in Christ that they may haue some rule whereby to trie the spirits consonant to the analogie of faith and the doctrine of the orthodoxe Fathers of the Church which Paul calleth the forme of knowledge Rom. 2. 20. and The forme of doctrine Rom. 6. 17. and a patterne of wholesome wordes 2. Tim. 1. 13. which formes of doctrine were in vse in the primatiue church in the Apostles daies as it is manifest Heb. 6. 1. where the Apostle sets downe the principall points of the Catechisme calling them the doctrine of the beginning of Christ. And after the Apostles we find that they were vsed by the learned Fathers both of the Greeke and Latine Church Clement Alex. had his Pedagogue Cyril of Ierusalem his Catechisme and Mystagog bookes Origen that famous Catechist his books of principles Theodoret his Epitome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lactantius his Institutions Augustine his Enchiridion Hugo de S. Victore his books of the Sacraments or mysteries of christian religion And it were greatly to be wished that as in other reformed churches beyond the Sea they haue a set Catechisme which all men follow and in the church of Rome one approoued by the Councell of Trent so there were an vniforme Catechisme inioyned by publick authoritie to be vsed in all Families Schooles and Churches in this land that we might all with one mind and one mouth iudge and speake the same thing Now as Catechismes gathered out of plaine and easie places are necessarie for the simple so Commentaries are as necessarie for the vnderstanding of such places as are more abstruse and difficult Our Sauiour Christ the great Doctor of the Church hath by his owne practise giuen vs a president hereof in expounding the lawe Matth. 5. in expounding all hard parables to his disciples a part for the text saith that he vnfolded or expounded them vnto them Mark 4. 33. That he interpreted vnto them in all the scriptures the things which were written of him Luk. 24. 27. That he opened vnto them the scriptures v. 32. And they haue bin alwaies so accounted in the Church of God For the Iewes as we know had their Perâ—shim the Greeke church their Scholia the Latin Church their Glosses with other Paraphrases Expositions Neither was it euer called in question by any saue by the phantasticall Anabaptists who rest onely vpon immediate reuelations And some preiudicate Papists who hold the consent of all Catholikes to be the true Scripture both the glosse and the text the written word but inkie Diuinitie and a dead letter And certaine arrogant spirits who with Nestorius skorne to read any Interpreters But how Commentaries ought to be written it is not so easie to define there beeing such difference as well in regard of the manner of writing as of the measure For besides that the Popish writers make foure seuerall senses of the Scripture commending Ierome to excell in the Literall Origen in the Allegoricall Ambrose in the Anagogicall Chrysostome in the Tropologicall they haue aboue fiftie seuerall waies of expounding the Scripture as their owne writers doe record In the measure we finde some too tedious as the two Alphonsi Tostatus and Salmeron who vpon euery small occasion digresse from the text or rather take occasion to enter into infinite friuolous questions which breede strife rather then godly edifying which is by faith For there is not so short a Chapter in the Bible vpon which the former mooueth not aboue eight score questions whereupon his volumes growe to that bignesse that one contracting his Commentarie vpon S. Matth. and drawing it into an Epitome yet could not so abridge it but that it contained aboue a thowsand pages in folio in the largest volume smallest character The other is so short with his 12 volumes vpon the Euangelists that he might well haue contracted leaues into lines and lines into letters Which tedious discourses and impertinent excursions from the text serue for no other ende but to cast a mist before the eyes of the reader and drawe as it were the vaile of Moses ouer his face so that he cannot see the meaning of the holy Ghost Others on the contrarie are too short and compendious offending as much in breuitie as the former in prolixitie by name Emanuel Sa the Iesuit whose Commentaries vpon the Bible are shorter then the text it selfe like to those of Apollinaris of whome Ierom writeth that a man which readeth them would thinke he red Contents of chapters rather then Commentaries But as for the manner the literall sense which our author here followeth is the onely sense intended by the Spirit of God the Allegoricall Tropologicall Anagogicall beeing but seuerall vses and applications thereof For the Scripture consisting in the sense not in the letters is profitable to teach and improoue as Paul saith whereas from the Allegoricall sense no necessary argument can be taken as their owne doctors confesse either to confirme or confute any point of doctrine therefore much lesse from the Tropologicall or Anagogicall And as for the measure in regard of breuitie or prolixity the golden meane hath alway beene iudged by the learned to be the best which is not onely to giue the bare meaning paraphrastically but to make collection of doctrine and application of vses yet breefly rather pointing at the cheife heads then dwelling long vpon any point Some are of opinion that a Commentor is onely to giue the literal sence of the place without making further vse of application or instruction To which I could easilie subscribe if all the Lords people could prophesie or if all were able to handle the word of God the sword of the spirit For as to an expert Musitian who is acquainted with the concords or rules of discant it is as good a direction to haue onely the ground as if he had euery point pricked out vnto him beeing inured to the diuision vpon euery point as it falleth out in the ground So to him that is acquaynted with the word of God a short and concise handling of the Scripture may be as good a direction as if euery point were discoursed at large But because all readers are not strong men in Christ some beeing but babes who must haue euery thing minced and cutt small vnto them before they can receiue it Neither all teachers expert prompt Scribes like to Ezra nor mightie in the Scripture as Apollos such as are able to diuide the word a right and applie it fitly as they ought Some beeing deceitfull worckmen peruerting it to their owne destruction in pressing the two dugges of the Scripture the Ould and New Testament that in steed of milck they sucke nothing but blood Others vnskilfull casting wild Colloquintida into the pott of the children of the prophets beeing too hastie to learne and too ignorant to know of them selues what they should haue gathered Therefore to help the
A COMMENTARIE OR Exposition vpon the fiue first Chapters of the Epistle to the Galatians penned by the godly learned and Judiciall Diuine M. W. PERKINS Now published for the benefit of the Church and continued with a Supplement vpon the sixt Chapter by RAFE CVDWORTH Bachelour of Diuinitie ALMA MATER CANTA BRIGIA HINC LVCEM ET POCVLA SACRA Printed by IOHN LEGAT Printer to the Vniuersitie of CAMBRIDGE 1604. TO THE RIGHT HOnourable right vertuous and most truly religious Lord ROBERT Lord RICHE Baron of Leeze c. Grace and peace THE holy Scriptures Right Honourable giuen by diuine inspiration and penned by the holy men of God Prophets Apostles and Apostolike writers not by priuate motion but as they were guided by the holy Ghost are not onely commended by God and left vnto the Church as a pretious depositum carefully to be kept in their integritie for which cause the Church is called the ground and pillar of truth 1. Tim. 3. 15. nor to be defended onely by the sword of the Magistrate against Heretikes Schismatikes and men of scandalous life in which respect he is called and that truly Custos vtriusque tabula But also to be the piller and foundation whereon to rest our faith the touch-stone of truth the shoppe of remedies for all spirituall maladies an anker in the blasts of Temptation and waues of affliction a two edged sword to foyle and put to flight our spirituall enemies the onely Oracle to which we must haue recourse and whereat we are to enquire the will of God In a word the bread and water of life whereon our soules are to feede vnto eternall life Therefore we are commanded to search the Scriptures as for siluer and to seeke in them as for treasures to read in them continually to meditate of them day and night to vse them as bracelets vpon our armes and frontlets betweene our eyes to teach them to our posteritie and to talke of them when we are in our houses and when we walke by the way when we lie downe and when we rise vp And great reason there is of this commandement seeing that as an ancient writer saith Quicquid in cis docetur veritas est quicquid praecipitur bonitas est quicquid promittitur foelicitas est that is Whatsoeuer is taught in them is truth it selfe whatsoeuer is commanded is goodnes it selfe whatsoeuer is promised is happines it selfe They beeing of such perfection that nothing may be added vnto them nor any thing taken from them of such infallible certentie that heauen and earth shall sooner passe away then one title fall to the ground so pleasant and delightfull that they exceede the honie and the honie combe and so profitable that no treasures may be compared vnto them seeing they are able to make vs wiser then our enemies then the aged then our teachers to make vs wise vnto saluation to giue vs an inheritance among them that are sanctified nay able to saue our soules Which beeing so I cannot sufficiently wonder that any calling themselues Christians should make lesse account of the booke of God then the Romanes in old time did of their twelue Tables and other Heathens of their Rituall bookes or then the Iewes at this day doe of their Talmud the Turkes of their Alcoran the Aethiopians of their Abetelis especially that those which professe themselues Diuines should so distast the holy Scripture that leauing it the cleare fountaine of the water of life they should betake themselues to the troubled streames of mens deuises and digge vnto themselues pittes which will hold no water Wherein the Schoolemen I meane the Sententiaries the Summists and Quodlibetaries are chiefly if not onely to be censured who setting aside the Scriptures haue vanished away in vaine speculations in their Questions vpon Lombard the Master of the Sentences and vpon Thomas their new Master So that had it not beene for some fewe Glosses which notwithstanding like the glosse of Orleans doe often corrupt the text Nicolaus de Lyra Hugo de S. Charo and Peter Comestor whom I should haue named first beeing so good a text man that as his name importeth he did eate vp the text as the poore mans horse dranke vp the moone we should not haue had among such a multitude of writers one poore comment vpon the Bible for diuers hundred yeares And no maruaile seeing it is an ordinarie thing for young nouices in Popish Vniuersities and I would it were but there onely not to lay the foundation of their studie in Diuinitie vpon the rocke but vpon the waters that is not vpon the Scripture but vpon Aquinas or some such Summist and to reade the Scripture no further then they giue them light for the vnderstanding of their Schoole-Doctours Witnesse one of their owne writers who testifieth of himselfe that he had studied Schole-diuinitie and the Canon Law for the space of 16. yeares and yet neuer so much as saluted either the Scriptures or the Fathers Which course they take either because they presume to vnderstand aboue that which is writtē cōtrarie to the cōmandemēt of the Apostle Rom. 12. 3. or for that they iudge the Scriptures too simple and shallow for them to wade in as not affording them sufficient matter for their witts to worke vpon Not considering that whilst they contemne the simplicitie of the Scriptures looke beyond the Moone in the meane time with Thales they fall into the ditch and that whilst they striue with the winges of their wit to soare aboue the cloudes of other mens conceyts they sincke into a Sea of absurdities and errors Nor yet remembring that the Scripture hath great maiestie ioyned with simplicitie and as great difficultie mixed with plainnes and facilitie and therefore not vnfitly resembled by S. Gregorie to the main Ocean in which the lamb may wade the Elephant may swim For the spirit of God hath in wonderfull wisdom so tempered the Scriptures that they are both obscure perspicuous in some places like a clasped or sealed booke Isay 29. 11. in other places like a booke that is opened Apoc. 5. 5. beeing both easie difficult Easie in that the enterance into the word giueth light and vnderstanding so the simple Psal. 119. 130. Difficult in that some things are hard to be vnderstood 2. Pet. 3. 16. and hard to be interpreted Ebr. 5. 11. Easie to inuite vs to reade and learne thē Difficult to exercise vs lest we should cōtemne them From the easie and plaine places are gathered principles of religion both articles of faith rules of good life which we call Catechismes The difficult places require interpretation the Cōmentaries of the learned Both which are necessarie in the church of God Catechismes haue a necessarie vse both in regard of the simple who are to be fed with milke beeing but babes in Christ and of the learned who are strong men
are first to be taught and that by men where reuelation is wanting This kind of teaching is the foundation of the schoole of the Prophets and it hath bin from the beginning The Patriarkes till Moses were Prophets in their families they taught not onely their families in generall but also their first borne that they might succeede as Prophets after them There were 48. cities of the Leuites dispersed through all the tribes where not onely the people were taught but also schooles erected that they might be taught which were to be Priests and Leuites Num. 37. One citie among the rest is called Cireath sephar Iosu. 15. 15. that is the citie of bookes or as we say the Vniversitie Samuel a yong man was sent to the Tabernacle in Shilo to be taught and trained vp of Eli the Priest Samuel when he was iudge of Israel erected Colledges of Prophets and ruled them himselfe 1. Sam. 10. In the decaied estate of the ten tribes Elias and Elizeus set vp schooles of the Prophets in Bethel Carmel c. and the yong students were called the sonnes of the Prophets 2. king 2. 3. Christ himselfe beside the sermons made to the people trained vp and taught himselfe his 12. Apostles and his 70. disciples Paul commaunds Timothie to teach that which he had learned to such as shal be fit to teach others 2. Tim. 2. 2. Furthermore this teaching is of great vse For it serues to maintaine the true interpretation of scripture the puritie of doctrine and it is a meanes to continue the ministerie to the ende of the world The meanest arte or trade that is is not learned without great teaching then much more teaching is required in diuinitie which is the arte of all arts The true interpretation of scripture and the right cutting of the word is a matter of great difficultie and a matter whatsoeuer men think of the greatest learning in the world Therefore it is necessarie that teachers should first be taught and learne aright the Gospel of Christ. Eleauen hundred yeares after Christ men began to lay aside Moses and the Prophets and the writings of the new Testament and to expound the writings of men as the Sentences of Peter Lumbard Hence ignorance superstition idolatrie come headlong into the world Seeing then the teaching of them that are to be teachers is of such antiquitie and vse all men are to be exhorted to put to their helping hands that this thing may goe forward Princes are to maintaine it by their bountifulnesse and authoritie as they haue done and doe still and that which they doe they must doe it more Parents must dedicate the fittest of their children to the seruice of God in the ministerie and not to vse it in the last place for a shift as they doe For commonly the eldest must be the heire the next the lawyer the youngest the diuine Students must loue and affect this calling aboue all other 1. Cor. 14. 1. Lastly all men must make praier that God would prosper and blesse all Schooles of learning where this kind of teaching is in vse Here againe it appeares that Christ is God and more then a meere man because he is opposed to man and that Paul receiued authoritie and the keies of the kingdome of heauen immediately of Christ as well as Peter 13. For ye haue heard of my conuersation in time past howe that I persecuted the Church of God extreamely and wasted it 14. And profitted in the Iewish religion aboue many of my companions of mine owne nation and was much more zealous of the Traditions of my fathers In the former verse the Apostle set downe that he learned the Gospel not of man but of Iesus Christ immediately This in the next place he goes about to prooue at large His reason is framed thus If I learned the Gospell of any man I learned it either before or after my conuersion but I learned it neither before nor after my conuersion of any man The first part of his reason is here confirmed thus before my calling and conuersion I professed Iudaisme and I liued accordingly persecuting the Church and suppressing the Gospel of Christ and profiting in my religion aboue many others therefore I was not then fit to heare and learne the Gospell of Christ of any man This argument he further confirmes by the testimonie of the Galatians thus That this was my conuersation in Iudaisme ye are witnesses for ye haue heretofore heard as much In the example of Paul two points are generally to be considered The first that the distinction of man and man ariseth not of the will or naturall disposition of man but of the grace and mercie of God For Paul an Elect vessell for nature and disposition before his conuersion is as wicked as any other And he saith Rom. 9. 11. that the difference betweene man and man before God is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercie Therefore it is a Pelagian errour to thinke that men doing that which they can doe by nature occasion God to giue them supernatural grace The second point is that Paul here makes an open and ingenious confession of his wicked life past And hence I gather that this Apostle and consequently the rest writ the scriptures of the new Testament by the instinct of Gods spirit and not by humane pollicie which no doubt would haue mooued them to haue couered and concealed their owne faults and not to haue blazed their owne shame to the world And therefore the bookes of scripture are not bookes of pollicie as Atheists suppose to keepe men in awe but they are the very word of God Againe the end of this plaine confessiō is that Paul might thereby cōfirme and iustifie his owne calling to the office of an Apostle This serues to giue a checke to such persons as vse to sit and rehearse their wicked liues past in boasting and reioycing manner In Pauls example there be two things to be considered his profession before his calling and his conuersation His profession was Iudaisme and this hindred him from imbracing the gospell It may here be demanded what Iudaisme or the Iewish religion is Answer In the daies of Christ and the Apostles there were three speciall sects among the Apostles Esseis Sadduceis and Pharises And the Pharises were the principall and their doctrine was commonly imbraced of the Iewes And therefore by Iudaisme as I take it Phariseisme is here meant Nowe the principall doctrines of the Pharises were these I. They held that there was one God and that this God was the father without any distinction of persons for when Christ mentioned the distinction of the father and the sonne they would not acknowledge it Iohn 8. 19. II. They acknowledged in the Messias but one nature for when it was asked thē howe Christ beeing the sonne of Dauid should neuerthelesse be his Lord they could not answer Math. 22. III. They held that the
seemes there was more time betweene the promise and the law Ans. The meaning of Moses in this place is thus much that the dwelling of the children of Israel while they dwelt as pilgrims was for the space of 430 yeares and that in â—art of this time they dwelt in Egypt as strangers The words may thus be translated The dwelling or Peregrination of the children of Israel in which they dwelt in Egrpt was 430 yeares And this peregrination beginnes in the calling of Abraham and endes at the giuing of the law In Pauls example we see what it is to search the Scriptures not onely to consider the scope of whole bookes and the parts thereof but to ponder and waigh euery sentence and euery part of euery sentence and euery circumstance of time place person This is the right forme of the studie of diuinitie to be vsed of the sonnes of the Prophets The second reason vsed by Paul is in the 18. v. it may be framed thus If the law abolish the promise then the inheritance must come by the law but that cannot be He prooues it thus If the inheritance of life eternall be by the law it is no more by the promise but it is by the promise because God gaue it vnto Abraham freely by promise therefore it comes not by the law The opposition betweene the law and the promise shewes that Paul in this Epistle speakes not onely of the ceremoniall but also of the morall For the greatest opposition is betweene the morall law and the free promise of God Let vs againe marke here the difference betweene the law and the Gospel The law promiseth life but to the worker for his works or vpon condition of obedience The Gospel called by Paul the promise offers and giues life freely without the condition of any worke and requires nothing but the receiuing of that which is offered It may be obiected that the Gospel promiseth life vpon the condition of our faith Ans. The Gospel hath in it no morall condition of any thing to be done of vs. Indeede faith is mentioned after the forme and manner of a condition but in truth it is the free gift of God as well as life eternall and it is to be considered not as a worke done of vs but as an instrument to receiue things promised This difference of the law and the Gospel must be kept as a treasure for it is the ground of many worthie conclusions in true religion And the ignorance of this point in the Church of Rome hath bin the decay of religion specially in the article of Iustification Thirdly we must here obserue the opposition betweene the Law and the free promise of God in iustification of a sinner For if life come by the law it comes not by the promise saith Paul And Rom. 4. 14. If they which are of the law are heires the promise is of none effect By this we see the Church of Rome ouerturnes and abrogates the free promise of God For they of that Church teach that the first iustification is by meere mercie and that the second is by the workes of the law But the law and the promise cannot be mixed together more then fire and water the law ioyned with the free promise disanulls the said promise Lastly in that Paul saith God gaue and freely bestowed the inheritance by the promise it must be considered that this Giuing is no priuate but a publike donation For Abraham must be considered as a publike person and that which was giuen to him was in him giuen to all that should beleeue as he did Art thou then a true beleeuer doest thou truly turne vnto God here is thy comfort the inheritance of eternall life is as surely thine as it was Abrahams when he beleeued For thou art partaker of the same promise with him and when God gaue him life he gaue thee also life in him Againe persons backward and carelesse must be stirred vp with all diligence to vse all good meanes that they may beleeue truly in Christ and truly turne to God For so soone as they beginne to beleeue and to turne vnto God they are entred into the condition of Abraham and if they continue they shall sit downe with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of heauen and after this life they shall rest in the bosome of Abraham For that which was done to Abraham shall be done to all that walke in his steppes 19 Wherefore then serues the law it was added because of transgressions vntill the seede was come to which the promise was made and it was ordained by Angels in the hand of a Mediatour 20 Now a Mediatour is not of one but God is one Paul hath prooued before that the law doth not abolish the promise his last reason was because then the inheritance should be by the law which cannot be Against this reason in the 19 and 20 verses there is an obiection made and answered The obiection is this If life and iustice come not by the law the law then is in vaine And this obiection is expressed by way of interrogation Wherefore then serues the law The answer is in the next words It is added for transgressions that is for the reuealing of sinne and the punishment thereof and for the conuincing of men touching their sinnes Rom. 3. 19 20. Moreouer Paul sets downe the time or continuance of this vse of the law when he saith till the seede came to which the promise was made that is till Christ come and accomplish the worke of mans redemption Here two questions may be demanded The first is whether the law serue to reueale sinne after the coÌ„ming of Christ For Paul saith it is added for transgressions till Christ. Ans. The law serues to reueale sinne euen to the end of the world yet in respect of the legall or Mosaicall manner of reuealing sinne it is added but till Christ. For the law before Christ did conuince men of sinne not onely by precepts and threatnings but also by Rites and Ceremonies For Iewish washings and sacrifices were reall confessions of sinne And they were an handwriting against vs as Paul saith And this manner of reuealing sinne ended in the death of Christ. Col. 2. 14. Againe the Ministerie of condemnation which was in force till Christ at his comming is turned into the Ministerie of the spirit and of grace 2. Cor. 3. 11. For vnder the law there was pleÌ„tifull reuelation of sinne with darke and small reuelation of grace but at the comming of Christ men saw heauen opened and there was a plentifull reuelation of sinne with a more pleÌ„tifull reuelation of grace and mercie And in this respect also the law is said to be till Christ. The second question is whether the seede of Abraham were before Christ or no Ans. All that followed the steppes of Abrahams faith before Christ were his seede Yet were they not that seede that is the principall seede who is Christ who is the seede
at Athens and they giue this reason of it because after the sending of Timothie to Thessalonica Paul and he meete not at Athens againe but at Corinth And Baronius affirmeth that it seemes to haue beene written presently after that Sylas and Timotheus came to him to Corinth out of Macedonia by comparing Act. 18. 5. with 1. Thess. 3. 6. Annal. tom 1. pag. 457. l. 1. And Emmanâ—â—i Sa doth censure the Syriacke postscript which saith it was sent from Athens by Timothie seeing that Timothie was then absent The like they affirme in the argument of the second Epistle for albeit the Greeke postscript hath it that it was written from Athens yet they rather thinke it was written from Corinth where Paul aboad a yeare and sixe moneths Act. 18. 11. because the title is like vnto the first Epistle Paul and Sylvanus and Timotheus c. And Baronius saith that it should be written from Athens impossibile est affirmare because it was written soone after the former as may appeare by the inscription Paul and Sylvanus and Timotheus they continuing together but the former was written from Corinth as hath bin prooued and therefore the latter specially considering that Paul went thence from Athens and aboad at Corinth a yeare and a halfe and returned not backe againe to Athens but went to Ephesus Annal. tom 1. pag. 457. l. 2â— Adde hereunto that whereas the postscript of the 1. to Timothie saith it was written from Lâ—odicea the chiefe Citie of Phrigia Pacaciana the Rhemists notwithstanding in the argumenâ— affirme that it is vncerten where it was written though it be commonly said to haue beene written at Lâ—odicca yet it seemeth to be otherwise because it is like he was neuer there as may be gathered by the Epistle to the Colossians which was written at Rome in his last trouble a little before his death for Coloss. 2. 1. Paul seemes to insinuate that he was neuer at that Laodicea of Phrigia neare to Colossos and Hierapolis and that they neuer saw his person Besides neither Plâ—nie who writ after Paul nor any other ancient classique author doth make mention of Phrigia Pacaciana so that it seemeth to haue beene so called long after Pauls discease the first mention that is made of it as some haue obserued beeing in the acts of the 5. Synode of Constantinop Baronius is of opinion that it was written from Macedonia Tom. 1. pag. 564. grounding his coniecture vpon 1. Tim. 1. 3. as I besought thee to abide at Ephesus when I went into Macedonia so doe The same doth Athanasius affirme in his Synopsis and Theodoret in his preface vpon that Epistle Againe the subscription of the 2. to Timothie that it was written from Rome vnto Timothie the first Bishop elected of the church of Ephesus cannot well stand as some thinke with that of S. Paul 2. Timothie 4. 5. Doe the worke of an Euangâ—list seeing that Euangelists were not tied to personall residencie to abide in one place as Bishops and pasters are but were to goe from place to place to confirme the Churches planted by the Apostles But the discussing of this argument whether Timothie were an Euangelist properly so called and whether the same man could not be an Euangelist and a bishop requireth a longer discourse then can be affoarded to this short treatise Lastly the postscript of the Epistle to Tâ—tus saith it was written from Nicopolis of Macedonia the deuisers of which assertion ground their opinion vpon Titus 3. 12. where Paul saith beâ—iligent to come to me to Nicopolis for I haue determined there to winter mistaking the text for he saith not be diligent to come to me to Nicopolis for I haue determined here to winter as beeing there alreadie but I haue determined there to winter By which it is plaine that when Paul wrote to Titus he was not at Nicopolis as the postscript affirmeth and so we see the text which they alleadge for them maketh most against them And this is the iudgement reason of Baronius Annal. tom 1. pag. 575. l. 33. Antuerp howsoeuer Claudius Espencaus shifts his fingers of it and passes it ouer in silence Thus much concerning Subscriptions a word or two touching Inscriptions or titles prefixed before Epistles That these be no part of scripture written by the Apostles but added to the Epistles by some others it may appeare by these reasons First generally if titles were canonicall as well as the epistles themselues the Fathers would neuer haue doubted as they did whether Paul were the author of the epistle to the Ebrewes or not seeing in all copies saue one as Beza hath obserued it beareth his name but some of them ascribe it to Barnabas as Tertullian others to Luke as Jerome witnesseth others to Clement Oecumenius infitleth it only thus The epistle to the Ebrewes without adding the name of Paul or any other as the penner of it and so Hentenius a papist doth translate it out of Occumenius Secondly some epistles as those seuen written by Iames Peter Iohn Iude haue vnfit titles prefixed before them in that they are called sometime Canonicall specially of the Latine church and sometime Catholick chiefly of the Greek church neither of which were euer giuen them by any Apostle or Apostolique writer For first touching the title Canonicall it may seeme strange that this inscription should euer haue been appropriated vnto them which is common with them to the whole word of God as though in them were contained a more perfect and absolute rule of doctrine and manners of things to be beleeued and practised then in the other bookes of holy writ considering that sundrie Diuines albeit erroniously I confesse haue beene so farre from giuing vnto them this preheminence aboue the rest of the bookes of Scripture that they haue altogether reiected them as no part of Canonicall Scripture by name the epistle of Iames the 2. of Peter the 2. and 3. of Iohn and that of Iude of all which it was doubted in auncient time as we see in Eusebius and the Syrian church receiueth them not to this day as beeing not in the Syriacke translation and Caietan a popish writer and the Lutherans at this present reiect them as may appeare by their writings Secondly that this inscription was added to these Epistles without sufficient ground and warrant of reason may appeare in that no reason can be giuen why these seuen should be called Canonicall rather then the Epistles of S. Paul or that to the Ebrewes whosoeuer was the penner thereof For whereas the ordinarie Glosse saith they are called Canonicall because they were receiued into the Canon with the other epistles by that reason they should be no more Canonicall then the rest nay not of that authenticall at least of that vndoubted authoritie the rest are of seeing they hardly obtained to be registred in the Canon with the rest as Canonicall Lastly this title was neuer giuen to these Epistles by the Greek church which was more auncient
but onely by the Latin church as might be prooued by manifold testimonies if it were a thing necessarie to be stood vpon Neuerthelesse howsoeur this inscription cannot be defended yet it may be excused and tollerated as a title of distinction to distinguish them from the other epistles As we see the Iewes diuiding the olde testament into 4. parts the first they called the law or 5. bookes of Moses the 2. the former prophets viz Ioshua Judges 2. bookes of Samuel 2. bookes of the Kings the 3 the later prophets as Esay Ieremie Ezechiel and the small prophets the 4. they called Kethubim which in English is as much as the scriptures not as though those 11. bookes were more properly scripture then the Pentateuch of Moses or the bookes of the former and later prophets but onely for distinction sake they were so called And they are tearmed of the 70. and of the Greeke church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is holy writts not because they had a peculiar holines proper to them aboue other parts of Gods word seeing all scripture is equally giuen by diuine inspiration nor as though the amanuenses of these bookes were more holy then the other pen-men of the holy Ghost nay contrarily it is doubted by some of Salomon who penned three of these bookes whether he were elected or reiected whereas it is not doubted of the rest but onely as I haue alreadie said to put a note of distinction betwixt them and other bookes in naming of them as Hugo de S. Uict hath well obserued In this sense this title Canonicall may be giuen to these Epistles without danger but if we shall vnderstand it in any other sense we shall be so farre from beeing able to defend it that we shall not be able to excuse it The second title which is giuen them is that they be called Catholike which inscription is as vnfit as the former for they are so called as some would haue it because they were writteÌ„ and directed to the whole Catholike Church consisting both of Iewes and Gentiles But that is not true seeing Iames chap. 1. 1. directeth his Epistle onely to the 12 tribes that were dispersed and not to the Gentiles And Peter who was an Apostle of Circumcision 1. Epist. 1. 1. writeth onely to the strangers the Iewes that dwell here and there throughout Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bythinia Others thinke they are tearmed Catholike for that they were not sent to one man or familie or citie or countrey but generally to the whole bodie companie and societie of the Iewes wheresoeuer dispersed ouer the whole earth But neither in this sense can they fitly or truly be tearmed Catholike forasmuch as two of these seuen viz. the second and third of Iohn were written to particular persons the one to the elect Ladie the other to Gains And by this reason the Epistle to Timothie that to Titus and Philemon may be called Catholike as well as these Againe be it graunted that they were all directed to all the Iewes yet I see not why the Epistle to the Ebrewes may not as well chalenge this title to be called Catholike as any of these seuen considering it was written to all the Iewes and onely to the Iewes Thirdly others affirme them to be called Catholike because they containe Catholike doctrine such as appertaineth to all men generally of what estate place condition or calling so euer they be But in this sense all Pauls Epistles may be called Catholike Epistles For whatsoeuer is written is written for our learning that we through patience and consolation of the Scriptures might haue hope Rom. 15. 4. Secondly the word Catholike is not so ancient for Pacianus an auncient father saith it was not vsed in the Apostles daies His wordes are these Sed sub Apostolis enquies nemo Catholicus vocabatur esto sic fuerie vel illud indulge cum post Apostolos haereses extitissent diuersisque nominibus Columbam Dei atque reginam lacerare per partes sciudere niterentur nonne cognomen suum plebâ— Apostolica pâ—stulabat quo incorrupti populi distingueret vnitatem ne intemeratam Dei virginem error aliquorum per membra laceraret that is But thou wilt say vnder the Apostles no man was called Catholique well be it so yet admit this withall when after the Apostles there were heresies and men beganne to rend in peeces and diuide gods done and Queene by sundry different names did not the Apostolike people require their surnames whereby they might distinguish the vnitie of the vncorrupt people least the error of some should rend in sunder gods vndefiled virgin where we see Pacianus doth freely grant that this surname Catholike was not in vse in the time of the Apostles Which testimonie Baronius doth notably dissemble in shewing the originall of this name out of Pacianus affirming but not proouing it to be as ancient as the Apostles Now this errour hath not onely befallen the Latin and Greeke copies but the Syriacke likewise as may appeare in the title prefixed before the most ancient Syrian traÌ„slation where we shal find these words The 3. Epistles of the 3. Apostles before whose eyes our Lord was transfigured Iames Peter Iohn In which inscription be couched 2. soule errours First in that this translator maketh but 3. epistles of James Peter and Iohn whereas there are sixe he omitting the 2. of Peter the 2. and 3. of Iohn as also that of Iude as no part of holy scripture therfore the Syriack church as I haue alreadie said doth not receiue these Epistles into their Canon vnto this day The second is in that he affirmeth Iames before whom our S. Christ was transfigured in mount Tabor to be the author of this epistle For that Iames before whome Christ was transfigured in the mount was Iames the sonne of Zebedeus and brother of Iohn Matth. 17. 1. After sixe daies Iesus tooke Peter and Iames and Iohn his brother and brought them vp into an high mountain and was transfigured before them Which Iames could not possibly be the penner of this epistle for he was slaine by king Herode long before the destruction of Ierusalem and the dispersion of the 12. tribes Acts 12. v. 2. About that time Herode the kinge stretched forth his hand to vexe certaine of the Church and he slew Iames the brother of Iohn with the sword Therfore Iames the author of this epistile was Iames the sonne of Alphaeus For to faine an other Iames the brother of our Lord as some haue done is childish seeing it is plaine by sundry places of the N. T. that there were but two of that name mentioned in Scripture Iames the sonne of Zebedeus called Iames the greater and Iames the sonne of Alphoeus brother to Iude called the lesser and brother of our Lord. GRATIAS TIBI DOMINE IESV COMMON PLACES HANDLED IN THIS Commentarie The first figure shewes the page the second the line 1 HOw a man may