To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
Verse 33, 34. Who shal lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect? It is God who iustifieth, who shal condemne? It is Christ which is dead, yea or rather which is risen againe, who is also at the right hand of God, & maketh request also for vs.
VVHat are we to thinke of the reading of this Text?
Some reade it all by interrogation or question thus: who shall accuse? shall God who iustifieth? whoe shall condemne? shall Christ who is dead? &c. contai∣ning a reason. Some reade it by question and answere, thus. Who shall accuse? it is God who iustifieth; that is,* 1.1 no body shall accuse, for it is God who iustifieth: & who shall condemne? it is Christ which is dead; that is, no body shall condemne, for it is Christ who is dead, risen, sitteth at the right hande of God, and maketh request. This latter reading is the best, because it is more plaine and casie then the former, which doth obscure the sence, and is against the credite of the greeke Copies, which rcade it not by a continued interogation.
What doth this Text containe?
Two things: First, a double assault, implied and folded in the Question, Who shall? &c. Secondly, it shewes the remedy in the answere, It is God &c.
Where is the first assault or temptation?
In these words: who shal lay ought to the charge of Gods chosen? to lay to ones charge, is a word taken from ciuill Courts, & signifies to accuse, to cal one into law, to enter suite or action against him, charging him with some crime or guilt; and (by Gods chosen) is meant such as be elected of God, vnto life eternall, and doe beleeue the Gospell.
What doe ye learne from these words?
That all the merites of Christ, are appropriate vnto elect faithfull ones, for these he dyed, rose againe, sitteth at the right hand of God, and maketh request for them: those God iustifieth, sanctifieth, and glorifieth. Where is then that vniuersall grace by which all and euery are said to be redeemed by Christ effectually? For of his suf∣fiency is not the question.
Now ye haue expounded the words of the question, tell me what temptation against our faith is infolded and wrapt in
them?
This: there be sundry aduersaries that will rise vp and accuse vs as guilty of sinne and death, how shall we doe? And indeed so it is: First, Sathan will charge vs Reuel 12, 10. Secondly, the lawe of Moses which wee haue transgressed, Iohn, 5, 45. Thirdly, our owne con∣science will accuse vs, Rom. 2, 15. Lastly, the worlde will accuse vs, as it accused Christ, Iohn Buptist, the Apo∣stles and others. Now it is heauy to haue so many and subtle accusers in such a Court as before Gods tribunall, where the case concernes our saluation or damnation. Now the remedy which Paul doth giue vs against this temptation, is a very fit and excellent remedy, euen this: It is God who iustifieth. And note heere that iustification by absoluing, is opposed both vnto accusation, and con∣demnation; from both an elect sinner is freed at his iusti∣fication.
What is meant by iustifying?
To iustifie, signifies to absolue or acquit from guilt of sinne, and to account or pronounce one iust. That this is the meaning of the worde, may appeare first by comparing this place with Acts 13, 39. Where the worde iustified, can signifie no other thing then abso∣lution from sinne. Secondly, because it is set against accusing & condemning, which are two actions of iudg∣ment, the one charging a man with guilt and crime, the ther pronouncing punishment vpon him, beeing founde guilty and conuicted. Therefore iustification which is the contrary to both these, must needs signifie the ab∣soluing and acquitting one from guilt and punishment, and the pronouncing of him iust; and this comes vnto vs by the obedience and death of Christ, being laid holde of by a liuely faith.
Now the word is expounded, let vs heare what is the force of the Apostles answere, and the effect of the remedy af∣foarded vs?
Thus much: that it is in vaine for any to accuse
the faithfull, because they haue God, who himselfe is the iudge to acquit them.
What is our doctrine from hence?
They (whose sinnes God pardons and accepts for* 1.2 iust men) neede not feare the accusation of all their ene∣mies; the reasons hereof, be these. First, when contraries bee immediate, the putting or granting of the one, is the remouing of the other, as thus. The number is euen, there∣fore it is not odde: Abraham is in heauen, therefore not in any part of hell. So here, God absolues, therefore it bootes* 1.3 none to accuse, for if they do, it is to no purpose. Second reason, God is the highest iudge, and his tribunall seate is the supreme iudgement seat; therefore from thence there is no appealing. As amongst men, persons accused or con∣demned, may appeale till they come to the highest Court{is} so being absolued before Gods tribunall seate, there is no further accusation to be feared; all appeales from thence, be void and of no force.
What vse is to be made of this doctrine?
It must serue to strengthen & comfort vs, in the ter∣rour of conscience, being frighted with the guilt of sinne, the sentence of the law, the cruelty of Sathan: in as much as these either dare not appeare before God, to accuse and charge vs, or if they doe it, it is but lost labour, since GOD the iudge hath discharged vs. Secondly, as it shewes the happines of iustified persons, so it bewrayes the great mi∣sery of such as doe not beleeue; because they bee subiect to the accusation of sin and Sathan themselues, and of the world, and to the condemnation of God and his law.
So doe the beleeuers, because they haue sinne still in them, and Gods iustice must needs condemne sinne: how doth the Apostle answere this assault?
Thus, that Christ being dead, he hath in his death made satisfaction; and where satisfaction is made to diuine iustice, there is no cause to feare condemnation, which doth neuer proceede but against persons who cannot satis∣fie, neither by others nor themselues.
Tea, but what can a dead man profit vs?
Nothing at all, had death swallowed him vp and subdued him; but Christ once dead is risen againe, and now sitteth at the right hand of God.
Hath God a right band, or doth Christ sit in heauen?
No not so, for in heauen be no seates, and God is* 1.4 a Spirit, and therefore is no bodily substance hauing flesh∣ly members; but the meaning of this phrase is, that Christ liueth in heauen blessedly, and raigneth in exceeding glo∣ry and power, not onely as he is God, but also as he is man, being exalted in his kingdome and Priest-hood, and de∣clared king and head of his Church, before God and the Angels, hauing all things subiect to him. Of which singu∣lar dignity and honour giuen to him by his Father, reade Mat. 28, 18. Ephe. 1, 20, 21, 22. Phil. 2, 9. Col. 2, 15. 10. 13. 3.
What is meant by this, that he makes request for vs in Heauen?
That as he once merited our saluation in earth by dying, so he now continually preserues it for vs in heauen by his intercession for vs; which is not now in humiliation by kneeling vpon his knees, as in the dayes of his flesh, nor as the Spirite doth by stirring vp requests for vs: but hee now maketh request by the vertue and merite of his death, appeasing his Fathers wrath, and turning his fauour to∣wards vs, so often as wee sinne of infirmity, and seeke for pardon in his name.
Tell vs distinctly in what things doth this intercession of Christ consist?
In foure things: First, in his appearing for vs before God, Heb. 9, 24. Secondly, in his satisfaction once per∣formed to Gods iustice for vs, Heb. 10, 12. 14. Thirdly, in that his will is, that this satisfaction should euer stead all his members before God, Heb. 10, 10. Lastly, the con∣sent of God his Father, resting in this satisfaction and will of his Sonne, Iohn, 11, 42.
What is the benefit that beleeuers haue by this inter∣cession of Christ, to whom alone this honour is peculiar?
Exceeding great: for it quits them from all feare of condemnation by Gods Iustice, in respect of theyr sinnes; because where Christ becomes Patrone for to de∣fend against the sentence of damnation, it is in vaine for sinne, Law, or Sathan, to attempt any thing against be∣leeuers. Euen as an innocent person is safe, so long as he hath his learned aduocate to answere things obiected, and to pleade his innocency: and as one accused vnto a Prince, is well as long as he hath a friend in the Court to speake for him; so is it with all beleeuers, who haue the Iudge himselfe both iudge and aduocate, 1 Iohn 2, 2.
What other thing is to be learned from hence?
Two thinges: First, that the sinnes of the elect shall neuer come into examination or inquiry, being all for giuen and couered. Secondly, that Christ Iesus is a sufficient remedy against all things that may trouble or feare the conscience, and that these four maner of waies. First by his death, freeing vs from sinne and damnation. Secondly, by his rising againe, getting righteousnesse & victory ouer all his enemies. Thirdly, by being at the right hand of God, he sheddeth downe the holy Ghost vpon vs with his sauing graces. Fourthly, by his inter∣cession, he effectually applies vnto vs all his merites, and* 1.5 continually preserues vs in the state of grace and salua∣tion. Therefore all that seeke for any soul comfort, from any thing in heauen or in earth, in themselues or others, they are most miserably seduced; for Christ is alone suf∣ficient both to merit and preserue our saluation vnto vs. Away then, & with abhomination cast away those blas∣phemous prayers and professions of Papistes, touching the blessed Virgin Marie, calling her Queen of Heauen, our hope, our onely hope, our health, our saluation, our comfort, refreshing, and our ioy, our deliuerer from dan∣ger, our refuge; and calling vpon her in life to defend, in the houre of death to protect, to entreate God the Fa∣ther not as intercessor, but with authority to command the Son Christ as a Mother, with such like horrible im∣pieties
vnto her and to the Crosse, and to Thomas Beck∣et, and to Saint Francis, as their owne rotten Bookes do witnesse.
The question hath heere the force of a negotiation, and stronger deniall.
A Maxime lo∣gicall.
Who shall dis allow whome God allow eth: Gods iudgement seat is highest saith, 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
A speech bor∣rowed from Kings, who set at their right hand their chiefe and greatest Of∣ficers and fa∣uourites, as Salomon vsed Bath sheba, 1. Kings, 2, 19.
For Christ to make inter∣cession, and to pray, is not to bee taken properly, but to shewe the good will of the Sonne to vs, as Chryso∣stome noteth.