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A35949 A brief exposition of the evangel of Jesus Christ according to Matthew by David Dickson ... Dickson, David, 1583?-1663. 1651 (1651) Wing D1400; ESTC R13881 307,666 370

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of his Kingdom for there were in Christs dayes divers opinions of men about him even among them who were not his opposite enemies for Some said he was Iohn Baptist c. 3. Of such as have most means of the knowledg of Christ most is to be expected and if Christs Disciples have a right estimation of him the less matter what others have but chiefly it is necessary that such as are to preach Christ know him rightly Therefore saith Christ But whom say ye that I am Ver. 16. And Simon Peter answered and said Thou art Christ the Son of the living God From Peters answer Learn 1. That the Apostles knew Christ to be very God and very man in one person for Peter saith Thou art that Christ i. e. The promised Christ. 2. The vail of his humane nature and infirmities did not keep the eye of their faith from se●ing him to be one in substance with he living God for Thou art Christ the son of the living God say they Vers. 17. And Iesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Bar-jona for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thée but my Father which is in heaven 18. And I say unto thee that thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it Christ commendeth this confession of Peter as a saving truth revealed from Heaven whereupon in despite of Satan he would settle his church and rule the same by the Ministry of his servants and would ratifie in heaven their service done upon earth Doct. 1. It is very acceptable and pleasant unto Christ that his disciples do profit in knowledge and grace Therfore saith he Blessed art thou 2. None get saving knowledge of Christs person and offices but by special revelation from God for Flesh and blood hath not revealed it saith he 3. Such as know Christ rightly are truly blessed for this cause he saith Blessed art thou 4. Such as bear testimony unto Christ he will bear testimony for them and will give them a new name as here he pronounceth Peter A lively stone builded on a sure rock and that by way of confirmation of the name which he had given unto him at his first calling saying Thou art Peter or a stone 5. The truth that Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah very God and very man in one person the anointed Saviour of the world is The main ground-stone wherupon the faith of all believers is founded as upon a rock for Upon this rock I will build saith he 6. All the power and policy of the divel and his instruments shall not be able to overturn this truth nor the Lords building of his church upon it nor the work of Gods grace in any member of the church which is builded on this truth for so he promiseth in a speech borrowed from the manner of these times when the Judges sat at the Port and gave judgement And so what wisdome or power was in the towne was in the gates thereof The gates of hell shall not prevail against it saith he 7. The church properly belongeth to Christ as his own peculiar neither Pope nor King nor Parliament nor any one or moe in heaven or earth may subject the Church unto themselves as it is the church for Christ hath reserved the church for himself and hath appropriate this incorporation as such unto himself alone and called the church his own proper saying I wil build my Church 8. Howsoever there be many particular churches distinguished one from another yet must they all endeavour for an unity among themselves that they may be one church with and to Christ and among themselves keeping the unity of faith in Christ and unity of subjection to all his ordinances in the bond of peace among themselves for Christ hath called them one and appointed them to be one saying I will build my Church in the singular number 9. Whatsoever externall defence comfort cherishing and assistance unto the church be required of the Magistrate for the service of Christ yet all the means of edification of the church and all the administration of the means of the internall building of the church Christ reserveth unto himself to be done by his own means and his own chosen instruments for this worke he taketh unto himselfe saying I will build my Church Ver. 19. And I wil give unto thee the keyes of the kingdom of heaven and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven In this promise made to Peter in name of the Apostles and their Successours in the Pastorall charge in whose name he did speak learn 1. Christs church visible is his Kingdom even on this earth not an earthly Kingdom but a spiritual and heavenly Kingdom wherein he as King of heaven in heavenly things doth reign therfore he calleth the church visible The Kingdom of Heaven 2. This Kingdom or church hath keys to let in and keep in subjects to cast out and hold out rebels by doctrine and Discipline and is not left without Ordinances and Order for the preservation and inlargement of it self for I will give Keyes saith he 3. The Ministriall power of their keyes is promised to the Ministers of this Kingdom that is the Apostles and their Successours in the Pastorall charge in whose name Peter did speak unto Christ and in whose name he is spoken unto by Christ for he saith I will give to thee 4. Such as have the office of administration of the keyes have their authority in that office only from Christ in whose Name the keyes are to be used for He only is the Giver of the keyes for it is said I will give thee the keyes 5. What the Lords Ministers do by vertue of their office in admitting unto the fellowship of God and his Saints or excluding from the same binding unto judgment and loosing from judgment in Christs Name according to their commission it is ratified by God in Heaven as done by his warrant for it is promised Whatsoever ye shall binde on earth or loose shall be so in Heaven Ver. 20. Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Iesus the Christ. This mystery he commandeth them to keep to themselves till he should give further order Hence learn Christ hath his own fit times when he will reveal his own mysteries therefore be charged them that they should tel no man that he was Iesus the Christ for if they had known they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory He will not have his death hindred by the untimous proclamation of his Truth Vers. 21. From that time forth began Iesus to shew to his disciples how that he must go into Ierusalem and suffer many things of the elders and ●hief priests and Scribes and be killed and be raised again the third day The disciples being now
the Spirit of God for here our Lord taketh that for granted saying If I cast out divels by the spirit of God c. 2. Seeing Satans kingdom is cast down by the doctrine of the Gospel and soules are converted through the divine power of God It is certain that the promised Kingdom of Gods grace in Christ is already come For If I saith Christ cast out divels by the spirit of God then is the kingdom of God come unto you Ver. 29. Or else how can one enter into a strong m●ns house and spoil his goods except he first bind the strong man and then he will spoil his house A fourth reason If I by the supreme power of Gods spirit did not cast out Satan it were as impossible to thrust him out as to spoil a strongs mans house without overcoming him first Therefore you are wilfull blasphemers who ascribe this work to the Divel Hence learn 1. That Satan is powerfull to take and keep possession of men when God permitteth him so to do and may be compared to a strong man who brings his conquest within doors and maintains the house against all that might spoil him so doth the comparison import 2. Christ is powerful to overcome Satan and to spoil him of his possession and may be compared to a stronger Man 3. Satan will not shed with the possession of a sinner except by strong hand he be over-mastred for he must be bound before he be spoyled Ver. 30. He that is not with me is against me and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad A fifth reason Wheresoever I come to set up my Kingdom all these who do not help forward my work are really my enemies Therefore you who do oppose me are much more my enemies and so your speeches against me are to be esteemed malicious blasphemies Hence learn 1. Wheresoever Christ sendeth his Gospel all that hear it are either for him or against him none are neutrals for so he saith He that is not with me is against me 2. None are for Christ but such as do their best to gather in others unto him as corn to his barne according to their calling and whosoever do not promove Christs Kingdom are culpable of hindering of it for he saith Who so gathereth not with me scattereth abroad Ver. 31. Wherfore I say unto you All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men but the blasphemy against the holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men 32. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man it shall be forgiven him but whosoever speaketh against the holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world nor in the world to come Thus are these men convicted now the Lord sheweth how neere they were to perdition and this he doth by laying before them the desperate condition of such as sin against the holy Ghost for each other sort of sin is pardonable and in some person one or other is actually pardoned even sins committed against the Mediator are pardoned but the sin against the holy Ghost is never pardoned neither in this world by the ministeriall application of the Gospel nor in the world to come by the authoritative absolution of the Judg at the last day The Scripture in Marke 3.29 Luke 12.10 Heb. 6.4 5 6. and 10.26 giveth us to understand that not every sin against conscience or against the Gospel is this sin but that this sin is an open wilfull deliberate and malicious rejecting and opposing of Jesus Christ totally and of the way of Salvation by him and that after the holy Ghost hath by a supernaturall operation convicted the Person of the Salvation offered to the World through Christ And therefore it is called A blasphemie against the holy Ghost Because this sin divelishly opposeth the supernaturall work of the holy Ghost convincing the mind that Iesus is the Son of God the only Saviour of the World for otherwise in a common manner every sin against God is a sin against all the Persons Now this sin is called Unpardonable not because it cannot be forgiven but because it never is forgiven The man that falleth in this sin never repenteth nor getteth grace to desire to repent but doth as a Divel desperately go on to oppose Jesus Christ Therefore whatsoever sin it be fo● which the man is sorrowfull and penitent and doth flee unto Christ to be relieved of it it is not this sin which the Scripture doth call The Blasphemy against the holy Ghost how hainous soever it be Hence learn 1. That there is ●o sort of sin except this one which may not yea hath not been forgiven in one mans person or other for it is said All manner of sin shall be forgiven unto men 2. The sin against the holy Ghost as it is formerly described cannot fall out in the person of a penitent beleever in Jesus Christ to whom pardon is promised for This sin shal not be forgiven 3. The son of God is also the son of Man verily par●aker of our flesh and blood in whose person the nature of God and man is united for a ground of confidence unto sinfull men that they may come unto God through him for here he is called The Son of Man 4. It is possible that some of the Elect appointed for Life may fall in the sin of blasphemy against the Son of God out of ignorance or fear or some sort of deception and thereafter may repent and find mercy for it is said Whosoever shal speak a word against the Son of man it shall be forgiven him to wit Upon the conditions and in the manner set down in Scripture to wit if he repent and flee to Christ. 5. It is a dangerous matter to oppose Christ and his Gospel in any part of his Truth or Kingdome or to blaspheme and speak ill of the work of grace in his Children especiall out of hatred of the truth and good way of God for this draweth neer to the unpardonable sin against the holy Ghost Ver. 33. Either make the tree good and his fruit good or else make the tree corrupt and his fruit corrupt for the tree is known by his fruit There were two things which might weaken the power of his threatning 1. The conceit of the holinesse of these Pharisees 2. That their blasphemy was but a matter of words Therefore for the peoples edification Christ breaketh down these sconces shewing these men to be most wicked to ver 36. and Gods judgement to be strict even in the matter of words to verse 38. As for the first he proveth these men not to be holy but wicked by four reasons The first is because their Fruits were evill set down in the comparison of trees which being good do bring forth goods fruits and being evil do bring forth evill fruits Hence learn 1. As a tree is known to be good or evil by the fruits so is a man known by the course of his