CXLV expository sermons upon the whole 17th chapter of the Gospel according to St.…

¹5. This is the more to be pressed because the devil in all ages hath laboured to obscure this doctrine above others; Insomuch that Luther called this, Articulus stantis & cadentis Ecclesiae, when the devil could neither overthrow the humane or divine nature of Christ by Heretics; Then he laboured to overthrow his Office of being a Mediator; That if there must be a Christ, yet he might be a needless and useless one, so that by this Point only we differ not only from Jews and Pagans but all Heretics and Papists; The righteousness of Christ our Mediator imputed to us is the Treasure in the Church only; This Pearl is hid in this Field only, The excellency therefore and dignity of this Point is seen by the devils opposition, and his Instruments raised up to obscure and darken it; And then on the other side God hath raised up choice Instruments in his Church, to vindicate this Truth; Luther of all Points was most affected with this, and God prepared him for it, by laying soul exercises and heart temptations upon him, insomuch that he said he often wished he had never been a man; Oh the trouble and darkness that was upon his soul, and he used all the Remedies prescribed in Popery, to comfort himself, but still his heart was as unquiet as ever, till at last he was by studying in Scripture directed to believe in Christ the Mediator, and in particular to be clothed with Christs righteousness in stead of his own, and thus it is still, the more spiritually tempted and exercised any man either Minister or private Christian is; The more he walketh in darkness and hath no light: The more doth he come to prize and esteem this fullness in Christ; None love this honey-comb but those who hunger after a righteousness that they cannot find in themselves; ⟨p. 225⟩These particulars discover the necessity of pressing this often and often.

¹5. This is the more to be pressed because the devil in all ages hath laboured to obscure this doctrine above others; Insomuch that Luther called this, Articulus stantis & cadentis Ecclesiae, when the devil could neither overthrow the humane or divine nature of Christ by Heretikes; Then he laboured to overthrow his Office of being a Mediatour; That if there must be a Christ, yet he might be a needlesse and uselesse one, so that by this Point only we differ not onely from Jews and Pagans but all Heretiques and Papists; The righteousnesse of Christ our Mediatour imputed to us is the Treasure in the Church only; This Pearl is hid in this Field only, The excellency therefore and dignity of this Point is seen by the devils opposition, and his Instruments raised up to obscure and darken it; And then on the other side God hath raised up choice Instruments in his Church, to vindicate this Truth; Luther of all Points was most affected with this, and God prepared him for it, by laying soul exercises and heart temptations upon him, insomuch that he said he often wished he had never been a man; Oh the trouble and darknesse that was upon his soul, and he used all the Remedies prescribed in Popery, to comfort himself, but still his heart was as unquiet as ever, till at last he was by studying in Scripture directed to beleeve in Christ the Mediatour, and in particular to be cloathed with Christs righteousnesse in stead of his own, and thus it is still, the more spiritually tempted and exercised any man either Minister or private Christian is; The more he walketh in darknesse and hath no light: The more doth he come to prize and esteem this fulnesse in Christ; None love this honey-comb but those who hunger after a righteousnesse that they cannot finde in themselves;