to that end they do them, and trust in them. Whereas we hold, that we be in the state of justification only, for Christ's sake apprehended by faith: and that therefore we shallbe saved for his sake only, and not for our works at all Let us now therefore hear, what the Scripture saith to the determination of this question. That saying of Christ to his (Luke. 17.10). is directly contrary to their position, where he saith, when ye have done all those things that are commanded you, say we are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. For hereby not in way of courtesy (as some of them have said.) but in sadness we are taught, that if we kept the whole law in every point, which never man did, but Christ, that yet we are to account ourselves so far from having merited any thing thereby at God's hands, that we are to think, we have but paid him that which we ought him: and therefore merited no more at his hands, than an old ill better may say he hath merited at his creditors hands, when he payeth him but his hare own, How much more strongly than doth this place bind us from having that conceit of our works, when we have done them, that thereby we are justified and merit heaven? Seeing that the very best workers of us all, when we have done what we can, yet find ourselves scarce able, where we own God gold, to pay him lead, where we own him thousands to pay him hundreds, yea to answer him one of a thousand, job. 9.3. in so much that the righteousness of the righteous is but as a stained cloth, Isa. 64.6. And therefore Paul, though he wrote the Epistle to the Phillippians a little before his death, when he was full of sufferings for CHRIST, and of all kind of good works, yet he in the 3. Chapter thereof protesteth, not only in the preter tense, that he counted all his pharisaical righteousness before his, conversion, but all then in the present tense, but dung, that he might win Christ, and might be found in him, not having his own righteousness, which is of the Law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, even the righteousness which is of GOD through faith, verse. 8.9. Wherefore he boldly concludeth, Titus. 3.5. thus, Not by the works of righteousness (which no doubt, are works done in faith; for otherwise they were not to be called works of righteousness, but rather works of unrighteousness) which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us. Now to make it clear, that by this righteousness of GOD, whereby Paul through faith in Christ would be righteous before GOD, is meant not an inherent righteousness in man's own self, Paul opposeth it to that righteousness in himself. And besides Romans. 10.1.2.3. they are severed, in that the one is called the righteousness of God, the other man's own righteousness. But most clear is that Romans. 1.17. where he affirmeth that that righteousness, which is called the righteousness of GOD, is revealed by the Gospel from faith to faith. For it is written, The just shall live by faith, Whereby▪ it is most evident, that this inherent righteousness, which they would have to make them righteous by, is revealed by the moral law. And therefore you shall find, that Paul. Rom. 10.5.6, 7.8.9. distinguisheth the righteousness of the law, from the righteousness that cometh by faith. And Rom. 3.21. that he in plain terms thus determineth this matter. Now is the righteousness of God made manifest without the law, having witness of the Law, and the Prophets, to wit the righteousness of God by the faith of jesus Christ unto all and upon all that believe. Which could not be, if the righteousness of God were the good works that are in men, for we come to the knowledge of them by the Law. This is called the righteousness of God in an excellency, because the righteousness of Christ is the righteousness of one that is God, and is indeed a righteousness absolute before God, for the which he cannot but account them righteous to whom it is imputed by faith. In an inferior sort the godliness in God's children may be called a righteousness of God, because it is wrought in them by his spirit: but yet (as appeareth by these places) it is not that righteousness, whereby we may dare persuade ourselves that we are made righteous before him, but only a fruit proceeding from that, applied first unto us, and then testifying thereof. Further how could it be said truly, that life everlasting is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is, the free gift of God, Ro. 6.23. if it come at all by merit? To imagine that it may come of grace and also of works, it is flat against Paul Rom. 11.6. where he saith, If it be of grace, it is no more of works, or else were grace no more grace but if it be of works it is no more grace, or else were work no more work. In which words he de●ermineth, salvation to come by merit of works, and by grace, to be so contrary the one to the other, as if it come the one way, it cannot come at all by ●he other. It cannot be said to the shifting off of this place with any reason, that here by works are meant works only done before faith, for he speaketh generally here of works without distinction. And therefore very well said, August. contra Pelag. & Caelest. lib. 2. cap. 24. God's grace shallbe grace no way unless it be free every way, and the drift of the Epistle to the Galath. is flatly and directly against such as would be saved partly by grace through faith in Christ, and partly by their works following faith. For they were never taught by the false Apostles, neither did they then hold, justification by works done before faith, or by works alone. And yet Paul speaking to the purpose to confute them saith, If righteousness come by the law, Christ died in vain, Gal. 2.21. & Chap. 5.4. ye are albolished from Christ, whosoever are justified by the law, ye are fallen from grace. Upon which ground said Augustine in his preface upon the 31. Psal. If thou wilt have nothing to do with grace, boast thy merits: and Chrysostome 3. ad Gal. saith thus, ●hey said, accursed is he, that leaneth only to faith. Paul showeth, that he that so doth is blessed. And Ambrose also upon the same warrant 1. Cor. 1. affirmeth, that it is appointed of GOD, that he that believeth in Christ shallbe saved without works only by faith, freely receiving remission of his sins. And lest they should cavil, and say (as they are not ashamed to do) that by works of the law are understood only works done before faith, by the direction of the Law, without the infusion of the special grace of GOD through Christ, mark how notably to prevent that popish shift chap. 2.15.16. he saith, We that are jews by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles know, that a man is not justified by the works of the Law, but by the faith of jesus Christ. Even we (I say) have believed in jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law, because that by the works of the Law no flesh shallbe justified. In which words he excludeth from the office of justifying not only the works of unbelievers, but also of them that believe, saying, that he and such as he was, which believed in Christ did so believe, not that they might be enabled thorough their own works to justify up themselves, but the plain contradictory, that is, that they believed in him, that they might still be justified by their faith in him, and not by their works, which were works done after their faith, though he calleth them the works of the Law, because therein they were prescribed. Again, where have they any ground for this point of divinity, that CHRIST merited that their works or the works of any should be meritorious? Do they not see, that this were in effect to say, that CHRIST communicateth his own glorious office of being a Saviour to those works, and so remaineth not a full and a perfect Saviour in himself and by himself? Whereas we read flatly to the contrary Isai. 43.11. where he saith unto us thus, I, even I am the Lord, and beside me, there is no saviour. To conclude therefore this point, if the righteousness that GOD hath provided for us in CHRIST, were not the righteousness that should make us righteous, why is it, that we read, that the faithful shall say, Isai. 45.24. In the Lord have I righteousness and strength: and that his name shall be our righteousness, jerem. 23.6. & 33.16. And that the Messiah shall bring with him an everlasting righteousness, Dan. 9.24. Who seethe not, that it is, seeing God hath appointed, that we should be so justified, as that the whole glory may be his, and none ours, (which cannot be, if it come by any works at all, done by us, Rom. 3.27. & 4.4..) to make us conclude with Paul, that he is made of God unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption, that he that rejoiceth, may rejoice in him, 1. Cor. 1.30.31.  
If yet they will say, that this cannot be, that we should be termed or accounted righteous by a righteousness that is not in ourselves, but in Christ I ask them why they hold so? They must answer, because it is a principle in Philosophy, that the accident must be in the subject whereof it hath denomination. To whom fy I answer, that it is not in vain that Saint Paul hath given us this warning, be w●●e lest there be any, that spoil you through vain Philosophy. Colos. 2.8. Secondly I say, that howsoever this be a sound principle in Philosophy, yet it is false in divinity: which I prove thus, Christ was one in whom there was no sin, Isai. 53.8. and yet we read that the Lord laid upon him the iniquities of us all, verse. 6. In so much that he was wounded for our transgressions, and broken for our iniquities, and the chastisement of our peace was laid upon him and with his stripes we are healed, ver. 5. Whereby I see that our unrighteousness was imputed unto him, though there were no unrighteousness at all inherent in him. Whereupon it must needs follow, that as well may his righteousness be imputed unto us, which believe, that of ourselves are unrighteous. Yea no doubt of it, that change hath GOD made with us in him, to impute unto him our unrighteousness, that his righteousness might be imputed unto us. For we read, that he was made sin for us which knew no sin, that we should be made the righteousness of GOD in him. 2. Cor. 5.12. By john therefore he willeth the Laodiceans (Apoc. 3.) to come to him, to buy of him but freely Isai. 55. 1.) long white garments to cover their nakedness, vers. 18. That is, to have at his hands by faith perfect righteousness whereby they may be made righteous. And what peevishness is this to deny the imputation of Christ's righteousness to the believer in him, and to hold that the righteousness of Saints may be imputed unto him that buyeth a pardon, which they all hold? And how can it be otherwise but that his righteousness should be the righteousness of all them that believe in him? For it being, as it is, an infinite and absolute righteousness, and they that believe in him thereby being (as you have heard) in him and one with him, how can it be I say any otherwise, but that those things that be in him should so far be communicated unto them, as is meet and necessary for them? Whereupon it cometh, that we read Apoc. 3.21. he saith, that he will grant to them that overcome, to sit with him in his throne, as he overcomining sitteth with the father in his.  
But to pass from this point to the last particular branch of their faith, wherein they plainly confess that their faith breedeth not in them assurance and confidence of their salvation, but such a hope only as may be joined with doubtfulness, whether it shallbe so in the end or no. I will easily grant them, that as long as they build beside the only foundation Christ, as they do upon the satisfactions and merits of man, it cannot be otherwise. Nay I say further, that (forasmuch as there is no covenant betwixt God and man of any salvation, but only in Christ jesus the promised seed, for all the promises run in the singular number, In one which is Christ, Gal. 3.16. and they are all yea & amen in him, 2. Cor. 1.20.) it is horrible presumption (so far off it is from being humility) for them once to hope, or to call in question, whether they may or shallbe saved, seeking for any part thereof, for any thing that is not be. For it is to look after some fort to be saved after a mere fancy and devise of man, full of robbery and blasphemy against jesus Christ: which how absurd it is let any man judge. And as long as their own consciences enforce them to confess, that they have no better faith than this, let them be assured, that though they we are their tongues to the stumps, and their knees till there grow bornes on thrm in praying to GOD for their salvation, they shall never be heard. For it is written, jam. 1.6.7. Let him ask in faith, & waver not, for he that wavereth is like the wave of the Sea tossed and carried away: neither let that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. And whereas an assured confidence of salvation in Christ is counted of them presumption, I say they may be ashamed but once to think so. For unto the right believer God hath first given his general promise, that such a one whatsoever he be shall not perish, but have eternal life, john. 3.16. And this word is in writing in the place before named, and else where very often in GOD'S book, and in the use of the Sacraments it is particularly applied to every one that so believeth Roman. 4. verse. 11. And besides all this the spirit of GOD inwardly in the hearts of all such teacheth them to cry Abba, Father, Romans. 8.15. and testifieth to their spirits, that they are the children of God, ver. 16. and so sealeth them up to the day of redemption, 2. Corint. 1.22. Upon which evidence to ground an assured confidence to enjoy the thing promised, who may not? Yea the Lord having given such evidence & ground unto us, of assurance; who seethe not, that this notwithstanding to doubt, whether the thing promised shall be given us or no, is most horrible sin against the Lord, calling his truth into question, 1. john 5.10?. And therefore, whatsoever they say to the contrary, we know it is our duties, to yield unto the exhortation made to all them that believe aright in Christ, Heb. 10.19 etc.. which is this, Seeing therefore (brethren,) that by the blood of jesus we may be bold to enter into the holy place by the new and living way, which he hath prepared for us through the vail, that is, his flesh: and seeing we have an high Priest, that is over the house of of God, let us draw near in a true heart, in assurance of faith sprinkled in our hearts from an evil conscience, & washed in our bodies with pure water, and let us keep the profession of our hope without wavering, for he is faithful that hath promised. Thus I hope you see proof sufficient to prove, 
The popish faith 〈◊〉 antichristian, & popery antichristianity.  that the popish faith is not that faith, whereby men can grow into an union with Christ, and consequently not the faith whereby any can die in the Lord. Howbeit because they shall not say, the I was driven to seek for foreign profess to prove this, & have no proof or argument to confirm it in this my present text; give me leave to use one argument more to prove it, and that deduced from the very circumstances of my text: which I thus frame, Whosoever dieth bearing the mark of the beast either in forehead or hand, dieth not in the Lord, but in the Babylonish, that is, Antichristian religion: but whosoever dieth in this popish faith, dieth bearing the mark of the beast in the forehead or hand: ergo so far off is it, that such a one dieth in Christ, that in deed and truth he dieth in Antichrist The first part of this argument they neither can nor will deny. For they read vers. 9.10.11. that who so worshippeth the beast and his image, and receiveth his mark either in his forehead or hand, the same shall drink the wine of God's wrath, and be everlastingly tormented. Yea what then (will they say) your assumption or second part of pour argument is utterly false. Well, that then being proved, the conclusion must be yielded unto. This themselves grant that by Babylon (the fall whereof here denounced shall follow upon the preaching of the Gospel, vers. 6.7.8.) is meant the flourishing kingdom of Antichrist, and they confess, that by wearing the mark of the beast in forehead or hand, is understood persevering still a favourer and liker of Antichristianity, notwithstanding the warning here given to the contrary. And if they would deny either of these, they could not for shame, the text in this book and the circumstances thereof, are so preguant to prove them. If therefore I can prove, that by Babylon here we have to understand Rome, 
By Babylon we are to understand Rome.  and that Antichristianitye and Popery be all one, than I am sure, that they must needs grant my assumption. For the first of these I do boldly affirm, that here by Babylon we must understand Rom. My reasons are these, The phrase used in this book generally is figurative, and not literally to be taken, and therefore it is not likely, but by Babylon is meant same other City, which figuratively might be so termed. And it is evident, that john speaketh of such a Babylon, as flourished in his time, and should long after; and yet that should in the end have a fall: and therefore not of Babylon in Chaldea, for that was fallen and decayed before. Neither is it strange in the Scripture to find one City and people called by the name of another, for the likelihood of manners betwixt the one, and the other. For Isai. 1.10. we read, that God speaketh thus to the Princes and people of Israel, that dwelled in Canaan; Hear the word of the Lord, O Princes of Sodom, hearken unto the law of our God, O people of Gomorrha. By which reason most aptly after the same figure of speech may Rome be called Babylon, For as old Babylon vexed the Church in the old Testament with long captivity, so hath Rome done the Church of Christ in the new; as that overcame the jews and burned their City, so hath also this done by Titus and Vespasian: as Babylon was the seat and fountain, when it flourished, of idolatry and all abomination, so hath Rome been both in the time of the beast and his image, that is, both in the time of Paganism under the heathen Emperors, and now in the time of Papism under the Pope's the Princes thereof. And it is no small reason to move us by Babylon here to understand Rome, that it is called Babylon the great City, that hath made all nations drimke with the wine of the wrath of her fornication, that is, that hath infected all nations with a false faith and religion, whereby men in falling from their fathonely in the true and only husband Christ, fall to put their trust and confidence in other things, that are not CHRIST, and to commit fornication spiritually, with those things for the which the Lord is wroth with them, Which cannot be said of Babylon in Chaldea, nor of any other City so called. For none of that name have done so since john's time▪ but most fitly as appeareth by view of the popish doctrine and faith, may be said of Rome, and the Princes thereof the Popes. So that thus you see by the way, that their glory is turned to their shaure. For they brag of their uninersalitye and general consent, which ye see hear (their doctrine being as you have hard) is a most plain note of the Antichristian Babylon. But which is of all reasons the most forcible, whereas it cannot be denied, but by the purple, silken, and proud whore of Babylon is meant Antichrist, Apoc. 17.4. their she is described sitting upon a Crimson coloured beast full of names of blasphemy, which had seven heads and ten homes vers. 3. which seven heads are by the Angel vers. 9 expounded to be seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. The names of the bills be these, Cap●olitius, Palatinut, Aventinus, Caelius, Exquilinus, Viminads, Quirinasis, And the woman is said verse. 1●. to be that great City, which reigneth over the kings of the ●a●th. Then by which description it was impossible more plainly to describe ●ome, which then w●● the mistress and these of other Cities; and a City compassing within the ●●ies that of sever 〈◊〉, as even boys have learned in the section book of Virgil's Georgickes; and as it is not orsiously known otherwise. If 〈…〉 not have Rome to 〈◊〉 the very 〈◊〉 of Antichrist, let them 〈◊〉 us out another City, 〈◊〉 this description agreeth. Again why should the standing and ●●●●●●oorishyng Empire of Rome, and the continuance of the seem of the Empero ●●●ere, be that which letted and should let the settling of Antichrist in his seaten, until it were taken our of the way, 2. Thess 2.7. But to show that the very seat of the Empire shoulbe be his seat, and that the place must be seft empty for him by the departure of the Emperor from thence before he 〈◊〉 come into his chair of pessisonee? The papists themselves confess that this is Paul's meaning there. And therefore  in his book of the visible Monarchy in his fourth demonstration for the defence of the Pope, confesseth that Hierom in his eleventh question to Algasia, Tertullian in his apology against the Gentiles, that Chryfostome upon the place itself, and August. in his 20. book de Civitate Der cap. 19 (unto whom he might add Ambrose, Iraeneus, Lactantius, with diverse others also) do understand Paul thereby to mean the Roman Empire. Which when indeed it decayed in the West, and took his seat in the East at Constantinople, the Popes found to be so taken out of their way, that (as experience and all stories consitme) quickly after they grew to be so Emperor like in the West, that in their kingdom, the wound that the former beast had taken by thus ce●●ouing his seat from Rome, seemed to be healed, they bore so lively the image of the former beast. As for the Empire that is now lest in the West, it is (as it is well known) a thing in name but not indeed, & they have so handled the matter, that it is as good as quite taken out of their way, they may do for all it, what it pleaseth them: and the other part of the Empire is swallowed up of the Turk. Lastly you are to understand, that I am not the first, that by Babylon here understand Rome. For even then when these visions of john were far harder to be understood than now, in that now experience hath opened many of them, which it had not then, the anciene fathers saw that by Babylon here was meant Rome. As for example, Tertullian contra judaeos, and Hierom in diverse places, as in his 11. question to Algasia, in his preface of Didimus book of the holy Ghost, and in his 2. book against jovinian. Yea our Rhemists, in their notes upon the last of the first of Peter earnestly contend to prove, that there by Babylon is meant Rome, and upon the 17. of john they dare not flatly deny, but that there, by Babylon the seat of the strumpet, may be understood Rome. 
That the popish faith is an ●●christian.  Wherefore these reasons considered. I conclude, that by Babylon here is meant. Rome. Yea but yet you shall not find it so easy a matter to prove the popish faith to be Antichristian, they will say. Yes verily: for even that, which I have already said in the description and confutation of their faith, proveth it to be Antichristian. For if Antichrist be he that is an adversary to Christ, & if he be an adversary to Christ, that robbeth him of that honour and glory, that is due unto him, than it cannot he but that the popish faith is Antichristian But S. john, say they, in his first Epistle ca 4.3. hath plainly cold us, that that spirit that confesseth not that jesus christ is come in the flesh, that is the spirit of Antichrist. Whereby they would gather, that they cannot be Antichristian, because they confess, that Christ is come in the flesh. I answer them with Aug. words upon S. john's epistle tract. 3. Non attendamus ad linguam, sed ad facta, etc. Let us not consider what they say, but what they do. For if they all should be asked with one mouth, they would confess the Lord jesus to be Christ. But let their tongue stay a while, and ask their life: for howsoever in words they confess, that jesus Christ is come in the flesh, yet indeed and truth they deny it. For he that denieth the fruit & cause of his coming (which was as I have proved to be a full, whole, & sole saviour in himself and by himself) they deny his coming indeed and truth, whatsoever they say in words. And this is evident in them, in the they trust not to his satisfactions & merits, without, adding there to their own in the cause of their salvation. The jews & Turks say they know God, and believe in him: but we christians say, and we say truly, that they neither know him nor believe in him at all but only in an Idol of their own framing, because they know him not in the face of his son jesus Christ. Arius in plain words denied not Christ to be God, yet because he denied that he was equal to his father, he denied his godhead indeed. And so though the papists in words confess Christ to be come in the flesh, yet because indeed & truth they will not let him be priest alone, to offer propitiatory sacrifice: king alone, to govern by his own orders: prophet alone, to instruct by his own word: but (as it is most evident) join unto him a succession of priests to iterate his sacrifice, which he offered once for all, Heb. 9.25.26. alter his laws and orders, ad and detract at their pleasure too and from his revealed and written word, as the face and practise of their Church teacheth, indeed and truth they deny that he is come in the flesh. And it appeareth by the prophecies that we have in the scripture of Antichrist, that he shall not be so blunt a fool: as flatly and in plain terms to deny so manifest an article of faith, as this is, but he and his shall come and set abroach their false doctrine through hypocrisy. 1. Tim. 4.2. In so much that antichristianity 2. Thess 2.7.. is called a mystery of iniquity, that is an iniquity that not all at once and openly shall show is self, but that shall come in by soft and stealing paces so shrouded and hid under a show of godliness. that it should not easily be espied. And therefore Christ Mat. 13.25, 26. compareth this bad seed to tars, which the good seedman's foe, sowed amongst the good wheat, while men slept, & then slielye went his way; which was not espied by and by of the good seedman's household nay not until the blade was sprung up. And therefore Saunders is but a fool from hence to draw a demonstration that the Pope is not Antichrist, because in words he confesseth Christ, How could he be ignorant, that it is noted. Apoc. 17.4. that the Babylonish harlot is described to hold out unto others her abominations and filthy fornications in a golden cup: that is, that it should be that property of Antichrist (the more to allure men to receive his religion) to colour it with as glorious shows of Catholic and Christian religion, as he could devise. By which note by the way we may see, how vain that their great reason is, whereof our late Jesuits, and Rhemists brag so much, namely, that therefore Popery cannot be Antichristianity, because it cannot be showed (as they say) in what emperors time it began, & that it was then espied and resisted as soon as it began. For howsoever it be the nature of some other heresies to begin at once and to show themselves bluntly, as bad as they be, at the first, yet we see it is not so with Antichristianity, the most perilous apostasy, and hodge-podge of all heresies. And therefore it is no more proof that popery is not Antichristianity, if it could not be told when it first came in, and who then by and by withstood it, than it had been, that the tars were no tars (when evidently by comparing of them with the wheat they showed themselves to be so) because that they that then espied them could not tell when they were sown, and that any resisted the sour thereof, when he went about to do it. As than it was sufficient to conclude them to be tars, because they, compared with the fruit then of the wheat, that was sown, were found so far to differ from it, as they did: so it is a sufficient argument to us to prove the popish faith to be Antichristian, in that we have found it, as we have, to differ from Christian doctrine. But to the further proof thereof (because they brag they have faith, & that a true Christian faith, because they with their mouth confess jesus Christ to be the son of the living God) they must be put in remembrance, that the Devils do as much as that cometh to, Mark 1.24 and Lu●. 4.34. & how that judas kissed him with his mouth and said, Hail master, when be had but a traitorous heart. Matth. 26.49. and Mark. 14.45. Nay I say yet more, that the devils faith is far better than theirs. For (no doubt of it) they know and are fully persuaded (though they grieve at it) that the merits of Christ's own satiefaction performed in his own person by himself are so infinitely available in the sight of his heavenly father, that they need not the addition of any other satisfaction or merit to save the believer, and this they will not be brought to confess. Whereupon it must needs follow, that they imagine to themselves such a cruel and merciless God the father, and will not grow to be at one with them for the infinite merits of his own dear son, without the addition thereunto of their own: and such a God the son they have framed unto themselves, as that either could not, or would not fully in himself and by himself prepare whatsoever was necessary for man's salvation. The very consequent whereof is this, that indeed they neither know God nor believe in him, but worship an Idol of their own heads. For it is most true that S. Cyprian hath said in his book de duplici Martyrio, of double Martyrdom, Non creditin Deum, qui in eo solo non collocat totius suae salutis fiduciam: he believeth not at all in God, which reposeth not in him alone the confidence of his whole salvation.  

That Popery▪ Antichristianity.  Yet to proceed one step further with them, not only their faith is Antichristian (as it appeareth by their former reasons) but their Church and kingdom is so also: in so much that popery is Antichristianity itself. Which to be so, whosoever with a single eye will but consider the prophecies and descriptions of Antichrist and his kingdom, 2. Thess. 2. 1. Timoth. 4. and through this book of the revelation, and compare them with the kingdom of popery, shall see most evidently. For if time and opportunity now would permit me, I would not doubt to make it most clearly appear to every one here present that there was never cote made fit for man's body, or glove for his hand than these descriptions be for popery. For a little taste whereof, consider either the original, the manner of proceeding and growing to his perfection, the flourishing estate, the qualities or consumption of Antichrist set down in these places, and you shall find them all notably to fit the papacy. His original is said to be from the earth, Reu. 13.11. And 2. Thess. 2.. we read that the mystery of his iniquity was working in Paul's time. In that no doubt (as it appeareth by the occasion that Paul had to write as he did, to the Galathians) there were even then false Apostles, that taught men to seek their salvation, partly by their own merits, and not only by faith in Christ: And whence is popery sprung, but even from the earth, that is from earthly and not heavenly grounds, from the wit and will of foolish man and uncertain traditions of earthly men? And who seethe not that the false Apostles doctrine in Galatia is the very ground of all popery? His manner of proceeding (as you have heard) is by hypocrisy, & (as you may further observe) by false miracles, 2. Thess. 2.9. and when these will not serve, by extreme persecution without all mercy against the faithful witnesses of the truth, Apos. 17.6. All which have been the steps, whereby popery hath proceeded and grown to his perfection, as experience most evidently hath taught. Antichrist could not fully be borne, that is, show himself in deed in his right colours (as you have heard) uncil the Roman Empire was removed out of his way, but then he should. Which in stories we see justly verified in the papacy. For until he seat of the Empire was removed from Rome, ●o Constantinople, & the Empire in the We●● decayed, the pope's challenged not to themselves their blasphemous & antichristian titles. But shorely after in the murderer Phocas his time they took the upon them. antichrist's flourishing estate is described to be such, that all nations shallbe made drunk with the wine of the wrath of her fornication, & kings shall commit fornication with her, Ap. 18.2. that is, there shallbe a wonderful universal consent in embracing antichrist's religion: and it is set forth to ve wonderful pompous, magnificent, & majestical, for the wealth and bravery of the world, e. 17.4. which be two of the things that popery braggeth of, & trumpheth for against the true church of christ. As for his qualities we read, 1. Tim. 4.2.3. that he shall teach that there lieth great holniesse in abstaining from marriage and meats: & that therefore he shall forbid marriage & command abstinence from eats, and that he shall speak words full of blasphemy, as we read, Apoc. 17.3. And that he shallbe an adversary, that exalteth himself against all that is called God, or that is worshipped, sitting as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God, 2. Thess. 2.4. Of which qualities the two first are notoriously seen in popery, in forbidding the marriage of ministers, and in the commanding, as a holy and meritorious thing, abstinence from flesh. And as for the rest, who can consider, how the Popes have brought kings and princes under to do them most base service, and what otherwise they have taken upon them & do still to make laws besides and often contrary to the word written, to bind consciences yet under pain of damnation to obey; how they call themselves heads of the universal Church, which is Christ's special, and peculiar title, Colos. 1. Ephes. 1. how they take upon them to forgive sins, and to confer upon beggarly creatures by the hallowing of them, power to put away sins, but he must be enforced to confess, that all the other qualities are seen and found notoriously in the race of Popes for a long time? Lastly as it is prophesied that by the spirit of God's mouth 2. Thess. 2.8. Antichrist shall consume, and after the sound of the Gospel again, that Babylon shall fall, Apoc. 14.8. so (the lords name be praised for it) we have seen by experience papacy fallen into a great consumption, and the pope's credit and authority very well fallen also in the consciences of men by the preaching of the Gospel again in these latter days. And to our comfort we may learn out of the 2. to the Thes. 2.8. that his consumption is so deadly, that he shall never recover it until he be quite abolished by the brightness of Christ's coming. If he therefore win a little in one place, both he and his may learn by this to make their account, that they shall lose more in another. In stead therefore of hoping again for their golden day, let them seat n● for the fall of Babylon, which is irrevocable, to take up weeping and wailing, and to cry alas, alas, for the great city, as it is prophesied that Antichrist's friends shall do at his fall, Apoc. 18.19. Thus you see, or at the least may see, both that Babylon is Rome, and also that Antichristianity is Popery. Wherefore the second part of my argument is proved, which was this But who so dieth in the popish faith, dieth bearing the mark of the beast both in forehead and hand: and therefore now again I may conclude, therefore so far off is it, that he that dieth a papist, dieth a christian, or in Christ, that most certainty he dieth a limb of Antichrist: and that consequently all Papists, dying Papists in this peevish and Antichristian faith before described & confuted, are shut out from this number that my text speaketh of 〈…〉 thus also in this short comparison of the prophecies concerning the kingdom of 〈…〉▪ you se● once again their glory 〈◊〉 to their shame▪ For (you know) they brag that their Church must be the true church, because they 〈◊〉 allege an●iqui●●; universality, unity & visibility, whereas all these (as you have he●r●) are 〈…〉 christianity. For 〈…〉, it wa●●●ginning in Pa●●● times for vi●●●●●●ity and 〈◊〉 ●ll ●●tions shallbe drunk the 〈◊〉 for the 〈◊〉 you have heard, how glittering ●●sible, & 〈◊〉 the whore of Babylon shallbe Let them 〈◊〉 therefore dazzle our eyes, or deceive us by any such false marks to cause us to ●●●e the poor, little, & persecuted flock of Christ, to 〈◊〉 ourselves with their garish synagogue.  
〈◊〉 thus you have heard what faith will not 〈◊〉 our 〈…〉 us unto Christ, that so we may, when it pleaseth the Lord. ●e in him, even where by you may also see (〈◊〉 I doubt not but you do) what manner of faith it must be that will serve. Howbeit for your more full satisfying concerning that point, 
What faith it is that will unite us in deed to Christ.  understand, that that faith the Lord by the ministry of his word and Sacramente● through the inward working of his spirit never yet 〈◊〉 ●ought in any, ●●●euer will, unless that first by his law he ●er● one, that was 〈…〉 only to see and know his sins, and the punishments therefore due 〈◊〉 him, but also to a true sorrow for the f●me, and an vnfe●●ed loathing thereof, and conse●●ntly to an earnest hunger and this 〈◊〉 to be delivered ●herefrom. ●or Christ was not sent to comfort 〈◊〉 by the Gospel, that were not first uncomforted by the law▪ to 〈◊〉 up any by the one, that were not first thr● 〈◊〉 down by the other; or to heal ●●y by the one, who the other before had not made even sieke in the foul for the grief of sin. And therefore it is written, that he wa●sent to bind up the broken ha●● 〈◊〉, to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, & to give unto them beauty for a she's, the o●●e of joy for mourning, the garment of gladness for the spirit of heaviness, Isai. 6.13. And such (saith David Psa 5. 1●..) as are of a contrite and a broken heart are ●cc●p table unto him▪ and he will not despise them: and to him, even to him that is poor and of a contritespirit, he saith, he will look, Isai. 66. ●. And therefore Isai. 55.1. and john. 7.37. he ●●●leth only the thirsty unto him, and Mat. ●●. 28. the weary, and heavy loaden, promising comfort, to such. Which property of our God it seemeth it he blessed virgin had well observed, & therefore she singeth L●k● 1.53. He hath filled the ●●●gry with good things, ●●●le ●●ch he ●●ath se●t e●ty away. They therefore that by faith would find Christ, & 〈◊〉 ●e raised up, must first go to school with the law ●●lea to thereby effectually the former sess●●● f●● the law is our schoolmaster to bring us to C●hrist, 〈…〉 4. that so they finding out the depth and grievousness of their spiritual sickness may seek a sit & ●●●●cient plaster & s●lue to heal & 〈◊〉 it. Unto with estate when the lord hath brought his, knowing that light after darkness, health after sickness, felicity after taste of misery will be the more ●●le●̄● & more thankfully received; than effectually becauseth than so to pr●fice by the doctrine of the gospel, that first thereby they attain to a sound and right knowledge of jesus Christ, what he is in person, & what he is in office. In person, that he is the 2 person in Trinity, very God, and very man also: and yet that he is but one person consisting of (these 2 natures. In office, king▪ priest, & prophet, the only messias & means to be saved by. Which saliation thereby also they learn, he hath dearly & fully merited in & by his own abas●mēt, in that he ●●●āe man, lived, died, was buried and descended into ●el: & thereby likewise they learn, that by his advancement, that is, by his resurrection; ascension, ●nd si●●ing on the right hand of his father, he is now able to bestow and apply the same salvation by himself so merited to all that be his. Whereupon they take decasion steadfastly to believe, that for his ●●ly sake they shall not only be quit of all their sins & the punishmene● due for the same, but that also God will vouch●●●● to accounted them righteous, and worthy or meet for the kingom of heaven for his righteousness imputed unto them. So that faith seeketh for the whole matter and cause to be saved by in Christ jesus alone, & in him alone it findeth, & apprehendeth sufficient matter why the owner of it should be justified and saved. The ground of this faith in the confutation of the popish faith you have heard already: whereunto add yet these 2 manifest places, whereof the first is in the 10. of joh. 1. & 7. where Christ flatly teacheth, that he is the only door into God's sheepfold, & that so earnestly. that he pronounceth them all thieves & robbers, that seek to get in any other way. The other is in the 4. of the Act. 10.12. where we read, that Peter boldly before the high Priests and their company in a solemn assembly saith, Be it known unto you all, & to all the people of Israel, that there is salvation in no other, but in jesus of Nazareth: For among men there is given no other name under heaven whereby we must be saved. The which 2 places (if there were no more to be found through out the whole scripture) were sufficient to put us out of all doubt, that there is no part of salvation to be looked for, but only in, through, and for jesus Christ. And therefore the greater is the judgement of God upon the Church of Rome, which notwithstanding these places will yet seek for some part of the cause of their salvation by their own satisfactions and merits. But 〈◊〉, to whom the Lord hath given grace to see the glorious riches, which he hath prepared for us in this his son, hereby may be assured, the seeing there lacketh in Christ, neither ableness, nor willingness to be such a one, that without all wavering, we may he bold to believe that God as both able and willing freely & fully, solely, & wholly to justify us here, and to glorify us elsewhere, for this his son's sake alone. Which persuasion grounded upon this and other such grounds in the Scripture before touched, is that which I boldly affirm unto you, to be the faith that indeed maketh us to be in the Lord, & so ready to die in the Lord. I exhort you therefore as many as be desirous to die in the Lord, to seek in time by this saith to live in the Lord. Remember that it is the lords gift, & that by the ordinary means of the word preached, Gal. 5. Ro. 10.14. 1. Cor. 1.21. And therefore if you would have it and having it once retain and keep it, you must diligently seek it at the Lords hands, by the use of this means, and that while the Lord doch offer the means unto you, lest (as he threateneth, Pro. 1.24.26.) Because he called & ye refused, he will laugh at your destruction, & mock when your fear cometh. Do not defer off the seeking for it, and the strengthening of it until old age come. If you will do in it, you must learn to li●● in i● first and there is no reason that you should spend the strength of your days in vanity, ignorance, misbelief and infidelity in the service of 〈◊〉 in the and 〈◊〉 these things are weary of you, to think, that it is enough to serve God with your old, dry, & rotten bones: God never liked to be served with the lame, blind and maimed of the flock, but the strong, lusty, & unblemished he always called for, Mal. 1.8. & 13. And therefore let every one in his youth & time of his strength remember his creator, & turn unto him, Ec. 12.1.  

A brief report & testimony of the Earl of Bedford's life and death.  Of this faith, and early and timely seeking for it, this noble person, whose funeral and burrall we are now about, hath been a noble example unto us. For we know, that not only in his later days in her majesties time that now is, when to be of this faith, was and hath been safe and commendable unto him, but also before, when to show himself of this faith was dangerous to his living and honour he hath showed himself in his life a zealous and constant professor and confessor of this faith, using all good means both privately and publicly to nourish it by the diligent use of the means aforesaid. I myself have been both an eye witness, and an ear witness, that both in respect of his sins, he had infallible, tokens of a very broken and contrite heart, and thought as basely of himself in respect of himself as a true penitent man should: and that yet casting his eyes upon. God's mercies towards such in Christ, no●●ā could be more comforted and raised up again. Notwithstanding he was as free from the common corruptions of the world (wherinto ●e● of his place are greatly assaulted and provoked to fall) and as full of love and charity and all the fruits thereof as lightly amongst men any can be found: yet this I can testify of him, and (I think) so can all that knew him and were acquainted with him, that he was never the more puffed up with any conceit of his own righteousness: yea though his course of life and dealing with all men were such, that he had got this title commonly in the mouths of all, The good Earl of Bedforde, yet still his cry was, that only in jesus Christ and his merits was all his hope and trust concerning his salvation. And truly as he lived in this faith in this sort, so, to the glory of his God, all our good example, and his own everlasting comfort, he died constantly in the same. And therefore (as they that were most about him can testify) a little before his death in this his last sickness, out of the abundance of his heart, and faith that was lodged therein, he uttered these words with great comfort, Satan is chained, Satan is chained: The seed of the woman hath broken the serpent's head, The seed of the woman hath broken the serpent's head: Even for me, Even for me. And a little before his death he joined in prayer with a godly Minister, (whom he kept in his house for the watering of himself and his family, from time to time, with the water of life) unto the Lord most earnestly, and made in his hearing (after some good comfort given him by him) a notable, sweet and Christian confession of his faith in God the father, God the son, and God the holy Ghost: showing how fully he hoped to be saved in and for jesus Christ's sake alone, concluding in the end thus, Thus I believe with my heart to justification, & confess with my mouth to salvation: and so quietly within a very little space after gave up the Ghost. I dare therefore be bold to place him within the number of them that here in my text the Lord speaketh of. For he was no timeserver or dissembler, none that either in forehead or hand bore the mark of the beast, but that hated them least rag, relic, and clour of the Romish harlot every day more and more unto his death. O you Nobles and others, of what calling soever, learn and seek to be like to him living, that ye may be like to him dying. Assure yourselves that he loved Gods sincere truth unfeignedly, thet he made not his religion a stepping stone to climb up to promotion by, nor his drudge to serve his turn to compass his worldly fetches and devices by. No, no, he was no vain and profane politic, that favoured and countenanced religion for his own turn: his unfeigned love appeared towards it, in that even the feet, yea the very feet of them that were messengers thereof unto him, were always beautiful in his ei●● insomuch that he took pleasure to reason & confer with them most familiarly & courteously, taking it as, great honour unto himself, to patronize them in their good cause & ●●●●mes, and to further to his utmost their honest suits. Truly when I consider of the one side how faithful acounseller her majesty hath lost of him & of how trusty ●patron the commonweals is by this his departure from us, herea●ed, and of 〈◊〉 and tender a father this our Church is thereby also deprived, and when I have done, enter into a consideration on the other side, of the blessed and happy change that he hath made, which followeth here in my text: I cannot tell, whether we have grater cause to mourn in respect of this threefold loss to us, than to rejoice in respect of the blessed & happy state hereby befallen to him. Sure I am we may now well conceive, that in this threefold respect there is great cause, why we s●●●ly mourn: but I ●eare we shall every day more and more perceive this threefold miss and loss of him, and therefore our mourning is rather likely to be increased than otherwise. Howbeit, to moderate it let us proceed in ye●e●t, that we may see thereby again, what cause there is even of love towards him to make us in his respect to be joyful again: In the handling whereof I will be, the briefer, because I have been the longer in this. Wherefore leaving him most certainly enroled even by God's own hand within the number of those, that be undoubtedly dea●● in the Lord, let us see what is here sai● concerning the state of such, a●d therefore consequently of hims●●  

The second part of the general division wherein first is set down the method & true sense of that part of the text, with proofs thereof, as followeth.  It followeth, Blessed are they immediately thence forth, Yea saith the spirit, they rest from their labours, and their works accompany them. Wherein first their state is far bo●●e by that he ●●●●ly voice what it is, and when they enter upon it, and then the same is iterated & somewhat explained by the approbartion & assem of the holy Ghost, in that forthwith they resto from their labours, and their works accompany them Their state is blessed. As for them entrance & continuance in that state, 〈◊〉 pressed in this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, which, the etin●●●logy of the word, the use of the word in the best Greek authors, and the very circumstance of the t●●● considered, cause me to tra●●●●●●●h●s, Immediately thenceforth. Which to he the sense that it ha●h in this place, understanding the place of martyr's, the Rhemists themselves in the notes upon this place willingly confess Yea they understanding the place also generally of all diseased in ●ate of grace, confess it may then also (though they say it dothard properly so signify in this place, which they 〈◊〉 never prove) ●efo taken here undersanding it only of these that so deceased after Christ's ascension. unless that impediment be in themselves. Whereby it is evident, that not the properly of the word, but a desire to maintain first their limbus patrum, for those that departed in faith before Christ's ascension, and their purgatory for some that depart so since, maketh them unwilling to yield, that the natural sense of the word here is as I have rendered it. But who so considereth, that the scope of the place is to comfort the godly and sincere servants of god, against the manifold assaults & afflictions procured them in this life by Antichrist, even with this, that if these notwithstanding they persevere unto the end, they shall presently, & so forth for ever be blessed, shall thereby perceive, that it must needs here have that sense, For to take it any otherwise would minister unto them a cold comfort: as for example, say unto them but in their sense (which they would feign utter for the sense, if they durst for shame) be of good cheer, be constant unto the end, and then perhaps presently thou shalt go to bliss, and perhaps to purgatory, there to feel pains that exceed all the pains of this life at the least, until thou hast satisfied up for thy sins partly by thine own bearing of those pains, and partly by such other relief, as good men shall provide for thee when thou art gone, and then thou shalt go to bliss, and the comfort that it ministereth is as cold as lead Answereth this the circumstance of the text? Nay tendeth it not rather to the plain contrary, that is, to their discomfort? Well, it seemeth they will not strive with us for this sense of the word, so we would be content to understand it of all that die in grace since Christ's ascension only, and but of so many of those also, as before their death have fully satisfied for their sins: but we may not grant them either of these limitations: not the first, because they that died in faith in Christ to come, as well as those that die since in faith in Christ come, found their faith available to their salvation. For Christ hath been the self same slain lamb for ever in the sight of his heavenly father, Revel. 13.8. and is one and the self same yesterday, to day, and for ever, Heb. 13.8. And he himself, to the plain confutation of this gross opinion, that the faithful that died before his ascension went not to joy & bliss, placeth Abraham & Lazarus with him in joy & bliss before his death, Luk. 16.24. etc. and promiseth the thief that day, when he died, that he should be with him in paradise, Luk. 23.43. And as for the later the vainnes of the addition hath been laid open already, in that we have learned, that there is no other satisfaction for the sins of the faithful, but that which Christ made in his own person once for all: & yet they are so loath that this place should be understood generally of all that depart in a right faith in Christ, when, where, and howsoever that (mistrusting belike that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 would not serve their turns) in the next clause 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they translate Now: where as they know it is an adverb of affirming, and not of time, and signifieth, Yea, Also, & never now. Why do they not translate the sane word Mat. 5. & jam. 5. so also? Which if they did, them we should read there, for let your yea be yea, let your now be now: & for let your speech be yea, yea, let your speech be now now. But they found that their vulgar translation readeth it. jam. that is, now. Yea, but they were not ignorant, that is, now. Yea, but they were not ignorant, that truly the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 could not be so translated: but that they cared not for, as long as thus to cran state it (though against all reason) seemed to sound better to countenance their Limbus Patrun, for so they gather of it. Now saith the spirit etc. (that is since Christ's ascension) that it in thus with them that die in the Lord, as thought it had not been so before. And it would be noted, that the Greek word that is translated labours, doth not signify any a●tion or operation whatsoever, but such labour as is wearisome & tedious to the doer or sufferer. For we must not think that the souls of the righteous separated from their bodies live in idleness, without exercising themselves in any kind of action. For (no doubt of it) they are occupied in the contemplation of God, wherein their felicity lieth and in praising him with joyfulness. But we are thereby to understand, that such is the case of them that die in the Lord, that thenceforth immediately for ever, all woe, grief, & pain whatsoever ceaseth to them both in body & soul, with is one part of their blessedness & happiness here spoken of. But because blessedness lieth not only in a not feeling of woe & pain, but especially in fruition of some present & permanent joy & comfort, therefore (the better to explain unto us, what blessedness it is, that they that die in the Lord thenceforth for ever have attained unto immediately upon the dissolution of their soul and body) it is farther added, that the works of such accompany them: that is, that presently all the good works of such, even unto the giving of a cup of cold water to one of gods little ones in the name of a disciple shallbe rewarded in heaven with unspeakable joy and felicity, Mat. 10.42. I read it rather, And their works accompany them, because so translated the force of the greek is the better expressed. For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not signify to follow a far off, but to follow hard at the heels, & therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a hand maid: & besides 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is more properly read, with them, than after them. Also thus reading it according to the sense of the greek, the circumstance of the place is better answered, which was to animate those that lived in the Lord also to die in the lord, with hope of present bliss upon their death. Whereas, if it were read. And their works follow them, a caviller to their discomfort might say, that may be so, though it be not before the end of a thousand years after their death, & so in the mean time they may fry in purgatory. And thus it is confirmed likewise, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must here import immediately thence forth. For if the reward of their works follow them, so, that it is present at their heels, than there is no mean space betwixt. And yet I would not have it hereupon inserted, that my meaning is, that souls departed in faith have straight their consummation and full crown of glory, that is prepared for them. For I know that that shall not be before the general resurrection, and that the setting of the crown upon their heads is deferred unto Christ's 2. coming. And therefore john in a vision (Apo. 6.10. heareth the blessed souls in heaven cry aloud for that day, though so, that they are contented without grief (for to obey the Lord is all their joy then) to tarry the Lords leisure, & to abide his pleasure. But hereby I would have it gathered (for so it may well) that strait their bliss is such, & shallbe thenceforth, the neither body nor soul shall ever feel the least grief or pain again, & that presently the soul is in possession & fruition of so excellent an estate in heaven, in respect whereof it may worthily think itself right blessed and happy, and so fully rewarded for all the works done by it in the body, that it shall not have cause to complain that any one work is forgotten & not rewarded. Even this therefore hath the Lord from heaven in & by this word (blessed) expressed, which is a word of greatest importance, that he could use. For in blessedness and happiness both Philosophers and divines hold, that man's chief felicity consisteth, whereunto in his whole life he must aim. Wherefore (no doubt of it) even this state of them, that die in the Lord, that by this word, and the phrases following to explain it, is meant, is such a state, that the state of princes & Emperors in this life, let them be otherwise as happy, as it is possible for men to be, in comparison hereof is but a misery. For what state here is, ever was, or shall be so happy, which is not intermingled, was, or shallbe with some labour & pain? Yea even in the delights here & greatest joys of this world there is satiety & wearisomeness: and there is no certainty, nor unchangeableness in states here, the best & most flourishing are so subject to mutability and alteration: but in this there is no grief of mind, nor sickness or pain of the body, no Gangrena, nor any other woe, Apoc. 21.4. And in the joys there is continual comfort, & delight without wearisomeness, and that such as is everlasting, unutterable and unconceivable by the tongue or heart of man. And this is now the state, and hath been ever since his departure, of this Noble Earl our honourable brother, and shallbe thenceforth, as both God and angels full well know, & we men need not once to doubt, & this shallbe ours also if we live and die in the Lord, as he hath done. It is told us all so from heaven, it is recorded so by a faithful witness, and approved and ratified by the spirit of God. God grant us all grace to believe it, & one day to try the truth & certainty of it in our own persons by experience. In the mean time let us somewhat further consider of the doctrine and of the words as they lie, wherein it is uttered, that we may not only see thus, as we have done hither to, the general & principal lesson therein taught us, but also every particular truth confirmed thereby, & error confuted therein, that we may make the use of it fully, for which it was written.  

The particular lessons to be learned herein.  Because (no doubt of it) there are fools in the world, Psal. 14.1. which in their hearts think (though they dare not for shame with their congues say) there is no God, and consequently, that there is neither Hell, nor Heaven, resurrection of the body nor immortality of the soul: let us mark, 
The same body shall rise again, & in the mean time resteth in peace.  what doctrine this text teacheth us to the contrary to the stopping up for ever of the mouths of such profane Atheists. Wherefore to begin with all I say, how could it be here said, that they that die in the Lord are thenceforth blessed, unless in respece of the whole man it were so in some force? Evident it is, that if either the body were utterly perished, so that it should never rise again, or the soul dead, that it could feel no joy, they could not at all be said to be blessed. For blessedness (as you have hard confirmed unto you even out of my text itself) consisteth not only in ceasing from labour woe and pain, but in a possession and fruition of a most heavenly reward. Nay it is most certain that if either the body in the mean time until the resurrection were not at rest and peace, or in the end should not rise again, the soul could not be said to be blessed, & to enjoy the reward of works done by it in the body. For it were a kind of misery unto it to have the body disquieted, especially to be without hope of being ever restored and joined to the body again. Wherefore in that they that die in the Lord are here pronounced blessed, first for the bodies of such we learn, that they are in rest, and (as the scripture speaketh) as it were a sleep in the bosom of their mother the earth, Acts. 7.1. Thess. 4.15.. and therefore free from all woe and pain, and not to be disquieted by devils, enchanters, or witches any manner of way, and that most certainly they rest in hope of a blessed resurrection, which (according to the Scriptures, Mat. 25.1. Thess. 4.1. Cor. 15.) at the last general day of judgement by the power of the Lord shallbe brought to pass. Whereof we must needs be persuaded, in that otherwise God should not be perfectly merciful, nor Christ a full saviour. And why should Christ take unto his godhead & unite therewith in person as well the body of man, as the soul of man, unless he meant to be a full saviour of both? He our head rose again, in his own body one in substance with that it was before though altered in properties, and so shall it be with his members, 1. Cor. 15.1. Thess. 4. Notable therefore was jobs faith, his time considered, I know saith he that my redeemer liveth, & that I shall see God in my flesh though after this skin the worms destroy this body, whom I myself shall see & mine eyes shall behold, & none other for me, job. 19.25.26.27. Even the dying of the corn first in the earth and the after growing up of the same, & the reviving of diverse worms and other creatures at the spring towards summer, the lay for dead all winter, are glasses in nature our God hath set before us to make us ashamed, of this point of infidelity and Atheism once to call the truth of the resurrection into question,  

The soul is immortal.  And as touching the soul that it dieth not, but (if it depart out of the body in the Lord) that it passeth straight to the Lord, with whom it not only ceaseth from all woe and pain, but also enjoyeth the reward of bliss, hereby also we are plainly taught. For otherwise how should it be true, that immediately thenceforth such as die in the Lord, are blessed in not only ceasing from their labours, but also in present receiving reward of their works. For hereupon it must needs follow to be most true, which we read, Eccl. 12.7. that the soul returneth to him, that gave it. And that also Mat. 10.28. that tyrants cannot kill the soul. Wherefore we may with Peter count death but a flitting of the soul out of the tabernacle of the body, 2. Pet. 1.14. and with Paul a going from an earthly house to an heavenly, 
It sleepeth not nor is without feeling of joy assuredly until the resurrection.  2. Cor. 5. etc. and therefore with him upon good cause desire to be dissolved, & to be with the Lord, Phi. 1.23. and when we die, dying in the Lord, with Christ, Luk 23.46. and with Stephen, Act. 7, 59 commend our souls into the hands of God. Whereupon it followeth that there is a soul, and that it dieth not when the body dieth, but is immortal. Yea further in y● (as we perceive by Christ's placing of Lazarus immediately in present fruition of joy after his death in Abraham's bosom, Luk. 16.) the souls of such as die in the Lord are said here to have their works accompany them, hereupon it followeth, that the reward thereof is not drowsy sleep but a joyful feeling of heavenly bliss, and that therefore the souls of such departed sleep not, but are awake, and in a lively feeling of joy in heaven. Which fancy of these sleepers is confuted also in that joh. Apo. 6. seeing in vision souls in heaven, heard them cry a loud unto the Lord to hasten his second coming. Hereupon also (in that of contraries there is contrary condition) may well be gathered, in that the state of those that die in the Lord, is blessed, that the state of those that die not in the Lord, 
That is no purgatory for any that die in the Lord to go unto.  is accrused.  
Now in that it followeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 immediately thenceforth: and their works accompany them, and they cease from their labours, by three most evident reasons it must needs follow that to such as die in the Lord there is not any mean place or Purgatory, and therefore to none other by our adversaries own confession. For they themselves hold as well as we, that all that die out of grace and favour of our God, they for their sins in soul go strait to hell: and that none go to purgatory but such as die in the Lord, which yet before their death have not sufficiently satisfied for their sins, But here I say this their doctrine is flatly confuted: first, in that they are immediately after their death thenceforth without any exception said to be blessed. Secondly in that it is said, They rest from their labours. Thirdly in that it is said Their works accompany them. None of all which could be true, if any of them went to purgatory. And yet our Rhemists upon this place are not ashamed to write in their notes (notwithstanding it be their known and received doctrine, that the pains that souls suffer in purgatory, be equal to the pains of hell for the time, & that one principal torment there, is the gnawing worm of conscience) that souls in purgatory may well be said to be blessed straight after their death, and to rest there in peace. Which if it be true, than their doctrine of the pains, that souls abide there is but a frai-bug and if their doctrine be true, than this is false, which they writ. Lo here the popish unity. But how may they notwithstanding the p●●●es there be said to be blessed? Because (say they) them notwithstanding they are ceased from the labours of this life, and all danger to sin, and are put in security of eternal joy in the end, with unspeakable peace of conscience in the mean time. Then it cannot be (say I once again) that the pains of purgatory be so great for the time, as the pains of hell. For there is no security of joy there in the end, nor in the mean time any comfort at all in conscience, but extreme anguish and horror. Again, who seethe not that it is a poor blessedness to go from the afflictions of his life (which the faithful with joy and rejoicing suffer, Act. 5.41. and that In full assurance of joy in the end, Ro. 8.33. and so to the end of the chapter & consequently with great comfort of conscience indeed) to a place where for the space of ten men's lives, yea they cannot tell how long, they shall suffer pains & torments, the least whereof (as they writ) infinitely exceedeth the greatest of the other. And if this were so, that it might stand with the Apostles meaning, as they in their notes would feign make us believe, them (no doubt of it) here is a cold heartening ministered to those the live in the Lord, to persevere to their death against all assaults to the contrary, that when they die they shall straightway make only this change. No, no (dearly beloved) the scope of the text, & the nature of the blessedness here spoken of will not abide this their gloze. The greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, which is here translated labours, signifieth as (I have told you) all labours with grief, wearisomeness, or pain generally, and cannot be restrained to the afflicitions only of this life. And though they could hold their purgatory by their cavilling, for all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, yet (seeing they must needs understand the last clause by a metonymy of the reward of works. For the works themselves (they know) were either actions or passion's, which are not extant but vanished and gone, when the action and passion was finished: and seeing also the greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cannot more properly be englished, than their works go with them: and seeing in purgatory they will not for shame say, that they have already the reward of their works) it must needs follow the presently after their death they go thither, where forthwith they may have the reward of their works, which they must needs confess is heaven: and therefore that there can be no such purgatory, for them to stay in, as they imagine, before they come there. 
The popish relief for souls in purgatory, despised.  Yea further the due weighing of these words as they clean quench the fire of purgatory, so they overthrow all the relief, which the papists have devised; and yet use to relieve the souls, that be there. For we read here, that their own works 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 accompany them: and all these their reliefs consisteth of that which others do for them, when they be dead, and here is no promise, that any works shall follow them but their own. And therefore S. Paul 2. Cor. 5.10. writeth that we must be all manifested before the judgement seat of Christ, that every man may receive the things done in his own body, according to that, which he hath done, be it good, or evil. Now if when souls shall appear in judgement with their bodies every one be but to receive according as he hath done in his own body, is it not most evident that in the mean time what so ever is done for souls departed hence by others; it shall never benefit them? And therefore here the spirit of God would not comfort them that die in the Lord with that Popish comfort, that things done for them by others, when they be dead, should also follow them: only he telleth them that their own works shall go with them. And yet his purpose being to comfort them in the best and most effectual manner without all doubt, if he could in truth have comforted them with that, he would not have omitted it. But he hath (we see) quite past that kind of comfort over, and speaketh only of our own works. Wherefore let us not (after the manner of the Papists) be slack in good works, while we are alive, trusting that by doles. Masses, dirges, trentals, & pardons made, done, & procured for us by others when we are gone, we shall have the state of out souls departure relieved, but (as S. Paul hath commanded us.) Whiles we have time let us do good unto all men, especially unto the household of faith. Gal. 6.10. for where the tree falleth there it lieth, until it be reared again. Eccle. 11.3. and the dead have no portion of any thing, that is done under the Sun, Eccle. 9.6. And we see by Christ's parable, Mat. 25.10. etc. that the foolish virgins that lacked oil in their lamps of their own, sought it at the hands of others, could get none, though they would never so feign have had some of them, whatsoever it had cost them, and so were shut out from entering in with the bridegroom into his chamber. O therefore the spiritual craftiness of popery, first in devising that there is a third place between hell and heaven, or a mean place called Purgatory for souls departed to go unto before they go to heaven: and then in inventing such a relief for them when they were gone thither by others. For by the first they put souls departing into such fear, that they cared not what they gave, & deprived their heirs, wives, and other children of, to buy at their hands their prayers, masses, & pardons, whereby they wonderfully to the spoil of others enriched themselves: & by the latter they greatly occasioned men to be slack in godliness, & lose in life, whiles health lasted upon hope of this provision in the end, & also so led them from the present faith in Christ to a faith in these things, and consequently murdered their souls, & yet marvelously enriched themselves. Whereby they have proved themselves to be the cruelest, cunningest, and greatest thieves, that ever were in the world. They may well pretend Scriptures, fathers & reasons for this their devise, thereby to blear the eyes of the simple, it is so passing gainful unto them: but in deed and truth the very only root and fountain thereof was insatiable covecousnes to enrich themselves they cared not how, and intolerable ambition to lift up themselves into credit among the people, in that thus they made them believe it lay in their hands to ease them of the pains of Purgatory, & to send them to heaven. As for scriptures Roffensis Perionius, & Soto are enforced to confess (& yet they were great papists) they have none plain enough to prove it. And how can they, seeing Christ the father of the scriptures hath divided all men but into two sorts, believers in him, and not believers in him, john. 3.18. and hath told us there are two ways only, the one broad leading to hell and the other straight, leading to heaven, Mat. 7.13.14. Luk. 13.24. placing (for further explication of his mind concerning the state of those two sorts of men taking the one of those two ways) Lazarus an example of the one sort straight in joy and felicity, and the rich glutton example of the other sort straight in hell after death Luke. 16. And truly as for Fathers to prove their purgatory withal they are to seek also. Some of them (as Origen & his followers) imagine a purgatory, through which both good & bad shall go, & wherein the wicked and the devil also after the judgement in the end after long torments shall be saved. Which beastly heresy Aug. worthily condemneth & confuteth in diverse places, as they well know. And I am sure they will not hold such a purgatory neither. Some other as Theodor. Oecumenius, Alcuinus) talk of a purgatory fire at the last day wherewith Christ shall come, when he cometh in glory, as they imagine: through which all shall pass: but this is not their purgatory: neither is it any thing but a mere fancy indeed. Some other among whom Aug. is (as they take it) the chief man, seem somewhat to allow their purgatory: but indeed the chief places which they cite out of him for it, are such, where he speaketh but doubtfully as thus, For sitan verum est: non est incredibile: An sit quaeripotest: that is, perhaps it is so: It is not altogether incredible: It may be a question, whether there be any such place or no, as in his book de Civitate Deilib. 21. cap. 26. & in Enchirid. cap. 69. And yet in divers other places (belike better advised, and more settled) he flatly determineth, that there is no such third place. For in a sermon of his the vamiate huius saecul●, I read thus, Scitote vos quod cum anima a corpore avellitur statim in paradiso collocatur, aut in inferni tartara praecipitatur, that is, Know ye, that when the soul is taken from the body either by and by it is placed in paradise, or thrown into Hell. And in high Hypognosticon the 5. book he saith thus, The first place the Catholic faith by God's authority believeth to be the kingdom of heaven, the second place that same catholic faith believeth to be hell, where all runagates and all that are without the faith of Christ shall taste everlasting punishment. As for any third place penitus ignoramus, that is, we utterly know none saith he, neither shall we find in the holy scriptures that there is any such. And in his book de peccatorum meritis, li. 1. ca 28. he hath these words Non est ulli ullus medius locus ut possit esse nisi cum diabolo qui non est cum Christo there is no middle place for any, but that he must needs be with the devil if not with Christ. And truly for the relieving of souls departed by things done for them here by others as you have heard the scriptures are against them, so the fathers be also. For Augustine saith flatly to Hesichius Epist. 80. In what state thy dying day findeth thee, the last day also shall come upon thee. And Hierom. upon the 9 of Eccles. before alleged, gathereth that there can nothing be added to the dead by any thing done hereafter. And accordingly writeth Cyprian de mortalitate, saying, Qualem t● invenit Deus cum hinc evocat, talem pariter & judicat, that is, In what state God findeth thee when he calleth thee hence, such a one he will also judge thee. Indeed they may have these fathers, the heathen philosopher Plato in his Gorgia, Homer in his 1. & 3. Odyss, Virgil in his 6. book of AEneid Ovid in his 2. Fastorun, Aristotle, the Alcoran, & such like to fetch their purgatory from, others of any sound credit they have none. And as for their reasons they are but discourses of their own wit, or of others like themselves last before named. And their best are, when they are driven to the utmost, but counterfeit writings of fathers falsely bearing their names, and written by some of their own crew of later time, false tales, lying apparitions of men and devils. For rather than Purgatory shallbe left without an author, the devil shallbe he, and they will make much of his authority also. For they writ in Lombardica historia, that Saint Odilio at Vulcania of Sicilia hearing that the howlings and cries of Devils were hard mourning, that souls were taken from them after their departure out of the body by the alms & prayers of their friends living; caused the feast of the commemoration of the dead for the relief of souls in purgatory to be ordained. The truth is, dearly beloved, that their doctrine in this point is such, that if ten thousand angels and all the fathers should tell us that it were true, we ought to bold both them and their assertion accursed, it is so blasphemous and injurious to the precious boud-shed of jesus Christ, the only purgatory indeed both of soul and body. For to maintain this they first must hold that the merits and satisfactions of Christ are not sufficient of themselves, and by themselves (without these pains suffering in purgatory also, and this other relief) to save the soul of the believer in him. Secondly they must hold, that in the blood of Christ the believer hath forgiveness of sins, but not of the punishment due therefore. Thirdly that God is such a God as will punish a soul with such hellish torments for the same sins, which he hath already forgiven in his son, and therefore promised to remember no more, Heb. 10.17. And lastly they must attribute power to do that to the pains of purgatory, and to this their relief, that they talk of, which they hold the blood of Christ hath not done without these to such. You see therefore that these fellows that are so busy in purgatory are well worthy for their labour to find nothing else when they depart, but hell and hellish torments. And no doubt of it they sell heaven so fast to others, that (if they repent not) there will be no place else left for them but hell. But to leave them to their feigned king the pope and to this his new kingdom, which he hath appropriated to him and his, it is further to be noted, that in that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not only signify up & by, but noteth also a continuance of time thenceforth, that to the full comfort of them that die in the Lord, 
The blessed state of them that die in the lord is permanent  they may hereby learn, that not only immediately after their death they shall rest from their labours and enter upon their reward, and so be blessed: but that also, this their state is certain without any falling back from it: and therefore still their reward is called life everlasting in the scriptures. And surely if this be their state immediately thenceforth without ever any danger of falling back to worse, then of the contrary it must needs follow, that quite contrary immediately after their death shallbe the state and condition of all that die not in the Lord, and that there is no hope for ever for them to attain unto a better. What need there then a general judgement, will some say? I answer for two causes; that the bodies then may be restored to their souls again, that both the joys of the faithful & pains of the faithless, to the full manifestation both of god's mercy & justice, may be consummate and full: & that so god then may outwardly & solemnly justify before all the world his former particular judgement, which immediately before at every man's death he had laid upon them.  
Lastly we are not to pass over, or forget how our adversaries the Papists abuse this last clause of the text. For they hearing that works follow such, thereupon infer, that works merit eternal bliss. 
The abuse of this place, thereby to prove that works merit, confuted.  Indeed hereupon it followeth (as I have noted before) that none have a right faith in Christ, but those that have also good works to accompany them whensoever they die in the Lord, which I would not have forgotten: But hereupon to gather that our works merit heaven we may not. For than they should go before our being in the Lord, & be a cause thereof, whereas here it is only said, that they follow and accompany such. Which it should seem that Augustine had observed li. de Fide & operibus ca 14. when he said that good works go not before justification, but they follow a man justified, Let them therefore follow in God's name, as a fruit of a man in the Lord, but let them not step before as a cause of his being in the favour of the Lord. And understand that this argument is stark nought, good works shall be rewarded with heavenvly bliss: therefore they merit it. Is no man rewarded but he which hath merited and deserved it first? The heir when he cometh to his father's lands is then well rewarded for his pains he took in his father's time, & yet he hath not his inheritance for those his pains, for then rather some servant oftentimes should have the inheritance: but for that he was his father's son & heir before: Even so it is in this case, we are born the sons of God by faith in Christ, joh. 1.12. & 13. & so coheirs with him of heaven, Rom. 8.17. thereby first, and then follow good works in us not as a cause why we shall have this inheritance, but as a fruit & effect flowing from our thankful minds to our heavenly father for this notable inheritance thus freely prepared for us. And yet when we come to the inheritance, because it cometh after these our works, after a sort we may say, that even there by our pains in working are rewarded, & yet we have not that reward for our works, but for that we working so, were the sons & heirs of God. But for the better losing of all such popish knots, understand that it is not all one to say good works shall be rewarded, and to say, good works have merited that reward. For there are rewards given of mercy (and so is this) as well as of debt and duty, Rom. 4.4. Again there is great odds betwixt these two questions, who shall be saved, and why man shallbe saved: To the former we answer, the well worker: to the latter only for Christ's sake apprehended by faith. And therefore take this for the conclusion, we shallbe judged Secundun operum indicium, non propter operum meritum, according to the testimony your works give of us, not for the merit of our works. For it is written Ephe. 2.8.9. We are saved by grace through faith, & that not of ourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast himself. And yet this doctrine neither letteth nor stayeth at all from good works, but is that only fountain indeed from whence all true works do spring & flow. And therefore y● Apo. Paul (as you may observe throughout all his epistles) first laboureth to set down this doctrine, & then thereupon after buildeth exhortation to godliness of life: & the like course took Peter as you may see in his first epistle. And yet these knew how to provoke to good works, and in no case may be counted teachers of a doctrine enemy to good works. Yea there is none indeed that hath grace to embrace this doctrine effectually, but thereby he feeleth by experience his heart so inflamed with love towards God for his infinite mercy hereby displayed unto him both in saving him from perishing, and in thus freely preparing heaven for him, that from that love of his there floweth rivers & floods of all thankfulness in all true obedience to his God▪ wherein he walketh cheerfully & comfortably. But the Papists being bastards & no lawful children of the Lord, being not assured of this full and free favour of his towards them, of a slavish fear, & with a servile mind to earn heaven at his hands do the good which they do. Which indeed in matter & manner of doing is such, that though it carry the show of godliness, yet it is not so indeed. For the matter of good works they will not fetch warrant only from gods revealed will in his word, but matter good enough with them. For a good work is any thing for the which they can allege a tradition of the elder, or their own good intent, Which kind of works the Lord rejecteth as stinking in his sight, Isa. 29.13. Mat. 15.9. & Co. 2.20. etc. And as for their manner of doing, it is like the Pharisees joined with a conceit, that therefore they may despise others, & trust to be heard at God's hands for the merit of their works. Which kind of doing Christ hath condemned, Mat. 6.1. & Luk. 18.9, etc. in forbidding us to do our works as the Pharisees did, & in sending home the proud Pharisee unjustified And therefore in very deed, as they are without all true christian faith, so are they without all true good works, And therefore whosoever hath any thing to comfort himself by this place, it is none of them. No doubt of it, this noble man, whose body lieth here amongst us to be encombed, though even in outward show of alms giving & other good works he overmatched most merit mongers, yet seeing he trusted only to the merries of Christ, and never to his own works, but did them only of love and thankfulness towas his God, is among those, of whom it is here said, Their works accompany them, and therefore now is in joyful fruition of the reward thereof. Whose example as we that be of the same faith are to follow, that so with him we may be in everlasting remembrance both with God, and good men, (as no doubt he shall) so it is an example to stop the mouths of the adversaries, that lyingly cry out that they that be of our religion have no good works following them.  

The second conclusion.  Thus at last (right honourable and dearly beloved) we have run thorough this portion of scripture, and considered both the general and particular use thereof. And so first we have heard how strongly it is warranted to contain nothing, but sound truth: namely that not whosoever knoweth or cometh nigh, but whosoever is by a true & a lively faith united unto Christ, & dieth in him, (which is neither a miraculous, historical, temporary, dead, or popish faith, but a faith seeking and apprehending salvation only in Christ jesus) shall thenceforth be blessed immediately in resting from all woe in body and soul, and in entering upon possession of their everlasting reward: and then thereby more particularly we have observed, that therefore, the body riseth again, and that the soul is neither mortal nor sleepeth, that there is no popish purgatory, nor any thing that can be done by others for souls departed, that can do them any good to ease or better their estate: and finally that though here be offered us great encouragement to good works, yet here is nothing to prove that works merit any thing at God's hand. All which doctrine and lessons our honourable friend here departed (as I have from point to point showed you) hath already found true by experience. God of his mercy give us all grace so to set his example before us, that we may so follow him, that we may every one of us one day also to God's glory and our own everlasting comfort feel and find the truth thereof in ourselves. This O Lord we beseech thee to grant us all for thy only son jesus Christ's sake, to whom with thee and the holy Ghost, three persons and one everliving God, be all power, honour, might and majesty now and for ever, Amen.  
September 22. An. Do. 1594. The grace of our Lord jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the most comfortable fellowship of the holy Ghost, be with us all now and ever, to direct, sanctify, and govern us in all our ways, works, & thoughts. Amen.  
FINIS.