preuail by his equal ominnipotent power with the father and likewise was it requisite he should bee man that beeing like to his brethren in al respectes sinne excepted hee might haue a full experience of all the infirmities wherewith man is beset Neyther did Christ what hee did and endured onely in that proportion as hee is the head and the Church his body the head with the body mystically but truely so called but also in the dayes of his flesh he and only he satisfied the Law and that by his personal and proper satisfaction and sacrifice wee are redeemed from the Law ransomed from the curse Into this his office vnder heauen nothing must intrude The Pelagian the Iewe the Papist will finde it a matter of greater charge and cost than our impure nature or the impossible Law or our imperfect works can defray and perfourme All abilities congruities dignities cōdignities wel-willing or our best woorking can neuer make vs Sonnes and when we are Sonnes we are thereby heires not of a first supposed iustification alone but heires of al that foloweth after euen of saluation in heauen The fraction of two iustifications is a fond diuisiō a false that frappet or fraction of two iustifications and of double inheritaunces is but a puppet of Papistes deuising as if Christes office should haue bin to deliuer vs first that wee might be redeemers of our selues afterward No no. For we men bring neuer a farding to the paiment neither of our first as they call it nor as we speak to our full and finall redemption and namely to our saluation to life euerlasting which is Rom. 6.23 the gift of God S. Paul could haue made the diuision if it had bin a right diuision partly to God partly to mā if Christ could haue parted stakes in a matter of such importance that brought him being very God from the top of heauen and the bozom of his father that he might be the only giuer and we but the receauers of our redemption from the Lawe and adoption to be Sonnes 6 And because yee are Sonnes God hath sent the spirit of his sonne into your harts which crieth Abba Father 7 Wherefore thou art no more a seruaunt but a sonne nowe if a sonne then also the heire of God through Iesus Christ The working of the trinitie in the saluation of man and in the assurance thereof In the woork of our happy redemption see the gracious goodnes of the holy Trinity by al means woorking a cleare vnderstanding in vs that we may know and acknowledge both what wee are and by whom The father sendeth the spirit euen the spirit of his sonne into our hartes Wherein we see and obserue the euident * distinction of the persons and therein the Scriptures are plaine that the persons are three distinctly 1. The Father 2. The Sonne 3. The Holy Ghost 1. The Father who gaue his Sonne sent his spirit 2. The Sonne who gaue himselfe And 3. whose the spirit is euen the spirite proceeding from the Father and the Sonne and these three are one In sense I can distinguish many things that in nature differ not for example The yee the snow and the water and yet all these three are of one substance and of a watrie nature But neither sense nor reason can deal in these cases it is our Creede There is a blessed Trinity in a sacred Vnity Quod lego credo I reade it in Scripture and therefore beleeue it in heart and leaue off to reason whereof I cannot and I may not reason Well God sent the spirite of his Sonne into the hartes of vs his sonnes * Sonnes by nature and sonnes by adoption So that hee is the Sonne and we the sonnes of God hee by nature and we by adoption through Christ whereupon the Apostle maketh these collections If we bee sonnes and sonnes of a ripe iudgement out of our nonage and wardship of the Law farewell al seruile feare nay because wee are sonnes God hath sent his spirite which crieth in our hartes that which a carnall heart could neuer bring foorth Abba Father And because wee are Sonnes by consequent wee are heires but how Through Christ Sonnes through Christ Heires through Christ sealed and settled with that prerogatiue and most singular priuilege of the holye spirite of Christ The Papist like an Atheist iesteth at the spirit of God in the sonnes of God but what marueil if men laugh at that they knowe not what it meaneth But if they were the children of God and inheritours of heauen they might know that they are not Christes who want his spirite euen this crying spirit The certainty of saluation most assured by the spirit of God and other infallible grounds Heb. 4. A wauering minde hath a stammering tongue in the case of his saluation But the spirit of christ crieth and hath an audible voice in the cōsciences of Christians The Ankerite speaketh simperingly hollowly as it were with the mouth of death out of his grate but the spirit openeth and culargeth our harts and forceth foorth a bold and a free confession and therein wee haue accesse euen as Gods deere Children vnto the throne of grace and not vnto a terrible consistory or tribunall of feare but a most gracious Father and mercifull God Alas alas Popery flyeth after butterflies and beateth the aire and aimeth at vncertainties alas it knoweth neither the right meanes nor the perfect certainty of mans saluation But brethren faith is a sure ground Hope is an infallible anker with God there is no variablenes his promises are all yea and Amen his spirit doth not speake but * Rom. 8. cry thus much in our harts Neither is it an vncertaine sound or a false alarum it is the cry of his spirite I could dilate and I haue debated these things in a treatise of Nature and Grace which you haue in you handes and therefore I referre you thereunto where purposely I haue refuted their chiefest argumentes which either Master Stapleton or Pigghius both being chiefe Papists haue brought in this matter greeuing the spirit of God as much as in them lieth The spirit resēbled to a seale whereby we are sealed vnto the day of our redemption I say whereby we are sealed For therby are we sealed and this seale is set and imprinted on the harts of Christians To an ernest penny The spirite is also called an earnest penny a perfect assurance of a greater sum and a ful payment which shal be discharged in heauen To an inunctiō Likewise it is termed an inunction the annointing of God whereby we are inaugurated and destrinated to an infallible inheritance certainly reserued in the hands of a strong keeper against that famous day of our redemption And therefore they who are Sonns are Heires and they who are Heires shal inherit So saith nay so crieth the spirit Papistes seeke to infirme this faith to weaken our hope to
AN EXPOSITION AND OBSERVATIONS VPON SAINT PAVL TO THE GALATHIANS TOGITHER with incident Quaestions debated and Motiues remoued by IOHN PRIME 1. Cor. 10.15 I speake to them which haue vnderstanding Iudge yee what I saie AT OXFORD Printed by IOSEPH BARNE and are to bee sold in Pauls Church-yard at the signe of the Tygers head Anno 1587. TO THE MOST WORTHY LEARNED AND REVEREND FATHER IN GOD IOHN PIERCE the Lord Bishop of Sarum RIGHT Reuerend being desirous to shewe some part of thankefulnes for your Lordships fauorable vndeserued respect and kindnesse to me-ward and with that intent looking into my papers and studie notes specially into such as were deliuered euery other weeke at ABINGTON by OXFORD in your Lordships Diocesse among other things of greater length I resolued to reuise and frame out this exposition vpon S. Paul to the Galathians with Obseruations Questions Motiues The rather for the shortnes of the text best fitting with my leasurelesse occasions and likewise for the waightinesse of many matters either naturally arising or incidently taken and accordingly discoursed Wherein to declare in what sort I haue gone in out before that people their worshipful neighbors repairing to them and ioyning with them in this seruice for these many years together albeit I haue much abridged and somewhere enlarged and altered yet for the most part these READINGS may be called but the REMEMBRANCES of things that haue passed amongst thē and nowe are briefely set downe in this short impression And herein plainly to confes what I think of this bookish humor of writing bookes truely in them that can write why shoulde they as it is in the Poet Periturae parcere chartae They haue a gift a talent that way why should they hide it For others who may be better occupied there is no reason they abuse the Reader pester the world with vnprofitable vanities For my selfe the last of many and for the rest of greatest ability al our books are but entrāces to the book of books vnto the sacred Bible book of God which were it indeed deeply imprinted in the harts of al mē I could easily haue spared this simple labor and could and would haue wished euen LVTHERS wish vppon the same verie condition that he did That al bookes els were in a faire light fiar But men beeing men God so ordering it require neede humane helps and Master LVTHERS booke vpon this very Epistle is a profitable writing and full of comfort Euerie man cannot readily vse the Scripture strait-way euery man cannot at the first blush tell which Scripture is fittest for confirmation of this or that article in faith which fairest for exhortation in manners which fullest for refutation of errors therefore by preaching by penning by conference and by imprinting God hath prouided sufficient aids as the times haue required that men may looke and looke againe vpon things examine the spirits compare matters and causes ruminate and chue the kud meditate the state of their saluation and go the waies there-unto with a cleane and a clouen foot that is as ISICHIVS saith with a wise a discreet a distinguishing vnderstāding To these ends I haue performed this present account of my dealing in your Lord-ships Diocesse humbly crauing may it please your Lord-ship so to accept thereof it may be a slender monument and meane-pledge of greater dutie to your Lord-ship and of my good will and FAREWELL to ABINGTON likewise to the Gentlemen Iustices neere adioining The Lorde preserue your honor to his holy will blessed pleasure From the New Colledge in OXFORD 1587. IANVAR 30. Your L. to commaund in Christ IOHN PRIME THE EPISTLE OF THE APOSTLE PAVL TO THE GALATHIANS The Argument PAVL had preached the gospel some 14. yeares together generally among the Gentiles namely to the Galathians But by reason of the largenes of his commission hee was not to dwell in any one place therefore departed from Galatia and betooke himselfe into other partes of the world This oportunitie of the Apostles necessary departure and absence by the busie instrumentes of Satan who neuer sleepeth was soon espied as soone taken Incontinentlie they conueied in themselues being crept in with all endeuor they labor to bewitch inueigle the Galathians minds the more effectuallie to discredit the synceritie of the Gospel faire pretenses of Moses name of the Laws prerogatiue were made euer a thorough special disgrace of Pauls person was most shotte at Wherevpon ensueth 1. a direct defence of his vocation 2. a dew maintenance of the cause 3. a true reformation of a deceaued people both in matters of faith conuersation CHAP. I. 1 PAVL an Apostle not of men neither by man but by Iesus Christ God the Father which hath raised him frō the dead 2 And all the brethren which are with mee vnto the Churches of Galatia 3 Grace be with you peace from God the Father and from our Lord Iesus Christ 4 Which gaue himselfe for our sinnes that hee might deliuer vs from this present euill world according to the will of God euen our Father 5 To whom bee glorie for euer and euer Amen Calling either by name or vnto office PAVL an Apostle Hee describeth himselfe by his calling And as the worde calling doth signifie either the name that a man is known called by or the state he is preferred called vnto so S. Paul expresseth both 1. his name Paul 2. the state of his office withal to be an Apostle Calling by name 1 Touching his name it is too light a labor much to sticke at names when wee haue caught such smal fish we but cast thē into the sea againe And it hath euer beene thought a vaine curiosity so * Iudg. 13.18 carefully to make enquiry for the messengers name and titles when the message is most certaine Wherefore for this matter that rule is best may suffice that where the writers of holy writ and Scriptures are knowen that there God vseth such so specified by name as certaine instrumentes to declare his will voutsafeing to shewe the children of men with what quill and penne himselfe would write Againe when the writer of Scripture is lesse knowne know wee that wee are to esteeme no lesse of those diuine Scriptures than of the rest euen so farre foorth as if they came immediately from himselfe without our knoweledge of any certaine humane meanes in the penning 2 After his name followeth the calling of his office Calling vnto office or state Paul an Apostle Calling to any funetion is either in earthly thinges or in heauenly matters And in heauenly things calling is either generall to be * Rom. 1.7 1 Cor. 1 2. Saintes sanctified and washed in the blood of the Lambe or els * Rom. 11. 1 Cor. 1.1 speciall to be a teacher and a minister in the Church of God house of Saintes And
this calling is either ordinary and appointed orderly by imposition of handes according to the right touch of conscience in the called and the good choise of the caller or els calling is extraordinarie whensoeuer and of whomsoeuer it pleaseth God immediatly by himselfe to call vnto and enable for the worke of his spirituall haruest Such a calling was Pauls by a voice from heauen at noone whereof himselfe speaketh * Acts. 26.9 I was not disobedient to the heauenly vision and voice Thus was he ordained to his office and as he here addeth neither by men called neither by men instituted but extraordinarily in heauenly thinges a * Numb 10.2 consecrated trumpet put * Rom. 1.1 a-part to preach the Gospel euen from heauen and by God himselfe Called not of men nor by man but by Iesus Christ and God the Father which raised him from the dead Both natures in our Sauiour By the way you will obiect that if Paul were called by Christ and therefore not by man then belike Christ was not man I answere these wordes deny not our sauiours humanity though they rather proue his Deity and Godhead For if ye marke in the same tenor of speech they couple him equally with God and expressely they term God his Father and such as is the Father such in substance is the Son And because the Father is God therefore by consequent necessarily ensuing the Son also is very God And yet marke withall his Father here is said to raise him from the dead Which must needs be spoken of Christs humanity For the Deity neither dieth nor reuiueth neither falleth nor riseth nor is raysed againe Wherefore Paul was called by him that is not denied to be man but by the * 1 Tim. 2.5 man Christ who was both very God and perfect man and so a fit mediator betweene God and man And nowe being thus called in the second third fourth and fifth verses he sendeth greeting wherein would be considered 1. The sender 2. The persons to whom he writeth 3. His entry with an holy salutation 1 He that sendeth chiefly is Paul of whom in part hath beene and in part hereafter shal be declared then they with Paul who sent their greeting are annexed Al the brethren who were with Paul My note is that whereas flesh and blood is of a corrupt nature ful of wrath pride and swelling whereas euery man deemeth his lead to be siluer his glasse diamond whereas some can brooke no superiour some no equal Paul was altogether of a contrary minde of an humble meeke and lowly spirit And albeit his giftes were moe than were al the giftes of many his labours incomparable and his calling Apostolical yet hee calleth euery of them that were with him brethren and conioyneth them with himselfe in his owne Epistle A charitable consent in Christians most forceable to persuade in cases of Christianitie And this was then and wil be euer as it were a twisted cord of greatest strēgth the better able to draw men to christ when Christians drawe all one way and driue against sinne and lift all with one shoulder to further the trueth and altogether liue in charitable manner like brethren one with an other Paul and all the brethren He excepteth none that includeth all and he accepteth of all that excludeth none The persons to whom the Epistle is directed 2 To the Churches of Galatia The * The name of the Church taken diuersly name of the church is diuersly takē either for the whole Church catholicke in times persons and places or for the parces of the whole professing in earth the Catholicke faith And therein as euery part of the sea is called the sea as the English the Spanish and the French Sea is termed the Sea euen so euerie part of the whole Church professing the trueth may and doth well receaue the name of the Church as the Church of England is the Church and the Church of Scotland the Church c. And because in Galatia their congregations were copious they are plurallie termed the Churches Whole churches may be seduced And herein it were not amisse to be noted that not only some smal church truly so called though in some pointes vnperfect but many Churches may tread awry whole populous Churches may be seduced Psal 116.11 For truely men whether sole single or assembled and making a Church or churches are but men and therefore prone to sinne and soone deceaued and as the moone doth often ecclypse so Churches may sometimes erre Men cannot his stil the white shal they not therefore aime at the marke And yet an other good obseruation it is that if any man therefore will needes be wilfull vnwilling to contend to perfection because all men necessarily haue imperfections verily that man is vnwise and wanteth grace and can be no child of the Church of God which is an house of such men as inuocate and call vpon the holy name of God 2 Tim. 2.19 And whosoeuer so doth of duty must euermore more and more depart as far as he possiblely may from all iniquitie And to this end both euery where Paul preacheth and here writeth and wisheth as followeth The greeting 3 Grace and Peace Grace is Gods fauour peace signifieth gods blessing in * Gen. 43.23 a prosperous estate Grace goeth before and Peace followeth after and both proceede by the meanes of Christ our Sauiour Rhemish Test Pag. 384. Wherein I cannot omit a Rhemish and a peeuish note that misliketh the vsage of this salutation appropriating it to the Apostles without all reason and foolishly inferring that because Heretickes and namely Manicheus haue vsed it therefore we maie not vse it * The salutations were vsed of the Apostles may be vsed by others I pray you why did Paul request that mutuall prayers bee made for him if others might not praie for him as hee did for them And why may not al pray especially for Grace and Peace Or may I not wish them to my selfe Or if to my selfe why not to my * Rom. 13.9 neighbour Or wherein lieth the lette May I not wish a man Gods grace Or may I not pray for the peace of men Or may I pray at all and can I praie almost for anie thing and not for these thinges and with these wordes For the other point that Manicheus did vse it * Epiphanius haeres 66. I finde hee did And what of that The best things either in hypocrisie may be pretended for hypocrites pretend not the worst or else the best thinges to purposes may bee abused And what then The Pharisie abuseth his long praiers the tempter abused the holie Scriptures the Corinthians abused the Sacraments Baptisme and the Supper and Manicheus abused this good salutation which yet is not the thing is so found fault with in him But hee tooke vpon him to be an Apostle as the woorde is