couetousnesse 2 Pet. 2.14 3. through couetousnesse making marchandise of mens soules Such a one was Balaam of whom the Apostle Peter saith in the same chapter that he loued the wages of vnrighteousnes Such were those of whom Esay speaketh Esa 56.11 that they were greedie dogges which could neuer haue enough Such were these among the Philippians whose God as the Apostle saith was their bellie Marke then who now at this day they are that through couetousnesse would make marchandise of your soules Who are they now that set on sale the forgiuenesse of your sinnes and the kingdome of heauen for money Who are they now that vnder colour of long praiers deuoure widowes houses that for such or such lands such or such summes of money such or such releefe vnto such or such places will promise you to say so many praiers for so many dayes or yeeres for you or for your friends Who are they now that make gaine godâ—inesse and doe all that they doe in deede and an truth for the maintenance of their state and of their bellies Erasmus when hee was asked by Fredâ—ricke Duke of SAXONIE his iudgement of Luther said that there were two great faults of his one that hee medled with the Popes Crowne another that hee medled with the Monkes bellie Erasmus his meaning was that those two things they were most of all carefull for and therefore could not endure the medling with them Doe not such like dogges serue their bellies and through couetousnesse make marchandise of you Whosoeuer they be that doe so they haue a marke of false teachers Marke them therefore and take heed of them Beware of dogges of barking and greedie dogges My next two notes I gather from that that these false teachers are called euill workers A third note therefore of false teachers it is so to teach the necessitie of workes vnto saluation as to make them ioynt workers with Christ of our saluation as if our saluation were not by Christ alone but by the workes of the Law also True it is that we must walke in those good workes which God hath ordained vs to walke in â—pâ— 2.10 or else wee cannot be saued but yeâ— by grace are wee saued through faith 8.9 not of workes lest any man should boast himselfe To teach therefore that our workes are any part of that righteousnesse whereby we are iustified or saued is a note of false teachers Which thing also our Apostle witnesseth in another place Gal. 5.4 where he saith that such make the grace of God of none effect Such were those that had bewitched the Galatians whose doctrine in his epistle vnto them he doth at large confute and sheweth that wee are iustified onely by grace through faith in Iesus Christ and not by the workes of the Law Such also were those that were crept in amongst these Philippians whom in this chapter he confuteth shewing that Christ alone is our righteousnesse and that wee haue no righteousnesse of our owne at all by any workes of the Law Marke then who now at this day they are that teach mans righteousnesse or saluation to be of his workes Who are they now that tell you that we are made righteous before God not by faith alone in Christ his bloud but by workes also Who are they now that tell you that not by Christ his merits alone but by the merit of our owne workes also wee gaine heauen and that not to our selues alone but to others also Who aâ—e â—hey now that tell you that together with Christ good workes must be ioyned as workers together with him of our iustâ—fication and saluation Whosoeuer they be that doe so they haue a marke of false teachers Marke them therefore and take heed of them Beware of them they are euill workes making those workes which as they are done according to the Law are good workes by this peruerse doctrine euill workes A fourth note of false teachers it is like vnto vnfaithfull workmen in the Lord his vineyard to teach for doctrines mens precepts and traditions of men For this false teachers take of euill and vnfaithfull workers in the Lord his vineyard that either in stead of the word or at least together with the pure seede of the word they sow mens precepts and traditions of men Our Sauiour noteth it in the enuious man that he sowed tares among the wheat Mat. 13.28 Mar 7 7. and it is notable in all his brood Such were those Scribes and Pharises that we reade of in the Gospell of whom it is said that they taught for doctrines the commandements of men Whereupon our Sauiour told them that they worshipped him in vaine Marke then who now at this day doe thus resemble vnfaithfull workmen in the Lord his vineyard Who are they now that teach you to doe a great number of things for the doing whereof there is no rule at all in the Scriptures Who are they now that fill your eares with traditions of the Apostles as they say and traditions of the Church as they say making them euen of equall authoritie with the writings of the Apostles Who are they now that teach you to beleeue otherwise then yee are warranted by the Scriptures the rule of faith Who are they now that mingle with the pure seede of Gods word the chaffe of mans braine and giue equall authoritie to the written word and to vnwritten traditions Doe not such shew themselues to be of the brood of the enuious man Whosoeuer they be that doe so they haue a marke of false teachers Marke them therefore and take heed of them Beware of them they are euill workers working vnfaithfully in the Lord his vineyard Now from this also that these false teachers among the Philippians were called the concision arise two notes whereby to discerne false teachers A fift note therefore of false teachers it is like vnto these of the concision to cause diuision and offences contrary to the doctrine of the Gospell of Iesus Christ and to cut themselues from the vnitie of the Church for this they take of the concision that as they cut themselues from the vnitie of the Church and caused diuision in the Church by vrging the circumcision of the flesh which the Church had done with so commonly false teachers rent the vnitie of the Church and cause diuisions by teaching other doctrine then the spirit of God hath taught the Church to receiue This note of false teachers our Apostle also giues elsewhere where hee saith Marke them diligently which cause diuisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which yee haue learned Rom. 16.17 and auoid them Such were those false Apostles and teachers which troubled the Church of Corinth after Paul had planted it who by their ambition brought in such factions and schismes and dissensions into the Church 1 Cor. 1.11 that the house of Cloe a vertuous and zealous woman aduertised the Apostle thereof Marke then who now at this
great commendation of the men of Berea that they searched the Scriptures daily and sought whether the things which they heard of Paul and Silas were so Obserue the same rule search the Scriptures for they testifie of Christ and of his truth It is our desire that ye would trie by this rule both vs and them which teach otherwise then we teach and then that yee would approue them whom by proofe ye shall know to serue the Lord with Paul in the Gospell The rule which wee haue giuen whereby to know them that serue the Lord in the Gospel is most certaine and sure and it standeth you aswell vpon to approue them them alone who giue plaine proofe that they serue the Lord in the Gospell as it standeth vs vpon to labour by faithfull walking in our calling to approue our selues before the Lord and before men The next thing which I note out of these words is that which the Apostle addeth by way of amplification that Timothy serued with Paul as a sonne with the father for the Apostle doth not simply say ye know the proofe of him that he hath serued with me in the Gospell but by way of amplification vnto Timotheus greater commendation he addeth that as a son with the father he had serued with him c. Whence I obserue a notable example of that modesty and reuerence which ought to be in particular in younger Ministers towards them that are their auncients and haue gone before them in that worke and which ought to be in generall in all the sonnes of God towards their Elders but especially towards those that haue begotten them in the faith Young Timothy seruing with aged Paul in the Gospell euen as a son with his father should teach younger Ministers to honour and to reuerence their ancients in the ministery and to walke as they haue them for example especially if they walke as aged Paul did faithfully and painfully in the workes of their calling Otherwise if they delight in idlenesse or mind earthly things if they seeke their owne more then that which is Iesus Christs they are to be no more patternes vnto vs to follow then the examples of old Eli or Demas or the like Nay I thinke the younger may and ought yet with all modesty because of their yeeres to put them in minde of their duties and to beseech them that as fathers they will go before them in all holinesse of example with incorrupt doctrine with grauitie integritie and with the wholesome word which cannot be reproued But if they walke as aged Paul did faithfully and painefully in the workeâ— of their calling if in all holinesse of example they walke before them as fathers before their children if as fathers they haue begotten them in the faith then surely ought the younger Ministers to honour and to reuerence them euen as sons do their fathers and as Timothy did honour Paul A note worâ—hy the vrging and enlarging if the place were as conuenient for the vrging of it as the time requireth the vrging of it A sonne will not easily get himselfe vp to the toppe of an hill thence to glance at such things as may turne to his fathers shame much lesse thence to cast dung in his face and purposely to speake such things as iustly may grieue him least of all vpon an imagined error in his father will he thence loade him with blasphemies A sonne I say will not thus doe and a minister should not thus do For he should serue the Lord with him in the Gospell as a sonne with the father Againe young Timothy vsed himselfe towards aged Paul as a sonne towards his father A good lesson for those of yonger yeeres to teach them in what regard they ought to haue their elders and their betters they ought to honour and to reuerence them and to performe other duties vnto them in some sort as to their fathers For so we see the Scripture would haue them accounted as fathers as where the admonition is rebuke not an elder but exhort him as a father and the elder women as mothers And the fashion and custome of them is good whose manner it is to salute elder men as fathers 1 Tim. 5.1.2 elder women as mothers I doe only point at this note by the way because of the ill education of many of our youth who regard not at all the gray haires of the aged but oftentimes most contumeliously do abuse them calling them old fooles dooting fooles and the like Well the precept is Leuit. 19.32 Thou shalt rise vp before the hoare-head and honour the person of the old man But this punishment is iust with the Lord vnto him that reuerenceth not the person of the old man that either hee shall not come vnto the honour of old age or else his old age shall be without honour But an especiall thing which all of vs hence should learne is how we should walke in respect of them that haue begot vs in the faith of Christ Iesus As Timothy regarded Paul who had begot him in the faith so must we regard those that haue begot vs in the faith euen as a sonne carrieth himselfe towards his father so should we carrie our selues towards them And therefore are they called our spirituall fathers in the Scriptures and we their sonnes if by their ministery they haue begotten vs in the faith I beseech thee saith the Apostle in the Epistle to Philemon for my sonne Onesimus Philem. 10. whom I haue begotten in my bonds where he calleth Onesimus his sonne In the Epistle to the Corinthians Though yee haue saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 4.15 tenne thousand Instructors in Christ yet haue ye not many fathers for in Christ Iesus I haue begotten you through the Gospell Where he calleth himselfe their father in the same respect that before he called Onesimus his sonne euen because hee had begotten them in the faith And in the Epistle to the Galathians Gal. 4.19 My little children saith hee of whom I trauell in birth againe vntill Christ be formed in you where he sheweth that he was a mother and they as the sonnes of his wombe And wherfore is it that the ministers of Christ his Gospell are thus called our fathers and mothers as it were and we their sonnes but to note vnto vs that we haue our life in Christ Iesus through their ministerie and so to put vs in minde of that duty which we owe vnto them in respect of our regeneration and new birth by the immortall seede of God his word through their ministery Looke then what honour is due by children vnto their parents whether it be reuerence or obedience or maintenance or whatsoeuer else it be the same wee must account due by vs vnto our spirituall fathers in Christ Iesus And therefore faith our Sauiour Christ Luc. 10.16 Heb. 13.17 He that heareth you heareth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me And the Apostle obey
which Paul preached vnto them were so as he preached For they hauing receiued the Scriptures in credit before were so to accept of those things which Paul preached vnto them if they were consonant to the holy Scriptures according to that of the same Apostle Gal. 1.9 If any man preach vnto you otherwise then that ye haue receiued let him be accursed then that ye haue receiued 1. Then that which God had promised before by his Prophets in the holy Scriptures as the same Apostle speaketh And as the men of Berea did Rom. 1.2 so wee read he willed the Thessalonians to doe where he said vnto them trie all things 1 Thes 5.21 and keepe that which is good where it is plaine by vers 12. that he speaketh not onely to the Pastors but also to the flocke So the Apostle Iohn in his Epistle vnto the faithfull dispersed Iewes saith dearely beloued belieue not euery spirit 1 Ioh. 4.1 but trie the spirits whether they are of God for many false Prophets are gone out into the world Where the Apostle deliuereth a generall doctrine that concerneth euery one of the faithfull as he will auoide the seducing and deceits of false Teachers which is that euery man should trie by such rules as the Scripture setteth downe who is a true or false Teacher which is true or false doctrine And therfore we see that the Apostle rebuketh the Galathians very sharpely because they had giuen place vnto false Apostles which corrupted the pure doctrin of Christ Gal. 3.1 and had suffered themselues to be seduced by them By which his sharpe reproofe of them hee plainely sheweth that they should haue tried and examined the doctrine which those false Apostles brought by that which he had taught them and so reiected that which was not agreeable vnto wholesome doctrine And what else meane those often admonitions in the Prophets vnto all the Iewes to beware of false Prophets Ier. 23.16 heare not saith Ieremy the words of the Prophets that prophecie vnto you and teach you vanitie they speake the vision out of their owne heart and not out of the mouth of the Lord heare them not How then Esa 8.20 what is to be done Esay telleth thee To the law and to the testimonie if they speake not according to this word it is because there is no light in them This then is to be done when the false Prophets and Teachers speake vnto you heare them not so as to rest on what they say but so heare them as that yee examine them by the law and by the testimonie and if they speake not according to this word surely they haue no knowledge but are blinde leaders of them and so account of them Thus then both by the commendable example of the men of Berea and by the precept of the Apostles Iohn and our Apostles and by the sharpe reproofe of the Galathians and by the warrant of the Prophets it doth and may appeare that euen all the faithfull children of God may and ought to trie and iudge by the Scriptures whether their teachers doctrine be true and so to reiect whatsoeuer they finde not agreeable to the Scriptures Yea but it will be said that this were to make the sheepe iudges of their shepheards and the people to controll their Ministers No not so but the people must heart their Ministers and obey them and be ordered by them which they will the more cheerefully doe when by searching the Scriptures they shall finde their Minister and Teachers doctrine to be the doctrine of the holy Ghost and not the inuention or tradition of men If the teachers bring not the truth thus their errors will indeed be descried and no reason that when they bring not the truth their doctrine should be receiued as sound and good But if they bring the truth by this search of the scriptures the truth which they bring is with the greater lacritie reuerenced and embraced and themselues the more honoured and esteemed Learne ye then men and brethren to make this vse of this doctrine 1. To beware of such as teach you otherwise then now we haue taught you Beware of such as will tell you that yee are not to meddle with the sense of the Scripture or to iudge of such doctrine as ye heare whether it be true or false but yee are onely to trie the spirits by taking knowledge of them to whom God hath giuen the gift of discerning spirits and by obeying the Church to whom Christ hath giuen the spirit of truth and this Church say they is the Church of Rome By this that ye haue heard ye see that such are false Teachers deceiuing and being deceiued 2. Learne hence to be diligent in reâ—ding and in hearing the Scriptures that so ye may be able to trie the spirits Ioh. 5.39 In the Scriptures as saith our Sauiour wee thinke to haue eternall life and by meditating therein wee shall easily skill of those that would lead vs out of the right way that guideth to eternall life Let vs therefore exercise our selues in the doctrine of the Gospell of Iesus Christ which we haue receiued and let vs marke them diligently which cause diuision and offences contrarie to the doctrine which we haue learned and let vs auoid them yea if any come vnto vs and bring not this doctrine 2 Ioh. 10. let vs not receiue him nor bid him God speede let vs haue no familiarity with him but let vs abandon all fellowshippe with him The 2. thing which here I note is the Apostles often iteration of this caueat vnto the Philippians admonishing them agaâ—ne and againe euen three times to beware of false Teachers Whence we may obserue how needfull a matter it is for vs to take heed of false Teachers which seeke to seduce vs from that doctrine which wee haue learned in the Gospell of Christ Iesus Which thing as this often iteration of this caueat may confirme vnto vs so this circumstance also euen in this matter that the Apostle hauing often before by word of mouth warned them of false Teachers yet aduentured the reproofe if they should blame him for warning them againe by writing Againe when our Apostle tooke his last farewell of seeing the Ephesians any more how carefully did he warne them of false Teachers Take heede saith hee Act. 20.28 29.31 vnto your selues c. For I know this that after my departing shall grieuous wolues c. Therefore watch and remember that by the space of three yeares I ceased not to warne euery one both night and day with teares He beginnes with take heede vnto your selues hee ends with watch and remember c. as if this taking heede of false Teachers were a thing most needfull for them to be diligent in And our Sauiour Christ Mar. 8.15 Take heed and beware of the leauen of the Pharises and of the leauen of Herod Where willing his Disciples to beware of the contagious