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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A22481	A commentarie vpon the epistle of Saint Paule to Philemon VVherein, the Apostle handling a meane and low subiect, intreating for a fraudulent and fugitiue seruant, mounteth aloft vnto God, and deliuereth sundry high misteries of true religion, and the practise of duties œconomicall. Politicall. Ecclesiasticall. As of persecution for righteousnesse sake. ... And of the force and fruit of the ministery. Mouing all the ministers of the Gospell, to a diligent labouring in the spirituall haruest ... Written by William Attersoll, minister of the word of God, at Isfield in Suffex.	Attersoll, William, d. 1640.	1612 (1612)	STC 890; ESTC S106848	821,054	582

can a man liue where all kinde of vile and vicious dealing is not practised where all vncleannesse of life is not vsed There is great comfort in the society of the faithfull and not only great comfort but great profit The Wiseman teacheth u Prou. 13 20. That he which walketh with the wise shall bee wise but a Companion of fooles shall be worse On the other side the company of the wicked is accompanied with danger It is a presumption of our own strength to thrust our selues among wicked companions Such as are continually in the Sun must needs be Sun-burnt Such as walke in the mist must needes bee berayed such as touch pitch cannot but be defiled so such as abide in bad company liue in places of danger by reason of the infection of sinne of the weakenesse of the flesh of the forsaking of God and of the power and liberty that Sathan hath in such places where he setteth vp his Throne For wheresoeuer sinne is practised defended and maintained where it couereth the earth as water doth the Sea there the Deuill x Reuel 2 13. raigneth there he keepeth his court there hee hath his residence remaineth there he possesseth al things So long therefore as we keepe company with those that commit sinne with greedinesse and runne on in their euill courses without controulement wee shall be sure to learne their wayes and are in daunger to receiue destruction to our soules Thirdly it reprooueth those that go backeward in their profession that are corrupt trees and without fruite twice dead and plucked vp by the roots Where shall we in these daies find matter of ioy to comfort our selues when godlinesse so much decayeth and wickednesse is set aloft The Apostle sayth notably to the Corinthians y 2 Cor. 2 31. I feare least when I come againe my God abase me among you and I shal bewaile many of them which haue sinned alreadie and haue not repented of the vncleannesse fornication wantonnes which they haue committed Suffer me a little to paint out vnto you in his colours the vnclean leprosie and filthy morphew that hath by sprading so disfigured the face of this world as it is made odious in the eyes and iudgments of al that haue any light of Gods spirit to discerne it If we consider the times wherein we liue wee may truely say they are the perilous seasons y Luk 18. 8. 1 Tim 3 1 2. foreshewed by Christ and his Apostles when faith is scarce found vpon the earth What can we heare or see in any company to which we resort and not be either greeued or guilty For when we behold iniquity practised without feare maintained without shame if we be not greeued at the committing of it we are made guilty of it If all Recordes were searched from the beginning and a narrow vew of other times taken it would be found by experience our helpes and meanes greater then theirs considered that we ouermatch them all in all kind of prophanesse and abominations As forswearing lying whoring pride Atheisme wantonnesse loosenesse vnmercifulnesse oppression coueteousnesse sacriledge luxury drunkennesse enuy Hipocrisie malice contempt of the word and such like they haue ouerspread the whole world as a running soare as a fretting Canker and as a loathsome vlcer whereby our age is become as the dregs and lees of all that haue gone before vs yea as a common sinke that receiueth all filthinesse and corruption into it If any obiect there was neuer more light of knowledge then is in our daies and that the word was neuer so plainely and plentifully preached I answere if it be granted that the light of knowledge is wonderfull great yet it is also as true that there was neuer more darknesse of impiety neuer moe mistes of vngodlinesse then now remain among vs so that it seemeth our greatnesse of knowledge serueth to no other purpose then to add to the greatnesse of our condemnation We are growne worse then our predecssors and forefathers because if there had not been such light there could not be such darknesse If we had beene blind and not seen the light we should not haue so greatly sinned Thus our Sauiour speaketh to some of the Pharisies z Ioh 9 41 If ye were blind ye should not haue sinne but now ye say we see therefore your sinne remaineth The Sunne of the Gospell hauing shined vpon our marish groundes hath raised these stenches and giuen li●e and growth to these monsters For where the Gospell doth not soften it hardneth where it worketh not conuersion it worketh confusion where it effecteth no good it maketh men worse yea worse then Tyre and Sidon worse then Sodome and Gomorah Thus truth compelleth me and wofull experience constraineth me to be a witnesse of that I would not if I could otherwise chuse touching the common corruption and iniquity of our age Obiection But some man may say the goodnesse of our professors will make amends and heale this soare yea make a full recompence of the former disorders and abuses Answere Indeed I acknowledge with all thankfulnesse and reioysing that God hath his Church and chosen flocke among vs contrary to the opinion and practise of such as haue made a rent and separation from vs. But although we haue a true Church of Christ with vs it is a little flocke a small remnant a gathering after the Haruest a gleaning after the vintage It is an hard matter to finde a true Isralite in whose heart is no guile They are rare handes that are free from the contagions of the times and pure from the spots of filthinesse now raigning We may take vp the complaint of the Prophet a Mica 7 4. The best of them is a briar and the most righteous of them t s sharper then a Thorny heage A man would haue thought he might haue ingaged his life and pawned his soule for the sincerity of some whom now we may behold to be gone as farre as Demas was in the loue of this world Their loue to the Saintes their zeale to the word their affection to the Ministers seemed to be such that no man doubted but their names were written in the booke of life who now seeme to be rased out of that booke which God hath written They indured the bitternesse of the Crosse they despised the shame of the world they suffered the taunts of the wicked who now are set downe in the seate of the scornefull and are become luke-warme in their profession Selfe-loue hath quenched brotherly loue mercy is swallowed vp through hardnesse of heart compassion is turned into sencelesnesse yea all ciuill and iust dealing seeme to haue taken their Winges and to be fled vp into heauen or else to be sunke downe into the Center of the earth and to haue left the society of our new Christians It is now accounted a rashnesse an heat of youth yea a sinne worthy of sharpe punishment to stand

perfect and endeuour to drawe on others to perfection Reason 1. Let vs see the Reasons First Christian profession is a way in which men must not stand still but must walke and go forward in the way they must not stay in one estate but be alwayes stirring forward So when the Apostle had exhorted the Thessalonians to encrease more and more hee addeth f 1 Thess 4 1. As yee haue receiued of vs how ye ought to walke and to please God We are now in this life in our iourney we must not thinke that we are come to our iournies end which cannot be before our liues end As then they that haue a great iourney to go do not rest till they come to their iourneyes end so must it be with vs we must make hast on our way and be swift in our race The way which we are to go is our profession the Traueller that entreth into the way is euery true Christian the end of our iourney is the entrance into life the iudge of our going and giuer of the victory is God He that standeth stil can neuer come at his iournyes end it is he that goeth in his way runneth in his race that shall receiue the crowne of euerlasting happinesse Reason 2. Secondly Christians are compared to Children Children are alwayes growing in age encreasing in stature going forwarde in knowledge and in Wisedome if they do not prosper and proceede we commonly call them and account them Vrchins and Changelings So must wee grow in grace vntill we come to a perfect aged man in Christ The Prophet speaking of the faithfull that were zealous in the worship of God saith g Psal 84 7. They goe from strength to strength So the Apostle exhorteth that we h 1 Cor. 14 20. should not be Children in vnderstanding but as concerning maliciousnesse we should be Children but in vnderstanding we should be of ripe age He would haue vs as Children and he would not haue vs as Children he would haue vs Children in malice but he would not haue vs Children in knowledge Wee see they fall out i Terent. in Hecyr pueri inter sese quàm pro leuibus noxis iras gerunt for light offences because the minde is weake that ruleth and guideth them one word will raise anger and another word will make them friends and therefore though they fall out quickly yet their falling out is farre from malice and they are easily reconciled Thus hee would haue vs to bee children but in wisedome in knowledge and in vnderstanding he would haue vs to be of ripe age proceede in these gifts as we do in our yeares No mans life standeth at a stay let vs encrease in the other as we doo in this that so the graces of God may bee perfected in vs. Reason 3. Thirdly we must so walke in our way and hasten to our iournies end that we may obtaine the prize Hee that k 1 Cor. 9 25. Math 24 13. Reuel 2 26 27. 3 5 12. ouer-commerh and holdeth out to the latter end onely shall bee saued Hee that giueth ouer is a faint souldier a weake Worke-man a slow runner a feeble wrastler We must so fight that we may ouercome we must so worke that we may rest we must so runne that we may obtaine we must so wrastle that we may receiue the Crown we must so proue Maisteries that wee may win the victory Staying in one state is a token of reprobation and reiection from God they are cast into a spirite of slumber and drowsinesse they sleep in security and cannot see their way This did the Prophet prophesie and this doth the Apostle testifie to be true concerning Israell l Rom 11 8. God hath giuen them the spirit of slumber eyes that they should not see and eares that they should not heare vnto this day Seeing then that our profession is the way wherein we are to walke toward the heauenly Ierusalem seeing we must be like Children that grow in age and yeares and lastly seeing we must labour to obtaine the Crowne to winne the victory to receiue the price and to get the wages it followeth that we all must endeuour to go forward and to bring others forward toward the Kingdome of Heauen Vse 1. The vses remaine to be handled that we may haue the profit of this Doctrine First we learne that God hath a iust action and suit to commence against all idle bellies and vnprofitable Drones that be Truants and no proficients in the Schoole of Christ The church of God is the Schoole of Chrst he is the Maister all of vs are or should be his Schollers We are brought forth into the world that when we come to yeares of vnderstanding we may be Schollers in his Schoole If any of vs put our Children to a free Schoole to be taught if they should still stay and stand in the lowest forme and neuer a whit proceede in learning we would iudge them either void of ordinary diligence or destitute of ordinary capacity We looke when we set them to Schoole that they should encrease in learning We haue a common prouerbe that Schollers of all other haue the best conscience that whereas others neuer thinke they haue enough they thinke they haue to much for their mony But let vs see how it fareth with vs who are likewise Schollers in the best Schoole that euer was the Church of God and haue the best Master that euer was to wit Christ himselfe God hath put vs to Schoole to learne at the mouth of Christ who hath committed vs to Pastors and teachers as to his Deputies to be instructed It is required of vs that we grow in knowledge in faith in zeale in obedience and in all the workes of sanctification If we be good Schollers we must grow forward and ascend higher we must proceed from grace to grace and from one step to another But alasse how many are there in our congregations who hauing liued vnder the Gospell that offereth saluation to men all the daies of their life and continued ten twenty thirty forty yeares hearing the word of God sounding in their eares m Ephe 4 14. yet are no wiser in Religion then a young Child and are no forwarder then when they first stepped and entred into the Schoole-house of God I doubt not but they are wise in matters of the world but in the booke of God and in matters of their saluation they haue no knowledge They receiue the grace of God in vaine and are Dunses and Dwarfes in this Schoole of Christ without growing and encreasing in Godlinesse They are not in truth able to say vnto their owne Soules I haue receiued some greater measure of knowledge I haue attained better strength of Faith I haue found some increase in Godlinesse I haue felt some care and conscience to please God Nay we may truely say that many are more ignorant in knowledge more lewd

Ecclesiastes o Eccl. 11 2. Giue a portion to seauen and also to eight for thou knowest not what euill shall be vpon the earth In all these considerations being compassed about and hemmed in on euery side with a worlde of vncertainties it standeth vs vpon to follow the counsel and aduise of Christ our Sauiour p Luke 16 9 who willeth vs to make vs friends with the riches of iniquitie that when wee shall want they may receiue vs into euerlasting habitations which is not spoken of goods euilly and wrongfully gotten but of goods that may be wickedly and wrongfully taken from vs by open force or secret fraud by violence of Robbers by pretence of right by colour of Lawe or by the power of the oppressor Reason 3. Thirdly the poore cannot recompence and repay again that which is bestowed vpon them but God himselfe will restore it seauen fold into thy bosome We must heerein imitate our Heauenly Father who is readie to shew mercy to all This is the precept of Christ q Mat. 5 42 45 Giue to him that asketh and from him that would borrow of thee turne not away c. that ye may be the Children of your heauenly Father for he maketh his Sonne to arise on the euill and the good sendeth raine on the iust and vniust So likewise it behooueth vs to follow the example of Christ r 2 Cor. 8 9. Who beeing rich for our sakes became poore that wee thorough his pouerty might be made rich This was the greatest grace and mercie that could be shewed Reason 4. Fourthly the poore haue beene in all ages and shall alwayes remain with vs to the end of the world to the end that their bowels may feele our refreshing and their loynes blesse vs and pray for vs. For if it had pleased God hee could haue made all men rich and none to stand in need of the ayde and assistance of others but this difference in degrees among men placing some aboue and others beneath making some rich and others poore setting some on high and others low serueth most for the aduancement of his glory and the maintaining of fellowship and friendship of concord and vnity one with another If all were rich and abounded in outward wealth we should neither know God nor our selues nor our Brethren we would be ready to say ſ Prou. 30 9. Who is the Lord We would be ready to disdaine and despise our Bretheren If all were poore and in necessity there would be nothing but robbing stealing periury and all confusion Wherefore it is the ordinance of God that some should be rich and some poore some wealthy and others in want Hee maketh some poore to exercise their patience and to try howe they will beare that burden and behaue themselues vnder the crosse He maketh others rich to exercise our mercie to be obiectes of our pitty and compassion and that we should neuer want some occasions to shew forth the fruits of a liuely faith Seeing therefore we shal receiue a great aduantage in this life and be recompenced at the resurrection of the iust seeing we are vncertain what shal happen heereafter and know not what euill may fall vppon the earth seeing wee are commanded to follow the example of God the Father who is good to al and of Christ his sonne who being rich made himselfe poore and of no reputation and lastly seeing we must alway haue the poore to exercise the workes of mercy and to releeue their misery it followeth that we are to distribute the outward blessings of this life to those that be in want and stand in need of comfort Vse 1. The Doctrine being thus cleered and confirmed let vs see the vses that arise from hence First this being so necessary a duty required of all men it teacheth a difference betweene the Heathen and Christian religion The Heathenish Religion neuer tooke order for the poore nor required any compassion toward them but the profession of Christ chargeth this duty vpon all true beleeuers and teacheth that iudgement shal be without mercy to those that shew not mercy When Paule departed from the rest of the Apostles at Ierusalem they t Gala. 2 10. warned him onely that he should remember the poore which thing also he was diligent to doe But this was neuer remembred nor regarded nor intended among the Nations that were vnbeleeuers True it is the Painims and Philosophers haue held and deliuered many morrall instructions and spoken well of Iustice Temperance Clemency Prudence and Friendship of obedience toward parents of Gentlenesse toward men of liberality toward the poore of loue toward our Country of Loialty toward Princes and such other vertues He that should deny u Antimachia preface before the second booke their precepts in part to be wel spoken and in part to be wel practised should do them great wrong But the Christian Religion as it hath all these in common with them approuing and allowing of them yea not disdaining to read their bookes and to learne such Doctrine of them as they haue left in writing so it hath lanched out a great deale deeper and entred farther and considered better of the precepts of good life and the practise of good manners then the Heathen and Infidels haue done It was a rule of one of the wisest among the Gentiles x Plato that we are not borne onely for our selues but that our birth is partly for our Country partly for our Parents and partly for our friendes A goodly and Golden sentence much admired and greatly commended and oftentimes alleaged But if it be compared with the Doctrine of Christ and the duty of all Christians it will be found maimed in his limmes and defectiue in his parts neither hauing a good beginning nor making a perfect ending For first of all he prescribeth that our Charity should be imployed toward our selues which they haue well marked allowed and followed which say that a well ordered Charity beginneth at himselfe But this is farre from the Doctrine of Chist and his Apostles Christ himselfe cōmandeth vs y Mat 22 39. to loue our Neigh-as our selues and Paule teacheth z 1 Cor 13 5. that Charity seeketh not her owne things Againe he maketh mention of our Country of our parents and of our friends and rangeth them into good order but what becommeth of the poore where or in what place of this notable sentence doth he place them he speaketh not of them at all let them shift as they can they are quite forgotten the Philosophers Charity stretcheth not to them let them sinke or swimme liue or die feed or starue it was all one to him and to that Religion that he beleeued And indeed a poore person in the time of the Painims had no other meanes to liue and sustaine himselfe and his family then to sell himselfe as a slaue to him that would buy him if no man were found that would buy him

the knowledge of the Gospell the name of God and his Doctrine is blasphemed and euill spoken of Likewise speaking of beleeuing Wiues that haue vnbeleeuing Husbands he putteth them in minde of subiection to the end that by their holy conuersion they may winne their husbandes to embrace true Religion To this purpose the Apostle Paul teacheth seruants to be obedient to them that are their Maisters according to the flesh and chargeth them z Col. 3 22 23 that whatsoeuer they do they do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men Seeing therefore that God is the authour of order not of confusion seeing Christ came not to abolish but to establish the Lawe and lastly seeing the Gospell teacheth subiection and doth not release or acquite any of their duty it followeth that the gospel doth not bring in parity and equality among al the Mother of al mischiefe but discerneth and distinguisheth of the Callings of men it doth not giue liberty to peruert all order it maketh not Seruants to be Maisters and Maisters to be seruants but directeth euery one to keepe his place and to abide in his vocation Vse 1. Seeing this is the honor commendation of the gospel let vs see what Vses arise from the knoledge of this point First of al we conclude from hence necessarily that it hath alwaies bin a lying deuise and diuellish slander to Christian religion to be the author and fauorer of carnal liberty and to Christian professors to be enemies to states and commonwealths to magistrats lawes ciuil ordinances This hath alwaies bin the accusation of slāderous tongs to brand the Gospell as the breeder and bringer in of all vprores and conspiracies yet there is no Doctrine vnder the Heauen that lesse deserueth to bee defamed For the Gospell was a friend to Princes when Princes were enemies to the Gospell it teacheth to be subiect vnto them to pray to God for them to obey all their godly constitutions and therefore it is the Father of lies and enemy of al truth that hath sought to disgrace discredit the holy truth of God and such as in truth do embrace it Hee seeth and perceiueth that if the Gospel stand his kingdome must fal if the Gospel florish his kingdome must decay Hence it is that the church people of God haue in al ages and times of the world bin accused of rebellions treasons seditions insurrections many other greeuous impieties Heerof the scripture experience affoord plentiful examples In the book of Ezra the enemies accuse the guiltles Iewes z Ezra 4 15. 1 King 18 17. Ester 3 6. to be a rebellious people that they haue of old bin alwaies giuen to sedition Ahab burdeneth Elias that it was he his fathers house that trobled Israel Haman suggesteth vnto the king against the Iewes that their lawes were diuers from al people that they did not obserue the kings lawes and therfore it was not for the kings profit to suffer them The Apostles are accused to be authors of sedition troublers of cities raisers of tumults causers of rebellion breakers of lawes and teachers of ordinances not lawful to receiue they said of them b Acts 16 19 20. and 24 5. These men that are Iewes trouble our City they preach ordinances which are not lawful for vs to receiue neither to obserue seeing we are Romans Where we see they couer their couetousnesse with a shadowe pretence of standing against innouation but they discouer the hollownesse hypocrisie of their harts when they ioyn trobling of the state and preaching of the gospell together Whereby it appeareth that their troubling of the city was nothing els but because they preached the word which the deuill his instruments could not beare and abide Paule is accused by Tertullus to be a pestilent fellow and a moouer of sedition among all the Iewes thoroughout the world and that he taught al men euery where against the law of Moses And no maruel for thus they dealt with the son of God when he taught the truth without mixture of error and without respect of person he was accounted accused not onely to be a Sorcerer a Samaritan a Drunkard a glutton a deceiuer a deuil c Luke 23 2. but an enemy to Caesar and a troubler of the publick peace Now al these things being considered let vs remember what the Lord Iesus sayth to vs d Iohn 15 20. The seruant is not greater then his maister if they haue persecuted me they will also persecute you The heathē after Christs time cried out against the christians that they were the authors and causes of al publick plagues calamities that fel vpon kingdoms countries If Nilus flowed not ouer the fields if the heauen stayed if the earth quaked if famine encreased if the pestilence continued by and by the poor Christians as the sheep of Christ were cast vnto the lyons They charged them to make priuy conspiracies e Euseb lib. 5. cap. 11. Tertulli in Apologel Cyprian contra Demetrian to deuise secret counsels against the commonwealth to murther children to feed themselues with mans flesh and to practise all Iniquity they were so blinded that they could not perceiue that their Idolatries brought Gods iudgments Thus we see how the church hath lien open to all false surmises and suggestions of sedition But what can be immagined more vniust or vetrue If there be any peace in this world in any lande it is for the Gospels sake and it commeth through the bountifulnesse of God for his peoples sake that call vppon him Neuerthelesse as the Gentiles dealt with the Iewes and Christians from time to time so doe the wicked in these dayes with the godly they lay to their charge that they keep no lawes that they disobey Princes that they are seditious and tumultuous and enemies to the State If we see or heare the Saints of God thus handled and euilly intreated we must know that this is an olde deuise of the deuill practised against the Prophets against Christ against the Apostles and against all true Christians euen from the beginning And let this serue to comfort vs when wee finde such slaunderous imputations and accusations layde to our charge considering that thus they haue reuiled and railed vppon the Seruants of GOD that haue beene before vs in all times and that wee haue Christ Iesus the witnesse of our innocency who if not in this life yet in the life to come will reueale the thinges that are hidden in darknesse and bring to light the things that are couered In the mean season we must remember f Math. 5 11. that they are pronounced blessed that are reuiled and persecuted for righteousnesse sake and wee must labour to conuince them not so much by words as by deeds g Demosth de corona answearing the falshood of their slanders by the vprightnesse of our liues which shal be able to speak