expressâ— thy detestation against my suffâ—â—gs thou offerest to bring me into an horâ— and fear of Suffering and so in effect temptest me to sin But though Peter were an offence to Christ tempted him and said that which was to ensnare him yet Christ was not offended ensnared or overcome by the temptation II. Rom. 14. 3. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not Those who are in Judaical errors are appointed by S. Paul to be tenderly handled not to be Vilified or set at naught And yet Gal. 3. 1. they are by the Apostle reviled and chid out of their Judaical perswafions The reason of this difference is the different estates of the Romans from the Galatians These had been fully instructed by him in the nature of Christian liberty Those had not yet been sufficiently taught to put off the opinion of legal abstinences III. Rom. 4. 3. Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness Abraham was Justified by believing and depending on God for the performance of his promise and resigning himself up wholly to him to obey his precepts Or by that Faith which howsoever it was tryed whether by promises of incredible things or commands of very hard duties as killing his only Son did constantly approve it self to be a true Faith without unsinning Obedience or Obedience to the Mosaical law Abraham heing then uncircumcised v. 10. i. e. without Works B. I. GAl. 5. 2. If ye be circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing T is spoken of those who urge abolisht Ceremonies as still of force by divine precept upon this ground that Christ coming as the substance typified by those legal Institutions did consequently set a period to their obligingness Which if it should still be urged would be interpretative the denying of Christ and so most justly the forseiting of those Benefits which are to be expected from him II. 1 Tim. 4. 8. Bodily exercise profiteth little This place of bodily exercise doth belong to such kind of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 abstinence continence as are aforementioned Which though when they are taught as necessary to the defaming of marriage or meats as unlawful are then signes of departing from the Faith v. 1. yet considered in themselves as voluntary acts are here said to be profitable in an inferior degree being compared which piety a little profitable or for a little III. Col. 2. 23. In will worship and humiâ—y and neglecting of the body or not sparing That will worship is here taken in a good creditable sence appeareth by the joining of it with two not only lawful but laudable Christian Vertues humility which is Dei hominum reverentia Calv. and mortifying of the body which as an act of self denial cannot be unacceptable to Christ C. I. Col. 2. 23. not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh Not administring to the Body things to the filling or satiating of the flesh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 care in relieving of wants Matth. 15. 6. Or those abstinences from flesh are commendable for chastning the Body so that in the mean time it be not indulged otherwise as with wine and sweet-meats II. Luke 10. 27. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart i. e. sincerely and above all other things Yet one man may love God in a more intense degree then another doth and the same person may constantly love God above all and yet have higher expressions of that love at one time then another Whence it followes that Free-will offerings are reconcilable with that command III. Gen. 44. 5. And whereby indeed he divineth The cup with which he receiveth presages for 't was it seems but a drinking cup wherein he used to drink in those Sacrifices by which he prepared to receive presages from God The Seventh Meeting A. I. EXod 7 13. And he hardned Pharaohs heart 'T is not to be understood as we réad it God hardn'd Pharoah's heart The words do not bear it nor had any such thing yet been in timated in the story Here is an act of Stubbornness in Pharaoh an obstinate resistance or refusal against Gods calls and miracles There was indeed a prediction of it 2. 19. and that grounded onely on Gods prescience which hath no more influence on the effect nor causality of it then your seeing of any object II. Matth. 16. 19. I will give thee the keyes of the kingdom of Heaven Here as in many other places the kingdome of Heaven signifies the Chruch of Christ militant So 23. 13. the Pharises shutting up the Kingdome of Heaven is the keeping men from entring the Church from becoming Christians Peter and in him the rest of the Apostles and Successors Governors of the Church had the Keyes of the Church given them i. e. clearly a power of shutting out or receiving into to the Visible militant Church of removing the cotumacious by censure of Excommunication and re-admitting them being humble penitents by Absolution III. Matth. 12. 32. It shall not be forgiven him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 impersonally he shall not receive absolution neither in this World i. e. in the Church from the Ecclesiastick Censure nor in the World to come i. e. at the day Judgment B. I. 2. THes 3. 14. Have no company with him that he may be ashamed The end of Excommunication is that the offender may be brought to a sense and shame of his own vileness the most necessary preparative to reformation a great act of mercy and charity though under the shew of Severity It followes v. 15. Count him not as an enemy but admonish him as a brother This binding and loosing is used as a means of exemplifying that great Truth that Christ came to save and reduce that which was lost Matth. 18. 11. II. Matth. 20. 22. Ye know not what ye ask Jesus represseth the Mothers demand by â—elling her she is mistaken in the kind of dignity that should be instated upon his disciples not such a one as in any worldly respects would prove desirable but as a place of great burden so subject to great persecutions and even death it self III. Matth. 20. 26. but it shall not be so among you Heathen princes use their power in order to their own profit and pleasure and praise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 behaving themselves as Lords and Masters over so many Servants Your pre-eminence brings along with it no great secular felicity but an office of burden and pains and humility and doing of service The pre-eminence of Christ himself was such This excludes not disciples of Christ from power for he ownes the title of Lord and master Joh. 13. 13. but from Lording and governing by violence and in an imperious way seeking their own gain and honour C. I. ROm. 13. 2. They that resist shall receive to themselves damnation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Some render it Judgment as that signifies some temporary punishment which the higher powers may inflict and nothing else But v. 5.
141. Luxury 155. Lying 96. 146. M Magistrates 163. 148. Maintenance 114. Malice 116. Man 91. 94. 116. Manichees 116. Mahometans 138. Manna hidden 137. Marriage 142 Martyrs 124 Masteries 137 Means 91. 109 Meekness 12. 116 Mercy 12. 38 Meeting 135 Members 96. Metallists 11. Miracles 162. Moses 36. 40. 49. 115. 153. Mortality 92. Murmurers 37. Musick 104 Mysteries 62. 65. 66. N Name 1. 17. 58. 104. Natural man 45. Nazianzen 124. Newness 38. 47. O Obedience 23. 46. 92. 93. 97. 128. Object 108. Offertory 15. Offend offence 22. 156. 145. Offerings 90. Omnipotent 67. Omni-presence 134. 136. Order 89 Ordinances 18. P Pambo 144. Passion 69. Paul 114. 123. Parents 92. 100. Pastors 79. Partition wall 85. 117. Peace 32. 58. 117. 155. Peter 25. 160. Pentecost 81. Persecution 32. 96. Perfect 171. Pharaoh 26. 55. Pharisees 78. 158. Philosophy 49. Piety 126. Pillar 86. Pleasures 137. 140. Poor 35. 36. 121. Practice 167. 150. Presbytery 7. Provide 17. Providence 154. Prayer 21. Preaching 173. Prescience 26. 53. Prophecy 33. 45. Promises 101. Principles 41. 89. Praises 110. Prosperity 95. 112. Pride 94. 143. Power 62. Psalms 110. Pure 18. Purity 97. 140. Purposes 57. Q Quarrels 145. Questions 60. R Regenerate 7. 44. Reprobate 5. Reprobation 52. Receive 22. Resistance 29. Redemption 53. 7â— Resurrection 59. 77. 171. Repentance 85. 94. 95. 103. Religion 90. 93. 153. 144. Reward 101 102 103. 133. 179. Reason 108. 119. Reputation 103. Revelation 154. Rich 13. 67. 93. Riches 34. Righteous 34. 47. 49. Rituals 157. Rock 1. Romanism 160. 153. Righteousness 173. 173. S Salvation 3. 66. 68. 722. 44. Sanctity 10. Saviour 102. Sacrament 15. 101. Sacrifices 90. Salt 117. Saints 91. 161. Scripture 59. 108. 117. Scrupulous 158. Schisms 90. 163. Scandal 22. 35. 165. Self-denial 9. 96. 124. Sealed 39. Search 118. Seeing God 169. Severus 148. Sins 20. 30. 111. Sinners 118. Sinus Abrahami 181. Sincerity 25. Songs 180. Soul 16. 70. 114. Solomon 102. Sorrow 95. Spirit 8. 16. 44. 81. 115. 151. 152. Speculation 106. 126. Spiritual 96. Sufferings 31. 76. 176. Submission 34. Suspicion 159. T Temperance 125. Temple 30. Theology 108. Tongue 51. 96. 144. Tribute 156. Tribulation 5. 32. Trouble 112. Tree of knowledg 41. Tree of life 184. Treasures 43. 169. Trust 67. Truth 82. 84. 88. 116. 118. 128. V Vain glory 14. Vicars 83. Virgins 127. 139. 141. Victory 11. Voluntas signi 52. Ungodly 47. 112. Unity 80. 166. Unregenerate 70. Uriah 19. 111. Usury 15. W Warfare 197. War 95. Way 171. Wife 36. Will worship 24. Wicked 95. 112. Wit 96. Wisdom 121. Widow 124. Women 125. Words 130. 145. Works 46. 51. 131. World 16. 38. 39. 72. Wrath 29. 56. Y Yoke 23. 95. 167. Z Zelots 30 Zacharias 132. Greek Words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 27. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 35. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 63. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 93. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 105. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 35. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 149. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 33. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 28. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 30. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 29. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 102. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 94. 95. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 119. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 53. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 38. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 25. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 29. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 31. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 70. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 16. 119. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 45. 119. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 113. FINIS THREE MINISTERS Communicating their Collections and Notions touching Several Texts of Holy Scripture At their weekly Meetings The first Meeting A. I. Matth. 16. 18. That the gates of Hell shall not prevail against the Church proves not the pretence of Infallibility Instead of Hell the word may be rendred Grave So the meaning is Death which is the mouth and gate through which we pass into the grave shall never prevail against the Church i. e. The Church shall never die II. Matth. 16. 18. On this rock Suppose the rock on which the Church was to be built were S. Peter himself that is not peculiar unto him since we are all built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets and on the twelve foundatiâ—ns of the new Jerusalem are written the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. III. Mat. 16. 19. The keyes of the Kingdome of Heaven given to Peter saith no more but that he was to open the Gospel which is usually called the Kingdome of God or of Heaven in the new Testament Now the use of keyes being to open the door this was in peculiar S. Peters honour who did first publish the Gospel both to Jews and Gentiles and in particular did first receive the Gentiles into the new dispensation B. I. LUke 19. 26. Vnto every one that hath i. e. hath made use of the talent of Grace intrâ—â—â—ed to him as Heb. 12. 28. To have Grace signifies to make use of it to the end to which it is design'd shall be given and from him that hath not i. e. hath not made use of his talent even that he hath shall be taken from him II. Act. 2. 47. The Lord added daily to the Church such as should be saved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the saved The word signifies peculiarly those who received that exhortation v. 41. that is those that repented of their sins and therefore the Syriac renders it the Lord added daily those that became safe in the Church i. e. recovered themselves from that danger in which they were involved among that wicked Generation and betook themselvs to the Church as to a Sanctuary III. Hebr. 2. 16. He taketh not hold of Angels but of the seed of Abraham he taketh hold So the words are rightly rendred in the margin Where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to catch any one who is either running away or falling on the ground or into a pit to fetch back or recover again Thus Christ did for men in being born and suffering in our Flesh but for Angels he did it not C. I. MAtth. 1. 23. They shall call his name Emmanuel i. e. He shall be God with us or God incarnate in our flesh For in the Hebrew tongue word and thing calling and being name and person are all one No word i. e. no thing shall be impossible with God And My house shall be called i. e. shall be the house of prayer to all People Gentiles as well as Jewes And so many names i. e. so many men II. Mark 1. 24. Art thou come to destroy us And in another place Art thou come to torment us before our time Matth.
brought in by our Saviour shall seem to be of one piece the latter begining where the former ended III. Rom. 19. 2. Let every one of us please his neighbor i. e. in such things as are not not the matter of any law For as I must have respect to my brothers infirmity so must I much more reverence God's ordinance the lawful Magistrate C. I. GAl. 5. 13. By love serve one another And with great equity for he that will provoke his brother to sin by doing that which he himself can omit without sin is guilty of sin in so doing II. 1 Cor. 8. 13. If meat make my brother to offend c. The eating of flesh was under no command and consequently he should not offend if he forbare it therefore he resolves that he would abridge himself of his own liberty rather than offend another III. Eph. 3. 8. Haman designing to ruin the whole Church of the Jewes first delates their Religion as not fit for the protection of the Prince that it contained laws contrary to all people and that they would not obey the Kings Laws There is nothing casts so indelible a blemish upon Religion as when the professors of it are turbulent unperswadable ungovernable The eight and Fortieth Meeting A I. GAl. 3. 27. He that is baptized into Christ hath put on Christ i. e. hath engaged himself to be conformed to his Image and likeness to adorn his mind with all those virtues and graces which appeared in our Saviour's life II. John 6. 53. The Lords Supper is a spiritual seeding on Christ Eating his flesh and drinking his blood That is when those visibles figures of his death and sufferings affect our minds with such a strong and passionate sense of his love to us and excite in us such a hope in God as transforms us into a divine nature And this is our real union to Christ as it were flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones Eph. 5. 30. III. 1 John 1. 6. If we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lie i. e. We abuse ourselves if we hope that God will own himself our Father and bestow the inheritance of children on us while we live in sin but when we joyn the practice of real righteousness with the visible profession of Christianity then God will own us for his children and Christ for true members of his body B. I. 2 COr 6. 14. Be ye not unequally yoked with unbelievers i. e. have no society with those men whose religion is so contrary to yours that you will be as uneasy to each other as two heifers in the same yoke which draw different ways II. 1 Cor. 10. 16. Is it not the communion of the body of Christ He calls it the communion because it signifies the fellowship of Christians with each other and as it signifies also our fellowship with God for we eat of the Sacrifice which is God's meat being entertained at his Table III. 1 Joh. 1. 3. Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ When we joyn in communion with the Church of Christ and live in a regular subjection to our spiritual Governors and a mutual discharge of all Christian offices when we profess to believe the Gospel and to obey the laws of our common Saviour then we are visibly united to Christ as subjects to their Prince and members to their head And when this profession is sincere and hearty then our union to Christ is real and spiritual too And this union or fellowship with Christ entitles us to his peculiar care and providence C. I. JOh. 1. 16. Of his fulness we all received and Grace for Grace The fulness which was in Christ is a fulness of Grace and truth This Grace and truth is opposed to the Law of Moses and signifies the Gospel which is a Covenant of Grace and is expresly called the Grace of God Tit. 2. 11. and contains the most clear Revelations of the divine will in opposition to types and shadows This is the fulness we receive from Christ a perfect relation of the divine will concerning the salvation of mankind which containâ— so many excellent promises that it may well be called Grace and prescribes such a plain and simple religion so agreeable to the natural notions of good and evil that it may well be called Truth The repetition of the word Grace with a preposition signifies only that abundance of grace which is now manifested by the Gospel of Christ II. Joh. 1. 18. No man hath seen God c. i. e. No man ever before had so perfect a knowledg of the will of God which is here called seeing God because sight gives us the clearest evidence and the most perfect and particular knowledg but the Son of God who perfectly understood all his most secret counsels hath perfectly declared the will of his Father to us III Col. 2. 3. In Christ are hid all the Treasures rather in whom are all the hidden Treasures of Wisdom and knowledg i. e. who hath now revealed to us all those Treasures which in former ages were hidden from the world The nine and Fortieth Meeting A. I. COl 2. 9. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead of the Deity bodily An allusive and metaphorical expression For God who is a spirit cannot in a proper sense dwell Bodily in any thing Here is an allusion to Gods dwelling in the Temple at Jerusalem by Types and Figures which were the symbols of his presence Bodily is oppos'd to figurative and typical and this is a plain demonstration of the perfection of the Gospel-revelation that the fulness of the Deity dwelt substantially in Christ we need not doubt but that so excellent a prophet as he was in whom the Deity it self inhabited hath perfectly revealed God's will to us II. Eph 1. 23. Which is his Body the fulness of him that filleth all in all Where the Church is call'd the fulness of Christ which makes him as it were compleat and perfect for he cannot be a perfect head without a body Hence the Church is call'd Christ 1. Cor. 12. 12. And Beza tells us this is the reason of that phrase which so frequently occurs in the new Testament of being in Christ i. e. being members of the Christian Church III. Eph. 1. 23. The Christian Church is call'd the fulness of Christ with respect to its extent and Universality that it is not confined to any particular nation as the Jewish Church was but takes in Jews and Gentiles bond and free For this if we consult the Text seems to be the meaning of Col. 1. 19. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell He is made the Head of the Universal Church both in heaven and earth B. I. EPh. 1. 23. He filleth all in all i. e. doth not confine his care and providence and the influences of his grace to any one Nation or People but extends it