The triall of truth Containing a plaine and short discovery of the chiefest pointes of the doctrine of the great Antichrist, and of his adherentes the false teachers and heretikes of these last times.

Div. 5.

That Christ suffered both in body and soule the paines that were proportionable to our sinnes.

Two things were requisite in our •…•…aviors suffering•• that they * 1.1 might be a sufficient satisfaction for our sinnes. First a pro∣portion of the sufferinges to the greatnesse of the sinnes: secondly a right to translate them vpon the parties, for whom they were sustained. 1 The great & high proportion of the sufferings of Christ proceedeth from the excellency of his divine nature, which gaue vertue and dignity to the same: 2 & the right to translate them vpon man, pro∣ceedeth from the hum••ne nature, in which they were sustained, that so they might be availeable for mans sinnes. For in that man, which had sinned, was according to the purpose & coūsel of God to be redeemed, & not the angels, therefore nor the seed of An∣gels, but of man, was to be taken, that so in the very nature of man that had sinned, the paines for mans sins might be endured, & so satisfactiō made for mās trāsg•…•…ssions. And therfore, as Christ was to take our whole nature vpō him, that so he might be a mee•• per∣son * 1.2 to redeeme the whole: so the m••anes of our redēption being his sufferings, as he was to take both body & soul, so he was to suf∣fer both in body & soul, that so he might redeeme both body and soul, especially mans soule being the p•…•…ncipall in committing the offence, & the body being but as it were an accessory therevnto, the soul was principally to be punished in respect therof, neither had it bin agreeable vnto iustice, that the principall should haue wholy escaped, & that the accessory should haue bin extreamely punished. And certainly our Saviour Christ, being ready present∣ly to enter into those his greatest paines & punishments which he was to endure for mans trāsgressiōs, testifieth of the extreame an∣guish of his soul, saying. My soul•• is heavy vnto death: and before he * 1.3 came into his enimies hād••, that buffered him, crowned him with thornes, scourged him, nailed him vppon the crosse, and so tormented his precious bodie, hee suffered his bitter and dread∣full agonye in the garden, the vvhich was so grievous and

burdensome vnto him, that it caused him to swette both water & blood, and to crie out againe and againe in that his extremity, Fa∣ther if it be possible let this cuppe passe from mee; even this cuppe of thy wrath that I am so deepely to drinke of, that so it might passe frō all the elect: the which he calleth his houre that is hi•• iudgement * 1.4 and condemnation, the which he came into the world to sustaine, that so he might procure our absolution. The which agony con∣tinued with him no doubt also on the crosse, where he sustaining the punishment of our sinnes, which had deserued to be forsaken, cried out, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken mee? So great is the weight and burden of sinne (howsoever to a foole it seemeth to be but a pastime) that it being laide vpon our Saviour himselfe pressed and bruised him so sore, that it caused him in the griping griefe of his heavy hart, and in the bitter anguish of his sorrowfull soule, thus and thus to complaine vnto his God. So infinite & vn∣speakable was the kindnes and loue of our most gratious & mer∣cifull redeemer towards vs such vnthankefull and wretched sin∣ners, that he tooke from vs this so weighty a burden, and laide it vpon his owne shoulders. O what great comfort doth come vn∣to every faithfull christian out of these discomforts of our blessed Saviour? What a glorious life doth arise out of his most shamefull death? and what an endles blisse out of his most ex••crable curse? O what strong assurance haue we hereby, that all our debtes are discharged to the vttermost mite, and all our sinnes so punished even to the full, that we neede not stand in feare now to bee pu∣nished our selues for the same, or to be forced again to make satis∣faction either in the Popish rigorous cōsistory, or the fire of pain∣full purgatory? So great a price doe we iustly set vpon our Savi∣ours most dolefull sufferings, and so highly do we esteeme of his most pretious and inv••lu••ble paines: and yet our masters of Rhe∣mes are not ashamed to lay to our charge, that we doe not so much * 1.5 disgrace as blasphe••e the same, for that we teach that not onely in body but also in soule, he sustained the paines that were pro∣portionable to our sinnes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Suff•…•…d.
• * 1.2

  Aug. cone. F••l. ca. 13.
• * 1.3

  Mat. 26. 3••.
• * 1.4

  Mat. 27. 46. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 12. 27.
• * 1.5

  Rhem. in Math. c. 27.