on the Lords day But this doctrine seemes not to stand with the fourth commandement It seemes to be a truth more probable that euery seauenth day in the weeke must be set a part in holy rest vnto God for this is the substance of the fourth commandement And it is also very probable that the Sabbath of the new Testament is limited and determined by our Sauiour Christ to the Lords day For Paul and the rest of the Apostles obserued the first day of the weeke for a Sabbath day Act. 20. 7. and he saith Whatsoeuer ye haue heard and what ye haue seene in me that doe Phil. 4. 9. Againe it was the decree or constitution of Paul that the collection for the poore should be the first day of the weeke at Corinth now this collection in the Primitiue Church followed preaching praier sacraments and it was the conclusion of all other exercises in the assemblie 1. Cor. 16. 2. And this first day of the weeke is called the Lords day Apoc. 1. 11. and it is so called because it was dedicated and consecrated to the honour of Christ our Lord. And who is the author of this Dedication but Christ himselfe the Lord of the Sabboth It is alleadged that the Sabbath and the commandement touching the Sabbath is Ceremoniall and vpon this ground they take libertie keep no Sabbath at all But the truth is that the commandement touching the Sabbath is not wholly Ceremoniall It may be the first words Remember the Sabbath day to sanctifie it and the words In it thou shalt doe no manner of worke c. are spoken of the Iewes Sabbath but the wordes Sixe daies shalt thou labour and the seuenth day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God are morall and containe a perpetuall truth Therefore the words of Paul must be conceiued with an exception of the Sabbath day which is the seuenth day in euery weeke which day Christ hath limited by his Apostles to the Lords day The vse This text of Paul discouers vnto vs a great part of the superstition of the Popish Church in the obseruation of holy daies First beside the Lords day they appoint many other sabbaths whereas it is the priuiledge of God to appoint an ordinarie day of rest and to sanctifie it to his owne honour Secondly they bind mens consciences to the obseruation of their holy daies which Paul here forbids and Col. 2. 16. Thirdly they place the worship of God in the obseruation of their holy daies but God is worshipped in vaine by mens precepts Matth. 15. Fourthly they place a great holines in their festiuall daies more then in other daies Fiftly they dedicate many of their holy daies to the honour of Saints and Angels whereas the dedication of ordinarie and set daies is a part of diuine or religious worship Lastly their holy daies for number are more then the festiuall daies of the Iewes and thus they bring people into their old bondage nay to a greater bondage then euer the Iewes indured in respect of daies and times It may be said that the Church of the Protestants obserue holy daies Ans. Some Churches doe not because the Church in the Apostles daies had no holy day beside the Lords day and the 4. commandement inioynes the labour of sixe daies Indeede the Churches of England obserueth holy daies but the Popish superstition is cut off For we are not bound in conscience to the obseruation of these daies neither doe we place holines or the worship of God in them but we keepe them onely for orders sake that men may come to the Church to heare Gods word And though we retaine the names of Saints daies yet we giue no worship to saints but to God alone And such daies as contained nothing in them but superstition as the conception and assumption of the virgin Marie we haue cut off Thus doth the Church with vs obserue holy daies and no otherwise Indeede the ignorant multitude among vs faile greatly in the obseruing of daies For they greatly solemnise the time of the birth of Christ and then they keepe few or no markets but the Lords day is not accordingly respected and men will not be disswaded from following of faires on that day Againe to obserue daies of good bad successe according to the constellations of the heauens is an heathenish fashion to be auoided For it is here condemned in the Galatians Here therefore we must be put in minde not to obserue the planetarie houres for men suppose that the houres of the daie are ruled by the planets and hereupon that some houres are good and luckie as they say and some vnluckie that men are taken with planets and borne vnder vnluckie planets But these are heathenish conceits Neither must we respect our Horoscope or the time of our birth and the constellation of the heauens thē as though we could hereby know what should befall vs to the end of our daies And we must not put difference of daies as though some were luckie vnto vs and some vnluckie according to the course of the starres The like I saie of the Criticall daies that is the 7. and the 14. daie after that a man beginnes to be sicke For they are groūded vpon the aspects of the moone which are not to be regarded And the Climactericall years are not to be obserued as dangerous and dismall The obseruatiō of the signes is of the same nature For the 12. signes are nothing els but 12. parts of the first mooueable which is but a supposed heauen Therefore there is no danger in the thing but in our conceit We are to feare God and not to feare the starres neither are we to make differences of daies in respect of them as though the affaires we take in hand should prosper the better or the worse in respect of their different operation Gods commandement is Feare not the signes of heauen Ierem. 10. 2. And good reason For no man can by learning knowe the operation of the starrs because their lights and operations are all mixed togither in all places vpon earth and therefore no obseruation can be made of this or that starre more then of this or that hearbe when all hearbes are mixed and compounded togither Againe the operation of the starres is by their light and light hath no operation but in heat or cold moisture or drinesse In this respect though we may well obserue the full and the change of the moone it is foolishnesse to ascribe the regiment of our affaires to the starres they beeing matters contingent which depend on the will and pleasure of man Lastly it is a great ouersight to hold sundrie of the starres to be malignant and infortunate in respect of vs whereas they are the creatures of God and their light serues for the good of man In a word we are not to make difference of daies neither in respect of holines nor in respect of good or badde successe V. 11. I am afraid
ignorance of the one and hinder the malice of the other and so to profitte the most beside the meaning he hath briefly drawne out such doctrines as naturally arise from the text shewing withall how they ought to be applied for confutation correction instruction consolation Which he hath donne with such dexteritie artificially matching together two things heretofore insociable Breuitie and Perspicuitie that the like I take it hath not beene performed heretofore by any Expositer vpon this Epistle which we may well call the key of the new Testament in that it handleth the waightiest points of doctrine whether we consider the necessarie knowledge thereof or the controuersies of these times Therefore Luther after he had once publikely expounded it toke in hand againe and interpreted it the second time beginning as himselfe saith where he ended according to the saying of Syracides When a man hath donne what he can he must beginne againe Which Commentarie seeing it hath found such good intertainement amongst vs beeing but a forrainer and hauing lost much of his strength and taken winde by changing from language to language as wine from one vessell to another I doubt not but this beeing a free-denizen will find the like fauour and acceptance therather if it will please your Honour to vouchsafe it your countenance To whose protection and patronage I here commend it as S. Luke did his Histories to the most noble Theophylus desiring hereby to testifie my humble dutie vnto your Honor and my thankfulnes to God for the riches of his grace bestowed vpon you in my sterie of the Gospell for your zeale of gods glory your loue of the truth and of all those that vnfainedly embrace the truth And thus fearing to hinder the course of your more serious cogitations actions I humbly take may leaue Desyring the Lord who hath promised to honour those that honour him that as he hath made you Honourable in your noble progenitors so he would make you thrise Honourable in your future successors and long continue you a notable instrument vnder his Highnes of the peace and welfare of your country as hetherto he hath done accomplishing all your desires for present prosperitie and future felicitie From Emanuell colledge in Cambridge August 10. 1604. Your Honours most humbly deuoted RAFE CVDWORTH TO THE COVRteous Reader I Here offer to thy view gentle Reader a Comment and a Supplement the Comment begunne by an excellent workeman and drawne in excellent proportion in all points suting to the analogie of faith and the doctrine of the Orthodoxe Fathers of the Church beeing the substance of his three yeares Lectures vpon the Lords day If his former workes either of Positiue Diuinitie in sundrie of his Treatises or Controuersall Diuinitie in his Reformed Catholike or Case-Diuinitie in his Cases of Conscience haue ministred any comfort vnto thee or giuen thee content I doubt not but these Commentaries will abundantly satisfie thy expectation For to omit the varietie of matter as also the breuitie and admirable perspicuitie in regard of the manner beeing the chiefest commendation of Oecumenius or any Interpreter in them as in a mirrour thou maist more clearely see his knowledge in the mysterie of Christ and his dexteritie in exemplifying that by practise which he had formerly taught by precept theÌ„ in any of his writings besides as hauing a double eminencie aboue the rest First in that they were penned the last of all his workes beeing come to ripenes of iudgement and that vpon mature deliberation after his Sermons as his manner was Secondly in that they were written with his owne hand whereas all his other writings except some short Treatises were taken by some diligent auditors and perused by himselfe Herein resembling the Epistle it selfe which was written with Pauls owne hand all the rest except that short one to Philemon by his â—â—ribes And as they doe exceede his other Writings so I might say perhaps more truly then discreetly that they surpasse in this kinde all the moderne writers that haue gone before them so that he which will vouchsafe to read them shall not greatly neede nor desire any other Interpreter vpon this Scripture the which I speake not as esteeming of Antiquitie no better worth then to be put vnder a bushell that Noueltie might be set vpon the candlesticke but for that I see not but that Iohn Baptist the last of all the Prophets was as goodly a burning and shining candle as any of the rest and that he pointed forth Christ more distinctly then the rest But I hope I shall not neede to vse many words in commendation either of the worke or of the Author beeing so well knowne and sufficiently commended by others for soundnes of doctrine and integritie of life which whilst he was liuing did parallel each other his doctrine beeing a patterne of his life and his life a counterpaine of his doctrine And now beeing dead his sauorie-writings which he hath left behind him breathing forth as it were the sweete smell of a sanctified spirit like a field which the Lord hath blessed hath got him a name neuer to be forgotten which giueth him after his death a second life I am further to aduertise thee good Reader that there were some places in the originall copie to which the Author would no doubt haue giuen some reuiew and correction if God had drawne out the line of his life but a little longer which I haue filed and polished according to my poore skill though very sparingly in such places onely as were obscure or had any phrase of doubtfull construction or otherwise seemed to be mistaken pointing and interlining the rest to fit it for the Presse It may be my vnskilfull handling of them hath depriued them of their due lustre yet sure I am it hath giuen them no tincture Touching the Supplement it was my purpose at the first to have made a supplie of that which was wanting out of the Authors owne writings as it hath beene done in Aquinas Summes and others but afterwardes perceiuing that his workes alreadie extant would not affoard me sufficient matter to furnish out that argument I was inforced to take an other course and to make a supplie with courser stuffe of mine owne as I could Which if it shall seeme not to sure the former in all points I shall desire thee to consider that it is not so easie a matter for Asâ—lepiodorus accustomed to draw with a cole or chaulke only to finish a picture he 〈…〉 nne by Apelles with so curious a pensill and that it is an argument wherein I confesse I haue not beene so much conuersant as perhaps in some other neither chosen out of purpose to make ostentation of witt reading or inuention but left as a necessary task to be performed by some for the perfecting of the worke and the good of the Church if this poore mite may conferre any thing to the Treasurie of the Lords
blessed in himselfe and giuing blessednes to all other And the beleeuers that were before Christ or after him are the â—eede of Abraham in respect they are set into Christ who is principally the seede mentioned in this text When Paul saith ordained by Angels in the hand of a Mediatour he makes a declaration of that which he had saide before by an Euident signe on this manner That the law serues to discouer transgressions it appeares by this that the Iewes could not abide to receiue the law immediatly from God but it was deliuered by Angels and receiued by the hand of a Mediatour and this argues mans guiltines and his disagreement with God because a Mediatour is of two at the least and of two beeing at difference betweene themselues The law is said to be ordained or disposed by Angels because they were attendants on God in the Mount when the law was deliuered Secondly they were witnesses and approouers of the deliuerie Thirdly it may be the voice of God whereby the law was published in the hearing of all the Israelites was vttered and pronounced by the ministerie of Angels for the holy Ghost saith the word spoken by Angels was stedfast Hebr. 2. 2. that is the law It may be said all this prooues not that Angels ordained the law Ans. Often in Scripture the worke or action of the principall Agent is ascribed to the instrument or minister The Saints are saide to iudge the world 1. Cor. 6. whereas indeede they are no more but witnesses and approouers of this iudgement In the same manner Timothie is said to saue himselfe and others 1. Tim. 4. 16. The last trumpet is sounded by Angels Matth. 24. 31. and it is called the voice of an Archangel and the trumpe of God 1. Thess. 4. Moreouer Paul saith the law was deliuered by the hand of a Mediatour that is of Christ as some thinke but that cannot be for the hand of a Mediatour signifies the ministerie and seruice of a Mediatour and this seruice is inferiour to the seruice of Angels because the law was deliuered by Angels and receiued of them by a Mediatour Therefore the Mediatour here mentioned is Moses who stood betweene the people and God in the deliuerie of the law Deut. 5. 5. It may be obiected that there is but one Mediatour Christ 1. Tim. 2. 8. Ans. Mediatour of reconciliation is onely one and that is Christ and Moses is a Mediatour onely in the relating and reporting the law from God to the Israelites Paul addes that a Mediatour is not of one that is that euery Mediatour is of two at the least and of two at variance and disagreement And he saith further that God is one that is alwaies the same and like himselfe without change And the reason of the speach is this Paul hath taught that the law was giuen by a Mediatour and that this declared a difference betweene God and man Now it might be said where is the fault in this difference and who is the cause of it Paul saith not God but man because God is alwaies one and the same The vse In that the law is for transgressions we are taught to examine and search our hearts and liues by the law of God Zephan 2. 1. Fanne you O nation not worthie to be loued Lam. 3. 40. Let vs search our hearts and turne againe to the Lord. That we may the better examine our selues foure rules must be obserued The first when any one sinne is forbidden in any commandement of the law vnder it all sinnes of the same kind are forbidden all causes of them and all occasions The second a commandement negatiue includes the affirmatiue and binds vs not onely to abstaine from euill but also to doe the contrarie good The third is that euery commandement must be vnderstood with a curse annexed to it though the curse be not expressed The fourth is that we must especially examine our selues by the first and last commandements For the first forbids the first motions of our hearts against God and the last forbiddes the first motions of our hearts against our neighbour though there be no consent to doe the euill which we thinke Paul saith of himselfe that the commandement Thou shalt not lust was it that especially humbled him Rom. 7. According to these and other rules which now I omit we must with speciall care examine our selues The want of this dutie causeth men to rot away in their sinnes without remorse or true repentance and it is the cause that so many men profit so little in hearing the word preached because they know not what sinne meanes neither can they search aright their consciences and liues Moreouer after we haue begunne to practise this dutie we must often as occasion shall be giuen renue it to the end Consider Dauids example Psal. 119. 59. Where Paul saith that the law is added till Christ we see that the Legall ministerie of death is abolished now and that we are vnder the Ministerie of the spirit and life And for this cause we in these last daies that are Ministers of the word must preach the doctrine of saluation plainly to the very consciences of men 2. Cor. 4. 1. Againe the people of these daies ought to abound in knowledge and their obedience should be answerable to the measure of their knowledge And if after much preaching in these daies of light the Gospel be hid as it is to very many who remaine still in ignorance and disobedience it is a fearefull signe vnto them of their condemnation 2. Cor. 4. 4. In that the law of God was ordained or deliuered by Angels we are put in minde to reuerence it and to esteeme it as a treasure Secondly we are to feare to breake the least commandement of the law because the angels that were ordainers of the law doe no doubt obserue the keepers and the breakers of it and are readie prest to be witnesses and reuengers against them that offend Steuen vpbraids the Iewes that the law was giuen by the dispensation of Angels and yet they brake it Act. 7. 53. Thirdly if thou offend and breake the law repent with speede for that is the desire and ioy of Angels They that deliuered the law reioice to see the keeping of it Lastly if thou sinne and repent not looke for shame and confusion before God and his angels Because Moses was a mediatour to the Iewes Papists gather that therefore Angels and Saints may be mediatours Ans. It sollowes not Moses was ordained a mediatour so are not they Moses was present with the Iewes and had fellowship with them whose mediatour he was Saints are absent in heauen and Angels though they be about vs haue no fellowship with vs. Moses was mediatour but once and that onely in one thing Saints are made continuall mediatours Lastly Moses was mediatour in relating reporting the law from God to the people Saints and Angels are made mediatours to relate and report our praiers and
of baptisme And first of all our baptisme must put vs in minde that we are admitted and receiued into the family of God and consequently that we must carrie our selues as the seruants of God And that we may doe so indeede we must deuide our liues into two parts the life past and life to come Touching the life that is past we must performe three things The first is Examination whereby we must call our selues to an account for all our sinnes euen from the cradle the second is Confession whereby we must with sorrowfull hearts bewaile and acknowledge the same sinnes in the prefence of God accusing and condemning our selues for them The third is Deprecation whereby we are to intreat the Lord in the name of Christ and that most instantly from day to day till we receiue a comfortable answer in the peace of conscience and ioy of the H Ghost And for the life to come there must be two things in vs the first is the Purpose of not sinning and it must be a liuely and distinct purpose daily renewed in vs euen as we renewe our daies so as we may say if we sinne it is against our purpose and resolution The second is an indeauour to performe new obedience according to all the commandements of God These things if we doe we shall shewe our selues to be the seruants of God And of all these things baptisme must be as it were a daily sermon vnto vs and so oft to thinke on them as oft as we thinke or speake of our names giuen vs in baptisme This is the doctrine of Paul who teacheth vs that we must be conformable to the death and resurrection of Christ because we haue beene baptized Rom. 6. 3 4. Againe our baptisme into the name of the father c. must teach vs that we must learne to know and acknowledge God aright that is to acknowledge him to be our God and father in Christ to acknowledge his presence and therefore to walke before him to acknowledge his prouidence and therefore to cast our care on him to acknowledge his goodnesse and mercie in the pardon and free forgiuenesse of our sinnes Thirdly Our baptisme must be vnto vs a storehouse of all comfort in the time of our need If thou be tempted by the deuil oppose against him thy baptisme in which God hath promised and sealâ—d vnto thee the pardon of thy sinnes and life euerlasting If thou be troubled with doubtings and weaknes of faith consider that God hath giuen thee an earnest and pledge of his louing kindnes to thee We vse often to look vpon the wills of our fathers and grand-fathers that we may be resolued in matters of doubt and so often looke vpon the will of thy heauenly father sealed and deliuered to thee in thy baptisme and thou shalt the better be resolued in the middest of all thy doubts If thou lie vnder any crosse or calamitie haue recourse to thy baptisme in which God promised to be thy God and of this promise he will not faile thee Lastly if a man would be a student in diuinitie let him learne practise his baptisme Commentaries are needefull to the studie of the scriptures and the best commentarie to a mans owne selfe is his owne baptisme For if a man haue learned to know ought and to practise his owne baptisme he shall the better be able to vnderstand the whole and without this helpe the scriptures themselues shall be as a riddle vnto vs. The 4. point whereby the gift of adoption is described is the ground thereof in these words ye haue put on Christ and all are one in Christ. The phrase which Paul vseth is borrowed from the custome of them that were baptised in the Apostes daies who put off their garments when they were to be baptised and put on new garments after baptisme To put on a garment is to apply it to the bodie and to vse or weare it And to put on Christ is to be ioyned neerely to Christ and to haue spirituall fellowship with him Here then the foundation of our adoption is in two things our vnion with Christ our communion with him Of which we are somewhat to be aduertised for the better vnderstanding of the text The vnion with Christ is a worke of God whereby all beleeuers are made one with Christ. Here two questions are to be demanded The first in what respect or for what cause are they said to be one with Christ Ans. They are not one with him in conceit or imagination for this coniunction is in truth a reall coniunction Iohn 17. 22. Christ prooues that all beleeuers may be one with him as he is one with the father Secondly they are not one barely by consent of heart and affection for thus all families and friends are one and they of Ierusalem are said thus to be of one heart and mind Act. 4. 32. Thirdly they are not one in substance for so many beleeuers as there are so many distinct persons are there euery one of them distinct from the person of Christ And the substance of the godhead of Christ is incommunicable and the flesh of Christ is in heauen and shall there abide till the last iudgement whereupon it cannot be mixed or compounded with our substances Lastly beleeuers are not one with Christ by transfusion of the properties and qualities of the godhead or manhood vnto vs. It may be said how then are they one with him I answer by one and the same spirit dwelling in Christ and in all the members of Christ. 1. Cor. 6. 17. he that cleaueth to the Lord is one spirit Paul saith in this sense Eph. 2. 14. that Christ maketh the two distinct nations of Iewes and Gentiles one new man S. Iohn saith that Christ dwells in vs and we in him by the spirit 1. Iohn 3. 23. For the better conceiuing of this suppose a man whose head lies in Italie his armes in Germanie and Spaine his feete in England suppose further that one and the same soule extends it selfe to all the foresaid parts and quickens them all they are all now become one in respect of one and the same soule and all concurre as members to one and the same bodie euen so all the Saints in heauen and all beleeuers vpon earth hauing one and the same spirit of Christ dwelling in them are all one in Christ. The second question is how are all beleeuers made one with Christ Ans. By a donation on Gods part whereby Christ is giuen vnto vs and by a receiuing on our part The donation is whereby Christ is made ours for right so as a man may say truly Christ is mine with all his benefits Of this donation 4. things are to be obserued The first is that Christ himselfe and whole Christ is giuen to vs. For heere we are said to put on Christ. Here a distinction must be obserued the Godhead of Christ is giuen to vs not in respect of substance which
gift of illumination faith regeneration life sense and motion are the gifts of the spirit and so are ciuill vertues but the sending of the spirit is onely in respect of such gifts as are bestowed in the Church in the receiuing of which the spirit is acknowledged The place or mansion of the spirit is the heart that is the minde will and affection The heart is the very sinke of sinne yet that doth the spirit choose for his abode Hence we learne 1. That the beginning of our newe birth is in the heart when a newe light is put into the minde a newe and heauenly disposition into the will and affection 2. The most principall part of our change or renouation is in the heart where the spirit abides The end of all teaching is loue out of a pure heart good conscience and faith vnfained 1. Tim. 1. 5. 3. The beginning and principall part of Gods worship is in the heart He that serues God in the righteonsnesse of his heart in peace and ioy in the Holy Ghost is accepted Rom. 14. 17. 4. In our hearts no wicked or carnall thought will desire or lust must raigne but onely Gods word and spirit For thy heart is the house where the spirit dwels and he must be Lord of his owne house 5. Aboue all things keepe watch and warde about thy heart and fill it with all good cogitations desires that it may be a fit place of intertainment for the spirit who is as it were an Embassadour sent from the great God vnto thee The last thing is the office of the spirit which is to make beleeuers Crie Abba Here I consider 4. things 1. The meanes whereby this Crie is caused 2. The nature of it 3. To whome it is directed 4. The manner of direction For the first in the effecting or causing of this Crie there are 4. workes of the spirit The first is Conuiction when a man in his iudgement and conscience is conuicted that the scriptures of the Prophets and Apostles are indeed the word of God To this purpose there are many arguments which nowe I omit This conuiction is a common worke of the spirit yet necessarie because much Atheisme lies lurking in our hearts which makes vs call into question euery part of the word of God The second worke is Subiection whereby a man conuicted that the scripture and euery part of it is the word of God subiects himselfe in his heart to the commandement of God which bids him turne to God and beleeue in Christ. And this second is a worke of the spirit of grace proper to the elect The third is the Certificate or testimonie of the spirit which is a diuine manner of reasoning framed in the mindes of them that beleeue and repent on this manner He that beleeues and repents is Gods child Thus saith the Gospel But I beleeue in Christ and repent at the least I subiect my will to the commandement which biddes me repent and beleeue I detest mine vnbeleefe and all my sinnes and desire the Lord to increase my faith Therefore I am the child of God This is the practicall syllogisme of the H. Ghost It is the testimonie of the spirit that we are the sonnes of God it is the earnest of the spirit and the seale whereby we are sealed to the day of our redemption and it containes the certentie ofspeciall faith The fourth thing that followes vpon this Testimonie is Peace of conscience Ioy and affiance in God And from this affiance comes the crying here mentioned whereby euery true beleeuer with open throat as it were cries vnto god the father This doctrine is of great worth it is the hinge vpon which the gate of heauen turnes and therefore to be remembred The vse By this we see a manifest errour in the Popish religion which teacheth that we can haue no other certenty of our saluation in this life but that which is probable or coniecturall that is a certentie ioyned with feare suspicion and some doubting Certentie in respect of God that promiseth feare doubting in respect of our owne indisposition But this doctrine is false For they which are Gods children receiue the spirit crying Abba and this crying argues affiance or confidence in God By faith we haue confidence in God and entrance with boldnesse Eph. 3. 11. and boldnesse is opposite to feare and excludes doubting in respect of our selues Againe by this doctrine we see it is ordinarie and possible for all that beleeue and repent to be certainly assured that they are the children of God For if they haue the spirit of God crying in them as all Gods childrē haue they cannot but perceiue this crie and withall they haue the testimonie of the spirit in them which is the ground of this crie Rom. 8. 16. And seeing this is so we must be admonished to vse all meanes that we may be assured that we are the children of God 2. Pet. 1. Giue all diligence to make your Election sure Paul bids rich men lay vp a good foundation against the time to come 1. Tim. 6. 18. And this foundation must be laide not in heauen but in the conscience God of his mercie hath made a couenant or bargaine with vs that beleeue and repent in this bargaine he hath promised to vs pardon of our sinnes and life euerlasting let vs then neuer be at rest till we haue receiued earnest from the hand of God and haue his promise sealed vnto vs by the spirit in our hearts You will say what shall I doe to be assured that I am Gods child Ans. Thou must examine thy selfe of two things The first is whether thou art conuicted in thy iudgement that the Scripture is indeede the word of God if thou art not yet conuicted then inquire and vse meanes that thou maist indeed be conuicted otherwise all is in vaine Secondly inquire whether thou dost indeed and in good earnest submit and subiect thy will to the cōmandement of God which bids thee beleeue in Christ and turne vnto God For if thou canst say that thou dost will to beleeue and will to repent if thou shew this will indeede in the vse of good meanes if thou condemne and detest thy vnbeleefe and all other thy sinnes thou hast receiued the earnest of the spirit and thou art indeede the child of God And this assurance shall be vnto thee of great vse For it will make thee reioyce in afflictions and it will worke patience experience hope Rom. 5. 5. It will make thee despise this world it will take away the feare of death and kindle in thy heart a desire to be with Christ. Touching the nature of this crie it stands in the desires and groanes of the heart directed vnto God And these desires may be distinguished from all carnall desires by three properties First of all they are in the hearts of them that are turned to God or at the least beginne to turne vnto him For God heareth
For Christ in his Sacrifice Satisfaction intercession merit admits no corriuall or associate All actions of his are perfect in their kind and neede no supplie This againe must teach vs to content our selues with Christ alone and not to set vp any thing with him or against him This is the safest and the surest course A certen Papist writeth to this effect that we Protestants in our iustification cleaue only to the bodie of the tree and that the Papists cleaue both to the bodie and the branches And I say againe it is the safest with both the hands to cleaue to the bodie of the tree and he that with one hand laies hold vpon the bodie of the tree and with the other staies himselfe vpon the branches â—in great danger of falling The second conclusion of Paul is that to set vp any thing out of Christ as a meritorious cause of saluation and to place our iustification in it either in whole or in part is indeede the seruice of Idols And the reason is plaine For this is to set vp something in the place and roome of Christ and men put a confidence in that which they make a cause of their owne saluation The doctrine then of Iustification by works is a doctrine that maintaines idolatrie for if they iustifie we may put our trust in them and if we put our confidence in them we make idols of them That works may merit at Gods hand they must not onely be sanctified but also deified The distinction vsed of the Papists of Latria and Dulia that is of worship and seruice falls to the ground They say they giue worship to God and seruice to Angels and Saints It is a toie For here Paul condemnes the very seruice to heathen gods and the seruice of the rudiments of the law is the Apostasie of the Galatians And to giue seruice or worshippe to any thing are all one The third conclusion of Paul is that they which haue giuen their names to God and Christ must not returne to any thing that they haue forsaken or ought to forsake He that puts his hand to the plough must not looke backe he that goes to the land of Canaan must not looke backe to Egypt We in England haue bin long deliuered from the superstition of Poperie and we must not so much as dreame of any returne It is a common fault among vs that in outward profession we cleaue to Christ yet in affection and practise we cleaue to the world and walke after the lusts of our owne hearts This is in shew to goe forward but in deede to turne backe againe But our dutie is in thought conscience will affection word and deede to go on forward and no way to goe backe Vers. 10. In the former verse Paul sets downe the Apostasie of the Galatians in generall tearmes saying How turne ye againe to the Elements of the world In the 10. verse he shewes what these Elements be Ye obserued daies and moneths and times and yeares By daies are meant Iewish Sabbaths by moneths the feasts obserued euery moneth in the day of the new moone By times some vnderstand the feast of the Passeouer the feast of Pentecost and the feast of Tabernacies But the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies seasons or fit times for the doing of this or that busines So is it translated Act. 1. 7. It is not for you to know the times and seasons It was the manner of the Gentiles to make difference of times in respect of good or bad successe and that according to the signes of heauen And it is very likely that the Galatians obserued daies not onely in the Iewish but also in the heathenish manner By yeares are meant euery seuenth yeare and the Iubelie yeares which the Galatians obserued after the fashion of the Iewes Againe there is a fourefold kind of obseruation of daies one naturall the other ciuill the third Ecclesiasticall the fourth superstitious Naturall is when daies are obserued according to the course of the sunne moone Gen. 1. 14. thus day follows night and night followes day and euery yeare hath foure seasons spring sommer autumne winter And the obseruation of these times is according to the law of nature Ciuill obseruation is when set times are obserued for husbandrie in planting setting reaping sowing for houshold affaires and for the affaires of the commonwealth in keeping of faires and markets c. And thus to obserue daies is not vnlawfull Ecclesiasticall obseruation of times is when set daies are obserued for orders sake that men may come together to worship God these daies are either daies of thanksgiuing or daies of humiliation Of daies of thanksgiuing take the example of the Iewes Hest. 9. 26. who obserued yearely the feast of Purim for a memorie of their deliuerance In like manner they appointed and obserued the feast of Dedication and it seemes that Christ was present at Ierusalem as an obseruer of this feast Ioh. 10. 22. And thus for orders sake to obserue certaine daies of solemnitie is not forbidden Superstitious obseruation of daies is twofold Iewish or heathenish Iewish when set daies are obserued with an opinion that we are bound in conscience to obserue them and when the worship of God is placed in the obseruing of this or that time Heathenish when daies are obserued in respect of good or bad successe Now then to come to the point the intent of Paul is onely to condemne the Iewish manner of obseruing of daies in these words Ye obserue daies moneths yeares and the heathenish manner in these words ye obserue seasons Against this interpretation the place of Paul may be obiected Rom. 14. 6. He that obserues the day obserues it to the Lord. Ans. Indeede Paul in these words excuseth the Romanes that obserued daies and saith that their intention was to obserue them to the honour of God and this he saith because as yet they were not fully instructed touching Christian libertie but withall let it be remembred that in mild sort he notes this to be a fault in them when he saith that they were weake in faith Now the case was otherwise with the Galatians because they obserued daies after they had bin informed touching their libertie in Christ and withall they placed their saluation in part in the obseruation of daies and thus they mixed the Gospel with the law And therefore they were iustly to be blamed Againe it may be obiected that now in the time of the new Testament we in religious manner obserue the Lords day Ans. Some men both godly and learned are of opinion that the Lords day was appointed by the Apostles for orders sake and that it is in the libertie of the Church to appoint the Sabbath vpon any other day in the weeke because they say all daies without exception are equall and they adde further that when the publike worship of God is ended men may then returne to their labours or giue themselues to recreation