clear a demonstration of it as deeper souls may make encouraged by these beginnings of my shallow understanding Mean while I shall beseech our whole sodality to say these Prayers with all devotion possible as being such indeed that rightly understood do ravish any tender soul and will make them see the fondnesse of a single-soled devotion in comparison of this which is the Universall Churches Prayer Let me conclude with this one question onely tell me beloved what we may not daâ—e to aske of God Almighty who in this dayes prayer are bid demand more then we dare presume to aske And why because no guilt of conscience is so great but he that is the searcher of our hearts can see the depth thereof and seeing mercifully pardon it through the abundance of his pitty towards us nay then he commonly gives a more ample pardon when we acknowledge his mercy exceeds as much our desires as it doth our merits when we rely upon him for prevenient grace to ask him pardon for our sinnes and that done with a soul contrite then build upon his goodnesse for the rest when we leave it to him what proportion of mercy he will show us since he being God cannot give so little but it is much more then we his creatures can deserve and since his goodnesse is such as he cannot chuse but give more then he bids us aske since we must alwayes ask as wanting creatures he alwayes gives as an abounding Creatour giving all things to nothing rather then want a subject to bestow his bounties on and we are lesse then nothing when he gives repentance to our sinfull souls O! this beloved is the pouring out of his mercy this is the out-doing goodnesse of Almighty God which in the prayer above we so much magnifie and in so doing glorifie his blessed name whence we may one day hope to see our blisse our glory flowing also since therefore God is glorified here in time that he may render us in heaven glorious for all eternity The Epistle 1. Cor. 15.1 c. 1 Brethren I give you to understand the Gospel which I have preached to you which also you received in which also you stand 2 By the which also you are saved after what manner I preached unto you if you keep it unlesse you have believed in vain 3 For I delivered unto you first of all which I also received that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures 4 And that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures 5 And that he was seen of Cephas and after that of the eleven 6 Then was he seen of more then five hundred brethren together of which many remain untill this present and some are asleep 7 Moreover he was seen of James then of all the Apostles 8 And last of all of an abortive he was seen also of me 9 For I am the least of the Apostles who am not worthy to be called an Apostle because I persecuted the Church of God 10 But by the grace of God I am that which I am and his grace in me hath not been void but I have laboured more aboundantly then all they yet not I but the grace of God with me The Explication 1. THat is I call again here to your mind So runs the Greek Text where the Vulgar sayes we are given to understand 2. Meaning if you work according to your belief so here faith without works was preached by Saint Paul to be vain as who should say no faith were saving but that which by charitie is operative 3. Hence it is clear the Apostle did first deliver by word of mouth the doctrine which he after writ so by tradition we come first and chiefly to Christianitie by preaching not by writing for faith is by hearing Rom. 10.17 And whereas here we read of delivery the Greeks write tradition and that according to the Scriptures 4. That is as was literally foretold by the figure of Jonas three dayes in the Whales belly allegorically of Isaac delivered safe to his mother three dayes after he had been preserved from death though offered up thereunto by Abraham 5. By Cephas understand Peter who was the first man Christ appeared to though he had before appeared to Mary Magdalene as we read Mark the last v. 9. Then to the eleven Apostles That was in the Octave of Easter when Saint Thomas was also present for at first he appeared onely to the other ten though the Greeks read to twelve meaning to the whole Colledge of Apostles which may stand good though one or two were absent as an act is said to be the whole Councills act when it is past by the greater number 6. He was seen to those five hundred as in the aire or from some high place that all might see him at once to shew them rather then to tell them he was risen for it is not said in this Text that he spoke to any of these five hundred persons And it is most probable this apparition was in the mountain of Galilee which was by our Saviour foretold so that this company probably went thither purposely and as foretold what would happen This apparition was before the Ascension for this mountain was in Galilee not in Judaea as was the mount Olivet whence our Saviour did ascend 7. This was an apparition of speciall favour to Saint James of Alphaeus called the brother of Christ and succeeding him in his sea at Hierusalem So our Saviour was not content once onely and that in common to appear unto Saint James with the rest of the Apostles and peradventure with the five hundred in the verse above but he was pleased specially to grace his brother so called because he was like our Saviour by a private appearing to him after these publick apparitions to him and others 8. Saint Paul calls himself abortive because he was born to the Apostolate after the time of Christ his choosing his Apostles by a speciall calling even from heaven after Christ had ascended to his heavenly Father So S. Ambrose and S. Chrysostome expound it Yet there want not other pious expositions of this word by other Fathers as if by this S. Paul would render himself lesse considerable So the next verse clearly saies and needs no further exposition 9 10. By the grace of God I am an Apostle and the Doctour of the Gentiles and this grace hath not been void idle or lazie in me but operative according to the diligence of a soul inflamed with the love of God and making his free will a servant to grace by acting freely what by holy inspirations he was called unto The Epistle ends at void but the verse goes on as above He saies more aboundantly then all they this may seem an ill arrogancy after so much humiliation of himself but it is not so for by more aboundantly he means onely by overcoming more vice not that he professed more virtue namely
laudable to boot by his acceptance of our endeavours as if we had been able to perform our duty when it is himself that doth the work and yet affords the praise thereof to us because we did but set our hands to the burthen that he lifted up And hence it is our willingnesse is lookt upon by him as if it were a perfect will our desires as if they were performances because what we wish he wills what we but desire to do he perfects and so esteems us his faithfull people because he is as well our faithful servant as our noble Master himself avoucheth this I came not to be served but to serve and so looks upon his own worth his own praise as though they were radicated in us unworthy creatures and thus is pleased in us even while we are displeased with our selves to see how little we do in earnest of that all which he accepteth at our hands as if it all had been by us well done O convincing goodnesse But we must further find this prayer adapted to the other service of the day And in one onely verse of the Epistle we shall see it done Not that we are sufficient to think any thing of our selves but our sufficiency is of God if not to think much lesse to do What so patt as this unto the Prayer And yet S. Paul rests not here he shewes Gods bounty stops not untill he brings his servants to the top of all preferment as he did when he honoured simple men with the title of Apostolate when he made them Ministers of salvation unto all the world When could this be more aptly made the subject of the Epistle then now that the Prayer so magnifies the bounty of Almighty God unto his servants Or when could the Gospel better begin with the happinesse it was to those that see our Saviour Jesus Christ with their own eyes whom Princes had in vain desired to see and could not have the honour of that view which yet he was so lavish of unto his chosen servants to his Apostles Disciples and several devotes of both sexes And when could the double-dealing Doctour be better reprehended for his boasted zeal of knowing how to gain eternal life then in this Gospel we do read he was by being told God was no way better served then when men did mutually love each other and shew this love to be sincere by helping one another in their need For then we serve God faithfully worthily and laudably when we love our neighbour as our selves then we run without offence unto the promises of Almighty God when we do that which Jesus told the Doctour of the Law he should by doing secure himself of everlasting life that is by loving one another O sweet O easie way to heaven O Prayer exactly well adapted to the other service of the day The Epistle 2 Cor. c. 3. 4 And such confidence we have by Christ to God 5 Not that we are sufficient to think any thing of our selves but our sufficiency is of God 6 Who also made us meet Ministers of the New Testament not in the letter but in the Spirit for the letter killeth but the Spirit quickeneth 7 And if the ministration of death with letters figured in stones was in glory so that the children of Israel could not behold the face of Moyses for the glory of his countenance that is made 8 How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be more in glory 9 For if the ministration of damnation be in glory much more the ministry of justice aboundeth in glory The Explication 4. BY confidence here is understood an assured trust such as Saints have when they undertake by Gods assistance to work miracles And this confidence S. Paul had that by his preaching he had written the word of God in the hearts of the Corinthians and that they were now in a manner a living Epistle or letters of Gods truth that is of Christ his doctrine or Evangelicall instructions 5. By any thing here is meant any thing appertaining or ordained to faith grace merit or salvation as who should say S. Paul did not arrogate to himself that he was able to be a minister to his own or any others salvation of himself but attributes all this to the speciall assistance of Almighty God So Catholicks teach out of this place against hereticks that our own free will is not able to will our own salvation as an act purely our own but it must proceed from God that we will any thing in order to a supernaturall end and such is our salvation Yet hence it follows not that desire of our salvation is not an act of our free will but that free will alone is not able or sufficient thereunto without Gods grace and speciall assistance so we allow two causes necessary to concurre unto humane salvation grace as the supernaturall and our cooperation thereby with an act of freewill as the naturall this last being elevated as it were by the first to do more with it concurring then it could have done alone 6. By a meet minister here understand a sufficient one and S. Paul confesseth he is not such of himself but is made so by virtue of grace as in the verse above Not in the letter but in the spirit is as much as to say not by the written Law but by the inward spirit and grace of God not so as Moyses was who cited the letter onely of the Law for his promotion the tables of the Commandments c. No the commission of the Apostles was by way of mission their part was to preach according to the spirit infused to them by Christ and to deliver by word of mouth his doctrine not by writing so their tradition was the first rule of Christian Religion to the world after Christ and that they writ the Gospel was an after inspiration of the holy Ghost not any speciall command left them so to do by Christ Hence they writ it not for a rule or necessary square to measure out our wayes but as a spirituall help much conducing to piety if rightly understood and squaring with their sense who by tradition had delivered much more then they writ And hence it follows that the letter may kill if misunderstood but the spirit or sense of the Apostle is that which quickeneth or giveth spirituall life to our souls as being a true expression of the spirit or sense of Jesus Christ By the letter killing is truely meant the letter of the old Law which was written to terrifie rather then to save and was but a type of a new Law that should save rather by the spirit or sense thereof then by the letter and the spirit is said to quicken because it gives life to the soul as being the spirit of grace and charitie the Holy Ghost indeed teaching us all truth of the letter of the Law whence we say Come holy Ghost visit the minds of thy people fill with
to us cooperating with the same what our sins retarded that is to say our own redemption was by our own sins retarded for 4000. years together the Indulgence of his propitiation may accelerate It was indeed a huge indulgence in Almighty God to make his sacred Son a propitiation for our sins and more to hasten him away for this purpose since fourty thousand years had been too short a time to have expected so much mercy as is now accelerated by the indulgence of his propitiation which would not give him leave to stay above 4000. years away And by this close of the Prayer we virtually include the whole Epistle and Gospell of the day while we beg the help of Gods Grace to accelerate unto us the benefit of the Indulgent propitiation that Christ his Birth-Day brings to every pious Christian which benefit lest our sins retard see how the Church prepares both Priest and People to a due regard against them by the counsell given to both in the Epistle and by exhorting both to be Baptistick Saints in the Gospel of the Day to be preparers of the way of Christ Angels of Men running this holy Advent before his face to sanctifie our own and our neighbours wayes unto the Crib where Christ on Christmas Day is mystically born again as often as Christians celebrate the Feast of his Nativity so saith Saint Leo in his nineth Sermon upon that Feast and the like is of all others We doe not so much recall the past as we behold the present Feast of our Saviours Birth so often as it comes about by Annuall revolution The Epistle 1 COR 4. ver 1. c. 1. SO let man esteem of us as the Ministers of Christ and the dispensers of the Mysteries of God 2. Here now is required among the dispensers that a man be found faithfull 3. But to me it is a thing of least account to be judged of you or of Mans day but I judge not my self neither 4. For I am not guilty in Conscience of any thing but I am not justified herein but he that judgeth me is our Lord. 5. Therefore judge not before the time untill our Lord doe come who also will lighten the hidden things of darkness and will manifest the counsels of the hearts and then the praise shall be to every Man of God The Explication 1. THe Apostle seemes here to bid Man esteem of him and his Associates in the Apostolate as if they were not men but Ministers of Christ for as much as they did the Offices of God by being dispensers of his Mysteries and indeed that is most true for though to be a Steward or master of a Family under any temporall Lord and to dispence and dispose of his Lords Monies and Goods be not to execute an office above man in regard all the goods and monies in the Stewards hands are temporall things and the properties of nothing above a humane creature yet to be Steward of the House of God and to have the dispensing of such goods as are Spirituall and cannot be the properties of any temporall Lord certainly this renders a man though not in nature more than Man yet by Office hugely more than an Angel for though we read of them that they are Heb. 1.14 Ministring Spirits in the House or Church of God both triumphant militant and patient yet we never read that they were stiled the dispensing spirits of Gods hidden Mysteries which yet as the Apostles were so must their suuccessours the Priests of holy Church be too and consequently are not in the execution of that Spirituall Office to be looked on or esteemed as men but as Ministers of a higher nature as persons indeed more than Angelicall since they have an Office and Power above Angels namely to forgive Sins and to dispence or dispose of Gods severall Graces by the conduit of holy Sacraments Pipes made on purpose by our Saviour Jesus Christ to convey unto our barren Souls the fertilizing waters of heavenly grace and these pipes are so put into the hands of Priests as they can turn the cock at pleasure give or retain this holy grace as they judge fit to administer a Sacrament or suspend a Sinner from the benefit thereof But we must further note the Apostle here as he speaks in generall to all Christians and bids them esteem Priests above men by reason of their office so he speaks particularly to the Corinthians in order to their main contention which was to make a difference betwixt the Dispensers of these Mysteries as if Baptism for example received from one were of more value than if they were baptized by another or as if the Ministers of Baptism were the Authors of grace and so they who received it at a more holy mans hands received more than if the conferror thereof were lesse holy to both these effects the Apostle speaks correcting the Corinthians errour in them both that is for thinking the Administrator of a Sacrament to be the Author of grace therein conferred or that grace was more abundantly conferred according as the Administrators thereof were more or lesse holy 2 This alludes to the vanity of the Corinthians who were men so curious that they judged of their Preachers as they found them more wise more grave more eloquent in their Sermons or Catechisms than others and particularly they adhered much to Apollo because they held him more eloquent than S. Paul whereas the same Apostle here tells them they must not regard in the Dispensers of Gods word the Rhetorick language or eloquence of the preachers but above all their fidelity or being faithfull that is to have them tell the true sence and meaning of Christ Jesus to have them give rather sound than flourishing doctrine least while they put too much force in words they lose the vigour of the Spirit which is and ought to be the life of a Sermon and least they seek by the Ostentation of their languages rather their own than the glory of God or preach themselves not Christ Whereas S. Paul tells them here fidelity is the principall part of a preacher that is to preach the Word of God and not the word of man to preach spirit rather than language to move the soul to Acts of love rather than the ear to delight of Eloquence 3. This Verse prosecutes the sense of the former telling them plainly he did not regard their fond judgements that esteemed men by their glib tongues rather than by their vertuous spirits for it is indeed Unction a speciall gift of the Holy Ghost that renders a Preacher most profitable to souls and so most accomplisht in his preaching whence the Apostle knowing what he said was pure spirit told them he did not regard their censures of him as if he were defective in his duty of preaching and what he sayes to them in this kinde he affirmes the like in respe of all men by his following words wherein he makes no account of
other life than this sordid one they enjoyed upon earth but it is worthy observation to see the Apostle speak so confidently of our sufferings here before Men as if God for whom these men did see us suffer were as visible in our eyes though we see him not as the men are whom we doe see and truly so it is For God is remarkably seen in all his creatures according to that of Saint Paul Rom 1. ver 20. The invisibles of God by those things that are visible and rightly understood are seen unto us And if we could alwayes have this truth in our minde we should alwayes have God before our eyes as the Apostle avoucheth the Thessalonians had saying they did believe love and hope in the senses above as if they had God the Father and his sacred Son perpetually standing before them and visibly incouraging them to all the good actions of their lives which indeed if every good Christian should perswade himself and square his actions accordingly we should soon see a good world here and a happy reward of our goodness in the next life 4. The knowledge he here speaks of is not that of his Belief and Faith but rather of his experience for it was an evident proof to him that God did love those whom he had Elected to the happy calling of Christianity as it was preached by Christ himself and his Apostles not as now when that terme of election is too loosely and too largely taken God knowes though in truth he alludes here to his knowledge that their Election to Glory will be the reward of their vocation to Grace if they persevere as they have begun to be good Christians so he speaks as by what followes appears literally of their present election to Grace mystically and as by consequence of that glory upon condition of their perseverance 5. For it was a signe of present Grace joyned with a hope of future Glory that he takes notice his preaching did not onely work in force of words with them but in power of Grace also both in the Preachers and in the hearers In the Preachers as confirmed in Grace by the holy Ghost descending upon them and making of poor ignorant men deep Doctors in an instant for this is it he alludes unto saying You know what men we have been among you meaning before the holy Ghost came down upon us and what now we are for your sakes that is to say men illuminated by God for your instructions and exposed to all hazards of our lives for your conversions all which argues the gift of present Grace in the Preachers and the actuall conversions of the hearers argues the same gift of Grace in them and both these give indeed hope of future Glory to them both Note that by the much fulness is here understood the like plenitude of his Doctrine confirmed by like miracles preached by the like impulse of the holy Ghost avowed by the like sufferings for the truth of his Doctrine as was the Doctrine Miracles Preaching and Sufferings of the other Apostles called before him who never had been persecutours of the Church as he was whom they had seen doe all in the same fulnesse of Grace as the other Apostles did and by the Gospel in the beginning of this Verse he means his particular preaching the Word of Christ 6. Here is a strange kind of speech wherein S. Paul puts himself Sylvanus and Timothy as examples to the Thessalonians before Christ when he sayes they were followers of them and of Christ as if he meant for their sakes they had also followed Christ and not them or Christ his sake yet if we reflect upon it this seeming immodesty is hugely modest and extreamly true indeed necessary for however Christ were the Apostles and his other Diciples immediate example and pattern which they followed yet to all the after-Ages the Apostles and their successours to their respective times were the immediate and visible rule of Faith unto the world and the examples whom they first following afterward are called Christians because Christ as he was the first rule to the Apostles so is he the last rewarder of those that believe in him for the Apostles sakes that is by meanes of the Apostles and their successours teaching and preaching the Faith of Christ in regard Christ not being now visibly amongst us gives us leave to follow him by such examples as he pleaseth to send unto us wherewith to supply his own absence namely the governours of holy Church Nor is it any way derogatory to Almighty God that man is instrumentall to his Divine Service as that we say we owe our conversion to such an Apostle to such a Priest to such a holy Man as the immediate and visible cause thereof however we finally place our Faith in Christ and our trust in God who hath given such Gifts such Graces such Powers unto Men as to prevail with their followers to joy in their Tribulation which they suffer for hearing and receiving the Word of God true it is we receive this Word from the mouthes of Men but it is the holy Ghost that moves us joyfully to suffer the Tribulation of all severest persecution rather than not imbrace this Word as Divine however delivered by men unto us because it hath in it an energy a force exceeding all humane power such as inables us to renounce all temporall happinesse in hope of the Eternall which this sacred Word doth promise us 7. See here how the Apostle courts his own Converts by making them in a manner Co-apostles with himself whilst their exemplarity of life is the means of converting others to the Faith of Christ whom the Apostles never did converse withall as here they are said to be worthy of the stile of Co-apostlate over all Macedonia and Achaia great Countries looking upon Christianity as an object of â—arest Beauty by reason of the singular Vertues shining in these Thessalonian Matrons to whom this Epistle relates 8. Nay he goes further and to their religious demeanour attributes the Conversion in a manner of all other Nations insomuch as there is no more need as he saith of the Apostles and he adds that as the Thessalonians believe so all the world beliâ—ves seeing in them such remarkable signs of sanctity verity and doctrine 9. They themselves that is to say all those amongst whom we now come have heard of your celebrated conversion from Gentilism to Christianity from plurality of gods so he meanes by Idol gods dead stocks and stones to the Adoration of one sole True and living God from all and unto all eternity And this your conversion is the more famous by reason of the persecutions raised against us and you upon this account who rather chose to die than to desert us though our entrance was persecution and your exit sufferance for the promulgation of the Gospel which teacheth us to adore one onely God 10. And to expect the second coming of his
sacred son Christ Jesus at the day of Judgement to revenge his Fathers and his own wrongs done unto them by the sins of ungratefull and mis-believing men who notwithstanding they see Christ was raised from the dead will not yet believe him to bee the Messias and Saviour of the world from which revenge or wrath those who believe in Christ Jesus are delivered that is from the damnation due to their incredulity who believe not in him or to their evill lives who though they doe rightly believe yet live not according to the rule of Faith or doe not works answerable to their belief The Application 1. AS it is huge Reason we should fly to heaven for help in humane dangers according as wee were taught last Sunday so is it very reasonable we should practise what S. Paul exhorted the Thessalonians to whilest his Lesson to them is this day read to us Namely to be mindfull of the work of our Faith c for albeit Faith elevateth Reason to believe some things that are above Reason yet it bindeth us not to doe any thing either above or against Reason and so leaves us in all our thoughts and actions to be regulated by reason 2. Hence it is great Reason that we who now profess the same Faith with the Thessalonians doe persevere with them in the works of faith such as may render us able by our exemplar lives to convert all that we converse with as wâ— hear the Thessalonians did convert all those of Macedonia and of Achaia to the faith of Jesus Christ 3 Now because our actions commonly are such as our thoughts propend and lead us to it is fitting that to bee the better able to doe reason in all our actions we should admit of notâ—ing but reason into our thoughts and meditations since we are certain whatsoever can lay claim to Reason especially such â—s is elevated by Faith must needs be pleasing to almighty God According as we are taught in the Prayer above The Gospel MATTH 13. vers 31. 31. ANother Parable he proposed unto them saying The kingdome of heaven is like to mustard seed which a man tooke and sowed in his fiâ—ld 32. Which is the least surely of all seeds but when it is grown it is greater than all hearbs and is made a Tree so that the fowls of the aire come and dwell in the branches thereof 33. Another Parable he spake to them The kingdome of heaven is like to leaven which a a woman tooke and hid in three measures of meal untill the whole was leavened 34. All these things Jesus spake in Parables to the multitudes and without parables he did not speak to them 35. That it might be fâ—lfilled which was spoken by the Prophet saying I will open my mouth in parables I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world Psal 77. v. 2. The Explication 31. OUr Saviour it seems at this time made profession to speak nothing but Parables so after he had as we heard last Sunday told them the Parable of the cockle amongst the corn here hee likens the Church to the least of grains a mustard seed sowed in a mans field that is to say scattered over the field of this world which is truly said a mans field in regard Christ who is God and man is Lord and master of this whole Universe and all over it hath planted this mustard seed his holy Church 32. And as in very truth a mustard seed is the least of all others so the Church of Christ was when first planted or sowed the least of all communities in the word But some conceive Christ himself to bee this mustard seed on whom grew as so many birds in their nests The Apostles Popes Bishops Pastours and Saints of all sorts and of both sexes Others will have the Church to be this mustard-seed little in it self at first now spread over all the world Others contend it is the Gospel of Christ his doctrine or the word of God that at first was onely sowed like mustard seed among the Jewes but now is diffused over the whole Universe In fine it avails little which of these we take the Parable is verified in them all and indeed they are all in a manner one and the same thing for all have root in Christ and are branches of him and the Analogie holds between the mustard seed and every one of these for who lesse than Christ who was the out-cast of men What Church lesse than the Primitive Church of Christ What Doctrine avowed by weaker men than his Disciples were and so consequently what word lesse than his which was exsibilated or hissed out of the world at first when it was said to be a scandall to the Jewes and a folly to the Gentiles 1 Cor. 1.23 to preach the Gospel of his resurrection And this is speciall between the word and mustard-seed that as in this seed there is a kinde of fierie quality so is the word of God as holy David sayd Psal 119. v. 140. Thy word is exceeding fierie that is servorous and hot inflaming hearts to the love of God and whereas the Text speaks of this seed growing to a tree it is indeed so in Syria where birds really build in the boughs thereof as all the members of Christ doe upon him as was abovesaid 33. This other parable of the Church or of her doctrine being like to leaven suites exceedingly therewith for as a litle leaven gives a relish to a whole batch of bread so the least Word of God hidden in mens hearts as leaven is in meal makes them rise into professions of Christian dutie and renders all their actions savourie both to God and man By the woman is here meant the Church which is the Spouse of Christ hiding the leaven of Christian doctrine in the three measures of meal that is to say in three parts of the World whereunto Christianity was then immediately designed namely Asia Africa and Europe for America hath been discovered but an hundred years agoe and whither formerly disjoyned from some one of these other three parts of the Earth by an interjected Sea as now it is we know not But this we conceive that these other three parts seemed to have been a division of the whole Earth into all the parts thereof when Noe divided the World between his three Sons assigning Asia to Sem Afirica to Cham and Europe to Japhet and this perhaps may be the literall allusion of the three measures of meal seasoned by the leaven of the Gospel Mystically Saint Ambrose applyes this leaven to the three parts of Man his spirit his life and his body or to his three appetites rationall Irascible and concupiscible So that by vertue of Gods holy Word Saint Hierome sayes in our reason we possesse prudence in our anger we lodge a holy hatred against Sin in our desires or concupiscencies we harbour a coveting of Vertue And all this in having these naturall appetites elevated to
instance than S. Paul did or in a case more important than was his perpetuall flaile of the flesh wherewith the devill did continuall buffet him so we asking the same protection this day when the Church hath set us a sowing a labovring in her Vineyard doe ask it most seasonably and most properly even in the sence of that designe I now prosecute in adjusting the Prayers to the Epistls and the Gospells of the day The Epistle 2 COR. 11. v. 19. c. CAP. 12. vers 1. c. 19. YOu doe gladly suffer the foolish whereas your selves are wise 20. For you suffer if a man bring you into servitude if a man devoure if a man take if a man be extolled if a man strike you on the face 21. I speak according to dishonour as though we had been weak in this part wherein any man dare I speak foolishly I dare also 22. They are Hebrews and I. They are Israelites and I. They are the seed of Abraham and I. 23. They are the ministers of Christ and I. I speak as one scarce wise more I in many moe labours in prisons more abundantly in stripes above measure in deaths often 24. Of the Jewes five times did I receive fourty save one 25. Thrice was I beaten with rods once I was stoned thrice I suffered shipwrack night and day have I been in the depth of the sea 26. In journying often perils of waters perils of theeves perils of my nation perils of Gentiles perils in the City perils in the wildernesse perils in the sea perils among false Brethren 27. In labour and misery in much watchings in hunger and thirst in fastings often in cold and nakednesse 28. Beside those things which are outwardly may daily instance the carefullnesse of all Churches 29. Who is weak and I am not weak who is scandalized and I am not burnt 30. If I must glory I will glory of the things that concerne my infirmity 31. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who is blessed for ever knoweth that I lye not 32. At Damascus the governour of the nation under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascens for to apprehend me 33. And through the window in a basket was I let down by the wall and so escaped his hands CHAP. 12. vers 1. 1. IF I must glory it is not expedient indeed but I will come to the visions and revelations of our Lord. 2. I know a man in Christ above fourteen years agoe whether in the body I know not or out of the body I know not God doth know such a one rapt even to the third heaven 3. And I know such a man whether in the body or out of the body I know not God doth know that he was rapt into Paradise and heard secret words which it is not lawful for man to speak 4. For such a one I will glory but for my self I will glory nothing saving in mine infirmities 5. For and if I will glory I shall not be foolish for I shall say truth 6. But I spare least any man should esteem me above that which he seeth in me or heareth any thing of me 7. And least the greatnesse of revelations might extoll me there was given me a pricke of my flesh an Angel of Satan to buffet me 8. For the which thing thrise I besought our Lord that it might depart from me 9. And he said to me My Grace sufficeth thee for power is perfected in infirmity 10. Gladly therefore will I glory in mine infirmity that the power of Christ may dwell in me The Explication 19. NOte the Apostle in the beginning of this Chapter tells the Corinthians v. 3. as Eve was seduced into a curiosity by the subtility of the Serpent from her innate simplicity and obedience so by these false Apostles they are drawn being tickled in the eares with novelties of doctrine to a curiosity of knowing and imbracing it and consequently fall from their simplicity and obedience to Christ Note v. 7. he professeth to have preached gratis without taking by way of taxe any thing from the Corinthians but supplying himself of means from Macedonia rather than he would burthen them This he alludes to v. 20. if any take as false Apostles did Note v. 16. of this Chapter he desires them to beare with the folly of his now pretended nay intended boasting to shew how they were fooled by their false Apostles in that way and tels them v. 15. he is not in his labours interiour to the greatest of those boasting Apostles and some expositors understand that verse of the reall Apostles and of his non-inferiority even unto Peter in his paines but not in his Power as heretickes wrest it to import contrary to the true meaning of Paul and sense of the whole Catholick Church Again ver 13. he bids them beware of the crafty workers transfiguring themselves into Apostles of Christ as Satan did himself into an Angell of light ver 14. Note lastly ver â—8 he professeth as others glory according to the flesh that is either of their birth or naturall abilities so he will now boast himself of his good parts and labours which he declareth is not according to the Spirit of God ver 17. nay he confesseth it is enough to make him seeme a fool but he useth this way onely to retort folly on them who are fooled by false Apostles with this Art For we are to note Saint Paul had huge opposition against him by these Silver-tongued men and persons of quality who partly by their power with Friends partly by their transcendent Eloquence did much mischief amongst the Faithfull so that the Apostle here was fain to use part of his enemies Arts by vaunting himself to try if that might keep the faithfull from being seduced by such slights and who can deny but a pious slight is more avouchable than an impious one so in this Verse he partly jeers partly flatters as who should say You are wise in Christ and yet let the fools his enemies carry you away from him 20. It was indeed notorious the thraldome which these false Apostles brought their adhaerents into by attendance on them as little Gods by exhausting their estates in maintaining these mens prides which he calls devouring them and buffeting them on the face with contumelious reproaching them of their faults in the open hearing of others 21. In this verse the Apostle pretends he can if it please him act the tyrannicall part also take from them as much as others doe extoll himself as high as others doe and depresse them as much as any dares to doe it and this kinde of speech he professeth to be ignoble dishonourable nay foolish yet some others prevail by such means therefore he gives himself leave to act that part awhile 22. In this Verse he vaunts to be of the Hebrews Race as well as others who boasted of it where we are to note the Caldeans by passing the River Euphrates were
this Rapture yet Saint Thomas disputing this question purposely to declare the naturall truth determines him to remaine alive because God doth not kill men to honour them by his conversing with them so Saint Thomas concludes his soul was in his Body and consequently resolves that which the Apostle will not determine saying this Rapture was when Saint Pauls Soul was in his Body whence he was alive though he did not know so much But many doubt what this Third Heaven meanes unto which the Apostle was elevated but the common consent runs to affirm he was carryed up even to the Empyreall Heaven the highest of all that where God shews himself in his greatest glory and concludes this is called the third not as to averr there are but three heavens in all but as to include all be there never so many by the briefest way which is by saying three for all Yet the common division of the heavens into Aereall Aethereall and Empyreall will serve literally to this Text making the ayre the first heaven so birds are called the Inhabitants of Heaven The second the Aethereall which includes all the voluble Orbs above us and the Empyreall to be that of the Blessed to which last understand the rapture of S. Paul to have been The greatest doubt is whether he were rapt both bodie and soul up so high some think no and that this rapture may bee understood to be imaginary onely or Intellectuall wherein he had a revelation or vision of stranger things than were lawfull for him to speak or then were in his power to utter if it had been lawfull and this they ground out of the 1. verse of this Chapter and out of the 17. both which mention visions yet it is much more probable that he was really rapt both soul and bodie First because it was as easie for God to doe both as one Secondly because the Apostle doubts whether it were so or not as we see in this second and third Verse where he professeth not to know which in his sense is to doubt whereas those who have visions or revelations doe not doubt but know they are upon earth for all those Visions which onely make a rapture of the soul but none of the bodie so it is probable as Moses went corporally up to the mount Sinai where he was rapt out of the sight of the people by interposition of a cloud snatching him from their eyes and had delivered into his corporall ears the words of the Law in like manner Saint Paul who was to be the heavenly Doctor of all nations had corporally delivered to him such secret words as he mentions even in Paradise to have received and thence to bring back to earth such a Magazine of spirituall commands as he hath filled the whole world withall though he neither have told nor could tell all hee heard and therefore S. Paul after he had spoken of the third heaven adds the mention of Paradise to shew he was rapt not onely in his understanding but also in his will above the pitch of nature and even into that place of heaven which is therefore called Paradise because it ravisheth the wills of the Blessed with an infinite delight of loving as well as of seeing and understanding God So Divines allow in the vast Empyreall heaven a kinde of place apart called Paradise for the variety of pleasure it affords And hither they allow S. Paul to be rapt yet doe they not therefore say he did see God face to face as the blessed souls there inhabiting doe because he was not to remain there with them yet S. Thomas and other Divines thinke it probable he might have a transient sight thereof 2 secundae q. 175. a 5. but more probably it was not so since to Moses was onely granted to see the back of the Angell representing God and since 1 Tim. 6. v. 16. we read No man ever did see God that is to say with corporall eyes as here the Apostle was corporally rapt For if of the Angel it were said in Gods name to Moses No man shall see me and live how much more probable is it that Paul living after this rapture did not see God himself though no man doubts but he might see the glory of Christ and not unlikely heard from his own glorious mouth those secrets which he could not utter however to render his calling or Apostolate undoubted he had it conferred upon him personally by our Saviour in heaven as he upon earth did personally call the rest of his Apostles to his Service Of this Gal. 1. v. 12. the Apostle makes mention saying Christ revealed unto him the doctrine that he preached and then most probably was this Revelation made when he therewith revealed his glory too and those secrets he speaks of here may be partly certain Attributes of the Deitie assuredly the Ranks and Orders of Angels and their natures which S. Dennis seems to have drawn more particulars of from the Apâ—stle than himself utters in his own enumeration of their nine Orders and therefore in his celestiall Hierarchy S. Dennis this Apostles Disciple tells us of higher matters belonging to the holy Angels than ever any man else durst venture on Lastly we may piously believe S. Paul had told unto him by Christ in this rapture much of the course of divine providence in governing the world especially the holy Church much of the conversions of nations by himself and the rest of the Apostles which his modesty would not permit him to boast of 5. â—ee how he distinguisheth himself rapt from himself in the ordinary condition of man even as if he were not the same man for of him that was rapt hee proâ—esseth to glory still in the sense as above not vainly but of him that was not rapt he boasteth not at least not in this place to shew how great a difference there was between his rapt and not rapt condition and therefore as of his usuall self he boasts onely that he is infirm namely that he is lyable to affliction and miseries which are â—nconsistent with the state of rapt creatures for their rapture exempts them from the pain of sense and so from grief or pain which is meant here by infirmity as it is when our Saviour is called the man of griefes by Isaiah cap. 53 v. 3. which he explicates by adding these words Knowing infirmity that is to say lyable to all torture misery or pain 6. We read in the Acts cap 14. v. 10. that the Lycaonians held Paul and Barnabas for Gods To avoid vain-glory in this hee tells them he will not be understood above what he is above a man lyable to all misery and persecution which gods are exempted from nay lest they should thinke him an Angell though not god he speaks sparingly of those prerogatives of his rapture An excellent example for them to follow who are indeed nothing extraordinary and not boast themselves as more than ordinary men which yet
end is accomplisht then the whole creatures we are become as was intended purified but least I should be thought to state this sense to my own designe let us heare Saint Leo in his Homily upon this day which the Priest reads in his Office tell us his opinion wherein consists the perfection of our Lenten Fasts Not in the sole abstaining from meat consisteth the integrity of our Fast but in the joynt taking away our affections from sinne thus hee and how shall we give better Testimony of our not being sinners then in doing good works such as may make us Saints see here then the Scope of holy Fast is as it were to starve the body and to feed the Soul for in vaine this forbears to eat flesh if that doe not feast upon Spirituall Cates such as are good works of Prayer Almes-deeds and other sorts of vertues especially recommended in this holy time of Lent nor is it without mystery the Prayer to day begges we may finish by good workes what we indeavour only by Fasting our annuall purifications by this Lenten Abstinence since though we have the grace to keep the fast exactly in point of dyet yet in vaine our bodies fast towards purification of the whole creature which we are unlesse our Soules at the same time feast upon vertues by abandoning all vices in this the Prayer to day observes the method of the Epistle in vaine the Ministers of holy Church receive the grace of God unlesse they make use of the acceptable time the dayes of salvation that now are flowing and this by rendring themselves with good workes pleasing to all men offensive to none unlesse to their Fast they adde the good works expressed in the Antiphon above taken out of the same Epistle and many more which those few referre unto from one end of the Epistle to another nor can we say these are counsels proper for Church-men only since those the expositours understand by Helpers in the Ministery of God because the Apostle layes himselfe open to the Corinthians not only as a Minister of God requiring such perfections as this Epistle mentions but as a patterne to the people to imitate so that all the good workes he tells them Churchmen should be perfect in he exhorts lay-men to practise too as if he would have the sheep equal Saints with their shepheards and indeed this is no strained sense of mine for we see holy Church to day exhibits unto us not only Apostolicall perfection in the Epistle but even that of Jesus Christ himselfe the Master of the Apostles when his forty-dayes Fast is set before our eyes in the Gospell and not that Fast alone but withall the addition of his good workes his Watching and his praying his resisting the strongest temptations that the Devill could accost him with now who that seeth this can say there wants sufficient Harmony betweene the preaching and the Praying part of this dayes service and that ample as can be in an abstract of Prayer exhausting two such large Texts as are the Epistle and Gospell of the first Sunday in Lent The Epistle 2 ad Cor. 6. v. 1 c. 1 And we helping doe exhort that you receive not the grace of God in vaine 2 For he saith In time accepted have I heard thee and in the day of Salvation have I holpen thee Behold now is the time acceptable behold now the day of salvation 3 To no man giving offence that our Ministery bee not blamed 4 But in all things let us exhibite our selves as the Ministers of God in much patience in tribulation in neâ—cssities in distresses 5 In Stripes in Prisons in Seditions in Labours in Watchings in Fastings 6 In chastity in knowledge in longanimity in Sweetnesse in the holy Ghost in charity not fained 7 In the word of Truth in the vertue of God by the Armour of Iustice on the right hand and on the left 8 By honour and dishonour by infamy and good fame as Seducers and True as they that are unknown and knowne 9 As dying and behold we live as chastened and not killed 10 As sorrowfull but alwayes rejoycing as needy but inriching many as having nothing and possessing all things The Explication 1. THe Apostles stiling themselvs Helpers in this verse allude to what was said more plainly in the immediate Chapter before to the Corinthians v. 19. where they were told Christ was the true reconciler of the people to God and his Apostles had given unto them by Christ the Ministery of this reconciliation the Administration of the Sacraments whereby we receive the grace of God and so are reconcil'd to him principally by himselfe Secondarily or Ministerially by his Apostles And the like is done by their Successours the Priests of holy Church to which alludes that saying of the Apostle Coloss 1. v. 24. That his Ministery and sufferings for the Faith doth accomplish those things which are wanting of the Passion of Christ not but that Christ did suffer personally all he was to suffer as head of his Church but that hee was yet to suffer more in his Members and even their sufferings he esteemed his own in so much as he gives the Apostle leave to say his and the other sufferings of Christians are supplies even of what was wanting in Christ his passion to shew us how neer and deer our sufferings are to God while he esteemes them as those of his own sacred Sonne and as thus by suffering for Justice all Christians supply what was wanting of Christ his passion so particularly all Priests by their exhortations and administration of the Sacraments are helpers of Christ in the reconciliation of Christians to Almighty God his favour through the grace of the holy Sacraments dispensed to them by the hands of the Priests who onely have this prerogative of reconciliation between God and Man what by their Sacrifices what by their exhortations and Sacraments which are dispensed unto us While the Apostle exhorts us not to receive the grace of God in vain he destroyes the fond doctrine of heretikes who will have grace alone without cooperation on our behalfe to be sufficient whereas out of this very Text the Catholike Church first teacheth that that Gods grace offers no violence to our free will but that it comes so sweet unto us as it is in our powers to reject or receive it as we please and that further we are taught that by our own free act of cooperation and this gratuite grace joyned together we are made gratefull to God whereas if we have never so much grace given us unlesse we doe freely cooperate therewith it is in vaine received as the Apostle sayes here in plaine termes whatsoever Heretikes pretend to the contrary thereby to make a gap open to their lazy liberties perswading themselves Christ hath already saved them and that it boots not what they doe so they have his grace or rather Faith alone without his grace a doctrine diametrically opposite to
the genuine sense of the Apostle in this Text who by grace here understands both the generall benefit of all mankinds redemption or reconciliation to God by Christ his passion and the speciall concourse of holy grace which Christ hath merited for every particular man and which God consequently gives to every one that thereby hee may if he will not in vaine receive it make himselfe an effectuall partaker of the said passion of Christ by cooperating therewith towards his own Salvation whereas otherwise Christ his passion remaines onely sufficient but not effectuall or actually efficatious to every particular mans Salvation 2. This prophesie reports to the second person of the Blessed Trinity thus speaking to his heavenly Father Jsaias 49.8 in the accepted time of his Incarnation and in the saving day of his passion which wrought Salvation to the whole world and when the Apostle tells us that now this acceptable time this day of Salvation is come he meanes the whole time afforded man in this world from the houre of our Saviours Incarnation and passion to the very latter day of doome is all and every minute of it so acceptable so saving that no man can use any the least instant of it in vaine if he please to serve himselfe thereof but may in any time of his whole life in any instant of that whole time by a true conversion of his heart to God and by an aversion of it from sinne save his soule though it were huge presumption in any man that had enough to doe in all his life to overcome his vices and would be so supinely negligent as never to convert his Soule and the affections of his heart to God but at some posting minute when he could no longer injoy the liberty of sinne note also though this be the literall sense of Isaias above yet the mysticall of it is that holy Lent is singled out as the most acceptable time in all the year to work out our Salvation in because we have then the assistance of the whole Church joyntly prostrate with us in Prayer Fasting and Pennance so in case our own indeavours come short yet they may now be carryed on as some men are in crowds being borne up by others when they have no footing of their own to carry them along 3. Here the Apostle seemes to put so much force in the necessity of good life in Christians such as takes off all note of scandall or offence as if all the labour of the Priests were lost unlesse the people did live according to the doctrine of the Church according to the preaching of the Pastours for so he concludes as though their Ministery might be blamed and questioned whether of God or not if the people did not live vertuous lives and without offence because men would be apt to say they were fine teachers fine Masters indeed who breed up such sinfull Scholars as give offence to others 4. And lest the people might pretend it is in vaine for Priests to Preach good life unlesse they also lead the same the Apostle both for this reason and further to let them see they were seduced by following such Preachers as without ordination or Mission tooke upon them that Ministery and did perhaps speake well but doe ill themselves falls tacitly into an Encomiastick of himselfe and of all true Ministers of Gods holy word above what was due to false Ministers by exhorting the people to such good life as they might see example of in him and the rest of the Apostles and Disciples of Christ while he saies let us shew our selves like Ministers of God instructed ordained and sent by him to Preach and lead examples of good life not obtruded upon the world by man pretending Mission and ordination who had none indeed and therefore could not truly be called the Ministers of God as onely the Apostles and their legall successours are all this he means by those words let us live as the Ministers of God then he proceeds to tell the Signes and the Tokens of such or at least the effects commonly following all such true calling ordination or mission that it renders them capable of much patience and lest this vertue should seeme but narrowly communicated by God to his Apostles here is an ampliation of it to all Emergencies or occasions wherein commonly mens patiences are truly tried that so whiles it is not limited to any one occasion or circumstance but extended to all it may appeare to be a mark or an effect of a true Minister of God since it is his gift whose every work is perfect and from this very place to the end of this Epistle the Apostle runs on declaring the marks of a true Minister of God squaring out the excellency and perfection of an Apostolicall man and of his life so that little need more to be said for explaining the verses following now we know they all drive to this end and are spoken in this sense yet now and then I shall observe in each verse something particular when the sense is deeper then it may seem to be at first reading 5. Note in this verse the Apostle exhorts even in persecutions such as was expressed above to use voluntary Mortifications namely Watching and Fasting for they are seldom inflicted as punishments of our Persecutors though even in that sense the hunger of prisons and restless nights thereof caused by the unruly company commonly in such places may also have been glanced at as things the Apostle exhorts to bear patiently 6. Chastity is here of special regard because we see the Ministers of other Churches profess it is not to be of obligation nay they wil have it incompatible with humane Nature and no way possible to be prescribed to Priests or vowed by them So by this particular mark of Chastity the Apostle distinguisheth a true Priest from an usurper of Apostolical Mission and gives this as an eminent splendour in the Catholick Church abounding in many thousands of Priests and Religious persons of both Sexes vowing and most of them doubtless if not all keeping their Vow exactly Knowledge or Science is here of special remark too since it behoves all Priests not onely to know the common Principles of Christian Doctrine but further the genuine sense of holy Scriptures and deepest Mysteries of our Faith so to enable them upon all occasions to teach to preach and to instruct the ignorant By Sweetness is here understood Meekness that since they must meet with all rudeness in nature and know all the harshness of sinners they had need of this Vertue to make their Reprehensions upon occasions more efficacious by the mildness and sweetness wherewith they exhort to good and dehort from evil life 7. By the Vertue of God is here meant either the power whereby sometimes they work Miracles or that fortitude wherewith they run through all difficulties in the practice of Christian Perfection By the Armour of Justice on the right hand and on
the left is understood on all occasions of prosperity or adversity importing right and left as good and bad to us that we must stand armed with acts of Vertue such as may render us just to God whatere men may imagine of us 8. By honor and dishonor infamy and good fame understand whether we are praised by others or undervalued and here the Apostle alludes to his own avoiding vain-glory when the Lycaonians would have ador'd him as a god for his rare parts Though we are esteemed Seducers as in time of persecutions Priests are and as Christ himself was who yet could not preach false Doctrine he being Truth it self yet we must not for that refrain to preach the Word of God By unknown and known is meant unknown to the wicked whilest we are known to God and our own Consciences 9. As dying as given over in the opinion of the world for condemned at the corrupt Tribunals of unjust Judges and yet alive to God to his holy Angels and to all just men whilest our cause is just like Chastised and not killed either imprisoned and yet not executed for our Faith or else using voluntary moderate Penance and yet not such as may shorten our dayes by death being too violent as many times those Penances are which men use without allowance of their Ghostly Fathers to inflict upon themselves 10. As needy and yet inriching others temporally poor and yet giving the riches of Spiritual Instructions and ghostly counsel to our Neighbors or perhaps the Apostle might mean literally whilest they who had given to them the Oblations of all the Laity in those dayes yet did not bestow any thing almost upon themselves but gave it all away to the poor and so inriched them supplyed at least their Necessities as S. Paul at Jerusalem was noted to do very notably As having nothing of our own and yet possessing all things by the liberality of others whence our Saviour asked Did you want any thing when I sent you to preach to all the world without a staff or purse the one to bear up your weary limbs which I supported with my grace the other to buy you victuals which I inspired good Christians to afford you without your money The Application 1. SEe the Illustration of the Prayer above for the general notions of our Christian Duty this Lenten time but for the particular see how the Priest is set before our eyes for us to imitate the many perfections he is bound unto the whole Epistle being nothing else but an Ennumeration of Priestly Duties for then and not before we may hope to see a Religious Laity when the Priests of holy Church are the Saints they ought to be such indeed as they are here pointed out unto us 2. And lest the people should be lost in so large a field of Vertue as the Priest is bound to walk in see how the Antiphon before the Prayer culls out the proper Duties of the people during holy Lent Namely Patience Watching and unseigned Charity that is to say Mortification Prayer and Almsdeeds For therefore Patience is now recommended because Mortification is intended which to avail us must be born patiently Therefore we are now to watch that we may spend more hours then ordinary in our Prayers rising earlier and going later to bed in Lent then at other times Therefore Alms are accounted unfeigned Charity because men are ever held to love their Neighbors more then Money when they do relieve the poor 3. Thus we see no one good work is perfected alone without the help and company of others Let therefore Mortification Prayer and Alms accompany the holy Fast of Lent so shall it feed and purifie the feasting souls of fasting bodies According as we pray above it may The Gospel Matth. 4. v. 1 c. 1 Then Jesus was led of the Spirit into the desert to be tempted of the devil 2 And when he had fasted forty dayes and forty nights afterward he was hungry 3 And the Tempter approached and said to him If thou be the Son of God command that these stones be made bâ—ead 4 Who answered and said It is written Not in bread alone doth man live but in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God 5 Then the devil took him up into the holy City and set him upon the pinacle of the Temple 6 And said unto him If thou be the Son of God cast thy self down for it is written That he will give his Angels charge of thee and in their hands they shall hold thee up lest perhaps thou knock thy foot against a stone 7 Jesus saith to him again It is written Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God 8 Again the devil took him up into a very high mountain and he shewed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them 9 And said unto him All these will I give thee if thou falling down wilt adore me 10 Then Jesus saith to him Avount Satan for it is written The Lord thy God shalt thou adore and him onely shalt thou serve 11 Then the devil left him and behold Angels came and ministred to him The Explication 1. THen alludes to the time of his being by John Baptized so that immediately after his Baptism he began his forty days Fast by the conduct of the holy Spirit which had descended on him in the shape of a Dove when he was Baptized to shew how immediately and how efficaciously God works in those that by grace he doth descend upon The force of this Spiritual impulse is intimated by his being led of the Spirit drawn as it were by the power thereof into the desert where he might hear without interruption of noise or company what God spake to his heart as we reade Osee cap. 2. v. 14. The name of this Desert was Quarentana near the River Jordan But we are here to note The Holy Ghost did not intend to thrust Christ upon this Temptation for God is Tempter of no man Jam. 1. v. 13. but onely indirectly permitted it to give Christ the honor of foyling the Devil and to shew the good Spirit was a bane unto the evil one But we may piously believe Christ pleased to be tempted after Baptism to give Christians an example that we can no sooner receive the grace of God whereby we are adopted and made his Children then immediately the Devil is upon our backs as also to shew the Devil cannot tempt us beyond our power of resistance if we recur to Prayer to Fast to Reading Scriptures or the like as Christ did who made himself our example of these defences and to declare besides that those who will become Doctors abroad to others must first go themselves Scholars into the School of a vertuous Solitude 2. There is much difference between the forty dayes fast of Moses of Elias and this like Fast of our Saviour for theirs were performed by the help of an extrinsecal assisting grace this by
lest they be lost 13 They gathered therefore and filled twelve Baskets with fragments of the five barley loaves which remained to them that had eaten 14 Those men therefore when they had seen what a signe Iesus had done said this is the Prophet indeed that is to come into the world 15 Jesus therefore when he knew they would come to take him and make him King he fled againe into the mountaine himselfe alone The Explication 1. AFter these things that is immediately after Herod had cut off the Baptists head and after Christ had cured the Paralytick of whom the Evangelist makes mention in the two precedent Chapters Then he passed c. but it was about a yeere after that he did passe this Sea for Christ did that cure a little before the Paschall time in the yeer after So Saint Iohn sayes nothing what Christ did all this yeer that intervened between these two miracles but one reason is he undertakes not to tell all the story of Christ so much as to supply in many places what the other Evangelists had not spoken of though much were done by Christ in that yeer as namely his calling his twelve Apostles Luke 6. His Sermon upon the mountaine recounted by Saint Matthew cap. 5.6 7. the mission of the Apostles to preach and teach c. and though in this story Saint John repeats cap. 6. what others had said yet it is because he takes occasion thence to fall upon the subject of the holy Eucharist or Sacrament of the Altar wherein he is more copious then ordinary and wherein the rest were very sparing He cals one and the same Sea which our Saviour passed over the Sea of Galilee and the Sea of Tiberias because it was first called the Galilaean Sea as lying upon the confines of Galilee and afterward the Sea of Tiberias in regard it was neer the City Tiberias which Herod built and called by that name in honour of Tiberius the Roman Emperor under whom the Jewish Governors did rule and by whose power they were made 2. The multitude went footing it after him as he did on foot goe round about the Townes that lay neere the Meandrous windings of this Tiberian Sea and still as hee went the fame of his conversation and miracles made the company increase those being carryed on who fitst set out with him by the desire they had to enjoy him more and those that met him with a zeale to see something of that much they had heard of him who being many in number could not all goe in boats as he by boat went from one point of land to another on the same side of the Country so that still the same company met him sooner or later as he stayed by the way doing miracles while they went about 3. This Mountain is that which stood in the desert neer Bethsaida not far from the Tiberian Sea to which place he went with designe because resolving to feed the people as after he did and being in a desert where no provision was neer their refection should be the more miraculous and yet by this text it seems Christ and his Disciples were gotten up to this Mountain before the following multitude could overtake them when in the interim he set with his disciples teaching them in his accustomed manner 4. What is to be said of this Paschal Feast will be proper in the Lenten Tome when that comes out for I refer it thither 5. St. John according to his wonted custom omits what St. Luke hath more in relation of this story namely that Christ after he had lifted up his eyes and saw a great multitude of people said I have compassion on this people because he remembred what David had foretold was his charge Psalm 9. verse 14. The poor man is left unto Thee and thou wilt be a help to the fatherless O! how many eyes do we lift up to the Potentates of this world how few do we cast down upon the poor but Iesus remembers his affection to us how negligent soever we are of our duty to him he looks upon the poor with eyes of mercy of pitty of compassion and therefore sayes immediately to Philip whence shall we buy bread that these may eat where we are to observe the onely efficacious way to relieve the poor is to consult their exigencies with the pitiful as it seems St. Philip was of whom for that special reason Christ asks this question rather then of the other Apostles again we must note Christ was sollicitous to buy corporal bread for those that out of zeal had followed him to feed upon the spiritual Doctrine or bread of his sacred Word 6. Christ is here said to tempt or try Philip because it is very fit men should first see their wants can be supplied by none but God himself and this appeared by Philip aâ—king all the rest what store of victuals they had among them whence it was cleer there could be no hope of supply from humane store in that place unless God shewed a miracle as indeed he intended to do So thus Christ tempted man to shew himself God by doing that which was above mans power to effect or to hope for indeed again he tempted an Apostle to declare those are the men who by office are to have care of all the poor throughout the world for their recommending mouthes must be when all is done the poor mens purses 7. But see Philips answer to this Temptation he onely told what slender store of money they had in all their company but two hundred pence and the bread which that could buy would not be for each mouth there one morsel so he despaired of their being fed upon that slender stock of money but in this account the Apostle was out the purse of providence was full though theirs of maintenance were empty and the more Philip proceeds like man the more we see Christ appears like God 8. 9. See how St. Andrew neerer allyed to Faith by his brother Peter renowned for that vertue more then Philip was findes out a boy with five loaves and two fishes at least but checks himself for the fondness of his first flash of hope that this could be enough by adding what is this amongst so many yet still divine providence guids the process of this humane action for by how much the more they all despair by so much the miracle is still the greater and that Christ had no ambition in this action is evident because he rather chose to let creatures share with him in contributing somthing at least to his miracle then that he would Creatour-like do it all himself out of nothing so for this reason he permits those inconsiderable numbers of fishes and of loaves to enter into the reliefe of that prodigious multitude he satisfied therewith 10. This verse is onely narrative that the five thousand were by Christ his command placed most probably as St. Mark tells us the story in companies
victorious peace as who should say his coming hither was not upon his own account but ours So he tells them now his business is done their peace is made in Heaven and Earth 20. He shewed how they still remained perforated boared thorough as with the Nayles and Spear that had pierced them while he hung upon the Cross what more powerful Argument of the Truth of his resurrection what more convincing proof that it is a Piety for Christians to revere the memory of his Sacred wounds when the first thing he shewed to oblige us to love him after his resurrection were the Wounds he received for us in his bitter Death and Passion The joy which followed in the Disciples upon seeing these wounds was not that he had received them but that those notwithstanding and his Death to boot for the sins of mankinde they saw him propitious merciful sweet benigne unto them that they did not see him come to reproach their flight from him nor Peters denying of him but to comfort them to consolidate their Faith and in them the Faith of all Christians in this now undoubted Truth that as he became man was crucified dead and buried for satisfaction of our sins so now he arose from Death to Life to give all mankinde an assurance that the work of their redemption was finished and their salvation secured if they would themselves hence it was the Apostles were glad to see our Lord risen and alive to confirm all his former Doctrine maugre the Jews malice against him and their belief that they had put him to such a death as he was past all power of reviving 21. While he repeats peace to them again he shews the abundance of his goodness flowing still from himself and falling upon those he loves and further in testimony that these his Apostles were all in the rank of those he loved most behold he gives his own most ample commission which he had from his heavenly Father unto every one of them while he sends them in vertue of the same Commission to convert the whole world as he himself was sent first to redeem it and by vertue of his Passion to convert it also which yet he would not do to have the whole honour of it to himself but gives to his Apostles the happiness to be his instruments his cooperators thereunto as himself was the instrument of his heavenly Father to the same purpose and if we observe the force of our Saviours words in giving his commission of Apostolate to these his chosen Servants we shall finde he doth not onely give them the title and honour of being his Apostles but of being even so many Sons of God by commission not by nature while he sends them even as his Father sent him to supply what was wanting of his Passion as we have heard already explicated once or twice 22. And least being but men not God as he was they should fear to fail in the execution of this high Commission Lo by his breathing on them he seems to convert them into holy Spirits and if we may so say even to so many Hoâ—y Ghosts by Commission or Office not by Nature in giving the Holy Ghost unto them For as by Spiration of the Father and Son the Holy Ghost proceeded equal to both in Nature so by this Spiration of Christ upon his Apostles they became equal in Spirit to him sent as he was by his heavenly Father in similitude of office in-similitude of power because he was God as well as his Father in similitude of end to save the souls of men in similitude of works of miracles and lastly in similitude of Spirit of Love and of affection while their commission is given by way of his Holy and Divine Insufflation or Inspiration whence they were impowered even to dye for him as he was by the force of his own holy Spirit to dye for us and by this inspiration he shews that as God by breathing on Adam gave him natural Life so he by breathing on his Apostles gives them a supernatural one a life of Grace but we must note here the holy Ghost was not given them as they had it before in Baptism when they received justifying Grace and Grace rendring them grateful nor as it was afterward to be given them by way of plenitude containing the fulness when they were so confirmed in Grace as that probably they never sinned afterwards but as a thing here gratis given and limited to one special effect namely to that of remission of sins as is made evident by the words in the following Verse so here we may see gratuite grace may consist with the state of sin or power to absolve others sins may be in a Priest who is actually himself in sin Note also by this inspiration the same power of remitting sins was given to St. Thomas though absent as well as to those Apostles present as Numb 11. v. 26. we read the Spirit of Prophesie was given in like absence by Moses to Eldad and Medad for we do not see it repeated after when St. Thomas came in among them though some think it was then he received that power and not before Note also that by this ceremony of our Saviours breathing upon the Apostles holy Church is grounded in sufficient warrant to use such ceremonies as to her shall seem fit in Administration or Collation of Sacraments 23. How absurdly doth Calvin wrest this place to power of preaching rather then he will allow man power of remitting sins though it be given him by God himself This very corruption of so plain a place of Scripture argues how dangerous a thing it is for men to read and wrest it to their own sense since the Act of Preaching is Teaching and Exhorting the Act of forgiving sins is the Act of a judging Power besides all men may at all times be lawfully preacht unto be they in sin or out of sin but all cannot at all times be absolved from sin nor any indeed at any time but by Contrition Confession and Satisfaction either Actual or in Vote if opportunity be given It is therefore an Article of Faith that by these words our Saviour gave to the Apostles power to forgive sins however it may be disputed whether he had not before at his last Supper made them Priests when he said unto them as often as you shall do this that is as often as you shall Consecrate my Body and Blood or Eat and Drink them do it in remembrance of me Luk. 22. v. 19. because now whensoever Priests are Ordained it is done by their joynt prolation of the words of Consecration with the Bishop at Mass after he hath said unto them Receive ye power to offer Sacrifice and though here were given by Christ the Faculties of Absolving to the Apostles yet it doth not follow Priesthood was then given since to this day we see many Priests that have power to Sacrifice and yet have not leave to Administer
exaltation when Saint Peter in his Epistle tels us we that are Christians are called to suffer with Christ who gave us example by his sufferings to follow his steps even unto death for him who did vouchsafe to dye for us And is not this the full sence of the Prayer As for the Gospell if we look with a regardfull eye upon it 't is but the same sence in other words for while it runs upon the nature of a Shepheard it never comes unto the hight of his commends untill it layes him low as death to save his sheep so still it drives to that abasement which is our exaltation and drawes us sweetly on to dye for him while it gives us an example of confidence that admits no fear because there is no security but in Trust and who can we trust more safely then him that knowes no guile our Saviour Jesus Christ who rather dyes in us then we can dye for him and if he dye it is that we may live and joy eternally with him that by his resurrection conquered death Thus do the sparkes of spirit flye from every letter of the Holy Text when they are strook against the steele of this dayes Prayer and thus the high dignity of Pastorate acquires a glory from the lowest stoop the Pastor makes even that to death so in a word our highest sanctity consists in our lowest humility as this dayes Prayer Epistle and Gospel do all avouch The Epistle 1 Pet. 2. v. 21 c. 21 For unto this are you called because Christ also suffered for us leaving you an example that you may follow his steps 32 Who did no sinne neither was guile found in his mouth 23 VVho when he was reviled did not revile when he suffered he threatned not but delivered himselfe to him that Iudged him unjustly 24 VVho himselfe bare our sinnes in his body upon the Tree that dead to sins we may live to justice by whose stripes you are healed 25 For you were as sheep straying but you are converted now to the Pastor and Bishop of your soules The Explication 21. SAint Peter had before advised to bear patiently not onely just punishments inflicted on the faithfull to whom he writ dispersed as they were some here some there of Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bithynia but also to bear injuries with the like patience saying that to this Christians were called because Christ did suffer for us most unjustly leaving us example to doe the like if need were and as there were three causes which moved God to become man this last is one of them The first was by his death to redeeme us the second by his preaching to teach us the third by his example to draw us to imitate his sanctity of life And to this last the Apostle now chiefely exhorts in this place as we see by the following verse contrary to the Hereticks Doctrine who hold it needless Christ having dyed for our sinnes that man himselfe use any mortification or doe any penance at all 22. Nor could he do any because he was God as well as man and hence Calvins Doctrine teaching Christ was a reall sinner and that he was in regard of his sins afraid to dye and did sweat bloud for fear thereof were all most abominable blasphemies because though in Christ there were two natures humane and divine yet there was in him but one person so had that person sinned God had sinned as well as man since the actions are attributed to the suppositum or person not to the natures contracted by the person but see the Apostle mindes us that Christ was not onely free from sin of fact but also of word and consequently of thought which is by word expressed nor is this marvell since out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh Matt. c. 12. v. 34. but certainly God was the most abounding in Jesus his heart and so his words were all holy he being the very word of the eternall Father to whom as nothing is more proper then veracity so nothing is more improper then falsity or dissimulation fraud or guile 23 As indeed he was reviled when they called him drunkard raiser of seditions blasphemer nay conjurer or devill as casting out devils in the devils name yet did not he revile those who used him so ill nor did he recriminate as commonly men doe that excuse their own sins by casting other mens faults in their dish though in pure charity we read in Saint Matthew cap. 23. How roundly he did rebuke the Jewes to see if by a temporall check he could preserve them from eternall paines of hell which is a far other aime then those use who excuse themselves by way of recrimination of others for their end is not charity but passion or revenge and when he might have terrified the Judges that unjustly did condemne him he did not give them the least threat but gave himselfe up to the hands of Pilate his unjust judge how farre short are we of following this example whose whole indeavors are in all our actions even in those that are unjust to justifie our selves whereas if we would follow Saint Bernards counsell we should finde a remedy for all evils and injuries done unto us in the passion of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 24. The Apostle here assimilates Christ to the Emissary Goat in Levit. cap. 16. v. 21. Sent out into the desert loaden with all the sinnes of the people and so Christ came into the desert of this world out of his Eternall Fathers heavenly Pallace carrying all our sinnes upon his shoulders though by sins here is not understood the fact or guilt thereof but the punishment due unto them by the tree is meant the Crosse of Christ whereon while he dies hee represents us to his heavenly Father as dead to sinne because he dyes for us and for our sins whereupon Saint Ambrose sayes divinely well c. It was not our Life but our Sinne which dyed when Christ our Saviour dyed upon the Crosse So we being dead by that meanes to sinne may live to justice that is in the sight of the just Judge may deserve Eternall life in heaven for living justly here on earth O Soveraigne Stripes which bruising Christs body do cure our Soules more ulcerated with sinne then his body was with stripes 25. Straying we were indeed from God from vertue from Salvation from heaven and running to the devill to vice to damnation to hell had not Christ our Shepheard â—â—duced us to his fold againe by converting us to an amendment of our lives and winning us to follow the Footsteps of our heavenly Pastor and Bishop of our Soules See Bishops are metaphorically called Pastors because as shepheards feed their sheep so do Bishops by Doctrine and example feed the soules of men but Christ is eminentially called both as feeding soules not onely by grace here but with glory in the next world The Application 1. HOw sweetly Holy Church
any one man or woman whatsoever that so whom they cannot edifie by their words at least they may by their example by misreports he alludes here to the censure which the Gentiles made of all Christians for wicked and lewd men because they found a Sect of Christians called the Gnosticks who were originally descended from Christians that did indeed live wickedly and defended their errors with obstinacy again they held Christians to be Cannibals and eaters of mans flesh because in the Sacrament they received the Body and Blood of Christ and upon which gross mistake Christians were persecuted almost three hundred years by those who hearing of the thing did not understand the mystery Now there is nothing indeed that so beats down ill reports of men as to see their good works for when those are considered God is presently glorified because those works proclaime God to be within the men that do them By the day of visitation is here understood literally the examine of those false reports before Judges as then Plinius a Gentile was a Judge in those days mystically when by comparing your good deeds with the bad ones of your Detractors that day of such examine may glorifie God by the conversion of the wicked lastly when notwithstanding you suffer upon false accusations even death it self that the wicked finding how strong God is in the just may be converted upon this day of visitation to the just who dyes temporally himself that others may live to God eternally 13. This Illative therefore is aptly taken up after the precedent Exhortation For it was a calumny then laid upon the Christians by the Infidels that they as Subjects and Children of God were exempt from all obedience to man And the Apostle brings in this subjection here as one part of perfect conversation and good life in Christians and to shew how little this misreport against Christians was the Apostolical Doctrine see here the head of the Apostles commands a subjection so large that he will have it extend to all from all men as part of the Christian Doctrine that is to all Superiours over all men of what Religion soever to shew that none are and ought to be more truly obedient and humble then Christians who obey not onely Superiours but Equals and Inferiours too as St. Paul Galat. 5.13 exhorts by charity of the Spirit serving one another Note by humane creature is here understood men as it were made by men or created by men Superiours who were before but Equals For as creation strictly taken gives being out of nothing so in a large sence and here it is thus meant creation of a king makes him to have a moral Being which before he had not The like is of all Superiority Political and to make this subjection the more acceptable he bids it be for Gods sake because though men choose men for Governours yet God so ordains that man by man shall be governed and therefore it is an act of Religion to be obedient to man in power as to Gods appointed vicegerent and hence it was that Lycurgus fained he had his Laws dictated to him by the Gods next we are to look upon Princes as Gods Images by St. Pauls advise saying who resisteth power resisteth the ordination of God and for resisting acquires to himself damnation Rom. 13.2 Again it is by God Kings and other Magistrates rule Prov. 8.15 as who should say the obedience we pay to man ought to be in testimony of our obedience to God setting man over us and requiring testimonies of our Love to him by obedience to his vicegerents that Christians obeying Infidels may gain them to an obedience unto Gods commands Finally that Princes so command as they remember themselves to be Gods Subjects however mens Superiours and this is to obey for Gods sake 14. See here obedience to Captains or any other Magistrates is commanded as to men sent by the Kings or States to govern by punishing the bad and praising the good for hence the Good receive praise when Malefactors are punished for offending them and when they will rather suffer unjustly the oppressing of the wicked then do unjustly or become themselves unjust 15. This Verse encourageth all men to be good when the wicked have nothing left to say for their excuse why they are not good because they see other men good before their eyes and that God hath given grace to the good for a confusion to the bad in not following the like grace which God gives sufficient to make all men good that will follow the instinct thereof by unwise men are here understood wicked men by ignorance is here meant affected rather then real ignorance such as men pretend when they seek excuses for their sins 16. As free that is to say being truly free not onely being like free men and by freedom is here understood immunity from any subjection to sin not from subjection to men who are lawful Superiors for to claim exemption from such subjection were to make malice a cloak of Vertue by pretending more liberty then God allows his Servants who are never more their own masters then when they serve him best for to serve God is truly to raign over all iniquity that would inslave mankinde 17. This alludes to that of St. Paul Rom. 12.10 with honour preventing one another though by honour is here understood all good offices of Charity which while we do to Christians we shew that in them we do truly love and honour Christ by fraternity is meant the men who are all true brothers in one faith to God who were in those dayes distinguished by their fraternities and living as children of one God all together in one brotherhood By the fear of God he means here filial not servile fear such fear as consists with freedom and doth not make men slaves By honouring the king understand not onely external but internal honour such as is best paid by Prayer for the Kings prosperity as who should say it cannot be happy to the people if it be unhappy with the King or State under whom they live 18. In this Verse the Apostle descends to the obedience which Servants ought to pay their Masters as well as that which Subjects pay their Princes to shew he meant to recommend all kinde of subjection as well as duty to Princes By all fear is understood fear of fault fear of punishments fear of scandal in fine all kinde of fear of all offence whatsoever as knowing we cannot offend our masters without offending God be our masters what they will good or bad men we are not subject to their Vices but to their power here is also meant though they be of ferent Religions as well as of different Dispositions 19. By thank is here understood thank-worthy or doing a thing that is so notable an effect of grace as shews it can have no other root to spring from so by Grace is here truly meant Glory or Praise as who
it is distinguished from hazard fortune chance besides we are three severall times begotten first by nature or creation secondly by grace and regeneration in Baptisme remitting originall sinne thirdly by grace and pennance remitting actual sin though the Apostle here alludes only to the two last ways of our regeneration as is cleer by what followes saying we are thus begotten by the word of truth which is first understood by the second person of the Trinity becoming man to save us who were before Gods creatures but the devils children by the guilt of sinne and he is truly called the word of truth who is truth it selfe secondly the word of truth alludes to the promise of redemption made by God to Abraham through one of his seed Jesus Christ Thirdly the word of truth may allude to the Sacramentall words that are most true I Baptize I absolve thee fourthly and most literally by the word of truth is understood the word of the Gospel which is called properly the word of truth as first taught for such by Christ and afterwards confirmed for such by the Holy Ghost lastly by the word is understood the good life and doctrine of the faithfull corresponding to the word of God or Gospel of Truth for thus we are begotten also as by the word so that we may see in this generation God is our Father his grace the seed our Mother is a conformed will to the will of God her seed the consent to what our Holy Father cals unto and lastly the childe thus begotten of these Parents is our inward or supernaturall man so called from our better Parent God Almighty and yet even thus happily brought forth you see the Apostle cals us but some kinde of beginning to be creatures of Almighty God that is so his creatures as we are also his children though by this word beginning is best understood the chief principall or first fruits among men such as are to share in glory with the first created Spirits the Holy Angels as if other men that are not true Christians could not hope for this happiness and of this sort the Apostle accounts these to whom hee writes this Epistle by his creature therefore is understood onely those faithful soules who shall finally live and raigne with him in glory for all other creatures though his are not yet so excellently his as these for these are by speciall grace new creatures that is twice or thrice borne or made over such by nature or creation by grace or Baptisme by pennance and by glory 19. Know you that is to say you know enough by what I have said to you upon this subject of Christianity as above in generall termes now let me give you a lesson or two in particular let every one of you be swift or nimble to heare For as the wise man saith Prov. c. 1. v. 5. a wise man will heare and be more wise for he had observed many of them were so transported with finding they had some gifts of grace that they were alwayes boasting of them though even to the interruption of others that first had undertaken to speake of Godly things to them whence often they fell into passion and anger one with another and to all these the Apostle speakes particularly exhorting them with humility rather to heare others teach them then to undertake teaching others and not onely to heare but to follow the rules of their teachers for he onely perfectly heares the word of God who lives a life according to the doctrine he heares whence Saint Paul sayes Rom. 2. v. 13. not the hearers of the Law are just with God but the doers of the Law shall be justified we note here the Apostle relates in all this exhortation to the attaining of those vertues which he had first recommended to them in the beginning of this Epistle and in particular to wisdome which he mentioned in the fifth verse thereof so that as the property of wisedome he commends attention to what others can say slowness to speake our selves and slowness to anger and here he seemes by slowness of speech to recommend unto Preachers that quality and that they affect not loquacity but rather tardity of speech in their Sermons as more proper to imprint what they say and to edifie in the hearer for it was excellently said of Publius Mimus he knowes not how to speak that cannot hold his peace but much better of Saint Augustine Epist 132. in Psalm 139. in vaine doth he Preach the word of God to the eare who doth not himselfe heare it in his heart his meaning is let no man preach the word that hath not first heard what the Holy Ghost dictates to him upon it by way of meditation or contemplation besides Christ himselfe gave us this rule of whom we read Act 5.1 Iesus began to do and to teach to be silently a good man before he did openly Preach to perswade others to be good To conclude slowness to anger is advised as the best guard we have to stand upon because nothing so much loseth a wise man in the repute of others as choler passion and anger especially when it is frequent and therefore the Apostle not presuming it likely to be able to cut off that vice by the rootes adviseth at least that we be wary of it and not to fall unprovoked thereinto 20. By the anger of man is here understood that as God when he doth most justice in the latter day of judgement passeth that finall sentence without anger so to be here a just man one must be free from anger too but there are divers senses of this place among the expositors some will have it to meane that God to doe justice made not private mens anger the measure but the sentence of the impartiall Judge amongst men others will have it as if anger did not love but hate justice but the most genuine sense and to the Authors minde is that anger generally hinders all justice as if anger and passion did obstruct all the wayes to make a just man note Saint Thomas gives an excellent mark to know how we may be angry and not sinne when our anger followes reason and contrarywise whensoever reason followes anger there must needs be sin because anger is the chiefe agent reason but the instrument whereas in the former way anger is the instrumentall and reason the principall worker so by the anger of man is here understood the anger of the naturall man for if it be of the supernaturall it may be such as Christ and his Holy Saints had when they were angry at sinne and yet meeke to the sinners 21. Many refer this verse onely to the last thing spoken of anger as who should say since anger doth not produce justice it must needs worke the contrary effect namely all injustice amongst which is uncleanness and malice but yet this verse shall be much better referred to all that was said before verse v. 18. of
alone damning without redemption for he that beleeveth not shall be condemned Mar. c. 16. v. 16. 10. Againe he shall argue them of Iustice that is hee shall accuse them of injustice shewing to the Jewes all their ceremoniall rites and Lawes did not render them just nor would all the morall vertues of the Gentiles that were infidels justifie them in the sight of God because none could render them just there but Jesus Christ who for that purpose went to his Father to tell him these onely shalt thou justifie who beleeve aright in me who renounce the ceremoniall Law of the Jewes the humane Law of the Gentiles and follow the divine Law that I have left them who alone have redeemed them and can alone save those that keep my Law that can make them truly just in the sight of men and Angels and of God himselfe it is very pretty what Saint Bernard saith of these words Ser. 12. The Holy Ghost doth argue the world of sinne because it dissembles of Justice which it doth not rightly order while it attributes the same to man not to God of Judgement which it usurpes while it judgeth rashly not onely of it selfe but of others too 11. Lastly he shal argue the world of Judgement is diversely understood by some that the Holy Ghost shal shew the world made a false judgement of Christ his Miracles holding them to be witchcrafts or workes of the devil by others that he shal argue men of sloath to be overcome by the wounded and conquered devil for want of diligence to resist him by others of cousenage to put their hopes in the devil who himselfe is damned and can save no man by others and those best of all that the Holy Ghost shal argue men of Judgement in shewing them how justly they deserve damnation who follow for their guides the damned devil and all his wayes and workes and this when he shal make the Apostles cast out devils out of the visible Temples where they were as Idols adored for God and out of the invisible Temples the soules of men whom they had possessed both by their foule persons presence and by the guilt of enormious sinne cast out by Sacramental grace of holy pennance 12. Christ here alludes to the mysteries of Faith the conversion of the Gentiles the foundation of the Churches and Government thereof by his Vicar by the Bishops and Priests in a Hierarchical way all which he left to be the product of the holy Ghost and things deeper then for novices to be able at first to dive into in whose eyes the carnal and ceremonial Rights of the Jewish Churches or Synagogues rather were too fresh as yet and their souls were not sufficiently illuminated to attend to higher matters and those altogether spiritual whence we may gather that even the Apostles had by the coming of the holy Ghost new lights and did daily increase in the knowledge of the mysteries of Faith and Religion according to that of the Proverbs Cap. 4. v. 18. The ways of the just are like light shining and increasing to high noon day whence the Primitive Church is compared to be quasi aurora consurgens like the dawning of the day Cant. 6.9 and proceeding brighter and brighter daily till she come to the brightness of the latter day when all her Saints shall enter like so many noon-time Suns into the kingdom of Heaven 13. When for the reasons above he shall come who is the spirit of Truth he shall teach you all Truth that you are capable off and that is fit you should know to guide your own and others souls to Heaven For he shall not speak of himself but what he shall hear since t is not what he alone says but what my Father and I say too that he shall tell you so all he says shall be as we all three determine nor shall he speak as men do out of their fancy no but just as I have taught you before and as my Father and I will have him tell you hereafter not as fables but as undoubted Truths which are of eternal Verity so look how Christ said his doctrine was not his own but his Fathers that sent him in like manner the truth which the holy Ghost shall teach is not his own onely but joyntly the Fathers and the Sons from whom he doth proceed and from whom he was sent And he shall tell you things to come by this is understood the Apostles were to have the Spirit of Prophesie as Actor 11. v. 18 20. v. 19 21. v. 11. we may read nor is St. Johns Apocalypse other then a continued Prophesie from one end to the other Nor was it requisite Christ his Apostles should be inferiourly gifted to any of the Ministers of God in the old Law and this gave great comfort and encouragement to the Apostles since naturally men desire to know future things by future things also venerable Bede understandeth things of Heaven of Grace and of Glory as who should say the Apostles shall not be onely able to guide you here but to set you safe into a blessed Eternity and future Kingdom that shall never end 14. He shall glorifie me when he shall confirm the world in the belief of my being the Messias expected God and man the Saviour of the World He shall receive of mine for he shall proceed from my Father and me and receive the Divine Essence one and the same in all the three Persons of the Trinity and consequently his Will shall be mine his Science mine his Doctrine mine where note the Text doth not say he shall receive me but of mine because he is a distinct Person from the Son and though he receive not the filiation by his procession he receives the Essence of the Son so that is to receive of him and yet not him nor to be him And thus he gave compleat content to the Apostles seeing they did passionately love him to tell them the Comforter he was to send them should supply his absence by teaching them as he had done by loving them as he did since he received his doctrine from him and his affection too The Application 1. THe whole scource of this Gospel is to beget belief in the Apostles that our Saviours departure from them was for their good and that the Primary effect of the coming of the holy Ghost was to beat down the sin of Infidelity as who should say it were the sin of sins not to believe in Jesus Christ and not to obey all his commands in vertue of that belief 2. What should then be the Practice of us Christians at this time but to use all means possible to fortifie our Faith as the greatest Bulwork against all sin whatsoever and indeed what is it else but a kinde of Infidelity not to do according as we are taught by the rules of Faith that is not to make all our actions tend to the sole will and pleasure of Almighty God since if
however purchased once by Christ for us but we losing our right to them by sin cannot too often petition for their recovery Lastly because by Prayer we exercise the noblest Acts of Vertue Faith Hope and Charity the first believing God can do all things the next hoping he will do all we can desire the last loving him as a Father of whom we ask all supplyes both for our selves and others as to his own adopted sons 28. Here our Saviour alludes not onely to his temporal generation by his heavenly Fathers commanding him into the Womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary but to his eternal Generation also whereby he was from the beginning begotten coeternal and coequal God to his heavenly Father so that as his coming into this world was his going as we may say out of his Fathers bosom to seek lost man in the Wilderness of our Earth in like manner his leaving this world was his return with man found in his sacred Person into the same paternal bosom which he came out of 29. This argues he had answered now home to all their doubts and interrogatories by telling them he was the Son of God who came from him to them and was to return from them to him again this was cleer naked and simple Truth no Proverb no Riddle no Parable at all unto them 30. Now that thou hast by this Answer told us cleerly what thy meaning was by a while we should see thee and again a while after and we should not see thee again and this not as asked by us but as onely revolved in our thoughts whereunto thou hast now answered compleatly and while thou doest answer to the thought thou doest convince us thou art from God and comest out from him since he onely can come into and search all the corners of our hearts where thou hast been and found we would but durst not at first ask thee what thy meaning was by that Riddle of a while you shall and after a while you shall not see me because I go to my Father in this therefore we believe thou art God that thou needest not be asked to tell us what we think what we wish or would have since without asking thou canst tell us all and give us more then we can receive this alone were there no other would suffice for argument sufficient to prove thou comest so from God as thou art also God thy self The Application 1. NO marvel this Gospel insists so much upon ordering the Apostles whom to pray unto and how to pray since it is pointed out for Rogation that is to say for Praying week and since it is also appointed for concluding the Doctrine of Faith in the Resurrection and Deity of Jesus Christ by beginning the practice of our Hope which is best exercised in our Prayer For however all the forty days between the Resurrection and Ascension were dedicated by our Saviour to settle the Apostles and others in a right belief of Christian Doctrine yet we never till now did hear the Apostles declare the work was done and that they were satisfied and settled in their Faith of Christ his being truly the Son of God which yet they now profess in plain tearms saying Now thou speakest plainly this we believe that thou camest forth from God and art his eternal Son that did become man wert born hast suffered and dyed for our sins art risen from the dead art to ascend too unto thy heavenly Father and art thence to send us the holy Ghost to be our continual Comforter Teacher and Governour 2. Say then beloved since the work of Faith is finished by their own confession who were so hard of belief what remain but that we proceed to the next thing required of a Christian which is to Hope for the promises made by Jesus Christ in whom we have so much reason now fitmly to believe and since Hope as was said above is best exercised by Prayer let us now make it our whole imployment from this day forward until the coming of the holy Ghost to pray in such sort as by our best Master we are here directed that is to say to pray in his Name and how we shall do that the Expositors above have told us excellently well and that at large so t is but looking back to know it 3. To conclude since all our Prayer must be accompanied with Faith as Saint James hath taught us Cap. 1. saying If any man want for example wisdom and the like is of all other exigences let him ask it of God but let him ask in Faith not any ways faultering since I say this Gospel mentions Faith with Prayer See now beloved whether the Church to day do not most properly begg this Faith concomitant to her Hope or Prayer when calling upon God as the Fountain whence all good proceeds she prays as above That first her understanding may be rectified which is the work of Faith residing there and that next her Will may be ready to do what Faith and Reason dictate to be done and this by the gift of Hope infused for perfection of the Will by captivating it to Reason elevated by the gift of Faith as our Christian Doctrine tels us On Sunday within the Octaves of Ascension The Antiphon Joh. 16. v. 4. I Have spoken these things unto you that when the hour shall come you may remember them for that I spake them unto you Alleluja Vers Our Lord in Heaven Alleluja Resp Hath prepared his Seat Alleluja The Prayer OMnipotent Eternal God grant us ever to have our wills devoted and our hearts sincerely bent unto the service of thy Divine Majesty The Illustration NO marvel if the river of the Resurrection end in the speer of a Fountain rising upward through the Conduite pipe of our Blessed Lords Ascension and follow him to Heavens gates since we see waters how low soever they fall will mount again as high as their first Fountain is thus Jesus being the Head-spring of all Devotion carries our lumpish souls along with him as high as Heaven now he is seated there Hence Holy Church to day requires that though our Saviour hath left us we do not yet leave him but follow him how high soever he goes and how follow him with a forcible speer of Piety such as may shew his will and ours are one whilest our hearts are sincerely bent unto his service even as the Blessed Spirits are that sing perpetual Hymns of Praise to his heavenly Majesty and lest we fail of doing this see how to day we pray that we may do it beseeching God to grant our wills may be devoted and our heaâ—ts sincerely bent to the service of his Divine Majesty O! could we but reflect upon the Obligations we have indeed to serve him with sincere hearts we should never swerve from doing this under a thousand fond presumptions of our serving God whilest yet we seek nothing but our own wills and not his service nor is there any
mysteries which we have faithfully received we may be purged from sinne and delivered from all dangers On the fifth Sunday after Easter The Prayer O God from whom all good things do proceed grant unto thy humble supliants that we may thinke on those things which are good thou inspiring us and thou governing us we may put the same in execution The Secret REceive O Lord the Prayers of the faithfull with the oblations of their sacrifices that by these offices of pious devotion we may passe into eternall glory The Post-Communion GRant unto us O Lord who are filled with the vertue of the heavenly Table that wee may desire those things which are right and receive what we desire On Sunday within the Octaves of Ascension The Prayer OMnipotent Eternal God grant us ever to have our wills devoted and our hearts sincerely bent unto the service of thy Divine Majesty The Secret MAy the Immaculate Sacrifices purifie us O Lord and afford unto our souls the Vigor of supernal Grace The Post-Communion BEing replenished with thy holy Gifts grant unto us we beseech thee that we may always remain in thanksgiving FINIS THE THIRD PART Of the first TOME On the Feast of Pentecost OR On WHIT-SUNDAY The Antiphon ACTS 2. v. 1. ON this day are compleat all the dayes of Pentecost Allelujah This day the holy Ghost did appear to the Disciples in fire and gave unto them gifts of graces sent them over all the world to preach and testifie that he which shall believe and be baptized shall be saved Alleluja Vers The Apostles did speak with divers tongues Alleluja Resp The wonderfull works of God Alleluja The Prayer O God who on this day hast taught the hearts of the Faithfull by the Illumination of the holy Ghost grant unto us in the same Spirit to relish those things that are right and ever to rejoyce in his consolation The Illustration IF we look back to the three last Sundayes-prayers we shall find them all as it were preparatives to this which we now make to day of relishing those things that are right and rejoycing in the consolation of the holy Ghost And indeed our B. Saviours whole life and death had no other aim then by making God man to winn man into an affection of deity and of being content to become God and when by the last mystery of humane redemption as far as lay on our Saviours part his glorious Ascension we were brought to devote our wills and our hearts affections sincerely to the service of Almighty God now we are led into that holy School and unto that heavenly Master where we shall be taught how to set our hearts right to his heavenly Majestie and this by the Illumination of the holy Ghost which that we may do the better see how to day we pray that in the same Spirit we may relish those things which are right and rejoyce in the consolation thereof as if in this School flesh and bloud were to have no place which had so far and so long mis-led us and indeed the very Apostles themselves so long as they looked upon Jesus Christ as man they did not relish the pure service of Almighty God they were not set right in their hearts affections they doted upon flesh and bloud and so fell into the errours thereof S. Peter of denying Christ in his afflictions S. Thomas of doubting of his Resurrection but we never heard that after the coming of the holy Ghost any of the Apostles fell into those or any other errours in the rectitude of their service towards Almighty God but were alwayes in the right and took content in nothing that was wrong or swarving from the doctrine of their Master our Saviour Jesus Christ And why this Because the holy Ghost who was the Spirit of Truth had possessed them and taught them all truth and made them not onely relish it but disrelish all things that were contrary thereunto Nor is it without reason that erring man in his most solemn prayer should beg the grace of God to relish what is right for we never please our selves with what we do not relish nor do we ever relish what displeaseth us whereas to relish what is right is to relish at least what is pleasing unto God however it doth oftentimes nor please our selves and therefore in this grand day when we are to be weaned from the nurse of flesh and bloud and brought into the school of Spirit and are to ask our Master a boon now we see his hands full of bounty and benevolence we are taught to beg that we may relish and take content in whatsoever is right towards God be it never so averse to our selves because our teeth being set on edge with flesh and bloud and our mouths quite out of taste with Spirituall food nothing is of more import to us then that we may relish such meat as we must hereafter live and nourish by Spirituall consolations not earthly delectations any more for the first set us and our hearts affections right to God the last draws us headlong to death Now it will be the least of our cares to day to adjust this prayer unto the Epistle since this is altogether of the coming down of the holy Ghost into the school of spirituall comfort where he is to reade his lessons to mens hearts as this prayer tells us and as we read Jerem. 31.33 I will write my law in their hearts whence it is holy Church to day takes the Antiphon out of the Epistle rather then out of the Gospel and yet rather makes it then takes it for though the sense be the same neverthelesse the letter is not so which perhaps was mysteriously contrived to shew that as soon as the holy Ghost came down to teach the Church was able of her self to reade a lesson to her children and immediately we see S. Peter preached but indeed as the Gospels ever tell us the stories of our Saviour's life so the Acts of the Apostles tell us the history of the holy Ghost first that of the fact when and how he came next that of the effect how prodigiously he wrought in the hearts of those he did descend upon so the Epistle being to day out of the Acts of the Apostles is as the gospel of the holy Ghost made the place whence Preachers take their texts or whereunto at least they drive the design of all their Sermons And to this the prayer is apparently suited yet it is not therefore unsuitable to the Gospel also of the day wherein S. John tells us in our Saviours name he that loveth me observes my words which is in effect to say doth relish my words doth relish that which is right for nothing more right then the word of God since we may take that for verity and rectitude it self especially being taught us by the holy Ghost who this Gospel tells was to come purposely to teach us truth the truth of that word by the
Illumination of his holy Spirit and was to make the often dead letter of that word to be the life of our Souls for so it must needs be when it brings us that peace which it promiseth namely another manner of peace then the world giveth which is alwayes mixed with war for whoever relisheth what is right hath a true peace within his conscience and so is at no variance or war at all In a word the Gospel being out of the story of our Saviours Life tells us the effect of this fact the fruit we shall receive by the coming of the Holy Ghost by relishing those things that are right and by rejoycing in the consolation of this holy Spirit that comes to read lessons of Divine Love unto our hearts and to wean us from the humane affections we have unto creatures and consequently this Gospel wants no adjusting to the Epistle and Prayer of this solemn day but makes good still our main design in this book The Epistle Acts 2.1 c. 1 And when the dayes of Pentecost were accomplished they were all together in one place 2 And suddenly there was made a sound from heaven as of a vehement wind coming and it filled the whole house where they were sitting 3 And there appeared to them parted tongues as it were of fire and it sate upon every one of them 4 And they were all replenished with the Holy Ghost and they began to speak with divers tongues according as the holy Ghost gave them to speak 5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jewes devout men of every nation under heaven 6 And when this voyce was made the multitude came together and was astonied in mind because every man heard them speak in his own Tongue 7 And they were all amazed and marvelled saying Are not loe all these that speak Galilaeans 8 And how have we heard each man our own tongue wherein we were born 9 Parthians and Medians and Elamites and that inhabite Mesopotamia Jewrie and Cappadocia Pontus and Asia 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia Aegypt and the parts of Lybia that is about Cyrenee and strangers of Rome 11 Jewes also and Proselytes Cretensians and Arabians we have heard them speak in our own tongues the great works of God The Explication 1. THat is to say Fifty dayes after the Resurrection for as the Christian Pasche is a fulfilling that Feast of the Jews which was a figure thereof so likewise the Christian Pentecost is a fulfilling of the like figure of the Jewish Pentecost or of the delivery of the Law upon Mount Sinai by the like confirmation of the Christian Law upon the Mount Sion when the holy Ghost descended purposely for that end But as the Jewish Pasche was on Saturday which was their Sabbath so was the seventh Saturday after their Pentecost and the Christian Pasche being the day after which was Sunday makes the seventh Sunday following to be the Christian Pentecost both to shew Christ did abrogate the Jewish Sabbath by rising on Sunday and the Jewish Pentecost by sending the holy Ghost the seventh Sunday after which proves that the Christian Religion as it was successive to the Jewish so it did abrogate the same By those that were here in the place of the last Supper assembled we are not to understand onely the Twelve Apostles but also the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the rest of the Disciples and friends of Christ then in Jerusalem to the number of about one hundred and twenty as S. Luke recounts and S. Augustine gives a very pious reason for this number saying What Christ did promise onely to his twelve Apostles he performs into a ten-fold multiplyed number for ten times twelve make just one hundred and twenty so Christ to shew his liberality made his promise good ten times over and indeed it is usuall in Almighty God to better the expectation of his creatures 2. The mystery of this noise or sound was that thereby the Jews might come together out of curiosity to see what the matter was when they heard a sudden clap like thunder just over the place where the Apostles were assembled and likewise to raise up the hearts of those within the place to heaven expecting hereupon something of consequence to follow it was sudden for two reasons First to shew it to be a voluntary and free gift of grace such as could not be merited by any our previous preparation thereunto Secondly to shew the efficacy of that holy grace working to all purposes in an instant as we see it did in S. Paul and S. Mary Magdalene both instantaneously converted from notorious sinners and made eminent Saints whence S. Ambrose sayes truly commenting upon the first of S. Luke The grace of the holy Ghost brooks no delayings This sudden sound came from heaven to shew that as Gods throne was there so he came by his holy grace to call and to carry the Apostles and all good Christians thither it came like a huge high wind to shew the effects it was to have when the voices of those it sell upon were heard all the world over from one end to the other as was prophetically foretold by holy David Psal 18. Now we are to note the holy Ghost hath appeared severall times in severall wayes as first like a Pigeon or Dove upon Christ baptized to shew the columbine simplicity of grace and good works next like a Cloud in the Transfiguration to shew the fertility of Christian Doctrine falling like a fruitfull rain upon the barren souls of men and covering them from the nocive sinne of lustfull desires Thirdly like a Breath to shew the manner of Christian conversion was to be by aspiration or breathing of the holy Ghost upon our hearts and giving us thence a spirituall life and this was when at the last Supper Christ breathing upon his Apostles said Receive ye the holy Ghost to remission of sinnes Joh. 20.22 Fourthly as here both like fire and wind the first to shew the holy Ghost did inflame the hearts of men to the love of God and burn up in them all the stubble of their terrene affections the last to shew the efficacy that the Apostles preaching should have to convert all the world and like a whirl-wind blow down the resistance of Princes and Potentates as so many Towers standing in their way and also blow all infidelity all heresie all sects and schisms quite away as so much chaff and drosse in respect of solid doctrine not that there was a reall wind but yet a reall sound or rather an effect as of a reall wind for had the wind been reall being so great it had overthrown the house and done mischief to those within and indeed the Text saith it was a noise like the coming of a high winde nor was it marvell God could produce a sound without a winde for as the fiery tongues were not reall tongues but onely similitudes thereof so was this noise no reall wind but onely a likenesse of it
calls upon the Abysse in fine this is a reason above all reason but that which being increate it self creates the reasons of men and Angels as short of it self as finite things are short of infinite as creatures are short of their Creatour The Apostle ends this verse with an extatical admiration of Gods incomprehensible Judgments and investigable wayes that is to say the counsels means works and reasons of his providence who alone can cull Good out of evil as he doth convincing all Nations of incredulity that thence he may make one the motive for his mercy towards the other as was said above 34. How are we lost in our judgments when we see the wicked prosper and the just afflicted when we value humane abilities which in sight of God are follies because we do not know the sense the mind of God in these his permissions nor how contemptible a thing the wisest man under the cope of heaven is in the sight of God of whom Zeno said well that the pastime or sport of God was man as if God made but a Tennis ball of man or of the wisdome of men tossing him up and down at pleasure to the wonderment of us poor mortalls Whence the Abysse of humane misery calls upon the Abysse of Divine mercy and as S. Augustine saith the Abyss of humane ignorance calls upon the Abyss of the Divine knowledge or science How well then doth the Apostle say who knowes the mind of God or who was ever of his Counsel that is as Isaias said Chap. 40. v. 13. who ever gave him counsel or who did he ever make acquainted with such counsel as he gave himself in all internall and external operations whence no man must dare to ask why leaving the Jewes he turned to the Gentiles or the like 35. This place is remarkable for it is not asked who ever gave God any thing but who hath first given him any thing which before he had not received from him that so he might be able to make God his debtour truly no man and for this reason S. Paul sayes well what have you that you have not received and if you have received it why do you glory as if it had not been received by you but were your own Yet such is God Almighty his mercy to mankind that even this impossibility in man to make God his debtour by giving him any thing that was not his own before doth not hinder man of the honour to have God a debtour to him But then we must understand this saying safely and take heed we make not God our debtour for any gift or loan of ours to him but meerly for his own promises to us and those his promises though he were graciously pleased to make them voluntarily unto us yet he binds himself by vertue of his own promise to be our debtour for the performance of his words unto us to which purpose St. Augustine spake home in these words upon this place of the Apostle Serm. 16. Pay unto us what thou doest owe us because we have done what thou hast bid us to do though even what we have done were thy deed too because thou didst help us to do it 36. And for further proof of this doctrine the Apostle proceeds saying of him by him in him are all things that is to say not onely the essence or beeing of every thing but also the operations thereof since the operations of creatures are likewise creatures too as well as the things themselves that do operate and so both have equal dependance on Almighty God so that all things are of him as of their first maker by him as by their directour disposer and perfectour in him as in vertue of his assistance they are made do operate and are conserved But St. Augustine and with him the torrent of Fathers observe that what is said to be of God is appropriated to the Father what by God is attributed to the Son and what in God is reporting to the holy Ghost that so to the whole sacred and undivided Trinity we may refer the honour and glory of all beeing and operation of creatures insomuch that even from the Apostles time the close of prayer was made in this sort Glory be to the Father Son and Holy Ghost and by the Councill of Nice was added thereunto as it was in the beginning and now and ever world without end Amen For though here be ground of distinguishing Persons yet there is none of dividing essences or natures and therefore the Apostle telling us here of our obligation to the Blessed Trinity concludes saying not to them but to him be glory for ever that is to the one only undivided God who is neverthelesse distinguished into three several Persons Father Son and Holy Ghost A very apt close for the Epistle on Trinity Sunday The Application 1. WE have hinted in the Illustration above at the deep design of holy Church in closing up the grand work of humane Redemption and the Octave of the holy Ghost with a Feast made sacred to the B. Trinity wherein our Faith seems to be chiefly and wholly exercised because there is nothing so hard in Christian doctrine as to believe the Trinity of the sacred Triunity Now we may presume to affirm further that albeit from Pentecost to Advent the main aym of Christian duty be the exercise of charity in producing frequent acts thereof neverthelesse it was fitting to begin the practice of charity with an act of Faith to shew the difference between our love of God on Earth and our love of him in Heaven for there Faith shall cease that Love may increase and be alone the Totall duty of the Blessed but here Faith must increase least Love decrease in us Hence it was not onely fit that this our first act of charity to day should be to God but that it should be also accompanied with the strongest act of Faith imaginable which is this we now produce in making profession we believe God to be Trine and One. 2. Now not to break the order of the service that I mean of charity the main imploy of every Christian between this and the holy time of Advent see how by way of commemoration at least of the first Sunday after Pentecost we have regard to such another Prayer and such another Gospel whereunto I have added here the Epistle also though not read in open service as do mainly point at charity so shall we see in their perusal anon when these proper to the day are done 3. And lastly least this Act of Charity we are now to exercise should be defective being an act of love to God alone without relation to our neighbour see how we are taught to perfect it as well with an act of hope as with an act of Faith since the main scope of holy Churches prayer to day is to declare so strong a Hope in her believing and in her loving God that she puts it as a hopeful
shield before her against all Adversity whatsoever to be firm in her belief of the most Blessed and undivided Trinity Say then the Prayer above and see how well it suits unto this doctrine thereupon The Gospel Matth. 28. v. 18. c. 18 And Jesus coming neer spake to them saying All power is given to me in heaven and earth 19 Going therefore teach ye all nations Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and behold I am with you all dayes even to the consummation of the world The Explication 18. THe Evangelist in this Chapter recounts the apparition of Jesus in Galilee to a great number of Disciples and friends as well as unto the Apostles amongst them who were now so far fled from Jerusalem where formerly they had seen him after he arose from his grave and so confirmed them in the truth of this mystery that though in the precedent verse St. Matthew sayes some of them doubted of this truth that Christ was risen yet the meaning is not that any of the Apostles doubted thereof but some others to whom Christ had never appeared before as now he did to confirm the truth of his resurrection And Jesus coming neer not to those doubting persons but to his Apostles saying as this dayes Gospel begins All power c. But we are to observe though S. Matthew seems in this chapter to conjoyn the power of Mission given by Christ to his Apostles unto this story of his Apparition to them and above three thousand more in Galilee since he resolved to end his Gospel in this eight and twentieth chapter and write no more yet the very truth is those words were not spoken by Christ consequently to this apparition but afterwards upon the Mount Olivet when at his Ascension he gave the Apostles Mission over all the world for his valediction or last farewell unto them and in testimony that this was an Act of high Jurisdiction he tells them at the same time All power is given unto him both in heaven and earth so they need not doubt but he that gave them this Mission to all Nations this commission to preach unto them and to Baptize them had ample authority for his so doing and would by his grace from heaven second their labours over all the earth and make them fruitful to the final salvation of all Nations which was a convincing testimony of his being plenipotentiary between God and man or having plenitude of power both in heaven and earth But we are further here to note that this plenitude of power was not now so given to Christ as if he had not had it before for the Word was no sooner Incarnate then this power was begun in him though he was not pleased to mention the accomplishment or perfection thereof untill by his death and passion he had merited the same and therefore suiting to him not onely as he was God but as he was man the Messias or Saviour of the world and to him alone for to no man else was the amplitude of this power competent nay the very participation thereof is above all merit of any pure humane creature however to Christ the fulnesse of it was but due by reason of his being one person with God who as Creatour of heaven and earth had consequently full power over them both so as he could by the Ministery of his Apostles preaching subject unto himself all the Nations of the earth as stooping to the power of his Faith and Doctrine and afterwards in heaven reward this their Faith this their subjection to Christian discipline with crowns of eternal glory to shew he was chief commandant in heaven also having purchased the same by his bitter death and passion and so being able to make eternally happy in this his glorious Kingdom whosoever he pleased 19. We are here to observe when Christ bids go it is not nay it cannot be in the power of any mortal man to forbid the Ministers of Christ from going to convert nations So this Mission is Divine not humane and gives Commission to execute Gods Lawes maugre all mens prohibitions Go saith he to shew us labour pains travel diligence are the marks of those who preach the word of God nor is this labour limited to any one time or place but extends it self to all times to all nations Go sayes our Saviour teach all nations nay he adds therefore go that is to say Go because I send you that have all power both in heaven and earth go teach ye all nations as I have taught you Whence it followes the command of learning was imposed upon the people while the precept of teaching was laid upon the Apostles and their successours for in these latter it is indeed that Christ after said he would be with them unto the end of the world that is in assisting their Successours he would be with them And very great reason it is that an obligation of hearing should fall upon the people when a command of preaching was imposed on the Priest for a Schollar is acorrelative to a Master as a Son is to a Father since no man can be an actual master unless he have an actual Schollar nor can any man be a father that hath not a child And that it was a command given with an obligation to be put in present execution see how Christ tyes himself to an actual assistance thereof even to the worlds end And as he bids them go and teach all nations the principles of Christian doctrine namely those of the Catholick Church so he bids them Baptize all those whom they instruct and teach in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost to shew them the true mark of a Christian is his belief in the Blessed Trinity which is one onely God and three Divine Persons distinct each from other called Father Son and holy Ghost Nor can there be indeed a more succinct method of this deep mystery then is here expressed when the command of Baptizing in the name and not in the names shewes the unity of God and denyes the plurality of Divine nature or essence and yet the specifying of the Father Son and Holy Ghost shewes the Blessed Trinity which is in that sacred unity Whence we see the word Trinity doth import a Triunity or an Unity of nature in a Trinity of persons whence our Saviour saying by the mouth of his Apostle 1 Epist Joh. c. 5. There are three that bear testimony in heaven the Father the Son and Holy Ghost adds immediately and these Three are all one that is to say these distinct persons are one indistinct and undivided nature essence deity so as though there be three divine persons yet is there but one onely God And no marvel if upon Trinity Sunday both the Epistle and Gospel report unto this sacred mystery for it
the vice of a persecuter which was in none but himself though more may be attributed to his doing as much in a lesse time as the rest did in longer space being he was last called With me that is laboureth with me and not as the Heretickes translate the grace which is with me or in me I not laboring my self but relying on the past labours of Christ thus vainly they but the holy Church understands the Apostle to mean his joynt labour with the grace of God The Application 1. St. Paul in this Epistle recapitulates the arguments by which he brought the Corinthians to believe the hardest point of Faith that then was agitated the resurrection of our Saviour for it was upon preaching that doctrine this Apostle was chiefly persecuted and for defence whereof he suffered martyrdome 2. But as we see this Epistle in the beginning requires that charity accompany the faith of this great mystery so in the close thereof humility attends on charity while S. Paul first calls himself an abortive and the least of the Apostles more one not worthy of that celebrated Name nor daring to ascribe unto himself the fruits of any his greatest labours but attributing all to the grace of God effectually operating in him all those things whereunto he thought himself did very poorly cooperate Thus must faith and humility accompany our charity in her now long march to Advent in all her way to Judgement it self 3. What can be the result of this mystery other then that which naturally followes the unexpected proof of the least expected and most unbelieved thing in all the world the Resurrection of our Saviour A joy no doubt ineffable in those that were his friends and had no hand in any of his sufferings and a confusion on the other side in all that had contributed unto his death a sorrow and a fear if not a deep despair indeed that their sinne of Deicide was sure enough unpardonable So should it be with us beloved who although we cannot kill our Christ again yet do attempt to crucifie him by the very least of many mortall sinnes that we commit against his heavenly Majesty notwithstanding our own conscience tells us we doe therein worse then ever did the Jewes for they pretended zeal in all they did whereas we know we sinne for want of zeal for want of love to him who died for love of us What remedy but that which holy Church to day hath found when we hear the Preachers tell us of the frights and feares the sadnesse and confusion of the Jewes in such a case that then We pray not onely as we did on Sunday last to have Gods mercy multiplyed but even powred out upon us as his precious bloud was powred upon the Jewes that by such a showre of mercy the sinnes our conscience fears may be pardoned and the favours we dare not aske may be granted for the reasons given in the preamble of the Prayer and in the end of the Illustration above The Gospel Mark c. 7. v. 31. 31 And again going out of the coasts of Tyre he came by Sidon to the sea of Galilee through the middest of the coast of Decapolis 32 And they bring to him one deaf and dumb and they besought him that he would impose his hands upon him 33 And taking him from the multitude apart he put his fingers into his eares and spitting touched his tongue 34 And looking up unto heaven he groaned and said to him Epheta which is be opened 35 And immediately his ears were opened and the string of his tongue was loosened and he spake right 36 And he commanded them not to tell any body but how much he commanded them so much the more a great deal did they publish it 37 And so much the more did they wonder saying He hath done all things well he hath made both the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak The Explication 31. THis literall narration of Christ going from coast to coast and by the Sea side alludeth to the change which grace maketh in those who follow the calling of Almighty God that they must leave their former customes and go by new coasts even rough and dangerous seas of persecution up mountains of dangers and difficulties to enjoy the quiet of a good conscience 32. By deaf understand mystically those who will not obey the commands of God and holy Church by dumbe those who will not praise Almighty God in their actions nor in their thoughts but like mutes spend their time in silencing Gods praises They ask him to lay his hands on them because they had experience he did use to cure the diseased by that means 33. He tooke him apart because this corporall cure alludes to the conversion of the soul and the best means of conversion to God is an aversion from the world a retyring from evill company By his fingers put into the deaf mans eares understand the holy Ghost opening the infidels understanding and making him believe the word of God when he hears it Besides the holy Ghost is often intimated by the finger of God as Ex. 8.19 alibi By spitting here is meant Christ his wetting his own finger with his own spittle so notes the Greek Text not that he did spit into the dumb mans mouth And Christ his spittle is not an unfit cure of dumbnesse since by the moisture of the tongue speech is much perfected and aridity is an impediment to speech Thus even God works miracles by the aptest instruments in nature for them 34. By his looking to heaven we are minded that from thence comes all the power we have to heare the word of God and to speak his praise By his groaning he showes how God seems to lament the miseries of those souls which are infected with the contagion of sin By his saying Epheta be thou open to the deaf ear he shewes himself to be God as curing by command 35. No marvel God commanding the cure was done but by his speaking right we are told the cure was perfectly done and not palliated And indeed then it is most evident Gods operation is perfect in us when it brings us from wrong to right from sick to sound but mystically when from sinners we are brought to be right perfected Saints and surely needs must he speak right whom God had cured of his dumbnesse Though some will have it hence that this man was not quite dumb but had onely a stammering in his speech or a weaknesse in that organ not suffering him to speak plain but to babble as children do that first learn to speak Yet by right speaking may here be well understood the cured mans speaking perfectly the praises of God and rightly glorifying his Divine Majesty thereby 36. The word command here is not to be taken strictly or arguing a precept but rather a request so there was no sin in breaking it but rather as S. Augustine insinuates a virtue and that obedience too for
more then to undermine him and bring him within the compasse of high treason when I say we see this to be the drift of the Gospel on the Jews part and that our Saviour seeing the naughtiness of their thoughts asks them plainly why they play the hypocrites with him then I presume no man that can tell twenty will marvell to see this dayes Prayer beg fidelity and sincerity of heart in us Christians at least when we see the Pharisaick Jews are convinced of so grosse an infidelity and flattery even when they pretend forsooth a tenderness of conscience and when we hear our Saviour recommend the same fidelity which we petition for to day in commanding them faithfully to render that to Caesar which is Caesars and that to God which is Gods namely their pecuniary tribute to Caesar their religious sincerity to God and that especially when they pretend it as here the Pharisees did though they least intended it Let me therefore beloved beg it as a boon that you all say this Prayer to day with such sincerity of heart as may render it and you gratefull in God Almighties sight and hearing for then shall we pray most consonantly to what the Church doth preach to day and then shall we be sure such our petitions will be granted effectually which are made unto God faithfully and this assurance we have both from the Epistle Gospel and Prayer of this present Sunday A great content I confesse after the fear of so great a losse as we were like to be at for making good the grand design of our work which as yet comes fairly home when we might fear we had been farthest off The Epistle Phil. 1. v. 6. c. 6 We trust in God our Lord Jesus that he which hath begun in you a good work will perfect it unto the day of Christ Jesus 7 As it is reason for me this to think for you all for that I have you in heart and in my bands and in the defence and the confirmation of the Gospel all you to be partakers of my joy 8 For God is my witness how I covet you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. 9 And this I pray that your charity may more and more abound in knowledge and in all understanding 10 That you may approve the better things that you may be sincere and without offence unto the day of Christ. 11 Replenished with the fruit of justice by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God The Explication 6. THe Apostle here speaks in the plural Number because he writes this Epistle as well in his companions name as his own in Timothies though afterwards himself being onely in Prison and not Timothy he speaks to them in his own person but directs his Epistle as from both to shew them that absent or present they are both of one mind The work he confides to have continued is their conversion By the day of Christ he means the day of Judgement which is that of his second coming the first being his birth-day 7. It is reason indeed for him to conside thus because as their conversion was by means of God his special grace so he presumes the same goodnesse of God will be continued which was begun in them and because he hopes their cooperation will not be wanting to persevere in the faith of Christ as it was not first to accept thereof Hence his charity makes him hope this of them with reason and his faith makes him presume the other of God towards them Yet not so that hence the Reformers can infer as they do out of this place that it is impossible for one who is once called by God and in grace ever to lose the same grace or vocation The Apostles words import no such thing onely a religious hope or confidence he hath they will indeed persevere as they have begun to love serve and honour Almighty God as his following words testifie in this Verse because he professeth here that he prayes continually for their perseverance which argues it is not a thing to be hoped but by endeavours and pains on our parts Nay Saint Paul so plainly speaks to this sense that he seems to say least their own endeavours towards this perseverance should not suffice he hath made it even his hearts desire besides and applies his personal sufferings to this end that God moved by his prayer and persecution may supply what is wanting in them towards perseverance by their own sole endeavours And it is Saint Augustines and the Churches doctrine indeed that justifying grace alone sufficeth not toward perseverance without new favours of more and more grace do inable us to persevere In the close of this verse the Apostle alludes to the hope he hath of Martyrdom for the defence of the faith of Christ against those who oppose it and the confirmation of it in those who have imbraced it And this he means by his joy whereof he prayes they may be made partakers 8. And that he doth thus pray he calls God to witness and doth this with such earnestnesse as if he were not himself happy enough to be in the bowels of Jesus Christ which is in his bosome in Heaven unlesse he might find these Philippians there also or as if his love to them and zeal of their salvations were such that he desired Jesus Christ should have them equally in his breast or bowels of affection with himself Both these senses this text will bear very well as also that by these words Saint Paul professeth he loves them so tenderly that he cannot expresse it otherwise then by saying it is even with the affection of Jesus Christ himself following Christ's instruction Joh. 13.34 Love one another as I have loved you 9. Here he prayeth for the superadded grace which above was said to be necessary to perseverance which is for their increase of charity where that abounds there is wanting neither knowledge of what is the true doctrine of the Church of Christ nor what is the true sense and meaning thereof since by this abundant charity we see the ignorant Apostles were so illuminated that they could and did penetrate into the genuine sense of the deepest mysteries of Christian faith and religion 10. This alludes to the sense as above in the former Verse that by their increase in love and charity they might be able to distinguish between the Apostles Christian and Simon Magus his Judaical and others heretical doctrine as finding that of Christianity the more powerfull and efficacious to salvation It seems by these words the Apostle thinks the pretended charity of hereticks is not sincere love and affection to God and their Neighbour but hath a mixture of hypocrisie in it and makes use of the name of Christ to cover the doctrine of those who indeed are opposite to him by saying this or that is Christ his doctrine which indeed is not so but proves upon a strict examine the sense and doctrine of
contracted through the frailtie of humane nature when Christ our Lord came to shew mercy and give pardon not onely to his own chosen people the Jewes but even to all the Gentiles to all sinners how enormous soever Tell me now beloved is it not with reason Saint Gregory calls the prayers of holy Church Sacraments Mysteries when they are set to the same tune that the mysterious Scripture sings unto the people out of the Preachers mouthes for such we may account the Expositours of holy Writ to be And what marvell if we finde the Antiphon leading the tune to the prayer to point at the latter of these two women rather then at the former since we have heard this was a Gentile that a Jew For hence we that are Gentiles are taught to pray peculiarly for pardon of our owne sinnes moved thereunto especially by the benignitie of our Lord who though he first called the Jew yet he first converted the Gentile because as this Antiphon tells us the Gentiles faith was stronger then the Jews and therefore the obstinate Jew shall not be converted till the latter day when we are to have onely one shepheard and one fold of sheep one Christian Church made up both of Jews and Gentiles and for that reason we do not distinguish in the prayer between them because as it is now onely our prayer to God so hereafter it will be theirs as well as ours without putting the Church to the trouble of a new prayer upon that occasion of increasing the number of her children And assuredly that happy time will come with the greater increase if we with fervour say this prayer in the mean time first for the amâ—ndment of our own lives and for the perfecting our selves as in this dayes Epistle Saint Paul exhorteth us and next for the conversion of the stiff necked Jews prefigured to day in the after reviving of Jairus his daughter from death to life though Christ went first about that worâ— when he had before cured the woman of her twelve years issue of bloud first indeed calling the Jew but last converting him as was said above And for further reason of applying this prayer thus to the other service of the day I remit the pious Christian to the Expositours upon the 20.21.22 verses of the following Gospell Suffice it here is enough to shew that the connexion of parts in holy Churches services hath not been wanting hitherto in some measure or other and out of that little I am able to find I doubt not but deeper souls more habituated to meditation then I am will retrive much more The Epistle Philip. 3. v. 17. c. 4. v. 1. c. Chap. 3.17 Be ye followers of me Brethren and observe them that walk so as you have our form 18 For many walk whom often I told you of and now weeping also I tell you the enemies of the Crosse of Christ 19 Whos 's end is destruction whose God is the belly and their glorie in their confusion which mind worldly things 20 But our conversation is in heaven whence also we exspect the Saviour our Lord Jesus Christ 21 Who will reform the body of our humilitie configured to the body of his glory according to the operation whereby also he is able to subdue all things to himself Chap. 1. Therefore my dearest brethren and most desired my joy and my crown so stand in our Lord my dearest 2 Euodia I desire and Syntiche I beseech to be of one mind in our Lord. 3 Yea and I beseech thee my sincere companion help those women that have laboured with me in the Gospell with Clement and the rest my coadjutours whose names are in the book of life The Explication 17. BE not onely followers of my words but of my actions for so he means by bidding them walk live as they do who follow the form of his Apostolical life and actions Happy instructions for the Priests to do themselves as they exhort others to do and in this shew they are truly ministers of the new not of the old law whence Christ bid the people hear believe and obey but not to do as they did themselves that Mat. 23.4 laid huge burdens on their neighbours shoulders and would not carry the least burden on their own Happy sheep that had now shepherds who would not onely let them out into the pastures but defend them from the wolves by loosing their lives rather then expose their sheep to danger as S. Paul did who in persecution gave his flock a pattern of constancy even to the death rather then he would not follow to a tittle his own form whereby he had taught them born in peace and persecution how to serve God 18. This verse again argues the Apostle reports to good life as well as to doctrine when he tells them here many live contrary to the rule he had framed for them for though they beleeve rightly yet they live they walke awry they keep not the direct path of perfection but follow wayes of their own invention and are to those so fondly wedded that rather then leave their own brainsick imaginations they will even deny what no reason can doubt of These are Schismaticks and Sectaries of whom the Apostle often warned the faithfull and now with teares in his eyes moves the Philippians to beware of them again and tells them they are so far from being Christians that they are enemies to Christ for so he means here by the Crosse of Christ And why his enemies Because they mangle his doctrine in pieces believing what they list thereof and rejecting what they please Of this sort were in those dayes Simon Magus who said Christ himself went off from the Crosse and onely left his picture hanging there and Cerinthus who would needs separate Jesus from Christ and teach that Jesus did indeed truly die and rise again from the dead but that Christ was impassible and so went off from the Crosse leaving Jesus there to die Thus while they invent foolish pieties they become blasphemously impious whence it was Saint Paul said 1 Cor. 2.2 He knew nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified to shew the fondnesse of those who would separate Jesus from Christ and deny Christ to have suffered at all whence he calls these the enemies not of Jesus nor of Christ but of the Crosse of Christ that is such as deny Christ to have been really and truely crucified For beating down of which the Church brought up the use of crucifixes erected in all places And those also who make such simple imaginations the ground of Libertinisme Saint Paul calls enemies to the Crosse of Christ those who teach austeritie of life and mortification to be needlesse under pretence that Jesus hath suffered all punishment due for sinne and so pâ—ofesse it a kinde of injurie and prejudice to our Saviours passion for any man since that time to use mortification 19. But see the Apostles judgement of such Sectaries while he sayes
their end is destruction And that you may know he means the Libertines above mentioned he tells you they are such whose God is their belly who worship Dagon not Jesus Christ who delight in venery and gluttony But see the sequel of such worldlings their glory sayes the Apostle is their confusion it shall fare with them as with their God Dagon it did 1 King 5.4 whose head and hands fell from him upon the approach of the Ark brought by the Philistaeans into the Temple of their God Dagon while the people rested themselves leaving this broken-God nothing but the trunk of his body to shew that the preservation of his sordid parts were rather a confusion then a glory to them whilest the instruments of glory the head and the hands betokening glorious resolutions and heroick actions were destroyed And indeed what so contemptible so uselesse as a man without hands or head so while Dagon was thus preserved he had reserved onely his infamy to be his future glory and this in token the Libertines that are his Adorers can expect no other end then what is infamous as this Let therefore such miscreants fear to come near the Christian Ark the Tabernacle of the holy Altar lest they be in the sight of God at least regarded but as Dagons ignominious Statue before the Ark. 20. See how farre S. Paul is removed from those sordid those earthly cogitations when he tells you his conversation is in heaven his thoughts are fixed on Almighty God and by this means teacheth us that ours should be so too the form or rule of Christianity being to meditate heavenly not earthly things and to hope for no good but what descends from heaven upon us whence we may expect to see our Saviour Jesus Christ coming to bring us at the latter day the superabundant reward of all our dayes spent here in a holy conversation 21. And see the manner how he will impart this reward declared in these words that follow by reforming the body of our humility when our abject vile and contemptible bodies shall become beautifull noble and glorious in the sight of God by having them reformed transfigured into another accidentall not essentiall form but remaining shaped as now they are they shall of corruptible become incorruptible of passible impassible of earthly celestiall of lumpish agile of dark lightsome and thus reformed or transfigured they shall be configured conformed also to the body of Christ his gloâ—y as who should say they shall be like or conformable to the glorious body of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ So immensely doth he love man that in requitall of the humane nature which he took of us we shall take as it were divine nature from him while our bodies shall by heavenly glory be like to that of Christ which hath its splendour not as ours from a created but as his from an increated glory by the irradiation of his divinity through the cloud of our humanity there being no personall difference in Christ between God and man however his two natures differ as much as the creature doth from the Creatour And how this ineffable alteration is made the Apostle tells us in the close of this verse namely by that operation of Christ whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself Happy subjection to that power which glories to exalt what it is able to subdue and yet loseth not the glory of subduing death while it gives eternall life to our dead bodies and glory to our corruption Cap. 4. v. 1. It is indeed an apt rise he takes to incourage the Philippians in this fourth chapter to stand firm to his principles to his rules of good life which in the former chapter he sayes he framed for them when for their so doing they shall have the reward as above No marvell he calls them his dearest when he professeth they are his joy his crown the fruits of his labours which God will reward with the joyes of heaven and with a crown of glory which shall have in it a precious stone of speciall beauty for every soul he hath converted And by this we see besides the essentiall Beatitude which consists in seeing God those that are the means of others souls salvation shall have an accidentall glory given them as a particular reward due unto them not onely for every soul they have been a means to save but also for every good deed wrought by those souls who have followed the examples of Gods Saints but how that accidentall glory differs from the essentiall is hard to say the words we allow the things we know not See how he inculcates here perseverance in good works Stand persist continue my dearest sayes the Apostle as you have begun and then you make your selves and me happy indeed since it is the end that crowns the work so to begin well little avails without you persevere in well-doing unto the end 2. These were two remarkably famous women among the Philippians for saintity of life and for exhorting of people to the same by their good examples so the Apostle takes speciall notice of them thereby to incourage them to go on and others to follow their footsteps and lest their difference in the wayes of piety and devotion might make a division of minds in them he exhorts them to be of one mind to direct their devotions to one end of Gods glory onely for that is to be of one mind in our Lord not to affect singularity but solidity of devotion they being otherwise free enough from faction or discord of mind though some impertinently inferre hence they were at variance 3. It is left by Expositours uncertain who this dear companion was though all concurre he was some holy man whom also S. Paul here exhorts as he did holy women before but sure enough it is not his wife though some hereticks will have it so yet without all ground since the Apostle in another place professeth he was not married but commends those who remained single as himself was Neither doth it follow that women in those dayes did preach the Gospel as well as men though here the Apostle sayes Euodia and Syntiche did labour with him in the Gospel did suffer for their faith for their belief in Jesus Christ and for following the doctrine of the Gospel and did incourage all others to do the like by harbouring the Apostles and by relieving those Christians that were in want O that the Ladies of these dayes would give Priests occasion by following the examples of these two Ladies to record their holy memories as the Apostle hath done those of these two pious women Clement here mentioned is the same who was the fourth Pope succeeding Cletus who had Linus for his predecessour that was S. Peters immediate successour The close of this Epistle is liable to misconstruction some make it the ground of their errour saying that those who are once in grace can never fall from thence and
when having once begun to serve God well the whole continuance of endeavours is still to better that beginning still to begin anew where last we did end as in this work you see we doe setting the same feare of our Lord before our eyes in the end thereof the same memory of the day of Judgement wherewith we first begun this practise of Pietie which here I tender unto every one of our sodalitie not doubting but if we live an hundred yeares we shall find of this devotion that it will alwayes please though a hundred times repeated over because the subject is so sweet as the more we suck it comes the sweeter still And since in the Title of this Booke we called it not onely a Christian sodalitie but a Hive of Bees I beseech God we may find no drones amongst us in this Hive no lazy Bees that will not flie abroad to suck the hony of devotion from the blossomes of the word of God which are growing in every leaf of this Book the whole being framed either of the holy Text or of the Exposition of the same The Epistle Coloss 1. v. 9. c. 9 Therefore we also from the day that we heard it cease not praying for you and desiring that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdome and spirituall understanding 10 That you may walk worthy of God in all things pleasing fructifying in all good works and increasing in the knowledge of God 11 In all power strengthened according to the might of his glory in all patience and longanimity with joy 12 Giving thanks to God and the Father who hath made us worthy unto the part of the lot of the Saints in the light 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darknesse and hath translated us into the kingdome of the Sonne of his love 14 In whom we have redemption the remission of sinnes The Explication 9. THat is from the day we heard you were converted to the faith of Christ upon the hope you had of heaven thereby as in the precedent verses of this chapter is expressed and as soon as Epaphras our fellow labourer in the vineyard of Christ brought us this happy news and of your speciall love to me and Timothy From that time we cease not praying for your being still filled more and more with the grace of God and with the knowledge of his will with the acknowledgement thereof as being done in you by this your conversion The Apostle appositely mentions here wisdome and spiriâ—uall understanding praying they may be filled therewith to shew the difference between the folly of profane learning such as was that the Simonians affected in those dayes meer humane and carnall wisdome and that sacred learning which Christian doctrine teacheth for that onely he accounts true wisdome and true understanding as teaching us to walk spiritually not carnally in the Church of Christ which is the school of Christianity 10. And praying further that you may walk worthy of God in all things pleasing that you may so farre please God in all you do as to make your selves worthy of him by receiving no lesse then himself for your reward of so walking By which we see S. Paul here piously points at the now Catholick doctrine which the pretended Reformers oppose of meriting heaven by our good works though perhaps this place doth not directly prove it since he speaks of making our selves worthy even of God himself whereas there be those who teach we are onely imputatively and not really or de condigno justified by Christs merits or made partakers of them Again lest he should in vain bid us do what he thought sufficient to render us thus worthy he tells us in the following words how to be made so namely by fructifying in all good works by reaping fruit out of every laudable exercise and others we must not addict our selves unto and by increasing in the knowledge of God by making it our study better to understand the mysteries of our faith and religion for thereby it is we come to know God See here the obligation we have to be daily diligent in learning more and more of Christianity and not to lose our time in studying fooleries for thereby we shall hazard the deserving Hell and not God for our reward 11. See the sense of this verse explicated in the Epistle upon the eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost for the first part of it and in the Epistle upon the fourteenth Sunday for the second part theâ—eof because there it is explicated all at large suffice it to note here his aim is to stir them up to alacrity even in persecution 12. And to thank God the Father for the benefit of his grace which gives them that alacrity he directs our thoughts to the Father as knowing they will thereby be more pleasing to his sonne our Saviour Jesus Christ who made offering of all his own actions to his heavenly Father thereby to shew us we must attribute more to the goodnesse of God then even to the passion of Christ which was dignified from the Deity whereunto the humanity was united That hath made us worthy this shews how little we ought to confide in our own merits since even all the good we do is by the speciall grace of God and must have its value from God assisting more then from our selves acting yet by both together we become worthy of God himself for our reward as was said above much more of our share with the Saints in glory though here the Apostle alludes chiefly to the Colossians being made worthy with other Saints of the light and glory of the Gospel by their conversion to the faith of Christ which he calls therefore the lot of the Saints because it is a grace gratis given and no man can merit his conversion which the Apostle calls the lot of the Saints in the light of the Gospel given by God the father gratis through the merits of our Saviours passion Or if we shall take the complete sense of this verse it imports the lot we have to share with those who live in the light of the Gospel is the beginning of the accomplishment of that lot when we shall live and reign with Christ and his Saints in the lot or happinesse they have to dwell in the light of eternall glory 13. By the power of darknesse is here understood the infidelity they were in before conversion when they were under the command of the Prince of darknesse as being then in his power By this Graecisme or phrase common among the Greeks viz. the Sonne of his love is here understood his beloved Sonne the second person of the Blessed Trinity not that as Sabellius would have it Christ was one and the same person with the holy Ghost proceeding as he did by an act of love whereas we are taught the second person was begotten by the understanding of his eternall Father and the third as some Divines hold
of Tongues bestowed on them first because so sayes the text they spake in divers tongues Secondly because the miracle had been else wrought in the hearers not in the speakers Thirdly the gift or reall diversity of tongues was prophesied by Isaias chap. 28. In other tongues and in other lips will I speak unto this people therefore it must be fulfilled as was affirmed so to be by S. Paul 1 Cor. 14.21 I give my God thanks that I speak with the tongue of you all Besides Christ in S. Mark cap. 16. v. 17. did promise this gift saying They shall speak with new tongues Fourthly because so the Church hath ever taught us Fifthly else many miracles must concurre to one work as in the speaker and the hearer too Though this doth not deny but the Apostles might as well by one language speak intelligibly to all hearers of severall nations as S. Vincentius did To conclude as they were sent to all nations so assuredly they had the gift of all languages as also the B. Virgin S. Mary Magdalene and all the one hundred and twenty then present had the same gift yet so as they did not use it but as the holy Ghost inspired them to speak upon just occasions and then in such manner as was most excellent and best suiting to all purposes because the works of God are ever perfect Deut. 3â— 4 and this was such so that it is credible they never made use of this gift but to Gods honour and glory at least they ever surely aimed thereat how be it as humane creatures they might erre in some circumstantials of their actions as S. Paul reprehended some excesses in that kind especially in women speaking in Churches by this gift of tongues 5. This diversity of nations was there upon occasion of the legall Feast of the Jewish Pentecost as above whereunto great conflux of nations was usuall as Exod. 23.17 it was commanded but more then ordinary in Jerusalem it being the Metropolis or head City of the Jews and the seat of their chief Synagogue so by dwelling is here understood making some stay for a time onely not being constant Inhabitants By religious is understood only devout men not such as now by vowes receive that denomination though with all this confluxe of people was credibly now more then ordinary because God had so ordained it to celebrate the better this Christian Pentecost by the avowment of all nations witnessing the prodigious truth of this unparalleld miracle of the descent or coming of the Holy Ghost in way of fiery tongues 6. By the voyce is understood that of the sudden lowd wind drawing many to the place and that wherewith the Apostles spake which argued there was a grace more then ordinary accompanying their speech after this gift of tongues was bestowed on them so as the multitude of Nations representing the whole world in little assembled suddenly at this place and was strucken with admiration and indeed confusion of mind some thinking one thing some another some trembling to see Christ so glorified now in his Apostles and Friends who had by them been persecuted to death others not knowing what was the reason but inquiring in fine all severally strucken upon several conceits they made of the prodigy every one hearing ignorant men and strangers speak in their own language or tongue 7. This Verse shewes that was the main cause of their amazement seeing the Apostles who were Galilaeans men given more to study the Sword then the Word speak the different Languages of all other several Nations in the World 8. As by this Verse appeares they did 9. 10. 11. There were two Elams one in Persia the other in Media and probably Elamites of both were here There is little to be said of this enumeration of so many nations and people here assembled onely to observe many are specified to shew more indeed all were present that is to say some out of every Nation and though those of Jewry be named in the ninth verse and Jewes again in the eleventh yet it is to be understood the latter were the Jewes dispersed over all the world as well as those living in Judea and the Gentiles by nation Jews by profession who were therefore by another name called Proselytes Adventitious Jews But we are here to observe these Nations did not hear the Apostles speak as some said of them like drunkards nor any vain or idle things but onely the wonders of Almighty God such as the Prophets had foretold Christ taught and were never till now understood nor believed And probably they began here to preach the Incarnation the Nativity the Life and Death the Resurrection the Ascension of our Saviour the reason of this prodigious coming of the Holy Ghost as sent by Christ the mystery of the Blessed Trinity and all things else that were the main heads of Christian doctrine and otherwise appertaining to the splendour of the Church of Christ and to the abrogation of the Synagogue or Jewish Church The Application 1. THe Illustration upon the Prayer and the Explication of the Text render this Epistle so cleer that little more needs to be said then to mind the Christian Reader that as by our Saviours first coming to us God was really made Man so the coming of the Holy Ghost is with a desire to make man become in a manner God but with this difference amongst others that God so assumed humane Nature as he did no way desert nor lessen his own which was Divineâ— whereas Man to be Deified must relinquish and devest himself of his humanity at least of his humane addictions and affections and must call upon the Holy Ghost to create in him a new breast a new heart if not a new soul too 2. And really it seems to have been the chief aym of Jesus Christ to work upon the soules of men but in part onely that is to elevate their Reasons and to illuminate their Understandings by the gift and light of Faith leaving it to the Holy Ghost to perfect the same soules Wills by Charingâ— by adding the heat the Fire of Love to the Light of Faâ—◠〈◊〉 hence it is our Saviour said he came to send Fire into the world and what vvould he else thereby but that this fire should burn burn up he meant the old man with all his stubble of sin and consume even his affections unto vice by setting his heart wholly upon virtue upon goodnesse upon heaven upon glory upon blisful eternity upon Almighty God as amiable objects indeed whereas all things else are but like Foyles to the beauty and lovelinesse of these such as never satiate a soul which the Royal Prophet doth confesse saying I shall then and surely not till then be satiated when thy Glory shall appear 3. Hence it is we see the Apostles turn immediately from Leverets to Lyons from persons afraid of the Jews to look Princes in the Face maugre all their persecution from ignorant and illiterate
Fishermen knowing and learned Doctours Teachers in fine to all the World convincers and confounders of all humane Learning that stood in opposition to their doctrine Divine and all this in an instant without learning any other Lesson then to dilate to open the affections of their Hearts unto the Holy Ghost where by the Illustration of his holy Grace he reads unto them in a moment all Divinity by onely teaching them the Art of Divine Love by onely giving them indeed the grace to love God only and what is lovely in the eyes of his heavenly Majesty Stay beloved if this be all why may not we hope once a year at least to learn as good a lesson 'T is but renewing every year as on this blessed Day the solemn vowes we made in Holy Baptisme 't is but reiterating now those good purposes we make some times of the amendment of our lives 't is but dilating and opening our hearts to this holy Spirit and begging of him that he will there work in us what we cannot work our selves the new creation of a new Will in us by our renunciation of the old and this by the Illustration of his holy Grace which alone is able to light and lead us up to heaven which alone is able to teach us all Truth and afford us all the comfort that our Hearts can wish The Holy Church would otherwise surely pray to day for some thing else which yet she doth not in the Prayer above The Gospel JOHN 14. v. 23 c. 23 Jesus answered and said unto them If any love me he will keep my word and my Father will love him and we will come to him and will make abode with him 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my words And the word which you heard is not mine but his that sent me the Fathers 25 These things have I spoken to you abiding with you 26 But the Paraclete the holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name he shall teach you all things and suggest unto you all things whatsoever I shall say unto you 27 Peace I leave to you my peace I give to you not as the world giveth do I give to you Let not your heart be troubled nor fear 28 You have heard that I said to you I go and I come to you If you loved me you would be glad verily that I go to the Father because the Father is greater then I. 29 And now I have told you before it come to passe that when it shall come to passe you may believe 30 Now I will not speak many things to you For the Prince of this world cometh and in me he hath not any thing 31 But that the world may know that I love the Father and as the Father hath given me commandement so do I. Arise let us go hence The Explication 23. THis answer of our Saviour was to the interrogatory of the Apostle Judas Thaddaeus the brother to St. James the lesser demanding ver 22. why Christ was pleased to manifest himself to the Apostles onely and not to the whole world because he said to them The world doth not see me but ye see me which though spoken in the present tense was meant in the future alluding to what the Apostles did after see in him namely his Passion Death Resurrection and Ascension And the reason why he did manifest himself to them and not to the world was as St. Austin observes because they did love him but the world did not so and this I premise to shew that what followes here alludes to this as to the effects which the love of God procures in those that do truly love him as this Gospel begins to day with an effect of love keeping Gods commandements which taken as here it lyes in this Gospel is rather an absolute assertion then a relative answer to a question and yet in truth it was the answer that Christ gave to the question of St. Jude as above in the immediate verse before whereunto Jesus answers saying If any love me he will keep my word as who should say as I loving my Father keep his command of coming into this world to manifest his glory to you that love him and by you to all the world though not immediately to them all as I mean to do to you So do not think that after my Resurrection when the Holy Ghost shall come down and inflame the hearts of many Infidels and Gentiles with the love of God that then I shall onely manifest my self to you alone that are my Apostles and now are onely those that love me no no then I shall be so manifested to others that they will love me as you do and this shall be the testimony that I give you thereof that their love shall be such as by vertue thereof they will keep my Commands my words will be to them dear as now they are to you and as you receiving the holy Ghost receive with him both my Self and my Father for we three are all one inseparable Substance or Essence however distinct and several Persons just so shall the whole Blessed and undivided Trinity Father Son and Holy Ghost enter into the hearts of all that love me and keep my Commandments or my word and consequently to them as well as to you shall I be then manifested And in this sense you see this verse is an exact answer to the question of S. Jude which otherwise seems a meer disparate or an incongruous reply to that interrogatory And from hence we may perceive how hard it is to understand the true sense of almost any part of holy Writ unlesse we see clearly the connexion it hath to precedent or consequent parts thereof so what S. Jude meant of his personal or visible manifestation to these few onely that were eye-witnesses of his Actions he means of his spiritual or invisible beeing made known to all the world by his Faith and doctrine received and embraced amongst them through the preaching of the Apostles and their Successours But we must note that coming or going of God who is at all times in all places by reason of his immensity is not to be understood as if he did come or go from one place to another but he therefore is said to come or go because he operates or operates not at all times or in all places alike for his operation is his coming and so every new inspiration of grace we have is as if God made a new visite unto us within the temple of our soules where he delights to be and though he be never separated from us locally since he fills all place yet he is said to come a new into our hearts every time we produce or exercise a new act of love unto him and if we continue one Act all our lives then he doth all that time operate within us and so consequently is said not only to come unto us but even to live with us to