Thirdly this doctrine serues to beate downe a point of naturall Atheisme in the heart of man which makes many thinke it a vaine thing to serue God and to heare his word Iob. 21. 15. Mala. 3. 14. Dauid was troubled with this corruption Psal. 73. 15. Many of them which professe the name of Christ will not be brought to keep the Sabbath daie and in their dealings they vse fraud and lying as other men doe and all is because they thinke they cannot liue by their religion Fourthly the onely way to establish a kingdome or common wealth is to plant the Gospell there for this makes an happie people And this is the maine cause of our happinesse and successe in this church and land And the obedience of the Gospel is it that makes euery man in his trade office and calling whatsoeuer it be to prosper Read Psal. 1. 3. 5. On the contrarie they are wretched and miserable that liue without the Gospell Prou. 29. 18. 2. Cor. 4. 3. 2. Tim. 3. 7. 6. To receiue the doctrine of the Apostles is an vnfallible marke of the Church of God For this is it that makes a people blessed and happie 7. We may not despise the preaching of the word 1. Thes. 5. 20. If we doe we despise our owne happinesse If it be said Preachers sometime are deceiued Answ. Marke the addition of Paul Prooue all things hold that which is good 2. Thess. 5. Touching the speciall loue of the Galatians to Paul First it may be demanded what was the cause of it Answ. The very Ministerie of the Apostle whose office it was to make Disciples Math. 28. 19. and so to plant the Church of the new Testament And for this cause he had a priuiledge to preach the truth so as he could not erre in things which he deliuered to the church 2. He preached with authority as hauing power to correct rebellious offenders 2. Cor. 106. and 1. Cor. 4. 3. he preached with vnspeakeablle diligence Read Act. 20. 31. 4. He had a prerogatiue as the rest of the Apostles had after he had made disciples by imposition of hands to giue vnto them the extraordinary giftes of the Holy Ghost Act. 8. 17. And these are the meanes whereby this speciall loue was procured Secondly it may be demanded whether the Galatians did not more then keepe the law when they would haue plucked out their owne eyes and haue giuen them to Paul for thus they loue him more then their owne selues Ans. The commandement Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe doth not prescribe that we must in the first place loue our selues and then in the second loue our neighbour but it setts downe the right manner of louing our neighbour and that is to loue him as hartely and vnfainedly as our owne selues The measure of loue is expressed when Christ saith we must loue on another as Christ loued vs. Ioh. 13. 34. There is a certen case in which we must consider our neighbour not only as a neighbour but also as a speciall instrument of God and thus are we in some respectes to loue and to preferre him before our selues Thus a subiect is more to loue the life of his prince then his own life Thus Paul was content to be accursed for the Israelites Rom. 9. 1. And the Galatians would haue giuen their eies to Paul that was so worthy an instrument of the grace of God In their example we are taught to be willing to forsake the dearest things in the world for the Gospell of Christ euen our eies hands feete yea and our life Vers. 16. Because I tell you the trueth We must after Pauls example speake the truth to all men Eph. 4. 25. Am I therefore your enemie the conclusion of the Apostles argument Here we see a corruption of nature which makes vs that we cannot abide to heare the truth in things that are against vs. We hate them that speake the truth selfe loue makes vs conceiue the best things of our selues Here then learne 1. To search thy heart and life that thou maiest know the very worst by thy selfe If thou wilt not know it now thou shalt know it to thy shame in the day of iudgement 2. Be vile and base in thine owne opinion Iob. 34. last 17. They are iealous ouer you amisse yea they would exclude you that ye should altogether loue them 18 But it is good to loue earnestly alwaies in a good cause and not onely when I am present with you The word zeale hath many significations here it is fittely translated ielousie Ye are ielous hereby much is signified that there is a spirituall marriage betweene Christ and his Church that the Church is the Bride Christ the bridegroome or husband the Gospel an instrument drawne touching the marriage the sacraments as seales the graces of the spirit as loue-tokens the Ministers of Christ as friends of the bridegroome and suters for him In this respect they put on the affection of Christ and are zealous for him This Ielousie is twofold pretended ielousie and true ielousie Pretended ielousie is when men falsely pretend the loue of the Church for Christs sake Thus Paul saith They are ielous that is they pretend a loue vnto you for Christs sake but indeede they doe it amisse And the reason follows They would exclude you namely from louing of me Others read the wordes thus they would exclude 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vs the difference in the Original is onely in one letter and the sense is the same that the false Apostles would exclude Paul from the loue of the Galatians that they onely might be honoured and loued Jt is good These words may be vnderstood either of the Galatians or of Paul I rather choose to applie them to Paul that for ielousie he may make an opposition betweene himselfe and the false teachers The sense is this that ielousie is a good thing if it be in a good cause that is if it be indeede for Christs sake and be alwaies the same And Paul addes further that this kind of ielousie is in himselfe because he is ielous ouer the Galatians not onely when he is present with them but also when he is absent and this he further confirmes in the two next verses The scope In these wordes Paul meetes with a conceit of the Galatians for they might happely say that their new Teachers loued them exceedingly and were zealous for their saluation Paul therefore answers by a comparison thus they are ielous ouer you but it is amisse nay ielousie for you is good The first part of the comparison is in the 17. verse the second in the 18. The vse When Paul saith that the false Apostles were ielous ouer the Galatians amisse he sets out the fashion of men in the world which is to doe things which are good in their kind but to doe them for wrong ends It is an excellent office to preach the word but some doe it of enuie and
know God onely in part therefore we loue in part and consequently we doe not fulfill the law Againe the Scripture puts all men euen the regenerate vnder the name of sinners to the very death Isa. 64. 4. All our righteousnes is as a defiled cloth Prou. 20. 9. Who can say my heart is cleane Iob cannot answer God for one of a thousand Iob. 9. The righteous man shall pray for the pardon of his sinnes in a time when he may be heard Psal. 32. 6. If we say we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues 1. Ioh. 1. 9. The Papists say that all these places are meant of veniall sinnes Ans. There are no veniall sinnes which in their owne nature are not against the law of God but only beside it The stipend of euery sinne is death Rom. 6. 23. If we were perfectly sanctified and consequently fulfillers of the law in this life then Christ should not be a Sauiour but an Instrument of God to make vs our owne Sauiours And to say this is blasphemie Lastly that which man could doe by creation so much the law requires at our hand but man by creation could loue God with all the powers of his soule and with all the strength of all the powers which now since the fall no man can doe It remaines then for an infallible conclusion that it is impossible for any man in the time of this life to fulfill the law The vse This point serues notably to condemne the follie of the world The Israelites say at Mount Sinai that they will doe all things which the Lord shall command them Exod. 19. 8. The young Prince said that he had kept all the commandements from his youth Mark 10. 20. Our common people say that they can loue God with all their hearts and their neighbours as thēselues Secondly this doctrine serues to confute sundrie Errours of the Papists who blasphemously teach that a man after justification may fulfill the law in this life that a man may for a time be without all sinne that works of the regenerate are perfect and may be opposed to the iudgement of God that men may supererrogate and doe more then the law requires The groūd of all these conclusions is this They say there is a double degree of fulfilling the law The first is in this life and that is to loue God truly aboue all creatures and to loue our neighbour as our selues in truth The second is to loue God with all the powers of the soule and with all the strength of all the powers and this measure of fulfilling the law is reserued to the life to come I will briefly consider the reasons and the ground of this blasphemous doctrine Obiect I. God promifeth the Israelites that he will circumcise their hearts that they may loue him with all their hearts with all their soules and with all their strength Deut. 30. 6. And thus Iosua turned to God with all his heart with all his soule and with all his strength according to all the law of Moses 2. king 23. 25. Ans. The phrase with all thy heart is taken in a double signification Sometime it is opposed to a double heart and then it signifies a true and vpright heart without guile or dissimulation Thus they of Zebulon are saide not to fight with a double heart 1. Chron. 12. 33. but with a perfect heart v. 38. Where marke the opposition of an whole or perfect heart to a double heart In this sense are the places before named to be vnderstood Neuerthelesse the whole heart soule and strength in the summe of the morall law signifies all powers of the soule and all the strength of all the powers Thus doth Paul Rom. 7. expound the law when he faith the law is spirituall and by the prohibition of lust giues the meaning of the whole law For concupiscence or lust comprehends the first thoughts or motions Obiect II. Noah is saide to be iust and perfect Gen. 6. and God commands Abraham to walke before him and to be perfect Gen. 17. 1. Paul saith Let as many as be perfect be thus minded Phil. 3. 15. Answ. There is a double perfection perfection of parts and perfection of degrees Perfection of parts is when a man hath in him after he is regenerate the beginnings of all vertnes and the seedes of all graces by which he endeauours to obey God in all his lawes and commandements Perfection of degrees is when the law is fulfilled both in matter and manner according to the rigour of the law Now the former places speake onely of the perfection of parts and that is such a perfection in which we are to acknowledge our imperfection and it is no more but a true and generall indeauour to obey God Isa. 38. 1. Obiect III. Sundrie holy men are saide to fulfill the law Dauid turned from nothing that God commanded him all the daies of his life saue in the matter of Vriah 1. king 15. 5. Zacharie and Elizabeth walked in all the commandements of God and that without reproofe before God Luk. 1. 6. Ans. There are two kinds of fulfilling the law one Legall the other Euangelicall Legall is when men doe all things required in the law and that by themselues and in themselues Thus none euer fulfilled the law but Christ and Adam before his fall The Euangelicall manner of fulfilling the law is to beleeue in Christ who fulfilled the law for vs and withall to indeauour in the whole man to obey God in all his precepts And this indeauour ioyned with the Purpose of not sinning is called the righteousnes of Good conscience and though it be not really a fulfilling of the law yet it is accepted of God as a fulfilling of the law in all thē that are in Christ. For God accepts the indeanour to obey for perfect obedience Thus Dauid Zacharie Elizabeth and others are said to fulfill the law Obiect IIII. We pray that we may fulfill the law when we say Let thy will be done in earth as it is in heauen Ans. We pray not that we may fulfill the law in this but that we may striue as much as may be to attaine to the fulfilling of the law That is the scope of the petition We desire not to be equall to the Angels and Saints but onely to imitate them more and more and to be like to them Obiect V. Rom. 7. 18. To will is present with me therefore say they in will the law may be kept though the flesh relent Ans. When Paul saith that to will was present he doth not signifie that he could perfectly will that which is good For his will beeing partly renewed and partly vnrenewed the good which he willed he partly nilled and the euill which he nilled he partly willed Obiect UI. Christ tooke out flesh that the righteousnes of the law might be fulfilled in vs. Rom. 8. 4. Ans. The righteousnes of the law is fulfilled in vs not because we doe all things required
in the law but because we haue faith in vs and by that faith we apprehend the obedience of Christ in fulfilling of the law Obiect VII Rom. 13. 8. Loue is the fulfilling of the law and the regenerate loue their neighbours Ans. If we could loue our neighbour as our selues perfectly we should then fulfill the whole law But our loue is imperfect Obiect UIII He that is borne of God sinnes not 1. Ioh. 3. he that sinnes not fulfills the law Ans. He that is borne of God sinnes not that is he doth not commit sinne or make a practise of sinne He may fall of frailtie yet then he recouers himselfe and doth not keepe a course in sinning This is the meaning of S. Iohn Obiect IX The commandements of God are not grieuous 1. Ioh. 5. Ans. They are not grieuous three waies first in respect of remission because they that beleeue in Christ haue the transgression of the law pardoned Secondly in respect of imputation because Christs obedience in fulfilling the law is imputed to euery beleeuer Thirdly in respect of inchoation For they that beleeue receiue the spirit of God wherby they are inabled to indeauour themselues to obey God in all his commandements Otherwise in respect of our owne personall obedience they are a yoke that no man can beare Obiect X. The workes of God are perfect Deut. 32. 4. Good workes are workes of God therefore they are perfect Ans. Workes that are meerely workes of God which he worketh by himselfe and not by man they are all perfect and thus must the text in Moses be vnderstood Now good works are works of God in vs and withall they are our workes hauing their beginning in the minde and will of man and hence they are defiled For when the first and second cause concurre in a worke the said worke takes vnto it the condition of the second cause Water pure in the fountaine is defiled when it passes by the filthie channell Obiect XI If God haue giuen vs an impossible law he is more cruell then any tyrant Ans. When God first gaue the law he also gaue power to fulfill the law If the law be impossible it is not Gods fault but mans who by his owne fault hath lost this power of keeping the law The ground before named of the double fulfilling of the law one for this life the other for the life to come is false For there is onely one generall and vnchangeable sentence of the law Cursed is euery one that continues not in all things written in the law to doe them I now come to other vses of the former conclusion If the law be impossible then must we seeke for the fulfilling of it forth of our selues in Christ who is the ende of the law for righteousnes to them that beleeue Hence it followes necessarily that our iustification must be by the imputation or application of Christs iustice vnto vs. Because we cannot fulfill the law we must make it a glasse to see our impotencie and what we cannot doe and it must be our schoolemaster to driue vs to Christ. And by our impotencie we must take occasion to make praier to God for his spirit to inable vs to obey the lawes of God Thus come we to be doers of the law and no otherwise Againe it may be demanded considering we cannot fulfill the law how our works can please God Ans. In euery good worke there is something that is Gods and something that is ours alone The defect of the worke is ours alone and that is pardoned to the beleeuer That which is good in the worke is from God and that he approoueth as beeing his owne And thus euery good worke is said to please God Lastly after that we haue begunne to please God in obedience to his lawes considering we fulfill them not all boasting of our goodnes must be laid aside and we must humble our selues vnder the hand of God euen to the death Read the practise of Dauid Psal. 143. 2. and Psal. 130. 3. Iob. 9. 1. 11 And that no man is iustified by the law in the sight of God it is manifest For the iust liueth by faith 12 And the law is not of faith but he that shall doe these things shall liue in them The meaning By the law that is the law not onely ceremoniall but also iudiciall and morall Indeede the occasion of Pauls disputation in this place is taken from Circumcision pertaining to the ceremoniall law but he inlarges his disputation from one part to the whole law For they which thought Ceremonies necessarie to iustification would much more thinke morall duties necessarie And that Paul speakes here of the morall it appeares by the 10. verse where he alleadgeth a sentence that specially appertaines to the morall law Cursedis euery one c. Againe the law may be considered two waies in the iustification of a sinner first as it iustifieth without Christ. Secondly as it iustifieth with Christ and both waies it is excluded from iustification and here specially in the second regard For the intent of the Galatians was to ioyne Christ and the law in the worke of our iustification Before God that is in the iudgement of God before whose iudgement seat we must all appeare and be iudged The iust shall liue by faith The scope of these words is this The Iewes were oppressed by the Babylonians and it was further told them by the Prophet that they should be ledde into captiuitie by the saide Babylonians Now in this distresse of theirs the Lord sets downe the dutie of the faithfull Iewes namely that they must stay themselues by their faith in the Messias and consequently that they shall haue safetie in this life in the middest of all dangers and in the ende haue eternall life And Paul applies this text to his purpose thus Life eternall comes by faith and therefore true righteousnesse before God is by faith For righteousnes is the foundation of life eternall and therefore it is called iustification of life Rom. 5. 17. The law is not of faith The meaning of these words must be gathered by the opposition in the latter part of the verse but he that doth these things shall liue in them And the meaning is this The law doth not prescribe faith in the Messias neither doth it promise life to him that beleeueth in the Messias but to him that doth the things contained in the law In these wordes Paul addes a new argument to the former thus Iustice is by faith the law is not of faith therefore the law is not our iustice Or again thus He that is iustified is iustified by faith the law iustifies no man by faith therefore the law doth not iustifie The conclusion is first in the 11. verse The proposition is expressed and confirmed by the testimonie of the Prophet Habacuk The assumption is in the 12. verse The vse Whē Paul saith No mā is iustified by the law in the sight of God he makes
to this end we must obserue 5. rules The first that the creatures of God must be sanctified by the word and praier 1 Tim. 4. the word must shew vs what we may doe and praier obtaines the doing of it The 2 rule we must be circumspect lest we sinne in the vse of the creatures In this respect Iob sends for his children after they had feasted together he sanctifies them Iob. 1. 5. The 3 rule we must vse the gifts of God with thankesgiuing Rom. 14. 6. Commonly in these daies there is no feasting or reioycing vnles all memorie of god be buried for that is said to breed melancholy The 4 rule We must suffer our selues to be limited and moderated in the vse of our libertie partly by the law of the magistrate partly by the law of charitie in the case of offēce I say in the vse because liberty it selfe is inwardly in the conscience and the vse of it is often in the outward action and therefore vnder the order of humane law The 5 rule Our liberty must be vsed for right ends as namely the glory of God 1. Cor. 10. 31. the preseruation of nature not the pampering of the flesh Rom. 13. 13. the good of our neighbour Rom. 12. 13. Make conscience to obserue this rule and the rather because the holie and spirituall vse of Christian libertie is a signe token that thou art in the kingdome of God a true member thereof as on the contrarie the abuse of Gods blessings shewes thee to be still in the kingdome of darknes When men fell things of great worth for a little value and then afterward giue themselues to rioting and spending we commonly say that they are theeues and no right owners of the goods which they solde The like may be said of them that abuse spirituall libertie that they are but vsurpers and no right owners of it Lastly it must be obserued that this rule hath 2. branches The first is that we must not minister to the flesh any occasion of sinning The second is that we must giue no occasion of sinning by meanes of Christian libertie The second maine rule followes Serue one an other by loue For the right cōceauing of it I will propound three questions The first is why is this rule propounded in this place Ans. It sets downe the end of all Apostolike doctrine as Paul sheweth 1. Tim. 1. 5. the end of the commandement is loue out of a pure heart good conscience faith vnfained Here men commonly vnderstand by the commandement the morall law That is indeed a truth but it is not the meaning of the place In the third verse Paul sets downe a commandement or denunciation to Timothie that he and the Pastors of Ephesus teach no other doctrine but the doctrine of the Apostles then in the 5 verse he propounds the summe and substance or end of the foresaid commandement in the 18 verse after a long antapodaton he inioynes Timothie to obserue it carefully So then the end of al sound doctrine is loue out of a pure heart and all our Preaching must tend to this The second question is what is the loue of our neighbour specified in this rule Ans. It is an affection renewed whereby we are mooued to wish well to our neighbour in the Lord. I say an affection to consute Lombard who saith that loue is not an habit in vs as other vertues are but the H. Ghost I saie it is an affection renued to consute the Papist who teacheth that we haue the true loue of God our neighbour by nature and that we want nothing but the second acte or the exercise of loue which they saie is from grace Further I adde that loue inclines vs to wish well to our neighbour for this is the formall and proper effect of loue and all this is done when we thinke well speake and doe well and that in respect not only of the bodie but also in respect of the soule of our neighbour Lastly I say that loue to our neighbour must be in the Lord. Because we are to loue him in respect that he is a creature of God and beares his image and not in respect of honour profit or pleasure which we receiue from him Loue for such ends is selfeloue The third question is what is the vse of loue Ans. It serues to make vs seruiceable to our neighbour Loue seekes not her owne things 1. Cor. 13. Christ was seruant to his enemies in bearing their sinnes vpon the crosse Paul that was free from all became a seruant to all to win some 1. Cor. 9. 19. To Christ we are to doe seruice and he hath put our neighbour in his stead so as that which is done to our neighbour shall be done to him our neighbour therefore must be serued of vs. And this is not against our libertie For we are free inwardly in conscience yet in the outward vse of our libertie we must be seruāts to mē The vse If we examine our liuer by this rule we shall find that there is very litle power of religion among men There are six sortes of men that liue in the breach of this rule The first are vsurers who lend for aduantage when they should lend freely to them that are in need these serue themselues and make a pray of all The second sort are ingrossers who gather in cōmodities to inrich themselues The third sort are idle per sons of what degree soeuer that spend their time in eating drinking sleeping gaming such are but vnprofitable burdens of the earth To this sort I referre beggars and vagabonds The fourth sort are Riotous persons that vse to goe from alehouse to alehouse from tauerne to tauerne and mispend that whereby they should maintaine their families and be seruiceable to their countrie The fift sort are Tradesmen who in their dealings vse lying dissembling fraud iniustice They seeke nothing but their priuate aduantage And this kind of men abounds in the world The last sort are drowsie and carnall Protestants who only seeke the things of this world and neuer so much as giue good example to seruants or children or any good counsell Beside all this it is the common fault of the world for men to serue themselues according to the common saying euery man for himselfe and God for vs all And the best men that are if they examine themselues shall find that they faile many waies and come short in the duties of loue to men with whome they liue This beeing so we are to acknowledge before God this maine offence of ours and to intreat for the pardon of it for Christes sake And euer hereafter to change our liues and to reforme them according to this rule And that is done on this manner Euery man hath or ought to haue 2 callings a general a particular The general is wherby we are called to be Christians In this calling we are to do good to all men by
teaching admonishing exhorting and by example of good life A particular calling whereby men are called to some estate of life in the familie Church or common wealth And according to the seuerall conditions of particular callings must euery man in his place doe the good he can The magistrate must vse his office first for the maintenance of the Gospell and then for the execution of iustice The minister must preach sound religion in loue of the soules of men The master of the familie must cause his househould to imbrace the Gospell and frequent the exercises of religion Lastly euery man that is in a trade or office must apply himselfe to the vttermost of his power to do all he can for the good of his countrie and he must so deale that he may be helpefull to all with whome he deales and hurtfull to none We are or should be trees of righteousnes our fruite must be meate for others and our leaues for medecines We must be as candles that spend themselues to giue light to others 14. For all the law is fulfilled in one word which is this thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe Fulfilled comprised Rom. 13. 9. One word One precept for the H. G. calles precepts words It may be demanded how the whole law should be fulfilled in the loue of our neighbour Ans. The loue of God and the loue of our neighbour are ioyned together as the cause and the effect and the loue of God is practised in the loue of our neigbour For God that is inuisible will be loued in the person of our neighbour whome we see and with whome we conuerse And the first commandement of the law must be included in all the commandements following and thus the loue of God is presupposed in euery commandement of the second table he therefore that loues his neigbour loues God also Thou shalt loue vnderstand both the affection and the duties of loue Thy neighbour any one that is neare vnto vs in res 〈…〉 t of mans nature Isai. 58. 7. though he be our enemy yet i◠by any occasion he be offered vnto vs of God he is our neighbour As thy selfe these wordes signifie not the measure of our loue as though we should loue our selues in the first place and thē our neighbour in the second place for there are some cases in which we are to loue our neighbour more thē our selues As for example we are more to loue the soule of our brother then our temporall life and a good subiect is more to loue the life of his prince then his owne life here then the H. G. signifies what must be the manner of our loue the word as signifies not quantitie but qualitie and that we are as truly and earnestly with loue to imbrace our neighbour as our selues The scope The words cōtaine a reason of the second Rule which may be framed thus to serue our neighbour in duties of loue is the keeping of the whole law therefore this seruice must carefully be performed The vse Here we see that the end of a mans life is to serue God in seruing of man for this is the summe of the whole law Seruants are commanded in seruing their masters to serue god and to do whatsoeuer they doe as vnto God Col. 3. 23. And so euery man in his place in dealing with men must so deale as if he were to deale with God himselfe Therefore most men prophane their liues when they make the scope and drift therof to be the getting of riches and honours And though they haue great charges that is no excuse for the principal end of our liuing here is to performe seruice to men and in this seruice to do homage to God for which homage God will giue the honour and riches which he sees to be conuenient for vs. Secondly here we may obserue what is true religion and godlines namely to loue and serue God in seruing of man He that saith he loues God and yet hates his brother is a lier 1. Ioh. 4. 20. And here it followes that to liue out of all societie of men though it be in praier and fasting after Monkish fashion is no state of perfection but mere superstition for that is true and perfect loue of God that is shewed in duties of loue and in the edification of our neighbour Againe the hypocrisie of sundrie Protestants is here discouered If they come to the Church and heare sermons frequent the Lords 〈◊〉 they thinke they may do afterward what they will and many such are frequenters of tauernes and alchouses and are giuen to riot and licenciousnes But it is not inough for thee to be holy in the Church thou maiest be a Saint in the Church and a Deuill at home True religion is that which shewes it selfe in thy priuate house priuate dealings and in the course of thine owne life such as thou art in thy particular calling such art thou indeed and truth what showes soeuer thou makest before men 15. If ye bite and deuoure one another take heed that ye be not consumed one of another The sense If ye bite Here Paul alludes to the fashiō of wild beasts as lions wolues c. And by biting we are to vnderstand all iniuries in words as railing cursing slandering bacbiting c. Deuoure here Paul vnderstands all iniuries in deed or violence euen to the shedding of blood Take heed lest here Paul signifies that contentions dissentions breed the destruction and desolation of the Church The scope These wordes are a second reason of the second rule drawne from the dangerous effect of the contrarie thus Contentions breed the desolation of the Church therefore do seruice one to an other by loue The contents In the words Paul deliuers 3 things The first is that there were greeuous contentions in the Church of Galatia The like also were in the Church of Corinth 1. Cor. 3. The cause of the former contentions were differences in points of religion Some of the Galatians no doubt withstanding circumcision and the most of them standing for it For herevpon great were the dissentions of the Churches in Iudea Act. 15. 2. Obserue then that vnitie is not an infallible and an inseperable marke of the Church of God Vnitie may be out of the Church and dissention in the Church as here we see It may be obiected that there is peace in the kingdome of God and that there the wolfe and the lambe dwell together Isai. 11. Ans. This is but in part verified in the kingdome of grace vpon earth and it is fully accomplished in the kingdome of glorie in heauen Againe it may be alleaged that the Church is the companie of them that truly consent in one and the same faith Ans. That is properly meant of the Catholike Church but the case is otherwise in particular Churches where true beleeuers are mixed with hypocrites wherevpon ariseth much dissention And of true beleeuers some are more carnall then spirituall and
the most of vs are barren trees that beare no fruit but the bad fruits of the flesh and therefore we may iustly feare the curse that God laid vpon the figgetree Luk. 13. 7. and looke euery day to be stocked vp Matth. 3. 16. Againe good workes are made acceptable to God euen by his grace and therefore they are called the fruits of the spirit and hence it is that they are acceptable to God Rom. 15. 16. We that are by nature wild branches must be taken out of old Adam and set into Christ and after our inscition draw a new sappe and life from Christ namely his spirit and then our actions shall be fruits of the spirit and consequently acceptable to God Lastly hence it followes that free will of it selfe is like a dead or rotten peece of wood and that it beares no fruit but as it is quickned by the spirit Ioh. 15. 5. Thus much of the propertie now follow the kindes of the workes of the spirit Loue It may be demaunded how it is a fruit of the spirit Ans. First the spirit of God workes faith then regeneration then loue 1. Tim. 1. 5. Loue follows faith because we must know first that we are loued of God before we can loue God 1. Ioh. 4. 19. And loue follows regeneration because till the will and affections be changed there is no place for loue The Papists then erre who teach that the first act of loue that is the inclination to loue God and man aright is in nature and that the second act namely the exercise of loue is from the spirit Againe they erre in that they teach that Charitie or loue is the formall righteousnes of a Christian. For it is a fruit that follows regeneration The loue here mentioned is either of God or of man The loue of God is an holy affection whereby we loue God in Christ for himselfe There are three speciall signes whereby it is discerned I. a desire of fellowship with God and Christ and the holy spirit and therefore to be much and frequent in the vse of the word and praier because in the word God speaks to vs and in praier we speake to him II. To loue the word of God aboue all earthly treasure and to tread our owne wills vnder foote and to desire that Gods wil may be preferred in all things 1. Ioh. 2. 5. There are many houses among vs where the cards and tables are walking but the Bible is seldome or neuer seene And this argues the want of loue III. The loue of them that loue God and Christ. The loue of our neighbour is to loue him simply in and for the Lord and for no other by-respect The signe of this loue is to loue not in word but indeede And this is to loue indeede to shew loue and to do good when we are wronged and abused to them that wrong vs and abuse vs. Ioy Ioy is twofold ioy of glorie after this life and the ioy of grace in this life and it stands in three things The first is to reioyce in the true acknowledgement of God that he is our god and reconciled to vs in Christ. The second is to reioyce in the worke of our regeneration The third is to reioyce in the hope of eternall glorie This ioy of grace hath a double fruit First it moderates all our sorrows and makes vs reioyce in the middest of our afflictions 1. Thess. 5. 16. Secondly it causeth men to reioyce at the good of their neighbours Rom. 12. 15. And this ioy is here meant specially For ioy is here opposed to enuie and emulations This fruit shewes that we are most of vs bad trees For the ioyes of the world be for the most part in iniquitie and in the workes of the flesh And it is our common sinne not to reioice but to pine away with griefe as Cain did when we see Gods blessing vpon our brother Peace It is a care and desire to maintaine concord as much as may be if it lie in vs. Rom. 12. 18. It is an excellent vertue For the kingddome of God stands partly in peace Rom. 14. 17. For the maintenance of peace obserue two rules I. Neither take offence nor giue offence Abraham chose rather to lose his right then to offend Lot Gen. 13. and so did Christ. Matth. 17. 27. II. Seeke to edifie one another either doe good or take good Rom. 14. 19. Long-suffering is to moderate our anger and desire of reuenge when many and great wrongs are done to vs. It is an excellent fruit but it takes very hardly in these parts For our manner is a word and a blow a word and a stabb a word and a writte Set and sow this plant in the forrowes of your hearts that the weede of reuenge ouergrow it not vse these remedies I. Gods commandement forbids rash anger Iam. 1. 19. for it is a degree of murder II. The example of God who is slow to anger and of Christ who is meeke and lowly Math. 11. III. All wrongs done to vs by men come by Gods prouidence to which we are to subiect our selues IV. The goodnesse of God who forgiues more to vs then we can forgiue V. There is danger of Gods anger For vnlesse we forgiue we are not forgiuen And we craue forgiuenesse as we forgiue VI. It is the dutie of loue to suffer and beare 1. Cor. 13. VII It is a point of iniustice to reuenge our selues for then we take to our selues the honour of God and against all equitie we are both the parties and iudge and witnesse and all VIII We are often ignorant of the mindes of men in their actions and of the true circumstances thereof and so may easily be deceiued Obiect I. Anger is a sudden affection therefore it cannot be ruled Ans. Meanes are to be vsed before hand when we are quiet then shall we better restraine it Obiect II. It is hard for flesh and blood to doe this Ans. We are more then flesh and blood For we haue the spirit of God els we are but hypocrites Gentlenesse Gentlenesse is to giue good speech and to shew good countenances euen to them that wrong vs and abuse vs without any minde or desire to reuenge Rom. 12. 14. Eph. 4. 32. The curtesie of the world in the cappe and the knee and all the complements of humanitie is commonly seuered from good affection and it is often the maske of enmitie and therefore it is but a worke of the flesh Right curtesie is with an honest heart to blesse when we are wronged Goodnesse It is a vertue whereby we communicate to others the good things that are in vs for their good and benefit It is prescribed by Paul in other tearmes when he saith Communicating to the necessities of the Saints Rom. 12. 13. Question I. What are we to communicate Answ. The gifts of our minde our temporall goods yea our liues too if neede be 1. Ioh. 3. 16. Question II. Why
properties of loue reckned vp by S. Paul 1. Cor. 13. this is not the least that it suffereth all things v. 7. that is all such things as may be borne and suffered with good conscience for the good of our brother For looke as a louer doth suffer all things in regard of his loue in three respects First in vndergoing any labour that may be for her good as Hercules did for the loue of Omphale Secondly in bearing patiently all hard measure that is offered him for her sake as Iacob did for the loue of Rachel Thirdly in induring any thing that is imposed vpon him and putting vp what wrong soeuer is done vnto him by her as Sampson did for the loue of Dalilah So Christian charitie causeth vs to suffer all things First pro fratribus to indure any labour cost or trauell for their good Secondly propter fratres to beare all afflictions for their sakes as Paul saith he did for the Church 2. Tim. 2. 10. Thirdly à fratribus to beare wrongs and put vp iniuries at their hands as he did beeing shamefully entreated at Philippi stoned scourged c. This must be considered of vs all but specially of such as wil giue a man as good as he bringeth who are but a word and a blow a lie and a stab a word a writ such as cannot beare coales as they say nor brook any little wrōg nor endure any small frailtie in their brethren These men must remēber that in bearing coales that is in suffering and forbearing they heape vp coales of fire vpon their heads as Paul speaketh Rom. 12. 20. as also that God doth beare with them in greater matters euen when they wound him with their oathes Leuit. 24. 11. and giue him the lie thorough vnbeleefe 1. Ioh. 5. 10. as he bare the manners of the Israelites in the wildernes That Christ whose example we are to follow hath borne our infirmities Esa. 53. and doth ease them that trauell and are heauie laden Matth. 11. 28. and therefore we treading in his steppes must forbeare one another and forgiue one another if any man haue a quarrell against another euen as Christ forgaue vs. Coloss. 3. 13. Thus if when we see any sinne in our brother we reclaime him from it by reproofes exhortations admonitions we are Gods instruments to saue a soule from death and so doe couer a multitude of sinnes euen before God Iam. 5. 20. And if when we perceiue common frailties in our brethren we shal not stand too much vpō our right but shall yeeld vnto them in bearing forbearing and forgiuing we shall couer a multitude of sinnes before men 1. Pet. 4. 8. Thus much touching the rule Now I proceede to the reason whereby the Apostle vrgeth the practise of this precept in these words And so fulfill the law of Christ. The reason standeth thus That which is the fulfilling of the law of Christ must be practised of vs but the bearing of one anothers burdens is the fulfilling of the law of Christ therefore we ought to beare one anothers burdens For the clearing of this text sundrie things are to be considered I. It may be demanded what the Apostle vnderstandeth by the law of Christ Ans. Nothing els but the doctrine precept or commaedement of Christ enioyning the loue of our brethren Ioh. 13. 34 35. A new commandement giue I vnto you that ye loue one another as I haue loued you c. And it is all one as if he had saide Beare ye one anothers burdens and so fulfill the commandement of Christ who hath after a speciall manner commanded the loue of your brethren Now the Apostle rather vseth the word Law then Commandement because he would make a clearer antithesis betwixt the law of Christ and the law of Moses so vehemently vrged by the false Apostles as if he should haue said You Galatians are taught to obserue the Law of Moses circumcision daies and times moneths and yeares and so ye doe indeede Well if ye will needes be obseruing of Lawes here is a law for you to obserue beare with the frailties one of another and so you shal fulfill the most excellent law that euer was the law of Christ which is necessarie to be kept whereas the keeping of the Ceremoniall law is but in vaine II. Quest. Why doth Paul call the loue of our brethren the law of Christ rather then the law of nature or the law of God or the law of Moses seeing it was written in the minde of man in the creation was giuen by God himselfe in Mount Sinai was written by Moses the reliques whereof are yet remaining in the minde of man Ans. It is so called because it is a new commandement giuen by Christ himselfe after a speciall manner But it is hereupon further demanded why this commandement of louing our brethren should be called a new commandement To which some make answer that it is so called onely because it shewes a new manner of louing our brethren after the example of Christ as he hath loued vs. Now this manner of louing our brethren as Chrysostome expounds it is this that as Christ loued vs freely not mooued by any amiable thing in vs nor for any profit that should redound vnto himselfe thereby so we should freely loue one another not for any benefit receiued or expected But as Cyril of Alexand. vpon Iohn expounds it it stands in this that as Christ loued vs more then himselfe so we should loue our brethren more then our selues But this cannot be the meaning For S. Iohn in his 1. Epist. 2. and Epist. 2. repeating this new commandement saith onely this is a new commandement that ye loue one another and neuer addes as Christ loued vs the which he should haue done if these wordes as I haue loued you be an essentiall part of the new commandement which he enioyneth vs to obserue Besides our Sauiour himselfe saith a little after By this shall all men knowe that ye are my Disciples if ye loue one another not adding as I haue loued you therefore the new commandement is laid downe in these words Loue one another not respecting those that follow as a modification or limitation as I haue loued you Besides this exposition takes it for granted that the morall lawe Loue thy neighbour as thy selfe is a certaine rule by which we are to square our loue vz. that we must begin at our selues look how much we loue our selues so much we ought to loue our neighbor no more that therfore Christ shold giue a newe commandement of greater perfection then that in the lawe to wit that we loue one another as he loued vs that is more then our selues But this is a flat mistaking of the scripture for the commandement Loue thy neighbour as thy selfe is no exact rule whereby we are to trie and examine our loue as the Popish doctors and some others teach For then Paul and diuers of the Saints of God
should haue done workes of supererogation more then the lawe requires in louing their neighbours more then themselues Rom. 9. 1. And if it were a rule it were but a leaden and false rule for we are in some cases bound to loue our neighbour more then our selues especially if he be a greater instrument of Gods glorie in procuring the good of the Church or common wealth as to loue our godly king more then our selues and preferre his safetie and life before our own as the Israelites did Dauids Thou art worth ten thousand of vs 2. Sam. 18. 3. for â—s is a note of similitude and not of equalitie signifying that as we loue our selues heartily and earnestly and inwardly wishing all good to our selues with the like sinceretie of affection we should loue our brethren So that Christ hath added nothing to the lawe in commanding to loue one another as he loued vs. Others say it is called a newe-commandement because it ought to be kept with as great a care and diligence as though it were newe and had beene now first giuen for newe lawes we know are commonly precisely kept at the first but after a while they begin to be neglected and men doe as it were antiquate them accounting them as though they were not Others by a new commandement vnderstand another diuers or different commandement for Christ in the beginning of the Chapter had giuen them a commandement to flie pride to be humble to liue at peace and concord one with anther and then he saith But I giue you a newe commandement i. 〈◊〉 coÌ„mandement differing froÌ„ the former that ye loue one another The word Newe is often taken in scripture in this sense as Exo. 1. 8. There arose vp a new king which knew not Ioseph that is as the 70 interpreters and S. Luke Act. 7. 18. translate it another king Mar. 16. 17. they shall speake with new tongues that is other diuerâ— or different languages from their vsuall tongue for the meaning is not that they inuented a new language which was neuer spoken before but that they spake in a language diuers from that which they vsed before for so it is said Act. 2. 4. They beganne to speake with other tongues Thus our Sauiour Christ telleth his Apostles that he will not drinke any more of the fruite of the vine till he drinke it nâ—we with them in the kingdome of God Matth. 26. 29. Where by newe wine he meaneth not the liquour or iuyce of the grape to preserue animall life but another different drinke wherewith he would entertaine all that were inuited and came vnto his table But these expositions are not so fitte I take it therefore to be called a newe commaundement either in respect of Christ or of vs in respect of Christ two waies 1. Because he renued it not onely by freeing it from the false glosses and interpretations of the Scribes and Pharises the Iewish Rabbins but also in fulfilling it most perfectly whereas it was obliterated and almost antiquated by the great corruption of man for none did euer so perfectly obserue and keepe the lawe as he did Therefore in regard of the newe manner of fulfilling it it is called a newe commaundement 2. Because he abrogating the ceremoniall lawe and many iudicials onely renued this precept of the morall lawe in commanding it as his lawe to the Church Ioh. 15. This is my commandement that ye loue one another as if he should say Though I haue abrogated the ceremoniall lawe and antiquated the iudiciall yet this commandement shal neuer be abrogated and this I commend vnto you againe and againe as my commmandement which aboue all others I would haue you carefully to obserue as that whereby ye shall be knowne to be my Disciples In regard of vs it is called a newe commaundement and that in two respects 1. Because it beeing defaced and almost cleane blotted out of the minde of man by originall sinne is renued againe in the hearts of beleeuers by the powerfull operation of the spirit of God both in their minds and affections In their mindes because they are daiely inlightened with the true knowledge thereof in beeing taught whome they ought to loue viz. not only their friends but euen their enemies with what kind of loue to wit with a â—eruent loue not in word or tongue onely but in deed and trueth and that with free sincere and constant loue in their wills and affections in that they are perswaded by the inward working of the spirit to loue and are inclined thereto being renued by grace 2. Because it doth after a peculiar manner belong vnto vs who are vnder the New Testament in the kingdome of grace seeing that this commandement onely is renued by Christ as his owne proper commandement many others being abrogated as also because it is daily written by the spirit of Christ after a newe manner in the hearts of newe conuerts so that they haue not onely a newe that is a true knowledge thereof but also a newe that is a true sense and feeling of the power of it in their hearts in that they are become newe creatures in Christ Iesus For in him all olde things passe away all things become new 2. Cor. 4 For to them the lawe is no killing letter written in tables of stone but a quickening spirit as beeing written in the fleshly tables of their hearts This seemeth to be the true full and proper meaning of these places for thâ—s S. Iohn 1. Epist. 2. 8. doeth expound it when he saith that it is true in him and in you in the sense before specified both in regard of Christ and the beleeuers in Christ. III. Quest. Seeing the commaundement of louing our brethren is called the law of Christ and a new commandement is not the Gospel a new Law Ans. In no wise for albeit the Law and the Gospel agree in sundrie things as first in the Author God beeing the author of them both of the Gospel Rom. 1. 1. of the Law Rom. 7. 22. Secondly in that both of them were preached knowne and vnderstood in both Testaments the lawe beeing written in the heart of man in the creation the Gospel preached to our first parents in Paradise immediately after the fall and repeated againe and againe to the Patriarkes and prophets from time to time Thirdly in the gerall matter and end of them both in that both the law and the gospel require righteousnesse in him that would come to â—â—se eternall Fourthly in this that they confirme and establish one another in that the lawe commanding iustice and iustifying none shewes that a man is iustified by the free gift and grace of God and that Christ is the end of the law to euery one that beleeueth In that the Gospel iustifieth not by workes but by faith and yet so as that we doe not by our faith abrogate the lawe or make it of none effect but rather establish it and that in
same milke of the word and looking for the same blessed inheritance should rather be beneficiall one to another then to those that are forrainers and strangers no way linked vnto them by the bond of faith Now the reasons why we ought especially to doe good to them of the houshold of faith may be these First because God loueth all his creatures specially mankind most especially the faithfull vpon whome he doeth bestowe the riches of his loue yea himselfe also for though God be good vnto all Psal. 145. 9. yet in a speciall sort he is good to Israel to them that are of a pure heart Psal. 73. 1. He is a Sauiour of all men specially of those that beleeue 1. Tim. 4. 10. Secondly because whatsoeuer is done to one of Gods saints is done vnto him Matth. 25. 44. Thirdly in respect of the excellencie of their persons in that they are sonnes of God heires of his kingdome members of Christ Temples of the holy Ghost c. Further in that all the faithfull are called a houshold and a family this teacheth vs that as we haue one bedde and one board one bread to seede vpon and one cuppe whereof all drinke so we should haue one minde and one heart we should cleaue together and hold together for if they of the family of loue ioyne together why should not we which are of the familie of faith hold together If those of the kingdome of darkenesse combine themselues together as it is Psal. 2. 2. The kings of the earth band themselues and the Princes are assembled together a gainst the Lord and against his Christ. Act. 4. 27. Doubt lesse against thine holy sonne Iesus whome thou hast annointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and people of Israel gathered thēselues together Psal. 83. 5 6 7 8. They haue consulted together in heart and haue made a league against thee The tabernacles of Edom and the Ishmaelites Moab and the Agarims Gaball and Ammon and Amalec the Philistims with the inhabitants of Tyrus Ashur also is ioyned with them they haue beene anarme to the childrē of Lot How much more therefore ought the children of light to company and consort together But the children of this world are wiser in their generation then the children of light Nay the bruite beasts may condemne vs in this point for cattel heard together sheep flocke together fishes shole together and as the prouerbe is birdes of a feather will flie together What a shame is it therefore for vs that are of the same family of faith to fall out making a rent in the coate and a diuision in the bodie of Christ by seperating our selues one from another in affection of heart and practise of life Againe this may minister comfort to all the faithfull beeing vnder the crosse to consider that they are of Gods family and therefore neede not doubt of the prouidence of God but that he will prouide things necessarie for them for he that prouideth not for his owne and specially for them of his familie hath denied the faith and is worse then an infidell Lastly in that the faithfull are called a familie it shewes that they are but fewe euen a handefull in comparison of the world for what is a familie to a countrie or a kingdome Indeed I graunt if those of the family of faith be considered by themselues they are many Matth. 8. 11. I say vnto you that MANY shall come from the East and from the West and shall sit downe with Abrahā Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of heauen Nay they are innumerable Apoc. 7. 9. After these things I beheld and loe a great multitude which no man could number of all nations kindreds and people and tongues stood before the throne and before the lambe cloathed with long white robes and palmes in their hands But beeing compared with infidels which shall be condemned they are but fewe Matth. 7. 13 14. Enter in at the straite gate for it is the wide gate and broad way that leadeth to destruction and MANIE there be which goe in thereat Because the gate is straite and the way narrow that leadeth vnto life and FEWE there be that find it MANY are called but FEW chosen Here they are called a family a little flock Luk. 12. 32. a remnant Rom. 9. 27. Let the Papists therfore brag of their Vniuersalitie and multitude as much as they list in the meane time let not vs feare to ioyne our selues to the litle flocke of Christ and with them to goe on in the straite way to eternall life The order which we are to obserue in doing good to others is else where more distinctly set downe in scripture it stands in these degrees First and principally a man must do good to those of his familie as to wife children seruants 1. Tim. 1. 8. If there be any that prouideth not for his owne and especially for them of his houshold he hath denied the faith and is worse then an infidell Secondly after those of our familie we must doe good to our parents and progenitors 1. Tim. 5. 4. If any widow haue children or nephewes let them that is those children or nephewes learne first to shew godlines toward their owne house and to recompence their parents Marke they must first do good to their owne house and then in the second place to their parents that is their fathers mothers if they be children their grandfathers and grandmothers if they be nephewes Thirdly after the two former we must doe good to our kinred 1. Tim. 5. 8. If any prouide not for his owne he hath denied the faith c. where by owne we are chiefely to vnderstand those poore widowes that are neare of blood or kinred vnto vs or generally all those that are of our kinred in the flesh who are therefore called ours because they doe more nearely concerne vs as being linked vnto vs by the bond of nature They that are of our kinred are to be respected and releeued of vs in the third place if they be of the houshold of faith otherwise the Saints of God which are neither kith nor kinne vnto vs are to be preferred before them Fourthly of strangers and forreners we are to doe good to the faithfull before others Fiftly and lastly we must be beneficiall to all whether friends or foes of our kinred or strangers of the house of God or otherwise as God in his prouidence shall offer them vnto vs for so Paul saith We must doe good vnto all men It will be said we are to loue all men alike seeing we must loue our neighbours as our selues and therefore we must doe good to all men alike not respecting the faithfull more then others I answer our loue of our brethren is lesse or greater either in respect of the obiect in wishing a greater or a lesse good vnto them and thus we must loue all men alike in wishing to them eternall
and Iudiciall law 230. 231 And how farr forth they are all abrogated ibid. Two notes whereby a Iudiciall Law may be discerned to be Morall 232. 30. What is our guid the Lawe beeing abrogated vide guide The Law coÌ„sidered 2. waies 288. 22 The Law is a yoke 3. waies 288. 28 A treatise of beeing vnder the Lawe and redemption from it 288. 20 Our libertie by Christ frees vs from the Lawe three waies 272. 8 The fulfilling of the lawe in this life is imperfect 377. 4 The true difference betweene the lawe and the Gospell in 7. things 347. 23. The false difference confuted 348. 1 How the whole lawe is fulfilled in the loue of our neighbour ' 405. 15 Transgression of the Law twofould 419. 19. Wherein the law and the Gospell agree vide Gospell By our faith we doe not abrogate the lawe but establish it in two respects 498. 1 Wherein the lawe and Gospel differ vide Gospel No man in this life can fulfil the law prooued by foure Arguments 499. 17. The Lawe is said to be fulfilled three waies 503. 35 Fulfilling of the lawe taken two waies 504. 5 League with the Deuill twofould 429. 20. The lawe hath a three fould vse though it cannot be fulfilled 504. 18. Why men are so cold in liberalie 555. 9. 5. Rules for the vse of liberty 402. 2 Christian libertie abused 3. waies 400. 17. What is the abuse of liberty where it is to be found and what is the right vse of it 400. 12 Fiue degrees in the way and order vsed in procuring our libertie by Christ. 278. 35 A treatise of libertie by grace 366. 1â— What is the authoritie of it the persons to whome it belongeth and our dutie touching this libertie ib. Of the parts of christian libertie 366. â—4 Magistracie and Christian libertie may stand together 369. 5 Christ procures libertie by two meanes 370. 29 Popish religion is flatt against Christian libertie and that two waies 372. 7. Our libertie frees vs from the Lawe three waies 372. 8. Our life ought to be a pilgrimage 351. 16. There is a naturall and spirituall life 138. 20. There are 3. degrees of life 140. 24 The spirituall life standes especially in three things 149. 26 Life is created or vncreated created is naturall or spirituall 452. 35 Two degrees of spirituall life 453. 1 In what sense life eternal is a reward 570 11. What resemblance it hath with a reward ibid. 20 Of our limitations of Opinion and affection 353. 23. Long suffering what and the maneâ— to vse it 445. 2 Selfe-loue vide Ouerweening Of louing our Neighbour vide Neighbour Of mutuall loue betweene Pastor People 320. 27 How faith workes by loue 383. 13 The vse of loue though it doe not iustifie 385. 13 What the loue of our Neighbour is 403. 12. What is the vse of Loue. 403. 29 Sixe sortes of men liue in the breach of the rules of Loue. 404. 1 How loue is a fruite of the spirit 443. 27. Loue followes faith and regeneration therefore the first act of loue is not by nature as the Papists teach 443. 29 The loue of God what 443. 40 Three especiall signes whereby it is discerned 444. 1 The Loue of our Neighbour what ibid. 12. Why the Loue of our brother is called the loue of Christ rather then of nature of God or of Moses 494. 8 The grounds of Loue three 593. 12 The Loue of our Brethren greater or lesser two waies 597. 15 How we must loue all men alike how we may not ibid. 18 How farr doth the child of God proceede in the lustes of the flesh 414. 33. Fiue degrees of lusts 414. 36 The lusts of the flesh hath two actions vide Flesh The lusts of the spirit hath two vide spirit Lust after Baptisme in the regenerate is a sinne 419. 2 Lusts what 450. 33 What a lye is and whether a sinne or no 62. 23. 64. 10 Difference betweene a lye and a Parable 63. 7 And betweene a lye and the concealement of a thing 63. 13 Betweene Lying fayning 63. 26 Reasons against lying 447. 26 M Whether Magistrates be necessarie in the societies of Christians 268. 23. Magistracie and Christian libertie may stand together vide libertie How the lawe of the Magistrate makes an indifferent thing to be necessarie 369. 37 Mariage what it is 341. 40 Mariage noe sowing to the Flesh as Tacianus the Heretique and Syritius the Pope would haue it but to the spirit 563. 19 By Markes what is signified 648. 9 Markes of Christ of two sortes ibid. 20. Visible or inuisible Outwart or inward typicall or reall ibid. 34 Reall markes double either in his natural body or mysticall 649. 1 How the markes in his natural body doe differ from those in his mististicall body ibid 19 VVhat vse to be made of Pauls markes 650. 2 The makes of the Fratres flagellantes to be derided ibid. 25 Legaces giuen to the maintenance of the Masse may be applied to the maintenance of the true worship of God 208. 9 The difference of Meekenes and long suffering 448. 1 VVhat meekenes is 464. 30. 465. 29. The effects of it ibid. 34 Motiues to Meekenes 465. 10 How there is but one Mediator 217. 32. How Moses was a Mediatour 219. 23. How we are to put affiance in men 392. 32. VVe serue God in seruing of men 406. 5. How men are nothing of theÌ„selues 506. 1. 25. Men naturally thinke too well of themselues 507. 8 How we are to please men and how not 515. 32 Herein sixe cautions to be vsed 516. 3. Gods mercie great to sinners 49. 26 It hath a double effect in vs. ibid. 33 It is much abused and how 40 By mercy what is vnderstood 645. 7. All Merits and satisfactions for sinnes are to be reduced to the person of Christ and if there be no humane satisfactions nor meritorious workes 14. 24 Merit of condignitie may be vnderstood three waies 565. 16 VVhat Papists hould merit of good workes in regard only of Gods promise and diuine acceptation and what in respect partly of their owne worthines partly of Gods acceptance and what onely in regard of the dignitie of the worke 565. 20 Ministers must deliuer nothing of their owne 6. 10 Ministers which are to be teachers must first be taught 38. 3 They must be taught by men where reuelation is wanting 38. 22 Ministers are pillers and how with the vse of it 97. 1 Ministers of the word must of necessitie ioyne with good doctrine the example of good life 109. 5 What kind of men Ministers ought to be 318. 16 Ministers duty specially to reprooue 477. 37 Ministerie is painfull like the trauaile of a woman 334. 12 The dignitie of the Ministerie 334. 26. Ministers must temper their giftes to their hearers 338. 37 Ministers subiect to slanders 394. 37. Whether a Minister may not conceale the truth some time 395. 31 Ministers liues should be reall Sermons 623. 30
The condition of faithfull Ministers is to be full of troubles 647. 28 In what case a Minister in his preaching may vse Philosophie testimonie of Prophane writers and quotations of Fathers 541. 25 Ministers that labour in the word may lawfully take wages though they haue sufficient of their owne 543. 18. Abuse of the Ministers prooued to be the abuse of God 548. 11 Of Professours deriding defrauding Ministers of the word 549. 1. Why Ministers are not to sell the preaching of the word 437. 26. What they are to aime at in their preachings and what not 537. 20 A Minister is to teach his Auditors onely the word of God and why 540. 23. whether Ministers are to be maintained by common contribution and liberalitie of the people or not 533. 37 That it is more conuenient for Ministers to be maintained by set stipends arising from goods proper to the Church then by voluntarie contribution sundrie reasons 534. 17 obiection That the Ministers place is an easie office answered 535. 1 what a Minister is 171. 20 the Deuill cannot worke a true Miracle 171. 33 how Mocking is persecution 362. 9 the Modestie of Paul 19. 34 the practise of the godly to Mourne for other mens sinnes 337. 27 Obiections in defence of Murther remooued 437. 7 N The kinds of Nakednes 266. 28 Nature doth counterfeit grace and how 330. 28 A naturall man can doe the workes of the morall law yet in him they are sinnes 224. 25 Nature and Person distinguished 279. 32. what Nature is ibid. Naturall and carnall men are of two sorts 463. 13 Necessitie is twofold 369. 35 how we must loue our Neighbours 328. 6. what the loue of our Neighbour is vide Loue. how the whole law is fulfilled in the loue of our Neighbour 405. 15 who is our Neighbour 405. 27 In some cases we must loue our Neighbour more then our selues 405. 34. Of the loue of our Neighbour vide Loue. The new Creature or new man old man what it is 637. 1 The vses of this that we are new creatures in Christ. 638. 23 Greater power required in the regeneratioÌ„ of man then in the creation of the world 639. 3 how men are Nothing of theÌ„selues vide Men. O Foure things in an Oath 65. 15 The forme of an oath is to be plaine and direct in the name of God and not of creatures 65. 35 An Oath is to be vsed onely in the case of extremitie 66. 13 Obseruation of daies and times 314 4. The Gospell must be preached though all men be offended 396. 15. Men haue an ouerweening of themselues naturally 507. 8 The cause of it 508. 10 Such notably deceiue themselues 508. 30. It is the poison of loue 510. 25 Whether a man may not iudge himselfe to haue a greater measure of gifts then they that haue lesse 510 38. The remedies of this euill 511. 36 Outward priuiledges or dignities are of no moment in the kingdome of Christ. 382. 1. 24 P How a pacification is to be made in religion 338. 29 Papists teach and maintaine the worship of false Gods 305. 1. c. Papists and we differ not about circumstances 376. 15 Mo pacification with the Papists for religion but ciuill societie 408. 25. Papists teach Idolatrie foure waies vide Idolatrie Papists vrge their owne ceremonies more strictly then Gods truth 617. 28. Papists like to the false teachers in Pauls time in making things which be signes of saluation meritorious causes of it 618. 4 The Popes Prelats of Rome like to false teachers in compelling men to obserue that which they themselues will not obserue 518. 23. The Popish Church like to false teachers in pretending religion and conscience for their ease and cloaking of their impietie 624. 3 It is shewed in two particulars especially ibid. In pardon there be foure degrees 70. 28. Parents sustaine a double person 115. 12. Of Parents authoritie ouer their children vide children Parents truly punished in their childrens punishment notwithstanding it is not felt by them whereof be foure reasons 522. 14 Foure Principall duties to be performed by the people to the pastors and what they be 531 34 Pastors are to haue not only countenance but maintenance of the people 532. 6 Whether pastors are to be maintained by coÌ„tributioÌ„ or not 533. 37 Reasons to prooue that it is more conuenient for ministers to liue vpon set stipends then voluntarie contribution 534. 17 Obiections that the Pastors office is an easie office vide Ministers We must patiently tary for the reaping of our heauenly reward vrged from Gods patience towards vs. 582. 37 Gods patience waiting for the amendment of our liues set dowe by sundry degrees 583. 20 Mischeifes into which we runne vnto vnlesse we patiently expect god for our reward 584. 22 Reasons why Paul did write the epistle to the Galatians with his owne hand 607. 38 Paul subscribed all his epistles with his owne hand 608. 16 Pauls coÌ„uersion how wrought 50. What was gods preuenting grace in Pauls conuersion 50. 10 Whether Paul was an agent or Patient in his conuersion 51. 26 Whether violence was offered to his will in conuersion 52. 2 The dignitie of Paul aboue the other Apostles 5. 28 Two causes why Paul writes his epistles in the name and with the consent of the brethren 6. 4 The true signe of euery of Pauls epistles discouered and the false remooued 608. 27. 609. 20 Why Paul would not take wages of the church of Corinth and some others foure reasons 536. 25 Peace outward or inward 644. 12 Peace with the creatures which be of foure sorts ibid. 14 Peace of conscience double with god with our selues ibid. 33 Peace with our selues threefould ibid. 34. Of peace of conscience ibid. 35 What peace is and what be the parts of it 10. 16 Peace without grace is no peace 12. 6. How we must haue peace with all men 408. 17 Peace is threefould 408. 35 Three rules for the maintaining of Church peace 408. 36 For the inforcing of the duties of peace there be seuen speciall reasons 410. 35 What peace is for the maintenaunce whereof obserued two rules 444. 34. 37. The people punished for Achans sinne how it may stand 526. 15 There is a double perfection 188. 36. Hatred of Gods grace in men is the beginning of al persecution 362. 12. Persecution what 42. 30 Of the wicked persecuting the good 361. 33. Perseuerance crowneth all our good workes 585. 31 Person and nature distinguished 279. 32. What a person is 279. 33 Of Peters supremacie 94. 11 Pharisisme what it is and the principall doctrine thereof 41. 17 Philosophie not condemned 434. 21. The errors of Philosophie 4â—4 26 There is lawfull pilgrimage 59. 32 Popish pilgrimage condemned for two causes 59. 39 Polygamie not approoued but tolerated for two reasons 342. 9 Reasons for Polygamie answered 342. 29. What poore to be releiued 98. 17 Pastors care of the poore wherein it consists 98. 25 Postscripts no part
terrifieth and condemneth vs and therby it occasioneth or vrgeth vs to flie vnto Christ who is the cause that we die vnto the law As the needle goes before and drawes in the third which sowes the cloth so the law goes before and makes a way that grace may follow after and take place in the heart Thus must this place be vnderstood and all other places that speake of the law in this manner as Rom. 7. 8. c. The third point is touching the ende of our death to the law and that is that we may liue to God It may be demanded what life this is whereby we liue to God Ans. There is a naturall and a spirituall life Naturall life is that which we receiue from Adam by generation and it is the function of naturall faculties in liuing moouing vse of senses and reason Spirituall life is that which we receiue from Christ by regeneration and it is the action motion or operation of the spirit in vs. This life is called by Paul the life of God Eph. 4. 18. And this is the life which he speakes of in this place And it is described by many things First by the ende and vse of it For it serues to make vs to liue to God that is to the honour and glorie of God And we liue to God by liuing wisely godly iustly Tit. 3. 12. Wisely in respect of our selues godly in respect of God iustly in respect of men That we may liue wisely we must obserue two rules The first we must labour with all diligence and with all speede that we may be worthie to stand before the sonne of man at his comming And therefore we must labour to be in Christ hauing true faith and good conscience Eph. 5. 15. Luk. 21. 36. Consider also the example of Paul Act. 24. 16. It is true wisdome to be wise for our soules and for euerlasting happines and it was the follie of the foolish virgins that they did not surnish themselues with the oyle of grace in time conuenient The second rule we must in this world come as neere heauen and the happines of life euerlasting as may be Psal. 3. 14. And for this cause we must ioyne our selues to the assemblies where the word is preached praier made and sacraments administred for there is the gate of heauen Consider the practise of Moses Heb. 11. 25 26. and of Dauid Psal. 84. 10. Againe beeing absent from heauen both in bodie and soule yet we must haue our conuersation there by the cogitation of our mindes and by the affections of our hearts Phil. 3. 21. That we may liue godlily seuen rules must be remembred The first we must bring our selues into the presence of the inuisible God yea we must set our thoughts wills affections and all we doe in his sight and presence and we must euermore remēber whatsoeuer we doe that we haue to deale with God himselfe In this regard Enoch is said to walke with God Gen. 5. 24. Abraham and Isaac before God Gen. 17. 1. and 48. 15. and Dauid Psal. 116. 9. and 139. all and Cornelius Act. 10. 33. and Paul 2. Cor. 7. 17. The second we must take knowledge of the will of God in all things whether it be reuealed in the word or by any euent It is not enough to know Gods will but when time and place serues we must acknowledge it Rom. 12. 2. Col. 1. 10. The third we must bring our selues in subiection to the knowne will of God and captiuate all our senses vnto it and suffer God to set vp his kingdome in vs. Rom. 12. 1. The fourth when we haue offended God we must instantly humble our selues before his maiestie confessing our offences and making instant deprecation for mercie Thus did Ezra chap. 9. and Daniel chap. 9. and Dauid Psal. 32. 3. The fifth in all our miseries and aduersities we must be silent in our hearts by quieting our wills in the good will of God Psal. 4. 4. Examine your selues and be still Psal. 37. 7. be silent to Iehoua Consider the example of Aaron Leuit. 10. 3. of Dauid Psal. 39. 9. of the Iewes Act. 11. 18. The sixth in all things we doe or suffer we must depend on the goodnes prouidence and mercie of God for the successe of our labours and for ease or deliuerance out of miserie This is to liue by faith and as Peter saith 1. Pet. 3. 17. to sanctifie God in our hearts The last in all things we must giue praise and thankes to God and that for our miseries and afflictions Iob 1. 22. for in them God mingles his iustice with mercie whereas he might vtterly condemne vs. That we may liue iustly in respect of men two rules must be obserued The first we must make God in Christ our treasure and our portion and his fauour and blessing our riches Then shall not the vile sinnes of auarice and ambition beare sway in vs and then shall we learne with Paul to be content in any estate Phil. 4. 11. because howsoeuer the world go we haue our portion and treasure The second we must loue God in louing of man and serue him in doing seruice to men by the offices and duties of our callings They which labour in their callings for this end to get riches honours and to set vp themselues in this world prophane their callings and practise iniustice For not selfe loue but loue to God in duties of loue to men must beare sway in all our actions Thus we see what it is to liue to God Now we are all to be exhorted to order our liues in this manner For first of all we are Gods and therefore we must glorifie God both in our bodies and soules 2. Cor. 6. 20. Secondly the end of our iustification and redemption is that we may liue to God And it is great wickednes to peruert the order of God by liuing to our selues and the iusts of our hearts Thirdly there be three degrees of life one is in this life a spirituall and a renewed life the second in death when the bodie goes to the earth and the soule to heauen the third in the last iudgement when bodie and soule reunited enter into the presence of God Therefore that we may be saued we must liue vnto God in this life for we can neuer come to the second degree of life but by the first And we must not imagine that we can steppe immediatly out of a leud and wicked life into euerlasting happines in heauen Lastly the grace of God in the ministerie of the Gospel hath appeared and long taught vs and called vpon vs to liue vnto God Therefore vnlesse we be ashamed and confounded for our sinnes and beginne with all speede to liue vnto God it will be worse with vs then with Sodom and Gomorrha and many other nations 20 I am crucified with Christ Thus I liue yet not I any more but Christ liues in me And in that I now liue in the
of sinne And by this power Christ is said to liue in them that beleeue The third is the Resurrection of the dead bodie to euerlasting glorie in the day of iudgement Rom. 8. 11. Thus then the meaning of the words is euident that Christ as a roote or head liues in them that are vnited to him and that by the operation of his spirit causing them to die vnto their sinnes and to liue vnto God And againe it must be remembred that Paul speakes this not priuately of himselfe but generally in the name of all beleeuers For he saith 2. Cor. 13. 5. Know ye not that Christ is in you except ye be reprobates The vse Hence it followes that they which are true beleeuers cannot make a practise of sinne and againe that they sinne not with the full consent or swinge of their wills Because Christ liues in them and restraines the will in part When they sinne therefore they sinne not of malice but of ignorance or infirmitie Secondly the true beleeuer cannot wholly fall away from grace because the life of Christ cannot be abolished As Christ died but once and for euer after liues to God so they that are in Christ die once to sinne and liue eternally to God Rom. 6. 10. The vertue and power of God that was shewed in raising Christ to life is likewise shewed in quickning them that doe beleeue Eph. 1. 19. He therfore that is made aliue to God dies no more but remaines aliue as Christ doth Thirdly they which are true beleeuers are a free and voluntarie people obeying God as if there were no law to compell them For they haue Christ to liue in them Read Psal. 110. 2. The spirit of life that is in Christ is also in them and that is their law Rom. 8. 2. It is the propertie of the child of God to obey God as it is the nature and qualitie of the fire to burne when matter is put to it It may here be demanded how we may know that Christ liues in vs Ans. By the spirit of God 1. Ioh. 3. 24. And the spirit is knowne by the motions and operations thereof The first whereof is a Purpose to obey God according to all his commandements that concerne vs with an inclination of our hearts to the said commandements Paul saith he was sold vnder sinne and yet withall he addes that he delighted in the law of God according to the inward man Rom. 7. 23. He that loues God and keepes his commaundements hath the father and the sonne dwelling in him Ioh. 14. 23. Let this be obserued Pharaoh when Gods hand was vpon him confessed he was a sinner and his people and requested Moses and Aaron to let the people goe But after God had withdrawne his hand he returned to his old course The like doe sicke men they make promise to amend their liues and they request their friends to pray for them but when they are recouered they forget all their faire promises The reason is this There is conscience in them and by it they know themselues to be miserable sinners but they want this purpose to obey God and the inclination to his laws and therefore indeede they hate not their sinnes but rather the commandement of God The second operation and signe of the spirit is a mind and disposition like to the mind and disposition of Christ which is to doe the will of God to seeke his glorie and to applie himselfe to the good of men in all duties of loue The third and last to omit many is to loue Christ for himselfe and to loue them that loue Christ and that because they loue Christ. This is a true signe that we haue passed from death to life 1. Ioh. 3. 14. It may here be said how can Christ be said to liue in vs considering we are laden with afflictions and miseries Where Christ liues there is no miserie Ans. In the middest of all miseries the life of Christ doth most appeare Where naturall life decaies there spirituall life takes place 2. Cor. 4. 10. I beare in my bodie the mortification of our Lord Iesus that the life of Iesus may be made manifest in me Gods power is made manifest in weaknes 2. Cor. 12. Againe it may be said if Christ liued in vs we should not feele so many corruptions as we doe Ans. The life of Christ is conueyed vnto vs by little and little God hauing wounded and slaine vs first bindes vs vp then he revives vs and the third day he raiseth vs vp Hos. 6. 1. Againe nature feeles not nature nor corruption feeles corruption but grace therefore it is the life of Christ in vs that makes vs feele the masse and bodie of corruption Furthermore here we are to take notice of the common sinne of our daies Men will not suffer Christ to liue in them and to rule ouer them It is reputed a small matter but it is a grieuous offence The Gentiles say Let vs breake their bands and cast their cords from vs. Psal. 2. 2. And it is was the sinne of the Iewes to say We will not haue this man to raigne ouer vs Luc. 19. 14. And therefore Christ saith bring them hither and slay them before me Lastly here we learne our dutie and that is so to liue that we may be able to say with good conscience that Christ liues in vs we must seeke his kingdome aboue all things and take his yoke on vs. It will be said what must we doe that Christ may liue in vs Ans. We must vse the meanes appointed meditation of the word prayer sacraments and withall we must spiritually eate the flesh of Christ and drinke his blood Ioh. 6. 57. And that we may eate him we must haue a stomacke in our soules like the stomacke of our bodies and we must hunger and thirst after Christ and therefore we must feele our owne sinnes and our spirituall pouertie and haue an earnest lust and appetite after Christ as after meat and drinke When Sisera was pursued by the armie of the Israelites he cried to Iael and said Giue me drinke I die for thirst Iudg. 4. 19. euen so we beeing pursued by the sentence of the law by the terrours of hell death and condemnation must flie to the throne of grace and crie out saying Giue me of the tree of life giue me of the water of life I perish for thirst Then shall our wretched soules be quickned and reuiued to euerlasting life Math. 5. 6. Rev. 21. 6. In the fourth place here is set downe the Meanes of spirituall life in these words And in that I now liue in the flesh I liue by the faith of the sonne of God who hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me And that the doctrine may the better appeare I will stand a while to shew the meaning of them By flesh is ment the mortall bodie or the fraile condition of this temporall life Heb. 5. 7. and 1. Pet. 4. 2. And
the world be worse then the life of a beast Againe in these words who hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me the nature and propertie of iustifying faith is set down which is to Applie the loue of God and the merit of the passion of Christ vnto our selues And therefore the Papists are deceiued who say that hope applieth and not faith It may be alleadged that Paul speakes these words priuately of himselfe Ans. He speakes them in the name of all beleeuers Iewes and Gentiles For as we may see in the former verses that which concerned Peter and the rest of Christian Iewes he applies to himselfe least his speech should seeme odious Againe it may be obiected that all beleeuers cannot say thus Christ hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me Ans. If the minde be fixed on Christ and there be also a will and indeauour to beleeue and apprehend Christ there is faith indeede For God accepts the true and earnest will to beleeue for faith We are not saued for the perfection of our faith but for the perfection of the obedience of Christ which faith apprehendeth The Israelites which looked vpon the brasen serpent with one eye or with a squint-eye with halfe an eye or dimme sight were healed not for the goodnes of their sight but for the promise of God The poore in spirit are blessed Now they are poore in spirit who finde themselues emptie of all goodnes emptie of true faith full of vnbeleefe and vnfainedly desire to beleeue So then if we greeue because we cannot beleeue as we should and earnestly desire to beleeue God accepts vs for beleeuers Againe in these words who hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me S. Paul sets downe the reason or argument which faith vseth in the minde regenerate to mooue men to liue to God And the reason is framed thus Christ loueth thee and hath giuen himselfe for thee therefore see thou liue to God Read the like Rom. 12. 1. and 2. 4. and Psal. 116. 12. By this we are to take occasion to consider and to bewaile the hardnes of our hearts who doe not relent from our euill waies and turne vnto God vpon the consideration of his loue in Christ. The waters of the Sanctuarie haue long flowed vnto vs but they haue not sweetned vs and made vs sauerie therefore it is to be feared least our habitations be at length turned to places of nettles and saltpits Eze. 7. 11. 21 I doe not abrogate the grace of God for if righteousnes be by the law then Christ died without cause The meaning Grace in Scriptures signifieth two things the free fauour of God and the gifts of God in vs. And where the holy Ghost intreates of iustification grace in the first sense signifies the good will and fauour of God pardoning sinnes and accepting vs to life euerlasting for the merit of Christ. 2. Tim. 1. 9. Eph. 2. 8. And in this sense is the word vsed in this place And when Paul saith I doe not abrogate the grace of God his meaning is I doe not make void or frustrate the grace of God in respect of my selfe or in respect of other beleeuers by teaching the iustification of a sinner by saith alone He addes If righteousnes be by the law that is if a sinner be iustified by his owne obedience in performing the law then Christ died without cause The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 freely translated without cause hath a double signification One is when it signifies as much as without price or merit Math. 10. 8. Ye haue receiued freely giue freely The second is when it signifies rashly without iust or sufficient cause as Psal. 69. 4. Mine enemies hate me freely as the Seuentie translate that is wrongfully or without iust cause Thus here is Christ said to die freely that is in vaine or without cause because if we be iustified by obedience to the law then Christ died in vaine to make any satisfaction to the law for vs. These words are an answer to an obiection The obiection is this If thou teach that a sinner is iustified onely by his faith in Christ then thou abolishest the grace of God The answer is negatiue I doe not by this doctrine abrogate the grace of God And there is a reason also of this answer If we be iustified by our owne fulfilling of the law then Christ died in vaine to fulfill the law for vs. The vse First let vs marke that Paul saith he doth not abrogate the grace of God and why because he will suffer nothing in the cause of our iustification to be ioyned with the obedience of the death of Christ. And hence we learne what is the nature of grace It must stand wholly and intirely in it selfe Gods grace cannot stand with mans merit Grace is no grace vnlesse it be freely giuen euery way Rom. 4. 4. To him that worketh the wages is giuen not of grace but of desert Rom. 11. 6. If election be of grace then not of workes els is grace no grace Grace and works of grace in the causing of iustification can no more stand together then fire and water By this we are admonished to be nothing in our selues and to ascribe all that we are or can doe to the grace of God Againe here we see our dutie and that is to be carefull not to abrogate the grace of God vnto our selues But how is that done Ans. We must strippe and emptie our selues of all righteousnesse and goodnesse of our owne euen to the death and withall hunger and thirst after Christ and his righteousnes Math. 5. 6. Luk. 1. 35. Thirdly Paul here sets downe a notable ground of true religion That the death of Christ is made voide if any thing be ioyned with it in the worke of our iustification as a meanes to satisfie Gods iustice and to merit the fauour of God Therefore the doctrine of iustification by workes is a manifest errour For if we be iustified by the workes of the law then the iudgement of the holy Ghost is that Christ died without cause Againe the doctrine of humane satisfactions is a deuice of mans braine For if we satisfie for our selues then did Christ by death satisfie in vaine Thirdly it is a false and wicked though a colourable inuention to say that Christ by his death merited that we should merit by our workes For if we merit by workes Christ died in vaine to merit by his owne death This is the sentence of God who cannot erre Lastly here we see the Church of Rome erreth in the foundation of true religion because it ioyneth the merit of mans workes and the merit of the death of Christ in the iustification of a sinner And therefore we may not so much as dreame of any reconciliation to be made with that religion for light and darknes cannot be reconciled nor fire and water Here the Papists answer that Paul in this text speakes against them that looked to be iustified by
the secrets of our hearts to God Whereas Paul saith that a Mediatour is not of one but a third betweene two at the least it may be demaunded how Christ can be mediatour betweene man and God considering he is God Ans. Though Father Sonne and holy Spirit be one and the same in respect of Godhead yet are they distinct in respect of person or in respect of the manner of subsisting so as the Father is the father not the Sonne or holy Ghost the Sonne the sonne and not the Father or the H. Ghost the holy Ghost the holy Ghost and not the father or the sonne The sonne then and the father beeing persons really distinct the sonne may be and is Mediatour first of all in respect of order to the father and in him to the sonne and the holy Ghost For the three persons beeing of one nature and will when the father is appeased in him also the sonne and the holy Ghost are appeased Thus Iohn saith If any man sinne we haue an aduocate with the father It may be said that Christ cannot be Mediatour to himselfe Ans. In Christ consider his nature and his Office By nature he is the sonne of God by office he is Mediatour and thus he is God-man or Man-god and as Mediatour by voluntarie dispensation he is inferiour to himselfe as he is the essentiall sonne of God And in the same manner Christ as God-man is Mediatour to himselfe as he is the sonne of God For as he is the sonne of God he is the partie offended as he is Mediatour God-man he is the partie that makes reconciliation Lastly the propertie of God must be obserued that he is vnchangeable Iam. 1. 17. Mal. 3. 16. It may be obiected that God is saide in Scripture to repent Ans. God is said to repent not because he changeth either nature or will but because he changeth his actions of mercie and loue into effects of anger after the manner of men Againe it may be obiected that God changed the law and abolished ceremonies Ans. This God did by an vnchangeable decree before all worlds and so the change is in the law and not in God For God can decree to change this or that without change The vse Gods vnchangeablenes is the foundation of our comfort Saint Paul saith If we loue God we are knowne of him 1. Cor. 8. 3. Now the first we may certenly finde in our selues namely the loue of God and Christ and for the second God is vnchangeable For they which are once knowne of God are euer knowne of him and that euen then when they feele nothing but Gods anger Againe we are put in minde to be vnchangeable in good things as in faith hope loue good counsells honest promises and such like specially in the maintenance of true religion For we ought to be like vnto God It is the poesie of our grations Queene Semper eadem Alwaies one and the same no doubt in good things specially in the religion established among vs. The same must be the minde of all good subiects and all good people 1. Cor. 15. 58. 21 Is the law then against the promise of God God forbid for if there had beene a law giuen which could haue giuen life surely righteousnesse should haue beene by the law 22 But the Scripture hath included all vnder sinne that the promise by the faith of Iesus Christ should be giuen to them that beleeue In these words Paul propounds and answers an other obiection in number the fourth The occasion of the obiection is taken out of the former words in which Paul saith the law is for transgressions It may be framed on this manner If the law serue to conuince and condemne vs of sinne it serues not to giue life but to kill and so it is contrarie to the promise which giuethlife The answer is made negatiuely God forbid And a double reason is rendered of the deniall The first is this If the law could giue life it should also giue iustice or iustifie and so it should be contrarie to the promise because then there should be two contrarie waies of iustification one by faith alone the other by faith with workes Therefore in that it kills and condemnes it is not contrarie to the promise The second reason is in the 22. verse Things subordinate whereof one serues for the other are not contrarie the law and the promise are subordinate for the law prepares the way for the accomplishing of the promise in that it shuts all vnder sinne that the promise may be giuen to them that beleeue in Christ. The vse In that Paul reiects the blasphemous obiection with God forbid we are taught to auoid things said or done to the dishonour of God with loathing and detestation When it was related to Ahab and Iezabel that Naboth had blasphemed God they beeing idolaters solemnise a fast pretending danger by the sinne 1. King 21. 12. Caiphas supposing that Christ had blasphemed rent his garments Math. 26. When Iob did but suspect his children of blaspheming God he called them and sanctified them Iob 1. 5. It is the fault of our daies that many blaspheme by cursing swearing c. without feare and many doe it as many dissolute souldiers in a brauerie and hearers thereof for the most part are nothing mooued thereat so ordinarie is the offence This shewes the wickednes of our times In the first reason Paul deliuers a notable conclusion namely that the thing which is the meanes to procure life vnto vs is also the meanes of our iustice or iustification before God And good reason For iustice causeth life and that which giueth life first of all giueth iustice Hence it followes that workes cannot meritoriously deserue eternall life For if life be by the workes of the law then iustice also but that cannot be for we must first of all be iustified before we can doe a good worke Let the Papists consider this Againe they which teach that faith is alone in iustification and that both faith and workes concurre as causes of saluation are deceiued For by the former conclusion of Paul if workes be causes of saluation then must they also haue a stroake in our iustification which they haue not And therefore they are the way of our saluation but not any cause at all Lastly here we see that many among vs doe not hold Christ or beleeue in him aright for their iustification because they hold him without change of heart and life For by Pauls conclusion whome Christ quickneth them he iustifieth and whome he doth not quicken them he doth not iustifie Examine thy selfe then if Christ haue sanctified and renewed thy heart thou art iustified if thy heart be yet vnsanctified and thy life vnreformed deceiue not thy selfe with fond imaginations thou art not yet iustified The 22. verse followeth containing the second reason And first let vs consider the meaning of the words The Scripture the words are in the Originall thus That
ouer vs. Thus Dauid knew God when he saide that he numbred his flittings and put his teares into his bottle Psal. 56. 8. Thirdly we must know God in respect of his will in all things to be done and to be suffered and this is the right knowledge of God to haue regard to his will Rom. 12. 2. Eph 5. 17. Dauid saith All thy lawes are before me 2. Sam. 22. 23. And when Shemei reuiled he spake thus He raileth because God biddes him raile 2. Sam. 6. 10. Lastly we must know and acknowledge God in the power which he shewed in the death and resurrection of Christ. Read and consider Eph. 1. 17. where Paul placeth the knowledge of God in two things in the knowledge of the riches of eternall life and in an experimentall knowledge of the vertue of the resurrection of Christ in our selues The third propertie is that this knowledge must be an effectuall and liuely knowledge working in vs new affections and inclinations He that saith he knowes God and keepes not his commandements makes him a liar 1. Ioh. 2. 4. and 3. 6. Tit. 2. last The vse Seeing the conuersion of a sinner stands in this spirituall knowledge of God we must be stirred vp to seeke to know God according as he will be knowne of vs. We desire to serue God and we cannot serue him vnlesse we know him nay so long as we know him not we doe nothing but serue the false gods of our owne hearts Againe we desire life eternall and this is life in right manner to acknowledge God Ioh. 17. 3. And the whol matter of our boasting must be the knowledge of God Ierem. 9. 24. God himselfe ministreth vnto me a further Argument to mooue you to this desire namely by the moouing of the earth yesterday For though Philosophers ascribe all to nature yet the truth is that the trembling and shogging of the earth is a signe of the great and extraordinarie anger of God The cause of this anger is that we know not God neither doe we for the most part care to know him We haue had the Gospel long but we bring forth but small fruits For this cause the earth in his trembling doth as it were groane to be disburdened of so rebellious a nation and it doth aster a sort craue leaue of God that it may deuoure a sinnefull people as it once deuoured Dathā and the companie of Abiram Now our dutie is in this iudgement of God to acknowledge his maiestie his anger and his iustice and with feare and trembling to humble our selues for our sinnes past thereby to preuent his anger to come The earth a bruite and dumme creature in his kinde is become a preacher vnto vs and his trembling must teach vs to tremble in our hearts and to sinne no more Againe if we must know God we must remember God and Christ and as we must know God so must we remember him Now we must not knowe Christ according to the flesh 2. Cor. 5. 17. and therefore we may not remember Christ according to the flesh that is in any worldly and carnall manner This therefore is not to keepe a Memorie of Christ to spend twelue daies in reuell and riot in masking and mumming in carding and dicing as many doe this is rather to burie the memorie of Christ and to doe homage to the god of pleasure Of them that saide Let vs eate drinke and sleepe Paul faith thus Awake and doe righteously for some of you doe not know God 1. Cor. 15. 34. Paul saith further But rather ye are knowne of God The knowledge whereby God knowes men stands in two things his Election of them to his speciall loue 2. Tim. 1. 19. and the Execution of Election whereby he makes men his peculiar people by calling iustifying and sanctifying of them Tit. 2. v. 14. Hence obserue first that Gods Election is the roote of all the gifts of God in vs. We know God because he first knows vs. Paul saith that we were elected that we might be holy Eph. 1. 4. Therefore we are not elected as some teach either for our faith or according to our faith but to our faith that is Elected that we might beleeue Secondly hence we learne that we can neither thinke will or doe that which is good vnlesse God preuent vs with his grace God must first vouchsafe to acknowledge vs before we can acknowledge him Ioh. 10. 14. Preuenting grace is twofold The first and the second The first when God in our first conuersion takes away the stonie heart and puts a fleshie heart in the roome The second is after we are regenerate for then God still preuents vs with good motions and desires Of both read Ezech. 36. 26. Some teach that if we doe that which we can God will giue vs his grace but this is false for then we should preuent God Thirdly by this we see that the workes of grace in God imprint their image in the hearts of them that belong to God And this is worth the marking There is a knowledge in God whereby he knowes who are his and this knowledge brings forth an other knowledge in vs whereby we know God for our God There is an Election in God which workes in the Elect an other Election whereby they choose God for their God The loue whereby God loues vs workes in vs an other loue whereby we loue God 1. Ioh. 4. 19. Christ first apprehends vs and this apprehension of his workes in vs the apprehension of faith wherby we lay hold vpon him Phil. 3. 12. When Christ makes intercession for vs in heauen there is another intercession wrought in our hearts by the spirit whereby we crie Abbafather Rom. 8. 26. The death of Christ hath a vertue in it to worke in vs the death of sinne Thus doth the spirit of God seale vs to the day of our redemption By this may we know that we belong to God if we finde any impression of the grace of God in vs. The sunne by his light shines vpon vs and by the same light we view and behold the sunne Lastly here is the foundation of true comfort Our faith doth not saue vs because it is a perfect vertue but because it apprehends a perfect obiect namely the perfect obedience of Christ. So then if our faith erre not in his obiect but be rightly fixed on the true causes of our saluation though it be but a weake faith and doe no more but cause vs to will desire and indeauour to apprehend Christ it is true faith and iustifieth the weakenesse of it shall not hinder our saluation which stāds not in this that we knowe God but in this that God knowes vs whose knowledge is perfect and cannot faile Againe our saluation stands not in our apprehension of Christ but in Christs apprehending of vs. Phil. 3. 12. This knowledge of God whereby he knowes vs hath two properties First it is speciall whereby he knowes all the elect euen
God Psal. 106. 23. Againe the people must shew their loue to their teachers first by praying for them as for themselues Rom. 15. 30. secondly by hauing in singular price the worke of the Ministery 1. Thess. 5. 13. and that is by wholsome doctrine to repaire the image of God and to erect the kingdome of God in the hearts of men When this thing is loued and desired then are Ministers loued This mutuall loue is of great vse it incourageth people to obay and the Preachers of the word to labour in teaching When Paul saith I beseech you brethren he shewes what moderation is to be vsed in all reproofes He tells the Galatians his minde plainly to the full and withall he indeauours to shew his owne loue to them and to keepe theirs It may be asked how Paul can say Ye haue done me no hurt at all For when a beleeuer in Corinth committed incest Paul tooke it for a wrong to himselfe 2. Cor. 2. 10. And no doubt to call the doctrine of the Apostle into question was a great wrong vnto him I answer the wrong was no wrong in his estimation and affection who was content to put vp and to forgiue the wrong Here we see the meeknes of Paul in that he quietly beares the crosses and wrongs laid vpon him The like was in Moses who 40. yeares together indured the bad manners of the Israelites Act. 13. 18. but the perfect example of this vertue is in Christ who saued thē that crucified him We likewise are to exercise our selues in this vertue And that we may indeede so doe we must first of all haue a sense of our spirituall pouertie and a faith in the mercie presence and protection of God Againe marke the minde of the Apostle that he may winne soules to God he is content to suffer any wrong The Priests and Iesuits among vs in England are content to venter life and limme that they may win Proselytes to the Church of Rome much more then must the true Ministers of the Gospel be content with any condition so they may gaine men to God In this case hurts and abuses must be no hurts nor abuses 13 And ye know how through the infirmitie of the flesh I preached the Gospel vnto you at the first 14 And the triall of me which was in my flesh ye despised not neither abhorred but receiued me as an Angel of God yea as Christ Iesus 15 What then was your felicitie for I beare you record that if it had beene possible you would haue plucked out your eyes to haue giuen them to me 16 Am I therefore become your enemie because I tell you the truth The answer to the Obiection in the former verse was this Be as J I am as you And the reason was this hatred presupposeth an offence ye haue done me no offence or hurt therefore ye may not thinke that I hate you The minor is in the 12. v. the conclusion in the 16. v. Againe the minor ye haue done me no hurt is confirmed in the 13 14 15. verses The summe of the Argument is this Though my outward condition was subiect to contempt yet did the Galatians shew loue and reuerence to me therefore ye did me no hurt Againe Paul sets forth both the parts of his argument And first of all he describes his owne condition by three things that he preached in weaknesse of the flesh that he preached the first that he preached hauing the triall of himselfe in his owne flesh Secondly the loue and reuerence of the Galatians is set out by three signes or effects they despised him not they receiued him as an Angel or as Christ himselfe they would haue plucked out their eyes to haue done him good The first thing in Pauls condition is that he published the Gospel in the infirmitie of his flesh that is in a meane and base estate without the shew of humane wisdome and authority and subiect to many miseries In this sense Paul opposeth infirmitie to the excellencie of humane wisdome 1. Cor. 2. 1. 3. and vnder it he comprehends all the calamities and troubles that befell him 2. Cor. 12. 10. This was the condition of the rest of the Apostles For they were but fishers and preached the word in their fisherlike simplicitie Nay this was the condition of Christ himselfe For he hid the maiestie of his godhead vnder the vaile of his flesh and his outward man was subiect to reproch and contempt Isa. 53. 3. And this is the Order of God The word must be dispensed in the infirmitie of mans flesh for sundrie causes First that we might not exalt our teachers aboue their condition who are no more but instruments of grace When the men of Derbe and Listra would haue offered sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas Paul forbids them saying that they were men subiect to the same passions with themselues Act. 14. 15. The second cause that we might ascribe the whole worke of our conuersion not to men but to God alone 2. Cor. 4. 7. The third is that God might by this meanes confound the wisdom of the world and cause men that would be wise to become fooles that they might be wise 1. Cor. 3. 18. The last is that we might be assured that the doctrine of the Apostles is of God because it preuailes in the world without the strength and pollicie of man And as the word is preached in weaknes so it is beleeued of men and the grace of God is conferred to vs and continued in vs in the weaknes of the flesh Gods loue is shedde abroad in the hearts of men but when euen then when we are in the midst of manifold afflictions Rom. 5. 2. 5. Paul beares about him the mortification of our Lord Iesus not for his damnation but that the life of God might be manifest in his mortall flesh 2. Cor. 4. 10. And he saith plainly that the grace of God is made perfect through weaknesse 2. Cor. 12. 9. By this we are taught a high point in religion and that is not onely to be content with the miseries and troubles of this life but to reioyce therein because when we are weakest we are strongest and when we thinke our selues forsaken of God in the time of distresse we are not forsaken indeede but haue his speciall fauour and protection 2. Cor. 12. 10. Let this be thought vpon for the works of God in the cause of mans saluation are in and by their contraries This is the manner of Gods dealing The second thing is that Paul preached the Gospel to the Galatians at the first as it were breaking the I se where none had preached before In this he claimes his priuiledge that he was to be esteemed as a master-builder that laid the foundation of the Church of Galatia and withall he giues a close item to the false Apostles who did not plant Churches but onely corrupt them after they were planted Againe Paul here notes the condition of
breathing as the soule And so it carries a fit sense For as the bodie without breath is dead and it shewes it selfe to be aliue by breathing so faith that is without workes is dead and it shewes it selfe to be aliue by workes 3. There is a false composition of the wordes to be considered faith that is without workes is dead is true but to say faith is dead without workes as though workes gaue life to faith is false and not the meaning of S. Iames but the former onely Againe the Papists hence gather that faith and loue are ioynt causes in the iustification of a sinner and that faith worketh loue in iustifying men before God But this Interpretation is against the whole scope of this Epistle in which Paul prooues that there is no iustification by the law c. 5. v. 4. and therefore no iustification by loue Againe Paul saith Rom. 3. 21. that righteousnes is reuealed without the law and therefore without loue And againe that we are made the righteousnes of Christ as Christ is made our sinne namely by imputation and therefore not by infusion of loue 2. Cor. 5. 21. Thirdly faith iustifies by apprehending Christ in the promise and therefore not by loue The consequent I prooue thus Faith and loue are two hands of our soule Faith is an hand that laies hold of Christ and it doth as it were pull him and his benefits into our soules But loue is an hand of another kind for it serues not to receiue in but to giue out the good it hath and to communicate it selfe vnto others Therefore faith cannot iustifie by loue Lastly loue in order of nature followes iustification and therefore it doth not iustifie For first of all faith laies hold on Christ then followes iustification vpon iustification follows sanctification and loue is a part of sanctification They vrge for themselues the words of Paul that faith works by loue Ans. Paul doth not shew in this verse what iustifieth but what are the exercises of Godlines in which Christians must be occupied And he doth not shew how faith iustifieth but how it may be discerned to be true faith namely by loue Secondly they obiect that faith and loue are alwaies ioyned and therefore ioyntly worke in iustification Ans. They are ioyned in one person or subiect and they are ioyned in the exercise of Christian life but they are not ioyned in the article of iustification Thirdly they vrge the 2. of S. Iames where it is saide that a man is iustified not onely by faith but also by works v. 24. Ans. Faith in S. Iames is put for an historicall knowledge of religion or for the bare confession and profession of faith Againe iustification is twofold one of the person the other of the faith of the person Iustification of the person is when a sinner is absolued of his sinnes and accepted to life euerlasting for the merit of Christ. Iustification of the faith of the person is when faith is approoued and found to be true faith and a beleeuer iustifies himselfe to be a true beleeuer Of this second iustification speakes S. Iames and it is not onely by faith but also by workes Lastly it may be obiected that loue is of no vse if it doe not iustifie Ans. Iustification and sanctification are two distinct benefits 1. Cor. 1. 30. and 6. 11. Iustification ministers vnto vs deliuerance from hell and a right to life euerlasting Sanctification is a fruit of the former and serues to make vs thankefull to God for our iustification and loue serues for the same vse because it is a speciall part of Sanctification Thus much of the deprauation of the text by the Papists Hence further I gather that many falsely in these last daies boast of faith because it is not ioyned with profiting in knowledge with true conuersion vnto God with fruits of loue to God and man whereas all true faith is fruitefull in good workes 7 Ye did runne well who did letyou that ye should not obay the truth The meaning Ye did runne well In these words Paul alludes to the games of running vsed among the heathen And he compares the word and precepts of God to a way or race beleeuers to runners life eternall to the price God to the vmpire or iudge the lookers on are men and Angels good and badde and the Exercise of religion is the running in this race Read of this 1. Cor. 9. 24. Phil. 3. 13 14. Who the interrogation hath in it the force of a reproofe or complaint And the sense is this they did euill which turned you forth of the way and you haue done euill that you obaied not the truth The like is Psal. 2. 1. Why doe the heathen rage that is it is great wickednes for them to rage Let stoppe intercept your course turne you out of the way That you should not obay that you should not giue credence to the doctrine of Paul and obay it The scope These wordes are a repetition of the principall conclusion of the whole Epistle And this repetition is not in vaine For it serues to bring the Galatians to a consideration of their offence and to amendement of life Hence I obserue that the often and serious consideration of our sinnes and liues past is a meanes to worke in vs a detestation of our sinnes and a reformation of life Thus Dauid saith that vpon consideration of his waies he turned his feete to Gods commandements Psal. 119. 59. And the cause why there is so little amendement among vs is because we neuer so much as thinke what we haue done In these wordes Paul sets downe three duties of Christian people The first is that they must be runners in the race of God Indeede the Sabbath of the Iewes figured a rest which is contrarie to running but this rest is from sinne and not from good duties This dutie of running teacheth vs foure things The first is that we must make hast without delay to keepe the commandements of God specially the commandements of faith repentance new obedience Psal. 119. 32 60. Contrariwise it is a great fault for youth others to deferre amendement till old age or till the last and deadly sicknes For that is the time to ende our running and not to beginne The second is that we are to increase and profit in all good duties specially in knowledge faith repentance But we in this age doe otherwise For either we stand at a staie or goe backe and very fewe of vs proceede forward in good duties And there are two causes of this One is blindnes of minde which makes vs that we see not how little our faith and repentance is and how great is the masse of our corruption the second is our vnbeleefe in the Article of life euerlasting The third dutie is that we must neither looke to the right or left hand or looke to things behind vs to set our affection on them but we must presse on forward to
religion in the exercises of faith repentance new obedience Thus did Abraham Gen. 17. and Iosua c. 24. They that doe not first of all consent in Christ cannot consent among themselues Secondly it must be obserued that a familie is the schoole of God in which he will exercise our faith inuocation loue patience long-suffering c. And there is more vertue to be seene in the well ordering of a familie then in the pretended holines of Monkish cloisters Thus we see how we are to maintaine the vnitie of the Spirit in the bond of peace For the better inforcing of this dutie Paul Eph. 4. 4. giues seauen reasons one bodie one spirit one hope of eternall life one Lord one faith one baptisme one father of all It may be said we are at peace what needes all this adoe Ans. The peace of many is peace in drunkennes called good fellowship peace in prophanes and wickednes This is the deuils peace where he beares the sway The peace of which I now speake is in the Lord and in the true worship of God of which read Isa. 2. where men are saide hand in hand to goe vp to the Mountaine of the Lord that they may heare his will and ioyntly obay it 16. Then I say walke in the spirit and ye shall not fullfill the lust of the flesh The scope Here Paul returnes to the first rule v. 13. and shewes the waie how it is to be obserued thus If ye walke in the spirit ye shall not fullfill the lustes of the flesh and when the lusts of the flesh are not fulfilled there shall no occasion be giuen to the flesh by the vse of Christian libertie The words containe two parts a Rule walke in the spirit the benefit that comes by the rule ye shall not fullfill the lustes of the flesh In the rule I consider two things what is the spirit and what is walking The spirit is the gift of regeneration lost by Adam restored by Christ. I say it is a gift and this gift is termed by the name of the spirit because the spirit worketh it immediatly in vs from the father and the sonne Againe I say it is a gift of regeneration to make a distinctiō bewteene it ciuill vertue For there is a gift of regeneration which mortifies corruption and a gift of restraint which serues only to keepe in corruption Of this second kind are all ciuill vertues in naturall and heathen men and not of the first Ioseph is chast and so was Xenocrates Iosephs chastitie is a part of regeneration and proceedes from the spirt here mentioned but the chastitie of Xenocrates is not so proceeding only from the generall prouidence of God and not from the spirit of Sanctification The like I say of all other ciuill vertues More plainly The spirit is a Diuine nature qualitie or cōdition whereby we are made conformable to Christ in righteousnes and holines The spirit hath fiue properties The first that it is a rich and liberall grace of God For it containes in it the seede of all vertues and all necessarie graces of God because it comes in the roome of originall sinne which containes in it the seedes of all vices or sinnes The second is the largenes of it for this spirit is in all the powers of them that are regenerat that is in the mind conscience will affections and in the sensuall appetite 1. Thes 5. 23. And he that is sanctified in on part is sanctified in all Hence it followes that they which haue plentie of illumination without change of affection and life are indeed carnall and not spirituall The third propertie is sinceritie for the grace of God is without falsehood or guile Psal 32. 1. hence ariseth the difference betweene the Godly man and an hypocrite betweene the workes of nature and the workes of grace There are men that in distresse desire the assistance fauour of God and they do it without the spirit of God for they do it deceitfully desiring Gods fauour not for it selfe but in respect of some euill from which they would be deliuered as the Mariners in Ionas and Pharao did Againe there are men that mourne for their sinnes without the spirit of God For there is much falsehood in their mourning because they mourne for sinne in respect of the punishment thereof and not in respect of the offence of God Lastly there are that pretend a loue to God and yet want the spirit for they loue God in respect of his benefits as Saul loued God for a kingdome such loue is mercenarie a worke of nature whereas the loue which is from the spirit makes vs loue God for himselfe The fourth propertie is excellencie for the spirit of grace in Christians is more excellent then the grace of creation in two respects First in respect of the beginning thereof For the spirit is from Christ the second Adam both God and man the grace of creation should haue beene conuayed vnto vs from the first Adam but a meere man if he had stood Secondly in respect of constancie for God gaue to Adam the will to perseuere if he would he giueth further to beleeuers both the wll to perseuere and the deed The fifte propery is liuelines whereby the spirit is effectuall in operation Elihu saith that the spirit compelled him and was in him as a vessell of new wine which must haue a vent Iob 32. 19. Of the operation of the spirit I deliuer three things The first that the spirit workes in and by the word of God which therefore is called the Ministerie of the spirit 2. Cor. 3. 6. The second that the spirit worketh by certaine degrees The first degree and the very first beginning of his diuine operation is to make vs feele in what great neede we stand of Christ to desire to be recōciled and turned vnto God This is the first motion of the spirit in vs and they which want this haue nothing as yet of the grace of God in them The third that the whole worke of the spirit may be reduced to three actions The first is to cast downe euery thing in vs that exalts it selfe against God 2. Cor. 10. as namely to beat downe erronious reason and rebellious affection and to put a man out of heart with his chiefe deligtes and with his owne selfe The second action is to kindle in our hearts a care and desire of reconciliation with God in Christ hence the spirit is called the spirit of grace and supplication Zach. 12. The third action is to write the law in our hearts and that is done by putting a new light of knowledge into the minde and new inclinations into the will and affections Thus much of the Spirit Walking in the spirit is to Order our liues according to the direction and motion of the spirit For as the spirit renewes our nature within so it makes vs to change and renew our actions in three respects First it makes
be brethren or consider not that they haue to deale with their brethren as Iosephs brethren who considering him as an enemie said one to another Behold this dreamer commeth come therefore let vs kill him Gen. 37. v. 19 20. But when they consider him as their brother they say Come and let vs sell him to the â—shmeelites and let not our hands be vpon him for he is our brother and our flesh v. 27. The second reason is in these words Considering thy selfe lest thou also be tempted And it is taken from the consideration of our owne estate that we are subiect to fall into and to fall in temptation as well as others and therefore we ought to deale with them in all meekenes as we would be dealt withall in the like case The words are laid downe by way of admonition or aduise and they carrie a double sense either thus Considering thy selfe that is looking to thy selfe lest thou also be tempted that is least thou offend and sinne in beeing too seuere a censurer of thy brother in reproouing sinne with sinne Or thus Consider thy selfe that is thine owne frailtie how thou maiest eaâ—ily be ouertaken with the same the like or a greater sinne seeing thou maiest be taken in the deuils snare and deceiued with his pleasant baites as well as he was therefore deale as mildely with him as thou wouldest others should deale mercifully with thee Here Paul forbiddeth vs not to consider the actions of our brethren for we are to consider one another First that we may auoid the contagion of euill example Marke them diligently which cause diuision and offences and auoid them Rom. 16. 17. Secondly that we may be able to reprooue and censure them Consider the matter consult and giue sentence Iudg. 19. 30. Thirdly that we may follow their good example Looke on theÌ„ which walke so as ye haue vs for example Philip. 3. 17. Let vs consider one another to prouoke vnto loue and to good works Hebr. 10. 24. But he would haue vs especially to consider ouâ— selues that by the consideration of our owne weaknesse we might learne more mildnes towards others in our reproofes for seeing we stand in neede of mercie we ought to deale mercifully and seeing God forgiueth vs innumerable sinnes we ought to forgiue seauen times yea seauentie times seauen times seeing he forgiueth vs tenne thousand talents we ought to forgiue a hundreth pence Matth. 18. 32 33. Obiect The Pharisie considered himselfe when as he said Lord I thanke thee that I am not as other men thus and thus or like this Publican Luk. 18. 11. and yet he is reprooued by our Sauiour Christ. Ans. True it is for he onely considered his owne supposed vertues which he should not haue considered but forgotten though they had beene true vertues indeede according to Christs precept Mat. 6. 3. Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth and Pauls practise Phil. 3. 13. I forget that which is behinde And neuer so much as lightly considered his owne sinnes which Paul here would haue vs to consider and therefore he is reprooued Paul would haue vs consider our selues because the serious consideration of our owne weaknes will mooue vs to practise this dutie of meeknes for as we helpe vp those that are fallen releeue the distressed pitie the afflicted burie the dead c. because we consider our selues in them that their case may be ours So we ought to restore those that are fallen in all meekenes because we may fail and be ouertaken as well as they the rather because God himselfe in correcting and reproouing vs doth descend to our weaknes and considers that we are but flesh and a wind that passeth and commeth not againe Psal. 78. 39. and Christ became like vnto vs in all things and was tempted in like sort yet without sinne that he might be mercifull and a faithfull high Priest and might be touched with a sense of our infirmities Heb. 2. 17 18. and 4. 15. Obiect He therefore that knowes assuredly he cannot be ouercome by temptation is not to reprooue in the spirit of meeknes Ans. No man is sure and therefore no man can be secure Againe though a man know he cannot totally nor finally fall away yet seeing he doth finde by experience that he cannot ouercome without much adoe without much striuing and wrastling nay oftentimes not without resisting vnto blood he ought to vse more meekenes and mildnes considering with what difficultie he ouercame our Sauiour Christ learned by experience how hard a thing it was to ouercome temptations that he might haue a fellow feeling of our infirmities Therefore spirituall men must remember that they were once carnall euen babes in Christ those that are strong must consider that they were once weake old men that are graue and staied must call to mind that once they were in the heat of their youth and what difficulties encountred them and with what contention they passed the vanitie of that age and so they shall the better reprooue others in the spirit of meeknes if they looke themselues in the glasse of their example this is Pauls reason why we should shew all meekenes to all men because we our selues were in times past vnwise disobedient c. Tit. 3. 2 3. Lastly marke here how Paul changes the number for hauing said ye that are spirituall restore c. in the plurall number here he saith considering thy selfe in the singular and not your selues lest thou also be tempted and not you which he doth not through rudenesse of speech as some of the ancient Diuines haue thought but with great iudgement he vseth a familiar Hebraisme changing the number First to giue the greater force and to set the sharper edge vpon his admonition For that which is spoken to all is spoken to none Secondly to shew how hard a thing it is for a man to consider himselfe It is naturall for men to spie notes in other mens eyes and not to perceiue beames in their owne Matth. 7. 3. to looke outward at others not inward at themselues Like Plutarchs Lamiae or fayries which carried their eyes in their heads when they went abroad but when they came home put them vp in a boxe In doing good and beeing beneficiall we must not so much consider our selues Philip. 2. 4. but in iudging and reproouing we ought to beginne with our selues For the better vnderstanding of the doctrine of brotherly correction and Christian reproofe I will handle these foure questions I. who are to be reprooued II. for what III. by whome IIII. in what manner I. Who are to be reprooued Ans. All that are brethren for so our Sauiour Christ saith If thy brother sinne against thee reprooue him Matth. 18. 16. And S. Paul saith Brethren if any man c. The name BrethreÌ„ is takeÌ„ foure waies in Scripture as Ierome hath well obserued against Helvidius I. for those that are brethren by nature as Iacob and Esau the
by good example and by gratious speeches seasoned with salt c. as Barnabas did who comming to Antioch and seeing the grace of God that was giuen them was glad and confirmed them therein exhorting them that with purpose of heart they would cleaue vnto the Lord. Act. 11. 22. and for this cause as I take it it is added v. 23. that he was a good man and full of the holy Ghost and faith The Vniting goodnes is likewise to be practised in setting men at Vnitie in reconciling those that are at variance in making peace and amitie where there is nothing but enmitie and dissention for for this cause Christ calleth peace-makers the children of God Matth. 5. 10. because herein they liuely resemble the goodnes of God their heauēly father as any sonne doth resemble any qualitie or propertie in his naturall father for he maketh men to be of one minde in one house Psal. 67. The Communicating goodnes beeing especially vnderstood in this place hath foure degrees First for temporall things we must communicate to the necessities of the Saints Rom. 12. 13. And for spiritual blessings we must remēber the saying of Peter Let euery man as he hath receiued a gift so minister the same vnto others as good disposers of the manifold grace of God 1. Pet. 4. 10. Secondly we must be plentifull in the workes of mercie not contenting our selues with this that we are beneficiall to some in releeuing them in their wants and necessities but we must be rich in good workes 1. Tim. 6. 18. Charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high minded that they doe good and be rich in good works readie to distribute and to communicate We must be like Tabitha or Dorcas who cloathed the poore with the garments which shee made at her owne proper cost and charges Act. 9. 39. and for this cause the holy Ghost giueth this testimonie of her that shee was rich or full of good works almes which shee did v. 36. like to the vertuous woman Prou. 31. 20. who openeth the palme of her hands to the poore and stretched out her hands to the needie like Iob of whome it is said that the loynes of the poore blessed him Iob. 31. 20. Thirdly we must be much in goodnes as the Scripture speaketh of God that is abundant in goodnes in communicating vnto others abundantly those blessings which the Lord hath stored vs withall not onely in louing our brethren for which the Thessalonians are commended that their loue one towardes another did abound but in a liberall supplying of their wants as Paul exhorts the Corinthians that as they did abound in faith and loue so they would abound in rich liberalitie 2. Cor. 8. 7. as good Obadiah did in spending his liuing and venturing his life in hiding an hundred of the Lords Prophets from the furious rage of wicked Iesabel 1. King 18. 13. Lastly we must be exceeding or superabundant in goodnes in exceeding measure if it may be in doing good like the poore widow who had rather want her selfe then be altogether wanting in contribution to the treasurie of the Lords Temple and therefore though it was but two mites which shee cast into the Corban yet Christ preferred it before all the rich mens offerings beeing put together in that they gaue of their superfluitie but shee of her penurie cast in all that shee had euen all her liuing Luk. 21. 4. It is well said by S. Ambrose We must releeue the wants of others according as we are able and sometime euen aboue our abilitie as Paul witnesseth of the Corinthians to their great commendation that to their power beyond their power they were willing 2. Cor. 8. 3. Further in doing good we must obserue these rules I. We must doe good of that onely which is our owne for we may not cut a large and liberall shine of another mans loafe as the common saying is we may not steale from one to giue to another or deale vniustly with some that we may be mercifull to others or robbe Peter to cloath Paul The Lord abhorreth euen burnt offering if it be of that which is gotten by rapine and spoile Esa. 61. 8. and hence it is that Dauid would not offer burnt offering without cost of that which was not his owne 1. Chron. 21. 24. II. We must doe good with chearefulnes and alacritie for God loueth a chearefull giuer 2. Cor. 9. Ambrose saith fitly and finely to this purpose Well-doing ought to proceede from well-willing for such as thine affection is such is thy action Therefore if we giue we must doe it freely otherwise it is no gift for what more free then gift therefore we may not play the hucksters in doing good for that doth most blemish the excellencie of the gift for as Lactantius saith Danda beneficia non foeneranda III. We must so doe good as that we doe not disable our selues for euer doing good but may continue in well doing and as the Psalmist speaketh bring forth more fruit in our age Salomon commands that the streames of our wells should flow to others yet so as that the fountaine be still our owne Psal. 112. 5. A good man is mercifull and lendeth and will guide his affaires with iudgement that is he will so discreetly dispose and order all his actions as that he will keepe himselfe within his compasse so beginning to doe good as that he may continue therefore the wise man saith In the house of the wise there is a pretious treasure and oyntment but a foolish man deuoureth it Prou. 21. 20. All the disciples that were at Antioch sent succour to the brethren which were in Iudea in the great famine that was in the time of Claudius Cesar yet euery man according to his abilitie Act. 11. 29. for according to Pauls rule we must not so giue that others be eased and we our selues pinched 2. Cor. 8. 13. IIII. We must doe all the good we can possibly within the compasse of our callings and hinder all the euill It will be said God whose example we are to follow doth not all the good he can neither doth he hinder all the euill Therefore we are not bound to doe all the good or preuent all the euill we can I answer in this particular we are not to imitate the example of God and that for three causes First because we are subiect to the law Thou shalt not doe euill that good may come of it Rom. 3. 8. whereas God is not bound nor subiect to any Law no not to his owne law but is aboue it and hath power to dispence with it Secondly because he is able to draw good out of euill light out of darknes which we cannot doe Thirdly because God is the Generall good we particular Now there is great difference betwixt these two for it belongs to the nature of the particular good to procure all the good
life or in respect of the intention of our loue in hauing a greater desire of the good of some then of othersome and thus we are not bound to loue or to doe good to all alike For as S. Barnard saith Meliori maior affectus indigentiori maior effectus tribuendus This doctrine inuested with the former examples may shame the base seruile and beggerly liberalitie of the common sort of men which professe the Gospel whose hands are tied to their purses and their hearts locked to their chests who are so extremely miserable that they neither doe good to others nor yet to themselues Secondly it condemneth them which are so vnnaturall that they forget all dutie to their kinred and acquaintance in the flesh Thirdly those who will doe good to none but to those that haue done good to them this is right the Pharisies righteousnes to loue our friends and hate our enemies the goodnes of the Publican to lend to those of whom they look for the like Lastly those who are so full of the poison of malice and reuenge that beeing once incensed they can neuer be appeased till they crie quittance with those that offend them The third thing to be considered in the words is the circumstance of time we must doe good to all while we haue time Here sundrie points are to be obserued I. If we must doe good while we haue time we must make a holy and profitable vse of our time the rarest iewell and greatest of all earthly treasures because time will not alway last and therefore we must take time while it is time seeing time and tide will tarie for no man Let vs consider what a shame it is that the children of this world should be wiser in their generation then we who professe our selues to be children of light The mariner or sea-faring man who obserues wind and weather taketh the oportunitie of the time the trauailer or way-faring man takes day before him and trauaileth while it is light The smith striketh the yron while it is hot for when it is cold it is too late to strike The Lawyer taketh his time to wit the Terme time for the intertaining of his clients and following of his suits for when the Terme is ended his time is gone Now it is alway Terme-time with Christians euery present day euen this present time is their Terme-time therefore if we will not shew our selues more carelesse negligent nay more absurdly foolish or desperatly madde then all men we must take the opportunitie that is offered to do good and vse the pretious time which God in mercie affordeth vs to his glorie our comfort and the good of others Time and opportunitie of doing good is hieroglyphically resembled by the head of a man that hath locks of haire before which a man may take hold of but hath none behind whereby is signified that when opportunitie is past there is no possibilitie left to doe good We must not therefore let slippe any good occasion but take hold of it at the first when it is offered Hence it is that the Apostle Ebâ— 3. 13. biddeth vs exhort one another daily while it is called to day And the wise man Prou. 3. 28. Say not to thy neighbour goe and come againe and to morrow will I giue thee if thou now haue it For he may die and so cannot come againe or by thy delaying of him may be discouraged from comming or thou maist be hardened against him or maist with the rich man in the Gospel be suddenly taken away from thy riches or thy riches taken from thee Our Sauiour biddeth vs walke in the light while we haue light Ioh. 12. 35. II. If we must doe good while we haue time we must obserue the Apostles golden rule Eph. 5. 16. Redeeme the time which is nothing els but so to employ it and vse the benefit of it as that we suffer it not to slippe away from vs without fruit or profit either for sloth and idlenes or by reason of vaine and transitorie pleasures or other occasions of this life but to gaine that time we formerly lost by negligence with double diligence yea to redeeme it with the losse of our ease our pleasures our profits And we shall the better practise this dutie if we consider that time is short pretious irrevocable it is short and therefore to be guided by diligence it is pretious and therfore to be redeemed by an high estimate and account of it in not beeing too lauish of it in bestowing it vpon our friends not vpon our enemies in placing it as a Iewell in our golden age and wearing it in our newe garments the robes of Christ his righteousnes and not as a pearle in a swines snowt in the rotten ragges of sinne and wickednes Lastly it is irreuocable and therefore it is to be redeemed by taking the opportunitie thereof III. Paul commaunding vs to doe good while we haue time would haue vs know times and seasons to obserue the shortnes of time to number our daies that we may applie our hearts to wisdome The not knowing and obseruing of time is a sinne much inueighed against by our Sauiour Christ Matth. 16. 3. O hypocrites you can discerne the face of the skie and can ye not discerne the signes of the times Luk. 12. 56. why discerne ye not this time the Lord doth preferre the very bruit beasts before his people because they know their appointed times and seasons whereas his people knew not the time of mercie and grace which was offered vnto them Euen the storke in the ayre knoweth her appointed times the turtle and the crane and the swallow obserue the time of their comming but my people knoweth not the iudgement of the Lord. Ier. 8. 7. And Christ threatneth Ierusalem that one stone should not be left vpon another because they knew not the time of their visitation Luk. 19. 44. And verily of all follies and ignorances this is the greatest not to know the day of our visitation the acceptable time the day of saluation when God offereth mercie by rising earely and calling vs by the ministerie of his word and stretching out his hands all the day long Rom. 10. v. 21. For if he stand at the doore of our hearts and knocke by the sound of his word outwardly by the motion of his spirit inwardly by his threatnings by his promises by his iudgements by his mercies by his tolerance and long suffering and yet for all that we will not open nor listen vnto him we shall stand with the fiue foolish virgins and knock at his mercie gate and say Lord Lord open vnto vs when it will be too late when heauen shall be shut against vs. Matth. 25. 11 12. For for this cause among others they are called foolish virgins because they considered not the time of the bridegroomes comming Here it will be saide obseruing of time is forbidden Gal. 4. 10. Ye obserue daies and