vaine talkers and will have all the words and by their good wills will talke of nothing else and so hinder edification in profitable doctrine and such as is out of question Tit. 1.10 11. and when men lust to be contentious and are like Salamanders that live alwaies in the fire and know no zeale without contention 1 Cor. 1â— 16 7. When men differ in judgement in the very points of foundation and erre against such truths as must be beleeved to salvation 8. If men be so â—â—ghâ— headed and variable that they are tossed to and fro and carried about with every winde of doctrine sometimes of one opinion and shortly after of another especially when men are so new fangled as in every place to receive almost any doctrine that is new divers Ephes. 4.14 9. When men quarrell so earnestly about things of lesse moment contrary to the custome of the Churches as about praying or prophecying bare or covered or about eating the Sacrament full or fasting 1 Cor. 11. or about such indifferent things as may bee used or not used with Christian liberty Rom. 14. or about Genealogies 1 Tim. 1.4 and such like And that this reproofe may enter the more deeply upon the hearts of some Christians it will be profitable to consider of the ill causes of disseâ—â—ing which are these and such like 1. Ignorance of the Scripture if they had more true knowledge they would not disagree and this ignorance yea sometimes palpable ignorance may bee found in some that thinke themselves to have more knowledge and to be more spirituall than a multitude of those from whom they disagree Mat. 22.1 Tim. 1.6 7. 1 Cor. 14.37 38. 2. Want of love to those found truths that morâ— concerne sanctification causeth God in his justice sometimes to give men up to delusionâ— and to beleeve lies 2 Thâ—s 2. 3. Vaine-glory the very desire to be some body and to excell others makes some Christians gladly to receive or bring in different opinions 1 Câ—r 4.8 Phil. 2. â— Gal. 5.26 4. Over much trust upon the judgments of some â—hâ—n they esteeme when they respect some Ministers so much as to be of their opinion though their consciences be not enformed of any â—ound reason from the word of God for it This estimation of men above that is written hath deceived â—â—â—y â— Cor. 3.21 4.6 5. Respect of earthly things Some men teach and professe to hold opinions of dissenting sometimes meerely for advantage to their estates either to get maintenance or preferment in the world by it Tit. 1.10 11. Rom. 16.19 20. 6. Prejudice is the root of dissenting many times as the Gentiles would not abide yeelding to ceremonies out of very dislike of the Jewes and the Jewes would not understand the needlesnesse of their ceremonies out of very contempt of the Gentiles and so the strength of faction on both sides kept them from agreeing 7. Heaping up of Teachers disorderly when Christians are so diseased with humour and so hard to be pleased with sound doctrine that they hunt up and downe to heare all sorts of men it many times proves hurtfull in this respect that they get infection from the different humours of the many Teachers they heare Disordered hearing in this respect breeds as a surfeâ— of the inward regard of sound doctrine so a great aptnesse to receive divers and strange doctrines 2 Tim. 4.3 4. 8. The contempt of their godly Teachers and want of sound affection to them to them I say that have a charge over their soules whom they ought to obey And this is the more vile as some Christians order the matter because of their hypocrisie in magnifying the judgement or gifts of Teachers that are absent and have not the charge of their soules and abusing the due respect of their owne Teachers which is yet more vile if this injury be done to such as were their Fathers in Christ. Thus of the Use for reproofe By the limitation given before from other expresse Scriptures we learne so to understand this doctrine of unity as it excludes all unity of opinion or practice with such Churches or particular persons as hold doctrines against the foundation of Christian religion so as we must never agree with them As for instance We may not without the damnation of our soules be of one mind with the Church of Rome for there are many things which they beleeve and practise which we must in no case joyne with them in and it is impossible to reconcile us to them unlesse they change their minds I will instance in divers things wherein we cannot without losing Christ be of one minde as 1. In opinion of merit of workes for thereby we make the Gospel or Doctrine of Gods grace of none effect and the promise of God void which is to deny the grounds of Christian religion Gal. 5.3 Rom. 4.14 11.16 2. In the opinion of worshipping Saints and Angels for the Apostle saith expressely that they that doe so hold not the head and so cannot be true members of Christ Col. 2.18 19. 3. In their Idolatry in making and worshipping of Images and almost infinite superstitions contrary to the second Commandement expressely and so as we are commanded to get out of this spirituall Babel in respect of her spirituall fornications 4. In their doctrine of Traditions for they teach that Traditions that are not agreeable to Scripture yet are to be received if they be deliveâ—â—d by the Church in equall authority with the Scriptures If we be of one mâ—â—de with them herein we cannot escape Gods eternall curse as these Scriptures shew Gal. 1.8 Rev. 22.18 5. In their doctrine of perfection for they teach a man may perfectly keepe the Law of God Now this is so dangerous an errour that the Apostle saith there is no truth in the man that holds it 1 Iohn 1.8.10 I omit the rehearsall of other differences Thus of the first vertue The second vertue charged upon Christians is compassion one towards another Have compassion one of another The word signifies such a fellow-feeling or sympathie that makes us like affected as if we were in their case The doctrine then is cleere That we ought to have a sympathy one towards another this is a singular vertue In handling of which point I will observe these things 1. The proofes of it from other Scripture 2. The Explication of the sense shewing in what things we should be like affected 3. The reasons of it 4. The Uses 1. The proofes are very pregnant and full in these other Scriptures Rom. 12.4 15. Heb. 13.3 2. For the explication This sympathie is to be exprest both in the case of the evills of others and in the case of the good of others In the case of the evills of others we ought to be tenderly affected towards them both in respect of their sufferings troubles griefes and crosses Heb. 13.3 10.34 Iob 30.25 whether they be inward or outward as
shall suffer for anothers workes further then he is some way 〈◊〉 of it But how can infants be iudged according to their works We understand not clearly how the proceedings shall be with infants it is evident that corruption of nature can make even infants children of 〈…〉 Psal. 51. and the covenant of God with the faithfull doth 〈◊〉 even their seed also Besides the Spirit of God doth supply externall works by internall sanctification in the elect infants But how shall poore men doe that are not able to doe good works It is an error to think that there are no good works but giving of almes For the obedience to Gods law in any commandement is a good worke works of piety to God are good works and so are the works of a particular calling It is a good worke to provide for a mans family and so to deale iustly with men is a good worke Besides there are many works of mercy which the poorest Christian may doe hee may pray for others or reprove or comfort or instruct c. The Uses may be collected out of the severall Scriptures where this doctrine is taught as 1. In Iob 7.2 We should long for that day seeing it is the day of paying wages 2. Iob 34.11 14 15 19 20 to 25. It should terrifie the mightiest sinners seeing God will not spare but without respect of persons iudge every mans works and if a temporall iudgment so affright all sorts as is reported Ezech. 7.27 how much more should this last iudgement 3. Psal. 62. ult We should daily think of this day of reckoning and not suffer any doubt against it For it will certainly be so 4. Prov. 24.12 Two things are inferred 1. That wee should not faint in the day of adversity 2. That without trifling we should doe good and shew mercy when we have occasion 5. The Prophet Ieremy useth this doctrine as a meanes to stirre up their hearts to a more awefull feare and admiration and adoration of that God whose eyes behold the waies of all men and whose iustice will reward according to their works 6. Our Saviour Christ useth it to excite the care of saving our soules and to work in us a contempt of life and this world and to deny our selves and take up our crosse and follow him Mat. 16.27 7. The Apostle Paul Rom. 2.7 useth this doctrine 1. To fright and terrifie three sorts of men viz. 1. Hypocrites ver 1 2 3. 2. Impenitent hard-hearted sinners ver 4 5. 3. Contentious and froward adversaries of well-doing ver 8. 2. To incourage the godly in all well-doing ver 9 10. 8. In the 2 Cor. 5.10 it serveth to inforce 1. Walking by faith ver 7. 2. Care to be accepted of God ver 9. 3. Desire to be absent from the flesh and present with the Lord ver 8. 4. Diligence in Ministers with all power to perswade with their hearers ver 11. 9. In the Eph. 6.8 9. it is used 1. To comfort servants 2. To warne masters ver 9. So it is also Col. 3.24 26. 10. In Rev. 22.11 12. it is used to upbraid the pertinacie of wicked men in sin and to incourage the godly in all perseverance in well-doing 11. Lastly you see how the Apostle make a use of it viz. that we should passe the time of our sojourning here in feare And thus of the doctrine of the second reason Paâ—e the time of your sojourning here in feare These word containe the inference or use of the former doctrine viz. it should imprint in us such a sense of our mortality as should stir up in us a daily care and feare in the spending of our time we are to live in the world These words aâ—firme fâ—ure things 1. That we are but sojourners 2. That we have but a time to sojourne 3. That this time passeth 4. That therefore we ought to spend the time in feare Sojourners This word may be taken either literally or mystically if it be taken literally it must be referred to the provinciall Jews so it may import two things 1. That Gods children in this life may be so driven from their native abodes that they may be compelled to live in strange places 2. That though the Lord suffer the Jewish Nation to be under a soâ—e dispersion for the time yet the time will come when they shall be gathered home together in great glory though now they are but sojourners But it is rather to be taken mystically and so it is to be referred to all the Elect who in respect of their absence from their heavenly Canaan are but soiourners at best in this world Heb. 11. Psal. 39. There may be some difference put betweene a home-dweller a stranger and a soiourner The dweller is perpetually resident and is at home The stranger staies but for a short time and is from home Now the soiourner differs from them both for he hath some setled abode but it is not at home as the dwellers is nor is it for so short a time as the strangers is Now if in this strict sense we should stand upon the words then in this world dwellers are no men strangers are wicked men and soiourners are godly men But it is evident that this word sojourner is taken promiscuously for any abode that is from home for Luke 24.18 it is taken for a stranger in the strictest sense and Act. 7.19 it is taken for a sojourner in the strictest sense But usually it is a word that notes the condition of the godly absent from their heavenly happinesse and imports an allusion to the childrenof Israel living in Aegypt absent from Canaan and so our Aegypt is the world our Canaan is heaven our soiourning is our entertainment in this world The world is like Aegypt and our entertainment like the children of Israel in Aegypt For 1. Pharaoh the Devill doth with all cruelties oppresse the gâ—dly 2. As Aegypt was full of enchaunters so is the world 3. As Aegypt abounded with superstitions so doth the world with ignâ—rance and all sorts of vaine observations â—ut the similitude will more appeare in the use The consideration of this that the godly are in this world as Israel soiourning in Aegypt may afford both matter of Instruction and matter of Consolation For Instruction it should teach us divers duties 1. Not to seeke unto our selves great things in this world Ier. 46. 2. To study to be quiet and meddle with the world no more then wee must needs 3. To please our selves or rest in no prosperity but to expect alteratiâ—â— never trusting the favour of the Aegyptians the men or this world For thâ—y will change 4. To have recourse to the promises of a better life and live by faith and wait for the time of our changing 5. Live separate from the conversation of worldly men as Israel did in Goshen 6. Endure much with patience and commit all to God Secondly this similitude imports
had informed themselves in some good sufficiency of knowledge herein and therefore they might not neglect his exhortation that might be proved by such a known reason For as much This word notes a dependance with the doctrine of the former reason and shewes that these reasons are linked in a chaine you cannot pull the one but you draw the other also And from hence wee may note 1. The sacred combination of holy truth in the mysteries of religion they hang all as in one chainâ— and 〈…〉 as in one body there is a wonderfull agreement amongst them they point one to another whereas in the writings of men by reason of their imperfection they are oftentimes discording not from other men but from themselves also their assertions sound as if they were afraid one of another or ready to fight one against another 2. That the right knowledge of Christs first comming to redeeme us serves generally to inflame our hearts to a desire after and care of his second comming to judge us For by his first comming 1. We know he hath satisfied for our sins and therefore need not feare the sentence of condemnation or Gods anger 2. We know how dearly he paid for our sins and therefore we should for ever hate sinne 3. We know that he cannot but doe us honor then since for our sakes he himselfe was judged on earth and did shed his owne bloud for us 4. We know that at that day we shall be fully redeemed and receive all the inheritance prepared for us What shall I say if this his first comming were so full of love pitty care grace and profit for us how then should we long for his second comming when he shall give himselfe not for us but to us for our eternall delight and happinesse The Use may be for tryall of the truth of our faith in his first comming if we can stirre us up with care and cheerfulnesse to provide for his second comming then we doe effectually beleeve it else it is very doubtfull whether we doe indeed know Christ crucified Thus of the coherence the insinuation followes Yee know From hence foure things may be noted 1. That we may be profitably put in mind of the things wee know yea we need to be put in mind of them for thereby wee may know things the better and more fully but especially wee need it for the use of knowledge This is true in rebuâ—es for sinne in consolations in affliction in directions for our lives and as here in the doctrine of the mysteries of our religion they and we know the doctrine of redemption perhaps but the powerfull use of that doctrine we are altogether wanting in besides what we know we know but in part The Use is for great reproofe of those vaine persons that neglect hearing reading admonition c. upon pretence they know it already if that were true yet this doctrine shewes we need to be put in mind even in the things we know yea wise men will receive commandments yea and rebukes too Prov. 9. It is a discreet commendable charity sometimes the better to perswade and winne affection to insinuate the praises of others as here the Apostle so did Paul to Agrippa Act. 26.3 It is certaine that by nature we are pleased highly with others opinions of our knowledge and contrariwise the aâ—peâ—sion or ignorance is wonderfull hatefull there be some sins that vexe us more then others to have them imputed as lying and divers others so ignorance the devill knew this well in Eves case the intimation of ignorance made her ruine her selfe and her prosterity and so doth the devill still What makes many goe to hell for want of direction how to be saved even this they will not have their ignorance seene What makes many leap from the cradle of religion to the throne of censure so as to think themselves fit to judge whole Nations when troops of learned men are extreamly toyled with advising Is it not this opinion of knowledge Now as the devill useth it for hurt so may the godly make advantage of the weaknesse of our natures herein the better to direct us to good 3. Of all doctrines we must be sure to know the doctrine of our redemption for this is the most fundamentall doctrine of all others It is impossible to be saved without the knowledge of this 2. Of all doctrines this is most clearly taught in Scripture 3. Of all doctrines wee have most need of this against the discomforts of temptations infirmities afflictions and death it selfe 4. This most exalts the glory of Gods grace and mercy and all others are in a manner built upon this 5. Lastly this hath exceeding great force to perswade us to holinesse of life for it both shews us to whom wee belong and what reason we have to obey him and withall implyes how vile we are in our selves First so labour for knowledge herein that thou mistrust thy own nature and the policie of the devill even the slower thou findest thy disposition to it the more strive after it let not the devill rob thee of this knowledge above all other We are not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold In these words is contained the first principall point namely the invalidity of all earthly things to redeeme us they containe the disabling of the riches of this world and as the words lye two things are said against the treasures of this world First that we are not redeemed by them Secondly that they are corruptible things That they cannot redeeme the soule of man is evident 1. By proofe Psal. 49.6 7. 2. By experience we see wicked men abound in these things and yet goe to hell Psal. 17. ult 73.12 Eccles. 9.11 3. This may appeare by a distribution of the parts of redemption for they cannot appease Gods anger Prov. 11.4 they cannot restraine the devils power they cannot buy us a righteousnesse answerable to that the law requires they cannot be a ransome to keepe the soule from hell Iob 29.9 19 20. they cannot cover our imperfect workâ— they cannot buy us a better nature but rather choke the word of God Mat. 13. and make men carelesse of repentance and conceited of theâ—â—elves and wilfull to entertaine sinne Prov. 28.11 Hosea 12.8 and drowne men in noysome lusts 1 Tim. 6.9 yea how hard is it for a rich man to enter into the Kingdome of heaven Mat. 19. Lastly they cannot make us immortall Iam. 1.10 11. Thus it is cleare they cannot redeeme us For the second they are corruptible This is manifest Solomon saith they have wings Prov. â—7 they vanish subject to violence or vanity Mat. 6.13 yea many times they goe away with an ill loose it may be the ruine of the owners Iob 20.18 Eccles. 5. Ier. 17.11 nor can they goe with their owners when death comes Psal. 49.17 The Use may be 1. For information It should raise the price of true grace and
things that concerne a religious life and then our duty to man and in particular to Magistrates This the Apostle intimates in that he first instructs them as Christians and then as Subjects and there is apparent reason first in respect of God secondly in respect of themselves and thirdly in respect of the Magistrate First in respect of God for we are first and chiefly bound to God our first covenant is made with God and we are more beholding to God than to all the world besides and therefore againe to respect his glory and obedience to him in the first and chiefe place Secondly in respect of our selves and our owne profit we must study God's Lawes as well as the Lawes of men yea with our first and chiefe cares and accordingly yeild obedience because though by keeping the Lawes of men wee may live quietly and safely and with much reputation yet all this will not protect us against the breach of Gods Law but the hand of God may pursue us while we live and we may be damned in hell when we die for want of a religious life Thirdly in respect of the Magistrate he shall have the better Subjects by it Good Christians are the best Subjects and the knowledge of Religion and Gods Word makes men obey not for feare or custome but for conscience sake and for feare of God's displeasure And besides it makes men humble and charitable humble not to thinke themselves too good to obey and charitable in not suspecting the meaning of Princes further than they must needs And it restraines the excessive pronesse of mens natures that are without Religion apt to speake evill of those that are in authority and chiefly because true Religion will make men pray heartily to God for their Governours and God himselfe doth spare or blesse them the rather for the prayers of the righteous The use should be to informe and teach all sorts of men to take heed of separating what God hath joyned together It is an extreme folly to give unto Caesar what is due to Caesar not to give unto God what is due to God and so it were to give unto God what is due to God if men could doe it not to give to Caesar what is due to Caesar. The respect of God's Lawes should make us more carefull to observe mans Lawes And contrariwise it is a fearfull case that many live in that thinke they have done enough if they live in obedience in respect of the authority that rules them in the places they live in they would bee much troubled if the Magistrate should bee offended with them but are never troubled though they provoke God to his face and they are maliciously foolish that would have the Laws of men obeyed when they are against the Lawes of God or would have men so rest in observing the just Lawes of men as not to be so forward and busie about the duties of Religion Further a question may bee here asked Why the duty of Magistrates is not here set downe as well as the duties of Subjects I answer that in those times of the Apostles the Magistrates were without so farre from being Christians that they did for the most part persecute that way and therefore they doe avoid medling or undertaking to teach them that would not learne but rather be incensed against such Teachers Besides if this and other Scriptures of the New Testament be marked we shall finde that the duty of Inferiours is both more often and more fully taught than the duty of Superiours for in that new and tender world great care was to bee had that under pretence of Religion civill obedience either in the family or Common-wealth were not neglected And it is a truth to be knowne at all times that God would not have Inferiours too skilfull in the duty of Superiours that they might first learne to shew duty before they called for duty from their Superiours That may be one reason why the duty of Masters is not here handled and in other places of the Epistles but briefly for many times the description of the duty of Superiours is used but as a glasse by the Inferiours to pry into the faults of those that rule them and so grow carelesse and wilfully stubborne under pretence of the faults of their Superiours But some one might say that by this means if the Magistrates did turne Christians they were left without rules of direction and so they should not know what to doe Answ. That inconvenience was long before prevented because the duty of Magistrates is fully taught in the Old Testament which unto a godly minde is of as great authority as the New Thus of the coherence and generall consideration of all the words The duty of Subjects followes to bee particularly considered of Submit Concerning Subjects here are five things to be considered of First the proposition of Doctrine in these words Submit your selves to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake Secondly the exposition of it in one case and that is the persons to whom they were to bee subject to all sorts of Governours to Kings or any other Governours Thirdly the confirmation by reason Ver. 14 15. Fourthly the answer of an Objection Ver. 16. Fiftly the conclusion Vers. 17. In the Proposition consider 1 The duty to be done Submit 2 The persons must doe it your selves 3 The things to which they must bee subject Ordinances where is a double extent viz to every ordinance though they be ordinances of men 4 The manner or motive For the Lords sake Submit The duty is to submit unto Magistrates Rom. 13.1 2. For Explication two things are to be considered Why we must submit and How we must submit For the first we must submit 1 Because God is the Author of Magistracy Gen. 9.6 Deut. 16.18 Pro. 8.15 Dan. 2.21 Ioh. 19.11 Rom. 13.1 4 6. Object The Divell is said to bee the Prince of this world and hee claimeth all the kingdomes of the earth Ioh. 12.31 Mat. 4.8 9. Sol. He is the Prince of this world by malicious usurpation not by any right 2 He is so in relation to wicked men he is their king but not of others 3 He speakes like himselfe that is like the father of lyes when hee claimes all the kingdomes of the earth for no part of the world is his because The earth is the Lords and all that therein is Object But God was angry with the Israelites for their asking of a King and therefore it seemes it was not his ordinance that there should be Kings Sol. He was not angry with them for desiring Governours for they had Governours before sent of God and the very King they had afterward God gave them him Hos. 13.8 but hee was angry for the cause of their request Their faith and hope was in a manner spent and they conceived more hope in a King than in God that had beene such a King to them so many yeares 2
verse 7 this effect is both propounded and amplified propounded in those words The tryall of your faith amplified 1. by comparison with goâ—d triâ—d in the fâ—rnace 2. by the event it will be found to praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Iesus Christ. The second objection might be made thus Wee know not whether the former comforts belong to us to which the Apostle answers by giving three signes by which men may try themselves 1. The love of Christ whom they have not seene 2. Beleeving 3. The unspeakable and glorious joyes of the Holy Ghost verse 8. The end of all which is the salvation of their soules verse 9. Thus of the Prolepsis the testimonie of holy men foâ—â—owes where consider five things 1. Whâ—â—e sâ—â—i fie In generall Prophets In speciall those Prophets which were appâ—â—â—â—ed to testifie of the grace that should come unto us Christians 2. 〈…〉 precâ—â—â—nes to furnish themselves for the knowledg of the things they testified They searched inquired diligently 3. The question they studied or unto which they testifie In generall 〈…〉 of salvation verse 10. In speciall it was of the manner and time of the grace foretold 4. The 〈…〉 them to this earnest desire after this knowledge and that was the inspiration of the Holy Ghost driving them to foretell of the passion of Christ and glories that should follow 5. The successe and that is that they were answered of God where observe two things 1. The manner of the giving the answer it was by revelation Unto whom it was revealed 2. The matter of the answer which concernes both Persons and Things The persons are considered negatively and so they were resolved that they themselves were not the men to whom those glories did belong and affirmatively that they did minister those things unto us Christians Now the things promised are not onely propounded but commended and that two wayes 1. By the glory of their efficient causes which were lesse principall the Apostles and more principall the Holy Ghost sent downe from heaven 2. By the adjunct respect of the Angels which things the Angels desire to looke into Hitherto of the consolation The exhortation followes from ver 13. to the end where observe 1. The things unto which they are exhorted verse 13. 2. The reasons by which the exhortation is inforced The things to which he doth exhort are three 1. The first concernes the renovation of the mind Girde up the loynes of your minde 2. The second concernes the moderation of life be sober 3. The third concernes the confirmation of their hope Trust perfectly upon the grace to be brought c. ver 13. The reasons follow and they are 6. in number taken from the consideration 1. Of the Image of God verses 14 15 16. 2. Of the judgement of God verse 17. 3. Of the redemption in Christ verses 18 19 20 21. 4. Of the relation to the godly verse 22. 5. Of the immortality of the soule verse 23. 6. And sixtly of the mortality of the body verses 24 25. The first reason taken from the Image of God is both propounded and expounded propounded in these words as obedient children expounded two waies 1. by description 2. by testimonie By description 1. negatively shewing what they should shâ—nne Not fashioning your selves to the lusts of your former ignorance ver 14. 2. He sets it out affirmatively both by shewing the patterne to be imitated viz the holinesse of him that called them and also the manner of imitation viz to be holy in all manner of conversation ver 15. In the testimonie two things are to bee noted 1. Whence the proofe was fetched in these words As it is written and 2. what was alledged viz Be yee holy as I am holy ver 16. The second reason is taken from the judgement of God where note 1. The proposition of the reason viz Hee that yee call upon as Father c. 2. The inference or use of the same viz Passe the time of your sojourning in feare In the proposition consider 1. Who shall be judge viz he that was called upon as a Father 2. How he shall judge viz without respect of persons 3. Whom he shall judge viz every man 4. For what they shall be judged viz according to their workes verse 17. The third reason is taken from the consideration of our redemption and this reason should move the more 1. Because all the precious things in the world could not redeeme man verse 18. 2. Because the deliverance from our vaine conversation was one of the maine ends of our redemption verse 18. 3. Because our redemption was effected by a matchlesse price viz the passion of Christ which is increased 1. In that it was a suffering even to the effusion of blood 2. that it was a suffering of one that was so infinitely pure without spot or blemish verse 19. 4. Because our redemption was ordained in Gods counsell ver 20. 5. Because the honor of manifesting Christ in the cleare preaching of the Gospell is done now to us Christians and not to the Fathers of old verse 20. 6. Because our redemption was ratified by God the Father and that two waies 1. By raising Christ from the dead 2. By giving him glory verse 21. 7. Because all this was done that our faith and hope might be in God verse 21. The fourth reason is taken from our relation to the godly ver 22. In which reason observe 1. A proposition of doctrine 2. An exhortation by way of use The proposition in it selfe properly concernes sanctification which is described 1. By the nature of it imported in the mâ—taâ—horicall terme purified 2. The subject of it your soules 3. the forme of it in obeying the truth 4. The cause of it the spirit 5. The end of it which was brotherly love amplified by the property of it unfained The exhortation is therefore to love one another with a pure heart fervently The first reason is taken from the immortalitie of the soule which is considered two wayes 1. In respect of the fountaine of it which is the new birth 2. In respect of the meanes of it which is set downe 1. negatively not of corruptible seede 2. affirmatively where consider what the meanes is and by what it is What it is viz incorruptible seede By what it is the word which is praised for three things 1. It is of God 2 â—t liveth 3. It abideth for ever ver 23. The sixt reason is taken from the mortality of the body compared with the eternity of the word of God ver 24 25. Of the vanity of man ver 24 which is â—â—th propounded and repeated propounded as it concernes either the person of man All flesh is grasse or the condition of man All the glory thereof is as the flower of grasse The repâ—tition â—s it concerns both is in these words the grasse withereth and the flower falleth away The eternity of the word of God is propounded in
to such an estate as they should neither see nor understand the Lord being as it were made unwilling that they should bee converted yea this very unbeliefe may cause God to repent of his mercies and destroy men even after many singular favours bestowed upon them what shall I say if we out of this text consider the use and need of faith may not Christ wonder at our unbeliefe if still we will goe on in security Secondly we should all then be perswaded to settle about this work of faith and assurance knowing the singular worth and use of it and to this end pray unto God to shew us the greatnesse of his power in them that beleeve and withall make use of the light while we have it to walke in it that â—o the Lord may still owne us as the children of light c. Lastly it may be a great comfort to all that have gotten assurance Hee that beleeveth is in such an estate for happinesse as he needs not be ashamed no the Lord will so performe all things according to his faith that he shall never be ashamed A man need be ashamed of nothing but his unbeliefe and of every such Christian it may be said as once it was of one Blessed is she that beleeved For there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. Vnto salvation This is the end of our preservation From the coherence and generall consideration of the words three things may be noted First converted Christians shall be saved Secondly unlesse we endure to the end all is vaine It will not profit us to be kept for a time or a long time but it must be till the very moment of salvation Thirdly here we may note a lively difference betweene a temporary faith and a justifying faith This is best at last the other is most lively when it is first hatched This is sorowfull at first but leads to joy The other is joyfull at first but leaves men in such a case as they must lye downe in sorow This is onely in such as shall be saved the other in such as may be damned note I say may may be not shall be This is a strong garrison to guard us in the evill day the other is confident till evill come and then it betrayes men This will not rest without assurance of salvation to come the other is secured with probabilities and hopes and conjectures present This is a great discerner of wants and therefore beares it selfe upon Gods power The other lookes chiefly outwards and considers not his fall till he be falling Thus in generall Vnto salvation Salvation is threefold 1. Corporeall 2. spirituall in this life or 3. eternall in heaven It is eternall salvation is here meant and so salvation properly notes the negative part of our happiness in heaven that is that there we shall be made safe that is we shall be out of the reach of Satan evill men the flesh sinne infirmity sorow paines reproach evill example discouragemeÌ„t death hell but by synecdoche it notes the whole happinesse of a Christian for ever in glory but this is named because it is easier to tell what shall not be in heaven then what shall be there The Uses are both for instruction and terror For instruction this may teach us two things first to acknowledge Gods great mercy in that hee gives us the meanes of salvation which was wont to be the sole honor of the Jewes If carnall men had such availeable meanes for earthly things how would they esteeme them how rich and great would they be secondly our hearts desire and prayer unto God should be that we might be saved even that we might have it as well as heare of it and to this end First we should shake off that naturall security and drowsie sleep that is upon our hearts especially we should not deceive our selves For many a man thinks he should be saved when he hath little reason for it Secondly wee should use all diligence to get the knowledge of heavenly things For Christ will never be salvation where he is not first light Thirdly we should be especially carefull to seek the knowledge of Gods favour in the remission of our owne sins For God giveth knowledge of salvation by remission of sinnes and to this end wee should imploy our selves in repenting us of our sins Fourthly as a singular furtherance hereunto wee should be wise in discerning the seasons fearfull to stand out the day of salvation For our repentance and assurance might be at some times speeded with singular successe whereas delay may breed either losse or difficulty Fiftly our hearts should be so set upon heaven that we should alwaies be ready to obey both present and absent working out our salvation with feare and trembling Those daring venturous bold spirits that dare live in any evill so it stare not in their faces and have not a heart fearfull of the last evill aspire not to immortality they expresse not the care or hope of heaven And as it serves for instruction so it may serve for terror and great reproof to all wicked persons that doe shift off and neglect so great salvation and frustrate the meanes of saving their owne soules Prepared Salvation is prepared five waies 1. By preordination and so it was prepared before the world was as Topheth was prepared of old for the wicked 2. By creation and so it was prepared when the Lord made of nothing that gloriâ—us place above these visible heavens 3. By the mission of Châ—ist who by his obedience and sacrifice merited for the elect this eternall salvation 4. By regeneration for so we are said in the verses before to be begotten againe to an immortall inheritance for therein the Lord breaths into us that lively hope and other immortall graces 5. And lastly by justification forgiving us all our sinnes that might keep us out of heaven and clothing us with the righteousnesse of Christ and accepting us thereupon as his adopted children in Christ. 2. Preordination is the fruit of Gods counsell Creation of Gods power regeneration of Gods word Christs mission of Gods love and justification of Christs resurrection Preordination and creation and Christs mission are past and so salvation is prepared Regeneration and justification are present and so it is preparing now there is a preparation which remaines yet and that shall be in the last time by the citation of the world by the last trump by the collection of all Nations from the foure winds of heaven after they are raised But I think this is not meant here The Use is threefold First wee should acknowledge Gods great love that thus provideth for us so long before and say with the Prophet Lord what is man that thou art so mâ—ndfull of him Secondly we should kindle our desires
doctrine may serve for three uses First It may confute that cavill of carnall men that Religion will make men dumpish and melancholy whereas the cleane contrary we see here is true 2. It greatly reproves the uncheerfulnesse of many professors who doe thereby greatly darken the glory of Religion and cause the way of God to be evill spoken of besides the hurt they doe themselves through unthankfulnesse and unbeleefe exposing themselves to the tentations either of sinne or apostasie together with a continuall unfitnesse to all duties of piety and this ariseth out of aptnesse either to passion of anger or worldly griefe 3. It may teach us to seek the ioyes of God and having found them to be carefull by all meanes to preserve them But what shall I doe to preserve the ioyes of God in my heart First keep thy self free from the allowance of the least sin violate not the peace of thy conscience Secondly digest the promises concerning infirmities after calling Thirdly take heed of omission or carelesse use of Gods ordinances Lastly care not for the world but retire thy selfe else from thence will flow unavoidable unrest Before I passe from these words yet two things more may be briefly touched First in that he â—aith yee rejoyce he seemeth to import that true ioy is onely in converted Christians For as for the ioyes that the men of this world have they are not true For besides there is much vanitie and madnesse in them there is also much danger in them for they breed security and men shall be called to account for them yea men may lose their soules for them Secondly where he saith wherein hee meanes in which benefits of regeneration glorification preservation c. whence may be briefly noted that the chiefest ioyes of Christians are in spirituall things it ill beseemes Christians to set their hearts on earthly things But is it not lawfull to delight our selves in earthly pleasures It is with these rules First thou must be sure thou hast repented of thy sins before thou allow thy selfe liberty for pleasures 2. Thou must not make a vocation of recreation 3. Thou must spend onely thy owne time upon them not the Lords 4. Thou must avoid scandalous delights and such games as are of evill report 5. Thou must watch over thine owne heart that thy recreations steale not away thine heart from the delight of better things but be used rather as an helpe unto them Lastly note from hence that they onely are fit to give testimony of the ioyes of a converted estate that have had experience of it themselves trust not the iudgements of carnall persons for the dignity utility and durablenesse of the graces of godlinesse And thus of the first reason Though now for a season you are in heavinesse There are divers sorts of heavinesse 1. There is the heavinesse of the desperate such was that in Cain and Iudas 2. and the heavinesse of the disappointed such was the heavinesse of Haman Ahab and Ammon when they could not compasse their ambitious covetous and voluptuous ends 3. And there is the heavinesse of the melancholy and of the scandalized 4. There is the heavinesse of the penitent for sinnes 5. and of the afflicted for crosses 6. There is a heavinesse in Gods children after calling for spirituall respects as for corruption of nature for absence of Christ for want of the meanes for the dishonour of God in publike abominations for the miseries of the Church for Gods threatnings and anger for the desire of death for hardnesse of heart and for speciall sins after calling Quest. But may not Gods children be heavy for crosses Answ. They may and I think that may be meant here but then these rules must be noted First that their heavinesse be rather for some sinne in themselves which might cause the crosse then for the crosse it selfe Secondly that their heavinesse be moderate Quest. But when is sorrow for afflictions moderate Answ. First when it exceeds not the measure of sorrow for sin 2. Secondly when it withdrawes not the heart from God and holy duties through passionate and incredulous perturbations but it is to be noted in the generall that the Apostle is very loth to grant them liberty for heavinesse but it is with many limitations as 1. it must be but a little season 2. they must be sure need doth require it 3. it may not be allowed for many crosses that will not be allowed for lesser or fewer tentations For a season The troubles and griefs of Gods children are but for a season for a moment God hides his face but a little while and the reason is because afflictions are used of God but as plaisters or medicines or as a â—urnace Now in as much as the godly will quickly judge themselves and make their peace therefoâ—e the Lord will soone draw off the crosse the plaister shall lie no longer than till the sore be whole and the goldsmith will let his metall lye in the fire no longer than till the drosse beâ— melted off or it be fit to be wrought upon Now if crosses should continue long in our reckoning say it were the whole life of a man what is mans life even a vapour that appeareth a little time Besides what can thy longest crosses be in comparison of the paines of the damned from which thou art delivered or of the joyes and glory of heaven which thou shalt possesse Yea what is that thou dost suffer in comparison of what thou deservest but yet I say it is but a season as wee account seasons even a small part of the life of the godly For either the Lord removes the crosse or takes away the sting of it or sweetens it with his mercies The Use may be to teach us to check the unquietnesse and failings of our hearts and to be ever ashamed of our selves that we should make so much of our crosses and so little of Gods mercies we should learne seeing they are but for a season to hold fast the confidence of our hope and live by faith and if the Lord be angry to hide our selves for a little season till his indignation be past If need require Here three things may be observed First that Christians manâ— times make crosses to themselves and draw heavinesse upon their hearts through feares and suspitions and unquietnesse where there is no need this is a great fault and usually is a great scourge For by such distempers they many times lessen the comforts of God and their credit with Gods children Secondly crosses and griefes are sometimes needfull needfull I say to hide our pride to weane us from the world to put us in minde of death to make us desire heaven to drive us to seeke more grace and holinesse to prevent sinne to come to humble us for sinnes
and I place all under the head of imperfect revelation because though the things revealed to the Prophets were perfectly revealed in respect of certainty and evidence yet it was but a revelation in part that is of some things onely There were many things knowne to Christ and the Angels which the Prophets never knew There is also difference betweene Visions and Revelations Visions are external in some things shewed to the sight Revelations are internall shewed â—nely â—o the understanding But what is the difference betweene Revelation and Knowledge and Prophesie and Doctrine mentioned 2 Cor. 14.6 There are two waies by which men come to the understanding of Gods will The one extraordinary and that is by revelation and the other ordinary viz. by knowledge attained by labour and industry in the use of meanes this the Apostle calls knowledge now prophesie and doctrine depend upon these two For men did vent and utter their revelation by prophesie that is by foretelling things to come and men doe vent their knowledge by doctrine and teaching others Are not we more miserable now then they were in the times of the Prophets seeing they had revelations and we have none We are not for these reasons 1. Because we have the substance of all their revelations For their most glorious revelations were concerning Christ to come whom we possesse as the riches of the Gentiles whom they had not in the flesh but saw him a farre off 2. Because the Lord hath now fully revealed his will in the Scriptures of the old and new Testament to be a perfect guide unto eternall life 3. Because we have all their revelations that could profit us in any speciall measure we have them I say left upon record written for our learning 4. Neither are wee altogether without revelations that for the riches of them answer the full value of their revelations For to omit that God hath revealed his Sonne in the flesh in these latter ages of the world which was a greater shew then was ever made in heaven or in earth to omit this I say 1. In the doctrine of the Gospell now there are divers riches mines and mysteries of knowledge broke open which were hid since the world begun from ages and generations Col. 1. 26. Rom. 16.26 and these made knowne not to Apostles onely but to babes and infants Mat. 11.25 to abiect Gentiles as well as Jewes Luke 2.32 for revelation of the Gentiles to young men and maidens Act. 2. 2. Christ is revealed in the hearts of men now as well as then and that is the best revelation the works of the grace of Christ such as his image graciously revealed in their hearts Christ lives in his people now Gal. 1.12 2. 20. Rom. 8.29 3. The righteousnesse and favour of God is with a speciall lustre revealed from faith to faith Rom. 1.17 4. The Lord doth still assist his servants in speaking and hearing and teaching to profit we have more than we bring into the pulpit and thâ— Lord still opens mans understanding and is with our mouthes to give us a doors of utterance Eph. 1.18 Col. 4.3.2 Cor. 3.5,6 5. The Spirit of Christ doth reveale now also both daily the things given us of God 1 Iohn 5.10 2 Cor. 2.10 and at some times the particular pleasure of God in some speciall cases 6. We are neerer unto and wait for the revelation of Christ and the sonnes of God from hâ—aven of which theirs was but a glimpse and in this we shall in the day of Châ—â—st have as full a measure as they Their revelations were but a drops to this sea Rom. 8 1â—,19.2 Thes. 1.7.1 Cor. 1.7 So that we are happy sixe waies in respect of revelation The Use should be therefore to learne thankfulnesse and contentation as resting assureâ— thaâ— if wee truely feare God though hee make us not Prophets yet his secrets shall be with them that feare him and he will answer us when we call and shew us great and hidden things Thus of the manner how God did answer them the matter followes which concerneth either Persons or things Persons in these words Tâ—at not unto themselves but unto us they did minister The plain meaning is that the Lord would have them to know that they were implyed in these prophesies of glory not that they should thereby reveale any further blessednesse unto themselves for they should die before those daies come but should therein doe service unto Churches that should come long after Here are divers things to be noted hence That the Lord hath beene used to deny the requests or desires of his servaâ—ts in respect of the circumstances of their suits such as were time place manner meanes measure c yea we see how he denieth his best servants in the letter of his desires Isaac must not have his will concerning Esau nor Ioseph concerning Manasses Moses may see Canaan but he must not enter in David must not prosper in his beloved Absolon the Apostles must not be great in an earthly kingdome nor Paul have his tentation depart just as soon as he prayes Ionah must not be humored nor Elias die when he list David shall not bring in the Arke at his pleasure nay Christ himselfe must not be heard in the very letter of his desires for the cup did not passe from him The Use is therefore to commit our waies to God with all patience and humility and never rebell in our hearts if the Lord crosse us but rather confesse our errors and yeeld our selves to God as knowing that all shall work together for the best c. and he will so heare and so answer as may be best for our best good The Lord hath been used to traine his servants to know that their labours are to be spent for the good of others as well as themselves thus the Prophets must heare of it God hath distributed his gifts not onely for the use of each member but for the benefit of the whole body 1 Cor. 12. The Use should be to teach all sorts of men to promote to their uttermost the common good and to doe it out of conscience and heartily and with all diligence as we would care for our owne things especially promoting the edification of the body with all love and industry Rom. 12.6.1 Pet. 4.9 10. Eph. 4.26 Thus should ministers and magistrates and masters of families and every Christian with his acquaintance We are Stewards of Gods gifts and they must be imploâ—ed about Gods worke not our owne onely the Masters advantage is most principally to be respected and therefore this must needs be a great reproofe to such as can onely minde their owne things and not the things of Iesus Christ Phil. 2. It will be a singular comfort to such as excell in gifts or riches or power if they can say at their death beds not unto my selfe but unto the servants of God
Col. 2.10 The consideration hereof should kindle in us a holy impatience of desire so to dispatch Gods worke on earth that wee might haste to that time and place when we shall be like the Angels of God yea their very society should kindle desire to be with such glorious creatures and in the meane time how can we sufficiently praise God that hath appointed such excellent câ—eatures to attend upon us both in life and death how should we esteeme faith and repentance that in Jesus Christ works unto us such a safety of estate under their willing and carefull protection 3. Now for their affection which they beare to man we must in generall know that as understanding is yeelded them so is will and desire inseparably joyned with their knowledge though in a far more noble manner then they are in man There are two principall differences between the affections in Angels and those in men For first Angels have not those base and inferiour our affections that are in men I meane the sensitive appetites Secondly Angels have not their affections seated in any one place or subject as the fountaine of affections as in man the heart is the seat of affections of some of them I meane which are more noble besides that their affections are carried without all sinfull or unhappy perturbations Now for their speciall affection they beare to man either of love or joy or desire divers Scriptures testifie Mat. 18.10 Luk. 15.7 10. Eph. 3.10 This also appeares by their wonderfull readinesse and wisdome and care in the discharge of their protection and preservation of man excellently shewed in a Vision Ezech. 1. Now this desire in them ariseth 1. out of the flames of desire after the glory of God 2. Out of a sympathy or fellow feeling that they have as the members of the same body with the Saints Col. 2.10 Now for the Use of this third point Doe the Angels thus affectionately long after joy in and desire to be hold the spirituall riches of the Church 1. How should this confound us with shame that have no more care to look into our owne happinesse 2. The desire and joy of the Angels should be unto us a quick spur unto all well-doing 3. We should learn of them how to rejoyce in and desire after the good of others we should be so far from envy at their happinesse that wee should desire to know the riches of Gods love to them that we might joy in it This were to be as the Angels of God and the contrary is to be like the devils of hell Now the last thing is their knowledge in those words to looke into To looke into Three things may be here noted 1. That the Angels doe looke into the things of the Church they doe take notice how things are carryed which may both comfort and instruct us Comfort us that so excellent creatures who have the charge over us are so watchfull over all our wayes so as there cannot be the least advantage of our good but they behold the face of God and are ready prest to receive commandments for our succour and good 2. It should make us wonderfull respective of our waies if not for other reasons yet because of the Angels they looke upon us and take notice of all we doe 2. The word here used in the originall seems to allude to the Cherubins about the Arke in the Law and so imports that the Angels looke upon and into the things of the Church as the Cherubins did looke upon the Arke and so it assures us three things in the manner of the looking of the Angels 1. That they looke into the Church and the things of the Church with wonderfull sincerity and singlenesse and purity of nature This was shadowed out Exod. 26.8 in that the Cherubins that should looke upon the Arke were of gold yea of beaten gold not onely excellent by creation but by confirmation also as the workmanship of Christ so as their natures were every way far from contempt or envy or any corrupt desires or ends Besides they did take this view as in the presence of God whom they made the witnesse and Judge of the uprightnesse of their desires 2. That it is with singular perfection and exactnesse This was shadowed in that the Cherubins were not onely placed within the most holy place but close to the Arke yea at both ends of the Arke ver 19. so as they throughly looke into the affaires of the Church 3. That it is with singular constancy of desire and admiration For their faces are alwaies upon it as if they could never looke enough into it 4. That they desire to look into these things as being wonderfully ready to doe any service for the good of the Church This was shadowed in the stretching out of their wings as if they were ready to fly to the succours of the Church Now lest man should grow proud of his estate it is added in the Law that all this view of the Angels was upon the Arke but especially as it was covered with the Mercy-seat to note that that which they most wonder at is the marvellous favour of God in the mediation of Christ stilling the displeasure of God justly conceived by the view of his law broken by man Thus of the manner of the knowledge as it was shadowed out in the old law Now thirdly I consider of the kind of knowledge more distinctly that is in the Angels and that both negatively and affirmatively 1. Negatively We must lay this as a ground that the knowledge of Angels is not sensitive but contemplative that is it is not by sense They doe not know things as we doe by seeing or hearing or smelling or rasting or feeling They have no eyes to looke upon things withall nor doe they know things by images or by reason as the soules of men doe When we conceive of any thing we conceive of it either by images in the phantasie or we find it out by reasoning or discourse and so make judgement of it and this judgement is as it were the eyes of the soule but thus doe not the Angels know things nor doe they know things by their essence as God doth For Gods essence is as it were an infinite looking glasse in which all things shine in their natures and motions and so he knowes them That God that hath given vertue to precious stones or glasses to shew things remote from them hath such a power in his owne being infinitely much more but thus doe not the Angels know things Thus negatively 2. Affirmatively there is a fouretold knowledge in Angels 1. Naturall 2. Supernaturall 3. Revealed 4. Experimentall 1. Naturall was the knowledge all Angels good and bad had of things by creation 2. Supernaturall was that saving knowledge as I may so call it by which the good Angels so know God that they cannot nor will not fall from him but perfectly cleave to
that God may withhold his comforts and lead thee to some tentations to try thee whether thou wilt beleeve without feelings It is not strange for Gods servants after their greatest comforts to be assailed with greatest tryals For so after forgivenesse of sinnes we are taught to looke for tentations and pray against them in the Lords prayer as Christ was tempted presently after his confirmation in Baptisme Paul soiled with vile tentations after his revelations David afflicted worse then before after his annointing 4. It will be profitable to set thy heart in some order and by examination and particular judging of thy selfe resisting evill to reduce thy selfe into a better frame and order of well-doing Thus of the first point For the second wee may here observe that the image of God in us consists in obeying God with the obedience of children where two things may be noted 1. The imperfection of our obedience it is but as the conformity that is in children to the holinesse either inherent or prescribed by the Parent 2. The manner of the truth of our obedience and so there are sixe things imported in that similitude which must be in our obedience 1. It must proceed from love to God and goodnesse not for servile ends 2. It must be without distrustfull care about successe in outward things or a present reward of well-doing so is it in a child 3. With constancy a child is not hired for a day or a year to give over upon a quarters warning 4. With humility and feare 5. With faith or some perswasion of acceptation 6. In all things so doe Children Not fashioning your selves according to the lusts of your former ignorance One great part of our holinesse and Gods image in us is to keep our selves free from the lusts of our former ignorance that is from the power of such sins as we were specially guilty of before our callings or are specially hatefull in unregenerate men Before I enter upon the particular opening of the words in generall these things may be observed 1. That it is a singular dishonour to our holy profession for such as professe sincerity in their carriage to relapse into the similitude of carnall men and to beare againe the image of the old Adam or to fall to the sins againe they have repented of in profession 2. That after calling we must not onely avoid the foule acts of evill but strive against the power of lusts of evill even against the power of internall concupiscence In particular I consider in these words three things 1. The evils to be eschewed viz. lusts and former lusts 2. The manner of eschewing not fashion your selves 3. The motive they were the fruits of former ignorance For the first I propound three things to be also considered 1. What those lusts are of our former lives which are so hatefull after calling and doe so oppose the image of God in us 2. What reasons there are to move us so carefully to preserve our selves against them 3. What meanes we should use to be kept from them For the first By lusts here the Apostle 1. May meane those grosse sinnes which before calling while they were wicked some of them lived in such as were whoredome drunkennesse covetousnesse railings c. For these and such as these in the fourth Chapter hee calleth lusts of the Gentiles and such were some of them 1 Cor. 6.9 Lust signifies sometimes all sorts of sins Ephes. 4.22 Tit. 2.12 It is true it is a most lamentable griefe to see Gods children fall into grosse and soule evils and to run with the times in the same excesse of riot and disorder I say it is lamentable both in respect of the scandall of it and in respect of the wound it makes in the conscience and in respect of the fierce judgement of God wherewith he doth pursue it but I think this is not here meant or not chiefly For this is not enough to shew that we bear the image of Christ after calling that we are free from outward grosse sins but hee goeth further and therefore 2. Hee doth meane those inward evill desires which deforme and disfigure a Christian especially when they shew themselves outwardly by any signes or fruits of them Thus are they called affections Gal. 5.24 and thus there are divers sorts of Lusts especially hatefull after calling 1. The love of worldlinesse and the love of earthly things the relapsing to the desire after earthly things when it is immoderate It is a most lamentable thing to see a Christian that professeth the assurance of a better life lie digging like a mole in the earth c. Eph. â— 3 4. Ier 46. 2. The lusts of envie strife and malice 1 Cor. 3.3 Rom. 13.13 3. The lusts of vaine-glory and conceitednesse Gal. 5.24 25 26. 4. The lusts of uncleannesse and impurity Rom. 13.13 Col. 3.5 5. The lust of Epicurisme viz. the desire to fare deliciously and to weare dainty apparell This was Dives his lust Luke 16. 6. The lust of the eye 1 Ioh. 2.16 It is wonderfull unseemely to behold any of these in Christians The reasons why we should be so carefull to avoid these lusts are 1. It is the speciall will of God and a speciall part of our sanctification 1 Thes. 4.3 4. 2. These defile the soule and make it ill-favoured like a leprosie Matth. 15.19 20. 3. These are works of the flesh Gal. 5. and fruits of corruption in nature called lust oâ— concupiscence the uncleane issue they are of our corrupt and putrified natures the devill is the father of them and the flesh is the mother it is to beare the image of Sathan Ioh. 8.44 4. These fight against the soule as well as grosse evils 1 Pet. 2.12 5. The Apostle disgraceth them by saying they are foolish and noysome and so they are in their nature and effect 1 Tim. 6.9 6. These hinder the efficacie of Gods ordinances as the word 2 Tim. 3. 6. Mar. 4.19 prayer Iam. 4.1 3 4. 7. These lusts will quickly intise and be intised and quicken yea and bring forth too if they be not watchfully suppressed Iam. 1.15 16. As in this late instance Lust begat chambering Chambering begat sorcerie Sorcerie begat whoredome Whoredome begat desire of divorce Desire of divorce begat murther Murther begat the unknown villanies 8. Here lyeth the proofe of our sincerity in Christ 4.21 22. Now there are foure Preservatives to keepe us from the power of these lusts 1. The sound knowledge of Gods Word For as it is Ignorance that first bred them so is it knowledge that both drives them out and keeps them out Prov. 2.1 3 4. c. Psal. 119.9 especially the promises 2 Cor. 7.1 2 Pet. 1.3 2. Meditation of our short continuance in this world 1 Pet. 2.12 1 Ioh. 2.17 3. To walke before God and to keep our selves in the way of the righteous conversing with the wise and mortified shunning the company of the
looke upon the Elect but as they are in Christ. Fourthly seeing it is certainly decreed concerning the gathering of mens soules by the 〈◊〉 of Christ it should teach Ministers with all readinesse and patience to preach the Gospell in the places where they come as knowing that such as are ordained of God shall be gathered even so many in these places as belong to the election of God Act. 13 48. Verily This doctrine of 〈…〉 is â—â—tered with a kinde of mild asseveration the reasons of which asseveration are these 1. Because the most men will hardly beleeve any such thing men by nature are wonderfull apt to object against the doctrine of Gods decrees and therefore he urgeth it with an asseveration 2. Because of the excellency of this decree above all the rest this was a golden statuâ—e the most amiable ordinance that ever was that God should from everlasting resolve to send his owne Son to redeeme us 3. This asseveration is to worke the greater assurance of faith in the Elect they should never doubt Gods love to them in Christ for verâ—ly Christ was pre-ordained c. Before the foundation of the world This phrase is used in divers senses in Scripture 1. Sometimes the foundation of the earth is taken for the peopling of the earth since the foundation of the world that is since the peopling of it Exod. 9.18 2. Sometimes for justice and judgement in the earth the foundations of the earth were moved that is all went to wrack in matters of justice Psal. 82.5 But usually it is taken for the creation of the world especially in respect of the support of this great frame of heaven and earth The foundation of the world is that admirable work of God erecting this huge frame of heaven and earth and supporting it by his almighty power so that before the foundation of the world is before the world was set up But why doth he rather say before the foundation of the world then before the world was It may be for two reasons First to raise up our thoughts to the contemplation of the wonderfulnesse of the founding of heaven and earth for the rarenesse of the wisdome of God and the cunning he shewed in this admirable frame Prov. 3.39 for the unsearchablenesse Ier. 31.37 for the surenesse and durablenesse of it Psal. 78.69 for the absoluâ—enesse and independance of Gods power in framing all this Iob. 38.4 5 for the suddennesse of it it being all done with a word and for that all this was made of nothing and that this great earth the foundation of all the rest should it selfe lie in the waters Psal. 24.2 and indeed the whole borne up onely by the power of Christ without meanes Heb. 1.3 Secondly this phrase may be of purpose used for the likenesse of the state of the Church to the world and the promise of God for the upholding of it Hee that made the world of nothing raised a Church to himselfe of that which was worse then nothing yea all that is said before of the world may assure us of so much and much more in the execution of Gods counsels in Christ for the Church Psa. 78.79 The doctrines are 1. That the world had a beginning it had a foundation it was not eternall 2. That we ought to be deepely affected with the admiâ—ablenesse of the making and upholding of the world But who can tell that there was sâ—â—h a wonderfulnesse in the creation of the world 1. Scripture doth telâ— it Heb. 11.3 2. Christ was by when it was done Prov. 8.29 3. The Angels of heaven saw the whole when it was done and were by at the doing of a great deale and were rapt with admiration at the wisdome and power of God Iob 38.4 5 6. 4. Lastly the frame it selfe as it 〈◊〉 â—â—ands speaks evidently for the wonder of the workmanship But what use may be made of the wonderfulnesse of Gods workmanship herein 1. We should disceâ—â— and marke and acknowledge the power and wisdome of God herein and by our often thoughts raise up our hearts to the often meditation of it Psal. 104 1. to 9. Shall the Angels shout with joy and shall we be so dull Iob 38.6 2. It shews the eternity of God and his soveraignty and power to dispose and alter all things at his will Psal. 102.26 89.11 3. It intimates to us many consolations 1. That God can easily prolong the life of his servants that could give and uphold the being of so huge a frame Psal. 102.26 2. That God himselfe is wonderfull firme and unchangeable to all generations and faithfull in his word that can give such a stable being to heaven and earth Psal. 119.90 89. Esay 40.21 48.13 51.13 16. 3. That if the world have such a sure foundation then much more the Church Esay 14.32 For if the foundation of the world be so glorious oh how glorious is the foundation of Sion If he have made such an excellent house for his people to dwell in it shewes he loves them much and meanes to provide for them for continuance Prov. 20.26 but especially how precious are the foundations of the new Jerusalem Rev. 21. 4. This intimates the fearefull power of God in the execution of his judgements upon wicked men Amos 9.5 Zach. 12.1 2. Deut. 32.22 2 Sam. 22.8 The project concerning our eternall salvation by Christ was before the world conceived in God Eph. 1.4 Psal. 90.1 Ier. 31.3 The Uses are divers 1. Therefore let us admire the matchlesse love of God that not onely loved us first but loved us before the world was 2. Let our love to God taste of the knowledge of this doctrine since wee began not so soone as he let our waies and purposes and desires be to extend our affections towards God to the end yea and beyond all end also 3. Let it comfort us in all adversity to think of this everlasting love of God Esay 40. 4. Lastly doth not thiâ— evidently confute merit of workes It was for no desert in us for we were loved before we had done either good or evill Rom. 9. And thus of the fourth point But was manifest in the last times for you The fift thing is the manifestation of this great work of our redemption amplified by the time of it viz. in these last daies and comprehended in the manifestation of Christ. Christ is manifested five waies 1. For the faithfull 2. To the faithfull 3. In the faithfull 4. By the faithfull 5. With the faithfull â— He was manifested for them in that he did undertake for the merit of their redemption 2. He is manifested to them in the preaching of the Gospell revealing Christ and him crucified before them 3. Hee is manifested in them when in respect of true grace his image is formed in them thus God 〈◊〉 his Sonne in Paul Gal. 1. 16. 4. Hee is manifested by them when with their obedience
the verses immediately before 2. and with the 13. verse upon which it depends as the reason of it 1. From coherence with the verses next before we may note that God expects love to the brethren at our hands as well as faith in Christ As we are joyned to God by faith so he stands upon it to have us joyned one to another by love nay it is certaine true faith will worke this love He cannot beleeve in God that loves not the godly 2. From coherence with the 13. verse we may note that an affectionate love to the godly is a strong inducement to holinesse of life and therefore used here as a reason to inforce it 3. Contrariwise unlesse we looke to those three things in the 13. verse we cannot love the brethren as we ought to doe For 1. Unlesse we gird up the loines of our mindes such as our selfe-love concupiscence anger c. we shall be unfit for society with the godly 2. Againe unlesse we be sober in the use of the delights and profits of the world our affections will be stolne away from the godly 3. And thirdly unlesse our hope carry us stedfastly to the contemplation of the glory to be revealed upon the godly in the day of Christ they wil in their present condition seeme to us many times of all men most miserable 4. A Christian should looke to his heart and waies if not for his owne sake yet for his respect to the godly to whom he hath joyned himselfe that he neither shame them nor grieve them Now hee may shame them and dishonour the profession three waies 1. By sluggishnesse in his profession 2. By inordinate living 3. By doubting and despaire These three stand opposed to the three things in the 13. verse 5. That God is not onely carefull we should love one another but hee stands upon the manner and measure of it as the whole verse shewes and therefore we should looke to two things that our affections grow neither 1. cold 2. nor corrupt There are foure things doe usually abate affection to the godly 1. Selfe-love and pride when men grow into great thoughts onely of themselves 2. Discord and vaine janglings 3. Worldlinesse 4. Too much viewing of the infirmities reproches or miseries of the godly and thus affection growes cold It is corrupt three waies 1. When we love the godly for carnall ends 2. When it is fruitlesse it is fellowship but not in the Gospell 3. When we respect persons Purified The tearme is a metaphor borrowed either from the Goldsmith or the Physitian or else from the ceremoniall law The Goldsmith purifieth his metall so doth God his chosen ones The Physician purgeth his distressed patients so doth God distressed sinners seldome is there any found conversion but there is some purgation taken even some sound practice of mortification which paines the spirit and throwes out forcibly the filthy matter lies in the soule But I think the tearme is chiefly borrowed from the Ceremoniall law and so shews us that in the effecting of sanctification is wrought that which was signified in those Legall purifyings either of women after child-birth or especially of the Leper after the healing of his leprosie It is true that seldome or never is there a birth of saving grace but there followes it a fluxe of mortification a vehement casting out of naturall impurities and there must be also a purifying of the soule But I take the tearme to be most fitly borrowed from the clensing of the Leper for that most neerly expresseth the state of our soules both in nature and grace And so divers things may be here noted some implyed some expressed in those ancient shadowes The things implyed are 1. That by nature we are all of us polluted in our selves and so polluted as we have reason to doe as the Leper Levit. 13.44 and cry uncleane uncleane 2. That the infection of sin is such that it will infect the very house wee dwell in and the garments we weare even all the creatures we use so as all things are to us impure Lev. 13. Tit. 1.13 3. That in our native condition we are out of the campe even strangers from the common-wealth of Israel even when we professe our selves members of it Num. 5.2 3. Eph. 2.11 The things expressed in the state of our soules in respect of sanctification are lively shadowed out in the ceremonies of purifying mentioned Lev. 34. 4. to 33. which howsoever they containe more then the precise respect of this Text calls for yet for the more full explication of the ceremonies of clensing I handle them as they are set downe in order Now before we enter upon the particular explication of the Text wee must understand 1. That the ceremoniall law did make two distinct things in sanctification 1. Healing 2. Clensing for first the Leper was healed then clensed Now this word here used doth expresse onely the likenesse of the clensing of the Leper there is such a difference to be put in our sanctification For first our hearts are turned to God and then we fall upon divers exercises of faith and repentance by which we settle our owne hearts in the assurance of our conversion The ceremonie shadowed out the first of these degrees the Leper was cleane when after his confession of uncleannesse his leprosie stayed and spred no further and did not fret inward So are we truely turned to God in that moment when under the sense of our owne vilenesse we so judge our selves that our hearts begin to cease from evill and sinne loseth his dominion and that it doth not prevaile over our hearts but groweth lesse and lesse but yet though this be done in a moment many times yet there is a great deale more to be done before we can have comfort in our conversion or be soundly clensed and setled in our consciences before God 2. We must know that sanctification shadowed out by that clensing is taken in the largest sense even for all that righteousnesse that is conferred upon us either in justification or sanctification as it is strictly taken 3. That in the businesse of sanctification none of the Lords people healed of their leprosie should trust onely upon their owne judgements but seeke all direction and helpe they can from their faithfull and able Teachers There was nothing done in the law but the Priests said and did all as it were whether it were in discerning the disease or the healing of it or in judging of the state of the Leper they tooke the testimony of the Priest in all things yea when one would have thought they might have done all by the same rules of discerning The clensing or purifying of the leprosie was either more slight or more exact In some leprosies it was but to wash and so be cleane Lev. 13.53 54 55. to note that repentance in some and from some sinnes is far more easie then in others The more exact clensing is distinguished
is the temptations of unbeliefe 2. Against present affliction when wee consider what wee are borne to 3. Against the scornes of the world we are borne not of blouds but which is better of the bloud of Christ Ioh. 1.12 2. For Instruction for the remembrance of our new birth quickens us to a care to live as becomes our new birth which is the true reason why it is mentioned here The Use is first 1. First for Ministers to bend the whole course of their ministery hitherto what doe we profit them if we gain them not to God Yea hereby the glory of many Ministers is to be judged He is the excellentest teacher that can convert most to God Here God will be free 2. For all sorts of men as 1. For all godly men 1. If they be strong to build themselves up in the contentment of their birth 2. If they be weake to looke to the establishing of their hearts in the assurance of it 2. For unregenerate men it should awaken them to a care to shake off their lamentable security procrastination prejudice silence sinfulnesse or what else hinders them from this glorious worke To this end Think of death and the threatnings and anger of God seriously Judge thy selfe for thy sinnes Pray with David for a cleane heart beg a new heart Ezech. 36. Parable Get out of ill company Be warned to fly from the wrath to come Neglect not so great salvation Be not deceived Gal. 6.7 1 Cor. 6.9 Take heed lest God leave you with the very discourse of regeneration What shall it profit to be borne of great bloud c. if thy soule perish for ever I beseech you therefore by the mercies of God save your soules that you perish not in the condemnation of the world Consider God would not have you die c. The second thing that may be noted from hence is that our blessed immortality begins at our new birth for by the Gospell God brings immortality to life and light 2 Tim. 1.10 and by the Spirit of Christ we are then quickned Eph. 2.1 4. being by nature dead in respect of true immortality For from this moment of time Christ lives in us Gal. 2.20 we are alive to God though we be dead to the world The Use should be first to put vs in mind of the marvellous power and glory of the Gospell that brings this life light unto us 2 Tim. 1.10 2. We should be comforted against all our feares and doubts and against all the afflictions or temptations of our naturall life for immortality is begun in us already Those divine sparks are so kindled as they shall never be quenched God hath kindled the light of heaven in us This is very eternal life we have here on earth Ioh. 17.3 God hath made us immortall creatures already for though we have not yet attained to the full degree of the shining brightnesse of our immortall happinesse yet from degree to degree wee shall proceed till we be like the aâ—â—ient of dayes Immortality may be distinguished into foure degrees or states 1. The first iâ— the life of the infant in grace and then we live as babes two things being eminent companions of that estate viz. weaknesse and crying that is many frailties and much griefe for sinne and wants 2. The second is the life of young men in grace 1 Ioh. 2.14 Heb. 5.13 and here two things are eminent 1. affections and 2. strength or might or power of gifts 3. The third is the life of them of ripe age or of fathers in grace 1 Ioh. 2. 14. Heb. 5.13 Here likewise two things more shine 1. greatnesse of judgment or experience 2. an habituall conquest over all sorts of sinnes so as the very taste of them or temptations to them are enseebled and more seldome These three are on earth 4. The fourth estate is that wherein we shall be like the anâ—ient of dayes even God himselfe in the perfection of all gifts and possession of all happinesse Lastly this doctrine may shew the miserable estate of all such as will not be informed by the Gospell They faile of immortality and must die in their sinnes for if they be not borne againe they perish for ever Thus much of the fountaine of new birth The manner followes considered 1. negatively 2. affirmatively Not of corruptible seed Two things are here imported concerning the naturall birth and propagation of all men The first is that our naturall birth doth not advance our immortality and everlasting happinesse we hold not our happinesse by any title from our carnall birth Mat. 3. Rom. 9. We are not borne heires of heaven In our birth we receive the beginning of naturall life from the seed of our naturall parents but not of eternall life The second is that this naturall seed is corruptible we so live that we must die we cannot hold out even in that estate for men will die and they come of men that have dyed Hâ—b 9. Iob 10. Ps. 89. and therefore the Use should be 1. To abate the great thoughts that arise in great persons about the noblenesse of their birth 2. We should all be thereby the more quickned to the care of new birth 3. Therefore we should looke for death and prepare for it and patiently beare the infirmities accompany our mortall bodies till the time of our change come 4. Impenitent sinners should awake to live righteously seeing their perfections must come all to an end they cannot long abide in the greatest glory of the world they can attaine to 5. Here is a manifest difference betweene the children of the two Adams the children of the first Adam are borne corruptible the children of Christ are borne incorruptible 6. Lastly here is a singular consolation to the godly about their perseverance They are confirmed as the Angels of heaven they cannot fall away they are not borne of corruptible seed Thus of the manner negatively considered In the affirmative observe two things 1. what the meanes is 2. and by what it is Or thus The meanes is seed described by the properties It is incorruptible and by the cause or instrument of generation viz. the word of God Seed To omit the usuall acceptation of the word seed It is taken in Scripture in a restrained sense many wayes Sometimes for Christ Hee is that seed in whom all the nations of the earth are blessed Sometimes for the godly The children of the promise are the â—eed Rom. 9.8 Sometimes for the body of man within the grave which is cast into the earth as seed in the day of buriall 1 Cor. 15.43 Sometimes spirituall things in generall 1 Cor. 9.11 Sometimes the fruits of righteousnesse or mercy Iames 3.18 2 Cor. 9.6 So there is sowing to the Spirit Gal. 6.7 8. Sometimes for the word of God Mat. 10.13 Sometimes for saving graces conceived in the hearts of the godly and so I take it here And thus grace is like seed either
son of God had no priviledge from death he was put to death in respect of the flesh 1 Pet. 3.21 Therefore this may serve first for singular reproofe of that unspeakable beastlinesse that is in wicked men that will not be moved with the contemplation of the ruine of the whole world oh the unutterable Lethargy of these mens hearts that will not consider their latter end when so unchangeable a decree is prest upon all men that at their appointed time they must once die This very doctrine may shew the horrible effect of sinne in the hearts of men that can extinguish a consideration so universally obvious to every mans sense oh yee brutish amongst the people when will yee understand Secondly this may informe us that multitude is no prerogative multitude cannot protect men against the stroke of God and death Though hand joyne in hand yet sinne cannot be unpunished It is as easie for God to smite all flesh as any flesh It is as easie for him to destroy the whole world as to destroy one man All flesh is grasse If the sithe can with few strokes move downe thousands of formes of grasse how much more easie is it for God with the sithe of his judgements to cut downe multitudes of men And besides that may informe us that the doctrine of death must be sounded in the eares of all men there is no man but this doctrine belongs to him and therefore woe unto him if he make no good use of it yea so necessary is this doctrine that the Ministers of the Gospell are commanded not to write it onely but to speake it nor that onely but to cry it out with all possible both affection and power of inforcement Cry all flesh is grassâ— Esay 40.6 Thirdly this may teach 1. Rich men in speciall to lay this to heart For God hath given them this doctrine to humble them and to teach them not to glory in their wealth but if they have gotten grace let them rejoyce that God hath provided better things than the things of this life for them They are more happy that God hath made them low by giving them a sight of their sins and so to be humbled for them then that he made them great in the world for their flesh is but grasse and all that glory must vanish as will be shewed afterwards The Use is urged Iam. 1.10 11. Ps. 49. 2. Strong men to whom God hath given helps of nature or arte Use thy strength but rejoyce not in it Use thy Physicke but trust not upon it For for all that thou must dye there is no arte nor remedy against death 3. All men and so we should all learne two things especially 1. To put our trust in God which liveth for ever since all men must perish and wee cannot continue here it is the best relying upon God and his favour and helpe who liveth ever to performe his promise and to provide for his servants thus David useth this consideration Ps. 102.12 13. 2. To be patient when we feele the walls of our earthly house begin to moulder down when we feele death beginning like a moth to feed upon us we should be patient seeing it is not onely unavoidable but that it is the case of all men as well as ours Thus of the extent of the affirmation The time followes Is grasse This mortality may be said to be so presently It is so in divers respects 1. It is so â—n the cause which is sin the cause of death is in us already it hath infected our very bones 2. It is so in the sentence the doome is already gone out upon all flesh It is appointed that all men shall once die The very sentence uttered in Paradise of dying the death stands still unrevoked in respect of our flesh 3. It is so in experience all flesh is dead never any scaped 4. It is so in respect of dâ—sposition to death we are all but dying men death hath taken hold of us and doth every day feed upon us insensibly To live is but to lie a dying The disposition to death is inflicted upon all men for all tend to death 5. Lastly it may be said all flesh is grasse for certainty that is we shall as certainely vanish hereafter as if it were now presently done The use should be the more to inforce upon us the care of providing for a change since death is so many waies made fast unto us and withall it may serve to confute the vaine hope of long life here seeing we are all but as so many dead men here to day and to morrow cast into the grave and wee should also learne hence to be continually thinking of death must we not do the worke that is present to us why death is before thine eyes why then dost thou not the thing of the day in the day It is thy every dayes worke to die to learne to die seeing we die daily Hitherto of that branch of the proposition that concerns the body of manâ—noâ— followeth the vanity of mans condition in this world The glory of man is as the flower of grasse Here first the sâ—â—se of the words is to be considered By the glory of man he meaneth whatsoever it is in outward things which man glorieth in any thing that man rejoyceth in admireth praiseth seeketh as an ornament or happinesse to himselfe such as are riches strength honour high places and command over others beauty praise of men excellency of naturall gifts noble birth calling multitude of attendants and such like By man he meaneth here the naturall man or the outward man for of the spirituall man it is not true because he glorieth in that shall never fade nor be taken away from him Now this glory is compared to the flower of grasse for transitorinesse because it will fade and fall away as the repetition sheweth and that speedily too as the uses of this similitude in divers scriptures shew as will afterwards more appeare The doctrine then is that all the outward glory of man in this world is exceeding vaine and so it may appeare for six causes or considerations for I omit many other reasons First for the most part these things so much desired cannot be had or not as they are desired and therefore their glory is vaine because they are sought in vaine 2. If they be obtained yet the eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the eare with bearing of them they cannot fill the heart of man 3. Many times it fals alike in these things to the foole and to the wise both in having them and in losing them and this is a miserable vanity and vexation of spirit 4. The glory that is placed in these things is liable to be interrupted with a thousand crosses either they expire the vanity or are taken away by violence 5. If they could make us happy yet death will not let us enjoy them many men spend
scandall and then secondly to despaire Before I open the words particularly divers things may bee noted in generall First that the punishments that light upon particular wicked men are to be accounted the punishments of the whole body of unbeleevers as here despaire and taking offence at Christ it may light upon some particular offenders onely yet they are punishments belonging to all First because there is no judgement but all wicked men have deserved it Secondly because when God plagues some hee meanes all he threatens all Thirdly because no wicked man can be sure for the time to come that he shall not fall into them Fourthly because the afflictions of this life are typicall to wicked men as despaire is a typicall hell and so all other judgements are but little hells And this doctrine should much amaze impenitent sinners if they consider that any fearefull judgment they see fall upon others may fall upon them and that God is as well displeased with their sinnes as with the sins of those he so plagued as Christ shewes Luk. 13.1 to 6. Secondly that from one and the same cause may arise divers and contrary effects as Christ that is a stone of foundation to the beleever is a stone of stumbling to the unbeleever Thus in Luke 2. hee was appointed for the rising and falling of many in Israel Thus the Gospell of peace is to wicked men a fire a sword a fanne It is a savour of life to the godly and a savour of death to the wicked 2 Cor. 2. as the Sunne melteth the wax and hardneth the clay This comes to passe by accident and by the corruption that is in the hearts of wicked men and by the fearefull judgements of God Use. The use should be to teach us therefore not to rest in the having of the meanes of salvation as the preaching of the Word c. for through thy corruption it may be a meanes of greater damnation Thirdly that of all judgements in this life spirituall judgements are the worst which appeares from hence in this that when the Lord would declare his speciall displeasure upon wicked men hee threatens these in this place as the most fearfull Now for explication of this point All judgements in this life are either spirituall or temporall By temporall judgements I meane such as have their proper effects on the outward man such as are poverty disgrace sicknesse imprisonment losses in mens estates and the like By spirituall judgements I meane such as have their proper effects upon the soule as for example Hardnesse of heart the spirit of slumber desertion or the absence of God the taking away of the gifts of the minde the with-holding of the Gospel the delivering of men up to the power of Satan or to the love of lies terrours of despaire or taking of offence of which latter in this place Now these spirituall judgements are much worse than any of the former temporall crosses first because these judgements light vpon the best part of man which is the soule and by how much the soule is better than the body by so much it is worse to be distressed in soule than in body Secondly because they with-hold from us the best good which is God or Christ now that which straightens us in the best things must needs be the worst kinde of restraint Thirdly because these crosses are more hardly cured it is much easier to heale a sicknesse in the body than a disease in the soule Fourthly because these judgements for the most part are inflicted upon the worst offenders I say for the most part for sometimes the godly themselves may bee scourged for a time and for just reasons with some kindes of spirituall judgements Use The use may bee first for reproofe of the madnesse of multitudes of people in the world that can bee extreamly vexed and grieved for worldly crosses yet have no sense or care of spirituall judgements they howâ—e upon their beds if God take from them corne or wine or the fruits of the field but never grieve if God take the Gospel from them they are much troubled if they lose the favour of their greatest friends but never mourne because God hath forsaken them they are very impatient if their bodies be sicke and yet very quiet if their soules be sicke they would thinke themselves undone if they were carried to prison who yet are not much moved at it that God should deliver them up to Satan And yet I would not be mistaken I do not meane to say that wicked men should not mourne for wordly or outward crosses It is true godly men should not or not with great sorrowes but for wicked men they ought to be extremely grieved for every outward affliction because it comes in wrath from God and is but the beginning of evils But then two things must be noted first that their sorrow should be godly viz. for their sins that brought those judgments not for the crosse it selfe secondly that they ought to be more troubled for spirituall judgements than for temporall Secondly this should much comfort godly men and women in all their afflictions and it should make them patient because though God afflicts them in their bodies or estates yet he spareth their soules and doth not execute those outward crosses but with much compassion Thirdly it should teach us how to pray in the case of afflictions if they be spirituall judgements we may pray directly for the removeall of them but for temporall judgements we must pray with condition And thus of the generall oâ—servations Before I enter upon the particular breaking open of the doctrine of this verse it will not be amisse â—o shew that this and such doctrine as this is not unprofitable Quest. For some one might say To what end serves this doctrine of Gods dealing with unbeleevers Answ. I answer it is profitable both for godly men and wicked men For wicked men may hence heare and feare and doe no more wickedly seeing hence they may discerne what they may come to if they prevent it not by repentance And for godly men they may hence be the more inflamed with the admiration of Gods goodnesse when they shall heare of their owne priviledges by 〈◊〉 Such Scriptures as this containe the arraignment and triall of the ungodly Now it is very profitable for us to stand by and heare the triall Wee know multitudes of innocent men flocke to the Assises to heare the arraignment of malefactors which breeds in them first contentment in the observation of the solemnity and manner of administration of justice secondly a feare to offend the terrour of their sentence frights the heart for many dayes after thirdly a love of innocency it makes men love innocency much the better for a long while after fourthly compassion to malefactors it softens the heart and makes men fit to shew mercy to these poore condemned men The like to all this is bred by the consideration of such
him Wicked men are like spiders that can sucke poison out of the sweetest flowers Secondly this should serve for great humiliation unto all wicked men that finde themselves stopped or hindered or cast out of the way by receiving scandall into their hearts They should here take notice of it that it is a singular curse of God when God leaves a man to the liberty of admitting poysonfull objections and thereby to bee hardned against the care for his owne soule in matters of Religion Men little thinke of the fearfulnesse of such mens cases which must needs be extreamly evill either if they looke upward to see â—hat God doth expose them to this offence as a way of singular punishment or if they looke to the effect whatsoever they can say yet their poore soules in the meane time are left destitute of mercy or the profit and power of it Might some one say How can they helpe it seeing Christ is a stone of stumbling unto them It seemes they cannot avoid it Christ is a stone of stumbling not actively but passively hee doth not make them stumble but they through their ignorance walking in darknesse or through their precipitation running headlong in things or through the poyson of some beloved sin which hath altogether corrupted their taste doe fall at the doctrine of Christ or turne the precious things of Christ into poyson by reason of the venome lying in themselves Thirdly such taking offence is a judgement Weake Christians should be warned and temper themselves so as to refraine the weaknesse of being so apt to be offended at the liberty of strong Christians and to this end they should take heed of doubtfull disputations or ensnaring themselves about the use of indifferent things For though God pities them yet they are much plagued by their opinions and intanglements herein For first they sinne against their brethren by rash censure and despising them and secondly they wrong their owne soules for sometimes they are hindred in the Word and sometimes lose the benefit of the Sacraments by their ignorant scruples and sometimes they draw much trouble and molestation upon them and lastly they many times open the mouthes of wicked men to revile them and exasperate them against the good way of God To conclude therefore this use Since offence is the rod of the wicked let not godly men suffer it to rest on their lot Fourthly since wicked men by the judgement of God and their owne frowardnesse are so apt to receive offence it should teach the godly to order themselves so towards them that they give no offence unto them I say give no offence so as the fault should be in the godly but rather they should strive to overcome this frowardnesse of wicked men by all possible care both to put them to silence and by keeping them silent Now because there bee some things wherein regard must not be had of the offence of wicked men I will open this point distinctly and shew First in what things the offence of wicked men is not to be regarded Secondly in what things we must take heed we give them not offence or in what things we may be guilty of giving offence to them Thirdly what rules may be observed in our carriage which may silence wicked men or compell respect and estimation from them or at least put them to silence c. For the first if wicked men be offended for doing good wee are not to regard their offence as when the Pharisees were offended at Christ hee cared not but said Let them alone they are blind and leaders of the blind c. Matth. 15.14 And so the Apostles answered It is better to obey God than men Act. 5.29 It is better that scandall arise than that the truth should be forsaken Thus Michaiah cares not for the offence of Ahab nor Eliah and in this case Levi is not to respect father or mother brethren or children Deut. 33.9 And so though wicked men be offended wee must preach the Gospel with all plainenesse and not affect wisedome of words 1 Cor. 1.23 and wee must labour for the meate that perisheth not and must pray unto God and use religious exercises in our houses as Daniel did wee must renew Justification by our owne workes and we must suffer in a good cause and we must with strictnesse avoid the excesses of the time Now for the second Wee may be guilty of giving offence to the wicked First by scandalous and vitious life thus David gave offence Secondly by indiscretion in the manner of doing good duties as if men pray or fast or give almes to be heard or seene of men Thirdly by rash zeale as when men proclaime to the world a great deale of strictnesse in things that are not grounded upon the Word and yet are tainted openly with knowne infirmities and sinnes or when men are violent and rash censurers especially in things they commit themselves or when men neglect their calling and live inordinately and are busie-bodies under pretence of Religion or when men that have a faire dore opened to doe good by preaching the Gospel will not yeeld in some indifferent things that they may winne them as woe had beene to Paul if hee had not beene a Jew with the Jewes that hee might gaine the Jewes thereby or necessity lay upon him the preaching of the Gospel or to preach the Gospel though it were clogg'd at that time with condition of yeelding to the Jewish ceremonies 1. Cor. 9. Now for the third There are divers excellent rules that may much adorne the lives of Christians in their courage towards the wicked and so either prevent scandall or leave them without excuse themselves being judges as they will confesse in the day of visitation These things then will much advance our cause before wicked men to shew in our conversation First integrity and harmelesnesse and sound care of the practising of godlinesse Philip. 1.15 16. Secondly submission and obedience unto the King and his humane ordinances 1 Pet. 2.13 14 15. Thirdly reverence and feare when we entreate of any thing that concernes God and Religion 1 Pet. 3.16 Fourthly meeknesse of wisedome expressing a minde free from conceitednesse frowardnesse or affectation Iam. 3.13 Fifthly mercy to the poore and a minde free from the greedy desire of earthly things a serious declaration of the contempt of the world Iam. 1.26 Mat. 5.16 c. Sixthly quietnesse and peace to be shewed first in studying to be quiet and to meddle with our owne businesse secondly in making peace amongst others Matth. 5.8 Seventhly love to our enemies being ready to pray for them or doe them any good Lastly hence may bee gathered some matter of consolation for the godly For first if the Lord have kept them from taking offence he hath freed them from a great and sore spirituall judgement Secondly if the wicked should be so perverse as to take offence when hee gives none yet this
or in particular it should note the sinnes of the stubborne Jewes who offended in word when they blasphemed Christ and denyed him But I rather take it as here it is translated and so it notes the causes why many men fall into scandall and from thence into despaire viz. because they bring ill hearts to the Word of God they have mindes that are rebellious and will not be subject to the Gospell but intertaine it with diseased and cavilling mindes Those persons are likely not to receive any good by Christ that quarrell at the word of Christ. Now that this may not be mistaken or neglected I will shew first what it is not to stumble at the Word leâ—t some weake ones should be dismayed then secondly how many waies wicked men stumble at the Word For the first To be grieved in heart for the reproofes of the Word is not an offence but a grace so wee are troubled not with dislike of the Word but of our owne sinnes Secondly to inquire of the truth and that which is delivered and to trie the doctrine by turning to the Scriptures as the Bereans did this is not condemned here nor is it a stumbling at the Word to put a difference betweene the teaching of Christ and the teaching of the Scribes and Pharisees Secondly but men are said to be offended at the Word when their hearts rise against it or they ensnare themselves through their owne corruption by occasion of the Word To speake distinctly wicked men are offended at the Word with a threefold offence First with the offence of anger when they rage and fret at the Word or the teachers thereof because their sinnes are reproved or their miseries foretold And this offence they shew either when they envie the successe of the Word Acts. 4.2 or raile and revile Gods Saints as Ahab did Michaiah for telling him the truth or when they mocke at the Word as the Pharisees did Luk. 16.14 Secondly with the offence of scandall when they take occasion from the doctrine they heare to fall off from hearing or from the true religion or from the company of the godly Thus they stumbled at those hard sayings of Christ that departed from him for that cause or reason Ioh. 6. Thirdly with the offence diabolicall when men pervert the good word of God to inflame themselves the more greedily to sinne making it a doctrine of liberty or taking occasion to commit sin from the Law that rebukes sinne Uses The use may be first for information and so two wayes For first we may hence see the reason why many hearers profit not by the Word It is not because the Word wants power but because they stumble at it They nourish cavils and objections against it they oppose reason to faith Secondly we may hence take notice of the difference of a regenerate and unregenerate heart To the one the Word is a savour of life to the other it is a deadly savour and full of offence to them And withall this may humble wicked men For this is a sure truth that so long as they are offended at the Word so long they have no part in Christ and withall it may comfort all those that love the Word and receive it with joy constantly For that is a meanes and signe of their interest in Christ. Being disobedient These words containe another cause why Christ was no better rellished by them and why they found such an ill taste in the word of Christ it was the wickednesse that was in them Sinne had marred their tastes Sweete meates have but an ill rellish with those who have corrupt and diseased stomackes and the cause is apparent the ill humors in their stomackes and nothing in the meates they eate But of their disobedience before and therefore this shall suffice in this place And thus of the cause in themselves The cause in God followes Whereunto they were appointed There is much difference of the reading of the originall words in the translations Some read thus They stumble at the Word and beleeve not in him in whom they are placed or set and expound it thus In whom they live move and have their being some read in stead of disobedient They beleeved not but for these words read them as here But then their meaning is that the Jewes beleeved not though they were thereunto appointed that is though they had the promise of salvation and were a people separate thereunto and so it is an aggravation of their unbeliefe This sense and reading is not to be despised But I take it as I find it in the translation and so the sense is That these men whether Jews or Gentiles that are here spoken of were appointed to this misery by the decree of God and so they are words that expresse the substance of this part of Gods decree which Divines call Reprobation And so it is to bee observed from hence That wicked men are appointed from everlasting to the enduring of the miseries which are inflicted upon them in this life or in hell This is a doctrine which is extreamly distasted by flesh and blood and proves many times more offensive to the common people and is alwayes to be reckoned as strong meat and therefore that I may fairely get off this point I offer two things to your considerations First the proofes that plainly avouch so much as is here observed Secondly I will set downe certaine infallible observations which tend to quiet mens minds and perswade them against the seeming difficulty or absurdity of this truth For the first the Apostle Iude saith that the wicked men he treateth of were of old ordained to this condemnation Iude 4. and the Apostle Peter saith that the ungodly were reserved unto the day of judgement to bee punished 2 Pet. 2.9 and vers 12. he saith that they are naturall brute beasts made to be taken and destroyed and it is manifestly implied 1 Thess. 5.8 that God hath ordained wicked men to wrath so Rom. 9.22 For the second though this doctrine seeme wonderfull hard yet to assure us there is no hard dealing at all in God there be many things may confirme us and ease our mindes though for the present we cannot understand how this should be and perhaps are much troubled about this point and therefore seriously consider First for thy selfe that if thou have truly repented and doe beleeve in Jesus Christ and hast in thee the signes of a child of God for thy part thou art free from this danger and out of all question art in safe estate and therefore oughtest not to grieve but rejoyce with singular praise to God Secondly seeing God hath comforted us with many doctrines and trusted us with many cleere points of knowledge can we not be contented that God should speake darkely to us in one point especially when wee are told beforehand that there is an Abyssus a depth yea many depths in this doctrine Shall we bee wayward because
all worke together for the best Rom. 8.28 Sixthly the entertainment which God gives unto his servants in the meanes of communion with God For when we meet with God familiarly and continue in his ordinances that is an infallible signe and note of Election as when a man findes constantly the pleasures of Gods house Psal. 65.4 power and much assurance in hearing the Word 1 Thess. 1.4 5. an inward sealing up of the comforts of the covenant in receiving of the Sacraments testified by the secret and sweet refreshing of the heart in the time of receiving the conscience being comforted in the forgivenesse of sinnes past Matth. 26.28 an answer and assurance that God hath heard our prayers and beene with us in his service Ioh. 15.15 16. and the like Use 2. The second use should be to worke in us a care to live so as may become the knowledge remembrance and assurance of our Election and so wee shall doe First if we stirre up our hearts to a continuall praising of God for his rich and free grace herein Ephes. 1.3 6. Secondly if we strive to joy and glory in it continually Psal. 106.5 6. Thirdly if we love one another Ioh. 15.17 and chuse as God chuseth Eph. 1.4 not despising the poorest Christian Iam. 2.5 Fourthly if we set up the Lord to be our God to love him with all our heart and to serve him and in all things to shew our selves desirous to please him and to be resolved to please him and his truth and to his glory c. Deut. 26. Esay 44.1 5. Fifthly if we confirme our selves in a resolution to have no fellowship with the unfruitfull workes of darkenesse nor to suffer our selves to be unequally yoaked but since God hath chosen us out of the world to keepe our selves from needlesse society with wicked men Sixthly if we continue in the Word and be patient in afflictions and shew contentations in all estates as knowing that it is our Fathers pleasure to give us a Kingdome Luk. 12.32 and that all shall worke together for the best Rom. 8.28 and that the very haires of our heads are numbred Matt. 10. and that nothing can be laid to our charge to condemne us Rom. 8.33 and that God will never cast away his people whom before he knew Rom. 11.2 because his foundation remaineth sure and hee knoweth who are his 2 Tim. 2.19 Seventhly if we strive to live without blame and offence that God may no way suffer dishonour for our sakes Eph. 1.4 Thus of the election The next thing by which they are commended is their kinred and generation This word generation signifies sometimes an age or succession of men or so many men as live in the world in the age of one man so one generation passeth and another commeth c. Eccles. 1. Sometimes it signifies a progeny or off-spring that is so many as doe descend out of the loines of such a one as the generation from Abraham to David Mat. 1. Sometimes it signifies a kinred or stocke and so not onely carnall but spirituall and thus wicked men are said to be an adulterous and untoward generation Mat. 12.39 faithlesse and perverse Mat. 17.17 so it is no priviledge to be one of that generation but we are called upon to save our selves from this untoward generation Mat. 12.40 so that it is a priviledge to be one of this sort or kinred They are the generation of vipers Mat. 3. Now there is another kind of spirituall alliance and that is it whereby all Christians are a-kin one to another through the blood of Christ as they all descend of the second Adam and of this it is that the Prophet speaketh Esay 53.8 when admiredly he faith of Christ Who can tell his generation And thus the godly are begotten of the best blood in the world because they are begotten of the blood of Christ Ioh. 1.13 The doctrine then is That godly men are the happiest men in the world in respect of their kinred and alliance None come of so good a kinred as godly Christians which may appeare by divers reasons First because they descend of the best blood being the generation of Christ the second Adam and so are better borne than they that can tell of their great Nobility and Blood both by the fathers and mothers side Ioh. 1.13 Secondly because they are a chosen picked chilren or kinred all the kinred culled out of all mankind and so is no kinred in the world For in all other kinreds are all sorts of persons to be found good and bad vertuous and vicious but of this kinred are none but good Thirdly because the whole kinred is royall they enjoy all great preferments whereas there be few kinreds in the world but there are some poore in it but this generation hath not one poore man in it all the kinred are Kings Fourthly because all are fit for imployment all the kinred are Priests and can sacrifice which was not true of the very Tribe of Levi. There is not one Christian but he can perform the worke of the Priesthood doth in his order Fifthly because there are so many of the kinred The meanest Christian is a-kinne to all the Saints in heaven and to all the godly in earth or on earth and there is no kinred in the flesh that can attaine to the like number of kinsfolkes in any degree of comparison worth the speaking of Sixthly because they are all accepted into high favour with the King of Kings Though a King on earth out of his love to one person would do much for many of his kinred yet it is never seen that all the kinred universally are preferred and entertained into speciall favour with the King yet so it is with all the godly it is true of all of every one that they are his peculiar treasure Seventhly because all our kinred will doe for us there is none of them but are able to pleasure us whereas in carnall kinred one may bee a-kinne to so great persons that they will do nothing for them Eightly because other kinred may and will die and leave us but all this generation lives for ever Uses The consideration whereof may serve for divers reasons First hence godly Christians may gather comfort against the best of their kinred in the flesh whether they be lost by displeasure or by death for God here makes a supply of better kinred It should not therefore be grievous to the godly to forsake their fathers house Psal. 45. Secondly hence we should learne how to esteeme of godly Ministers for hereby is implyed that they are the Fathers and Princes of the Tribes in this holy Nation Thirdly it should teach us many duties concerning the godly to whom we are allied First to study our genealogie and get the knowledge of as many of our kinred as we can Secondly to glory in our kinred to joy in our happinesse herein Thirdly to do all good we
5 That he doth not afflict willingly Lament 3.33 6 That all shall worke together for the best Rom. 8.28 Deut. 8.16 7 God will give a good end Iam. 5.11 Hee will lift up from the gates of death Psal. 9.13 God will give thee rest from thy sorrows and feares and hard usage Isaiah 14.1 3. Psalm 57.3 Hee will send from heaven to save thee 8 He will afflict but for a moment Esa. 54.7 But in both these cases we must remember First to seeke mercy of God Ezek. 36.32 Secondly if we be not presently answered our eyes must looke up to God and we must wait for his mercies Psal. 123.3 4. Thirdly we must checke our selves for the doubtfulnesse of our hearts as David doth Psal. 4.7 8. and 77.10 Fourthly because we live too much be sense wee must beseech God not onely to be mercifull but to let his mercy be shewed and come to us Psal. 85.8 and 116.77 Fifthly we should also beseech God not onely to let us feele his mercies but to satisfie us also early with his mercies Psal. 90 14. Sixthly we must looke to it that we walke in our integrity Psal. 26.11 and live by rule Gal. 6.16 Lastly howsoever we must trust in God and looke to it that we rest upon the Lord Psal. 32.10 and 33.18 22. For God takes pleasure in those which hope in his mercy Psal. 147.11 Quest. But how may a man that is not yet comforted with Gods mercy take a sound course to obtaine mercy Answ. That men may obtaine mercy First they must take unto themselves words and confesse their sâ—nnes to God and heartily bewaile their offences Ioel 2.13 Hos. 14.3 Secondly they must turne from and forsake their evill wayes and their unrighteousnesse inward and outward Isaiah 55.7 Thirdly they must be carefull to seeke the Lord while he may be sound Isaiah 55.6 Fourthly they must be mercifull and love mercy for then they shall obtaine mercy Matt. 5.6 Fifthly they must learne the waies of Gods people and learne them diligently Ier. 12.15 16. They must have pure hands and a cleane heart and not lift up their soules to vanity Psal. 4.5 Sixthly they must hate the evill and love the good Amos 5.5 Seventhly they must cry unto God daily Psal. 86.3 Eighthly there must nought of the cursed thing cleave unto their hands Deut. 13.17 Ninthly when the Lord saith Seeke yee my face their hearts must say Thy face O Lord will we seeke Psal. 27.7 8. Vers. 11 12. Dearly beloved I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstaine from fleshly lusts which fight against the soule And have your conversation honest among the Gentiles that they which speake evill of you as of evill doers may by your good workes which they shall see glorifie God in the day of their visitation THese words contain the epilogue or conclusion of the whole exhortation as it concernes Christians in generall from verse 13 of the former chapter hitherto and it hath in it matter both of dehortation and of exhortation as answering in the substance to all that he hath hitherto intreated of by way of use The dehortation is in verse 11 the exhortation in verse 12 in the one shewing what they should avoid in the other what they should doe They should avoid fleshly lusts and that they should doe is to live honestly In generall wee may note That it is the proper effect of all sorts of doctrine in Scripture to make an impression of care in our hearts about the reformation of our lives that it is in vaine heard which doth not some way breed in us a hatred of vice and a love of honesty This is the use of all Scripture 1 Tim. 3.16 17. Which may serve for triall of such as come to the Word They may know whether they bee good or evill hearers by the impression made upon their hearts by the Word And it may serve for information to shew us the excellency of the Word above all other Writings because there is no line in Scripture but some way it tends to the redresse of our natures from sinne and to plant holinesse in us which can bee true of no humane Writings And withall it shewes the happy estate of the godly who though they have many diseases in their natures yet they have wonderfull store and variety of medicines in Gods Word to heale their natures If for the diseases of our bodies there be but one herbe in the whole field that is good for cure we have reason to thinke that God hath provided well in nature for us but how is his mercy glorious who in the spirituall field of his Word hath made to grow as many herbes for cure of all our diseases as there be sentences in Scripture And lastly it should teach us to use the Scriptures to this end to redresse our waies by them And thus in generall The first part of the epilogue hath in it matter of dehortation where observe First the parties dehorted who are described by an epithet importing their priviledge above other men viz. Dearly beloved Secondly the manner of propounding the dehortation viz. by way of beseeching I beseech you Thirdly the matter from which he dehorts viz. fleshly lusts Fourthly the manner how they are to be avoided viz. abstaine from them Fifthly the motives first Yee are strangers and pilgrims secondly these lusts are fleshly thirdly they fight against the soule Dearly beloved This terme is not used complementally or carelesly but with great affection in the Apostle and with speciall choice and fitnesse for the matter intreated of which we may observe in the most places where this lovely epithet is given to the godly in other Scriptures God is exceeding choice of his words hee never mentioneth the tearmes of love but hee brings to his children the affections of love as I may so say Men through custome use faire complement of words when their hearts be not moved but let our love be without dissimulation But let that goe The point here to be plainly observed is That Christians are beloved of all other people they are most loved I will but briefly explicate this First God loves them and that with infinite and everlasting love and hath manifested it by sending his owne Sonne to be a propitiation for their sinnes 1 Iob. 4.9 10. Secondly Christ loveth them which hee sheweth by giving his life for them Thirdly the Angels of heaven love them which they shew by joying in their conversion and by their carefull attendance about them Fourthly the godly in generall love them There is no godly man that knowes them but loves them for every one that loves God that begot them loves every one that is begotten of God every one I say that hee knowes 1 Iob. 5.1 Lastly the godly Teachers love them which they shew in that they are not onely willing to impart to them the Gospel but even their owne soules because their people are deare unto them 1 Thess.
that Every soule must bee subject and therefore if Church-men have soules they must bee subject to the higher Powers Thirdly because Princes have executed their authority over Câ—urch-men whereof wee have manifest examples in the Word as David appointed the orders and offices of the Levites Salomon put downe Abiathar from the Priest-hood Iosiah burned the very bones of the Priests upon their Altars and also purged the Temple and restored the Passeover Christ himselfe was subject to the authority of Princes hee gave tribute and appeared at their Tribunall Paul was subject and appeared before the Magistrates and used their power when hee appeal'd to Caesar 3. Thes. 2. Fourthly there is manifest reason for it for if Church-men bee citizens or members of the Common-wealth then they must bee subject to the Rulers and Lawes of the Common-wealth Fiftly the doctrine of the purest times since the Apostles is agreeable hereunto for Chrysostome upon the thirteenth to the Romans avouches it that Priests and Monkes yea Apostles Evangelists and Prophets must be subject to secular Powers And Bernard reasons out of that place thâ—s If every soule must bee subject then yours also that are Church-men who hath exâ—epted you from this All If any man goe about to except you hee goes about to deceive you And Pope Gregory acknowledgeth the Emperour Maurice as Lord of him and the Clergy They object that the ecclesiasticall government is greater than the secular jure divino and therefore Church-men ought not to be subject because the Superiour ought not to be subject to the Inferiour Ans. The ecclesiasticall government is superiour to the secular government and it is inferiour to it it is superiour in respect of the rule over themselves in the things of the kingdome of heaven by means appointed of Christ viz. the Word and Sacraments c. but it is inferiour in respect of civill subjection in the obedience or submission that concernes body and goods The Prince must bee subject to the Church in matters of faith and godlinesse and the Church subject to the Prince in matters of this life and civill subjection How farre Princes have power in cases ecclesiasticall will bee shewed afterwards They object that divers Councels doe except the Clergie from the Barre and Tribunall of Princes and divers Popes have discharged the Clergy of such subjection Answ. Councels and Popes cannot decree against the Word of God besides they judge and determine in their own case for what were the Popes or Councels but Clergy-men Moreover the Popes assumed a power to themselves which was never given them for they were so farre off from having power to free their Clergy that they had no power to free themselves 2. Thes. 2.7 They object againe and say that it is absurd the sheep should rule and judge the shepheard Princes are but sheepe and Priests are the shepheards Answ. Magistrates are not sheep in all things but in spirituall things in matters of faith and so Ministers are shepheards to feed their soules but in civill things the Magistrate is the shepheard and the Clergy-men sheepe because citizens or subjects But they say that Clergy-men are freed by priviledge from the Emperors and by the Lawes of the Empire Ans. If that be so then their priviledge is Iure humano not divixo Secondly they plead a false priviledge for in things in question they were never priviledged that is in matter of obedience to the Law or in matter of punishment in things criminall Thirdly if it were so then they are subject to Princes for hee that grants a priviledge is greater than hee to whom it is granted But the last and best answer is that Princes can grant no such priviledge Can a father free his sonne that hee shall not honour him or a husband free his wife that shee shall not bee subject to him No more can a Prince free his subjects from obedience or subjection because the subject is tyed by the Law of nature and by Gods Law which Princes cannot undoe Thus of the third point Fourthly when hee saith Submit your selves he doth not require them to submit those things to the pleasure of the Magistrate which are not theirs Every godly Christian hath some things which are not his owne but Gods and those he must not subject to the will of Princes as his Religion his Faith the Word of God the Sacraments his prayers for those are none of Caesars and therefore must not be given to Caesar. Thus of who or what must be submitted To every ordinance of man There are two senses given of these words some understand them of Magistrates themselves some of the Lawes of Magistrates It is not easie to tell how to restraine the text to either of these for both are true and the former included in the latter and the latter implyed in the former and therefore I purpose to handle the words according to the sense in both respects First then wee must be subject to every ordinance of man that is to all sorts of Magistrates And the Apostle seemeth to expound it when hee saith Whether it bee to the King or to the governours as importing that they were the ordinances he spake of before Now concerning Magistrates as they are here intreated of these things are to be noted First that Magistrates are an ordinance of men and so they are in divers respects because magistracy is a thing proper to men Secondly in respect of the end because it is ordained for the good of men Thirdly because the choise of the kinde of Magistrates hath beene for the most part left unto men for God hath not tyed all nations to a kinde of government but left them for the most part free and therefore some governed by Kings some by Emperors some by Consuls some by Dukes some by Princes or Earles or the like Fourthly because in the New Testament Christ did not at all imploy himselfe in settling any order for the corporall government of his Church in this world it being specially his intent for the raising of his spirituall kingdome and the ordering of the government that concerned the soules of men and their full subjection Onely we must take heed of one sinne here and that is that we conceive not the Magistrates are mans ordinance as if man appointed or ordained or invented them for that is contrary to expresse Scripture that calls all those earthly powers Gods ordinance they are by divine institution Rom. 13.1 2 3. Pro. 8.15 2 Chron. 19.6 Dan. 4.14 22. Ob. Hos. 8.4 it is said They made them a King but not by mee Sol. God disclaimes not the ordinance for hee himselfe had appointed Ieroboam to be King of whom the Prophet speaketh but he disclaimes the manner or the choise of him as it was done by the Prophet which chose him in a mutiny and without respect to Gods will Ob. Nimrod was the first that brought in Magistracy and he is taxed for it in Gen. 10.9 Ans.
hated the name of a King and Caesar was an Emperour to which divers things may be answered First that though the present Governour was an Emperour yet the Apostle knowing that the most monarchies in the world would rest in the title of King in all ages therefore he useth that title that may concerne the most of the Elect in all ages Secondly that though amongst the Romans the title of King was not used yet the Grecians in whose language hee writ did familiarly use the word which we translate King Thirdly the Apostle might have respect unto the signification of the word as unto a word which was most effectuall to note the highest dignitie among men For it notes him that is the stay or foundation of the people or the Common-wealth and though ambitious men sought new titles as higher yet the Apostle knew that this was most majesticall and honourable for the tearme of Emperour in the signification of it may agree to any subordinate ruler who governes or commands other men Fourthly it may be that the Apostle knowing the hypocrisie of those Emperours who onely disclaimed the name of Kings to avoid the hatred of the people and yet sought the full right of Kings aâ—d so to destroy the liberty of the people giveth the name they sought in substance though not in tearme Where by the way we may note how hatefull hypocrisie is to God and how vaine it is God will unmaske even Kings if they dâ—ssemble with him Hee that trieth the hearts and reines judgeth according to truth and will not be deceived with pretences Though men durst not charge Caesar to affect the Kingdome yet God dares and will require at his hands the ambition of his heart And if God will not beare with dissimulation in Kings much lesse will he beare it in meaner men hee hates hypocrisie and fained pretences and painted shewes wheresoever he findes it which should teach us all to labour for a plaine and upright heart in all things to direct our words and carriage according to the true intent of our hearts For besides that God will plague men for their dissimulation which cannot be hid from him it fals out usually that such as use dissembling are perpetually suspected all their faire pretences notwithstanding as those Caesars were Lastly the Apostle may name Kings to prevent rebellion in the subjects which either should feare such as affected the title or live under such as professed themselves to be Kings and so the meaning is that he would have them obey even Kings how hatefull soever naturally that kinde of government did seeme unto them It may be that the Apostle mentioneth Kings as the last kinde of government a Monarchy being in many respects the most excellent forme of government as being such a forme of government as comes neerest to the similitude of God who is not onely one in nature but in government also and is most agreeable to nature which doth affect unity as well in the body politick as in the body naturall But I let this passe as a question belonging rather to the Politicks than to Divinity to be discussed at large Thus conjecturally of the reason why the Apostle useth this tearme Concerning Kings I propound these things to be considered of First the originall of Kings Secondly the excellencie of Kings both these tend to worke in man the care of obedience to them and their Lawes Thirdly the indefinite manner of propounding the tearme shewing that this submission belongs to all Kings Fourthly the uses of all For the first It is not unprofitable to consider how men came by degrees at length to subject themselves to this government of Kings First man by the instinct of God and by the nature given him tends to society Of all creatures man is unaptest to live alone Mans language shewes that he was made to society and mans disposition shewes that it likes not any estate that must be removed from the knowledge and conversation of other men He that can live without society is either better than a man as is God or worse than a man as is a beast The first kinde of society was oeconomicall as houshold society where was first a society betweene man and wife and thence by propagation grew the society to a full houshold by the comming in of children and servants And hence was the first forme of government where the father of the family was the Head and Ruler The second kinde of society was a Village or Towne which contained in it the government of divers houses or families and this was occasioned either by increase of posterity or for prevention of harmes or out of necessity for supply of necessaries At the first a Village or Towne contained as is thought onely the severall branches of the same family that is when men lived so long such as were descended of their bloud and were ruled by the chiefe and first of their bloud Afterwards strangers of other families that were fewer in number mingled with them to avoid the danger of wild beasts or the injuries of other men yea one of the words used for a village is derived from a word that signifies a Fountaine and so importeth that necessity drew men to dwell together that so they might enjoy the benefit of nature for water which in the Countries first planted was not universally to be had but one Well must serve divers housholds and so the Springs of water was one cause to bring men to this kinde of society and dwelling together The third kinde of society was a City which consisted of the people of many Villages and into this society men came both for commodity and necessity For commodity as namely for trades and the education of children and the exercise of Religion and the administration of justice for necessity that so they might be strengthened against their enemies and to this end they walled and ditched about their Cities as also to keepe in offenders that they might not flee and to keepe out such as were banished that they might not returne and in this society first began the government of Kings For from the beginning it is thought that every City had a King as a Monarch to rule and defend it as appeares in Genesis There was a King of Sodome and Gomorrah and so every of the other Cities had their different Kings Fourthly when men increased so fast that one City could not hold the people which lived in it then began Countries and Provinces and at length the whole Nation consisting of many Cities became subject to one King and afterwards by conquest or marriage diverse Nations yeelded obedience to one King Now the ends why humane societies became subject to Kings and to superiour Powers were the Common-weale and the benefit of the people so united for power was given to Kings that so men might bee protected in the practice of vertue that peace might be preserved among
Scapul faith We reverence the Emperour as a man second to God and the onely one that is lesse than God and also Tertullian de Ido Capite 18. Nazianzen orat ad subdit Imperat. All men must bee subject to higher powers The expresse testimonies of Chrysostome and Bernard upon Rom. 1 3. have beene quoted before read Bernard de consid lib. 2. Capite 4. Hilar. ad Anx. Chrysost. homil 42. in Ioan. Ambrose in 2 Tim. 2.4 Secondly this should confirme every good subject to acknowledge and maintaine the Kings supremacie and willingly to binde himselfe thereunto by oath For the oath of supremacie is the bond of this subjection and this oath men must take without equivocation mentall evasion or secret reservation yea it should binde in them the same resolution was in Saint Bernard who faith thus If all the world would conspire against me to make me complot any thing against the Kings Majesty yet I would feare God and not dare to offend the King ordained of God Or unto governours By governours he either meanes all other sorts of Magistracie besides a Monarchie or else such Magistrates as in a Kingdome have commission from the King to heare and determine causes or any way to rule and exercise any Lawes of the King and it is the Apostles meaning that Christians should be subject to all sorts of Magistrates of what forme or dignity soever from the highest to the lowest so as it should be no more lawfull for them to disobey an inferiour Magistrate than to disobey the King so far forth as the inferiour Magistrate hath authority and doth proceed according to his commission in lawfull things This point needs not to be further handled having beene intreated of in the generall doctrine in submission to all Magistrates before And thus of the exposition the confirmation followes Verse 14. Or unto governours as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evill doers and for the praise of them that doe well THe Apostle in this verse and the next confirmeth the exhortation partly by reasons and partly by answearing an Objection the reasons are in this verse and the next and the prolepsis verse 16. The reasons may be referred to two heads the one taken from the calling of Magistrates verse 14. and the other from the will of God verse 15. The calling of Magistrates is considered two wayes First either in the author of it and so they are sent of God Secondly or in respect of the end of it which is partly the punishment of the wicked and partly the praise of them that doe well As they that are sent of him Of him either may be referred to the King or to the Lord If it be referred to the King then it shewes that all inferiour Magistrates receive all their authority from the King they have no more authority than other subjects but as it is bestowed upon them by the King and withall it shewes a secret in all well governed Monarchies which is that the King reserves the giving of honours and offices to himselfe which more obligeth the Under-officers and Magistrates to him and he is thereby the better acquainted with the State of the Kingdome But I am rather of the minde of those Interpreters that refer it to the Lord. And so the sense and doctrine is That both the Kings and the Governours are sent of God it is God that prefers them whatsoever the second causes be Though election or succession seem to make a King and Kings make Governours yet have wee beene taught that none of these come to their places without the providence of God Prov. 8.15 Now God keepes this businesse in his owne hands to see to the calling of Magistrates because of the service by them he can execute For a great part of his Kingdome is managed by their deputation By them God scourgeth the sins of the wicked yea of the whole world either by suffering them to bee publike miseries or by guiding them to punish offenders by the sword of justice and by them he many times brings many common blessings upon worlds of people as the next words shew Uses The uses are divers some particular some generall In particular it should teach us First by prayer to seeke Magistrates of God subjects might get great blessings of this kinde if they would pray hard for them For God it is that sends Magistrates Secondly with patience to beare the wrongs of evill Magistrates seeing there is a hand of God in it Thirdly with thankfulnesse to give the praise to God for good Magistrates seeing it was he that sent them as a common blessing Fourthâ—y in all suits about the lives or duties or successions of Magistrates to trust unto God For though we know not where to be provided in earth yet God can send one from heaven as it were The word sent imports that God can raise him up beyond expectation In generall it should stirre us up in all things done by outward meanes in this world to strive for the skill to finde out and acknowledge Gods hand and providence in it seeing in these things which are apparently done by meanes for the most part yet Gods providence is in it Thus of the Author of their calling the end followes For the punishment of evill doers Divers things may be noted from hence First that in all Common-wealths in the world there will bee evill doers though there bee a King and Governours and Gods Commandements lye hard upon mens consciences yet there will bee evill doers And the point shewes the horrible strength of the poison of naturall corruption which no Lawes of God nor man nor experience of evill nor example can restraine or dry up and withall it shewes their solly and weaknesse that will forsake Christian assemblies for the wickeds sakes whereas the Apostle improves that even in Christian Common-wealths there will bee this part of a Magistrates vertue to punish the evill doers such as are knowne to be so and therefore such curious persons must goe out of the world if they will goe from evill doers And withall it should breed in men a greater care to looke to themselves that they bee not infected by them since there is no society of men in which this plague-fore of sinne runneth not we must redeeme the time because the dayes are evill And further it should breed in us a loathing of this wicked world of this present evill world and a desire of heaven since we shall never live in a place where the people will be all righteous till we come to heaven And finally it confutes their folly that from the vitiousnesse of some men conclude the faultinesse either of the doctrine lawes or government Secondly that evill doers must be punished Rom. 15. and great reason for first evill doers in any society are infectious many may be defiled by them Secondly they work much disquietnesse and trouble humane societies Thirdly if they escape
in the very pulpits showers of reproaches which ambitious and malicious temporizers poure out to strengthen the hands of the wicked and discourage the hearts of the righteous they thinke they may revile securely because they heare that way every where evill spoken of that cause and language is the cause and language of the multitude Fifthly because many ignorant persons when they are confuted yet are so foolish that they will wilfully persist in their objections upon this pretence that though they cannot reply against the answer yet they thinke if such and such were there that have more experience and learning they would confirme and make good what they say Sixthly because malice hath no eares they hate the truth and godly men and therefore are utterly unwilling to abate any thing of the disgraces of the truth or godly persons If it be not as they say yet their malice would faine have it so and if it may disgrace the godly they care not whether it be true or no. Seventhly because many times God gives them over to such a reprobate sense that through custome and evill thoughts and evill surmises they think verily they doe not much amisse to oppose and hate such persons This was the case of such as reviled and persecuted the Apostles they thought they did God good service as Christ prophesied of them The Uses of this doctrine follow Uses First therefore we should not wonder if we see this daily come to passe that men of all sorts should reproachâ— the good way of God so unjustly so foolishly so pertinaciously Secondly it shewes that godly men had need to be circumspect and to watch their words and workes with all exactnesse and that they which will confute ignorant men must strive to be very able and throughly furnished with wisedome of words and abundance of good works Thirdly it shewes that ignorant persons are in a lamentable case that are so inwrapped in the snares and cords of their owne folly that so willingly and wilfully run towards the gates of death and ruine that are so hardly cured of this spirituall blindnesse Fourthly it imports that study self-will'd perverse Christians that cannot be diverted or advised are to be reckoned in the rank of these fooles what shew soever they make of a better estate Fifthly it doth comfortably import that when one is teachable and hates reproaching and will doe or say nothing against the truth and is not pleased with his ignorance but judgeth himselfe for it and useth the meanes to get the knowledge and love of the truth that such a person is escaped from the congregation of these fooles and is in some measure enlightned with true wisdome from above Sixthly it may warn all that love their owne soules hereafter to take heed and with care to avoid wilfulnesse and self-conceitednesse Let men take heed they be not wise in themselves but strive to frame themselves to be true workers of wisdome and withall to take heed of a multitude of words hee that cannot be silent cannot be wise of godly And thus of the fifth doctrine Doct. 6. Sixthly we may here note that wel-doing is the best way to confure wicked and unreasonable men A sound and fruitfull life is the likeliest and surest way to still them if any thing will doe it it is the best way for divers reasons 1. Because we see here it is a course of Gods chusing and he saith it will even muzzle them and binde up their mouthes and he will give successe to the obedience of his owne commandements 2. Because by a conversation full of good workes we doe not only confute them our selves but we make others able to answer for us in all places 3. Because if a man undertake to answer them by words he is in danger to be provoked to speake unadvisedly and so many prove like those fools whom he reproves Pro. 26.5 4. Because the naturall conscience of the wicked is as it were feared to take notice of a good conversation and will struggle and resist within the wicked man so as he cannot so securely vent his reproaches 5. Because it is a way that brings most peace and comfort to ones owne heart If he deale with them by words his heart may afterwards smite him for some absurdity or other he hath committed whereas he is safe that fights against them by his good workes 6. Because it is the surest way of revenge to overcome their evill with goodnesse especially if thou canst get but the advantages to doe good to them that reproach thee Rom. 12.18 19. Use. The sound consideration of this truth should subdue in us that over-eager desire of answering such as wrong us by bitter words or workes of revenge yea it should compell upon us a consultation whether it be best to deale with them at all by words Gods way is by works and thou must get a great deale of temperance and wisedome if thou think thy selfe able to confute them throughly by words It is true also that in some cases we may resort to the Magistrate to punish them that abuse us but yet still this counsell of God that bids us silence them by well-doing should intimate that other courses must be used with much caution and without rashnesse or confidence in them Secondly this may reprove that unquietnesse and impatience which is found in some Christians when they are reproached and wronged they are much vexed at the indignities offered to them think it strange that wicked men should not cease traducing of their names whereas perhaps if they examine themselves they may finde that they have not used the meanes to still them they have not muzzled these dogs and therefore no wonder if they bark and bite too and muzz'ed we see here they will not be but by their good works And therefore if they be barren and unfruitfull they must take notice of the fault in themselves There are other things that may be noted out of these words but I will only touch them as Doct. 7. That onely foolish men doe reproach godly men Such as revile and censure many are usually either openly carnall men as they were drunkards that reproached David and abjects Psal. 35.15 and 69.13 They were either fooles or the children of fooles but viler they were than the earth that had Iob in derision cap. 30.1,8 men that ranne into excesse of riot as the Apostle writeth 1 Pet. 4.5 or else hypocrites that have nothing in them but words and empty shewes Or if at any time there bee a sinne found in godly men it is in such as are but babes and looke like carnall men and have a great deale of their naturall folly and madnesse unsubdued in them 1 Cor. 3.1 2 3. But for the most part it is a fault found onely in wicked men Doct. 8. That it is a great paine to a wicked man to be restrained from reproaches Hee is as much vexed when hee cannot or dare not speake
he sheweth the manner how they must be subject viz. With all feare Servants must subject themselves to their masters in all feare which being put downe indefinitely must be understood both in respect of God and in respect of their Masters Servants must shew their feare of God in their places divers wayes First by avoiding such sinnes as are contrary to the will and commandement of God in their generall life such as are swearing lying slandering hatred of the godly drunkennesse whoredome and the like Psal. 101.3 4 5. Secondly by carefulnesse to doe good service as well as their masters not only by spending the Sabbath in the duties of Religion but in redeeming the time in the week-dayes as may be without hindrance of their worke or offence to their masters to imploy themselves in prayer reading conference c. and the reason is because as servants must doe their masters worke as they are servants so they stand bound in the common obligation to doe Gods service as they are men and no man but is subject to the Law of God who hath given all his commandements to servants as well as to masters Thirdly by doing their masters worke out of conscience respecting the will and commandements of God and therefore serving their masters with all faithfulnesse as if the service were to be done to God himselfe or to Jesus Christ Ephes. 6.5 Col. 3.23 Fourthly by praying for their masters and for the good successe of their labours for their masters commodity thus Abrahams servant is commended for his practice of the feare of God and left for an example to all servants to doe likewise Gen. 24. Fiftly by doing their masters worke without eye-service being as carefull and as diligent when their masters are absent as when they are present as remembring that the Lord sees them though their masters do not Col. 3.22 The feare then towards their masters they may shew divers waies First by avoiding what may displease their masters such as is answering againe Tit. 2.10 contention with their fellowes and all unquietnes Phil. 2.4 fullennesse Prov. 29.19 and all unfaithfulnesse shewed either by puâ—loining in the least things Tit. 2.10 or carelesnesse in disappointing the trust committed to them as also masterfulnesse pride and haughtie behaviour when they will not abide it to be told or directed or doing what they list not what they be appointed Secondly by reverent behaviour to bee shewed by lowlinesse of countenance by giving titles of honour and respect Iohn 13.13 by standing before them when they sit Luk. 17. by avoiding rude behaviour or sawcy familiarity as accounting them in heart worthy of all honour 1 Tim. 6.1 One point of which reverence is that servants should not presume to deliver their opinions easily in their masters presence unlesse it be required or may be gathered by argument from the lesse Iob 32.6 7. Thirdly by their secrecy in all the affaires of their masters especially they should take heed of discovering their masters infirmities to others abroad out of the family Fourthly by avoiding inquisitivenesse to meddle only with their owne businesse the servant knoweth not what his master doth Ioh. 15.15 Fiftly by doing their worke with all faithfulnesse and diligence in absence as well as presence that when the master comes hee may finde them so doing Mat. 24. Thus of the manner of the duty the persons to whom they must thus submit themselves follow and so they must be subject with all fear not only to the good but also to the froward To the good and gentle For the sense we must enquire who are good masters and who gentle Good masters are discerned by divers signes First they seeke not only painefull and skilfull but religious servants Psal. 101.1 6 7. Secondly they not only licence but teach their servants to keepe Gods Sabbaths and to worship him Commandement 4. Gen. 18.19 Thirdly they will not command their servants to doe any thing that is sinfull or to lye as snares or defraud others for their profit Fourthly that receive their servants especially such as are religious as their brethren Fiftly that are overseers as well of the manners of their servants as of their labours being as carefull that their servants be no worse to themselves than to their masters Sixtly that use their servants well not only praising them for well doing but alwaies rewarding their service with liberall wages and when they part from them not suffering them to goe from them empty without portion c. Masters shew their gentlenesse also divers waies as First when they use their authority moderately or are not haughtie or violent towards their servants Secondly when they passe by their infirmities and take not notice of all the ill they say or doe Eccles. 7.22 Thirdly when their servants offend they chide them with good words and not revile them But also to the froward Froward masters are such as are bitter to their servants hard to please that are apt to finde fault that use their servants hardly in words or deeds but chiefly such as are cholerick and passionate and peevish in their carriage towards their servants So that foure Doctrines may be noted from these words and from the coherence Doct. 1. First that God takes notice of the faults of Superiours as well as he requires duties of inferiours he sees frowardnesse in masters as well as disobedience in servants and the reason is both because God is no respecter of persons and also because he gives his law to all men And therefore superiours must make conscience of their duties for though in all things they are not to give accounts to their inferiours yet they must give accounts of all they doe to God Col. 3.24 Doct. 2. That God sees and dislikes such faults as the lawes of man take not notice of If a master should kill his hired servant mens lawes would take hold of him but if he be never so froward with him he may escape mens lawes But though the lawes of men punish not frowardnesse yet God will So we see in the exposition of Christ given unto divers commandements Mat. 5. man failed in killing adultery purity c. not once thinking of anger lust filthy speaking reviling c. yet God forbids even these things also which serves to reprove the folly of such as justifie themselves for very just men because they offend not the lawes of men but never consider that God can finde a world of faults in them that mens lawes cannot because God sees the heart and by his lawes requires obedience of the inward man and condemnes all swerving from the right temper of heart and carriage And therefore we should all looke to our waies to approve our selves not only to men but to God and so to confesse the imperfections of mens lawes as to admire the perfection of Gods Word Doct. 3. That frowardnesse is a vice to be avoided of all sorts of men It is not only uncomely in
all that are borne of God though in respect of outward fruits and the power or joy of inward gifts they may bee said to lose Ioh. 3.9 Without the word God hath divers meanes to further the salvation of men and he is pleased sometimes to worke by one meanes and sometimes by another sometimes by the Word preached sometimes by the Word read sometimes by Prayer sometimes by the Sacraments sometimes by the example of his Servants So that God doth worke our good sometime by one ordinance and not by another in the same thing and at the same time sometimes he will cure a man of a particular trespasse by the admonition of some private Christian Mat. 18.15 Iam. 5. ult sometimes he will bring a man to feele legall terrors by the doctrine of the Law and sometime hee will worke it by afflictions sometimes he will prepare a man to receive the grace of Christ by praier as he did Cornelius sometimes hee winnes him to it by the example of his servants as here And the reason is partly because God would shew the vertue that is in each ordinance and partly to teach us not to despise or neglect any of the meanes and partly to shew his owne power that workes freely by what meanes hee will as being not tyed to any And therefore they deale very corruptly and perversly that under pretence of commending one ordinance of God labour to abase the respect of another as they doe that say the house of God is a house of prayer and therefore there needs not so much preaching not considering that our Saviour Christ himselfe that alledged that place out of the Prophet to condemne buying and selling in the Temple yet did spend his greatest paines in preaching in the Temple and out of it thereby shewing the prime ordinance of God for the conversion of the soules of men was the preaching of the Gospel to them By the conversation of the Wives Great heed ought to be taken by such as professe Religion in looking carefully to their conversation especially towards such as are without Col. 4.5 Ephes. 5.15 1 Pet. 2.12 It is not enough to doe good duties but we must doe them as becommeth godlinesse T it 2. and so as may allure and win the very ungodly and therefore it is required that our works should shine Mat. 5.16 for by our practise wee resemble God himselfe and by our workes professe to shew not only what Gods Word is but what Gods nature is Our life must have the image of God printed upon it and therefore they doe fearefully that professe Religion amongst wicked men and by their workes order themselves so foolishly deceitfully conceitedly wickedly that they cause the name of God to be blasphemed Quest. But what should wee doe to our practise that by our conversation wee might allure and win wicked men to a love of the truth Answ. 1. First wee must avoide such things in our conversation as may irritate them as scandalous behaviour in any particular offence as deceit lying filthinesse drunkennesse pride covetousnesse passion or the like and withall take heed of mis-spending our zeale about such things wherof demonstration cannot be made to the conscience And besides in the good things we doe we must take heed of conceitednesse and ostentation but in meeknesse of wisedome have our conversations amongst men Iames 3.13 and further we must take heed of judging and censuring of others even of those that be without Iames 3.17 2. Mortification doth shine effectually into the conscience of wicked men it doth move them much if they see we be such as doe heartily judge our selves for the faults that hang upon us and doe not allow our selves in any sin Esay 61.3 3. A sound contempt of this world and the things thereof doth much affect the very naturall conscience of men if they see that not in words but in deed the love of this world and the glorie thereof be not in us and contrariwise it much vexeth them that we should professe the hope of heaven and contempt of the world and yet be as full of cares feares covetousnesse and such like ill affections as the very men of the world 4. Meeknesse and softnesse of nature exprest in our behaviour is very amiable as the coherence in this Text shewes and Tit. 3.1 2. 5. Mercie to the poore especially if we doe abound in it and be ready and cheerefull to it doth justifie us much before men Iames 1.26 Doct. 2. A good example even in inferiours may win men to Religion True Religion expressed in practise is amiable in all sorts of Christians women as well as men inferiours as well as superiours servants as well as masters children as well as parents Tit. 2.3.9.10 Luke 1. and the reason is because the true grace that is expressed by any Christian hath the likenesse of God printed upon it and so is amiable for his sake whom they by their works resemble And this may be a great encouragement to inferiours and should breed in them a great care of well-doing But the main thing intended in this Text is That religious wives ought to strive to win their husbands if they have such as are not religious or not in such soundnesse as they ought Quest. But what should a wife doe to win her husband Answ. She must in generall resolve to doe it not by her words but by her conversation as this Text shewes It is not her talking to her husband will doe it no nor her talking of religion to him that in it selfe is like to prevaile It concernes women very much to remember this point of the Apostle to seeke the reformation of their husbands by their conversation not by their words Ob. But Abraham was willed to heare his wife Gen. 16. Sol. What then hath every wife such an husband as will heare her as Abraham did his wife Besides the question is not what the husbands should doe but what the wives should doe when the husbands as not such as they should be Ob. But how shall a woman know when to speake to her husband and when not Sol. She must not speake to him no not of religion 1. when in the matter she would speake of she is not furnished to speake as becomes the Oracles of God 2. when by experience she hath found that her husband is irritated and provoked by her words 3. when she is not her selfe free from some fault as apparent in other things as that is she mislikes in her husband Qu. But what things must she looke to in her â—â—nversation that she may by her workes win her husband Answ. The first thing is that she be in all found subjection obedient to her husband in all things or else God may win him but she must have no part of the praise of it And this is strongly imported in the very scope of this place In generall she must strive to be to him even for conscience
or contempt of others or hath the appearance of such evill in the judgement of others Esay 3. 1 Thes. 5. 8. When it becommeth not good workes or hindereth them 1 Tim. 2.9 as when men restraine mercie to the poore or oppresse their Tenants or defraud other men onely to mainetaine themselves or theirs in outward pompe and gallantnesse of apparell This is the horrible sin of the Gentry in many places of this kingdome 9. When it is condemned and reproved by godly Ministers that are both wise and learned for their testimony ought to be received 2 Thess. 1.10 and it is a vile sinne to vexe them and grieve them by our obstinacie yea though they were not able to make so full demonstration yet when they reprove such things out of a spirituall jealousie and feare they corrupt their hearers they ought to be heard Heb. 13.18 1 Cor. 11.2.3 10. When the time that might be profitably spent is consumed by the tedious curiositie of dressing Ephes. 5.16 as it is with those that have not time for Godâ— worship in private or cannot come time enough to the Church or neglect their calling by being so long in dressing 11. When it dishonours the body of a man Col. 2. ult as when it is slovenly or sluttish or is taken up of meere singularitie and affectation of the praise of mortification and tends to restraine Christian libertie in others For no pretence may uncomely apparell be used for 1 Tim. 2.9 it is required that the apparell of women be comely for so the originall word signifies But especially uncomely apparell is then most vile when it is worne with a purpose to deceive as the Prophet complained of such as weare a roâ—gh garment to deceive 12. The puritie of a Christian life should avoide all dressings or fashions which had their originall from infamous persons such as are the fashions of Whores or debauched creatures and such a beginning it is said commonly Yellow starch had What fellowship betweene light and darknesse righteousnesse and unrighteousnesse Christ and Belial If we would have God to love us we must separate and come out from amongst them and touch no uncleane thing 13. When such apparell is worne as is contrary to the wholesome lawes of men for we are bound to submit our selves to every ordinance of man for Gods sake 1 Pet. 2.13 14. Lastly when the partie that useth such apparell or dressing is condemned in himselfe and hath his owne conscience accusing or disliking it or is noâ— fully assured that he doth not sin Whatsoever is not of Faith in those things is sin Rom. 14. Verse 4. But let it be the hidden man of the heart c. HItherto of that adorning they should not be curious or costly in Now in this verse he shewes in the affirmative what apparell or dressing they sâ—ould be carefull of and that is the adorning of their soules and the apparelling of the inward man In the words three things may be noted 1. What must be apparelled viz. the hidden man of the heart 2. With what it must be adorned which he shewes both in generall and in particular in generall it must be with incorruptible things in particular it must be with a meeke and quiet spirit 3. The reason viz. because such apparell is very rich in Gods account The firâ—â— thing then is what must be apparelled viz. the man of the heart The man of the heart This is a kind of speaking not used in any place of Scriptuâ—e but this onely this Apostle onely useth this kinde of expressing himselfe Now concerning the man of the heart I would consider of sixe things 1. What he is 2. Whence he is or his originall 3. In what he excels the outward man 4. What condition he is in by nature 5. Hâ—w he may be mended or made better 6. How we may know when the man of the heart is right â—or the first by the man of the heart hee meanes the same the Apostle Paulâ—oth â—oth by the inward man 2 Cor. 4.16 and the inward man is the soule or heâ—rt of man Thus â—e speakes of a Jew that is outward and a Jew that is inâ—arâ— Rom. 2.28 29. Now the heart is and may well be called the man for divers reasons 1. In respect of definition For the definition of a man agrees to the heart of man though there were no body for God was the God of Abraham and Abraham was and was a living man many hundred yeeres after his body was in the grave Mat. 22. And hence it is that unto the soule or heart of man in Scriptures is attributed all things that the outward man can doe as life Psal. 22.27 language Eccles. 9.1 Psal. 14.1 36.1 praying to God Psal. 37.4 receiving messages from God as when the Prophet is bidden to speake to the heart of Jerusalem Esay 40. serving of God c. 2. In respect of dominion The heart is the man because it disposeth the way of man Pro. 16.9 and ruleth the outward man for out of the aboundance of the heart the mouth speaketh And therefore Solomon saith that from the heart comes life Pro. 4.23 3. In respect of acceptation The heart is that which God especially respects in man it is the heart he lookes upon 1 Sam. 17.7 He tries the heart and as Solomon saith He weighes the hearts of the children of men Pro. 21.2 and he will be served with our hearts Iosh. 24.14 and in all holy duties it is with us in Gods account according as he seeth the heart 1 Kings 8.39 so he requires the heart in repenting 1 Sam. 7.3 in praying 2 Tim. 2.22 Hos. 7.14 in hearing the Word Luke 8. and so in every good duty Thus of the first point For the second The man of the heart hath his originall from God himselfe He is the Father of Spirits Heb. 12.8 and it was his especiall glory to forme and fashion the heart in man as divers Scriptures shew Zech. 12.1 Psal. 33.15 and is therefore called the God of the heart Psal. 37. For the third The man of the heart excells the outward man exceedingly and that both in substance and in priviledges As for substance in the outward man we agree with beasts but in the inward man we agree with Angels in as much as the man of the heart consists of a spirituall and immateriall essence as well as the Angels And as in substance so in properties there is great difference for first the man of the heart is hidden it can be and doe all his worke and yet be invisible God himselfe hath variety of conversation with the man of the heart that no creature else knowes Secondly he is free and subject only to the God of his heart properly No man can come at or governe or command the heart of man Thirdly he is properly the seat of Gods image Wee are not properly like God in our bodies because God hath no body but in
to use such evill courses as they doe for by the doctrine and reasons before it appeares plainely that they doe both holily and happily by committing all to God Psal. 14.4 7. 22.9 Thus of the second doctrine Doct. 3. It is a speciall praise in women to trust in God and the more praise because it is so rare in women who use to relie upon either their parents or their husbands to provide for them and seldome looke up to God And besides it produceth excellent effects for it makes them subject to their husbands and that with all quietnesse and meeknesse and feare to displease their husbands as is implied here And besides women that trust in God will be a great help and comfort to their husbands in their crosses they will encourage them to relie upon God in whom they put their trust which very help is worth great riches The Use should be therefore to perswade wives to be the more carefull of their faith and trust in God and to looke to it that it be a true faith and a right trust in God for such wives as are a vexation to their husbands by their carelesnesse and frowardnesse and unquietnesse and such as are so farre from comforting their husbands in distresse that they rather add affliction to their afflictions by censuring them and crossing them they may justly fear that their trust in God is not right Yea it maybe observed that some wives that professe religion and are unquiet and live frowardly and stubbornly towards their husbands they are unquiet in their consciences too and when crosses come upon them call their faith into question and cannot be established in their trust in God And it is just with God it should be so that such women as dare live in knowne transgressions against their husbands should not know their portion in the consolation of God God will not be loved when their husbands are not loved Thus of the fourth point The fift point is the effect and that is They adorned themselves Adorned themselves In all ages the comelinesse and ornameut of a wife as a wife was to obey her husband with meeknesse and feare and those were the comeliest and best apparelled women in the sight of God their husbands and good men that were most quiet and easie to be governed and willingest to please their husbands And so on the contrary a wife were a very unhandsome woman and not fit to please any wise man that were of a froward and unquiet disposition either through anger or crying or the like yea though she had otherwise never so great an estate or never so excellent gifts of nature of mind or bodie yea if she could be imagined to have true holinesse and grace yet she were but a loathsome creature And this doctrine as it should move all wives so especially such as have not other things to commend them but want either portion or beautie or skill or have but weake gifts in religion these should be the more carefull to recompence their husbands and strive to please them in this way of adorning themselves The matter of the example is subjection to their husbands and of that I have entreated in the exhorration it selfe The speciall argument is taken from the particular example of Sarah ver 6. Where we are to observe 1. What she did viz. she obeyed Abraham calling him Lord. 2. What fruit will follow to Christian wives if they follow her example viz. they shall become her daughters 3. Upon what condition they shall obtaine that honour viz. if they doe well and be not affraid of any amazement Sarah â— The names here mentioned are Sarah and Abraham and both their names are kept in the Christian Church not as they were at first but as they were changed of God out of his love and respect to their faith and obedience The woman was first called Saras which signified My Lady or My Mistris but after was changed into Sarah to signifie that she should be a Mistris to many or a Mistris indefinitely meaning that shee should have a great posteritie as the mans name was changed into Abraham and signified a father of many nations From the giving of the names wee may gather 1. Such as glorifie God by beleeving and keeping his covenant and patient bearing of adversitie shall be blessed of God and in particular shall have this blessing of a happy posteritie A godly life brings God to us and our families and an ungodly life drives him away 2. That God is no accepter of persons but godly wives shall have their part in the blessing of godly husbands This Christian wives may looke for if they be as Sarah holy women and such as obey their husbands and are a comfort and helpe to them in all the travels of their lives and no way hinder godlinesse in them Obeyed Abraham Divers things may be noted hence 1. That obedience is the chiefe thing required in the subjection of wives shewing how Sarah was subject he saith she obeyed him The maine thing required of wives is to be ruled by their husbands Those wives transgresse that are not carefull to see that done which their husbands require and with reason require and those that crosse their husbands and vexe them by opposing or censuring especially those that will not be quiet unlesse they may doe what they list and rule their husbands 2. That as much is due to everie husband as was due from Sarah to Abraham else this argument of the Apostle had not beene good They might have said that Abraham was a great man and holy and wise and loving c. but the Apostle requires that what women would doe for the substance of obedience if they had Abraham to their husband that must they doe to him that is now their husband And the reason is cleare because Gods commandement in the morall Law prescribes the same honour to be given to all husbands and in the New Testament obedience is required of all wives to all husbands And this was the more observable in Sarah because in obeying Abraham shee was faine to leave her owne countrey and be exposed to a world of paines and danger and wants 3. That the discharge of domesticall duties is a good worke and shall be had in everlasting remembrance Though all good wives have not the honour to be written in Gods booke of Scripture and praised therein yet they have the honour to be written in Gods booke of Remembrance which shall be opened at the last day and so contrariwise Calling him Lord. That shee did so call him the Apostle found written Gen. 18.12 Hence we may observe 1. That godly wives ought to acknowledge their husbands to have power over them as if they had beene servants bought with their money not that their subjection is no better than the subjection of servants but that the husbands have as well power over them as they have over their servants Sarah doth
not in judgement only acknowledge it as due but with wonderfull affection doth easily and with great love give that title to Abraham 2. That it is one part of the subjection of wives to carry themselves reverently towards their husbands and to give them such titles as may shew that they doe heartily honour them 3. Wee may here observe the wonderfull goodnesse of God towards his servants that in a great heape of sinne can see and accept of a little sparke of true grace The whole sentence of Sarah was vile and profane only that word was good God praiseth her for that was good and passeth by the great fault she committed Yea we may note that God is so well pleased with her loving subjection to her husband that he is content to forgive her great sinne of unbeliefe against him Yea it is probable that her great respect of her husband made her the more willingly to beleeve Gods promise afterwards for Heb. 11.11 she is commended judging God to be faithfull who had promised her a child though at first she laughed at it Whose daughters yee are Godly women may be said to be the daughters of Sarah three waies 1. If Sarah be taken mystically for the new Jerusalem as Gal. 4. 2. In respect of inheâ—iting the love and blessing of God which Sarah had they shall be her daughters that is they shall have the same portion from God as if they had come in Sarahs roome as in the case of Abraham is said Rom. 4.11 16. 3. In respect of spirituall kindred and alliance Christian women are as neere a kin to Sarah as if they were her owne daughters So that the maine doctrine from hence is That there is a spirituall kindred and consanguinitie betweene the godly about which from this place we may observe divers positions 1. That all the godly are a kinne and the reason is because they are all the children of one father that is God and all borne of the immortall seed of the Word 2. That they are neere a kin as neere as mothers and daughters or as brothers and sisters as Christ said of his kindred Mat. 12.49 50. Here are no cousins removed 3. That this kindred doth conferre a reall honour upon every Christian so as the Christian wives are as truely great as if they were immediately descended out of Sarahs womb 4. That God himselfe doth seriously acknowledge this kindred and looks upon the meanest Christian as truely allied to the greatest Worthies have ever beene in the world 5. That this neerenesse of consanguinitie is not a jot altered by the distance of hundred of yeeres as in the Apostles time the glory of alliance with Sarah did shine in Christian women the reason is because the root of this consanguinitie is ever alive which is Christ. 6. That Christians are not borne to this kindred but made so Godly women were not borne daughters of Sarah but became so after their new birth 7. That that which breeds this spirituall kindred is not being Gossips at the Fonâ— nor no carnall propagation Rom. 9.8 but faith Rom. 4.16 and well-doing as this Apostle saith in this Text. The Use may be first to comfort godly Christians against the want and losse of carnall kindred and to teach us all to honour suâ—h as are truely godly for they are the onely excellent ones and have the greatest and best kindred in the world Yea we should preferre our godly kindred before our carnall in the dearenesse of our love and the godly should shew all dueties of love one to another as they that are mothers and daughters brothers and sisters in the Lord and so should stand one for another as men would doe for their carnall kindred A second doctrine may be noted from hence That all Christians are not alike in gifts some are mothers â—ome are daughters as it is in the body of a man all the members are not of like honour or use though all serve for the good of the bodie 1 Cor. 12. Which should teach those of greater gifts not to despise those of lesser gifts and those of lesser gifts to honour those of greater gifts and both sorts to praise God for the gifts they have having nothing but what they have received and to be a daughter of Sarah being sufficient to get the blessing that Sarah had her selfe So long as you doe well Observe hence 1. That Christians obtaine not the proper priviledges of communion of Saints unlesse they doe well None but Christians that leade a holy life have the honour of true spirituall kindred with Christ and the Saints Mat. 12.49 50. Wicked Christians are a kin to the Divell 2. That we are bound only to imitate that which is good in the Saints not their sins They must follow Sarah in her well-doing they must not imitate her in her frowardnesse Gen. 16.5 nor in her bold adventuring of her chastitie though it were upon pretence of saving her husbands life Gen. 12.11 12. And this condemnes those women that so wilfully alledge the example of others to uphold them in such behaviour as their owne consciences tell is naught 3. It is imported here that some women may doe well for a time and yet prove very naught afterwards Some begin in the spirit and end in the flesh Some women are at first quiet sober loving to their husbands good housewives c. and yet after a time they grow froward excessive in apparell dyet and the like imperious such as sleight their husbands idle and wastfull and carelesse of the duties they should doe in the family They are condemned of themselves and shall rise in judgement against themselves their first works condemne their last 4. In generall we may here note That it is not enough to doe good but we must see to it that what we doe be well done Quest. What can come to a good action to make it ill Answ. Impenitencie in any sin will staine any action though it be in it selfe never so good Esay 1.13 16. 2. An ill end will defile a good action to doe it of purpose to be seene of men Mat. 6. or as men pleasers in the case of wives or servants or subjects c. 3. Unbeliefe makes all actions ill Whatsoever is not of faith is sin when we either know not the warrant of it or beleeve not Gods acceptation 4. Rashnesse and indiscretion mars good actions Pro. 19.2 when men have not respect to the circumstances of well-doing or the provision should goe to it when good duties are done rudely and without respect of due time and place c. We should be wise to doe good Rom. 16.19 5. Unwillingnesse defiles a good action when it seemes evill to us to serve God Iosh. 24.14 when our workes are dead workes Hebr. 9.14 Deut. 28.47 6. When the fruit men beare is not their owne fruit as if a King will offer sacrifice or women preach or the like And so when wives doe
prayers be not hindred HItherto of the duties of Wives the Husbands dutie followes in the words of this Verse Where three things are to be observed 1. The proposition of their dutie Husbands dwell with them 2. The exposition shewing how they must doe it viz. as men of knowledge and such as honour them 3. The Reasons which are three 1. Because they are the weaker vessell and therefore need to be carefully and continually well used 2. Because they are both alike heires of Gods grace 3. Because else their prayers and Gods service will be much interrupted and hindred In the Proposition may be observed First the word of connexion Likewise Secondly the terme of application Yee Thirdly the persons charged Husbands Fourthly the dutie imposed viz. Dwell with them Likewise This terme bindes these words to the former and shewes that God doth charge husbands to looke to their duties as well as wives Now if God charge the husband it imports that evill husbands must give account to God of all the evill they doe though no law of man punish them yet God will that gave them this law And withall it may comfort such husbands as are censured without cause God that hath given them their charge knowes their integritie whatsoever foolish wives object or a vaine world imputes to them And in generall God will accept and reward the carefull behaviour of good husbands But before I proceed two questions may be asked Quest. 1. Why are husbands charged in the last place Answ. There may be two reasons given of it first to shew the respect that God gives to husbands He first by his precept informes his wife before his face and shews him a patterne how he shall walke towards him and therefore now may the more willingly attend to his owne dutie Secondly because things last spoken have usually the greatest and longest impression upon the heart and this is a matter of greater consequence that the husband be soundly carefull of the discharge of his dutie The well-being of the family and the well-doing of both man and wife depends much upon the husbands right behaviour If the head bee out of order how can the body bee well and the wife being the image of the husband what shall she learne of him if he give an ill patterne If the eye be darke how can the bodie be light If the Pilot of the Ship be ignorant and carelesse what safety can the Ship be in Besides what a world of hurt will the ill example of the husband doe in the family either in children or servants Quest. 2. But why are husbands charged with so few words Ans. Because it is to be supposed that they have a larger knowledge of Gods will And besides in that tender age of the Christian world the Apostles in discretion said lesse to superiours to avoide provocation of irreligious husbands and the better to allure them to the Christian faith when they should see their wives so largely instructed in their behaviour towards them And further ever the shorter their lesson is the more shame for them not to learne it and shew themselves exact both in the understanding and in the practise it Yee Husbands God speakes to them in the second person to import that they should heare these words as if God were present to speak to them in his owne person and withall to teach them that the right hearing of this doctrine is for everie man to heare it as spoken directly to himselfe God doth single them out to heare their charge and speakes to them as if he named them in particular Husbands The persons charged are husbands and the word is a terme that imports that speciall relation in which God binds one man to one woman investing the man in prerogatives of a superiour in that union Before I come to the dutie charged upon husbands it will not be unprofitable by way of preface to use some motives to such husbands as will make conscience of their waies to perswade them to be verie carefull of their charge The reasons used in the Text afterwards I will not now meddle withall but only put them in mind of some few things which ought to be effectuall to perswade them The motives may be drawn from foure fountaines 1. From commandement and there let them consider who commandeth them and how Who commandeth them and so let them marke first that God himselfe hath given them their law of walking They are not tyed by mans laws but by Gods owne law Secondly God speakes to them by the Ministerie of great Apostles it was one part of the Commission of those high Ambassadours sent into the Christian world to give husbands their charge Thirdly it should somewhat the more move them that S. Peter was himselfe a married man and therefore did practise what he taught them and did know by experience that a husband mightwith comfort undertake this taske And then it should much move them to observe how God hath given his commandement to them he first chargeth their wives before he charâ—â—tâ— them And besides he hath given a long charge to the wives but a short charge to them 2. From their relation to their wives They are their wives heads and therefore should be carefull how they order themselves They are the life of their lives as it were God hath made the wife to depend upon them for comfort and direction and preservation 3. From their prerogatives God hath given them great power more than the wives They are heads to their wives and besides they are images of Jesus Christ they shew in the family what Christ is in the Church they doe as it were act Christs part and resemble him in his relation to the Church and therefore they had need to thinke of it how they carrie themselves They are types of Jesus Christ and will they shame him by acting folly passion pride and dissolutenesse Did Christ doe so to the Church Besides it should much move him that God hath in the most things left the husband free from the lawes of men He hath no man to controule him in his office and hath not God made him both King and Priest in his family His houshold is a little Kingdome or a little Church where he is of soveraigne power and hath great supremacie and if the world acknowledge not the glory of his place yet it is acknowledged in heaven 4. From the maner of his comming into this relation he was not borne a husband but made so and made so by the gift of God for God gave him his wife as he did Eve to Adam yea let him consider that God gave him the wife that was of his owne choosing and whom with so much desire he longed after and it may be prayed for But especially let him consider that God hath bound him to his wife by covenant yea that he hath bound himselfe to God by covenant for this thing yea that the oath of
also in respect of their falling by infirmities when it proves a griefe and affliction to them Gal. 6.1 Iude 22. 2 Cor. 11.29 So likewise in the case of the prosperity of others we ought to rejoice with them that rejoice and be affected as if the blessing had beene ours Rom. 12.15 3. The reasons are manifest First because hereby we prove our selves to be fellow members in the mysticall bodie of Christ which is to be doubted if this sympathie be not in us in some measure 1 Cor. 12.12 25 26. Secondly because hereby we shew our selves conformable and like to Christ our Head who excelled in this vertue Heb. 4.15 Mat. 25.40 Thirdly because that which is the case of others now may be our case hereafter as the Apostle shewes in the case of temptation Gal. 6.1 Fourthly a reason may be drawn from the excellency of the grace it excells almes and outward workes of mercy for when a man gives an almes he gives somewhat without himselfe but when we shew compassion we relieve another by somewhat that is within our selves and from our selves And lastly the coherence shewes that this may be a meanes to keepe us from trouble our selves The Use may be first to import the miserie of living in this world This life must needs be a vale of teares when we have not only occasion of sorrow many wayes from our own estates but also such varietie of occasions of sorrow from the condition of others deere unto us Neither is our case the better but the worse if we doe not sorrow with others Secondly this may greatly humble all sorts of men for their Apathie or want of care or feeling or sympathie in the distresses of others and the rather now when whole Churches are in great distresse Amos 6.6 Thirdly this should greatly move true Christians to strive after this vertue and to expresse it lively and shew it forth in all the fruits of it as first by declaring our affection to the afflicted with all tendernesse of heart and words of comfort secondly by using all our meanes and power to relieve them and help them out of distresse thirdly by pouring out our soules before God for them Love as brethren This is the third dutie charged upon them viz. the exercise of brotherly love This is vehemently urged in many Scriptures Rom. 12.10 Heb. 13.1 Iohn 13.34 1 Iohn 2.7 4.21 Now for the explication of this doctrine foure things would be distinctly considered of viz. 1. Who are brethren 2. What priviledge they have by the brotherhood or by being brethren 3. For what reasons we should so love them 4. With what kind of love we should love them For the first Men become brethren one to another many wayes as first by propagation when they are borne of the same bloud and so the children of the same parents are brethren and in a remoter sense kinsmen of the same bloud are brethren Luke 8.19 Secondly by Nation When men are countreymen they are called brethren especially when they descend originally from the fountaine of the same ancient families and so the people of the twelve Tribes were brethren Exod. 2.11 Thirdly by profession especially the profession of religion makes all professors brethren Acts 11.1 1.16 And this was one of the first titles of love and relation in the Christian world Fourthly communion with Christ and so we become brethren either by his incarnation Heb. 2.16.17 or in respect of our mysticall union with him in his mysticall bodie Col. 1.2 Mat. 25.40 and so we are brethren with the Angels as they also are joined under this head Christ Jesus Rev. 19.10 22. So then if any aske who are the brethren here meant that we must so love I answer they are such as are professors with us of the same religion and fellow members of the body of Christ. But that we may more plainely see who are meant by brethren in the Scriptures it will be profitable to observe that they are described by their holinesse The brethren we must love are such as are partakers of the holy calling Heb. 3.1 such as are begotten of God 1 Iohn 5.1 such as will doe the will of God by sound practice Mat. 12.47 49. They are the holy brethren wee are here charged to love 1 Thes. 5.27 For the second Our relation to the godly as brethren ought not to be despised for as we are brethren by religion we enjoy many excellent prerogatives for thereby we partake of a heavenly calling Heb. 3.1 we stand all in relation to God as his owne children by adoption Eph. 4.6 and so peace and the blessing of God as a Father is upon us all Eph. 6.23 Gal. 6.16 and wee are greatly beloved of God Rom. 1.7 and brought up in the same familie Eph. 3.17 fed with the same diet and entertainment in Gods house and estated into an inheritance better than all the kingdomes of the world Rom. 9.17 And hereby also we enjoy the fruit of the love of all the godly in the world even those that know us not in the face For the third There are many reasons why we should love the godly as our brethren above all the people in the world For first if to be all the children of one father have such a power over the naturall affections of men then should it not be without power in religion Secondly this is charged upon us above many other things yea above all things we should put on love Col. 3.14 and yet he had reckoned many excellent vertues before This was the speciall and one of the last Commandements of our blessed Saviour which he gave in charge when he was going to his death 1 Iohn 3.23 Iohn 13.34 Thirdly because this love comes of God and is a signe that God is in us and dwells in us and that we doe indeed love God himselfe 1 Iohn 4.7 8 12 16 20 21. Fourthly we have the example of God himselfe and Christ his Son that love them as their peculiar treasure above all the world and he shewed them love by unspeakable benefits 1 Iohn 4.10 11. Fiftly because our soules will thrive and be edified as brotherly love is continued and encreased in us Eph. 4.16 Sixtly because the godly must be our everlasting companions in heaven 1 Pet. 4.8 1 Cor. 13.8 and if we cannot see so much it is because we are puâ—blinde 2 Pet. 1. For the fourth point If any aske with what kinde of love we should love them I answer that our love must have many properties in it 1. It must be a naturall love that is such a love as is not by constraint but ariseth out of our dispositions and inclinations as we are made new Creatures in Jesus Christ Cor. 8.8 2. It must be a sincere love a love without dissimulation Rom. 12.10 not in word but in deed 1 Iohn 3.18 3. It must be a fervent love we must love them earnestly and with great
cloake of malice five wayes 470 How Christian Libertie is a cloake of malice in things indifferent 472 Cases in things indifferent wherein Christian Libertie is vilely abused 473 Life Live How we may live like Gods children 13 A religious Life is the best Life 541 Naturall Life but a meane thing in divers respects 649 The degrees of a spirituall Life 650 Whence it hath its originall even from God and that in three respects 651 Divers things nourish this spirituall Life 654 It differs from eternall Life in many wayes 657 Mans Life is grasse 193 Excellent uses of it 193 194 What we must doe to attain eternall Life 661 A Christians helps hereto 662 Sixe signes of it 663 Five properties of it 664 What duties this Life should imprint in us ibid. For what reasons men should take off their affections from the love of this Life 698 699 In what cases some men may be in love with this Life 702 Mans Life short in what respects and why 705 The uses of it 706 Light The acceptation of the word Light 342 Gods servants are brought into great Light ibid. Excellent instruction and consolation drawne from it 342 343 In how many respects the Light of the godly is called A marvellous Light 343 344 Excellent uses thereof 344 Love Seven signes of the Love of Christ in the sparkle and seven more in the flame 71 What we must doe to get that Love 72 Seven things to be observed to keepe our hearts in this Love ibid. Christs Love to the godly 332 How many wayes the people of God are Gods only beloved ones 361 How to preserve this Love ibid. How we should shew our Love to the Brotherhood 477 Nine signes of unfained Love 180 The impediments of brotherly Love 181 Seven signes of fervent Love 182 Nine causes of the want of it 183 What to doe that we may have and hold it ibid. Reasons to perswade to the Love of the Brethren 680 With what kind of Love we ought to love them 681 Rules for it 682 Three caveats to be looked unto in loving our Brother 683 Lusts. The sorts of Lusts which must be hatefull unto us after our Calling 114 Eight reasons why we should avoyd Lusts after our Calling ibid. Foure preservations against Lusts 115 Lusts how to be avoyded 362 Three differences of Lusts in the godly and wicked 363 Helpes to avoid them ibid. Lusts are fleshly in divers respects 365 How Lusts hurt the soules of godly and wicked men both 366 How we may get victory over our Lusts 387 How we may know that we have gotten this victorie ibid. M MAdnesse Signes of spirituall Madnesse 460 Magistrates They are to be submitted to 424 This submission hath in it sixe things 425 Objections against it answered 427 428 We must be subject to all sorts of Magistrates 428 429 In what things Magistrates are not to be obeyed 431 In what matters Ecclesiasticall Magistrates have no power ibid. In what he hath power 432 Whether we must obey Magistrates in things unlawfull 437 Divers motives in God to move man to the obedience of Magistrates 438 Excellent uses of the point 439. c. In what cases not fit to complaine to the Magistrates 529 Malice It s acceptation 203 Signes of it and reasons against it ibid. Remedies 204 Aggravations of it ibid. Men may use the libertie as a cloake of Malice five wayes 470 Man He is but grasse 193 194 c. His glory vaine in sixe respects 196 What his true glory is 197 Manifest Manifestation Christ manifested five wayes 153 We must shew our affection to this his Manifestation foure wayes 153 154 Marriage Sixteene motives for man and wife to live together quietly and comfortably in Marriage 576 Masters The originall of Masters 492 Signes of good Masters 493 Reasons against frowardnesse in Masters 494 Signes of good Masters 495 Meditation Rules for Meditation 289 Meeknesse It is shewed in foure things 330 What things are requisite to Meeknesse 613 Motives to it ibid. c. Helps to attaine to Meeknesse 616 Mercy Gods Mercy abundant 32 33 It ought not to be any cause of libertie either to the godly or wicked 33 Whether the Lord shewes any Mercy to the wicked 33 34 Shewed foure wayesâ— 331 What sorts of people God will not be mercifull unto 352 What wicked men in particular are not under Mercy 354 Why many obtaine not Mercy 355 Foure properties of Gods Mercy 356 It is tender many wayes ibid. It is free many wayes ibid. c. Eternall 357 Nine effects of it 358 Excellent uses of it 358 359 Helps to obtaine mercy 359 What Bowells of Mercy doth import 683 Milke The word called Milke in many respects â—30 Excellent uses thereof 231 â—32 Mind Vide Unitie Our Minds must be rightly ordered 6â—4 For what reasons we ought to be all of one Mind ibid. Minister This word Minister sounds Servicâ— 89 Miserie All Miserie referred to 〈◊〉 heads â— of 〈◊〉 â— Of 〈◊〉 3. Of adversities 4. Of death 77 The remembrance of our past Miserie is profitable in sixe respects 338 Mortification None but mortified Christians are true Christians 536 Repentance for sin doth in divers respects kill a man 538 Signes of Mortification 539 Men truely mortified shall live happily 540 N NAme Of a good and evill Name Vide Report Nature The naturall condition very miserable many wayes 608 New Newnesle The necessitie and honour of our New birth 32 The meanes of the New birth 34 The lets ibid. Foure signes of it 35 Uses of it 35 36 Speciall duties of such as are new borne 229 Priviledges of such ibid. Speciall-signes of a New heart 415 A New behaviour discovered divers wayes 416 Why repentance is called a New birth 184 Why we had need to be put in mind of our New birth 185 Lets of it ibid. O OBedience What the causes of it with sixe rules for it 19 Motives to it 20 Of obedience in wordâ— ibid. Our Obedience must be the Obedience of children in sixe respects 113 Our Obedience to God a speciall signâ— of his feare 482 Sixe things required to 〈◊〉 sound Obedience 588 The extent of our Obedience in respect of times truths places and persons 176 177 How 〈◊〉 may know their Obedience to be right 177 In 〈◊〉 things the Spirit worketh 〈◊〉 Obedience ibid. P PArents How many wayes children are infected by the traditions of their Parents 142 Why they are so infectious ibid. Seven rules for Parents ordering their children ibid. c. Passeover The manifold passages concerning the sprinkling of the Passeover expounded 25 26. c. Patience It is to be shewed foure wayes 331 People Many sorts of People in Scripture 346 Why wicked men are said not to be a People ibid. Who are not Gods People 347 Men are Gods people three wayes 348 The miserie of those that refuse their calling to be Gods People 337 How Gods people excell all others 349 The uses thereof 350 Rules for Gods People
the contrary ibid. c. In what cases we may not be of one mind with the Church of Rome 678 W WArre Warfare Vide Fight The Christian condition is military 42 He must keepe a fivefold garison 43 Foure kinds of Warre against the soule 384 The flesh warres against the soule five wayes ibid. Why God doth suffer this Ware 385 Our armour in this Warre what 386 How we may get victorie in this Warre 387 Weake Priviledges of Weake Christians 229 Encouragement for Weake Christians 237 Well-doing Well-doing is the best way to stop the 〈◊〉 of wicked man â—65 Excellent uses of it ibid. How we are said to doe well 639 631 Reasons why we ought alwayes to be Well-doing 631 Whisperers Vide Bacâ—biters 216 217 Wicked Wickednesse What Wicked men in particular are not under mercie 354 God doth oft suffer his children to live among Wicked men 391 In what case we may converse with wickedmen 392 Wife Sixteene motives for Husbands and Wives to live together quietly in marriage 576 Five speciall causes of disorder betweene Husband and Wife 577 Why the Apostle is so large in setting down the Wives duty 579 Eight reasons of the Wives subjection 581 In what 582 How and in what cases not ibid. Particular sins of the Wife in case of subjection 583 What meanes a Wife must use to win her Husband 595 596 Chastity in marriage is specially charged on the Wife 596 How chaste wife may be discerned 597 Wherein Wives should shew their feare to their Husbands 601 602 What is a Wives best ornament 627 Obedience and reverence are a Wives ornaments 628 Will. The Will of God is first Personall secondly Essentiall First Legall secondly Evangelicall 451 Gods Word is his Will in two respects 452 The Will is the rule of our actions 452 Whether a Christian can exactly doe Gods Will 453 Winne Divers kinds of Winning 590 What a Minister must doe to win soules 591 To be won what it 〈◊〉 ibid. Why all are not won at once 592 By what meanes we may win wicked men in our conversation 594 Wise Wisedome Why many Wise men are rather confounders than founders in grace and goodnesse 296 How the ignorant may herein notwithstanding be supported 297 Five waye 's we should shew forth the Wisdome of Christ 329 What this Wisedome must not have in is ibid. Woman In what things a Woman is more fraile than man 643 Word How powerfull 55 Vide Scripture How many wayes sin hinders the growth of the Word 200 How to be desired 221 How our affections to it may be discerned 222 Other signes of it ibid. c. Impediments thereof both externall and internall 223 224 Meanes to get desire to it 225 How to preserve our desires to it 226 Foure motives of getting it 227 How farre wicked men may desire the Word 230 The sweetnesse of the Word 240 Rules for applying the Word aright 288 When and how a man is said to be offended at the Word 310 The Word must be the warrant for all our actions 422 Its praise 189 The only outward meanes to beget the seed of grace in us 190 Eight things needfull in us to heare the Word of God as the Word of God ibid. How the Word is said to live 191 Sixe wayes to shew the life of the Word in our conversation ibid. c. Gods Word should be our maine care 199 The power of the Word Preached 200 Workes How men shall be judged according to their Workes 129 130 How infants 130 How poore men 131 Manifold distinctions of Gods works 148 How wonderfull Gods Workes are 274 The uses of it 275 To be a Worker of iniquity signifies three things 397 Wherein Workes are good 398 Rules to be observed in doing good Works 399 400 The divers kinds of good Works 400 401 How any man that is not absolutely good can be said to doe good Workes 401 402 What Workes are good for 402 How a man may lose his Workes 403 What Works may and ought to bee shewed 404 We should by good workes silence the wicked 454 World Contempt of the World shewed in foure things 331 Worship Actions about Gods Worship of two sorts 432 433 Many defects in Gods Worship 548 Wrongs Reasons against righting Wrongs by our owne private revenge 498 We may not in some cases resist but endure Wrongs ibid. To suffer Wrongs is profitable ibid. Places of Scripture herein expounded occasionally GEnesis 10. ver 9. p. 428 Exodus 26. ver 8. p. 98 Leviticus 14. à ver 4. ad 32. p. 165 ad 173. Cap. 16. ver 12 13 17 p. 26 Numbers 19. à ver 1 2. ad 7. p. 23. Psalme 19. ver 10. p. 240 Psalme 119. ver 103. ibid. Psalme 145. ver 8 9. p. 32 Proverbs 15. ver 30. p. 447 448 Proverbs 22. ver 1. p. 447 Esay 53. ver 7. ibid. Jeremiah 11. ver 19. ibid. Matthew 16. ver 18. p. 250 John 1. ver 29. 36. 147 Acts 5. ver 10 28 29. p. 435 Acts 17. ver 30. p. 127 Romans 2. ver 10. p. 449 Romans 12. ver 3. p. 104 2 Cor. 2. ver 14 15. p. 241 Ephesians 4. ver 17 18. p. 458 1 Thess. 5. ver 15. p. 686 Hebrewes 4. ver 12. p. 55 Hebrewes 12. ver 9. p. 374 2 Epist. Johan ver 8. p. 593 FINIS Verse 1. PETER an Apostle of Iesus Chr to the strangers scattred throughout Pontus Galatia Capadocia Asia Bithinia Verse 2. Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the spirit unto obedience and sprinckling of the blood of Iesus Christ Grace unto you and peace be multiplied Verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ which according to his aboundant meâ—cy hath begotten us aâ—aine unto a lively hope by the resurrectiâ—n of Jesus Christ from the dead Verse 4. To an inheâ—â—â—ance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you Verse 5. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time Verse 6. Wherein yee greatly rejoice though now for a season if neede be you are in heavinesse through manifold tentations Verse 7. That the tryall of your faith being much more precious then of gold that perisheth though it be tryed by the fire might be sound unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Iesus Christ. Verse 8 Whom having not seene yee love in whom though now yee see him not yet beleeving yee rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory Verse 9. Receiving the end of your faith even the salvation of your soules Verse 10. Of which salvation the Prophets have inquired and searched diligently who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you Verse 11. Searching what or what manner of time the spirit of Christ which was in them did signifie when it testified before hand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow Ver 12. Vnto whom
it was revealed thâ—â— not unto themselves but unto us they did the things which are now reported unto you by them which have preached the gospel unto you with the holy ghost sent down from heaven which things th Angels desire to looke into Verse 13. Wherefore gird up the loynes of your minde be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Iesus Christ. Ver. 14. As obedient children not fashioning your selves according to the former luâ—â—s in your ignoraÌ„ce Verse 15. But as hee which hath called you is holy so be yee holy in all manner of conversation Verse 16. Because it is written Be yee holy for I am holy Verse 17. And if yee call on the Father who without respect of persons judgeth according unto every mans worke passe the time of your sojourning here in feare Verse 18. Forasmuch as yee know that yee were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vaine conversation received by tradition from your fathers Verse 19. But with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot Verse 20. Who verily was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last timeâ— for you Verse 21. Who by him doe beleeve in God that raised him vp froÌ„ the dead and gave him glory that youâ— faith and hope might be in God Verse 22. Seeing you have purified your soules in obeying the truth through the spiriâ— unto unfained love of the brethren see that yee love one another with a pure heart fervently Verse 23. Being borne againe not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever Verse 24. For all flesh is as grasse and all the glory of man as the flower of grasse the grasse wiâ—hereth and the flower thereof falleth away Verse 25. But the word of the Lord endureth for ever and this is the wor which by the Gospell is preached unto you The scope of the Epistle The parts of the Epistle The parts of the salutation Who Peter was a Mat 4.15 b Mat. 3.16 c I Cor. 10.3 d Iohn 1.42 e Gal. 2. f Mat. 4. Ioh. 1. g Mark 3. h Iohn 21. i 1 Pet. â— ult Seven sorts of men transgresse about their Callings k I Cor. 7. l 2 Thess. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Advenis dispersionis Lyâ—a m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beda Glâ—ss Heming Ares Man is a stranger in five respects n Ephes. â— 12 4.17 o Psal. 69.8 p 1 Pet. 4.12 Doctrine Vses 14 Things wherein wee should be like strangers 2 Cor. 5 6 7. The good that comes by the dispersion of the godly q Tertull Cypâ— Cassiod r Beza Heming s Beda Gloss A fourefold Election t Deut. 4.37 u Ephes. 1.4 5. * Iohn 15.19 x Iohn 6.70 From what they are elected y Deut. 7.7 How they may be knowne z 1 Cor. 1.27 Iames 2.5 a 1 Sam. 16.7 b Mat. 20.16 8 Priviledges of Gods chosen Vses c Psal. 106 3 4 5 Distinctions about praescience Praesciâ—â—tia 1. absoâ—uâ—â— 1. specialis approbationis How God knowes things Vses How the fore-knowledge of God may comfort us in divers distresses Doctrine Vses Comforts to the godly as God is their father Object Solut. Object Solut. Object Solut. Object Solut. Object Solut. Vse 2. How we may live like Gods children Vse 3. 1 Ex non sancto privative 2 Ex minus sancto 3 Ex non sancto negative Thomas Aquinas What need our spirits have to be sanctified Wherein the sanctification of the spirit lyeth Of cleansing the spirit of man from what and how Answ. 8 Things to cleanse the spirit of man Of the adorning of the spirit Three things which adorne the minde in sanctification The light of the minde hath 5. things in it Humblenesse of minde hath 6. things in it Purity of imaginations The heart adorned with 8. graces 11 Things wherein a sanctified heart rejoyceth The Conscience adorned with 9. things Vses Of obedience in generall Of the causes of our obedience Rules or sixe things to be observed in all true obedience Motive to obedience Of obedience in words Our estate in Christ better then our estate in Adam here in this life The benefits flowing from the blood of Christ. Vses An explication of the whole Ceremony of the sprinkling of the blood of the red Heifer Numb 19. Coccus bis tinctâ—â— Of the sprinkling at the Passeover Exod. 24. Of the sprinkling at the ratification of the Covenant Of the sprinkling Levit. 16. Vse The forme of the Salutation Vses What we must doe that grace and peace may be multiplied in us The order of the body of the Epistle 2. Observation from the coherence a Psal. 129.8 b Psal. 67.1 Man blesseth God 3. wayes c Psal. 1 16.12 d 1 Cor. 10.16 Reasons of blessing God e Psal. 50.23 f Psal. 67.3 Vse g Psal. 145.10 11 12. How God is the God of Christ. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 How God is the Father of Christ. How Christ is without father or mother A threefold generation Per se de se extra se. Nâ—â— de se sed per se iâ— se. Three things wherein Christs generation is not like ours Vses h Iohn 5.18 6.42 8.19 i 1 John 4.15 In three things we should learn of Christ to carry our selves towards God as towards our Father k Ioâ— â— 17 1â— 6. â—8 l Iohn 10. â—6 m Mâ—â— 4.3 n Heb. 2.10 o Heb. 5.7 8. p Iohn 13.1 q Rom. 1.4 1 Iohn 3.8 r Iohn 14.12 13 14 16 23 24 26 27. The necessity of the new birth s Iohn 3.5 2 Cor. 5.17 The honor of the new birth Gods mercy is abundant t Psal. 145.8 9. u Psal. 36.5 6 7 1. In the fountaine 2 In the streamâ—s to all * Psal. 33.5 Mat. 5. 2. To all the godly and that three wayes x Psal. 32.10 y Exod. 20. z Esay 55.4 Acts 13. a Psal. 86.5 b Psal. 100.4 c 2 Cor. 1.3 d Psal. 123.2 3. e Luke 6.36 f Exod. 34.6 7 Mich. 7.18 Esay 55.8 Zeph. â— 17 Object Solut. How mercy is no occasion of liberty either to godly or wicked men g Psal. 89. h Exod. 34.7 i Deut. â—9 19. k Psal. 62.12 l Prov. â—8 13 m Ionas 2.8 n Esay 27.11 o Ioel 2. â—2 13. Quest. Answ. What mercy God shewes to the wicked The meanes of the new birth The lets of the new birth Foure signes of new birth p Iohn 3.5 q Tiâ— 3.5 r Mat. 19.28 s Luke 9.24 Iohn 15.18 Rom. 8.29 1 Iohn 5.4 t Mat. 11.29 u 1 Iohn 3.14 5.1 * 1 Iohn 5.2 x Phil. 1.5 y Rom. 12.16 z Psal. 16.3 a 1 Pet. 2.2 The Vse a Iob 5.16 b Zach. 9.11 c Ephes. 1.18 d Rom. 5.3 e Ephes. 2.12 f Iob 8.13 g Iob 11. ult h Eph. 4.3 4 5. The differences
Why the afflictâ—â—ns of the godly are but for a â—â—â—â—on and how p Esay 54. Psal 30.5 q Iob 36. Ioh. 16 20 21 23. Phil. â— 6. Luk. 18.8 r Pâ— 42.11 s Ps 73.26 c. Vse t Heb. 10. Ps. 73.26 28. u Esa 26.19 20 Why crosses are sometimes needfull There are foure kinds of tentations a Mat 13.21 Luk. 8.13 b Iam. 1.3 12. c Iam. â— 14 Sathan tempts men five waies 1â— Degrees of teâ—â—ation 〈…〉 Comforts against tentations Luke 22. 2 Cor. 12. Rom. 16 10. 2 Cor. 12.9 10. Esay 27.1 12 Rules against tentations 1 Pet. 5. Gen. 3. Mat. 4. Iam. 4.8 Râ—m â— ult Eph. 6.16 Gâ—l 5.24 Ier. 9 7. Esay 31. â—ult God tryes men six wayes 7. waies God tryes men in affliction Vses Comforts in our tâ—â—â—ls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the word used Heb. 11.1 Vse Mâ—â—k 4.40 1 Thes. 36. Luke 8.25 Luke 17.5 1 〈◊〉 16.13 Heb 2.5 2 Thes. 1.11 Quest. Answ. How we shew our faith in afâ—lâ—ction Quest. Answ. 7 things should move us to relie upon God in affliction Mark 11.24 1 Ioh. 5.14 15. Psal. 91.15 Tit. 2.14 1 Pet. 1.19 Deut. 7.6 Mal. 3.17 Ier. 15.19 1 Ioh. 3.1 Deut. 26.15 Afflictions better then gold for divers respects a Heb. 11.26 b Esay 27.9 c Rom. 5.3 1 Thes. 1.5 d 2 Cor. 4 17. e Rom. 8 28 34 Grace better than gold in divers respects Vse Gold perisheth both actively and passively Object Solut. Note Christ hid till his second comming in six respects Quest. Answ. Vses Vses 7. Signes of the love of Christ in the sparkle Cant. 1.1 7. Signes of the lâ—ve â—f Christ in the flame What we must doe to get the love of Christ. 7. Things to be observed to keep our hearts in the love of Christ. Sixe kinds of joy 3 Kinds of devilish joy Quest. Answ. How the joyes of the holy Ghost may be discerned from all other joyes 8. Signes Quest. Answ. Whether the jâ—yes â—f the holy Ghost be fâ—lt of every Christian. The defects in the joy of the temporary faith Quest. Answ. Whâ—t we must doe to geâ— the joyes of God Quest. Answ. What we must doe to prâ—seâ—â—e the joyes of the holy Ghost more constantly 4 Signes of a true perswasion of our salvation Vses What the soule is Vses Such as have tâ—e assurance of salvation should look to foure things Vses Quest. Answ. 〈…〉 Christ â—n Church Vses That we may not faile of the gracâ— of Gâ—d wâ— must 〈◊〉 â—oure things 1 Quest. Answ. The Vse Quest. 2. Answ. Foure sorts of men inquire about times Vses Esay 9.6 Quest. Answ. 〈…〉 The word translated tâ—stified is by othâ—â—s translated answered Note Distinctions ab 〈…〉 Quest. Answ. Quest. Answ. Though we want revelations yet we are not in wosse case then they in the Old Testament We have fix sorts of revelations under the Gospell Mysteries of the Kingdome Mat. 13.11 Eph. 3.5 Vse 1. Doct. 1. Vse Doct. 2. Vse Quest. Answ. Vse Object Sol. The question about traditions Object Solut. What newes the Gospell brings us Quest. Answ. How we may he certain of this newes Eight effects of the Gospell Eight things required in every one that would hâ—ve part in the Gospell Quest. Answ. Object Solut. Quest. Answ. How the Gospell differs from the law Rev. 14.6 Quest. Answ. Quest. Answ. Vses 1 Thes. 2 2. 1 Cor. 9.15 Quest. Answ. Doct. 1. Vâ—es Doct. 2. Vses Quest. Answ. Vses Vse Doct. Of Aâ—gâ—â—â— thâ—ir 〈◊〉 and natures In râ—sâ—â—ct of what thâ—y aâ—e they are spirits in â—espect of whâ—t thâ—y do they are Angâ—ls Quest. Answ. 2 Sam. 16 â—3 Quest. Answ. Luke 10.36 Vses 2 Cor. 11. A 〈…〉 Of the knâ—wledge of Angâ—ls negâ—tivâ—ly affirmatively Quest. Answ. 2 Cor. 3. ult Mâ—â— 18.10 Vâ—â— Vse 14 〈…〉 Why we must be so carefull of our minds 8 rules for girding up of the 〈◊〉 Vse A sixfold sobriety Tit. 2.12 1 Thes. 5.6,8 Rules about recreations Rules about apparell Reasons against the vanity of apparell Reasons against drunkennesse Vse Five things in a perfect trust 2 Reasons to trust perfectly on the grace is to be â—â—vealed 〈…〉 hope 4 〈…〉 Vse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What grace signifies in the severall 〈…〉 of it The glory of hâ—avâ—n câ—llâ—d gâ—aâ—e in three respects Vses 7 Thâ—ngs 〈◊〉 shâ—uld 〈◊〉 Gods 〈…〉 Quest. Answ. Why God giveth not hâ—aveÌ„ as soone as he giveth grace and favour Doct. Why â—hâ— day of judgment is called the revelation of Iesus Christ. Vse Vse Object Solut. Of those that think they feel more hardnesse of heart after assurance then before Our obedience must be â—he obedience of children in six respects Sorts of lust hatefull after calling Eight reasons why wâ— should avoid lust after 〈◊〉 Note Foure preservatives against lust Fashioning of our selves to sinne hath 7. things in it Vse How to know whether one sin presumptuousty or no. Quest. Answ. Why ignorance of all the sins of unregenerate men is rather named Quest. Answ. Quest. Answ. 〈…〉 Of the 〈◊〉 of Gods 〈◊〉 Vse â— How many 〈◊〉 God cals men What our effectual calling is Why our â—onversion is tâ—rmed our callâ—ng How a true caâ—ling may be disâ—â—â—â—â—â— What we are called to Vse Vses Foure sorts of holinesse God holy three waies Doct. Who hâ—lps to 〈◊〉 12 Mâ—tives to holy conversation 〈…〉 Vse Vse Vse Doct. Quest. Answ. Vse Of the last judâ—ement and the certainty of it Vse Doct. What sâ—rts of wicked men shall sâ—eed â—ll at the last dâ—y Obâ—ect Solut. Vse Doct. 1 Quest. Answ. 2 Obâ—ect Sol. 3 Quest. 〈◊〉 4 Quest. Answ. 5 Quest. Answ. 6 Quest. Answ. 7 Quest. Anâ—sw 8 Quest. Answ. Vses We are sojourners as the Israelites were in 〈◊〉 Many 〈◊〉 from thence Vse Iob 10.5 Gen. 1.14 Psal. 31. Gal. 4.2 Acts 17.26 Iob 24.1 Aâ—â—s 1.7 Iob 14.1 1 Cor. 7.29 Doct. Vse Of a conversatâ—â—n with 〈◊〉 Vse Vse Vse Vse Vse Quest. Answ. We are redeemed from sixe things Our conversation is vaine in divers respects as we are unregenerate Divers sins in respect of which mens conversations are said to be vain Five degrees of redemption from a vaine conversation Seven signes of our redemptioÌ„ from a vaine conversation Vses Sixe waies by which sin is derived upon man How many wayes children are infected by the tradition of their fathers Quest. Answ. Vse Seven rules for Parents in ordering their children Vses Quest. Answ. Why Christ shed his bloud Quest. Answ. Why the bloud of Christ of all other things in his passion is most urged Vse Oâ— the preciousnesse of the blood of Chrâ—â—t What makâ—s the blood of Christ so precious Vse Christ like a lambe in six things The lambes in the ceremonial law what they signified in Christ. Quest. Answ. Vses Gods foure statute books Three sorts of the Elect. Vse Quest. Answ. Doct. Quest. Answ. Doct. 3. Vses Christ manifested five waies Doct. Vse Vse Quest. Answ. Doct. 1. Vses Vse Of five things concerning faith Vse Vse Doct. Vse Vse 7. Rules for
the 〈◊〉 use of tâ—th Vse Vse Doct. 1. Vse Doct. Vse Doct. Vse Doct. The glory given to Christ after his resurrection shewed in 8. things Vse Difference betweene faith and hope Doct. 1. Vse Divers questions and doubts resolved Ten things that assault faith against which we should be armed Doct. 2. Vse Doct. 3. Vse A large explication of the ceremonies about the clensing of the Leper as it concerns the sanctification of the sinner Vse Vse Rev. 2.22 Iam. 4.8 8. Things to be done to get a cleane heart What truth is What it is to obey truth How our hearts are purified in obeying the truth Vse Vse Vse Vse 8 Things for the discovery of hypocrites How men may know their obedience be right or no. Doct. In 8 things the Spirit worketh our obedience Vse Vse Doct. Vse How we may know who are godly The good men may get by conversing with the godly Why the most men have no mind to converse with the godly Doct. Vse â— Signes of unfained love Vse The impediments of brotherly love Of purity of heart both as it respects God and man How we may know that our hearts are pure towards others What we must doe to get and increase purity of heart How the ferventnesse of love may be discerned 7. Signes Nine causes of want of fervent love What must be done that our love might be fervent 〈…〉 new birth Whâ—â—â—â— diffâ—rences between true repentance and false Vse Why it is needfull to be often put in minde of our new birth The lets of the new birth Vse Vse 1. Foure degrees of immortality Vse Vse The differenâ—e between true 〈◊〉 and temporary joyes Esay 4.6 Tit. 2.5 Vse Vse 8 Thinâ—s to be observed if wâ— will heare thâ— word as the wâ—rd oâ— God How the word may be said to live Vse Six waies to shew the life of the word in our conversation Mat. 13. Doct. Vse Mat. 6. Ioh. 1.12 2 Cor. 5.1 Gal. 5.24 Gal. 1.10 Psal. 16 10. Prov. Psal. 49. Ps. 92.6 7. Vse Ier. 9.24 Pâ—al 49. Dan. 2.37 Phil. 2.3 1 Thes. 2.6 â— Cor. 11 18. Esay 8.7 Doct. Mans glory vaine for six reasons Eccles. 5. What is mans true glory The inconveniences men bring upon themselves by forgetting death Quest. Answ. Esay 21.9 Quest. Answ. Doct. Ioh. â— 31 c. Vse The coherence The Analysis of the first part of this chapter 5. Things to be avoided if we would profit by the word Generall observations The benefit of briefe catalogues of sins or duties or graces How many wayes the sins â—ere mentioned doe hinder the word Of Malice Acceptation of the word Signes of malice Reasons against malice From the causes From the effects 1. In us 2. In God Vses Aggravations of malice Note Remedies for malice 1. In our selves Note 2. In others Of Guile The acceptation of the word Object Solut. Why Guile is to be avoided Vseâ— The misery of deceitfull persons The â—gâ—â—avaâ—ons of the sin of dâ—â—â—it 1. The maner of deceiving 2. The persons upon whom it is pâ—actised 3. The time Object 1. Solut. Oâ— the misery of such as 〈◊〉 by dâ—â—â—â—â— Note Object 2. Solut. Servants must not use lying and deceit to please thâ—â— mastâ—â—s Object 3. Solut. Of 〈◊〉 câ—◠〈◊〉 Object 4. Solut. Vse 2. The iniquity of the time Vse 3. Against â—quivocation Vse 4. The signes of a man without guile IncouragemeÌ„ts to such men Note that he sayes all malice and all Guile How many wayes men commit Hypocrisie 〈…〉 〈…〉 What may befall him What will befall â—hem The objections of hypocrites removed Vses For information Note For instruction The sorts of Hypocrisie we are most in danger of Preservatives against Hypocrisie Note Object Solut. About censuring other men for Hypocrisie Quest. Answ. How an open hypocrite may be discerned Object Solut. What makes an hypocrite Vse 3. Quest. Answ. First when a man had rather be good then seeme so How a man may know that he is not an hypocrite The haâ—â—fulnesse of the 〈◊〉 of envy Signes of a man free from envy The aggravation of evill speaking Râ—asons to disswadâ— from Evill speakâ—ng Note Rules against evill speaking What we should doe to avoid evill speaking in others 5. Generall doctrines Note For tryall How we may disâ—eâ—ne our desire and affection after the word Note Other signes of true desire Impediments to true desires externall Inwaâ—d 〈◊〉 wicked mâ—n 〈◊〉 of affection in the godly Meanes to get true desires â—o the word Rules for the preserving of good desires Rules for such as be afflicted with melancholy The Motives The causes why the most are but babes in religion Note Speciall duties of such as be but new borne babes Speciall praises in children by nature to be expressed by us Priviledges of weake Christians How far wicked men may desire after the word Note Note Divers kindes of growth In what graces christians ought especially to grow Philip. 1.10 1. Thes. 3.12 Philip. 2.13 Ephes 4 3.4 Rules to helpe our growth Impediments of growth Signes of growth Vnprofitablenesse of life aggravated in many respects Apostasie is twofold Encouragement for weake Châ—istians Wherein Gods graciousnesse is â—cene What we must doe to taste the goodnesse of God Doct. 2. Note A true taste is scene by the cause and effects of it Wherein the taste of wicked men and the godly differ How far the taste of wicked men may goe Vse Divers things noted for clearing the sin against the holy Ghost Doct. 4. The causes why so many have little or no taste of the word Christ is diversly described by the Apostle Eph. 1.7 Christ doth many waies excell earthly Lords towards his servants Christ is three waies called a stone 〈…〉 1 Cor. 7.8 Matth. 16.18 What kind of men disallow Christ. Christ chosen of God diversly Christ is precious many â—â—yes Causes why Christ is no more precious with men Pro. 8.11 16. Five points in generall We come to Christ many 〈◊〉 Esay 9.6 In what manner we must come to Christ. Psal. 40.7 Many are the reasons why we should come to Christ. Matth. 22. In what respects the godly are likened to stones Reasons why we ought to be lively stones How vve 〈◊〉 our livelinesse What vve must doe to quicken our hearts Means to build up a Christian. Prov. 24.17 Luke 14. 23. Causes why many are so little edified Ioh. 13. 21. Christ hath a five-fold Tabernacle Esay 40. 22. A godly man like the Tabernacle in divers respects Godly men are Priests in many respects Exod. 29.21 Vses Divers sorts of sacrifices for Christians Mark 8.34.35 1 Ioh. 2.2 Rom. 3.25 Prov. 23.26 Speciall laâ—es to be observed in offering up our sacrifices What we must doe to get our works acceptable to God What is meant by Scripture and why it isso called Wherein the Scriptures exceede all other writings Malach. 3.1 Esay 55.4 Esay 62.11 Math. 4.11 Vse That Christ is laid as a foundation-stone imports many things The Church is like Mount Sion in
divers respects Marks of such as are true members of Sion 1 King 19.1 21 Revel 14.5 Psal. 65.1 Speciall prerogatives of Siâ—n and the true members of it Esay 4.5 Esay 33.20 Vse 8. Esay 49 1â— Note How we may get an esteeme of Christ above all things How we manifest our account of Christ as precious Note Note Psal. â—27 5 Meanes by which God keeps the beleever from being confounded In what things the beleever shall not be confounded Rom 3.25 How far the godly may be confounded Conditions of such as wil not be confounded What sorts of men shall suffer shame and confusion Rules for the applying of the Word 〈◊〉 Rules for meditation What it is to beleeve and in how many things it is seen Marks of a true saving faith Signs of a weak but yet a true faith in weak Christians Vse Vnbeleeveâ—s are guilty of disobedience in divers respects Disobediencâ— aggravated How far wicked men may be called Builders How it comes to passe that many great and learned men oppose the truth of the Gospell By what means an ignorant simple man may stay his heart notwithstanding the oppositions of learned and wise men Mat. 11.15 1 Cor. 1.18 Châ—ist is many waies refused How Church-men viz. builders mâ—y refuse Christ. Note Vses Iudgements inflicted on some particular offenders belong to all for divers reasons Spirituall plagues are worse than temporall crosses for divers reasons Note Scandall defined and distinguished Quest. Answ. Wicked men wâ—re offended as Christ in many things Eâ—a 53.2 Ioh. 18.36 Mat. 9.10 Object Sol. Note Wherein wee are not to regard the offence of wicked men In what things we may be guilty of giving offence to wicked men Rules for the preventing of scandall How many waies wicked men may despaire Rev. 1.7 6 16. Preservatives against despair Speciall differences between the despaire of the godly and the wicked How wherein men take offence at the Word Proofes of reprobation Certaine observations for the quieting of our mindes in the doctrine of reprobation The specialties of Election Signes of Election Mâ—rks of such as truly suffer with Christ. Rules to live so as becomes thâ— assurance of Election Godly Christians come of the bâ—st kinred which â—pâ—eares by many reasons Godly men are Royall many wayes Differences between spirituall and earthly Kings Christians are holy many wayes Speciall rules for the right ordering of us in an holy conversation Meanes for obtaining an holy conversation Differences between the holinesse of conversation in civiâ—l honest men and Gods elect Differences beâ—weene the hypocrite and Gods elect in the holinesse of conversation The sixth prerogative is their number The acceptation of the words Doct. The sense as the word is taken for praises The division The first 〈◊〉 Five things we are not to 〈…〉 Nine vertues in Christ which we must shew forth in our lives 1 Wisedome How we should shew it viz. five wayes What it must not have in it 2 Mâ—eknesse shewed in 〈◊〉 things 3 Humility which is shewed three wâ—ies 4 Contempt of 〈◊〉 world sâ—â—wed in foure things 5 Mâ—rcy shewed 〈◊〉 wayes 6 Patience to be shewed foure wayes Three motives 7 Compassion to enemies 8 Inoffensivenes 9 Love to the godly How many wayes we shew forth the vertues of Christ. Seven wayes wherein wee may offend by outward shews Use. Motives to the shew of vertue Why the vertues in us are called the vertues of Christ. Sorts of callings Seven gifts of God Distinction of calling Foure things in the order of working our calling Eight signes of an effectuall calling Five rules that shew us how to walke worthy of our calling The misery of such as refuse their calling shewed in eight things Of the estate of such as have temporary grace The remembrance of our misery past is profitable in six respects The â—â—ceptations of the word Darknesse Degrees of darknesse Nine aggravations of the darknesse is in wicked men Foure signes of spirituall darknesse Sixe Differences betweene the darknesse iâ— in godly men and that which is in wicked men Acceptations of the word Light In how many respects the light of the godly is marvellous Of the calling of the Gentiles in generall Use. Many sorts of people in Scripture Why wicked men are said not to bee a people Who are not Gods people Men are Gods people three wayes Ier. 31.3 How Gods people excell all other people Rules for Gods people how to carry themselves to God Excuses of wicked men refuted What wicked men in particular are not under mercy Why many obtain not mercy Foure properties of Gods mercy 1 It is tender many wayes 2 It is immense 3 It is free mercy and that divers wâ—ies Gods mercy is eternall Nine effects of Gods mercy Use 1. Use 2. Helpes to obtaine merâ—y How many waies Gods people are the onely beloved ones Use. How Christians may preseâ—ve this love Lusts to beâ— especialy avoided Three differences of lusts in godly men and wicked men Helpes to avoid lusts Use. Lusts are fleshly in divers respect Eight evill properties and effects of the flesh How these lusts hurt the soules of wicked men as also the souls of godly men Soule taken in divers senses A discription of the Soule Seaven things very considerable in mans Soule Psal. 49.18 The Soule is a substance The soule is not a bodily substance The soule is immortal Eus. Eccl. Hist. l. 2. c 26. Aug. tom 6. de haeres c. 8.3 The originall of the soule Anima non est ex traduce God creates the Soule Union of the soule with the body how The faculties of the soule 1 Vegetation 2 Sense 1 Outward 2 Inward senses Of the facultie of reason in the soule wherein it excels The end why the soule was made Foure kinds of warre against the Soule The flesh wars against the soule five waies Why God doth suffer this war How many waies wee get victory over our lusts Signes to know whether we be overcomne of our lusts Six things to be looked to to expresse a faire conversation Use. In what cases it is lawfull to converse with wicked men Causes why godly meâ— are evill spoken of In what cases it is hurtfull to speake evill of godly men Reasons against evill speaking In what cases in particular it is odious to speake evill Helpes against reproaches to â—eare them Wherein workes are good Rules to be observed in doing good workes Kindes of good workes Esa. 16.8 How a godly man may comfort 〈◊〉 in his workes What workes are good for How a man may lose his workes What workes may be shewed What workes ought not to be shewed How God is glorified by himselfe How God is glorified of us in generall How God is glorified of us in particular Motives to the care of glorifying God Helps to glorifie God By what means God may bee brought into our mindes Helps to conceive aright of God How God is to be magnifâ—ed in our hearts and by what means The
all thâ—ir workes but I will restraâ—e the diâ—course to the godly feare The fâ—are then here required is that reverence humility lowlinesse tendernesse modesty and carefulnesse that shâ—uld in all our wayes Thus we should feare the presence of God Psal. 16. the name of God Deut. 28 58. the Ministers of God 2 Cor. 7 5. the displeasure of God Psal. 90.11 Thus we should shew feare when wee speaâ—e of the mysteries of godlinesse 1 Pet. 3.16 thuâ— we should be affraid to offend the godly 1 Cor. 10. or be infected by the wicked or that others should ruine themselves when we might help them Iud. 23. we should feare to provoke wicked men we should feare lest we neglect the precious promises offâ—ed unto us Heb. 4.1 we should be jealous of others fearing lest they should fall fâ—oÌ„ the simplicity in Christ Jesus 2 Cor. 11.3 wee should feare the corruption of our owne nature and make conscience of the least evill 2 Cor. 7.11 wee should live in feare lest the day of Christ should come upon us before we be prepared we should also shew this feare in all our service of God Psal. 2.11 In these and many other waies we should shew our feare in our conversation The wives also should fear their husbands Eph. 5.33 and servants their masters 1 Pet. 2.18 To have our conversation in feare excludes carnall mirth and jollity and carelesnesse in our waies and unreverentnesse in our carriage towards God or amongst men This feare was eminent in Paul 1 Cor. 2.3 and this is required 2 Cor. 7.1 The Use may be 1. For great reproofe 1. Of the universall fearelesnesse that abides in all sorts of men never regarding the terror of the Lord nor thinking upon this fearefull judgement of Christ. How doe men cast off feare and dare restraine prayer and all holy duties and plunge themselves into all sorts of sins with all stupidity and carelesnesse 2. Of the great neglect of this vertue even in the godly there is not that awfull humble reverent respective carriage that should be the hearts and faces of men are every where wanting in this feare oh this conversation with feare where is it to be found almost Where is this feare in the people towards their Ministers in the wife to her husband in the servants to their masters 2. For instruction Let us from hence be informed in this duty and for hereafter never have our hearts and carriages polluted perfecting our holinesse in fear and abstaining from all filthinesse both of flesh and spirit shewing in all places a feare to offend God or dally with sin in all things mistrusting the corruption of our nature 2 Cor. 7.1 Phil. 2. Rom. 11.20 3. Such as have attained unto this feare should be wonderfull thankfull to God and carefull to preserve so excellent a grace it wins them a wonderfull deale of respect both from God and men 2 Cor. 7.15 1 Pet. 3.2 Psal. 90.11 Besiâ—es of all other these are likely to hold out Ier. 32.40 and are sure to find comfort in the day of Christ. And thus of the second reason Verse 18. Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things aâ— silver and gold from your vaine conversation received by the tradition of your fathers c. THese words containe the third Argument for the inforcing of the exhortation laid downe in the 13. verse and it is taken from the consideration of our redemption by Christ wee are bought out of a miserable servitude by the bloud shedding of Jesus Christ and therefore being redeemed we ought to doe two things 1. To be carefull of the reformation of our vaine conversation 2. To place all our faith and hope in God Now because he would the more drive in the power of this Argument he layes downe divers specialties and important reasons why we should be moved with this Argument from our redemption 1. Because all the precious things in the world could never have delivered us in the beginning of ver 18. 2. Because our deliverance from our vaine conversation was one of the principall ends of our redemption and therefore if wee should not be stirred up to the care of a holy life we should be as if we had never been redeemed in the latter end of ver 18. 3. Because our redemption was effected by so matchlesse a price viz. the passion of Christ which was incâ—eased in that it was a suffering even to effusion of bloud and in that it was a suffering of a person of wonderfull parity of nature ver 19. 4. Because our redemption was a thing before the world was made ordained in Gods eternall counsell ver 20. 5. Because we that now beleeve in Christ have more honour done us in our redemption then all the Fathers in the old Church had for the manifesting of our redemption was an honour done to us that live in the times after the Law both if we respect the incarnation of Christ who was exhibited now and not before and also the publication of our deliverance by Christ already borne in the flesh in the preaching of the Gospell 6. Because the certainty of Christs victory and our purchase was in speciall manner confirmed of God and that two waies 1. By raising him from the dead to shew that no adversaries could hold him downe 2. By exalting him to so great glory in heaven which shewes he had fully pacified Gods anger and accomplished the merit of our redemption and this was done that our faith and hope might be in God ver 21. So that all these words commend unto us the Argument taken from our redemption in Christ and serve to compell us to the perfecting of our hope and the ordering of our conversation In the unfolding of this reason we may perceive that here are divers great things concerning our redemption to be intreated of as 1. What would not redeeme us viz. not corruptible things 2. From what we are redeemed viz. from our vaine conversation 3. By what price we are bought viz. the precious blood of Iesus Christ c. 4. The antiquity of this project concerning our redemption by Christ viz. before â—ver the world was 5. The time of manifesting it to the world viz. in those times 6. The persons that have profit by it viz. you that beleeve in God by him 7. The ratification of the assurance of it viz. the raising of him from the dead and his glory in heaven 8. The end of it viz. that we might have faith and hope in God Before I break open these particulars two things may be noted 1. The coherence with the former reason 2. The Apostles insinuation or communication as they call it in Rhetoricke For he doth not barely relate the Argument but to win advantage in their affection he tells them they know this doctrine concerning our redemption implying that it were a vile shame to be ignorant of the doctrine of redemption and importing that he was perswaded that they
reason will affections c. do discover themselves within us and it is manifest that God infused the soule not upon the body but into the body seating it within us The soule then is within the body and so joyned to it But how Divines have sought out divers similitudes to expresse their mindes And first to shew how it is not joyned First not as water and the vessell that holds it are joyned by contact or touching one another for the soule is not a bodily substance and therefore cannot be joyned by touching nor doe the water and vessell make one thing as the soule and body do one man nor do they worke together as the soule and body do for the water doth all the worke thereof in watering or clensing without the vessell Secondly not by mixture as water and wine are mingled together For things mingled ceaâ—e to be what they were for there is no longer water nor wine now they are mingled nor is the soule materiall to suffer such a mingling Thirdly not as the heat of the fire is united to the water when the water is heated for though the heat be joyned to the water as the former yet it is but an accidentall forme and they are one by accident not per se. Thirdly not as the voyce is in the aire for though the voice be dispersed abroad the aire and doth likewise carry something to the understanding besides the sound yet doth not this reach to expresse the union of the soule with the body For the voice is not the forme of the aire nor is it conceived in the aire without the breaking of the aire and besides it presently vanisheth whereas the soule is a substance and doth not easily depart out of the body Fifthly nor as the Mariner is in the shippe with the Governer for the dispatch of his journey for though the body bee as a tabernacle wherein the soule dwells yet that similitude doth not expresse this union because the soule and body make one thing whereas the ship and the Mariner do not make one thing but are two distinct sorts of things yea the soule and body are soone that by sympathie what one suffers the other feeles whereas the wounding of the Mariner is not the tearing of the ship or contrariwise There are two similitudes that doe more neerly reach this secret The first is of Christ. For as God and man make one Christ so the soule and body make one man But I will not meddle with the breaking open of that dreadfull mysterie The other is of the light of the Sun in the aire for there are many things in this comparison doe fitly resemble this divine light which is our soules as they are joyned to our bodies 1 This light doth fitly resemble the soule because it is a thing that cannot be corrupted or divided 2 This light doth so pierce into and penetrate the aire that they are both made one and are not separated so doth the soule the body 3 The light and the aire though joyned together are not confounded or mingled together for the light remaineth light and the aire the aire so is it in this union betweene the soule and the body 4 The light is so in the aire that the aire being smitten yet the light is not touched nor divided nor carried about as the are is so doth the soule remaine unpierced though the body bee wounded and fall yea and die too 5 As the light is onely from the Sunne so is the soule onely from God 6 As the aire without the light is as it were dead because it is darke and cold and will putrefie so is the body without the soule 7 As no man can shew by what bands the light is fastned to the aire so is it extreamly difficult to shew how the soule is fastened to the body This similitude we see doth in many things fit this case but yet not fully For the light is not the essentiall forme of the aire onely this comparison doth in many things satiâ—fie the question in that it shewes that the soule is in the body by penetration or immeation as they call it it pierceth thorow the whole body Onely we must take heed of two things First that wee imagine not the soule to be in the body as in a place or as contained of it For the soule cannot bee circumscribed by the measure of a place wee may not imagine that the soule is just as bigge as the body and no bigger For though it bee true that the soule is in the body and the whole soule too yet it is not contained there as bodies be contained in their places for rather the soule sustaineth the body Secondly God is said to be in us and so is the soule but not alike For God is in us by his vertue and grace and operation but not as our former whereas the soule is the forme of the body and both make one man Quest. But some one will say Can it not be shewed by what band the soule is tied to the body Answ. Some Divines and Philosophers undertake to determine that and say that God hath created in the body of a man a certaine humour which is fitted for this union and so they say the soule is united to the body by the vitall spirits which are of nature mixt partly corporeall and partly spirituall For as those vitall spirits doe consist for the matter of them of the radicall heat and moisture in man so they are corporeall and as they have an unexpressable nimblenesse in working or sparkling in the body so they draw neere to the nature of the soule and by these vitall spirits thus enlived are the soule and body joyned together Quest. There yet remaineth another question and that is Where the soule resides in the body in what place is it centred Answ. The most say that the whole soule is in the whole body and the whole soule in every part of the body Others say it is a vaine question seeing the soule is not in the body as in a place For it cannot be measured by length breadth or depth but it is in the body as the essentiall forme is in the matter which cannot be locally Others say that the soule is seated in one principall place of the body as the chiefe palace and seat of residence and is in all other parts by diffusion of vertues through the instruments thereunto fitted and placed of purpose by God in the framing of the body and thus the soule reasons in the head wills and affects in the heart sees in the eyes c. The chiefest mansion of the soule seemes to be in the heart because it is the last that dies in us Hitherto of the union of the soule with the body The faculties of the soule follow There are three faculties or powers of the soule by which it workes or there are three things which the soule effects viz. 1 Vegetation 2 Sense 3 Reason
And thus the soule may be considered either as it workes upon or by the body onely or as it workes in and by it selfe chiefly Upon the body and by certaine instruments in the body it workes vegetation and sense and by it selfe without the necessity of using the body it workes reason The first power then is vegetation by which the soule workes foure things distinctly upon the body 1 Life 2 Nourishment 3 Growth 4 Procreation The first thing then by the vegetative power of the soule wrought upon the body is life which is in respect of the body nothing else but the kindling the radicall and vitall heat in the body through the conjunction of the soule with the body and the continuation of that heaâ— untill the time appointed of God for the dissolution of it So that life is two waies to bee considered first either in the breeding of it secondly or in the continuance of it The breeding of it is in the very first moment of the union of the forme with the matter and by that instrument of the vitall or radicall heat The continuance of it is nothing else but the preservation of the motion and duration of the working of these vitall spirits The second thing wrought upon the body by the vegetative power of the soule is nourishment and this power of nourishing is a faculty by which food taken into the body by the force of naturall heat is turned into the substance of the body for the repairing of that which is consumed in the body And this is a worke to bee admired For the soule by the use of naturall heat is faine to subdue the nature of the food received and having melted it as it were in a furnace it casts out what is contrary to the body and extracts for the use of the body so much as is now made like unto it The third thing which the soule workes upon the body by the vegetative power is growth And this it doth by imploying that part of the food which is now made like to the body unto the extension of the body unto the dimensions thereof even to the increase of bignesse and force which increase for the convenient actions of the body and this worke is done upon the body but unto a certaine time of mans age or till about thirty yeares and then because nature tends not into infinitenesse she gives over this worke Lastly procreation is the fourth worke of the vegetative faculty of the soule by which it raiseth up seed in the body and formeth in it a meere substance like unto the body from whence it comes unto the perpetuall preservation of the sort of the creature And this is an admirable power For hereby living creatures do approach unto eternity and are made as it were immortall For though the body die yet by procreation it is as it were kept alive and so the kind of creature is perpetuated for the other two workes of nourishment and growth onely serve for that body in individuo but this power of procreating reserves the sort or species from ceasing to be Thus of Vegetation Sense followes The second thing the Soule workes either upon or by the body is Sense and by this faculty a man in his body is enabled to discerne things without himselfe and accordingly to desire and move to them which the former faculties did not reach unto Now as the soule workes sense upon or by the body it must be considered two wayes First as it workes either apprehension secondly or motion The apprehendnig senses wrought upon the body by the Soule are of two sorts first either outward secondly or inward Outwardly the soule workes upon the body five senses or five wayes of apprehending things by sense The body of a man is enabled by the soule to discerne of things without it selfe by outward helpes five wayes viz. By 1 Seeing viz. By 2 Hearing viz. By 3 Smelling viz. By 4 Tasting viz. By 5 Feeling And these waies of discerning are not to be contemned For admirably ought it to bee conceived of Gods wisedome in and towards man even in these For first by the sight through the benefit of light which God hath caused to shine upon his whole creation man may see what God hath wrought whereas else if the light be taken out of the aire or sight from man the workes of God are buried as it were in the darke yea the body of a man is as it were but a dungeon without sight and what the Sunne and Moone are in heaven that are the eyes in man shining in his head as these Starres in the firmament The fight is a chiefe helpe for all the great imployments of life in all callings The eyes are as watchmen set on high in their watch-Tower to discover the comming of enemies The eyes are also as the true windowes of the soule by which the Species or formes of things are taken into the soule For God hath caused all substance in the World to cast out beames as it were which have the pictures of the things themselves carried about and these comming to the sight are by it above all other senses taken in and delivered to the Soules within the eyes being a looking glasse that resemble the things seene And this noble sense may put us in minde of Gods knowledge if wee marke the degrees of seeing The eye of man discernes at once a great share or quantity of things together The minde of man will take-in a farre greater quantity and number and yet is finite for it cannot reach to all things that God hath made at once Now Gods understanding is infinite and beholds all at once For the second the sense of hearing is worthy to be thought on if wee consider either the benefits come by it or the manner how it is performed for by hearing is let into the soule and body not onely sounds of delight or wonder but also sounds of necessity both for naturall life by letting in speech and discourse and for eternall life by letting in the Word of God First the manner of hearing is admirable Sound is the breaking of the aire stirred up by the dashing or collision of sollid bodies and is spread in the aire as a stone cast into the water makes and drawes from it circles Thus the sound being brought to the eare the hollow turnings in the eare gather and hold the sounds as it were canes The sound at length rusheth upon a little bone or gristle like a hammer which moved smites upon another bone like an Anvill by which stroake the spirits in the hearing move and are stirred up and so they take in the sound and carry it to the braine the feat of inward senses These two are the most noble outward senses yet there is great use of the other three Thirdly for by tasting we discerne of meates profitable or hurtfull for the body Fourthly by smelling we receive in those delightfull
must know that in the first sense none enjoy good daies but good men Now good daies in the sense of the Scripture must be considered either in generall or in particular In generall and so first all the daies of Christ after he is revealed in a Christian are good daies and so all the daies of a true Christian from his conversion to his death are good daies Which appeares thus Saint Paul saith that Christ is our Passeover and the Passeover is a feast which we must keep 1 Cor. 5.8 and such high festivall daies are good daies especially the first and last daies of the Passeover were good daies in a speciall solemnity that is the day of thy conversion to spirituall life and the day of thy death which is the beginning of the day of eternall life Secondly all the daies in which Christians enjoy the preaching of the Gospel in the power of it and other ordinances of Christ in their glory all these daies be good daies for they are daies in which God makes rich feasts unto all Nations as is effectually described in the Allegory Esay 25.8 Thus David saith One day in Gods courts is better than a thousand any were else Ps. 84.10 The righteous flourish when Christ comes down upon their souls as rain upon the mowne grasse Ps 72.6 7. Thirdly those be good daies in which we see the Church of God in generall to prosper when God keeps his Church as his vineyard waters it every moment and watcheth it night day and destroieth every thing that might annoy it In particular a Christian finds divers sorts of good daies as first the Sabbath daies well sanctified are good daies above all other daies of the weeke when his body enjoyes rest and his soule is blessed according to Gods promise with spirituall rest and grace in Jesus Christ. Secondly the daies in which the soule of a Christian after sin and the judgement of God for it is humbled soundly and anew admitted into Gods presence and reconciled to God those daies when God entertaines the repenting sinner that prayes unto him especially at the first reconciliation are wonderfull good daies Iob 33.25 26. with the coherence 36.11 Psal. 90.14 Luke 4.21 with Esay 61.1 2 10. Thirdly all the daies in which a Christian thrives and prospers in the knowledge of Gods Word and growes in the spirituall understanding in the mysteries of Gods kingdome are all good daies for this knowledge is that wisedome Solomon speakes of which makes a man so happy Pro. 3.18 2 16. Thus of the good daies that are so in the judgement of the inward man God is pleased also to grant such good daies as are or ought to be so accounted in the judgement of the outward man and so First the daies of youth in which a man hath strength of body and vigour of mind to fit him not onely for the comforts of life but for the service of his Creator are good daies Eccles. 12.1 it being a blessed thing to beare Gods yoake in a mans youth Secondly the daies of speciall prosperity in the world which sometime God grants unto his people are also good daies when God gives his people aboundance of blessings in their families and estates and withall publike honour and respect with all sorts even the great ones of the world as was in the case of Iob which he describes in the whole 29th Chapter of his booke but then it must have this indeed that in this prosperity the godly man be imployed in all well-doing and get himselfe honour by the flourishing of his gifts and good workes as is shewed in that Chapter by Iob. Thirdly such daies in which a man enjoyes a quiet estare free from all trouble or vexation or contumely at home or abroad being free from Gods afflicting hand or mans injurious dealing are good daies and such as perhaps are specially meant in this place Thus of the sense of the words Divers Doctrines may be observed from hence 1. That the daies of men usually are evill which is true not onely of the wicked but of the godly also This Iacob said long agoe his daies were few and evill Gen. 47.9 but of this point before Only this may serve for great reproofe of those that so little minde a better life and so willingly love this life that though they live in much misery are loath to thinke of dying and make no conscience to provide for a better life 2. It is evident from hence that the life of man is but short whether he live happily or miserably yet his life is reckoned by daies not by longer measures of purpose to signifie the shortnesse of our lives This is expressely affirmed in other Scriptures Iob 10.20 Iob saith his daies were few and of all men that are borne of women that they have but a short time to live Iob 7.1 And this is resembled by divers similitudes so our life is compared to a Weavers shuttle Iob 7.6 to a Post for swift running out Iob. 9.25 to the grasse of the field Iob 7.12 Esay 40.6 to an hand breadth so as he saith his age is as nothing Psal. 39.5 to a watch in the night Psal. 90.4 to a sleep ver 5. to a tale that is told ver 9. Thus the life of man is said to be short either as he is in Gods sight with whom a thousand yeares are but as yesterday when it is past Psal. 90.4 or in his owne account if he measure time to come as he measures time past and in plaine reckoning let the life of man be improved according to mans utmost strength ordinarily a mans yeares are threescore and ten and if he live to fourescore it is but labour and sorrow to him Psal. 90. Quest. But what should be the cause that mens lives are so short Answ. If there were no other cause but the will of him that hath the disposing of the times and seasons in his owne power yet that might satisfie us but we may ghesse at other causes as both the mercy and justice of God This world is so bad to the godly that it is Gods mercie to take them quickly out of it and contrariwise it is so good to the wicked considering their desects that it is justice in God to take them hence and send them to their owne place which is hell Besides many men bring speedy death upon themselves by their owne ill courses or by sinning against their owne bodies by lewd courses and by eating up their owne hearts with worldly cares and sorrowes or by living in any grosse sin to provoke God to cut them off or by falling into such disorder as the Magistrate cuts them off or by laying of violent hands upon themselves or by getting their goods unlawfully to bring upon themselves that curse Ier. 17 11. Finally in this last age of the world there may be this reason assigned that the Lord makes haste to have the
number of his Elect fulfilled and therefore he dispatcheth away the generations one after another and so shortneth the daies of man for his Elect sake Now for the Uses Are our lives so short then it should teach us divers lessons 1. To pray God to make us able to thinke so and so to number our daies that we may not make any reckoning of any long continuance here Psal. 39. 3. 90.12 2. To make haste and dispatch our repentance and all the businesses that concerne our sound reconciliation and so to walke while we have the light and to use all good meanes while we enjoy them 3. To redeeme the time and save as much of it as we can for the uses of a better life Eph. 5. and to worke the harder to fulfill thy measure and dispatch that taske God hath set thee to doe 4. To lay fast hold upon eternall life 1 Tim. 6. and to make that sure 5. Every day to provide for our departure even all the dayes of our appointed time to wait when our changing shall come Iob 14.14 FINIS AN ALPHABETICALL TABLE OF THE MOST Principall things handled throughout the whole Booke ACtion What things marre a good Action 630 How we are said to doe well ibid. Adoption Wherein the greatnesse and glory of our Adoption appeares 645 their priviledges in this life 646 What kind of persons we must be to attain this Adoption with the markes of it 647 How they must carry themselves 648 Affection We must care that our Affection grow not either cold or corrupt 163 Foure things which abate Affection in the godly ibid. Afflictions The godlies Afflictions are but for a season 56 57 God tries man in Afflictions seven waies 62 63. comforts therein 63 Afflictions better than gold in divers respects 67 Angels Of their names and natures 96 The singular account that God makes of them 97 Their affection to man ibid. 98 Of the Cherubims looking upon the Ark Exod. 268. 98 Of their knowledge affirmatively and negatively 99 100 Antiquitie In what things Antiquitie is ill pleaded 621 What respect is to be had to old time 622 Apostacie twofold 1. inward 2. outward 237 Apparell Rules for it 105. Vide Attire 603 604 605 Application Rules of application of the word aright 288 Assurance Such as have the perswasion of the Assurance of salvation should looke to foure things 77 Astray What is meant by going astray 555 Their miserie that so doe ibid. An aggravation of their miserie 556 Causes of mens going Astray ibid. Signes of a lost sheepe 557 Attire Eleven reasons against vain Attire in women 603 604 Foureteene wayes by which Attiring of our selves becomes vicious 605 B BAbes Why most are Babes in religion 228 Speciall duties of new borne Babes 229 What Babes by nature should teach men in grace ibid. Backe-biters Vide Evill-speakers or Whisperers 215 216 Behold The diverse acceptation of the word 274 Beleeve Vide Faith Beleevers They onely have benefit by Christ 154 We may be said to beleeve five waies 156 What it is to be a true beleever 290 In how many things it is seen ibid. c. It s excellencie 625 Helpes to it ibid. Rules for a right trusting in God 626 It is by Christ that wee beleeve in God and that for divers reasons 157 Birth Borne The necessitie and hoâ—â—ur of our new Birth 32 Why repentance is called a new birth 184 We had need often to be put in mind of our new Birth 185 Lets of it with excellent uses thereof ib. Bishop The word expounded 566 Christ excels all other Bishops in ten respects 561 All are happy that live under the charge of such a Bishop 567 The duties of such as be under his charge 568 Blesse Blessing How man blesseth God how God man how man blesseth man 29 30 Divers kinds of Blessings 688 When we blesse indeed and wherein it stands 688 689 Godly men inherit the Blessing many wayes 694 In this life three wayes ibid. c. What we must do to get Gods blessing 695 How godly men may grow in the comfort of Gods Blessing 696 Bloud The benefits flowing from Christs Bloud 21 This his Bloud diversly taken 145 Why shed ibid. Why this is most urged ibid. c. The uses of it 146 The preciousnesse of it ibid. What makes it so precious ibid. Bowels What Bowels of mercy doth import 183 When they are right 684 Motives to affect the having such Bowels 685 Brother Brotherhood How we should expresse our love to the Brotherhood 477 In what respects godly men are Brothers 178 478 680 Reasons perswading to love as Brethren 680 With what kind of love we are to love the Brethren 681 Rules for Brotherly love 682 Build Builders Meanes to build up a Christian 260 Causes why men are so little edified 261 How farre wicked men may be said to be Builders 295 296 The causes why many great and learned are oft times Destroyers rather than Builders 296 How Builders that is Churchmen refuse Christ 298. and how Christ refuseth them 299 C Calling It is a matter of great weight to shew a good warrant for our Calling 2 3 Seven sorts of men transgresse about their Calling 3 Those sorts of lusts which must be hatefull to us after our Calling 114 Eight reasons why we should avoid lusts after our Calling ibid. How many waies God calleth us 119 120 What our effectuall Calling is 120 Why our conversion is termed our Calling ibid. How a true Calling may be discerned ib. Seven things which we are called to 121 Three sorts of Calling 1 personall 2 naturall 3 supernaturall 334 335 Distinction of Callings 335 Foure things in the order of working in our Callings ibid. Eight signes of effectuall Calling 336 Five rules to shew us how to walk worthy of our Calling ibid. The danger of such as refuse their Calling in eight things 337 Of the C. of the Gentiles in generall 345 Why Christians should be affected with the consideration of their Calling 689 The Calling of a Christian is a hard Calling 690 The necessity of knowing our Calling ib. By what meanes 691 Ceremonies About taking and giving scandall in the use of Ceremonies 436 Chastity twofold 1 of body 2 of mind 594 Chastity must be as well in married persons as in single 595 Motives to Chastity 596 It is specially charged upon the woman ib. Preservatives of Chastity ibid. How a chaste wife may be discerned 597 Christ. The benefits flowing from his bloud 21 22 His generation and ours how unlike 31 In three things wee should learne of Christ to carry our selves towards God as our Father 31 Christ hid till his second comming in sixe respects 69 Seven signes of his love in the sparkle 71 Seven more in the flame ibid. The word Christ is a word collective 144 His bloud precious 146. c. He is said to be a Lamb in sixe respects 147 Christ manifested five wayes 152 Beleevers onely have benefit