Church of God which is all one with wasting it See Acts 8.3 and Acts 26.10 11. Hence plainly appeares the fury and madnesse of blind and bloudy zeale which is the only cause of persecuting and wasting the Church of Christ VERSE 14. Text. And profited in the Jewes religion above many my equals in mine own nation being more exceeding zealous of the traditions of my fathers Sense And profited in the Jewes religion i. e. I advanced and propagated Judaisme My equals i. e. My contemporaries of the same age Reason An effect of his former conversation in persecuting and wasting the Church of God that by that meanes hee advanced and increased the Jewes religion and the reason of both was his zeal to the Jewish traditions Comment The effect of his persecuting And the cause of it AND profited in the Jewes religion above many my equals in mine owne nation Hee seemes not heere to speake of his owne personall profiting eyther in the knowledge or in the observance of Judaisme as if therein hee exceeded his contemporaries but of the nationall advantage he brought unto the Jewes in defending and propagating their religion amongst others and making Proselites unto it For the Greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. I increased the Jewish religion or made it to proceed for so elsewhere the word is rendred in our last English Translation See Luke 2.52 and 2. Tim. 2.16 and 2. Tim. 3.9 And this sense is very consequent to his persecuting and wasting of the Church of God for his persecution and vastation of Christianity must needs have this effect and fruit thereto consequent that by vertue thereof hee advanced and propagated Judaisme for those two religions being mainly opposite and contrary the decrease of Christianity must needs bee the increase of Judaisme as afterward the propagation of Christianity was the vastation of Judaisme q. d. I propagated and advanced the doctrine knowledge and observance of the Jewes religion by my activity and industry in defending it against all adversaries in gayning divers Proselites unto it and in spreading it somewhat among the Gentiles and heerein I exceeded and surpassed all my contemporaries that were of my time not only such as were Proselites reconciled to our Religion from other Nations but also such as were Native Jewes by discent and birth in mine owne Nation Being more exceeding zealous of the Traditions of my Fathers The reason why hee persecuted and wasted the Church of God was because hee was zealous of the Traditions of his Fathers and the reason why hee increased the Jewes Religion more then any of his contemporaries or equalls in time was because hee was more exceeding zealous then they By the Traditions of his Fathers Hee seemes to understand the whole body of Ceremonies then in practice among the Jewes as well the Ceremonies of Moses as the Traditions of his Ancestors whereof some are mentioned by Christ in the Gospel See Mat. 15.2.6 and Mat. 23.16.18.23.25 q. d. I was an exceeding Zelot above measure and above many of my equalls not onely for the Ceremonies of Moses instituted by the Law of God but also for the Traditions introduced and superadded by our Ancestours which by Antiquity of time were confirmed into Customes and carryed the force of Lawes And the reason why hee was exceeding zealous in the Jewish Religion was because hee was a Pharisee not onely by profession in living according to the Rules of that strict Sect but also by birth and education for he was the sonne of a Pharisee and might bee bred by his Father in the Traditions of his Fathers and the manner of the Pharisees was to bee exceeding strict and exceeding zealous See and compare Mat. 23.15 and Act. 23.6 and Act. 26.5 and Phil. 3.5.6 VERSE 15. Text. But when it pleased God who separated mee from my Mothers wombe and called mee by his grace Sense Who separated mee i. e. Designed or appoynted mee to the Ministery From my Mothers wombe i. e. During my time in the wombe And called mee Viz. To the Ministery to bee an Apostle Reason The meanes whereby hee was converted from his former conversation in the Jewish Religion to bee an Apostle and a Preacher of the Gospel whereby hee continues his Argument to prove and conclude his principall assertion that his Ministery and his Doctrine in the Gospel was not humane or after man but divine or after God For saith he Comment The prime cause of Pauls Apostleship whereto 〈◊〉 was preordained while he was in the wombe In a singular manner and afterward actually ordained Pauls whole Apostleship Divine Sanctifying put for separating Pauls calling The non-causes of it The true causes of it BUT when it pleased God These first words of this verse must have their coherence with the first words of the next verse following to reveale his sonne in me thus But when it pleased God to reveale his sonne in me for the subject or matter of Gods pleasure here mentioned was the revealing of Christ unto Paul which act he saith pleased God because he would declare that the originall or prime cause of all those meanes whereby he became a Preacher of the Gospell was onely the good will and pleasure of God q. d. There was no other motive or cause of my Conversion from my former conversation wherein I persecuted and wasted the Church of God and of my reduction to the knowledge of Christ who was so effectually revealed unto me that I became a member of the Church which I persecuted and a Preacher of the Gospell in it but onely the good will and good pleasure of God without any dignity or merit of mine and contrary to all dignity and merit in me for the indignities and demerits which I had done to his Church were such and so great that had he looked upon my actions and not upon his owne pleasure there could have been no cause why he should reveale his sonne to me Who seperated me from my mothers wombe A reason of his former words why the originall cause of all those meanes whereby he was ordained a Preacher of the Gospell was the sole and singular pleasure of God and no action of Pauls namely because God separated or designed him to the Ministery from his mothers wombe before he had yet done any action of his owne The words are an Hebraisme whereby is signified some excellent and singular benefit of nature in the composure or temper of the braine and heart wherewith God endowes some children from their first conception in the wombe especially those whom hee preordaines and prepares for some speciall purpose whereof in Scripture there are severall examples For although nature in her ordinary course hath divers degrees of goodnesse yet by the extraordinary hand of God she may bee and sometime is infinitely advanced and exalted when God is pleased to fashion a child for some singular service and curiously to worke it in the wombe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e.
death then it must needes follow that hee had dyed for the Gentiles And 2. Tim. 2.10 That hee endured all things for the Elects sake that they may also obtaine the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternall glory And this was not the singular charity of Paul alone But it is also the duty of every Believer to lay downe his life for his brethren especially when the matter concernes their salvation for heereof the death of Christ is both the reason and the example 1. John 3.16 Heereby perceive wee the love of God because hee layd downe his life for us and wee ought to lay downe our lives for the brethren Likewise of every true Martyr by whose constancy I finde my selfe confirmed in the truth it may bee truely sayd that hee dyed for the good of my salvation Yet notwithstanding all other persons besides Christ are in this kinde onely subservient unto Christ and the benefit which I have by their death doth onely second my blessing by his Who loved mee The Motive that induced Christ to give himselfe for mee was his Love to mee For as the fruit of his death was my good So the roote of it was his love for because hee loved mee therefore hee dyed for mee Certainely a reall love not in word or in tongue but in deede and in truth testified and certified by his death for by the outward passion of his death hee declared the inward affection of his love And certainely a liberall love for seeing love delights to give what could hee give mee more then to give himselfe for mee For the greatnesse of his love unto mee is heere signified by two circumstances that inclose and stand about his Love One before it by the greatnesse of his person in that hee was the sonne of God for what greater person was there in the world who was mortall and able to dye for mee The other after it by the greatnesse of his passion in that hee gave himselfe to death for mee for what could hee possibly doe more for my sake then to lay downe his life for mee Seeing beyond this there can bee no greater love and hence hee himselfe commends the greatnesse of love John 15.13 Greater love hath no man then this that a man lay downe his life for his friends His love therefore was the Cause of his death and his death was the Effect of his love For hence in severall passages of Scripture his Love and his Death go hand in hand as the Cause with the effect As Ephes 5.2 Walke in love as Christ also hath loved us and given himselfe for us And Ephes 5.25 Husbands love your Wives even as Christ also loved the Church and gave himselfe for it And 1. John 3.16 Heereby perceive wee the love of God because hee layd downe his life for us Yet the love of Christ unto mee was not the sole and onely cause of his death for mee so as to exclude the love of the Father from being concurrent with the love of Christ For God the Father also loved mee and loved mee so eminently and so principally that his love was the cause why Christ loved mee and therefore consequently Gods love unto mee must needes bee the cause why Christ dyed for mee and must needes bee also the supreame cause that hath no higher cause above it For Christ therefore dyed for mee because hee loved mee and hee therefore loved mee because God loved mee But why God loved mee I know no cause beside his love Yet that Gods love to mee is the cause why Christ dyed for mee is manifest from severall passages of Scripture as John 3.16 For God so loved the World that hee gave his onely begotten Sonne i. e. Gave him to dye for his love to the World was the cause why hee exposed his sonne to death And Rom. 3.25 God hath set forth Christ to bee a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousnesse i. e. His kindnes which is the effect of his love And Rom. 5.8 But God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us And 1. John 4.10 Heerein is love not that wee loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins And the greatnesse of Gods love heerein is manifest also by two circumstances One of the Person dying a person of that Majesty and of so neare alliance unto God that hee was the sonne of God and his onely begotten sonne Which must needs argue in God an excesse and high degree of love For hee that is so free as to give up his owne sonne for mee doth thereby further give mee to understand that hee would willingly give mee all that ever hee hath And beyond this can there bee any greater love or can any love bee more free Yet such was Gods love to mee in the death of Christ Rom. 8.32 Hee that spared not his owne sonne but delivered him up for us all how shall hee not with him also freely give us all things The other Circumstance is of the persons for whom Christ dyed for they were sinners and ungodly wretches persons deserving death themselves and altogether unworthy that any one should dye for them and therefore much lesse the sonne of God Peradventure for good and godly men some man would dye but would any man dye for sinners and ungodly wretches But Christ dyed for us while wee were yet sinners and ungodly and therein God commended the greatnesse of his love to us Rom. 5.7 Peradventure for a good man some would even dare to dye but God commendeth his love towards us in that while wee were yet sinners Christ dyed for us Hence there will follow these three verities 1. Gods wrath was not the cause of Christs death For wee cannot finde any such Doctrine delivered in the Scriptures But from severall expresse Scriptures wee have clearely shewed that the cause of Christs death was Gods love unto us and that love was not ordinary and vulgar but singularly and intirely the greatest that ever was in the world Wee were indeede the children of wrath i. e. lyable to Gods wrath and worthy of it Yet it doth not thence follow that God was then actually wrath with us for God who is rich in grace and mercy may in a divers respect actually love them who actually deserve his wrath And when Christ dyed for us wee were then dead in sinnes i. e. guilty of death by reason of our sinnes Yet it thence followeth not that our sinnes were punished in the death of Christ for God may actually pardon their life who actually are guilty of death This God may doe de jure and hath already done it de facto and hee hath done it for this end that thereby hee might shew the exceeding riches of his love and grace in his mercy and kindnesse towards us through Christ Ephes 2.3 Wee all had our conversation in times past
grace 3 Respective to the New Testament and so they are chiefly 3. which was very necessary done very sufficiently and very solemnly and why so from ReasoÌ„ and testimonies of Scripture 2. To Confirme it which also was necessary Effected Yet not by the Testator in his owne person But in the person of his owne Son Which assures my Right and argues the love of God and of Christ Hence is the Bloud of the New Testament opposed to that of Abel and to that of the Old Testament and is farre more holy 3. To Execute it for this is the Life of a Testament and a Bond upon the Executor who of the New Testament was Christ whereof the Reasons and the Testimonies from Scripture Christ a vested Executor for his Inheritance Power Honour and Office But upon the Condition of his Death a Condition strange Yet Possible and Necessary for 2 reasoÌ„s 1. For his owne Inheritance which otherwise he could not enter 2. For discharge of Legacies Hence he is the Captain of Salvation and Author of Salvation Hence at his Ascention he fulfilled Gods Will in giving gifts to men Hence our Expiation our Consolation our Resurrection and Glorification Hence Christs doctrine for the Necessity of his death whereof the causes remote were many yet all subordinate to the three forementioned But the Remission of sins is most mentioned and the Reason The force of Pauls argument The effect of a Testament Gods two Testaments are different and therefore are Repugnant The Old not in force because it was faulty or else Pauls argument is so and Christ dyed without cause Arguments of Gods grace for the Effect of it and the Meanes which was Rich Requiring my Faith and Hope and Love It comes not by the Law but is opposed to it I Doe not frustrate the grace of God The Greeke is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. I doe not despise reject disanul or bring to nothing the the grace of God for these foure ways the word is Englished elswhere and in this place only is rendred frustrate As Luke 10.16 Hee that heareth you heareth mee and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee that despiseth you despiseth mee And Marc. 7.9 And hee sayd unto them full well 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yee reject the commandement of God And Gal. 3.15 Though it bee but a mans Testament yet if it bee confirmed no man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 disanulleth or addeth thereto And 1. Cor. 1.19 I will destroy the wisdome of the wise and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will bring to nothing the understanding of the Prudent And all these foure wayes the word signifieth heere Because these severall senses are not really different but are either in a maner the same or else one consequent to the other For what I despise that also I reject and what I reject that I disanull or bring to nothing in effect by making it frustrate or void in respect of any use or benefit to my selfe If therefore I frustrate or make voyd the grace of God from having that effect upon mee which God purposed towards mee I disanul his grace or bring it to nothing which argues my refusall of it to reject it and my rejection argues my contempt of it that I disesteeme or despise it Concerning the nature of Gods grace what it is wee have spoken somewhat before cap. 1. vers 6. where the Reader may peruse it Heere therefore wee shall consider that effect of it from which the Apostle argueth and reasoneth in this place for heere the word is put by way of metonymy or transnomination for all those effects both mediall and finall whereof Gods grace is the originary and primary cause The Right whereto I am justified is a divine state of alliance and inheritance to bee the sonne and heire of God for this is the Matter of my right The Title whereby I acquire or have this Right is only my Faith to accept it for my Faith is a meane procreant cause on my part whereby I receive this Right The Tenure whereby I continue or hold it are the Duties and Services of holinesse or the good workes of love for these are a meane cause conservant on my part that my right may not escheat or bee forfeited The principall person who imputeth deriveth or conveyeth this right unto mee is God the Father for who but God as the principall Agent can make mee the sonne and heire of God The Motive inducing God to impute or convey this Right unto mee is his meere Grace I meane that inward affection residing in God which is his goodwill love favour mercy and kindnesse for all these are really the same but rationally different in respects So that my title on Gods part is Gods meere grace which is the supreame or prime cause having no other cause above or beyond it The cause why every Believer is the sonne and heire of God is because God in his last Will and Testament hath so devised or promised it And the cause why God in his Will made this devise or promise is his meere Grace i. e. his love or goodwill to dignifie a person who deserves it not For Gods love is his good-will to benefie or doe good and when the benefit done is a dignity or honour to the receiver and the receiver a person who deserves it not then such Love of God is his Grace My alliance with God to bee his sonne and heire hath it not in it there â—o qualities The one that it is an high dignity and honour unto me the other that it is far beyond my desert For no man can deserve to bee borne of his Father or after hee is borne to bee made the sonne of another But the onely cause of a sonne is love and the onely cause to bee made the sonne of God is the grace of God Because to bee made the sonne of God is the greatest dignity and honour in the Wold for thereby mans dignity approacheth to the Majesty of the most high God who though by reason of his power hee bee the Father of all yet by way of grace he is not so My Justifying therefore unto this alliance with God is by the Scriptures attributed to the grace of God Rom. 3.24 Being satisfied freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ And Rom. 4.16 Therefore it is of faith that it might bee by grace to the end the promise might bee sure to all the seed what is the thing that is of faith The divine inheritance to bee made the heires of God as it appeares in the words preceding vers 13. and 14. And Ephes 1.6 To the praise of the glory of his grace wherein or whereby hee hath made us accepted in the beloved i. e. Whereby hee hath justified us or made us co-heires with his beloved sonne And Ephes 2.4.5 But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith hee loved us even when wee were dead in sinnes hath