A commentary or, exposition upon the divine second epistle general, writtenA commentary or, exposition vpon the diuine second epistle generall, written

Here is then full testimony that CHRIST is God, against the Arians. But when I read that Fevardentius reports; how many of the Polonians have derogated from this eternal Deity of Christ, and that from the writings of Calvin, and other Reformed Catholics; I must sigh with Polycarpus! O bone Deus, in quae me tempora reservasti, ut ista audiam! Good God, what times do I live in, to read and hear such impious and impudent slanders! Let any indifferent man judge, whether they or we derogate more from our Saviour Christ: we in resting our whole salvation upon him, or they in joining other Saviours with him. They say, that if God will bear half the charges in cooperation, we may merit our own glory, fulfil the Law, have works to spare for our neighbours: whereof Rome hath such store, that she can spare England some out of her super fluity, if we will pay for them. But that we think, as when one boasted how fair a she-slave he had bought for a pound, another answered that she was too dear of a groat: so if we should bestow our moneys on such supererogatory stuff, every penny-worth would be worse than other. We teach that our best actions are full of sin, our satisfactions debts, that no merit can do us good, but the merits of Jesus Christ. Whether of us more wrongs our Saviour? No, let them take their own egg out of our nest, we never laid it, we will never hatch it.^k He is over all, God blessed for ever: Amen. He is the God of salvation, and he shall be found a God in judgement. Qui negârunt in carne mortali, confitebuntur in igne immortally. They that have denied it in their mortal flesh, shall acknowledge it in immortal fire. I cannot say logically, Quid sit, what he is; but Quis sit, who he is: there is no Logic sufficient to expresse Christ. De lumine, ²non sine lumine: No man can speak of the Light, but by the light. The best apprehension of him is negative: he cannot lye, he cannot dye, he cannot deny himself. He is God of the Father, as a branch from the root, as fragrance from the Pomander, as words from the soul, as light from the Sun. Man of the Virgin, by over-shadowing of the Holy Ghost, who withal hath cast a shadow over this mystery. Man, not by taking mans person into his own nature, but by taking mans nature into his own Person.

Here is then full testimony that CHRIST is God, against the Arrians. But when I reade that Fevardentius reports; how many of the Polonians have derogated from this eternall Deitie of Christ, and that from the writings of Calvin, and other Reformed Catholikes; I must sigh with Polycarpus! O bone Deus, in quae me tempora reservasti, ut ista audiam! Good God, what times doe I live in, to reade and heare such impious and impudent slanders! Let any indifferent man judge, whether they or we derogate more from our Saviour Christ: we in resting our whole salvation upon him, or they in joyning other Saviours with him. They say, that if God will beare halfe the charges in cooperation, we may merit our owne glory, fulfill the Law, have workes to spare for our neighbours: whereof Rome hath such store, that she can spare England some out of her super fluity, if we will pay for them. But that we thinke, as when one boasted how faire a she-slave he had bought for a pound, another answered that she was too deare of a groat: so if we should bestow our moneyes on such supererogatory stuffe, every peny-worth would be worse than other. We teach that our best actions are full of sinne, our satisfactions debts, that no merit can doe us good, but the merits of Iesus Christ. Whether of us more wrongs our Saviour? No, let them take their owne egge out of our nest, we never layed it, we will never hatch it.