fulness should dwell in him, and by him to reconcile all things to himself; pacifying by the blood of his cross things both in heaven and in earth. And ye which some time were far off, and enemies in your minds through evil works, hath he now reconciled in the body of his flesh by death, that he should make you holy, blameless, and without fault in his sight. And in many places it is declared, how we are reconciled and set at one with the Father, and made heirs of the kingdom of heaven through Christ.

The fifth fruit and profit of the passion of Christ is the new testament, in which he promises unto us, and be. queaths unto us remission of sins sealed and confirmed with the death and blood of Christ; as it is written, He is the Mediator of the new testament, that through death, which came for the redemption of those transgressions that were in the first testament, they who were called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For wheresoever a testament is, there must also be the death of him that maketh the testament. For the testament takes authority when men are dead, for it is of no value as long as he that made it is alive. Of these words it evidently appears that the new testament, wherein we have remission of sins, is sealed and ratified by the death of Christ. Therefore Christ calls the cup, the cup of the new testament in his blood, which is shed for the remission of sins.

Last of all, Christ with his death and passion has gotten unto us this fruit and profit, that our cross and sufferings please God, that after this it should no more be a cursing or pain, but a holy blessing and mortifying of our old Adam and wicked flesh. And by this means our tribulation, persecution, and death is a holy and acceptable sacrifice unto God. And all this comes to pass through the merits of Christ and his death ; as Paul saith to the Romans, Those which he knew before, he also ordained before, that they should be like fashioned unto the form of his Son, that he might be the first begotten son among many brethren. As the sacrifice of Christ and his death, was a pure and acceptable sacrifice to God; so likewise the death of all christians shall be a holy sacrifice to God, not for the dignity of itself, but for Christ, of whose fulness all we have received, even grace for grace.

Now forasmuch as we know the fruit and profit, and also the whole work, which Christ has brought to pass by his passion and death ; let us now learn how we may be

made partakers of the same, and henceforth so frame our lives agreeably thereunto, that we may follow Christ our Saviour, and be known to be like him, yea, his true disa ciples.

Verily then shall we be partakers of the benefits of Christ, of the fruits and profit of his passion, when we believe that we all were condemned sinners. Again, triat Christ even of mere love and favour, unto our profit and singular advantage, without any of our merit and desert, suffered all that ever he suffered. Also, that by none other Mediator or work, but by Christ alone and by his merit, we can be saved, so that the passion, death, resurrection, life, righteousness, and innocency of Christ, with all that ever he hath, is our own, and freely given unto us of our heavenly Father. Wherefore, St. John saith, He gave them power to be made the sons of God, even so many as believe in his name. It is certain and sure that no one can be the son of God, except he be holy, godly, and righteous. But this we cannot be of ourselves, of our own strength and works. Therefore he saith that Christ giveth this unto us. It then follows, that by Christ we have received that which we had not before, neither could we, deserve to have with our works. Whereby then did this come unto us ? Verily by faith: for John saith, that he gave them power to be made the sons of God, even so many as believe in his name. This power then have they only that believe, not in their own works and righteousness, but in the name of Christ, which is Jesus, that is to say, a Saviour; even that they should believe that he is the only, alone, and true Saviour, without whom we can do nothing, and without whose merits all our works, although ever so holy and good, are damnable and cursed. Thus by faith alone, we obtain all that Christ hath, and are partakers of the same; as his innocency, holiness, righteousness, wisdom, perfection, the kingdom of heaven, and everlasting life; not that faith is our work, and therefore so nobly recompensed, but that it is the hand, organ, and instrument, wherewith we take and lay hold on Christ our Saviour. For every thing is prepared, given, and purchased for us before, and faith does no more than take and embrace this benefit, cleaves surely unto it, and doubts not but that Christ has obtained and performed all things for her. For Christ is freely given unto us, to be our Saviour whom the Father hath set forth unto us, to be our mercy, stock, so that whosoever will have and enjoy everlasting salvation, must have and enjoy it by Christ, and by none other. Therefore ought we all to lay hand on him with a strong and unshaken faith. But he that will not receive him as his one only, alone, and all sufficient Saviour, but will cleave to his own works and righteousness, without fail shall be damned. For to this end we have Christ given us of God the Father, to be our Saviour, that by him we should have power to be made the sons of God, I mean all such as believe in his name, deny and forsake themselves and their works, and only joy, rejoice, and glory in the name of Christ, wishing and desiring only, by that name to be made holy and acceptable before the presence of God's majesty.

When we have thus, through faith and confidence in Christ, challenged unto us Christ and all his merits, with all the fruits, advantages, and profits that he got, either by his life or by his death, as our own and proper goods, then let us also endeavour ourselves to set Christ before us as an example, whose life and conversation, whose acts and deeds, we ought to follow. For although, as we heard before, we deserve nothing by our works, yet may we not be without good works in this life. Therefore let us frame all our lives, and all that ever we do, after the example of Christ, whom the scripture sets forth unto us two manner of ways. First, as a Saviour, and this is the principal part of our righteousness. Secondly, as an example; that with him we should mortify and slay old Adam; as St. Paul saith, So many of us as are baptized in Christ, are baptized into his death, that is to say, that we should crucify with him our flesh and wicked lusts, suppress them, and give no place to the wicked appetites of the flesh. So do we declare ourselves to be true christians, as the apostle saith, They that belong unto Christ, have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lusts thereof. For he that truly knows sin, and the wrath of God against sin, and how dearly Christ bought us, and paid our ransom that we might be delivered from it, will undoubtedly hate sin from the very bottom of his heart. And when he shall not be able to resist, he will be inwardly sorry, and study all means possible how he may repress that sin, and be able to tame and restrain that wicked Aesh. Again, if he truly believe how loving, merciful, and gentle, God has shewn himself toward him through Christ our Saviour, and how God has pleasured him freely and without deserving, he shall greatly be stirred up to serve and please God, and for his sake love his neighbour, whom God hath commended unto him, not only if he be his friend, but also though he be his very enemy. For Christ received him, and by his passion and death saved him, even then when he was his enemy.

Thus the true, diligent, and earnest consideration of the passion of Christ, works in us true fruits and good works, that is to say, the mortifying and crucifying of old Adam; as Paul saith, They that have put on Christ, he meaneth by faith, or they that are of Christ, have crucified their flesh, with all her concupiscences; yea, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; so that we, in the passion, cross, and death of the old man, should be made like to Christ, to his passion and death. For so hath God ordained.

Thus briefly have we declared how we ought truly to consider the passion of Christ, with the fruits and causes thereof; by the which passion and death we are delivered from Satan, from sin, from the curse of the law, from desperation, from death, from hell, from the wrath of God, and from everlasting damnation; and are translated and removed into the heavenly country, that glorious kingdom of the most glorious God. Last of all, we opened unto you how we ought by faith to take and challenge unto us those most singular and inestimable benefits, and so form and frame our conversation and life after the example of Christ, that it may outwardly appear, that we are the thankful disciples of Christ, and the faithful and loving children of the heavenly Father. And forasmuch as we cannot do this of our own strength and power, let us most humbly pray unto God, that he, for Christ Jesus' sake, may give us his strength and Spirit, that we may live before him in pure faith and unfeigned love, and in the great day of the Lord appear faultless among the dear and well-beloved children of God, and so hear out of his mouth who suffered and died for us, this most sweet and comfortable saying: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom which was prepared for you from the beginning of the world. To this Lord Christ, our only Saviour and most perfect Redeemer, with God the Father, and the Holy Ghost, our most sweet Comforter, be all honour, glory, and praise, for ever. Amen.

THE

RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.

The Gospel. for Easter Day.

The first day of (after) the Sabbath came Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, &c.—John xx. 1–10.

INASMUCH as on this day, according to the ancient and commendable custom of Christ's church, we celebrate the laudable feast, and worthy memory of the most noble and victorious resurrection of our Saviour Jesus Christ; it is meet and convenient that we speak and treat of the same at this present. For the true sanctifying and hallowing of festival days consists in the true worshipping of God, which is none other thing (prayers and thanksgiving being once done,) than to exercise the word, both in preaching and reading. We therefore, will confer according to the season, of the glorious resurrection of our most loving Lord and sweet Saviour Christ Jesus. And we will first of all consider, what manner of resurrection the rising again of Christ from death unto life was. After that we will in the second place declare what utility and profit, what fruit and goodness, the most victorious and triumphant resurrection of Christ hath brought unto us, as we have before showed of his passion and death.

I. As touching the first, let us not think that the resur-. rection of Christ was a common resurrection from death, as the resurrection of Lazarus ; but besides that Christ rose again in the flesh and corporeally, he also spiritually became the Lord of death and overcame it, and brought with him everlasting life, so that all who believe are risen again with him, and have overcome death. And by this his resurrection he hath not only obtained a temporal life, but also a spiritual life. For as he before by the temporal death of the cross, did slay and utterly abolish the spiritual death of sin and hell ; so likewise by his resurrection, he hath not only recovered and brought again the temporal life and quietness, but also everlasting life and perpetual joy. Whereof we may learn that Christ is risen again two manner of ways. First, after the flesh, by which resurrection he made his dead body alive again, his despised