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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	year_n	young_a	zeal_n	36	3	7.3710	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09383	A commentarie or exposition, vpon the fiue first chapters of the Epistle to the Galatians: penned by the godly, learned, and iudiciall diuine, Mr. W. Perkins. Now published for the benefit of the Church, and continued with a supplement vpon the sixt chapter, by Rafe Cudworth Bachelour of Diuinitie	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Cudworth, Ralph, 1617-1688.	1604 (1604)	STC 19680; ESTC S114465	595,047	756

the multitude among vs place their religion in comming to the Church in outward hearing in receiuing the sacrament in some kind of formall praying These things may not be condemned but the power and life of religion lies not in these things Wherefore we must not stand vpon outward painted shewes but looke what thou art betweene God and thy selfe that onely art thou in religion Thou praiest in the church but thou maist deceiue the world in this Tell me dost thou pray at home dost thou pray in thine owne heart vnto God by the spirit of praier then thou praiest indeede If thou canst approoue thy heart vnto God for any act of religion then is it done indeede els not Remember this Furthermore Paul here teacheth that our after proceedings in religion must be answerable to our first beginnings in the spirit And hence we may be aduertised of many things First here we must take notice of the follie of Popish religion For it beginnes in Gods mercie and the merit of Christ and it ends in our merits and satisfactions Secondly we must take notice of the common sinne of our times For in the practise of our religion we are deceiued We are not now that which we haue bin twentie or thirtie yeares agoe For now we see the world abounds with Atheists Epicures libertines worldlings newters that are of no religion and sundrie that haue heretofore shewed some forwardnes beginne to faulter and stagger and to looke an other way This is not to begin and ende in the spirit but to end in the flesh We are betime to amend this fault least if our former zeale be turned to present lukewarmes God in in his anger spue vs out Yong men must here be aduertised as they grow in yeares and stature so to grow vp in good things that both the first beginning and the after proceedings may be in the spirit Thus did Christ increase in grace as he increased in stature Lastly aged persons that haue begunne in the spirit must looke that they grow vp in the graces of the spirit more then others that they may end in the spirit It is said of the angel of Thiatira that his loue seruice and workes were moe at the last then at the first Reu. 2. 19. the same should be saide of all aged persons They which are planted in the house of God bring forth fruit in their old age Psal. 91. 16. It is the commendation of the old man that by reason of his manifold experience he knowes the father more then others 1. Ioh. 2. 14. It is the praise of Anna that shee continually serued God in fasting and praier beeing 80. yeares old When the outward man decaies the inward man should be renewed I speake all this the rather because aged persons are much wanting in this dutie For none commonly are so ignorant in the things of God as they they begin in the spirit but the affections of their hearts vsually end in the loue of this present world But they must be warned that as they goe before others in age so must they also exceede in the graces of the spirit We vse to say of children God make them good old men and it is well said An old man is to be regarded but specially a Good old man who is more to be respected then twentie of younger yeares Now aged persons when they grow in age and not in the spirit they loose their honour for age is a crowne of glorie when it is found in the way of righteousnes Prov. 16. 31. Let them therefore pray with Dauid Forsake me not O Lord in mine old age Psal. 71. 9. 4. Haue ye suffered so many things in vaine if so be it be euen in vaine The interrogation haue ye is as much as ye haue Because the question in this place counteruailes a speech affirmatiue And the wordes carrie this sense Ye haue professed the Gospel and ye haue suffered many afflictions for the same but now haue ye reuolted from the Gospel and therefore all your former sufferings are void or in vaine The words if they be in vaine are a limitation or qualification of that which was saide before and they carrie this sense Whereas I haue said that your sufferings are in vaine I speake it not simply but with some hope of your repentance which if it be then that which would be in vaine shall not be in vaine In this verse Paul sets downe a second reason to prooue the proposition of his first argument on this manner If ye receiued the spirit by my doctrine then is my doctrine true and ye fooles in reuolting from it For by this meanes the things which you suffered well ye now suffer in vaine The vse When Paul saith Haue ye suffered c. he signifies vnto vs the estate and condition of all beleeuers in this life that they must be bearers and sufferers The reason To this are we called 1. Pet. 2. 21. for we are called to resigne all reuenge to God and therefore of our selues to be bearers and sufferers Math. 5. 39. Resist not euill And we are called to imitate the passion of Christ who suffered beeing innocent and beeing reuiled reuiled not againe Moreouer it is for our good that we should beare and suffer 1. Pet. 1. 6. and Psal. 119. 71. It may be demanded What if my cause be good must I then suffer Ans. Yea. The better thy cause is the better are thy sufferings they are blessed that suffer for righteousnes Paul commends himselfe by the multitude of his sufferings 2. Cor. 11. 13. Againe it may be demanded how long we must suffer Ans. Euen to the shedding of our blood if it be for the resisting of sinne Heb. 12. 4. Lastly it may be saide how shall we be able to doe this Ans. God is faithfull and will not lay on vs more then we shall be able to beare 1. Cor. 10. 3. By this we are admonished not to make a reckoning in this world of pleasure and delight as though the Gospel were a Gospel of ease and as we vse to say a gospel made of veluet but euery one of vs must take vp his owne crosse Luk. 9. 23. If thou wilt be my disciple denie thy selfe take vp thy crosse that is the particular affliction and miserie which God laies on thee Againe if in this world we must be sufferers by condition then in dissentions and differences we may neither giue nor take the chalenge but must be content to beare and put vp wrongs and abuses Lastly in these daies of our peace we must looke for daies of triall and affliction For as yet we haue suffered little for the name of Christ. The haruest of the Lord hath bin among vs more then fourtie yeares therefore no doubt the time of threshing fanning and grinding comes on that as the Martyr said we may be good bread to the Lord. And that we may be able to suffer for the name of God we must

see the fidelitie of Paul if he had sought himselfe his honour profit or pleasure he would not haue taught any doctrine that should haue caused persecution The like minde must be in all teachers nay in all beleeuers who are to receiue the Gospel for it selfe without respect to honour profit or pleasure Paul addes further in way of defence that the scandall of the crosse was not abolished Hence it followes that the Gospel must be preached though all men be offended God must not be displeased though all men be displeased Act. 5. 29. Indeede Christ pronounceth 〈◊〉 woe against them by whome offences come but that is meant of offences giuen and not of offences taken of which Christ hath an other rule Matth. 15. 14. Let them alone they are the blind leaders of the blind Againe by the offence of the Iewes we see the mind of men who cannot be content with the death and passion of Christ vnlesse they may adde workes or something els of their owne for their iustification and saluation Thus doe the Papists at this day and the like doe many of the ignorant people among vs that will be saued by their good dealing and their good seruing of God Touching the imprecation in the 12. verse three questions are to be propounded The first is whether Paul did well thus to curse his enemies I answer yea for first we must put a difference betweene the priuate cause of man and the cause of God Now Paul accurseth the false Apostles not in respect of his owne cause but in respect of the cause of God and not as his owne enemies but as the enemies of God Secondly we must distinguish the persons of euill men Some are curable and some againe are incurable of whose saluation there is no hope Now Paul directs his imprecation against persons incurable And he knew them to be incurable by some extraordinarie inspiration or instinct as the Prophets and the rest of the Apostles did in sundrie cases and hereupon he curseth sometime euen particular persons as Alexander the copper-smith 2. Tim. 4. 14. Thirdly we must distinguish the affections of men Some are carnall as rash anger hatred desire of reuenge c. some againe are more spirituall and diuine as a zeale of Gods glorie and of the s●●tie of Gods church Now Paul in pronouncing the curse is not carried with a carnall affection but with a pure zeale of Gods glorie and with the same spirit by which he penned this Epistle The second question is whether we may not curse our enemies as Paul did Ans. No for we haue not the like spirit to discerne the persons of men what they are and our zeale of Gods glorie is mixed with many corrupt affections and therefore to be suspected We in our ordinary dealings haue an other rule to follow Matth. 5. blesse and curse not If we dare goe beyond the limitts of this rule we must heare the speach of Christ ye know not of what spirit ye are Luc. 9. 55. The third question is how we should vse the imprecations that are in the psalmes of Dauid as Psal. 109. and in other places of scripture Ans. they are to be directed generally against the kingdome of the deuill and they are further to be vsed as Prophecies of the holy ghost comforting his Church and procuring a finall sentence vpon the enemies of God The word which is translated disquiet is to be considered for it signifies to put men out of their estate and to driue them out of house and home as enemies doe when they sacke and spoile a towne By this we se that the doctrine of iustification by workes or by the law is a doctrine full of danger and peril because it puts men out of their estate in Christ and ber●aues them of their saluation in heauen Therefore let all men flie from the religion of the Papist as if they would flie from an armie of Spaniards or Turkes Contrariwise they that would prouide well for themselues and their posteritie and plant themselues in a good estate must take this course They must cōsider that there is a citie of God in heauen the gates and suburbes whereof be vpon earth in the assemblies of the Church that this citie hath many roomes and habitations many liberties that the law wherby this citie is ruled is the whole word of God specially the doctrine of the Gospell In this citie is all happines and out of it there is nothing but woe and misery Enter therfore into the suburbes of this citie of God as ye professe the Gospell so subiect your mindes and consciences and all your affections to it and be doers of it in the exercise of faith repentance new obedience Thus shall you haue a good estate in Christ ioyfull habitation in heauen 13. For brethren ye haue bin called to libertie only vse not your libertie as an occasion to the flesh but by loue serue one another The first part of the Epistle touching the faith of the Galatians is ended and here beginnes the second part touching good life and it continues from this verse to the 11. verse of the sixt chapter In it Paul doth 2. things first he propounds the summe of his doctrine then after makes a particular declaration of it The summe of all is propounded in this 13. v. in which Paul first setts downe the ground of all good duties and then 2. maine rules of good life The ground is in these wordes brethren ye haue bin called to libertie And it must be noted that as these wordes are the foundation of that which followes so are they also the reason of that which goes before and therefore Paul saith for brethren c. The 2. rules are in the words following One in these vse not your libertie as an occasion to the flesh the other in these doe seruice one to another by loue In the ground of all good duties namely the calling to libertie 4. things are to be considered 1. who calls 2. who are called 3. what is the calling of God 4. why it is here mentioned by Paul To the first who calles I answer God the father in Christ by the spirit for he is absolute Lord of all his creatures therfore he may call out of the kingdome of darknes into his owne kingdome whome he will And it is God alone that calleth the things that are not as though they were Rom. 4. 17. The second is who are called Ans. All they that any waie answer the calling of God for Paul saith indifferently of all the Galatians that they were called Now men answer the calling of God some in profession some in heart some in both And all these are said to be called yet with some difference The calling of God is directed first of all and principally to the Elect and then in the second place it pertaines to them which are not Elect because they are mixed in societie with the Elect. And hence

good but partly euill for such as the cause is such is the effect now the minde and will of man are the cause of his workes and the mind is partly carnall and partly spirituall so also is the will and therefore the workes that proceede from them are partly spirituall in part carnall Vpon this ground it followes that all the workes of regenerate men are sinfull and in the rigour of iustice deserue damnation Obiect Sinne is the transgression of the law good workes are no transgression of the law therefore good workes are no sinnes I answer to the minor The transgression of the law is twofold One which is directly against the law both for matter and manner the second is when that is done which the law requires but not in that manner it should be done And thus good workes become sinfull The dutie which the law requires is done but it is not done perfectly as it ough to be done by reason of the flesh Secondly it is alleaged that good workes are from the spirit of God and that nothing proceeding from the spirit of God is sinne Ans. Things proceeding from the spirit of God alone or from the spirit immediatly are no sinnes now good workes proceed not only from the spirit but also from the mind and will of man as instruments of the spirit And when an effect proceedes from sundrie causes that are subordinate it takes vnto it the nature of the second cause hereupon workes are ●●rtly spirituall and partly carnall as the minde and will of the doer is Thirdly it is alleged that good works please God and that things pleasing God are no sinnes Ans. They please God because the doer is in Christ and so pleaseth God Againe they please not God before or without pardon for they are accepted because God approoues his owne worke in vs pardons the defect thereof Lastly some obiect on this manner No sinnes are to be done good workes are sinnes there-therefore not to be done Ans. They are not simply sinnes but onely by accident For as God commands them they are good and as godly men doe them they are good in part Now the reason holds onely thus That which is sinne so farre forth as it is a sinne or if it be simplie a sinne is not to be done Now then vpon this doctrine it followes that there is no iustification by workes nor no fulfilling of the law for the time of this life Thirdly hence it follows that the grace of God for the time of this life is mixed with his contrarie the corruption of the flesh This mixture the godly feele in themselues to the great griefe of their hearts When they would beleeue their mindes are oppressed with vnbeleefe They see more ignorance in themselues then light of knowledge There are a number amongst vs that say they know as much as all the world can teach them that they doe perfectly beleeue in Christ and euer did that they loue God with all their hearts and did neuer so much as doubt of the mercie of God But these men are voide of the grace of God they are like emptie barrells that make a great sound they neuer knew what is meant by the combate of the flesh and spirit Fourthly we are here to be admonished in all duties of religion to vse industrie and paines by willing striuing and indeuouring to the vttermost to doe that which we ought to doe We must vse asking seeking knocking Matth. 7. 7. we must with Paul vse wrastling in our praiers to God Rom. 15. 30. They that would haue knowledge in the booke of God must doe more then heare a Sermon they must striue against their ignorance and blindnes and laboriously exercise their senses in the discerning of good and euill They that would beleeue must striue against their naturall vnbeleefe and indeauour to beleeue Blessed saith Salomon Prou. 28. is the man that feareth himselfe or inures himselfe to feare Paul saith of himselfe that he laboured and tooke paines to keepe a good conscience Act. 24. 16. Lastly by reason of this combate we are put in minde to vse sobrietie and watchfulnesse ouer our owne corruptions with much and instant praier least we fall into temptation Matth. 26. 41. We should practise these more then we doe for beside the enemies without we haue an enemie within that seekes our perdition 18 And if ye be led by the spirit ye are not vnder the law In the 13. verse Paul propounds a maine rule of good life Giue no occasion to the flesh and for the better keeping of this he giues a second rule v. 16. Walke in the spirit Of this second rule he giues two reasons The first is taken from the contrarietie of the flesh and the spirit v. 17. The second is in these words they that walke according to the spirit are freed from the curse of the law In these words Paul sets downe three things The first is the office of the spirit which is first of all to regenerate and renew all the powers of the soule and secondly to guide and conduct them that are regenerate Psal. 143. 10. In this guidance or conduction there are foure actions of the spirit The first is Preseruation whereby the holy Ghost maintaines the gift of regeneration in them that are regenerate The second is Cooperation whereby the will of God as the first cause workes together with the regenerate will of man as the second cause And without this Cooperation mans will brings forth no good action no more then the tree which is apt to bring forth fruit yeeldes fruit indeede till it haue the presence and cooperation of the Sunne and that in the season of the yeare The third is direction whereby the spirit of God ordereth and establisheth the minde will and affections in good duties 2. Thess. 3. 5. The last is Excitation whereby the spirit stirres and still mooues the will and minde after they are regenerate because for the time of this life the grace of God is hindred and oppressed by the flesh Hereupon after regeneration there must still be new inclining Psal. 119. 36. new drawing Cant. 1. 3. new working of the will and the deede Phil. 2. 13. Hence it follows that beside the antecedent and first grace there is necessarie a subsequent or second grace For we doe not that good which we can doe vnles God by a second grace make vs doe it as he made vs able to doe it by the first grace The second thing is the Office of all true beleeuers and that is to resigne thēselues in subiection to the worke of Gods spirit Now Gods spirit workes in and by the word of God And hereupon this Subiection hath two parts The first is to make triall inquirie and examination what is the good will of God in euery thing Rom. 12. 2. Thus did Dauid Psal. 119. 94. I am thine saue me for I seeke thy commandements The second part is to denie our selues

whereas the word doth not onely signifie qualitie but as properly quantitie as Heb. 7. 4. Consider how great this man was And the word that answereth vnto it signifieth as well quantitie as qualitie Coloss. 2. 1. I would ye knew what great fight I haue Iam. 3. 5. Behold how great a thing a little fire kindleth The plaine and simple meaning therefore of Paul is this that he neuer wrote so long an Epistle with his owne hand vnto any Church as vnto them He writ indeede the Epistle to Philemon with his owne hand but that was short in comparison of this And he wrote larger Epistles to other Churches as to the Romans Corinthiās c. but by his Scribes not with his owne hand Therefore seeing this is the longest and largest letter that euer Paul writ with his owne hand it ought to be more regarded and better accepted So that as his paines were greater in writing our diligence should be greater in reading and obseruing the same This shewes Pauls great care of the Churches not onely when he was present but when he was absent How painefull he was beeing among them to winne them to the Gospel how fearefull when he was absent from thē least their minds should be loauened by false teachers how faithfull both present and absent And it may serue as a president to all Pastours hauing cure of soules to vse the like diligence and conscience in their Ministerie that beeing absent in bodie from their charge vpon necessarie occasions as Paul was yet they would be present in spirit with them and present by their letters that so they may testifie to all the world that they haue a greater care of the flocke then of the fleece It further teacheth vs that if the Minister beeing carried with discreete zeale for the good of the Church goe further either in word or writing then he intended or is thought fit by some as it seemes Paul did in this place for what needes this large letter may some say a shorter would haue done as well that we are not to censure him or limite and prescribe him It had beene a great fault in the Galatians if they had found fault with Paul for this his large letter and in the Disciples Iewes if they should haue blamed his long Sermon which continued at one time from morning to night Act. 28. 23. at another time from the closing of the euening till midnight Act. 20. 7. And so it is in many hearers who are too curious and strictt in prescribing and limiting their teachers to the time longer then which they cannot patiently indure And in stinting them in vrging of this or that point in saying he missed his Rhetoricke his Epimone was to long he was ouerseene in dwelling so long vpon the point it had beene better a word and away c. His second argument is taken from the instrumentall cause that he wrote it with his owne hand Haimo saith it is the opinion of the Doctours that Paul wrote not this whole Epistle with his owne hand but onely from hence to the ende which opinion is confuted by the very text You see how large a letter I HAVE WRITTEN with mine owne hand speaking of the whole Epistle in the time past or if of any one part more then of another of the former part rather then of the latter Secondly his assertion is not true for if we except Ierome none of the Ancients as I take it are of that opinion Not Ambrose who saith Where the whole writing is his owne hand there can be no falshood Not Chrysostome who saith To the rest of his Epistles he did subscribe but this whole Epistle he writ himselfe Not Primasius vsing the word perscripsit that he writ it through with his owne hand Not Theodoret affirming that it seemes Paul writ the whole Epistle Not Theophylact who bringeth in Paul speaking to them in this manner I am enforced to write this Epistle vnto you with mine owne hand Not Occumenius who calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Epistle written with his owne hand Not Anselme who paraphrasing the text saith it is all one as if he had said This Epistle I writ with mine owne hand And a little before Not with the Scribes hand but with mine owne hand albeit Anselme cannot so preiudice his assertion who liued long after him Not the Author of the Commentarie vpon the Epistles ascribed to Ierome Tom. 9. for he vpon the 2. Thess. 3. 17. saith plainly With these words he subscribes all his Epistles excepting that to the Galatians which he writ from the beginning to the ende with his owne hand And vpon these very words which we now entreat of See how I am not afraid which of late time haue written with mine owne hand Where by the way we may obserue that Ierome is not the author of those Commentaries beeing so contrarie to himselfe This I confesse is a light matter and not to be stood vpon were it not that some are too hastie to swallow whatsoeuer comes in their way vnder the title of the Doctours It must therefore be a caueat vnto vs not to be too credulous in beleeuing euery one that shall auouch this or that to be the opinion of the Fathers no though it be affirmed by a Father especially by such a one as draweth neere the dregs as Haimo doth It is certen then that Paul writ this whole Epistle with his owne hand the reasons are these First that it might appeare vnder his hand that he was no changeling but the same man that he was before in that he did not preach circumcision or the obseruation of Iewish ceremonies as the false Apostles standered him Gal. 5. ●1 Secondly that this his letter was not counterfaited by another and sent in his name as the false Apostles might haue obiected and the Galatians suspected Thirdly that he might testifie his sincere loue towards them and how he did as it were trauaile in paine of them till Christ were formed in them shunning no labour that might further their saluation We may hence further obserue a threefold difference of the bookes of Scripture in the new Testament Some were neither written by an Apostle nor subscribed as the gospel of Marke and Luke Some subscribed but not written as the Epistle to the Romanes and others Some both written and subscribed as this Epistle and that to Philemon vers 19. I haue written it with mine owne hand J will recompense it Now that Paul subscribed euery Epistle with his owne hand he himselfe witnesseth 2. Thessalon 3. 17. The salutation of me Paul with mine own hād which is a signe in euery Epistle that it is mine not forged in my name by another so I write the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with you all In which place he warneth the Thessalonians againe of false teachers and forged letters for 2.