seven golden pipes thorow which the two olive branches do empty out of themselves the golden oils of all precious graces into the golden candle-stick the Church Zach. 4.2 3. So some interpret those seven eyes upon one stone Zach 3.9 concerning the Spirit in his severall operations upon Christ according to Isa 1.2 Verse 5. And from Jesus Christ Who is here set last of the three persons because more is to be said of him both as touching his three-fold office and a three-fold benefit there-hence redounding unto us That hath loved us See Ezek. 16.6 8 9. Christ that heavenly Pellican Pierij bâ—eroglâ—ph revived his dead young-ones with his own heart-bloud He saw the wrath of God burning about them and cast himself into the midst thereof that he might quench it Judah offered to be bound that Benjamin might go free Jonathan perilled his life and quitted his kingdome for love of David Arsinoe interposed her own body betwixt the murtherers weapons and her children But what was all this to this incomparable love of the Lord Jesus When the Jews saw him weeping for Lazarus Behold say they how he loved him When we see him weeping bleeding dying for us Shall not we much more say so Verse 6. And hath made us Kings To rule in righteousnesse to lord it over our lusts to triumph over and trample on all our spirituall adversaries being more then conquerours thorow him that loved us and laid down his life for us that we might raign in life by one Jesus Christ Rom. 5.17 And surely if as Peter Martyr once wrote to Q. Elizabeth Kings are doubly bound to serve God both as men and as Kings What are we for this spirituall kingdome Judg 5.28 And Priests uâ—to God To offer up to him the personall saer fice of our selves Rom. 12.1 the verball of praise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and reall of alms Heb. 1.15 16. See the Note on 1 Pet. 29. Verse 7. Bel old he cometh He is already upon the way and will be with us shortly Let us hasten his coming and say â—s Sisera's mother Why are his chariots his clouds so long in coming Why tarry the wheels of his chariots Shall nail Gr. Shall smite their brests or thighes the elect as repenting the reprobate as despairing Iisdem quibus videmus oculis flemus so here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they shall look and lament Verse 8. Which is and which was The Father is called He that it Exod 3.13 The Son He that was Joh. 1.1 The holy Ghost He that cometh Joh. 16 8 13. as Aretas observeth Verse 9. In the kingdom and patience Christ hath a two-fold kingdom 1. Of power 2. Of patience Nec nisi per aâ—gusta ad augusta c. I have no stronger argument against the Popes kingdome saith Luther quà m quod sine cruce regnat Luth. T 2. then this that he raigns without the crosse The glory of Christs Church said George Marsh Martyr stands not in out ward shews Act. and Mon. fol. 1423. in the harmenious found of bels and organs nor yet in the glistering of mitâ—es and copes c. but in continuall labours and daily afflictions for his Namâ—s sake Was in the Isle Patmos He tels us not how he came thither he boasteth not of his banishment Virtus proprio contenta theatro Vertue is no braggard Verse 10. I was in the Spirit Acted by him and carried out of himself as the demoniack is said to be in the unclean spirit as being acted and agitated by him Sec the Note on 2 Pet. 1.21 On the Lords day The first day of the week the Christian Sabbath Mat. 24.20 called the Lords-day from Christ the authour of it as is likewise the Lords Supper and the Lords Church Kirk 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very word here used To sanctisie this Sabbath was in the Primitive times a badge of a Christian For when the question was asked Servasti Dominicum Keepest thou the Sabbath The answer was returned Christianus sum interâ—â—ittere non possum I am a Christian I must keep the Lords-day And heard behinde me Not before me implying that the Spirit calleth upon us being secure passing by and not regarding those things it cals for As of a trumpet To teach us that the things here delivered to the Church must be ever sounding in out ears and hearts indwelling richly in us Col. 3.16 Verse 11. Greg. Mag. Send it to the seven As all holy Scripture so this piece especially may well be called The Epistle of Almighty God to his creature Verse 12. And being turned I saw It is well observed here by a learned Interpreter M. Brightman That every godly endeavour doth receive some fruit greater then a man can hope for John turned himself to behold the man and behold over and besides seven Candlesticks which he had not the least suspition of Verse 13. And in the midst Christ is in the holy assemblies in the beauties of holinesâ—c he walketh in his garden Cant. 6.1 he comes in to see his guests Mat. 22.11 The face of God is seen in Sion Psal 84.7 Agarment down to the fiâ—t As a Councellour Isa 9.6 And girt It implies readinesse nimblenesse handinesse and handsomenesâ—e We also must gird our selves and serve the Lord Christ Luk 17.8 About the paps This implies his entire love seated in the heart Verse 14. White like wooll Noting his antiquity or rather his eternity and unspeakable purity Thales one of the Heathen Sages called God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The most ancieâ—t of Beings Diâ—g Laeâ—â— As a flame of fire Sharp and terrible such as pierce into the inward parts Heb. 4.13 See the Note there Verse 15. And his fâ—et He stood firm then when he was cast into the fire of his Fathers wrath He trod the wine-presse alone and set his feet on the necks of all his and our enemies He lost no ground when he grappled with the devil on his own dung-hill Matth. 4. He will also bruise Saâ—â—â— under our feet shortly Rom. 16.20 As the sound of many waters Audible Som. Scip. terrible forcible Some Catadupes are deafâ—ed by the fall of this Nilus But the Spouse cries out O thou that dwellest in the gardens the companions hearken to thy voice cause â—e to hear it Cant. 8 13. Verse 16. And he had in his right-hand See heere the dignity and safety of a faithfull Minister Whiles a childe hath his father by the hand though he walk in the dark he fears nothing A sharp two-edged sword The word like a sacrificing sword slits open and as it were unridgeth the conscience Verse 17. I fill at his feet as dead The nearer any one comes to Christ the more rottennes entreth into his bones And be laid his right-hand The same right-hand wherein he held the seven starres verse 16. Christus sic omnibus attentus ut â—â—lli dotentus sic curat universos quasi singulos sic singulos quasi
in tents and tended hâ—ards had Iubal to his brother the father of musick Iabal and Iubal industry and plenty not without sweet content dwell together Verse 15. But I would not have c. Ignorance is the mother of mistake and of caussesse trouble of errour and of terrour as the Roman souldiers were once muâ—n affrighted at the sight of the Moons â—clipse till the Generall had undeceived by a discourse of the naturall cause thereof That ye sorrow not Non est lugendus qui moritur sed desideranaus faith Tertullian Abraham mourned moderately for 〈◊〉 decased wife Gen. 23.2 as is imported by a small caph in the word â—ocothab to weep So did David for the childe born in adultery though for Absolom he exceeded It is one of the dues of the dead to be lamented at their funerals But Christians must know a measure and so water their plants 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 as that they drown them not Even as others which have no hope Lugeatur mortuus sed ille quem gehenna suscipit quâ—m Tartarus devorat c. Let that dead man be lamented whom hell harboureth whom the devil dâ—vouâ—â—th c. But let us whose departed â—ouls Angels accompany Christ imbosometh and all the Court of heaven comes forth to welcome account mortality a mercy and be grieved that we are so long detained here from the company of our Christ faith Hierom. Verse 14. Sleep in Iesus Dead in Christ The union then is not dissolved by death But as by sleep the body is refreshed so by death it is refined Let our care be to cleave cloâ—e to Christ in the instant of death so shall he be to us both in life and death advantage Verse 15. By the word of the Lord Or In the word c. in the self-same words that the Lord used to me probably when I was rapt up 2 Cor. 12.2 4. and heard wordlesse words Shall not prevent them They shall rise eâ—e we shall be rapâ— and as they have been before us in death so shall they be in glory Now priority is a priviledge Verse 16. With a shout Ingenti Angelorum jubilo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 acclamatione saith Arctius With a huge applause and acclamation of angels such as is that of Mariners 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when near the haven Italiam Italiam laeto clamore salutans or that of souldiers when to joyn battle with the enemy And with the trump of God To require the law in manner as it was given Mount Sinai only was then on a slame but now the whole world c. Then God came with ten thousands of his Saints but now thousand thousands shall minister to him and ten thousand thousands shall stand before him Verse 17. Then we which are alive He speaketh thus of himself as alive at Christs coming because we should daily expect it and even hasten to it Shall be caught up together This is that mystery mentioned 1 Cor. 15.51 and not till now made known to the world See the Note there In the clouds As Christ also ascended Acts 1. These be the waggons and charriots that Christ will send for us as Ioseph set his fathers family down to Aegypt And so shall we ever be c. Oâ— blessed hour O thrice happy union Nothing ever came so near it as the meeting of Iacob and Ioseph or of those two cousins Mary and Elizabeth Luk. 1. Verse 18 Wherefore comfort c. Scripture-comforts come home to the heart so do not philosophicall Nescio quomodo saith Cicero 〈◊〉 medicina morbo est imbecillior Mâ—â—ch Adam 〈…〉 And albeit it is mâ—rvellous sweet to meditate as Mr Knox found it on his death-bed so that he would have risen and gone into the pulpit to tell others what be had felt in his soul yet there is a speciall force of strong consolation in Christian communication which the Lord usually waâ—â—reth with the dews of divine blessing CHAP. V. Verse 1. But of the times and the seasons VVHen Christ shall come to judgement this is to be reckoned inter arcana imperij See the Note on Mat. 24 36. The times and the seasons God hath put in his own power Act. 1.7 This is a key that he keepeth under his own girdle Verse 2. The day of the Lord That day by a speciality Luk. 21.34 that great day Revel 6.17 that day of the declaration of Gods just judgement Rom. 2.5 16. that day of Christ 2 Thess 2.2 of God 2 Pet. 3.13 where in he will shew himself to be God of Gods and Lord of Lords As a thief in the night Who giveth no warning Mat. 24.43 See the Note there Verse 3. For when they shall say Security is the certain usher of destruction as in Benhadads army and Pompeys before the Pharsalian field Some of them contended for the Priesthood which was Caesars office others disposed of the Consulships and offices in Rome as if all were already their own Pompey â—â—mself being so wretchedly wreâ—chlesse that he never considered into what place he were best to retire if he lost the day Then shall sudden destruction As Philosophers say that before a snow the weather will be warmish when the winde lies the great rain fals and the air is most quiet when suddenly there will be an earthquake Verse 4. Should overtake you as a thief Though it come upon you as a thief in a time uncertain Free you are from the destruction of that day though not altogether free from the distraction of it till somewhat recollected you remember that now your redemption draweth nigh Hence the Saints love Christs appearing 2 Tim. 4 8. Look for it with stretcht-out necks and long after it Rev. 22.20 Verse 5. We are not of the night c. Qu. Curtius Alexander willed that the Grecians and Barbarians should no longer be distinguished by their garments but by their manners so should the children of light and of darknesse Verse 6. As doe others What wonder that the Grecians live loosly faith Chrysostome but that Christians do so this is worse yea intolerable But let us watch and be sober We must not be like Agrippa's dormouse that would not awake till cast into boiling lead Comment iâ— Diâ—â—cor or Matthiolus his asses fed with hemlock that lie for dead and are half hileded ere they can be arroused But rather we should resemble Aristotle and others who were wont to sleep with brazen balls in their hands which falling on vessels purposely set on their beds sides the noise did disswade immoderate sleep Verse 7. Are drunk in the night But now alas drunkennesse is become a noon-day devil Drunk â—up by M. Harris Once Peters argument saith a reverend Divine was more then probable These men are not drunk for it is but the third hour of the day Now men are grown such husbands as that by that time they will return their stocks and have their brains crowing before day
up again Verse 11. Speak not evil c. As Ezekiels hearers did of him By the walls and in the doors of the houses Chap. 33.30 and as too many of ours do for the which they will be full dearly accountble The tale-bearer hath the devil in his tongue the tale-hearer in his ear Speaketh evil of the law Which flatly forbiddeth detraction And judgeth the Law As not severe enough or as over-strait Verse 12. There is one law-giver What dost thou then do pierking into his place by censuring and defaming another Is not this to be a Pope in thine own cause exalting thy self above God 2 Thess 2.4 or at least appealing from him to thy self Verse 13. We Will goe into such c. As if they were petty-gods within themselves and needed not to call God into counsel or to take his leave along with them But such confident exchange language became not the mouths of scattered exiles And yet it is the common sin in the dispersed Jews in all places to this day Verse 14. Ye know not What c. God delights to crosse such vain boasters and to confute their confidences that speak and live as if their lives were riveted upon eternity They might easily observe that many things fall out betwixt the cup and the lip betwixt the chinne and the challice Ne glorietur igitur accinctus quasi discinctus Sell not the hide before ye have taken the beast Who knows what a great bellied day may bring forth Proverbs 27.1 Whiles a woman is yet with childe none can tell what kinde of birth is will be Luke 12.16 17. It is even a vapour Thy breath is in thy nostrils ever ready to puff out at the next puff of breath thou maist blow away thy life Petrarch relates of a certain holy man Lib 3. Memor that being invited to a feast on the morrow he answered I have not had a morrow-morrow-day to dispose of this many a year If you would any thing of me now I am ready Verse 15. If the Lord will c. So Socrates taught Alcibiades to say If God Will c. And another could say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nullius est foelix conatus utilis unquam Consilium si non detque juvetque Deus Verse 16. In your boastings Of long life and sutable successe Psâ—l 64.9 God will shoot an arrow at such suddenly as he did at the rich fool Nebuchadnezzar Haman Herod Senacherib and other bragadochio's Verse 17. To him that knoweth Lest they should reply We know all this that except we live and God list we can do nothing Do ye know to do well saith he and do it not this encreaseth your guilt CHAP. V. Verse 1. Go to now ye rich men THose rich wrethes mentioned Chap. 2.6 7. That blasphemed God and oppressed men Magna cognatio ut reisic nominis divitijs vitijs Weep and howl Better weep here where there are wiping-handkerchiefs in the hand of Christ then to have your eyes whipt out in hell Better howl with men then yell with devils That shall come upon you Gr. That are even now stealing upon you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Verse 2. Your riches are corrupted Being subject to vanity and violence Mat. 6.19 See the Note there Provide your selves therefore bags that wax not old treasure that faileth not c Luk 12.33 Verse 3. And shall eat your flesh i.e. With hell-fire which shall consume your flesh nay your souls with eternall torments Some strong poison is made of the rust of mettals none worse then that of money For the last daies Wrath for the day of wrath or store for old-age it being the old mans care as Plutarch observes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That he shall not have what to keep him while alive and what to bury him honestly when dead Verse 4. Kept back by fraud crieth Bloudshed Gen. 4.10 unnaturall lust Gen. 18.21 and oppression whether by force or fraud cry to God and he will hear for be is gracious Ex 22.27 Lord of sabbath Who hath all power in his hand and can easily reach you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Verse 5. Ye have lived in pleasure Ye have lain melting in sensuall delights which have drawn out your spirits and dissolved them Vpon earth No place of pleasure to good men but of purgatory banishment and bondage A place of that nature that as it is reported of the Straits of Magellan which way soever a man bend his course if home-ward he is sure to have the winde against him 〈◊〉 16. â—5 It was a heavy charge laid upon Dives Sonne remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things c. And been Wanton Fulnesse breeds forgetfulnesse Deut. 32.15 As in a day of slaughter For sacrifice when they used to have good chear Prov. 7.14 And hereunto the Wiseman alludeth Pro 17.1 The Apostle here seemeth to intimate that these rich sensualists lived upon the cream of sinning and had such plenty that they pickt out none but the sweetest bits to nourish their hearts withall Verse 6. Ye have condemned and killed Take it either properly or metaphorically or usurers and extortioners that not only â—ob but ravish the poor that are fallen into their nets Psal 10.9 that is their bonds debts morgages as Chrysostome interpreteth it there is neither equity nor mercy to be had at their hands hence they are called men-eaters Cannibals c. And be doth not resist you Meeknesse of spirit commonly draws on injuries and indignities from unreasonable men Veteremfâ—rendo injuriam invitas novam A Crow will stand upon a sheeps-back pulling of wooll from her side she durst not doe so to a Wolfe or a Mastiffe Verse 7. Be patient therefore q. d. You poor oppressed ones hold out faith and patience You shall shortly have help As the mothers brests ake to be suckling so doth Gods heart yern to be helping Vnto the coming of the Lord sc By particular deliverance and not only by the generall judgement Let patience have line and rope Waiteth for the precious fruit Being in novum annum semper dives as the proverb is ever rich against the next year Spes alit agricolas Hope holds up the husbandmans heart And hath long patience He looks not to sow and reap in a day as the Hyperboreans are said to do that sow shortly after the Sunne-rising with them and reapÌ„ Heresbach de re â—ustic before the Sun set because the whole half year is one continuate day with them Verse 8. For the coming See Verse 7. And he when he comes shall set all to rights We shall see so much reason in his proceedings which now we comprehend not that we shall yeeld him the only Wise God Verse 9. Grudge not c. Groan not Grumble not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 grow not sowr and sullen one to another Lest ye be condemned As Sarah had been if the Lord had come as she
the 119. Psalm Boni Catholici sunt qui sidem integram sequuntur bonos more 's Lessons of musick must be practised and a copy not read only but acted Divinity must be done as well as known Verse 14. Doe by nature c. Velleius saith that Cato was Vell lib 2. Homo virtuti simillimus cui id solum visum est rationem habere quod Haberet justitiam omnibus humanis vitiis immunis c. Are a law to themselves The Thracians glorieâ—â—hat they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 living laws walking statutes Verse 15. Their thoughts mean while Or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Betwixt whiles Or in every interim of this life Other faculties may rest an obscene dream by night shall not scape consciences record it is index judex vindex Gods say and mans over-seer and it is better to have it sore then seared Verse 16. According to my Gospel Which promiseth heaven to beleevers This is comfort to those that are faithfull in weaknesse though but weak in faith The sentence of the last day shall be but a more manifest declaration of that judgement that the Lord in this life most an end hath passed upon men Heathens shall be judged by the law of Nature Prostigate Professours by the law written and the Word preached Beleevers by the Gospel which saith If there be a willing minde God accepteth c. Verse 17. Restest in the law So spending thy time in a still dream but thou shalt have sick waking then when God shall send out summons for such sleepers Judg. 7. Men dream their Midianitish dreams and then tell them for law or Gospel to their neighbours Verse 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Being instructed out of the law Gr. Being well catechized and principled thou art able to discern of doctrines and choose the best Verse 19. Of the blinde The Chinois say That all other Nations see but with one eye they with two Verse 20. Which hast the form of knowledge A platform of wholsome words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a systeme a method artificially moulded such as Tutours and Professours of Arts and Sciences have and do read over again and again to their Auditours Verse 21. Teachest thou not thy self He that knows well and does worse is but as a whiffler which carrieth a torch in his hand to shew others his own deformities I have read of a woman who living in professed doubt of the Godhead after better illumination and repentance M Wards Hap of pâ—act did often protest That the vitious life of a great scholar in that town did conjure up those damnable doubts in her soul Neronis illud quantus artifex pereo quadrabit in te peritum periturum That 's the best Sermon that 's dig'd out of a mans own brest Origens teaching and living were said to be both one Verse 22. Speeds Chron. Dost thou commit sacriledge The Chronicler noteth of Q. Mary that she restored again all Ecclesiasticall livings assumed to the Crown saying that she set more by the salvation of her own soul then she did by ten Kingdoms Shall not she that abhorred not idols rise up and condemn those that do and yet commit sacriledge Verse 23. Thorow breaking By shooting short or beyond or wide of the mark by omission commission or failing in the manner Verse 24. For the Name of God c. Heretikes and hypocrites doe still with Iudas deliver up the Lord Christ to the scoffes and buffetings of his enemies Augustine complains of the ancient heretikes Aug. deciv Dei l. 1 c. 51. that in them many evil-minded men found matter of blaspheming the Name of Christ because they also pretended to the Christian religion Epiphanius addeth That for the loosenesse of such mens lives and the basenesse of their tenets many of the Heathens shunned the company of Christians and would not be drawn to hear their Sermons Tâ—e opific. Dei proaem Origen before them both cries out Nunc malè audiunt castiganturque vulgò Christiani quòd alitèr quà m sapientibus convenit vivant vitia sub obtentu nominis celent c. There is an ill report goes of Christians for their unchristian conversation c. Ammianus Marcellinus a Heathen Historian deeply taxeth the pride luxury contentions covetousnesse of the Bishops in his time and the deadly hatreds of common Christians Am. Marc l. 2â— cap. 2 Nullae infestae hominibus bestiae ut sunt sibi serales plerique Christiani saith he A sad thing that a Heathen should see and detest such hellish miscarriages among Christians Verse 25. If thou keep the law Which thou art thereby bound to do either by thy self or by thy Surety Christ Jesus Verse 26. If the uncircumcision Which it can never do But admit it could c. Verse 27. Iudge thee Mens guilt is encreased by their obligations as was Solomons in departing from God who had appeared unto him twice 1 King 11 9. Verse 28. Neither is that circumcision See Colos 2.11 with the Note there Inward circumcision is as Origen describeth it Purgatio animae abjc ctio vitiorum or as St Paul in the place above named the putting ost old Adam with his actions by the circumcision of Christ by his merit and Spirit Verse 29. Which is one inwardly An Israelite indeed Ioh. 1. that hath put away the foreskin of his heart Ier. 4.4 CHAP. III. Verse 1. What advantage GR. What odds singular thing prerogative See my True Treasure Chap. 7. Sect. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Verse 2. Chiefly because that c. This was their prime priviledge that they were Gods library-keepers that this heavenly treasure was concredited unto them Other Nations are said to have been without God because without those lively oracles 2 Chron. 15.3 Ephes 2.12 Prize we this priviledge and improve it You must never expect another edition of the faith once received Jude 3 once for all Verse 3. The faith of God That is his faithfull promises opposed to mans perfidy Verse 4. Every man a lier viz. By nature But Isa 63.8 Gods people are children that will not lie they will die rather Non ideò negare volo ne peream sed ideò mentiri nolo ne peccem saith she upon the rack of whom St Hieronâ— writeth The officers of Merindol answered the Bishop that moved them to abjure That they marvelled much that he would perswade them to lie to God and the world Act and Mon. â—ol 860. And albeit that all men by nature are liers yet they had learned by the Word of God that they ought diligently to take heed of lying in any matter be it never so small c. That thou maist be justified in thy sayings David speaketh of the truth of Nathans reprehension Paul applies it to the truth of God in his promises also Let us give him a testimoniall Ioh. 3.33 Such as is that Deut. 32.4 A God of truth and without iniquity
justification by faith alone in a just tractate and was therefore soon after poisoned Cardinal Pool is thought to have been sound in this point Bellarmine reproves Pighius for consenting to Luther herein whom he undertook to confute and yet Bellarmine himself with his tutissimumest doth as much upon the matter Magna est veritas valebit Great is the truth and shall prevail Verse 29. Is he the God of the Jews only That is Doth he justifie the Jews only For he is their God only whom he justifieth 〈◊〉 Now men are said to be justified effectively by God apprehensively by faith declaratively by good works The School-men are very unsound in this capitall Article of Justification and are therefore the lesse to be regarded Nam quae de gratia Dei justificante scolastici scribunt commentitia universa existimo saith Cardinal Pighius who is therefore much condemned by Bellarmine but without cause Verse 30. And uncircumcision All by one way lest he should seem not to be one but alius alius Verse 31. We establish the law Which yet the Antinomians cry down calling repentance a legall grace humiliation a back-dore to heaven grieving that they have grieved so much for their sins c. CHAP. IV. Verse 1. As pertaining to the flesh THat is As touching his works v. 2. called also the letter cha 2.27 and the Law a carnall commandment Heb. 7.16 Verse 2. But not before God Who when he begins to search our lacks as the steward did Benjamins can finde out those out theeveries that we thought not of bring to minde and light those sins that we had forgot or not observed When he comes to turn the bottome of the bag upwards it will be bitter with us Abimelech's excuse was accepted and yet his sinne was chastised Gen. 20.6 Verse 3. Abraham beleeved God Latomus of Lovan was not ashamed to write That there was no other faith in Abraham then what was in Cicero Joh. Manlij loc conc p. 490. And yet our Saviour saith Abraham saw my day and rejoyced so did Cicero never Another wrote an apology for Cicero and would needs prove him to have been a pious and penitent person because in one place he hath these words Ibid. 481. Reprehendo peccata mea quod Pompeio confisus ejusque parâ—es secutus suerim A poor proof Hoc argumentum tam facile diluitur quà m vulpes comest pyrum Verse 4. Now to him that worketh Yet it is an act of mercy in God to render to a man according to his works Ps 62.12 Exo. 206. Gods kingdom is not partum but paratum Mat. 25.34 not acquired but prepared But of debt Not so indeed Rom. 11.31 but according to the opinion of the merit-monger who saith as Vega Coelum gratis non accipiam Verse 5. His faith Yet not as a work nor in a proper sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Arminius and Bertius held but as an act of receiving Christ Verse 6. Vnto whom God imputeth Ten times the Apostle mentioneth this grace of imputed righteousnesse in this Chapter Yet the Papists jear it calling it putative righteousnesse so speaking evil of the things they know not Manlij loe com p. 494. Stories tell us of a Popish Bishop that lighting by chance upon this Chapter threw away the book in great displeasure and said O Paule an tu quoque Lutheanus sactus es Art thou also a Lutheran Paul But if the faith of another may be profitable to infants at their baptisme as Bellarmine holdeth why should it seem so absurd a thing that Christs righteousnesse imputed should profit those that beleeve on him The Jews indeed at this day being asked Whether they beleeve to be saved by Christs righteousnesse They answer That every Fox must pay his own skin to the flaier Thus they reject the righteousnesse of God Rom. 10.3 As their Fathers did so doe they Act. 7.51 The Lord open their eyes that they may convert and be saved Verse 7. Are covered Sic velantur ut in judicio non revelentur So covered as that he never see them again but as the Israclites saw the Egyptians dead on the shore Verse 8. Imputeth not Chargeth it not setteth it not upon his score 2 Cor. 5.19 Verse 9. Cometh this blessednesse This is the third time that the Apostle avoucheth the universality of the subject of justification For this he had done once before Chap. 3.23 and again cha 3.29 30 31. Verse 10. In circumcisiâ—n As the Jew would have it No such matter Verse 11. A seal of the righteousnesse Circumcision is called a sign and a â—eal by a Dectour of the Jews more ancient then their Talmud Zohar Gen. 17. That righteousnesse might be imputed How foolish is that inference of Thammerus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that because the word here used to signifie imputed comes of a word that signifies reason therefore the righteousnes of faith must be such as a man may understand and comprehend by reason Verse 12. Walk in the steps That herein personate and expresse him to the life as Constantines children saith Eusebius did their father Verse 13. Heir of the world That is Of heaven say some 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Canaan say others the pleasant Land more esteemed of God then all the world besides because it was the seat of the Church As man is called every creature Mark 16.15 the Church is called all things Col. 1. So Canaan is called the world and Tabor and Hermon put for the East and West of the whole world Psal 89.12 Verse 14. Faith is made void See the Note on Gal. 3.12 and 5.2 Verse 15. No transgression sc Is imputed by men where there is no law written See Chap. 5.13 Verse 16. It is of faith Fides mendicâ manu Verse 17. Who quickneth the dead As he doth when he maketh a man a beleever Ephes 1.19 he fetcheth heart of Oak out of a hollow tree and a spirituall man out of a wilde-asse-colt See both these metaphors Job 11 12. Verse 18. Who against hope c. Elegans antunaclasis propter speciem contradictionis saith Piscator Spes in terrenis incerti nomen boni spes in divinis nomen est certissimi saith another Verse 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He considered not Gr. He cared not for his own body c. he never thought of that Verse 20. Giving glory to God Confessing and exalting God as Luk. 17.18 giving him a testimoniall as it were Ioh. 3.33 with Deut. 32.4 Verse 21. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Being fully perswaded Gr. Being carried on with full sail and going gallantly towards heaven Verse 22. See the Note on Vers 5 6. Verse 23. For his sake alone But for our instruction and encouragement Rom 15.4 See the Note there Verse 24. That raised up Iesus And with him all beleevers Col. 3.1 Rom. 6.4 Verse 25. Who was delivered c. Not that his death had no hand in our justifying but
woman but of a man saith Beza Verse 16. With an holy kisse The Independents at Arnheim in Holland M. Edwards his Antapol p 36 60. propounded this kisse of love to be practised amongst them So for anointing the sick with oil singing of hymns by one man all the rest being silent c. Verse 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mark them which Set a watchfull and a jealous eye upon them as upon pests and enemies And here let not our Episcopi whose office it is chiefly be Aposcopi Bernard over-seers be by-seers but look well to the slock lest these wolves worry them Act. 20 29. And avoid them Gr. Decline them studiously 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as ye would do a serpent in your way or poison in your meats Verse 18 But their own bellies They pretend the service of Christ to their worldly and wicked respects by a dissembled sanctity which is double iniquity The Duke of Bavaria is even eaten up with those Popish flesh-shes Friers and Jesuites And by good words c. Those locusts in the Revelation have faces like women insinuative and flattering Tertullian The Valentinian heretikes had an art to perswade before they taught whereas the truth perswadeth by teaching it doth not teach by perswading They deceive As cheaters do by the cogging of a dye Eph. 4.14 Fallax artisicium vel potiùs artisex fallacia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Erasmus on that text a cunning kinde of cezâ—nage Verse 19 For your obedience c. Whereas the Romans might object Are we also of those simple ones Your obedience saith he is famous all the world over Howbeit I would have you wise to that which is good but simple concerning evil This simplicity is no disparagement to be unskilled in the devils depths Revel 2.24 Verse 20. Shall bruise Satan Sincerity of a little grace shall be rewarded with abundance of greater graces Christ our Champion hath already wonne the field and will shortly set our feet upon the necks of our spirituall enemies The broken horns of Satan shall be the Trumpets of our triumph and the Cornets of our joy Verse 21. Timotheus my work fellow Of Timothy reade Act 16.1 2. Of Lucius Act. 13.1 Of Iason Act. 17.5 Of Sopater Act. 20 4. Verse 22. I Tertius who wrote c. Either from the Apostles mouths or rather out of his foul papers Verse 23. Gaius mine host Baptized by Paul for whom therefore 1 Cor. 1.14 Muliâ— boâ—pitiâ— praebuit Steph. and for other good men he thought he could never doe enough Such another was Phebe verse 2. who had been a succourer or an hostesse to many and to my self saith Paul Verse 24. The grace of our Lord This is the seal of all S. Pauls Epistles 2 Thess 3.17 Verse 25. Which was kept secret Even from the very Angels 1 Pet. 1.12 who do daily profit in the knowledge of this secret Eph. 3.10 Verse 26. According to the Commandment The writings of the Prophets concerning the mystery of Christ were not made known to the world by hap-hazard but by a speciall command of God Verse 27. To God only wise c. So say I for these few Notes thus finished A COMMENTARY OR EXPOSITION Vpon the first Epistle of S. Paul to the CORINTHIANS CHAP. I. Verse 1. Sosthenes our brother ANd companion in the kingdome and patience of Christ Act. 18.17 There he was despitefully entreated here highly honoured Revel 1 9â— Christ is a liberall pay-master Never any did or suffered ought for his sake that complained of an hard bargain It is to my losse said that Martyr if you bate me any thing in my sufferings Majora certamina majora sequuntur praemia saith Tertullian Verse 2. Called to be Saints i. e. Either such as are sanctified by habituall infusion or such as are sanctified by baptismall profession only that are in Covenant with God by sacrifice Psal 506. and are in Christ though they bear no fruit Ioh. 15.2 These two sorts of Saints make up a true visible Church With all that in every place The Apostles then wrote not their Epistles for the particular uses of those times only as the Jesuites will have it Verse 3. Grace be to you and peace All peace that flows not from the sense of Gods love and favour is as that of the Romans with the Samnites Pax infila pax incerta Livius unfound and uncertain Verse 4. For the grace of God Intending to chide them he first commends them that he may preserve in their hearts an opinion of his love whilest he rebuked them sharply that they might be sound in the faith Verse 5. Ye are enriched See here what is the Christians riches And so David reckons of his wealth Psal 119.32 He cannot be poor in whom the word of God dwels richly Colos 3.16 especially if he befrce of discourse able and willing to communicate A dumb Christian is to be blamed as well as a dumb Minister Verse 6. The testimony of Christ The Gospel called also the Testimony Isa 8.10 To the Law and to the Testimony Verse 7. So that ye come behinde c. Yet were babes and carnall Chap. 3.2 3. and fell short in many graces We must distinguish between gifts and graces covet these rather then those 1 Co. 13.1 Verse 8. In the day of our Lord Jâ—sus Eleven times in these ten first verses as Chrysostome well observeth the Apostle mentioneth the Lord Jesus Christ who was to him and should be to us Bern. Mel in ore melos in aure jubilum in corde Honey in the mouth musick in the ear joy in the heart Verse 9. Vnto the fellowship Union being the ground of communion so that all that is in him is for us I give my goods to the Saints saith David in the person of Christ Verse 10. That there be no divisions To break unity in the Church is to cut asunder the very veins and sinews of the mystical body of Christ By the Name of our Lord Which is like to suffer by your dissensions and whereof you ought to be as tender as of treading upon your parents that begat you Perfectly joyned Schismes dis-joynt men Verse 11. Of the house of Chloe A godly Matron she was no doubt and a good office herein she did her neighbours though likely she had little thank for her labour as likewise Joseph had for bringing his brethrens evil report to their father Gen. 37.2 That there are contentions These oft breed Schismes as did the contention between Luther and Carolostadius And many of the ancient heresies sprang from private grudges and discontents in sui solatium for a sorry comfort to those that broached them Verse 12. And I of Christ q. d. I care neither for Paul nor Apollo c. As some say now-a-daies they are neither Papists nor Protestants but Christians that is just nothing slat Atheists Heraclius the Emperour being imprudently carried away by some Bishops
have not laid up two pence for I never cared for the things of this world Luther never found himself once tempted to covetousnesse And herein I could wish we were all Lutherans Verse 15. Act. and Mon. fol 789. Spend and be spent If like clouds we doe sweat our selves to death so souls may be brought home to God it is a blessed way of dying The lesse I be loved This is many a good mans grief but his reward is neverthelesse with God The nurse looks not for her wages from the childe but from the parent Verse 16. Being crafty I caught A blessed craft a high point of heavenly wisdome Dan. 12 3. It is written of the fox that when he is very hungry after prey and can finde none he lieth down and faineth himself to be a dead carcase and so the fowls fall upon him and then he catcheth them Saint Paul hungering after the souls-health of his Corinthians denies himself to gain them Verse 17. Whom I sent unto you It is said of the Pope that he can never lack money so long as he can hold a pen in his hand he can command it and have it But Saint Paul could not skill of those arts Verse 18. In the same spirit Who worketh with his own tools only and is ever like himself in all the Saints through whose whole course godlinesse runs as the woof doth thorow the web as the spirit doth thorow the body In the same steps With an upright foot Gal. 2.14 in Christ Col. 2.6 as Christ 1 Joh. 2.6 Verse 19. That we excuse our selves And so yeeld a fault I speak before God The witnesse of mine innocency Job 16 19. Gen. 20.6 For your edifying Whilest ye conceive no ill opinion of us which like muddy water in a vessel might cause the most precious liquour of our doctrine to run over Verse 20. Mimus And that I shall be found Crudelem medicum intemperans aeger facit We delight not to fling daggers at mens faces but if men be not told their owne and that with some sharpnesse they will on in sinne to their utter ruine Sharp waters clear the eye-sight and bitter potions bring on sweet health A weak dose doth but stirre bad humours and anger them not purge them out so it fareth with sinnes Lest there be debates envyings c. K. Edward the fourth the night before his death said to his kinsmen and friends I remember it to my grief that there hath bin discord amongst you a great time not alwaies for great causes but poor mistakings c. Some Daniels hist of Engl 2.0 like Salamanders live alway in the fire like trouts they love to swim against stream like Phocion they think it a goodly thing to dissent from others Verse 21. That have not repented Impenitence maketh sinne mortall saith S. John 1 epist 5.16 or rather immortall as saith S. Paul Rom. 2.5 It is not the falling into the water that drowns but lying in it Gods people may sink once and again to the bottome but the third time they rise and recover by repentance CHAP. XIII Verse 1. Of two or three witnesses SO he calleth his threefold admonition Gods Word neglected will one day be a swift witnesse against the contemners Moses shall accuse men Joh. 5.46 Gods Word lay hold on them Zech. 1.6 and stick in their hearts and flesh as fire thorowout all eternity Ier. 5.14 Verse 2. I told you before Sed surdo fabulam no telling would serve turn Many are so wedded and wedged to their sins that nothing will sunder them but an extraordinary touch from the hand of heaven Verse 3. A proof of Christ speaking in me The Church is Christi docentis auditorium saith Bernard the place wherein he ordinarily teacheth who hath his school on earth though his chair in heaven Sebolam babeâ— in terris cathedram in coelis Aug. Verse 4. Crucified through weaknesse i. e. Ex afflicto ejus statu as Gal. 4.14 as having voluntarily subjected himself to all sorts of sufferings for our sakes Verse 5. Examine your selves The finall triall of our eternall estate doth immediately and solely appertain to the Court of heaven Indeed the disquisitive part belongs to us the decisive to God Prove your own selves Redouble your diligence in this most needfull but much neglected duty of self-examination an errour here is easie and dangerous hence the precept is doubled So Zeph. 2.1 Excutite vos iterumque excutite as Tremellius renders it Verse 6. But I trust that ye shall know Whereas they were ready to retort that they were no reprobates he should well know let him see that himself were not one I trust ye shall know saith he that we are no reprobates counterfeits or unapprovable opposed to approved verse 7. Verse 7. Though we be as reprobates viz. In your esteem The good heart is content to vilifie yea nullifie it self so God may be glorified and his people edified let him be a footstool or what ye will â—pist ad Spalat to help Christ into his throne Prorsus Satan est Lutherus sed Christus vivit regnat Amen saith Luther Let me be called a devil or any thing so Christ may be exalted Verse 8. For we can doe nothing A temporary many so fall away as to persecute the truth that he once professed and the Ministery that he once admired Never fals a Saint so farre in his greatest relapses Lat. Seruâ— afore â— Edward Bishop Latimer tels of one who fell away from the known truth to mocking and scorning it yet was afterwards touched in conscience for it Beware of this sinne saith he for I have known no more then this that repented It is a very dangerous precipice Verse 9. Even your perfection Or Your restauration or joynting again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 His meaning is saith Beza That whereas the members of this Church were all as it were dislocated and out of joynt they should now again be joyned together in love and they should endeavour to amend what was amisse amongst them either in faith or manners Verse 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And not to destruction Unlesse by accident or if to the destruction of the flesh it is that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus 1 Cor. 5.5 See the Note there and on 2 Cor. 10.8 Verse 11. Finally Gr. That which yet remains to say more and then an end Be perfect Or Peece again Be of one minde For matter of opinion Live in peace For matter of affection The God of love The authour and fautour Verse 12. With an holy kisse A custome proper to those times See the Note on Rom. 16.16 and on 1 Cor. 16.20 Verse 13. All the Saints salute you Sanctity is no enemy to curtesie it doth not remove but rectifie it Verse 14. The grace of our Lord A friendly valediction or fatherly benediction A COMMENTARY OR EXPOSITION Vpon the Epistle of S.
That is the possession of our adoption the full enjoyment of our inheritance Verse 6. Crying Abba Father God hath no still-born children Paul was no sooner converted but behold he praied Act. 9.11 The spirit of grace is a spirit of supplication Zech. 12.10 And when God sends this spirit of praier into our hearts it is a sure sign that he means to answer our desires like as when we did our children say I pray you father give me this we do it not but when we mean to give them that which we teach them to ask Verse 7. And if a son c. See the Note on Rom. 8.17 Verse 8. Ye did service Here all religious service done to any but God is manifestly condemned as impious whether in Pagans or Papagans Verse 9. Or rather are known of God Whose gracious foreknowing and fore-appointing of us to eternall life is the ground and foundation of our illumination and conversion our love to him a reflex of his love to us Verse 10. Ye observe daies The Christian Church knows no holy-daies besides that honourable Lords-day Isa 57.14 Revel 1.10 and such holy feasts and upon speciall occasions the Church shall see sit to celebrate as Novemb. 5 c. Verse 11. Lest I have bestow'd labour Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Even to lassitude as a day-labourer Other work-folks finde their work as they left it â— but a Minister hath all marr'd many times between Sabbath and Sabbath or if but a while absent as Moses was in the Mount Verse 12. Be as I am No longer a legalist as once Philip. e. 5 8. Ye have not injured me at all He was above their bussoneries and indignities Sendeìra â—â— When an ineonsiderate fellow had stricken Cate in the bath and afterwards cried him mercy he replied Tacit. I remember not that thou didst strike me Tu linguae ego aurium Dominus said one to another that railed on him I cannot be master of thy tongue but I will be master of mine own ears One having made a long and idle discourse before Aristotle concluded it thus Plutar. degarrulit I doubt I have been too tedious to you Sir Philosopher with my many words In good sooth said Aristotle you have not been tedious to me for I gave no heed to any thing you said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Momus in Lucian tels Jupiter It is in thy power whether any one shall vex or wrong thee St Paul here shakes off the affronts and injuries offered unto him with as much ease as once he did the Viper Some would have swelled and almost died at the sight of such a thing he only shook it off and there was no hurt done Verse 13. Through infirmity of the flesh That is though much broken with many miseries yet I spared not to take pains amongst you Zachary though he ceased to speak yet he ceased not to minister he took not his dumbnesse for a dismission but staid out the eight daies of his course Luk. 1. Verse 14. And my temptation That is mine afflictions whereby the Lord tempts his feels which way their pulses beat and how they stand affected toward him Which was in my flesh My spirit being haply untoucht For ost the body is weak the foul well Afflictions may reach but to the out ward man sob never complained till he was wet thorow till the waters went over his soul Nor rejected Gr. Ye spet not on as they did that spet in Christs face 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Even as Christ Jesus Who hath said He that receiveth you receiveth me It was a common saying at Constantinople Better the Sunne should not shine then that Chrysostome should not preach 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beatituâ—inia praedicatio B. 30. Verse 15. Where is then the blessednesse q. d. time was when ye held your selves happy in me and blessed the time that ever ye saw and heard me Is the change now in me or in your selves Thus the Jews rejoyced in John for a season but he soon grew staâ—e to them Joh. 5.35 See the Note there Neutrum modo mas modò vulgus Verse 16. Am I there sore become c. Truth breeds hatred as the fair Nymphes did the ugly Fawns and Satyrs the hearing of truth galls as they write of some creatures that they have fel in aure gail in their ears It was not for nothing therefore that the Oratour called upon his Countreymen to get their ears healed before they came any more to hear him to preach faith Luther is nothing else but to derive upon a mans felt the rage of all the Countrey And therefore when one defined the ministeriall function to be Artom artium scientiam scientiarum the art of arts and science of sciences Melancthon said If he had defined it to be miseriam miseriarum the misery of miseries he had hit it Because I tell you the truth He that prizeth truth saith Sir Walter Raleigh shall never prosper by the possession or profession thereof Hist l. 1.0.1 An expectas ut Quintilianus ametur When we seek to fetch men out of their sins they are apt to fret and snarl as when men are wakened out of sleep they are unquiet ready to brawl with their best friends Verse 17. They zealously affect you Depereunt vos as Jealous wooers they would have you whole to themselves without a corrivall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cognata sunt They would exclude us As standing in their way this is the guise of all sectaries and seducers they denigrate the true teachers that they may be the only men Verse 18. To be zealously affected in a good thing In a good cause for a good end and in a good manner There is a counterfeit zeal as it that of the Popish Martyrs or traitours rather of whom Campian in his Epistle to the honourable Counsellours of Queen Elizabeth Quamdiu vel unus quispiam è nobis supererit qui Tiburno vestro fruatur c. As long as there shall be left any one of us to wear a Tibuâ—n tippet we will not cease our suit And not only when I am present Sith even absent I teach and tell you the truth of God by letters Verse 19. Till Christ be formed That you may seek for salvation by him alone Together with the word there goes forth a regenerating power Jam. 1.18 It is not a dead letter an empty sound as some have blasphemed Only let us not as Hosea's unwise son stay in the place of breaking forth of children proceed no further then to conviction much lesse stifle those inward workings for sin as harlots destroy their conceptions that they may not bear the pain of childe-birth Verse 20. And to change my voice To speak to your necessity for now being absent I shoot at rovers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and am at some uncertainty how to frame my discourse to you Verse 21. Ye that desire c. that are
nothing else but for repentance Crede mihi res severa est gaudium vernum saith Seneca True mirth is a severe businesse Which are not convenient As not conducing to the main end of our lives 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But rather giving of thanks A speciall preservative against the former evils the filth and power of those base vices And the word Rather imports an extraordinary earnestnes to be used in giving thanks to God Verse 5. Who is an Idolater Dancing about his golden calf and saying to his wedge of silver Job 30.24 Thou art my confidence which yet shall prove but as Achans wedge to cleave his soul in sunder and as that Babylonish garment to be his winding-sheet Verse 6. Let no man deceive you So as to make you think there is no such danger in fornication covetousnesse c. There wanted not such Proctours for hell in the Primitive times as may be gathered out of 2 Pet. 2. and the Epistle of Jude Against these he here cautioneth Verse 7 Be not ye therefore partakers Lest by infection of their sin ye come under infliction of their punishment We are accountable as well for sins of communion as of commission And he knew what he said that praid From mine other-mens-sins Good Lord deliver me Verse 8. For ye were sometimes darknesse Which hath in it as one well noteth 1. Errour 2. Terrour 3. â—â— Dugard in loc Inconsistency with light 4. Impossibility of reducing it self to light But now are ye light Semper in sole sita est Rhodos saith Sylvius The Saints are alwaies in the Sunshine Walk as children of light A godly man should be like a crystall glasse with a light in the midst which appeareth thorow every part thereof He is in the light and shall be more Verse 9. For the fruit of the spirit Why grace is called fruit See the Note on Gal 5.22 Verse 10. Proving what is acceptable By the practice of what you know Let your knowledge and obedience run parallell mutually transfusing life and vigour one into another Verse 11. Works of darknesse Work done in the dark must be undone again or else we are sure to be thrust into outer darknesse where we shall never see light again till we see all the world on a light fire But rather reprove them At least by your contrary courses as Noah condemned the old world by being righteous in his generation Rev. 14. Those that stood with the lamb had his fathers name on their fore-heads led convincing lives so did Luther Bucer Bradford c. Verse 12. For it is a shame sit honos auribus Joannes a Casa so far forgat both honesty and 〈◊〉 Act. and Mon. fol. 4 17. that he boasted openly of his beastly Sodomy yâ—â— most impudently commended that odious sin in an Italian Poem set forth in print Faber of Vienna another filthy Papist published such a stinking book that Erasmus thus wrote to him Mente cares sires agitur tibi sâ—ria rursus Fronte cares siâ— sic ludis amice Faber Which are done of them in secret Sinne secretly committed shall be strangely discovered either by the sinner himself as Judas or by his companions in evil When the sodder is once melted this glasse will fall in pieces and all will out Verse 13. But all things that are c. Or But all these things viz. There unfruitfull works of darknesse whilest they are reproved or discovered by the light viz. of the word as 1 Cor. 14.24 Heb. 4 12 are made manifest so that thereby they grow abashed and abased before God and men Verse 14. Isa 9.2 26.19 60.1 Wherefore he saith Or The Scripture saith See the like Jam. 4.6 But he giveth or the Scripture giveth more grace It convinceth not only but converteth it discovereth not only but cureth corrupt hearts These waters of the Sanctuary are healing Some there are that interpret this he of our Saviour Christ and take this saying for a sentence of his such as was that Act. 20.35 Others reade Therefore the light saith c. Awake thou that sleepest Lex jubet gratia juvat Praecipit Deus quod ipse praestat God giveth us to do what he biddeth us to doe Verse 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 See then that ye Walk circumspectly Precisely exactly accurately by line and by rule and as it were in a frame striving to get up to the top of godlinesse as the word importeth to keep Gods Commandments to the utmost to go to the extremity of it Hereunto if we stand straitly one may say safely Lord if I be deceived thou and thy word have deceived me Not as fiols Christians must excell others standing as standard-bearers But as wise Great need we have to fly to Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab Heb. Tsopheb speculator who dwels with prudence Prov. 8. to stand upon our watch Verse 16 Redeeming the time As wise Merchants trading for the most precious commodity and taking their best opportunity The common complaint is Non parùm habemus temporis sed multùm perdimus Sen. We want time but the truth is do not so much want it as waste it The men of Issachar were in great account with David because they had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to doe 1 Chron. 12.32 So are they in great account with God that regard and use the season of well-doing Because the daies are evil Corrupted by the devil who hath ingrossed our time and out of whose hands we must redeem time for holy uses and pious purposes Verse 17. But understanding what Drawing your knowledge into practice as vers 10. For the fear of the Lord that is wisdome and to depart from evil is understanding Job 28.28 Where wisdome proper to the understanding is ascribed to the will because practice should be joyned to knowledge Hence also Eccles 10.2 A wise mans heart is at his right hand because his heart teacheth his hand to put things in practice Verse 18. And be not drunk with wine Nothing so opposite to an accurate life as drunkennesse which therefore is not specially prohibited in any one of the ten Commandments saith a Divine because it is not the single breach of any one but in effect the violation of all and every one It is no one but all sins the inlet and sluce to all other sins Wherein is excesse Excessive drinking then is drunkennesse when as swine do their bellies so men break their heads with filthy quassing But be filled with the spirit Call for flagons of this holy wine Cant. 2.5 that goeth down sweetly causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak Cant. 7.9 This is called by Luther Crapula sacra a spirituall surquedry or surfet Verse 19. Speaking to your selves c. As drunkards sing and hollow over their cups in their good-â—ellow-meetings so in a sober sense doe you expresse your spirituall jollity in Psalms c. Melody in your
reflect upon God who will require and requite Verse 13. Not as the word of men Whom yet he maketh use of to cast down Satans strong-holds as he made use of little David against Goliah and of the frogs and flies against Pharaoh As the word of God With reverence and diligence with all good affection and attention When Samuel knew it was God that called him and not Eli he had no more minde to sleep We are all here present before God saith Cornelius Act. 10.33 And God is in you of a truth saith the Corinthian convert 1 Cor. 4.25 Verse 14. Of your own countrey-men Malice against the truth breaks all bonds of nature or amity Moah was irked because of Israel or vexed at them Numb 22.3 4. though they were allied to Israel who passed by them peaceably and by the slaughter of the Amorites freed them from evil neighbours which had taken away part of their Countrey c. The English Papists in four years sacrificed 800 of their innocent Countreymen in Q. Maâ—â—es daies Verse 15. Who both killed the Lord And are therefore banished out of the world as it were by a common consent of Nations for their unexpiable guilt Even in Jerusalem there be hardly to be found a hundred housholds of them In Cyprus it is present death for any Jew to â—et his foot upon that Island Breâ—â—â—ood Enquâ—â— In Thessalonica and Constantinople there are divers thousands of them but at every Easter they are in danger of death Dio. Cass Biddulph if they but stir out of doors because at that time they crucified our Saviour The Turks themselves so hate the Jews for crucifying Christ that they use to say in detestation of a thing I would I might die a Jew Neither will they permit a Jew to turn Turk unlesse he be first baptized And their own Prophets Whose slaughter though long since done is in recent remembrance with God and is reckoned and registred together with the death of Christ himself And have persecuted us They still curse the Christians in their daily praiers which they close up with a Maledic Domine Nazaraeis Lopez at Tiburn affirmed Camdeâ—s Eliz. That he had loved Q. Elizabeth as he loved Jesus Christ Which from a Jew was heard not without laughter And they please not God Yet they challenged the title of Gods Church as the Papists will needs be the only Catholikes And are contrary to all men Being herein rather Ismaelites then Israelites Gen. 16.12 The Troâ—t delights to swim against stream The herb Alexander will agree with no other herb but it self Such Antipodes are our Jesuites so unsufferably ambitious and impudent that neither then doctrine not their conversation pleaseth those of their own religion Verse 16. To fill up their sin alway Bounds are set to sin by the divine decree Zech. 5.7 Wickednesse is compared to a woman pressed in an Ephah when the measure is full the businesse is finished See the Note on Mat. 23.32 Verse 17. For a short time Or In a short time suddenly See Act. 17 9 10. Being taken away Or separated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as orphans are from their dear parents or parents from their deceased children The separation of friends is so grievous that death it self is stiled no other then a departure Verse 18. But Satan hindred us He still doth his utmost to hinder the communion of Saints and to keep them asunder He knows two are better then one and therefore he stirred up the primitive persecutours to banish the Christians and to confine them to iles and mines Cyprian epist where they could not have accesse one to another Verse 19. For what is our hope c A very lively and lofty expression such as the Apostle ordinarily useth in speaking of heavenly glory Nos Christus nec coelum patitur hyperbolen A man can hardly hyperbolize in speaking of heaven Verse 29. For ye are our glory and joy Let no man therefore envy us these temporary good things a competent maintenance there are better things abide us above CHAP. III. Verse 1. No longer forbear OR 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Stand under our burden of vehement desire after you See a like expression Isa 42.14 As a travelling woman bites in her pain as long as she is able and at length cries out aloud so God is patient till he can hold no longer c. We thought it good Publica privatis anteferenda bonis A publike spirit is a precious spirit Verse 2. To establish you Who haply are somewhat unsetled by the troubles that befell me amongst you But as young trees shaken root the better so should you Capite in an epistle to the brethren at Basil writeth thus Pauciores vobiscum perimuntur quod ita Domino visum est ut stabiliantur seu lenibus pluvijs aâ— semâ—ntâ—â— mâ—llioribus plantulae in arbores maximas proditurae Verse 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prov. That no man should be moved Gr. Flattered as a dog slattereth by moving his tail q.d. The devil by flattering you with promise of more ease by a contrary course will but do as a dirty dog defile you with sawning That we are appointed thereunto Viz. By Gods decree whereunto if damned ghosts must subscribe Rom. 9.19 20. how much more should Gods elect 1 Pet. 1 6 It is but a delicacy to dream of heaven to be had without much hardship Verse 4. We told you before Darts fore-seen are dintlesse premonition is the best premunition Troubles fore-told come never a whit the sooner but far the easier whereas coming unexpected they finde weak mindes secure make them miserable leave them desperate Verse 5. To know your faith That is Your perseverance and encrease in faith That which the devil mainly endeavoureth is to hindâ—r and unsettle our faith as he dealt by Eve and Peter Luk. 22.31 32. to batter this buckler Ephes 6.16 for then he knows he may do what he will with us Omnia perdidit Seneca qui fidem amisit Lestâ—â—y some means the tempter Who feels our pulses and fits his assaults accordingly See the Note on Mat. 4.3 And our labour be in vain So it proves many times by Satans malice Other labourers can finde their work as they left it not so Ministers the devil cometh and marreth all Verse 6. And brought us good tidings Here the devil was disappointed He had been nibling but could not fasten this matter was not malleable God stints him and staves him oft when he would worry his poor lambs turning all to their eternall good Verse 7. We were comforted Nothing so cheareth up the heart of a godly Minister as his peoples tractablenesse If this be wanting his very heart is broke though they be otherwise never so kinde and courteous to him Verse 8. For now we live A joylesse life is a lifelesse life An unsuccessefull Pastour hath little or no joy of his life Thus shall ye say to him that liveth 1 Sam.
because they had the appearance of lying God commanded the Jews to abstain from swines flesh they would not so much as name it Etias Tibisbit but in their common talk would call a sow dabhar Achar another thing Verse 23. That your whole spirit soul body The Temple consisted of three parts so doth man the body is as the outer court the soul as the holy place the Spirit as the most holy So the world is three stories high the earth the visible heaven and the third heaven Verse 24. Faithfull is be c. Praier must be founded upon the faithfulnes of God in fulfilling his promises Hereby faith will be strengthened and affection excited Praier is a putting the promises in suit Verse 25. Brethren pray for us The best may need the praiers of the meanest God will have us beholden herein one to another 1 Cor. 12.21 22. How earnest is that great Apostle in begging praiers Act. and Mon. sol 1565. Rom 15.30 Pray for me I say Pray for me I say quoth father Latimer for I am sometimes so fearfull that I could creep into a mouse-hole sometimes God doth visit me again with his comfort c. Verse 26. With an holy kisse Our very civilities should savour of sactity and our common conversation relish of religion Zech. 14.20 21. Verse 27. That this Epistle be read It is a mattes of greatest necessity and importance that the holy Scriptures be daily and duly read by all A sad complaint it is which reverend Moulin makes of his Countrey-men the Prench Protestants Moulins Theophilus p. 27 8. Whiles they burned us saith he for reading the Scriptures we burnt with zeal to be reading of them â— now with our liberty is bredâ—lsâ— negligence and disesteâ—m of Gods word And is it not so with us at this day Our Ancestours in Hen. 8 cline would sit-up all night in reading and hearing and were at great charges Some gave five marks for a Bible that we may have for five shillings c. Act. and Mon. fol. 750. Verse 28. Amen Amen is 1. Assenting 2. Assevering 3. Assuring A COMMENTARY OR EXPOSITION Vpon the second Epistle of S Paul to the THESSALONIANS CHAP. I. Verse 1. In God our Father and the Lord c. AS God is in his people of a truth 1 Cor. 14.25 So are they in God and as Christ is at Gods right-hand so is the Church at Christs right-hand Psalme 45.9 Yea they are in him and part of him c. Verse 2. Grace be to you c. See the Note on 1 Cor. 1.2 And the Lord Iesus Christ Who is both the fountain Ioh. 1.16 and the conduit Ioh. 1.17 For of his fulnesse we have all received grace for grace Grace that is Gods favour and reconciliation For grace that is for the favour and love that God the Father bare unto his son Eph. 1.6 Verse 3. We are bound to thank God Duty is a debt and a good heart is not well till it have discharged it As he that hath somewhat lying on his stomack cannot be at ease till he hath got it up so neither must we till disburdened in sounding forth Gods praises for the good he hath bestowed on us or on others for our use This saith Luther is sancta crapula And it can be no hurt to have our harts thus overcharged Verse 4 For your patience and faith Faith patienteth the heart by putting the head into heaven afore-hand and giving a man a glimpse of future glory Faith drinks to a suffering Saint in a cup of Nepenthes and saith Be of good courage and of good carriage under the Crosse Flebile principium melior fortuna sequetur The right-hand of the Lord can mend all Verse 5. Which is a manifest token The saints sufferings hero are an ocular demonstration of a future judgement 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Indigâ—â—atio wherein all their wrongs shall be righted all their labour of love recompensed This held Jobs head above water when else he had been overwhelmed with the flouds of affliction Job 19.25 So Dan. 12.1 2. Though things be otherwise darkly delivered yet when the Jews were to lose land and life then plainly the generall judgement is mentioned So Heb. 11.35 Verse 6. To recompense tribulation To trouble these troublers of Israel and that thorowouâ— all eternity because they would be alwaies troubling Gods people if they might â— as it is said of the Scorpion that there is not one minute wherein it doth not put forth the sting Plin. Verse 7. Rest with us As Noahs Ark after much tossing rested upon the mountains of Ararat as the Ark of the Covenant formerly transportative was at length serled in Solomons Temple The word here used properly signifieth remission and relaxation from hard labour Apoc. 14.13 they rest from their labours Avâ—ow And as the sleep of a labouring man is sweet so here With his mighty angels O what a glorious day must that needs be when to many glorious Sâ—ns shall shine at once The Lord Chris out-shining them all Velut inter stellas luna minores Verse 8. In slaming fire Naturall fire 2 Pet. 36 7. whereby the elements shall melt like scalding lead upon the wicked whiles they give account with all the world on a slaming fire about their ears Of this last dreadfull fire the very Heathen had some blinde notions Esse quoque in fatis meminit c. Ovid Metam lib. 1. Denat deer Luncretius and Tully say somewhat to it but little to the purpose And that obey not the Gospel This is the grand sin of this age Joh. 3.19 No sin will gripe so in hell as this This will be a bodkin at the heart one day I might have been delivered but I have wilfully cut the throat of my poor soul by refusing those rich offers of mercy made me in the Gospel Verse 9. Who shall be punished Here 's the pain of sense eternity of extremity From the presence Here 's the pain of losse which is of the two the greater And from the glory of his power God will set himself to inflict upon the damned such a measure of misery as his power can extend unto Verse 10. To be glorified This is the chiâ—f end of his coming like as he reprobateth some that his mercy in electing others may the more appear To be admired When they shall be seen to shine as the firmament nay as the stars Dan. 12.3 nay as the Sun Mat. 13.43 nay as Christ himself that Sun of righteousnes to the great admiration of all men Verse 11. The work of faith with power Without which power neither the goodnesse of God nor the good pleasure of his goodnesse that is his decree of glorifying us nor the work of saith could be effected Verse 12 That the name of our Lord It is much for the honour of the Saints that Christ shall account himself glorified in their glory Neither is it for their honour only
staid not Whereupon Mâ—lch Adami in vita Calv. pag. 114. Non ausas fuit Calvinus ad Farelli tonitrua plus quam Periclea saith mine authour jugum vocationis quod sibi à Domino imponi videbat detractare Calvin durst not stir after such a charge but staid it out there to his dying day Verse 2. Be instant Gr. Stand over it Stand close to it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysostome at Antioch having preached many Sermons against swearing was at length asked when he would preach upon another subject He answered When you leave swearing I 'le leave preaching against swearing In season out of season On the Lords-day on the week day Volentibus nolentibus dic importunum Tu vis errare tu vis perire ego nolo saith Augustine Let men know whether they will or no that for lack of preaching they shall not perish The shew-bread stood all the week before the Lord to shew that preaching is not ouâ— of season on any day The Friers of Basil held that it was Lutheranum diebus profanis praedicare Melâ—h Adam Act. and Mon fol. 11 11. Ibid. 86 â—â— Hereticall to preach on working-daies But Anthony Person Martyr told his persecutours That they were bite sheeps and not Bishops for neglecting to preach It being as great a wonder at Rome to hear a Bishop preach as to see an Asse slie said Dr Bassinet Ibid 1559. Ibid. 1380. But Bishop Ridley preached usually every Sabbath-day and holy-day so did B. Iewel Dr Tailor Martyr Mr Bradford even during his imprisonment Preaching reading and praying was all his whole life Ibid. 1457. He did sharply reprove sin pithily improve errours sweetly preach Christ crucified earnestly perswade to a godly life c. With all long-suffering c. Sidecimus quisque si unus persuasus fuerit ad consolationem abundè sufficit saith Chrysostome If you gain but the tithe of your hearers or lesse it is well Verse 3. Sound doctrine Alex Aphrod problem Which as honey Vulnera purgat ulcera mordet purgeth green wounds but causeth pain to exulcerate parts Children though they love and lick in honey yet will not endure to have it come near their lips when they have sore mouths Having itching cars Horat. Which must have clawing preachers such as will never auriculas mordaci raderâ— vâ—ro deal plainly and faithfully with their souls Verse 4. Turn their cars from the truth Aristotle writeth That Vultures are killed with oil of roles De mirahil â—uscult Sweet smels enrage Tigers Swine cannot live in some parts of Arabia saith Pliny by reason of the pleasant sent of aromaticall trees there growing in every wood Verse 5. Endure afflictions do the work Honor ministerij est in onere dignit as in diligentia corona in contemptu Make full proof 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or Accomplish thy Ministery So executing every part of it as to make it thy whole busines Verbi minister es hoc age was Mr Perkins his Motto Thou art a Minister look to it Verse 6. Ready to be offered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He speaks of it as done already To be poured out as a drink-offering upon Gods altar Thus the Apostle expresseth himself emphatically pathetically elegantly setting forth by what death he should glorifie God viz. by being beheaded Whether my death be a burnt-offering a drink-offering by fire or sword or a peace-offering that I die in my bed I desire it may be a free-will offering a sweet sacrifice to the Lord. The time of my departure He makes nothing of death It was no more betwixt God and Moses but Go up and die So betwixt Christ and Paul but launch out and land immediately at the fair haven of heaven Verse 7. I have fought a good fight The nearer any thing is to the center the more strongly and swiftly it moveth The wine of the spirit is strongest in the Saints when they are drawing to an end His motions are quickest when naturall motions are slowest most sensible when the body begins to be senslesse most lively when the Saints are a dying Verse 8. There is laid up a crown Beyond a crown the wishes of mortall men extend not Alexander inviting many to supper provided a crown of 180 pound to be given to those that drank most One and fourty killed themselves with drinking to get that crown Shall these do more for a trifle then we will do for heaven A crown of righteousnes So salvation is called not for that it is of right due to us but because it is purchased for us by the righteousnesse of Christ and shall be freely given to those that are justified by faith Verse 9. Doe thy diligence c. We want much of our comfort in the want of a friend Eccles 4.9 Optimum solatium sodalitium How doth David bemoan the lesse of Ionathan How did D. Tailour prize the company of his fellow-prisoner that Angel of God as he called him Iohn Bradford What a mercy did S. Paul count it that sick Epaphroditus recovered Phil. 2.27 Verse 10. Demas hath for saken me Blazing comets as long as they keep aloft shine bright but when they begin to decline from their pitch they fall to the earth Ionathan followed the chase well and with greâ—dy pursuit till he met with the honey so doth many a Demas And is dâ— parted unto Thessalonica Where he became an Idol Priest as saith Dorotheus Verse 11. For he is profitable Once unprofitable Act. 15.38 See the Note there but now profitable Philom 11. Verse 12. Tychicus have I sent For what end see Eph. 6.22 with the Note there Verse 13. The cloak that I left O supâ—llectilem Apostolicam O what a small deal of housholdstuff had this great Apostle Erâ—s in Ioe saith Erasmus â—a cloak to keep off the rain and a few books and writings Tota â—tiâ—â—m supâ—llâ—x mea est char tacea saith he in another place Erâ—s in farrag epistol All my stock is in books And of judicious Calvin it is reported that all the goods that he left behindâ— him his library being sold very dear come scarce to 300 florens that is about go pounds of our money Seekest thou great things for thy self Ier. 45.5 Verse 14. Alexander the copper-smith Who was once Martyrio propinquus saith Calvin near unto Martyrdome in Pauls cause Act. 19.33 A glorious professour may become a furious persecutour Let him that stands take heâ—d lest he fall The Lord reward him This is neither a curse Author quest apud Just Mar. nor a railing speech saith an Ancient but a prediction well beseeming an Apostle that avenged not himself but rather gave place to wrath Rom. 12 19. Verse 15. He hath greatly resisted our words Or our prâ—echings not our persons only This was a foul fault See I Thess 4. 8. Exod. 16.8 Verse 16. No man stood with me So that Paul might have said as Socrates did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That which is convenient Or That which is thy duty Ossicium autem est jus actionis ad quemcunque statum pertinens saith Jul. Scaliger Verse 9. Yot for loves sake c. Here 's brave oratory such as might well mollisie the hardest heart Petendo movet movindo petis Paul the aged And therefore venerable Coguata sum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Old age and honour are in the Greek tongue very near akin It is a crown saith Solomon and that of glory when found in the way of righteousnesse Prov. 16.31 These bear a resemblance of the Ancient of dates Dan. 7. Verse 10. My sonne Onesimus Ignatius in his Epistle to the Ephesians maketh mention of Onesimus as Pastour of Ephesus next after Timothy The Roman Martyrologue saith that he was stoned to death at Rome under Trajan the Emperour Verse 11. But now profitable So is every true convert there is little cause that men should boast they are no changelings sith whosoever is in Christ is a new creature St Anthony Kingston came to Mr Hooper the Martyr a little before his death and said I thank God that ever I knew you for God did appoint you to call me being a lost childe Act. and Mon. fol. 1368. For by your good instructions whereas I was before both an adulterer and fornicatour God hath brought me to forsake and detest the same c. Savoy for the strait passages infested with thieves was one called Malvoy or ill-way till a worthy adventurer cleared the coasts and then it was called Savoy or Salvoy the safe-way Such a change there is in every good soul Verse 12. That is mine own bowels Pray for me mine own heart root in the Lord said Mr Bradford in a letter to Mr Saunders Quem in intimis visceribus habeo ad convivendom commoriendum Verse 13. In the bonds of the Gospel Which is bound after a sort when the preachers thereof are imprisoned Verse 14. Would I do nothing Posse nolle nobile est He that goes to the utmost of his chain may possibly break a linke Concedamus de jure ut careamus lite August Part with somewhat for peace-sake Verse 15. For perhaps be therefore God hath a hand in ordering our disorders to his own glory and cur good He teacheth us by our temptations This made Mr Fox say That his graces did him most hurt and his sins most good He departed for a season Here the Apostle makes the best of an ill matter Converts are to be gently handled and their former evil practices not to be aggravated Verse 16. Both in the flesh Perhaps Onesimus was Philemons kinsman And in the Lord Sanctior est copula cordis quam corporis He that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit 1 Cor. 6.17 Verse 17. A partner One in commons with thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Amicorum omnia communia Receive him Take him to thee put him in thy bosome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 make much of him How effectually doth this great Apostle plead the cause of this poor fugitive now happily brought home to Christ He deals as one that had himself received mercy 1 Cor. 7.25 Steep thy thoughts saith one in the mercies of God and they will die thine as the die fat doth the cloth Col 3.12 Verse 18. If he hath wronged thee His shamefull escape the Apostle sweetly mitigateth by the name of wrong his theft of debt See ver 15. and compare herewith Gen. 45.5 Put that on mine account To the like effect speaks the Lord Christ on our behalf to his heavenly father in his daily intercession Verse 19. Thou owest unto me c. If Cleanthes gave himself to his Master Socrates If Alexander could say that he owed more to Aristotle that taught him then to Philip that begat him If another could say that he could never discharge his debt to God to his parents and to his schoolmaster how deeply then do men stand obliged to their spirituall fathers and teachers in Christ Verse 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Yea brother let me have joy Or benefit by thee An elegant allusion it is in the originall to the name of Onesimus and it is as if the Apostle imbracing Philâ—mon and hanging about his neck should say I prethee now let me be so farre beholden to thee c. Verse 21. Knowing that thou Wilt c. Who could ever have the heart to resist such rhetorike Suade medulla Is not here the very marrow of most powerfull perswasion a golden sloud of eloquence as Tully saith of Aristotles Politiques Verse 22. But withall prepare c. Thus he dispatcheth his own private busines in one word as it were his main care was that Owsimus might do well a fait mirrour for Ministers Verse 23. Epaphras my fellow-prisoner Clapt up belike for visiting and countenancing S. Paul to whom he was sent by the Colossions with relief whiles he was prisoner at Rome The ecclesiasticall history telleth us of one Philcas a Martyr who going to execution seemed as one deaf at the perswasions and blinde at the tears of his friends Quo no iò potest terrenu lachrymia slecti cupas oculi coelessem gloriam contu eâ—tur ' moving him to spare himself And when one Phil ramus defending him said How can he be moved with earthly tears who hath his eyes full fed with heavenly glory He also was taken in and both presently beheaded Verse 24. Marcus Arist rchus Demas Here Demas was in good credit with the Apostle but soon after fell away like as glasse and some baser metals shine brightest in the fire when nearest of all to melting or as the candle giveth a great blaze when going out with a stench Hypocrites have their non-ultra when the godly mans Motto is as was Charls the fifths Vlterius Further yet on on Verse 25. The grace of our Lord Say the world what it will a grain of grace is worth a world of wealth the blessings that come out of Sion are better then any that come out of heaven and earth Psal 134 3. For they our-last the daies of heaven and run parallel with the life of God and line of eternity Pray for them therefore in the behalf of our selves and others as Paul constantly doth for grace not with gracelesse Nero but with the Lord Jesus Christ one good cast of whose pleased countenance was better to David then his crown scepter Psal 4 7 8. A COMMENTARY OR EXPOSITION Vpon the Epistle of S. Paul to the HEBREWS CHAP. I. Verse 1. God who at sundry times c. SEe my True Treasure Page 1 2 3. Verse 2. Heir of all things Be married to this heir and have all Vbitu Caius ego Caia may the Shulamite say to her husband as the Roman Ladies said to theirs Verse 3. Vpholding all things Both in respect of being excellencies and operations Seneca rendering the reason why Jupiter was by the Ancient Romans
sirnamed Stator saith it was Quia ejus bene ficio stant omnia because all things are upheld by him How much better may this be said of Christ Sin had hurled confusion over the world which would have fallen about Adams ears saith one had not Christ undertaken the shattered condition thereof to uphold it He keeps the world together as the hoops do the barrell Purged our sins By his merit and spirit Verse 4. Better then the Angels Therefore is his doctrine the Gospel with more heed to be heard then the law ordained by Angels in the hand of a Mediatour that is Mases Gal. 3.19 Verse 5. This day Either the day of eternity and so it is meant of Christs eternall generation or else the fulnesse of time wherein God brought his first begotten into the world and mightily declared him to be the on of God by the resurrection from the dead Act. 1.33 Rom. 1 4. Verse 6. And let all the Angels of God The manhood of it self could not be thus adored because it is a creature Phil 2.8 but as it is received into unity of person with the Deity and hath a partner-agency therewith according to its measure in the work of redemption and mediation Verse 7. A flame of fire Hence they are called Seraphims because they flame like heavenly Salamanders in the fire of pure and perfect love to God and his people And Cherubims from their winged swiftnesse swift they are as the winde which may seem to be the sense of this text compared with Psal 104.4 5. Verse 8. Thy throne ô God is forever Christ is God then as is here set forth by many arguments God hath laid help in one that is mighty I and the Father am one Verse 9. Hath anointed thee This imports two things 1. Ordination to his office and so the Godhead also of Christ was anointed 2. Qualification for it and so the manhood only And as the holy oil was compounded of divers spices so was Christ filled with all gifts and graces Act. 10.38 but especially with wisdome as a Prophet holinesse as a Priest and power as a King Verse 10. The Works of thy bands Psal 8.3 they are called the works of Gods fingers artificially elaborated that heaven of heavens especially whole artificer and workman is God Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 11.10 The Apostle there intimates that it is cÌ„uriously and cunningly contrived Verse 11. They shall perish The visible heavens are defiled with mans sin and shall therefore be purged by the last fire as the vessels that held the sin offering were to passe the fire They shall all wax old See the Note on Rom. 8.22 Verse 12. But thou art the same As in effence so in will and counsel Repentance with man is the changing of his will Repentance with God is the willing of a change Mutatio rei non Dei effectus non affictus facti non confily Verse 13. Sit on my right-hand As mine equall in honour and power Verse 14. Sent forth to minister c. The Saints are the Spouse the bride yea the members of Christ and so in nearer union then Angels or any creature This the devil envied and fell from his station CHAP. II. Verse 1. We should let them slip OR Run out as water runs thorow a riven vessel The word mingled with saith in the heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Act. 16.14 must be care fully kept and it will safely keep us Prov. 6.20 22. Some render it Nequando prater fluamus lest we passe by the things we have heard as a river swiftly passeth by the side of a City as the fashion of this world passeth a way as a picture drawn upon the ice soon vanisheth c. Verse 2. For if the Word c. Moses-law Gal. 3 19. Was stedfast Ratified with this sanction Aut faciendum aut patiendum either do it or die And every transgression and disobedience that is every commission and omission Verse 3. If we neglect He saith not If we reject renounce persecute but if we neglect let slip shift off as the word is Heb. 12.25 and as those reâ—nsant guests did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 22. say we rather with Samuel Speak Lord for thy servant heareth And with that Dutch Divine Veniat veniat verbum Domini submittemus illi sexconta si nobis essent colla Let the Lord utter his minde and he shall have ready obedience whatever come of it So great salvation The doctrine of the Gospel that grace of God that bringeth salvation Tit. 2.11 I am fully perswaded saith a late learned light of our Church that in these daies of grace D. Preston the Lord is much more quick and peremptory in rejecting men the time is shorter he will not wait so long as he was wont to do The ground is How shall we escape if we neglect c Verse 4. And with divers miracles Whereby as by the wings of the winde the doctrine of the Gospel was divulged at first But he that now requireth a miracle is himself a miracle The establishing of the present reformation is and will be that miracle which we are in these times to look for It is that which the former age had despaired of the present admireth and the future shall stand amazed at Verse 5. For unto the Angels c. The Jews as they had embraced the Pythagorean transanimation Mat 16.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. so the Platonike opinion of Angels moving the heavens and ordering the world whom therefore they worshipped intruding into those things whereof there was no found either proof or profit Colos 2.18 The Angels say Proculus the Platonist and Plutarch are messengers that carry Gods minde to men and mens requests to God But who told them all this Egregie dicis sed quomodo probas said Aristotle of Moses may we better say of these bold affirmers Verse 6. But one in a certain place The full sense is Accommodatio est facitis ad personam Christi si interpretes non vellent esse nimli inge niofi Amel. in Psal 8 5. Paulisper But he hath subjected it to Christ as David testified Psal 8 4 5. where whatsoever is spoken to man is here applied to the man Christ Jesus and so is proper to the Saints by vertue of their union with Christ In which respect they are more glorious then heaven Angels or any creature Verse 7. A little lower Or For a little While viz. Ab utero ad urnam from the womb to the tomb from his birth to his buriall from his abasement to his advancement And didst sit him over the works Lions hate apes but fear men whereof no other probable reason can be given but this here in the text insomuch as the most timorous men dare kick and beat the hugest elephants Verse 8. Vnder his feet It is not said Vnder his hands but under his feet 1. That he may trample
ad Algesiam Joh Aeâ—â—ran apud so Manl. loc com that the words after Wherefore to vers 12. should be enclosed with a parenthesis and then the sense is clear If Hierome and Egranus had observed so much in this and other places they would not so sharply have censured St Paul for his obscurities and incongruities and lame senses and sentences Verse 8. Harden not your hearts Some hearts are so hard that neither Ministery nor misery nor miracle nor mercy can possibly mollifie them Such an heart is in some respects worse then hell And if God broke Davids bones for his adultery and the Angels backs for their pride the Lord if ever he save any will break his heart too Verse 9. Tempted me God must be trusted but not tempted as he is when men 1. Question and awake his power 2. Limit the holy one of Israel and presume to prescribe to him set him a time c. 3. Neglect the use of means and serve not his providence Verse 10. I Was grieved The Hebrew text hath it I was nauseated and ready to rid my stomack at them to spew them out of my mouth They do alway erre They must needs erre that know not Gods waies Yet cannot they wander so wide as to misse of hell Verse 11. They shall not enter This the Apostle propounds to the unbelievers of his time that they may beware Alterius perditio tua sit eautio Seest thou another suffer shipwrack Look well to thy tackling Verse 12. In departing from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Infidelity is the mother of apostacy as in Cranmer but worse in John Dudley Duke of Northumberland in Queen Maries daies who being brought to the scaffold on Tower-hill and having promise of life if he would recant his profession dastard like forsook his master and exhorted the people to the Romish religion Speeds Chron. Which his death-Sermon afterwards came forth in print by authority Verse 13. But exhort one another A speciall preservative from apostacy See my Common-place of Admonition and my Treatise on Mal. 3.17 Lest any of you be hardened Continuance in sin hardeneth the heart and gradually indisposeth it to the work of repentance Qui non est bodiè c. There is a deceitfulnesse in sin a lie in vanity Jon. 2.8 Verse 14 For we are made par takers Christs consorts coheyrs with him Rom. 8.17 This we are in present if we persevere to the end The beginning of our confidence Gr. Of our subsistence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or substance that is of our faith Heb. 11.1 whereby we subsist and become sons of God as Ambrose expounds it Verse 15. Whiles it is said so To you now as it was said to them of old vers 7. We must see our own names written on every precept promise example c. Hos 12.4 There God spake with us To day if ye Will hear c. The negligent spirit cries Crâ— Domino To morrow Lord. In crastinum seria But who can tell what a great-bellied-day may bring forth Either space or grace may be denied God may leave men under his Ordinances as rocks in the midst of rivers as blinde at noon-day Verse 16. Howbeit not all Yet all fell in the wildernesse save Joshua and Caleb Good men are oft wrapt up in a common calamity The righteous perisheth Isa 57.1 so the world thinketh But whether they live they live unto the Lord or Whether they die they die unto the Lord c. The good corn is cut down together with the tares but to another and to a better purpose Rom. 14.8 Verse 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whose carcases fell Gr. Whose members joints limbs Cadavera à cadendo O that we could make that use of their disaster that Waldus the French Merchant father and founder of the Waldenses did of that sad sight that befell him For walking in the streets and seeing one fall suddenly dead he went home and repented of his Popish errours and profane courses Verse 18. To them that believe not Or That will not be perswaded uncounsellable persons that acquiesce not in wholsome advice Verse 19. Because of unbelief A bloudy sin Job 3.19 No sin will gripe so in hell as this The devil will keep holyday there in respect of unbelievers CHAP. IIII. Verse 1. Let us fear WIth a fear not of diffidence but of diligence See the Note on Phil. 2.12 and on 1 Cor. 10.12 Lost a promise Some render it thus Lest we should seem to fall short of the promise that is left us c. But where is that promise left us may some say It is closely couched in the former commination Chap. 3.18 God sware that unbelievers should not enter and therefore intimates a promise that believers shall enter A Bee can suck sweet honey out of bitter thyme so cannot a Flie do To come short of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To come lag and late when the gate is shut the draw-bridge taken up as those foolish Virgins or as lazy race-runners or as those that come a day after the fair an hour after the feast and so are frustrated Verse 2. The Word preached Gr. The Word of hearing i. e. The promise that fell from the Preachers lips into their ears 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nescio quid divinum in auscultatione est saith one I know not what divine businesse there is in hearing but sure I am that what we hear doth more deeply affect us and more firmly abide with us and stick by us then what we reade In them that heard it In their hearts as in so many vessels Faith and the promise meeting make a happy mixture a precious confection Verse 3. For we Which have believed Believers and they only have heaven afore-hand in pretio in promisso in primiti is in the price that was paid for it in the promise of it which is sure-hold and in the first-fruits the graces of the spirit which are as those grapes of the land of Canaan Verse 4. And God did rest Here the Apostle sheweth what that rest of believers is Not that seventh-daies rest vers 5. nor that other rest Psal 95. meant of the Land of Canaan but another and better typified in both those viz. A spirituall resting from our own works or sins so as God resteth in his love to us Zeph. 3.17 and we sweetly acquiesce in our interest in him Psal 116.7 Verse 5. If they shall enter q. d. Then never trust me more Yet Ambrose here taketh the words for a forcible affirmation q. d. Si introibunt benè habebunt Verse 6. Seeing therefore it remaineth This is a deduction from the former text of the Psalmist Such as is that of our Saviour Mat. 22.32 from Ex. 3.6 And such inferences rightly drawn are the very word of God 1 Cor 7.10 Verse 7. After so long a time Four hundred years almost passed between Joshua's and Davids daies Davies to day was not Joshua's to day
To day if ye Will hear That day of salvation wherein the Lord doth offer us mercy in the Ministery of his Word shewing us our misery and exciting us to use the remedy Verse 8. For if Jesus c. That is Joshuah who had his named changed when he was sent as a spy into Canaan Numb 13.16 from Oshea to Ioshuah from Let God save to God shall save Under the Law which brings us as it were into a briery wildernesse we may desire wish and pray that there were a Saviour but under the Gospel we are sure of salvation Out Jesus is Iehovah our righteousnesse Verse 9 A rest to the people of God Gr. A sabbatisme an eternall rest a Sabbath that hath neither evening Gen. 2.2 nor labour Isa 5â—â—2 Apecal 1. Revel 14.13 But they shall enter into peace rest in their buds be ravisht in spirit receive the full import and purport of the weekly Sabbath rest from travel and trouble 2. Of the seventh year-sabbath for the creature the ground shall rest from it's vanity and slavery Rom 8.20 21.3 Of the seventh-seven-years Sabbath the Iubilean Sabbath for their debts shall be all discharged their morgages released their persons set at liberty from sins and Satans slâ—very Verse 10. From his own Works From the servile work of sin Psal 1.23 These are our own works as a lie is the devils own Ioh. 8.44 When be speakth a lie be speaketh of his own so when we do evil we work de nostro secundum hominem 1 Cor 3.3 It is as impossible for us naturally to do good as for a road to spet cordials Vest 11. Let us labour Here he resumes and re-enforces his former exhortation that his words may be as nails and goaâ—s fastned by the masters of Assemblies Fall after the same example God hangs up some malefactours as it were in gibbers for a warning to others Jethro grew wife by the plagues that befell his neighbour-prince Pharaoh as Rabbi Solomon oblerveth Excuploa Me. rius qui amt ille sapâ—t And Belshazzar is destroied for not profiting by his fathers calamities Dan. 5.22 Then hast not humbled thy heart though thou knewest all this Verse 12. Quick and powerfull Gr. Lively and energeticall sc In hearts that can tremble at Gods judgements as David did Psal 119.120 As for hypocrites the Word Will ransack them and give them a very glimpse of the judgement to come as it did Faelix Herod c. God smiteth the earth with this rod of his mouth Isa 11.4 he dasheth them in the teeth and maketh them spet bloud as it were hewing them by his Prophets and slaying them by the words of his mouth Hos 6.5 Rev. 11.5 Soul and spirit See the Note on 1 Thess 5.23 And is a discerner Gr. A curious Critick judging exactly and telling tales of the hearers disclosing the words that they speak in their very bed-chambers as 2 King 6.12 Verse 13. Neither is there any creature No not the creature of the heart the most secret thoughts and intentions That is not manifest in his sight Or in the sight of it that is of Word preached but every the least fibra the smallest string in the heart that would escape the sight of the most exact Anatomist is hereby cut up See 1 Cor. 14.24 But all things are naked and open Naked for the out-side 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and opened dissected quartered cleft in the back-bone as the word here signifieth for the in side Erasmus rendereth it resupinata making it a metaphor from these that he with their faces up wards that all passengers may see who they are Theodoret readâ—th it Hath the throâ—t cut Vnto the eyes of him Or rather of it of the word where-with We have to do The word like a sacrificing sword slits open and as it were unridgeth the conscience Verse 14. We have a great high-Priest Who by a new and living way will bring us into the rest above mentioned A great high-Priest Christ is because 1. Reall not typicall 2. Eternall and needed not succession as Aaron 3. Entring not into the holy places made with hands but into heaven it self Heb. 9.24 Verse 15. Whick cannot be touched Christ retaineth still compassion though freed from personall passion Manet compassio cuam cum impa Jibilitate And though freed from feeling hath still yet a fellow-feeling Act 95. Mat. 25.35 Trajan the Emperour being blamed by his friends for being too gentle toward all answered that being an Emperour he would now be such toward private men as he once when he was a private man wished that the Emperour should be toward him Christ hath lost nothing of his wonted pity by his exaltation in heaven Tempted Or Pierced thorow Luther 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was a piercing preacher and met with every mans temptations and being once demanded how he could do to Act. and Mon Mine own manifold temptations said he and experiences are the came thereof for from his tender years he was much beaten and exercised with spirituall conflicts Verse 16. Let us there fore come boldly In the sense of sin to wrap our selves in Christs righteousnesse and so go boldly to the throne of grace this saith a reverend man is an honour to Christ our high-Priest CHAP. V. Verse I. Both gifts Of things without life And sacrifices Of living creatures For sins Christ as God was the Priest Altar to offer up and to sanctifie the sacrifice And as God-man he was the sacrifice for the Church was purchased by the bloud of God Act 20.28 A bloudy Spouse she was unto him as in a sense it may he said Verse 2. Who can have compassion Or Bear anything With reason 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not be easily angry but shew as much mercy as is meet for his whether they have ignorantly offended or upon deliberation they cannot commit more then he can remit He is compassed With infirmity Christ was compassed With that which we call miserable not that we call sinfull infirmity Verse 3. He ought as for the people A priest is a person by Gods appointment taken from amongst men and for men to offer gifts and sacrifices for sinne in their and his own behalse Verse 4. And no man taketh c. Or if he doc he shall smoke and smart for it as did Nadab and Abibu Vzzah and Vzziah c. In physicis aer non facit seipsum ignem sed fit à superiori as Aquinas noteth upon this text No man might come uncalled to the King of Persia upon pain of death What then shall become of such as come without a call to the King of heaven Christ would not let the devil preach him Mark I. Quia extra vocationem as one well noteth because he had no calling to such an office Verse 5. Glorified not himself As the Pope doth who will needs be stiled Pontifex maximus the greatest high-Priest whereas Christ is called
or bear a torch Judg. 7.7 Baldwin the French Lawyer that had religionem ephemeram as Beza saith of him Mâ—â—â—h Aâ—aâ— for every day a new religion being constant to none became Dâ—o hominibusque quos toties sese lerat invisut Hated of God and men whom he had so oft mocked Theodorick an Arrian King did exeâ—edingly affect a câ—rtain Deacon although an Orthodox This Deacon thinking to ingratiate Euseb and get preferment became an Arrian Which when the King understood he changed his love into hatred and caused the head to be struck from him affirming that if he kept not his faith to God what duty could my one expect from him Verse 38. Who draw back unto Apostates have martiall law they run away but into hell mouth A worse condition they cannot lightly chuse unto themselves CHAP. XI Verse 1. Now faith is the substance HAving mentioned the life of faith Chap. 10.38 and the end of faith or the reward of it the salvation of the soul vers 1 Pet. 1.9 39. he now descends to the description of this glorious grace Jam. 2.1 and saith that it is the substance or subsistence or Basis and foundation of things hoped for It is the same that our authour had called confidence chap. 10.35 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Polybius speaking of Horatius his keeping the field against the enemies forces saith that the enemies more feared his hypostasis the word here used his confident binding upon the victory then his strength The evidence of things c. The Index 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the clear conviction by disputation or by making syllogismes from the word Indeed it is the word to speak properly that is the convincing evidence of things not seen but because the word prositeth not further then it is mingled with faith in the heart therefore that which is due to the word is here ascribed to faith Verse 2. The Elders obtained c. Gr. Were attested unto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and are here eternalized in this notable Chapter This little book of Martyrs as one fitly calleth it Faith honoureth God and gives him a testimoniall Ioh. 3.33 such as is that Deut. 31.4 God therefore honoureth faith according to â— Sam. 2.30 and gives it his testimoniall as here Verse 3. Through faith we understand It is the nature of faith to believe God upon his bare word and that against sense in things invisible and against reason in things incredible Sense corrects imagination reason corrects sense but faith corrects both Aufer argumenta ubi fides quaeritur Verba philosophorum excludit simplex veritas piscatorum saith Ambrose I believe and that 's enough though I cannot prove principles and fundamentals of faith That the worlds were framed Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aâ—â—abrè sacta Were neatly made up By the word of God By that one word of his Fiat let it be so and so By the way take notice that faith here described is taken in a large sense as it hath not the promises only but the whole Word of God for it's object Look how the Israelites with the same eyes and visive faculty wherewith they beheld the sands and mountains did look upon the brazen serpent also but were cured by fastening upon that alone so by the same faith whereby we are justified we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God and believe all other truths revealed and yet faith as it justifieth looks upon Christ alone not knowing any thing here but Christ and him crucified as is well observed by a learned Divine Were not made of things c. Of any praeexistent matter as Plato held See my Notes on Gen. 1.1 Verse 4. A more excellent sacrifice Good actions and good aims make a man good in the sight of God Cain may offer as well as Abel Doeg may set his foot as far within the Sanctuary as David the Pharisee as the Publican but with different successe God testifying of his gifts By fire from heaven or some other visible expression of his gracious acceptation whereby Abels faith was confirmed touching life and salvation in Christ Being dead yet speaketh Or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is yet spoken of Being registred for the first Martyr in the Old Testament as Stephen was in the New and as Mr Rogers was here in the Marian persecution Verse 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By faith Enoch was translated Or carried from one place to another He changed his place but not his company for he still walked with God as in earth so in heaven That he should not see death The Arabick version addeth He was translated into paradise where a plentifull amends was made him for that which he wanted of the daies of the years of the lives of his fathers in the daies of their pilgrimage Gen. 47.9 And was not found And yet the Lord killed him not as the Chaldee hath Gen. 5.24 but took him up in a whirlwinde say the Hebrew Doctours as Elias was That he pleased God He walked with God in all well-pleasing being fruitfull in every good work Col. 1.10 Verse 6. But without faith That is without Christ in whom the Father is well-pleased Ioh. 14.6 For he that cometh to God sc Formâ pauperis that cometh a begging to him in the sense of his own utter indigence as Iacobs sons came to Ioseph and as the Aegyptians hard bestead came to him saying We will not hide it from my Lord how that our money is spent c. Gen. 47. Must believe that he is Zaleucus Law-giver of the Locrians speaketh thus in the proem to his Laws Hoc inculcatum sit esse Deos Let this be well setled in mens mindes that there is a Deity and that this Deity will reward the devout But what an odde conceit was that of the Cretians to paint their Iupiter without either eyes or ears And what an uncertainty was she at Medâ—◠〈◊〉 that praid O Deus quisquis es vel in coelo vel in terrâ O God whoever thou art for whether thou art and who thou art I know not Serviâ—â— in Geâ—â— lib. 1. This uncertainty attending Idolatry caused the Heathens to close their petitions with that generall Dijque Deaeque omnes Hear all ye gods and goddesses And those marriners Ion. 1.5 every man to call upon his God and lest they might all mistake the true God they awaken Ionah to call upon his God Christian petitioners must settle this that their God is Optimus Maximus such in himself and such toward them as he stands described in his holy word Verse 7. Moved with fear Opposed to the security of the old world who would know nothing till the very day that the floud came Mat. 24. Noah trembled at Gods judgements whilest they hanged in the threatnings and was no lesse affected then if himself had been endangered See the like in Habakkuk after that he threatned the Chaldeans Chap. 3.16 and
with God as the communion of Saints Verse 2. Have entertained Angels As Abraham and Lot who pursued hospitality as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 12.13 and had such guests as they hoped not for The Galatians received St Paul as an Angel so did Cornelius entertain Peter Every childe of God is an earthly Angel and in entertaining them Angels also which are their Guardians are entertained The Philosopher told his friends when they came into his little low cottage The gods are here with me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God and his Angels are where the Saints are Verse 3. Remember them that c. Learn hence saith one That it is no new thing for the world to put bonds on them who seek to bring them out of bondage It is very probable that Micaiah was that disguised Prophet who brought to Ahab the fearfull message of displeasure and death for dismissing Benhadad for which he ever after hated him and held him in prison As being your selves also in the body Not the body of Christ or the Church as Calvin senseth it but in the body of flesh and frailty subject to like afflictions so Erasmus Beza Pareus others Verse 4. Marriage is honourable And yet say the Rhemists upon 1 Corinth 7.9 Marriage of Priests is the worst sort of incontinency Is not this to play the Antichrist And the bed undefiled Admonimus in ipso etiam matrimonio quandam esse scortutionis speciem Bâ—z Confess p. 194. siquâ— puro Dei dono purè sanctè non utatur ad eum finem cujus caiuâ est institutum saith Beza The Marriage-bed though lawfull may be defiled by excesse c. and a man may be an adulterer of his own wife God will judge The Anabaptists of Germany Joh. Manl. loc com p. 487. inferred from hence that therefore men ought not to punish adulterers for God reserved them to his own judgement Two of them Monetarius and Hetserus were notorious whoremongers being a pair of such Preachers as Zedekiah and Ahab were whom the King of Babylon roasted in the fire because they committed adultery with their neighbours wives and spake lies in Gods name c. Jer. 29.22 23. But what a bold man was Latimer Bishop of Worcester who presented to Henry the eight for a New-years-gift Act. and Mon. 1594. a new Testament with a napkin having this posie about it Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge Verse 5. Be content with such things Not to be content is to be covetous If men cannot bring their means to their minde Clem. Alex. let them bring their minde to their means A little will serve to bear our charges till we come home to heaven Bonus pacis indiget See the Note on 1 Timothy 6 6.8 For he hath said Five times in Scripture is this precious promise renued that we may presse and oppresse it till we have expressed the sweetnesse out of it Isa 66.11 I will not forsake thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will not not not forsake thee Leave us God may to our thinking but forsake us he will not Only we must put this and other promises in suit by praying them over God loves to be bound by his own words to be sued by his own bond Verse 6. So that we my boldly say Having such a promise to build and found our faith upon we may well proceed to this holy gloriation against all opposition Verse 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Them which have the rule Gr. Your Captains your Guides so Ministers are called Your Chieftains and Champions that bear the brunt of the battle the heat of the day and upon whom as upon his white horses the Lord Christ rideth about conquering and to conquer Revelation 6.2 Verse 8. Jesus Christ the same This was the summe of their Sermons Act 9.11 and is the substance of their and your faith which therefore you must stick to standing fast in the street which is called Straight and not wherried about with divers and strange doctrines Verse 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be not carried about Errour is a precipice a vortex or whirl-pool which first turns men round and then sucks them in With divers and strange doctrines That agree neither with themselves nor with the truth That the heart be established Ballasted as a ship balanced as the Bee with a little stone taken up by her when she hath farre to flie in a high winde Ne leve alarum remigium praecipitent â—â—abra ventorum as Ambrose observeth lest the bigger blast should dash her to the ground Not with meats As if they were holy or helpfull to salvation Verse 10. We have an altar That is A sacrifice even Christ our Passeover whose flesh is meat indeed John 6. but to believers only not to those that pertinaciously plead for Ceremonies and services of the Law Gal. 5.4 Hic edere est credore Verse 11. Are burnt without the Camp And so the Priests had no part of the sin offering to shew that they have no part in Christ that adhere to the Leviticall services See Levit. 16.27 Verse 12 Without the gate See how punctually the old Testament is fulfilled in the new Hardly could those before Christ divine what this meant till he had suffered it and the Apostle had opened it Event is the best key to types and prophecies Verse 13. Bearing his reproach The reproach of Saints is the reproach of Christ and their sufferings his Colos 1.24 And Nehem. 4.3 5. God is more provoked then Nehemiah He that saith Vengeance is mine I will repay repaies oft-times when we have forgiven when we have forgotten and cals to reckoning after our discharges Verse 14. For here we have none Improve this argument for the working our hearts off from the things of this world the beauty of all which is but as a fair picture drawn upon the ice that melts away with it But we seek one to come And here we must all turn Seekers Seek ye first the Kingdom of God c. Matth. 5.33 See the Note there Verse 5. The fruit of our lips Covering Gods altar with the calves of our lips Hos 14.3 This shall please the Lord better then an Oxe or Bullock that hath horns and hoofs Psal 69.31 This also is the seekers sacrifice v. 32. Verse 16. Forget not We very easily forget what we care not to remember The richer the harder usually For with such sacrifices How improvident are we that will not offer a sacrifice of alms when God sets up an altar before us Verse 17. That have the rule over you Gr. That are your Leaders or Captains But now as once in Alcibiades his Army most will be leaders few learners See the Note on Verse 7. Verse 18. Willing to live honestly Tantum velis Deus tibi praeoccurret David could wish well to the keeping of Gods Commandments Psal 119.4 5. and affect that which yet he could not effect Verse 19. That I may be
stronger then all none therefore can take you out of my handâ— sith I and the Father am one Joh. 10. Verse 6. If need be ye are in heavinesse When our hearts grow a grain too light God seeth it but needfull to make us heavy through manifold temptations When our water as it were looks but a little too high our heavenly father a Physitian no lesse cunning then loving saith one doth discern it and quickly sits us Baynes letters whom he most tendereth with that which will reduce all to the health some temper of a broken spirit Verse 7. that the triall of your faith If affliction which is the triall of our faith be so exceeding precious what is faith then and the promises whereon faith laies hold There are that by the triall of faith understand here a well-tried faith which is called gold tried in the fire Rev. 3.18 Verse 8. Paraeâ—â— Whom having not seen They had not been belike at the feast of the Passeover at which time our Saviour suffered but came up to the feast of Pentecost and were converted Act. 2. And full of glory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gr. Glorified already a piece of Gods Kingdome and heavens happinesse afore-hand O the joy the joy the inexpressible joy that I finde in my soul said a dying Saint Verse 9. The end of your faith The period and perfection the reward and meed of it in all fulnesse See Psal 19.12 Prov. 22.4 Verse 10. The Prophets have enquired This highly sets forth the weight and worth of it sith such men took such pains about it Base spirits are busied about light matters Numb 14.24 as Domitian spent his time in catching flies Artaxerxes in making knive-hafts Not so Caleb who had another spirit and followed God Wholly So did the ancient Prophets as Isaiah whiles the merry Greeks were taken up at their Olympick games in the year 1540. Buchol Chron. from the floud the Prophet Isaiah seeth that heavenly vision of Christ sitting on his throne and heareth that thrice happy Trisagion Isa 6.1 2 3. Verse 11. Searching What c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 With greatest sagacity and industry as hunters seek for game and as men seek for gold in the very mines of the earth The sufferings of Christ c. Macarius was utterly out in saying that the prophets knew that Christ should be born for mens redemption but that they knew nothing of his death and sufferings Isaiah writes of them more like an Evangelist then a Prophet and is therefore called the Evangelicall Prophet Verse 12. Not unto themselves In regard of the accomplish-of those oracles that they uttered And yet to themselves in regard of their right and interest therein They did minister None must hold themselves too good to serve the Saints The Angels desire to look into To look wishly and intently as the Cherubims of old looked into the Mercy-seat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prono capite propenso collo accuraâ—e â—â—rospicere Exod. 25.18 19. Verse 13. Wherefore gird up c. We are seldome comforted but we have need to be exhorted So apt are our hearts to security and so apt is Satan to interrupt our joyes with his base injections Gird up the loins of your minde Gird your selves and serve God Luk 17.8 A loose discinct and diffluent minde is unfit for Gods service Girding implies 1. Readinesse 2. Nimblenesse handinesse handsomenesse Hope to the end Gr. Hope perfectly or entirely q. d Do not â—y halves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let there not be any odde reckonings between God and you but work out your salvation Phil. 2.12 See the Note thâ—â—e For the grace That is for the glory That is to be brought unto you It must be brought unto us such is out duines we will scarce go seek it hardly be perswaded to live happily raign everlastingly Verse 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not fashioning your selves As a plaier is fashioned to the oâ— seene speeches and carriages of him whom he personateth In your ignorance Men may remain grossely ignorant amidst abundance of means as these Jews did Who is blinde but my servant or deaf as my messenger c Isa 42.19 20. Verse 15. In all manner of conversation Our very civilities must favour of sanctity and our common conversation rellish of religion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 S. Pauls civil conversation was in heaven Phil. 3.20 Holines must be written upon our bridles when we war upon our cups when we drink Zach. 14.20 21. It is said of a certain Scotch-Divine that he did even eat and drink and sleep eternall life Verse 16. Be ye holy i.e. Separate from sin and dedicated to God in conformity to whom stands our happinesse See the Note on Mat 5 48. Verse 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Incoâ—â—tus conâ—â—â—oratio Of your sojourning Having your commoration on earth but your conversation in heaven Fugiamus ad coelestem patriam c. could a Heathen say In fear Those that fear of all others are likely to hold out Jer. 32 4â— Verse 18. Received by tradition Children are very apt to follow their parents example whether of good or evil Me ex ea opinione quam amajoribus accepi de cultu deorum nullius unquam movebit oratio saith Tully I will never for sake that way of divine service that I have received from my fore fathers Verse 19. Without blemish Of originall pollution And without spot Of actuall sin Verse 20. Who verily c. So carefull was God to make all sure concerning our redemption in Christ saith one here Verse 21. Might be in God And so in a safer hand then cur own He hath laid help upon one that is mighty Verse 22. Ye have purified Animabus vestris castificatis c. A metaphor from the legall purifications Verse 23. Born again A man shall never have occasion to curse the day of his new birth Verse 24. Aâ—â—flâ—â—sh is grasse To live is but to lie a dying Can a picture continue that is drawn upon the ice Verse 25. The Word of the Lord c. This sentence is the Motto of the Dukes of Saxony See Psal 119.89 Manlâ—â—ee coâ— 4 19. CHAP. II. Verse 1. All malice and all guile OUt with this leaven utterly 1 Cor. 5.7 Howsoever we otherwise fail let us not in these be found faulty at all These are not the spots of Gods children Deut. 32.5 Verse 2. Desire the sincere As in children all speaks and works at once hands feet mouth See Davids desire Psa 42. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 119.20 40 131. The sincere Gr. Guilelesse unmixed milk not sugred or sophisticated with strains of wit excellency of speech c. 1 Cor. 2.1 That ye may grow thereby After generation 1 Pet. 1.23 Augmentation That word which breeds us feeds us As the same bloud of which the babe is bred and fed in the womb strikes up into the mothers brests
side Verse 19. Promise them liberty As Mahometisme and Popery which is an alluring tempting bewitching religion Sr Walter Raleigh knew what he said that were he to chuse a religion for licentious liberty and lasciviousnesse he would chuse the Popish religion No sinne past but the Pope can pardon no sinne to come but he can dispense for it No matter how long men have lived in any sin though it be the sin against the holy Ghost extream unction at last will salve all Verse 20. Again entangled As a bird in a gin as a beast in a snare Sapè familiaritas implicavit saepè occasio peccandi voluntatem fecit Isidor solil l. 2. The later end is worse They fall ab equis ad asinos from high hopes of heaven into hell-mouth where they shall have a deeper damnation because they disgrace Gods house-keeping as if they did not finde that they lookt for in religion Verse 21. It had been better Nocuit sanè Judae fuisse Ape stolum Juliano Christianum to begin well and not to proceed is but to aspire to an higher pitch that the fall may be the more desperate Non quaeruntur in Christianis initia fed finis Act. and Mon. fol 993. saith Hierom B. Bonner seemed at first to be a good man and a favourer of Luthers doctrines Verse 22. The dog is turned Proverbia hac sunt Canonica quae Christiano nauseam commoverent God will spue out apostates for ever teaching them how they should have spued out their sin CHAP. III. Verse 1. This second Epistle SO must Ministers with one Sermon peg in another and never cease beating and repeating the same point saith S. Aug de doct Christian Augustine till they perceive by the gesture and countenance of the hearers that they understand it and are affected with it I stirre up Gr. I rouse you who perhaps are nodding with the wise virgins Mat. 25.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Your pare mindes Gr. Pure as the Sun Chrysostome saith of some in his time that they were ipso coelo puriores Hom. 55. in Math. more pure then the visible heavens and that they were more like angels then mortals Verse 2. Mindfull of the words See the Note on 1 Cor. 15.2 Run to this armory of the Scriptures for weapons against seducers and epicures Verse 3. Scoffers Those worst kinde of sinners Psal 1.1 those abjects of the people Psal 35.15 those Pests 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Septuagint render them Psal 1.1 those Atheists that jear when they should fear and put farre away the evil day that make no more matter of Gods direfull and dreadfull menaces then Leviathan doth of a sword he laugeth at the shaking of a spear Job 41.29 Verse 4. Where is the promise c. The sleeping of vengeance causeth the over-flow of sin the sinner thinks himself hail-fellow with God Psal 50.21 and the overflow of the sinne causeth the awakening of vengeance Verse 5. Willingly ignorant of A carnall heart is not willing to know what it should do lest it should do what it would not Act. 28.27 That by the word of God And that by the same word again they may as soon be dissolved yea reduced to their first originall Nothing A learned man propoundeth this question How did the Lord imploy himself before the world And his answer is this D. Preston of Gods attrib p. 34. A thousand years to him are but as one day and one day as a thousand years Again Who knoweth saith he what the Lord hath done Indeed he made but one world to out knowledge but who knoweth what he did before and what he will do after Thus he And the earth standing c. God hath founded the earth upon the seas and established it upon the flouds Psal 24.2 This Aristotle reckons among the wonders in nature and well he may God hath set the solid earth upon the liquid waters for our conveniency Psal Lib. de mirabil 104.6 7. Verse 6. Being overflowed with water Therefore that is not altogether true that all things continue as they were at first as the scoffers affirmed ver 4. Verse 7. Reserved unto fire The old world was destroied with water Propter ardorem libidinis for the beat of their lust saith Ludolphus the world that is now shall be destroied with fire Propter teporem charitatis for their want of love Verse 8. One day is with the Lord c. Nullum tempus occurrit regi How much lesse to the Ancient of daies In God there is no motion or flux therefore a thousand years to him are but as one day Verse 9. Not willing that any should perish See the Note on 1 Tim. 2.4 Verse 10. The heavens shall passe c. The very visible heavens are defiled with mens sins Revel 18.5 and must therefore be purged by fire as the vessel that held the sin-offering was in the time of the law Shall be burnt up This the very Heathens knew in part as appears by the writings of Lueratius Cicere de natura Deorum and Ovids Metam lib. 1. Verse 11. What manner of men Even to admiration Quales quanti as the word signifies Mar 13.1 How accurate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and how elevate above the ordinary strain Verse 12. Looking for As Sisera's mother looked out at a window and expecting the return of her sonne said Why are his charriots so long a coming So should we look up and long for Christs coming in the clouds those charriots that carried him up and shall bring him back again The heavens being on fire c. A far greater fire then that at Constantinople Blnnts voiage where 7000 houses are said to have been on fire at once an Dom. 1633. And the elements shall melt And fall like scalding lead or burning bell-metall on the heads of the wicked who shall give a terrible account with the world all on fire about their ears Whether this shall fall out in the year 1657. as some conjecture because in the year of the world 1657. Alsted Chrâ—â—oi the old world drowned and because the numerall letters in MVnDI ConfLagratiIo Make up the same number I have nothing to affirm Sure it is the Saints shall take no hurt at all by this last fire but a great deal of benefit Methodius writeth that Pyragnus a certain plant so called grows green and flourishes in the midst of the flames of burning Olympus as much as if it grew by the banks of a pleasant river And of this he saith that himself was an eye-witnesse Praeclarum sanè novissimi diei indicium documentum Verse 13. According to his promise Which is good sure-hold For he paies not his promises with fair words as Sextorius did but with reall performances Verse 14. That ye may be found of him Watching working well-doing See the Note on Mat. 24 43 44. Verse 15. That the long-suffering c. Rom. 2.4 which sentence
strange strife still not of earchly but of spirituall powers about the possession of mans heart If Satan can get that he is safe And so Satans Vicar It was a watch-word in Gregory the 13. time in Q. Elizabeths daies My son give me thy heart Be in heart a Papist and go where you will do what you will Verse 10. Of those things which they So doe the Papists in railing against imputed righteousnesse assurance of salvation the testimony of Gods Spirit witnessing with our spirits c. In those things they corrupt themselves As in eating drinking carnall copulation In Râ—ais c. holding neither mean nor measure as he in Aristophanes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who was good for nothing else but to epicurize Verse 11. In the Way of Cain The devils Patriarch the first Apostate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this was fulfilled literally in Alphonsus Diazius who slew his brother John because he was a Protestant and mystically in all that are guilty of spirituall parricide Andran greedily Gr. Were poured out as water out of a bottle they ran headlong after the wages of wickednesse not caring which way they came by it so they had it Verse 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 These are spots Or Rocks or muddy-holes that harpy-like not only devour but defile all that they touch In your feasts of charity See these described by Tertullian â— adversâ— gentes cap. 39. When they feast with you Thrusting themselves into your company whether invited or not sin having oaded an impudency in their faces Feeding themselves As fatted cattle fitted for the slaughter Without fear Of being ensnared by the creatures Pro. 23.2 Clouds they are Light and constant only in their inconstanâ—y Twice dead Killed with death Revel 2.23 Such as for whom hell gapeth Verse 13. Wandering starres That were never better then Meteors Sr Francis Drake in his travels reporteth That in a certain Island to the southward of Celebes among the trees night by night did shew themselves an infinite swarm of 〈◊〉 seeming worms flying in the air whose bodies no bigger then an ordinary slie did make a shew and give such light as if every twig on every tree had been a lighted candle or as if that place had been the the starry sphere Loe such were these impostours Verse 14. And Enoch also Enoch fore-told the day of Judgment before Noah the deluge That day is longer before it comes but shall be more terrible when it is come The Lord cometh Syr. Maranatha Hence the Jews say that the great excommunication Muranatha was instituted by Enoch Verse 15. Toconvince all To set them down 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to leave them excuselesse speechlesse self-condemned Of all their hard speeches Their rude crude crooked crosse speeches uttered with perverse lip 1 so Solomon cals them Pro. 4.24 as if the upper lip stood where the nether lip should Verse 16. These are mumurers Vt porci saginati saith Aretius as boars in a frank Complainers Invalidum omne natur â querulum saith Seneca Weak ones are never without their ailments After their own lusts So many lusts so many Lords Great swelling words Bubbles of words See the Note on 2 Pet. 2.18 The Syriack renders it stupendious stuff Having mens persons Licking up their spettle as it were and loading the Mouse with the Elephants praises Verse 17. Of the Apostles Paul and Peter from whom Saint Jude borroweth much of this his Epistle See my Preface to Gods love-tokâ—ns Verse 18 Mockers Who fleer when they should fear See the Note on 2 Pet. 3.3 Verse 19. Wâ—oseparate From Church-assemblies upon pretence of nâ—wer lights greater holinesse The Arabick renders it Intermitters sc of Church-worships Ser suall Gr. Animal such as have no more then a reasonable foul and are yet in their pure naturals 1 Cor. 2.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Having not the spirit Unlesse it be the spirit of delusion as Muncer the Anabaptist had who wrote a book against Luther Scultet Annal. 138. dedicated it To the most illustrious Prince Christ as his words are upbraideth Luther with want of the Spirit and calleth him a carnal man a silly soul c. Verse 20 Building up By holy conference a singular help a most needfull but too much neglected duty Praying in the holy Ghost Whose creature fervent praier is Verse 21 Keep your selves Remit nothing of your former fervour Verse 22. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 alias 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Haec est sancta violentia optabilis rapina Huron Suâ—ton And of some Or according to other copies Resell their false reasonings and dispute them out of their errours Verse 23. Out of the fire viz. of hell as the Angel pulled Lot out of Sodome as ye would save a drowning man though ye pulled off some of his hair to save him Even the garment spotted As Nero's was when he rode in the same horse-litter with his own mother Verse 24. That is able q. d. I can only counsel you its God must keep you Verse 25. See the Note on 1 Tim. 1.17 A COMMENTARY OR EXPOSITION UPON THE REVELATION of S. John the Divine CHAP. I. Verse 1. The Revelation OR manifestation of many divine mysteries by the Mediatour who came out of his Fathers bosome to John who had the minde of Christ and that purposely for the behoof and benefit of the Family of faith who are all of his Cabinet-councel Joh. 1. 1 Cor. 2.16 Gal. 6.10 Psal 25.14 Things which must shortly That is sooner or later in their proper season Gods time seems long because we are short Nullum tempus occurrit regi saith the Lawyer The Ancient of daies is not to be limited Verse 2. Who barc record of the Word This John the Divine then was John the Evangelist what ever Dennis of Alexandria dispute to the contrary Verse 3. Blessed is be that readeth sc With attention affection application and practice Hierâ—eâ—ist ad Pâ—ulm Aegid Abbas Norimberg As knowing that this book hath Tot sacramenta quot verba so many words so many mysteries and that these words are Vivenda non legenda not more to be read then to be lived as one said once of the hundred and nineteenth Psalm Verse 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 From him which is An august description of the Father by a manifest allusion to Exod 3.14 Some Critick reading the words as they lie in the Originall would be apt to complain of an incongruity Non dâ—heâ—t verba 〈…〉 â—ra uliâ—sâ—bessâ— regulis Donatâ— Greg. and to say Novè duritèr dictum But God methinks should have leave given him by these Logodaedali to pronounce his own name undeclined and by an out rule who himself is undeclined and comes not under any rule And from the seven spirits So the holy Ghost is here called for his manifold gifts and operations in the hearts of those seven and all other Churches In like sort he is called The
mortalitatis privilegium est licere aâ—iquando peccare See thou doe it not An elliptick and concise kinde of speech in the Greek betokening haste and displeasure at that was done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Papists will needs despite the Angels with seeming courtesies and respects And whereas the Councel of Laodicea saith It behoveth Christians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not to pray to Angels Cap. 35. Surius and Caranza make the words to be Non oportet Christianos ad angulos congregationes facere and the title they make De ijâ— qui angulos colunt in a clean contrary sense to the Councels intention Verse 11. And I saw heaven opened i. e. He saw things done before his eyes as it were so do not we but are left to conjectures Here is shewed saith one the foil of the Beast bearer up of the whore and no question but now highly chafed with her fall This is the last and noblest act of Christs riding for the Dragon and his Vicars utter destruction Thus he Here is shewed saith another Interpreter in what state the Church shall be in upon the ruine of Rome even as a people standing in arms under their General Christ Jesus for a time till the last battle be fought and the enemies destroied Behold a white horse Christ riding as an Emperour triumphing and as a righteous Judge Psal 9.8 96.10 13. Verse 12. His eyes were as a flame of fire A quick sighted Judge an intelligent warriour Counsell and strength are for the war 2 King 18.20 And on his head were many crowns Let the Tripple-crowned Pope look to himself Christ out-crowns him by farre And he had a name written His holy and reverend name Jehovah Jeâ— â—3 importing his Godhead for he is Jehovah our righteousnesse And as thus No man knows the Son but the Father Mat. 11.26 for as God he is incomprehensible Judg. 13.18 What is his name or what is his sons name if thou canst tell Prov. 30 4. Who shall declare his generation Isa 53.8 Verse 13. Dipt in bloud In the bloud of his enemies as a victour returning from a huge slaughter Caesar is said to have taken prisoner one million of men and to have slain as many Mahomet the first Emperour of the Turks to have been the death of 800000 men Turk â—â—st Scanderbeg to have slain 800 Turks with his own hand But our Conquerour shall out-do all these when he shall tread them in his anger and trample them in his fury and their bloud shall be sprinkled upon his garments and he will stain all his raiment Isa 63.3 The word of God Joh. Idiotismus Ioannis Pareâ— 1.1 5.7 Hereby it appears that this was John the Evangelist that wrote this book Verse 4. And the armies which were in heaven The heavenly-minded Hero's that sight his battles are all in his livery horsed and habited as he in whom they are more then Conquerours because they are sure to conquer before they fight Verse 15. A sharp sword The word Eph. 6.17 the rod wherewith he smiteth the earth Isa 11.4 The breath of his mouth whereby Antichrist shall be over-thrown as by force of arms so also of arguments The Nations The Paganish-Papagans See the book entituled Paganopapismus wherein is proved that Papisme is flat Paganisme and that the Papists do resemble the very Pagans in above sevenscore severaâ—l things And he treadeth the wine-presse At Armageddon Chap. 16.16 Verse 16. And on his thigh Where his sword hangs Psal Non minor est virtus quam querere parta 〈◊〉 45.3 to shew that he will keep what he hath gained Vincere sâ—is Annibal victoriâ utinâ—sâ—is said one Or on his thigh quia filiabitur nomine ejus Psal 72.17 the name of Christ shall endure for ever it shall be begotten as one generation is begotten of another there shall be succession of Christs name He shall see his seed he shall prolong his daies and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands Isa 5.10 Confer Gen. 46.26 Lord of Lords This title the Pope usurps but what said Miconius in a letter to Calvin upon the view of the Churches enemies Gaudeo quod Christus Dominus est alioqui totus desper assem I am glad that Christ is Lord of Lords for else I should have been utterly out of hope Verse 17. Standing in the Sun Where he might best be heard as an Herald And he well types out such as by clear light of truth shall make known the certain destruction of the enemies before the battle he fought Vnto the supper of the great God They that would not come to the supper of the Lamb shall be made a supper to the fowls of heaven Verse 18. That ye may eat He alludes to Ezek. 39 4.17 Gog and Magog were a type of Antichrist Behold I am against thee ô Gog the chief Prince of Meshec and Tubal saith the Lord Ezek. 38.3 where if Gog be the great Turk and Meshec Cappadocia where he first setled himself Why should he be called Prince of Tubal also that is of Spain France and Italy as Hierome and Josephus interpret it neither do Bellarmine and Gretser dissent Is it not to shew that after the fall of Babylon the Antichristians shall call in the Turk and other Pagan Princes to invade and distresse the Church that they may all perish together and feed the fowls with their dead carcasâ—â— Verse 19. And I saw the Beast The Churches enemies are even ambitious of destruction Judgments need not go to finde them out they run to meet their bane Verse 20. And the Beast was taken Taken suddenly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 propriè dâ—eâ—tur de ijs quos sugiemes arripimus Bez. or as he was flying and so thinking to escape Dio maketh mention of a notable thief that did much mischief in Italy afterwards the Popes seat in the daies of Severus This Emperour used all the means he could to catch him but could not do it Dio. in Severo Quippe qui visus non videbatur non inveniebatur inventus depreheâ—sus non capiebatur saith the Historian But this subtle Beast meeteth with his match and more for he is caught and cast into the lake c. Christ is a conquerour so soon as ever he comes into the field Vexit vidit vicit When the enemies are tumultuating he comes upon them as out of an Engine and hurls them headlong into hell And with him the false prophet This is the same with the Beast only the Pope is called the Beast in respect of his civil power and the false prophet in respect of his spirituall See the Note on Chap. 13 12. These both were cast alive Death shall not end their misery but they shall suffer most exquisite torments Potentes potenter torquebuntur Verse 21. Slain with the sword Not so deeply damned and yet so slain as to be made a prey to the infernall vultures and then the fattest carcase
matter how long they have lived in any sin though the sin against the holy Ghost yet extream Unction at last will salve all What marvell therefore though Papists call for their portion here with the Prodigall Eat and drink with the drunken and begin to beat their fellows with that evil servant Matth. 24.49 Cry out with those Epicures in Isaiah Come I will fetch wine and we will fill our selves with strong drinke and to morrow shall be as this day and much more abundant Let in eat and drink for to morrow we shall diâ— Chrysostome tels us of some such in his time as would usually say Isa 56 ult 1 Cor â—◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Multiâ—n â—erri manducä◠quoâ— apuâ— inseâ—os digeraâ—t Magnatum galeis rasis sacrifiâ—â—â—oâ—um verâ—â—â—â—bus Give me to day and take thou to morrow But of these Atheists well spake S. Austin Many eat that here that they must digest in hell Hell was long since said by one to be paved with the shaven crowns of those hell-sprung locusts That have as it were crowns on their heads that is vertices rasos saith Pareus and a King over then other locusts have none Prov. 3.27 which is the Angel of the bottomlesse pit whose name is Abaddon and Apollyon or the Destroier Revel 9.7 10. That son of perdition to whom though he draw thousands of souls to hell with him none must dare to say What dost thou He hath thousands and ten thousands of these locusts ready prest for any service therefore they are said to be like unto horses prepared unto battle Revel 9.7 Pampered they are in their cloisters as war horses in their stalls or stables Every one neighing after his neighbours wife Jer. 5.8 The husbands of barâ—en women they send in pilgrimage to S. Joyce the Patronesse of fruitfulnesse Hey Geog. pag. 285 Ipsi interim euÌ„ peregrinantis uxore vel filiabus suaviter in mollâ— lectâ—â—o lutahant Caâ—t hist Christa in Mat 23.4 and lie with their wives in the mean while Marry they may not Though they burn like an oven Hos 7.7 nor meddle with flesh on fasting-daies though they make no bones of strange flesh any day Are not these those seducing spirits S. Paul speaks of that forbid to marry and command to abstain from meats 1 Tim. 4.3 They twit us with their much fasting as once the Pharisees did our Saviours disciples And shame not to say that we count fasting but a morall temperance a fasting from sin a matter of policy We could rejoyn and tell them with more truth that their fasts are meer moâ—k-fasts and worse whiles 1. They abstain from certain meats only not all which is a doctrine of devils 1 Tim. 4.2 3. The people they tie to bread and water the Priests fill themselves the while with wine sweet meats and suckets 2. In setting certain fasting daies under pain of damnation whether the times be better or worse 3. In making them a service to God and yet consecrating them to the Saints 4. In ascribing merit thereto 5. In making shamefull fale thereof Their fasts also are often times prefaces and pretexts to their abominable villanies as in the Gun-powder-treason They proclaimed a fast with wicked Jezabel for the successe of the great crack and black-black-day wherein these Harpies thought to have made but a break-fast of us all Nor blessed be the Lord who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth Psal 1 24.6 O that he would once at length put into the hearts of the Kings of the earth to hate the scarlet whore and to eat her flâ—sh as it is prophecied Rev. 17.16 Sanderus illued regiâ— Hen 8 Apophâ—hegin mire â—xagitat â—orverum 〈◊〉 eise penitits disturbandos no iterim ad cohaâ—â—tandum convolent Sand. schism Angl 〈◊〉 Diruendisunt etiam psi â—â—â—oniâ—rum â—â—di â—e redeant Zisce dictum apud Laâ—at in Deut. 〈◊〉 sruges consumere naâ—â— to destroy those crows-nests the Monasteries and religious houses as they call them that they build no more there as our Henry the eight did turning out those slow-bellies here as Zisca also did in Bohemia the Abbey-lubbers I mean that lived upon the spoil having their souls meerly for salt to keep their bodies from putrifying Their whole life was to eat and drink and sleep and sport c. as if they came into the world as rats and mice only to devour victuals and to run squeaking up and down as the Pharisees did to widows houses which they devoured under a pretence of long praiers Mat. 23.13 Such as these are the verm ne of the world the body-lice of man-kinde the excrements of humane society c. are therefore worthy of utter execration and ejection Vse 2 Let every servant of God count it a foul shame to be a slave to his palat Dum â—alato quid fit optimun julâ—â—â— coeli â—alaâ—â—un non suspexit Epiâ—â—râ—s dicebit se cun love etiam paraâ—um esse de joeaâ—itate conteâ—dere si aquaâ—â— habâ—reâ— offam 〈◊〉 Epicurius saith Ennius whiles he looked too much to his palat lookt not at all to the heavenly palace Howbeit if Aelian may be credited Epicurus was wont to say That if he might have but a morsell of meat and a mouth full of water he would hold himself as happy as the happiest A strange speech from him that placed the chief happinesse of a man in sensuall pleasures But what ever his opinions were his life was temperate saith Tully Jacob a far better man desired no more but food to eat and clothes to put on Gen. 28.20 Epicurei mihi videntur metrùs dicere quam facere 〈◊〉 de Finib l. 2. A little of the creature serves turn to carry us thorow our pilgrimage If we have food and raiment let us therewith be content 1 Tim. 6.8 Whâ—re note saith a Greek Father that he saith having food not fine fare and raiment not ornament Meat and drink are the richâ—s of a Christian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 potâ—â— divitiae unt Christianorum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Câ—em saith Hierome Bread and cheese with the Gospel is good chear saith Greenham It is but a little that a godly man stands in need of saith Clements Alexandrinus If you 'l be content to please Dionysius you need not eat green herbs said the Parasite to the Philosopher And if you 'l be content said the Philosopher to the Parasite to feed upon green herbs you need not please Dionysius Elisha dined more comfortably with his coleworts the coloquintida excepted and Elias with his cake on the coals Non tâ—niorem illum a simâ—â—agâ—â—e sed erassiorem dom stâ—cum Horat. Opponâ—t â—aâ—â—m libis piacentis l â— ep 10 Vitae conservativum and cruse of water then all Jezabels prophets with the murdering morsels they met with at her full Table Our Saviour taught his disciples to pray for bread down-tight brown bread not bisket or manchet and daily
clothing to some he gave his shoes some he helped with houshold-stuff to other-some he ministred wholsome exhortation of good doctrine Ibid 8 11. One poor woman there was brought to bed and had no bed to lie in to whom he brought his own bed himself content to lie in the straw Being taken and put in prison he ministred to all his fellow-prisoners at table being contented himself with a few scraps that they left c. Dr Tailour Martyr made it his custome once in a fornight at least to call upon Sr Henry Doyle and other of the rich Cloth-makers in his Parish to go with him to the Almeshouse and there to see how the poor lived what they lacked in meat drink clothing bedding or any other necessaries Ibid. 1388. The like did he also to other poor men that had many children or were sick Then would he exhort and comfort them and where he found cause rebuke the unruly this was spirituall alms and what they lacked that gave he after his power and what he was not able he caused the rich to minister unto them M Ward of Ipâ—wich his Christ is all in all Davids desire by Rob. Abbot Mr Fox that reports all the former never denied any one that asked him ought for Jesus sake And being once asked Whether he knew a certain poor man that had received succour from him in time of trouble he answered I remember him well I tell you I forget Lords and Ladies to remember such Twice I was saith the same Mr Fox in Bishop Hoopers house at Worcester where in his Common-hall I saw a table spred with good store of meat and beset full of beggars and poor folk And I asking his servants what this meant they told me that every day their Lord and masters manner was to have customably to dinner a certain number of poor folk of the said City by course who were served by four at amesse with wholsome meats And when they were served Ibid. 1369 being before examined by him or his deputies of the Lords-praier the Articles of the faith and ten Commandments then he himself sat down to dinner and not before being as it is else where storied of him Spare of diet sparer of words sparest of time Amadeus Duke of Savoy afterwards made Pope of Rome anno 1440. Ibid. being asked by certain Embassadours whether he had any hunting-dogs to shew them told them they should see them the next day And getting together a great sort of poor folk he set them with him at his own Table on the morrow and said to the Embassadours These be the dogs that I keep daily and wherewith I use to hunt after heaven Hi sunt canes â—â—ei quos aâ—o quoâ—idâ—è c. Fâ—râ— Chroâ—ol Hist hobem Specul belli sacri p 252. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Xenoph Dio in vita M. Aâ—tonini Philosoâ—hi Act. and Mon. fol 958. A like course was taken by Charles the great and by Iâ—go King of Draves and Vâ—neds as Aeneas Sylvius reporteth Of a certain Bishop of Lincolne it is said That he never thought he had that thing that he did not give The same is reported of our Generall Norrice and before them both of Cyrus the King and of Antonius the Emperour Queen Anne Bullen carried ever about her a little purse for the poor thinking no day well spent wherein some man had not fared the better by some benefit at her hand She kept her maids and such as were about her so imploied in sowing and working garments for the poor that neither was there seen any idlenesse then among them nor any leisure to follow foolish pastimes So did Dorcas before her and so before them both Bathsheba or the good houswife that she commends to her son Solomon She laieth her hands to the spindle and her hands hold the distaffe Prov. 31 19 But why this And what need she be so work-brittle being a Queen It followeth in the next words vers â—0 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor yea she reacheth forth her hands to the needy She was of his minde belike that said and suffered for so saying in King Henry the 8. daies That alms should not be given untill it sweat in a mans hand Mr Bradford Martyr counted that hour lost Ibid 765. wherein he did not some good with his tongue pen or purse Ibid. 1457. The young Lord Harrington gave the tenth of his allowance which was a thousand pounds a year during his minority to the poor and other good uses as appeared by his accounts after his death besides what he gave in the way as he walked and travelled The testimony annexed to his funerall sermoÌ„ by M. Stock p. 92 In his life prefixed to his Prototypes by M. Henry Sâ—uddâ—r which he did often and much c. M. Whately also that late painfull and powerfull Preacher of Gods Word at Banbury as he was much in pressing this duty of liberality so himself abounded in works of mercy He set apart and expended for the space of many years for good uses the tenth part of his yearly comings in both out of his temporall and Ecclesiasticall means of maintenance Neither may I here forget that late reverend man of God M. John Ballam Pastour of the Church at Evesham my spirituall father and bountifull benefactour nor yet M. Simon Trappe late Minister of Gods Word at Stratford upon Avon my dear and near kinsman both in the flesh and in the faith Both which out of that little they had for God saw fit to hold them here to strait allowance 1 Cor. 16 2. Mâ—r. 12.41 Proponamus â—â— nobis uâ— Archiâ—â—â—sâ—opun sic Arcbâ—dâ—aâ—enil c. 〈◊〉 bâ—st Christ Plerisque munus â—ulum pâ—â—â—cè offâ—renâ—â—â—uâ— c. Beza in loc Docet Aâ—ido teles liberalitatem metiendam esse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 4. Liheraâ—â—tas non cumuâ—o patri no 〈◊〉 sed largitatatis affectu desiâ—iâ—ur Ambr. Reas 1 who deserved a larger proportion but a rich stone is of no lesse worth when locked up in a wicker casket then when set in a Bishops mitre they laid up by them weekly in store somewhat for the poor of that their little and they were no losers by it The poor mans box is Christs treasury saith a Father And he sits by as an Arch-deacon to see what every man casts into this treasury and with what affection The people Mark 12.41 last in money brasse money saith the Originall somewhat they must doe for none might appear empty-handed before the Lord but they would do as little as might be they cast in saith the Text not silver or gold but brasse-money into the treasury And many that where rich cast in much But the poor widdow cast in more then all the rest saith our Saviour lesse in Arithmeticall proportion but more in Geometricall because all she had And women are noted for more hard and tenacious then men whence in is
Christian shewing a minde so bent to the world that he would not make an end when he had done with it and so set upon revenge Lib 9. â— 3. that he designes it beyond his life Sedira mortalium debet esse mortalis saith Lactantius Are we mortall and shall our anger be immortall the rude rage of the rebels in Kets conspiracy was such that some being disabled almost to hold up their weâ—pons would strive what they could to strike their enemies The life of K. Edward 6. by Sir Ioh. Hoyw p. 71. Others being thrust thorow the body with a spear would run themselves further to reach those that wounded them deadly So sweet is revenge to corrupt nature Tamar will defile her self with incest to be even with her father in saw Iudah Absolom will run any hazard to have his peny-worths on Amnon David desperately swore the death of Nabal and his houshold by such an hour To be revenged is more honourable then to be reconciled Inimâ—cot uâ—cisct pottùs quam illis reconciliari bonestun cense tur Rhetor. l. 9. cap. 1. Iam. 4.5 1 Sam. 25 31. Isa 28. Mat. 5.48 1 Sam. 24.19 saith Aristotle This is the voice of nature and thus the spirit that is in us lusteth to envy but the Scripture giveth more grace teacheth better things speaketh to us as Abigail did to David when he was marching furiously Then shall it be no grief unto thee nor offence of minde to have brideled thy passions and to have held thy hand from bloud Nay it shall be a singular comfort to have conquered thy passions For the meek shall encrease their joy in the Lord and a sweet seal of our spirituall sonship that we are the children of our heavenly Father yea that we are perfect as he is perfect and can do that which a naturall man cannot as Saul acknowledgeth Elisha feasteth his enemies and is freed of them the bands of Syria come no more into the bounds of Iâ—ael Absolom invites Ammon and Alexander Philotas to a feast to kill them thereat But Isaac expostulates the wrong with Abimelech and his company forgives them fcasts them Gen. 26. â—0 and hath them his friends for ever This was a noble revenge and fit for Christian imitation Ioshuah marcheth all day and fights all night for the Gibeonites that had so deceived him Cranmers gentlenesse in pardoning wrongs was such that it grew to a Proverb Act. and Mon. fol. 1â—92 Doe my Lord of Canterbury ashrewd turn and then you shall be sure to have him your friend whiles he liveth He never raged so far with any of his houshold servants as once to call the meanest of them varlet or kuave in anger much lesse to reprove a stranger with any reproachfull word Here was a perfect man Iam. 3 2. as S. Iames defines him that can rule his tongue in his passions especially which once affote are very violent and like heavy bodiesdown steep hils once in motion move themselves and know no ground but the bottome First Cease therefore from anger and refrain strife free not thy self in any wise to doe evil Psal 37.8 Thou dost evil in fretting Helps to represse rash anger thou shalt doe worse in venting and suffering the fire to break out as David did Psal 39. When therefore thou findest thy self incensed and chafing ripe Prov. 30.32 33 If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thy self by any froward look or gesture râ—f thou hast thou he evil by mediâ—ating revenge yet lay thy hand upon thy mouth silence thy self Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth bloud so the forting of wrath the uttering of it bringeth forth strife Irasera est furibunda incantemus cam di vinae Scripturae carminibus Chrysost Iob 15.4 Act. 15.9 Luk. 1.5 Isa 17. 1 Sam. 25. 2 Sam. 12.30 31. presently lay a necessity of silence upon thy self till thou be able to speak quietly and composedly till the heat be somewhat over As Ahashuerosh walked a while in his garden ere he would passe sentence upon Haman Another repeated the Greek Alphabet ere he would say or do any thing in his anger He doth better that repeateth some grave sentences of Scripture such as is this Be angry but sin not Be slow to wrath Avenge not your selves but give place to wrath Submit to God resist the devil and he will slie from you This devil of anger if thus resisted by Scripture will surely slie he cannot bide by it Mat. 4. Especially if we set our selves to pray it down as David did Ps 39. When Iob brake out and was waspish Surely said Eliphaz thou restrainest praier else it would never be thus with thee Secondly Get thy heart purified by faith For faith makes patience When the Disciples heard that they must forgive till seventy times seven times in a day Lord say they encrease our faith The wisdome from above is first pure and then peaceable Jam. 3. 17. But from whence are wars and contentions amongst you as it is in the next verse Are they not hence even of your lusts that war in your members These make you unquiet and out of order within and hence it is that you are so froward and discontented with others The wicked are as the raging sea troublesome and tumultuous the covetous person troubleth his whole house Nabal was such a son of Belial so fierce and furious that there was no speaking to him Yea David when he had defiled his conscience and not yet repented of his adultery and murder how rigid was he or rather cruell in his handling of the Ammonites in recking his teen upon them for the misusage of his Embassadours He put them under saws and harrows of iron he made them passe thorow the brick-kilne c. The devils are most impure and therefore most malicious Christ on the other side most pure and therefore most gentle Of the encrease of his government and peace there shall be no end saith Isaiah teaching us that the more Christs government encreaseth in the soul the more peace and peaceablenesse Isa 9 7. But perversnesse argues a breach in the spirit Prov. 15.4 Thirdly Study to be quiet and do your own businesse 1 Thell 4.12 Meddle not with the strife that belongs not to you lost you take a dog by the ears Prov. 26.17 Shun contentious company Prov. 22.34 for like mad dogs they bite and make others as made as themselves Drink not game not lest thou meet with contentions Prov. 23.29 30. Listen not to the tale-bearer Prov. 17.9 for he separates even very friends Enquire not into other folks faults Seldome is a patient man inquisitive or an inquisitive man patient Non vis esse iracundus ne siâ— curiosus Sen. Solomon would not have one lay his ear as an evesdropper to every word is spoken lest he hear his servant cursing him Eccles 7.21 and so he should fall
God is not in all his thoughts He sacrificeth to himself as Sejanus did and Polyphemus-like sets up himself for the sole doer Whereas God as he is the first authour and owner of all so to him as to the utmost end of all they ought all to return Quasi circulo quodam confecto and as the rivers doe to the sea whence they had their beginning See Rom. 11.36 Sith of him and through him and to him are all things to him alone be glory for ever His glory he will not give to any other Isa 42.8 what ever he part with none shall share with him in that It is his jewell his darling his own eye his wife with reverence to his Majesty be it spoken And as Abner might not see Davids face unlesse he brought him his wife Michal so neither may any stand before God that bereave him of his glory He comes down from heaven as it were and fights hand to hand with a proud person in single combate the whole world beholding 1 Pet. 5.5 Surely God resisteth the proud saith Peter He sets himself in battle-array against them as the originall hath it as he did against Pharaoh Herod and this Nebuchadnezzar 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whose minde was hardened in pride that hate of heaven and gate to hell as the Prophet tels his son Dan. 5.20 therefore besides the brutish change of his minde his body was much changed in seeding and living among wilde beasts It was not only a phrensie as Ericus King of Swethland being expeld his Kingdom for grief Willet on Dan. Turk hâ—st fell mad or as Bajazet taken by Tamberlane and Boniface the 8th by Charles of Burbon bit and tare themselves for grief and vexation but he was banished from the society of men by the just judgement of God And so lying in the wet and cold among beasts his garments rotted his hair grew hard his nails long c. his mans shape remaining his humane soul was changed to be brutish his body also mis-shapen and deformed not transformed as Dr Willet hath it in his Hexapha upon Daniel Willet on Daniel fol. 137. where you may read of divers like examples Surely the Lord of hosts hath purposed it to stain the pride of all glory and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth Isa 23.8 Isa 2.11 1â— Eras Apophtâ— Herod affecting to be a lousie god was eaten up of worms Pemble Don Mendoza printed a lying poem in France of a triumph before the victory Camd Elizab. fol. â—71 The Spaniards in the pride of their Monarchy are grown also now to swear by the life of their King Sands Relat. 18 Breerw Enqui p 50. Heyl Geog p. 30 Iren. l. 1. c. 24. For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be every one that is proud and lofty and upon every one that is lifted up and he shall be brought low The lofty looks of man shall be humbled and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day So saith Isaiah nay so saith Esop who being asked what God did in heaven He pulleth down the proud said he and lifteth up the lowly this is his work and businesse He bears an aking tooth a speciall spleen as I may say so to this sin of Arrogancy His heart hates it Prov. 6.16 17. His mouth curseth it Psal 119.21 and his hand plagueth it as he did Herod among others The people had fly-blown him with their flatteries This swels him and for his pride God turns those worms upon him to devour him as he did the lice upon that proud King of Spain that set forth the invincible Armado as they vainly called it against England The Spaniards are generally noted for an insolent people and their ambition hath been to settle their Catholike Monarchy over all Christendome but God hath hitherto crossed it and we trust will doe Their language they call Romance as if it were pure latine and themselves the right Hidalgoes as if they were the only Gentlemen So the Turks will needs be thought the only Musulmans or true believers as Papists the only Catholiks the Donatists affected the same title Gnosticks the only knowing men Anabaptists the only spirituall persons Jesuites the only scholars Imperium literarum est penes Iesuitas Casau ex Apologista Relat. of West Relig. Polititians and Oratours of the world They vaunt that the Church is the soul of the world the Clergy of the Church and they of the Clergy that a Jesuite cannot possibly be an heretike but that as the devil set up Luther that Arch-heretike so God sent forth them to oppose him The Chineses would perswade us That they only see with two eyes all other Nations but with one These proud Jesuites would have us believe the like of them Heyl Geog 662 And as it is reported of the great Cham of Tartary that he reputes himself the Monarch of the whole world and that therefore every day as soon as he hath dined he causeth his trumpets to be sounded by that sign giving leave to other Princes of the earth to go to dinner So would these Jesuites be held the only Worthies their main endeavour being to subject all to the Pope and the Pope to themselves Code of the Church p. 114. Their faction saith one is a most agile sharp sword whose blade is sheathed at pleasure in the bowels of every Common-wealth but the handle reacheth to Rome and Spain So that the very life death and fortunes of all Kings and Common-wealths hang upon the horoscopes of the Jesuites pleasure If the Jesuites be as lucky stars in the ascendent and culminant they may live continue and flourish if malevolent they perish but that Deus dominabitur astris Now may it not well be said to these croaking frogs and encroaching locusts of Rome Ye take too much upon you ye sons of Levi They teach That the state ecclesiasticall is so far more excellent then the civil as the Sun then the Moon even in temporall pomp and power and that therefore the chief of their Clergy is as far above the mightiest Emperour as the Sun above the Moon And as the Sun borrows her light of the Moon so doth the Emperour his State and power from the Pope Is not this that Man of sinne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that exalts himself above all that is called Augustus or above all Kings and Emperours trampling upon their necks 2 Thess 2.4 forcing them to hold his stirrop to dance attendance at his gate c. kicking off their crowns and crowning them again with his feet Act. and Mon. as Pandulphus the Popes Legat did King John of England As for King Henry the second of this land he was forced by the Pope to kneel and pray to Beckets shrine whom he had disgraced in his person and having had him above his will saith the Chronicler whiles he lived hath him now over his faith being dead Going