15. The Israelites by living in Egypt had learned to commit Idolatry with a Golden Calf Use Use This shews how needfull it is even for the best to look well to themselves and to be watchfull over their own hearts and wayes that they be not drawn away by the common errors or corruptions of the times and places where they live 2 Pet. 3. 17. Beware lest ye being led away with the errour of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness On the contrary we must flee the common corruption that is in the World through lust 2 Pet. 1. 4 And labour to shine as Lights in the midst of a perverse Generation Phil. 2. 15. Great is the force of evill example and of the common customes and practises of the times to draw away and infect even the better sort like an Epidemicall disease c. Therefore had we need to look carefully to our selves to escape the common contagion and pray unto God to keep us upright in our wayes that we fall not away Observ 2 Observ 2. In that the Disciples were so hard to conceive and believe this Doctrine which our Saviour had taught both at this time and formerly also Matth. 5. 32. touching the unlawfulness of such Divorcements as were commonly practiâ—ed amongst the Jews because it was a Doctrine which was contrary to their erronious conceipt and prejudicate opinion and also to the custome of the times this shews how hard it is for men to receive and imbrace such Truths and Doctrines of the Word of God as are contrary to their corrupt and prejudicate Opinions and especially if they be also contrary to the common custome of the times Such Doctrines though never so true and â—ound yet are hardly received and imbraced by men yea by the better sort how much more then by the common sort which shews how needful it is for such Truths and Doctrines to be often taught and urged again and again by the Ministers of God c. Observ 3 Observ 3. In that the Disciples being yet ignorant and unresolved in this matter of Divorces are not ashamed to acknowledg their ignorance by comming to enquire and ask further of Christ their Master touching this matter this is commendable in them and should teach us that shame should not hinder us from asking questions or from enquiring of those who are able and â—it to resolve us in matters of Religion and cases of Conscience which we are yet ignorant or doubtfull in but we should be forward to enquire and seek resolution from such Thus the Disciples used to go to Christ in all their doubts See before chap. 4 10. and chap. 9. 11-28 Observ 4 Observ 4. In that they came to him privately being in the house when he was most free and at liberty to instruct and resolve them hereof we are taught to be wise in taking the fittest opportunities of time and place to propound our doubts and to seek instruction from such as are â—it and able to resolve and teach us c. See for this also before chap. 4. 10. and chap. 9. 28. Mark 10. 11 12. And he saith unto them Whosoever shall c. April 27. 1628. NOw followeth Christ's answer to his Disciples ver 11 12. In which he sheweth the unlawfulness of such Divorces as were practised amongst the Jews for leight causes or for any cause except Adultery by the grievousness of the sin of such married persons as do in such sort or for any such cause besides Adultery put away their own wives or husbands and marry with others affirming such to be guilty of the sin of Adultery And he saâ—th unto them That is to his Disciples Yet Matth. 19. 9. the words are set down as if our Saviour had spoken them to the Pharisees whence it may seem probable that our Saviour did utter these or like words twice first to the Pharisees in publick disputation with them and then again repeating and explaining the same to his Disciples in the private house Whosoever shall put away his Wife viz. By giving her a Bill or writing of Divorcement and so â—eparating himself wholly from her for small or leight cause yea for any cause whatsoever except for the sin of Adultery That this is the meaning appeareth partly by the scope of our Saviour in these words and partly by comparing this place with Matth. 19. 9. where our Saviour â—aith thus Whosoever shall put away his Wife except it be for Fornication c. that is for the sin of Incontinency committed by the wife after Marriage which is properly the sin of Adultery And shall marry another That is after such a Divorcement or separation made from his own wife shall joyn himself in marriage with another woman He committeth Adultery against her That is by such a second Marriage after such Divorcement from his first and lawfull wife he doth make himself guilty of no less or other sin than the sin of Adultery and that against his first and onely lawfull wife which he did unjustly put away For the Marriage-bond remaining still between him and his first wife notwithstanding such an unjust Divorce hence it follows That the second wife which he joyneth himself to is not his wife but his harlot and so that he is an Adulterer by this means against his first and lawfull wife And if a Woman shall put away her Husband Shall separate her self wholly from her husband or use means to be Divorced from him for any cause except Adultery as before was said of the husbands putting away his wife And be married to another That is to another man or second husband after such separation from her first lawfull husband She committeth Adultery By such a second marriage she becommeth an Adulteress against her first and onely lawfull husband c. as before was said of the husbands marrying after Divorce from his first wife Now from these words the Papists would prove it to be unlawfull for such as are lawfully Divorced to marry again during the life of the former husband or Wife because our Saviour affirmeth such as do so marry again to be guilty of Adultery c. But for answer to them 1. This is a manifest corrupting and perverting of the true sense of this place for our Saviour doth not here speak of marrying again after lawfull Divorcement but of marrying again after unjust Divorcement or separation of man and wife that is to say for such leight causes for which Divorces were practised among the Jews and for any cause except Adultery as doth plainly appear both by the main scope and drift of our Saviour in this place which is to condemn such unjust Divorces practised by the Jews for leight causes and out of the case of Adultery as also by comparing this place with Matth. 19. 9. and with Matth. 5. 32. Where our Saviour doth expresly mention that exception of the case of Adultery as was said before 2. This place is so far from
proving it unlawfull for such as are lawfully Divorced for Aâ—â—â—tery to marry again that the contrary may be gathered from hence For if it be a sin for the husband or wife to marry again after Divorcement for other causes except Adultery then it is no sin to marry again after Divorcement for Adultery So that this place makes not for but against this gross errour of the Papists which errour touching restraint of Marriage after Divorcement the Pope by his Canon-Law maintaineth to the end that he may get the more money for granting dispensations to marry in such cases as reverend Dr. Fulk observeth in his Confut. of Rhem. Testam upon Matth. 5. 32. Now this that marriage after Divorce for Adultery is lawfull especially for the Innocent party may further be proved by two Reasons 1. Because otherwise the innocent party should be punished for the others offence c. 2. God hath ordained marriage for a remedy against incontinency for all persons 1 Cor. 7. 2. See Perk on Matth. 5. 32. The words being thus explained and cleared from this corruption of the Papists we may in them consider two things 1. A twofold sin condemned by our Saviour in married couples 1. Unjust Divorcement or separation of themselves one from the other for any cause except Adultery 2. Marrying again with others after such Divorcement The second thing in the words is the censure passed by our Saviour upon this twofold sin especially upon the latter and such as commit the same affirming them to be guilty of Adultery against their former wife or husband which they so unjustly put away and marry with others afterward Observ 1 Observ 1. That it is utterly unlawfull for man and wife to be separated by Divorcement one from the other for small or leight causes yea for any cause whatsoever excepting onely for the sin of Adultery committed by either of them after marriage The Doctrine of our Saviour in this place condemns it as a great sin yea as the sin of Adultery in the husband to put away his wife and in the wife to put away her husband by Divorcement for leight causes yea for any cause except Adultery For the clearing of this two things are to be shewed 1. That Divorcement is not simply unlawfull or forbidden by the word of God but permitted and allowed in some case viz. in the case of Adultery 2. That it is not Lawfull in any other case Of the first It is presupposed by our Saviour here that there may be a just cause of Divorcing man and wife a-sunder viz. the sin of Adulâ—ery committed after marriage That our Saviour takes this for granted may amply appear both by the main scope of his words in this place which was not to condemn all Divorcement but that which was practised among the Jews for ordinary or leight causes as upon discontent hatred c. and especially by comparing this place of Mark with that Matth. 19. 9. where the exception of the case of Adultery is expressed So also Matth. 5. 32. So then in the case of Adultery it is clear that Divorcement of man and Wife is permitted and lawfull Reason Reas Because this sin of Adultery doth directly violate and break the marriage-covenant made between man and Wife in their first Marriage and so diâ—â—olve the Marriage-bond Prov. 2. 17. The Adulteress is said to forsake the guide of her youth and to forget the Covenant of her God that is the marriage-covenant made with God and her husband Here two things are to be noted by us 1. That although the sin of Adultery do break the marriage-covenant and so dissolve or untye the marriage-bond between man and wife yet that covenant may again be renewed and so the marriage-bond be re-united and made firm again by the mutual and free coâ—â—ent of both parties upon the repentance and submission of the guilty person And then in this case of reconcâ—liaâ—ion though Divorcement be permitted as lawfull yet is it not required as absolutely necessary 2. That if in the case of Adultery the innocent party do desire and seek to be Divorced from the other which hath â—o offended yet this is not to be done privately of his or her own head but by publick order of Law and by the consent and authority of the lawfull Magistrate Of the second That Divorcement of man and wife is unlawfull in any case or for any other cause besides the sin of Adultery this is also clear both by the words of our Saviour in this â—lace being rightly understood by comparing this place with Matth. 19. 9. as also by that other place Matth. 5. 32. Whâ—soever shall put away his Wife saving for the cause of Fornication causeth her to commit Adulâ—ery c. Here â—â—â—e that there may be other just causes of some kind of separation of man and wife for a tiâ—e as in case â—ne of the parties have some contagious disease also in case that one of them grow â—o malicious against the other that it is not safe for them to dwell together in regard of danger to the life of one of the parties also in case that in dwelling together the one doth require of the other some unlawfull or intolerable conditions and such as the other cannot with a good Conscience yield unto In these cases there may be a separation between them at least for a time that is so long as the just causes of separation do remain but no totall or finall separation by Divorcement is by the Word of God permitted but onely for Adultery Object Object 1 Cor. 7. 15. If the unbelieving depart let him depart A Brother or Sister is not under Bondage in such cases c. Answ Answ The Apostle doth not there speak of Divorcement that is of voluntary putting away of the husband or wife by giving a Bill of Divorcement but he speaks of the case of malicious and willfull desertion when one of the married couple being an unbeliever that is a Pagan or Gentile and the other a Believeâ— being after marriage conveâ—ted to the Christian Religion the unbeliever doth forsake the believer by departing from him or her and obstinately refusing to dwell or live with the party forsaken and that out of a hatred of the true Christian Religion in this case the Apostle sheweth that the Believer is not in subjection but at liberty to marry with another Provided that the Believer have first used all good means to gain the unbeliever to repentance and to the true faith and no means will succeed Now in this case the Believer doth not divorce himself or seek to be divorced but is a meer Patient suffering himself to be unâ—ustly forsaken of the unbeliever Therefore this place proves not that there is any other just cause of divorcement besides Adultery Quest 1 Quest 1. Why should not some other kinds of sin as Idolatry Witchcraft Blasphemy c. being more haynous than Adultery be just causes of divorcing man and
or chiefly to the poorer and meaner sort and that few or none of the greater sort are Converted or Called by it he is not to be troubled or discouraged at all hereat but to go on chearfully in his Ministry being glad and thankfull to God for the fruit of his labours in the poorer sort though he see little or none at all in those of higher place or degree Vse 2 Vse 2. See that poverty and meannesse in the World is no hinderance to Religion or to the imbracing of the Gospell and so no means to keep such from the Kingdome of Heaven but a furtherance rather which is matter of comfort to the poorer sort not to be discouraged with their Poverty nor to be discontented or out of love with their estate c. Vse 3 Use 3. See how little cause there is for Christians to affect or seek after worldly greatnesse honour or high places seeing these are no help at all but rather a hinderance to men in imbracing the Gospel and in profiting by the Ministry of it Great places have great temptations and snares accompanying them whereby they are apt to be intangled and hindered in receiving the Gospell and profiting by the Ministry of it from which snares and impediments the meaner sort are much more free 1 Tim. 6. 9. They that will be Rich fall into temptation and a snare c. So also they that will be honourable or men of great place or account in the World c. Which therefore should move us not to affect greatnesse in the World but rather a moderate and mean estate and to content our selves herewith Use 4 Use 4. To humble great men of the World and pull down their Pride teaching them to deny themselves and their worldly wealth honour greatnesse c. Observ 2 Observ 2. In that these Pharisees who by their great place Calling and accompt which they were in amongst the Jews should have bin most forward to favour countenance and defend Christ and his Doctrine they on the contrary were most forward here to shew envy and malice against him by tempting him with this intricate question that so they might ensnare him and so confound and disgrace him Hence we learn that such as for their high places Calling and Dignity in the Church should be the greatest friends and favourers of Christ and the Gospell they are oftentimes the greatest and most dangerous enemies of both See before chap. 7. ver 1. Of the second the question it self Is it lawfull for a man c. They do not mean whether it were lawfull to do this at all or in any case for in the case of Adultery the matter was clear that it was lawfull and our Saviour had before taught as much Matth. 5. 32. whereof it is likely they were not ignorant But the meaning of their question is whether it were lawfull for a man to put away his Wife for any other cause or causes besides that of Adultery and especially whether it were lawfull to do this for those common and ordinary causes of dislike and haâ—red for which the corrupt custome of the Jews was in those times to put away their Wives as may appear Matth. 5. 32. where our Saviour condemneth that practice Now to this corrupt custome and practice then in use the Pharisees do here allude as may more plainly appear Matth. 19. 3. whether the question is thus propounded Where it were lawfull for a man to put away his Wife for every cause That is for every such common and ordinary cause or occasion of haâ—red dislike or discontentment conceived against her as the manner of the Jews was then to do where we may see how far these Hypocritical Pharisees were swayed in their Judgment by that corrupt custome of the times wherein they lived in that by this means they were brought to make a question of this matter which was in it self so gross and absurd that they might well have bin ashamed to make any question at all of it It may also be gathered from ver 11. that in this question there was another included viz. whether after Divorce the Husband might marry with another Wife although this is not expressed by them Observ 1 Observ 1. That gross Hypocrites and such as have no truth of Religion in them but are enemies of it may be and are forward sometimes to ask questions about matters of Religion such as have no good Conscience in themselves may be ready to put questions and cases of Conscience to others So these Pharisees to our Saviour here and so at other times Matth. 22. 17. they asked his Opinion Whether it were lawfull to pay Tribute to Caesar or not And ver 23. The profane Sadduces came and asked him Whose Wife that Woman should be in the Resurrection who had bin married to seven brethren successively one after another And ver 35. one of the Scribes asked him Which was the great Commandment of the Law See Joh. 1. 19. Use Use See by this that although it is in it self a good and commendable thing in Christians to be forward in moving questions about matters of Religion so that they be necessary and profitable questions yet this is no infallible mark of a good or sound Christian for even gross Hypocrites may do it and do oftentimes Therefore let none please themselves too much in this custome or practice of a king questions of the Ministers of God or others touching matters of Religion but look with what mind and affection thou dost propound or move such questions or cases of Conscience whether with an humble and teachable mind desirous to learn and to rest in such true and sound answers as are given thee out of the Word of God Look at the intent and purpose of thy heart in moving such questions whether thou do sincerely aim at the â—lory of God and Spiritual edification of thy self and others in the sound knowledg of Gods will and Conscionable obedience to the same If if be so thou mayest have comfort by this thy forwardness to ask questions touching Religion and cases of Conscience and not otherwise Observ 2 Observ â— That the common custome of the times in any sin or unlawfull practice doth bring men at length to make question of the lawfulness of those things whereof no question ought to be made yea to think such sins to be no sins c. So here the corrupt custome of the Jews in this unlawfull practice of putting away their Wives for every small occasion of dislike did bring them at length to make question of the lawfulness of this practice yea to think it lawful and therefore these Pharisees come and move this question to our Saviour and they so move it as that they seem in their Judgment to incline as no doubt but they did unto the common Custome and practice then in use Therefore Matth. 19. 7. they urge our Saviour with the Authority of Moses for the justifying of this
them who seeing Christ's free Grace shewed to Levi in Calling him and perceiving also Levi's readiness in following Christ they were thereby moved to go after Christ whence it is probable That they or some of them began to be touched in heart and conscience for their former sinful Life and therefore they followed Christ out of a desire which they had to converse with him and to hear his conference and teaching that so they might have their hearts further wrought upon and that they might come to be partakers of the Grace of Christ as Levi was Observ 3 Observ 3. The example of God's Grace and Mercy shewed in the Calling of other Sinners should move and incourage us to seek unto him for the like Grace and to be carefull in using all good means to be partakers of it 1 Tim. 1. 16. Paul saies He obtained Mercy that in him Christ might shew all long-suffering for a pattern to them which should afterwards believe on him c. that is to incourage others by his example to seek unto Christ and to come to Him by true Faith and Repentance Some make a perverse and wicked use of God's Mercy shewed to Sinners presuming thereupon to sin more boldly turning the grace of God into wantonness but this is a holy and right use which we should make of it even to be drawen and incouraged thereby to seek unto Christ for the like Grace and Mercy and to use the means for the attaining of it So much briefly of this Point Mark 2. 16 17. And when the Scribes and Pharisees saw Him eat with Publicans and Sinners they said unto his June 20. 1619. Disciples How is it that He eateth and drinketh with Publicans and Sinners When Jesus heard it He saith unto them They that are whole have no need of the Physitian but they that are sick I came not to Call the Righteous but Sinners to Repentance IN the former Verse we heard how Levi made a Feast in his House for the entertainment of our Saviour Christ and his Disciples unto which he also invited many Publicans and Sinners which followed Christ Now in these two Verses the Evangelist layeth down two speciall events which happened by occasion of that Feast 1. That the Scribes and Pharisees seeing our Saviour eat with Publicans and Sinners took exception and cavilled against Him Ver. 16. 2. That our Saviour hearing of their cavill did answer and confute it and defend his practise against them Ver. 17. The Cavill or Exception of the Scribes and Pharises is set forth 1. By the matter of it which was this Perceiving that our Saviour did eat with Publicans and Sinners they found fault with Him for it asking How is it that He eateth c. 2. The manner of it they speak not to His face but behind His back to His Disciples When the Scribes and Pharisees Scribes Who these were we heard Chap. 1. Ver. 22. Pharisees A Sect among the Jews which made great shew of holiness Vide infrà Ver. 24. Saw Him eat That is perceived or understood that He did eat with them for it is doubtfull whether they saw it with their own eyes and it is rather likely That they so much abhorred the society of the Publicans that they would not vouchsafe to come into their company and therefore they blamed our Saviour Christ for conversing and eating with them Object Object The Word of God doth forbid society and fellowship with the wicked and profane in many Places As Jos 23. 7. Isa 52. 11. Eph. 5. 11. Therefore it may seem that their Exception against our Saviour was just Answ Answ Thought it may at first sight seem so yet it is not so for although the society of the wicked be forbidden in some Cases yet not simply and absolutely in all Cases nor unto all persons as we shall see afterward And our Saviour sheweth in his answer to them that he was so far from offending in keeping company at this time with these Publicans and Sinners that on the other side he had a speciall Calling to do it it being one main end of his coming into the world to Call such Sinners to Repentance and therefore he conversed with them to that end Observ 1 Observ 1. Though our Saviour Christ had good warrant for that he did in keeping company with these Publicans to the end that he might reclaim them from their former sinfull Life and gain them to Repentance yet the Scribes and Pharisees out of their malice do cavill against him and find fault with his practise Hence we may observe That there is nothing so well done but malicious and wicked men will be apt to find fault with it and to cavill at it though without cause Our Saviour Christ did all things well as the People confessed of Him Mark 7. 37. yet how often were His good actions unjustly taxed and found fault with yea evil spoken of When he cast out Devils from such as were possessed he was charged as one that cast them out by Beelzchub When he forgave sins he was accused of Blasphemy as we heard before in this Chapter When he conversed with sinners to the end to call them to Repentance he was taxed and blamed as too great a friend of Publicans and Sinners as we see here Thus his best Actions were often most maliciously traduced and evil spoken of especially by the Scribes and Pharisees And thus others of the faithful have been wrongfully accused and blamed for doing well So Joseph Daniel Paul c. It is therefore no new thing for those that do well to be evil spoken of even for well doing Thus it hath been and thus it is still The Devil is still the Accuser of the Brethren and he sets malicious and wicked men a work to accuse and speak evil of them and their best actions without cause We must therefore look for this and not be discouraged with it though our selves meet with such hard measure at the hands of the profane Onely be careful not to give just cause unto malicious toungs to speak evil of us Observ 2 Observ 2. They go not directly to Christ himself to blame Him to his face for eating with Sinners either because they were ashamed of their malicious Cavil or else because they durst not lest he should convince them and put them to silence as sometimes he had done formerly But they go to his Disciples whom they thought to be weaker and unable to answer them and to them they utter their malicious Cavil questioning with them about the reason why themselves and their Master did eat with Sinners Hence observe one property of malice which is to backbite and whisper against others in their absence to the end to defame them and bring them out of favour and credit with others before whom they do backbite them Malicious Persons when they are ashamed or dare not speak evil of others to their faces yet will not stick to traduce and
maintain it and to clear their innocency against the unjust slanders and cavils of wicked ones Use 1 Vse 1. This is matter of great comfort and incouragement to all true Disciples of Christ that is to all true Believers and good Christians Though they may be slandered and evil spoken of without cause yea sometimes for well-doing yet there 's no cause for them to be dismaied if they consider that Christ Jesus their Lord and Master whom they serve is so ready to maintain their cause against their malicious Adversaries Know this if thy cause be good and that thou be falsly and unjustly charged or accused by others that are malicious and though thou be not able to cleer thy innocency yet rather than it shall not be cleered Christ himself will defend thy cause Object Object He is not now on earth to speak in my defence as he did for his Disciples Answ Answ Though he be not present with us in his humane Nature as with his Disciples yet by his God-head he is still present with us as he is with his whole Church and therefore ready to maintain thy righteous cause and if thou rely upon him and seek to him he will most certainly cleer thy innocency in due time and lay open the malice of thy Adversaries Therefore if thou be unjustly slandered be not impatient nor discouraged at it but commit thy self to Christ in Well-doing and he will defend thy cause Use 2 Vse 2. This also serves for admonition to wicked men to take heed they do not wrong good Christians by unjust slanders or false accusations for Christ himself will accompt this as a wrong done to himself and will defend their cause as his own and in defending their cause he will most certainly put their malicious enemies to rebuke and shame yea he will undoubtedly punish them severely in his wrath if they go on in this sin without Repentance See Matth. 18. 6. So much of this general Observation Now we come to such Instructions as do arise more particularly from the words And first I will speak of the manner of our Saviour Christ's alledging of David's Example in that he doth it by way of questioning with the Pharisees Whether they did never read what David did Observ Observ In that our Saviour asketh them whether they had never read what David did implying thereby that the cause of their errour was their Ignorance in the Scriptures either because they had not read this History in the Book of Samuel or else because they understood it not aright this may teach us that Ignorance of the Scriptures and of the true sense of them is the main cause of all Errours in Judgment both touching matters of Doctrine and Practise This was the cause of so many other gross Errours which the Pharisees and Scribes held as we may see by our Saviour Christ's confuting them Matth. 23. and elsewhere in the Evangelists even because they were ignorant in the Scriptures either not reading them diligently or at least not conceiving the true meaning of them whence it is that our Saviour so often calls them Fools and blind Guides So also Ignorance of the Scriptures was the cause of the gross Errours of the Sadduces Mark 12. 24. Are ye not therefore deceived because ye know not the Scriptures c. So also the cause of the Errour of the Disciples of Christ touching his Resurrection was their Ignorance of the Scripture Luke 24. 25. O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the Prophets have spoken c. Reas 1 Reas 1. The Scriptures are the onely fountain and well-spring from whence all truth of Doctrine and Practice is to be drawn and derived therefore to be ignorant in them must needs be the cause of Errours in Doctrine and Practice Reas 2 Reas 2. The Scriptures are the onely Rule and Touch-stone by which all Truth must be tried and examined Therefore Ignorance of this Rule must needs be the cause of swarving from the Truth Vse 1 Use 1. See how great injury is done by the Governours of the Popish Church unto the common People by barring them from the ordinary use of the Books of Scripture and from the reading of them What is this but to muzzle and keep them in Ignorance of the Scriptures and so to lead them hood-winked into all kind of gross and dangerous Errours Chrysost Homil. 9. in Colos 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Use 2 Use 2. See the cause of so many gross and foolish Opinions which many amongst us in our Church do hold and maintain it is nothing else but their Ignorance of the Scriptures either because they read them not duly and diligently or else because they understand them not aright How many foolish and absurd Opinions are holden by ignorant people in many places Such as these for example That Faith is nothing but a man's good meaning That God is served by rehearsing the ten Commandments and the Creed instead of Prayers That the Sabbath is kept well enough if men and women come to Church and be present at Publick Prayers and at the Sermon though they spend the rest of the day either idly or profanely That the Sabbath is well enough sanctified by bare reading of Prayers and so much Preaching is needless That it is no hurt upon the Sabbath to use sports and pastimes because many do worse That it is lawful to swear in common talk to that which is true That in Religion it is best to do as the most do That it was a better World when there was not so much Preaching as now is That a man may make of his own as much as he can That such as are not book-learned need have no Knowledge in Religion These and many other the like absurd Opinions whence proceed they and what is the cause of them but Ignorance of the Scriptures If they did read the Scriptures duly and understandingly or did hear them read by others or were so diligent as they should be in hearing them opened in the publick Ministry it were impossible that such gross and foolish conceipts so contrary to the Scriptures should take place in them Use 3 Use 3. If we would be led into all truth of Doctrine necessary to Salvation taught in the Word of God and if we would be kept from running into the contrary grosse and dangerous Errours then labour for true and sound knowledge in the Scriptures and in the true sense of them Use all good means to this end 1. Befrequent and diligent in hearing the Scriptures unfolded in the publick Ministry 2. Search them diligently and often by private reading Joh. 5. 39. A notable and excellent means to gain and increase knowledge in the Word For this we have the example of that of the Eunuch Act. 8. 30. 3. Pray daily unto God to open our understandings to conceive the true sense of the Scriptures 4. Confer with others touching those things which we read and hear So
general from all the words That it is not required of Christians that they should be altogether without humane Affection of Anger Grief Joy Fear and the like For our Saviour Christ himself was moved with these and had them in him when he lived on Earth as we see here which shews that they are not of themselves evil or sinful for our Saviour was not tainted with any sin neither are Christians to be without such Affections The Word of God requires not this but that they be moderated and restrained so as they break not forth beyond due measure 1 Pet. 1. 13. Gird up the Loyns of your minds c. that is Moderate and restrain your Affection and keep them within due compass We are not bid to put off those Affections or to be without them but onely to gird them up So the Scripture doth not forbid Christians to be angry but not to sin in our Anger that is not to be unadvisedly angry without just cause nor to exceed measure in it So it doth not forbid us to mourn or be forrowful but not to exceed measure in this Affection 1 Thes 4. 13. Sorrow not as others which have no hope Reasons why these and the like Affections are not simply unlawful or unfit to be in us 1. Because they were natural to man in his estate of Innocency they were in Adam before his Fall Now the substance of by Man's Fall his Soul was not corrupted but onely the qualities therefore the substance of humane Affections is still to remain in us after Regeneration onely the quality of them is to be altered and changed by Grace and the excess and distemper of them to be restrained 2. These Affections at least some of them shall remain with us in Heaven though cleansed and purged from the corruption and sinfulness of them yet the Affections themselves shall there remain I mean such of them as we shall then have use of as Love Joy Delight c. Use Vse 1. This condemns the foolish and fond opinion of the Heathen Stoicks who held that a wise man should never be moved with any Affections of Joy Sorrow Fear c. that he should not sorrow at all no not at the death of Parents Wives or Children c. This is to destroy the Nature of Man c. 2. This also confutes those that are so Stoical that they think Christians are not allowed the use of humane Affections But we see the contrary proved before Religion and Grace doth not turn men into stones making them sensless and void of all Affections but it teacheth to moderate these Affections Now to speak particularly of these two Affections with which our Saviour was moved toward the Scribes and Pharisees The first is Anger For it is said He looked on them with Anger that is so as he was inwardly moved with Anger and Displeasure against them for their malice shewed in seeking to accuse him wrongfully as a Breaker of the Sabbath Observ Observ Here then we learn that all Anger is not unlawful or sinful but that there is a good and holy kind of Anger which is not onely lawful but necessary to be found in Christians and that is anger and displeasure conceived against sin This was in our Saviour Christ and we may and ought to imitate him in it Eph. 4. 26. Be angry but sin not c. It is therefore lawful and good for Christians to be angry at sin and that both at their own sins and at the sins of others 1. It is lawful and good to be angry at sin in our selves 2 Cor. 7. 11. Indignation against our selves for our own sins is a fruit of godly sorrow 2. Lawful and good also to be displeased at sin in others when we take notice of it Thus our Saviour in this place Thus also Moses Exod. 32. 19. coming down from the Mount and seeing the Calf and the Dancing his Anger waxed hot c. So Nehemiah Chap. 5. Ver. 6. was very angry when he saw the richer sort oppress their poor Brethren So Elihu Job 32. 2. Act. 17. 16. Paul's Spirit was stirred in him when he saw the City of Athens wholly given to Idolatry So Lot 2 Pet. 2. 8. with seeing and hearing the unlawfull deeds of the Sodomites vexed his righteous Soul from day to day The Reason of the Lawfulness of such Anger is because it is a part of that holy Zeal which should be in us for God's Glory This was in Eliah 1 King 19. 10. very jealous for the Lord of Hosts So must we be also By all sin God is dishonoured and therefore we ought to be moved with Indignation and Displeasure at it But for the further cleering of this Point we must know there are some Cautions or Rules to be observed of us in this Anger against sin that it may be good and warrantable 1. We must not be too hasty and suddain in taking up this Affection and giving way to it before we have sufficiently considered of the cause of our Anger Eccles 7. 9. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry c. It is not enough that there be a just cause of our Anger but we must also consider of this cause before we be angry Anger may sometime be suddain as in Moses Exod. 32. 19. but it must not be too suddain not so suddain as to be angry before we think once of the cause Matth. 5. 22. He that is angry with his Brother unadvisedly c. 2. In our Anger against sin we must put difference between the Offence done against God and the Offence and wrong done against our selves Where these two do meet together as often they do in this case our anger must be against the sin chiefly as it is an Offence and Dishonour to God and not so much in respect of the Offence against our selves for this we must forgive As for Example If a Servant neglect his Master's business and so endammage his Master here is both an Offence against God and also a wrong to the Master In this case his anger against the Servant must be chiefly in regard of the Offence against God and not so much in regard of the wrong to himself although he may also be offended for this 3. Our anger against sin must be proportionable to the sin we must be more offended at great sins in our selves and others then at lesser sins God himself is not displeased at all sins in like measure but according to the degree of sin so is his anger more or lesse 4. We must be unpartiall in our anger against sin being displeased at sin wheresoever or in whomsoever we find it as well at our own sins as at the sins of others as well at the sins and faults of our Friends as at the sins of Enemies 5. Our anger against the sin of the person must be joyned with love unto the person offending which must make us willing and desirous to do him any good
Sam. 6. Answ Answ It was far from any wanton or immodest dancing For 1. Men and women did not dance together but apart by themselves 2. That dancing was used in way of testifying their spiritual and holy rejoycing Miriam's dancing was accompanied with a spiritual song of thanksgiving and David by his holy dancing testified his â—oy for the return of the Ark of God Therefore these special examples are no Warrant at all for defence or excuse of that wanton and lascivious dauncing commonly used in many places Mark 6. 21. And when a convenient day c. Aug. 26. 1621. FRom the 21 Verse unto the 27 the Evangelist mentioneth certain Occasions and Preparatives which went immediately before the beheading of John Baptist Which occasions we reduced to these three Heads 1. Herod's making a Feast on his birth-day to his Nobles c. 2. The dancing of Herodiasses daughter before Herod at that Banquet 3. The Effects or Consequents which followed upon her Dancing before him Of the two first we have spoken Now we proceed to the third which is The Effects which followed upon the Dancing of that wanton Damsel The Effects are 1. By her wanton Dancing she pleased Herod and those that sate at Table with him 2. Herod thereupon makes a rash promise to reward her with whatsoever she would ask though to the half of his Kingdom and confirms his promise with an Oath Verse 22 23. 3. The Maid being advised by her Mother makes request for John Baptist's head to be given and presented to her in a platter at the Feast Verse 25. 4. Herod though unwilling of himself yet for his Oaths sake and for their sakes who sate at Table with him yieldeth to her request and immediately sends an Executioner to behead John in the prison c. Verse 26 27. She pleased Herod and them that sate with him That is by her lascivious and immodest dancing she gave carnal contentment unto their unchast minds Observ 1 Observ 1. See here one fruit of leight and wanton dancing it serves to breed carnal delight and pleasure in the minds of the beholders and to stir up unchast lusts and affections in them Those unseemly and immodest gestures used in such kind of dancing what are they but the very bellows which seem to kindle unclean lusts in the hearts of such as behold them Therefore 1 Pet. 4. 3. the Apostle condemning the sin of revelling or riotous banquetting and under the same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is in the Original taxing also lascivious dancing as we have heard before he doth therewithall joyn lasciviousness and lusts to shew that these commonly do accompany wanton and leight dancing and are stirred up by it And common experience proveth the truth of this for we see that such leight dancing is oftentimes an occasion not onely of stirring up unchast thoughts and desires in the beholders but also an occasion of unchast and unclean acts of adultery fornication c. Use Use Let this move all professing Christianity to refrain this unseemly and unlawfull exercise and not only to refrain the exercise or practice but even the beholding of it in others c. Observ 2 Observ 2. Further we may here observe how dangerous it is for any to take delight in beholding such Objects as may be an occasion of sin unto them as wanton dancing of others especially mixt dancing of men and women together so also all wanton gestures or dalliance used either in dancing or out of dancing also lascivious Pictures and Stage-Playes in which there are many sorts of unseemly and sinfull gestures represented to the eyes of the beholders The beholding of such sinful objects is a great occasion of sin and therefore dangerous it is for any to take delight in seeing and beholding them Herod's delighting to behold this wanton dancing was an occasion of stirring up unchast thoughts and lusts in him an occasion also of his rash vow made unto the Damosel yea an occasion of the cruel beheading of John So David's delight in beholding Bathsheba washing of her self was the occasion of his fearful fall by adultery with her So Gen. 6. 2. The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair c. and 2 Pet. 2. 14. the Apostle condemneth such as have eyes full of adultery who cannot cease to sin c. Use Use See what cause we have to pray with David Psal 119. 37. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity and with Job to make a covenant with our eyes not to look on sinful objects Job 31. 1. remembring that it it is the property of a good man to shut his eyes from seeing evill Esay 33. 15. So much of the first Effect of the Dancing of Herodiasses Daughter The second followeth which was Herod's rash promise made to her to reward her with whatsoever she would ask c. Where 1. Consider the promise it self with the large extent of it That he would give her whatsoever she would ask though it were to the half of his Kingdom 2. The Confirmation or sealing of his promise with an Oath Touching the large promise which he maketh her it doth discover in him 1. Great rashness in that he doth so unadvisedly promise whatsoever she would ask without limitation or exception not considering that she might perhaps ask something which was unlawful as indeed she did 2. Great folly and madness in that he doth not stick to promise half the value of his Kingdom as a reward for her leight and wanton Dancing Observ 1 Observ 1. This rash and unadvised promise of Herod being mentioned as an occasion of the beheading of John we may hence gather how dangerous it is to make rash and unadvised promises such promises are often an occasion of shame to those that make them So was this to Herod for by it he tyed himself to yield to the wicked motion and request of Herodias and her daughter in putting John to death Now that is a rash promise 1. Which is made without due consideration of the lawfulnesse and expediency of the thing promised Such was the promise of Reuben to his father Jacob That if he did not bring back Benâ—amin he would let him slay his two sons not considering how unlawfull and wicked a thing it was for him to make such a covenant and for his father to require it of him See Gen. 42. 37. Such also was this promise made by Herod 2. That is a rash promise which is made without consideration of his ability to perform it who doth make the promise As to promise payment of another's debt beyond his ability Rash suretiship See Prov. 6. 1. So to promise any thing beyond our power Lawful promises must be of things in our own power 3. That which is made without reference and submission to Gods providence permitting us to perform what we promise and purpose to do Condemned by the Apostle Jam. 4. 13. Go to now ye that say To
false heart Look to it constantly and labour to keep it from running after sin and sinfull lusts and from yielding to the Devil's temptations Call thy heart to accompt and reckon with it every day before thou sleep c. It is the Counsell of Chrysostom Comment in Psal 4. Vse 1 Use 2. See how to keep our selves from practise of Sin in Word and Deed. Labour and use all means to resist the first motions of it arising in our hearts or cast into them by Satan Abhorr them at the first and labour to quench and kill them in the first rising by lifting up the heart to God in prayer or by some good meditation or by calling to mind some sentence of Scripture condemning the sin thou art tempted unâ—o By some good means or other labour to put off and resist the first motions of sin in thy heart beware of being delighted with them and especially of consenting to them Eph. 4. 27. Give not place to the Devil If thou give place never so little to sin or any sinfull motion stirring in thy heart then thou givest place to Satan and if he get once into thy heart as into the heart of Judas he will soon thrust thee forward to the practise of sin in Word and Deed. Resist him therefore at the first by abhorring the first motions of every sin which he suggesteth and which spring from thy own corrupt heart This is a most soveraign preservative against sin thus to withstand it at the first arising in the heart Oh that we would so carefully put it in practise as we ought How many sins would it keep us from into which for want of this we many times dangerously fall to the dishonour of God and wounding of our consciences c Look back into our own lives and into the lives of others and see how many sins we and they might have escaped by resisting the first motions of them in the heart If Achan and Judas c. had done thus they had not fallen as they did So if David Peter c. Use 3 Use 3. Seeing all sin begins at the heart and cometh thence This may teach us where to begin the practise of Repentance and reformation of our Lives even at the heart where sin first beginneth Jer. 4. 14. Wash thy heart from wickedness O Jerusalem that thou mayest be saved c. Eph. 4. 22. Put off the Old man c. And be renewed in the spirit of your mind So Rom. 12. 2. and Acts 8. 22. Peter bidding Simon Magus to repent wills him to pray that the thought of his heart might be forgiven if it were possible Here therefore at the heart and inner-man must Repentance begin it it be true and sound The fountain of sin must be cleansed else the streams issuing thence can never be pure or clean The root of Sin must be plucked up out of the heart else the branches and boughes as it were will not dye or wither Labour therefore first to have the love of all Sin purged out of our hearts pray unto God with David Psal 51. to create in us clean Hearts c. Seek to him who hath promised to give us new hearts c. Ezek. 36. 26. Never think we can reform our Lives till our Hearts be first changed and reformed Many therefore take a wrong course in going about to restrain Sin in their outward practise and in the mean time have their Hearts unreformed These put off their old skin with the Snake but do not change their nature therefore though for a time they seem to be reformed outwardly yet afterward they fall back again into their old sins returning with the Dogg to their Vomit c. Therefore let none begin the practise of Repentance at the outward man but at the heart where sin beginneth Go first to the root and fountain of it c. Use 4 Use 4. To confute such as say Though they swear lye speak filthily c. yet their hearts are good Contra Matth. 12. 34. So much of the generall propounding of the Doctrine here taught by our Saviour touching the cause of spirituall Uncleanness c. Mark 7. 21. For from within out of the heart of Man proceed evil thoughts Adulteries Fornications Murders May 12. 1622. NOw followeth the more particular and large unfolding of it Ver. 21 c. to the 24. where our Saviour mentioneth sundry particular sins by name which do come from within a man out of the heart and do defile him before God In the words consider 1. The Fountain and Root whence all sin floweth From within out of the Heart 2. Sundry particular streams of sin or branches as it were which issue and spring thence distinctly reckoned up by our Saviour being 13 in number Evil thoughts Adulteries c. 3. A repetition of that which our Saviour before avouched touching these sins viz. That they come from within together with an application of this to his present purpose which is to prove that the cause of spiritual uncleannesse before God is from within a man Therefore he addeth That these sins before named which come from within do defile a man Touching the first thing in the words which is the Root or Fountain of Sin we have before spoken I proceed therefore to the second Namely the particular Sins named and instanced in by our Saviour Evil thoughts c. He doth not reckon up all Sins which come from the Heart for there are an infinite number but he nameth these being some of the principall instead of all the rest Before I speak particularly of them Let us first observe one Point generally from the words Observ Oserv In that here are so many foul sins and iniquities recited most of them in the plural number all which and many more do come from the Heart and defile a man before God Let us take notice of the great corruption and wickednesse of man's heart by nature and that it is of it self a filthy sink and puddle of Sin yea of all manner of Sins A Cage of unclean Birds a Sea of filthiness the Seeds of all Sins being naturally sowen in man's Heart since the Fall of Adam There is a spawn of all manner of Sins naturally conceived in the Heart from which are brought forth innumerable Sins as a venemous and cursed Brood That which St. James saith of the Tongue Jam. 3. 6. That it is Fire a world of Iniquity c. is much more true of man's corrupt Heart by Nature without the sanctifying Grace of God renewing and changing it and purging it from this naturall filthiness and corruption of Sin Gen. 6. 5. Every imagination of the thoughts c. Jer. 17. 9. The heart is deceitfull above all things and desperately wicked who can know it Use 1 Use 1. Labour to see and bewayl this great corruption of our own Hearts being such a Sink and dunghill of sin and filthiness To this end examine and view our hearts of
Sometimes to Comprehend generally in a large sense all Sins of the Flesh As Rom. 1. 29. and 1 Cor. 6. 18. 2. Sometimes it is put for the sin of Adultery properly so called that is for breach of Chastity by marryed Persons as Matth. 5. 32. Whosoever shall put away his Wife saving for the cause of Fornication c. 3. In a strict and most proper sense it is used to signify incontinency of single persons or unmarried Thus we are to take it whensoever we find it named with Adultery as in this place and elsewhere Remedies against this Sin 1. Generall against all Sins of the Flesh Vide suprà 2. Speciall against Fornication First Consider the greatness of the Sin for though this Sin be not so hainous as the former yet it is also a grievous Sin as may appear by these Reasons 1. It is a Sin directly against the Body as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 6. 18. That is to say Such a Sin as doth not only bring guilt upon the Soul and Conscience and so lay open the person to the curse of God but it doth also after a speciall manner pollute and defile the Body In that by this Sin the Body is made not onely an Instrument of Sin as in many other Sins but also the immediate seat and subject of Sin c. Vide Bezam in locum Note that this is also true of Adultery c. 2. It pulls down heavy Judgments of God upon such as are guilty and do live in it both in this life and after this life Hebr. 13. 4. Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge It is one of the Sins which shut men out of God's Kingdom 1 Cor. 6. 9. and Gal. 5. 19. compared with 21. See before what Judgments follow the Sin of Adultery the like do often follow this Sin of Fornication though not in like measure and degree because this Sin is not so hainous as that is 3. This Sin of it self is a great Judgment inflicted of God upon such as ate given up to it for it is often a punishment of other great Sins Hos 4. 13. Because of their Idolatry their Daughters should be given up to commit whoredome c. 4. This Sin bringeth guilt of Sin upon two persons at once and so indangereth both their Souls everlastingly without Repentance In which respect it is much more hainous and dangerous than those sins which are committed by one alone and hard to repent of c. The second peculiar and speciall remedy against Fornication is that which God himself hath provided and sanctified for such single persons as finding themselves called of God and fit to enter into that estate 1 Cor. 7. 2. To avoid Fornication let every man have his Wife c. The next Sin is Murthers This word is used in Scripture to signifie not only actuall killing or taking away man's Life but also all cruelty and hard dealing towards the persons of men and all means and occasions tendring to the hurt of men's persons or to the taking away of Life More particularly this Sin may be distinguished in respect of the persons against whom it is committed into two kinds The first is That which is committed against the persons of others The second is Against a man's own person Called Self-murder To speak something of both these Touching murder against others it is of two kinds The first is inward murther of the Heart The second is outward in the externall carriage and practise Of inward Murther there are especially four kinds or degrees 1. Rash anger Matth. 5. 22. Whosoever is angry with his Brother without cause c. 2. Hatred or malice which is a continued and inveterate anger 1 Joh. 3. 15. Whoso hateth his Brother is a Murtherer 3. Envy for this makes way often to actuall Murther therefore these two are joyned together Rom. 1. 29. Gal. 5. 21. 4. Desire of Revenge for a revengefull mind is a murdering mind c. Outward Murther way be committed three wayes especially 1. In using disdainfull or despitefull gestures towards others expressing the malice and despite of the heart against them Matth. 5. 22. Whosoever shall say to his Brother Racha c. It is a word of disdain uttered with scornfull Gesture as the Learned observe So Acts 7. 54. the Jews gnashed with their teeth against Stephen 2. In words by rayling reviling and bitter Speeches Prov. 12. 18. There is that speaketh words like the peircings of a Sword Matth. 5. 22. Whosoever shall say to his Brother Thou Fool c. Also by scoffing words as Ismael Michal and the Children mocking Elisha c. 3. In Action or Deed and that two wayes 1. By striking hurting or maiming the Body of another See Levit. 24. 19. 2. By actuall killing and taking away the Life of another and this is the highest degree of murther against others and a fearfull and grievous Sin yea a crying Sin calling to God and to the Magistrate under God for Vengeance being appointed by the Law of God to be punished with Death and that without taking any ransom or satisfaction See Gen. 9. 6. and Numb 35. 30. The second kind of murther is That which is committed against a man's own person And that two wayes 1. Directly by taking away his own Life as Saul Ahitophel and Judas did which is a more fearfull and dangerous sin than killing of another both in that it is more against the light of nature and also because such a one dying in Sin cuts himself from Repentance the remedy against Sin 2. Indirectly by taking any course or using any means whereby his own life is indirectly hurt or shortned as immoderate grief and care intemperance surfetting c. neglect of good Dyet and Physick c. Remedies against all kinds of murther and cruelty against others and our selves but especially against the highest degrees of it as actuall killing c. are these 1. Consider the hainousness of the Sin being most odious unto God and making the person guilty odious unto Him as appears in that our Saviour here reckons it among the Sins which defile the person c. So Psal 5. 6. He will abhorr the bloody man And it must need be so because it is a Sin so contrary to the Nature of God who is a God of mercy and such a Sin it is as makes a man like unto Satan Who is said to be a Murtherer from the beginning Joh. 8. 44. 2. Look at the grievous Judgments of God which follow this Sin In this Life Gods punisheth Murderers and cruell Persons usually with great hardness of heart till their consciences be awaked and then with as great horrour of Conscience as we see in Cain and in Judas who being but accessary to shedding of innocent Blood was by the terrour of his conscience driven also to murder himself Matth. 27. God doth also usually punish Murderers in their Bodies with untimely and violent Deaths a◠appears in Abimelech Judg. 9.
used by the Buyer as when he vilifieth the Commodity that he may buy it for lesse than he thinks it worth c. See Prov. 20. 14. Out of Bargains and Contracts deceipt is practised also by using any kind of craft or cunning to cousen others of any part of the Goods or Substance which belongs to them Remedies against this sin of Deceipt or Guil. 1. Consider that it is a sin odious unto God Psal 5. 6. The Lord will abhorr the deceitfull man Therefore it is here reckoned among the Sins which defile a man that is make the person and all that he doth loathsome and odious before God 2. Consider that it is one of the sins of the profane Heathen or Gentiles which knew not God Rom. 1. 29. They were full of deceipt Therefore how unfit is it for Christians to be such 3. It is one specially property and mark of the wicked to be given to deceipt guil and dissembling See Psal 12. 2. and Psal 55. 21. As on the contrary The wisdom that is from above is said to be without Hypocrisie Jam. 3. 17. 4. Look at the Judgment of God threatned against this sin 1 Thess 4. 6. The Lord is the avenger of all Fraud c. Micah 6. 11. Shall I count them pure with the wicked Ballances and with the Bagg of deceitfull Weights c. Ver. 13. Therefore I will make thee sick in smiting thee in making thee desolate c. 5. Lastly Pray unto God to purge out of our hearts all guil and dissimulation toward others and to give us single and sincere hearts and open and plain hearts towards our Brethren c. The ninth Sin named here by our Saviour is by some called Uncleanness but the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is better translated Lasciviousness or wantonness which is a Sin against Chastity condemned in the seventh Commandement And it doth properly imply and note out the outward shew and profession as it were of incontinency by unchast or wanton carriage and behaviour For the more full conceiving whereof we must know that this lasciviousness or wantonnesse doth outwardly shew it self three wayes especially 1. In unchast or lascivious Speech or wanton words Called filthinesse or filthy Speech Ephes 5. 4. 2. In obscene Gestures of the whole Body or of any part of it as by eyes full of Adultery 2 Pet. 2. 14. Also by wanton dalliance kissing imbracing c. Also by lascivious dancing of mixt Companies of Men and Women c. 3. In wanton and garish Apparrell serving to stirr up unchast thoughts and affections in others and in themselves that wear it Remedies against this Sin Touching generall preservatives against all sins of the Flesh I spake before in handling the sin of Adultery Here I will onely set down some speciall remedies against this sin of Wantonnesse 1. Consider the foulness of the Sin in it self being one of those which make the person unclean and loathsome before God as our Saviour here sheweth Besides the foulness of it may appear hence in that it makes way to those foul and hainous sins of actuall Fornication and Adultery before named 2. Consider the severe and grievous Judgment of God threatned against this Sin 1 Cor. 6. 9. Wantonness or effeminate persons shall not Inherit the Kingdom of God And Gal. 5. 19. lasciviousness is reckoned among those works of the Flesh which whoso worketh shall not Inherit the Kingdom of God 3. Labour to mortify all unchast thoughts and affections in our hearts pray unto God to crucifie them in us by the power of his sanctifying Spirit and use all other good means for the subduing of them in us Then there will be no outward unchast or wanton behaviour in words gestures c. All such Lasciviousness comes out of the heart as our Saviour here teacheth therefore first get they heart purged from filthy Lusts c. 4. Shun all company of such as are given to lascivious and wanton carriage lest we learn their wayes and become like them This is a sin quickly learned by ill company therefore take heed of it The tenth Sin here named is An evil Eye which Phrase of Speech is in Scripture used two wayes or in a twofold sense 1. To note out the sin of Covetousnesse or of niggardly sparing Prov. 23. 6. Eat not the Bread of him that hath an evill Eye c. that is a covetous or niggardly Eye So Prov. 28. 22. He that hasteth to be rich hath an evill Eye c. Contrarily Prov. 22. 9. He that hath a good or bountifull Eye shall be blessed c. 2. To signify and note out the Sin of Envy As Mat. 20. 15. Is thine Eye evill because I am good that is Art thou envious c. So here we are to take it Now the sin of Envy is called an evill Eye by a Metonymy of the Effect put for the Cause an evil Eye put for Envy because Envy doth much shew and manifest it self in the outward face or countenance and especially by the Eyes even as other evil and sinful Affections also do thus discover themselves by the cast of the Eyes Quest. What is the Sin of Envy Answ Nothing else but a discontentedness grieving or repining at the good or prosperity of others called Fretting against others Psal 37. 1. Examples of it we have in Cain envying his Brother Abell because he was better accepted of God than himself Also in Joseph's Brethren envying him because his Father loved him so much See Act. 7. 9. So in Saul envying David because the women gave greater praise to him than to Saul See 1 Sam. 18. So in the Priests and Elders of the Jews envying Christ for the excellent parts and gifts that were in him and for his great Miracles which he wrought See Mat. 27. 18. Remedies against this Sin 1. Consider that it is a Work of the Flesh arguing such as live in it to be carnal and wicked men Gal. 5. 21. It is numbred among those cursed fruits of the Flesh and 1 Cor. 3. 3. Whereas there is among you Envying and Strife and Divisions are ye not carnall c. Jam. 4. 5. The Spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy that is to say The natural corrupt Spirit of man is very prone to this Sin 2. Consider the foulness of the Sin before God being one of those which are here said to defile a man in God's sight and accompt making the Person that lives in it odious to God and it must needs be a Sin very hateful to God because it tends so much as it doth to the dishonour of his Name For to envy or repine at the good of others which God hath bestowed on them what is it else but a controlling of the heavenly Wisdom and Providence of God 3. Consider the just and severe Judgment of God against this Sin in this life and after this life In this life God makes this Sin to be a great torment and punishment to
a certain Woman whose young Daughter had an unclean Spirit heard of him and came and June 16. 1622. fell at his Feet c. TOuching the Places where this Miracle was wrought you have before heard Now in the next place I am to speak of the impulsive Cause moving our Saviour to work it which was the sute made unto him by a certain Woman of Syrophoenicia in behalf of her Daughter intreating him to cast the Devil out of her set down Ver. 25. 26. Where we have these particulars to consider 1. The Person suing unto Christ described 1. By her Sex A certain Woman 2. By her outward Profession A Greek or Gentile 3. By her Country Syrophoenicia 2. Consider the Occasions or impulsive Causes of her sute 1. The afflicted estate of her Daughter having an unclean Spirit 2. The Fame she had heard of Christ 3. Consider the manner of her coming and putting up this sute to Christ In most humble sort abasing her self at his Feet 4. The matter of her sute That he would cast out c. First of the Description of the Person And first of her Sex A certain Woman Though she was of the weaker Sex as the Woman is said to be in Scripture yet there was a great measure and strength of Faith in her as appeareth Matth. 15. 28. Observ Observ The Lord sometimes giveth great measure of Grace and strength of Faith to the weaker Sex even to Women which are called the weaker Vessels 1 Pet. 3. 7. So before Chap. 5. 34. our Saviour commended the Faith of the Woman which came to him to be cured of her bloody Issue And in Scripture we find examples recorded of sundry excellent Women indued with a great measure and strength of Faith and other Graces As Sarah Debora Hannah Hester Mary Magdalene Martha Lydia Dorcas c. And especially the blessed Virgin the Mother of Christ Therefore also Paul in his Epistles doth mention and commend sundry Women for the Graces which were in them See Rom. 16. and Phil. 4. 3. So Hebr. 11. not onely Men but Women are commended for the strength of their Faith as Sarah Rahab c. And ver 34. By Faith some out of weaknesse were made strong c. Women received their Dead raised to Life again c. yea the Lord oftentimes gives greater measure of Grace to Women than he doth to Men. So Chap. 5. that Woman which had the bloody Issue shewed far greater Faith than Jairus the Ruler of the Synagogue So Abigail far excelled Nabal her Husband in the Grace of Wisdom and Discretion c. Reason Reason 2 Cor. 12. 9 The power of God is made perfect in weakness c. Use Use Comfort to faithful and religious Women against the infirmities incident to their Sex Though they be naturally the weaker Sex yet if they conscionably use the means to get supernatural strength of Faith Courage Widsom c. the Lord will give these to them as soon as to Men. Let them therefore labour to be strong Men in graces of Faith Wisdom spirituall Courage c. Revel 12. 5. The Woman travelling brought forth a male Child Such should all the Children of the Church labour to be though not by natural Sex yet by supernatural strength of Faith c. The next thing by which this Woman is described is her outward profession being a Gentile and her Country being of Syrophoenicia I will handle both these together A Greek That is a Gentile by outward profession See Gal. 3. 28. one that formerly professed the Religion of the Greeks that is of the Pagans and Heathen which lived in ignorance of the true God and of his Word and of the right manner of his Worship being without God in the World and strangers from the Common-wealth of Israel Eph. 2. I say she had formerly professed and lived in this blind and profane Religion of the Gentiles though now she had no doubt renounced that Heathenish profession and had begun to joyn her self to the People of the Jews among whom was the Church of God at that time A Syrophoenician by Nation That is one that was born and lived in the Country of Syrophoenicia which is so called as is most probable because Phoenicia was part of the Country of Syria or else as others think because it bordered unto Syria Object Object Matth. 15. 22. She is called a Woman of Canaan c. Answ Answ It is most probable as the learned observe That the same Country had both these names and that it was called by the Hebrews and Jews the Land of Canaan and by the Greeks Phoenicia And this Canaan or Phoenicia was the Sea Coast of Syria in which stood the Cities of Tyre and Sidon before mentioned Numb 13. 29. The Spies brought word to Moses That the Cananites dwelt by the Sea and by the Coast of Jordan And Judg. 1. 31 32. it may appear that the Cananites dwelt either in Sidon or near unto it Now Sidon was a City of Phoenicia as hath bin before shewed and is agreed upon by all the learned See Purchas his Pilgrim p. 87. and Scultet Annot. in Matth. Marcum Cap. 43. Therefore it is most probable That this Woman was of the Race and Stock of those cursed Canaanites which were yet remaining in that part of Syria notwithstanding the People of God were commanded utterly to root them out Now the Evangelist doth mention her profession that she was a Gentile and her Country that she was a Syrophoenician or Cananite thereby to commend the singular Grace and Mercy of God in calling her out of that grosse blindness and profaness in which she had formerly lived and in revealing Christ unto her and giving her Faith to believe in him Quest Quest How could she come to know Christ and to believe in him seeing she was a Gentile and a Canaanite which lived out of the visible Church among Pagans c. not having the Word of God among them to instruct them Answ Answ Though she were a Gentile and Canaanite yet it is most likely That many Jews also lived amongst the Cananites or Phoenicians in this Country and were mingled with them See Judg. 1. 31 32. Therefore from the Jews she might learn the Doctrine of the Messiah taught in the Writings of Moses and the Prophets See Matth. 5. 22. and so might be moved to believe in him Besides she had heard of the Fame of his divine Doctrine and great Miracles as we shall see afterward more plainly by which she was also moved to imbrace him as the true Messiah Observ 1 Observ 1. In that this Woman being a Gentile was called to believe in Christ and coming to Him by Faith did obtain this great benefit of having her Daughter freed from the tyranny of the Devil and not onely this Temporall benefit but even all Spirituall blessings which concerned her Salvation as we are not to doubt Hence gather That Christ Jesus came into the World for
course they should take in all Afflictions and Distresses wherewith the Lord tryeth them either in their own persons or in those that belong unto them and are dear unto them The best remedy and means to be used is to go unto God and to seek to him by the prayer of Faith desiring help comfort and deliverance out of such troubles See before Chap. 1. Ver. 40. Observ 2 Observ 2. Parents may learn of this Woman to take speciall care of their Children being in misery and distresse shewing pitty on them and using the best means to help them out of their miseries Thus did this Syrophoenician Woman in coming and suing to Christ by prayer of Faith to cast the Devil out her Daughter So Jairus for his Daughter lying at point of Death Chap. 5. 23. So that Noble man for his son Joh. 4. 47. So the Shunamite 2 King 4. 1 Tim. 5. 8. If any provide not for his own and especially for those of his own House he hath denyed the Faith and is worse then an Infidel Especially he that provides not for them in time of affliction when they have most need of care and provision This is true of Bodily and Spirituall miseries 1. In bodily Miseries and Afflictions as Sicknesses Pain danger of Death c. Parents are to pitty and take care of their Children using the best means they can for their help and comfort as good Dyet Physick c. joyning prayer also with the use of these 2. In spirituall miseries of their Souls when Children are spiritually sick of sin and diseased with the deadly Maladies of sin and when they are under the power of Satan ruling in their Hearts and holding possession in them by his temptations c. In these Cases Parents ought especially to pitty and take care of their own Children to help and relieve them by all means which they can use as by admonition reproof correction prayer for them c. Reasons 1. The light of nature teacheth Parents to have this care and compassion of their own Children in all their miseries The very Heathen knew it and practised yea brute Beasts by naturall instinct do practise it 2. The Miseries and Afflictions of the Child are in some sort the Parents own Afflictions and so should be accompted by them Therefore Matth. 15. 22. this Woman prayed Christ to have mercy on her self Have mercy on me c. 3. God sometimes smiteth the Child for the Parents sin 1 King 17. 18. The widdow of Sarepta acknowledgeth the Sickness and Death of her son to be as a Chastisement sent upon her for her own sin Use Vse For reproof of such unnaturall Parents who take no such care and pitty of their Children in their miseries when God's hand is upon them but let them alone using no such means as is fit to help and relieve them Some are so carelesse as not to seek to the Physitian for their sick Child but let it alone to sink or swim c. Others seek onely to the Physitian and use other outward helps and means but seek not to God by prayer for his blessing on the means Others are pittifull to their Children in their bodily miseries as Sickness Pain Lameness c. but shew no compassion nor take any care to help them out of Spirituall miseries Though deadly sick of sin yet use no means of admonition correction prayer c. Though spiritually possessed of Satan c. Mark 7. 27 c. But Jesus said unto Her c. July 7. 1622. OF the place where this Miracle was wrought you have heard as also of the Occasion or Cause moving Christ to work it which was the earnest sute of the Woman whose Daughter was possessed of a Devil Now followeth the order and manner of our Saviour's proceeding in granting her sute and working the Miracle in that he did not at first yield to her sute but put her off and seemed utterly to deny and refuse to hear her yet at length being further importuned by her he yielded to her request in dispossessing her Daughter of the Devil In the words consider four things 1. Christ's answer to her sute Ver. 27. Let the Children first be filled c. 2. Her reply unto him taking occasion from his words to prosecute her sute Ver. 28. She answered and said Yes Lord yet the Doggs under the Table c. 3. Our Saviour's second answer comforting her and assuring her that the Devil was indeed cast out of her Daughter Ver. 29. 4. The Issue and Event which followed Ver. 30. When she was come to her House she found the Devil gone out c. Touching the first our Saviour doth not presently grant her sute but seemeth utterly to reject it alledging a twofold reason of his denyall 1. From the Circumstance of the Time in that the Jews were first to be made partakers of the benefits of Christ the Messiah before the Gentiles therefore seeing the time appointed for the generall Calling of the Gentiles and for the making of them partakers of Christ and his benefits was not yet come Hence our Saviour reasoneth against this Woman That she being a Gentile was not yet to reap this benefit by him This is implyed in these words Let the Children first be filled 2. From the inconvenience and unfitness of the matter which she requested In that it was not meet or fit for him to take the Childrens Bread and to cast it to Doggs that is to bestow the Benefits of the Messiah upon her being a Gentile which belonged peculiarly to the Jews Now further to clear the sense of the words Quest Quest Why did not our Saviour at first hear this Woman and grant her sute but put her off and thus reason and argue against her seeing she was so forward to come unto him for her help and testified her Faith in crying earnestly to Him and seeing he used at other times to be so ready to hear and help such as came and prayed and sought to him It may therefore seem strange that he should now be so backward to hear and grant her Petition and this might in all likelyhood greatly discourage her being but a young Christian newly converted c. Answ Answ 1. Our Saviour knew well as he was God the strength and soundness of her Faith that she would not by this means be discouraged but rather stirred up to be the more importunate with him 2. He thus rejected her at first that by this means he might throughly exercise and try her Faith that so the strength and soundness of it might by this great tryall be the more clearly manifested both to her self for her comfort and to others for their example to encourage them to shew forth the like constancy of Faith Let the Children That is the People of the Jews so called because they were at that time the onely People whom God had chosen and outwardly called and adopted unto Himself to be His Church and People
for good Christians to labour more and more to see and feel their own hardness of Heart that is so say their Naturall deadness and dulness of Heart which makes them so insensible of their sins and corruptions that they cannot be touched with such a feeling of them as is fit nor be humbled for them in such a measure and degree as they ought to be nor so affected with the means used of God to humble them as his Judgments Mercies Ministery of the Word c. Thus it is sometimes even with good Christians yea with the best which therefore the best must labour to see and bewail in themselves and daily to mourn for this Naturall hardness of Heart which remaineth in them even after their effectual Calling If our Saviour Mark 3. 5. were grieved for the hardness of heart which he perceived in the wicked Scribes and Pharisees How much more are we to mourn for the hardness of our own To this end consider the danger of this sin in that it is such a hinderance to the practice of Repentance Rom. 2. 5. and to the daily renewing of our Repentance and to our profiting by the means of Grace Use 3 Use 3. This must move all good Christians daily to labour and strive against this natural hardness of heart which is so apt to be in them using all good means to resist and subdue it in themselvs by degrees that it may not reign in them as in the wicked Remedies to cure this hardness of heart in us by degrees 1. Pray unto God to cure it in us by the work of his Spirit more and more to soften our hearts working in them more and more feeling of our sins and godly sorrow for them and to make our hearts pliable to the means c. He hath promised to take away our stony hearts Ezek. 36. 26. and he onely can and will do it more and more if we unfeignedly seek to him 2. Diligently and conscionably attend on the publick Ministry of the Word This is a Hammer to break and bruise the stoniness of our hearts more and more Jer. 23. 29. Josiah's heart melted at the reading of the Law 2 King 22. How much more powerful shall we find the Word preached to melt our hearts with godly sorrow for our sins 3. Be diligent and constant in all other religious Exercises publick and private which tend to the softning of our hearts as in receiving the Lord's Supper in private Reading and Meditation of the Word Conference c. Hebr. 3. 13. Now followeth the fourth and last particular fault or infirmity reproved here by our Saviour in his Disciples viz. their forgetfulness of the two great Miracles of the Loaves which he had lately wrought to strengthen their Faith in God's Providence for things of this life Ver. 18 19 20. And therefore he doth blame and reprove this their forgetfulness of those two Miracles as a main cause of that infidelity and distrust of God's providence which now they had discovered by their private reasoning together in their want of Bread withal he now puts them in mind again of those Miracles and of some particular Circumstances c. Observ Observ Here then we learn that it is a natural fault and corruption in us to be too forgetful of the great works which God hath wrought for our good and benefit whether for our temporal or spiritual good whether works of Justice or of Mercy we are by Nature very apt to forget such great and wonderful works of his wrought for us Christ's Disciples were faulty in too soon forgetting his Miracles lately wrought which should yet have been fresh in their memories but it was not so with them and this was the cause that they reaped so little fruit by these Miracles and that their Faith was not so strengthned by them as it should have been Now if it were so with Christ's Disciples much more are we apt to forget the Works of God wrought for our good and to passe them over without making that good Use we should of them This was the Sin of the Israelites Psal 78. 11. They forgat the Works of God and Wonders which he had shewed them Use 1 Use 1. See one cause why we make so little use of God's great Works This hindered the Disciples of Christ here from profiting by his Miracles because they so soon forgot them Use 2 Use 2. For admonition to us to take heed of this fault and corruption which is so natural even to the best namely That we do not too soon forget the great Works of God which he hath wrought for us as his Work of Creation his Work of our Redemption by Christ the Work of his Providence in ordering and disposing all things for our good his Works of Justice and Mercy shewed upon our selves and others c. These Works of God we must beware we do not too soon let slip out of our minds but on the contrary we must be very careful to keep them in mind for otherwise how shall we make use and profit by them as we ought if we do not carefully treasure them up in our minds and memories Deut. 4. 9. Take heed to thy self and keep thy Soul diligently lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen and lest they depart from thy heart all the dayes of thy life c. The more natural it is unto us to be forgetful of God's great and excellent Works wrought for us the more careful must we be to keep them in remembrance and not onely so but to make a holy and right use of them all Especially such works as he hath done lately for us these should be most fresh in our memory The Lord hath of late years wrought many great Works for us in this Land he hath bestowed many Blessings spiritual and temporal on us wrought many deliverances for us c. These we must not too soon forget as we are apt to do but carefully remember and make a right use of them Mark 8. 22 c. And he cometh to Bethsaida and they bring a blind man unto him and besought him to touch March 6. 1624. him c. HAving finished the 3d. principal part of this Chapter containing Christ's admonition to his Disciples to shun the Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod together with his sharp Reproof of them for misconceiving the same Now we are come to the fourth part of the Chapter In which the Evangelist recordeth a special Miracle wrought by our Saviour neer unto the Town of Bethsaida in curing a Blind man who was brought unto him This Miracle is recorded onely by Mark and not by any other Evangelist Where consider 1. The Occasions of the Miracle Ver. 22. Our Saviour's coming to Bethsaida c. and the bringing of the blind man c. 2. A special Antecedent or Preparative which went before the working of it viz. our Saviour's taking the blind man by the hand and leading him out
Quest 1 Quest 1. How could he be killed or put to death being the Son of God Answ Answ He was put to death according to his Humane Nature as He was Man 1 Pet. 3. 18. Put to death in the Flesh Yet he that dyed was God and that at the very time of his death for the personal Union betwixt the God-head and Man-hood of Christ was not dissolved but continued still even in the instant of his Death and after it Quest 2 Quest 2. What kind of Death was our Saviour to be put unto Answ Answ To the death of the Cross that is to be crucified or nailed alive to the Cross and there to hang until He was dead This appeareth by the History of the Evangelists who do particularly declare the manner of his crucifying Joh. 3. 14. As Moses lift up the Serpent in the Wilderness so must the Son of Man be lifted up that is upon the Cross at the time of his Death Now the reason why He was to suffer this kind of death was this that it might appear that he was made a Curse for us by imputation in taking upon him the guilt and punishment of our sins Therefore he was to dy the death of the Cross which was an accursed kind of death not only in the Opinion and accompt of men but even by the Law of God as appeareth Deut. 21. 23. and Gal. 3. 13. where it is said that Christ was made a Curse for us for it is written Cursed is every one that hangeth on a Tree Quest 3 Quest 3. Was our Saviour to suffer nothing but bodily pains at the time of his Death Answ Answ Yes He was withal to suffer the wrath and curse of God due to our sins in his Soul yea the pangs of the second death such as were answerable and equivalent to the very pains of Hell which was the cause that He so cried out upon the Cross My God My God Why hast thou forsaken me Matth. 27. 46. Quest 4 Quest 4. Wherefore or to what end was He to be slain or put to death and to suffer withal the Curse of God in his Soul Answ Answ 1. That by this means He might make satisfaction to God for our sins and the sins of all God's Elect People and so might free us from the Guilt and Punishment of our Sins both temporal and eternal Rom. 4. 25. He was delivered to death for our Offences c. 1 Cor. 15. 3. He dyed for our Sins according to the Scriptures 2. That by death He might destroy the Devill that is vanquish his Power and Tyranny which He had over us by reason of our sins and so deliver us from the same Heb. 2. 14. 3. That He might take away the Sting and Curse of bodily death and free us from the same 1 Cor. 15. 55. Quest 1 Quest 5. How could Christ's bodily Death and his Suffering of God's Wrath for a short time satisfie God's Justice for the eternall punishment due to our Sins Answ Answ Because it was the Death and Sufferings of him that was not onely Man but God Acts 20. 28. This dignity of the Person Dying and Suffering gave infinite vertue and efficacy to his Death and Suffering For it was a greater matter for the Son of God to Dye and Suffer God's Wrath though but for a little time than for all Men and Angels to have suffered it for ever Now follow the Uses of this Doctrine touching Christ's Death Vse 1 Vse 1. In that Christ must be killed or put to Death even ro the Cursed Death of the Crosse and that for our sins to satisfie God's Justice for them Hence we are taught the cursed nature and effect of sin in it self in that it is the meritorious and procuring cause of Death it brings forth Death as the proper fruit and effect of it Rom. 6. 23. The wages of Sin is Death And Jam. 1. 15. Sin being finished bringeth forth Death Therefore also Sins are in Scripture called dead Works because they do of themselves naturally bring forth Death This we see in Christ who though he had no sin of his own yet because he took on him the guilt of our sins by imputation he became subject to Death and was of necessity to be killed or put to Death and not an ordinary Death but to the cursed Death of the Crosse yea he must also Suffer the very pangs of the second Death in his Soul and all for Sin See what a deadly thing sin is being the Originall Cause and Fountain of Death even of Temporall and Eternal Death both which it doth necessary bring either upon us or upon Christ for us Learn by this to fear and talk of sin as the most deadly and dangerous evil in the World as we naturally fear and shun Death so much more sin the cause and Fountain of Death And to this end labour more and more for true hatred of all sin in our hearts that we may detest it as we do Death yea as we hate and detest Hell it self Rom. 12. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to hate it like Hell How do we hate and abhorr poyson because it is deadly How do we fear and shun deadly Diseases as the Pestilence c Much more cause is there to hate and avoid sin which is more deadly to the Soul than any poyson or disease to the Body Think of this when thou art tempted to any Sin that it will bring Death of Soul and Body c. Prov. 14. 12. There is a way which seemeth right unto a man but the end thereof are the wayes of Death Use 2 Vse 2. See the unspeakable love of Christ to us manifested in this That he was content and willing to suffer Death for our Redemption yea the shameful Death of the Crosse together with the infinite Wrath and Curse of God accompanying the same Joh. 15. 13. Greater love than this hath no man that a man lay down his Life for his Friends Rom. 5. 7. Scarcely for a Righteous man will one dye c. But God commendeth his love to us in that while we were yet Sinners Christ dyed for us This must draw our love to Christ again c. Of this see before where I spake of Christ's willingnesse to Dye and Suffer for us Use 3 Use 3. The Death of Christ doth afford matter of unspeakable comfort to all true Believers and that three wayes 1. Against guilt of our Sins and the fear of God's Wrath and Curse due to them all which being fully satisfied for and taken away by the merit of Christ's Death there is now no condemnation to us being in Christ Rom. 8. 1. We may now say with the Apostle ver 33. of the same Chapter Who shall Condemn It is Christ that Dyed c. Christ by his Death hath paid a Counter-price to God's Justice for all our Sins and so freâ—d us from the guilt and punishment due to them He hath freed and delivered us
Place Calling or Office in the Church forasmuch as no outward Calling or Office can exempt any man from Errour but to build our Faith and Religion only upon the written Word of God which is the Word of Truth and cannot deceive or lead us into Errour Observ 4 Observ 4. In that the ground and cause of this Errour of the Scribes was their mis-understanding of that place of the Prophet Malachy before alledged hence we are taught what is one main cause of all Errours and corrupt Opinions of men in matters of Faith viz. The Ignorance or misconceiving of the true sense of the Scriptures See this handled Chap. 8. 28. Mark 9. 12. And he answered and told them Eliasverily cometh first c. Nov. 19. 1626. IN this Verse and the next is laid down our Saviour's Answer to the Question of the three Disciples propounded to him in the former Verse touching the Opinion and Doctrine of the Scribes conceâ—ning the coming of Elias before the coming and manifestation of the Kingdom of the Messiah In which Answer our Saviour resolveth the doubt moved by the Disciples and withal discovereth and confuteth the Errour of the Scribes The Answer consisteth of three parts 1. A Concession or granting of that to be in some sort true which the Scribes taught touching the coming of Elias that he was indeed to come before the Messiah 2. A further declaration or shewing both of the end of Elias his coming or what he should do at his coming He should restore all things And also what he should suffer or what ill entertainment he should find in the World at his coming namely that he should suffer such abuses at the hands of wicked men as Christ himself was to suffer according to the Scriptures 3. A plain discovery and confutation of the Errour of the Scribes teaching and holding that Elias was not yet come c. This our Saviour confuteth by avouching that he was already come and had suffered c. Of the first He answered and told them c. Though the Disciples in moving the former Question discovered much Ignorance and Weakness yet our Saviour beareth with them and gently answereth them shewing himself ready and forward to resolve and satisfy them in the matter they doubted of Elias verily cometh first q. d. It is true in some sense which the Scribes say and I grant it to be so as the Prophet Malachi fore-told that Elias ought indeed to come first that is before the coming of the Messiah Here note that our Saviour doth not speak of Elias in that sense as the Scribes did in affirming that he was to come before the Messiah For the Scribes understood this of the coming of the Prophet Elias himself in his own Person to live upon Earth again but our Saviour under the Name of Elias understandeth John Baptist the Fore-runner or Harbinger of Christ even as the Propet Malachi also doth Chap. 4. 5. before alledged calling him by the Name of Elias and affirming that this Elias that is to say John Baptist ought indeed to come before the Messiah That this is our Saviour's meaning is plain and clear Matth. 17. 13. where it is expresly affirmed by the Evangelist that the Disciples understood our Saviour's words in this sense viz. That he did not speak of Elias himself in his own Person but of John Baptist whom he called by the Name of Elias So also Mat. 11. 14. All the Prophets and the Law prophesied till John And if ye will receive it this is Elias which was for to come Quest Quest. Why doth the Prophet Malachi in the place before alledged and our Saviour in this place call John Baptist by the Name of Elias Answ Answ This Name is given to John in regard of the resemblance and likeness that was between him and Elias in sundry things As 1. In excellency of gifts and graces of the Spirit in which John Baptist resembled Elias in which respect it is said Luke 1. 17. that he should go before the Lord in the Spirit and Power of Elias Especially John resembled Elias in his great and fervent Zeal for God's Glory for as Elias was zealous for the Lord of Hosts 1 King 19. 10. and testified his Zeal by reproving Sin and setting himself against it even in the highest Persons as in King Ahab and â—esabell his Wife so also did John shew his fervent zeal in like manner by reproving sin plainly in the greatest Persons as not only in the Pharisees and Sadduces which came to his Baptism but also in Herod himself and Herodias his Wife 2. John resembled Elias in this that as Elias living in a very corrupt Age of the Church waâ— a special Instrument and means of reforming the abuse and corruptions reigning in those times and of restoring the decayed state of Religion so also John Baptist was stirred up of God in very corrupt times of the Church and was appointed as a special means of restoring the corrupt and decayed state thereof as appeareâ—h by the words immediately following this Text. 3. John resembled Elias in the manner of his outward Life and Conversation amongst men viz. In the strictness and austerity of it and particularly in his very Diet and Apparel As Elias was a man of a strict and spare Diet as may appear 1 King 19. 6. so was John also for his Meat was Locusts and wild-Hony And as Elias was cloathed in a hairy Garment in which respect he is said to be a rough or hairy man and was girt with a Girdle of Leather 2 King 1. 8. so also was John Baptist cloathed with Camel's haire and had a Girdle of a skin about his Loyns as we heard Chap. 1. Again as Elias lived for a time in the Wilderness whither he was forced to fly for his life being persecuted by Jesabel so likewise John Baptist both lived and preached in the Wilderness of Judea as we heard Chap. 1. 4. Lastly as Elias was hated and persecuted by Ahab and Jesabel and suffered much at their hands for his zeal and faithfulness in his Ministry so also did John suffer much for the same cause being hated of Herodias and imprisoned and put to death by Herod Now further when it is said here that Elias that is to say John Baptist was not onely to come but to come first This is to be understood in respect or relation to the time of Christ's Birth or coming into â—he World that John was to come before him in time that is to say to be born and to live on Earth before Châ—ist for the space of six Months as appeareth Luke 1. 26. 36. as also to exercise his Ministeriall Office of Preaching and Baptising some space of time before Christ himself Quest Quest Wherefore or to what end was John Baptist appointed to come before Christ that is to be born and to preach before him Answ Answ That he might be as a Harbinger to prepare the way for Christ that
is there in many now adayes Some being so far from shewing speciall and singular love to their own Pastor that they scarce shew him ordinary or common love will scarce do him an ordinary kindness without grudging they carry themselves as strangers to him scarce vouchsafing to speak to him c. others shew love for a time but not constantly so long as they may gain by their Ministery no longer Others instead of love bear hatred and grudge against their Minister because he admonisheth them of their sins So for the other duty of reverence and due respect to God's Ministers how many also fail in this Do not many contemn and set leight by their Ministers even by such as labour amongst them in the Word and Doctrine whom they ought to esteem highly of and to accompt them worthy of all honour c. yet they stick not to think and speak sleightly of them as of ordinary persons yea to despise and reproach them to their faces quite forgetting that of our Saviour Christ Luke 10. 15. He that despiseth you despiseth me c. Let such as are guilty of this sin take notice of it and be truly humbled and repent of it lest otherwise the contempt of the Minister's person do at length and by degree bring them to a contempt and lothing of his Doctrine and Ministery and then little hope will there be of their profiting by the same Observ 2 Observ 2. See here also in Christ's example the duty of all Pastors and Ministers of the Church viz. to endeavour so to carry themselves both in their Doctrine and Ministery as also in their Life and Conversation that they may procure truel love and reverence from their People Thus did our Saviour while he lived on Earth so carry himself both in his publike Ministery and in his whole Life and Conversation that he was both loved and reverenced of the People as here we see So likewise ought all God's Ministers And to this end they must not onely be diligent and faithfull in their Ministery but withall labour to go before their People by the holy example of their own Life and Practice This is the best and onely way to procure both love and reverence from their People and to maintain the authority and credit both of their Persons and of their Ministery which every Minister of God ought most carefully to do 1 Tim. 4. 12. Let no man despise thy youth but be thou an example of the Believers in Word in Conversation in Charity in Spirit in Faith in Purity Thus did John Baptist maintain the credit of his Ministery and procure both love and reverence even from Herod himself Mark 6. 20. Herod feared John knowing that he was a just man and an holy c. and heard him gladly It followeth Ver. 16. And he asked the Scribes c. The second speciall or principall occasion of the Miracle following is Our Saviour's questioning with the Scribes about the matter or cause of the disputation between them and his Disciples For he finding the Scribes disputing or reasoning with his Disciples turned himself to them expostulating thus with them What question ye with them That is what is the matter that ye are disputing or debating with my Disciples Some read the words thus What question ye among your selves And if we so read them they are to be understood a spoken both to the Scribes and to the Disciples though chiefly to the Scribes But the former reading seemeth best and fittest and therefore I follow that Now our Saviour did not ask this Question of the Scribes as if he were ignorant of the matter for he knew well enough before he asked what it was which they were debating with his Disciples but for other cause and ends As 1. That he might hereby shew that he took upon him the defence of his Disciples and of their just cause and of the Truth and Gospel it self against the cavils of the Scribes 2. That he might by this Question convince and reprove the Scribes and put them to silence 3. That he might give occasion to the Father of the possessed Child to make suit to him for his Child as he doth verse following and so make way unto the working of the Miracle Observ 1 Observ 1. That we ought to be ready on all good occasions to speak in defence of the truth of God and of his faithfull Servants which profess and maintain the Truth against the Enemies thereof Thus our Saviour Christ at this time was ready and forward to speak in defence of his Disciples and of the Truth it self which the Scribes laboured to oppose and disgrace So at other times when the Scribes and Pharisees cavilled and took exceptions wongfully against his Disciples labouring to disgrace both them and the Gospel it self which they professed our Saviour took upon him their defence and was forward to speak in their just cause So before we heard Chap. 2. 25. when they cavilled at them for plucking ears of Corn on the Sabbath to quench their present hunger Christ spake in their defence c. So in the same Chapter ver 19 c. when they took exceptions at his Disciples for not fasting as John's Disciples did he answers for them In like manner ought we to be ready on all occasions to speak in defence of the Truth and of such as professe the same when we see them and the Truth it self to be opposed by the adversaâ—ies thereof as by false Teachers Hereticks Papists Anabaptists c. Thus did the blessed Martyrs By this we shew zeal for God's Glory Especially this Duty is required of such as are in publike Place and Authority in the Church as of Magistrates and Ministers of the Church These above all other should be forward to speak in defence of the Truth and of the true faithfull Servants of God which professe it when they see them to be opposed by the wicked Enemies of the Truth 2 Cor. 13. 8. Paul saies We can do nothing against the Truth but for the Truth which shews what is the duty of all Pastors and Ministers of the Church viz. To stand for maintenance of the Truth and therefore to be ready and forward to speak in defence of it when occasion is offered This was coâ—â—endable in Gamaliel though a Pharisee and as yet no true friend to the Gospel when the Apostles and their Doctrine was opposed and persecuted by the High-Priest and Council of the Jew insomuch that they conspired together to put the Apostles to Death for preaching then did Gamaliel stand up and speak in defence of the Apostles although he did not so thoroughly defend their cause as he should have done Acts 5. 34. Use Use For reproof of such as are slack and backward to speak in defence of God's Truth and of his faithfull Servants professing the same when they see them opposed or like to be disgraced by wicked men and in steâ—d hereof do by their silence
betray the Truth and professors of it into the hands of wicked Enemies and Adversaries What is this but to betray the cause of God yea what is it else in effect and upon the matter but secretly and indirectly at the least to deny the Truth of God when being called to profess it and to speak in defence of it and of the Professors of it they are silent and hold their peace See 2 Tim. 4. 16. Let every one take heed of such untimely silence in the cause of God and of his Truth remember that fearfull threatning of our Saviour Matth. 20. 33. Whosoever shall deny me before men c. Now this is one kind of denyall of Christ when we see his Truth and Gospel and the Professors of it opposed and disgraced by the Wicked and do not open our mouths in the just defence both of them and the Truth Take heed of being guilty herein and on the contrary pray for zeal and courage to stand for the Truth of God and to open our mouths in defence of it when we shall be called to do it Observ 2 Observ 2. In that our Saviour did thus expostulate with the Scribes not onely in way of defending his Disciples and the Gospel it self which the Scribes went about to disgrace but also for the better convincing and reproving of the Scribes and to stop their mouths Hence we may learn That it is our duty not onely to maintain and defend the Truth of God but also to use the best means we can for the convincing and stopping of the mouths of such as are Enemies to the Truth Especially this concerneth Ministers of the Word But of this see before upon ver 13. Mark 9. 17 18 And one of the Multitude answered and said Master I have brought unto thee my Son which Febr. 18. 1626. hath a dumb Spirit c. OF the two first occasions of the Miracle we have heard before viz. 1. Of our Saviour Christ's returning back and coming again to those nine Disciples of his whom he left behind him when he went into the Mount to be transfigured 2. Of his Question or Demand put unto the Scribes touching the matter or cause about which he found them disputing with his Disciples Now followeth the third occasion of the Miracle viz. The sure or supplication made unto Christ by the Father of the Child that was possessed with the Devil in behalf of his Child which sute and request he put up unto Christ in way of Answer to that Question moved by our Saviour unto the Scribes in the former Verse For he asking the Scribes what was the matter about which they were then reasoning or debating with his Disciples and both the Scribes and the Disciples being hereupon silent and answering nothing as it seemeth presently the Father of the possessed Child being much affected with his Child's case makes haste to speak and to make sute to our Saviour in behalf of his Child and withal by way of Answer unto Chriâ—t's Question moved to the Scribes doth imply what the matter was about which they disputed with the Disciples namely about the casting of the Devil out of his Child which he saith he had sought to the Disciples to do and they could not effect it Now in this sute or supplication put up here unto Christ by this party in the behalf of his afflicted Child two things are to be considered 1. The manner of his speaking In humble and reverent manner expressed by this honourable title which he gives to Christ calling him Master 2. The matter of his Speech or Supplication which consisteth of two parts 1. He doth acquaint our Saviour that he had brought unto Him his Son 2. He useth a two-fold Motive unto Christ to shew mercy on his Child 1. From the grievous Misery and Affliction of his Child which he layeth open unto Christ certifying him that he had a Devil and relating the pitiful manner of the Devil 's taking and tormenting him 2. From the unability of the Disciples to cast out the Devil in that he had sought to them to do it and they were not able Of the first The manner of his speaking Master or Lord Matth. 17. 15. A title of honour and reverence by which he testifieth his Humility and Reverence toward the Person of Christ Matth. 17. 14. it is said he fell upon his Knees before Christ which it is likely he did not onely in way of civil reverence but as a Token of some religious honour and worship which he shewed toward the Person of Christ For although it is probable that he was not yet throughly instructed in the God-head of Christ yet it is likely that he did in part believe it being perswaded that he was more than a meer man and that he had a Divine Power and Ability to work Miracles for otherwise he would not have thus made sute to Him for his Child Observ Observ In that the Father of this possessed Child though not as yet throughly instructed in the God-head of Christ but in part onely believing it and being perswaded of his Divine Power did nevertheless behave himself in such humble and reverent manner before Christ when he made sute to him for his Child Hence we may learn that we ought much more to carry our selves in all humble and reverent manner in time of Prayer whensoever we put up our sutes and supplications unto God and unto Christ being now in Heaven c. Our hearts must be inwardly affected with due reverence of the Majesty of God and of Christ in time of Prayer and we are also to expresse it by outward reverence in our words and gestureâ— c. But of this I spake lately upon the Preface of the Lord's Prayer See also before in Ver. 40. of Chap. 1. and Chap. 7. Ver. 25. Now followeth the matter or substance of the Speech and Supplication of this party unto Christ for his afflicted Child Wherein he acquainteth our Saviour that he had brought unto Him his Son I have brought unto thee my Son His meaning is that he had brought him to some place near to or not far off from the place where Christ now was for he had not yet brought him before Christ or into his sight and presence as may aappear by that which followeth Ver. 19 20. Luke 9. 38. he calls him his onely Child whereby he doth amplify the matter aggravating his own sorrow the more to move our Saviour to shew mercy to the Child being not only his Son but his onely Son yea his onely Child as is probable Matth. 17. 15. Lord have mercy upon my Son c. Observ Observ Parents ought not only to be affected with the outward bodily Afflictions and Miseries of their Children but also to take special care of them using the best means for their help and relief as in sickness pain necessity c. So did the Father of this possessed Child as he was much affected with grief
ye not carnall and walk as men Quest Quest By whom and into whose hands or power was Christ to be delivered or given up as a Malefactor c. Answ Answ 1. By Judas one of his own Disciples betraying him into the hands of the Jews for thirty pieces of Silver Matth. 26. 14. Judas went and covenanted with the Chief Priests to betray him for thirty pieces of Silver 2. By the Jewish Officers and Rulers who having him in their hands delivered him up unto the Gentiles that is to the Power and Authority of the Romans to be crucified Matth. 20. 18. The Son of Man shall be betrayed unto the Chief Priests and Scribes c. And they shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock scourge and crucify him And Mat. 27. 2. They having bound him led him away and delivered him to Pontius Pilare the Roman Governour Observ 1 Observ 1. In that Christ Jesus the Son of God was thus to be delivered into the hands of men as a Malefactor to be condemned and put to death and all for our sakes and in our room and stead This teacheth us what our estate is by Nature and in our selves in regard of our sins viz. That we are all Malefactors guilty of such Crimes and Offences as do deserve death yea eternal death of Soul and Body and therefore that we are worthy to be given up and delivered as Malefactors not into the hands of men but into the power of the Devil himself the Executioner of God's Wrath and Justice to be for ever punished and tormented in Hell Ephes 2. 3. by Nature we are said to be Children of Wrath that is such as have by our sins deserved the Wrath and Curse of God and to be delivered up into the hands of Satan as the Executioner of God's Wrath. If it were not so Christ should never have been given up as a Malefactor into the hands of men to be condemned and punished with death This he suffered not for himself for he was guiltless and innocent but for us and in our room and stead In all this he was our Surety or Pledge taking upon him by God's Appointment and his own free Will the Guilt of our sins and so bearing our sorrows and the whole Punishment due to our sins Therefore when we hear that he was thus delivered as a Malefactor to be punished c. we are in him to consider and behold our selves and the desert of our sins and in the sight and feeling hereof to be truly humbled before God mourning for our sins which were the cause of Christ's being delivered into the hands of men c. Observ 2 Observ 2. In that it is mentioned here as one special part of the Sufferings of Christ our Saviour that he was to be delivered into the hands and power of wicked men his enemies to be abused by them at their pleasure that is to be unjustly accused condemned punished as a Malefactor And we may learn That it is a great affliction and tryall to be delivered or given up into the hands of wicked men to be abused at their will and pleasure For this cause David desired That he might not fall into the hand of man that is into the power of wicked men his enemies to be vanquished and put to the sword by them 2 Sam. 24. 14. And our Saviour Matth. 10. 17. warneth his Disciples To beware of men because they would deliver them up to the Councills and they would scourge them in their Synagogues c. And 2 Thess 3. 2. Paul desires them to pray for him That he might be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men Better it is in some respects to be given up to the teeth of wild Beasts as Daniel and Ignatius were and as the antient custom was to deal with some Malefactors than to be given up into the power of wicked men For wild Beasts are less malicious and cruell in their kind than wicked men are Prov. 12. 10. The tender mercies of the Wicked are cruell Homo homini lupus Vse Vse See what cause for us to pray unto God if it be his will to keep from us this grievous affliction and tryall and not to bring it upon us not to give us up or to suffer us to be given up into the hands of wicked men to be abused or to be unjustly and cruelly dealt withall by them at least not to leave us absolutely to their will and pleasure but to curb and restrain their power and malice against us The more cause have we thus to pray at this time considering that our sins and the sins of this Land do justly deserve this heavy punishment and affliction to be delivered into the hands of wicked men our enemies and the enemies of God and of his Church and the Lord seemeth to threaten us at this time with this Judgment c. Observ 3 Observ 3. See what we may look for if we be Christ's true Disciples even to be thus dealt with as he was to suffer this which he suffered before us viz. To be betrayed and delivered up into the hands of our malicious and wicked enemies if God see it good thus to exercise us yea not onely so but to be betrayed and perfidiously dealt withall even by such as are near or dear unto us and do professe love and friendship to us If this were done to Christ our Head then may it be done to us his members yea much more to us and we may look for it The Disciple is not herein above his Master Luke 21. 16. Ye shall be betrayed both by Parents and Brethren and Kins-folks and Friends and some of you shall they cause to be put to Death And this was verified in sundry of the blessed Martyrs both of antient and latter times who were thus betrayed and delivered into the hands of their cruell and malicious Persecutors and that by their own Friends Kindred and near Acquaintance The like may be our case if the Lord see good thus to try us which therefore must move us before hand to prepare and arm our selves with faith patience and Christian courage to bear this grievous Tryall as we shall find it to be no doubt if ever it happen unto us as it hath done to Christ and to many of the Saints and Faithful that have lived before us Pray therefore unto the Lord to furnish us with such Graces whereby we may be inabled to bear this Tryall that we may not be dismayed by it in our Christian profession Observ 4 Observ 4. Here is also matter of comfort for Us and all the Faithful if at any time this do befall us that we be betrayed or delivered up into the hands of men yea of wicked men and our malicious enemies and that by such as profess outward friendship to us In this case let us remember the example of Christ himself our Head and Saviour not thinking much to be so perfidiously dealt withall in this kind as
3. The Lenity and Patience of our Saviour toward his Disciples in that he doth not sharply reprove them as he might have done for their great Corruption in seeking Preheminence one above another much less doth he reject or cast them off for this Offence but he dealeth gently and mildly with them only questioning with them about the matter to bring them to the sight of their sin and then teaching and exhorting them to the contrary practice Ver. 35. Now this should teach us after his example to shew like gentleness and patience toward Sinners c. Now followeth the Effect which followed in the Disciples They held their peace Quest Quest What was the cause of their silence Answ Answ Being guilty in their Consciences that they had much offended by their ambitious and foolish disputation about Preheminence one above another they were ashamed in themselves and afraid to confess the matter lest they should be reproved of Christ and so be put to more open shame This appears by the words following Observ 1 Observ 1. One Effect of sin committed is that it brings shame upon the Offenders 1. The Guilt of it being felt and perceived doth smite them with inward shame and confusion before God in their Consciences So in the Disciples here So in Adam and Eve at the first Rom. 6. 21. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed 2. It brings outward shame and disgrace upon the Sinner before Men and Angels and that both temporal in this life and eternal after this life in Hell if it be not repented of Use 1 Vse 1. See the wickedness of such as do not only commit Sin but even glory in it or boast of it as if it were a Grace or an Ornament to them to swear drink excessively profane the Sabbath c. This is to glory in their shame For Sin is the cause of shame and confusion before God and in the Conscience and so they shall find it by woful experience to be whensoever God shall awake their sleeping Conscience and bring them to sight of their sins and the more they now glory in sin the more shame and confusion shall it bring forth in their Consciences hereafter Vse 2 Use 2. This should be as a curb or bridle to restrain and keep us from committing Sin and from defiling our Consciences with the guilt of it when we consider the Effect and Fruit which it will bring forth hereafter that is to say shame and confusion both inward of Conscience and also outward shame yea everlasting shame and confusion in Hell if it be not repented of Observ 2 Observ 2. In that the Disciples being touched with shame for their sin do hide and conceal the matter not coming to a plain and direct Confession of their fault as they should have done we learn this that by Nature we are very backward and unwilling to confess and acknowledge our sins and corruptions which we are guilty of and on the contrary we are desirous to hide and cover the same This we see here in Christ's Disciples and in our first Parents how loth they were to acknowledge their Offence and how they laboured to cloak and cover the same by putting off the fault from one to another the Man laid the fault upon his Wife and she upon the Serpent c. Thus David also for a time did hide his sin in silence Psal 32. 3. and was loth to lay it open by confession to God Now if it be thus with the Saints of God how much more with the Wicked It is no mervail if they be backward and unwilling to acknowledge their sins and desirous to hide them both from God and Men. This is natural to us all that although we are forward to commit sin yet we are backward to confess it unto God or unto Men when we are called so to do Though we are not ashamed to sin yet we are ashamed to confess our sins plainly to God or Men Experience shews this to be true in those that have so many excuses and pretences to colour over and to cloak and hide their sins and corruptions rather than they will come to a plain Confession of them when they are admonished or reproved Vse 1 Use 1. See how great Enemies we are by Nature to our own spiritual good and salvation in that we are so backward and loth to lay open our sins and corruptions unto God and Men by Confession that so they may be pardoned As if one that hath a deadly wound or dangerous Disease should be unwilling to make it known to the Physitian or Surgeon that it might be cured and should seek rather to hide and cover it were not such a one his own Enemy yea were he not accessory to his own death if he should dy of that Wound or Disease Vse 2 Use 2. To move us to labour and strive against this natural backwardness and unwillingness to confess our sins unto God and Men and on the contrary to be ready and forward on all occasions to lay them open by Confession both unto God first and principally and then also unto men so far as is fit and so far forth as we have by them given offence or scandal to men To this end consider both the danger of hiding our sins and the contrary benefit and good that comes of confessing them Prov. 28. 13. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper but he that confesseth and forsaketh them shall have Mercy 1 Joh. 1. 9. If we confess our sins he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sins c. Imitate Job herein who protesteth that he did not cover his Transgressions as Adam by hiding his Iniquity in his bosom Now followeth the fourth and last thing in the words viz. The Cause or Reason of their silence For by the way they had disputed c. The Cause was the fault and sin which they knew themselves guilty of in disputing by the way about Primacy or Preheminence one above another The guiltiness of their Conscience made them ashamed and did strike them with silence They disputed or reasoned and debated the matter between themselves This shews the greatness of their fault and sin in that they did not only conceive ambitious thoughts of Preheminence one above another but did also utter these thoughts by disputing and contending in words one with another about the matter Who should be the greatest that is Which of them should be chief in honour and dignity above the rest and should have the highest place of Authority or Office under him at such time as he should take upon him the Glory and Majesty of his Kingdom as he was Messiah and should begin to exercise and shew forth the same For the conceiving hereof we must know that which we have often heâ—rd before that the Disciples of Christ though they were in part taught and instructed in the Doctrine of Christ's Person and Office and did
love to him again by the fruit of our obedience to his will for this is the most excellent fruit and testimony of true love to God 1 Joh. 5. 3. This is the love of God that we keep his Commandments c. If thou wouldest be truely thankfull to God for his infinite love in sending Christ to be thy Saviour shew it by Obedience to his blessed will by thy care to glorify him in thy life and Conversation And to this end Pray for a true feeling of the length breadth depth and height of God's love to thee in Christ as the Apostle doth Ephes 3. 18. Use 2 Use 2. This is matter of great comfort to all penitent sinners that are truely humbled for their sins to assure them that God having Ordained and sent his own Son into the World to this very end to Redeem and save such therefore he neither can nor will reject such sinners as are truely humbled and do come unto him to seek and crave Pardon and Mercy How may this comfort such humbled sinners who having offended God and beginning to feel the burden of their sins are afraid to come unto God for mercy How should this encourage such to come unto him and to seek unto him by Repentance and by the Prayer of Faith for Pardon c. knowing that he desireth not the death of a sinner but that he should repent and be saved and this he hath sufficiently declared by sending his own Son into the World to Redeem and save sinners c. Think of this seriously and let not the greatness of thy sins hinder thee from comming to God for mercy Though they be red as Crimson c. Use 3 Use 3. Seeing God hath so shewed his love to us in sending his Son to Redeem us this ought to move us to love one another truely and to shew our love by seeking the good and Salvation of each other 1 Joh. 4. 11. Beloved if God so loved us we ought also to love one another Observ 4 Observ 4. The greatness of our sins and misery by nature in that God the Father saw no way to Redeem and deliver us but by sending his own Son into the World to take our nature on him and to dye and suffer for our sins for this was the very end of his being sent into the World viz. to Redeem us from sin by the merits of his death Rom. 8. 3. God sending his Son in the likeness of sinfull flesh and for sin c. Now in that there was no other way or means for us to be delivered from our sins and to be reconciled to God but onely by the sending of Christ the Son of God to work our Redemption and that by dying and suffring the wrath of God for us this shews the hainousness and grievousness of our sins and greatness of our misery by nature by reason of sin Our sins were they which fetched Christ from Heaven and caused him to be sent forth from the bosome of his Father into the World to take our nature upon him yea to dye and suffer for us Use Use Let us labour to see and feel this hainousness of our sins and greatness of misery in our selves and in sight thereof to be truely humbled with godly sorrow yea to hate and detest our sins as the cause of all that misery which Christ the Son of God was sent from Heaven to deliver us from Especially now we come to the Sacrament in which is represented to us the death of Christ and work of Redemption which he was sent to perform which should therefore put us in mind of our sins and break our hearts with godly sorrow for them Till we be thus humbled we are not fit to be partakers of that redemption which Christ came to purchase for us which is sealed in the Sacraments He came to heal the broken-hearted c. Mark 9. 38 39 40. And John answered him saying Master c. Sept. 2. 1627. HAving finished the fourth principal part of this Chapter in which our Saviour taught his Disciples the practice of humility in a private house at Capernaum Now we are come to the fifth and last part of the Chapter in which the Evangelist layeth down sundry other Points of Christian doctrine which our Saviour took occasion at the same time as is probable to teach unto his Disciples But first the Evangelist setteth down a Conference which happened between our Saviour Christ and John his Disciple touching the fact of the disciples in forbidding one who cast out devils in the Name of Christ and did not follow him In which Conference are two things contained 1. The speech or words used by John unto Christ Ver. 38. 2. Christ's answer unto them Verse 39 40. In the first consider two things 1. The manner of John's speaking unto Christ viz. In reverent manner calling him Master giving him this title in token of reverence 2. The matter of his speech containing a Narration or report of the fact of the Disciples in forbidding him that cast out devils c. It is likely that John took occasion from Christ's former words to relate this matter to him Observ Observ See how reverently John speaketh unto Christ calling him by this honourable Title Master thereby testifying his reverent respect of him which may teach us our duty viz. not onely to have our hearts inwardly affected with a religious fear and reverence of the Person of Christ Jesus now in heaven but also to shew it by all outward tokens of reverence in our words gestures and whole behaviour towards him And as at all times so especially when we come before him at any time to perform any special religious duty or service as in Prayer hearing his Word receiving his Sacraments c. If the disciples were so reverently affected toward Christ living on earth with them in his state of humiliation much more ought we now that he is exalted to the right hand of God in heaven Psal 2. 11. Even Kings and Judges of the earth are commanded to serve the Lord with fear and reverenceâ— and to kiss the son that is to perform all reverent subjection unto the Person of Christ lest he be angry with them c. Of the second The matter of John's speech used unto Christ viz. the Narration or Reporting unto him of his own and his fellow disciples fact in forbidding one that cast out Devils in Christ's Name c. Which Narration consisteth of two parts 1. Touching the party whom they saw casting out devils in Christ's Name who is also further set forth by his outward profession or manner of life negatively set down He was one that did not follow Christ 2. Touching their own behaviour or practice towards him In that they did forbid him to cast out devils c. Together with the reason why they did so Because he followed not Christ First To open the meaning of the words We saw one casting out devils Viz.
to our Saviour to put this case of conscience to him Whether lawfull for a man c. but under this pretence they did hide a malicious intent and purpose to tempt our Saviour and to entrap him by his answer to them So at other times they used to cover and cloke their wicked purposes and practises with a shew of Religion and Holiness Matth. 23. 14. Ye devour widows houses and for a preâ—ence make long prayers c. Thus wicked Balaam Num. 23. 1 c. under pretence of offering a solemn Sacrifice and of going to consult with God did hide his wicked purpose of cursing Gods people Thus wicked Jezabel 1 King 21. under pretence of a Religious Fast caused Naboth to be falsly accused and put to death that Ahab might have his Vineyard Use Use Let this hypocritical and wicked practice be far from every one of us who professe to be the true servants of God Of all sins take heed of those that are practised under pretence of holiness and Religion Dissembled holiness is double iniquity It is a great sin and offence against God to defraud or oppresse others to speak evill of others or to slander and backbite others c. to wreck our malice or wrath against others these are every one of them great sins and offences against God but never so offensive and dishonourable to God as when they are practised under a colour and shew of holiness Religion or zeal for Gods glory For the more excellent a thing true Religion and Zeal is the more haynous and odious is it before God for any to abuse it as a cloke and cover for sin Let every one therefore fear and take heed of this high degree of hypocrisie and wickedness as being most odious to God and Man Mark 10. 3 4. And he answered and said unto them What did Moses command you Febr. 3. 1627. OF the first part of the Disputation between our Saviour and the Pharisees touching divorcement of Wives we have heard Verse 2. namely of the question propounded by them unto our Saviour touching this matter Whether it were lawful for a man to put away his Wife viz. for such small causes or occasions of dislike or discontent for which the custome of the Jewes in those times was to put away their Wives Now followes the second part of the disputation viz. our Saviour's answer to that question of the Pharisees which answer is made by way of propounding another question to him demanding of them what Moses did command them touching this matter Verse 3. He answered and said unto them What did Moses c. That is What is the written Law of Moses or rather of God by Moses touching divorcing or putting away of Wives Now this question he asketh of them not that he was ignorant of the Law of Moses touching this matter but because they propounded the question to tempt and entrap him and so to bring him into disgrace and dislike or hatred with the people therefore to prevent this their malicious purpose he doth not give them a direct answer presently in his own name but refers them for an answer to the Law of Moses that is to the authority of the Scriptures and the rather because they professed great knowledg in the Law of Moses and that they did highly esteem of the same And this he did also to give occasion by this question to further conference and discussing of the matter Quest Quest Why doth our Saviour answer them at all seeing he knew them to be grosse hypocrites and malicious enemies and therefore as it may seem to be unworthy of an answer Answ Answ 1. To convince and stop their mouths and lest by his silence he should give them occasion to insult over him as if he either could not or durst not answer them according to that of Solomon Prov. 26. 5. Answer a fool according to his folly lest he be wise in his own conceit 2. For the better informing of the multitude and of his own disciples being present touching this matter and the rather because his disciples were as yet to seek and not thoroughly resolved in it as appeareth by their asking him again of it afterward in the house Verse 10. Therefore our Saviour in answering these Pharisees had not so much respect to them as to the good and edification of his Disciples and the multitude who were teachable Observ 1 Observ 1. Though it be not alwayes fit to answer profane and wicked men which are open and known enemies of Religion when they propound captioâ—s questions to us about matters of Religion onely to entrap and ensnare us for sometimes silence is the best answer to such as Solomon saith Prov. 26. 4. Answer not a fool c And our Saviour forbids us to give holy things to dogs c. Matth. 7. yet sometimes it is expedient and necessary to answer such both for the convincing and stopping of their mouths and also for the benefit and good of others who perhaps are present at such times and may reap good by our answers and lastly for the discharge of our own conscience lest we should in such cases be wanting to the truth in giving testimony unto it Observ 2 Observ 2. In that our Saviour dealeth so wisely and circumspectly here in answering the captioâ—s question of the Pharisees not answering them directly in his own name lest he should minister occasion of cavilling to them but referring them to Moses Law for answer asking what Moses commanded in this caseâ— and so opposing their question with another question the better to convince them hence we are to learn the like wisdom and prudence in framing our answers to such malicious and crafty enemies of Religion if at any time they shall come upon us with such intricate captious and â—nsnaring questions seeking advantage against us to bring us into trouble or to bring us and the truth if self into disgrace Here we must remember to be wise as Serpents in answering such malicious and politick enemies of the truth and not onely in our answers but in all our conference with such to be careful and wise so to order it that we give them no advantage against our selves or the truth it self This wisdom our Saviour teacheth us here by his manner of answering these Pharisees coming to tempt him with a question So at other times as Matth. 22. 21. when they went about to entangle him by the question of paying tribute to Caesar he answered them so as they could take no advantage bidding them to give unto Caesar the things that were Caesars c. The like wisdom was practised by the Martyrs when they were brought before authority and their enemies went about to entrap them by captious questions c. Observ 3 Observ 3. In that our Saviour referreth these Pharisees here unto the written Law of Moses that is unto the Scriptures for answer to their question thereby he teacheth them and us that the
the Nation of the Jews both of ancient and latter times for which therefore they are often reproved both by Moses and the Prophets Exod. 32. 9. The Lord said to Moses I have seen this people and behold it is a stiff-necked people Act. 7. 51. Steven tells them they were stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart c. Now as they were a people whose hearts were hardned in many sins so especially in some sins in particular and above others one of which was the bitter hatred of husbands against their own Wives insomuch that if they once conceived great dislike and hatred against them they grew in time to be so hardned in this Malice that they cared not what abuse they offered them nor what cruelty they exercised against them yea though it were by wilfull murthering of them as some Writers do testify of this people And this is that special kind of hardness of heart which our Saviour here speaketh of charging the Jews with it and affirming it to be the special cause for which Moses gave a Law of toleration for Divorcing of the Wife in that case of hatred conceived by her husband against her viz. for the better preventing of this cruel and unmercifull dealing of such malitious and hard-hearted Husbands toward their own Wives And these words of our Saviour are a secret check and reproof to these Pharisees for their perverse alledging of Moses's Law for the justifying of unlawfull Divorces for sleight causes q. d. that Law of Moses is so far from excusing such Divorces practised amongst you that it rather shews the wickednesse of your hearts then the lawfulnesse of such Divorces c. It followeth He wrote you this Precept That is he gave you in writing this Politicall Law of toleration touching Divorcement in the case of the Husbands dislike of the Wife which Law our Saviour calleth a Precept not because it was simply and absolutely so in regard of the Divorce if self for so it was onely a permission as hath bin shewed but because it was in part a Precept or command namely in respect of giving the Bill of Divorcement to the Wife Observ 1 Observ 1. See here the special cause moving the Lord by the Political Law of Moses to permit and tolerate unlawfull Divorces for a time amongst the people of the Jews the cause was the cruelty and hard-heartedness of that people toward their own Wives which was such that when once they grew into hatred of them they would rather murder them or do them any mischief than live with them therefore to prevent this outragious and unnatural cruelty and bloudy dealing of the Husband with the Wife the Lord did rather for a time permit such hard-hearted and cruel Husbands to put away their Wives by giving them a Bill of Divorce than by tying them to live with them to give occasion of such outrage and cruelty to be shewed by the Husband against the Wife which therefore shews that such unlawfull Divorces were never allowed of God but onely tolerated for a time amongst that cruell and hard-hearted people as a lesser evill to prevent and avoid a greater Quest Quest Why did not the Lord rather cure and quite take away this hard-heartedness and obstinate Malice of the Jewish Husbands against their Wives as he could have done then thus tolerate the same Answ Answ Though the Lord could have speedily cured and taken away this great evill yet he did rather choose to tolerate and bear with it for a time thereby to shew his Patience and long-suffering towards this obstinate people and withall to teach all Magistrates and Governours in the Church and Common-wealth not to use too much rigour in their Government but wisely to moderate and temper the same according to the disposition of those under their Government tolerating some evills for a time which they cannot at first reform and that for the preventing of greater evills Vide Jan. Analys in Deuter. cap. 21. 15. et cap. 24. 1. Observ 2 Observ 2. Here we see further how hainous and grievous a sin it is and how offensive and odious unto God for Husbands to deal hardly or cruelly and unmercifully with their own Wives either by continuall afflicting and vexing them in their life time or which is most hainous and fearfull of all by seeking the untimely death of them or being willingly accessary to the same that this is a most hainous and grievous sin in any Husband may appear by this that for the preventing and avoiding hereof God himself did appoint Moses by a Judicial or Politick Law to tolerate unlawfull Divorces as a lesser evill which yet in it self was also a great evill and sin Here then we may see that although it is a great sin for Husbands to put away their Wives or to seperate from them without just cause and therefore Mal. 2. 16. it is said the Lord hateth putting away of the Wife yet it is a more hainous and odious sin before God for Husbands to deal cruelly with their own Wives by continual and daily vexing and abusing them and especially by seeking the death of them or being willingly accessary to the same For if all kinds and degrees of murder and cruelty be odious unto God then especially that which is committed or practised against such as the Lord hath tyed us unto by nearest bond now the Husband is by Gods Ordinance so nearly linked and joyned to the Wife that they are to be accompted as one person as we shall hear afterward It is a hainous and odious sin for any to practise murder or cruelty against any of their near friends or kindred especially for the child to deal cruelly with his own Father or mother but it is yet more hainous for the Husband to practise cruelty against his own Wife who is dearer to him than his Parents And as it is an unnatural sin for the child to be cruel and hard-hearted toward his Parents so much more for the Husband to be so unto his own Wife which is himself and therefore in being cruel to his Wife he is cruell and unmercifull to himself which is most unnatural Ephes 5. 29. No man ever yet hated his own flesh c. Vse Vse For admonition to all Husbands to fear and take heed of this most hainous and odious sin of cruelty and unmercifull dealing against their own Wives being a sin so unnatural and so detestable before God And to this end they must be admonished withall to take heed of that which is the usual cause of such cruelty and that is the conceiving of hatred dislike or discontentment against their Wives for any cause and especially they must take heed of harbouring and cherishing any such hatred or dislike in their hearts lest in time it come to be so rooted in them that it grow incurable and lest it break forth at length into outragious cruel and unmercifull dealing against their Wives as many times it doth On the contrary
Marriages are first made in heaven See this also in the marriage between Boaz and Ruth Here note That when we say God is the Author of the marriage-union this is to be understood only of the union between such persons as are lawfully and rightly joyned in marriage according to Gods Ordinance at least in regard of the substance of that which God in his Word requireth in a lawfull marriage For otherwise if any be joyned in marriage in unlawful manner or by unlawful means as without consent of Parents or with such as are within the degrees of kindred forbidden Levit. 18. or by any other unlawful means God doth not joyn them together But in all lawful marriages it is God that doth joyn man and wife together Vse 1 Use 1. See by this the dignity of the married estate in that God himself is the Author and efficient cause of it and of that near union which is between man and wife in that estate But of this before Verse 6. Vse 2 Use 2. See how great a sin it is for any to break or dissolve this union between man and wife or to give cause or occasion hereunto as by the foul sin of adultery or by ministring matter of strife and debate between man and wife whether this be done by the married couple themselves or by others This is to divide those whom God himself hath joyned and so to sin directly against the Ordinance of God Let every one therefore take heed they be not guilty of this sin Use 3 Use 3. Seeing it is God that joyneth man and wife in the married estate This should teach married couples to look at God's hand and providence in their marriage and in the uniting and joyning of them therein often considering and remembring who it was that brought them together at first and drew their affections one to the other and gave success to the means used for the accomplishment of the Matrimoniall conjunction between them that so this consideration may be a means more and more to unite their hearts in true marriage love and to cause them to shew their love by all fruits of it as by bearing with each others infirmities c. and by doing all Marriage-duties one to the other more conscionably To this end they are often to remember that they were not joyned together by chance c. Use 4 Vse 4. See how fit for such as intend and desire to enter into the married estate first to seek unto God by prayer both that he may direct them to such parties as are fit for them to be joyned with in marriage as also that he may unite their affections c. So Abraham's servant Gen. 24. 12. Prov. 19. 14. A prudent wife is from the Lord So is a prudent husband also Use 5 Use 5. This may comfort married persons against the troubles incident to the married estate In that he who hath joyned them together in that estate and called them to it will enable them to bear and go thorow the troubles and difficulties of it and not only so but sanctifie all unto them causing them to work for their spiritual good and to further them to heaven which should therefore cause them with patience contentedness and chearfulness to bear those troubles c. Doctr. 2 Doct. 2. That it is not in the power of man to untye or dissolve that union which God hath made betwixt man and wife in the married estate Our Saviour here gives a general Precept and warning that no man should presume to do it to shew that it is not in mans power only God himself who maketh this union can dissolve it either by the death of one or both of the married parties or in the case of adultery by giving liberty to the innocent party to be separated from the other by divorce and to marry with another Vse Use To confute the Papists teaching That it is in the power of the Church that is of the Pope as they mean it to dissolve the marriage bond betwixt man and wife in some cases and that out of the case of adultery for in that case they hold that the marriage bond is not dissolved As for example If the husband or the wife after marriage do make a religious Vow as they call it that is to say a Vow of perpetuall continency or that they will live a Monastical life in this case they hold That by reason of such a Vow made the Church or the Pope hath power to make void the marriage bond between husband and wife Vide Concil Trident. Sess 24. Can. 4. et 6. Herein the Pope discovereth himself to be that Antichrist foretold by the Apostle 2 Thess 2. 4. not only in equalling himself with God but exalting himself above God For God hath not any where in his Word dispensed with the separation of man and wife and dissolution of the marriage bond except in the case of adultery but the Pope doth dispense with it for other causes and not for adultery See how contrary he is to God Vide Bellarm. de Monachis lib. 2. c. 38. Doctr. 3 Doctr. 3. In that our Saviour speaks generally here not only of man and wife but of all other persons and things which God hath joyned together that man ought not to separate them hence we learn That it is a sin not only to separate man and wife being joyned of God in the married estate but also to separate any other persons or things whatsoever which God hath appointed to be joyned together For example It is a sin in any to separate between Christian brethren or friends c. by causing strife and debate between them One of the seven things which God in speciall manner hateth Prov. 6. 19. Him that soweth discord among brethren So also it is a sin to separate any of those things which God hath joyned and will have to be joyned together For this is to transgress the general Rule and Precept here delivered by our Saviour That what God hath joyned man may not put asunder Now there are many who are guilty of this sin of separating the things which God hath joyned 1. The Papists in separating the God head from the Manhood of Christ in the Office of Mediation holding him to be Mediator only according to his humane nature c. Also in separating the bread from the wine in the Lords Supper 2. Many also among our selves in our own Church do sin against this Rule of our Saviour For example Such as do separate good works and holy life from the profession of faith which God hath joyned Contrà Jam. 2. Such as separate Justification from Sanctification or forgiveness of sins from repentance which God hath joyned perswading themselves that their sins are forgiven and themselves justified though they live in sin c. Such also as do separate refraining of evil from doing of good in the practice of repentance Contra Rom. 12. 9. Such as do
wife as well as Adultery Answ Answ Because none other sin whatsoever doth so directly violate the marriage-Covenant and so dissolve the Marriage-bond as Adultery doth Quest 2 Quest 2. What need is there for divorcement to be permitted in the case of Adultery seeing that sinne ought by the Law of God to be punished with death Levit. 20. 10. Deut. 22. 22. Answ Answ Because humane Laws are often too favourable unto this sin not punishing it so severely as they should therefore where that penalty of death is not inflicted through the defect of humane Laws or negligence of the Magistrate there divorce is permitted and may take place if the innocent party desire and seek it by a lawful and orderly course Vse 1 Use 1. See by this the haynousnesse of the sin of Adultery properly so called viz. the incontinency practised by married persons in that it is of force to break and dissolve the most strait and near bond between man and wife c. See before Verse 8. Vse 2 Vse 2. Seeing the Word of God doth not permit or allow of divorcement or final separation between man and wife in any case or for any cause except adultery this should teach every Christian married couple to be the more careful so to live together and so to carry themselves one toward the other by mutual performance of all marriage-duties that they may find true comfort and good contentment in each others society and in dwelling and living together Seeing they cannot nor may not be parted or separated by divorcement for any cause except only for Adultery which breaketh the Marriage-bond therefore how needful for them to labour and pray for such true marriage-love and delight in each other and to make conscience of all duties of love c. that they may not desire to be parted asunder or have cause to desire it Therefore as they ought to be exceeding careful to shun the foul sin of adultery that so the marriage-bond may not be broken but remain inviolable between them so should they be no lesse careful so to live together that they may have comfort in living together c. Use 3 Use 3. Seeing man and wife being once joyned in marriage cannot afterward be separated untill death for any cause except for adultery this should teach such as are hereafter to enter into the married estate to be careful to make choyce of such persons to joyn themselves withall in the married estate as they may truly love and affect and so may live comfortably with them in that estate c. Observ 2 Observ 2. It is unlawful for such as are unjustly divorced that is for any cause except adultery to marry again during the life of their former wife or husband yea It is a great sin so to do even the sin of adultery and they adulterers that practise it So our Saviour here affirmeth expresly Reason Reason They break the Marriage-Covenant and bond by joyning themselves with others besides their own lawful wife or husband and this is adultery Vse Use Hence gather on the contrary That after divorce for adultery it is lawful to marry again especially for the innocent party and for the other too rather than live in fornication c. vide supra Observ 3 Observ 3. Contra Papists committeth adultery against her c. See here that the adulterer sinneth against many persons at once First against himself that is against his own soul and body Then against the party with whom he committeth the sin As also against her husband if she have any living And further as we see here he sinneth also against his own lawful wife by breaking his Marriage-Covenant with her And as this is true of the adulterer so of the adulteress So that this sin of adultery is committed against four or at least three persons at once which shews the haynousness and detestableness of it c. Though single fornication be a foul sin yet adultery is in this respect much more foul and odious Observ 4 Observ 4. And if a woman shall put away her husband c. See here that the wife hath equal power and right with the husband as touching divorcement in the case of adultery that is to say she may as lawfully desire and seek to be divorced from her husband as the husband from his wife for the sin of adultery Provided that she do it in such a manner and with such Christian modesty as becometh a wife being forced or urged in that case to proceed against her own husband for a crime of this nature 1 Cor. 7. 4. The wife hath as much power over her husband's body as the husband over the wifes by vertue of the Marriage-Covenant Therefore in case that Covenant be violated by adultery she hath as much right to be separated from him as he from her by divorcement Mark 10. 13 14. And they brought young children to him that he should touch them and his Disciples May 4. 16â—8 rebuked those that brought them c. HItherto of the first part of this Chapter viz. the Disputation of our Saviour in publike with certain of the Pharisees touching Divorcement together with his private Conference with his own Disciples about the same matter Now followeth the second part of the Chapter from this 13. Verse unto the 17. Verse In which the Evangelist recordeth our Saviour's gracious entertaining and blessing of certain young Children which were btought unto him to that end notwithstanding that his Disciples would have hindered them from being brought Where three things are to be considered 1. The fact of those that brought the children to Christ together with the end of it They brought young children to him c. 2. The fact of the Disciples Reproving those that brought them 3. The carriage of our Saviour both toward his Disciples and toward the children 1. Toward his disciples He was displeased with them and warned them to suffer little children to come unto him and not to forbid them yielding a reason a hereof because of such is the Kingdom of God 2. Toward the Children He took them in his arms c. Of the first They Who they were in particular that did this is not expressed by the Evangelist but most likely it is they were the Parents or other nearest friends of the children and it is also probable that they were of the better and more religious sort of people being well-affected to Christ's Person and Doctrine Brought young children to him Or Little children yea Infants as they are called Luke 18. 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That he should teach them That is desiring him to touch them or to put his hands upon them as it is Matth. 19. 13. Yet this was not all they desired but that he should also pray for them as appeareth in the same place Matth. 19. 13. And this latter seems to have been the chief end for which they brought their children unto him and for which they
every true child of God 1. Pray unto God to work and increase in us this holy affection 2. Labour for a true feeling and assurance of Gods love to us in Jesus Christ that this may cause us truely to love him again and to be zealous for his glory being offended when he is dishonoured by the sins of others 3. Labour to mortify all corrupt carnal and sinfull anger in our selves and in our own cause which is a hinderance and enemy to this holy anger Col. 3. 8. Put off all these anger wrath malice c. Ephes 4. 26. Now lest we offend in our anger against the sins of others as it is easy to do these Rules or Cautions are to be remembred by us 1. That our anger conceived against the sins of others must be upon good and sufficient ground that is upon notice taken of some manifest or known sin in others not upon a bare suspition without good ground neither must it be for trifles but for some great offence to God 2. Our anger must be so directed against the sin that it be not against the person offending unlesse it be with relation to the sin and in that respect onely We must here carefully distinguish between the person and the sin 3. Our displeasure must be joyned with love to the person against whom we are offended neither must it hinder us in doing any duty of love to the party but rather further us therein as in praying for the party in admonishing him c. Exod. 32. 32. Though Moses were angry at the peoples Idolatry yet he prayed for them 4. It must be joyned with sorrow and grief for the offence and dishonour of God So Mark 3. 5. Our Saviour looked angerly upon them mourning for the hardness of their hearts 5. Our anger and displeasure must be moderate not exceeding due measure either in regard of the passion or affection it self or in regard of the continuance of it Ephes 4. 26. Be angry and sin not Let not the Sun go down c. Neither must our anger be such as to distemper us or make us unfit for good duties either of God's worship or of our particular Callings neither must it cause us to break out into any undecent behaviour 6. Our displeasure against the sins of others must be joyned with indignation also against our own sins and that first and principally Observ 2 Observ 2. In that our Saviour was displeased at this fault and offence even in his own Disciples which were near and dear unto him we may learn that we should be offended and displeased at sin even in our best friends even in such as we most love and affect We must not respect persons in our anger against sin but be unpartial in it being offended at sin wheresoever we find it and in whatsoever persons though in our dearest friends kindted acquaintance c. Our Saviour was offended at Peter himself calling him Satan Matth. 16. when he went about to perswade him that he should not suffer death Moses was very angry at the people of Israel for their sin of Idolatry as we heard and yet he loved them so dearly that he wished himself to be blotted out of God's Book if it had been possible rather than their sin should not be forgiven Exod. 32. Job shewed himself offended at his own Wife calling her foolish woman Job 2. Love to our friends must be no hinderance to our holy anger and displeasure against their sins but rather a help and furtherance for this affection ought to come from love to their persons and to be joyned with it as we have heard and so the more we love them the more we should be affected with indignation against them when they dishonour God Use Use To reprove such as can be angry and displeased at sin in their enemies or in strangers but not in their friends kindred familiar acquaintance c. whom they love and affect They can bear with grosse sins in such and wink at them and are not moved to displeasure They can like and approve of the faults of such and be well enough pleased with them yea they can commend and justify the faults of such as if they were vertues c. But this is carnal love which hinders them from being displeased at the sins of those whom they affect and it is also a plain argument that the anger they shew against the sins of others whose persons they affect not is also a carnal and sinfull anger and nothing less than that true holy zeal and indignation against sin which should be in them For if it were a holy anger they would be moved against the same sins in their friends as well as in their enemies Observ 3 Observ 3. In that our Saviour was not onely displeased but much displeased or offended at his Disciples for this fault and sin of hindering the little children from being brought to him we may gather that it is a great sin any way to hinder the Spiritual good and Salvation of Infants or little Children yea though it be unwittingly or of ignorance as it is probable this was done by the Disciples much more then to do it willingly or against knowledg Christ is much offended still at such Now the Salvation of young Children is hindered when the means of their Spiritual good and Salvation is neglected As when they are kept or withheld from the Sacrament of Baptism which by the way shews the sin of such Parents as do neglect or defer it too long and especially the sin of the Anabaptists utterly denying that Sacrament to Infants c. Also by Parents neglecting to pray for their Children and to train them up Religiously so soon as they begin to have understanding and to be capable of Instruction c. Great is the sin of such Parents who thus neglect the means of the Spiritual good and Salvation of their children and so as much as lies in them do hinder their Salvation They are Spiritual Murtherers of the Souls of their own Children Let all Parents be admonished to take heed of this grievous sin that they be not guilty of it Mark 10. 14. But when Jesus saw it he was much displeased and said unto them Suffer the little children May 18. 1628. to come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the Kingdom of God HEre it followeth how our Saviour shewed his displeasure by his words to his Disciplas commanding them to suffer little children c. This Commandment hath also the force of a reproof whereby he blameth them for not suffering but rather hindering the children from coming to him Where 1. Consider the Precept or Commandment it self which is given both affirmatively Suffer little children to come unto me and negatively Forbid them not 2. The Reason of the Commandment why they should suffer little children to come to him c. Because of such is the Kingdom of God 3. A confirmation of that reason
us at first 1 Tim. 6. 17. Rich men are to be charged not to trust in uncertain riches c. And Pro. 23. 5. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not For riches certainly make themselves wings they flye away as an Eagle toward heaven This they do whensoever God calls for them or bids them to fly away then they are gone even as suddenly as an Eagle that takes her flight c. Consider how many wayes God hath to take our goods from us how many caâ—ualties they are subject to as Moths Theeves Fire Enemies c. Vse 2 Use 2. Seeing we possesse all worldly goods with this condition to part with them at any time when God shall require or take them from us this should move us daily to prepare our selves in affection and disposition of heart to do that which we know not how soon God may call us to do actually viz. to part with all or any part of our worldly goods learn daily to wean thy heart from the love of them to part with them even before thou dost part with them Remember that with this condition thou dost possesse and enjoy them c. Observ 2 Observ 2. How far the true love of God and of our Neighbour ought to prevail with us in this life even so far as to cause and move us to part with all our worldly wealth and substance if need be that is when the glory of God or the present necessity or good of our brethren requireth it Our Saviour being minded to put this young Ruler to a thorough tryal Whether he had kept the Commandements and consequently whether he did truly love God and his Neighbour which is the summ of the Law he enjoyns him to shew his love to God and Man by forsaking all c. implying that this is needful in some cases for the approving of our true love to God and to our Neighbour viz. to part with all our worldly substance for the glory of God and good of our brother Thus far should the love of God and of our brother prevail with us in some cases Luke 14. 33. Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath he cannot be my Disciple This is to be understood in some cases when Gods glory and the good of our brother requireth it Thus have many of the Saints of God shewed their love to God and to their brethren as the Apostles Verse 28. of this Chapter Lo we have forsaken all and have followed thee So also the Martyrs when they were called to give testimony to the truth of God and so to glorifie God and to confirm others in the truth by their example they were so far carried with love to God and desire of edifying and confirming their brethren in the truth that they parted with all they had in this world yea not only with goods but with life it self Reason Reason The true love of God is to love him above all other things in the world Matth. 10. 37. He that loveth fâ—ther or mother more than me is not worthy of me c. Now this we cannot do unlesse we be content to part with all we have for the advancement of his glory and in obedience to his Will Again we are required to love our Neighbour as our Selves that is as truly and unâ—eignedly as we love our selves yea and with the same or like degree of love which we bear to our selves Now in loving our selves that is our own persons we are content to part with all our goods for the safety and preservation of our life and person Job 2. 4. Skin for skin c. Therefore the love of our Neighbour also should so far prevail with us as to make us willing to part with all we have for the good of our Neighbour's person Use 1 Use 1. See how hard a matter it is to practise true love to God and Man and consequently to be a good Christian seeing it requires the forsaking of all we have in some cases c. Now this is not easie but most hard to practise Though easie to speak of yet not so to practise when a man is put to it indeed as we see in this young man He went away sorrowful when he was bid to do this He was forward in other good duties as in coming to Christ c. in performing outward obedience to the Commandements and that from his youth and it is probable that there were many other good duties which he would have readily performed if our Saviour had enjoyned him but this one of forsaking all he had how hard was it to him c See then the folly and ignorance of such as think it an easie matter to love God above all and to love their Neighbour as themselves and so to be a good Christian Indeed if Religion and Christianity consisted in words it were easie but it is nothing so here are deeds required and such a work and duty as is not easie but most hard yea impossible to flesh and blood even to part with all we have in this world for the glory of God and good of our brother if need require and we be called to it See then what need there is for us every one to pray unto God for special grace and the assistance of his Spirit to help us to do this if shall at any time put us to it c. Use 2 Vse 2. To conuince many to be void of the true love of God and of their Neighbour because they are so far far from being content to part with all they have for the glory of God and good of their brethren when need shall require that they are loath and unwilling to part with some little portion of their goods for the advancement of Gods glory and good of their brethren Such I mean who are so backward and slack to give any part of their wealth to good and religious uses as to the maintenance of Gods worship to the relief of the poor c. It must be drawn or wrung from them by Law as if all they contribute to such uses were lost How dwelleth the true love of God and of their brethren in such 1 Joh. 3. 17. Use 3 Use 3. See how to examine the truth and sincerity of our love to God and to our brethren look whether it so far prevail in our hearts as to make us willing to part with all our worldly goods and substance if need be for the furtherance of Gods glory and for the good of our brother's soul or body If it be so it argues true love to God and our Neighbour On the contrary if thou professe never so much love to God and to thy Neighbour yet if thou hast not learned to be in some measure content to part with all thou hast in this world for the advancement of Gods glory and the good of thy brother if need shall require thou hast cause to suspect thy love
the blessed Martyrs c. Vse 1 Vse 1. Teacheth us not to mervail or take offence at it if at this day we see or hear of the like examples of such as are falsly accused and unjustly condemned and that by publike authority for such crimes as they are not guilty of or to such punishment as they have no way deserved c. This is no new thing but that which hath been often heretofore practised by Satan and his instruments against the true Servants of God c. Vse 2 Vse 2. To comfort us if it should come to be our own case at any time to be thus falsly accused and unjustly condemned by others for such crimes or offences as we are not guilty of yea though we should be so censured or condemned by such as are in publike authority no cause for us to be dismayed but to remember the examples of the true Saints of God yea of Christ himself c. Observ 2 Observ 2. Here in our Saviour Christ's example being condemned to death by sentence of the chief Priests and Scribes and by the rest of the Council of the Jews we may see our misery by nature in regard of our sins that by our sins we have deserved to be condemned of God as guilty of death as it is the curse of God that is not only of temporal but of eternal death For Christ when he was condemned to death by the sentence of the chief Priests and Scribes and by the rest of the Councel of the Jews did stand in our stead as our pledg and surety He suffered this for us and not for himself for he was innocent Therefore in Christ's Person we are to behold our selves and in his condemnation by the Councel of the Jews we are to behold the desert of our sins and what is due to us by nature and by the Justice of God viz. eternal condemnation of soul and body Ephes 2. 3. we are by nature children of wrath liable to the curse of God c. Vse Vse To humble us before God in the sight of our sins by which we have deserved thus to be condemned of God as guilty of eternal death How should this humble us and break our hearts with godly sorrow for our sins causing us truly to mourn for them as also to judge and condemn our selves for them that we be not judged of the Lord especially now before we come to the Lord's Supper as the Apostle warneth the Corinthians to do 1 Cor. 11. 31. To this end remember now wherefore Christ the Son of God was condemned to death as a guilty Malefactor viz. to shew our guiltiness before God c. We are the Malefactors who have deserved death c. Observ 3 Observ 3. Hence also Believers in Christ may gather great comfort to themselves and assurance touching the pardon of their sins and freedom from eternal condemnation in that Christ the Son of God was condemned to death for them For to this end was He condemned as guilty of death by wicked men to shew that all the Elect and faithful people of God should for the merit of his Death and Sufferings be for ever absolved by the Sentence of God from the guilt of all their sins and from eternal death So that now there is no condemnation to them being in Christ c. Rom. 8. 1. Mark 10. 33 34. And shall deliver him to the Gentiles And they shall mock him and shall scourge him April 12. 1629. and shall spit upon him and shall kill him and the third day he shall rise again IT followeth And shall deliver him to the Gentiles The meaning was shewed before Observ 1. That both Jews and Gentiles had a hand in the death and sufferings of Christ being instrumental causes and means of the same See Act. 4. 27. which came to passe by God's special providence and permission to the end it might appear that both Jews and Gentiles being by nature wicked and sinful as they shewed themselves to be in putting Christ the Sonne of God to death have need of salvation by Christ and that the salvation of all the Elect whether Jews or Gentiles is free and of the meer grace of God and not at all procured or deserved by any goodness in themselves c. To stir up all to thankfulnesse c. Other Points of Instruction see before Chap. 9. Verse 31. upon those words The Some of Man is delivered into the hands of men Now followeth the persons by whom he should be condemned to death and delivered To the Gentiles viz. The chief Priests and Scribes together with the rest of the Councel of the Jews assembled in the High Priests Hall as hath bin before shewed Here observe sundry points the most of which are against the Papists Observ 1 Observ 1. That such as for their high place and calling in the Church should be greatest friends of Christ and should stand most for him and his Doctrine are oftentimes the greatest enemies he hath So here the chief Priests and Scribes c. See before chap. 8. ver 31. Observ 2 Observ 2. That no calling or office in the Church though never so high or excellent can or doth priviledg men from errour in matters of Faith or practice c. The Calling and Office of these chief Priests Scribes and other Rulers of the Jews was high and excellent in it self yet they erred damnably in condemning Christ to death c. Therefore it is a fond conceit of Papists to hold the Pope or Bishop of Rome to be priviledged from error by his Papal office c. See before chap. 8. 31. Observ 3 Observ 3. That a general Council may err yea such a Council as is gathered and confirmed by lawfull Authority as this whole Council of the Jews consisting of the chief Priests Scribes c. though gathered and confirmed by Authority of the High Priest himself yet erred c. How much more may a Council gathered and confirmed by the Popes Authority err And it is clear that generall Councils even such as have bin confirmed by the Bishop of Rome have erred de facto and the decrees of former Councills have bin condemned by latter Vide Whitaker de Concil pag. 614. c. Observ 4 Observ 4. Personal succession of Pastors and Ministers of the Church is no infallible mark of the true Church For these chief Priests Scribes and other Church-Officers assembled in this Council which condemned Christ had personal succession The High Priest and other chief Priests were the successors of Aaron and of the other ancient Priests and the Scribes and Pharisees sate in Moses his chair succeeding him outwardly in place and office of teaching in the Church and yet these were not the true Church but the enemies of Christ and of his true Church at that time c. Now followeth the third part of branch of our Saviour Christ's sufferings which he foretelleth to his Disciples viz. Those which he was
May 3. 1629. Observ 2 Observ 2. THat Ambition or the inordinate desire of Worldly Honour and Dignity unfit for us is a sin very natural unto all men even to the Saints of God and if to them much more to others Now that it is natural to the Saints of God so far forth as they are carnal we may see in Christ's Disciples They were tainted with this sin as we see here in these sons of Zebedee and both in them and the rest of the Disciples at other times See before Chap. 9. 34. So Aaron and Miriam Numb 12. 2. they shewed their ambition in seeking to be equal in dignity with Moses Yea our first Parents c. Examples of it in wicked Absalom Haman the Pharisees Diotrephes 3 Ep. Joh. 9. verse That which the Apostle sayes of Diotrephes is true of us all by Nature who are all Diotrepheses The causes of this natural sin and corruption in us are these 1. Pride and high-mindedness c. 2. Self-love seeking our selves without respect to the good of others Vse Use See how needful for us every one to resist and strive against this corruption and sin in our selves seeing it is so natural and cleaveth so close even to the best c. The more natural this lust of ambition is to all the more must every one of us labour to resist it in our selves Hebr. 12. 1. we are bid to cast off or lay aside the sin that hangeth so fast on c. such a sin is this of ambition and desire of worldly honour and advancement above others Labour we then to shake off this sin Remedies against it 1. Resist and take away the causes of this sin as pride self-love which are also so natural and stick so close to every one of us c. On the contrary labour for true humility and self-denyal shewing this humility by preferring others before our selves and being more forward to give honour than to receive it Rom. 12. 10. In giving honour prefer one another See Psal 131. 2. Consider the danger of this sin of Ambition being an enemy and hinderance to faith yea such a sin as cannot stand with faith Joh. 5. 44. How can ye believe c. It is also the cause of other hurtful and dangerous sins as of wrath strife and envy Gal. 5. 26. Let us not be desirous of vain-glory provoking one another and envying one another Besides many other sins which are occasioned by this sin as covetousness unjustice fraud lying dissembling flattery c. For these are the common practises of such as are ambitious and seek to climb to high honour c. 3. Consider what our Saviour Christ saith Matth. 23. 12. Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be brought low and he that shall humble hemself shall be exalted 4. Consider the vanity of all worldly honour how unprofitable and uncertain c. 1 Joh. 2. 17. The world pâ—sseth away and the lust of it Examples in Haman Nebuchadnezzar and Herod Mark 10. 38 c. But Jesus said unto them Ye know not what ye ask c. May 10. 1629. NOw followeth our Saviour's answer to the Petition of the two Disciples together with further conference between them His answer is twofold 1. More brief and obscure ver 38. 2. More full and plain ver 39 40. Of the first His more brief and obscure answer consisteth of two parts 1. An Admonition or reproof of them for their ignorance shewed in preferring that suite to him in these words Ye know not what ye ask 2. A Question which he demands of them the better to convince them of their ignorance and rashness in making that suite unto him in these words Can ye drink of the Cup c. The Question is touching their partaking with him in his sufferings Whether they were able and fit to suffer the same or the like c Ye know not what ye ask These words are uttered by our Saviour in way of Admonition and Reproof of the two Disciples and their Mother for their fault and sin which they were guilty of in preferring such an unfit Petition to Christ as they did And by these words our Saviour doth discover to them the cause or ground of their offence viz. their ignorance folly and rashness in that they did not know or not duly consider either the nature and quality of Christ's Kingdom and Glory that it was wholly spiritual and heavenly and not earthly or temporal such as the Kingdoms of this World are neither did they know or consider duly their own estate and condition which they were called unto in this this World which was rather to be abased by suffering much affliction than to be advanced to worldly honour c. Therefore they asked they knew not what that which was unfit for them to desire and for him to grant And this he urgeth as one reason of his denying their suite Observ 1 Observ 1. The Duty of such as have charge of others Souls carefully to admonish and reprove those of their charge when they do offend and are faulty c. Observ 2 Observ 2. In that our Saviour here reproveth two of his best beloved Disciples c. Learn that such as have a calling to reprove sin in others must not herein spare their nearest or dearest friends c. See both these points before chap. 8. 32. Observ 3 Observ 3. Ignorance of the will of God in those things which we ought to know is one great and usual cause of errour and sin in practise The ignorance of these two Disciples touching the nature of Christ's Kingdome c. was the cause of their errour and sin committed in putting up this ambitious sute to Christ Matth. 22. 29. Our Saviour sayes to the Sadduces Ye do err not knowing the Scriptures c. Hence it is that where ignorance reigneth there usually other gross sins do reign Hos 4. 1 2. No knowledg of God in the Land Therefore by swearing and lying and killing c. they break out c. Ephes 4. 18. The Gentiles having their cogitations darkned and blinded with ignorance gave themselves over to commit sin with greediness Use 1 Use 1. See the dangerous estate of ignorant persons which have no competent knowledg or understanding of the will of God revealed in his Word Their lives must needs be profane and tainted with gross sins and experience shews it to be so usually c. Use 2 Use 2. To stir up all sorts to labour for sound knowledg of the will of God revealed in his Word that by this means we may be the better preserved from erronious and sinfull practices To this end search the Scriptures c. Joh. 5. 39. and let the Word of God dwell in us richly c. Col. 3. 16. Observ 4 Observ 4. In that our Saviour urgeth this as one reason why he denyed their sute because they asked they knew not what viz. that which was unfit for them c. Hence gather
Phil. 2. 7. He took on him the form of a servant yea not onely the form but the office of a servant or Minister so far forth as was needfull for the good of men and especially for the good and Salvation of the Church Luke 22. 27. I am amongst you as he that serveth Vse Use This must teach us after Christs example to practice the like humility towards others especially towards our brethren and fellow Christians submitting our selves as Ministers and servants to them in love not refusing to do the meanest duties of love to others in way of procuring and furthering the good and Salvation of their Souls and bodies If the Son of God refused not to become a servant unto men the Creator to the Creatures c. how much lesse should we think much to become servants to our brethren in love Joh. 13. 14. If I your Lord and Master have washed your feet ye also ought to wash one anothers feet c. Mark 10. 45. And to give his life a ransome for many July 19. 1629. IT followeth And to give his life c. In these words our Saviour further proveth that he came rather to Minister or serve others then to be Ministred unto or to be served by instancing in one special kind of Ministry or service which he came to perâ—orm for men viz. the giving of his life a ransome for many First to open the meaning of the words Where are three things to be considered 1. The special service which Christ came into the World to perform for us or for mankind To give his life for us 2. The end for which he gave his life To be a ransome for us 3. The persons for whom he gave his life as a ransome For many To give his life Or his Soul A metonymy of the cause for the effect The Soul which is the cause of life being put for life it self Now this phrase of giving his life doth imply a free and willing laying down of his life and pâ—rting with it Aransome Or price of Redemption whereby to free and deliver such as were in captivity and bondage before under sin and Satan For many This is not to be understood of all mankind but of the true Church which are the elect or chosen people of God appointed to Salvation in Gods eternal purpose and in time effectually called and indued with Faith to believe in Christ and so to apply the merits of his death to themselves These are said to be many because they are so in themselves though in comparison of the Reprobate they are few Now follow the Instructions from the words And first from the first thing contained in them which is the special kind of Ministry or service which Christ came into the World to perform for us viz. the giving of his life for us Observ 1 Observ 1. In that this was one main end of Christs Incaâ—ation and of his first comming into the World in our nature that the might give his life or lay it down for us by suffering death which otherwise he could not have done this teacheth us the great necessity of his Incarnation and comming into the World and how great a benefit the same was unto us in that it was the means which made way to the death of Christ and consequently to the work of our Redemption The necessity appears in that without this Incarnation he could not have dyed or suffered for us And the greatness of this benefit of Christs Incarnation or comming in the flesh appears by this that it made way to the work of our Redemption by the death of Christ Phil. 2. 7. He took on him the form of a servant c. And being found in fashion of a man humbled himself to death c. Hence it was that at the birth of Christ when he came first into the World the Angells themselves did appear and in solemn manner praise God for this benefit of Christs Incarnation Luke 2. 13. How much more are we bound to be truely thankful to God for this great and unspeakable benefit of Christs Incarnation and comming into the World for whose sakes it was that he was Incarnate and came into the World As it is in the Nicene Creed Who for us men and for our Salvation came down from heaven c. This must stir us up to bless God and to shew our true thankfulness for this great benefit by reforming our lives and giving up our selves in obedience to God all the dayes of our life This is not to be done at one time of the year onely as at the time of Christs Nativity when we keep the memory of it but at all times of the year c. Observ 2 Observ 2. See how far Christ the Son of God did abase himself as a Minister or servant to us and for our good and Salvation even so far as to give his life and to suffer death for us which was the greatest Ministry or service which he could possibly perform for us Phil. 2. 7. He took upon him the form of a servant c. And he humbled himself to the death of the Cross c. Thus he became our servant not onely in his life time but in and by his death also which was the greatest service that could possibly be performed for us Vse 1 Use 1. See by this the great and unspeakable love of Christ to us and earnest desire of our Salvation in that for the accomplishment thereof he so far abased himself as to serve and minister to us not onely in his life but in his death by giving his life for our Redemption c. This was the highest degree of Christs love to us and most excellent service of love which he performed for us Joh. 15. 13. Greater love then this hath no man that a man lay down his life c. To stir us up to thankfullness c. And to this end to labour for true feeling of this love of Christ in our hearts c. Pray with Paul Ephes 3. Especially now we come to the Lords Table c. Vse 2 Use 2. This should cause us willingly to submit our selves to do this service unto Christ which he hath abased himself to do for us viz. to give our lives for him that is for the profession of his name and truth if need be as he hath done for us Thus did the blessed Martyrs Revel 12. 11. They loved not their lives unto the death in giving testimony to the truth of Christ Use 3 Vse 3. See also how far we should submit our selves as servants to our brethren for Christs sake so far as to give our lives for them if it be to procure the good and Salvation of their Souls 1 Joh. 3. 16. Observ 3 Observ 3. From the manner of speech To give his life We learn that Christ Jesus the Son of God did freely and willingly part with his life and lay it down for us He gave his
hatred and enmity of the wicked against the Saints and Servants of God being such as nothing will satisfie but the death and destruction of those whom they hate therefore they seek to destroy and root them out from the Earth if they can by any means Such was the malice and enmity of these wicked Scribes and chief Priests against our Saviour And such hath been the deadly malice of wicked men against the Saints of God in all Ages Such was Cain's hatred against Abel Esau's against Jacob. Saul's against David The malice of Herodias against John Mark 6. 16. Psal 83. 4. Come let us cut them off from being a Nation c. Reas 1 Reason 1. They hate the Saints of God even for their Religion and Piety which of all other is the greatest and most deadly enmity 1 Joh. 3. 12. Cain slew his brother because his own works were evill and his brothers righteous Reas 2 Reas 2. The Saints of God are commanded not only to separate from wicked men in life and practice but to reprove their sins Ephes 5. 11. Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but reprove them rather Now this they cannot but do And therefore the wicked bear such deadly hatred against them seeking to destroy and root them out from the earth Reas 3 Reas 3. The Devill stirs them up to this hatred who is a murderer c. Use 1 Use 1. See what cause for us to pray unto God to curb and restrain the malice and power of wicked men that they may not be able to do that hurt and mischief they desire to do to the true Saints and Servants of God That they may not have their will in destroying and rooting such out of the Earth Especially we had need thus to pray in these evil and dangerous times in which the true Church hath so many and deadly enemies Use 2 Vse 2. See the power and goodness of God manifested in restraining the deadly hatred of the wicked and in the continual protection of his Church and faithful Servants against the malice of such wicked ones who otherwise would soon destroy and root out God's Church and people from the face of the earth But God doth put his hook into their noses and his bridle in their lips as he did to Sennacherib 2 King 19. 28. For this we are to bless God and be truly thankful Vide suprà Chap. 3. 6. and Chap. 6. 19. Observ 2 Observ 2. In that they sought means how they might put him to death c. See the diligence earnestness and forwardness of wicked men to practise sin In that they do not only commit sin but diligently seek and enquire after the means how to compasse their wicked desires Matth. 26. 16. Judas sought opportunity to betray him Mich. 2. 1. They devise iniquity upon their beds when the morning is light they practise it Esay 59. 7. Their feet run to evill and they make haste to shed innocent blood their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity c. Prov. 4. 16. They sleep not except they have done mischief c. yea they will take great pains to practise sin Matth. 23. 15. Use 1 Vse 1. See the folly and madness of all wicked men being so diligent and forward in practise of that which will be their destruction For sin being finished brings forth death Jam. 1. 15. So they study and devise yea take pains to go to Hell and to damn their own Souls Therefore wicked men are justly called Fools in Scripture as in the Proverbs of Solomon often Vse 2 Use 2. Teacheth us to be much more diligent industrious and forward to do well to glorifie God by obedience and by practice of all holy duties and to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling Phil. 2. 2 Pet. 1. 10. Give all dilgence to make your Calling and Election sure c. If the wicked be so diligent in seeking c. much more should we diligently enquire and seek how to glorifie God and do good in our places and Callings Prov. 14. 22. Observ 3 Observ 3. The wicked are very wise and politick in the practise of sin and in compassing their wicked desires See before chap. 3. ver 6. Observ 4 Observ 4. In that one cause why these Scribes and chief Priests sought to destroy our Saviour was because they heard that he went about to reform those abuses of buying and selling in the Temple which they allowed and maintained see by this what all such may look for who have a Calling and do go about to reform abuses and corruptions in the Church viz. to stir up the hatred and enmity of wicked men against themselves Thus it hath bin in all ages with such as have sought reformation of the Church They have bin hated and persecuted by wicked men for so doing this is the reward they have had As we may see in the examples of Elias Jeremy John Baptist our Saviour Christ himself c. So in the ages since Christ those who have sought reformation of the Church as Athanasius Chrysostome John Hus Luther c. have bin hated and persecuted by wicked men So in these times such as have a Calling to reform abuses in the Church as Christian Magistrates and Ministers c. if they will seriously set themselves to this work must look for opposition at the hands of wicked men and prepared for it yea to be hated and persecuted by such for going about to reform abuses and disorders reigning in the Church For wicked men being the chief Authors and maintainers of abuses the very name of Reformation is odious to them and so they cannot but hate and oppose such as do labour and seek for Reformation Use 1 Use 1. Such as have a Calling to reform abuses in the Church to prepare and arm themselves against hatred and persecution of wicked men Pray for courage and constancy c. Use 2 Vse 2. Comfort to such as meet with hatred and opposition from wicked men for seeking Reformation of abuses c. so far forth as they sincerely seek it c. Mark 11. 18. For they feared him because all the people was astonished at his Doctrine Febr. 28. 1629. OF the fourth The cause or reason why these Scribes and chief Priests sought by all secret means to destroy our Saviour Because they feared him viz. in respect of the favour of the people to him They were afraid that if they should openly put him to death the common people being addicted to him would move sedition or make some Insurrection against them See before in opening the meaning So this was a slavish fear of hurt or danger which might come upon them by means of our Saviour if the people should for his sake move sedition Observ 1 Observ 1. Wicked men are apt to be timerous and fearful upon all occasions especially when they are to practise sin Psal 14. 5. Job 24. 15 16 17. yea if there be but
a shew of danger As here these Scribes and chief Priests were timerous and fearfull of danger if the common people should take part with our Saviour against them and so make some tumult or uproar against them for his sake And yet this may seem to have bin a matter not so greatly to be feared if we consider the inconstancy of the common people in their favour and friendship to our Saviour who within three or four dayes after this were moved to cry out against him that he might be Crucified Matth. 27. 22. yet we see here how apt these wicked Scribes and Priests were to be afraid of danger by the peoples moving of sedition in defence of our Saviour And this is alwayes the property of wicked men to be very apt to slavish fears upon the least suspition of evil or danger to themselves yea to fear when there is no cause of fear Psal 53. 5. and Prov. 28. 1. Reas 1 Reas 1. They have an evil Conscience within them guilty of sin unrepented of and apprehending Gods wrath which makes them fearful on all occasions as Cain Gen. 4. 14. was afraid every one that should find him would kill him Reas 2 Reas 2. They want Faith to believe Gods mercy and protection of them in times of danger and therefore they cannot but fear Revel 21. 8. The fearfull and unbelieving are joyned together Vse 1 Use 1. See the misery of all wicked men so long as they live and continue such They are apt to be troubled and tormented with fears on all occasions if never so little danger do appear yea to live in fear Now this is a hell and torment to them 1 Joh. 4. 18. Esay 57. 20. Fear hath torment in it which should move such to repent and labour for Faith and a good Conscience Deut. 28. 65. Trembling heart Use 2 Use 2. To teach the godly to strive against this timerousness and fearfulness which is in wicked men seeing it is the property of the wicked which have no Faith nor peace of Conscience Therefore such as profess to â—e Gods children and to have Faith and a good Conscience ought to labour and strive against such timerousness and fearfulness Prov. 28. 1. The Righteous is bold as a Lyon He that fears God truly need fear nothing else as on the contrary he that fears not God hath cause to fear all other things small and great as an ancient Father saith Chrysost Observ 2 Observ 2. In that the thing which these Scribes and chief Priests feared was not the sin or offence against God or against our Saviour Christ himself in going about to put him to death but the hurt and danger which was like to come upon themselves if the common people should raise tumult against them for going about in open manner to put him to death Hence we learn what is the principal matter or object of wicked mens fear usually what it is which they use most to fear Not sin or the offence of God or any Spiritual evil or danger but rather outward evils or dangers like to come upon them For example bodily sickness pain or death it self worldly crosses or losses poverty shame hatred or displeasure of men c. These and such like external evils are the matters which wicked men do use chiefly to fear As for Spiritual evilâ— as sin and the offence of God or loss of Gods favour or loss of heaven these they fear not half so much Gen. 4. Cain's fear was lest any should kill him Matth. 2. 3. when Herod heard of the birth of Christ he was troubled with fear c. Reason Reason Wicked men are most sensible of outward evils and dangers not so much of Spiritual Therefore they fear those principally and not these See Joh. 11. 48. Vse 1 Use 1. See the folly of wicked men in that they fear those evills most which are least to be feared and on the contrary those least which are most to be feared c. Vse 2 Use 2. Difference between the fear of the wicked and of the Godly c. Use 3 Use 3. Take heed we be not like to the wicked in this preposterous fear That we do not fear these outward and temporal evils but that above all we fear Spiritual evils as sin and the loss of Gods favour c. Esay 8. 12. Fear not their fear but sanctify the Lord in your hearts and let him be your fear and dread And Matth. 10. 28. Fear not them that kill the body but are not able to kill the Soul But rather fear him that is able to destroy both Soul and body in Hell Observ 3 Observ 3. In that these Scribes and chief Priests who hated our Saviour and sought his death did withall fear him in respect of the peoples favour and affection to him c. Hence we learn that wicked men are sometimes forced to stand in fear of the Saints and Servants of God whom they most hate and are greatest enemies unto Though they do not fear them with any reverent fear proceeding from love yet they fear them with a servile or slavish fear joyned with hatred and enmity against them Reas 1 Reas 1. The innocency and uprightness of the Saints striketh terrour into their wicked enemies sometimes causing them to fear the just Judgment of God for opposing such So Herod Mark 6. Reas 2 Reas 2. God doth by this means curb the malice of the wicked and provide for the safety of his servants Use 1 Use 1. See the misery of wicked men being forced to stand in fear of those whom they most hate and are deadly enemies unto viz. the true Saints and Servants of God Now this is a great misery and torment to live in fear of such as we hate withal see what a miserable thing it is to be an enemy to the Saints of God in that such are sometimes forced whether they will or no to stand in fear of those whom they hate and are enemies unto See how little comfort the wicked can have in hating and opposing Gods servants yea none at all but on the contrary great trouble and torment in their Consciences which therefore should move such to repent of their sins and in particular of their hatred and enmity against the Saints of God and to labour for true love to them c. that they may not be forced to stand in a slavish fear of them but may have comfort in and by their society and friendship Vse 2 Use 2. See how little cause there is for such as fear God to fear wicked mens power or malice seeing on the contrary it is so that the wicked do often stand in fear of them And indeed there is much more cause for the wicked to fear the godly then on the contrary More cause to pitty and lament the misery of such then to fear them Now we account it a vain and foolish thing to fear such as stand in fear of us c.