it Ours we shew how God gives it namely in the use of means For bread is ours not only in the right of the promise but by service and quiet working in an orderly calling II. Hebr. 6. 19. We have hope as an anchor of the soul We have no reason to hope for any thing which is not promised nor upon other conditions then as promised Wherefore hope is compared to an anchor sure and stedfast because it must have something of firmness and stability to fasten upon before it can secure the soul in any tempest To hope without a promise or otherwise then it stands is but to let an anchor hang in the water or catch in a wave and thereby to exspect safety to the Vessel III. 1 Joh. 4. 20. He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen c. How can he abide the Sun of righteousness and the splendor of his holiness who cannot endure or delight in a ray of holiness in his Brother being of the same nature and passions with him B. I. 2 PEt. 1. 4. Partaker of the divine nature It notes two things 1. a participation of the divine Holiness which is communicated to us by our union with Christ 2. A participation of the divine Blessedness which is here begun and shall be compleat in the beatifical vision of God II. Ps 110. 3. The dew of thy birth is of the â—omb of the morning The prophet in passion of joy misplaceth his words The right order is Thy birth from the Womb is as the morning dew which watereth and refresheth the whole earth not Gideons flâ—ece alone not the Jewes only III. Col. 2. 3. In him are bid the treasures of Wisdome Not that they may not be found but that they may be sought Christ hath wisdom as a Kings Treasurer hath riches as a Dispenser of it to the friends and servants of his Father C. I. JOh. 1 16. Of his fulness have we all received and Grace for Grace Christ was full not as a Vessel but as a fountain and as a Sun to communicate unto us And as a child in generation receiveth from his Parents member for member so in regeneration Christ is fully formed in you and you receive in some measure and proportion Grace for Grace there is no Grace in Christ appertaining to general Sanctification which is not in some degree fashioned in you II. Joh. 3. 17. I came not to condemn the World This was no motive or impulsive cause of my Coming though it were an accidental event consequent and emergency thereupon So is Christ a rock of offence Rom. 9 33. Set for the fall of many Luk. 2. 14. III. Eph. 4. 4. One body and one Spirit The Spirit of Holines was Chists jure proprio and he was Full of Grace his members have the Spirit derived to them from their head the same Spirit in truth but not in the same measure of Grace The Thirteenth Meeting A. I. 1. COr 2. 14. The natural man percieveth not the things of the Spirit c. The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth properly signifie animalis The animal man is such a one as gives himself up to the goverment of his inferior faculties a carnal sensual man so that he is so far from being a man of reason that he is most irrational Such a man recieveth not the things of God he being drowned in sensuality cannot relish such things i. e. while he remains so They are spiriâ—ually discerned i. e. by Virtue of a higher principle then that which is predominant in thiâ— man Men cannot receive the things of Gods Spirit till by the assistance thereof their reason hath regained its authority and be able to keep under their bruitish affections II. Deut. 13. 1. c. If there arise among you a Prophet c. From this passage these two things are plainly to be gathered 1. That we are to consider the doctrine it self before we believe it to be of God as well as the means of its confirmation 2. That God for certain reasons may suffer wonders to be wrought i. e. such things as no man can give account how they should be effected by natural means for the confirmation of a false doctrine III. Rom. 4. 9. Jam. â— 23. As S. Paul proved what he designed by shewing that Abraham was justified by Faitb without the works of the Law so S. James proveth his design by shewing that the Faith Abraham was justified by was such as discover'd it self by Obedience to Gods commands and instanceth in the highest act of obedience too viz. his offering Isaac upon the Altar B. I. PHil. 3. 9. Not having my own righteousness c. He means that which consisted in the observance of the Jewish Law which he calleth his own as being that which before his conversion he gloried in or which he obtain'd by his own natural power consisting in meerly external performances To which he opposeth the Righteousness which is of God by Faith i. e. the righteousness of the new creature wrought in him by Gods Holy Spirit and is an effect or fruit of believing Christ's Gospel II. Phil. 3. 10. That I may know him c. i. e. experimentally in raising me up to newness of life and in killing and mortifying all my corrupt affections III. Rom. 4. 5. God justifieth the ungodly i. e. those that were once so before not at the same time when they are justified For to say that God can pronounce a person just and righteous that is unjust and unrighteous is a contradiction to his own righteousness and makes him to pronounce a false sentence and to do that which himself hath declared an abomination Prov. 17. 5. C. I. ROm. 3. 28. A man is justified by Faith We shall find that justification or remission of sins is sometimes ascribed to other Vertues as well as to faith but then they are understood either in so general a sense as to include Faith or as supposing it As Act. 3. 19. to conversion and repentance to forgivness of Trespasses Matth. 6. 14. to shewing mercy Matth. 5. 7. to works or sincere Obedience Jam. 2. 24. But whereas Justification is mostly attributed to Faith the reason is because all other Graces are Virtually contained in it and that is the principle from whence they are derived II. Rom. 4. 22. It was imputed to him for Righteousness His Faith which we know was not idle but very operative was of the same account with God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it was reckoned as in two Verses of this Chapter it is translated or it was valued by God at as high a rate as if it were compleat righteousness Christ's imputed rightâ—oâ—sness or the imputation of Christs righteousness is not to be found in all the Bible It may be allowed in this notion That those which are sincerely righteous and from an inward living principle allow themselves in no known sin nor in the neglect of any known duty which is to be truely
Evangelicall righteous shall be dealt with and rewarded in and through Christ as if they were perfectly so III. Phil. 2. 13. Work c. For it is God which worketh in you c. The Apostle here reconciles the doctrine of Gods Grace with and shewes the indispensableness of mens endeavours making Gods readiness to work in us to will by his preventing grace and to do by his assisting a motive to us to work out our own salvation The Fourteenth Meeting A. I. HEb 8. 10. I will put my Law into their hearts c. It cannot be I will do all for them they need do nothing at all This would make all the precepts of the Gospel insignificant Neither can this be the sense I will sanctifie their natures and so cause them to keep my Laws without their concurrence in that act But I will afford them my grace and spirit whereby they co-operating therewith and not being wilfully wanting to themselves shall be enabled so to do Or I will do all that reasonable Creatures can reasonably expect from me toward the writing of my Laws in their hearts II. Heb. 8. 11. And they shall not teach every man his neighbour c. i. e. There shall be no need of such pains in teaching men how they must obey the Lord and what they are to do as under the Law of Moses which consisted in Observations that were only good because commanded but the Precepts now given shall be found written in every mans heart so that none need be ignorant of what is enjoyned for the substance of it that will consult the dictates of their own nature III. Gal. 3. The law was added because of transgression c. The Jewish and Mosaical law in a strict sense was not given as any new condition whereby they were to attain to the promises but they should till they were fulfilled be restrained and kept under discipline backt on by temporal rewards and punishments B. I. ROm. 5. 1. Being justified by Faith Faith put for the doctrine of Faith Justifie as an instrument as the Law condemneth as it contains the Covenant of Grace and holdeth forth pardon to sinners Faith as it signifies the Vertue or duty of Faith justifies as it is the condition of the new Covenant wherein forgiveness of sin is offer'd God the Father is the principle efficient cause Jesus Christ the onely meritorious cause of justification II. Jam. 4. 8. Clense your hands ye sinners The Scripture seems one while to give all to God in the work of regeneration and conversion and another while to make it wholly mens wâ—â— act To reconcile the places Clense you I will Clense we must go in a middle way I mean that where God speaks as if he did all in this great work we are to judge that he supposeth mens endeavours and where he speaks as if men were to do all that he supposeth the concurrence and assistance of his own grace III. Jam. 1. 26. He that seemeth to be Religious and bridleth not his tongue that mans Religion is vain May we not justly fear upon the account of the reviling and censuring even their superiors too not a few of the Godly party so called are guilty of that they are no better than meere pretenders to Religion as great a profession as they make of it C. I. JAm 2. 24. A man is justified by works and not by Faith only As works signifie sincere Obedience to Christs Gospel we cannot account it any seandal to have it said of us that we hold Justification by works Why should any man be more shy of acknowledging this than St. James Nor need we so mince it as to say that Faith justifieth our person and works our Faith for understanding Works for a Working Faith our persons is ever they be must be justified by them We must not give the Papists occasion to think we have a slight opinion of good Works II. Ezeck 18. As I live saith the Lord. Altho God professeth kindness to all men and saith nay sweareth too that he willeth not the death of sinners but had rather they would turn from their wickedness and live yet according to the doctrines of some men this is but a declaration of his Voluntas signi The like to which should one assert concerning any honest man he would think himself not a little reproached III. Joh. 3. 17. God sent not his Son into the World to condemn the World If the doctrine of absolute Reprobation be true our Saviours coming was to aggravate the Condemnation of the generality of men which would be far more properly called the World then a very few for not believing in him who never dy'd for them so much as to put them into a possibility of being saved The fifteenth Meeting A. I. HE gave himself for a ransome for mâ—ny for the Vulgus or multitude of the people So the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is rendred many doth among the Greeks most commonly signifie And St. Paul saith He gave himself a ransome for all 1 Tim. 2. and did taste death for every man Heb. 2. 9. and that he is the Saviour of all men though especially of those that believe And he sadly bewailed mens not coming that they might have life and wept over Jerusalem for her obstinate persisting in unbelief and most pathetically with tears wished that she had known in that her day the things that beâ—onged to her peace II. 2 Tim. 3. 2. Men shall be lovers of themselves proud covetous c. In this and other places where mens sins are foretold instead of â—hall we may put will The shalls make those Places look as if they contain'd declarations of desires whereas wills would make them â—t first sight to appear that they contain onely â—redictions and expressions of Gods fâ—re-knowledge that men would commit such and such sins not of his Will and purpose that they should III. Rom. 9. 13. Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated This is a quotation out of Malachy 1. 3. Where Esau's person was not spoken of but by Esau his posterity the Edomits are understood He meant no more thaâ— that he less loved them than the Israelites or was not so kind to them as he was to these Or we may conceive that by hating is to be understood very severely punishing which was after their wicked and most unnatural behaviour toward their brethren anâ— upon that account See Obad. 10. Notâ— what was said to Rebecca that two Nationâ— were in her Womb. And Esau in his owâ— person did never serve Jacob. B. I. ROm. 9. 15. I will have mercy on whoâ— I will have mercy i. e. I will bestoâ— my kindness where I please without givinâ— account to any one And therefore God maâ— justly accept Gentiles to his special favour â— idolatrous and wicked as generally they aâ— for he is not obliged to damn all that deferâ— it and cast off his antient people the Jewâ— at his pleasure
This war is the perswasion of sin or carnal objects on the one side and the law of God on the other commanding the contrary In this Combat the person which hath not the grace of Christ to sustain him will by his carnal appetite be led to do those things which the Law tells him he should not do which if he do and continue in them this condition you will have no colour of reason to mistake for a regenerate estate The serving of sin or Captivity to the law of sin is all one with the reigning of sin a sure token of the unregenerate III. Prov. 28. 13. Who so confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall have mercy forsaketh i. e. in hearty sincere resolution abandons the sins of the old man shall have mercy and none but he God will not pardon till we in heart reform and amend They that say our sins are pardoned before we convert to God and resolve new life are in a dangerous error which is in effect to exclude Justification by faith that first grace of receiving Christ and resigning our hearts up to him and must be in order of nature precedent to our Justification or pardon of sin or else can be neither instrument nor condition of it B. I. ROm. 12. 20. Thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head That 's the way that Metallists use to melt those things that will not be wrought on by putting fire under them So if you heap kindnesses upon the head of your enemy the injurious person you may hope to melt him and make a friend of him which is the noble victory of a Christian to overcome evil with good II. Math. 5. 5. The meek shall inherit the Earth Literally the promise is all one with that annexed to the fifth Commandement A prosperous long life is ordinarily the meek mans portion which he that shall compare and observe the ordinary dispensations of Gods providence shall find to be most remarkably true especially if compared with the contrary fate of turbulent seditious persons This temporal reward can no way deprive him of the eternal The earth here is a real inheritance below and a pawn of another above III. Matth 5. 39. Resist not evil or the injurious evil man We Christians must beare small supportable injuries without hurting again or so much as prosecuting and impleading the injurious person In weightier and more considerable matters tho we may use means to defend ourselves and to get legal reparations for our losses yet even it those the giving way to revengeful desires is utterly unlawful C. I. MAtth. 5. 48. Be ye therefore perfect Instead of which St. Luke hath Be ye merciful Whence you may note this Mercy or Almes or Benignity to enemies to be the highest degree of Christian perfection II. 1 Cor. 16. 2. Let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him This place seems to require all to be set apart that comes in by way of gain for t is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whatsoever It was it seems a peculiar case at that time for relieving the poor Christians at Jerusalem However hence may every rich man or thriving man every one that hath either constant revenue or gainful Trade learn to lay by him such or such a proportion for charitable purposes that it may be ready for such occasions as God shall offer to them III. Matth. 5. 16. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works There is a great difference between doing our good works so that men may see them and doing them to be seen of men and again between doing them that men may glorifie our Heavenly Father and that we may have glory of men The former is only a charitable care that your good actions may be exemplary to others the latter is a desire that they may be matter of Reputation to our selves Which reputation if we aim at that shall be our only reward instead of that which otherwise God would give Such is the folly and unhappiness of this sin of vain-glory The Fourth Meeting A. I. MAtth. 6. 17. When thou fastest anoynt thy head and wash thy face As for thy outward guise appear in thy ordinary countenance and habit the Jews were wont to anoynt themselves daily unless in time of mourning that thou appear not to men to fast that no man out of thy Family be witness of thy private Fasts but to thy Father which is in heaven that thou maist appear desirous to approve thy self to him only who only is able to reward thee II. Luke 6. 30. From him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that receiveth by way of loan any of thy Goods 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 require no usury according to the notion of that word in the Text. Which being joyned with give to every man that asketh of thee denoteth a work of mercy as indeed lending is a prime way of mercy The good man is merciful and lendeth Now ordinary prudence will interpret the words so that if a Covetous rich man ask of you you are not bound to give to him but only to him whose wants sets him on asking and so the prohibition to exact or require use of him that borrows belongs not to the poor or mean Creditor when a rich man borrows of him but only when the rich lends to the poor man to whom a free loan is a seasonable mercy III. Act. 2. 46. Breaking Bread from house to house margin at home 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in some house or Room as the upper room Act. 1. 13. assigned and separated from all other to that peculiar use to be the place of Christian Assembly it being by the Jews permitted them to pray in the temple but not to break bread or administer the Sacrament v. 47. having favour with all the people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 having or exercising charity whereby is intimated that offertory which was then and ever since used constantly in the Church of Christ at the receiving of that Sacrament and by the phrase all the people is signified the liberality of those offerings and the impartiality of distribution B. I. 1 COr 6. 10. Drunkards shall not inherit the Kingdom of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vinosi vinolenti from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strong or sweet wine The word is not to be restrained to those who drink to bestiality to the depriveing of themselves of the use of their reason but belongs to all that drink wine or strong drink intemperately tho through their strength of brain they be not at present distempered by it II. Act. 2. 31. His soul was not left in hell The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we render hell may signifie the common state of the dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the living Soul or that faculty by which we live and the not leaving this in that is
omnibus moriatur qui pro omnibus mortuus est Amb. Infidelity and impenitence are the worst restrictives that contract and sink all into a few III. Heb. 1. 3. Christ is the brightness of his glory And if we do not still Love darkness and make it a pavilion round about us he will look upon us through this light and look lovingly upon us with favour and affection The Twentieth Meeting A. I. 1 COr 3. 21. All things are yours when you are Christs There is a civil dominion and right to these things and this we have jure Creationis by right of Creation For the earth is the Lords and he hath given it to the Sons of men And there is an evangelical dominion not the power of having them but the power of using of them to Gods Glory that they may be a gift and this we have jure adoptionis by right of adoption as the Sons of God begotten in Christ II. 2 Cor. 4. 4. St. Paul calls the Devil the God of this World and Worldings in effect make him so For as if he had been lifted up and nailed to the cross for them to him every knee doth bow nor will they receive the true Messias but in his shape they conceive him giving gifts not spiritual but temporal not the graces of the Spirit humility meekness and Contentedness but Silver and gold making not Saints but Kings upon the earth III. 1 Cor. 3. 21. With Christ we have all things which work to that end for which he was deliver'd We have his commands which are the pledges of his Love We have his promises of immortality and eternal life He hath given Faith to apprehend and receive the promises and hope to lift us up unto them He hath given us his Pastors to teach us He hath given us his Angels to minister unto us He hath given us his Spirit and filled us with his Grace if we will recieve it which will make his commands which are now grievious easie which may carry us on in a regular and peaceable course of piety and obedience all those things we have with Christ B. I. GAl. 6. I am crucified with Christ Let us recieve Christ in his shame in his Sorrow in his Agony take him hanging on the cross take him and take a pattern by him that as he was so we may be troubled for our sins that we may mingle our tears with his blood drag sin to the bar accuse and condemn it revile and spit in its face at the fairest presentment it can make and then nail it to the cross that it may languish and faint by degrees till it give up the Ghost and dye in us II. Heb. 7. 26. Such a High Priest became us who is not onely merciful but just not onely meek but powerful not onely fair but terrible not onely clothed with the darkness of humility but with the shining robes of majesty who can dye and can live again Revel 1. 18 and live for evermore who suffered himself to be judged and condemned and shall judge and condemn the world it self III. Luk. 24. 26. Tota Ecclesia cum Christo computatur ut una persona Christ and his Church are in computation but one person He ought to suffer and they ought to suffer they suffer in him and he in them to the end of the World Nor is any other method answerable either to his infinite Wisdome and Justice which hath set it down in indelible Characters or to our mortal and frail condition which must be bruised before it can be healed and be levelled with the ground before it can be raised up That which is convenient for Christ is profitable for us That which becometh him we must wear as an ornament of grace unto our head There is an oportet set upon both He ought and we ought first to suffer and then to enter into glory to dye first that we may rise again C. I. HEb 4. 15. and â— 17. There is life in Christ's death and comfort in his sufferings For we have not such an High Priest who will not help us but which is one and a chief end of his suffering and death Who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities and is merciful and faithful hath not onely power for that he may have and not shew it but will and propension also desire and diligent care to hold up them who are ready to fall to bring them back who were even brought to the gates of death He hath Learnt compassion by his sufferings and death For the way to be sensible of anothers misery is first to feel it ourselves II. Joh 20. 29. Blessed are they who have not seen and yet have believed Why should the Resurrection of Chist be made manifest to the eye this is not to seek to confirm and establish but to destroy our Faith For if these truths were as evident as it is that the Sun doth shine when it is day the apprehension of them were not an act of our faith but of our knowledge Therefore Christ shew'd not himself openly to all the people at his resurrection ut fides non mediocri proemio destinata non nisi difficultate constaret Tertul. That Faith by which we are destin'd to a Crown might not consist without some difficulty but commend it self by our Obedience the perfection and beauty whereof is best seen in making its way through difficulties III. Joh. 7. 48. Did any of the Pharisees believe in him And the reason of this is plain For tho Faith be an act of the understanding yet it dependeth upon the Will and men are incredulous not for want of those means which may raise a Faith but for want of Will to follow that light which leadeth to it they do not believe because they will not and so bear themselves strongly upon opinion preconceived beyond the strength of all evidence whatsoever When affections and lusts are high and stand out against it the evidence is put by and forgot and the Object which calls for our eye and Faith begins to disappear and vanish and at last is nothing The one and twentieth Meeting A. I. COl 3. 3. Our life saith the Apostle as hid with Christ in God And whilst we leave it there by a continual meditation of his meritorious suffering by a serious and practical application of his glorious Resurrection we hide it in the bosom of Majesty and no dart of Satan can reach it II. 1 Tim. 3. 5. and 5. 17. The pastors are set a part in Christs stead to minister to his Church yea to rule and govern his Chuch And they carry about with them his commission a power delegated from him to sever the Goats from the Sheep even in this life that they may become Sheep to segregate them to abstain or withhold them to exanctorate them to throw them out to strike then with the pastoral rod to anathematize hem c. This was the language of the first
the Exercise of his Power but Redemption the expence of his blood II. Tit. 2. 12. Teaching us that denying ungodliness c. Christ's great design was to reform the debaucht manners of the World to reduce mankind to the Obedience of God to Teach men how to live as well as â—alk and to restore the practice of Piety and Justice of Meekness and Humility and an Universal Good Will and so to restore them to that Honour and Happiness and immortality they had lost III. Rom. 8. 9. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his i. e. Unless he have the same temper and disposition of mind which Christ had which is called having the Spirit of Christ by an ordinary figure of the cause for the effect for all those Virtues and Graces wherein our conformity to Christ consists are called the Fruits of the Spirit Eph. 5. 9. C. I. GAl. 4. 19. Christ is formed in us when we are throughly instructed in the doctrine and Religion of Christ and are thereby molded into his likeness and Image When we love God and men as our Saviour did when we are Meek and humble and patient and contented as he was II Joh. 3. 5. To he born again of Water is to be made the Disciples of Christ and Subjects of his Spiritual Kingdome by making a publick profession of our Faith in Christ and of Obedience to him in our Baptism and we are born of the Spirit too when our minds become subject to Christ and our Faith is sincere and hearty and governs all the Motions and Desires of our Soules and makes us really such as we pretend to be for all Christian Graces and Vertues are in Scripture attributed to the Spirit of God as the Author of them III. Luk. 10. 16. He that heareth you heareth me and He that despiseth c. When nothing is made the condition of our Communion which is expresly forbidden by the Laws of our supreme Lord we acknowledge his Authority in our subjection to our spiritual Guides and we disown his Authority in disowning and affronting theirs The four and Fortieth Meeting A. I. MAtth. 5. 44. I say unto you Love your enemies c. He that shall compare these precepts with the practices of most men will be ready to say with Linacer Aâ—t hoe non est Evangelium aut nos non sumus Evangelici Such is the palpable contradiction of the lives of the generality of Christian men now to the Rules of the Religion II. Heb. 10. 25. Forsake not the assembling c. The confluence to the publick worship was in his dayes so Great and consent of heart and voice so universal that S. Hieromâ— said The Hallelujahs of the Church was like the noise of many waters and the Amen like thunder III. Rom. 1. 8. The Roman Church whose Faith was Famous and spoken of through all the World is now as infamous for usurpation superstition and cruelty and so deformed with Pagan rites that Christianity is the least part of her B. I. GEn. 50. 20. God disposed it for Good It is the usual method of Almighty God to bring about his own designs by making the sinister intensions of men co-operate towards them He made use of the unnatural cruelty of Josephs brethren to the preservation of the whole family of Jacob sending Joseph as a harbinger and nurse to provide for them in a famine The obstinacy and incredulity of the Jewes proved to be the riches of the Gentiles The persecution of the Apostles at Jerusalem made way for the spreading of the Gospel into all other Countries Instances of this kind are innumerable II. Gal. 1. 8. If an Angel from heaven c. If we admit of new revelations we lose the old and our Religion together we accuse our Saviour and his Apostles as if they had not sufficiently revealed Gods mind to the World and we incur S. Paul's Anathema which he denounces against him whosoever he shall be If an Angel from heaven that shall preach any other doctrine than what had been recieved And S. Jude hath told us the Faith was once that is at once or once for all delivered to or by the Saints III. 1 Cor. â— 4. The Church of Corinth first needed the severe check of an Apostle for their wantonness and divisions that one was of Paul another of Cephas c. And who can give a more probable account of this their luxuriancy than from the riches ease plenty and liberty of that City C. I. 11. ROm. 12. 18. When he so passionately exhorts If it be possible and so far as in you lies have peâ—â—â— with all men surely he did not mean that we should onely accept of peace when t is offer'd us for nothing or be quiet till we can pick a quarrâ—l but that we should be at some cost to purchase it and part with something for it and deny our selves something which but upon that account we might â—â—lly have enjoyed II. 1. Cor. 1. 20. I became things to all men He was no longer a starcht inflexible Pharisee but a complaisant Christian as some perhaps would have call'd him a Latidudinarian He that will sacrifice nothing to publick tranquility must live in perpetual flames here whatsoever become of him hereafter III. Act 15. 29. When a Council of the Apostles at Jerusalem decreed that the Gentiles should abstain from things strangled and from blood they depriv'd them of a part of their Christian liberty meerly to conciliate the Jews to them and required that to be done for peace which no Law of God required at their hands The five and Fortieth Meeting A. I. MAtth. 17. 27. Our Saviour himself when he came into the world complied with the laws and customs which he found when a certain tribute was demanded of him he first proves that he was not obliged to pay it yet least he should offend them determins to pay it and works a miracle to inable Peter to do it II. Jer. 6. 16. Stand upon the way and enquire c. i. e. Inquire for a better way but stand upon the old wayes till you have discover'd it And its reasonable before we leave the present Church-way to produce a better model least instead of having a new Church we have no Church III. Rom. 16. 16. The holy kiss the feasts of love the order of Deaconesses are no where now observed several things instituted by the Apostles were intended and so construed to be obliging only so long as circumstances should stand as then they did and no longer T was no design of the Apostles to bind the Church for ever to a certain form of rituals B. I. EPhes 2. 14. The Jewsh Rituals were contriv'd on purpose to distinguish them from all other people in the world and therefore is call'd the middle wall of partition But the Christian Religion was to throw down all inclosures and make of all nations one people and therefore must be left with that