Second conclusion. Noe syn soe greate that should discourage us from comminge to Christ. Aesculapius, as the poets faine, dewised more remedys against poison out of a serpent than any other creature, yet the serpent more poisonous in it selfe then anie man. Soe from syn. Our confidence, i. e. from the nature of God, whoe regards not soe muche what a man hath bin, but what he is, and will bee. Whereas the judgment of man, on the contrary, is ground[ed] upon vita anteacta, and forepassed actions; soe fol. 123b.
Aprill 1603.Ananias made conjecture of Paule. God more delights to pardon the synner, then to punish the synne.
2. From the nature of Christ; more mild and mercyfull than Moses: for Christ never executed any point of judgment. He is an intercessor, and shall be our judge: but that tyme is not come, soe our creede notes, "From thence He shall come to judge." And this seemes to be the reason, that under the lawe, yf anie strang syn had escaped the hand of the magistrat, yet it was usually punished by the hand of God: whereas nowe, yf offences slip the magistrat, they are seldome or neuer revenged from heaven.
Christ is not soe muche a remedy for easy synns, but even for such synners as even beginn to stink and rott in them, as Lazarus did in the grave. Shee that had hir issue 12 yeares was healed with the touch of his garment, &c. He is more ready to pardon a synner upon repentance then to punishe him upon perseverance.
3. The end: To save. Chrîstus salvat; solutione debiti et applicatione remedij. Debitum nostrum 2x; Obedientiæ; Pœnæ.
Wee must obey the lawe or indure the punishment. Christ by his lyfe hath payd the dett of our obedience, and by his death had cleered the debt of our punishment. Both were necessary to our plenary redemption: his life to ripe age to accomplishe our righteousnes; his passion by death to meritt of [sic] our salvacion. Righteousnes of his lyfe. Merit of his passion.
fo. 124.
Aprill 1603.
The applicacion; by taking upon him our syns, and imputing unto us his righteousnes. In all synn, three things, culpas, reatus, pœna, and the remedy must have something contrary to the malignant quality of the disease: soe Christ cureth the fault by his obedience, the guilt by his innocency, and the punishment by his passion; soe by applicacion all our synns are his. All his righteousnes is become ours. But heere surges
a doubt, howe it comes to passe that synce the imputacion of his merits makes us righteous, the imputacion of our synn cannot make him synfull. Ferrum candens absorbet aquam, and the drop of our synn cannot infect the ocean of his innocency; finiti ad infinitum nulla proportio. The applicacion of our syn to him is but a mere imputacion, but his merits, beside an imputacion, worke in us alsoe an inherent righteousnes. For applicacion; the commaundments are given in the second person; and the bible written in fashion of a story, not precepts and rules, because it is more for practise then speculacion, and God would have us rather good Christians then good schollers. Without particular applicacion all is nothinge but like the rude chaos, for before the incubacion of the Spirit of God, there was noe separacion, noe vilificacion, noe animacion. In the sacrifice in the old lawe it was noe idle thing that they were to sprinkle the right eare, the fo. 124b.
Aprill 1603.right thombe, and the right foote too, to shewe the inward affection must be moved by the eare, and the action by the thomb and the toe.
The Virgin liked the newes well which was brought hir, "but howe shall this come to passe," quoth shee; soe it is welcome to every one to heere that he shall be the Sonne of God, but howe shall he knowe that? There is but thre wa[y]s of knowing himselfe to be the Sonne of God: 1. Scientia unionis, and soe Christ onely knowes himselfe to be the Sonne of God. 2. Scientia visionis, and soe the Saints. 3. Scientia revelationis, and soe every Christian. And this last is twofold, either by a descendant course, whereby Gods spirit comes downe to us, and this those knowe which have it. Philosophie sayth every lambe knowes his owne dame, non per eundem sonum sed per eundem Spiritum: as the uniting of the Father and the Sonne in the Trinity is per communionem Spiritus. "My sheepe heare my voyce," by inward perception. "Did not our harts glowe within us?" The difference is knowne to them that have it. Samuel, before he was acquainted with it, thought it had bin the voyce of a man, but Ely could discerne it. 2. Wee knowe by our Spirit ascending to God: the Spirit like fyre, still ascendeth, like a steele toucht with the magnet turnes northward, fo. 125.soe this heavenward. Wee are placed twixt heaven and earth; like an iron betwixt two loadstones wee incline still to one of them.
8 Aprill 1603.I heard the Queene left behinde hir in money, plate, and jewels, the value of 12,000,000l. whereof in gold is said, 400,000l.