principall that the Messias his Redeemer should descend of his loines And this was the thing which his faith in the promise of God specially aimed at I answer againe that Abraham beleeued not onely the power of God Rom. 4. 21. but also his will which he had reuealed in the promise In thy seede all the nations of the earth shall be blessed Secondly it is alleadged that Christ in the curing of certaine blind men required no more but that they should beleeue his power Math. 9. 28. I answer that the ende of the miracles of Christ was to confirme the certentie of doctrine specially touching his natures and offices And therefore a generall faith touching the diuine power or Godhead of Christ was sufficient for the obtaining of a miraculous cure Thirdly they obiect that saluation is promised to generall faith Rom. 10. 9. If thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and beleeue that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saued That Peters faith was generall Math. 16. 10. Thou art Iesus Christ the sonne of the liuing God That the Eunuchs faith was of the same kind Act. 8. 37. I beleeue that Iesus Christ is the sonne of God Ans. It is a common rule in scripture that words signifying knowledge signifie also the motions and good affections of the heart Psal. 1. The Lord knowes the way of the righteous that is knowes and approoues it 2. Tim. 2. 19. The Lord knowes who are his that is he knoweth and chooseth them Ioh. 17. 2. This is eternall life to know thee the onely God that is to know and acknowledge thee for our God If this be true in wordes of knowledge then much more wordes of beleeuing signifie the good motions and the affiance of the heart Thus to beleeue Christ to be the sonne of God in the places before named is to beleeue that he is God and withall to fixe our affiance on him otherwise the deuills beleeue thus much When Thomas had put his finger in the side of Christ he saide My Lord and my God Ioh. 20. 28. And to this speech of his Christ faith Thou hast seene and beleeued This then is true faith not onely to beleeue that Christ is God but also that he is our God Iustifying faith in true manner is defined thus It is a gift whereby we apprehend Christ and his benefits Ioh. 1. 12. to beleeue in Christ and to receiue Christ are put both for one Ioh. 6. faith is the mouth of the soule whereby we eate the flesh of Christ and drinke his blood Ioh. 17. 8. To receiue the word of Christ to acknowledge it and to beleeue it are put all for one Paul saith that the Gentiles did apprehend the iustice which is by faith Rom. 9. 30. Againe that we receiue the promise of the spirit by faith Gel. 3. 14. This apprehension stands in two things The first is to know Christ as he propounds himselfe in the word and sacraments The second is To applie him and his benefits vnto our selues This application is made by a supernaturall act of the vnderstanding when we beleeue that Christ with his benefits is really ours It may be obiected that faith is a certen confidence whereby we beleeue in Christ and so it is described euen in this text Ans. I. Faith and confidence properly are distinct gifts of God and confidence is the effect or fruit of faith For Paul saith that we haue entrance to God with confidence by faith Eph. 3. 12. And reason declares as much for a man can not put his confidence in Christ till he be assured that Christ with his benefits are his We doe not rest on his goodnes of whose loue we doubt Secondly I answer that confidence beeing a most notable effect of faith is often in scripture put for faith and faith is described by it as it is in this place and yet for nature they are not one but must be distinguished Furthermore the grounds of apprehension must be considered For speciall faith must haue a speciall and infallible ground The grounds are three The first is this In the Gospel God hath propounded generall promises of remission of sinnes and life euerlasting by Christ and withall he hath giuen a commandement to apply the said promises to our selues 1. Ioh. 3. 23. This is the commandement of God that ye beleeue in the name of his sonne Iesus Christ and we cannot beleeue in Christ till we beleeue Christ to be our Christ. Now then a generall promise with a commandement to applie the same to our selues is in effect as much as a speciall promise The second ground is this Rom. 8. 16. The spirit of God testifieth together with our spirit that we are the sonnes of God In this testimonie foure things must be obserued The first that it is sufficient to certifie and assure vs of our saluation For if the testimonie of two or three witnesses establish a truth among men then much more the testimonie of God The second is that this testimonie may be certenly knowne els it is no testimonie vnto vs. The third is that this testimonie is found and perceiued in the vse of the word praier sacraments The last 〈◊〉 that it is especially giuen and felt in the time of great danger and affliction For when by reason of miserie and trouble we know not to pray as we ought then the spirit makes request for vs with groanes that cannot be vttered Rom. 8. 26. And in afflictions Paul saith the loue of God is shedde abroad in our hearts Now then if God giue to them that turne vnto him a testimonie that they are the children of God they for their parts are by speciall faith to beleeue it The third ground is this A speciall faith may be gathered partly vpon things generally reuealed in the word of God and partly vpon sense obseruation and experience the same things beeing reuealed generally in the word and particularly by experience Vpon this ground may we truly conclude the forgiuenes of our sinnes the saluation of our soules on this manner He which beleeueth hath the forgiuenes of his sinnes but I beleeue in Christ saith he which beleeueth therefore my sinnes are forgiuen me The maior or first part is expressed in the Word the minor or second part is found true by experience and by the testimonie of the conscience which is a certen Testimonie For Paul saith This is my reioycing the testimonie of my conscience 2. Cor. 1. 12. And the conclusion is the conclusion of speciall faith If this be not a good and sufficient ground there is almost no speciall faith in the world Lastly we are to consider the degrees of Apprehension and they are two there is a weake apprehension and there is a strong apprehension is there is a weake and a strong faith The weake faith and apprehension is when we endeauour to apprehend This endeauour is when we bewaile our vnbeleefe striue against our manifold doubtings
are now constant but if triall shall come our frailtie shall appeare That our frailtie and weaknes may not be hurtfull to vs we must remember two rules One is not to haue a conceit of any thing in vs but to hold our faith and religion in feare as in the presence of God Rom. 11. 20. the second to take heede that there be not in vs an euill corrupt and dissembling heart For if our heart be naught our faith cannot be good Heb. 4. 12. 6 As Abraham beleeued God and it was imputed to him for righteousnes 7 Knowye therefore that they which are of faith are the children of Abraham The words Euen as Abraham c. haue reference to that which went before on this manner Ye Galatians receiued the spirit by my doctrine and my doctrine was the preaching of iustification of faith without workes which doctrine is like and sutable to the example of Abraham who beleeued God and it was imputed for iustice Here Paul sets downe the second argument whereby he prooues the truth of his doctrine And it is framed thus As Abraham was iustified so are the children of Abraham Abraham was iustified by iustice imputed and apprehended by faith vers 6. Therefore the children of Abraham are thus iustified This conclusion is the principall question it is not here expressed but in the roome thereof a declaration is made who are the true children of God namely they that are of Abraham in respect of faith That which is saide here of Abraham is a maine ground concerning the iustification of a sinner in the bookes of the old and new Testament therefore I will more carefully search the true interpretation of it Some expound the words thus Abraham beleeued God and the world reputed him for a good and vertuous man But if this be the right sense then Paul is deceiued who brings this text to prooue the iustification of Abraham not onely before men but also before God Now vertue and goodnes which is in estimation among men is not sufficient to acquit and iustifie vs before God The second exposition is of the Papists who by faith here vnderstand a generall faith whereby the articles of faith are beleeued And by imputation they vnderstand reputation wher by a thing is esteemed as it is indeede And they teach that faith is reputed for righteousnes because say they faith formed with charitie is indeede the iustice whereby a sinner is iustified before God But this Exposition hath his defects and errours For first of all Charitie is not the forme or life of faith but the fruit and effect of it 1. Tim. 1. 5. The ende of teaching is loue out of a pure heart good conscience and faith vnfained It is obiected that as the bodie is dead without the soule so is faith without workes Iam. 2. 26. and therefore that workes are the life of faith Ans. S. Iames by faith vnderstands a pretended faith or the Profession of faith as appeares by the words v. 14. though a man say he hath faith and v. 18. shew me thy faith Now of this profession of faith workes are the life Secondly this exposition makes faith or the act of beleeuing to be our whole and intire iustice before God whereas indeede if it be iustice it is but one part thereof And in the act of beleeuing loue cannot be included Thirdly faith ioyned with charitie is not the iustice whereby a sinner is iustified For our faith and loue are both imperfect and faith is imputed for righteousnes without workes Rom. 4. 6. and therefore without charitie For this is charitie to keepe the commandements of God Ioh. 15. 10. Paul saith that the righteousnesse whereby we are iustified is by or through faith Phil. 3. 9. and therefore our iustice and our faith are two distinct things The third exposition is also from the Papists that faith is reputed for righteousnes because it is reputed to be a sufficient meanes to prepare men to their iustification but this cannot be the sense of this place For this was spoken of Abraham after he was iustified and therefore needed no preparation to iustification Let vs now come to the true sense of the wordes In them I consider two things Abrahams faith in these words Abraham beleeued God and the fruit of his faith in these words and it was imputed to him for righteousnes Touching his faith I consider three things The first is the occasion which was on this manner After the conquest of the heathen kings Abraham was still in some feare in this regard the Lord comforts him Gen. 15. 1. I am thy buckler and thy exceeding great reward But to this Abraham replies I want issue and the Lord answers I will make thy seede as the starres of heauen Gen. 15. 5. Now then looke as God renewes and inlarges his promise to Abraham so Abraham renewes his faith and hereupon Moses and Paul say Abraham beleeued God God doth not now inlarge his promises to vs as to Abraham neuerthelesse the promises recorded in the bible are renewed to vs partly by preaching and partly by the vse of the sacraments and we accordingly are to renew our faith specially in the time of feare and danger The second thing is the obiect or matter of his faith and that is the multiplication of his posteritie It may be said how could Abraham be iustified by such a faith Ans. The promise of the multiplication of his seede was a dependant of a more principall promise I am thy God all-sufficient Gen. 17. 1. and I am thy exceeding great reward Gen. 15. 11. In this carnall seede Abraham specially respected by the eye of faith the blessed seede of the woman He therefore beleeued the promise of a seede as it was a pledge vnto him of a thing more principall namely the fauour of God and as it was a meanes to effect the incarnation of the sonne of God In his example we are taught how we are to respect and vse earthly things we are to respect them as pledges of Gods fauour and to vse them as meanes to further vs to Christ and to the attainment of our saluation The third point is the propertie of Abrahams faith which was a faith against hope For he beleeued the promise of a seede when his bodie was halfe dead and Sarai was barren In like sort we keeping true religion and good conscience must in all our temptations crosses miseries infirmities against reason sense and feeling beleeue the promise of remission of sinnes and life euerlasting In the effect and fruit of Abrahams faith three things must be considered The first is what is meant by Imputation To impute properly is a speach borrowed from marchants and it signifies to recken or to keepe a reckening of expenses and receipts Thus Paul saith Philem. 18. If he haue done thee any wrong impute it to me that is set it on my reckening And this word is here applied to the Iudgement of God Because he
if he fall into any offence of frailtie yet doth he not make a practise of sinne as the wicked and vngodly doe It may be saide the Galatians and all the Galatians are the children of God but what is that to vs Ans. They among vs that professe true saith in Christ with care to keepe good conscience are likewise to hold themselues to be children of God He beleeues not the Gospel that doth not beleeue his owne adoption For in the Gospel there is a promise of all the blessings of God to them that beleeue and there is also a commandement to applie the said promise to our selues and consequently to applie the gift of adoption to our selues When we are bidden to say Our father we are bidden to beleeue our selues to be children of God and so to come vnto him Therefore with Paul I say that all we that truly beleeue in Christ and haue care to lead a good life all I say are indeede the children of God The vse Comforts arising by this benefit are many First if thou be Gods child surely he will prouide all things necessarie for thy soule and bodie Math. 6. 26. Our care must be to doe the office and dutie that belongs vnto vs when this is done our care is ended As for the good successe of our labours we must cast our care on God who will prouide that no good thing be wanting vnto vs. Psal. 34. 10. They that drowne themselues in worldly cares liue like fatherlesse children Secondly in that we are children we haue libertie to come into the presence of God and to pray vnto him Eph. 3. 12. Thirdly nothing shall hurt them that are the children of God The plague shall not come neere their tabernacle they shall walke vpon the lyon and the aspe and tread them vnder foote Psal. 91. 13. All things shall turne to their good Rom. 8. 28. And the rather because the Angels of God pitch their tents about them Lastly God will beare with the infirmities and frailties of them that are his children if there be in them a care to please him with a Purpose of not sinning Malach. 3. 7. If a child be sicke the father or mother doe not cast it out of dores much lesse will God The duties First if ye be Gods children then walke worthie your profession and calling Be not vassalls of sinne and Satan carrie your selues as kings sonnes bearing sway ouer the lusts of your owne hearts the temptations of the deuill and the leud customes and fashions of this world When Dauid kept his fathers sheepe he behaued himselfe like a shepheard but when he was called from the sheepefold and chosen to be king he carried himselfe accordingly So must we doe that of children of the deuill are made the children of God And if we liue according to the lusts of our flesh as the men of this world doe whatsoeuer we professe we are in truth the children of the deuill Ioh. 8. 44. 1. Ioh. 3. Secondly we must vse euery day to bring our selues into the presence of God and we must doe all things as in his sight and presence presenting our selues vnto him as instruments of his glorie in doing of his will This is the honour that the child of God owes vnto him Mal. 1. 6. Thirdly our care must be according to the measure of grace to resemble Christ in all good vertues and holy conuersation For he is our eldest brother the first borne of many brethren and therefore we should be like vnto him 1. Ioh. 3. 2 3. Fourthly we must haue a desire and loue to the word of God that we may grow by it in knowledge grace and good life For this is the milke and foode whereby God feedes his childrē 1. Pet. 2. 2. Such persōs thē amōg vs that haue no loue or liking of the word but spend their daies in ignorāce securitie shew themselues to be no children of God The child in the armes of the mother or nurce that neuer desires the brest is certenly a dead child Lastly we must put this in our accounts that we must haue many afflictions if we be Gods children for he corrects all his children And when we are vnder the rodde of correction we must refigne our selues to the will and good pleasure of God This is childlike obedience and this must be done in silence and with all quietnes then God is best pleased The internall meanes of Adoption is Faith in Christ. And for the better conceiuing of it three questions are to be propounded The first what a kind of faith is this Ans. A particular or speciall faith and it hath three acts or effects The first is to beleeue Christ to be Jesus that is a Sauiour the second is to beleeue that Christ is my or thy Sauiour the third is to put the confidence of heart in him When Thomas felt the wounds of Christ he said My Lord and my God and thereupon Christ said Because thou hast seene thou beleeuest Ioh. 20. 29. Here marke that to beleeue Christ to be my Christ is faith Against this speciall faith the Papists obiect three arguments The first is this Euery speciall faith must haue a speciall word of God for his ground but there is no speciall word that thy sinnes or my sinnes are forgiuen by Christ therefore there is no speciall faith Ans. We haue that which in force and value is equiualent to a speciall word namely a generall promise with a commandement to applie the said promise to our selues Secondly I answer that the word and promise of God generally propounded in Scripture is made particular in the publike Ministerie in which when the word is preached to any people God reueales two things vnto them one that his will is to saue them by Christ the other that his will is that men should beleeue in Christ. And the word thus applied in the publike Ministerie in the name of God is as much as if an Angel should particularly speake vnto vs from heauen The second Argument Speciall faith say they is absurd because by it a sinner must beleeue the pardon of his sinnes before he hath it in as much as faith is the meanes to obtaine pardon Ans. The giuing and the receiuing of pardon and faith are both at one moment of time for when God giues the pardon of sinne at the same instant he causeth men to receiue the same pardon by faith For order of nature faith goes before the receiuing of the pardon because faith is giuen to them that are to be ingrafted into Christ and pardon to them that are in Christ for time it doth not and therfore this second argument is absurd The third Argument The full certentie and perswasion of Gods mercie in Christ followes good conscience and good workes and therefore faith followes after Iustification Ans. There be two degrees of faith A weake faith and a strong faith A weake faith is that against which doubting much preuailes in
teach otherwise then I haue taught you neither I nor they must be beleeued but be accursed Againe put the case that an angell from heauen should come and preach otherwise then Paul preached to the Galatians who must be beleeued Paul or the Angel the answer is not the Angell but Paul and the angel must be accursed And the reason is because Paul in preaching and writing did represent the authoritie of God and God puts his owne authoritie into the word which he vttered and he was assisted by the extraordinarie immediate and infallible assistance of Gods spirit From this supposition sundrie things may be learned The first that the word preached and written by Paul is as certen as if it had bin written by God himselfe immediately It may be obiected that Paul saith 1. Cor. 7. 12. To the remnant I speake not the Lord. I answer Paul saith I not the Lord not because he was deceiued in his aduise for he spake by the spirit of God c. 7. v. 40. but because he gaue counsell in a case of marriage whereof the Lord had made no expresse lawe The meaning then is this I speake by collection from the lawe of God and not the Lord by any particular and expresse lawe Secondly it appeares hence that the articles of faith or the doctrine of the Gospell is in excellencie and authoritie aboue all men and angeis And hence it followes that the Church and Councels cannot authorize the word of God in the minde conscience of any man For the inferiour and dependent authoritie addes nothing to that which is the principall and superior authoritie Therefore the opinion of the Papist is false that we cannot knowe the scripture to be the word of God but by the testimony of the Church as though the letter of a Prince could not be knowne to be so without the testimonie of the subiects The principall authoritie is sufficient in it selfe to authorize it selfe without externall testimonie Thirdly since the daies of the Apostles sundrie doctrines haue bin receiued and beleeued touching intercession of Saints praier to the dead and for the dead Purgatorie and such like and these doctrines haue bin confirmed by sundrie revelations And here we learne what to iudge both of the doctrines and of the reuelations namely that they are accursed because the doctrines are beside the written word and the reuelations tend to ratifie and confirme them Lastly hence we learne what to thinke of the writings of Papists and Schoolemen whereof some are called Seraphicall cherubicall or Angelicall doctors They broch and maintaine sundrie things beside that which the Apostles preached wrote as iustification by workes and a mixture of the lawe and the Gospell they giue too little to grace and too much to mans will In this regard Paul hath giuen the sentence that they are accursed For this cause students of diuinitie are warily to read them with praier that they be not led into temptation and they are to vse them onely in the last place And they are greatly to be blamed that preferre them almost aboue all writers they shewe that they haue little loue of the Gospell in their hearts 9 As we said before so say I now againe if any man preach vnto you otherwise then ye haue receiued let him be accursed In these words Paul repeates againe that which he said before and the repetition is not in vaine but for three weightie causes the first is to signifie that he had spoken not rashly but aduisedly whatsoeuer he had said before the second is that the point deliuered is an infallible truth of God the third is to put the Galatians and vs in minde that we are to obserue and remember that which he hath said as the foundation of our religion namely that the doctrine of the Apostles is the onely infallible truth of God against which we may not listen to Fathers Councels or to the very Angels of God If this had bin remembred and obserued the Gospel had continued in his puritie after the daies of the Apostles In this verse one thing is to be obserued Before Paul saide they are accursed which teach otherwise then he had taught here he saith they are accursed which teach otherwise then the Galatians had receiued Whereby it appeares that as Paul preached the Gospel of Christ so the Galatians receiued it And they receiued it first in that they had care to know it secondly in that they gaue the assent of faith vnto it as to a truth against which the very Angels could take no exception And for this also are the Thessalonians commended that the Gospel was to them in power and much assurance The great fault of our times is that where as the Gospel is preached it is not accordingly receiued Many haue no care to know it and they which know it giue not vnto it the assent of faith but onely hold it in opinion And this is the cause that there is so small fruit of the Gospel This sinne will at length haue his punishment The places that are not seasoned by the waters of the Sanctuarie are turned to saltpits Ezech. 47. v. 11. 10 For now whether preach I men or God or seeke I to please men for if I should yet please men I were not the seruant of Christ. The interrogations in this place doe I preach and doe I please are in stead of earnest negations I doe not preach I doe not please And when he saith doe I now preach men or God his meaning is this Heretofore I haue preached the Traditions of men but now beeing an Apostle I preach not the doctrine of men but of God And when he saith doe I seeke to please men his meaning is this I doe not make this the scope of my mini sterie to frame and temper my doctrine so as it may be sutable and pleasing to the affections of men For otherwise we are to please men in that which is good and for their good 1. Cor. 10. 33. Rom. 15. 2. This verse containes a double reason of his former speach and of the repitition thereof The first is this Though heretofore I taught the Traditions of men yet now I teach the word not of men but of God and therefore I accurse them that teach otherwise The second is framed thus If I should yet please men I were not the seruant of God but I am the seruant of God therefore I seeke not to please men but if neede shal be I will denounce curses against them Here first we see the proper matter of the Ministerie which is not the word or doctrine of man but of God By this the Ministers of the Gospel are taught to handle their doctrine with modestie and humilitie without ostentation with reuerence and with a consideration of the maiestie of God whose the doctrine is which they vtter that God may be glorified 1. Pet. 4. 11. Secondly the hearers in hearing are to know that they haue to
Gospel which is to repent and beleeue in Christ. Secondly by offering to him the promise of remission of sinnes and life euerlasting when he beleeued The second part of instruction is a reall and liuely teaching when God made Paul in his heart to answer the calling according to that Psalme 27. v. 5. When thou saidst seeke ye my face mine heart answered I will seeke thy face O Lord. And in Zacharie 13. 9. He shall say it is my people and they shall say the Lord is our God This is a spirituall Eccho that is made in the heart The sound of Gods word goes through the world and the hearts of men which be as Rocks and stones make answer And this worke of God that makes man yeild to the calling of God is in scripture a kind of diuine teaching thus the father is said to teach the sonne by drawing Ioh. 6. 44. And God is said to teach vs his waies when he guids vs by his spirit in the land of righteousnesse Psal. 143. That this reall and heauenly kind of teaching may take place God by his grace puts a kind of softnesse into the heart whereby it is made subiect and obedient to the word And it hath two parts One is an acknowledgement by faith that the sonne is our redeemer The second is regeneration which is the putting off the old man and the putting on of the newe which to doe by the vertue of Christ is to learne Christ. Eph. 4. 20. 23. Thus then God reueales the sonne to Paul by preparing him and making him teachable by propoūding the doctrine of saluation to him and by causing him inwardly to beleeue it and to obey it And thus we see the manner of the calling and conuersion of Paul For the better cleering of this doctrine fiue questions are to be answered The first is what was the preuenting grace in the conuersion of Paul Answer Schoolemen and Papists generally teach that it was the inspiration of good motions and desires into the heart of Paul But it is false which they teach for the heart is vncapable of any good desire or purpose till it be regenerate The trueth is this that the preuenting grace in the first conuersion is the grace of regeneration and secondly the inspiration of good desires and motions When Christ preuents Lazarus that he may reuiue againe he first puts a soule into him and then he calls vnto him and saith Come forth Lazarus because he was dead in like manner we are dead in sinne and therefore regeneration which is the soule of our soules must be put into vs before any inspiration of heauenly motions can take place Yet after we are once borne anew good motions and desires put into our hearts may be the preuenting grace for the doing of sundrie good workers The second question is whether the will of Paul were an agent or cause in the effecting of his first conuersion Answer No scripture makes two sorts of conuersion one Passiue when man is conuerted by god In this man is but a subiect to receiue the impression of grace and no agent at all For in the creating setting or imprinting of righteousnesse and holinesse in the heart Will can doe nothing The second conuersion is Actiue whereby man beeing conuerted by God doth further turne conuert himselfe to God in all his thoughts wordes and deeds This conuersion is not onely of grace nor onely of will but partly of grace and partly of will yet so as grace is the principall agent and will but the instrument of grace For beeing first turned by grace we then can mooue and turne our selues And thus there is a cooperation of mans will with Gods grace And Austen said truely He that made thee without thee doeth not saue thee without thee The third question is whether God did offer any violence to Pauls minde and will in his conuersion Ansvver There is a double violence or Coaction One which doth abolish all consent of will and this he vsed not The other draws out a consent from the will by causing it of an vnwilling will to become willing This coaction or violence God offered to Paul and in this sense they which come to Christ are said to be drawne Ioh. 6. 45. The fourth question is wherein standes the efficacie of the preuenting grace whereby Paul was effectually conuerted Answ. The Councell of Trent and sundrie Papists incline to this opinion to thinke that it stands in the euent in that the will of man applies it selfe to the grace which God offereth But then the efficacie of grace must be from mans will and then man hath something whereof to boast and he is to thanke himselfe for the grace of God Other Papists place the efficacie of grace in the congruitie or aptnesse of motions or heauenly perswasiōs presented to the mind of the mā that is to be cōuerted But this opinion also is deuoid of trueth For there is no efficacie in any motions or perswasions till there be a change and newe creation of the will The true answer is this Outward meanes are effectuall because they are ioyned with the inward operation of the spirit Inward grace is effectuall because God addes to the first grace the second grace For hauing giuen the power to beleeue and repent he giues also the will and the deede and then faith and repentance must needs followe And herein stands the efficacie of the first grace that God addes vnto it and workes the will and the deede Phil. 2. 13. The last question is whether it was in the power of Pauls will to resist the calling or the grace of God Answ. The will for his condition is apt to resist grace neuer the lesse if we consider the efficacie of Gods grace and the will of God he could not resist the calling of God Euery one that hath heard and learned of the father comes to Christ Ioh. 6. 45. Gods will determines and limits the will of man and mans will is an instrument to effect the will of god It may be here demanded howe the efficacie of grace may stand with the libertie of mans will if it haue not libertie to accept or refuse the grace of God Ans. Libertie and freedome of will in God is perfect libertie nowe God cannot will either good or euill but onely that which is good And mans will the neerer it comes to this will of God the greater libertie hath it Therefore to wil that onely which is good so it be freely without compulsion is true libertie to be able to will that which is euill and to resist the calling of God is not libertie but impotencie And he that can onely will that which is good doth more freely will good and hath more libertie then he that can will either good or euill The vse Ministers of the Gospell must learne Christ as Paul learned him They may not content themselues with that teaching which they find in schooles but they must
will to beleeue with an honest heart desire to be reconciled to God and constantly vse the good meanes to beleeue For God accepts the will to beleeue for faith it selfe and the will to repent for repentance The reason hereof is plaine Euery supernaturall act presupposeth a supernaturall power or gift and therefore the will to beleeue and repent presupposeth the power and gift of faith and repentance in the heart It may be obiected that in the mindes of them that beleeue in this manner doubtings of Gods mercie abound Ans. Though doubtings abound neuer so yet are they not of the nature of faith but are contrarie to it Secondly we must put difference between true apprehension strong apprehension and strong apprehension If we truly apprehend though not strongly it sufficeth The palsie-hand is able to receiue a gift though not so strongly as an other The man in the Gospel said Lord I beleeue helpe mine vnbeleefe Mar. 9. 24. that is helpe my faith which by reason of the smalnes thereof may rather be called vnbeleefe then faith This is the common faith of true beleeuers For in this world we rather liue by hungring and thirsting then by full apprehending of Christ and our comfort stands rather in this that we are knowne of God then that we know God The highest degree of faith is a full perswasion of Gods mercie Thus saith the holy Ghost that Abraham was not weake through vnbeleefe but strong in faith Rom. 4. 20. But wherein was this strength In that he was fully perswaded that God which had promised would also performe it This measure of faith is not incident to all beleeuers but to the Prophets Apostles martyrs and such as haue beene long exercised in the schoole of Christ. And this appeares by the order whereby we attaine to this degree of faith First there must be a knowledge of Christ then followes a generall perswasion of the possibilitie of pardon and mercie whereby we beleeue that our sinnes are pardonable An example whereof we haue in the prodigall child Luk. 14. 18. After this the H. Ghost worketh a will and desire to beleeue and stirres vp the heart to make humble and serious inuocation for pardon After praier instantly made followes a setling and quieting of the conscience according to the promise Math. 7. 7. Knocke it shall be opened seeke ye shall finde aske ye shall receiue After all this followes an experience in manifold obseruations of the mercies of God and loue in Christ and after experience followes a full perswasion Abraham had not this full perswasion till God had sundrie times spoken to him Dauid vpon much triall of the mercie fauour of God growes to resolution and saith Psal. 23. 6. Doubilesse kindnes and mercie shall follow me all the daies of my life This distinction of the degrees of faith must the rather be obserued because the Papists suppose that we teach that euery faith is a full perswasion and that euery one among vs hath this perswasion Which is otherwise For certentie we ascribe to all faith but not fulnes of certentie Neither doe we teach that all men must haue a full perswasion at the first The vse If that be the right faith which apprehends and applies Christ vnto vs then is it a poore and miserable faith of the Papist to be baptized and withall to beleeue as the church doth when it is not knowne what the Church beleeues Of the same kind is the faith of the multitude amōg vs whose faith is their good meaning that is their fidelitie and truth in their dealings Lastly if that be faith which truly apprehends Christ there is little true faith in these last daies For though the merit of Christ be apprehended by faith yet is not the efficacie of his death and that appeares by the bad and vnreformed liues of them that professe the Gospel Indeede many say they haue and euer had a strong perswasion of Gods mercie but in the most of them it is but a strong imagination for their faith was conceiued without the word praier sacraments and it is seuered from Good life We are then all of vs carefully to seeke for this true and liuely faith And the rather because faith and repentance are possible to all that by grace doe will it Nay they which will to beleeue and repent haue begunne to beleeue and repent God accepting the will for the deede Luk. 11. 13. And hauing attained to a measure of true faith we must goe on and seeke to iustifie our selues but yet as S. Iames teacheth c. 2. iustifie our faith by good workes and then shall our faith be a meanes to iustifie vs in life and death The second point to be considered concerning faith is the manner how it iustifieth The Papists teach that it iustifieth because it stirreth vp good motions and good affections in the heart whereby it prepareth and disposeth man that he may be fit to receiue his iustification againe because it beeing an excellent vertue meriteth that God should iustifie But this is false which they say For if faith iustifieth by disposing the heart then there must be a space of time betweene iustification and iustifying faith but there is no space of time betweene them For so soone as a man beleeues he is presently iustified For euery beleeuer hath the promise of remission of sinnes and life euerlasting Againe in the case of iustification Paul opposeth beleeuing and doing faith and workes of the law faith therefore doth not iustifie as a worke or as an excellent vertue bringing forth many diuine and gratious operations in vs. Nay the proper action of faith which is Apprehension doth not iustifie of it selfe for it is imperfect and is to be increased to the ende of our daies Faith therefore iustifieth because it is an instrument to apprehend and applie that which iustifieth namely Christ and his obedience As the Israelites stung of fierie serpents were cured so are we saued Ioh. 3. 16. the Israelites did nothing at all but onely looke vpon the brasen serpent so are we to doe nothing for our iustification and saluation but to fixe the eye of our faith on Christ. The bankrupt paies his debt by accepting the paiment made by his suretie It is the propertie of true religion to depresse nature and to exalt grace and this is done when we make God the onely worker of our saluation and make our selues to be no more but receiuers of the mercie and grace of God by faith receiuers not by nature but by grace reaching out the beggers hand namely our faith in Christ to receiue the gift or almes of mercie The last point is that faith alone iustifieth For here Paul saith that we are iustified by faith without the workes of the law and that is as much as if he had said by faith alone Some Papists to helpe themselues translate the words of Paul thus Knowing that a man is not iustified by the workes of
written in tables of stone is the law the same law of Moses written in the hearts of men by the holy Ghost is the Gospel But I say againe that the law written in our hearts is still the law of Moses And this ouersight in mistaking the distinction of the Law and the Gospel is and hath bin the ruine of the gospel We must here further obserue that beleeuing and doing are opposed in the article of our iustification In our good conuersation they agree faith goes before and doing followes but in the worke of our iustification they are as fire and water Hence I gather that to the iustification of a sinner there is required a speciall and an applying faith for generall faith is numbred among the works of the law and the deuills haue it This kind of beleeuing therefore and doing are not opposite Againe hence I gather that works of faith and grace are quite excluded from iustification because the opposition doth not stand betweene beleeuing and the works of nature but simply betweene beleeuing and doing Lastly it may be demaunded why the Lord saith He that doth the things of the law shall liue considering no man since the fall can doe the things of the law Ans. The Lord since mans fall repeates the law in his old tenour not to mocke men but for other waightie causes The first is to teach vs that the law is of a constant and vnchangeable nature The second is to aduertise vs of our weaknes and to shew vs what we cannot doe The third is to put vs in minde that we must still humble our selues vnder the hand of God after we haue begunne by grace to obey the law because euen then we come farre short in doing the things which the law requires at our hands 13 Christ hath redeemed vs from the curse of the law when he was made a curfe for vs for it is written Cursed is euery one that hangeth on the tree 14 That the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Iesus that we might receiue the promise of the spirit by faith Paul hauing prooued the truth of his doctrine by sundrie arguments in the former part of this chapter he here answereth an obiection the occasion whereof is from the 10. verse It may be framed on this manner If they be accused that continue not in all things written in the law to doe them then all men are accursed and the Gentiles are not partakers of the blessing of Abraham as you haue said Answer is here made that to them that beleeue there is full redemption from the curse of the law And Paul for the better inlightning of his answer here makes a description of our redemption by foure arguments The first is the author Christ hath redeemed vs from the curse of the law The second is the forme or manner of our Redemption in these words When he was made a curse for vs. And this forme is further declared by the signe in these words for it is written Cursed is euery one that hangeth on the tree The third argument is in the end in these words that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles The last is also an other ende that we might receiue the promise of the spirit Touching the Author in these words Christ hath redeemed vs from the curse of the law sundrie things may be learned First of all comparing these words with the 10. verse or comparing the answer and the obiection together we see and are to obserue that the threatnings of the law are to be vnderstood with an exception from the Gospel All are cursed saith the law that doe not continue to doe all things written therein Except they haue pardon and be redeemed by Christ saith the Gospel And thus are all curses of the law to be conceiued with a limitation or qualification from the Gospel Againe in that Christ hath redeemed vs from the curse of the law here is our comfort that neither hell nor death nor SataÌ„ hath any right or power ouer vs so be it we do vnfainedly beleeue in Christ. For we are bought with a price And for this cause we must be admonished not to feare any euill ouermuch as the reuilings and curses of euill tongues withcraft the plague pestilence famine the sword or death For the curse which makes all these and many other things hurtfull vnto vs is remooued from them that are in Christ. And therefore all immoderate feare should be restrained Thirdly our dutie is to glorifie God and Christ who hath redeemed vs and that both in bodie and soule The redeemed must liue according to the will of their redeemer 1. Cor. 6. 20. This is all the thankfulnes that we can shew to our Redeemer for his mercie Lastly here an obiection made by some may be answered If say they we were redeemed by Christ beeing captiues to the deuill the price of our Redemption was paid to him and not to God Ans. We were captiues properly to the iustice of God in the law to the order whereof we stand subiect and by this meanes we are captiues to the curse of the law and consequently to the deuill who is the minister of God for the Execution of the said curse And beeing captiues to the deuill no otherwise then as he is the minister of God for the infâ—â—cting of punishment the price must not be paid to him but to God who is the principall and hath a soueraigntie ouer him and vs. I come now to the forme of our Redemption Who was made a curse for vs. For the better vnderstanding of these words foure points are to be handled The first is what is this curse Ans. A double death the first of the bodie the second of the soule The first is the separation of the bodie and soule The second is the separation of the whole man from God not in respect of his vniuersall power and presence for the very damned haue their moouing and beeing from him but in respect of his fauour and speciall loue whereby God ceaseth to be their God And this is death indeede whereof the first is but a shadow and this is the curse of the law The second point is How Christ was a curse or accursed who is the fountaine of blessednes Ans. He is not so by nature for he is the naturall sonne of God nor by his owne fault for he is the vnspotted lambe of God but by voluntarie dispensation and therefore Paul saith he was made a curse And he was made a curse first because he was set a part in the eternall counsell of the Father Sonne and holy Ghost to be our redeemer and consequently to be a curse In this regard the father is said to haue sealed him Ioh. 6. 27. and he is said againe to be prcordained before all worlds 1. Pet. 1. 20. and giuen according to the counsell and foreknowledge of God Act. 3. 22. Secondly he was made a curse
which there is a sorrow for vnbeleefe a will and defire to beleeue in Christ with care to vse good meanes and to increase in faith Strong faith is that which preuailes against doubting and it is a full perswasion or resolution of the loue and mercie of God in Christ. This second degree of faith follows iustification vpon the obseruation and experience of the prouidence and goodnes of God but the first degree of speciall faith before named for order goes before iustification and for time is together with it The second question is when faith beginnes first to breede in the heart Ans. When a man beginnes to be touched in his conscience for his sinnes and vpon feeling of his owne spirituall pouertie earnestly hungers and thirsts after Christ and his righteousnes aboue all things in the world Christ saith I will giue to him that thirsteth of the well of the water of life freely Reuel 21. 6. This promise declares that in thirsting there is a measure of faith To eate and drinke Christ the bread and water of life is to beleeue in him and to hunger and thirst hauing as it were a spirituall appetite to Christ is the next steppe to this eating and drinking Therefore this must be remembred that professours of the Gospel yea teachers of the same that want this sense of their vnworthines and this thirsting are farre wide what gifts soeuer they haue For they are not yet come to the first steppe of true faith The third question is how faith in Christ is reuealed in the heart Ans. It is not faith to conceiue in minde a bare perswasion that Christ is my Sauiour and thereupon to thinke to be saued But faith in Christ is conceiued in the spirituall exercises of inuocation and repentance When I see mine owne sinnes and Gods anger against me for them by the law when I see mine owne guiltines I draw my selfe into the presence of God making confession of mine offences and praier for the pardon of them and in this praier I striue against mine vnbeleefe I will desire and endeauour to assent to the promise of God touching forgiuenes and withall I purpose with my selfe to sinne no more This is my daily practise and thus is faith truly conceiued and confirmed Againe faith is conceiued in the vse of holy meanes namely the Preaching of the word and Sacraments For in hearing receiuing the Lords Supper to meditate vpon the promise of mercie and in meditation to applie the said promise to my selfe is the right way to conceiue true faith Therefore it must be remembred that faith conceiued without the exercises of inuocation and repentance or conceiued without the vse of the word and Sacraments as commonly it is is not true faith but an Imagination or fiction of the braine which will faile in the ende The third point to be considered is the signe or the outward meanes of Adoption and that is Baptisme It may be demanded how Baptisme can be a marke or signe of the child of God considering all sorts of men are partakers of it Ans. Baptisme alone is no marke of Gods child but baptisme ioyned with faith for so must the text be conceiued All ye Galatians that beleeue are baptised into Christ. For Paul had said immediatly before Ye are the sounes of God by faith Againe the Scripture speaking of baptisme comprehends both the outward and the inward baptisme which is the inward baptisme of the spirit Math. 3. 11. and 1. Pet. 3. 21. And thus is baptisme alwaies an infallible marke of the child of God It may further be demanded what are the markes of the inward baptisme Ans. The new birth whereby a man is washed and cleansed by the spirit of God hath three speciall markes The first is the spirit of grace and supplications Zach. 12. 10. that is the spirit of regeneration causing men to turne to God and withall to make instant praier and supplication for mercie and forgiuenes of sins past The second is to heare obay the voice of god in all things Ioh. 8. 47. 10. 27. The third is not to sin that is not to liue in in the practise of any sinne after this new birth is begunne 1. Ioh. 3. He that is borne of God doth not commit sinne He may faile in this or that speach and doe amisse in this or that action but after his calling and conuersion the tenour and course of his life shall be according to the commandements of God And this is a speciall marke to discerne the inward baptisme Some alleadged that hauing long agoe beene baptised with water yet they feele not the inward baptisme and therefore they feare that they are not the children of God Ans. If there be in thee a sorrow for thy corruptions and sinnes past if thou hast a purpose to sinne no more if thou auoidest the occasions of sinne and fearest to offend if hauing sinned thou liest not in thy sinne but recouerest thy selfe by new repentance thou art verily borne of God and baptised with the baptisme of the holy Ghost Others alleadge that although they haue bin baptised yet they feare they haue no faith and therefore they thinke they are not the children of God Ans. If there be in thee a sorrow for thine vnbeleefe a will and desire to beleeue and a care to increase in faith by the vse of good meanes there is a measure of true faith in thee and by it thou maist assure thy selfe that thou art the child of God Others againe alleadge that they haue long made praier vnto God and that according to his will and yet their praiers haue not bin heard and therefore they often doubt they are not Gods children Ans. If thou canst pray though thy praier be not heard according to thy desire content thy selfe For the praier of the heart is the marke of the spirit of adoption Rom. 8. 16. 26. And by it thou maist know that thou art the child of God Thus then we see what is the infallible marke of the child of God namely baptisme ioyned with true faith in Christ or the outward baptisme ioyned with the inward baptisme of the spirit The vse Many auouch the present Church of Rome to be the true Church of God and that because they say in it there is true baptisme which is a marke of the church of God But they are deceiued for baptisme in the church of Rome is seuered from true faith or from the Apostolike doctrine and the outward baptisme is seuered from the inward baptisme For they of that Church ouerturne iustification by the meere mercie of God which is the principall part of the inward baptisme Againe the ten Tribes retained circumcision after their Apostasie yet for all that condemned to be no people of God Ose. 1. 9. The light in the lanthorne pertaines not to the lanthorne but to the passengers in the streete euen so the Confession of faith in the Symboll of the Apostles and
the couenant of Grace and therefore we must acknowledge the father to be our father the Son to be our Redeemer the holy Ghost to be our comforter and seeke to grow in the knowledge and experience of this It may be demanded whether baptisme may not be administred in the name of Christ alone or in the name of God without mention of the persons in the Godhead Ans. No. For the true forme of baptisme is here prescribed If it be said that Peter biddes them of Ierusalem repent and be baptized into the name of Christ. Act. 2. 38. I answer that Peters intent in that place is to set downe not the forme of baptisme but the ende and scope thereof which is that we may attaine to true fellowship with Christ. The fourth point is concerning the endes of baptisme which are foure The first is that baptisme serues to be a pledge vnto vs in respect of our weaknes of all the graces and mercies of God and specially of our vnion with Christ of remission of sinnes and of mortification Secondly it serues to be a signe of Christian profession before the world and therefore it is called the stipulation or interrogation of a good conscience 1. Pet. 3. 21. Thirdly it serues to be a meanes of our first entrance or admission into the visible Church Lastly it is a meanes of vnitie Read Eph. 4. 5. 1. Cor. 12. 13. The fifth point concernes the Efficacie of baptisme Of which there be foure necessarie questions The first is whether the Efficacie of baptisme extend it selfe to all sinnes and to the whole life of man For answer I will set downe what we teach and what the Papists We teach that the vse of baptisme inlargeth it selfe to the whole life of man and that it takes away all sinnes past present and to come one caution remembred that the partie baptised stand to the order of baptisme which is to turne vnto God and to beleeue in Christ and so to continue by a continuall renouation of faith and repentance as occasion shall be offered Reasons may be these First the scripture speakes of them that had long before bin baptised and that in the time present baptisme saueth 1. Pet. 3. 21. and ye are buried by baptisme into the death of Christ. Rom. 6. 4. And in the future tense it is saide he that beleeueth and is baptised shall be saued And Paul saith that the Church is cleansed with the washing of water that it may be presented glorious and without spot vnto God Eph. 5. 26. And all this shewes that baptisme hath the same efficacie after which it had before the administration thereof Secondly the couenant of grace is euerlasting Isa. 54. 10. Hos. 2. 19. and the couenant is the foundation or substance of baptisme therefore baptisme is not to be tied to any time but it must haue his force so long as the couenant is of force And this appeares by the example of the Galatians who are now fallen away to an other gospel after their baptisme and yet are instructed and directed by their baptisme Lastly it hath bin the doctrine of the ancient Church that all sinnes are done away by baptisme euen sinnes to come The doctrine of the Papists is that baptisme takes away all sinnes that goe before the administration thereof and that sinnes after baptisme are not taken away by baptisme but by the Sacrament of pennance But the doctrine is erronious as may appeare by the arguments which they vse Argum. first Circumcision had no vse after the administration thereof for the abolishing of sinne Therefore neither hath baptisme Ans. Circumcision had And this appeares because the Prophets put the Iewes in minde of their circumcision when they fell away from God bidding them to circumcise the foreskin of their hearts Ier. 4. 4. Arg. 2. The Apostles vsed to call them that sinned after baptisme to confession of sinne and to repentance or pennance Act. 8. 21. 1. Ioh. 1. 9. Ans. This makes for vs for in so doing they bring men to their baptisme and to the order set downe there which is that the partie baptised must first of all turne to God and beleeue in Christ and there is no new order set downe afterward but onely a renewing of this first baptismall order both in the Ministerie of the word and in the supper of the Lord. And whereas they make a distinction of pennance the vertue and pennance the sacrament placing the vertue before and after baptisme and the sacrament onely after for this they haue no word of God Arg. 3. If a man be inlightned that is baptised and then fall againe he cannot be renewed by repentance which is in baptisme Hebr. 6. 6. Ans. The text speakes not of them that fall after baptisme but of them that fall away by an vniuersall Apostasie denying Christ. For it is said v. 7. that they crucifie Christ againe that is crucifie Christ crucified and so make a mocke of him and tread vnder foote the blood of Christ. Hebr. 10. 29. Againe the text speakes not particularly of repentance in baptisme but of all repentance whatsoeuer yea of repentance after baptisme For there is no place for repentance where Christ is renounced Arg. 4. Pennance as Hierome saith is a second table after a shipwracke Ans. Repentance indeede is a second table or bord whereby a sinner fallen from his baptisme returnes againe to it and so comes to the hauen of euerlasting happines Thus then we see that baptisme is the true sacrament of repentance for repentance pertaines to the inward baptisme The vse If baptisme serue for the whole life of man then if thou be in any miserie or distresse haue recourse to thy baptisme and there shalt thou finde thy comfort namely that God is thy God if thou truly turne and beleeue in him Secondly remember euery day the obligation of homage wherewith thou hast bound thy selfe to God specially in thy temptations remember it and see thou stand to it and make it good The second question is whether baptisme abolish Originall sinne or no The answer of the Papist is that it doth so as in the partie baptised there remaineth nothing that God may iustly hate and therefore he saith that Originall sinne after baptisme ceaseth to be sinne properly We teach and are to hold that the perfect and intire baptisme in which the outward and inward baptisme are ioyned together abolisheth the punishment of sinne and the guilt that is the obligation to punishment and the fault yet not simply but in two respects first in respect of imputation because God doth not impute Originall sinne to them that are in Christ secondly in respect of dominion because Originall sinne raigneth not in them that are regenerate Neuerthelesse after baptisme it remaines in thē that are baptised and is still and that properly sinne Paul saith Rom. 7. 20. If I doe that I would not it is no more I that doe it but sinne that dwelleth in
others Lastly in that spirituall men especially the holy men of God and ministers of his word are the Lords surgeans to bind vp the broken and raise those that are fallen as also his physitians to restore those that are in a spirituall consumptioÌ„ of grace we ought to make great account of theÌ„ haue them in singular loue for their worke sake 1. Thes. 5. 19. For if we must honor the bodily Physitian as Syracides saith Eccles. 38. vers 1. who cureth but the diseases of the bodie how much more ought we to honour spirituall physitians which cure the spirituall maladies of our soules The fourth and last point is the manner how we must restore laid downe in these words in the spirit of meekenesse Meekenes is the setling or quieting of the minde freeing it from perturbation especially in repressing the reuengeful affection A meeke and quiet spirit are ioyned together 1. Pet. 3. 4. A notable example hereof we haue in Moses who beeing prouoked in stead of anger shewed meekenes It further makes a man to yeeld of his right and not to prosecute the matter in rigour and extremitie and so it is opposed to seueritie 1. Cor. 4. 21. Shall I come vnto you with arodde or in loue and the spirit of meekenesse Hence ariseth another propertie it bridleth the tongue and the outward man either by silence as Christ being prouoked waâ— dumme and opened not his mouth Isay 53. 7. was silent and answered not a word Luk. 23. 9. or by a soft and gentle answer which asswageth wrath Pro. 15. 1. There is great reason why men should restore their brethren in all meekenesse for without it there is nothing but swelling and faction but troubles and tragedies Againe as meekenesse is necessarie for euery Christian Coloss. 2. 12. Tit. 3. 2. so it is most necessarie for him that would fruitfully and effectually reprooue Hence it is that the Apostle commands vs to Instruct theâ— in meekenesse that are contrarie minded 2. Tim. 2. 25. Motiues to inforce this dutie are these First the exhortation and example of Christ to be followers of him 1. Cor. 11. 1. who was lowly and meeke Math. 11. 29. for he waâ— ledde as a sheepe to the slaughter and like a lambe dummâ— before his shearer so opened he not his mouth Isa. 53. 7. When he was reuiled reuiled not againe when he suffered he threatned not 1. Pet. 2. 23. as it may appeare by that meeke answer If I haue euill spoken beare witnesse of the euill but if I haue well spoken why smitest thou me Ioh. 18. 23. Paul hath no stronger argument to exhort the Corinthians then by the meekenesse and gentlenesse of Christ. 2. Cor. 10. 1. Secondly it is a vertue which God doth make great account of 1. Pet. 3. 4. A â—eeke and quiet spirit is before God a thing much set by Thirdly God hath made excellent promises to them that are of a meeke and humble spirit that he will guide them in iudgment and teach them his waies Psal. 25. 9. That they shall be hid in the day of the Lords wrath Zeph. 2. 3. That they shall inherit the earth Math. 5. 5. Fourthly consider the comfortable effects the good that comes thereby A soft meeke and milde answer turneth away wrath Prou. 15. 1. Meeke and gentle behauiour heapeth coles of fire vpon our enemies head Rom. 12. 20. A soft toâ—gâ—e breaketh the bones Prou. 25. 15. See the example of Gideon appeasing the Midianites Iudg. 8. 1. c. and Abigail pacifying Dauid 1. Sam. 25. Fiftly without meekenesse we cannot sauingly heare the word either read or preached Iam 1. 21. It is further said we must restore in the spirit of meeknes The word spirit is added because it proceeds from the spirit of god who is both the worker and continuer thereof as on the contrarie the spirit of iealousie Numb 5. 14. the spirit of errour 1. Ioh. 4. 6. the spirit of vncleanesse Zach. 13. 2. the spirit of giddines Isa. 19. 14. the spirit of slumber Isa. 29. 19. are so tearmed because they proceede from a wicked spirit So quicke motions sudden perturbations strong affections proceeding either from the spirit of God or of SathaÌ„ are tearmed by the name of spirit Hence we learne that the holy Ghost is author not onely of meeknes but of all sanctifying graces and therefore is called the spirit of wisedome and vnderstanding the spirit of counsell and strength the spirit of knowledge and of the feare of the Lord Isa. 11. 2. Secondly this teacheth vs that all true vertues are wrought onely by the operation of Gods spirit in vs for though there be diuersities of gifts yet it is the same spirit 1. Cor. 12. 4. and therfore the vertues of the Heathen are but glittering sinnes Thirdly that when we see the gifts or graces of God in our selues or others we returne all the praise and glory to God from whome they proceede ascribing nothing to our selues Fourthly this shewes to whome we must haue recourse in our neede namely not to the virgin Marie nor any Saint who stand in as great neede of the fauour of God as our selues but to God alone who is the fountaine of grace Ierem. 2. 13. Lastly in that the spirit is set before meekenesse it shewes that the spirit of God is present with his graces to inspire them to cherish and increase them Therefore the commandement Quench not the spirit 1. Thess. 5. 19. is to be obeyed if we will retaine the graces of God Thus much of the dutie The reasons vsed by the Apostle to enforce this dutie follow to be considered they are two The first is implyed in the word Brethren which is of great force to perswade vs to vse moderation lenitie and gentlenesse Abraham could vse no stronger argument to pacifie Lot then this Let there be no strife betweene thee and me for we are brethreÌ„ Gen. 13. 8. Moses vsed it as a motiue to accord two Ebrewes Sirs yâ— are brethren why doe you wrong one to another Act. 7. 26. For it is a shame that those whome nature hath so neerely conioyned should be so farre disioyned in affection But the reason beeing taken from spirituall brethren such as are not onely brethren in the flesh but also in the Lord hauing the same God for their father the same Church for their mother Christ for their elder brother beeing begotten by the same immortall seede washed by the lauer of one newe birth conglutinate by the sinewes of the same faith nourished by the milke of the same word is so much the stronger by how much grace is a straiâ—er bond then nature therefore Paul would haue vs restore one another in the spirit of meekenesse because we are brethreÌ„ Nay persons excommunicate are not to be accounted as enemies but to be admonished as brethren 2. Thess. 3. 15. The reason why men vse no more mildnesse in their reproofes is because they forget themselues to
in Christ that they may haue some rule whereby to trie the spirits consonant to the analogie of faith and the doctrine of the orthodoxe Fathers of the Church which Paul calleth the forme of knowledge Rom. 2. 20. and The forme of doctrine Rom. 6. 17. and a patterne of wholesome wordes 2. Tim. 1. 13. which formes of doctrine were in vse in the primatiue church in the Apostles daies as it is manifest Heb. 6. 1. where the Apostle sets downe the principall points of the Catechisme calling them the doctrine of the beginning of Christ. And after the Apostles we find that they were vsed by the learned Fathers both of the Greeke and Latine Church Clement Alex. had his Pedagogue Cyril of Ierusalem his Catechisme and Mystagog bookes Origen that famous Catechist his books of principles Theodoret his Epitome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lactantius his Institutions Augustine his Enchiridion Hugo de S. Victore his books of the Sacraments or mysteries of christian religion And it were greatly to be wished that as in other reformed churches beyond the Sea they haue a set Catechisme which all men follow and in the church of Rome one approoued by the Councell of Trent so there were an vniforme Catechisme inioyned by publick authoritie to be vsed in all Families Schooles and Churches in this land that we might all with one mind and one mouth iudge and speake the same thing Now as Catechismes gathered out of plaine and easie places are necessarie for the simple so Commentaries are as necessarie for the vnderstanding of such places as are more abstruse and difficult Our Sauiour Christ the great Doctor of the Church hath by his owne practise giuen vs a president hereof in expounding the lawe Matth. 5. in expounding all hard parables to his disciples a part for the text saith that he vnfolded or expounded them vnto them Mark 4. 33. That he interpreted vnto them in all the scriptures the things which were written of him Luk. 24. 27. That he opened vnto them the scriptures v. 32. And they haue bin alwaies so accounted in the Church of God For the Iewes as we know had their Perâ—shim the Greeke church their Scholia the Latin Church their Glosses with other Paraphrases Expositions Neither was it euer called in question by any saue by the phantasticall Anabaptists who rest onely vpon immediate reuelations And some preiudicate Papists who hold the consent of all Catholikes to be the true Scripture both the glosse and the text the written word but inkie Diuinitie and a dead letter And certaine arrogant spirits who with Nestorius skorne to read any Interpreters But how Commentaries ought to be written it is not so easie to define there beeing such difference as well in regard of the manner of writing as of the measure For besides that the Popish writers make foure seuerall senses of the Scripture commending Ierome to excell in the Literall Origen in the Allegoricall Ambrose in the Anagogicall Chrysostome in the Tropologicall they haue aboue fiftie seuerall waies of expounding the Scripture as their owne writers doe record In the measure we finde some too tedious as the two Alphonsi Tostatus and Salmeron who vpon euery small occasion digresse from the text or rather take occasion to enter into infinite friuolous questions which breede strife rather then godly edifying which is by faith For there is not so short a Chapter in the Bible vpon which the former mooueth not aboue eight score questions whereupon his volumes growe to that bignesse that one contracting his Commentarie vpon S. Matth. and drawing it into an Epitome yet could not so abridge it but that it contained aboue a thowsand pages in folio in the largest volume smallest character The other is so short with his 12 volumes vpon the Euangelists that he might well haue contracted leaues into lines and lines into letters Which tedious discourses and impertinent excursions from the text serue for no other ende but to cast a mist before the eyes of the reader and drawe as it were the vaile of Moses ouer his face so that he cannot see the meaning of the holy Ghost Others on the contrarie are too short and compendious offending as much in breuitie as the former in prolixitie by name Emanuel Sa the Iesuit whose Commentaries vpon the Bible are shorter then the text it selfe like to those of Apollinaris of whome Ierom writeth that a man which readeth them would thinke he red Contents of chapters rather then Commentaries But as for the manner the literall sense which our author here followeth is the onely sense intended by the Spirit of God the Allegoricall Tropologicall Anagogicall beeing but seuerall vses and applications thereof For the Scripture consisting in the sense not in the letters is profitable to teach and improoue as Paul saith whereas from the Allegoricall sense no necessary argument can be taken as their owne doctors confesse either to confirme or confute any point of doctrine therefore much lesse from the Tropologicall or Anagogicall And as for the measure in regard of breuitie or prolixity the golden meane hath alway beene iudged by the learned to be the best which is not onely to giue the bare meaning paraphrastically but to make collection of doctrine and application of vses yet breefly rather pointing at the cheife heads then dwelling long vpon any point Some are of opinion that a Commentor is onely to giue the literal sence of the place without making further vse of application or instruction To which I could easilie subscribe if all the Lords people could prophesie or if all were able to handle the word of God the sword of the spirit For as to an expert Musitian who is acquainted with the concords or rules of discant it is as good a direction to haue onely the ground as if he had euery point pricked out vnto him beeing inured to the diuision vpon euery point as it falleth out in the ground So to him that is acquaynted with the word of God a short and concise handling of the Scripture may be as good a direction as if euery point were discoursed at large But because all readers are not strong men in Christ some beeing but babes who must haue euery thing minced and cutt small vnto them before they can receiue it Neither all teachers expert prompt Scribes like to Ezra nor mightie in the Scripture as Apollos such as are able to diuide the word a right and applie it fitly as they ought Some beeing deceitfull worckmen peruerting it to their owne destruction in pressing the two dugges of the Scripture the Ould and New Testament that in steed of milck they sucke nothing but blood Others vnskilfull casting wild Colloquintida into the pott of the children of the prophets beeing too hastie to learne and too ignorant to know of them selues what they should haue gathered Therefore to help the
dispēsation of the word Secondly whereas Paul saith not of men but of Christ I gather that euery lawefull calling is of God and not of men as authors thereof and that the Right to call belongs to God The father thrusts forth labourers into the vineyard the sonne giues Pastors and teachers the Holy Ghost makes ouerseers It may be alleadged that the Church hath authoritie to call and ordaine ministers I answer that the Churches authoritie is no more but a ministerie or seruice whereby it doeth testifie declare and approoue whome God hath called Thirdly whereas Paul thus proclaimes his calling Paul an Apostle of Iesus Christ I gather that the callings of the Ministers of the Gospell must be manifest to their owne consciences and the consciences of their hearers And that for diuers weightie causes First they are imbassadours instruments and the mouth of God and for this cause they are to speake in the name of God and this they cannot doe vnlesse they knowe themselues to be called Secondly that the calling of the Ministerie may tend to edification there is required the assistance of Gods spirit in the teacher the protection of him and his ministerie the effectuall operation of the spirit in the hearts of the hearers And he that wants the assurance of his calling cannot pray to God in faith for these things neither can he apply the promises of God to himselfe Thirdly the knowledge of our callings breeds conscience of our duties diligence and the feare of god Lastly knowledge of our callings in the consciences of the hearers breeds a reuerence in their hearts and obedience to the ministerie of the word Vpon this some may demaund howe they may knowe that they are called of God to the ministerie of the word Answer they may knowe it if they finde three things in themselues the first is the testimonie of their consciences that they entred not for praise honour lucre but in the feare of god with a desire to glorifie him and to edifie the Church The second is a facultie to doe that to which they haue a desire and will In this facultie are two things knowledge of God and his waies and aptnesse to deliuer that which they knowe The third is the Ordination of the Church which approoues and giues testimonie of their will and abilitie He that hath these things is certainely called of God Nowe put the case a man wants the first of these three because he entred with euill conscience beeing carried with ambitious and couetous desires then I answer that his calling still in respect of the Churh is good and lawefull and when he repents of his bad conscience it is also accepted of God The fourth point to be obserued is that Paul makes three kinds of callings in the Church One is when men are called by men and not by God and thus are all false teachers called The second is when men are called of God by the ministerie of men thus are all ordinarie ministers of the word called The third is when men are called not by men but by Christ immediately And Paul here signifieth that he himselfe and the rest of the Apostles were called according to this third way And in this respect he puts a difference betweene the Apostles and all the Ministers of the newe Testament For in that they were called immediately they were also taught by immediate inspiration and also aided by the infallible assistance of Gods spirit And of all this they had promises Math. 10. 19. 20. Luc. 10. 16. Hence we may gather the certenty of our religion The essentiall note of the Church is faith faith stands in relation to the word of God and the word of God is no word vnto vs vnlesse we knowe it to be so and we knowe it to be so because it was written by the Apostles who in preaching and writing could not erre Secondly hence I gather that the doctrine of the Apostles it the immediate word of God because it was giuen by inspiration both for matter and words whereas the doctrine of the Church in sermons and the decrees of councels is both the word of God and the word of man The word of God as it agrees with the writings of the Apostles Prophets the word of man as it is defectiue and as it is propounded in tearmes deuised by man It may be obiected that Paul spake some things of himselfe and not from the Lord 1. Cor. 7. 12. Not the Lord but I. Answer the meaning is not the Lord by any expresse commaundement but I by collection and interpretation of Scripture and that by the assistance of Gods spirit v. 40. Seeing then the writings of the Apostles are the immediate and meere word of God they must be obeyed as if they had beene written without man by the finger of God Lastly seeing it is the propertie of an Apostle to be called immediatly by Iesus Christ hence it follows that the authority office and function of Apostles ceased with them and did not passe by succession to any other Therefore it is a falshood that the Pope of Rome succeedes Peter in Apostolicall authoritie and in the infallible assistance of the spirit when he is in his consistorie And where paul saith he was called by Iesus Christ and not by man that is meere man he giues a pregnant testimonie that Christ is both God and man And whereas Paul was called by Christ raised from the dead hence I gather the dignitie of the Apostle Paul aboue all other Apostles in that he was called after the resurrection of Christ when he was entred into his kingdome The Text. 2. And all the brethren that are with me to the Churches of Galatia The Exposition By brethren we are to vnderstand such as seperated themselues from the Pagans and receiued the faith of Christ 1. Cor. 5. 11. And here more specially such as taught and professed the faith that is both pastors and people whether of Antioche as some thinke or of Rome as others And Paul writes his Epistle as well in their names as in his owne and with their consent for two causes One was that he might not be thought to deliuer any priuate doctrine deuised of his owne head And this care he had alwaies and therefore taught nothing but that which was in the writings of Moses and the Prophets Act. 26. 22. And this was the care of Christ who saith My doctrine is not mine but his that sent me Joh. 7. 16. And at this daie this must be the care of the Ministers of the Gospell to deliuer nothing of their owne First therefore their doctrines must be founded in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles and secondly that they may be sure of this they must haue the consent of the true Church specially of such as haue beene the Restorers of the gospell in this last age This rule Paul giues Timothie to continue in the things which he had learned of Paul and the rest
kingdome of the Messias was an earthly kingdome and with this opinion the Disciples of Christ were tain â—ed IV. They held that the keeping of the morall lawe stood in externall obedience as appeares by the speeches of Christ reforming their errours Math. 5. 6. 7. chap. V. They maintained a naturall freedome of the will in the obseruing of the law Luk. 18. Lord I thanke thee saith the Pharisie I doe thus thus VI. They held a iustification by the workes of the lawe without the obedience of the Messias Rom. 9. 3. VII Beside the written word and law of Moses they had many vnwritten traditions which they obserued precisely and the obseruation of them was accounted the worship of God Math. 15. 3. 9. Other points they held but these are the principall It may further be demaunded how the Iewes could hold such hereticall damnable opinions and yet be the people of God Answer They had for their parts forsaken God but God had not forsaken them because the Temple was yet standing and the sacrifices with the outward worship yet remained among them In this regard they were still a reputed people of God Againe they are called a people of God not of the bigger but of the better part and the better part was a small remnant of them that truely feared God and beleeued in the Messias Of which sort were Ioseph Marie Zacharie Elizabeth Simeon Anna Ioseph of Arimathia Nicodemus Againe it may be demanded howe the Iewes beeing such a people of God should fall away to so daÌ„nable a religion Answer They neither loued nor obeyed the doctrine of Moses and the Prophets and therefore God in iudgment left them to the blindenesse of their owne mindes and the hardnesse of their own hearts Isai. 6. The like may be our case If we loue and obey not the Gospel more then we haue done our religion may ende in ignorance superstition and prophanenesse as theirs hath done The second thing in Pauls example is his conuersation whereby he liued and conuersed according to his religion The like should be in vs. For the profession of the faith and godly conuersation are to goe together Phil. 1. 27. Faith in the hart is a light and workes are the shining of this light Math. 5. 16. Christ hath redeemed them that beleeue from their vaine conuersation 1. Pet. 1. 18. Heere many of vs doe amisse disioyning faith and good life And this fault is the greater because it is an occasion to our aduersaries to mislike and reiect our religion Pauls conuersation hath two partes his persequution of the church and his profiting in his religion Persequution properly is the afflicting of the people of god for their faith and religion In this we are not to follow Paul but to doe the contrary that is by all meanes to seeke the good of the church After Gods glory immediatly we are to seeke the comming and aduancement of the kingdome of God Now this kingdome is a certen estate and condition of men whereby they stand subiect to the word and spirit of God And this subiection to God and Christ is the propertie of them that be members of the church of God All both rich and poore conferred something according to their abilitie to the building of the Temple which figured the church of God The fault of our times is that we build our selues and our worldly estates and little respect the common good of the church In the persequution of the church by Paul two pointes are to be considered the manner and measure or accomplishment The manner is that he persequuted the church extreamely or aboue measure That which Paul did in his religioÌ„ we must doe in ours The good things that we are to doe we must doe them with all our might Eccles. 9. 10. our dutie is to keepe our hartes in the feare of God and we must doe it with all diligence Prou. 4. 24. It is our duty to seeke gods kingdome and we must take it with violence To enter into life is our duty and we must striue to enter To pray is our duty and we must wrastle in praier Rom. 15. 30. Iosias turnes to God with all his harte The law requires that we should loue God with all the powers of body and soule and with all the strengh of all the powers In earthly things we must moderate our thoughtes cares but spirituall duties must be performed with all our might The accomplishment of persequution is that Paul wasted the church and made hauocke of it Here I consider 2. points what is wasted who is the waster For the first it is the church Here 2. questioÌ„s may be demaÌ„ded the firist is how the church can be wasted Answer In respect of the inward estate thereof which standes in election faith iustification glorification it cannot be wasted In respect of his outward estate it may be wasted that is in respect of mens bodies and in regard of the publike assemblies and the exercises of religion The second question is why God suffers his enemies to wast his owne church Answer Iudgement beginnes in Gods house and his iudgements sometime are very sharpe whether they be inflicted for triall or correction of sinnes past or for the preuenting of sinnes to come As in the bodie sometime there is no hope of life except armes and legges be cut off euen so is it in the church Hence it appeares that there shall be a last iudgement and that there is a life euerlasting in heauen because the wicked man florisheth in this world and the godly are often oppressed The waster of the church is Paul By whome we learne that sinne where it takes place giues a man no rest till it hath brought him to a height of wickednes Hatred hauing entred into Caines heart leaues him not till it haue caused him to imbrue his hands in his brothers bloud Coueteousnes makes Iudas at length to betray his master and hange himselfe Blind zeale makes Paul not only to persequute but also to wast the church Therefore it is good to auoide the first beginnings yea the very occasion of sinne The second part and point in Pauls conuersion is that he profittes in his religion Thus should we profit in the gospell of Christ. It is gods commandement be ye perfect as your heauenly father is perfect that is indeuour to come to perfection All the faith we haue or can obtaine is little enough in the time of temptation Iob that said in his affliction though the Lord kill mee I will still trust in him saith also that God wrot bitter things against him and made him to possesse the sinnes of his youth It is a token that a man is dead in his sinnes when he doth not growe or increase in good things 1. Pet. 2. 2. In this regard great is the fault of our daies for many are wearie of the gospell many stand at a staie without profiting many goe backward The cause
God are imperfect in this life and therefore they are ioyned with many frailties and actions of faith are mixed with sundrie defects and sinnes Now then we are to be exhorted to make a conscience of lying and to speake the trueth from our hearts And there be many reasons to induce vs to the practise of this dutie First it is Gods commandement Iam. 3. 14. Secondly lying is a conformitie to the deuill and by truth we are made conformable to God who is truth it selfe Thirdly we are sanctified by the word of truth Ioh. 17. 17. and guided by the spirit of truth and therefore we are to detest lying and deceit Fourthly truth is a fruit of Gods spirit Gal. 5. and a marke of Gods child Psal. 32. v. 2. he hath the pardon of his sinnes in whose spirit there is no guile and Psal. 15. 2. he shall rest in the mountaine of God who speakes the truth from his heart Lastly destruction is the lyers reward Psal. 5. 6. God will destroy them that speake lies and they must haue their portion in the lake that burnes with fire and brimstone Reuel 22. 15 Thus much of the answer to the obiection now followes the confirmation by oath before God Here it may be demanded how these words can be a forme of swearing Ans. In an oath there be foure things The first is an Asseveration of the truth The second is Cenfession whereby the partie that is to sweare acknowledgeth the power presence and wisdome of God in searching the heart and that he is both witnes iudge of all our doings The third is Invocation of God that he would be a witnesse with vs and to vs that we speake the truth The last is Imprecation that God would be a iudge to take reuenge vpon vs if we lie Now then the forme of an oath is a certen forme of wordes in which not all but some of the principall parts of an oath are expressed and the rest concealed and yet to be vnderstood Ierem. 4. 2. there is the forme of an oath The Lord liueth and here onely confession is expressed The forme of swearing I call God to witnesse to my soule 2. Cor. 1. 23. expresseth the third part namely inuocation The words Ruth 2. 17. The Lord doe thus and thus vnto me is an Imprecation The common forme The Lord thee helpe through Iesus Christ is partly praier and partly imprecation And the forme in this place is directly a confession that God is present to witnes and iudge the truth Thus commonly in all formes of oaths one part is expressed and the rest are infolded Here first we learne that the forme of an oath is to be plaine and direct in the name of God and not indirect or oblique in the name of the creatures Gods name concealed And it is the flat commandement of God Math. 5. 34. It is alleadged that Paul 1. Cor. 15. 31. sweares by his reioycing in Christ. I answer the words of Paul by my reioycing are not an oath but an obtestation for the meaning of his wordes is this that his sorrowes and afflictions which he indured for Christ would testifie if they could speake that he died daily Thus Moses called heauen and earth to witnes without swearing for in an oath the thing by which he sweares is made not onely witnes but also iudge Neuerthelesse it is not vnlawfull to name the creatures in the forme of an oath if they be considered as pledges presented vnto God that he should punish vs in them if we lie Thus Paul sweareth I call God to witnes to or vpon my soule Here they are to be blamed whose common fwearing is by the creatures as by their faith by their troth by the Masse Marie by this bread by this drinke c. Secondly here we learne to vse an oath onely in the case of extremitie namely when a necessarie truth is to be confirmed whē this cannot be don by any reason or proofe to be foūd among men vpon earth then may we flie vnto heauen for proofe and make God our witnes Thus Paul confirmes his owne calling when all other proofes failed And it must further be obserued that in extremities he vseth an oath but seldome This seemes to condemne their wickednes that crie at euery word in their common talke before God before God Thirdly before we sweare we are to vse great meditation consideration and preparation and therefore Paul in swearing vseth a word of attention and saith Behold I speake it before God This condemnes the rash and customable swearing of men in their common talke who also in that they commonly and rashly sweare commonly forsweare themselues In that Paul confirmes his writings by oath it appeares that they are of God For if he had sworne falsly God would haue taken reuenge vpon him and his writings before this which he hath not done Whereas Paul saith Before God I speake it he teacheth vs after his owne example to bring our selues into the presence of God to walke before him as Enoch did Gen. 5. 22. and as Abraham was commanded Gen. 17. 1. and to doe whatsoeuer we doe as in the sight and presence of God and to be afraid to sinne because of his presence This is the true feare of God and this is the right practise of religion 21 After that I went into the coasts of Syria and Cilicia and I was vnknowne by face to the Churches of Iudea which were in Christ. 22. But they had heard onely some say He which persequuted vs in times past now preacheth the faith which before he destroied 23 And they glorified God in me Here Paul answers an other obiection which may be framed thus Though Paul learned not the Gospel of the Apostles at Ierusalem yet might he happily learne it of them in other Churches of Iudea To this Paul answers three things The first is that he went from Ierusalem into Syria and Cilicia The second that he was not knowne in person to the Churches of Iudea but onely by hearsay and he sets downe the report that went of him The third is that the Churches of Iudea did not disgrace and slander him but they glorified God for him Of these in order For the first that Paul went from Ierusalem straight into Syria and Cilicia the regions of the Gentiles there be two causes One because Paul was ordained specially to be the Apostle of the Gentiles Act. 9. 15. Rom. 15. 16. The second because Cilicia was his owne countrey for he was borne in Tarsus a towne in Cilicia and his loue to his countrey no doubt was great For in the like case he could haue wished himselfe to be accursed for his countrimen the Iewes From this first answer I gather two things First if any Apostle aboue the rest be the Pastour and vniuersall Bishop of the Church ouer the whole world it is Paul and not Peter because he specially was ordained to teach and conuert the nations The second is
bondage 5 To whome we gaue not place by subiection for an houre that the truth of the Gospel might continue with you Paul had said before that Titus was not compelled to be circumcised now he addes For all the false brethren that is though the false brethren did what they could to the contrarie Here then Paul sets downe who were the cause that Titus was not circumcised namely certaine persons at Ierusalem and them he sets forth by two properties they are false brethren and they crept into the Church Touching the first by it we learne that the Church of God vpon earth euen when it is at the best hath wicked men and hypocrites in it In Adams family there is Cain in the Arke there is Cham in Christs family or schoole there is Iudas In the Church of Ierusalem planted and gouerned by the chiefe Apostles there be false brethren The true sheepe be often without and wolues within Therefore we may not so much as dreame of a perfection of the Church of God vpon earth so long as wicked men be mixed with true beleeuers Againe these aduersaries of Paul are called false brethren because they ioyned Circumcision with Christ as a necessarie cause of iustification and saluation Hence it followes that the Church of Rome is a false Church because it ioynes workes with Christ in the case of our iustification and that as meritorious causes Their second propertie is that they crept into the Church which I conceiue on this manner The Church of God is as a sheepefold or house Ioh. 10. 1. Christ is the onely dore Now Pastours that teach Christ aright are saide to enter in by this dore they which teach any other way of saluation are said to clime in an other way and they which teach Christ ioyning some other thing with him in the cause of saluation are said to Creepe in because in appearance they maintaine Christ and yet because they adde something to Christ they neither enter nor continue in the true Church with any good warrant from God In this they are like the serpent Liuing creatures were all placed in Eden and Man was placed in the garden of Eden called Paradise and so were not beasts How then comes the serpent in why in all likelihood it crept in And so doe false brethren into the Church Hence I gather that false brethren are not true and liuely members of the visible Church though they be members in appearance For if they were in their right place they should not be said to creepe in The true members of the Church creepe not into the mysticall bodie but are built and set vpon the foundation by God It may be alleadged that they are baptised and thereby made members of the Church I answer that faith makes vs members of Christ and consequently of the true Church and baptisme doth but seale our insition into Christ and serues as a meanes of Admission into the outward societie of the congregation and the outward washing doth not make any man a member of Christ. Againe it followes hence that false brethren are not members of the Catholike church For the visible church is part of the Catholike and therefore they which are not reall members of the true visible church are not members of the Catholike Againe in that false brethren creepe into the congregation hence it appeares that no man can set downe the precise time when errours had their beginning For the authors thereof enter in secretly not obserued of men The enuious man sowes his tares when men be asleepe Math. 13. It sufficeth therefore if we can shew them to be errours by the word though we cannot designe the set time when they began The time when a shippe sinketh we often obserue but the time when it first drew water we doe not Let the Papists thinke vpon this Paul hauing thus declared who were the causes that Titus was not circumcised goes on and shewes how they were causes The effect and summe of his declaration is this They vrged the obseruation of the Ceremoniall law as necessarie and hereupon we resused to circumcise Titus First therefore Paul sets downe how they vrged circumcision and that by three degrees First they come in priuily Secondly they spie out their libertie Thirdly they labour to bring them into bondage Againe Paul sets downe the manner of their refusall in three things We gaue not place for an houre We gaue not place by subiection We gaue no place that the truth of the Gospel might continue with you The first degree or steppe in their vrging of circumcision was that They came in priuily that is they ioyned themselues in fellowship with the Apostles in shew pretended the furtherance of the Gospel yet indeed meant nothing lesse though their fraud wickednes was not perceiued Here then the foūdation they lay of all their naughtie dealing is their dissēbling which Paul here notes condemns On the contrarie our dutie is to be indeed that which we professe our selues to be to professe no more outwardly then we are inwardly and to approue our hearts to god for that which we professe before mē The second steppe or degree is that they spie out the libertie vvhich Paul and the rest had by Christ that is they conferre with the Apostles and inquire of them what libertie they haue by Christ in respect of the Ceremoniall lawe of God and this they doe not of a minde desirous to learne but for aduantage sake There be two kinds of spying one lawefull the other vnlawefull Lawefull as when in iust and lawefull warre we inquire into the counsells and doings of our enemtes Numb 13. 1. Vnlawefull when men prie into any thing or matter to finde a fault Thus hypocrites spie faults in the persons and liues of men that they may haue somwhat whereby to disgrace them Math. 7. 4. Thus Atheists prie into the scriptures that they may confute them Thus sundrie hearers come to sermōs that they may carpe Thus our enemies inquire into our religion that they may finde as they suppose exceptions vntruthes and contradictions And in the Church of Ierusalem false brethren inquire how farre Christian liberty extends that they may ouerthrow it This kind of spying is a common fault we must take heede of it and apply the eie of our minde to a better vse First we are to be spies in respect of our owne sinnes and corruptions to spie them out Lam. 3. 40. Let us search our waies and inquire and turne againe to the Lord. Again we are to plaie the spies in respect of our spirituall enemies that we may finde out the temptations of the flesh the world and the deuill Thirdly we must be as spies in searching of the Scriptures Ioh. 5. 39. that we may vnderstand the words of the lawe of God and find comfort to our soules The third and last degree of vrging is that the false brethren seeke to bring the Apostles in bondage
where it is said that he ministred to the Saints at Ierusalem and withall that he gaue himselfe no rest in this dutie till he had sealed this fruit vnto them that is till he saw it done according to his desire His example must be followed of vs. It is not enough for vs to giue good words and to wish well but we must in our places and callings doe our endeauour that releefe may euen be sealed to our poore And there be many reasons to mooue vs. First let vs consider that the charge was very great to maintaine the altar of the Lord in the old Testament with sheepe and oxen and offerings of all kinds and now in the new Testament the poore come in the roome of the Altar Secondly the poore represent the person of Christ and in them he comes vnto vs and saith J am hungrie I am sicke I am naked I am harbourlesse therfore looke what we would doe to Christ the same must we doe to them Thirdly the poore haue title and interest to part of our goods for God is the Lord of them and we are but stewards to dispose and vse them according to his appointment And his will is that part of our goods be giuen for the releefe of the poore If this be not done we are theeues in respect of the goods we possesse Lastly mercie or the bowels of compassion in vs is a pledge or an impression of the mercie that is in God towards vs and by it we may knowe or feele in our selues that mercie belongs vnto vs. Thus we see what is our dutie nowe let vs consider what is our fault Not to blame any person or persons it is our common fault that we are backeward and slacke in this dutie And the cause is that we doe not heartily giue our selues to Christ and this makes vs to be so slacke in giuing our goods to the poore 2. Cor. 9. 5. Againe we commonly liue as it were without a law We doe not with Dauid set the laws of God before vs Psal. 119. v. 168. Neither doe we apply our hearts to his statutes v. 112. For then would we with Dauid make haste to keepe the commandements of God v. 60. Specially this great commandement of releefe and the rather because the obseruing of it is the inriching of vs all Lastly let vs marke that Paul beeing warned of the Apostles was diligent to doe that whereof he was warned The like must we doe It is not sufficient to heare but beside this there must be in vs a care and diligence to doe and practise that which we heare For this is to build vpon the rocke And it is a common fault to heare much and doe little Ezech. 33. 24. v. 11. And when Peter was come to Antioch I withstood him to his face for he was to be blamed In these words Paul propounds the second answer which he makes to the obiection mentioned in the beginning of the chap. to this effect Though the church glorifie God for thee yet wil not the Apostles do it because thou art contrary to thē Here Paul answers that there was indeed a dissention between him and Peter when he withstood Peter to his face at Antioch but the fault was not his but Peters who was wholly to be blamed For the better vnderstanding of these words three points are to be handled The first is who was resisted The answer is Peter the Apostle For the intent of this chapter is to shewe what agreement there was betweene Paul and the rest of the Apostles And there was no Apostle of this name but one Therefore they among the Auncient are greatly deceiued who thinke that the Apostle Peter was not reprooued but some other of that name The second point is who resisted Answer Paul and that not for shewe and fashion but in truth and good earnest And this appeares because in the words following he sets downe a waightie and vrgent cause of his reproofe Therefore Ierom and others are deceiued who thinke that Paul reprooued Peter in shewe and appearance and not in good earnest The third point is what was Pauls minde and meaning in resisting of Peter Answer To doe his office The kingdom of God and all things pertaining thereto must haue free passage without resistance The second petition is Thy kingdome come Iohn the baptist preached thus Prepare the way of the Lord and make his paths straight Mar. 1. Saint Paul saith Praie that the word of God may haue free passage and be glorified 2. Thess. 3. 1. Contrariwise such things as hinder the kingdom of God must be withstood Therefore Peter saith Resist your aduersarie the deuill strong in faith 1. Pet. 5. 9. And thus men that are instruments of euill are to be withstood And here Paul by an holy reproofe withstands Peter for his bad example In Paul here first we may behold an example of true vertue in that he resists euill to the vttermost of his power following his owne rule Abhorre that which is euill and cleaue vnto that which is good Rom. 12. 9. Haue no fellowship with the vnfruitfull workes of darkenes but rather reprooue them Eph. 5. 11. In like manner must euery one of vs resist euill first in himselfe and then in them that appertaine to him Therefore Paul saith to all Put on the armour of God that ye may resist Eph. 6. 13. Here 2 things may be demāded first what must we resist Paul answers again Principalities and powers and spirituall wickednesses that is the deuill and all his angels It may be said we haue no dealing with them for they vse not to appeare vnto vs. Ans. That the deuill comes not vnto vs visibly but in the persons of euill men and in the badde examples of all men This made Christ say to Peter Math. 16. 23. Come behind me Satan for thou art an offence vnto me when Peter would haue disswaded him from going to Ierusalem Again it may be said In what things must we resist them Paul answereth In heauenly things v. 12. that is in things which pertaine to Gods kingdome and concerne either the saluation of our soules or the worship of God For the deuill seeketh by all manner of euils to hinder these good things Moreouer this dutie of resisting euill is so necessarie that we must resist sinne if neede be to the very shedding of our blood Heb. 12. 4. Againe we haue in Paul an example of bouldnes and libertie in reproouing of sinne This was a thing commanded to the Prophets and Apostles Isai 58. 1. Crie and spare not lift vp thy voice like a trumpet shew my people their transgression Ierem. 1. 17. Trusse vp thy loines arise and speake vnto them all that I commaund thee be not afraid of their faces left I destroy thee before them Like libertie may the ministers of the word vse obseruing Pauls rule 2. Tim. 1. 7. God hath not giuen vs the spirit of feare but of power and
the law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if not by faith that is except faith goe withall then if faith be ioyned with workes say they workes iustifie I answer that this manner of translation corrupteth the text For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must here be translated but as appeares by the wordes following We haue beleeued in Christ that we might be iustified by faith in Christ without the workes of the law We cannot doe more in the curing of our spirituall diseases then in the curing of the diseases of our bodie of which Christ saith Onely beleeue Mark 5. 36. When Abraham abounded both in faith and works Rom. 4. it is said that he was iustified by faith without workes This doctrine is of great vse First we learne hence that a man is iustified by the meere mercie of God and that there is excluded from iustification all Merit of congruitie all meritorious workes of preparation wrought by vs all Cooperation of mans will with Gods grace in the effecting of our iustification Secondly we learne that a man is iustified by the meere merit of Christ that is by the meritorious obedience which he wrought in himselfe and not by any thing wrought by him in vs. Here then our merits and satisfactions and all inward iustice is excluded from the iustification of a sinner To this end Paul saith that we are iustified freely by the redemption that is in Christ Rom. 3. 24. that we are made the iustice of God in him and not in vs. 2. Cor. 5. 21. that he gaue himselfe to deliuer vs Gal. 1. 4. that he hath purged our sinnes by himselfe Heb. 1. 3. and not by any thing in vs. Hence it appeares that the Papists erre and are deceiued when they teach that Christ did merit that we might merit and satisfie for our selues for then we should not be iustified by our faith alone Thirdly hence we learne that a sinner is iustified by meere faith that is that nothing within vs concurres as a cause of our iustification but faith and that nothing apprehends Christs obedience for our iustification but faith This will more easily appeare if we compare faith hope and loue Faith is like an hand that opens it selfe to receiue a gift and so is neither loue nor hope Loue is also an hand but yet an hand that giues out communicates and distributes For as faith receiues Christ into our hearts so loue opens the heart and powers out praise and thanks to God and all manner of goodnes to men Hope is no hand but an eye that wishly looketh and waiteth for the good things which faith beleeueth Therefore it is the onely propertie of faith to claspe and lay hold of Christ and his benefits It is obiected that true faith is neuer alone I answer thus Faith is neuer alone in the person iustified nor in godly conuersation but is ioyned with all other vertues Yet in the act and office of iustification it is alone The eye in the bodie is not alone beeing ioyned with all other parts hand foote c. neuerthelesse the eye in seeing is alone For no part of the bodie seeth but the eye Secondly it may be obiected that beeing iustified by faith alone we are saued by faith alone and so may liue as we list I answer faith must be considered as an Instrument or as a way If it be considered as an instrument to apprehend Christ to our saluation we are onely saued by faith on this manner Yet if faith be considered as a way we are not onely saued by faith For all other vertues and workes are the way to life as well as faith though they be not causes of saluation Thirdly it is obiected that not onely faith but also the sacraments serue to applie Christ I answer they are saide to applie in that they serue to confirme faith whole office is to applie And here let vs take notice of the errour of the Papists who teach that our satisfactions serue to applie the satisfaction of Christ and the sacrifice of the Masse to applie the sacrifice of Christ vpon the crosse whereas nothing indeede applies but faith In the sixt place we are to consider the kindes of iustification The Papists make two one when a man of an euill man is made a good man the second when a good man is made better and this they say is by workes But it is false which they teach For the Iewes which were borne an holy and peculiar people to God by meanes of the couenant were iustified as Paul here saith by faith without workes Againe he saith that the very ende of our beleeuing is that we may be iustified by faith without workes Therefore there is one onely iustification and no more and that by faith without workes The seuenth point is the ground of this doctrine of iustification by faith without workes And it is laid downe in the end of the 16. verse No flesh shall be iustified by the workes of the law And this ground is taken as I suppose from Psalme 143. v. 2. It may be alleadged that Dauid saith thus No flesh shall be iustified in thy sight and that the other words by the workes of the law are not expressed I answer that the Apostles and Christ in citing places of the old Testament applie them and expound them and hereupon sometime adde words without adding to the sense Moses saith Him shalt thou serue Deut. 6. 16. Christ alleadging the same wordes saith Him onely shalt thou serue Math. 4. 10. Dauid saith Sacrifice and burnt offering thou wouldest not but mine eares hast thou pearced Psal. 40. 7. the author to the Hebrewes citing this text saith Sacrifice and burnt offering thou wouldest not but a bodie hast thou fitted me Heb. 10. 5. And thus the pearcing of the eare is explaned For indeede it signifies to be made obedient and to this ende was a bodie giuen to Christ that he might obey his fathers will The eight and last point is the practise of them that are iustified and that is to beleeue or put their trust in Christ. Trust in the Lord saith the Prophet and ye shal be assured 2. Chron. 20. 20. And Salomon saith Roll your care on the Lord Prou. 16. 2. By meanes of this faith the heart of the righteous is fixed and stablished Psal. 117. 7 8. For the better practise of this dutie two rules must be remembred The one is that faith and the practise thereof must raigne in the heart and haue all at command We must not goe by sense feeling reason but we must shut our eyes and let faith keepe our hearts close to the promise of God Nay faith must ouerrule nature and command nature and the strongest affections thereof Thus Abraham beleeued against hope and by faith was content to offer his naturall and onely begotten sonne Hebr. 11. If faith ouerrule nature then much more must it haue all the lusts and corruptions of nature at command The second rule is
goe together For good counsell beats downe wickednes and bad example sets it vp againe Thus beleeuers in Christ are great offenders when reformed religion and vnreformed life are ioyned together as often they are For then vnreformed life builds the kingdome of sinne which Christ hath destroied Further we are here taught to be constant in that which is good Tit. 1. 9. and to hold fast the Gospel which we professe We haue put vnder foote the Popish religion for this many yeares our dutie is to be constant herein and no way to build either in word or deede that which we haue to the vttermost of our power destroied 19 For I through the law am dead to the law that I may liue vnto God In these words Paul sets downe a second reason to prooue Christ to be no minister of sinne in abolishing the iustice of the law And the reason is framed thus We Iewes iustified by Christ are dead to the law not to liue as we list but to liue to the honour of God Therefore Christ in taking away the iustice of the law is not the minister of sinne Here three points are propounded the first is that the person iustified is dead to the law the second that he is dead to the law by the law the third that he is dead that he may liue vnto God For the better vnderstanding of the first point we must seach what is meant by dying to the law Here the law is compared to an hard and cruell master and we to slaues or bondmen who so long as they are aliue they are vnder the dominion and at the command of their masters yet when they are dead they are free from that bondage and their masters haue no more to doe with them Here then to be dead to the law is to be free from the dominion of the law And we are free in foure respects First in respect of the accusing and damnatorie sentence of the law Rom. 8. 1. Secondly in respect of the power of the law whereby as an occasion it prouoketh and stirreth vp the corruption of the heart in the vnregenerate Rom. 7. 8. Thirdly in respect of the Rigour of the law whereby it exacteth most perfect obedience for our iustification Thus Paul here saith that he is dead to the law Lastly in respect of the obligation of the conscience to the obseruation of Ceremonies Col. 2. 20. Thus are all persons iustified by the faith of Christ free from the law Hence we learne that the Papists erre and are deceiued when they teach that the Law and the Gospel are one for substance of doctrine For then they which are iustified by Christ should not onely be dead to the law but also to the Gospel Now the Scripture saith not that persons iustified are dead to the Gospel They erre againe in that they teach that persons iustified by the merit of the death of Christ are further to be iustified by the workes of the law For he that is iustified by Christ is dead to the law but if we be iustified by workes then are we by Christ made aliue to the law Thirdly here we see how long the dominion of the law continueth and when it endeth The law raignes ouer all men without exception till they be iustified When they once beginne to beleeue in Christ and to amend their liues then the dominion of the law ceaseth and they then are no more vnder the law but vnder grace Here all such persons as liue in the securitie and hardnes of their hearts are to be admonished to repent of their sinnes and to beginne to turne vnto God For they must know that they liue vnder a most hard and cruell master that will doe nothing but accuse terrifie condemne them and cause them to runne headlong to vtter desperation And if they die beeing vnder the law they must looke for nothing but death and destruction without mercie For the law is merâ—ilesse This consideration serueth notably to awake them that are dead in their sinnes Againe all such as with true and honest hearts haue begunne to repent and beleeue let them be of good comfort For they are not vnder the dominion of the law but they are dead to the law and vnder grace hauing a Lord who is also their mercifull Sauiour who will giue them protection against the terrours of the law and spare them as a father spares his child that serues him and not breake them though they be but as weake and bruised reedes and as smoaking flaxe The second point is touching the meanes of our death to the law and that is the Law Here some by the law vnderstand the law of faith that is the Gospel Rom. 3. 27. And they make this to be the meaning of the words By the law of Christ that is by the Gospel I am dead to the Law of Moses But this sense though it be a truth yet will it not stand in this place For it is the question whether by the gospel we be freed from the law Now Paul a learned disputer would not bring the question to prooue it selfe Therefore I take the true meaning of the words to be this By the law of Moses I am dead to the law of Moses It may be demanded how this can be considering the law is the cause of no good thing in vs For it is the ministerie of death and condemnation 2. Cor. 8. 7. 9. Againe that which the law cannot reueale it cannot worke but the law neither can nor doth reueale faith in Christ the death to the law nor repentance c. therefore the law is no cause to worke them It may peraduenture be said that the law workes repentance and sorrow for sinne I answer there is a double Repentance One Legall the other Euangelicall Legall is when men haue a sight of their sinnes and withall are grieued for the punishment thereof This repentance is wrought by the ministerie of the law it was in Iudas and it is no grace of God but of it selfe it is the way to hell Euangelicall Repentance is when beeing turned by grace we turne our selues to God This repentance is a gift of grace and is not wrought by the law but by the ministerie of the Gospel Again there is a Legall sorrow which is a sorrow for sinne in respect of the punishment this is no grace and it is wrought by the law Euangelicall sorrow is sorrow for sinne because it is sinne This indeede is a grace of God but it is not wrought by the law but by the preaching of mercy and reconciliation and it followes in vs vpon the apprehension of Gods mercie by faith The law then beeing the cause of no good thing in vs it may be demanded I say how we should be dead to the law by the law Ans. Though the law be not a cause of this death to the law and so to sinne yet it is an occasion thereof For it accuseth and
euerlasting life To proceede further the delusion or bewitching of the Galatians is set forth by two arguments The first is the ende in these words that ye should not obey the truth Before I come to the consideration of these words a doubt must be resolued For some man may say that this Epistle is corrupted because these words are wanting in sundrie translations and editions of the Bible and Ierome saith that they were not found in the copies of the bible in his daies Ans. In the Editions and translations of the bible there are sundrie differences and diuersities of readings and these differences are not the fault of the Scripture but of the men which vsed to write out the bible for the bible heretofore was spread abroad not by printing but by writing Againe though in the bookes of the bible there be sundrie varieties of reading yet the prouidence of God hath so watched ouer the Bible that the sense thereof remaineth intire sound and incorrupt specially in the grounds of religion And not the words principally but the sense is the Scripture And that which I say appeareth in this text for whether these words be left in or put out the sense of the verse is one and the same These words that ye should not obey the truth are meant of the obedience of faith Rom. 1. 5 and 16. 28. And the obedience of faith is propounded vnto vs without adding detracting or changing And this the Galatians did not for they added iustification by workes to the doctrine of Paul touching iustification by faith alone by which addition they depraued the truth and shewed that indeede they beleeued not the truth Here let vs obserue the scope of all the malice of the deuill and that is to hinder or ouerthrow our faith The first thing the deuill aimed at in our first parents was to ouerthrow their faith and to cause them to doubt of the truth of Gods word The first temptation wherewith our Sauiour Christ was assaulted was against his faith as he was man If thou be the sonne of God thou canst cause these stones in thy hunger to be made bread but thou canst not cause these stones to be made bread therefore thou art not the child of God The deuill desired to sift out all the faith of the Apostles and to leaue in them nothing but the chaffe of vnbeleefe Luk. 22. The deuill blindes the eyes of men that the light of the Gospel of Iesus Christ may not shine vnto them 2. Cor. 4. 4. This must teach vs that we must not onely hold and know the true religion for the time but also build our selues vpon our faith Iud. v. 20. and be rooted and stablished vpon our faith and religion Col. 1. 23. and the rather because it hath bin the manner of this nation wickedly to change religion with the times And that we may indeede be rooted vpon our religion we must not boast of the greatnes and strength of our faith but rather labour to see in our selues a sea of vnbeleefe heartily to bewaile it and to striue to beleeue and so to goe on from faith to faith The truth here mentioned is the heauenly doctrine of the Gospel so called for two causes First because it is an absolute truth without errour It is a principle not to be called in question that the Apostles and Prophets in writing and preaching could not erre It may be said they were men as we are and therefore subiect to erre and be deceiued in iudgement Ans. Iudgement is twofold One conceiued by the discourse of naturall reason the other conceiued by the apprehension of things reuealed by God In the first the Apostles and Prophets might erre and be deceiued as Nathan and Peter were In the second they could not because it was framed in them by the inspiration and instinct of the holy Ghost And therefore they neuer erred either in preaching or writing The second cause why the Gospel is called the truth is because it is a most worthie truth namely the truth which is according to godlines Tit. 1. It may be said what is the truth and how shall we know it considering there be so many dissentions Ans. First make thy selfe fit to know and then shalt thou know the truth And thou shalt be fitted to know the truth if thou first of all giue thy selfe to obey it Read the golden text Ioh. 7. v. 17. Obey and ye shall know The second thing whereby the delusion of the Galatians is expressed is the signe thereof in these words to whome Iesus Christ was described c. that is to whome I haue preached the doctrine of saluation by Christ in liuely and euident manner euen as if Christ had bin painted before your eyes and had bin crucified in or among you And this is a manifest token that the Galatians were deluded because they could not acknowledge the truth whē it was set forth vnto them as it were in orient colours And where Paul saith that Christ was before described I referre it to the time before their reuolt Here first we are to obserue the properties of the Ministerie of the word The first that it must be plaine perspicuous and euident as if the doctrine were pictured and painted out before the eyes of men Therefore the Church of Rome deales wickedly in keeping the Scriptures in an vnknowne tongue For this is to couer that from the people which is to be painted before the eyes of their minds Againe that kind of preaching is to be blamed in which there is vsed a mixed kind of varietie of languages before the vnlearned For this is a signe to vnbeleeuers 1. Cor. 14. 22. And in this kind of preaching we doe not paint Christ but we paint out our owne selues It is a by-word among vs It was a very plaine sermon And I say againe the plainer the better The second propertie of the Ministerie of the word is that it must be powerfull and liuely in operation and as it were crucifying Christ within vs and causing vs to feele the vertue of his passion The word preached must pearce into the heart like a two edged sword Hebr. 4. 12. true prophecie iudgeth men discouereth the things of the heart and causeth men to to say The Lord is within you 1. Cor. 14. 25. The scepter of Christ whereby he smiteth the nations is in his mouth Isa. 11. 4. that is in the Ministerie of the word Ier. 15. 19. And it is the same Ministerie which shaketh heauen and earth Agg. 2. 5. By this it appeaeeth that to take a text and to make a discourse vpon something in the said text shewing much inuention of wit and much reading and humane learning is not to preach Christ in a liuely manner It will be said what then I answer with Paul who is sufficient either for the speaking or doing of these things yet something may be shewed Know therefore that the effectuall and powerful preaching of
the multitude among vs place their religion in comming to the Church in outward hearing in receiuing the sacrament in some kind of formall praying These things may not be condemned but the power and life of religion lies not in these things Wherefore we must not stand vpon outward painted shewes but looke what thou art betweene God and thy selfe that onely art thou in religion Thou praiest in the church but thou maist deceiue the world in this Tell me dost thou pray at home dost thou pray in thine owne heart vnto God by the spirit of praier then thou praiest indeede If thou canst approoue thy heart vnto God for any act of religion then is it done indeede els not Remember this Furthermore Paul here teacheth that our after proceedings in religion must be answerable to our first beginnings in the spirit And hence we may be aduertised of many things First here we must take notice of the follie of Popish religion For it beginnes in Gods mercie and the merit of Christ and it ends in our merits and satisfactions Secondly we must take notice of the common sinne of our times For in the practise of our religion we are deceiued We are not now that which we haue bin twentie or thirtie yeares agoe For now we see the world abounds with Atheists Epicures libertines worldlings newters that are of no religion and sundrie that haue heretofore shewed some forwardnes beginne to faulter and stagger and to looke an other way This is not to begin and ende in the spirit but to end in the flesh We are betime to amend this fault least if our former zeale be turned to present lukewarmes God in in his anger spue vs out Yong men must here be aduertised as they grow in yeares and stature so to grow vp in good things that both the first beginning and the after proceedings may be in the spirit Thus did Christ increase in grace as he increased in stature Lastly aged persons that haue begunne in the spirit must looke that they grow vp in the graces of the spirit more then others that they may end in the spirit It is said of the angel of Thiatira that his loue seruice and workes were moe at the last then at the first Reu. 2. 19. the same should be saide of all aged persons They which are planted in the house of God bring forth fruit in their old age Psal. 91. 16. It is the commendation of the old man that by reason of his manifold experience he knowes the father more then others 1. Ioh. 2. 14. It is the praise of Anna that shee continually serued God in fasting and praier beeing 80. yeares old When the outward man decaies the inward man should be renewed I speake all this the rather because aged persons are much wanting in this dutie For none commonly are so ignorant in the things of God as they they begin in the spirit but the affections of their hearts vsually end in the loue of this present world But they must be warned that as they goe before others in age so must they also exceede in the graces of the spirit We vse to say of children God make them good old men and it is well said An old man is to be regarded but specially a Good old man who is more to be respected then twentie of younger yeares Now aged persons when they grow in age and not in the spirit they loose their honour for age is a crowne of glorie when it is found in the way of righteousnes Prov. 16. 31. Let them therefore pray with Dauid Forsake me not O Lord in mine old age Psal. 71. 9. 4. Haue ye suffered so many things in vaine if so be it be euen in vaine The interrogation haue ye is as much as ye haue Because the question in this place counteruailes a speech affirmatiue And the wordes carrie this sense Ye haue professed the Gospel and ye haue suffered many afflictions for the same but now haue ye reuolted from the Gospel and therefore all your former sufferings are void or in vaine The words if they be in vaine are a limitation or qualification of that which was saide before and they carrie this sense Whereas I haue said that your sufferings are in vaine I speake it not simply but with some hope of your repentance which if it be then that which would be in vaine shall not be in vaine In this verse Paul sets downe a second reason to prooue the proposition of his first argument on this manner If ye receiued the spirit by my doctrine then is my doctrine true and ye fooles in reuolting from it For by this meanes the things which you suffered well ye now suffer in vaine The vse When Paul saith Haue ye suffered c. he signifies vnto vs the estate and condition of all beleeuers in this life that they must be bearers and sufferers The reason To this are we called 1. Pet. 2. 21. for we are called to resigne all reuenge to God and therefore of our selues to be bearers and sufferers Math. 5. 39. Resist not euill And we are called to imitate the passion of Christ who suffered beeing innocent and beeing reuiled reuiled not againe Moreouer it is for our good that we should beare and suffer 1. Pet. 1. 6. and Psal. 119. 71. It may be demanded What if my cause be good must I then suffer Ans. Yea. The better thy cause is the better are thy sufferings they are blessed that suffer for righteousnes Paul commends himselfe by the multitude of his sufferings 2. Cor. 11. 13. Againe it may be demanded how long we must suffer Ans. Euen to the shedding of our blood if it be for the resisting of sinne Heb. 12. 4. Lastly it may be saide how shall we be able to doe this Ans. God is faithfull and will not lay on vs more then we shall be able to beare 1. Cor. 10. 3. By this we are admonished not to make a reckoning in this world of pleasure and delight as though the Gospel were a Gospel of ease and as we vse to say a gospel made of veluet but euery one of vs must take vp his owne crosse Luk. 9. 23. If thou wilt be my disciple denie thy selfe take vp thy crosse that is the particular affliction and miserie which God laies on thee Againe if in this world we must be sufferers by condition then in dissentions and differences we may neither giue nor take the chalenge but must be content to beare and put vp wrongs and abuses Lastly in these daies of our peace we must looke for daies of triall and affliction For as yet we haue suffered little for the name of Christ. The haruest of the Lord hath bin among vs more then fourtie yeares therefore no doubt the time of threshing fanning and grinding comes on that as the Martyr said we may be good bread to the Lord. And that we may be able to suffer for the name of God we must
and the markes of true religion which for his substance was known not onely to the Apostles but also to the Prophets and Patriarks So ancient is the true way of life and the doctrine of iustification by faith without workes Papists plead antiquitie for their religion but in vaine for the proper points and heads of their religion were taken vp since the daies of Christ some 200 yeares after some 400. some 600. some 800. some a thousand and some 1400 yeares after The third point is the speach or testimonie it selfe In thee shall all the Gentiles be blessed In thee that is in thy seede Christ Gen. 22. 18. who is in thy loynes into whome the Gentiles are ingrafted by faith and consequently into thee For they are the seede of Christ Isa. 53. 10. who is the seede of Abraham Againe here it is said All the Gentilis but Gen. 17. 4. Abraham is called the father not of all but of many nations Ans He is the father of many in respect of his fleshs and he is a father of all the Gentiles in regard of his faith Againe it is vsuall in scripture to put the word All for many Rom. 5. 15. 18. And the benediction here mentioned comprehends all the spirituall graces of God as vocation iustification glorification Eph. 1. v. 3. The vse In that the Lord saith All the nations shall be blessed in Abraham hence I gather that the nation of the Iewes shal be called and conuerted to the participation of this blessing when and how God knowes but that it shall be done before the ende of the world we know For if all nations shall be called then the Iewes Againe that which was foretold to Abraham is verefied in our eyes For this our English nation and many other nations are at this day blessed in this seede of Abraham Vpon the consideration of this we are admonished of many things First we are to giue to God great thankes and praise that we are borne in these daies For many Prophets and great Kings desired to see that which we see and could not obtaine it Secondly we must euery one of vs in our hearts amend and turne to God and vnfainedly beleeue in Christ that we may now in the acceptable day be partakers of the promised blessing The Lord saith Gen. 22. 18. In thy seede all the nations of the earth shall be blessed or blesse themselues because they shall vse all good meanes that they may be filled with the blessings of God Thirdly we must blesse all doe good to all and hurt none for we are heyres of blessings 1. Pet. 3. 8. Lastly we must here marke our comfort if we truly turne to God and beleeue in the holy seede of Abraham all things shall goe well with vs God shall blesse them that blesse vs and curse them that curse vs. Gen. 12. 3. The ninth verse is the conclusion of Pauls answer and it is in effect and substance one and the same with v. 7. and it signifieth that all men that be of Abrahams faith though otherwise forrainers and Gentiles to Abraham shall be partakers of the same blessing of God with him It may be said How shall we haue the same blessing when we haue not the like faith Ans. god respects not the greatnes of our faith so much as the truth of it And if faith erre not in his obiect that is if we make Christ crucified our Redeemer and ioyne nothing to him if there be further a will to beleeue and to apprehend Christ with care and constancie to increase in faith and a purpose not to sinne God will accept this true and honest will for the deede 10 For as many as be of the works of the law are vnder the curse For it is written Cursed is euery one that continues not in all things written in the Law to doe them In these wordes Paul sets downe a second reason whereby he prooues that not onely the Iewes but also the Gentiles are blessed as Abraham was by faith And the reason is drawne from the contraries thus They that are of workes that is that looke to be iustified by workes are vnder the curse Therefore they that are of faith are blessed or iustified with Abraham Moreouer Paul addes the proofe of this second reason in the next words and it is framed thus They which fulfill not the law are cursed they which are of works fulfill not the law therefore they are accursed Whereas Paul saith that they are vnder the curse that will be of workes we see the whole world almost walkes in the way of perdition it is a conclusion of nature that we must be saued and iustified by our works The young Prince in the Gospel said Good master what must I doe to be saued The Iewes would not be subiect to the iustice of God but they estâ—blished their owne righteousnes of the law Rom. 10. 3. Our common people and they that should be wise say they looke to be saued by faith but indeede they turne their faith to workes For what is their faith surely nothing els as they say but their good meaning or their good dealing or their good seruing of God Hence againe it followes that the Papacie or Popish reli gion is the way to perdition in that it prescribeth and teacheth iustification by workes On the contrarie our religion is the safest and surest from daunger because it teacheth the free iustificatioÌ„ of a sinner by the blood of Christ. And this makes the Papists in the day of death to renounce iustification by their workes Steuen Gardiner a bloodie persecutor beeing on his death bed told of free iustification by the blood of Christ said You may tell this to me but doe not open this gappe to the people One of late in a publike execution of iustice said he would die a Catholike and withall he added that he looked to be saued onely by the passion of Christ. In the proofe of the reason three things are to be considered What the curse is who are cursed and when The curse is eternall woe and miserie and it is either in this life in the end of this life or in the life to come The curse in this life is either within man or without him The curse within man is manifold In the minde there is ignorance of God of our selues of true happines and of the means to attaine to it Againe there is a great difficultie with much paine to learne and retaine things to be learned and retained And this is a curse of God vpon our minds In the conscience there are manifold accusations terrours and feares arising vpon euery occasion and they are flashings as it were of the fire of hell vnlesse they be quenched in this life by the blood of Christ. In the will there in an inclination to all manner of sinnes without exception Againe there is hardnes of heart whereby the will of man is vnpliable to that which is good vnlesse
gift of illumination faith regeneration life sense and motion are the gifts of the spirit and so are ciuill vertues but the sending of the spirit is onely in respect of such gifts as are bestowed in the Church in the receiuing of which the spirit is acknowledged The place or mansion of the spirit is the heart that is the minde will and affection The heart is the very sinke of sinne yet that doth the spirit choose for his abode Hence we learne 1. That the beginning of our newe birth is in the heart when a newe light is put into the minde a newe and heauenly disposition into the will and affection 2. The most principall part of our change or renouation is in the heart where the spirit abides The end of all teaching is loue out of a pure heart good conscience and faith vnfained 1. Tim. 1. 5. 3. The beginning and principall part of Gods worship is in the heart He that serues God in the righteonsnesse of his heart in peace and ioy in the Holy Ghost is accepted Rom. 14. 17. 4. In our hearts no wicked or carnall thought will desire or lust must raigne but onely Gods word and spirit For thy heart is the house where the spirit dwels and he must be Lord of his owne house 5. Aboue all things keepe watch and warde about thy heart and fill it with all good cogitations desires that it may be a fit place of intertainment for the spirit who is as it were an Embassadour sent from the great God vnto thee The last thing is the office of the spirit which is to make beleeuers Crie Abba Here I consider 4. things 1. The meanes whereby this Crie is caused 2. The nature of it 3. To whome it is directed 4. The manner of direction For the first in the effecting or causing of this Crie there are 4. workes of the spirit The first is Conuiction when a man in his iudgement and conscience is conuicted that the scriptures of the Prophets and Apostles are indeed the word of God To this purpose there are many arguments which nowe I omit This conuiction is a common worke of the spirit yet necessarie because much Atheisme lies lurking in our hearts which makes vs call into question euery part of the word of God The second worke is Subiection whereby a man conuicted that the scripture and euery part of it is the word of God subiects himselfe in his heart to the commandement of God which bids him turne to God and beleeue in Christ. And this second is a worke of the spirit of grace proper to the elect The third is the Certificate or testimonie of the spirit which is a diuine manner of reasoning framed in the mindes of them that beleeue and repent on this manner He that beleeues and repents is Gods child Thus saith the Gospel But I beleeue in Christ and repent at the least I subiect my will to the commandement which biddes me repent and beleeue I detest mine vnbeleefe and all my sinnes and desire the Lord to increase my faith Therefore I am the child of God This is the practicall syllogisme of the H. Ghost It is the testimonie of the spirit that we are the sonnes of God it is the earnest of the spirit and the seale whereby we are sealed to the day of our redemption and it containes the certentie ofspeciall faith The fourth thing that followes vpon this Testimonie is Peace of conscience Ioy and affiance in God And from this affiance comes the crying here mentioned whereby euery true beleeuer with open throat as it were cries vnto god the father This doctrine is of great worth it is the hinge vpon which the gate of heauen turnes and therefore to be remembred The vse By this we see a manifest errour in the Popish religion which teacheth that we can haue no other certenty of our saluation in this life but that which is probable or coniecturall that is a certentie ioyned with feare suspicion and some doubting Certentie in respect of God that promiseth feare doubting in respect of our owne indisposition But this doctrine is false For they which are Gods children receiue the spirit crying Abba and this crying argues affiance or confidence in God By faith we haue confidence in God and entrance with boldnesse Eph. 3. 11. and boldnesse is opposite to feare and excludes doubting in respect of our selues Againe by this doctrine we see it is ordinarie and possible for all that beleeue and repent to be certainly assured that they are the children of God For if they haue the spirit of God crying in them as all Gods childrē haue they cannot but perceiue this crie and withall they haue the testimonie of the spirit in them which is the ground of this crie Rom. 8. 16. And seeing this is so we must be admonished to vse all meanes that we may be assured that we are the children of God 2. Pet. 1. Giue all diligence to make your Election sure Paul bids rich men lay vp a good foundation against the time to come 1. Tim. 6. 18. And this foundation must be laide not in heauen but in the conscience God of his mercie hath made a couenant or bargaine with vs that beleeue and repent in this bargaine he hath promised to vs pardon of our sinnes and life euerlasting let vs then neuer be at rest till we haue receiued earnest from the hand of God and haue his promise sealed vnto vs by the spirit in our hearts You will say what shall I doe to be assured that I am Gods child Ans. Thou must examine thy selfe of two things The first is whether thou art conuicted in thy iudgement that the Scripture is indeede the word of God if thou art not yet conuicted then inquire and vse meanes that thou maist indeed be conuicted otherwise all is in vaine Secondly inquire whether thou dost indeed and in good earnest submit and subiect thy will to the cōmandement of God which bids thee beleeue in Christ and turne vnto God For if thou canst say that thou dost will to beleeue and will to repent if thou shew this will indeede in the vse of good meanes if thou condemne and detest thy vnbeleefe and all other thy sinnes thou hast receiued the earnest of the spirit and thou art indeede the child of God And this assurance shall be vnto thee of great vse For it will make thee reioyce in afflictions and it will worke patience experience hope Rom. 5. 5. It will make thee despise this world it will take away the feare of death and kindle in thy heart a desire to be with Christ. Touching the nature of this crie it stands in the desires and groanes of the heart directed vnto God And these desires may be distinguished from all carnall desires by three properties First of all they are in the hearts of them that are turned to God or at the least beginne to turne vnto him For God heareth
For Christ in his Sacrifice Satisfaction intercession merit admits no corriuall or associate All actions of his are perfect in their kind and neede no supplie This againe must teach vs to content our selues with Christ alone and not to set vp any thing with him or against him This is the safest and the surest course A certen Papist writeth to this effect that we Protestants in our iustification cleaue only to the bodie of the tree and that the Papists cleaue both to the bodie and the branches And I say againe it is the safest with both the hands to cleaue to the bodie of the tree and he that with one hand laies hold vpon the bodie of the tree and with the other staies himselfe vpon the branches â—in great danger of falling The second conclusion of Paul is that to set vp any thing out of Christ as a meritorious cause of saluation and to place our iustification in it either in whole or in part is indeede the seruice of Idols And the reason is plaine For this is to set vp something in the place and roome of Christ and men put a confidence in that which they make a cause of their owne saluation The doctrine then of Iustification by works is a doctrine that maintaines idolatrie for if they iustifie we may put our trust in them and if we put our confidence in them we make idols of them That works may merit at Gods hand they must not onely be sanctified but also deified The distinction vsed of the Papists of Latria and Dulia that is of worship and seruice falls to the ground They say they giue worship to God and seruice to Angels and Saints It is a toie For here Paul condemnes the very seruice to heathen gods and the seruice of the rudiments of the law is the Apostasie of the Galatians And to giue seruice or worshippe to any thing are all one The third conclusion of Paul is that they which haue giuen their names to God and Christ must not returne to any thing that they haue forsaken or ought to forsake He that puts his hand to the plough must not looke backe he that goes to the land of Canaan must not looke backe to Egypt We in England haue bin long deliuered from the superstition of Poperie and we must not so much as dreame of any returne It is a common fault among vs that in outward profession we cleaue to Christ yet in affection and practise we cleaue to the world and walke after the lusts of our owne hearts This is in shew to goe forward but in deede to turne backe againe But our dutie is in thought conscience will affection word and deede to go on forward and no way to goe backe Vers. 10. In the former verse Paul sets downe the Apostasie of the Galatians in generall tearmes saying How turne ye againe to the Elements of the world In the 10. verse he shewes what these Elements be Ye obserued daies and moneths and times and yeares By daies are meant Iewish Sabbaths by moneths the feasts obserued euery moneth in the day of the new moone By times some vnderstand the feast of the Passeouer the feast of Pentecost and the feast of Tabernacies But the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies seasons or fit times for the doing of this or that busines So is it translated Act. 1. 7. It is not for you to know the times and seasons It was the manner of the Gentiles to make difference of times in respect of good or bad successe and that according to the signes of heauen And it is very likely that the Galatians obserued daies not onely in the Iewish but also in the heathenish manner By yeares are meant euery seuenth yeare and the Iubelie yeares which the Galatians obserued after the fashion of the Iewes Againe there is a fourefold kind of obseruation of daies one naturall the other ciuill the third Ecclesiasticall the fourth superstitious Naturall is when daies are obserued according to the course of the sunne moone Gen. 1. 14. thus day follows night and night followes day and euery yeare hath foure seasons spring sommer autumne winter And the obseruation of these times is according to the law of nature Ciuill obseruation is when set times are obserued for husbandrie in planting setting reaping sowing for houshold affaires and for the affaires of the commonwealth in keeping of faires and markets c. And thus to obserue daies is not vnlawfull Ecclesiasticall obseruation of times is when set daies are obserued for orders sake that men may come together to worship God these daies are either daies of thanksgiuing or daies of humiliation Of daies of thanksgiuing take the example of the Iewes Hest. 9. 26. who obserued yearely the feast of Purim for a memorie of their deliuerance In like manner they appointed and obserued the feast of Dedication and it seemes that Christ was present at Ierusalem as an obseruer of this feast Ioh. 10. 22. And thus for orders sake to obserue certaine daies of solemnitie is not forbidden Superstitious obseruation of daies is twofold Iewish or heathenish Iewish when set daies are obserued with an opinion that we are bound in conscience to obserue them and when the worship of God is placed in the obseruing of this or that time Heathenish when daies are obserued in respect of good or bad successe Now then to come to the point the intent of Paul is onely to condemne the Iewish manner of obseruing of daies in these words Ye obserue daies moneths yeares and the heathenish manner in these words ye obserue seasons Against this interpretation the place of Paul may be obiected Rom. 14. 6. He that obserues the day obserues it to the Lord. Ans. Indeede Paul in these words excuseth the Romanes that obserued daies and saith that their intention was to obserue them to the honour of God and this he saith because as yet they were not fully instructed touching Christian libertie but withall let it be remembred that in mild sort he notes this to be a fault in them when he saith that they were weake in faith Now the case was otherwise with the Galatians because they obserued daies after they had bin informed touching their libertie in Christ and withall they placed their saluation in part in the obseruation of daies and thus they mixed the Gospel with the law And therefore they were iustly to be blamed Againe it may be obiected that now in the time of the new Testament we in religious manner obserue the Lords day Ans. Some men both godly and learned are of opinion that the Lords day was appointed by the Apostles for orders sake and that it is in the libertie of the Church to appoint the Sabbath vpon any other day in the weeke because they say all daies without exception are equall and they adde further that when the publike worship of God is ended men may then returne to their labours or giue themselues to recreation
on the Lords day But this doctrine seemes not to stand with the fourth commandement It seemes to be a truth more probable that euery seauenth day in the weeke must be set a part in holy rest vnto God for this is the substance of the fourth commandement And it is also very probable that the Sabbath of the new Testament is limited and determined by our Sauiour Christ to the Lords day For Paul and the rest of the Apostles obserued the first day of the weeke for a Sabbath day Act. 20. 7. and he saith Whatsoeuer ye haue heard and what ye haue seene in me that doe Phil. 4. 9. Againe it was the decree or constitution of Paul that the collection for the poore should be the first day of the weeke at Corinth now this collection in the Primitiue Church followed preaching praier sacraments and it was the conclusion of all other exercises in the assemblie 1. Cor. 16. 2. And this first day of the weeke is called the Lords day Apoc. 1. 11. and it is so called because it was dedicated and consecrated to the honour of Christ our Lord. And who is the author of this Dedication but Christ himselfe the Lord of the Sabboth It is alleadged that the Sabbath and the commandement touching the Sabbath is Ceremoniall and vpon this ground they take libertie keep no Sabbath at all But the truth is that the commandement touching the Sabbath is not wholly Ceremoniall It may be the first words Remember the Sabbath day to sanctifie it and the words In it thou shalt doe no manner of worke c. are spoken of the Iewes Sabbath but the wordes Sixe daies shalt thou labour and the seuenth day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God are morall and containe a perpetuall truth Therefore the words of Paul must be conceiued with an exception of the Sabbath day which is the seuenth day in euery weeke which day Christ hath limited by his Apostles to the Lords day The vse This text of Paul discouers vnto vs a great part of the superstition of the Popish Church in the obseruation of holy daies First beside the Lords day they appoint many other sabbaths whereas it is the priuiledge of God to appoint an ordinarie day of rest and to sanctifie it to his owne honour Secondly they bind mens consciences to the obseruation of their holy daies which Paul here forbids and Col. 2. 16. Thirdly they place the worship of God in the obseruation of their holy daies but God is worshipped in vaine by mens precepts Matth. 15. Fourthly they place a great holines in their festiuall daies more then in other daies Fiftly they dedicate many of their holy daies to the honour of Saints and Angels whereas the dedication of ordinarie and set daies is a part of diuine or religious worship Lastly their holy daies for number are more then the festiuall daies of the Iewes and thus they bring people into their old bondage nay to a greater bondage then euer the Iewes indured in respect of daies and times It may be said that the Church of the Protestants obserue holy daies Ans. Some Churches doe not because the Church in the Apostles daies had no holy day beside the Lords day and the 4. commandement inioynes the labour of sixe daies Indeede the Churches of England obserueth holy daies but the Popish superstition is cut off For we are not bound in conscience to the obseruation of these daies neither doe we place holines or the worship of God in them but we keepe them onely for orders sake that men may come to the Church to heare Gods word And though we retaine the names of Saints daies yet we giue no worship to saints but to God alone And such daies as contained nothing in them but superstition as the conception and assumption of the virgin Marie we haue cut off Thus doth the Church with vs obserue holy daies and no otherwise Indeede the ignorant multitude among vs faile greatly in the obseruing of daies For they greatly solemnise the time of the birth of Christ and then they keepe few or no markets but the Lords day is not accordingly respected and men will not be disswaded from following of faires on that day Againe to obserue daies of good bad successe according to the constellations of the heauens is an heathenish fashion to be auoided For it is here condemned in the Galatians Here therefore we must be put in minde not to obserue the planetarie houres for men suppose that the houres of the daie are ruled by the planets and hereupon that some houres are good and luckie as they say and some vnluckie that men are taken with planets and borne vnder vnluckie planets But these are heathenish conceits Neither must we respect our Horoscope or the time of our birth and the constellation of the heauens thē as though we could hereby know what should befall vs to the end of our daies And we must not put difference of daies as though some were luckie vnto vs and some vnluckie according to the course of the starres The like I saie of the Criticall daies that is the 7. and the 14. daie after that a man beginnes to be sicke For they are groūded vpon the aspects of the moone which are not to be regarded And the Climactericall years are not to be obserued as dangerous and dismall The obseruatiō of the signes is of the same nature For the 12. signes are nothing els but 12. parts of the first mooueable which is but a supposed heauen Therefore there is no danger in the thing but in our conceit We are to feare God and not to feare the starres neither are we to make differences of daies in respect of them as though the affaires we take in hand should prosper the better or the worse in respect of their different operation Gods commandement is Feare not the signes of heauen Ierem. 10. 2. And good reason For no man can by learning knowe the operation of the starrs because their lights and operations are all mixed togither in all places vpon earth and therefore no obseruation can be made of this or that starre more then of this or that hearbe when all hearbes are mixed and compounded togither Againe the operation of the starres is by their light and light hath no operation but in heat or cold moisture or drinesse In this respect though we may well obserue the full and the change of the moone it is foolishnesse to ascribe the regiment of our affaires to the starres they beeing matters contingent which depend on the will and pleasure of man Lastly it is a great ouersight to hold sundrie of the starres to be malignant and infortunate in respect of vs whereas they are the creatures of God and their light serues for the good of man In a word we are not to make difference of daies neither in respect of holines nor in respect of good or badde successe V. 11. I am afraid
till the comming of the Messias and now the Catholike Church is in the roome of the sanctuarie in it must we seeke the presence of God and the word of life therefore it is called the pillar and ground of truth 1. Tim. 3. 15. Fourthly in Ierusalem was the throne of Dauid Psal. 122. 5. and in the Catholike Church is the throne or scepter of Christ figured by the kingdome of Dauid Reu. 3. 7. Fiftly the commendation of a cittie as Ierusalem is the subiection obedience of the citizens now in the Catholike Church all beleeuers are citizens Eph. 2. 19. and they yeild voluntarie obedience and subiection to Christ their king Psal. 110. 2. Isai 2. 5. Lastly as in Ierusalem the names of the citizens were inrolled in a register so the names of all the members of the Catholike Church are inrolled in the booke of life Reu. 20. 15. Hebr. 12. 23. Againe the Catholike Church dwelling here belowe is said to be aboue in heauen for two causes First in respect of her beginning which is from the Election and grace of God and from Christ the Mediatour of whose flesh and bone we are that beleeue Eph. 5. 30. The iustice whereby we are iustified is in Christ our holinesse and life flowes from the holinesse and life of Christ as from a roote Secondly the Church is said to be aboue because it dwels by faith in heauen with Christ for the propertie of faith is to make vs present after a sort when we are absent Heb. 11. 2. The vse This beeing so we are admonished to liue in this world as Pilgrimes and strangers 1. Pet. 2. 11. and therefore we must not set our loue vpon any earthly thing but our mindes must be vpon the countrie to which we are trauelling And whatsoeuer is an hinderance to vs in our iourney we must cast it from vs that we may goe lightly and if we haue any wrongs done vs either in goods or good name we must the rather be content because we are out of our countrie in a strange place and hereupon we must take occasion to make haste to our iourneys end that is to our own citie and last abode Thus did the Patriarches Heb. 11. 13 15. Secondly we must carrie our selues as Burgesses of heauen Phil. 3. 20. And this we shall do by minding seeking affecting of heauenly things by speaking the language of Canaan which is to inuocate and praise the name of God Lastly by leading a spirituall life that may beseeme the citizens of heauen Many faile in this point when they come to the Lords table they professe themselues to be citizens of the citie of God but in their common dealings in the world they play the starke rebels against God and his word and liue according to the lusts of their blinde and vnrepentant hearts Thirdly when Paul saith that Ierusalem which is aboue is free c. he shewes that the Catholike Church is one in number no more Cant. 6. 8. My doue is aboue and the onely daughter of her mother Ioh. 10. 16. One sheepefold There be many members but one bodie 1. Cor. 12. 12. Fourthly hence we gather that the Catholike Church is invisible For the companie of them that dwell in heauen by their faith cannot be discerned by the eie Iohn saw the heauenly Ierusalem descending from heauen yet not with the bodily eye but in spirit Reuel 21. 10. The things which make the Catholike Church to be the Church namely election vocation iustification glorification are inuisible The papist therfore erreth when he teacheth that the Catholike Church is a visible companie vnder one Pastour namely the Pope And the places which they bring to prooue the visibilitie of the vniuersall Church concerne either particular churches or the churches which were in the daies of the Apostles or againe they speake of the inward glorie and beautie of the Church Free that is redeemed from the bondage of death and sin and so from the curse of the lawe Of this freedome I will speak more afterward The mother of vs all shee is called a mother because the word of God is committed to the keeping of the Church which word is seed 1. Pet. 1. 23. and milke 1. Cor. 3. 2. and strong meat Heb. 5. 14. And the church as a mother which by the ministery of the said word brings forth children to God after they are borne brought forth shee feeds them with milke out of her owne breasts which are the Scriptures of the olde and newe Testament Here a great question is to be propounded namely where we shall find this our Mother For it is the dutie of all children to haue recourse vnto their mother and to liue vnder her wing The aduocates of the Popish Church Priests and Iesuits say we must be reconciled to the Church and See of Rome if we would be of the Catholike church To this purpose they vse many motiues I will here propound seauen of them because heretofore they haue bin scattered abroad among vs. The first motiue The Church of Rome hath meanes of sure and certen interpretation tradition councels fathers we haue nothing but the priuate interpretation of Luther Melancthon Caluin c. Answ. Scripture is both the glosse and the text And the principall meanes of the interpretation of scripture is scripture it selfe And it is a means when places of scripture are expounded by the Analogie of faith by the words scope and circumstances of the place And the interpretation which is sutable to all these is sure certen and publike for it is the interpretation of God Contrariwise the interpretation which is not agreeable to these though it be from Church Fathers and Councells is vncerten and it is priuate interpretation Now this kind of interpretation we allow and therefore it is false that we haue onely priuate interpretations and that all the interpretations of the Church of Rome are publike Secondly I answer that we are able to iustifie our Interpretations of Scripture for the maine points of religion by the consent of Fathers and Councells as well as they of the church of Rome The second motiue We haue no diuine and infallible authoritie to rest on in matter of religion but they of the church of Rome haue Ans. In the Canonicall scriptures of the Prophets and Apostles there is diuine and infallible authoritie for they are now in the new Testament in stead of the liuely voice of God And this authoritie we in our Church acknowledge Secondly I answer that the church hath no diuine and infallible authoritie distinct from the authoritie of scriptures as the Papists teach but onely a Ministerie which is to speake in the name of God according to the written word The third motiue We haue no limitations of opinion and affection but they of the church of Rome haue I answer first we suffer our selues to be limited for opinion by the Analogie of faith and by the written word and so doth
not the Papist which addes tradition to the scripture And for affection we suffer our selues to be limited by the doctrine of repentance and new obedience Secondly I answer that the church of Rome vseth false meanes of Limitation For it teacheth that for opinion we must captiuate our senses to the determination of the church by beleeuing as the church beleeueth though it be not knowne what the church beleeueth And it limits affection by auricular confession and by canonicall satisfactions meere inuentions of men The fourth motiue The Romane religion drawes the multitude Ans. It drawes them indeede because it is a naturall religion but it doth not turne them from darknes to light from death to life Secōdly I answer that Antichrist in his comming shall draw the multitude 2. Thess. 2. 9. The fift motiue There were neuer but two alterations of religion One in the daies of Elias the other in the daies of Iohn the Baptist. Ans. I will shew a third Paul saith that before the ende there shall be a departure 2. Thess. 2. and this departure is generall in all nations Reuel 13. 16. and after a thousand yeares there shall be the first resurrection Reuel 20. 5. and this resurrection is the reuiuing and the restoring of the Gospel after long ignorance and superstition The sixt motiue The church of Rome hath a Iudge to ende controuersies we haue none Ans. Christ is our Iudge and the scripture is the voice of this iudge determining all things pertaining to saluation fully and plainly to the contentation of any conscience The seauenth motiue The Romane religion is sutable to ancient Tradition Ans. It is contrarie For it abolisheth the second commandement touching Images and the tenth touching lust And it ouerturneth sundrie Articles of faith For it abolisheth one of the natures of Christ by the reall presence and his three offices by ioyning partners and associates with him To these seauen I adde three other The eight motiue then is this Our Ministers they say tooke vnto themselues new callings and consequently that we are but schismatikes Ans. The offices of the first restorers of the Gospel were ordinarie and their vocation to the said offices was ordinary for they were all either Priests or Schoole doctors It may be saide that they departed from their callings I answer they departed onely from the common abuse of their callings which they restored to their right vse The ninth motiue The church of Rome hath true baptisme and therefore it is a true church Ans. Baptisme in the Papacie pertaines not to it but to another hidden church in the middest of the Papacie as the light in the lanthorne pertaines not to it but to the passenger Secondly though the church of Rome hold the outward baptisme yet doth it ouerturne the inward which stands in the iustification of a sinner by imputation of the obedience of Christ. Thirdly baptisme seuered from the preaching of the Gospel is no marke of a church Circumcision was vsed in Samaria and yet they were no people of God Hos. 1. 9. The tenth motiue The church of Rome hath antiquitie and succession from the Apostles Ans. They are no markes of the church vnlesse they be ioyned with propheticall and Apostolicall doctrine The kingdome of darknes hath also antiquitie succession vniuersalitie and vnitie Now then we are to hold the church of Rome as a stepmother nay as a professed harlot shee is no mother of ours For the Lord saith Come out of her my people Reuel 18. Let vs therefore come to the true answer The catholike Church our Mother is to be sought for and to be found in the true visible churches the certen markes whereof are three The preaching of the word of God out of the writings of the Prophets and Apostles with obedience Ioh. 10. 28. Eph. 2. 20. True inuocation of God the father in the onely name of Christ by the assistance of the spirit Act. 9. 14. 1. Cor. 1. 2. the right vse of the sacraments baptisme and the Lords supper Math 28. 18. And by these shall we finde the true Church of God in England Ireland Scotland Germanie France c. Againe in that the Church is called our Mother the Papist gathereth that her commandements must be obaied Prov. 1. 8. and therefore in their Catechismes beside the commandements of God they propound the commandements of the Church But I answer that the precepts of the father and the mother must be one and then the mother must be obaied The Church is called the mother of vs all that is of all true beleeuers Hence it follows that wicked men are not members of the catholike Church as Popish doctors erroniously teach for then the church shall be a mother not onely to the children of God but also to the children of the deuill Lastly in that the church is our Mother we are taught that we must despise our first birth and seeke to be borne againe vnto God and sucke the brest of our mother feeding on the milke of the word Psal. 45. 11. 1. Pet. 2. 2. Thus to be borne a member of the new Ierusalem is a great priuiledge Psal. 87. 5. Reuel 3. 12. 27 For it is written Reioyce thou barren that bearest no childrē breake forth and crie thou that trauelest not for the desolate hath many more children then shee which hath an husband These words are the testimonie of the Prophet Isa c. 54. 1. and they are brought to prooue that which Paul said in the former verse that the Catholike Church is the Mother of vs all that is not onely of the Iewes but also of all beleeuing Gentiles In the words I consider the preface to the Testimonie and the testimonie it selfe The preface It is written where two points are to be considered The first is who saith Jt is written Ans. The Apostle Paul whose authoritie was diuine and infallible because he was led into all truth by the spirit of God so as he could not erre in deliuering doctrine to the church And yet for all this he followes the rule of the written word And his manner was so to doe Act. 26. 22. This shewes the shamelesse impudencie of the church of Rome which takes to it selfe an absolute power of iudgement in all matters without and beside the scripture yea a power to iudge of the scripture it selfe and of the sense thereof without the helpe of scripture vpon a supposed infallible assistance of the spirit The second point is In what question saith Paul It is written Ans. In a controuersie betweene him and the false Apostles touching the iustification of a sinner This shewes that the scripture it selfe is the meanes to determine and decide controuersies There was for this purpose in the old Testament the liuely voice of God vttered in the Oracle at the Mercie seat but in the new Testament there is no such voice of God but the written word is in stead thereof to the ende of the world And therefore
sinnes are little sinnes and little sinnes are no sinnes Pride is cleanlines couetousnes is nothing but worldlines drunkennes good fellowship fornication a tricke of youth Thus men put visards vpon their vgly sinnes The Polititian that is of no religion saith that we and the Papists differ not in substance but in small circumstances and that if they erre it is but in small points But on the contrarie we are to esteeme euery sinne for a great sinne to humble our selues for the least sinnes and to bring our selues in subiection to God in the least of our actions Here we are taught by all meanes to maintaine the puritie of sound religion whatsoeuer befall vs. And for this cause we are to resist and withstand euery erronious opinion that shall be broched For it is the pollicie of the deuill by foisting in some one errour to depraue and confound the whole bodie of truth It may be saide how may we discerne errour from sound doctrine considering oftentimes they are like as leauen is like dowe Ans. Leauen is discerned from dow not by colour but by tast euen so they which are spirituall and haue the gift of discerning directed by the analogie of faith discerne truth from falshood For whatsoeuer is against one Article of faith or against any of the commandements of the decalogue is not sound doctrine but leauen Againe that which is said of false doctrine may be said proportionally of bad manners Here therefore we must be put in minde of three duties The first to resist and withstand euery particular sinne For euen one sinne is able to defile the whole life of man One flie is sufficient to marre a whole boxe of sweete ointment One offence in our first parents brought corruption vpon them and all mankind yea vpon heauen and earth He that makes no conscience of some one sinne is guiltie of the whole law Iam. 2. Secondly we must doe our indeauour to the vttermost to cut off euery bad example in the societies of men For one bad example is sufficient to corrupt a whole familie a whole town a whole countrie The example of one incestuous man was sufficient to corrupt all Corinth Therefore Paul saith Purge out the old leauen 1. Cor. 5. 6. The law of God is that blasphemers murderers adulterers c. shall be put to death the reason is that euill may he taken away out of Israel that is the euill of wicked example which beeing suffered spreads abroad and doth much hurt The barren figge tree must be cut downe least it make the whole ground barren Luk. 13. 7. Thirdly we are to withstand and cut off the first beginnings and the occasions of euery sinne We say of arrand theeues that first they beginne to practise their wickednes in pinnes and points For this cause idlenes fulnesse of bread in excessiue eating drinking and swilling â—iot and vanitie in apparrell are to be suppressed in euery societie as the breeders of many vâ—ces On the contrarie as one point of euill doctrine brings with it many other so any one little grace of God brings many other with it The entrance into Gods word giues light Psal. 119. 130. In this respect Christ saith The kingdome of heauen is like leauen hidde in three peckes of meale because Gods kingdome is set vp in the heart at the first vpon very small beginnings Matth. 13. 33. This must teach vs to vse the meanes of our saluation and not to be discouraged though we haue in vs but some small beginnings of Gods grace 10 I haue an affiance in you in the Lord that ye will be no otherwise minded but he that troubleth you shall beare his iudgement whosoeuer he be The sense In the Lord by the gratious assistance of God who no doubt will giue a blessing to my Ministerie No otherwise minded that is thinke no otherwise then ye haue done and ought to thinke and thinke no otherwise then I haue taught you He that troubleth you the Church is troubled three waies 1. by false doctrine Thus Ahab troubled Israel 1. king 18. 18. and the false Apostles trouble Galatia 2. By wicked example thus Aâ—han troubled Israel Ios. 7. 25. 3. By force and crueltie thus tyrants and persecutors trouble the Church Shall be are shall haue his due and deserued punishment partly in this life and partly in eternall death See this verified in the ende of the booke of English Martyrs in the desperate horrible and stinking endes of persecutors But yet this threat must be vnderstood with the Exception of repentance The scope The wordes are an Answer to an Obiection which may be framed thus It seemes by your former prouerb of leauen that you hold us to be a people corrupted and vnsauorie vnto God To this Paul answers by a distinction I hope better things of you but the false Apostles for troubling the Church shall surely be punished The vse When Paul saith I haue an aâ—â—iance in you he teacheth in his own example that we are to hope the best of men so long as they are curable It may be saide they that hope the best are sometimes deceiued Ans. They are onely deceiued in their iudgement and that in things whereof they haue no certen knowledge and they are not deceiued in practise For it is a dutie of loue to hope the best And they which vse to suspect the worse are oftner deceiued Againe it may be saide that we must iudge of things as they are indeede Ans. Iudgement of things and iudgement of persons must be distinguished Of things vpright iudgement is to iudge of them as they are and if they be doubtâ—ull to suspend Now our iudgement of the persons of men must be to take things in the better part as much as possibly may be Lastly it may be alleadged that we must loue our neighbour as our selues and that we despaire in respect of our selues Ans. We are to despaire in respect of our selues because we are priuie to our owne estate but we are not priuie to the estate of any other man and therefore we are to hope the best of them This shewes the fault of our times if any professing the Gospel fall vpon frailtie there are numbers of men that will make no bones of it to condemne them to the pit of hel for hypocrites but such persons are not carried by the spirit of Paul who hopes the best of them that fall Againe here we see how we are to put affiance in men We are to put affiance in God for all things whatsoeuer whether concerning bodie or soule but our affiance in men must be onely for such things as they are able to performe Secondly we must put affiance in God absolutely for himselfe and therefore we say I beleeue in God c. but all our affiance in men whatsoeuer must be in the Lord. When Paul saith that he had affiance of them in the Lord he shewes that renewed repentance is the gift of God And there
and to conforme our mindes consciences wills affections in all things to the foresaid will of God Rom. 12. 2. Let all such as desire to be spirituall remember and make conscience to practise this The third is the Priuiledge of beleeuers in the last wordes Ye are not vnder the law Vnderstand this in respect of the curse and condemnation of the law for otherwise we are all vnder the law as it is the rule of Good life The priuiledge then is that God doth not impute the defects of obedience to such as truly beleeue and repent but he accepts their imperfect obedience as perfect and absolute This serues to comfort them that greeue because they feele the want of Sanctification in themselues For if they can and doe will that which is good and indeauour themselues in the course of their liues according to their will let them not feare ouermuch when their obedience is defectiue because they are not vnder the rigour of the law and therefore God accepts the will and indeauour to obay for obedience And the consideration of Gods mercifull acceptation must stirre vs vp to an earnest care and conscience of all good duties 19 Moreouer the workes of the flesh are manifest which are adulterie fornication vncleannes wantonnes 20 Idolatrie witchcraft hatred debate emulations wrath contentions seditions heresies 21 Enuie murthers drunkennes gluttonie and such like whereof I tel you before as I also haue told you before that they which do such things shal not inherit the kingdom of God Paul before deliuered his rule in generall tearmes Giue no occasion to the flesh and fulfill not the lusts of the flesh Now he proceedes further in way of declaration to make a Catalogue or rehearsall of the particular workes of the flesh which were in vse and knowne to the Galatians And this he doth for waightie cause For we are full of blindnes and see not our corruption and we are full of hypocrisie and therefore readie to esteeme our selues spirituall when we are carnall And therefore this Catalogue serues fitly as a table or glasse to discouer the corruption of mans heart by the fruits thereof After Pauls example euery man shall doe well to make a Catalogue of the sinnes of his whole life By this meanes shall we better know our selues and take a manifest view of our sinnefull condition In this Catalogue I consider three things the condition of the workes of the flesh the kinds of them and the punishment thereof The condition is that the workes of the flesh are said to be manifest not onely to God but euen to men that haue the light of reason and naturall conscience Hence it followes that there is matter sufficient for the condemnation of them that neuer knew the Gospel For though the flesh it selfe be secret and hidden yet the workes of the flesh are manifest to the naturall man And this must further admonish vs neuer to hide or excuse our sinns but freely to confesse theÌ„ before God and before men also when neede requires Whether we confesse them or no they are manifest and the ingenuous confessing or vncouering of them is the way to couer them Psal. 32. 1. 4. Touching the kinds or sorts of the workes of the flesh they are in number seâ—uenteene and I may reduce them to foure heads The first sort are against chastitie the second against religion the third against charitie the last against temperance The workes of the flesh against chastitie are foure and they are placed in the first ranke for iust cause for by them men are brought to reprobate mindes Rom. 1. 28. and to be without sense or feeling Eph. 4. 19. and the bodie which should be the temple of the holy Ghost is made a stable and a stie for the deuill Adulterie it is the incontinencie of persons married or of persons vvhereof one at the least is married or betrothed I say betrothed because one and the same punishment is designed to married and betrothed persons and therefore the sinne is like in both If adulterie which is the breach of wedlocke be a worke of the flesh then damnable is the decretall of Pope Syricius that marriage it selfe was the pollution of the flesh It may be obiected that young widdowes by marrying haue damnation and breake the faith of baptisme 1. Tim. 5. 12. Ans. They are not saide to breake the faith of baptisme because they marrie but because they waxe wanton against Christ and so marrie that is cast off the reines of obedience by committing fornication and then for to couer their offence they marrie This I take to be the right sense of that place Adulterie is named in the first place and that for speciall cause For as it is a common so is it also a great sinne For it is the breach of the couenant of marriage made in the presence of God and vnto God and therefore it is called the couenant of God Prou. 2. 17. It is the punishment of idolatrie Rom. 1. 24. It is a sinne greater then theft Prou. 6. 30. 32. The committers of this sinne cut off themselues from humane societie and become men of death women of death according to Gods law And it will neuer be well with humane societie till adulterers be made fellons their liues taken from them and their goods confiscate Lastly this sinne brings the ruine of the families of adulterous persons and it sets a fire in them that burnes to destruction Fornication it is the incontinencie of single persons Marke how it is made a manifest worke of the flesh Hence it follows that fornication is no light matter or a thing indifferent as some haue taught It may be obiected that it is numbered among things indifferent Act. 15. 29. for with strangled and blood is ioyned fornication Ans. The Gentiles indeede esteemed it as a thing indifferent and hereupon it may be it is ioyned with things indifferent But the iudgement of the Church was otherwise and this opinion of the Gentiles is confuted by Paul 1. Cor. 6. Againe it may be obiected that the Lord commanded the Prophet Ose to take vnto him an harlot Ose 1. 2. Ans. It was done in type or figure and then the wordes of the Lord carrie this sense Take vnto thee a wife of fornications that is prophecie and publish that thou art like one that takes a wife of fornication Againe if the thing were done indeede yet did not the Prophet take an harlot to liue in fornication with her but at Gods commandement to liue with her according to Gods ordinance namely in marriage Againe hence I gather that there is no warrant for the Toleration of fornication For it is a foule and manifest worke of the flesh Magistrates may not doe euill that good may come thereof Rom. 3. 8. Whosoeuer doth euill must feare because the Magistrate beares the sword to punish Rom. 13. 4. And the commandement of God was that there must be no whore in Israel Deut. 23.
the most of vs are barren trees that beare no fruit but the bad fruits of the flesh and therefore we may iustly feare the curse that God laid vpon the figgetree Luk. 13. 7. and looke euery day to be stocked vp Matth. 3. 16. Againe good workes are made acceptable to God euen by his grace and therefore they are called the fruits of the spirit and hence it is that they are acceptable to God Rom. 15. 16. We that are by nature wild branches must be taken out of old Adam and set into Christ and after our inscition draw a new sappe and life from Christ namely his spirit and then our actions shall be fruits of the spirit and consequently acceptable to God Lastly hence it followes that free will of it selfe is like a dead or rotten peece of wood and that it beares no fruit but as it is quickned by the spirit Ioh. 15. 5. Thus much of the propertie now follow the kindes of the workes of the spirit Loue It may be demaunded how it is a fruit of the spirit Ans. First the spirit of God workes faith then regeneration then loue 1. Tim. 1. 5. Loue follows faith because we must know first that we are loued of God before we can loue God 1. Ioh. 4. 19. And loue follows regeneration because till the will and affections be changed there is no place for loue The Papists then erre who teach that the first act of loue that is the inclination to loue God and man aright is in nature and that the second act namely the exercise of loue is from the spirit Againe they erre in that they teach that Charitie or loue is the formall righteousnes of a Christian. For it is a fruit that follows regeneration The loue here mentioned is either of God or of man The loue of God is an holy affection whereby we loue God in Christ for himselfe There are three speciall signes whereby it is discerned I. a desire of fellowship with God and Christ and the holy spirit and therefore to be much and frequent in the vse of the word and praier because in the word God speaks to vs and in praier we speake to him II. To loue the word of God aboue all earthly treasure and to tread our owne wills vnder foote and to desire that Gods wil may be preferred in all things 1. Ioh. 2. 5. There are many houses among vs where the cards and tables are walking but the Bible is seldome or neuer seene And this argues the want of loue III. The loue of them that loue God and Christ. The loue of our neighbour is to loue him simply in and for the Lord and for no other by-respect The signe of this loue is to loue not in word but indeede And this is to loue indeede to shew loue and to do good when we are wronged and abused to them that wrong vs and abuse vs. Ioy Ioy is twofold ioy of glorie after this life and the ioy of grace in this life and it stands in three things The first is to reioyce in the true acknowledgement of God that he is our god and reconciled to vs in Christ. The second is to reioyce in the worke of our regeneration The third is to reioyce in the hope of eternall glorie This ioy of grace hath a double fruit First it moderates all our sorrows and makes vs reioyce in the middest of our afflictions 1. Thess. 5. 16. Secondly it causeth men to reioyce at the good of their neighbours Rom. 12. 15. And this ioy is here meant specially For ioy is here opposed to enuie and emulations This fruit shewes that we are most of vs bad trees For the ioyes of the world be for the most part in iniquitie and in the workes of the flesh And it is our common sinne not to reioice but to pine away with griefe as Cain did when we see Gods blessing vpon our brother Peace It is a care and desire to maintaine concord as much as may be if it lie in vs. Rom. 12. 18. It is an excellent vertue For the kingddome of God stands partly in peace Rom. 14. 17. For the maintenance of peace obserue two rules I. Neither take offence nor giue offence Abraham chose rather to lose his right then to offend Lot Gen. 13. and so did Christ. Matth. 17. 27. II. Seeke to edifie one another either doe good or take good Rom. 14. 19. Long-suffering is to moderate our anger and desire of reuenge when many and great wrongs are done to vs. It is an excellent fruit but it takes very hardly in these parts For our manner is a word and a blow a word and a stabb a word and a writte Set and sow this plant in the forrowes of your hearts that the weede of reuenge ouergrow it not vse these remedies I. Gods commandement forbids rash anger Iam. 1. 19. for it is a degree of murder II. The example of God who is slow to anger and of Christ who is meeke and lowly Math. 11. III. All wrongs done to vs by men come by Gods prouidence to which we are to subiect our selues IV. The goodnesse of God who forgiues more to vs then we can forgiue V. There is danger of Gods anger For vnlesse we forgiue we are not forgiuen And we craue forgiuenesse as we forgiue VI. It is the dutie of loue to suffer and beare 1. Cor. 13. VII It is a point of iniustice to reuenge our selues for then we take to our selues the honour of God and against all equitie we are both the parties and iudge and witnesse and all VIII We are often ignorant of the mindes of men in their actions and of the true circumstances thereof and so may easily be deceiued Obiect I. Anger is a sudden affection therefore it cannot be ruled Ans. Meanes are to be vsed before hand when we are quiet then shall we better restraine it Obiect II. It is hard for flesh and blood to doe this Ans. We are more then flesh and blood For we haue the spirit of God els we are but hypocrites Gentlenesse Gentlenesse is to giue good speech and to shew good countenances euen to them that wrong vs and abuse vs without any minde or desire to reuenge Rom. 12. 14. Eph. 4. 32. The curtesie of the world in the cappe and the knee and all the complements of humanitie is commonly seuered from good affection and it is often the maske of enmitie and therefore it is but a worke of the flesh Right curtesie is with an honest heart to blesse when we are wronged Goodnesse It is a vertue whereby we communicate to others the good things that are in vs for their good and benefit It is prescribed by Paul in other tearmes when he saith Communicating to the necessities of the Saints Rom. 12. 13. Question I. What are we to communicate Answ. The gifts of our minde our temporall goods yea our liues too if neede be 1. Ioh. 3. 16. Question II. Why
1. Cor. 5. 11. and that we should withdraw our selues from euery brother that walketh inordinately 2. Thess. 3. 6. Ans. Pauls practise is not contrarie to Christs precept He purposed indeede to excommunicate the incestuous person if he persisted in his sinne yet marke how in the name and by the power of our Lord Iesus Christ. 1. Cor. 5. 4. in which words the forme of proceeding against him is limited and that according to Christs institution Matth. 18. the name and power of Christ signifying the word and institution of Christ. 2. Paul doth plainly expound himselfe in other places what his practise was in that behalfe as 2. Cor. 13. 1 2. where he signifieth that he did not excommunicate vncleane persons fornicators wantonnes mentioned chap. 12. 21. before the third admonition making his third comming vnto them in stead of three admonitions or witnesses against them It will be saide that Paul threatneth when he commeth he will not spare the rest 2. Cor. 13. 2. therefore it seemeth he was resolued to excommunicate them without any former proceeding against them Ans. When Paul saith I write to them which haue sinned and to all others that if I come againe I will not spare By all others he meaneth not some which he purposed to excommunicate without former admonition for in writing this Epistle to them he admonisheth them all to repent least when he came he should vse seueritie but those which liued securely in the open breach of the law to whome he threatned to come with a rodde if they did not amend 1. Cor. 4. 21. and when he now againe admonisheth threatning that if he come the third time he will not spare Besides this Paul should be vnconstant and vnlike himselfe if he should admonish vncleane persons fornicatours wantons and that three times before excommunication and should at the first excommunicate certen others without any precedent admonition 3. The word there vsed signifieth reproofe in word as it is taken Luk. 17. If thy brother sinne against thee rebuke him therefore the reproofe by many or of many mentioned 2. Cor. 2. 6. may signifie as well the graue serious and effectuall reproofe of the Church by which the incestuous person was reclaimed from his sinne and so preuented the thunderbolt of excommunication as the reall election out of the Church and those words v. 10. if you forgiue any thing may as well signifie receiuing into fauour and familiaritie before excommunication vpon his repentance as restitution after excommunication 4. Be it grounted he were indeede excommunicate as it is most probable he was yet hence it cannot be inferred that they did proceede against him without precedent admonition The Scripture is silent in this point Therefore the reason is not good It is not recorded therefore it was not practised 5. Though the Apostle command we should haue no familiaritie with inordinate liuers 2. Thess. 3. 6. but that we withdraw our selues from them yet he addes withall that if there were any amongst them that would not obey his sayings they should note him by a letter v. 14. and he expressely commandeth that they should admonish the inordinate 1. Thess. 5. 14. for that was his practise as it may appeare 2. Thess. 3. Those that are such that is inordinate liuers we exhort coÌ„mand by our lord Iesus Christ that they worke with quietnes and eate their own bread III. Who are to reprooue It is dutie which concerneth all men our Sauiour Christ saith If thy brother sinne against thee reprooue him and the commandement is generall Leuit. 19. 17. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart but shalt rebuke him plainely now all Christians are brethreÌ„ as I haue shewed therefore all men are bound to reprooue their brethren as occasion shall serue Secondly all Christians are members of the same bodie whereof Christ is the head therefore they are to helpe and further one another as members of the naturall bodie doe and this is done by admonition and reprehension Thirdly the bond of charitie tâ—â—th all men to helpe their brethren in what they can for their good and therefore if neede be to reprooue them And albeit some may seeme to be vnfitte or vnworthie reproouers of others beeing tainted with as great or greater sinnes themselues and so cannot cast out motes out of other mens eyes they hauing beames in their owne yet we must know that sinne freeth none from this dutie indeede none ought to reprooue either with scandall to others or with hurt and hinderance of him that is reprooued yet no man is exempted from this dutie For euery man ought to be cleare and blameles specially of open crimes that so he may more freely and fruitfully reprooue his neighbour but though he be not yet he remaineth still bound to the performance of this dutie Our Sauiour saith not that he which hath a beame in his eye is therefore freed from pulling forth the mote out of his brothers eye but first cast out the beame out of thine owne eye and then thou shalt see to pull out the mote out of thy brothers eye They therefore are seuerely to be censured nay deepely to be condemned who say with Cain Am I my brothers keeper as though it concerned them not a whit whether he sinke or swimme as though euery man were to looke to himselfe alone for his owne behoofe and benefit and not vpon the things of his brethren for their good or as though God had not made euery man a guardian to his brother The dimme candle light of corrupt nature condemneth these men which teacheth that he which may saue and doth not doth in effect as much as kill or destroy The dutie therefore lieth vpon all but chiefely vpon the Pastours and Ministers of the word for they are to inquire into the liues of men specially of those that are committed and commended to their charge for which cause they are called the Lords ouerseers or watchmen Ezech. 33. and 34. And if they doe not strengthen the weake heale the sicke bind vp the broken bring againe that which was driuen away nor seeke that which is lost c. he will require his sheepe at their hands Ezech. 34. v. 4. 10. Paul inioynes the Pastours of the Church of Ephesus that they should take heede to themselues and to the flocks whereof the holy Ghost had made them ouerseers Act. 20. 28. and he commandeth Timothie that he should be instant in season and out of season that he should improoue rebuke exhors with all long-suffering and doctrine 2. Tim. 4. 2. and Titus that he rebuke and exhort with all authoritie Tit. 2. 15. Further it is to be obserued that though all men are bound to reprooue their neighbours if they offend yet in fiue cases they are not bound I. If a man be ignorant of the offence For a man that reprooueth another must be certen of the fault otherwise he doth purchase to himselfe a blot and priuate
our selues also were in times past vnwise disobedient deceiued seruing the lusts and diuers pleasures liuing in malitiousnesse and enuie hatefull and hating one another Tit. 3. v. 2. 3. In regard of the time present that he is but a fraile man ready to fall euery moment that he is not able of himselfe to thinke the least good thought much lesse to resist the least temptation and that whatsoeuer he is he is it out of himselfe by grace in Christ as Paul saith By the grace of God I am that I am So that were it not for this preuenting and cooperating grace he would fall into as great enormities as other men In regard of the time to come Consider thy selfe lest thou also be tempted remember Pauls Item 1. Cor. 10. v. 12. Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lâ—st he fall for if thou hast not bin ouertaken with the like sinne yet thou maist be hereafter therfore as thou wouldest haue others to be coÌ„passionate towards thee if thou were in the like case so be thou to theÌ„ The not obseruaÌ„ce of this rule is the cause that there are so many censorious Catoâ—â— so many seuere Aristarchi of other mens actions so many that are sharpe sighted Eagle eied in spying motes in other mens eies and as blind as moles or beetles in discerning the great beames that are in their owne eies IIII. It is very requisite and expedient that the reproouer be not tainted with the same or the like fault which he reprooueth in an other least it be said vnto him Physitian cure thy selfe Luk. 4. 23. In that thou iudgest another thou condemnest thy selfe Rom. 2. v. 1. Therefore Dauid saith not Let the wicked smâ—â—e me or let him that is as deep in fault as my selfe reprooue me but Let the righteous smite me for that is a benefit and let him reprooue mee that shall be as a pretious oâ—le that shall not be wanting to my head Psal. 141. v. 5. For albeit in regard of the reproofe it selfe it be not greatly materiall yet it is not so expedient nor so profitable in regard of the reproouer 1. because he seemeth vnworthy to reprooue another who is to be reprooued himselfe beeing as deepe in fault as any 2. because it will be thought that he which maketh no conscience to redresse himselfe will not be so ready to reclaime others of loue to their persons or hatred of their sinnes or zeale of Gods glorie but for pride or businesse in other mens matters or vanitie or some such sinister ends V. All reproofes must so be ministred as that the partie reprooued may be brought to a true sight of his sinne as also to a liuely sense and feeling thereof and so to a compunction of heart by reason of it and of the wrath of God which attendeth vpon him for his sinne For the performance of this rule we haue the example of God himselfe Psal. 50. v. 21. I will reprooue thee and set thy sinnes in order before thee as also of the Prophet Nathan who by the parable conuicted Dauids conscience and so made him condemne himselfe 2. Sam. 12. And the precept of Saint Paul commanding Timothie that he should so reprooue as that he conuict the conscience of the sinne when he saith Reprooue rebuke exhort with all long-suffering and DOCTRINE nowe this is done by shewing the true meaning of the lawe and the curse of God annexed to euery breach thereof and so by vnfolding the horrible greatnesse of sinne to the conscience of him whome we doe reprooue For reproofes which are not thus qualified are but cold and perfunctorie such as was that of Elie in reproouing his lewd sonnes Why doe ye such things for of all this people I heare euill reports of you doe no more my sonnes for it is no good report that I heare 1. Sam. 2. v. 23 24. beeing a meanes rather to cherrish sinne in them then to reclaime them from it These kinds of reproofes not vnfitly may be compared to hotte or hastie healing salues which drawe a faire skinne ouer a fowle wound which because it is not soundly cured from the bottome but ouerly healed vp doth afterward apostemate or fistulaâ—e and becommeth more dangerous and desperate then euer before VI. The vineger of sharpe reprehension must be allaied and tempered with the oyle of milde and gentle exhortation we may not onely vse the corrasiues of thâ— lawe but withall we must apply the cordialls of the Gospell bitter pilles of reproofe must be sugered ouer with louing and affectionate perswasion lest the patient abhorre the physicke euery man in this case is to follow the skilfull Chirurgeon who doth not alway vse section and vsâ—ion in launcing the wound with sharpe instruments but mollifying ointments and mundifying waters to clense and supple the wound and heale the sore Paul saith that the seruant of the Lord must be gentle toward all men and that he must instruct with meekenes them that are contrarie minded 2. Tim. 2. 25 26. and in this place he commands the Galatians that they should restore their brethren with the spirit of meekenes The word translated restore is very emphaticall for it signifieth to set a bone that is broken or any member of the bodie that is out of ioynt and therefore we are to deale with a man that is fallen and by his fall hath diâ—â—onyted some member of the new man as the Chirurgeon doth with an arme or a legge that is broken or out of ioynt to handle it tenderly and gently so as it may be most for his good and least for his paine More particularly this may be done foure waies 1 When a man doth propound the reproofe in his owne person as Paul did 1. Cor. 4. 6. Now these things brethren I haue figuratiuely applied vnto mine owne selfe and Apollos for your sakes that ye might learne by vs that no man presume aboue that which is written c. 2 When a man doth not directly reprooue another in plaine tearmes but closely shewes a mislike of the fact and conuaieth a reproofe in an exhortation and so lappeth vp pills as it were in sugar as when a man sweares not alwaies to say thou c. but yea and nay shall serue betwixt vs what needes this vehemencie betwixt vs two I will as soone take your word as your oath c. 3 When the reproofe is propounded in a parable as Nathan dealt with Dauid 2. Sam. 12. and as our Sauiour Christ by the parable of the two sonnes reprooued the Pharisies Matth. 21. 28. 4 When we reprooue a man directly as at the length Nathan did Dauid Thou art the man 2. Sam. 12. 7. we must so carrie our selues as that the partie may see himselfe rather reprooued by God then by vs and not to proceede bluntly to worke to rebuke and censure at the very first but to vse some preface before hand as that we doe that which we doe in loue of his
further your reckening IV. That he might confound the false Apostles which taught not freely but receiued wages for their labour whereas he receiued none or lest they should slaunder him and his ministery if he should receiue wages that he did it for filthy lucre 2. Cor. 11. 12. But what I doe that will J doe that I may cut away occasion from them which desire occasion that they might be found like vnto vs in that wherein they reioyce Therfore Pauls example is altogether impertinent prooues nothing For 1. he himselfe tooke wages 2. when as he refused it it was vpon speciall consideration 3. he did not onely permit but also command that the ministers should be maintained III. Obiect Math. 10. 8. Freely ye haue receiued freely giue therefore as it was vnlawfull for the Apostles to take any reward for their labour so is it for preachers at this day Ans. I. This text is specially to be vnderstood of the extraordinarie gift of working miracles which Christ hauing freely bestowed vpon them he would haue them to vse freely not seeking thereby to enrich themselues by exacting or taking any thing or to winne reputation and glory among men II. If we vnderstand it of the whole ministerie as well of preaching as of working miracles it is to be taken as a precept forbidding only filthy lucre that they should not make marchandize of the word of God setting it to sale in preaching the word with purpose to benefit themselues to feede their bellies or to get a name and reputation in the world which is forbidden in other places as 1. Tim. 3. 3. Tit. 1. 7. but for the glory of God the discharge of their duties and the saluation of their hearers Great reason there is of this precept 1. Because the graces of God exhibited vnto vs in the preaching of the word are so pretious that they cannot be valued at any price all earthly things a man can desire are not to be compared to them as the wise man saith therefore Peter said to Simon Magus Thy money perish with thee because thou thinkest that the gift of God may be obtained by money Act. 8. 20. 2. Because it is not in mans power to sell them seeing he is not Lord ouer them but steward and dispenser of them 1. Cor. 4. v. 1. 3. Because that which God hath giuen freely ought not to be sold basely seeing by that meanes that is made saleable which God would haue free which kind of marchandize is vsed in the Church of Rome at this day in their Indulgences wherein they sell pardons for remission of sinnes and set euen heauen it selfe to sale for a small summe of money III. This text must so be expounded as that it crosse not other precepts in this commission and that Christ be not contrarie to himselfe which he should be if it were vnlawfull for preachers to take any thing for their paines for in the 10. verse he saith The workeman is worthy of his meate therefore he may receiue it and vers 11. he enioyns them to enquire in euery towne where they came who is worthy and there abide Therefore they were not vtterly barred from taking all necessaries for they might take their lodging their food their raimenâ— with this they were to be content and more then this they might not take though it were offered them or forced vpon them Ti 〈…〉 Elizeus refused the gift offered him by Naaman for curing his leprosie least Gods gifts should be made a ga 〈…〉 e or least that which was giuen to set forth Gods glorie immediately should be an occasion of satisfying mens greedie desires IU Obiect Math. 10. 9. The Apostles are forbidden by Christ to possesse gold or siluer c. Answ. We may not precisely vrge the letter of the text for so we shall make the Apostles practise contrarie to Christ precept so he should condemne himselfe for he had his bagge which Iudas bare He had besides his vpper garment Ioh. 13. 4. and coate without seame Ioh. 19. 23. Luk. 22. 36. Peter had sandalls Act. 12. Paul had a câ—oake 2. Tim. 4. Yea Christ afterwards saith vnto them But now he that hath a bagge let him take it and likewise a sâ—rip c. II. It was a temporary precept giuen them in commission only for that present and their going without gold siluer a scrip two coates shooes a staffe signifies that they should goe in haste committing themselues wholly to the prouidence of God not caring for prouision or victuals which is signified by a scrip by siluer gold nor of change of raiment signified by two coates nor of defending themselues against violence by the staffe Vse Here we see that there are two sorts of men in the Church some teachers others to be taught called in scripture teachers and hearers The ground of this distinction is taken from the good pleasure of God who hath ordained that man should be taught by man partly because of mans weakenesse who could not endure the glory maiestie of God speaking vnto him partly that nothing might be ascribed to the excellencie of the instrument in the conuersion of men but that God might haue all the glorie of it as the Apostle speakes 2. Cor. 4. 7. We haue this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellencie of that power might be of God and not of man There is setdown Deut. 5. v. 23. c. a notable ground for the institution of the holy ministerie by man in stead of Gods liuely voice from heauen And it was one of the ends which God had in giuing his law in so great maiestie to teach vs that it is for our good that he doth not instruct vs with his owne liuely voice from heauen and speake vnto vs in his owne person and that therefore we should be content nay desirous rather to be taught by man For when the people desired that they might not heare the voice of the Lord any more but that Moses might speake vnto them the Lord answered They haue done well to say so I will raise them vp a Prophet from among their brethren like vnto thee and I will put my words in his mouth and he shall speake vnto them all that I command him Deut. 18. 17 18. This crosseth the curiositie of those who not contenting theÌ„selues with the word of God deliuered by the ministerie of man desire that God would speake vnto them with his owne mouth from heauen For the Israelites found it by experience that it was a fearefull thing full of horrour and astonishment to heare the voice of God therefore they desire they may heare it no more lest they die Deut. 18. 16. But the Anabaptists obiect that vnder the N. T. all shall be taught of God Ioh. 6. v. 45. and they shall not teach euery man his neighbour and euery man his brother saying Know the Lord. Therefore the publike ministerie is now needlesse Ans. The wordes must not
he had to liue in the world could not be plentifull in good workes thereby to giue sufficient testimonie of their vnfained faith yet God accepteth a man according to that which he hath and not according to that which he hath not accepting the will for the deede as he accepted the willingnes of Abraham to sacrifice his sonne as though he had sacrificed him indeede Gen. 22. VI. Obiect God doth not proportionate the reward to the worke because he doth reward works which are finite temporall with infinite and eternall punishment Ans. Sinne beeing considered in respect of the act as it is a transient action is finite But in a threefold confideration it is infinite First in respect of the obiect against whome it is committed for beeing the offence of an infinite Maiestie it doth deserue infinite punishment for if he that clippes the Kings coyne or defaceth the Kings armes or counterfaitetâ— the broad seale of England or the Princes priuie seale ought to die as a traytour because this disgrace tendeth to the person of the Prince much more ought he that violates the law of God die the first and second death seeing the breach thereof doth not onely tend to the defacing of his owne image in vs but to the person of God himselfe who in euery sinne is contemned and dishonoured Secondly sinne is infinite in respect of the subiect For seeing that the soule is immortall and that the guilt of sinne and the blot together doe staine the soule as the crimâ—in or skaâ—let die the silke or the wooll and can no more be seuered from the soule then spots from the Leopard it remaineth that sinne is infinite in durance and so deserueth eternall punishment Thirdly it is infinite in respect of the minde desire and intent of the sinner whose desire is still to walke on in his sinnes and except God should cut off the line of his life neuer to giue ouer sinning but to runne on in infinitum committing of sinne euen with greedinesse Thus hauing the meaning of the words let vs come to the doctrine and vse There be two principall reasons which hinder men from beeing beneficiall and liberall to the Ministerie The first is because they thinke all is lost that is bestowed that way The second is because they are afraid lest themselues should want To both which the Apostle makes answer in this place comparing our beneficence in the vpholding maintaining countenancing of the Ministerie to seede to teach vs that as the husbandman doth sow his corne in the ground neuer fearing the losse thereof but hoping for a greater increase not doubting his owne want but assuring himselfe of greater plentie So we in sowing the seedes of good works must neuer dreame of losse or cost considering the more we sowe the more we shall reape we must neuer feare want seeing we shall receiue an hundred fold Mark 10. 30. If men could be perswaded of this that the time of this life is the seede time that the last iudgement is the haruest and that as certenly as the husbandman which sowes his seede lookes for increase so we for our good workes a recompence to the full O how fruitfull should we be how plentifull how full of good works But the cursed roote of infidelitie which is in euery man by nature doth drie vp the sappe of all Gods graces in vs and make vs either bad or barren trees either to bring forth sowre fruits of sinne or no fruit at all but to become vnprofitable both to our selues and others For the reason why men are so cold in their liberalitie so fruitlesse so vnprofitable is because they doe not beleeue the promises of God that he is true of his word that whatsoeuer they giue to the poore or the Ministers of his word they lend vnto the Lord and whatsoeuer they lay out the Lord will restore to them againe Prou. 19. 17. For if they were as wel perswaded of a recompence at the last day as the husbandman is of a haruest they would be more frequent in duties of charitie and more plentifull in good workes then commonly they be Further let it be obserued that though these words be but generally expouÌ„ded in the verse folowing where the Apostle saith He that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reape corruption â—e that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life euerlasting yet are they more particularly and distinctly set downe elswhere in Scripture as 2. Cor. 9 6. He that soweth sparingly shall reape sparingly and he that soweth liberally shall reape liberally that is the haruest shall not onely be answerable to the seede and the reward to the worke but greater or lesse according to the quantitie and qualitie of the worke For euery man shall receiue his reward according to his proper labour 1. Cor. 3. 8. For the more the husbandman sowes the more he doth vsually reape except God blow vpon it in cursing the land as he did the Israelites who sowed much and gathered but little and the lesse he sows the lesse shall his croppe be Euen so the more plentifull we are in sowing the seedes of good workes the more we shall reape and the more sparing we are the lesse shall our haruest be Hence I gather First that there are seuerall degrees of punishmentsin Hell according to the greatnes and smalnes of sinnes for some sinnes are but as moâ—es others as beames Matth. 7. 4. some as gnats others as camells Matth. 23. 24. and therefore some shall be beaten with many stripes some with few and it shall be easier for them of Sodoâ— and Gomortha at the day of iudgement then for them of Capernaum Secondly that there are sundrie degrees of glorie and felicitie in heauen proportionall to mens works for all men doe not sow alike neither are their workes equall but haue sundâ—â—e degrees of goodnes in them and therefore there are answerable degrees of glorie wherewith they are to be crowned This truth is taught elsewhere more plainly as Dan. 12. 3. They that be wise shall shine as the brightnes of the firmament and they that turne many to righteousnes shall shine as the starres for euermore Therefore as there is a greater brightnes in the starre then in the firmament so there shall be greater glorie in one then in another 1. Cor. 3. 8. Euery man shall receiue his reward according to his owne labour therefore seeing all mens labours are not alike their reward shall not be alike This is further confirmed by the parable of the talents Luk. 19. where the master of the seruants doth proportionate his wages to their worke making him that had gained with his talent fiue talents ruler ouer fiue cities him that had gained teâ— ruler ouer tenne And whereas it may be said that all the labourers in the vineyard receiued an equall reward namely a pennie as well as those that wrought but an houre or those that bare the burden and heate of the
reape nothing but corruption death and condemnation contrary to the opinion of some ancient and moderne writers Further obserue here that though there be some that are Neuters in religion luke warme gospellers halting betweene two opinions such as are neither fish nor flesh yet in morall duties there are no Neuters nor mediators for all men are ranged into one of these two ranks either they are sowers to the flesh or to the spirit Here also we see who are true worldlings indeede to wit such as mind earthly things in spending themselues their strēgth and witts vpon the world hauing all their care for it and all their comfort in it in the meane time hauing little or no tast of the ioyes of the world to come because they make their Paradise here vpon earth and neuer looke for any heauen after this life As also who are spirituall men namely such as walke in the spirit who though they liue in the world in these houses of clay yet are not of the world because they set not their affections vpon it but haue their conuersation in heauen where Christ sitteth at Gods right hand This serues first of all to discouer vnto vs our owne estate whether we be indeede carnall or spirituall for if we sow to the flesh that is be alway poring and digging in the earth with the mole setting our affections vpon it not referring the blessings of God to his glorie and the furtherance of the Gospel but to serue our own corrupt desires we are fleshly minded though we pretend this and that and protest neuer so much and continuing in this estate we can expect nothing but the haruest of death and condemnation Whereas on the contrarie side if we sauour the things of the spirit by setting our affections vpon them and seeking those things that are aboue eftsoones lifting vp our hearts by secret groanes and ejaculations for the enioying of them we are spirituall men and shall vndoubtedly in due time reape the haruest of eternall life Secondly this bewraies the paucitie of spirituall men euen where the Gospel is professed and how the world swarmes with multitudes of carnall and fleshly minded men For as in former times before the flood they ate they dranke they bought they sold they planted they built that is wholly addicted and deuoted themselues to these things So in these latter daies which our Sauiour Christ prophecied should be a counterpaine of the former the multitude generally in euery place doe wholly employ and spend themselues in thinking in affecting in talking in seeking in following of worldly things seldome God knowes or neuer minding the kingdome of God or the righteousnes thereof nor practising the Apostles rule so to vse the world as though they vsed it not 1. Cor. 7. 31. Againe here we see how the wisdome of God is counted follie among worldly wise men and how the wisdome of the world is foolishnes before God For if a man sow to the spirit in not following blind reason nor corrupted affection nor fashioning himselfe to the guise of the world nor seeking his owne good so much as the good of others but denying himselfe forsaking all in his affection for the Gospel of Christ and contemning this temporal trash in regard of the heauenly treasure he is accounted in the world but a foole whereas God accounts him truly wise for he is the wise merchant man who hauing found a pearle of great price went and sold all that he had and bought it Matth. 13. 46. For the lesse he laieth vp for himselfe vpon earth the more he treasureth vp for himselfe in heauen and though he seeme to sowe vpon the waters yet after many daies he shall finde it againe Whereas they that minde nothing but the world in sowing to the flesh are reputed wise and prouident men when as God accounts them starke fooles Thou Foole this night shall they fetch away thy soule and thē whose shall those things be which thou hast prouided and then it followeth So is he that gathereth riches to himselfe and is not rich in God For the more they treasure vp riches the more they treasure vp to themselues wrath against the day of wrath Rom. 2. 5. and fatte themselues against the day of slaughter Iam. 5. 5. Lastly we are here warned to take heede of the Deuills sophistrie It is a notable policie one of the cunningest stratagemes the Deuill hath in good things commanded to seuer the meanes from the ende and in euill things forbidden to seuer the ende from the meanes He laboureth to seuer the means from the ende by perswading a man that he may come to the ende though he neuer vse the meanes that he may reape eternall life though he neuer sow the seedes of the spirit in this life But we must know that as he which runneth not at all can neuer gaine the garland he which laboureth not in the vinyard the labourers wages he that neuer sowes can neuer reape So he that runneth not in the race of Christianitie shall neuer attaine the crowne of happines and felicitie he that laboureth not in the Lords vineyard the recompence of reward he that in this life soweth not to the spirit shall neuer after this life reape life euerlasting For we may not dreame of a good haruest without a good seede time of sowing nothing to reape something or sowing tares to reape wheate Againe he seuereth the end from the meanes by perswading men that they may vse the meanes and neuer come to the end that though they sow to the flesh yet they shall not reape corruption Thus he perswaded Eue that though shee did eate of the forbidden fruit yet shee should not die the death nay shee should not die at all but her eyes should be opened and she should be as God himselfe knowing good and euill But we are to be vndoubtedly resolued of this that God hath linked with an yron chain the pleasure of sinne and the punishment thereof that as he that follows a riuer must needes at length come to the Sea so he that followes the course and streame of his sinnes must needes come at the length to the gulfe of eternall destruction 9 Let vs not therefore be wearie of well doing for in due season we shall reape if we faint not In these words the Apostle expounds the fift generall rule appertaining to all sorts of men and in it he ascendeth from the hypothesis to the thesis that is from the particular to the generall shewing that we ought not to faint in any good course either in doing good to them that labour amongst vs and are ouer vs in the Lord and admonish vs nor yet in beeing beneficiall vnto others And this verse dependeth vpon the former as the word therefore doth implie by way of necessarie illation and consequence for seeing that they which continue in well doing in sowing to the spirit shall of the spirit reape life euerlasting v. 8.
Th. 2. 2. he had besought them they would not be troubled by spirit nor by word nor by letter as though it came from him And here he shews how they may know whether the Epistle be his or not if it haue this signe it is mine els it is counterfait for this note or marke is to be found in all and euery one of my Epistles Now these words which is a Signe in euery Epistle cannot be meant as some are of opinion of the former words onely viz. The salutation of me Paul with mine owne hand First because he saith it is a signe in euery Epistle whereas it is onely to be found 1. Corinth 16. 21. Galat. 6. 11. Coloss. 4. 18. 2. Thess. 3. 17. Philem. v. 19. and not in any other of his Epistles Secondly the words so I write should be false if they be referred onely to the former wordes because that manner of salutation is not to be found in euery Epistle as I haue alreadie shewed And except they be referred to the words following the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ c. they haue either none or a very hard construction Thirdly if Pauls salutation which he affirmeth to be a certaine note of his Epistle be vnderstood of these words The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ c. it agreeth vnto all as Anselme confesseth whereas beeing meant of the former words onely it doeth not agree to all but to a fewe and yet Paul makes it a generall infallible note and signe of euery Epistle Besides Ambrose and Primasius in their commentaries vpon the place as also the Author of the Commentaries which goeth vnder Ieroms name affirme the signe whereby we may know Pauls Epistles from counterfeit and forged Epistles to consist in these words the grace of our Lord c Chrysost. and Theodoret likewise say that Paul calleth the salutation a benediction or blessing which is in the end of the Epistle and a little after Hence we learne that he was accustomed to write these words The grace c. instead of adiewe or farewell vnto thē And Haimo long after expounds these words so I write howe saith he euen thus as it followeth The grace of our Lord c. I graunt it is probable that Paul writ his owne name in the ende of euery Epistle whether in the Greeke tongue and in the Hebrewe characters as Haimo affirmeth I leaue it as vncertaine and that by the salutation or signe of his Epistle his name written with his owne hand is in part to be vnderstood yet it is not onely nor principally meant The certen signe therefore of his Epistles is beside the subscription of his owne name the farewell that he giues them in these words The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with you all or the like to the same effect I say to the same effect because these very formall wordes are not to be found in euery of Pauls Epistles Therefore Caietan is far wide who taketh the entire and formall salutation as it is literally set downe 2. Thess. 3. 17. to be a note that the Epistle is his so that if it want any one word either the Epistle is not Pauls or there is some defect in the text for hereupon he concludes that the Epistle to the Coloss. onely hath something wanting in the farewell or salutation because it is said Grace be with you and not the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with you as it is in all his other Epistles But first it is an vntrueth for they are not onely wanting in the Epistle to the Colossians but also in the 1. to Timothie and in that to Titus where it is only said Grace be with thee Grace be with you all Secondly it is a flat mistaking of the text for Pauls meaning was not in euery Epistle to tie himselfe precisely to so many words and syllables but to commend them to the grace of Christ sometime making expresse mention of Christ sometime concealing his name yet so as that it is alway vnderstood though not expressed 12. As many as make a faire shew in the flesh compell you to be circumcised only because they would not suffer persecution for the crosse of Christ. From hence to the ende is laid down the second part of the conclusion which I call a Recapitulation wherein the Apostle doeth very artificially as Orators are accustomed repeat those things which he would haue specially to be remembred the maine points handled in the Epistle First that neither circumcision is necessarie to iustification nor the ceremoniall lawe to saluation Secondly that the false Apostles vrging the obseruation of the lawe as a thing necessarie to saluation sought not herein Gods glorie or the edification of their hearers but their owne ease and freedome from the crosse and persecution Thirdly that Christ crucified is the onely thing that iustifies a sinner without the workes of the Lawe Fourthly that true religion standeth not in outward things but in the renouation of the inward man In this verse and the next following Paul describes the false Apostles by fiue properties three whereof are laid downe in this verse The first is that they make a faire shewe The second that they compell men to the obseruing of their deuised religion The third the ende and scope they aime at that they may alway be in the sunne-shine liuing at ease and hauing the world at will onely because they would not suffer persecution for the crosse of Christ. First the Apostle saith that they make a faire shew in the flesh which is taken diuersly for it signifieth sundrie things First to make an outward glorious shew according to the flesh as that they were true Israelites of the seed of Abraham c. Of which boasting Paul speakes 2. Cor. 11. 18. Seeing that many glorie after the flesh I will glorie also They are Israelites so am I they are the seed of Abraham so am I. Secondly to please the Israelites which are after the flesh and to approoue themselues vnto them which held the keeping of the ceremoniall lawe Thirdly to vaunt themselues to the Iewes and them of the circumcision of the Galatians whome they had circumcised in the flesh as beeing made proselytes and wenne to their profession by their meanes Lastly to pretend great zeale and religion in outward obseruing of the lawe standing in carnall rites and bodily exercises as circumcision meates purification and the like which carnall rites the Apostle opposeth to spirituall worship Rom. 12. 1. and to the newe creature v. 16. of this chap. and bodely exercise which profiteth little to true pietie and the sincere practise thereof which is profitable for all things 1. Tim. 4. 8. The words may be taken in all these acceptions though princspally in the last Here we haue a notable propertie of false teachers which is to set a faire face vpon the matter to carrie all before them with a smooth countenance and in outward
appearance to excell For as Satan though a blacke deuill an angel of darkenes doth change himselfe into a white deuill as though he were an angel of light so that a man can hardly distinguish his wicked suggestions from the good motions of the spirit of God and therefore may say as Ioshua said to the angel art thou on our side or on our aduersaries Ioshua 5. 13. So his instruments transform themselues as though they were the Apostles of Christ and ministers of righteousnesse 2. Cor. 11. 13 15. In the old Testament false prophets were accustomed outwardly to conforme themselues to the habite and attire of the holy men of God in wearing a rough garment as Elias and the rest of the prophets did Zach. 13. 4. Vnder the newe Testament in the time of Christ the Pharises in hypocrisie vnder a shewe of long praier deuoured widdowes houses Matth. 23. 14. In the Apostles time false teachers with their wil worship as touch not taste not handle not which had a shewe of wisdome in voluntarie religion and humblenesse of minde and not sparing of the bodie did vndermine the religion of God Coloss. 2. 21 22 23. And after that in the primatiue Church the heretickes called Catharists vnder a shewe of holinesse fasting praier c. did sowe most damnable heresies in the Church And as in former times the Iewes vnder the glorious titles of the children of Abraham the schollers of Moses the temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord made many proselytes by deceiuing the soules of the simple So at this day vnder the glorious titles of the Church of Councels fathers antiquitie consent vniuersalitie the pretented Romane Catholikes haue ensnared many a simple soule and no maruaile considering that these are the times of which Christ foretold that false prophets should deceiue if it were possible the very elect Matth. 24. 24. And of which Saint Paul prophecied that Antichrist should come through the efficacie of Satan with all power and signes and lying wonders and in all deceiue ablenesse of vnrighteousnesse among them that perish 2. Thess. 2. 9 10. And all this is done by outward shewes and semblances which our Sauiour Christ tearmeth sheepes cloathing and it stands in these foure particulars First in great swelling titles as the onely true Catholike Church the Vicar of Christ the Oecumennicall Bishop most profound illuminate Angelicall Seraphicall Doctors Iesuits the onely true followers of the doctrine and example of Iesus c. Secondly in pretended zeale and deuotion whereby they would perswade that their religion is the onely true religion all others which swarue from it are nothing but false and fabulous and this they doe three waies First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by hauing God alwaies in their mouthes crying in hypocrisie with the false prophets Lord Lord Matth. 7. 22. Or as the Iesuiticall faction doe Iesu Maria. Secondly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with enticing words consisting in probable reasons and persuasiue arguments Coloss. 2. 4. Thirdly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with faire and flattering words to deceiue the hearts of the simple Rom. 16. 18. By which three meanes the Iesuites haue preuailed much in Princes courts in these latter daies Apoc. 16. 14. Thirdly in the glorious outside of holinesse of life and conuersation in not sparing the bodie by whipping of themselues as Baals priests lanced themselues till the blood gushed out 1. King 18. 28. in strict fasts canonicall houres hard fare badde lodging course apparrell and such like Lastly in rare and excellent gifts of prophecy tongues eloquence miracles c. And thus they make Pauls shew of godlinesse 2. Tim. 3. 5. to be Peter cloake of wickednesse 1. Pet. 2. 16. so that as the Deuill with faire words put Eue into a fooles paradise till at length he had driuen her out of the terrestriall Paradise and made her also hazard the celestiall So his ministers false teachers by faire and flattering speeches deceiue the minds of the simple and cause them to fall from their owne stabilitie By this we may see how hypocrites and false teachers stand especially vpon outward things as externall rites and ceremonies which are but deuices and doctrines of men Matth. 15. 9. The Pharisies made much adoe about washing the outside of the cuppe and of the platter when as the inside was full of rapine and all vncleannes Matth. 23. 25. very curious about washing of their hands before meate Mark 7. 3. and yet carelesse to wash their hearts froÌ„ wickednes Ier. 4. 14. precise in small matters as in tything of mint annise and cummine but profane in the practise of the waightier things of the law as iudgement mercie and fidelitie Matth. 23. 23. whited tombes faire without and filthie within v. 27. Thus the Popish worship consisteth especially in outward things which may please the senses of carnall men as in vocall and instrumental Musicke to please the eare censings and perfumes to delight the smell guilding and painting with other sights and spectacles to affect the eye And at this day in the Masse which they account the very marrow of their Mattins there is nothing but dumme shews histrionicall gestures and tricks fitter to mocke apes withall then to edifie the people For whereas in former time they were wont to say Let vs goe heare a Masse now the common saying in Italie is this Let vs goe see a Masse Let vs therefore trie the spirits before we trust them and especially in matters of religion follow Christs precept not to iudge by the outward appearance Ioh. 7. 24. But to iudge of Prophets by the fruit of their doctrine Matth. 7. 16. and of their doctrine by the touch-stone of the word Isa. 8. 20. so that though the Deuill transforme himselfe into an angel of light nay though an angel from heauen preach any other thing beside that we haue receiued from Christ we must hold him accursed and in so doing we shall follow Christ his practise who was prudent in the feare of the Lord and did not iudge by the sight of his eyes nor reprooue by the hearing of his eares Isa. 11. 3. The second note and marke of these false teachers is that they compell men to be circumcised The word compell hath great emphasis for it signifieth that they did not conuince the iudgement or perswade the will and affection of the Galatians but enforced them against their wills for though circumcision be nothing of it selfe as Paul saith yet to be compelled to receiue circumcision and to place iustification in the vse of it sinne in the neglect of it is the readie way to ouerturne Christ the foundation of our saluation Gal. 5. 4. Here suodrie questions are to be answered First it may be demanded whether it be lawfull to compell men to embrace religion as the false Apostles compelled the Galatians to circumcisioÌ„ Ans. The Magistrate may ought to compell obstinate Recusants to professe true religion for he is â—â—stos vtriusque
tabulae and therefore is to haue care that true religion be professed and the contemners thereof punished An example hereof we haue in good King Iosiah who caused all that were found in Ierusalem and Beniamin that is all his subiects to stand to the couenant which he made with the Lord nay which is more he compelled all that were found in Ierusalem to serue the Lord their God 2. Chron. 24. 32 33. among which multitude many there were no doubt which did like better of Idolatrie then of Gods worship as the word compelled doth import The King that made that great supper commanded his seruants to coÌ„pell the guests to come in vnto him Luk. 14. 23. whence Augustine gathereth that it is the Magistrates dutie to compell recusants schismatikes heretikes and such like to the hearing and professing of the word But here three things are commonly obiected against this doctrine Obiect I. To compell men to embrace true religion is to make them goe against their conscience which the Magistrate ought not to doe as some Papists haue asfirmed that they would not for tenne thousand worlds compell a Iew to sweare that there were a blessed Trinitie because he should be damned for swearing against his conscience although the thing were neuer so true Ans. I. If it were so hainous a sinne to compell any to embrace true religion because it is against their conscience why doe Popish Prelates and Magistrates compell Protestants and that by exquisite torments to reconcile themselues to the Church of Rome to sweare obedience to the Pope to acknowledge TraÌ„substantiation and to heare Masse which they know are directly against their conscience II. If they will not compell men to doe any thing though neuer so good or godly because it is against their conscience why should they not be as scrupulous in restraining them from doing that which is vnlawfull because they are perswaded in conscience they ought to doe it For if they compell men to omit that which they beleeue to be good because they know it to be euill as their owne practise prooueth in that they will not suffer Protestants to pray publikely in a knowne tongue nor receiue the Sacrament in both kinds c. why doe they not compell them also to doe that which they know to be good though they thinke it to be euill III. The Magistrate is to compell men to embrace true religion or to punish them for their obstinacie in not harkening to the word because he is to vse the meanes to reclaime them and to winne them to a loue and liking of the truth Now so long as they are vrged to heare the word there is hope they may be wonne againe and experience shewes as Augustine testifieth of the Donatists that they which did professe religion at the first meerely by compulsion may afterwards by the mercie of God professe it onely for deuoâ—ion And what though some come not to learne but to carpe and cauill yet God may cast the nette of his mercie so farre ouer them that contrarie to their purpose they may be caught IIII. If the Magistrate who may compell them and so reclaime them doe suffer them to continue in their errours or heresies without controlment he is guiltie of their sinne but by compelling them he hath discharged his dutie for albeit they beeing compelled doe dissemble and play the hypocrites doe lie and forsweare themselues that is not the Magistrates sinne who intendeth nothing but their conuersion and saluation it is their owne proper and personall sinne Obiect II. Men ought to be perswaded to embrace religion and induced to beleeue but not compelled for the will can not be compelled Ans. True it is the will cannot be compelled and as true is it likewise that the Magistrate doth not compell any to beleeue for when a man doth beleeue and from his heart embrace true religion he doth it willingly notwithstanding meanes are to be vsed to make them willing that are vnwilling and the meanes is to compell them to come to our assemblies to heare the word and to learne the grounds of true religion for it is Gods commandement men should prooue the spirits 1. Ioh. 4. 1. that so they may know the truth and cleaue vnto it Augustine saith fitly and finely to this purpose Quod autem vobis videtur invites ad veritatem non esse cogendâ—â— erratis nescientes Scripturas neque virtutem Dei qui eos volentes facit dum coguntur inviti Secondly when Papists receiue the Sacrament sweare allegeance to their Prince present themselues in our congregations who knowes that they doe these things against their conscience nay rather we ought in charitie to thinke that they are perswaded in conscience they may doe them when by oath and protestation they confesse so much But be it they did all in hypocrisie shall the execution of godly lawes therefore cease because hypocrites will not obey but in dissimulation Obiect III. The Magistrate by compelling Recusants to the outward profession of religion maketh them to play the hypocrites to counterfaiâ— and dissemble Ans. The Magistrate in executing the lawes hath no such intent but onely that they might heare the word beleeue it and be saued Againe Protestant recusants in other countries are not allowed by Papists to alleadge their conscience for their refusall but are compelled either to conforme themselues or to vndergoe cruell torments no more may such pretence of conscience excuse the Papists or other heretikes but that they should receiue the same measure which they mete to others II. Quest. How can it be truly said that the false Apostles compelled men to receiue circumcision seeing Titus was not compelled to be circumcised Gal. 2. 3. Ans. That place maketh nothing against the text in hand the meaning is that Paul for his part was readie to haue circumcised Titus as he did Timothie Act. 16. 3. rather then offend the weake brethren But when it came to this point that they would needes vrge circumcision as a thing necessarie to saluation Paul refused to do it for all the false brethren that crept in v. 4. that is notwithstanding they laboured by all meanes to bring it in vse againe Neither did the Apostles vrge it or require it as a thing necessarie to saluation III. It may be demaunded whether that circumcision beeing so vehemently vrged by the false Apostles might not haue beene vsed Answ. It might not For albeit it be in it selfe a thing indifferent and so it skilleth not whether a man be circumcized or not as Paul saith Circumcision is nothing and vncircumcision is nothing yet beeing vrged as a matter oâ— absolute necessitie as without which men could not be saued Act. 15. 1. it ought not to be vsed The like may be said of all indifferent things if they be made essentiall pâ—rts of Gods worship or necessarie to saluation as the vse of meates and drinkes obseruing of times and seasons wearing this or that habit or
First in freeing children from obedience to their parents Secondly in exempting their shauelings from subiection to the ciuill Magistrate Thirdly in freeing subiects from their oath of allegeance to their Soueraignes And lastly by aduancing that man of sinne aboue all that is called God or worshipped and giuing him power to depose Princes to dispose of crownes and kingdomes and to impose lawes which shall properly bind the conscience yea to tread Kings and Emperours vnder his feete and cause them like vassalls to hold his stirrop Againe they compell others to fast especially in Lent when as they in the meane time feast their fast beeing to eate fast and drinke fast in mortifying the flesh with their Indian capons and peacocks and that vpon good friday whereas to eate white-meates vpon that day should be in others a mortall sinne Further they beare the poore people in hand that Indulgences are meanes to remit sinnes and that those that are excommunicated by the Pope are in a damnable estate whereas many of them account Popes bulls to be but bullae meere trifles and such as buy them starke tooles witnesse the speech of the Duke of Ualence bastard to Pope Alexander the sixt who hauing lost certaine thousand crownes at a throw at the dice Tush said he these are but the sinnes of the Germans And that of Charles the fift though a fauourer and maintainer of the Romane religion who beeing menaced by Pope Paulus the third with excommunication if he would not yeeld vp Playsance into his hands let him vnderstand by his Embassadour that he would thunder at S. Angelo with his canons and artillerie if he would needes be thundering out his excommunications Lastly they vrge confession of Purgatorie almost as an article of faith whereas some of them are so farre from beleeuing it as that they thinke there is neither heauen nor hell witnesse the speech of Pope Leo the tenth to Cardinall Bembu◠O Bembus what riches haue we gotten by this fine fable of Iesiu Christ By this we are contrarily admonished to practise that we professe the Ministers of the word especially ought verba vertere in opera as Ierome speaketh that is to turne words into works that their liues may be reall Sermons to the people for otherwise they pull downe with one hand as fast as they build with another Let vs consider how Peters badde example is saide to haue compelled the Gentiles to liue as the Iewes Gal. 2. 14. For actions abide and are of force when words passe as the winde Moreouer vpon this dependeth another propertie of seducers which is to set a faire glosse vpon the matter and to wake the world beleeue they doe these and these things for such and such endes as these false teachers did pretending religion and conscience but intending freedome from the crosse and their owne vaine glorie whereas they meane nothing lesse like Herod who made shew of worshipping Christ when his purpose was to haue destroied him Matth. 2. This propertie and practise is and hath beene vsuall specially in the Church of Rome For generally they would haue the world beleeue that the Popes triple crowne Hierarchie of that Sea is for the maintenance and defence of the Gospel whereas all the world knowes it is onely to keepe their kitchins hot to vphold their Persian pompe and ambitious tyrannie Particularly there be two politicke practises of theirs which prooue the point in hand First it is well knowne that Popes haue neuer ceased from time to time to sollicite the Princes of Europe to maintaine the holy warre as they call it pretending the recouerie of the holy land out of the hands of the Turkes and Sarracins when as at least in the beginning they intended nothing lesse but that by this meanes they might set the East and West together by the eares whilst they plaied their parts at home in Italie The second is their Shrift or auricular Confession which they practise for this end as they say that they may pacifie distressed Consciences by absoluing them of their sinnes when as the truth is they first brought it into the Church and doe still continue it in a politicke respect as beeing the onely way in the world to know all the secret purposes plots pollicies and practises that are either in Church or Commonwealth We are therefore here admonished to take heed of dissembling in making Christianitie a cloake of impietie or to pretend one thing and intend another like the heart pointing vpward and poising downeward for that will be a farre fowler soloecisme thē that which the heathen cōmitted with his hād in pointing to heauen whē he spake of the earth But let vs alway labour for sinceritie to be at least that which we pretend to be or rather like Salomons temple whose windowes were larger within then without and not like the glow-worme making a faire glittering shewe of that which we haue not v. 14. But God forbidde that I should glory saue in the crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ whereby the world is crucified to me and I vnto the world In these words Paul comes to the Reddition of the dissimilitude betwixt him and the false Apostles his glorying and theirs In them we may consider two generall points First wherein he would not glory in nothing saue in c. Secondly the thing wherein he would glorie In the crosse of Christ whereof he renders a reason in the words following taken from the effects which the crosse wrought in him For by it the world was crucified to him and he vnto the world For the first To glorie implies three things First to reioice exult and triumph in a mans selfe in regard of some good thing or some supposed good Secondly to bewray this great exultation by speech or action or both Thirdly by boasting of it to looke for praise and applause of men which glorying according to the nature of the obiect and the ende is either good or euill For if it haue a right obiect namely the crosse of Christ and a right ende the glorie of God it is good otherwise it is euill such as was this glorying of the false Apostles and all other carnall glorying which is not in the Lord for it is nothing els but vain glorie Vain I say first in regard of the things wherin men glorie which are either such as are not as when man boasteth of that which he hath not but would seeme to haue or such as he hath not of himselfe 1. Cor. 4. 7. or such as haue no continuace but are transitorie and fading as all earthly things are seeing man himselfe is but as grasse and all the glorie of man but as the floure of the field Isay. 40. 6. Secondly it is vaine in regard of man from whome we looke for glorie and admiration seeing his iudgement is erroneous Thirdly in regard of the ende in not referring it to the maine and proper ende the glorie of God and the good of
boasteth not but onely of his Apostolicall calling and his faithfull discharge thereof to the end he may stoppe the mouthes of the false Apostles Thus to confesse the good things we haue to the glorie of God beeing vrged thereunto is lawfull boasting nay it is sometime necessarie making much for the maintenance of the Gospell as Pauls boasting made much for the good of the Church of Corinth Againe there is a twofold lawfull boasting one before God another before men Rom. 4. 2. Of the former the Apostle speakes in this verse of the latter in the 2. Cor. 12. He gloried not in the testimony of a good conscience before god but onely before men Before God he glorified in nothing but in the sauing knowledge of Christ and him crucified And whereas it may besaide that this his boasting in regard of the false Apostles as also his glorying in the testimonie of his conscience 2. Cor. 1. 12. and in his infirmities 2. Cor. 11. 30. were not in the crosse of Christ. I answer they were for his glorying ouer the false Apostles in teaching freely was in the good and prosperous successe of the Gospel which is the doctrine of the crosse and his glorying in the testimonie of his conscience in that it was washed by the blood of the crosse as Paul speakes Coloss. 1. 20. In his afflictions in that they were the afflictions of Christ and he by them made conformable to him But it will be said that he gloried in his reuelations in his paines and trauell in preaching the Gospel and in the multitude of Churches which he had planted Ans. First he did it beeing vrged thereunto secondly he did it to defend his calling and the credit of the Gospel and therefore this boasting was not vnlawfull nay it was necessarie and in the Lord. For when we are compelled we may confesse the good things we haue if we doe it sparingly and for the edification of others that they may be bettered by our example and that they seeing our good workes may glorifie God our heauenly father Matth. 5. 16. Here we see what glorying is Vnlawfull namely when men ascribe vnto themselues either that which they haue not or more then they haue or as proceeding from themselues their wisdome strength industrie in sacrificing to their owne netts and burning incense to their owne yearne Habac. 1. 16. or in boasting of them without necessarie cause either for their owne vaine glorie as Nebuchodonosor did Dan. 4. or not for Gods glorie as Herod did Act. 12. And if this glorying be so greata sinne surely boasting in wickednes as Doeg did Psal. 52. 1. must needes be most damnable as when the greatest swearers and swaggerers count themselues the best companions the greatest Idolaters and superstitious persons most religious the greatest oppressours surfeters drunkards fighters most valiane and couragious c. Now this may be done three waies either ignoraÌ„tly as wheÌ„ Paul gloried in his cruel persecuting of the Saints before his coÌ„uersion Act. 26. 11. or presumptuously when men glorie in wickednes notwithstanding they be perswaded in conscience that it is euill and then it is the sinne of Sodom Isa. 3. 9. or malitiously to despite God and then it is the sinne against the holy Ghost The second point to be considered in the words is the thing wherein he will glorie called here the Crosse of Christ Sane in the Crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ. The words in the originall translated saue are exceptiue as if he should say I will glorie in nothing except in the crosse of Christ and exclusiue onely in the crosse of Christ and in nothing els Albeit they are sometime aduersatiue as Gal. 2. 16. and Apoc. 21. 27. There shall enter into it no vncleane thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but they that are written c. where the words are not exclusiue for then it would follow that some which worke abomination should enter into heauen but aduersatiue as Matth. 12. 4. and Luk. 4. 20. which may serue by the way to cleare the text Ioh. 17. 12. Those thou gauest me haue I kept and none of them is lost but the child of perdition that is but the child of perdition is lost For the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as I take it are not so well translated by the exceptiue coniunction nisi as by the aduersatiue sed seeing here is no exceptioÌ„ made of Iudas as though he had beene giuen to Christ afterward had fallen away which exposition must needes be made if the words be read nisi filius perditionis Further by the Crosse of Christ the Apostle vnderstandeth synecdochically the all sufficient expiatorie and satisfactorie sacrifice of Christ vpon the crosse with the whole work of our redemption in the sauing knowledge where of he professeth he will glorie and boast For Christ is made vnto vs wisdome righteousnes that as it is written He that glorieth should glorie in the Lord euen to make boast of him all the day long as the Psalmist speaketh And the reason why Paul professeth that he will glorie onely in the Crosse of Christ is because Christ crucified is the treasurie and storehouse of the Church seeing that in him are hid not onely the treasures of wisdome and knowledge Coloss. 2. 3. but of bountie and grace Ioh. 1. 16. and of all spirituall blessings Eph. 1. 3. For first by Christ crucified we haue reconciliation with God remission of sinns acceptation to eternall life Secondly we haue the peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding peace with God with Angels with men with our selues with the creatures Thirdly we recouer the right and title which we had in the creation to all the creatures and blessings of God 1. Cor. 3. 22. Fourthly all afflictions and iudgements cease to be curses and punishments and become either trialls or corrections Lastly death it selfe is no death but a sleepe for all that die in the Lord are said to sleepe and to rest vpon their beddes Isa. 57. 2. Indeede if we looke vpon death through the glasse of the Law it is the very downefall to eternall destruction but if we consider it as it is changed by the death of Christ it is but a passage from this transâ—torie life to eternall life Christ by his death hath taken away sinne the sting of death so that though it seaze vpon vs yet hauing lost it sting it cannot hurt vs. So that in a word in Christ crucified are all things that a man can glorie of If we would glorie in knowledge and wisdome He is the wisdome of the father seeing that all treasures of wisdome and knowledge are hid in him and therefore Paul desired to know nothing among the Corinthians but brist and him crucified 1. Cor. 2. 2. for this knowledge is eternall life Ioh 17. 3. If in the loue and fauour of great men by him we are highly aduanced into the loue fauour of god Eph. 1. 6. If in
come downe from heauen and light vpon them that follow this rule and that they cannot he hindered by the mallice of men Let the Pope then anathematize curse and excommunicate vs both Prince and people because we tread not in the steps of his faith but of the faith of our father Abraham and walke not according to his rule but according to this rule of the Apostle for we need not feare his thunderbolts nor curses seeing the causelesse curse shall neuer come Pro. 26. 2. for what though he curse if God doe blesse It was the thing that comforted Dauid beeing cursed of his enemies in that though they did curse yet God would blesse Psal. 109. 28. and let vs comfort our selues in this that he will curse them that curse his people Gen. 12. 3. Againe if peace and mercy shall be vpon them that walke according to this rule then wrath and indignation shall light vpon those that follow any other rule or deuise any other way or set downe any other meanes of saluation besides or contrary to this False therefore is the opinion of Pucksius that if a man lead an outward ciuil life he may be saued in any religion the Iewe in his Iudaisme the Turke in his Mahometisme the Heathen in his Paganisme For they that walke not in this way according to this rule doe but weary themselues in endlesse Labyrinths and so walking without line or rule in their crooked wayes shall be led with workers of iniquitie whenas peace shall be vpon Israel Psal. 125. 5. Other vses are made of mercy and peace Pag. 11. and 12. to which places I referre the reader The Apostle addeth that peace and mercy shal be vpon all them that walke according to this rule and vpon the Israel of God There is a doble Israell mentioned by Paul Israell according to the flesh 1. Cor. 10. 18. and the Israell of God as there is a twofold Iewe one outward in the flesh another inward in the spirit Rom. 2. 28 29. By the Israell of God the Apostle meaneth all such as are like to Nathaniell who was a true Israelite in whome there was no guile Ioh. 1. 47. whether they be the faithfull Gentiles or beleeuing Iewes And he makes mention of the Israell of God partly by reason of the aduersaries who bragged so much of their father Abraham and that they were the only true Israelites and yet were noe Israelites because they troade not in the steps of the faith of Abraham partly for the weake conuerts who thought it a hard thing to be seuered from the society of those to whome the promises were made partly for vs Gentiles that we might know that all are not Israell which are of Israell Rom. 9. 6. but that all they which are of faith are blessed with faithfull Abraham Gal. 3. 9. seeing that God is no accepter of persons Act. 10. 34. v. 17. From hence forth let no man put me to busines for I beare in my body the markes of the Lord Iesus Here the Apostle laies downe his last admonition preuenting an obiection that might be made by the false Apostles or the Galatians For whereas it might be said that Paul sought himselfe and the world shunned persecution and therefore ioyned circumcision to Christ to please the Iewes and followed not his owne rule v. 16. he takes away this obiection with great authoritie when he saith from hence forth let no man put me to busines And withall he addes a reason of it for I beare in my bodie the markes of the Lord Iesus as if he should saie The bonds the imprisonments the stripes wounds and scarres in my bodie doe sufficiently testifie my fidelitie in my ministerie for if I had preached circumcision I should not haue suffered persecution The words may be and are taken in a doble sense First thus The false Apost and you Galatians by their instigation haue beene troblesome vnto me by false accusations and scanderous imputations as that I taught circumcision and the obseruatiō of the ceremoniall Lawe as a thing necessarie to saluation and so you haue made a reuolt from my doctrine by that meanes haue dobled and tripled my labour and paines among you But from hence forth cease to be troblesome vnto me you may take experiment and proofe from me the marks that I beare in my body doe sufficiently witnesse and seale the truth of my doctrine and my fidelitie in myne Apostleship as also whose disciple I am Moses or Christs and what rule I follow Iudaisme or Christianisme Secondly they cary this sense I haue sayd that they which walke according to this rule in glorying onely in the crosse of Christ peace shall be vpon them and mercy and vpon the Israel of God And I say againe and againe that we ought to striue and contend for it to obserue keepe it as a thing most necessarie to saluation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as for othings not necessary to saluation as circumcision c. Let no man troble me in the execution of mine Apostolicall function or hinder the course of the Gospell by vrging any other doctrine or ceremony contrary or diuerse from this as necessary to saluation This one thing is necessarie other things are needles and fruitles in comparison therefore neither I nor the church of God ought to be trobled with them This latter sense I take to be more ageeable to the text Some make the sense to be this I haue had many trobles and conflicts and haue many markes and scarres in my body inflicted by persecutours therfore be no more troblesome vnto me for it were to much to add wormewood to my gale affliction to affliction Here we se the condition of the Apostle and the estate of all faithfull ministers that it is full of troble and molestations For as they are accounted men of turbulent spirits disquieters of the state as Elias was 1. King 21. and Ieremie chap. 15. 18. and Paul Act. 16. 20. 21. 28. So they are most trobled with factious opposers and false teachers who labour to bring into the church things partly needles and superfluous partly hurtfull pernicious Thus the false Apost trobled the pastors and church of Galatia Gal. 5. 10. and the churches of Antiochia Syria Cilicia Act 15. 24. Secondly consider how that the most and greatest trobles of the church haue beene for matter◠not of substance but of circumstance partly not necessarie partly contrarie to the rule which notwithstanding haue bee vrged with fire and fagot as things most necessarie Lastly he that stands forth for the defence of Gods truth as Paul did and all Ministers ought to doe must let goe all circumstances and looke to the substance Not with Martha to trouble himselfe about many needelesse things when as one thing onely is necessarie The reason followeth in these words For I beare in my bodie the markes of the Lord Iesus The word in the Originall translated markes doth properly
ignorance of the one and hinder the malice of the other and so to profitte the most beside the meaning he hath briefly drawne out such doctrines as naturally arise from the text shewing withall how they ought to be applied for confutation correction instruction consolation Which he hath donne with such dexteritie artificially matching together two things heretofore insociable Breuitie and Perspicuitie that the like I take it hath not beene performed heretofore by any Expositer vpon this Epistle which we may well call the key of the new Testament in that it handleth the waightiest points of doctrine whether we consider the necessarie knowledge thereof or the controuersies of these times Therefore Luther after he had once publikely expounded it toke in hand againe and interpreted it the second time beginning as himselfe saith where he ended according to the saying of Syracides When a man hath donne what he can he must beginne againe Which Commentarie seeing it hath found such good intertainement amongst vs beeing but a forrainer and hauing lost much of his strength and taken winde by changing from language to language as wine from one vessell to another I doubt not but this beeing a free-denizen will find the like fauour and acceptance therather if it will please your Honour to vouchsafe it your countenance To whose protection and patronage I here commend it as S. Luke did his Histories to the most noble Theophylus desiring hereby to testifie my humble dutie vnto your Honor and my thankfulnes to God for the riches of his grace bestowed vpon you in my sterie of the Gospell for your zeale of gods glory your loue of the truth and of all those that vnfainedly embrace the truth And thus fearing to hinder the course of your more serious cogitations actions I humbly take may leaue Desyring the Lord who hath promised to honour those that honour him that as he hath made you Honourable in your noble progenitors so he would make you thrise Honourable in your future successors and long continue you a notable instrument vnder his Highnes of the peace and welfare of your country as hetherto he hath done accomplishing all your desires for present prosperitie and future felicitie From Emanuell colledge in Cambridge August 10. 1604. Your Honours most humbly deuoted RAFE CVDWORTH TO THE COVRteous Reader I Here offer to thy view gentle Reader a Comment and a Supplement the Comment begunne by an excellent workeman and drawne in excellent proportion in all points suting to the analogie of faith and the doctrine of the Orthodoxe Fathers of the Church beeing the substance of his three yeares Lectures vpon the Lords day If his former workes either of Positiue Diuinitie in sundrie of his Treatises or Controuersall Diuinitie in his Reformed Catholike or Case-Diuinitie in his Cases of Conscience haue ministred any comfort vnto thee or giuen thee content I doubt not but these Commentaries will abundantly satisfie thy expectation For to omit the varietie of matter as also the breuitie and admirable perspicuitie in regard of the manner beeing the chiefest commendation of Oecumenius or any Interpreter in them as in a mirrour thou maist more clearely see his knowledge in the mysterie of Christ and his dexteritie in exemplifying that by practise which he had formerly taught by precept theÌ„ in any of his writings besides as hauing a double eminencie aboue the rest First in that they were penned the last of all his workes beeing come to ripenes of iudgement and that vpon mature deliberation after his Sermons as his manner was Secondly in that they were written with his owne hand whereas all his other writings except some short Treatises were taken by some diligent auditors and perused by himselfe Herein resembling the Epistle it selfe which was written with Pauls owne hand all the rest except that short one to Philemon by his â—â—ribes And as they doe exceede his other Writings so I might say perhaps more truly then discreetly that they surpasse in this kinde all the moderne writers that haue gone before them so that he which will vouchsafe to read them shall not greatly neede nor desire any other Interpreter vpon this Scripture the which I speake not as esteeming of Antiquitie no better worth then to be put vnder a bushell that Noueltie might be set vpon the candlesticke but for that I see not but that Iohn Baptist the last of all the Prophets was as goodly a burning and shining candle as any of the rest and that he pointed forth Christ more distinctly then the rest But I hope I shall not neede to vse many words in commendation either of the worke or of the Author beeing so well knowne and sufficiently commended by others for soundnes of doctrine and integritie of life which whilst he was liuing did parallel each other his doctrine beeing a patterne of his life and his life a counterpaine of his doctrine And now beeing dead his sauorie-writings which he hath left behind him breathing forth as it were the sweete smell of a sanctified spirit like a field which the Lord hath blessed hath got him a name neuer to be forgotten which giueth him after his death a second life I am further to aduertise thee good Reader that there were some places in the originall copie to which the Author would no doubt haue giuen some reuiew and correction if God had drawne out the line of his life but a little longer which I haue filed and polished according to my poore skill though very sparingly in such places onely as were obscure or had any phrase of doubtfull construction or otherwise seemed to be mistaken pointing and interlining the rest to fit it for the Presse It may be my vnskilfull handling of them hath depriued them of their due lustre yet sure I am it hath giuen them no tincture Touching the Supplement it was my purpose at the first to have made a supplie of that which was wanting out of the Authors owne writings as it hath beene done in Aquinas Summes and others but afterwardes perceiuing that his workes alreadie extant would not affoard me sufficient matter to furnish out that argument I was inforced to take an other course and to make a supplie with courser stuffe of mine owne as I could Which if it shall seeme not to sure the former in all points I shall desire thee to consider that it is not so easie a matter for Asâ—lepiodorus accustomed to draw with a cole or chaulke only to finish a picture he 〈…〉 nne by Apelles with so curious a pensill and that it is an argument wherein I confesse I haue not beene so much conuersant as perhaps in some other neither chosen out of purpose to make ostentation of witt reading or inuention but left as a necessary task to be performed by some for the perfecting of the worke and the good of the Church if this poore mite may conferre any thing to the Treasurie of the Lords
temple And thus hoping that these respects may entreate for a friendly acceptance at thy hands and that thou wilt afforde mee thy good word for my good will and a fauorable construction for my paines I commend it to the blessing of the Almightie and thee to his gratious protection vnfainedly wishing to thee as to my selfe the mercie of God in Christ Iesus August 10. Thine in the Lord Iesus R. C. Faults escaped in some copies are thus to be corrected Pag. lin Fault correct 25 30 building binding 70 28 degree decree 86 27 Christin Christian ibidem  refuse refused 105 4 Prov. 14. 24. 136 3 seach search 153 4 7 47 164 25 begunne beginne 176 24 happily haply 241 5 reuealed conceiued 360 33 it is 402 1 come came 440 16 maginations imaginatioÌ„s 461 29 foole foote 469 23 notes motes 472 38 Recidauation RecidiuatioÌ„ 473 7 the thiefe thiefe 478 30 Quaerenda Quâ—rendo 480 17 Supposes Supposals 482 25 perfunctorie defunctorie 482 37 thâ— the 490 38 heard hard 505 36 thought though 556 23 equall equall 559 26 our an 585 8 see seeing 612 3 Peter Peters 647 14 o other In the Epistle to the Reader for hath read haue CHAP. 1 THE EPISTLE OF S. PAVL TO THE GALATIANS The Argument TWo things are generally to be considered the occasion of this Epistle and the Scope The occasion that mooued Paul to write this Epistle was because certen false-Apostles slaundered him both in respect of his calling as also in respect of his doctrine teaching that he was no Apostle and that his doctrine was false And by this means they seduced the Churches of Galatia perswading them that iustification and saluation was partly by Christ and partly by the Lawe The Scope of the Epistle is in three things First the Apostle defends his calling in the first and second chapters Secondly he defends the truth of his doctrine teaching iustification by Christ alone And vpon this occasion he handles the greatest question in the world Namely what is that Justice whereby a sinner stands righteous before God in the 3. and 4. and in the beginning of the fift Thirdly he prescribes rules of good life in the fift and sixt chapters 1. Paul an Apostle not of men nor by man but by Iesus Christ and God the father who raised him from the dead THe Epistle hath 3. parts a Preface an Instruction and the Conclusion The preface is in the fiue first verses and it hath two parts an inscription and a Salutation The inscription sets downe the persons that write the Epistle and the persons to whome it is sent The persons that write are two Paul the Brethren Paul is mentioned in the first verse In which in comely and decent manner he commende himselfe to the Galatians by his office and function as Apostle that is one called to be a planter and founder of the Church of the newe Testament among the nations And because the title of an Apostle in generall signification may agree to all teachers therefore he goes further and sets downe the cause of his Apostleship And first he remooues the false causes in these words not of men that is not called by men as by Authors of my calling or not called by the authoritie of men And in this Paul opposeth himselse to the false-apostles who were called notby God but by men Againe he saith not by man that is not called of God in and by the ministerie of any meere man And in this Paul opposeth himselfe to all ordinarie ministers of the Gospell whatsoeuer who are called of God by man This done he propounds the true cause and author of his Apostleshippe of whome he was called immediately Against this it may be obiected that Paul was ordained to be an Apostle by the imposition of haÌ„ds of the Church of Antioch I answer that this imposition was rather a confirmation then a calling Secondly they of Antioch had not imposed hands on Paul but that they were commanded by the spirit of God Further Paul addes that he was called by Christ and God the father for three causes The first was to signifie the consent of will in the father and Christ. The second was to teach vs howe we are to conceiue of God namely that he is the Father and Iesus Christ and the Holy Ghost for the Godhead may not be conceiued out of the trinitie of persons The third is because the father is the fountaine of all good things that come to vs by Christ. Lastly he sets downe the effect or action of the Father who raised him from the dead and that for two causes One was to prooue Christ to be the naturall sonne of God for he professed himselfe to be so and that was one cause why he was crucified and put to death Nowe when he was dead if he had not bin the sonne of God indeede he had neuer risen againe but had perished in death And in that the father raised him againe to life he gaue testimonie that he was his own naturall sonne And therefore Paul saith that Christ was declared to be the sonne of God by the resurrection from the dead and he applies the words of the Psalme thou art my sonne this day haue I begotten thee to the time of Christs resurrection Againe Paul mentions the resurrection of Christ to note the time of his owne calling for though the rest of the Apostley were called when Christ was in the estate of humiliation yet Paul was called afterwards when Christ was entred into his kingdome and sate at the right hand of his father The vse First whereas Paul in the very fore front of his Epistle beginnes with his owne calling I gather that euery minister of the Gospell ought to haue a good and lawefull calling A man cannot preach vnlesse he be sent Christ tooke not vnto him the office of a Mediatour till he was called and sent of the Father Therefore the opinion of the Anabaptist is foolish and phantasticall who thinke that euery man may preach that will without any speciall calling They alleadge that the house of Stephanas ordaine themselues to the Ministerie of the Saints Answer the meaning of the place is not that they called themselues but that they set themselues apart to the ministerie of the Saints in the purpose and resolution of their owne hearts Againe they alleadge that all Christians in the newe Testament are Kings and Priests and the office of the priest is to teach I answer all are priests in that they are to offer themselues in sacrifice to God and to teach priuately within their places and callings as the master his seruants the father his children c and to make a confession of their faith when they are called so to doe Thirdly they alleadge that the power of the keies is giuen to the Church I answer it is indeed yet so as the vse and administration thereof belongs to the Ministers alone in the
whereas the word doth not onely signifie qualitie but as properly quantitie as Heb. 7. 4. Consider how great this man was And the word that answereth vnto it signifieth as well quantitie as qualitie Coloss. 2. 1. I would ye knew what great fight I haue Iam. 3. 5. Behold how great a thing a little fire kindleth The plaine and simple meaning therefore of Paul is this that he neuer wrote so long an Epistle with his owne hand vnto any Church as vnto them He writ indeede the Epistle to Philemon with his owne hand but that was short in comparison of this And he wrote larger Epistles to other Churches as to the Romans CorinthiaÌ„s c. but by his Scribes not with his owne hand Therefore seeing this is the longest and largest letter that euer Paul writ with his owne hand it ought to be more regarded and better accepted So that as his paines were greater in writing our diligence should be greater in reading and obseruing the same This shewes Pauls great care of the Churches not onely when he was present but when he was absent How painefull he was beeing among them to winne them to the Gospel how fearefull when he was absent from theÌ„ least their minds should be loauened by false teachers how faithfull both present and absent And it may serue as a president to all Pastours hauing cure of soules to vse the like diligence and conscience in their Ministerie that beeing absent in bodie from their charge vpon necessarie occasions as Paul was yet they would be present in spirit with them and present by their letters that so they may testifie to all the world that they haue a greater care of the flocke then of the fleece It further teacheth vs that if the Minister beeing carried with discreete zeale for the good of the Church goe further either in word or writing then he intended or is thought fit by some as it seemes Paul did in this place for what needes this large letter may some say a shorter would haue done as well that we are not to censure him or limite and prescribe him It had beene a great fault in the Galatians if they had found fault with Paul for this his large letter and in the Disciples Iewes if they should haue blamed his long Sermon which continued at one time from morning to night Act. 28. 23. at another time from the closing of the euening till midnight Act. 20. 7. And so it is in many hearers who are too curious and strictt in prescribing and limiting their teachers to the time longer then which they cannot patiently indure And in stinting them in vrging of this or that point in saying he missed his Rhetoricke his Epimone was to long he was ouerseene in dwelling so long vpon the point it had beene better a word and away c. His second argument is taken from the instrumentall cause that he wrote it with his owne hand Haimo saith it is the opinion of the Doctours that Paul wrote not this whole Epistle with his owne hand but onely from hence to the ende which opinion is confuted by the very text You see how large a letter I HAVE WRITTEN with mine owne hand speaking of the whole Epistle in the time past or if of any one part more then of another of the former part rather then of the latter Secondly his assertion is not true for if we except Ierome none of the Ancients as I take it are of that opinion Not Ambrose who saith Where the whole writing is his owne hand there can be no falshood Not Chrysostome who saith To the rest of his Epistles he did subscribe but this whole Epistle he writ himselfe Not Primasius vsing the word perscripsit that he writ it through with his owne hand Not Theodoret affirming that it seemes Paul writ the whole Epistle Not Theophylact who bringeth in Paul speaking to them in this manner I am enforced to write this Epistle vnto you with mine owne hand Not Occumenius who calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Epistle written with his owne hand Not Anselme who paraphrasing the text saith it is all one as if he had said This Epistle I writ with mine owne hand And a little before Not with the Scribes hand but with mine owne hand albeit Anselme cannot so preiudice his assertion who liued long after him Not the Author of the Commentarie vpon the Epistles ascribed to Ierome Tom. 9. for he vpon the 2. Thess. 3. 17. saith plainly With these words he subscribes all his Epistles excepting that to the Galatians which he writ from the beginning to the ende with his owne hand And vpon these very words which we now entreat of See how I am not afraid which of late time haue written with mine owne hand Where by the way we may obserue that Ierome is not the author of those Commentaries beeing so contrarie to himselfe This I confesse is a light matter and not to be stood vpon were it not that some are too hastie to swallow whatsoeuer comes in their way vnder the title of the Doctours It must therefore be a caueat vnto vs not to be too credulous in beleeuing euery one that shall auouch this or that to be the opinion of the Fathers no though it be affirmed by a Father especially by such a one as draweth neere the dregs as Haimo doth It is certen then that Paul writ this whole Epistle with his owne hand the reasons are these First that it might appeare vnder his hand that he was no changeling but the same man that he was before in that he did not preach circumcision or the obseruation of Iewish ceremonies as the false Apostles standered him Gal. 5. â—1 Secondly that this his letter was not counterfaited by another and sent in his name as the false Apostles might haue obiected and the Galatians suspected Thirdly that he might testifie his sincere loue towards them and how he did as it were trauaile in paine of them till Christ were formed in them shunning no labour that might further their saluation We may hence further obserue a threefold difference of the bookes of Scripture in the new Testament Some were neither written by an Apostle nor subscribed as the gospel of Marke and Luke Some subscribed but not written as the Epistle to the Romanes and others Some both written and subscribed as this Epistle and that to Philemon vers 19. I haue written it with mine owne hand J will recompense it Now that Paul subscribed euery Epistle with his owne hand he himselfe witnesseth 2. Thessalon 3. 17. The salutation of me Paul with mine own haÌ„d which is a signe in euery Epistle that it is mine not forged in my name by another so I write the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with you all In which place he warneth the Thessalonians againe of false teachers and forged letters for 2.
but onely by the Latin church as might be prooued by manifold testimonies if it were a thing necessarie to be stood vpon Neuerthelesse howsoeur this inscription cannot be defended yet it may be excused and tollerated as a title of distinction to distinguish them from the other epistles As we see the Iewes diuiding the olde testament into 4. parts the first they called the law or 5. bookes of Moses the 2. the former prophets viz Ioshua Judges 2. bookes of Samuel 2. bookes of the Kings the 3 the later prophets as Esay Ieremie Ezechiel and the small prophets the 4. they called Kethubim which in English is as much as the scriptures not as though those 11. bookes were more properly scripture then the Pentateuch of Moses or the bookes of the former and later prophets but onely for distinction sake they were so called And they are tearmed of the 70. and of the Greeke church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is holy writts not because they had a peculiar holines proper to them aboue other parts of Gods word seeing all scripture is equally giuen by diuine inspiration nor as though the amanuenses of these bookes were more holy then the other pen-men of the holy Ghost nay contrarily it is doubted by some of Salomon who penned three of these bookes whether he were elected or reiected whereas it is not doubted of the rest but onely as I haue alreadie said to put a note of distinction betwixt them and other bookes in naming of them as Hugo de S. Uict hath well obserued In this sense this title Canonicall may be giuen to these Epistles without danger but if we shall vnderstand it in any other sense we shall be so farre from beeing able to defend it that we shall not be able to excuse it The second title which is giuen them is that they be called Catholike which inscription is as vnfit as the former for they are so called as some would haue it because they were writteÌ„ and directed to the whole Catholike Church consisting both of Iewes and Gentiles But that is not true seeing Iames chap. 1. 1. directeth his Epistle onely to the 12 tribes that were dispersed and not to the Gentiles And Peter who was an Apostle of Circumcision 1. Epist. 1. 1. writeth onely to the strangers the Iewes that dwell here and there throughout Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bythinia Others thinke they are tearmed Catholike for that they were not sent to one man or familie or citie or countrey but generally to the whole bodie companie and societie of the Iewes wheresoeuer dispersed ouer the whole earth But neither in this sense can they fitly or truly be tearmed Catholike forasmuch as two of these seuen viz. the second and third of Iohn were written to particular persons the one to the elect Ladie the other to Gains And by this reason the Epistle to Timothie that to Titus and Philemon may be called Catholike as well as these Againe be it graunted that they were all directed to all the Iewes yet I see not why the Epistle to the Ebrewes may not as well chalenge this title to be called Catholike as any of these seuen considering it was written to all the Iewes and onely to the Iewes Thirdly others affirme them to be called Catholike because they containe Catholike doctrine such as appertaineth to all men generally of what estate place condition or calling so euer they be But in this sense all Pauls Epistles may be called Catholike Epistles For whatsoeuer is written is written for our learning that we through patience and consolation of the Scriptures might haue hope Rom. 15. 4. Secondly the word Catholike is not so ancient for Pacianus an auncient father saith it was not vsed in the Apostles daies His wordes are these Sed sub Apostolis enquies nemo Catholicus vocabatur esto sic fuerie vel illud indulge cum post Apostolos haereses extitissent diuersisque nominibus Columbam Dei atque reginam lacerare per partes sciudere niterentur nonne cognomen suum plebâ— Apostolica pâ—stulabat quo incorrupti populi distingueret vnitatem ne intemeratam Dei virginem error aliquorum per membra laceraret that is But thou wilt say vnder the Apostles no man was called Catholique well be it so yet admit this withall when after the Apostles there were heresies and men beganne to rend in peeces and diuide gods done and Queene by sundry different names did not the Apostolike people require their surnames whereby they might distinguish the vnitie of the vncorrupt people least the error of some should rend in sunder gods vndefiled virgin where we see Pacianus doth freely grant that this surname Catholike was not in vse in the time of the Apostles Which testimonie Baronius doth notably dissemble in shewing the originall of this name out of Pacianus affirming but not proouing it to be as ancient as the Apostles Now this errour hath not onely befallen the Latin and Greeke copies but the Syriacke likewise as may appeare in the title prefixed before the most ancient Syrian traÌ„slation where we shal find these words The 3. Epistles of the 3. Apostles before whose eyes our Lord was transfigured Iames Peter Iohn In which inscription be couched 2. soule errours First in that this translator maketh but 3. epistles of James Peter and Iohn whereas there are sixe he omitting the 2. of Peter the 2. and 3. of Iohn as also that of Iude as no part of holy scripture therfore the Syriack church as I haue alreadie said doth not receiue these Epistles into their Canon vnto this day The second is in that he affirmeth Iames before whom our S. Christ was transfigured in mount Tabor to be the author of this epistle For that Iames before whome Christ was transfigured in the mount was Iames the sonne of Zebedeus and brother of Iohn Matth. 17. 1. After sixe daies Iesus tooke Peter and Iames and Iohn his brother and brought them vp into an high mountain and was transfigured before them Which Iames could not possibly be the penner of this epistle for he was slaine by king Herode long before the destruction of Ierusalem and the dispersion of the 12. tribes Acts 12. v. 2. About that time Herode the kinge stretched forth his hand to vexe certaine of the Church and he slew Iames the brother of Iohn with the sword Therfore Iames the author of this epistile was Iames the sonne of Alphaeus For to faine an other Iames the brother of our Lord as some haue done is childish seeing it is plaine by sundry places of the N. T. that there were but two of that name mentioned in Scripture Iames the sonne of Zebedeus called Iames the greater and Iames the sonne of Alphoeus brother to Iude called the lesser and brother of our Lord. GRATIAS TIBI DOMINE IESV COMMON PLACES HANDLED IN THIS Commentarie The first figure shewes the page the second the line 1 HOw a man may
be assured that the Scripture is the word of God 31. 33 2 How wee may be assured that the calling of our Pastours is from God 33. 36 3 Of Phariseisme 41. 18 4 Of preuenting and cooperating grace in mans conuersion 51. 9 5 Of a Lye and whether it be alwaies a sinne 62. 22 6 Of the forme and vse of an Oath 65. 14 7 Whether faith may be lost 69. 25 8 Of Satisfaction or restitution 99. 20 9 Of the distinction of Iewes and Gentiles 114. 2 10 Of Iustification at large 116. 6 11 Of Christs Obedience 119. 12 12 Of iustifying faith and apprehension 124. 35 13 How to liue wisely godly iustly sundrie rules 138. 32 14 How Christ liueth in vs and how it may be knowne 145. 15 15 How we liue by faith 149. 24 16 Of Iudging 156. 1 17 Of witchcraft and what a witch is 158. 2. 429. 431 18 Of imputation and imputed righteousnes 175. 16 19 Of the curse of the Law 184. 2 20 That no man can perfectly fulfill the law in this life 186. 35 and 499. 17. 21 The difference betweene the Law and the Gospel 194. 35 22 How Christ became a curse for vs 198. 19 23 Whether all Couenanâ—s are to be kept and how farre forth 208. 7 c. 24 Of the Judiciall â—aw 230. 27 25 Of Baptisme at large 243. 32 26 Of the Parents authoritie in appointing his childs marriage calling 274. 27 27 Of the mysterie of the Fathers sending the Sonne 279. 5 28 How Christ was subiect to the Law 286. 5 29 Of the obseruation of daies 314. 4 30 Of good Ielousie 331. 23 31 Of Polygamie 342. 9 32 Where our mother the Church is to be found ten motiues answered 352. 25 33 Of spirituall bondage 364. 39 34 Of Christian Libertie 366. 12 35 Of Imprecation or cursing 396. 29 36 Of the right vse and abuse of Christian Libertie 400. 12 37 Of brotherly Loue. 403. 11 38 Of Christian peace and concord 408. 14 39 Of the spirit and walking therein 411. 20 40 Of the combate of the flesh and the spirit 415. 38 41 Of Idolatrie 427. 22 42 Of Heresie 432. 21 43 Of Enmitie 435. 3 44 Of Murther 438. 7 45 Of Drunkennes and gluttonie 439. 11 46 Of Long-suffering 445. 2 47 Of Goodnesse 445. 38 48 Of Temperance 448. 3 49 Of Uaine-glorie 454. 35 50 Of Christian reproofe at large 469. 31. c. 51 Wherein the Law and Gospel agree and differ 497. 24 52 Of Merit of workes 594. 31 53 Of the kindes of goodnesse and rules to be obserued therein 588. 1. c. 54 Of obseruing of times 600. 10 55 Whether it be lawfull to compell men to embrace true religion 614. 5 56 Of Inscriptions of Epistles and post-scripts at large 655. 4 A Table of all those places of Scripture which are briefly expounded in this Commentarie Genesis Chap. vers Pag. lin 15 13 213 22 17 1 188 36 17 14 257 3 43 22 440 28 Exodus 4 28 258 3 12 40 213 29 29 10 292 34 Deuteronomie 30 6 188 16 32 4 190 25 I. Kings 15 5 189 9 II. Kings 2 23 362 30 23 25 188 18 II. Chron. 21 2 270 17 Psalmes 40 6 131 33 69 28 378 38 106 31 176 17 139 21 435 6 Proverbs 24 16 105 4 Isai. 64 24 298 4 Ezechiel 33 13 551 25 Matthew 5 22 156 25 5 22 362 14 7 6 472 10 6 10 189 26 10 8 537 10 13 57 5â—0 14 25 35 568 12 28 19 245 34 Marke 9 24 127 5 Luke 1 6 189 11 14 26 435 11 Iohn 3 5 257 10 4 37 551 7 6 45 539 24 13 34 35 494 15 Â Â 496 13 17 12 630 8 Roman 7 18 189 32 8 4 189 40 8 5 205 39 11 32 225 10 13 5 369 22 13 14 267 4 16 18 25 10 16 17 475 16 I. Cor. Chap. vers Pag. lin 5 4 475 31 7 12 5 12 10 8 525 10 II. Cor. 5 17 380 2 5 19 225 7 13 12 475 34 Philip. 2 3 511 6 3 15 188 36 Coloss. 2 8 434 20 3 17 247 26 I. Tim. 1 5 402 39 2 4 270 8 1 9 368 7 5 12 424 15 5 20 485 32 Titus 3 10 487 3 Hebr. 6 4 5 6 462 25 6 6 250 34 10 19 122 1 10 26 462 27 13 17 521 1 Iames. 2 10 377 32 2 24 385 1 2 26 383 39 I. Iohn 3 9 190 10 5 3 190 16 Apocal. 18 6 552 26 21 27 630 3 An exact Table of all particulars contained in this Commentarie The first figure shewes the page the second the line A THe blessing of Abraham came from the cursed death of Christ. 203. 20 Children of Abraham are of two sortes 177. 30 All beleeuers are children of Abraham three waies 177. 33 VVe must doe three things to walk in the steppes of Abrahams faith 178. 20. Of Gods not Accepting the person of man 90. 18 Who are to be Accursed 25. 35 How the church should accurse any man and in what order 26. 2 Admission into the kingdome of grace is either outward or inward 399. 18 Of Adoption 291. 25 In the grace of Adoption there be two acts of God 236. 33 The foundation of our Adoption 264. 35. Adulterie to be punished with death 233. 34 what Adulterie is and how great a sinne 424. 6 Of flying adultery and fornication 426. 6 Two speciall occasions of Adulterie and fornication 427. 4 In that Adulterie fornication c. are workes of the flesh we are taught three things 426. 29 Inordinate affections what 450. 28 Bodilie Affliction to be suffered ioyfully for the profession of the truth 651. 9 Agar figures Ierusalem two waies 345. 20 All put for many 181. 37 Anathema what it is 25. 31 Anger whether any lawfull and when a sinne and the remedie of it 436. 22 Remedies against Anger Obiections answered 445. 8 Apostasie hath fiue degrees 349. 24 What it is to be an Apostle 1. 37 Apostolike authoritie ceased with the Apostles 5. 18 The Apostles doctrine gods immediate word 5. 3 What is the office of an Apostle 68. 5. Application of Christ and his benefits is to be made by certain degrees 371. 30 Apprehension of Christ stands in two things 125. 4 Three grounds of Apprehension 125. 23. Two degrees of Apprehension 126. 25. Arabia where situate 57. 22 Authority of Scripture se Scriptures B Three markes of inward Baptisme 241. 40 Baptisme in the church of Roome no signe of the true church 243. 3. Baptisme taken six waies 243. 37 In the couenant of Baptisme Gods actions are two mans one 248. 2 The endes of Baptisme are foure 249. 11. The efficacy of Baptisme 249. 21 Arguments of Papists Aswered 250. 14. Baptisme doth not abolish originall sinne 251. 20 How baptisme conferres grace 253. 17 Of the necesitie of Baptisme 256. 22. Foure questions of the person that must administer Baptime 257. 30 The grounds of infants Baptisme 260.