minde as of bodie Fourth it implies a doing studio imitandi with an earnest desire to be like him for he that doth that which God commands and not as expressing his desire of imitation he is no follower and therefore in all our actions wee ought to desire to be like God and indeavour to expresse in action what we desire and to this end wee are to search for examples and patternes in the Scripture for those that are more excellent for the most excellent in all kindes are the best rules for others and because in many things we offend all let us follow the examples of men no further than they follow Christ 1 Cor. 11.1 And it was one end of Christs incarnation that he might bee an example unto us As I your Lord and Master have washed your feet so yee ought to wash one anothers feet and learne of me for I am meek Hence we may gather the ground why we have not only rules in Scripture to live by but also examples For first they shew that the things commanded are possible to bee done Then they shew us the way and meanes more plainly how to doe them Thirdly they shew how gracefull acceptable they are when they are done So as the Scriptures are not penned altogether in a commanding fashion but have mingled sweet alluring examples for there are foure wayes of teaching rule reason similitudes and examples The two former injoynes but workes not on the affections similitudes are but slight onely examples conformes us in a most sweet alluring manner And therefore wee ought to be exemplarie as to follow others and especially those that are above other they should be burning and shining lights as starres giving light to passengers in the darknesse of this world to this end observe some meanes And First reverence not onely the eye of God but of weake Christians Maxima debetur puero reverentia We are to be awfull of our carriage that we may give no ill example to them and to this end we are to know that wee shall give account for those sinnes that wee either cause or suffer others to fall into if wee may hinder them give therefore no offence or scandall to the little ones Secondly Labour to denie our selves in liberties especially when we are in the presence of such as will take scandall and to this end labour for the grace of love which will cause us to indure much and put up many things which we count injuries Thirdly in our carriage wee are so to demeane our selves that wee shew wee value esteeme and respect those with whom wee converse for else our actions being visible to others they will seeme to be done out of a selfe respect and so will not affect or worke on them Grace will teach us to honour the meanest as those that may bee deerely beloved of God who also may excell us in many excellent qualities and in some kinde of grace may also goe beyond us Secondly if wee be bound to give good example then woe to the world for offences what shall become of those who wound and vexe continually the hearts of those with whom they converse Many are in hell propter alienum peccatum In the eyes of God who knowes the heart and intentions sinne is committed before it be acted and therefore it s all one whether thou committest it or not But it s not thus before men for when it is committed it turnes to scandall and opens the enemies mouthes and grieves the spirit of God in his children the Prophets complaine hereof and wee may observe God correct his children most to keepe them from scandâ—lizing others and that others may beware of scandall so Davids sinne was pardoned yet because hee gave scandall the childe died Thirdly as wee must give good example so wee must indeavour to take good from others example and to this end First wee must eye them and prie into their actions for this end hath God left us a continuall succession of examples Secondly we must eye them not to observe their weaknesses to uncover their shame for this is a poysonous disposition proceeding even from the divell neyther are wee to observe them thereby to take libertie to the flesh from their ill example but wee are to eye them as we view glasses to deck and adorn our selves by them and to compose our selves in a good course Thirdly in imitation we are to observe the best and the best of the best and not to compare our selves with those that are inferiour to us for he that thinks himself good by comparison he is not good as a runner will not conclude he runnes swiftly beeause he hath out-runne a lame man And therefore St. Paul sayes else where Brethren follow mee as I follow Christ propounding to himselfe the most excellent patterne of all Christ Iesus Contrariwise he blames the Corinthians because they measured themselves by themselves 2 Cor. 10.12 Fourthly wee must learne truthes before wee practice for the best have their blemishes so that wee must learne to know how to avoid them The Papists urge us with the succession and universalitie of their Church No say we it is the doctrine that must trie the Church whether it be true or false for men are Mensura mensurata it s the doctrine is Mensura mensurans the measure measuring whereby our actions ought to be squared and framed aright The Papists urge us with an implicite faith Alas what example what imitation can there be when they know not what to imitate they know not what the Church beleeves and and yet they must beleeve as the Church beleeveth Fifthly wee must labour to have soft hearts sanctified with grace and molified for a stonie hard heart will receive no impression and to this end are wee to use the meanes to imbrace the word to receive the Sacraments and to pray that God would open our eyes and soften our stonie hearts Sixthly wee are to looke to everie one that hath any good thing worthy of imitation as those that delight in gardens where they heare of any choise flowers they will have a slip for their owne garden thus it should bee with us where we see any flower of any grace get that and place it in our owne gardens in every Christian there is something immitable and something that may further us and therefore this Apostle longed to see the Romans that hee might be comforted by their faith 1 Rom. 12. It is with the Church as with the firmament ever some are rising and some are fitting let us looke to the starres of our time and walke by their light It s not enough that wee can commend the Martyrs for that is ordinarie as it was with the Iewes in Matth. 23.29 though they builded the sepulchres of the Prophets if they had beene alive together with them they would have persecuted them and therefore Christ saith they killed the Prophets And the ground of
this spirituall change And a Second reason may be Because we often regard not the truth at the first second or third time urged and taught unto us Wherefore Iob. 33.14 It is said God speaketh once or twice yet man perceives not Therefore if the caution and point be necessary the repetition must needs be necessarie also In the third place There is such a breadth and depth in the points delivered out of the Word of God that although wee heare often the same thing yet we never come to understand the full extent of them Our soules are narrow wee cannot at the first so soundly and deeply consider of them neither can wee understand so many particulars as otherwise we should for in every Christian truth there is milke for children and strong meate which requires digestion and likewise repetition A fourth reason may be Because our corruptions daily increase and grow upon us and varietie of occasion and worldly businesse being naturall to us and therefore more delightfull are too powerfull and doe thrust out the consideration of divine truths which are commonly against the haire And wee cannot have varietie of two things in our mindes at the same time in strength Whence it comes to passe that the better is ever more subject to bee thrust out and therefore had need to bee hammered in with often repetition and insisting upon againe and againe A fifth Reason may be Because we worke as wee understand weakly or strongly When we worke well we must have things present strongly in the understanding as when we tell men of Gods justice omnipresence of the day of judgement of death and the like the lively and present remembrance of these things keeps the minde of man so in frame as it cannot will any evill no more than a lewd person will offend in the presence of the Iudge And this lively remembrance of things is wrought chiefly by repetition and often inforcing the same things and it makes the minde to be wholly taken up therewith And therefore it is a good way when we would doe any good action well to be taken up with reading or hearing of good by way of preparation thereunto And the want of the presence of good things in our minde layes us open and makes us fit for all companies and occasions of sinne In the sixt and last place Our memories are very weake to remember and to reteine any thing that is good Since the fall they are broken and good things sinke through them as water through a sieve and therefore hath great need of remembrancers And after this manner hath God dealt with man as in the promise of the blessed seed how often is it reiterated and typified and to Abraham is it renewed seven times So God to David often renewed his promise concerning the Kingdome as also the promise concerning the deliverance of the people of Israel from captivitie in Esay is often repeated This also did Christ the great Doctour of his Church in his Parables in one Chapter argueth one principall metter with foure Parables one after another although with some varietie teaching Ministers thereby to doe the like to avoid tediousnesse Repetition in Scripture serves to divers ends Sometimes for the stronger averring of the certaintie thereof Wherefore it was that Pharoahs dreame was doubled Sometime for Emphasis sake as Christ did often Amen Amen and in dying thou shalt die and the like phrases But the maine end is to stirre up us and our affections and to keepe them in life and action when they are stirred up Therefore 2 Pet. 1.12 Because they knew they could not bee over-sure of salvation nor grow too much in grace he sayes so long as he lives hee will put them in minde of such things Let it not therefore bee grievous to Ministers to doe what is for the safetie of Gods children They must doe it till they see practise come to perfection and they must cast and cast again Peter hee cast often and got nothing yet at Christs word hee cast againe So must Ministers God that blesseth not every cast may blesse the last cast to the catching of many and therefore a Minister had need of a father-like affection to his hearers as St. Paul had 2 Thes. 2.11 A second use may be for our selves If we heare the same things repeated heare them as an impression which may carry force and work upon our hearts more strongly than before and know that God may worke on us by one meanes at one time which he did not at another as a dart pierces deeper being cast by one than by another And therefore Let us not be weary of attendance on Gods ordinances for our corruptions daily increase as our age doth our minding of things is but slight and our memory very brittle And we must know that the word teaches doing and practising as well as knowing And therefore to conceive a necessitie of a continuall Ministrie to perfect a Church as well as to begin it The Sacraments are necessary receive them often the Primitive Church had them every Lords day Till we come to the holy Land of that heavenly Canaan let us submit our selves to this Manna It is Angels food and they desire to looke into these mysteries And therefore take heed of fulnesse or loathing for when we come to that passe that we must have Novum or Nihil God takes away this Manna thus loathed Thus did he with the Greeke Churches they gave themselves not to the plaine sincere truth but mans inventions whereby God gave them over to strange opinions and indeed it is a rule None absents himselfe from Gods word but he is given over and that justly to beleeve toyes to attribute all praise and delight to this or that idle Authour which it may be is Heathenish or Popish The Greek Churches affecting Novelties were justly given over to Mahomet but to a true Christian heart there cannot be more delight than in the experimentall knowledge of Christs death and office of perseverance in grace these are standing dishes in this Christian banquet It is a signe God meanes to plague that person or nation that is delighted in such ill sawces he will make them come out of our nosthrils we shall have our fill of them and never hunger after the sincere milke of the Word VERS 2. Beware of Dogges IN this generall exhortation Consider first the persons to whom it is directed To all the Philippians not only to the Pastor but even to the common Christians They must beware of false Teachers Is it so Then surely they ought to take notice of them and to know them and therefore they ought to have rules to discerne them by Christs sheepe they discerne between a wolfe and a shepherd Ioh. 10.45 His sheepe discerne an Heretike or false-teacher from those that are true shepherds in the maine points of Christian Religion and therefore 1 Ioh. 4.1 He bids all
in generall to try the spirits and the Apostle 1 Thes. 5.21 bids them prove all things and hold fast the good if they were then all of them bound to try and prove they were no doubt bound to know the rules by which they were to try which rules are only laid downe in the word of God But some Popish heart may aske How common people should know the Word to be the word of God For answer I would aske such an one How they know the Popes Canons or any Booke of his Constitutions to be the Popes they will say their teachers brings them in the Popes name and they beleeve their teachers So say wee We beleeve our Teachers and Ministers who tell us this is the Word of God But they object and say that wee make every one a Iudge I answer there is a three-fold manner of judging First a judging whereby we discerne of anything and this every Christian must have so as it cannot be any plea to him at the day of judgment to say my Teacher did mislead me No both the leader and he that is led if they be blind shall fall into the ditch Matth. 15. Then there is a second kinde of judging which is by way of direction this is required principally in the Pastor to direct his flocke And there is a third kinde that is of jurisdiction this belongs to the Church and the Magistrate yet every one must have a judgment to discern the good from the bad For hee that knowes not his Masters will shall be beaten In the second place Not onely the young ordinary Christians but euen the best setled Christians had need to beware also The Philippians were a Church established in the truth Eve was seduced being in her innocent estate but I need not stand on this at this time I proceed To the dutie which is to beware Which word signifies First to discerne of then to avoid and because those that are aware of evill by nature will avoid it therfore beware here intends both discerning and avoiding of evil For the Church of God in this world is ever subject to danger and God suffers it to be so First to try who be true and who false And secondly to try them that are good and to be as an evidence to them of their owne estates so as where such triall and danger is it is true ingeniosum est esse Christianum But concerning the words Dogges Concision Evill workers they all signifie the same thing and he repeats the word beware thrice to shew the necessitie thereof take heed of them that urge workes of the law with Doctrines of faith especially of Pastors Nay take heed of these for so the word in the originall is these Dogges By Concision he meanes those that urged Circumcision when it was out of date and when it was dangerous to be admitted of But observe the terme the Holy Ghost calls these Dogges a strange terme and such an one as I should not have dared to have given them had not the holy Spirit led the way thereunto and therefore since it is so let us not be more modest than he is but boldly affirme that wicked men are Dogges Now wicked men are eyther without the Church or within Without the Church all are Dogges Matth. 15.26 It s not meet to take the childrens bread and to cast it to Dogges Of this number are all Turkes and Iewes who were Filii Children but are Canes Dogges We were Canes buâ— now through Gods mercy are come to be Filii All therefore that are without the Church are Dogges But there are also Dogges within the Church and therefore the Philippians were bidden beware of them which St. Paul needed not to have done if they had not beene troubled with them And those Dogges he describes in that they joyne workes of the law and Christ together in matter of salvation these are in St. Pauls esteeme Dogges And the reason hereof may be grounded on Gods esteeme on their behaviour towards other men and in regard of themselves For Gods esteeme we may see it in Esay 66.3 he detests them as dogges For their behaviour towards men whom they goe about to seduce they fawne on them and use all manner of inticing flattering and false alluring words Rom. 16.18 See the picture of a Iesuited Papist a pleasing humane fawning nature they creepe into houses and when these dogges cannot prevaile by flatterie then they snarle and barke against them by false calumnies and slanders and railings and bitter scoffes and the like and this they doe when they cannot bite But having gotten power in their hand they persecute with fire and sword and the most exquisite torments that they can devise In regard of themselves also they are Dogges rotten in nature corrupt in life filthie in their owne Courts devouring their owne vomit and God justly punishing them by suffering of them to heape up wrath in store 2 Pet. 2.22 and to returne with the sow that was washed to wallow in the mire of corrupt courses Hence wee may observe and see what a man is now brought to by sinne he that would be like to God is justly compared to the beasts that perish Now all by nature are no better than dogges who are all for their bellies for present contentments an envious and currish disposition against any that shall indeavour to crosse them in their unlawfull lusts and that rule of reason which should over-rule him and amend him he so abuses it as thereby he is made more like a Divell than a Dogge Would wee be then changed let us attend on that word that is able of Lions to make Lambes it can cleanse us throughout Ioh. 15.3 It sanctifies and alters us Morall precepts may restraine and alter outward practises the Word that alters the condition and nature of men it is the word of him that workes all with his spirit And therefore take heed of them and deale not more with them than thou must needs They will fawne they will not be dogged at the first but till Religion altereth him assuredly hee hath a currish nature But to proceed Hee saith not onely beware of Dogges in generall But beware of these Dogges of the Concision and these also ought we to beware of for there is a perpetuall lâ—tâ—er of them though those that the Apostle spake of are gone yet the same spirit is now a dayes in many fawners they are and flatterers yet doe they barke at Protestants and of this sort are our Iesuited Papists and Seminaries Our Fathers were troubled with them let these take heed for were these men dogges that presse Circumcision with Christ and shall not such be also that presse merits with Christ Saints with Christ and equall traditions with the Word of God The dogges in St. Pauls time had some excuse Circumcision they urged but it was first founded by God but these men out of
necessarily die and how can we receive grace from Christ as our head but by union of our selves to the bodie whereof Christ is the head It must be our dutie to beware of all manner of seducers and to this end let us First get fundamentall truthes into our hearts affect and love truth for want hereof the Easterne Churches were given up to Mahomet and Antichrist ruled over many in these Westerne Churches because they loved not the truth 2. Thes. 2.10 For none are seduced that are not cold in love Secondly let us labour to practice that wee know and God will give us a fuller measure of knowledge whereby we shall learn to finde and know seducers Ioh. 7.17 If any man will doe his will he shall know Thirdly Pray to God for wisedome to discern of Schismes and Heresies and ill disposed persons God hath promised us any thing that is necessary for our strengthening and bringing us to Heaven God will not deny us so necessary an aide as this is Fourthly let us looke that we keepe in us a holy feare and reverence of God Psal. 15.12 What man is he that feareth the Lord him shall he teach in the way he shall chuse And those things are we duly to observe the rather because we shall ever finde seducers it will ever be a hard matter for men to finde the way to Heaven And though the doctrine and profession of Religion be not ever in all places opposed yet shall we ever finde the practisers thereof maligned As it is in these dayes where none are accounted of to be Protestants that are not loose libertines and thus instead of Concision from Religion they joyne that with it which is quite contrary to the power thereof Beware also of such for their courses of life are as pernicious as fundamentall errors for none shall be saved for his knowledge VERS 3. For wee are the Circumcision IN these words and those that follow our Apostle describes who are truely circumcised We are the true Israel the circumcised Sonnes of Abraham who are members of Christ. The Philippians they were not circumcised outwardly yet were they truely circumcised they had the truth of it even as they that were under the cloud and in the Sea were said to be truely baptized in the Cloud and in the Sea The Sacraments therefore before and after Christ were in substance all one as the Church was one and the same they may be said to be baptized as we and we circumcised as they the difference was only in the outward Ceremony and shew which the Church being then young had need of It is the same Religion cloathed diversly Bellarmin saith that their government was carnall the promises to them were carnall but it is carnally spoken of him Heb. 11. The Fathers before Christ had respect to the recompence of reward and in vers 35. they accepted not deliverance that they might obtaine a better resurrection are these carnall promises The Anabaptists they presse rebaptizing not considering that the same Covenant was before Christ and after in substance So as every true Christian is spiritually circumcised being once regenerate before indeed he is uncircumcised and a spirituall leprosie over spreads all his frame of body and minde which must be washed pared and cut off Wee must part with uncircumcised hearts eares and lippes that is such eares as doe delight themselves to heare corrupt lewd discourse such a tongue and lippes as delight to uâ—ter and let out words savouring of a rotten and uncircumcised heart such eyes as doe delight thâ—mselves in the beholding of lustfull and sinfull â—bjects whereby the heart is kindled inâ—o vaine dâ—sires I say a Christian must circumcise himselfe his heart and those parts that are uncircumcised before hee can ever thinke to goe to Heaven whither nothing that is corrupt or uncleane entreth Religion therefore is no easie thing Circumcision is painfull and bloody Mortification is very hard corruption it must be cut off though the blood follow else it will kill thee at length Wherefore wee are also to labour for circumcised hearts to understand Gods truth his will and commandements Cut off all extravagant desires who by litâ—le and little take away comfort and communion with God it s no mercy therefore to spare them Circumcise thy eyes pray with David Turne away mine eyes from regarding vanity Stoppe thy â—ares at the charming of such objects as may infect thy soule we can never injoy that beatificall vision hereafter if we weane not our selves from the liking of these things And though we cannot while we are in this house of clay come to that perfection we should yet indeavour to it earnestly and God will accept our very indeavours and will further them yea we shall get the victory at length If sinne begins to fall it shall surely fall the house of David in us shall grow stronger and the house of Saul shall dayly be weakened The meanes to this dutie are First know thy sinne and thy particular sinne by thy checks of conscience and by the checks we receive from our enemies who will spie what they can in us thereby to scandalize us As also observe what thy thoughts worke most upon what is the maine thing that generally takes up your cogitations When thou hast found out thy sinne Make it as odious as thou canst For Circumcision implies a thing that is odious and superfluous now all sinnes that be cherisht in us may well be odious to us for that it hinders us from all good and clothes us with all evill and makes all outward things evill to us who otherwise are no further ill than as they strengthen our corruptions It hinders us from all good duties pride of heart and corruption doe dogge us this made Paul cry not of temporall bonds but of the bonds of sinne and of death Who shall deliver me wretched man that I am saith he Rom. 7.23.24 Thirdly having found out thy sinnes and the abominablenesse of them Complaine of them to God as Hezekiah did of the blasphemous letter that Senacherib wrote and challenge the fruit of Gods promise For hee that bids us circumcise Deut. 10.16 Promised that he himselfe will doe it Deut. 30.6 Faith in the promises is an effectuall meanes to attain to them Men come with doubtings they see a great deale of corruption they think their labour is vaine they cannot be releeved against them they are deceived Touch but thou the hemme of Christs garment flie to God in his name and thou shalt finde this issue of sinne though not wholly dried up yet much abated And here is the excellencie of Faith that assures us of all the promises concerning sanctification here as concerning glory hereafter VERS 3. Which worship God THe Apostle places â—ircumcision before worship for unlesse there bee a cutting off we cannot bring our corruption to performe duties of Gods worship aright The words containe a description of
it is becâ—use its a dishonour to God not to take notice of his goodnesse and glorious graces in others and therefore if the starres doe praise him surely these starres must much more set forth his glorie that being of themselves sinfull wretched men by his power are made glorious lights for others to walke by And in the seventh place in things whereof there is no certaine rule to direct us wee ought to imitate the example and custome of the most holy and sober sort As in apparell much question is what sort what fashion is most to be imitated let the most sober and moderate of thine owne ranke be guide unto thee It s singularitie to differ from such with a desire to be noted and it savours of pride and such shall be condemned by their examples even as Noah condemned the old world For use of all this learne hence what is the best succession that is the best and surest note of succession which is both in doctrine and example locall succession is nothing they are the children of Abraham that doe the workes of Abraham they are Iewes which are Iewes inwardly in the spirit the Papists they cry out against us we have no succession but it is they have no succession their doctrine every where crosses the doctrine of the ancient Church of Rome their practice is without president what president have they for rebellion for their equivocation and the like they follow indeed but as corruption doth generation VERS 18. For many walke of whom I have told you often THese woâ—â—s containe a reason of Pauls exhortation and from the connexion wee may observe that where truth is error is where wheat is there are tares walke as I doe for there are many with whom yee converse that walke as enemies to the crosse of Christ. Our enemies tell us because of our errors wee are not the true Church they may better conclude contrarily that because we have some few errors therefore there is a true Church amongst us where truth is there will be opposers and therefore we are not to be scandalized hereat the skill and courage of a Christian is seen most where truth is in danger as the goodnesse of a Pilate is seene specially in a tempest The Papists will not have the Word read in the vulgar tongue why because they say many errors will thence arise while the common people understand it not They may as well argue because there is much deceipt therefore I will not buy nor sell. St. Paul was of another minde he would preach at Ephesus for a great dore and effectuall was opened though he knew there were many adversaries 1 Cor. 16.9 In the next place observe he saith many there were meaning of the better and more eminent sort that is of teachers a pitifull thing that in the golden times of the Church the chiefe leaders of the Church should be mislead and therefore we are not to wonder that we should finde it thus and thereforâ— wee must not bee scandalized by the multitude one Micaiah is better than 400. false Prophets and therefore we must not number the followers but weigh them aright To proceed he saith there are many he nameth none in particular yet no doubt but noted scandalous persons may and ought to bee particularly named that others may take notice and heed of them yet this must bee warily done The Apostle curses the Copper-smith but onely names Demas Those that are weake must be gently touched those that are obstinate and scandalous must bee plainely made knowne and this draweth some of our writers particularly to lay open the vices and falshoods of those that are obdurate and therefore we must not take scandall thereat it arising from a zealous care of Gods Church not of malice In the next place he saith he told them often the Apostle was affectionately bent for their good and therefore to write the same things often to them it was not greevous to him seeing to them it was safe for the nature of man is very dull in conceiving of things that belong to salvation and their memories are but brittle If therefore we doe often inculcate and lay open the danger of that whorish Religion long since condemned it must be well taken in these times especially wherein men are so secure daring to venter on any thing yea to goe to their Masses upon pretence of their strength that they câ—n come away without being defiled VERS 18. And now tell you weeping AS if he should have said if nothing else will make you beware yet let my teares move my teares proceeding from griefe and compassion of the miserable estate of such Teachers and of such as are led by them Affections therefore are lawfull yea necessarie in Gods children all actions in Gods worship are esteemed according to the affections that they are done with we are as we love not as we know what is the life of a Christian but the performance of things with courage delight and joy and therefore the strongest Christians have strongest affections for Religion doth not harden the heart but molifies it and regeneration doth not take affections away but restores them sanctified and pure But to come particularly to the matter here he is compassionate and so compassionate as his naturall constitution will admit hee expresseth this with teares which ariseth from griefe for something within our selves or by reason of sympathie with others for some danger that they are in or like to fall into The reasons hereof are because they are led by the spirit of Christ who was all made of compassion for he wept for his friends for Lazarus and for his enemies O Ierusalem Ierusalem how often would I have gathered you and you would not hee was tender in bearing the infirmities of his weake Disciples and of weak women his compassion was such as drew him to the lowest degree of humiliation to free us from danger Secondly the Saints have cleere sanctified judgements to apprehend true causes of remorse they know what danger is as Paul saw here that the Sheepe were in danger of wolves and saw the danger so much the greater by how much they saw not the danger they were in Thirdly the Saints have their hearts broken with sense and feeling of Christs compassion in their hearts and so are molified expressing it outwardly towards their brethren contrarily the wicked never felt any remorse or pitie of Christ in them and therefore know not what compassion meanes so as their mercies are cruelties Use this as a note whereby we may discerne of our Christian estate for surely where there is no compassion there can be no excellent estate Againe from the Apostles object of compassion and weeping observe that spirituall evill and danger is the most proper object of Christian compassion Paul he pities not himselfe because of his fetters he was in but it was the bonds of sinne made him cry Oh wretched man that