that in exact Philosophical or Theological Calculation the Definitions of Sin given by S. Austin Calvin Martyr c. and Illyricus come in the Issue to One and the same reckoning yet to vulgar or ruder Apprehensions Illyricus his Definitions which for the most part are Causal but especially his Illustrations of them out of Scripture are far more dilucide and more powerful to work upon our affections and to encourage our spirits to undertake our Christian Warfare against the Old Man or Body of sin 5. Illyricus his Illustrations of sin more Consonant to Scripture then Calvins or Martyrs To what purpose were it to tell unletter'd or ordinary men that the Old Man or Body of Sin which we are to crucifie or mortifie is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inordinatio or depravatio unlesse we could perswade them that these were names of Giants and paint them with far more hands then Briareus with ten times more heads and mouthes then Cerberus or Geryon had and with more snakes instead of hairs upon their heads then Medusa according to Poetical pictures is emblazoned with or make some representation of them in more ugly and horrible shape then the Devil and Infernal Fiends are pictured by old Monks and Fryers in their Books and Legends Albeit even these be but silly representations of infernal Powers with whom even Christian Children after they come to the use of Reason or to wage war as O Ecolampadius somewhere excellently observes For every man to whom God hath given Grace or power to Reflect upon his Younger Years or to survey ☜ his own Heart His Affections or Inclinations either past or present may respectively find a more exquisite Live Image of Satan within himself then any Painter can make Though few or none in this Age be bodily possessed with a Legion of Devils yet most men either by Nature ill breeding or bad Company if they would rightly examin Themselves their Actions their Passions or projects by the Rule of Scripture might easily discover more then a Legion of unruly lewd or vain Thoughts of unhallowed Desires or vitious Habits such as are Malice Pride Envy Vncharitableness c. which daily plead or fight for the Soveraignty of the Law of Sin or Lusts of the flesh over the Dictates or motions of the Law of the Mind or Spirit And these are the true and most exquisite pictures or images of the Diabolical Nature And it was a wish or Prayer worthy to be written with the point of a Diamond as I have seen it written though in no sacred place Lord deliver me from my self His meaning which wrote it I take it was that he might be delivered from vitious or unruly Thoughts or Habits or other like Souldiers of Satan which every man before Mortification of the Flesh or Renovation by the Spirit doth suffer to be Lodged or Billeted in his Breast 6. For Conclusion to give the Intelligent Reader a more full Definition ☜ of Sin or of the Old Man which we are to Crucifie It is or contains all the works of the Flesh or Inclinations contrary to the Law or Spirit of God necessarily resulting from our Nature or substance since it was corrupted in our first Parents by the subtilty or power of Satan as the Efficient Cause still Labouring to obliterate the Image of God wherein we were created and to mould us into his own Likenesse to the end that he may withdraw us from the Service of God which is perfect Freedom and make us everlasting Slaves to himself and his Infernal Associates 7. Likely it is I should have Slighted Illyricus as much as Many Other of my Profession do upon a prejudicial Noise or Cry raised against Him At least I should not have taken that care and pains in perusing and examining His Opinions which ◠have done unlesse the Book or Treatise had been long ago commended to a Learned Friend of mine upon very high Termes by that Reverend and Great Divine Doctor Field then Dean of Gloucester SECT III. Of Servitude unto Sin Who be properly Servants unto It and by It unto Satan CHAP. XIV That even those Jews which did in part Believe in Christ were true Servants unto Sin 31. Then said Jesus to those Jews which Believed on him If ye continue in my Word then are ye my Disciples indeed 32. And ye shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you Free 33. They answered him We be Abrahams seed and were never in bondage to any man How saiest thou ye shall be made Free 1. AS We rightly gather that part of mans body to be most corrupt Unsound or Ulcerous which is most afraid of the Chirurgions hand or Instrument which must heal or cure it So these Jews may hence be truly convicted to have been as our Saviour censures them truly Servants unto sin or in S. Peters Expression Servants of Corruption in that they are so Touchie and Jealous of the very mention of being made Free Albeit our Saviour if you marke his processe doth handle them as warily and tenderly as any skilfull Chirurgion could do the most dangerous sores or ulcers of his most impatient Patients For he did not say If you continue in my Word then are ye my Disciples indeed and I will make you Free Although if he had thus said he had said the Truth For HEE it is and HEE alone that must make all the Sons of Adam Free A paraphrase upon John 8. ver 31. 32. 33. c. But as He had an Eagles Eye to discover their hidden sore and a Lyons Heart to unrip or Launce their sore unto the quick So he had likewise the Third property of an Excellent Chirurgion to wit a Ladyes hand to touch them gently and tenderly He tells them the Truth but in a placid and most inoffensive manner by soft and gentle degrees If ye continue in my word then are ye my Disciples indeed And ye shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you Free And who could be offended or unwilling to be made Free by the Truth but such as were desperately sick of Falshood and Corruption Such and so affected were these Jewes which did in part believe on our Saviour For they had no sooner heard him making mention of beeing made Free though by the Truth but they instantly returne this repinning and impatient Answer We be Abrahams Seed and were never in bondage to any man How sayest thou ye shall be made Free 2. Many Good Interpreters do question the Truth of their Answer as whether they were not at this very time in Bondage to the Romans And Tullie in his Oration Pro Flacco whose crime was aggravated for that he had alienated or detained some Gold which had been gathered towards the adorning or beautifying the Temple at Jerusalem to Elevate or lessen that conceit which many Romans had of the Nation of the Jewes as of a People better beloved of the
a Servant but to one Lord besides his Bellie Whereas his Master had subjected himself to many unruly Appetites and enormous desires all contrary to the Dictates of his own Reason or Conscience in his more private and retired thoughts So much of the Law of Reason and of Nature was implanted in this his Master that he could highly commend the manners and practises of the Ancient Romans And yet if any good spirit did invite or move him to follow their example he was as ready to kick at the motion or the practise in Particular as he had been to commend the pattern set him by the Ancient Romans considered only in the General Being not invited by his betters abroad a moderate homely dish of broath of herbs c was most applauded by him and his family free from molestation But if Mecaenas or any other great Potentate had upon short warning invited him to supper he instantly declared himself to be a Slave both to his Belly and to his Superiors and a Tyrant withal to his Servants chiding one for not bringing him Oyl beating another for not bringing him water or other preparatives with more speed then could in reason be expected From these and the like Inductions Davus concludes his Master to be more then a Slave or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an instrument indued with Life and motion a meer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Wooden Picture of a Man which had no mastery over his own motions or resolutions having subjected his Will and Reason to dance attendance upon Every Great mans will or pleasure like a puppit upon a string which it hath no power to wag or move but is moved upon it at the pleasure of the master or practiser of this kind of childish sport The rest of this Slaves Arguments all concludent to prove his Master or such men as he was to be more sottish slaves then himself the Reader may find briefly set down in the eighth book of these Commentaries Sect. 2. Chap. 7. page in Quarto 63. CHAP. XX. Of the Fruitlesnesse of the former Notions in the best Heathens 1. BUt what did it boot this Satyrist to know all this or to mark the most of the Romans his Country-men to be indeed true Servants Horace and Tully both true Servants though they knew not tò whom He himself laid nothing of all this to Heart The best use we can in discretion presume to be made of this Observation was to make himself and Others merry setting down his observations by way of Play or Enterlude He lived and for ought we know dyed an Epicure not in Practise only but in Opinion One that accounted it the greatest part of misery or Servitude to be wedded to one kind of Bodily Pleasure or carnal delight And the greatest Happiness he aimed at was to be Free to taste and try all kind of Pleasures so far as they were not hurtful unto his body 2. As for Tully though he handled his matters a great deal more gravely and soberly and were much better in Opinion Yet in the issue of his discourse He seems rather to change his Master then any way to set himself Free He was not indeed such a Servant to his own Imagination or Fancy not such a Servant to Covetousnesse to Lust perhaps not to Ambition or Superiority of dominion as He observed the most other Romans to be Yet he was a greater Servant to His Owne Will then others were to their inferior desires His very Will it self was in Servitude as having no Rule to rectifie it unlesse it were the Romane Lawes which though in many particulars they were Good yet Such as were too much addicted unto the intire Frame of them Or Such as gloried in the wisdome or Excellencie of them were brought unwittingly to exercise Enmitie against God and his Annoynted Christ. Such as the Romanes accounted their Godliest Patriots or Common-wealths-men were alwayes the Greatest Enemies unto the Jewes or Professors of Moses Law before our Saviours time as unto the Christians after our Saviours death God in his just Judgements did send them such cruell Kings as Tiberius and Nero because they were so cruelly bent against the Professors of his Gospel What could it advantage these or any other Heathens to know themselves to be in Servitude not knowing unto whom they were in Servitude or whose Servants they were de Facto nor by whom they were to be made Free Some good Notions they had of vice or of Sin But of Satan or his wicked Angels they had not so much as heard or at least what they had heard of them they accounted but Toyes or Fables And that which was the Root of their misery and strongest bond of their Slavery was that they worshipped Friends or Devils as if in their opinion they had been Gods because able to do them bodily harm or bodily good Now in offering Sacrifices as our Apostle saith unto Devils they did solemnly and publikely professe them to be their Lords and Masters So that they were not only professed Servants unto Sin but professed Servants unto Satan In worshipping them and doing them Service they did that which was worthy of stripes and were to be beaten yet with fewer stripes then the wicked Jew or such as confesse Christ to be their Lord and yet will not learn to deny ungodlinesse For these Heathens did not know that they had such a Lord or Master whom they were bound to serve And not knowing him to be their Master how was it possible that they should know his will But we acknowledge him to be Our Lord We know his will We know the End of his coming into the World was to destroy the works of Satan Now if we shall labour to build up that which He came to destroy we shall prove our selves not only to be servants to sin and by Sin Servants unto Satan but professed Enemies and Traytors unto Christ 3. Many that call Christ Lord true Servants to Satan Our Saviours Sentence is Universal Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin As you shall think or meditate upon the same let me request you to take this addition or Supplement into consideration with it Whosoever is the Servant of Sin is the Servant the Slave or Bondman of Satan ☜ Let no man therefore flatter himself with this or the like Conceit That because he professeth Christ to be his Lord he cannot therefore be so true a Slave and Bondman unto Satan as the Idolatrous Heathen were which offered sacrifice unto him They did indeed unwittingly implicitely and really acknowledge him to be their Lord and themselves his Servants by paying Rent or Tribute unto him But such as deny all such Rent or Service may make him their Lord Vid. Salvianum 1-6 and themselves his slaves or Bondmen by Prescription or continual possession 4. The Heathens which offered sacrifice unto Bacchus as to a supposed god of riot or Good Fellowship or a Patron
sent and called for Moses and Aaron and said unto them I have sinned this time the Lord is righteous and I and my people are wicked Intreat the Lord for it is enough that there be no more mighty thundrings and bail and I will let you go and ye shall stay no longer Now albeit Moses after he had promised him to remove this Plague did foretell him that he would not be so good as his promise ver 30. But as for thee and thy servants I know that ye will not yet fear the Lord God Yet as it followeth ver 34. When he saw the rain and the bail and the thunder were ceased he sinned yet more and hardened his heart he and his servants And again Chap. 10. ver 7. After his servants upon the sight of the Plague of the Locusts did thus boldly intreat him How long shall this man be a snare unto us Let the men go that they may serve the Lord their God knowst thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed Though he yeild to their request in part yet he instantly faulters ver 8. And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh and he said unto them Go serve the Lord your God but who are they that shall go And Moses said we will go with our young and with our old with our sons and with our daughters with our flocks and with our herds will we go for we must hold a feast unto the Lord. And he said unto them let the Lord be so with you as I will let you go and your little ones Look to it for evil is before you Not so Go now ye that are men and serve the Lord for that you did desire and they were driven out from Pharaohs presence The like raving Fitt or Phrenetical Symptom you may observe in him ver 16 17. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in hast and he said I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you Now therefore forgive I pray thee my sin only this once and intreat the Lord your God that he may take away from me this death only Now though Moses did remove this Plague yet upon his fresh entreatie for Moses to remove another Plague to wit of palpable darknesse he turns unto his vomit again ver 24. 25. And Pharaoh called unto Moses and said Go ye serve the Lord only let your flocks and your heards be stayed let your little ones also go with you And Moses said thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God c. And ver 28. Pharaoh said unto him Get thee from me take heed to thy self see my face no more for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt dye A speech more foolish then proud to come from a man whom the Lord had so much impoverished and so often humbled and given sufficient proof of his Power to bring farre greater Plagues upon him 19. Though his heart had been thus often hardened yet is it not become so flinty but that the slaughter of his own and of every First-born Male in Egypt did make deeper impression upon it then any of the former Plagues had done The mightie Out-cry which followed upon this sad and woful spectacle to be seen in every house did so farr awake the drowsie spirits amongst the Egyptians even of such as had no children to mourn for that they joyned in Petition with the rest to have the Israelites fairely dismissed and were ready to make them a Golden bridge for their speedier Passage out of Egypt From this time and not before were the Women and Maides of Egypt willing to bestow their jewels and ear-rings upon the Israelitish women that they might wooe their men and children to depart with speed Thus then that which the Lord had indefinitely promised unto Moses from his first Instructions given unto him Exod. 3. 21. was not accomplished till this last Plague was exhibited Nor was the like Prediction of hardening Pharaoh Exod. 4. 21. put in execution before the Plagues of the Murrain of Cattel and of Blains Exod. 9. 12. 20. But from this Mollification of Pharaoh and of his peoples hearts by the slaughter of the First-born there did result a more strange Induration then at any time before had befallen them Of all the infatuated resolutions which either King or People had adventured upon the pursuing of the Israelites with such a mighty army or strong hand after they had fairly intreated them to depart out of their coasts may well to every indifferent Reader seem the most stupid And so the Author of the Book of Wisdom censures it Chap. 19. 3. For whilest they were yet mourning and making lamentation at the graves of the dead they added another foolish Device and pursued them as Fugitives whom they had intreated to be gone Yet Josephus a grave and sagacious Historian gives the intelligent Reader good hints that even this effect or Phrenetical Symptom of Divine Infatuation was but such as hath seised upon worldly wise Princes and States-men in former Ages And hereafter may be inflicted upon more The greatest varietie of Miracles or Wonders in any one Age experienced is scarce sufficient to make up a perfect Induction to perswade superstitious prophane or wilfull Spirits of Gods absolute Power to effect or of his Wisdom to contrive the like in every kind Most men are prone by nature to make such Collections as the servants of the King of Syria did Their Gods are Gods of the bils therefore they were stronger then we but let us fight against them in the plain and surely we shall be stronger then they c. 1 King 30. 23. The undoubted Experiments of the forecited signs all done in Egypt might well perswade Pharaoh and his People That The Lord God of the Hebrews was more skilful in producing wonders then the Gods which the Magicians of Egypt served were that Moses under him had a greater command over the wind and water over the ayre and clouds over the dust of the earth and over all the host of reasonless creatures then either the King the Princes or Priests of Egypt could ever procure from their Gods a more Soveraign Authority over Flies then Baal-zebub had All this being granted they might notwithstanding thus Reason in their hearts Who knows whether all this power was given unto Moses to be exercised onely within the Meridian or Climes of Egypt or whether his Commission might extend over Palestina and Madian The Egyptians at least presumed that The Lord God of the Hebrews had not given Moses such a great command over the armies or hosts of men as the King of Egypt had because the Israelites they knew had no skill in Feats of arms no Captains of Insanteâ—ie no Cavalrie at all no weapons or engins of war offensive especially amongst them Of all which the Egyptians had abundance plentie of Magazines full of them 21 Upon these or the like Presumptions
of this discourse ver 32. is apparent is That they sought salvation not by Faith but by works not by relyance on Gods Power or Promises but by Confidence in these Carnal Prerogatives 6. As it is dangerous to assign any Cause of Reprobation without warrant of Scripture so is it a Preposterous presumption to pronounce their Persons Reprobated or accursed whom the Scripture hath proclaimed for Blessed Yet some in our times unlesse my memory fail me have ranked Ismael amongst the Reprobates when as Moses hath registred the Grant of Abrahams Petition for him Gen. 17. 20. As for Ishmael I have heard thee Behold I have blessed him Now Abraham doubtlesse did pray in Faith and his Faith questionless did as well respect the Kingdom of God and his righteousnesse as the blessings of this Life Yea his Prayer for him was conceived in that very form which as I have learned from some too rigid in the doctrine of reprobation is the true Character of Gods Elect and Chosen And for justifying their observation of this use of the Phrase in other places of Scripture they alledge this Petition of Abraham Gen. 17. 18. O that Ishmael might live before thee which is as if he had said O that thou wouldest take Ishmael to be thy servant and admit him into thy favour Just Abraham prayes for and the Almightie grants I shmaels admission into that presence of God from which David desires he might not be cast out Psal 51. 11. 7. But whatsoever became of Ishmael Our Apostle foresaw the proud Jew would Except against this instance as they did against the like of our Saviours John 8. 41. We are not born of fornication We are Abrahams sons not by the Bondwoman but by Sarah and why then Twit'st thou us with Ishmael His Rejoynder followeth in the next words to this effect Esau was Isaacs Son by Rebecca conceived at the same time and born before your Father Jacob who notwithstanding got the blessing of Birthright from him Was Esau therefore an accursed Reprobate God knowes I cannot tell The bounds of my present enquirie is to what End or Use this Instance is brought by our Apostle and how it inferrs the Conclusion here in this 16. verse Now from our Apostles Principal Intent or Scope we can gather no other pertinent Use of his Instances in Esau and Jacob save only this That God in his allseeing wisdom did by these Types mystically forewarn their Posteritie as John Baptist his Messenger and his Son our Lord and Saviour expresly and literally afterwards did not to stand on their Genealogie their Birthright or other Prerogatives wherein flesh and bloud Abrahams seed above all others were apt to boast but wholly to betake themselves to his Promises The Circumstances which evince and justifie this Observation are remarkably contained in the holy Stories whereto our Apostle as his manner is briefly and in Transcursu referrs us that we might see the Truth which he taught with our own eyes and Rear our Faith upon the same Foundations from which his faith had been raised Abraham after God had promised him I will make of thee a mightie Nation In thy seed shall all the Nations of the Earth be blessed did yet suspect lest all this might be fulfilled in his heir by Adoption though by Birth a stranger and by condition a servant untill the Lord made a fuller Declaration of his meaning Gen. 15. 4. This. Eliezer shall not be thine heir but he that shall come forth of thine owne bowels he shall be thine heir After all this Sarah complains Behold now the Lord hath restrained me from bearing And Abraham hearkening to her counsel which this distrust had suggested took Hagar her maid to wife hopeing the former promise might be accomplished in her Off-spring as it is Gen. 16. Abraham to speak with Reverence of his Infirmitie did herein mistake the Tenour of Gods promise as he had done once before And to rectifie his error God further explicates his meaning in promising Isaac Gen. 17. 15. c. Now that which our Apostle would have us specially to observe is That the Almighty in thus crossing righteous Abrahams Will and purpose first to make Eliezer then Ishmael his heir did hereby give posteritie to understand They were not to relye on the Will of man or any Inventions of flesh and blood for attaining the blessing but meerly on His Will revealed who is able and willing to effect his promise though by meanes more miraculous then was Isaacs birth or to use S. Iohn Baptists words though it were by raising up children out of stones to Abraham 8. Isaac also had a greater longing to bestow his birth-right upon Esau his eldest son then to eat of his Venison for he sent him out to catch it to the end he might blesse him with greater chearfulnesse And Esau was more forward to gratifie his old fathers desire then was his brother Jacob. Yet that posterity might alwaies bear in memory the blessing did neither depend on Isaacs Willingnesse to bestow it nor on Esau's Running to deserve it of his father but wholly and meerely on Gods purpose Rebecca to whom his purpose was long before made known findes a meanes to derive the Birth-right to her Younger son while the Elder was rangeing abroad to compasse it It seemes she had not imparted the Oracle to old Isaac before Or He perhaps had forgotten it untill the Event did call the meaning of it to his memory And this perchance may be the reason why he is so patient of Circumvention by his wife as now perceiving it to be the Lords doing However the Lord before the children were born before they had done either good or evill had told Rebecca their mother That the Nation which should spring from the Elder should be the weaker and serve the off-spring of the Younger And from this intimation she wisely gathered that the Birth-right or blessing was according to the Tenour of Gods Free Donation to be convaied unto the Younger Had not this purpose of the Almightie been revealed before the children had been born before either father or mother could have had any reason to affect the one more then the other Iacobs posterity as they have been too foolish and arrogant would have baosted That either their father Iacob or his mother Rebecca which loved him more then his brother Esau had better observed those rites and customes wherein they placed righteousnesse then Isaac or Esau had done and that God upon these motives had bestowed the birth-right or blessing upon Jacob before Esau And to no other Purpose for ought I can by Analogie of Scripture conceive save only to Prevent this pride and hypocrisie in the Iew or to leave it without excuse doth our Apostle note that Circumstance of the Story before they were borne or had done good or evill 9. But as this takes away the former Reply or Apologie so it breeds a new Objection for did not God